In Sethian Gnosticism, a luminary is an

angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

-like being (or heavenly dwelling place in the ''

Apocryphon of John The ''Apocryphon of John'', also called the ''Secret Book of John'' or the ''Secret Revelation of John'', is a 2nd-century Sethianism, Sethian gnosticism, Gnostic Christian pseudepigrapha, pseudepigraphical text attributed to John the Apost ...

''). Four luminaries are typically listed in Sethian Gnostic texts, such as the '' Secret Book of John'', the '' Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit'', and '' Zostrianos''. The luminaries are considered to be emanations of the supreme divine triad consisting of the Father (Invisible Spirit), the Mother (

Barbelo Barbēlō (Greek: Βαρβηλώ) refers to the first emanation of God in several forms of Gnostic cosmogony. Barbēlō is often depicted as a supreme female principle, the single passive antecedent of creation in its manifold. This figure is al ...

), and the Child ( Autogenes). Listed from highest to lowest hierarchical order, they are: #Harmozel (or Armozel) #Oroiael #Daveithe (or Daveithai) #Eleleth

Eleleth

Eleleth is a luminary in

Gnostic Gnosticism (from Ancient Greek: , romanized: ''gnōstikós'', Koine Greek: �nostiˈkos 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems that coalesced in the late 1st century AD among early Christian sects. These diverse g ...

cosmology and one of the four Sethian luminaries. Eleleth appears in ''

Hypostasis of the Archons ''Hypostasis of the Archons'', also translated ''The Reality of the Rulers'', is a Gnostic religious text. Originally written in Greek in the second or third century CE, the only known copy is a Coptic translation found in Codex II of the Nag Ha ...

'', ''

'', and '' The Three Forms of the First Thought'' found in the

Nag Hammadi library The Nag Hammadi library (also known as the Chenoboskion Manuscripts and the Gnostic Gospels) is a collection of early Christian and Gnostic texts discovered near the Upper Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945. Thirteen leather-bound papyrus c ...

in 1945 and is probably mentioned in the

Gospel of Judas The Gospel of Judas is a non-canonical religious text. Its content consists of conversations between Jesus and his disciples, especially Judas Iscariot. The only copy of it known to exist is a Coptic language text that is part of the Codex ...

as ''El''. In ''The

'', Eleleth comes down from the

pleroma Pleroma (, literally "fullness") generally refers to the totality of divine powers. It is used in Christian theological contexts, as well as in Gnosticism. The term also appears in the Epistle to the Colossians, which is traditionally attributed ...

to save

Norea Norea is a figure in Gnostic cosmology. She plays a prominent role in two surviving texts from the Nag Hammadi library. In ''Hypostasis of the Archons'', she is the daughter of Adam and Eve and sister of Seth. She sets fire to Noah's Ark and rec ...

after she cried out to the

Monad Monad may refer to: Philosophy * Monad (philosophy), a term meaning "unit" **Monism, the concept of "one essence" in the metaphysical and theological theory ** Monad (Gnosticism), the most primal aspect of God in Gnosticism * ''Great Monad'', an ...

for help against the

Archons ''Archon'' (, plural: , ''árchontes'') is a Greek word that means "ruler", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine present participle of the verb stem , meaning "to be first, to rule", derived from the same ...

, who try to seize her. After Eleleth appeared, the Archons withdraw from Norea, and Eleleth informs Norea about her true origin and the origin of the world.Willis Barnstone, Marvin Meyer. ''The Gnostic Bible: Revised and Expanded Edition''. Shambhala Publications, 2009. page 194-195

References

Gnostic cosmology Gnostic terms and concepts Individual angels {{Gnosticism-stub

Eleleth

See also

References