Archon (Gnosticism) An archon, in the Gnosticism of late antiquity, was any of several servants of the Demiurge, the "creator god" that stood between the human race and a transcendent God that could only be reached through gnosis.
In this context they have the role of the angels and demons of the Old Testament. They give their name to the sect called Archontics. The term was taken from the ancient Greek position of office "archon". A characteristic feature of the Gnostic concept of the universe is the role played in almost all Gnostic systems by the seven world-creating archons, known as the Hebdomad (ἑβδομάς). These Seven are in most systems semi-hostile powers, and are reckoned as the last and lowest emanations of the Godhead; below them—and frequently considered as derived from them—comes the world of the actually devilish powers.
In the system of the Gnostics mentioned by Epiphanius we find, as the Seven Archons, ParaplexHekateAriouth (females)TyphonIachtanabas (males) Archon Attribution. Gnostic Society Library: Patristic Polemical Works of Gnostic Interest. The principal patristic texts of interest to Gnostic studies are listed in this section (all texts from Alexander Roberts, ed.
The Ante-Nicene Fathers and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers collection). The writings of Augustine against the the Manichaeans are also included here. A collection of the complete patristic writings, all carefully and recently reedited, is available at the CECL Early Church Fathers collection. The collection there offers the entire Ante-Nicene Fathers and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers collections (about 38 volumes in the print edition), and includes a search function. The texts hosted here have been in our collection since 1995, most have been recently reformatted. Patristic Polemical Works Against the Gnostics Irenaeus of Lyon: (c. 140 – c. 202 AD) Irenaeus (died c. 202) was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, then a part of the Roman Empire (and now Lyons, France). Patristic Works with Gnostic Interest. Gnostic Society Library: Patristic Polemical Works of Gnostic Interest.
The Gnosis Archive: Resources on Gnosticism and Gnostic Tradition. What is Gnosticism?
Many visitors have requested some basic introductory material explaining Gnosticism. To meet this need we offer these "places to start": two short articles, The Gnostic World View: A Brief Summary of Gnosticism and What is a Gnostic? ; and an audio lectures (mp3 format) on the Gnostic concept of Christ: The Misunderstood Redeemer. A reading of the Overview of the Gnostic Society Library collection will also give a useful brief introduction to the history and textual legacy of the Gnostic tradition. For more in-depth reading suggestions visit the Gnostic Society Bookstore—you will find offered there a selection of the best introductory and advanced books on Gnosticism, along with brief reviews of recommended books. Meditations Take a moment to reflect on a brief meditation and reading from the Gnostic scriptures, selected from this week's Gnostic liturgy. The Gnostic Society Library Documentary films: Nag Hammadi Library collection updated: Gnosis and C.
"C.G. C. C. Gnostic Society Library: Sources on Gnosticism and Gnosis. Almost all of the several dozen internet sites with collections of texts similar to our own obtained their material by directly or indirectly copying some files present at the Gnosis Archive.
Ours was perhaps the first major collection of such texts to appear on "the web" in 1994, and thus has served as a source for others creating "their own" collections. Unfortunately transcription errors, typos, and primitive HTML formatting were present in the massive amount of material added to the Gnosis Archive in our first years; in a repeated process of "copying" they have been very widely propagated around the internet. Over nearly two decades we have made many corrections to these texts. Gnostic Gospels. THE LOST GOSPELS-GNOSTIC GOSPELS.