Thrice-Greatest Hermes, Vol. I — G. R. S. Mead (1906)
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In illustration of this Chaldseo-Orphic symbolical cosmogony as " philosophised " in a Hellenistic Gnostic environment, we will quote from a system ascribed by Hippolytus to the Sethians (a name indicating an Egyptian environment), and brought by him into the closest connection with those whom he calls the Naassenes — that is to say, with what he considers to be one of the earliest forms of the Christian. Gnosis, but which, as we have shown, is a form of the pre-Christian Gnosis overworked in Christian terms about the middle of the second century. Of these Sethians, Hippolytus l tells us as follows :
" They think that there are Three Principles 2 of the universals having certain definite boundaries, and yet that each of these Principles possesses boundless potentialities.
" Now, the Essences of these Principles (he says) are Light and Darkness ; and in the midst of these is pure Spirit.
" The Spirit, however, that is set in the midst of the Darkness that is below and of the Light that is above, is not a spirit [or breath] like a blast of wind or some light breeze that can be felt; but is as it were the delicate scent of unguent or of incense compounded and
1 Philos., v. 19 ; ed. C., p. 209 ff.; ed. D. and S., pp. 198 ff. ; ed.
M., 138 ff.
2 apxds — sources or beginnings.
prepared, — a force of fragrance that travels with a motion so rapid as to be quite inconceivable and far beyond the power of words to express.
" Now, since Light is above and Darkness below, and Spirit in some such way as I have said between them, — the Nature of the Light is that it shines forth from above, like a ray of the sun, into the Darkness beneath, while that of the fragrance of the Spirit, which has the middle rank, is, contrary wise, that it extends itself and is carried in every direction ; just as in the case of incense on a fire, we see its fragrance carried in every direction.
" And such being the Power of the triply divided [Principles], the combined Power of the Spirit and Light descends into the Darkness which is set beneath them.
" And the Darkness is an awesome Water into which the Light together with the Spirit is drawn down and transferred.
"The Darkness, however, is not without understanding, but quite intelligent, and it knows that if Light were taken from Darkness, Darkness would remain isolated, unmanifest,1 splendourless, powerless, ineffectual, strengthless.
" Wherefore is it constrained with all its intelligence and understanding to hold down to itself the lustre and spark of the Light together with the fragrance of the Spirit.
"And one can see an image of the nature of the latter in a man's face — [namely] the pupil of the eye,2 which is dark because of the waters underlying it, yet illumined by Spirit.
"As, therefore, the Darkness contends for the Splendour, in order that it may make a slave of the
1 &<f>aves — the opposite of Phanes.
2 Have we here any further clue to the title K<fpij
p. 395
Light-spark and see, so also the Light and the Spirit contend for their own Power ; they strive to raise and bring back to themselves those powers which are mingled with the dark and awesome Water beneath.
" Now all the powers of the three Principles, being infinitely infinite in number, are sagacious and intelligent each according to its own essence. And though they are countless in multitude, yet, being sagacious and intelligent, as long as they remain by themselves, they are all at peace.
" If, however, one power is brought into contact with another power, the dissimilarity in their juxtaposition brings about a certain motion and energy that takes its shape from the concurrent motion of the juxtaposition of the contacting powers.1
" For the con-currence of the powers constitutes as it were the impression (TUTTO?) of a seal struck off by concussion2 so as to resemble the [die] that stamps the substances brought into contact with it.
" Since then the powers of the three Principles are infinite in number, and from the infinite powers are infinite concurrences, images of infinite seals are of necessity produced.
"These images, then, are the forms (iSeat) of the different kinds of living creatures.
"Now from the first mighty concurrences of the three Principles there resulted a mighty type of seal — Heaven and Earth.
" And Heaven and Earth have a configuration