The ancient world was full of influential philosophical and religious movements that shaped the cultural landscape of their time. One such movement was the Sethian Gnostic tradition, which can be compared to the counterculture movements of later times due to its radical critique of the institutions of its day, including Roman governance, mainstream Christianity, and Judaism. Like the “punk rockers” of modern times, the Sethians were a non-conformist, subversive, and countercultural group that stood in opposition to the dominant religion of their day. They valued individual expression and nonconformity, and their tradition had a complex cosmology that was very different from anything associated with mainstream religious thought. In this series, we will explore the history and teachings of the Sethians and examine their legacy as one of the most radical and alternative movements of the ancient world.
Who were the Sethians?
The Sethian Gnostic tradition was a prominent form of Gnosticism that emerged in the early centuries of Christianity. It was characterized by a complex cosmology that included multiple levels of spiritual beings and a strong dualism between the material world and the spiritual realm. The Sethians viewed themselves as the true heirs of the spiritual knowledge and lineage passed down from Adam through Seth, and believed that they alone possessed the secret wisdom necessary for salvation.
In the Sethian Gnostic tradition, Seth was seen as a central figure and an important source of spiritual authority. According to the Apocryphon of John, one of the most important Sethian texts, Seth was the son of Adam and Eve, and was chosen by God to carry on the spiritual lineage after the death of his brother Abel. Seth was said to have received secret teachings directly from God, which he passed down to his descendants, including Enoch, Noah, and Melchizedek (Layton, 1987). In some versions of the Sethian mythos, Seth was identified with the divine logos, or Word, and was seen as a powerful spiritual being who played a crucial role in the creation and redemption of the world. In the Secret Book of John, another key Sethian text, the divine figure of Barbelo tells John that Seth “is the anointed one who stands at the right [hand] of the holy glory” (Barnstone & Meyer, 2009)).
The Sethians saw themselves as the rightful heirs to the original divine knowledge that had been revealed at the beginning of time and believed that they alone possessed the secret teachings necessary for salvation, and that their elite status gave them a special connection to the divine realm. According to the Apocryphon of John, Seth “received foreknowledge and spoke about the consummation of the aeon and the dissolution of the corruptible powers” (Layton, 1987). Thus, while the figure of Seth himself was important in the Sethian tradition, the movement as a whole can be seen as a continuation of his lineage and mission.
Rejection and Condemnation of the Creator
The Sethians’ cosmology also includes a variety of other entities, such as celestial beings, Aeons, and archons. These beings are believed to have different levels of power and influence within the universe, and their interactions shape the course of history. But one of the most subversive aspects of Sethian cosmology is their rejection of Yahweh, the Creator God of Jewish and Christian traditions. The Sethians regarded Yahweh as an inferior and even evil god who created the material world as a trap for human souls. This notion was hugely heretical and would have been considered blasphemous by both Jewish and Christian peoples of the time. In contrast, the Sethians directed their worship towards higher beings such as the Father, Barbelo, Seth, and Sophia. According to their cosmology, these divine beings were closer to the true divine reality than Yahweh, and offered a path towards spiritual liberation from the material world.
This bold rejection of Yahweh as the only true God can be seen as a precursor to modern countercultural movements that reject mainstream beliefs and institutions. In both cases, there is a rejection of established authority and an embrace of alternative perspectives. For example, some spiritual movements also reject traditional religions and religious figures, seeking instead individual spiritual exploration and connection with the divine. Similarly, some countercultural groups reject societal norms and institutions that they perceive as oppressive or limiting, seeking alternative ways of living and organizing society. Thus, it could be said that the Sethians’ rejection of Yahweh and their embrace of alternative divine beings thus set a precedent for subversive and nonconformist approaches to spirituality and social organization in the Western world.
Jesus, the Christ, and Seth
Scholars have shown that there are striking similarities between Seth and Jesus in the Sethian Gnostic literature, and that Jesus can be seen as a continuation of the spiritual lineage established by Seth. Indeed, many Sethian manuscripts equate Jesus as the earthly manifestation or embodiment of Seth, and as the Christ/Messiah. Both figures are associated with secret knowledge, spiritual authority, and the redemption of humanity. Both are also seen as powerful spiritual beings who transcend the limitations of the material world.
For example, Dr. April DeConick argues that Jesus can be identified with Seth in the Secret Book of John, one of the most important Sethian texts (DeConick, 2006). In this text, the divine figure of Barbelo tells John about the spiritual lineage passed down from Adam through Seth and his descendants. She then goes on to say that “at the end of the times [Jesus] will come forth in glory” (Barnstone & Meyer, 2009). DeConick shows that this passage suggests a direct connection between Seth and Jesus, with Jesus viewed as the ultimate fulfillment or embodiment of Seth’s mission.
Another passage in the Secret Book of John describes Jesus as a powerful spiritual being who came down from the spiritual realm to teach humanity secret knowledge and lead them to salvation. This passage describes Jesus as “a luminous cloud of light” who descended from the heavens and appeared to his disciples in different forms (Barnstone & Meyer, 2009). Similarly, in the Trimorphic Protennoia, another important Sethian text, Jesus is depicted as a divine figure who transcends the limitations of the material world. In this text, Jesus is described as “the triple-powered one who guards the entirety” (Meyer, 2009). He is also associated with Sophia, the divine feminine figure who represents wisdom and spiritual knowledge.
In the chapter “The Gnostic Seth” from the book “Biblical Figures Outside the Bible” John D. Turner, delves into the historical and mythological context of the figure of Seth in Gnostic literature. Turner provides a comprehensive analysis of the various Gnostic texts that mention Seth and his role in the creation story. One of the most interesting aspects of this chapter is the way Sullivan connects Seth and Jesus. He notes that both figures are seen as intermediaries between humanity and the divine in Gnostic thought. This is because both Seth and Jesus are believed to possess a divine spark or knowledge that can awaken the spiritual potential within human beings.
All in all, Seth and Jesus share similar themes in Sethian Gnostic texts, with both figures associated with spiritual authority, secret knowledge, and transcendence of the material world. Notably, Jesus is seen as the ultimate embodiment of Seth’s mission to awaken humanity from darkness. In the next section, we’ll delve into another facet of Seth’s portrayal in Gnostic literature: the conflation of Seth with the Egyptian divine being Set.
Conflation with the Egyptian Deity Set
While there is some debate among scholars about the exact origins of the Sethian Gnostic tradition, there is no clear evidence to suggest a direct connection between the tradition and the Egyptian deity Set. The name “Seth” in the Sethian Gnostic tradition likely derives from the biblical figure of Seth, who was the third son of Adam and Eve. Most scholars view the Sethian tradition as deriving primarily from Jewish and Christian sources, rather than from Egyptian religion or mythology and there are no prominent scholars who have argued that the Egyptian deity Set and the figure of Seth in the Sethian Gnostic tradition were the same or parallel. It is possible, however, that elements of Egyptian religion and mythology influenced the development of the Sethian Gnostic tradition, as Egypt was a major cultural and religious center during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods when Gnosticism emerged.
In the book “The Evil Creator: Origins of an Early Christian Idea,” Dr. M. David Litwa (2021) argues that the idea of an evil creator God within Gnosticism was not a novel creation but was pre-established in pre-Christian cultural memory. Specifically, Litwa suggests that Yahweh evolved from Set, the jackal/donkey-headed god of evil, and had been a part of Jewish and Egyptian cultural traditions for centuries and was adapted by alternative Christian groups in the second century to express their hostility towards the Judean creator (2021). This means that the concept of an evil creator did not necessarily originate from the appropriation of Judean texts but rather from the adaptation of pre-established traditions of “Seth-Yahweh” in Egypt. This historical context sheds light on the early Christian theology, particularly in Egypt, and suggests that Gentile Christians would not necessarily have assumed that the Judean creator was the kindly god and father of Jesus Christ but rather a chaotic and evil figure. In the same vein, it is also worth noting that some early Christian writers such as Hippolytus of Rome and Epiphanius of Salamis did conflate the Sethian tradition with the worship of the Egyptian god Seth, but Dr. Litwa’s view is not yet widely accepted among modern scholars. Hopefully, more research will be forthcoming.
All in all, the Sethian Gnostic tradition could be likened to the “punk rock” of ancient philosophy and religion, with their non-conformist beliefs and countercultural religious practices. They stood in defiance of the dominant religious beliefs and practices of their time, offering a radical critique and alternative perspective on spirituality and the human condition that was characterized by a complex cosmology, with strong dualism between the material world and the spiritual realm. The Sethians viewed themselves as the rightful heirs of the spiritual knowledge and lineage passed down from Adam through Seth, and they believed that they alone possessed the secret wisdom necessary for salvation. Seth was a central figure in the Sethian Gnostic tradition and was seen as an important source of spiritual authority. Some scholars have argued that there are striking similarities between Seth and Jesus in the Sethian Gnostic literature, with both figures associated with spiritual authority, secret knowledge, and transcendence of the material world. Additionally, some critics believe Yahweh evolved from Set, the evil god in Egyptian mythology, while others refute this connection. One thing that almost everyone can agree on, however, is that the Sethians left an indelible mark on the history of philosophy and religion, and their tradition continues to inspire curiosity and the questioning of the world around us.
References:
Barnstone, W., & Meyer, M. (Eds.). (2009). The Gnostic Bible. Shambhala Publications.
DeConick, A. D. (2006). The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation: With a Commentary and New English Translation of the Complete Gospel. T&T Clark.
Layton, B. (1987). The Gnostic Scriptures: A New Translation with Annotations and Introductions. Doubleday.
Litwa, M. D. (2021). The Evil Creator: Origins of an Early Christian Idea. Oxford University Press.
Meyer, M. W. (2009). The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The Revised and Updated Translation of Sacred Gnostic Texts Complete in One Volume. HarperOne.
Stone, M. E., & Bergren, T. A. (Eds.). (2002). Biblical Figures Outside the Bible. Trinity Press International.