8:1

"Wherefore, he says, He cursed the fig-tree, because ...

{because of "mighty wind" (Apokalupsis 6:13)}

there are three words of God, "darkness, gloom, tempest, and added no more." (Deuteronomy 5:22) ...

{or else : fire, cloud, thick darkness}

"For he who has obtained a position nearest to the primal Deity-- who is, as it were, a seed-- possessed a more productive power than the rest, inasmuch as he himself who is the immeasurable one, measured himself tenfold in bulk. He, however, who in position is second to the primal Deity, has, inasmuch as he is the incomprehensible one, comprehended himself sixfold. But he who is now third in position is conveyed to an infinite distance, in consequence of the dilatation of his brethren. (And when this third Aeon) had thrice realized himself in thought, he encircled himself with, as it were, some eternal chain of union."

{Hellenic division of month into 3 cycles of 10 days each = product of 30 days; but also (because /aion/ is ‘era, epoch’) the 30 kalpa-s}

8:2

"All these Aeons, both the three and all those infinite (Aeons which proceed) from these indefinitely, are hermaphrodite Aeons."

{Ardha-nari-is`vara}

8:3

metempsychosis : "But when (the souls) are altered from bodies to bodies, they remain under the guardianship of the Demiurge. And that these things are so, ... it is possible also to perceive from Job, when he uses the following words: "And I am a wanderer, changing both place after place, and house after house."" [cf. >iyob 7:10]

{with />iYOB/ cf. [<ar.] />aYYAB/ "Uter" (LA-L 1:74a) ‘leathern bottle’ : "new wine must be put into new bottles." (Mark 2:22) = new incarnations into new bodies}

"that only begotten Son, when He gazes upon the forms of the supernal Aeons, which were transferred from above into darkish bodies, coming down, wished to descend and deliver them. When (the Son), however, became aware that the Aeons, those (that subsist) collectively, are unable to behold the Pleroma of all the Aeons, but that in a state of consternation they fear lest they may undergo corruption as being themselves perishable, and that they are overwhelmed by the magnitude and splendour of power;-- (when the Son, I say, perceived this,) He contracted Himself-- as it were a very great flash in a very small body, nay, rather as a ray of vision condensed beneath the eyelids, and (in this condition) He advances forth as far as heaven and the effulgent stars."

{"ray-of-creation"}

"And the souls are all those forms that have been laid hold on by each of the thirty Aeons; and each of these is so constituted as to discern Jesus, who is of a nature (similar to their own). (And it was the nature of this Jesus) which that only-begotten and eternal One assumed from everlasting places. These (places), however, are diverse. Consequently, a proportionate number of heresies, with the utmost emulation, seek Jesus. Now all these heresies have their own peculiar Jesus; but he is seen differently according as the place is different towards which ... each soul is borne and hastens. (Now each soul) supposes that (the Jesus seen from its particular place) is alone that (Jesus) who is its own peculiar kinsman and fellow-citizen. And on first beholding (this Jesus, that soul) recognises Him as its own peculiar brother".

{similarly, the Manda< (of Iran & <iraq) postulate 2 men named /Yes^uwa</, founders of 2 different religious denominations}

8:5

"man is the universe."

{microcosm}

"And this man constitutes a single monad, which is uncompounded and indivisible, (and yet at the same time) compounded (and) divisible. (And this monad is) in all respects friendly (and) in all respects peaceful, in all respects quarrelsome (and) in all respects contentious with itself, dissimilar (and) similar. (This monad is likewise,) as it were, a certain musical harmony, which comprises all things in itself, as many as one may express and may omit when not considering; and it manifests all things, and generates all things. This (is) Mother, this (is) Father-- two immortal names. As an illustration, however, consider, he says, as a greatest image of the perfect man, the one jot-- that one tittle. And this one tittle is an uncompounded, simple, and pure monad, which derives its composition from nothing at all. (And yet this tittle is likewise) compounded, multiform, branching into many sections, and consisting of many parts. That one indivisible tittle is, he says, one tittle of the (letter) iota, with many faces, and innumerable eyes, and countless names, and this (tittle) is an image of that perfect invisible man."

{cf. monad of Leibnitz}

8:6

"the Son of man is a jot in one tittle, which proceeds from above, is full, and completely replenishes all (rays flowing down from above)."

{"tittle" of alphabetic consonant yad is the diacritical mark (a dot in <ibri^, a w-shape in <arabi^) indicating doubling of the yad (and is usual for yad between 2 vowels)}

8:7

"Moses' rod, which was given by God into the hand of Moses. And with this (rod Moses) smites the Egyptians, for the purpose of altering bodies,-- as, for instance, water into blood; and the rest of (material) things similarly with these,-- (as, for example,) the locusts, which is a symbol of grass. And by this he means the alteration of the elements into flesh; "for all flesh," he says, "is grass." (Isaiah 40:6)".

{cf. ritual uses of sacred grasses (kus`a etc.) in the Brahman.a}

8:8

"Monoïmus himself, accordingly, in his letter to Theophrastus, expressly makes the following statement: "Omitting to seek after God, and creation, and things similar to these, seek for Him from (out of) yourself, and learn who it is that absolutely appropriates (unto Himself) all things in you, and says, 'My God (is) my mind, my understanding, my soul, my body.' And learn from whence are sorrow, and joy, and love, and hatred, and involuntary wakefulness, and involuntary drowsiness, and involuntary anger, and involuntary affection; and if," he says, "you accurately investigate these (points), you will discover (God) Himself, unity and plurality, in yourself, according to that tittle, and that He finds the outlet (for Deity) to be from yourself.""

{i.e., "the Kingdom of Heaven is within you"}

"it was impossible that God could make generated things out of things that are not."

"being cannot come out of nothing" (R&T, p. 169).

God used an already-existing substance out of which to make all things : "As He gazed (upon matter) in a seething condition, like (the contents of) a pot when a fire is burning underneath".

{effervescent "water-of-life" of Tane-mahuta}

Iesous Khristos : "as He went up into heaven He left His body in the sun, but that He Himself proceeded on to the Father. ... what the Psalmist David says: "In the sun he has placed his tabernacle, and himself (is) as a bridegroom coming forth from his nuptial chamber, (and) he will rejoice as a giant to run his course.""

{lamb-of-God in the sun}

Priskille & Maksimille : "But they magnify these ... women above the Apostles and every gift of Grace, so ... to assert that there is in them a something superior to Christ."

{Women as religious authorities, and even as foundresses of religious denominations, are prominent in Daoism.}

"They introduce, however, the novelties of ... repasts of radishes, alleging that they have been instructed by women."

{Religious repasts of radishes (/daikon/) in Japanese are known to Zen, derived from Daoism.}

10:

from __

that which was __

instance

elements

:2

1

devoid of quality

Stoic

endued with quality

Hippasos of Metaponton & Herakleitos

fire

Anaksimandros

air

Thales

water

Ksenophanes

earth

:3

2

Homeros & Ksenophanes of Kolophon

water & earth

Euripides

air & earth

5

Okellos of Loukania

circular motion

Aristoteles

4 + 2 = 6

Empedokles

strife & friendship

infinite

incapable

Anaksagoras of Klazomenai & Demokritos & Epikouros

atoms

capable

Herakleides of Pontos & Asklepiades

corpuscles

3

Platon

God, matter, exemplar

10:

theologian

theology

:6

Ademes the Karustian (Euboia), and Euphrates the Peratic

"a threefold nature, and a threefold body, and a threefold power, named Christ, and that He possesses from the three parts of the world in Himself all the concretions and capacities of the world."

:9

Oualentinos

"Christ came down from within the Pleroma for the salvation of the spirit who had erred. This spirit ... resides in our inner man; and ... this inner man obtains salvation on account of this indwelling spirit."

:10

Basilides

"Great Archon, the head of the world, ... having raised Himself as far as the firmament, supposed that there was not another above Himself. And accordingly He became more brilliant and powerful than all the underlying Aeons, with the exception of the Sonship that had been left beneath, but which He was not aware was more wise than Himself. This one having His attention turned to the creation of the world, first begat a son unto Himself, superior to Himself; and this son He caused to sit on His own right hand, and this ... is the Ogdoad. ... And other Archon ascended from (the conglomeration of) all the germs, who was greater than all the underlying Aeon, except the Sonship that had been left behind, yet far inferior to the former one. And they style this second Archon a Hebdomad. He is Maker, and Creator, and Controller of all things that are beneath Him, and this Archon produced for Himself a Son more prudent and wiser than Himself."

:13

Monoïmos the Arabian

"the things that have been produced were produced not by the primal man, but by the Son of that primal man".

:15

Markion, of Pontos, and Kerdon, his preceptor

"Christ is the Son of the good Being, and was sent for the salvation of souls by him whom he styles the inner than. And he asserts that he appeared as a man though not being a man, and as incarnate though not being incarnate. And he maintains that his manifestation was only phantastic, and that he underwent neither generation nor passion except in appearance. And he will not allow that flesh rises again".

:17

Kerinthos, having been trained in Aegyptos [and similar to Ebionaian (10:18)]

"after Jesus’ baptism, Christ came down in the form of a dove upon Him from the sovereignty that is above the whole circle of existence, and ... that, at the conclusion of the passion, Christ flew away from Jesus, but that Jesus suffered, and that Christ remained incapable of suffering, being a spirit of the Lord."

:19

Theodotos of Byzantion

"Christ descended upon Jesus at His baptism in form of a dove."

:23

Noetos of Smyrne

"the Father is unbegotten when He is not generated, but begotten when He is born of a virgin; as also that He is not subject to suffering, and is immortal when He does not suffer or die. When, however, His passion came upon Him, Noetus allows that the Father suffers and dies. And the Noetians suppose that this Father Himself is called Son, (and vice versa,)"

:24

Hermogenes

"God made all things out of matter coeval with Himself, and subject to His design. For Hermogenes held it to be an impossibility that God should make the things that were made, except out of existent things."

:25

book of Elkhasai

"Christ, but that there is one that is superior to the rest, and that He is transfused into many bodies frequently, and was now in Jesus. And, in like manner, ... at one time Christ was begotten of God, and at another time became the Spirit, and at another time was born of a virgin, and at another time not so. And ... this Jesus afterwards was continually being transfused into bodies, and was manifested in many (different bodies) at different times."

:29

Hippolutos (author of this book)

"Now the Logos of God controls all these; the first begotten Child of the Father, the voice of the Dawn antecedent to the Morning Star. Afterwards just men were born, friends of God; and these have been styled prophets, on account of their foreshowing future events." {so, Christ is evidently a close kinsman of Lucifer}