2. Bishop Irenaeus
(140? – 200?)

3. The Gnostics According to Irenaeus
They teach a sacred myth that explains who God is, how the world came to be, how sin came into the world, and how God is acting to save people.
God consists of several aspects or divine emanations called aeons.
They base their teachings on Genesis and other books of the Jewish Bible.
The God of Genesis, the creator of the world, is not the true God. He is named Yaldabaoth and he runs the universe like arrogant, ignorant, and evil tyrant. He is the ruler of an entire set of malevolent beings.
Jesus came into the world to save people and will gather the souls of the saved at the end of time.

4. Adam, Eve, and the Serpent Retold
Yaldabaoth didn’t want Adam and Eve to gain spiritual knowledge or Gnosis so he forbade them to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The eagle persuaded Adam and Eve to eat so that they would gain true spiritual knowledge.
As human beings continued to seek true spiritual knowledge, Yaldabaoth grew jealous of their devotion to a higher God. This is why he destroyed them in the flood.
The true God saved Noah and his family and began life on earth anew.

5. A Cast of Characters
Ennoia: Thought, Barbelo, Mother, the first of the eons
Pronoia – Forethought
Protonoia – First Thought
Epinoia – Afterthought. She appears late to rectify the faults of creation. She awakens hidden knowledge as a means of rectifying ignorance and forgetfulness.
Sophia
Yaldabaoth

6. Primary and Secondary Structure
The One, Father, Invisible Virgin Spirit
Barbelo, Forethought, Providence
Foreknowledge
Incorruptibility
Everlasting Life
Truth
Four Aeons in male-female pairs

8. Son, Christ, Divine Autogenes, Self-Originate
Tertiary Structure
Son, Christ, Divine Autogenes, Self-Originate
Harmozel
The perfect human
Grace
Truth
Form
Oriel
Seth
Conceptualization - Epinoia
Perception
Memory
In all – 12 aeons in male-female pairs

9. Tertiary Structure - continued
Daveithai
The children of Seth
Understanding
Love
Idea
Eleleth
Those who eventually repented
Perfection
Peace
Wisdom (Sophia)

11. The Crisis That Became the World
Wisdom
Yaldabaoth
Seven authorities reigning over the seven spheres of Heaven
Five Authorities reigning over the five depths of Hell
365 more demons

13. “Behold, the man has become like one of us knowing good and evil: and now lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life and live forever” --
Genesis 3:22