Prayers and Reflections

Leviathan: The world serpent. This is kind of like the Ouroboros in the negative worldly aspect. Just as the Ouroborus refers to infinity and the cycle, Leviathan is inside the cycle. Some systems has them of basically the same thing with one referring to the inside, and the other the outside. (See; Kyklos)

Levite: In the Jewish tradition, a Levite is a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi. The Levites were the only one of the Israelite tribes who received cities but no tribal land when Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan. The Tribe of Levi served particular religious duties for the Israelites and had political responsibilities as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levite

”The Jews sent priests and Levites to question John because it was fitting for these people to concern themselves with, and investigate these matters, for they were firmly devoted to God, and because he (John) was of the Levitical tribe.” (Heracleon Frg. 5.)

Acts 4: 36-37. ”And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, the son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, (37) Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”

See also; http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09206a.htm

The tribe is named after Levi, one of the twelve sons of Jacob (also called Israel).

Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari (Genesis 46:11).

Light: (Light Bringers, Sons of Light) The aeons of the Protennoia, or Mother of Light, or Word in the Voice. The first aeon, Armedon=Nousanios=Arzomel. 2nd aeon, Phrinonios=Ainios= Oroial. 3rd aeon Mellephanes=Loios= Daveithai (David/Daveithe). 4th aeon, Maousanios=Amethes=Eleleth. (See; ”Trimorphic Protennoia,” ”Gospel of the Egyptians,” ”Allogenes,” others.)

Lithargoel: Name used by the entity in ”The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles,” who reveals himself as Jesus in the city of Habitation. http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/actp.html

Logos: Often translated as “Word,” it’s true meaning is much more multifunctional (a better translation would be “reason”). Logos was an ancient Greek term referring to “reasoned speech,” later adapted by the ”Gospel of John” to signify Christ. Logos, Word, and Tao, are synonymous. (See; Pleroma, Cosmology, and Cosmogony.)

Mandaeanism: Pre-Christian, or first century Persian Gnostic (dualism) religion of the middle east that has survived into modern times. ‘Manda’ is from the Aramaic language which translates to ‘gnosis’ in Greek. They professed a kinshipto the teachings of “John the Baptist,” and are said to exist today in Iraq.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandaeanism http://essenes.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=762&Itemid=1172

Mani: (216- 276 CE) founder of the religion of Manicheanism. Believed to have written or had part in the “Manichean Psalms of Thomas.” See also; Manichaeaens http://essenes.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=280&Itemid=712

THE ENLIGHTENED MASTER MAR MANI, peace be upon him, entered the world on the 8th day of the 1st Babylonian month of Nissanu (April 14) 216 A.D.. He was born in Mardin, Iraq and raised in an Elkasite monastery on a floating reed island in the mashlands of near Basra, Iraq. Mani claimed to be the restorer and synthesizer of Gnostic Nazorean Christianity, Zurvan Zoroasterism, and Mahayana Buddhism. He created a worldwide vegan church which lasted over a thousand years. At one point Manichaeism was as big, or bigger, than the Catholic Church and its teachings have significantly influenced Bon, Buddhist, Sufi, Shia Islam, and Taoist traditions.

Mani’s mystical teachings have profoundly enriched the Nazorean Way. His name means the “Vessel of Life” and he came to be regarded by his Christian disciples as the Paraclete, by his Persian followers as the Zoroastrian redeemer Saoshyant, and by his Buddhist adherents as the Avatar Maitreya. He was also known as a reincarnation of both Lao Tzu and Buddha. He was a gifted writer, teacher, artist, physician, astrologer, musician and a miracle-worker. He personally illuminated and illustrated many of his original scriptures, and could draw a fine line on silk and then erase it by removing one thin thread.

Manichoi: Meaning one who has become a solitary one, or unified. (Hoeller p.
151)

Marcellina: (330-398 A.D.) The only sister of St. Ambrose of Milan. She was older than St. Ambrose, and was born most probably at Trier, where her father resided as “Praefectus Praetorio Galliarum.” Mentioned to have led a Gnostic sect founded by Heracleon.

Marcion: (85-160 CE) Marcion was son of the Bishop of Sinope in Pontus, Asia Minor. He organized a series of Gnostic congregations in the eastern Mediterranean which survived into the 3rd century CE. He wrote a book called “Antitheses” which earned him excommunication by the Christian leaders of Rome.
He wrote the “Gospel of Marcion,” and rejected Jewish influence in Christianity. He rejected the institution of marriage. He believed that the Demiurge arranged Jesus’ persecution and crucifixion. But the death of Christ on the cross was only a hallucination, since Jesus did not have a physical body.

Marcus: A student of Valentinus, and contemporary of Colorbasus, who devoted their attention to magical arts and the Pythagorean numbers. See ”Refutation of All Heresies,” Book VI. by Hippolytus. http://www.gnosis.org/library/hyp_refut6.htm

Marcionites: Followers of Marcion who formed a sect around 144 A.D. They rejected the idea of the Jewish God, and declared that Jesus was not the son of the Jewish creator. Considered by some to be Gnostic like in their understanding of dualism.

Marsenes: Name of Tractate 1, Codex X, Nag Hammadi Lib. A Sethian writing also found in the Bruce Codex, also name of main character of the work, a Gnostic Prophet.

Matthias: According to Clement of Alexandria, teachings of Matthias were used by Basilideans and perhaps other Gnostic groups. According to Hippolytus, Basilides and his son Isidore claimed to have learned from Matthias ’secret words,’ which he had received in private teaching from the Saviour. A disciple called Mathias replaced Judas Iscariot in apostolic succession after the crucifixion of Jesus.
(May be the author who wrote the text, “The Book of Thomas the Contender.”)

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10066a.htm

Meditation: The act of concentrating the mind for a specific purpose, or
response. The act is different than contemplation in some contexts, in others it
may mean the same. Sethian Gnostics rejected prayer as to an eminent power.
They did use ”contemplation,” or what we might call self-hypnosis today, which
was aided by the use knowledge of the monad. (See Sethian Monadology)

Monogenes: The “Only begotten.” Probably means one thing, (one gene) that can
grow into more complex things in the context of the Monadology, like the term Word, in the Sacred Tetrad. (See; Autogenes and Logos. See also; “A Valetinian Expostition.”) May also resemble the idea of meme.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme

Monoimus: (150-210) Student of Tatain. He is known for coining the usage of the word ‘Monad’ for use in the Christian Gnostic context. However the study of the Monad, certainly preceded him, as the Zoroastrians, Pythagoreans, and Hermetics used the technology of the monad prior to Christianity, and was used by Sethians prior to Monoimus.

Montanus: Second Century founder of the Montanists, who held that the Holy
Spirit was giving new revelations to the (his) Church. They made declarations
against certain social practices, and practiced fasting, declared the sanctity
of a single marriage. They were declared heretics by the ‘Church’ and rejected.
It is doubtful that this sect could be considered Gnostic in terms of heresy
that they were accused of by the Bishop of Rome. They were probably anti-Gnostic in spite of claims to the Holy Spirit. Tertullian is said to have joined this group in his later years. (See; Tertullian.)

Mythology: 1a. A body or collection of myths belonging to a people and addressing their origin, history, deities, ancestors, and heroes. b. A body of myths associated with an event, individual, or institution: “A new mythology, essential to the . . . American funeral rite, has grown up” (Jessica Mitford). mythologist, pl. mythologies http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/mythology There are several mythological characters named in the various Sethian texts, not included in this work. They include Greek, Pagan, Roman, Egyptian, and other sources. Barpharanges, Seldao, Zogenethlos, Iolaos, from ”Zostrianos,” and several others in works like ”The Apocryphon of John,” are among the obscure references that at this time cannot be interpreted as to the concepts of the texts in which they appear.