The Gnostic Ritual of the ‘Five Seals’
All material on the Five Seals is from authors in the References below (with slight paraphrasing of this material). Ultimately, just ‘how’ these ‘Five Seals’ were applied is unknown (but some texts as the following make statements about them):
The Trimorphic Protennoia or ‘TrimProt’ (clearly outlines the ‘Five Seals’:
The Trimorphic Protennoia (a Sethian text with doctrine found in the Nag Hammadi Library) outlines how the Five Seals were applied during baptism in the following manner:
It appears (though it is not known for sure) that there are five baptisms and words spoken at each baptism (in ‘running water’ only or a river); probably ‘running water as poured or sprinkled (moving) water’ would have sufficed (- but this is speculative). Here are believed likely Five sayings
- When you enter the light, you will be glorified by those who give glory,
- and those who enthrone will enthrone you.
- You will receive robes from those who give robes,
- and the baptizers will baptize you,
- and you will become exceedingly glorious, as you were in the beginning when you were light.
In more detail and later in a different text or the “The Tripartite Tractate” (or TriTrac) it outlines these sayings as having been said (especially in separate Sethian communities) along with and during (the developing “proto-canonical”) Christian baptism: In the Latin Church, it accompanies the act with these words, “[Your Name], I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and the Holy Spirit.”]. In the ‘Greek’ early proto-orthodox it is, “You are baptized; you are illuminated; you are anointed with the Holy Myrrh, you are hallowed; you are washed clean, in the Name of Father, and of Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen;” but this combining is not certain. In a ‘mixed community with many non-Sethian or non-Gnostic Christians, only the common baptism was used. And this was all that the Valentinians required. But Sethians may have required all five. So these would have been done in different “private” ceremonies. I believe the Gnostics were convinced that their common (non-Gnostic baptism) still meant they were saved. But that there was a ‘higher Salvation to higher levels of Heaven,” and that Gnostic Christian or ‘five sealed’ baptism might or could bring about ‘Gnosis’ or experiential salvation that like today’s modern ‘Near Death Experience’ made ‘Salvation’ as real as: ‘living with their spouse, children or working with their co-workers,” and took away all doubt as to whether ‘they’ were (fully) saved or not.
- I delivered him to those who give robes, Yammon, Elasso, Amenai, and they clothed him with a robe from the robes of light.
- I delivered him to the baptizers, and they baptized him, Micheus, Michar, Mnesinous, and they immersed him in the spring of the [water] of life.
- I delivered him to those who enthrone Bariel, Nouthan, and Sabenai, and they enthroned him from the throne of glory.
- I delivered him to those who glorify Ariom, Elien, and Phariel, and they glorify him with the glory of fatherhood.
- Those who rapture raptured, Kamaliel, …anen, Samblo, the servants of <the> great holy luminaries, and they took him into the place of the light of his fatherhood.
TrimProt and TriTrac, and other texts in the Nag Hammadi library that mention the Five Seals include:
- Apocryphon of John
- Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit
- Trimorphic Protennoia
- Zostrianos
In Sethian Gnostic texts, Micheus, Michar, and Mnesinous are the three heavenly spirits that preside over the rite of baptism, performed in the wellspring of Living Water. They are mentioned in the Nag Hammadi tractates of the Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit, Trimorphic Protennoia, Zostrianos, and Apocalypse of Adam. In the texts, the trio is frequently mentioned along with (the mysterious Gnostic name (in this text) of ‘Yesseus Mazareus Yessedekeus’ (for the Mashiach), which is a mysterious ‘Sethian name’ for “Yeshua Hamaschiach” (i.e., Jesus of Nazareth the Righteous [ho dikaios]) who is here equated as God is, ‘with Living Water’. Yeshua too is named “Living Water.” In Jeremiah 2:13 and 17:13, the prophet describes God as “the spring of living water” and, in John 7:38 Yeshua declares, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” “Living Water’ (Yeshua) stands for a ‘tseh-mahkh task-deek’ (or a righteous branch) equivalent to God as personified by the Messiah.
Yeshua said to the Samaritan woman at the well:
”If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10).
Zostrianos.
The work is likely the same Zostrianos that Porphyry criticized in Life of Plotinus. Like other Sethian Gnostic texts, “Marsanes, Allogenes, and the Three Steles of Seth,” ‘Zostrianos’ and its ideas appear more Middle Platonic or Neoplatonic than Christian.
But today’s OT and NT are filled up with Platonic and the NT by Platonic and Neoplatonic ideas. However, Porphyry said that these works belonged to Christian heretics. Bentley Layton (a scholar of Gnosticism and the Nag Hammadi Library (and associated texts like the Gospel of Mary) explains this apparent contradiction with the belief that Zostrianos was written by a Gnostic Christian author who was fascinated with Eastern religious heroes who had special knowledge relating to the divine, such as Zoroaster. Zoroaster as a ‘Light Prophet” (and Zoroastrianism) is included within ecumenical Gnostic Manichaean Christianity.
References
Five Seals. (2022, October 20). In Wikipedia.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Seals
Micheus, Michar, and Mnesinous. (2022, April 20). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micheus,_Michar,_and_Mnesinous
Turner, John D. (2007) Three Forms of First Thought (or Trimorphic Protennoia) in: Meyer, Marvin.The Nag Hammadi Scriptures. HarperCollins 10 East 53rd St., NY, New York 2007
Thomassen, Einar. (2007) The Tripartite Tractate in: Meyer, Marvin.The Nag Hammadi Scriptures. HarperCollins 10 East 53rd St., NY, New York 2007
Zostrianos. (2023, October 16). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zostrianos
For Platonism in Christianity (and both the OT, Judaism and the NT), see:
Christian Platonism, Neoplatonism and Modern Naturalism Craig A. Carter · January 12, 2022 https://credomag.com/2022/01/christian-platonism-neoplatonism-and-modern-naturalism/
and
Neoplatonism and Christianity. (2023, September 15). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoplatonism_and_Christianity
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