Gnosticism Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Sophia=== {{Main|Sophia (Gnosticism)}} In Gnostic tradition, the name [[Sophia (Gnosticism)|'''Sophia''']] (ΣοΟΞ―Ξ±, Greek for "wisdom") refers to the final emanation of God, and is identified with the ''[[anima mundi]]'' or world-soul. She is occasionally referred to by the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] equivalent of ''Achamoth'' {{dubious|talk=Talk:Topic#https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Gnosticism#Sophia_in_Jewish_Gnosticism?|date=May 2023}} (this is a feature of Ptolemy's version of the Valentinian gnostic myth). Jewish Gnosticism with a focus on Sophia was active by 90 AD.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sumney |first=Jerry L. |date=1989 |title=The Letter of Eugnostos and the Origins of Gnosticism |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/nt/31/2/article-p172_6.xml |journal=Novum Testamentum |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=172β181 |doi=10.1163/156853689X00063 |issn=0048-1009}}</ref> In most, if not all, versions of the gnostic myth, Sophia births the demiurge, who in turn brings about the creation of materiality. The positive and negative depictions of materiality depend on the myth's depictions of Sophia's actions. Sophia in this highly patriarchal narrative is described as unruly and disobedient, which is due to her bringing a creation of chaos into the world.<ref name="Oxford University Press"/> The creation of the Demiurge was an act done without her counterpart's consent and because of the predefined hierarchy between the two of them, this action contributed to the narrative that she was unruly and disobedient.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Buckley |first=Jorunn Jacobsen |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/13009837 |title=Female fault and fulfilment in Gnosticism |date=1986 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |isbn=0-8078-1696-5 |location=Chapel Hill |oclc=13009837}}</ref> ''Sophia'', emanating without her partner, resulted in the production of the ''Demiurge'' (Greek: lit. "public builder"),<ref name="newad_demi">{{cite web | title=Demiurge | publisher=Catholic encyclopedia | url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04707b.htm | access-date=2009-02-13}}</ref> who is also referred to as ''[[Yaldabaoth]]'' and variations thereof in some Gnostic texts.<ref name="apocryphon" /> This creature is concealed outside the pleroma;<ref name="apocryphon" /> in isolation, and thinking itself alone, it creates materiality and a host of co-actors, referred to as archons. The demiurge is responsible for the creation of humankind; trapping elements of the pleroma stolen from Sophia inside human bodies.<ref name="apocryphon" /><ref name=hypostasis>{{cite web | title=The Hypostasis of the Archons | publisher=The Gnostic Society Library | url=http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/hypostas.html | access-date=2009-02-12}}</ref> In response, the Godhead emanates two savior aeons, ''Christ'' and ''the Holy Spirit''; Christ then embodies itself in the form of Jesus, in order to be able to teach humans how to achieve gnosis, by which they may return to the pleroma.<ref name="nhlintro"/> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page