oJ

From the Gnosis of Antiouitv to Ismaili Gnosis

f .

Thc tit le of this study indicates not only what it aims to include, but alsowhat it excludes. The historical data do not allow us to establish acomparison between whar may have bccn thc relations between thegnostics of the West and Ismaili gnostics during thc Middlc Agcs. Evcn

today we arc still very far from having access to thc body oftcxts that wouldhave to be analyzed in order to know Ismaili gnosis in thc details of itsstructure and development. Yet one can imagine that in the many litt lcgnostic circles of the Latin West-which have be en cspccially studicd by P.

Alphandiry, and which were more or less rclated to thc Cathars-thcrcmust have existed certain conditions that would havc pcrmitted a dialoguc.Whether or not that occurred, no tracc ofit has remaincd.

On thc othcr hand, what has left its trace are the contacts that occurrcd

undcr conditions quitc alien to any spiritual interpenetration. It was not insomc scholarly retreat, such as that in Toledo where the translations ofphilosophic texts from Arabic to Latin were prepared, that the Crusadcrsheard of the Ismailis. Every chroniclcr of thc Crusadcs, howcver, from

Will iam of Tyrc onward, had something to say in thcir rcgard. But whatwas known of thcm-and what inflamed imaginations vcry rapidly sprcadabout-finally resulted in that chcap adventure serial of the "Assassins,"and in thc popular meaning that word had already assumed in thefourtcenth ccntury. People saw their hand everywhcre, even in murderattcmpts in thc Wcst. Morcovcr, some troubadours evcn claimcd thcir rank,

inasmuch as thcy wcrc rcady, out oflove, to makc thc suprcmc sacrif icc forthcir ladics. 'fhc dcsignation becamc traditional, cven bcforc being cx-pl()it( 'd ft)r scnsational storics, and it has pcrsistcd among many Oricntalistssinct. l lx'scvcntccnth ccntury. \\rhcrc a tcxt rcads "Ismailis," thcy havc

I5I

FROM THE GN O SIS OF ANTIQUITY

casually translated "Assassins," as though they wcrc thc same thing. In

forgctting that an Ismaili community sti l l existed, they unwittingly made

themselvcs, across the agcs, obliging agents for the stubborn propaganda of

the Abbasids or for Saladin's fanatical hatrcd.

Our purpose hcre is not to go back ovcr those historical vicissitudes' or

that lack of scientif ic integrity. A crucial change has occurred in the past

twenty ycars or so, complctely transfi)rming the conditions under which our

prcdeccssors worked-confrontcd, as they wcrc, with reports coming from

Sunni thcologians or historians vehemently hosti le to every form of Shiism.

At last we have gained access to authentic and complete treatises of Ismaili

doctrinc. These books are what wil l concern us hcrc, and whoever has

rcflcctcd on them alrcady knows that Ismaili spirituality has absolutely

nothing to do with thosc "tales ofassassins."

What such reflection does call for is rathcr that sort of tolerant and

comprchensive comparison which did not-or could not-take placc in the

tvliddlc Agcs. Thc first condition for that, morcovcr, is to dcterminc the

typology ofthc Ismaili systcm of understanding, in ordcr to connect it with

its closcst spiritual family. It is remarkablc that at the vcry moment whcn,

thaDks to thc discovcry ofthc Coptic manuscripts at Nag Hammadi, wc can

hopc to havc acccss for thc first t imc to an cntire l ibrary ofancient gnosis, wc

arc l ikcwisc put in a position to bc atrlc to study the most significant

rccurrcncc ol grtosis in Islam. If, at last, thc unfortunate dimcultics ofaccess

to thc tcxts that wc have cxpcricnccd in both thosc domains wcrc to bc

rcmovcd, thcn an cncountcr dclaycd for scvcral ccnturics would finally

lrt 'comc oossiblc.Pcrlraps onc day wc shall cvcn bc ablc to dcmonstrate thc sccrct thrcad

linking ont'gnosis to thc othcr. But for thc momcnt wc must l imit oursclvt s

to noti lrg somc traccs and signs which arc alrcady cnough to raisc thc

problcnr. In any casc, it is possiblc to brin{ out ccrtain structural honx)l-

osics. an( l i t is tht sc, a lxx 'c al l , that wi l l hold our al tcnt ion l lcrc. Morcovcr,

grtosis hirs rrcvr'r had lhc charactcr ol a closcd d()gnritt ic svslcnr' l hr'

stx crr lat ivc { iccdom lo which thc gnost ics t t l t l tc sc(( t l ( l ( ( ' t l tu ly tcsl i l i is

su( h l l l i r t cacl t ot tc ol- lhcnt scts l r r r h inrscl l thc lask rr l cot t t r i l r t t t i r lg t r r t l t r '

r l iscovcrv rr l lhc tvct t ls o l t l tc l t l ronta i t t t< l cnt ic l t i t tg thci l svtnlxr ls; wl t r r l

I r cr i rcr ts, i t t a l t r rst i l r ' r r ' t t t i r rk, i t t t r ' r l ) t - t ' ls i ls l l t l i l ls t : l l ) i l i lv r ) r ( ( ) l t l rar l ic t ior r i r r

r l , ' r . r r r , , rcr t i rn.r f f l , t ' , . " ( i t . .wir . l r l . , \ i tu^ luthlh r t t r / th ' \Ynn l t . " l t \ t t t t ' l ' l '

.17 '

l l . r ' , , V, ' i r l r r r , \ , ' l N\ \ ' l l ( ( ) ( r , ,1tr ' r r r ' ; r l

I i , lJ

FROM THE G N OSIS OF ANTIqUITY

their doctrincs is only another testimony to their vitality. There was an

analogous proliferation in thc frrst centurics of Shiism, which left heresr-

ographcrs with the same pcrplcxity and inabil ity to surmisc thc thread

tying together thc doctrines they recorded. A corollary of this is that Shiite

gnosis in gcneral, and Ismaili gnosis in particular, cannot be conceived

simply as a continuation ofancient gnosis. It follows a path that is purely its

own, eliminating some themes whilc it assimilates and transforms other

perfcctly recognizable oncs.Thc fact remains, howcvcr, that herc we arc indecd in the prcscncc ofa

gnosis-that is, ofa teaching which does not aim at somc purc theoretical

knowlcdgc, ofa zola ofunderstanding which is not a simple act ofknowing.

It is not a tcaching for the masses, but an init iatory teaching Passcd on to

cach specially choscn disciple. It is an esotcric kn owlcdgc (' i lm al-Batin\, a

knowlcdge of the Truth (' i lm al-Haqiqa\ that, as such, givcs risc to a ncw

birth, a metamorphosis, the salvation of the soul. "This spiritual birth(uilada ruhanja) takes placc in the world oftd'.rtl. whilc physical birth takcs

placc in the world of lanail."t Exrcrr'al religion or thc litcral form (langil) and

spiritual exegesis (ta'uiL) arc thc two polcs. f ltymologically, la'ail mcans

"to bring back or lcad back to . . .," i.e., to bring drc l iteral forms (4ahir,

shan'a) l>ack to thc planc ol spiritual Truth (haqiqa). By this cxegcsrs,

Ismailism transforms the l iteral forms of thc Koranic Revelation in thc

samc way that thc gnosis of antiquity worked with thc givcn lorms of

Christianity: it performs a transformation of all thcsc forms, cvcnts, and

pcrsons into symbols. In so doing, it realizes a transmutation ofthc soul, its

rcsurrcction (qilAna\ and thcrcby bears thc fundamcntal fcaturc that

rc larcs i t to thc orhcr forms ofgnosis.

Our primary concern herc wil l bc to call attcntion to somc traces ofthat

rclationship, in so far as some important works that havc only rcccntly

bccomc acccssiblc allow us to do so. Wc do not proposc to undcrtakc a

complctc accounting ofwhat has bccn learned from thc publications ofthc

last twcnry yt'ars: in thc facc of thc tasks that sti l l rcmain, such a l isting

t Kal in i l 'n,cC' .Yi . lvanow,p. rr4o[thePersiantext .Onla&rlasaspir i tuaiact iv i ty,t l . l f . ( i r l r in. Atnnnr ct le Ric i t t is ionnairc, tome | ( .Bibl iothaquc hanienne, vot . 4) ,f i l r rarr- l 'a l is . r r l54.pp. j2 4o lArtccnna and the l is ionary Re( i ta l . t r . \ \ ' i l lard Trask.Ncrr I r r rk, r ry ' r , r rcpr in tcr l Spr i r rg PLr hl ica t ions. Dal las. t gBL:t .1, and Etudc pr i l tmtnam

I'un h " l tiuu\\rnt l ltur tttctvt r tlt Nitn e Khovau' lllibl. Iranrennc. vot. 3a),I ' r1r , l , l , { , . ) 71. lAlhrc1. l l . * t l in l , lot , ,aa;ra. . , Par is, ( ;a l l imard. rq72lrq7t l ,I r r l r r . r r . ta i l r l .1

FROM THE GNOSTS OF ANTIqUITY

would appcar quite inadequate,just as any prcmature attempt at systemat-

ization u'ould bc vainlv ambitious. For we are only at rhc very first stages A

pamphlet published by thc Ismaili Society ofBombay on the occasion ofits

tcnth anniversary (Fcbruar,v r6, r956) indicatcs that unti l 1922, scarcely

three or four authentic works wcre known Sincc then, thc tcxts published in

Arabic and Persian (and on a vcry diversc rangc oftopics) constitutc somc

forty titlcs. Morcover the Guidl to Ismaili Literalure of\\ ' h'anow ( r 933; znd

cd. I r963]) , ment ions 69I t i t les.II 'we can measure somcthing ofour ignorancc in that fashion, thcse are

not the only obstacles to be eliminatcd if rn'e are to allorv thc first results of

this dialosue to unfold. It would secm that gnosis has always bccn a

controversial problcrn. From time to time, for examplc, one encounters

pcremptory assertions, coming from the most diverse quarters, such as that

"Christianity and gnosis are heterogcncous and irreconcilable quantit ics "

It is to be feared that this sort ofprcconceived opinion may forcvcr prcvcnt

any rcal understanding or valorization. What should bc said instead, is that

tlrcrc is a hcterogcneity bctwecn historical, ofl icial Christianity and gnostic

Christianity comparablc to that cxisting betwccn orthodox Islam and the

Islam of the mystics (,4r1 al- 'Irf in): it is only straightforward intcllectual

lroncsty to rccognize that fact. But whcrc onc gocs bcyond thc bounds o1'

hcrmcncutics is in maintaining this opposition in lbrcc whcn thc mecniz.g of

thos(: tcrms is sti l l undctcrmincd-i.c . in afhrming a contradiction bctwccn

snosis and Christianity as such, or bctwt'cn gnosis and lslam as such- ()r

rathcr, it is truc that t lrc Koran. ir its nrat(rial, l i tc'ral lbrm, docs not

cstabl is l r a gn,rst i t rc l ig ion; but onc ol lhc tasks ol lsmai l i s tudics ought

prcr iscly to bc tht ' Lrncovcr inq ol l r , ,orul , ,g i , s l l r tuccrr thc qn.r ' t i ( 'onccP

t i r rns ol ( lhr ist iani tv and t l rc Isnr i t i l i gt tost ic totrccl l t ior t o l ls lanr '

It.

' f l r< rr l r lcst l rc l l l is( t l ( ) t { , l t tccssi l r l t l ( ) l ls sccr | ls t r r lx t l lc l intnt u l 'Ki l i ib l l

: rgr lx i r rcr l i t l rc l ,hat t r ih i t r t i l ic t r . srr I rat l tct l i l l icr , \ l t r l ' l -Khi l t t r i l r ' t l rc t 'x '

r ' r r t l r rs i i rs l i ( r l isc ip l t r r l t l r l I r t t lnt . l i r ' lar i r l -Si i< l i r l ( r l t r r ' r '1 l l /7{ i ' , ) " l l rc

lsrrrr i l i rc l iu i , , r r \nnlhluh t ivu ' i l i ) is t l t r t t u l r i l l t u ' . rs l i r t r r t r l l t l l ry t l r l

(spir i t r r i r l ) r l r iL l lc t r r r l ' \ l r r r ' l "Klrrr t t r r l r . rv l r , ' sr t l t i l i r l r l t l lc i l l ivcs orr t r r l

r | l \ ' ( , t i ( , r l ( , ls t r i r ' t l , t l r l srrrr r r l . l : r ' l . r r . r l - f . r r l i r1. " \ \ ' l rct l r l t t l t is r t t r l t ' r i r

l lntnt l Ann' , t l \ \ ' l r , r r r0$ l / ) . , r f ' r " r , \ \ l l l ) . t '1, ' r

l , , l i l , . r r r , ' r r r r \ r r r l ' r

r , r I

FROM TI{E G NOS TS OF ANTIQUITY

Persian tcxt is the original text or a ranslation l iom tbe Arabic, in eithercasc it faithfully rellects the ideas which nere circulating in thc znd/Bthcenturv among thosc circlcs in which the themes ofShiite gnosis took ficrm.What thosc thcmes took over from carlicr Gnosticism (firr example, withHisham al-Jaualiqi, Mughira, Shalmaghani, ctc.) rcmains to be uncoveredin thc summary accounts provided by thc hcrcsiographers. Thc [,Inimal-Kitob has been called a "proto-Ismaili" u,ork, which is truc, on thecondition that onc recognizcs that ccrtain ofits themes arc no longer to bcfound in thc grcat trcatiscs ofthc Fatimid pcriod, whilc others, on thc othcrhand, arc only thc first hint ofsubscqucnt devclopments.

At prcscnt, it is sti l l dil l icult to follow in dctail thc transition between thisfirst treatise and thc Ismaili scholasticism ofthc Fatimid pcriod. It is knownthat thc fburth/tcnth century was a pcriod of intcnsc intcllcctualfcrmcntation:r the creativc controversy in u'hich ldur great Iranian Ismailif igurcs wcre involvcd (cf. QX belorv) provides us with somc importantinformation. Moreover, the vitality of the research and crcativc abil ity atthat t imc are indicatcd by thc notablc differcnccs bctwecn works that arcvirtually contcmporary. T'hcrc is, for cxamplc, a great di{Icrcnce in thcstructure of thc heavcnly Pleroma as it is dcscribcd by Nasir-e Khusraw,and thc schema set up by Hamid al-Din Kcrmani, who makcs it corrcspondto the ten-fold hierarchy of the philosophcrs (thc Jalastfa, al-Farabi and.{viccnna).

After tbc complction ofthe grcat schism following the death of Mustansirbi ' l lah (ro94), the two major branches ol'Ismailism followcd their ownpaths. Thc "old da'ua" (da'u,a qadtma, to usc Shahrastani's exprcssion)continucd thc Fatimid tradition in Arabic up to our own day.'Thc "ncwda'ura" (da'wa jadida), thc rcformcd Ismailism ofthc tradition of Alamut,sar,r its l i tcraturc. irr thc Pcrsian languagc, t lcvastatcd undcr thc Nlongot on-slauglrt. \\ i arc indcbtr:d to thc labors of \\ ' . Ir 'anorv fbr our knowlcdsc o1'somc ol its rnajor monumcnts.'fhc cxtrcmc intcrcst ol 'this l i tcraturc l ics in

l Ser,orrllrrtrr uct ir r n to tllc Connentaift de la fu sida umailienne d'Abi'l-I Inithatn.JIUA il l l tL l . lntni .Nt?, \o l l ; ) , I 'ehran-Par is.rq5[ i . \ iotonlvdoesrhiscommenrarval lou,ust l ) nrr kc sonr( . l fLr i t l i r l ( orrpar isons with that o l Nasir-e Khusrarv, bur.rn€ ol h is dir fc l, l i \ ( i t , l .s i , , ' (1, ' , ' l , t ( ( l lv I l r r l rammad Sorkh ol l i ishapnr) a lso tesr i l ics ro the el lons, , , r r l rcsr,ruch ol l r is r r r ls tcr .

. , , \ l l r , ' r rs thr lsrnr i l i l r tcr : r t r r r ro l t l rc l rLt inr idcra. therorkol Na r i r ,€ Khusraw srands,,rrr , rs l r r r r r ( rorrr l , l r r t I i r r I , r . rs i r r r . : \1r , , i r r l ,crs i . t r r . t rc r i rc rbr,r c-menrioned,, , l l l r r l i l , l . , l \ Lrr 1t . r r l l t l r r ' l ' , rs i , r r r r l r i iorr ot Krthl t l . l l r th j t th.rLt l iLrrrcd r , r . \ l r r l\ ' , r ' ,1rr l , sr j r r r , r , r r ( r r l l l ( :or l , i r , /n i , / I t rnnnr, t t , l r , r t r t , r ) l : r r lc t l . . r r r l to l

FROM THE G NOSIS OF ANTIqUITY

its revival ofthe gnostic awarcncss ofcarly Ismailism and in its emphasls on

the aspcct ofa rcligion ofpersonal salvation, a religion ofResurrection (dtn-t

qiamal or rastokhrz). It profoundly influcnccd all of lranian Sufism, trnder

thc guise ofwhich it continucd to survivc Whatever onc may think ofthc

origins of Shams-e Tabriz (i.c., whcther or not hc was the son of a

grand-master of Alamut), it should bc noted that his "mystical secret"

recordcd in thc Walad-Namah of thc son ofJalal al-Din Rumi has its cxact

cquivalcnt in the commcntary on the Khutbal al-Ba1an which Ismaili

tradition has attributed to Hasan Sabbah." N{orcover, this commcntary is

l ikcwisc of major significancc for the history of Ismaili spirituality and its

conncctions $'ith Sufism.

ru.Sril l another diff iculty awaits us if wc attcmpt to situatc thc speculativc

tlrcosophy of Ismailism in thc contcxt ofthc dcvclopmcnt ofphilosophy in

Islam. I havcjust alludcd to the schematization ofthc hcavcnly Plcroma in

Kcrrnanr and to its homology rtith that of Aviccnna ' l 'he Jalasfu, in tlrcir

{)wl wav, l ikcrvisc bcar rvjtncss to gnosis in Islam. ln rcality, philosophic

rrrrclcrstirnding alwal's rcmains a wisdom (hikma), a gnosis that should

lrrovidc spiritual salvation through thc i l lumination of the soul That is

Picciscly' its ult imatc mcaning, so that it would bc arbitrary to consider

lsnrail isn in isolation lrom Aviccnnism or thc "Oricntal thcosophy"

(1rlrzi4) ol suhrau'ardi not to mcntion its afl init ics with thc thcosophy ol

lLrr'r\rabi. In alluding t() thosc connccti()lts, l lorv< r't ' t, wc can scarccly dcr

rn(,rc tlran susscst a progran ol_rcscarch'l lrr. .\viccnnan tlr(\)ry ol thc Inlt. l l igctr(( s ( 'uqil1, ,.tr ;rngclology, scts

lir lt lr lr succcssiott ol sl zy git 's thrrl colrcsplrnd lo t lrc sl rucl urc ()l s()ir lc ()l t l l(

r r r r r jor ' ( ) t tost ic sr s1t ms. I ront c i tc l l I ntc l l igcnt r ' ( 'nq1). Ntra r , or ( ihcrrrb t l tcrc

prrrcct<ls i r Sorr l ( ln/ i ) t l l r l l i r rnrs a c,r t tp lc wi t l r i t , \ l r r ic l , l i i . r r i la (Rirr i l r r

l i ' l , l ld i ' iAa) t t tn{ ivts Lrst l tc i r lcs l r tct i r t t r : t t t tcs l l t t r rarrr lo l l l l t l i ls l r r l

t l rcsr ' ( l l rct t t f rs. l l i lh nl ( !wl t . r 'otrcspott<ls ( xr t ( l l \ l r ) l l l r t l { ) l l l l ( l i ls l

l r \ fx)s l i ts is \ th . l futnotmtt) i t t lx ' I ' ) t tn l t l t t I ' l ' l l r ( (x|r ' l r ls : t l r r ' " l r i r l l o l t l r r '

( r ( : , ,1 ' l t , . r l ( l l , th, l . \ ' , t tn, th. n l l l , , t t tat t . l l t l t t , t t t . t1t" l t r l . 1t t t17 l r"r , r r r r r r tL l r l r rnt '1un r n i 'hn'11 , , r ! l r i ! r . \ r , ,1 l l , 's , , r ' . . S,r l r l r r l r , rk, l t t t t l t tnt l \ t I ' l l r , ' l rh.f1,rrr , , r t . r t t t \ r r r l t r t ! ,n t t t lat v nrhl , r l ' I I l tuN)

/ \ , r ( ' r l , l r , ,L. l , r 'a, , / ' th l t t t t t , t r tunt i . r , ' r r , r . t , t , t r , ' . \ \1, ' r , r l I \ t , , r ! \ , r r i r , ' l t l , ,/ l r , r / , r r r r l r r , , r l r l r r r i t r , r r t r r r t r r | , r l r , r r , ' l

| ! t7

FROM THE G N OSIS OF ANTIqUITY

Father." The Tasauuurdt of Nasir al-Dtn Tusi preserves thc same schcma,although thcrc it is complicated by the fact that nor only the Intell igcncc,but also the Soul produces acts ofcontcmplation that givc rise to beirrg.

In Ismailism, on the other hand, this syzygial structure is enrichcd by anaspect which could not 6gurc in the Avicennan schema-i.e., by thccorrcspondcnce and parallelism betwecn the levels ofthc hcavcnlv Pleroma(al-hudid al:uluja) and thosc which constitute the esoteric hierarchy ofthcda'wa khc "meso-cosm"). the different ranks of thc Ismaili brotherhood(al-hudnd al-sufi1a).* The Naliq (the "Enunciating" prophet) is made tocorrespond to the First Intcll igcnce (the first ofthe Chcrubs in Avicenna),while his spiritual heir (lfasl, the foundation (, sas) of the Imamate,corresponds to thc Sccond Intcll igcnce.'! (The notion that an earthly pcrsonmay rcprcscnt or typify a hcavcnly hypostasis also occurs in medieval Latingnosticism. )r" Thc Sccond Intell igcncc could thus be regarded as the Soul ofthc world, forming, togethcr with thc First Intclligence, thcprimordial dlad.Or, following Aviccnna, onc could considcr that both thc First Soul and thcSecond Intell igence procecd from the First Intcll igcncc at thc same time. Incither case, the problem arises ofthe relationship bctwccn thc',441and theN4,6, the Intell igence and the Soul: does the fact that dcsirc is thc naturalprinciple of motion in the Soul imply somc impcrfcction in Its bcing?Depending on one's decision, thcrc wil l follow cithcr thc priority of thcProphct to thc Imam, or that of the Imam, the Silcnt Onc (S'dhil), to thcNa1l4. In general, thc authors ofthe Fatimid period chose thc first altcrna-tivc; but thc oppositc continucd to havc its supporters. It appcarcd, forcxamplc, in Nusayri texts, as well as in Jabir's alchcmical speculations, rnthe order of prcccdcnce of thc hypostases symbolizcd in thc lcttcrs ' l7n

('Ali), Sin (Salman), , l.1rrn (Muhammad)." In thc tradition of Alamut thcprcccdence of thc Imam is more and morc strongly affirmcd,'r. just as it isalways cithcr latcnt or opcnly avowed in Twelver Shiism (in which thc

8 (:1. our litud? fritimiwn. loul . . . Natire Khotnu, pp. 74-9 r (on rhe svmbolism ol (hr

,1 Srt t Ic tablcs ol crrrrcordance between the heavenlv and earrhly hierarchies (accord-ins to t lanr i ( l Kcrnr i in iand ldr is ' lmnd al-Dnr) labove pp. qo 961.

r o ( i l . I I arrs Sinlcr lx.r t , I .a tu l i t ton de: Cathares, Uppsala, r 949, p. r 3.t t ( lll l. Nl.rssinrrrrrr. ,tal, nn I'AI ?! k: pini(t .tpitituell.' i. l'lilam irdricn, Tours-Paris,

rrr . t . l r l f . ( i , r l , i r r . 1, . hn lu { ;hhrut &. l ih i r i l ta I lap, in. I imno.r . lahrhuch X\ ' l l l ,Z i i l r l r , r ,1.1o, p1, {r r l l

r . r ( i f . t l r r l r t t l r f l . rs i , r r r t r r ; r t isrrrr l r larrr l , , r r : l i t l lu Iavi .c Jt f ikht I Imnn,ed.\ \ ' .l r , r r ro l r , l i r r r r l r ,n, r r r . t ; .

FROM THE G NOSIS OF ANTIQUITY

priority of tubuu@a depends on first presupposing somc p ortlon of ualala, to

which nubuuwa is then added). Thus the situation is at one and the same

time dominated both by the "cvents" perccivcd in the Pleroma and by a

prophctology that is brought to completion in an Imamology. In Ismailism,

thar Imamology is connected with a sort ofEbionitc Christology (cf $IXbelow).

Even latcr in Iran, in Shiite Avicennism, reflection on this etcrnal birth of

the Aviccnnan Pleroma lcd to some remarkable reminisccnccs and com-

parisons. Sayyid Ahmad 'Alawi, one of the most bri l l iant studcnts of Mir

Damad at Isfahan in the scvcnteenth century, made a conncction betwecn

:rncicnt Iranian Zervanism and the idca that already Iith the unfolding of

thc First Intell igencc there emergcs a shadowy dimcnsion (its aspcct of

non-being, inasmuch as its bcing is not necessary in itself), a shadow that

gocs on growing and intcnsifying unti l the tenth and last Intell igcncc.'r To

lx' surc, this comparison does involve a profound modification of Zewan-

ism, by dclaying somewhat thc moment at which the Zervanitc schema

makcs its appearance (sincc Zervan herc has become an angel in the

I)lcroma, rather than the absolute godhcad). Moreovcr, this is the samc

transposition that one also finds in thc cosmic dramaturgy of Ismailism,

and thc shift had already takert placc in the doctrine ofthe Zervanitcs and

thc (iayomartians, as that was dcscribcd by Shahrastani (cf. $VII below)'l 'his transposition must be l istcd among those characteristics di{Iercntiat-

irrg Ismaili gnosis from dualism in gcncral. Herc thc crisis that givcs birth to

l)arkncss is conccivcd as situatcd within the Plcroma-but only so that the

l)arkncss may bc ovcrcome and banished from I t, as soon as it has cmcrgcd.' l hrrt is why thc Intcll igcncc who wil l assumc thc rolc of thc Dcmiurg' in

Isrrrail i grrosis has nonc oi thc disquicting traits ofa laldabaoth, any morc

tlriur t lrr: Arrgcls govcrninq thc cclcstial sphcrcs rcscmblc hostik: Archons.()rr t lrc c<rrrtrirrv. thc nolion ol angclic tarbi,ta or pcdag<tgv (alrcady indi-

r ':rt lt l irr thc,4y'i 'rr i l+/it lar.tttr ibutcd to Avicclttta)" shows tlrc angcls rcad)-

to c()nr( t ( ) t l rc aid ol ' thc grrost ic i t t ordcr to hclP him to "cscapt," to rcturrr

" l ronrr" 'arrd carrv out l t is r r ryst ical , r i ' l rq. I r rs lcad, thc t lc t t toni t l i r t rc i ' i

r )n i i r r l l r . whcrt i t r t tat t i l is ts i tscl l iD l l rc i t t lp lar ' : tb lc bal l lc c l t r r . i r 'd otr bv

t l l ( ( ) l ) lx)r l r ' r I ts ( , l l l l ( l r t ln l t l .t1 ( : l . l t tun l t l t i t t u\ht t t r t t , t , r i t \ t l ,p1t t ,1 To t .n l l ' i I ' lmtunn trntr ' l \ ' ,

l , l , i r 1 lr r i j r r rh"Ll ' " r r ' . , ,1 r l r t J/r ' r r r r r l r l r l r rJ/r ' rat ; \arralrrr t r i l r r r t r l t , , , \ t lnr t r . r , ' I r l t ' l ,1t1r

t . ra l

FROM THE GNO SIS OF ANTIqUITY

'Ihis transposition, which shifts tbe Zervanite schema, as it was con-

ccived by the Avicennans and the lsmailis, by one or more levels, allou's us

to establish a comparison differentiating the cosmogony of theJalasiJa from

the Ismaili cosmogony. First of all, this comparison should consider two

dominant l igures: that of the oedE CYV(l)oroS (the "Unknowablc God")

and thc Angel who assumes the function ofthc Dcmiurgc.

For the -falasiJa, the Ncccssary Being (ltAjib alwujiQ rs the l'irst Being(al-l!aqq aL-auual). Hc transcends the cosmos and the heavenly hierarchy,

but it is permissible to attdbute to Him ccrtain predicatcs and relations that

are not incompatible with His immutabil ity. On the other hand, thc

"Originator" (Mubdi' , raoo,A7:n) of the Ismailis is absolutelv unknowablc,

and nothing can be prcdicated oflt: It is bcyond both being and non-being,

beyond ycs and no. A dialectic of doublc ncgativcs concludes with the

primordial "Originated" be\ng (al-Mubda' al-awuaL\, thc First Angcl Who

is in fact the basis of the divinc Name,,4/-2a7.

The Tenth Intcll igcncc, thc Activc Intell igence ('Aql Ja" al) of the

JalasiJa,l.as its homologue in Ismailism (in the schcma of Kermani). It was

the predominant rolc o1'this Figure that kept purc Avicennism from being

assimilated by orthodox Latin scholasticism, which rctrcated in thc facc of

the fundamcntally angclological pcrspcctivc which that Figurc presup-poses.' ' From thc mystical narratives ofAvicenna to those ofSuhrawardi,His pcrsonal rclation with the gnostic and the function of His heavenlv

pedagogy bccomc both more precise and more cmphatic. He is the end of

the pilgrimage to the mystical Sinai described in thc story of thc"Occidental Extle" lal-ghurba al-gharbiya).'^ In that samc work appcar

scvcral familiar themes of Nlanichcan gnosis: thc young man thrown into

thc bottom ofa arzl l, the Stranger who is rcawakcncd to the awareness of his

sell 'by a /rl lrrsent to him by his hcavcnly family, thc stagcs ol-the pilgrimagc

ol return, ctc. ' t

If thcrc is a l ' igurc that would call for a comparison bctwecn the

spiritualit l o{'thc East and Wcst during thc Middle Ages, it is surcly this

r . , ( : l i l id . pp t r l l l lr ( j Srr t l rc ; \ ra l , i t tcxt arrd Persian translat ion ol thc Rtsalat a l -ghutha al-ghatbha, in

otrt \ l,Iih\hlhiwt.\ ?tntyrtittucr lc Sohratardi, ed. H. C<rrbin (llibliolitiquc Iraniennc.vctl., r ) . ' f i l r rarr- l ' r r l is . r r1r , : l ' . r r rdcr l . ts7j l , I rp.2t"+-q7. l l renchtranslat ioninZl ' l rdcaeri t t ' tur t r / , l i l t t r 1n'-st ic;r l t l r ' . r t is ls : r r r t l ta l rs t larrs lat t r l l ionr the I 'ers ian and Arabicl r r l lcrrrv( l , , r l r r r r . l 'ur i r , l r$rrrr l , t r17{r . IP : { r . ; i I l l

r7 ( : l , \ , r l l l r0rrr . rc, r ' l l r i ( l l r . l l r ' ' r r , , l r ln S,,rr l ) , r r l { l { r7 la ldra. P1,. r l l r ' r .

I . ' r ( l

FROM THE G N OSIS OF ANTIqUITY

Angcl paredros or "guide" who revcals the meaning ofthe Song ofSongs to

ccrtain Jcwish mystics and who is invoked by ccrtain of Dante's compan-

ions (Dino Compagni, for example ) as the Madonna IntelLigeaa,TheJalasifu

idcntif ied this Figurc with thc Angel ofrcvelation who is Gabriel, i.e , the

Holy Spirit; in Suhrawardi, He is dcsignatcd as the "Angcl of humanity"

(tabb al-nau' al-insanfl. In Ismailism this Intell igence bccomes the "spiritual

Ad,am" (Adam ruhani), i.e., the celestial Anthrcpos vrcll known in difGrent

schools ofancient gnosis. As such, He is the Protagonist ofa drama which

Iras no cquivalent in thc cosmogony of thc pute falasiJa, a drama which

nrakcs Him fall from the third to the tenth angclic rank, and which is thc

oririn ofall our mytho-history's (cf $VII below).

Howcvcr, thcre arc sti l l othcr Points of contact betwccn Ismailism and

Suhrawardi's theosophy oflrira4 that remain to be explained. Therc is the

irfca ofthe " Imam," in the form that it appears in the prologue to thc /(i laD

l!iktnt al-lshraq. Therc is also the very projcct ofan "Oricntal theosophy"

(hikna ishraqja or mashiqrya), as Suhrawardi himself conceived it Rcturn-

ing to Aviccnna's schemc (an abortivc onc, in his opinion), Suhrawardi scts

ul) thc idca of an "oriental knowledgc," based upon the notion of an

"()r' icnt" which is not rcgistered on our maPs, but was wcll known to the

gnostics.r" strangcly enough, a comparablc expression can bc found in thc

writ inq of Alain dc Lil lc.r" Forcshadowing thc schemc of the Byzantine

1>hikrsophr:r Gcmistos Plithon, Suhrawardr wished to combine thc

tca< hinqs ol'Plato and Zoroastcr. His projcct may appear lcss surprising if

wc rclatc it to thc way in which lsmaili prophctology conccivcd ofZoroas-

(r' i ir|1ism. Sinct thc tcachins ofZoroastcr, thc rl l tdl oflhc fburth Na1iq, had

lrccn corruptcd by his succcssors (cl. {X bclow), thc idca ol'rcstoring that

tcaching ro i ts or ig inal pur i ty had to comc' l 'hat was thc proju t o l 'Shihab

irl- l )rn Yahyfr Suhrawar<li, thatkh al Ishtirl.

r l l l l lcnlv ( lor ' l , in latcr srrLsr i t r r tct l I i , r rh is tc lnt rhc cxpnssiorr h i ln-hi \ t t ' t ' t . "sr t r (d

i r isr , , r ' i . ' r l r r" r , ,c"rrairr possihlc nr isrrrx lcrsr lnt l incs, , l thc t t rnr "nrvth l .t ' t ( ,1 nt I 'n l lunin, ' r / , r r r r l , / / r0 thnrt , Thl t r t l ' lu4utt t ut ' r t t tuc ' ,h \"hntanl i \v i l :

t l th l r t r lnr t Ltnni ,u. !o l r l ; , lsr ln l ) r r l r ,11' , l r r r l * l l ' I r r ' t I r - | ' . r r r ' .

r ' r7t ' l . vol l l l

l t thtut th i t ln l rnnnnn,n r l . r . l i l r r r rn ' l ' ; r l is , r r l ' ' r lznr l r r l . r i17l) l l rv l l ia I l ,m tnnnn

.ro srrrr t i r r nrrrrrr l , , r r r r ro| i hrnr i r r r r rnrrrrn r t ror t t r r r r l , ( ) r i . r r t . i r r ( ) r1 i ( l ' r r l ' r r r ' t

r .v.r t i l r r i t l ( ) r icr t r r r .s i ( ' r ' lx , i ' rhr ,"r i " t " r , , r ' r r r r r : r r t r r t f r r rPl ; r r i0rr t ( ) r icrr l . r l i r r rn,rr ler t<.rr l rstrr t r r r r orrrrr l r rcrr l r r r lcsr crrr i i t l r l ( ) r crr I r r t r r l ia, i r l rst r r l ' t ' t r r i t t l r t t l t t t t t ' t r t

t . r f | | r r r r ! r r lc i r r r l r ' r r ! r r terrrr ' r r l ( ) r r r r r terrr , i t r r r r r t r rorr \ r ( l ' rnr( l ' t r , r ' l ' \ l r ' r '

t \ t t 'ot f f l . r t " , l i ln ' ( l ( ,qrr l , i ! t r l r r , r r ( ro l \ t l l l .Nl I r l Alrrrrr r ) , \ l r r r r r l ' l . r l l r( \ . .o ' r l l r r l l ,n l l ' . t \ ! . l l l l r r ( r ! r r r r \ )s. ' \ . ' , , ' r , r . r r r ln ' r i r \ "1 \ ' r l r " \ i r ' l r l ' l | " r r )

r l ' i ' r{ ' r

FROM THE G NOS IS OF ANTIQUITY

IV.

Here wc can only recall in general terms ccrtain themes common to all thc

schools ofgnosis those in which, givcn that broader affinity, the particular

inspiration governing Ismaili gnosis reveals itself most clcarly. First ofall,

thcrc is the themc that we havc just mentioned: that of the unknowable,

impredicablc, ineffablc Divinity (td &Q[ryov), thc Abyss of Silcncc

which is thc origin of all thc becoming of the worlds. Ismaili gnosrs,

rejecting any metaphor borrowed from the notion of"fathcr," rcfcrs to It as

thc Mubdi', the "Originator" (cf. rpoaglrl) ctcrnally giving risc to the

archangelic Plcroma (thc Dar al-lbda' or'Alam al-Safa', the ' 'World of

Purity"). Thc crisis occurring in this Plcroma, to which all thc forms o{-

gnosis ascribe thc grcat acts ofCreation and salvation, is I ikcwise brought

into play by Ismaili dramaturgy; but hcre it is with variations and nuanccs

that evince thc preoccupations ofgnostics having to mcditatc, in particular,

on the matcrials of Islamic revelation. Thc 6gurc of the Anlhrcpos, thc

Saved-Savior, and thc rclation betwccn thc hcavenly Clnrlos and his

earthly manifestation, for example, havc thcir homologucs in thc figurc ol '

thc spiritual Adam (the Adan ruhani, thc third Angcl who bccame thc

tenth), and in His rclation with the onc who is His terrestrial countcrpart,

thc Imam who lcads back to Him all of His l i l lorv souls, from onc cvclc to

thc ncxt, unti l thc final Imam who wil l bring to an cnd thc Cyclc ofcyclcs,

thc Resurrcctor (QA'in al-Qi1ama, in Persian Khodaaawl-e Rastakia) Hcrc,

too, the motivating force ofthis dramaturgy is l ikcwisc thc gnostic prcsentr-

ment ofthc cclcstial origin and prc-existence ofsouls, as is clearly shown by

Ismaili anthropologv, which is ult imatcly only part ofan angclology.'fhus

thcrc also ariscs a classification of souls Parallel to thc classical division

betwccn pncumatic (rihani, ' aqlani), psychic (naJsani), and hylic (Tirzaz-)

oncs.rL

Now that thcsc two tcrms, Ismaili gnosis and thc gnosis ofantiquity, havc

bccn idcntif icd, onc can rccognize that our aim of morc decply cxplortng

rhcir rt ' lations ncccssarily imposcs a twofold task: discovcring the indica-

tions r)l an irctuil l lransmission, and revealing thc structural homologics and

thcir nrcarrin{ this lattcr onc bcing thc particular task ofthc phcnomcn-

trkreist . I r r r l r r ' (1, i l t l rc histor ian is r tot a lso aidcd by thc phcnomcnologist in

.rr ( i l . i r r o.rrr i r r r l i r r Nasir-r Khrrsrrw. / r in i ' ( l ' l l i tntatan.c<l H ( i r rb i r r and NI NIo'nrt lhhl t , i rh lp InnEnN,v, l t ) , r ( ) rJ, , l , . r t , rcfXl ,pp r15l l . . a ld rhc inrrodrrcr ion 1.J the(:d ntr t tut( tuh(!1\ i l ( . r l r^1. ' , 1) ,1,1 ' l l l l l

FROM THE GNOSIS OF ANTIqUITY

tlris case, given the scarcity of "archival documentation," he would most

r)l icn have to l imit himself to fruit lcss hypothcses. However, thcre are somc

lir( ts that can put us on thc trail ofthe actual contacts that must havc takcn

lrhcc bctwecn Christian gnostics and those carly Shiite circles whosc fcrvor

lrcl cnthusiasm helped form the beginnings of Ismailism.

\{c can start by distinguishing bctwccn what one could call, on the one

hand. thc encounters betwcen l?.rr.t, and on the other hand, contacts

l)ctwccn prl.ton.r. As for thc lormer, these include, for cxample, passages

slrowing how certain of the "apocryphal" Christian Scripturcs which had

oliginatcd in a gnostic setting wcre subsequcntly mcditatcd and assimilated

irr t lrc Ismaili mil icu. Late r on (!V), an cxamplc of Imamology wil l be takcn

rrlr which was developcd on the basis of an episode from the Gospcls of

.lcsrrs'childhood, and any study concerning the relations between Ismaili

urrosis and thc gnosis of antiquity must pay Particular attcntion to the

rx casional rc-cmcrgcncc and furthcr dcvelopment of the so-called "apoc-

rvphal" Scriptures. Howcver, thc encounter was not l imited to those

"ir1xx rypha." It is also rcvcaled in the form ofccrtain variants modifying

llrc canonical tcxts of thc Gospels, variants which were known and citcd

rr.rlratim bv Ismaili authors; Ibr the spirit which inspires those vanants

:rl) lx'urs so authcntically Gnostic that onc must suppose that our

tlrcosr4rhcrs lrad somc knowlcdgc (orally, ifnot in writ ing) oftcxts which wc

no krngcr posscss. Morcovcr, in thc ficurth/tcnth ccntury the works ofAbu

I.l i i t irn Razi (A'lam al-Nubuwwa) and Abn Ya'qub Scjcstani (lthbat al

N uuu'i l) dcmonstratc a first-hand knowlcdgc not ttnly ofthc Old and

Ncw' l is tamt 'nt , but a lso ol 'othcr rel ig ious sccts (Zoroastcr, Marclon.

I \ larr i . Ntazdak, ts ih i {ar id, ctc.) .

A part icular lv str ik ing cxamplc is thc lons quotat ion that Abu Ya'qulr

(ivr.s l iorn thc < haJrtcr ol thc Gospcl accolcling to St l\{allhcw (':.r: j5-4{i)

i r r r r rourrc ing t l rc last j r rdgnrct t t o l - thc rrat iorrs by thc SoIr o l Nlat t . A I ' l r r i , t r r t

r ( ln l l ( ( l l \ { ' ic( t l tc tc <rrmplclc ly ()vcr lurns thr ' "srx ia l" lx t -sP( (- t i !c ( l ( -

r r 'krpcr l by l l tc cr tnonical tcxt . Wltcrc t l t t cat torr ical l rxt I t . ts: " l l i lc l t l i r r r lyorr r l i r l t l rcsc l l t i r t t ts l i r I th l t asl o l t l tcsc nty ] ro l l r r . r . yorr r l i r l i t l i r r t r t r ' . ' t l rc

r( rs io| | t l r r t r \ l r t r Yir ' r1fr l r r i lcs v l r l r r r l i t t t l t i ts : " ' l l r ' | ,or t l wi l l u i r t l l ( r l r )gcl l r l l

t l r r . j r rst r r r r l t l rc wirkcr l . . . . lhc j r rst u i l l sav to l l i ru: \ \ ' l r l r t \ ! ( ' r 'v t , t r

l rurrgr l . r rx l t l r i rstv, u l rct t r r , r ' t r vrr t t i t r pr isor l \ r t r l t l r l l ,otr l wi l l srrv lo

t l r l r r r : \ ' r , t r s lx i tk r i l l r t l r , l r r r t r r l l t l r , r t y, , r r l r , rvc r lot t r ' /ar t r r l , t r " / r / \ { r t l ' l l vrr t l l, i r , f r r , r ' , ' to vr , r r ( ,wn r , , r t l r ' : la l / r tata nna' l tnt Lt t / r \ tA nl , l l r . l l \ r ) l r l r , r r r

I t) 'J

FROM THE CNOSTS OF ANTIqUITY

done for me (or'to my self ')." Moreover, Abn Ya'qub comments on rhis:"Herc it is thc Soul ofthc world (Nc;ri itullila) whois conversttgtaith Its sluls,with the individual souls It nccds in order to attain to everything Irs rankincludes; i.e., It needs the intell igible aptitudes that individual soulsacquire in this world through the medium ofsensible things."'r

This variant has the remarkable peculiarity of substituting for themcntion of'brother' that of 'your sclf, ' your own soul (za/i). Abn Ya'qubScjcstani's cxegcsis shows that for an Ismaili theosopher thc confirmation ofthis tcxt occurred spontaneously. But so long as wc are unable to idcntifvthe historical provenance and source ofthis variant-which is so imporranrin that it centers the understanding ofthc Gospel tcxt on the subjectivit_v ofthc individual pcrson-wc at leasr ought to idcntifv rhc mental operarionwhich led to this substitution and the morive which hclped dictate thisreading. In this respect, it appcars to us rhar it mighr bc possible toreconstruct the gnostic exegesis which supplied that motivc. and ar rhcsame time to grasp at its sourcc an intuit ion which was shared by Ismailignosis.

Thc Carpocratians give an exegesis of anothcr passagc in thc samcGospcl (Matthcw 5:25ff. : Lukc r 2:58-59) which, if i t is supplemcntcd bvthc cxcgcsis ofthat same passage in thc Pistis Sophia, does scem to pur us onthe path toward a solution. Thcrc, the adversary from whorn one must frcconesclf whilc onc is sti l l travcling along with him (i.e., during onc's carthlvlife) is the "devil" who is supposcd to take beforc thcJudge (i.c., thc Archonwho is thc Demiurge) all thosc souls r,r 'ho havc leli this world rn anincomplete and impure state, so that thcy ma) bc thro\r'n into prison (i.c.,thc Hcll ofa ncw earthly body).rrThe Pistis Sophia indicates thc profoundlvsubjcctivc mcaning ofthis "devil" when it idcntif ics this adversarv ,with thchvrIpt$ov rlv€Opq, that spirit which is the disfisurcd imagc ofthc soul, thesourcc ofall thc cvils within it: i t is l ike a body which thc hosti lc planeraryarchons havc bound togethcr with thc soul, at the momcnt ofits desccnt,whcn thcy madc it drink lrom thc watcr ofthe Cup of forgctfulncss. Thisspirit is thc ";rdvcrsary" mcntioncd in the Gospcl vcrsc, thc "othcr in mc."thc brothcr-cncmy from whom thc soul must frcc itsclfso that havinq

2) K ihih rl. t anihi' , I aaln' tfl led. H. Corb;i ii Trilogie irnay'lienne, llibliothlque lranvnw.voL r L t ry ' i r l . l lcre wc havc shortcned the q uorat ion which Abn Ya'qnb gives nr In l l ,; r r r r l wlr ic l r crrds * r rh r l r rsr . words: " l lvervrhine ! t h ich vou la i led to do.[or1our. .etut , iLi r rs i l r r r r r har l l : r i l , . r l rot lo i r lor ntyvl l . "

, ,1 l r r r r . r r r rs, , l r l r l l l .2, \ . . [ . ( : l ( ] R S Nl.nd, / . i ,ar ,? i '

r l n l i t i th l i r :ot ! . ' t , t ' .2 t2.

FROM THE G N OSIS OF ANTIQUITY

llrrrrs it back at thc archons-it may appear, as purc Light, bcfirrc thcJudgc

wlro is thc Virgin ofLight.rr So long as it dominates thc soul, thc soul cannot

lx irt pcacc with itself, cannot rediscovcr thc unity and wholcncss ofa bcing

ol Light. Conversely, to bc at pcace with oneself means precisely to(,v( rc()mc and eliminate this Shadow. From this pcrspective, a gnostic-

whcthcr hc bc Carpocratian or something clsc-could read and understand

rhc immcdiately preccding vcrses (Matthew 5:r3lL) in the folloning

rnarr ncr: "First go and be reconcilcd a,ilhyourselJ|5 and only thcn rcturn and

oll i r your gift at the altar." For, aftcr all, no onc can bc at pcacc uith his

lrlothcrs (prcciscly in the sense ofthc Gospcl tcxt) who is not f irst ofall at

lx ircc witlr himsclf. The priority ofthe subjcctivc condition thcreby becom-

r.s rluilc clcar: your lovc is only worth what )ou are. Thus the modification

lhur iBrposcs this priority (and in just the way that Abn Ya'qnb read it)

sirrrlr lv dcrives cxpcricntially from this gnostic principlc: What have you

<func uti!h -tourseU and for yourselP The interprctivc transition, thc stagcs of

wlriclr lcad us in this way from the canonical tcxt to thc Gnostic tcxt,

corrcsp<lnds cxactly to the mcntal opcration wc can idcntify in thc brief

t r r rnnrcntary givcn by Abn Ya'qub.

Whur Abu Ya'qub pcrccivcs in thc tcxt of Mattbcw z5:35-46 is a(r nrvcrsarion bctwccn thc Soul ofthc world and /rs soalr. thc individual souls

whorn lt nccds to attain Its truc rank. In Ismaili tcrms. this Soul of thc

wrrl lcf is <rur l)r 'miurgc, thc spiritual Adam (Adan r[tani), thc Third Angcl

wlro wls thc protagonist of thc crisis in thc Plcroma (cf. SVII bclow). Hc

wirs l l)( vi( 't inr-thc l irst, and without t 'vcn knowing it-ol 'an hvt(ptprov

avrfrpc, thc I blis-Ahriman corrccalcd within hinrsclf, thc l)arkncss that hc

worrl<l lravc 11) ()vcrc()mc and r,irnqtrislr as soon its hc canrc to rccoi{nizc it.

l r r r t which pirr : r lyzcd his bcing so prol i rundly t l rat l iom that l i rst nrom( nt l rc

l i l l l r i rck scrt t t t c lcst ia l ranks bcncat l t h is or iq i r r i r l lcvr '1. ' l hc task ol l l l l r is

sorr ls- i .c . . o l i r l l t l rosc who. havirrg corn( l r ) ( l r r t l l . lx ' lot tg to l r is own

l ' lcronra (r ' l i \VI I an<l lX lx lou')- is to l t t lp l t i t t t t ( ) r r . t t )n( lucr t l r l l

r1 {)rr t l r is l l r r throPol,){r i ' 'x l lx ,srhrrr t l ' , ' |s ( l rst i r r I r , l t l r (s,rrr l ,srr ' . / r1t i \ i , / , r , / . (h i , t ) t ( ,srrr , r r '1 (r ! r r r : r i r r i r rg t l r . r l )nrr f l r t i r \ ' ,nr l \ t i r t rh.w r , : . r r ' l l ) , , ' ! ( l t ' t l

. r r lh i r r r ' . r r l i r rg $, , r r l l ; r lso;r(rcrwi tharxrthc ' i r r l r , ' lnrr \ , l l r , ' | r t r l r , r r tsxtvetr t0rrs l r rt l r r 'Orrr / r r r r r r r : \ l l rocthercrrctsr , . t l r r l ' . r rerntwi th, , r r t ( i , r l l | r r r | \ . ' \ r l tnr \ \ 'h, r .t l r r lc is oalr , r , / , I i " r ' wi th hirrr " ( ;1. l l ( i l i r lvrr \ \ ' l r r t r ' , l tu, \ t rn4 t l l r tur lmnO\r, / , r , , , r / t , ( l . i ' ' r l ) r ( iRr, r rp.ro, 1r y ' , , r r r r r l / ' r r t , i loUt On nt l t \ , l \ ' , I r51 l l r l \1r , r rs,rg,f r , rs l r r r r , , ' r r r l r r r r r l wrt l r . r t rx l l r i ' r r t lv ( ;^1, / l tnklnt t i t lF l q l ' t t tu\ t r l t l t ( . \h i t , ll t t tn r l t lmntt rh.r l rkr \ l l vr l r r r r t l r r tw,, ( i r , the rrr , r r r r t l r t t r , r t r . l r l r ' I r ' | r r r . lr r l l l " , , , r r r . , , r r r "

r l ' .1 t t i t

FROM THE G NOS IS OF ANTTQUITY

distancc. Hcncc that co-responsibility ofthe Soul ofthc world and l/l.r roulr,which is hcrc an Ismaili aspect ofthe "theologoumcnon of thc members" socharactcristic of Manichaeism. Thus, what cach soul doesrfor i lrafi i t alsodocs lor this Angel-Adam, the Ismaili f igurc ofthe Saved-Savior who, fromone cycle to the next, reconquers His celestial rank (cf. $IX below) throughthe aid ofllir roulr each overcoming its own Ibhs. This aid consists in eachsoul's eliminating, in its turn, its own dvtfpu,prov Jtv€ttFd., its Iblis-Ahriman.'n To frce oneselffrom this Adversary is to rcdiscovcr oneselfin theunity ofone's bcing (thc subjective side ofthe esoteric lazolr{, to be free for

"one's se lf"-i.c., {icr that form of Light which is joined to thc disciplc at thcmoment ofhis init iation, and which he must nurture and increasc. For thcsolidarity which unites the corpus m)tticum, the "Templc of Light" of theImam, does not derive from the authority ofa pre-existent social collectiv-ity; it results from the establishment ofa direct, pcrsonal connection ofeachdisciplc with the corresponding rank (the hadd) in thc cclestial Pleroma.Therefore, it was thc most profound meaninq of gnosis and Ismaili cthicsthat Abu Ya'qlb rccognized in the Gospcl tcxt: "What you havc donc for

)zur selaes.. . ." It is rcmarkablc, morcovcr, that his rcading ofthis passagccorresponds so intimatcly to the way a gnostic ofthc sccond ccnturv wouldhavc rcad or understood a text ofthe Gospcl.

Now, in addition to thesc encountcrs bctwccn lerlr (such as wc can infcr

in bringing out their inncr agreement), thcrc arc othcr tcstimonics, pcrhaps

cqually allusivc but no less signifrcant, pointing to ccrtain contacts bctwecnpersons.V,lc cannot dwcll hcrc on thc pcrsonality ofMaymun al-Qaddah andthat of his son 'Abdullah, nor on thc mcaning of thcir charactcrization as"Bardcsanians"; nor can we make anyjudgment as to thcir cxact rolc in thcfiormation ol' lsmailism in its f irst stagcs. According to Ibn al-Nadim, theauthor o{ thc Fihrisl, who wrotc at thc cnd of thc fourth/tcnth ccntury andwhosc Shiitc sympathics arc wcll known, if thcrc had "formcrly" bccn agood uumbcr of Bardcsanians in southcrn Mcsopotamia, it sccms that in

his own {imc thcy no longcr cxisted cxccpt in castcrn Iran (Khorasan) andin ( lhina (i.r ' ., in Chincsc ccntral Asia).1' Ncvcrthclcss, in thc sccond/cighthccnlurv (l lcrc nlust sti l l lravc bccn a ccrtain numbcr ofthcm in Mcsopota-.r{j ()r irr t lrr, l) lr i l , 'vI)hi( lcrms indicated by Abu Ya'qrib: in rhe soul's turning roward

tlrr serrsiblr in orrlel to de-matcrializc" ir inro rhe inrell isible and spiriruat. This isr l r r l r r r r rcrr rn knrrwlrr lsr .accolr l inq r , , t l t ( ln ln\ fa \^ l l : i tabi . A.r ic inna, erc.) ; i t ispt r r i r . l \ $ hl t r r r r i tcs t l r r r \ r t i r r . I r r tc l l igcncc ald rhc souls I I i l luminares.

t7 , l l I ' i tur t r l t lhn t l Ni t l iu,( : , tnt a<l i t iorr . g, ,17.1

FROM THE GN OS IS OF ANTIqUITY

rn;a, sincc one of the most notable friends and companions ol the sixth

I mam,.Ja'far al-Sadiq, and ofhis immediatc successors, was in contact with

rt vcral of them. Thc figurc of Hisham ibn al-Hakam descrvcs a thorough

study.'* A fcrvent disciple of thc Imam Ja'far, a family i 'r iend o[ the

llarmccids, in contact with all sorts of non-Muslim elements (Bardcsanian

gnostics, Manicheans, Ncstorians, Jews), he was one of the l irst Shiite

rhcologians and a supporter ofthe nascent Imamology. A good number of

Shiitc traditions ref'er to his authority. That somconc so rcpresentative of

lhc Shiitc milicu could have had such "conncctions" and could even havc

scrvcd as an intcrmediary bet*een them and thc Imam should give some

indication of the ways in u'hich Gnostic ideas and influcnces were able to

lx rctratc both Shi ism and Suf ism.()nc cpisodc, among others, that stands out as particularly signi{icant is

nn cxcgcsis which Abu Shakir the Bardesanian (Da1;ani) suggested to

tl isham ibn al-Hakam: " ' ' fhere is a vcrsc of thc Koran,' he said to him,

'wlrir:h cxprcsscs a bclief similar to thc onc wc profcss.' ' \{hich one?''Thc

Iirl lowing: Hc who is a God in Hcaven and a God on earth (43:84)."'r"

I I ishiinr, bcing pcrplcxcd, rcfcrrcd this to thc Imam, r'"hosc rcplv (as onc

nriqht havc cxpcctcd) was inoilensively prudcnt." As for thc Bardesanian,

Ir< nrcanl thal thc word "God" repcated twicc in this vcrsc should bc

rrrdcrstcxrd cach timc as rcl 'crring to a diffcrcnt "pcrson." His intcrlt ion \aas

pcll i 'r ' t ly.justif iablc in tcrms ofgnosis in gcncral, sincc it sccms to do nothing

rrrrlc thal "lcad back" thc mcaning oi thc Koranic vcrsc to thc cstablishcd

rlisrinctiol bctwccn thc Unknowablc God ancl thc befrepog 0e65 ( 'sccond( i rx l ' : thc Anthropos, ctc.) ;and this dist i l rct ion corrcsponds prccisclv tc i

t lrat lrroli 'sscrl by Isrnail i gnosis lrttwccrt tht . l lultdi '( lpocglt1) and thr'

lrrirrxrrrl i ir l "Originatcd orrr'," ul ', l tuhla' al-an,u'al or l>t0lokli! lo.\.( ) r rc wor-r l r l . i t tc lccd. cxpcct to scr t l lc or l l r rx|rx apoloqists l r t tack : r t th is

lxr i r r t . ; \nr i l ( ) lx 'sul-c, thc ac( Lrsi{ t i r ) t ) agairrs{ l l r ( ls t t t i t i l isol prol issi t tgt l l t

' r l l ( : l rh, n,)r i r ( i r r Shrr l r r l tsr , r r r i { , I / r / , r / . I .hr . r t t , r r l l lJ , l , l l7 l . \ r I r r I i r r r l r t r l . \ i r r r ( | l r r r '

I t t r l iu- I l t ' / t r int i ra l t ' \ h rLc sr l r rxr l o l I I ish, i r r r i l ' l . r l - l l r rh,rrrr ' r r r r i t l r ' r t , ,1 I l ishlrrr i l r t rs. i l i r r . r | - , | , ru. t I i r1 i

. r , r ( i l \ \ ' . l \ , ' lnt \ , 1 ln. l l l ryr l l ,anlnol lua,r / r , r r r , I i , r r r r l r r t , r i r . l r ' , l 'p ( r7 l l

f , ' ( i l K, ' l l | r i ( r , r Krr l : r r r r i , . r r r r r r i i r rqror l r r l r . r r r i , r r r r rsrqc), , t1 I 'u l nn, t l Aal i , l t l r r r | ,

r 11.1 h r . ,v, ' l I .1, t - ,11

r Al l r l l ( , r t l r r r t r , r r l | r , lh. Kor,rrr i r r t rsr , t . r l i t r r i r r r t . . \ , | | . I t ( sI I t I | , | | i I I \ , I | In\ | | ' ' |, , l l l , r r r r r l r l l r l r l r r l l rsr , , r r \ l , rS|r , rkrr l r l r r . r l l In. , r rh.sr l r r ' r " ' r ' . r r rKrr l r , r r r r l r r r

l l . r ' r , r ' l l r r r r l r r l l , r r l , i , r r r r r r r r l . ' i ' r i , r

l ,n, l . r l l r r rhrr r r r r r I l r l r r r t r , , r r , l r r r l r r r ' r r l r r l t r , , t

sr t l r , , r r r l r l r r r , , r r r . r l r . r r r l r r r r .1, l t $,r \ " ' r r r r r r lnr t

l r r r r r t l r r l l r 'pr

| | r l ' tbt"

FROM THE CNOSIS OF ANTIqLITTY

existence of"two Gods" does reappear rsith tircsomc monotonv. But i i ' thcorthodox vehemently attacked thc notion of a suprcmc Divinit l that isunknowablc because I t tr anscends evcry prcdicatc and catcgor!, thcy sccmto have becn even more scandalized bv the original dvad ofthc Pleroma: thcpair formed by thc first and second Intell igcncc (',4q1), thc primordialOriginatcd being (Mubda' awual) and, thc First Emanatio:n (lnbi'alh auLuur 1,Abas and Pslchi. BaghdadL in rcferring to rhe Kitab aL'Mahsil (of Mu-hammad Nakhshabr), states that the.Eatinrya (tbc"Esotericists") claim thatsince thc First Intell igencc gavc risc to the Soul, thc nvo of thcm toqethergovcrn the world. Then he rathcr hardilv idcntif ics this doctrinc u,ith that ofthc Mazdcans or Magi (Ma7ar), accordinq to whom Yazdan, having crcatcdAhriman, govcrns the world togcthcr with him-Yazdin bcing the crcatorof all that is bcautiful and good, whilc Ahriman is thc creator ofall that rsbad and ugly.' i Necdlcss to sav, in conlusinq Yazdin (Ohrmazd) rvithZcrvan, and in idcntifyins thc svzysy ',4qfNgft with thc antithctical couplcof Ohrmazd and Ahriman, hc compounded his crrors. In fict, as wc havcalready recalled and wil l havc occasion to discuss again. one phasc of thcIsmaili cosmogony can bc sccn as homologous to a Zcrr,anilc sclrcma; butthat phase, in the Ismaili system, transposcs thc irrit ial momcnt ofconli ictto such an cxtcnt that thc dramaturgv ol ancicnt Zcrr,anism is csscntiallychangcd.

As for l)aylami, scnsing thc dangcrs that thc csotcric ld&,rid could posc forthc faith of thc orthodox, hc l ikcrvisc dcnounccs thc ( t\r,o Gods" rvho arc thcIntell igcnce and thc Soul ( ',4q1 and -i\hli , Snbiq and Tali, Qolam ancl Laah).Evcn morc than that, it is thc entirc plcroma of'Li4l1 that he dcnounccs as arnultiplicity of Gods," sincc thcir ontological status, althouqh they arcdcsisnirtcrl as "Angr:ls" (mala'i l ;a, tereshtagan, Karilt l in or (iherubim), isincornparabiv slrpcri.)r to that ol thc simplc "mcsscngcrs" of popularanrckrlogl. In Iact, onc could say that thcse dcgrecs ol the Plcroma (iad7l,

/ iniler. "horizons") assumc a rolc as hypostascs analogous to tbat ol thc<livinc \iamcs in Ibn 'Arabi's thcosophy-just as onc could sa,v rhat thcllrrrlcsarriarr r 'r,ho was Hisham ibn al-Hakam's confidant must havc had aplopcr scrrsc ol- thcir thcologic:r l impl icat ions.

J.r (:1. l i irqlr(lr(l i , Ktkih tl. l nt hav nl-trrar/. ed. l\ ' luhammad Badr, [Cairo, rq28/rqro.ll l j ) r77 lJ l= , l l t t l t ! rht \ I t \ a ' r l t f . l l . pat1 I I . r r : rnsl . bv A S. Halk in, repr inr Phi-l . r r l r l l rh i r r , t r17l l , p. r l r l

t . r ( : l l ) , , \ l . r lnr , / r r ' ( ; lnnhtu ld l ldt tn,(1. R. SrrortrrnaI ln (1i i l r l iotheca l t tant tu,r t : ; t .| | ) , l , t , . r r , , , ' r ( l 7r ' t

FROM THE G NOS IS OF ANTIOUITY

V.(l ivc|l thc prcscnt statc ofour knowlcdgc, it is the structural homologies,(.vcn morc than thcsc passing contacts betwcen persons, that can provide us

rvirh clcar indications tracing a continuous path from thc gnosis ofantiquity

ro Isnrail i snosis. Such indications arc to be found in thc oldest work that

hlrs yct bccn madc acccssiblc to us, thc trcatisc in Pcrsian already men-

riotcd abovc, cntitlcd Umm al-Kitab, wlich can be linked to the second/

cighth ccntury on thc basis ofonc of its dominant motifs, the myth ofSalnran. " Whilc looking lorward to a dctailed study, wc shall herc point out

sonrc ol' i ts particularly significant thcmcs.r. ' l 'hc book is prcsented in the form of an init iatory discussion between

tlrc fi l th Imam, Muhammad Baqir, and thrce of his intimatc disciplcs or"lrr. irrgs ofl, ight" (rdshanidn), as thc lmam calls them. 'Ihe prologue rcports

ir slorv fiom thc childhood of the holy Imam, when his tcacher, 'Abdullah

Salrbah, was prcparing to tcach him the arithmological powcrs and symbo-lic rrrcanings ofthc lcttcrs-i.c., thcJur, or philosophic alphabet (tbc rolc ofrrhic h is no lcss important in Ismaili gnosis than for a Gnostic l ikc Marcus

Nl irgus). Howcvcr, with thc first lcttcr, a/f, thcir rolcs arc rcvcrscd: thc poor

rcirchcr, whosc lcarning is outstrippcd, bccomcs thc pupil, and thc young

I nranr bccomcs his init iator. This story rcpeats point by point one that is

r.lrortcd in thc Gospel oJ Thomar and which is also known from thc Epislula

,l loltolotum:" t lrc young Imam has purcly and simply bccn substitutcd lbr

flsus. ' l 'his is a fact that hclps to confirm thc obscrvation formulatcd in thc

1>r'r.r, ious scction. Only hcrc, it is not simply thc gnostic vcrsion ol ac;rnonical Cospcl that has bccn citcd and givcn valuc by an lsmaili autlror;

it is Inramology itscll ' which, b,v taking ovcr ?l narrativc lrom thosc" i r lxx ryphal" scr ipturcs so apprcciatcd in gnost ic and Maniclrcan circ lcs.

rcvcals i ts al l i r r i tv wi th a ( ihr istology t r ) | hc p() in t o l i rctual l l srrpyr l r rnt ing i t .

z. Anothcr charactcr ist ic l i . r turc ol ' lh is 1>rr to- lsnrai l i lxxrk is to lx. l i rurrr lin t l r r . l l rcdonr i lanct ' r : l groups ol f i le, i ! r whal coul( l lx .cal l r r l t l rc " ;>crr tar l -

g1 ( ;1. \ \ ' l r r r r r r rw. Ih. l l l ruul . ,p. t t t .g.15 ( : r r r r l r ; r re ( 'nnt l .Kik i l . tp t l l ,nf t ( i^ f . ln l ' lhrarrrr , rhrrptcrs\ ' l r l { l \ ' l l (Nl . l t

f ; rnr* , 7, fz . lput t l that Nm"l^tamatt . t t ' 5 ' x 'x l . ,1,) , t f t ( ) , \ t i i l I 'n o . l l t t t tut\ \ \ l ( . fa ' t r r .s,1: 77),nnl l ' , : l i tuh, l l ' ( t ta i r r rz l . l , rnx.s. l . t l l { ' ) l r f l ' ; ' r " \ ( . .1 'n / / , r / ,l . 1, , l ) r r t r . r r t iorrs th i r r . l r i r rx lc l iorrr t l rc ( l r rpr ls ol . l r " r r r r ' rh i I l l r rxxl , r r l r r"r , rx . r

1, ; r r t r l r r l . r l l ror i t i rnx ' r r { ;u, ' i tx \ rn t l r r l \ l , , r , rn i r r r r r r l r r r r l l \ lorrrntr r l r r1r l r r rr . ' th i r | { nx,r . t l rnr t lx . , r r i t l r rnol ' rx1 whrrhwrs,r l r r . r r l r ro,rrrr l r l r r l r r r l l , l r r l l r r1\ l . r rht l r r . l \ l , rgrrr ; r I l , t rmr l . : l t l 'h nt , , rhnr,p r .1. ,

l l r l l t l ) ( )

FROM THE GNOSIS OF ANTIqUITY

ism" ofits cosmology.'n For all eternity, Fiae Lrghts, ofjtr colors, cxist in thcSca of Whitcness (Bahr al-ba1da'), the heavenly Palace of thc Limit ol 'Limits. Thcsc Lights are the "mcmbcrs" Qauarift) and thc cpiphanics

Quhir) ofa single Person of Light (shakhs-e narani); in human form, on thcplane oftcrrcstrial humanity (batharrya), thcy appcar as Muhammad, Ali,Fatima, Hasan and Husayn-i.e ., thc "Fivc Persons of the MarltJc" (ashabal-ti.ra '), whose thcophanic role is also primordial in the gnosis ofTwclvcrShiism." Bencath thc Sca of Whitcness, ninc domes (qubba or dluan:"Hcavcns") arc arranged in dcsccndins ordcr, each nith its distincrirccolor (chrysolitc, f ire, red, cmcrald, purplc, sun, moon, lapis lazuli, watcr).In each of thcm,fae Persons manifcst in turn thc Fivc Angcl-archctypcs ol'thc Sea ofWhitcncss (first Gabriel, N{ichacl, Scraphicl, Azrael, and Suricl;ncxt'Aql, NaJs, Jadd, Fath, Khayal; ctc.),r3 unti l rhis thcophanic grouprcachcs that microcosmic Earth rlhich is thc "Earth of thc Heart" (zamin-edel).Thcrc, Fiae Irghts arc conjoined in thc thinking Spirit (nth natiqa) o! thetruc bclicver, which is their "Sixth," their "uni-totality" or thcir Lord. Atcvcry lcvcl, including thcir microcosmic rccurrcncc, t lrcsc -F)rrr Liehts canbc rccognizcd as anothcr, distinctivcly Ismaili excmpli6carion of rhcIlmous thcologoumcnon of thc "mcmbcrs." (In Manichacism, thc faaspiritual membcrs or thc Fivc Shckinas, Dwcll ings, or N{anifcsrations ofthcKing of the Paradisc o1' Light, the fta sons of thc Spirilut ail.iens, thc j eElcmcnts of Light who arc thc sons and armt,r o{ Ohrmazd, t hc primordialMan, thefre spiritual elcments or virtucs in thc individual man-cach ofthcsc groups of "Fivc" symbolically corrcsponds to all thc othcrs. In thcgnosis of Pislis Sop[l.a, cf. the First Imperativc and thc fivc sectors ofLieht,thc grcat F)nvoy and hisfi le auxil iarics. In thc systcm ofBasil idcs, cf. thcfaeh)postascs, ctc.)." ' In thc Islamic setting, morcovcr, thc dcvotccs of thc

3{r ( l l l a l ! .n( l \ the observar ions of L. Nlassienon, Die U^lr nqc und dte t }edeurury t luonotr i ; |nur im hlan ( Erano.r .Jahrbuth, r91. i7) , pp. 63 5.

'11 Ktui i t - t I .dhniv Ih,v \ ' lu l la Baqir Kujnr i . Tehran. r3r l l h. l . l , pp.84f1. , tbn Abi. l r r t l f t . Kik ih nl . . l lu j l i lTchran. r 1:4 h.J. l pp. +;qf l . \ \ 'e musr alro menrion al l theSlr i i r r . r tnrnrrnral icsorr theKoranicversel l : : j3(rhesancr i f icar ionolrheAhlat l la: '1.thr ; rpgr ' . r r : r r r lc o l thc Ar(el : | ; rm rhr 's ixth 'ofvou l i re.") .

3 l f 1, , , l l r is l r . r r rar l . sr . r , ,uI l tu l t l i l i inai f t four . *"dsir e Khosrau, (z6ore, n. z) , ppr l r l l l l orrc l r r rs l lvr .s r l r l r< l r r i rak 'nts ol the archangcl ic t r iad nenr ioned thert . iheh,rrr l o l thn, l rh.rrr i l suhrr l i r l r t i , ,n l rc lc u, ,u ld pur rh( ' /1q1 and Nql i i in correspor,, l r r r l sr t l r l i r r r ie l ( l l r i r l ) r r r l ; \zr l r l .

' j , r ( i l l l ( : l \ ' . t l , l r , l lannhwt,wt lo l l t i .n lutr in. l ' ] . r is . r<1q{) ,pp.7.) . i70. , t lndrr0r.r - . r17,rrrr l yr7, \ \ l iorrsrrr , lhul ' t lDohl . 'n ld r i , r i r . 1,1, r77l l . , . r .1r t l i

FROM THE GNOSIS OF ANTIqUITY

rlivirrc l)cntad u,crc dcsignatcd bv a special name: the mukhammisa (the" l \ ' r tadists" ) . " '

ln addition, cach onc of thesc five Persons or "members" appears asr orrprchcnding within his own individuality all of the othcrs. 'Abdullnh

Srrlrlrah, thc tcachcr ofthe young Imam, overwhelmed bv the incidentjust

rr,r 'rrl lccl, procccds to contemplate ir a statc of ecstasy the succcssivcr'piplrunv of thc 6vc divine Persons. Each of thcm in turn, exprcssinglriu:scll in thc first pcrson singular, spcaks as being in rznlo rnT.il ica with the()rlr( rs, cach timc as if hc r, ' cre simultaneously both himsclt in his own

pclsorral individuality, and also all thc others. Hcrc the category that(lr 'r lrnrincs thc pcrception of these theophanics functions as a sort of' ' l irrt lrtnotheism."" 'fhis presence of the Wholc in thc individual is morc

|';r|t icularlv cxprcssed in thc terms through which Fatima inbrms thc

r isirrrirrl, ol 'hcr bcing and prcrogativcs, tcrms which find anothcr vividil lr rs tra t ion in thc sccne in which Gabricl, thc Angcl ofRcvclation, shows an

IrrrLtr'ol Paradisc to thosc who arc about to bc cxilcd from the domes ofl , is l r l : t l rat Im:rgc is thc pcrson of Fat ima. ' :

3. ; \nothclguidingthcmcwhich should bebroughtouthcrcis thcScrcn

llrrtt lr.s ol 'Salman against thc Antagonist, Azazicl, and his cohorts. The

.rpotlrr.osis ol S:rlmirn "thc Pcrsian" or "tl ' ic Pure" (Salman Farsi, Salmanl';rk) i l to arr archansclic l ' igurc indicatcs to us a charactcristic aspcct of

l ) r r l l ( ) - lsnr i r i l i gnosis," whi lc thc vcry namc of thc Antagonist spcci f ical ly

rcrrr i r r r ls us o1' thc onc uho, in tbc Books ofEnoch, lcads thc rcvol t o l thcr\rrgcls asscnrll lcd on NIount Hcrmon." Howcvcr, apart I iom thc divincr l r r rnrrrr<l d i lcct ing thc archangcl N{ ichat l to bind and cast down t l )c

lclx l l iorrs lrnqcls. and thc scnsc ol'thc horriblc strugglc that is rr:vcalcd in a

rcl lcct iorr o l th< arc)rangcl r rovcd bv compassion, ' ' thc stagcs ol ' thc conl l ic t

I rc l r ' l i r l low thcir own sccnar io, qui tc r l i l l i rcrr t l ' rorn lhc dramaturq,v () l '

.1i r K:rrlrslrr. J/r 'rrlar,4 A hti i ul - lt i i i l , l lontbav. I f i r 7, l) 2.) 1.l t ( : l I ) i t i l : l i l ,hotr . . . . r lx ,ve. t ) . l l7; thmnl.Ki t i l ) ,Dlr . .J)-+,}ol t l rc nr l r r r rscl ipt .y: lhul .p l l l . tnr . l l t , d Ki t i l ) .p.2t t : l " l t iuraisseatedonarhrnncrhcrtrowrr,ssorr l ,

, r r r r l l r r r i r r (s srrrrh, l iz t lcspcct i tc l \ l l luhlrnm,r(1. h l r l r r rsharrr l Al i , rnr l t l l tw, ,r r r l . r r r r l r r r , r r rs. l l . rvrrr , r r r l l l r rsrrrr t , , r r rp.rr .J.r ' l r r l , i \ l . r r r r r r r , , I , \ ' , , I

' , i , | | . A,r , i ,

a l l t ' l l , t l R StIothnr.rrrr lwi t l r0rr t h is mlr inntu,) . ( )x l i ,x l , t r t . ' . r . t ) t ) j i ,5r ' 7 il) w l . l ryh w . ulr*r ' , 1,. l l7.

q1 f l r i r is t l r r l r , r t r r r rwhrr l r r i rst i r rgrr is l rcst l r tsr( to l th. . \?rr l / r r r . r ; ( l l l l \ r l : | . | . , l t l .nrht ;buuttu. l ihnthnl larr ' , i1,( , r l rxr . r r . r r j ;1, l \ l l ss ixrrorr , , \ r /z i r r / , , i I , ( , r l r*r , r r| | ) , | | r l I t , l | | I ih l r th, lhh' a I 'hp r l t h l ' , i rma,I ' r is , r9, , , ,

.1.1 t i l l l , r r r l r l r , t r , r | 's l , r t r r l l \ l { l l ( i l r r rkr . ( ) r | , r r l , r r t ! , I r . l . r ,1 , l i r r , r l r ln l r t I l r , r 'h.rr" , r , t . r l . r r th, ' r r lhth.rrrrr t t l r rLrrrr l

t7 l

FROM THE GN OSIS OF ANTIqUITY

Enoch. It is important to notc that this "prologuc in Heaven" alrcadycontains the completc idca ofthat mytho-history{' which wil l be dcvclopcdlater in the grcat trcatiscs of Ismaili theosophy. Scven times, Azaziclresponds to tbe twofold summons to acknowledge the "King Most High"and at thc same time to worship Salman-cach time with the samc dcfianccand denial, carrying along with him, in that negation, a group o[ his ownkind. With cach of these denials, hc is stripped ofonc ol'thosc colorcdradiances which arc thc specific property and rcspcctivc emblcm of cachdome of Light.

If one can say that Salman hcrc assumes the role of the archaneclMichael ofthe Apocalypsc (Rcvclation r z:7ff. ), i t must bc addcd that hc ismore spccifically l ike an archangel N{ichacl who rvould be the "Son o[God," such as Hc was represented in the laith ofthc Bogomils. ' ' ln facr, Hcis thc grcat hcavcnly Prince (dawar, p. tgg eL passim) who at thc samc rimcboth vcils and unvcils thc supreme Divinity; hc is both Its Doorway (BaD)and Its Veil (Hijab,p. t7z). Thus it would not bc appropriarc to cornparcthis 8erjregoE 0e6E with Marcion's Dcmiurec, thc "()od ofthc [,aw" who isopposcd to thc good and unknown God. A rclation of that sort could notcorrcspond to Salman's thcophanic function. On d'lc contrarv, t lratthcophanic rolc makes him the hcavenly Anlhropos ("OSalman. You arc nrvDoorway and my Book. . . You are my Right Hand . . . You are m,v l)nvc,r'and my -fhronc. . . You have my safeguard and you arc mv safcguarcl . . .My Spirit manifcsts Itsclfthrough your Veil . . . I am your Lord and vou arcthc [,ord of thc bclicvcrs. . . . You are the Lord ofall the Hcavens and all thcEarths," p. r 7z). Thus hc is not only l ike an archangel Michael who ordcrsthc Angcls to worship Adam," but he himself is thc onc bcforc whom theAngcls arc ordcrcd to prostrate themsclves. "' ' Ihis cvent is describcd as thc"prologuc in Hcavcn" to a drama thc ccho ofwhich reverbcratcs on earthliom Cyclc to Cycle. Thcrc is at oncc an archctypal rclation and asynchronism bctwccn Salmin's seaen battlcs and the laten Cycles consrirur-inq a c<rnrplctc Cyclc of prophecy. At the dawn of our own Cyclc, Iblis-

1t i l ( : l r r r l l a lxnci ..17 ( l l . l l . S(;( l ( . ' lxrg. La tu l iena du Cathaft ! \^bow,n. ro), p.78; H.-C. Ptrech andA.

I itltn|. lj 'ljattt:tontt ltr Bounitu de (lormas la Pritre, Paris, r 94.). p. 206..11l . \ ( ,1) l r l ) r . t r r t l rccl , isrx l rdcscl ibcdi \ h laAdd.etEta?(= Thc Books of Adam awt Etr ,

r l r , r1, t . rs\ l l X\ ' f l i r rR. l l . ( l lur | lcs. t fo(nfhaa dPle del) isrnptuol the OtdT'e anum,l l , l ) r '17) i r ln { ; r l t t l o l lht thohnt, I \ ' . . , r l l : (Nl R., l^nlrrs, ' l 'h? l foolhal Ncul (ntni l , t , t " t l l )

p I nu, l Atr , th,pp r . l j l l : r K, , r . , , r 7 ro l ' r l

FROM THE CNOSTS OF ANTIqUfTY

Ahriman rcpeated, this timc against thc tcrrestrial Adam, Azaziel's

rlr ' l i ;rncc ofSalmin, thc heavenly Adam. Hcnce cach onc ofthc lesscr cycles

clcloscd within the total Cyclc lccls thc prcsence of Iblis and his accurscd

It is important to cmphasizc oncc again that the author ofthe treatise

I'nn al-Kitab was alrcady wcll acquaintcd with this synchronism that is so

t lrrrractr:ristic of Ismaili prophctology (and which bcgins, in the Iater

rr{irriscs, with a "prologuc in Hcavcn" whose protagonist is the Third

Arr{r' l : cl ' . QVII and IX bclow). He is perfcctly aware of thc undcrlying

rnotivc o{'this drama, which is cxpresscd in terms that ult imatcly bring onc

llr( ( to {acc with thc csotcric mcaning of tawhtd: Azaziel invokes against

Sirlrrri in a God who is beyond all the Heavens, without modc or attribute or

r lrrali l i< ation, a God who does not manifest Himsclf to anyonc or by anyone(p. r .17). Howcvcr, according to what thc Imam Muhammad Baqir(k n)r)rstratcs in rcsponse to this (p. r49), to dcsignatc God, to say "huwa

,\l lah," < arr havc no othcr positivc content but the l ivcfold theophany that is

r( ( ir l) itulirtcd within thc luminous Person of Salmin, thc suprcmc

rlrcrrlr lrany which u'as itsclf "Uncreatcd" (na-aJarida, na-makhliq, p. z5z),

\( t $'hich was tlrc 6rst to proclaim the a{lirmation oflaloli i l , by rcfusing to

r' l ir inr t l ir inity for itsclf. '1'hat is preciscly thc sccrct of thcophanics, the

slcrct rvhich is also tht' ir paradr.rx.

Witlrout thcophany, Gc'd is only a purc indctcrmination which cannot bc

rvolshippcd at all. But i l ' thcophany is ncccssary, it must bc accomplished as

ittt ir r t h ropomorplrosis pcrccivcd by mcntal r ision, on tht'archangelic lcvcl

rrl Sirlnri ln, not on thc planc ol a matcri:rl incarnation (cf. p. r7z, quotccl

:rlxrrr '). Nlorcortr, i l 'rvorship can bc dircctcd toward a thcophani< pcrson,

it is lrrr-arrsc {hat pcrson. by rclusing divinity l irr hinrsclf, thcrcb,v rcndcrs

Ir i r r rs l l l t rarrsparcnt to thc I ) iv in i ty, Who nt vcrthclcss t atr otr lv bc worship-

Pr ' r l throrrul t th i t l lhcoPhal lv. r \zazic l 's rcsor l is or t lv tht rctoursc ol

i rgrrost ic isrr t ( r r ' l t1) t ( , a 1ru rc lv lbstract I ) i r in i ty, orrc dcPrivcr l o l cvcrv Vci l

t l r r r t r r r r r i t l rnrrkc I t s l tow t l t r r ruql t . l lc t c. l rv a st r ik int pa rat lox, t l tc or t l t rx lor

l i t r , r r r l is t i r p lo l iss iot t r r l la i t l t tc t t r t i tcs wi t l r t l rc alrsol t r tc t tcgat iot t o l r l rc

ar l rc ist , lxr ' : r r rsc t l rc l i tcr i r l r r rorrot l rc ist icr I r t r r r r r , l ry l l i r r t i t ru t I r l t I tco1rIr . r r r i r

l i r r ( t i r ) r . (L s l r r ls t l tc t r t t tsPi t tcrrct o l t l r r ' \ ' r ' i l ; i lcotr l i rscs t l r r ' \ ' r ' i lwi t l r t l r r '

l ) ivrrr i tv t l r ; r t l t r r r i r r r r l i s ts. i r r lx l i lv i t r t l l r r t i l r r r \ ' | r r r l i r r r tc. l ( i rx l rv l r i t t r r

, 'n l r , r1r ; r t r ,1r t i , r t l t r , l l is Vci l l l r l t r r r ' ; r t r i r l l , r t r r l r rcrrrs i t r o l t l r r ' , , 1 r l t , r t r r rs

r l r , . r l , r l t , , l r r r , r i l i r r r , , r is l , \ l l r . r l Prclo[r( t t r l l r ' , r r t t t " , I I r l r r r r r I r ' r l l |

FROM THE G N OSrS OF ANTTQUTTY

which was pondered by all the schools ofgnosis. The Ismaili makcs it the

vcry secret ofthe esatcric ta@kidt without these thcophanic figurcs that the

Imam opposcs to Azaziel 's claim, monotheism would perish in its own

triumph, through thc most subtle trcason-that by which onc imposes on

onesclf a denial of oneself. That, essentially, is the intuit ion which ulti-

mately l ics at thc vcry origin ofShiite gnosis and its Imamology.

4. Finally, it is f itt ing to bring up an aspcct which comcs at thc veryconclusion ofthe trcatise Umm al-Kitab and which may perhaps allow us torejoin the Book ofEnoch once again. This conclusion is dominated by themicrocosmic relationship already menrioncd, i.e., by thc ult imate identityof csscncc bctween thc Savior and thc souls whom He savcs. Thus thcbcings ofLight, the roshanian to whom the Imam is spcaking, havc thc sameOrigin and are Its "mcmbers." At thc cnd ofthis init iatory convcrsation,thc disciplcs lcarn that each gnostic is in turn callcd upon to becomc thisSalman who takcs upon himselfthe attributcs ofthc archangcl Michacl andthc heavenly Anthropor-bccause his -Rat natiqa with \ts fae ligh ts, thc "Angclofa thousand names," is nonc othcr than thc "Salman ofthc microcosm"(Salman-e'alam-e kichak, pp. 392-3\. No doubt, this is for thcm a rcvclarionas ovcrwhclming as tbat momcnt whcn Enoch lcarns that "' l 'hc Son of Manis7ou" ( l Enoch 7I : r4) .

VI,

As for thc Divinity which remains hiddcn bchind thc veil oflts thcopbanics,no namc or attributc or qualif ication can bc givcn to It. Thc purcly ncgativcdcsignations to which thc gnostics have rccoursc havc only one goal: toprcscrvc this Divinity from any assimilation to a modc of crcatcd ororiginatcd bcing. 'fhc Unknowable God (0edg [yvootog, in thcClcmcntine Homilies), thc Unnameable God (hxcrcv6pcoroE OrdE,Carpocratcs), thc Incffablc and the Abyss ('-ApQ1roE, Bt06E, Valcnti-nus), thc Uncngcndcrcd Onc ("Ev hy€wr;rov, Basil idcs), thc Supremc()od ancl Prc-Principlc (bvrirrorog 0r6E, rreoaQx4)r'-all of thcsc dcsig-nirt ions havc thcir cquivalcnts in thc Ismaili terminology: thc Originaror(:l luhli '), rh<' Mvstcry of Mystcrics (Chafi al-GhutiD), "Hc Who cannot bclcirr lrctl lry t lrc lroldncss ol thoughts" (man la lahjAsaru nahwahu'l-khawaqir) ,

1,r ( i l \ \ ' l l0rrrrrr , / / ru40' i nt l ( ; , tot i t , l ( ; i ; t r i ' r ( , . ' r , r )"?, j t ) . U,t .

| 7:l

FROM THE GNOSIS OF ANTIqUITY

( t(. ()nc cannot attributc to Him cithcr bcing or non-bcing; He is not. but

r autts lo be. Dvcn bcvond thc Onc, Hc is thc "Unifier" (.nuwahhid), Viho

rrrri l ics afl thc Oncs, Who "monadises" all thc monads. Thus the tawhid

li lkcs on the aspcct ofa monadology: at the samc timc that it seParates this"Urrif icr" from all thc Oncs He unifies, it also a{Frms Him through them.'l lt' taulid must avoid thc twolbld trap of tn'til (agnosticism) and tashbrh("irssimilating" thc Manifcstation to That which is manifested). Hence

rlrlc is thc dialcctic which is cxprcssed in the two phases ofa doublc

r(italivity: thc Originator is non-bcing and zol non-being; He is not-in-

pl;tcc and nrl not-in-placc; ctc."'I 'hat dialectic corresponds to thc twofil ld

r)l)( rirt i( ln ol tan:l i, u'hich "rcmovcs" the Namcs and Attributes from thc

Srrlr 'crnc Divinity in ordcr to reicr them to the hudid (both heavcnlv and

|rrrrlr lr '), arrd of tajnd which immcdiately "isolatcs," sets apart, or rc-

projrr ts t lrc Divinit,v bc,vond thcse manifcstations. In this way thc thcopha-

rrir l irrrtt iorr ofbcings is both grounded and salcguardcd.I lrr r al-\\ alid dcfin es tauhld as "knowing the hcavcnly and earthly ftudid

(tlrr '<lcqrccs or "l inrits") and recognizinpJ that cach ofthcm is unique in its

r':rrk rr clcqrcc, without bcing associatcd rvith any other.'fhus the divinc

N:rrrts and At(ributcs rcfcr to thc angclic hvpostascs and their carthl,v

lrcrrrpli l ications, and abor.c all, to thc First among them, Who is thc

I'r 'rrtrrktistrrs (I lubda' ault alJ . thc l\ ' lost Holv Angel (al-IIaLak al-muqaddas),

t l rc l i rst Int t ' l l igrrrcc ( 'Aql auunl) . ln lact , th is is the Suprcmc Namc ( iszi

a. :a l r ) , and t l rc vcr) 'namc o1 "God," Al-Lah," belongs to i t , Preciselvlrlt rrrrsc i l is t lrc Veil, maintzrincd in its lranspart:ncy through its bcing thc

lirrrrrrlcl ol thc vcrv l irst lau'l i l . bv rcfirsing to claim divinity for itsclfand

irrsr l r r r l l r ' -projcct ing i t a lxx : rnd bclorrd i tscl l - just as i ts homologuc,

S:r f r r rarr . t l ic f in thc t rca( isc l . :nm al-Ki tdb.

I t is l f r r ( that thc lsrnai l is (Kcrmani, l i r cxanrplc) arc lh( ' f i rst to

.rckrror, ' I r lgc u l r i r t t l ic i r t l ia lcct ic ol t hc div inc at l r i l r u tcs r)wcs t() that of thc

l \ l r r ' t a z i l i t cs; l )ut t l lcv l rc no lcss auatc ol t l tc yroint a l whir :h tht i r

' , r l0r ' , r l l t l r , r r l i , l | r ,ws, r l l l . r r I r i r l . r l ' l ) i r r Krrnrurr i , l l i lnr t l 'q l , lscr ' r ' r ' , r l c , l i t r , 'nsl thc, . r r r r r ,

' r ' , , , r r r l , h.r1 ' rcr l l r l r rs ' l r r r r i r l . ' l - l ) r r ( r l t . r , r r l r \ ' . r r r r r r r ,L i ' r , r l . l lT t l r l ;81. lnht

ai . f / , r 'aar, ,h.r1,r , i ' t l l l (1r ' rs,rral r r l , r t r I l , r r , r l - \ \ , r l r r l 0tr l , \ ' . , , , . , , i . ld ' t ,< l . t , t , l il r r , l l r A d/ . \ lah,h 'aa' l . l l t l l t l l l ( l r r l , i r r i l 7 i r l r , r r teu/ lnrk. l l th lnth t thl r , r r r t r t r t t r r r , l , r . t , r t , t l

, . ( r l \1, , r \ ' ,1 {1, ,1,s, ; ,sr . r , r r ,Aar/r /a/ . ! / , , i r t r l , t , r l , r r , r r , ) . , r l l , ' l t l r . l r rst , l r ' r1, t , r

, t ( : l l { srr0r l r r r r , r r r . ( ; tu\ t \ l t \ t / ' l , r l ,mr l r tn, l \ ht t t ' t l t l , th, t h r , r la t lh

" t l tI l tat" t , i , t t , t t fut t t

t i l tT i t

FROM TlrE O NOSIS OF ANTIqUITY

agrcement ccascs.irThc Mu'tazil i tes end up allowing certain prc-cmincnrattributcs to qualify thc divine Essence. Morcover, cvcn if thcy hadcontinued to pursue their dialcctic, the idea of theophanic mediation (b1'thc Angel in the Pleroma, and thc Imam on thc carthlv plane) could ncvcrhavc appearcd on thc basis oftheir prcmiscs alone. Ismaili Imamology hasits roots in quitc another sourcc.

All ofthis thcosophv unlblds in an a{Iccrive ronaliry which ir is importanrto rccognizc, sincc the signs that reveal it arc prccisclv thosc that can help usto grasp thc distinctivcly Ismaili lormulation of thc gnostic tbcmc iuquestion herc: the contrast and the connection betwccn thc Unknou'ableGod and thc divinc Figure Who is revealed at the farthcst acccssiblchorizon. C)ne of thcsc indications is thc etymology which thc Ismailithinkcrs reserve for thc divine namc Al-Lah, the name which in facr rsapplied to the First Intcll igcncc, thc Protoktistos. Deriving thc noun i/allfiom thc root u-l-h (ilah = wilah), they see rhis namc as refcrrins ro thcprofound cmotion and sadness of thc First Angel ycarning to know hisOriginator (Mubdi'). Even better, taking the w<>rd ulhany'a ("divinity" ) as asort ofideogram, thcy rcad it (by ncntally introd ocing a tashdid) as if i t hadbccn writtcn al-hannrya (an abstract noun formcd from the notnen agenlis ol'thc first form ol'thc root h-n-n): tbe statc of somconc who is sighing fromsadness and melancholy. Morcovcr, it is not only thc First Intell iscncc butthc cntirc Plcroma (y ani' 'alam al-lbda') which, in fccling rogcther with ir rhissamc ardcnt longing, also descrvcs thc same tit lc of"divinity" (ulhani-ya =

al-hann a = ishhlAq, ["yearning"]). What is cxprcsscd in thc namc ol'thcDivinity, Al-Lih, is not some lulgurating omnipotencc, but sadncss andnostalsia. "

'I 'hat is a striking fcaturc and onc in which thc Ismaili soul charactcrrzcsits mos( intimatc modc of pcrccption. Perhaps, in l ight of that, thccphcmcral succcss of thc Fatimid thcocracy would appcar as a passingcpis<xlc, as though that polit ical succcss dcmanded a countcrbalancingspiritrr;rl loss, which in turn could only bc atoncd for and ovcrcomc throuqhpolit ical dcli 'at. It is significant thar rhc larcr rrcariscs of thc rcformcd

. ' .1 ( r l N i i s i ' ' ' . K lnrsr at , , / i inr ' a l l l iknarain (above. n. ! I ) , pp. i2-67, chapter concern-i r r t l r r r l isr r rssior rv i th thc t r l r r ' razi l i rcs alxrur taul iy ' .

. , ' , ( L l { Str ' , r t l r r r r . r r r . ( , a i \ ' l l \h , p. 11, ' (a ( l r ' ( , iat i ( , r ) l iom Krrmani)1 la le l a l -DnrI t r r r r r r , l / , r t l r r rarr , l \ ' , r r ( i r I l . . r r r r , . lnht l in2hth Ltrnn. I . p [ i r (but s implv in rhcrrrrsr t l r . r t / / r r l is t l r r r r . l r r t t l , r whir h orrc Lrrrrs) ;anr l H (rn- l t in. I in ls lan i ranpn. . . .\ r r l 111,1,1, ,p r .1r1

FROM THE GN OS IS OF ANTIqUITY

lsrrrail i rradition of Alamut rcdiscover and lend new meaning to thesc

tlrcnrcs l iom the prc-Fatimid pcriod, and that in Iran Ismailism has

srrlvivcd by rcdiscovcring thc way of Sufism.n' Moreover, the works ofthc

.l/ lr l l ' l i tradition, those which wcre writtcn by thc Da'is of Ycmen

rrlrslrlucnt to thc Fatimids and which summarizc or cxpand on the

t r r ' ,r t is( s writtcn during the l-atimid pcriod, sti l l rctain their full "gnostic"

lcl igiorrs and philosophic significance, indcpcndcntly of any temporal

lxrl it ical rcli 'rcnccs, It docs indccd sccm that the authentic Shiitc con-

tr' lrt ion ol thc Imamatc, in addition to its eschatological dimension, also

irrrplics thc "invisibil i tv" ofthc Imam in this world, i.c., his purely spiritual

nrorlc rrl bcing. Practically spcaking, tbr thc,4,lurla' lr branch ofthe Ismailis,

rrs wr'l l rrs lbr a good portion of thc Nizaris, thc Imamatc has rcturned to

4htrha,iust as it has for thc Twclver Shiitcs.

VII.

( )rr l rncrrtal habits would incl inc us tojudgc thc mcaning and cffcct ivcncss

,r l spi l i tual doctr incs by prcsupposing that thcir authors had as thcir

t i rsk i l rot as their conscious concern-"making history," and as i f wc

rlrrkl orr lv. judtc thcm by rcfcrcncc t<.r thc "meaning ofhistory." Howcvcr,

t lr( ((,nrl) lcx dramaturgics crf gnosis in gcncral, and part icularly of Ismail-

isrn. r ' r ' i<lcntl ,v cal l into qucstion thc vcry "mcaning" and dircct ion ofwhat

wc lal l history. At tbc samc t imc, thc uniquc charactcr of thosc dramatur-

gi ls lrrrts us on guard against thc most scrious of thc misundcrstandings

r,r ' l r i r l r wt could lal l into i l 'wc wcrc to prcsupposc, without a more cri t ical

cr,rrrr in:rt iol , that thc modcs ol pr:rccption wt'rc idcntical on cithcr sidc.

\\ ' l rrr t n,r ' lx rccivc as aD 1t,srt/ in history may havc bccn pcrccivcd-and mav

lx. 1x.r 'r ' r ' iv< d at ( l) is v( r l monr( 'nt as occurring on thc lcvcl of a mytho-

lr istrr lr " arcl as havirrs i ts signif icancc only in rclat ion t<t ir mela-histoyt. ln

srrr ' l r l r crrsr ' , i r r o lhcr wor<ls. ( ) r lc cannot invokc thc "mcani l tg o{ histr t ry"

r ' r ' i t l rorr t lcrrorrncirrg i t at t l rc samc instanl , s i r tcc I tcrc i t is in I i lc l / , 'an. l r i . r r

r r l ra/ . ( l r r rsrr ; r rcrr t l \ ' . i r lso, t l rc t l r ( n l i l t i ( r i t r - i lc t r l r ( o l cvctr ts as st tc l t is c lu i t r '

r l i l l i lcrr t : t l rc lact o l t l rc I r rc i r rnat iorr a l t l r ( ccnt( r o l l r is totv, l i r t cxatnplc, is

r , | | r ' t l l i g. arrr l t l r ' I i r r t r r l thcoPlr l rn i ( .s Icrr ' r ' ivcr l i r l l l r ( l ) r 'cs( ! r l l t l ( ) r t rcr l l ( , r l

t l r r . l r r r izor r oI t l r r ' l ' lcr orrrrr r r l t l rc i r r lc l t r r r r l i i r lc wot k I is r1r t i t r ' ; t t tot l tc t . ' l l t is

. ,1, ( l l n l r ' \ . r , l ,,7 l l l r r t l l , r l r r r r l

t7 i

FROM THE GN OStS OF ANTI9UTTY

is one of the most charactcristic ways in which gnosis can invitc us tomcditate on the confrontation of Oricnt and Occidcnt.

'I 'hc mytho-bistory oflsmailism begins with a "prologuc in Hcaven," oncvcrsion of which, from thc treatise Umm al-Kitab, has already bccn mcn-tioncd hcre [$V-3]. The presentation ofthis drama varies according to thcstructurc ofthe Plcroma: that structure rcached its definit ivc form with thcwork of Hamid Kcrmani, where therc arises an "isomorphism" bctwccnthc hcavcnly Plcroma (Dar al-lbdd) of Ismailism and thc Plcroma ol thc tcnIntcll igcnccs describcd 6y the falas{a (al-Farabi, Aviccnna). Thc primor-dial "Originated Onc," thc Archangel Protoktistos (a/-Ma bda' al-auual),inits turn gives origin to the First Emanation (lnbi'alh awual), which issomctimcs dcsignated as the Second Intcll igencc and somctimcs as thcUnivcrsal Soul (Nafs kull i la). From this dyad of thc frrst two Intcll igcrrccs,Noar and Pslche, procceds a third Intclliscncc ('aqL thnlith), uhich is thcSccond Emanation (Inbiath thani). This is thc onc who is dcsignatcd as thc"spiritual Adam" (Adam rihant), thc protagonist of this drama which hadSalman as its lrcro in the prcscntation in thc book Umm al-Kitab. Whatconstitutcs thc undcrlying motivation of this drama, as wc havc notcd inrclation to that trcatisc, is cxprcsscd in its rcfcrcncc to thc csoteric ld.irri l .Thc First Intcll igcncc init iatcs that lawhld 6v rccognizing the Uniquc, orrathcr thc Unificr ofits bcing (or its sclf, drlat), Who is bcyond all catcsoricsand all prcdicatcs. lts own negatiait2, which it takcs on in this way, is in lhctits ab-negation (becausc it rcfuses divinity lor itscll), and it thcrcby bccomcsthc Vcil, thc horizon or l imit (had[1 by which thc Divinc shincs through andappcars to thc following Intcll igcncc (its ta7f .

Thus from l*'cl to lcvcl, from cach limit (,4a11) to that which it l imits (itsnahdid) and which is in turn thc l imit or horizon for thc onc following it, thislan,/ri/ maintains thc cntirc Plcroma in an asccnding movcmclot. e^ch haddascrilx s thc l)ivinc to that "l imit" which preccdes it and which is thc Vcilthnrugh wlrich thc l)ivinc appcars to it; and this highcr icld in turn rcfersthc l)ivirrc to thc ncxl "l imit" or dcgrcc prcccding itsclf. But thcn "ithrp;x rrr '<1" tlrnt in :r \rrt iginous stupor thc spiritual Adam-thc T'hirdAnrtr'1. whosc irrncrrnost [x' irtg conccalcd thc Azazicl-Iblis (thc othcr

l)r)l i f g(ff risl ol t lr is rlranrlt irr l l lc l lmrt al- Kilab)*brough t this movcmcnt toir lrrrlt. f, ikc Azazir'1, hl lgrcc(l to rccognizc thc Mubdi' (thc 0edgItyvrrxtroq). lrrrl lr l lr. l irsrrl to rr,cognizc tlrc prc-( nrincnt thcoJ:hirnic role oft l r r ' , \ r rq, l r r l r r ,pr l rcr l l r l l r i r r r ( l r is . t i i l { ) l l r r rs l r l wirs t l rc l i rs l i rnron( al l thc

FROM THE GNOSIS OF ANTIQUTTY

lx irrqs to ommit thc twofold error which is at oncc that of thc atheist and

tlrc olt lrodox bclicver: cithcr hc must lcavc thc Divinc in purc indetermina-

tint \ la l \, or clse he must makc It dctcrminatc. But sincc hc lailcd tcr

rctr;qnizc thc thcophanic function of thc Angel who prcccded him, hc

rrr|r ' iralrly had to fall inro tashbrh-T nd ultimatcly, by setting up his own

prlrl i tatcs as bcing thosc ofthe Unique and Supreme Divinity, hc had to

r;risr' lr inrscll 'up into a sort o1-Ialdabaoth. The myLh that in this way rclatcsr lr r. t r isis in thc Plcroma to thc contradiction undcrmining the monotheism,rl ,r l l icial, cxotcric rcligion is remarkably prolound. Horvcvcr! this spiritual

,\rl;rnr-Angcl is not Azaziel, evcn though hc unknowingly harborcd this

'\zir zir ' l- l blis rvithin himsclf. Thc doubt that hc fccls is precisely the rising to

,rrrrsciousrrcss and thc cxtcriorization ofthc Darkncss which had remaincdlrir lr l lrr u,ithin him, and which from thcn on hc can conqucr and hurl back,'rrtsirlc lr inrscll l In a way. hc is l ikc an archangel Nlichael r,r 'ho gains his

orvrr r ic torr 'ovcr himscl l , i .c . , ovcr the antagonist who had bccn latcnt

rr i t l r i r r l r is orvn bcing. ' lh is is the "Zcrvani tc movcmcnt" in thc Ismai l ir ( )s l r l0{() l ) ) ,

Yct t lr is imnrobi l izat ion ofthc Angcl-Adam did bring about a delay or

"tLt;rr<1" (kl ;hal luJ): a distancc is thcreby opcned up within the Plcroma, a

(l isr, l l r{ ( wlr icl) is nunbcrcd by the rzarz Clhcrubim or divinc \Vords, the

sr' \ { n ()1lr( r Ir tcl l igcnccs uho fol low Him (cacb ofthcm bcing thc "Imam"

, r l rr rr crrt i lc plcloma). ' fhcir numbcr corrcsponds to that ofthc sru,en pcriods

nr.r kirr{ out rhc Cyclc ol Prophcc,v (a sync}rronism analogous to that ofthc

rr i la fr ; r t t fcs r r l . l 'alntrn) . ' l 'his c,ycl ical t imr is ctcrnit l " rctardcd " b,v thc st upor

ol t l r ' ' l h i r '< l . , \ r rqcl : i ts pcr i<xls arc thc rhvt l rnr ic "pulsat ions" marking thc

r( ( ( " r ( l l r (

s l o l t l r is d istalcc arrd rctardat ion. Brouglr t back t<r consciousncss

u i t l r t l rc l rc lp ol t hr ' ( ) t I r ( r ' I r tc l l iqcrc( s ( l ikc thc Acons togct i r r r r int t r rccding

l i r r Soyr l r i i r i r r thr ' \ ' : r lcnl i r t i l r r grrosis) , th is hctvcnh At lant stabi l izcs l t imscl f

. r t : r I r ' r ' l n ' l r i r ' l r is r ro Lrnscl t l r ( ' t l r i r r l , l ) t t t 1 l l ( tcnth (crr l rcsporrr l ins to that of

t f rc r \ r ' t i lc l r r tc l l lc t i l thc schcnr l o l t l tc . /h l i t i /a) , t l rc nrcasurc ol-his

"r ' ( l i l r (1." l lc has l l r r_oun l r is owrr l )ar-kncss orr ts i t l r ' l r i r r rsr ' l l :orr t i l r t l l . i l \ ! i l l

l i ) r 'u l t l r ' lx)st(r ' i t \ o l I l r l rs- ' \ l r r i r r r i r r r , uhi lc t l r , rsc ulro l i r lLrrr h i rn in his

r( l ! n l i r t l { r ' rv i l l lx l r is ourr r lcs|r ' r r<l ; rn l : , , l l l ( ln)s l r ' l i t \ o l Ihr ' I r r ' l r r r ' r r I r

, \ r l , r r r r . l t is s. t l r : r t l rc r I r , r \ ' ( { ) t | | ( to t l r l i r , r i r l l l t : r t l r t is i rst . t l I r l i rs t l r r '

r l , r r r i r r r gr ' , , l , , r r r l l , ' t

l t l . , \ t t r l t l r i ; r t or ; t l lv , i t is u i t l r t l r l i r i r i r l t l r , r t . l i , r r r r ( i r r L

trr( i r r lc r ' , r r l r l i rn l l l r . r l , r r r l t r r . r r t l lcrr t t t r ' , rn \ ( ln\ut l ( l i l r l r r t )ur l l [ . r r l

l , . r r I tot l r l I ' l l turrr . r t l r , " l l r r r ; r l l r ' l l , ig l r t l , , r r r r l r l l l . r l l t l r t rorr l r r ' l l , r l i l r t

r ; l l

FROM THE ONOSTS OF ANTIqUITY

bclonging to the injt iatcs of his Cvcle-the Angcl-Anthropos wil l bc l iftedup onc more level toward his original rank."

Evcn outl ined in its mosr general fcaturcs, this "prologuc in Heavcn"allows us to cstablish scveral points. If, during a "timc" which is thc vcr yorigin oftimc. this Ansel.who must subscquently assumc the function ofthedcmiurgc docs give in to thc vertigo ofa laidabaoth, hc has nothing clse incommon with that f igure . Hc is not at all thc Dcmiurge of thar namc (who isncithcr good nor bad, and somc\{har disturbing), but rather a being of'Light who is compassionatc to$,ard his own beings, whom hc saves aftcrhaving delivered himself. He is prc-cmincntlv thc Ismaili l igure of thcSavcd-Savior.

Ofcoursc, t l i is urrique nature ofthc Ismaili dcmiurgc holds lulue a.flr l ioriIbr Salman, thc lrcro ofthe trcatise Linm dl-Kital. Thcrc, lblis-Azazicl uasalso a mcmbcr of thc PIeroma, but a pcrsonagc cntircly dif l i 'rcnt l-rom thatof Salman: while hcrc \4c have an Iblis at l irst hiddcn wirhin thc Angel-,Adam, u,ho thcn had to tcar him out ofhimsclf. Bur in both casrs. thc cvcrrrtakcs placc uilhin th.. Plcroma: hcre, too! gnostic emanatisrr tcnds torcabsorb drc dualism o{ Nlanichacism and Zoroastrianism.;" ' l hc spirrtualAdam is not l ikc Gavomart. who is attackcd from without by Ahriman andkil lcd bv him; it is within Adam's ou'n wil l that Iblis-Ahriman cmcrqcs irractualit),-but lar from succumbing to him, hc triumphs ovcr him lirr eood.Nor is thc hcavcnll Adam a primordial N4an rvho is ovcru.hclnrcd bvNlattc:r: rather, thc Darkness was in him, but he cxpelled it lrom himsclf.And 0nally. that opaciry in his bcing was brought about b1,his pretension o1'prodtrcing a rttuhtd which was in fact that orthodox monothcism whichcfaims to knon, thc Unknowablc. ThaI, thcn, is Iblis. And pcrhaps ir wasalso out o{'thc dctcrmination to ovcrcome that nostaleic ycarning lbr thcUrrkrrowirblc, lbrscttins that the l)ivinc (uihaniya,lYl abovc) is prccisclv"rrost t r lg i i r . "

lJccirrrsl this crisis ariscs insidc thc Plcroma, uithin a bcine ofLieht, andis rrrrt i lstiratccl l iont outsidc by a prc-existing contrarv powcr ofDarkness,wc r':rrr rrr<L.rslanrl horv tlrc orthodox apologists, although thcy wcrcrtr ist . rkcrr . r 'orrk i havr ' pr ' r t c i r 'cd a Zcrvanism hcrc (cven rv i thout knowrrrg

- ,1 i ( ) , ' , hr i i i \ r ' , , r ' r , ' r r (n rhis rh. , rnra in H.r \crr" is hased pr. imar. i lv on rhe books oll r l r rs l r r r . r r l , r l . l ) r r r ( rh.rpr,r . l \1 , r l< l l l r r r ; r l , \ \ 'a l i r l c i rcd i r r r r r r 'a lnve. l .br nrorrr l r t . r r l r . r r l l r r r r r r tsrrrr l rcs, ( . t ,1|r l l inn . r r l l I ) t t i t r f ip i1hntn . . . totr .

' , , r ( | \ \ l f , , r r rsrr , Ihr l , t l " , , l 'hr tu , t , t ) , , ' r r t l , r lot l , ro l t r1

| 7 ' l

FROM THE CN OSIS OF AN I I IgUITY

thilt name). Onc necd only refcr to thc section that Shahrastani dcvotcs to

I lrr. Zcrvanitcs and thc Gayomartians to observe how closc thcy arc to thc

schcnlatic structurc of Ismaili cosmogony. In both instanccs, it is definitely

a singlc bcing who gives birth to the two contrary powers, but it is no longcr

thc original Absolutc Divinitv. Zervan has become onc of the beings of

l, ight, an angcl of thc Plcroma: he corrcsponds to the Third Angel of thc

Isrnail i Plcroma. In both cases, thc othcr Angcls intervenc to help lead to

vi( toIy thc battle against Darkncss. In Ismailism, thc outcomc is a victory

ol thc Angcl ovcr himself, thc cxpulsion ofthe lb[s-Ahriman. To bc surc,

l lr l is' csscntial substancc (thc negativity ofthc denicrs, thc antagonists, and

tfu ad.dad) is also interminglcd in the creation that the Dcmiurgc produccs

ro ai<l his fcllow-souls. But this intcrminglinpl is by no means the sign ofan

irgtccd-upon condomizium: in no way is it a lcgitimation ofAhriman's rule for

sorrrc dclinitc number of mil lennia.' ' Dcspitc thcsc dil lerences, it rcmains

Ilrrl in both cascs that the cosmic dramaturgy has its origin beginning wrth

rlrc splitt ing apart ofa being that was originallv singlc and unique. It is thc

r.lrcrgcncc of a doubt that is cxpressed as thc appearancc of Darkness, a

l)irrkrrcss which ir distancc, scparation, retard: Zcrv-an the Unlimited lutu

atufu int<t a "timc oflong domination"; Etcrnity, "retardcd" by thc Third

Arrrcl 's doubt, turns aside into a "cyclical t imc" which is thc time of thc

Rcdcmption of thc world.' l frc crrnccption ol thls retard allows us to bring out othcr structural

Irrrrrrlogics. F'or cxamplc, thc dramaturgy of Pistis Sophia (chaptcrs 5&-66)t ( d,gnizcs two stagcs: thc Sdlcr frccs Sophia from chaos, from thc clutchcs of

tlrr, r\rchons and hcr own gcrms ofmattcr, and dclivcrs hcr to a placc which

is lrcrrcath thc thirtccnth Acon: it is only during His hcavcnly ascension that( l l r l is tos br ings hcr into thc th i r tccnth Acon." Or again, in Valcntrnran

grrosis: thc divinc hcro l ibcratcs a Sophia hcld captivc in thc lower world;

tlr( sccond and linal stagc is only complctcd at th{r cnd ofthc "historical"

plrrccss ol Rccl<'mption."' Accordirrg to thc Ismaili sclrcma, this "distanei-

:rt irrrr" is cxcmpfif i cd lry thc retard (laklal1tJ) of thc ' l hird Angcl, who "l ir l ls

l r i r< | , i " t0 l l rc tcnl l l rank. I hc intcrvcning dist i t t tcc ol scvt n lcvcls m<asurt s

tv l : l onr ( . :y lur l ' l inr . . l lnrr ' ,pp. . :o l l ,4t l lt r r ( : l \ \ ' l l r r rssct , Ihn4,t l rohl .m.. . , l ) !7! ( l l r r t ut crrrrrot s l . .wlry th is s l r , , r r l l h '

rorrs j t l t r r r l , r l r r r r r1r i Iut iorr . rs rh, ,ugh t l r r . nryr I o l t l r t r l , l ivcrarrrc ol Sophir l r r r l r rSarr ' hnr l lx"r . r r r i l i r ia l lv l r ' l ; r t r " r l t i , l rsus. whr ' r t i ' \ i t i r i r ra l l r i r r r rssr l t ia l r t r l r . , -

r l i r rll r

FROM THE G N OSIS OF ANTIQUITY

out thc "pulsations" of thc seven periods of thc Cycle of Prophccv, thcturning asidc from thc etcrnal t imc ofthe Pleroma into thc historical t imc ofthe Redcmption. But this latrcr t imc is not our l incar, boundlcss, andcvolving time. It is cyclical and "involuted": it lcads back and is itsclf lcdback to its origin. Bccausc it is a Cyclc ofcvcles, it is a l iturgical t imc in cachofwhosc pcriods (at each "festival," as the lkhwan al-Safi 'put it) thc samcprotagonists reappear: thcse periods mark the succcssivc stascs of Sal_vation.

Thc conncction of the Soler, Christos Angclos, with the human Jcsuscorresponds ro the connection of the Tcnth Angel with thc Imam. Indescribing the composition ofthc person ofthc Imam, Imamology rcpro-duces, in its own way, a Docetic Christology. Whilc the humanity (zaral) ofthe Imam is the outcomc of a whole cosmic alchcmy, His divinit,v (1a7ut) iscxplaincd in terms thar indicate an cxplicit rccurrcncc of thc Manichcanthemeof thc "Pil larofLight" ( 'amid al-Nir) or Pil lar of Glorv.',,

Thc "distanciation" produced in thc Plcroma lr the birth ofa historicaltimc whosc "mcaning" or cnd is prccisely to frcc thc gnostic from Hisrory.That is how thc azclrozism is cstablishcd betwccn the evcnts in thc plcromaand a prophetology accompanied by an Imamology. This is one of thcoriginal aspects of Ismaili gnosis. Whilc it integratcs into its vision a schcmaofprophctic succession analogous to that ofEbionism and Manichacism, rralso indicatcs a dil lercnce: herc that succession has not yet comc to an cnd.The Verus Propheta will only gain His reposc with thc coming of thc rastImam, thc Rcsurrcctor (cf. $lX bclow). Yct,just as thc hcavcnly asccnsronof thc carthly Christos marks Sophia's cntry into thc thirtcenth Acon. solikcwisc thc asccnsion ofeach Imam with all ofhis "Templc ofLight,, at thccnd of a Cyclc marks thc progrcssivc clcvation of rhc Anecl-Adam as trcrcturns toward his original rank.

VIII.' l ' lrc trvofirlt l ailusion that hasjust bccn madc to thc thcmc ofsophia and toprophctologv raiscs thc qucstion ofthc prcscncc ofa figurc homologous to

li1 ( i l . tf rc r 'fralrtrl on "l nrarnologv and Doccrism," in our rir ir l r l iphary. . .,abo\(, pp.r r j t7. . , r r l , , ' r r rp.rrr . l l , ' r rsv.r . l lauf t fnblm. . . . . I r . ?7r l : rhe Fanht\ Jr(us recej \p\t l r . lxr . , rLr l | ' , ' r \ l ' r r i l ' r . r lc l . r t l r j r r i , lh is l rc i r r r t iUrnS,,plrra,rh"psrrhrcelem.rrr t romtlrr . l )nrr i r r lgc, r l r r l h is " lp l ,af i t i (nrni Rrrdt r r r r r l rs t r , r rn rrrralc i r . inv rh;rr rook placett t t l r r l r i ( ' l r r r ror k ls

FROM THE G N OSIS OF ANTIQUITY

Sophia in Shiitc gnosis in gcneral. In a ccrtain sense, thc figure ofthc'I 'hird

Arrscl, thc Savcd-Savior, combincs the rolcs ofboth Sophia and thc Soter'' l hcrc is morc, howcvcr. About the Person of Fatima, the dearly bcloved

<larrghtcr of thc Prophct and thc one rvho givcs risc to the l ine of the holy

Irnanrs. arc clustered the thcmcs ofwhat could be called a Shiite Sophiol-

og1. l 'hcrc is a paradox herc: the contrast betwccn the exaltation ofthc

li{urc ol ! 'atima and thc abject status which has generallv been the lot of thc

l, i rn ininc in thc Islamic world. Here, a part ofthc neccssary rcsearch would

lrclong ro analytical psychology. The trcat;se Umm al-Ki6b already suggcsts

irrr inrcrDrctation of that situation. When the angcl Gabricl had shown to

tlrosc who wcrc about to bc exiled from the domes of Light an image of

l ' irradisc, which was the vcry person of Fatima cncompassing the drvtnc

l\ 'ntad. Iblis-Ahriman rushed to assume thc form ofa woman (and had his

lir l lrwcrs takc on that form) so as to dcceivc thc gnostics and lcad astray

tlrcil dcsirc to rcturn to Paradise."' Thus, the carthly Feminine appears as

lrcinq in contradiction to thc hcavenly Femininc. lt is at this latter lcvcl that

rlrc pcrsrxr of Fatima is cxalted. Sheis the majmi' a/-nlra-lz, thc "conllucnce

r rl t lrc twrr Lights" (ofprophcthood and thc Imamate, t?4, uwwa and walala) '

rhirt is rthv shc is at thc ccnter ofProPhctology and Imamology in lsmaili

urrrsis. I hc fumiroas asPcct ofthc Femininc is indicatcd by thc po\r'cr with

w lrich it is invt'stcd and thc masculinc attributcs which arc bcstowcd upon

it. t lrcrl l (\)mpcnsating lbr the situation in which it is maintaincd by a

t)ir lr i irrchal uorld on thc social planc l 'atima tl lc Radiant is extollcd as

l"rrt inrrr-/ ' ir l ir, b'alima-" Cre ator" (in thc masculinc)' irr thc scnsc of "in-

i r i r r ror- ," onc cndowcd u, i th thc pr imorcl ia l thcophanic lunct ion (cf . n. 4r

irlx,r 'r '). It tnay bc obscrvcd tlrai thc Valctlt irt ian Gnrrstics l ikcwisc c;rl lcd

rrporr Sopl t ia i I r thc mascul inc, as x l lqLoE l" l ,ord l " I h is appcl lat ion rs a

plcvlrl, rrt l iatr.rtc ol t ltc ,Varatri tcxts ' ' ()nc nrav cortttcct with it ccltain

i rs l ) ( ( ts. i ts thcv l r ' r ' rc c()ntcnlplatcd i I r St t l isnr, o l t l tc I t ro l l l tc l s own

rfcsi{rr i r t i r r r r of l t is<latrghtclas 'mlr thcrol l tcr l i t t lx ' f ' lunnt l ih i ) . '

I":rt irna tltc Ritt l ialrt (,| ' i i l izrn d-Zahri ') al)l)t i l ts itr i i l t l i lr( lt( ' lyP( rxcnr-

nt i l icr l i r r t t t t t t rctorrs r( c l ru ( t tc( s, whic l t l t t c carcl i t l lv l l ( ) lc( l l ) \ ' l l lc l v l ) ( ) logv

n4 I hnnl Klnih,U,:r . r r r r r I t l , r rc l i rcr l l rsgircrr . r lhtc, t r '1. tt r , l ,crr , r r r r ' . . l r i , r , , r r r , / lar 1. , . 1, l , rx, , / Ar/ ' r l ' . 1,1 ' l , , r r r r l rnt ' t t lhtn u, t l , rAt l luht , t l R Str , r rh,rrurrrr , l r t lh I ' l 'u ' - ' l r i r ' l I l r r . l i ' ! l ' \ \ \ r r l

r l r l " , r r r r i l l r l , ia,r , /a, ,1 l l r r , r I r r r r l r rst{ t l , ' 7 ' ,o/r t "" , ) , t r ' r r r \ l . r t r l l r r l . l \ l , rssixr ' , r r r r r r

l ) ( t i t t t u h ^

t h t l , t t r nt m r hurt t ln l ' l ,m t h 'm' l th l , th l , t r l t l , l l | l t t t t l l lt , i l l l t l ,h t i t t t , t l l l , p1' ,1 t 1,1

I l l tr lt?

FROM THE G NO SIS OF ANTIqUITY

of Ismaili ta'wil. Gcncrally speaking, thc femininc figurcs who cxcmplif,v

this archctypc arc, l ike l 'atima hersclf above all, so many typifications of

gnosis (' i lm al-batin,' i lm al-haqiqa), of thc init iation into this gnosis, and of

the Life which this gnosis brcathes into the "dcad," i.c., into thosc who arc

unknowing and unconscious."' Thus, her csotcric rank is abovc all that ofthc l i4|a, thc "Proof" or Witness of thc Imam, indccd cvcn a substitutc for

thc Imam who, bcing in possession of thc ta'wrl, is thc sourcc of that Lifc

which resurrects thc dcad. This dyad (of Imam and Huija) is alrcady

apparent on the planc ofthc Pleroma, whcrc thc Third Angcl, thc Spiritual

Adam (Adan rihani) lorms a syzygy with an ctcrnal Evc who is rcfcrrcd to as

thc "leaven ofthc init ial crcation" (al-khamtra al-ibddi-1,a). Shcis at oncc the

nostalgia ofthc hcavcnly Adam and his return to his Paradise: shc is the onewho, from cycle to cycle gives birth to all of his lcl low-souls in thc angclic

statc."'On thc earthly plane, we lind Evc, as Adam's wifc, typifying thc

csotcric content of the shari 'a; shc is the one who knows its mcanings

contained within thc symbols, and that is why Adam cannot fulf i l l thcshai'a of this cycle without he r. '" This Adam-llvc mystc,v rcappcars in all

thc pcriods:just as the Kaaba is thc symbol ofthc Hujja, so is Noah's ark(safna\; orly those who take their placc thcrc wil l f ind salvation. It is only

through the flujja that one may bc conjoincd with thc Imam. Thc

"Suprcmc Mary" (Maryam al-Kubra), who in turn cxcmplif ics thc hcavcnly

Evc, was Jcsus' Hujja, bccausc it was shc who opcncd the doors ofgnosiswhich had bccn closcd, by being the first to appeal to' isa. thc master ofthc

ncw shari'a. Similarly, thc "Supremc Fatima" (Fatima al-Kubra) was thcHujja of thc first Imam during the period of thc "sixth Adam"'' ( i.c.,

Muhammad: for this rcminisccnce of Ebionism, cf. $IX below).This syzygy allows us to interprct some surprising indications rvhich tcnd

to suggcst that, in ccrtain cases, this feminine Hujja rcfers to a masculincinit iatc. ' l 'hat is the case, for examplc, in the work of Qadr Nu'man:Jcsus'

virgin birth rcfcrs to his init iatory birth. During a timc ofoccultation oftheImam,.fcsus was callcd to his mission by an init iatc who had received, for

{i l i . la' l i , i l ,r: N{rrrrsri r l-Yaman. ,(aj,t l p.98.{ i ,1 l< l r is lnr i r l a l - l ) i r r ,Zahral ,Va'dni ,chapterX;Cyl i ta lTinc. . .above,pp.4I f i7,r Nasilal-l) irr ' lrrsi, I anu,u,urit, lct C,wlnal Tinc . . ., above, p. 42, n. 491, p. 50 ofthe

ll r 'siarr t lxl (.rirral 7)lnr . ., above, pp. 4ti l l .7r . l,r ' l ,r i l)r Marrrrir l l 'Yanran. da.rlt l . pp. q7-qli; on the arithmological ,"alue ofthe

r r r r r r r l r t r r r ro, r l r r ' " r iPhcr " o l l \ ' larvanr 's rcappcalancr in |at ima. c l l , . Nlassignon,La . l ruh, ih, th . (nh^' . .

' r . 4 l ) , t , l ) . ,1 l l l .

FROM THE G NOSIS OF ANTIQUITY

tlrirt purposc, thc vocation ofhis Angel (his heavenly /rald l ladduhu al:ah):. this is thc mcaning of his spiritual birth "without a father."" This intcr-

l)r '(.tation is l ikcwisc applicd to other cascs, but it docs not by any meanslcad us to a pure and simple e l imination of thc Fcmininc. For this muchlcnrains: cithcr thc ! 'cminine appears undcr tbe guisc ofccrtain masculincrlcsignations, or clsc thc Masculinc prescnts itsclfundcr a fcminine aspcct.I n citlr<:r casc, what is involvcd is a symbol of totaliu, a rccurrence that is atlcast inrplicit of thc symbol of thc androgyne (the mas femineus o{ theirfclrcnrists, thc miznliche Jungfrau of Jacob Boehme): what is envisagcd hereis thc l icmininc in its crcative spiritual function. This is how one shouldrrrr<lcrstand thc fcminine aspcct undcr which the Imam is l ikcwise perceivedwfrcrr lrc is dcsignated as the "spiritual mother" (madar-z nafsani) of hisinit iatcs." As the posscssor of ta'uil, he brings about thcir spiritual birth(u,iladt ruhani;ya) and thereby exemplifies the heavenly Eve of thc Adam,tilui t.

' l 'his has an important implication for prophetology. It has morc thanoncc lx'r 'n notcd that Ebionite prophetology had its continuation in Islamic

l)rophctology in general. However, this prolongation is to be observed agrcllt deal morc authentically in thc prophetology and Imamology oflsnrail i Shiism. As wc may recall, there is a twofold l incagc hcrc: that ofthcfirrunciirt ing Prophcts (Nulaqa'\ who proclaim thc rcligious Laws, and thatol tht' Imztms (in groups ofseven), which originates in cach pcriod with thcslrir it ual hcir (lt ast) ol the Natiq. Each Na1i4 forms a sort of syzygy with hisll '?r.ri (Adam-Scth, Noah-Shcm, Abraham-lsmael, Moscs-Aaron, Jcsus-Slrarn'un, Muhammad-Ali), thcrcby typifying thc dyad of the First andSccrrrrd Intclf igcncc (Nois and Ps1chi1. Now bccausc the Imam corrcspondst(, t lrc f i mininc principlc, in being thc sourcc of thc spiritual birth ol thcinit iatcs, onc mieht bc tcmptcd to comparc this schcma to thc twofoldlincagc of l ibionitc proplrctokrgy, with its masculinc prophccy lbundcd byAdanr and thc I 'cmininc prophccy bcgun by l)vc. Unlbrtunatcly, as wcknow, in l ' lbiorrisnr this ft 'mininc l inc rcprcscnts Ialsc prophccy, thc dcmon-ial r ' lrrncn(. l hus thc conrparison bccomcs r dil l ircn(iation at this point,

7! Qr id iNLf 'n)r i r . ,4rAt l : lh\r i l ,Qir / ,a l ' Isnled. Ar. l ' lam.r ' , l lc i rut , rq( io. Pp. t r ly ' l . l .I lcr c wc rnly lclal l i rr plsr ing t hr vcry pcrsorral excgcsis ol l i rrgcnc Arrtrrx. l i rr whorrrt lv ' l ,ar l ics" i r r | ) ; rntc 'sworksigni lyrhcini t i r tcsolAlhigcnsi ; rn lcnrplar innr.

7j N.rs i r ' * Klrrrsr ' ; r rv. l , i l l l i / ' ,u! l t iu,p 2tr2i l l 'a ih l I ) in, l rd.( ihol l r r r -Rrr lAnv;rrrr .' l r l r r l r r , r r177, 11r 1.r . ' l l . I

I l l , l t tl..)

FROM THE CNOSIS OF ANTIgUITY

because Ismaili Imamology docs not at all agree with that disparagcmcnt."

On the contrary, although it is truc that the authors ofthc Fatimid pcriod

generally opted for the prcccdence ofthe Naliq ovcr the Imam, neverthelcss,

thcrc is a constantly reappearing tendency in all Shiitc sccts, somctimcs

sccret and sometimcs explicit, to a{firm and establish thc priority of thc

Imam-i.e ., thc pr ccedence of wala2a ovcr nubuuua. Fatima is preciscly thc

"confluencc" ofthose two Lights.

u.With this reservation in mind, one can but acknowlcdge certain remarkablc

homologies betwecn Ebionite prophctology and Ismaili prophctology.

Having dealt with those similarit ics at length elsewhcrc," I shall only

mention hcrc a few essential thcmcs. Thcse are, abovc all, the idea of thc

True Prophet and the myth of Adam. Admittcdly onc does encountcr the

idea ofa succession ofprophets in the Koranic tcxt and in the hadith,but tbc

numbcr of prophets who are named and thc order in which they are

mentioned involve quite a few variants. In fact, it is only in Ismaili gnosrs

that thc notion of a succession implying a recurrencc, as wcll as a specific

pcriodization, are explicitly ficrmulated. Wc havc alrcady mcntioncd earlier

that thc Cyclc ofProphecy is marked offby sevcn pcriods or partial cycles

(adwar) brotght to a close by the final Imam, the Qa'im al-Qilama or

Rcsurrector, Thc seven Naligs correspond to thc "scven pillars ofWisdom"

or the "hcbdomad of the Mystery" as they are depicted by Ebionitc

prophetology-i.e ., as reappearanccs o{ a Christus aeternus or Ad,am-

Christus whose first form ofepiphany was the initial man (cf. the text cited

at n. 7r above, whcrc Muhammad, theNali4ofthc sixth cycle, isdesignated

as the "sixth Adam"). Yet it is with the l ineage of the Imams, even more

than in thc l ine ofprophets, that the theme ofthc True Prophet "hastcning

toward his place ofrepose" is brought into play. Undoubtedly it is natural

that rcflection should more easily recall the line of Imams of this currcnt

pcriod than those of the carlier cycles (as reconstructcd with the help of

Biblical and extra-Biblical materials).

74 It admits. lor example, certain reasons for Aaron's priority over Moses. On the othersirte, cll O. Culfmann , Di neu.ntdccktn (ltmlanu c und dar Judenchristrntun d.r Ps.udo-kl.n.nti .n (Beilteli 2 t ol the Z.ikchnJU.d. Neute . Wi$!.),pp.39^nd 4I,whichinsistson thc lacr that rhe l lssencs, lbr their part , re jected that Ebioni te radical ism whichincluded Aalon's pr iesthrxrd in thc l i r re ol fh lse prophecy.

1. , ( i l : . I r h. Ia l t i fh1' , l , ahovc, {{r and,t .

FROM THE GN OS TS OF ANTIqUITY

'lir thc idca ofthc C[riilus aelernus thcte corresponds the idca ofan Imam

whrr rcmains uniquc and etcrnal through thc pcrsons ofhis thcophanies. To

thc sinlcssness ofAdam (hvapdQfilroE), who was the first of thcm, there

< orrcsponds thc "immunity" wbich preserves the Most-Pure lmams from

aly sin or blcmish (za'sam). To the idea of Christ as the recapitulation(trvox€OoLaitrrotE) of his prcdcccssors and as the one in whom the Truc

l'rophct f inds thc place ofhis repose, there corresponds thc idea that all thcp^rtial Qa'ims arc " rccapitulated" in thc last onc among thcm, thc Qa'im of

rhc Qiyamal aL-Qi1dnat, whosc "Tcmplc of Light" is thc rnajzd' or coalesc-

cncc of all of thc othcrs. Ja'far ibn Man;ur, in his 1(i lab al-r(asfi" ' mcntrons

that according to thc tcstimony ofJabir al-Ju'f i, thc raa;i ofthc fifth Imam

lr' luhammad Biqir, this Imam reportcd that his own ancestor, thc first

I mam 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, proclaimed one day from the pulpit of Kirfa: " ' Ianr thc Christ (d/-Mdsli) who heals the blind and the lepers, who creatcs thc

birds" and dispcrscs the storm-clouds (i.e., he is thc "second Christ,"

d- Mast\ al-thani, as Ja'far ibn Mangur rcmarks). I am he and he is I (ana

huu,a w huwa and).. . . In truth, Christ i,s thc Qa'im bi-' l-Ha44, hc is thc king

ol this world and ofthe other world . . . ' Isa ibn Maryam is part ofmc and I

irrn pirrt of /rim (huua minni wa ana mizla)." Hc is the supreme Word of God(Kdinat Allah al-kuDra-). He is the Witness testifying to thc mystcries, and I

lnr ' l 'hat ofwhich hc tcstif ics.' This is what thc Commander ofthe Faithful

said. In truth, the amr Allah"' is continuous (n rlrarri l) from the first of God's

Itx4rhcts and Envoys, from the first of the Imams of His religion unti l thc

last ol thcm. lVhocvcr obcys thc last of them, it is as though he obeyed thc

Iirst of thcm, bccausc ofthis continuity ofthc azr,4//ri i as it passcs from thc

lirst onc to his immcdiate succcssor and so on down to thc last." This

st tcmcnt, among many othcrs, bcst i l lustratcs thc aspcct of Ismaili

I mamology which wc arc cmphasizing hcrc.' l 'hc idca of Adam's sinlessncss has as its consequcncc a distinct affinity

bctwccn Iibionitc and Ismaili Adamology-howcvcr distant both may bc

liom thc Biblical conccption and thc Paulinc typology n"Ihc cntirc Ismaili1t; <:1. IQthl, pp. B q.77 An al lusior to thc Koran . , : r r oTll l lrrsc are cxactlv t hc trrms in which lhe Pr4rhet rxpresst.s himscll with regard ro Ali,

I r is l l at i c l Sa/ inat l l ihdral- / lnudr, l l , t ' ] , ,KnldniPi t ,pp.7qnnd8,10lrhcrex(.7() ( inrfrt ing rhc,4nr Al l ih (or amt i ldhi) = inran.Lthi l f t !di t , d),cl i t l . , j . Srlrocpn.; l l r

l i ih(h \t l iht 7,. i t . ' l i ihingcn, rrp,o. pp. ro., l l .l f rr f , i rr wfrrrt l i , i l , ,ws, c{ l /) i l i rr l i l , i f l tn4y .. . , above, r\r ( l ihutnihAlnnohN awl lnnit i

. l lunnh,! ' t) ; l r l r is ' l rr ;rr l al l l in, 7,ah t l . l la ' ini , dt lprrr \ l l t Nanir l l - l ) i rr ' l rrsr,7ir,arlr l l rar, X \ ' l

t l l l r

FROM THE G NOSIS OF ANTIQUITY

dramaturgy ofthe dcparture from Paradisc corrcsponds to that intcrprct-

ation which attributcs thc cntry of cvil into our world not to thc fall of

hcavenly Angcls, but rather to the lall of thc childrcn of Scth, gathcrcd

togcthcr on Mount Hcrmon, who up to thcn had lcd the "l ife of Angcls."

Thc Koranic verse 2:28[3o] ("When your Lord said to the Angcls: ' I am

going to cstablish a reprcscntativc on carth . . ." ') is hcrc intcrpretcd as a

convcrsation betwcen thc last Imam ofthc cycle ofcpiphany (daur al-kashJ)

which preccdcd our prcsent cycle of occultation (dawr al-salr\ and, his

disciplcs. Thc signs ofthe impending catastrophe induced the last Imam of

that cyclc to provide for thc rc-establishmcnt ofthc Law and the disciplinc of

the arcane, i.c., the concealment in an cxoteric form ofthosc Truths which

would hcnceforth be accessible only through the veil ofsymbols. Thcn thc

cvcnts unfolded: the investiturc ofthe young Adam (by his father, thc lmam

Hunayd); the order given to the "Angels" (i.e., to the hudid, the "carthlyangels " ) to bear witncss to their obedience to him; and thc rcfusal of I blis,

personified then by Harith ibn Murra, who represents the Darkness ofthat

negation and dcnial which the Anget-Adam had cast out ofhimsclfduring

the "prologue in Heaven." All of this drama proceeds from one ccntral

intuit ion: it is not the "partial Adam," the fbunder of our cycle, who is

rcsponsible for the povcrty and suffcring ofour world. The causcs ofevil and

ofdeath arc far carlier than the present cycle ofour history. Thc sin of"our"

Adam, or rather his crror, was to givc in to Iblis'suggestions out of

generosity toward his fellow-souls: hc wishcd to claim for them that

knowledgc ofthe Resurrection whicb had still been possessed by the pcoplc

of the daur al-kashf, But his requcst was a ftansgression, since it infringcd on

the mission whicb would fall to the lot of the Qa'in. Ard yet Adam's

repentancc, which was accepted, purged him ol-that error. . . .

X.

It is appropriatc to conncct the Ismaili conception ofthc cycles ofProphecy,

in thc way in which we bave just very briefly alluded to it, with thc

conccption that Ismailism succeeded in forming ofothcr religions: i.e., what

was thc cxtcnt of its capacity to take thcm into account, and ofits effort to

intcgratc thcm and givc thcm mcaning within thc cyclc of its mytho-

history.nr Morcovcr, sincc thc rclation ofgnosis to Iranian rcligions, and in

l l t l ( i l . n. t lJ lhovr. l

rtlT

FROM THE C N OSIS OF ANTTqUITV

l)lrt iculirr to Zoroastrianism, was and sti l l is on our agenda, it is worth

whilc mcntioning bricfly herc some sources showing thc mcaning Ismaili(h(.osoplry gavc to Zoroaster and to Zoroastrianism. It should bc clearlyrrrr<lcrstood that what is at qucstion is not whcther Ismailism is a reappear-

ancc ol' Zoroastrianism: that would bc to agree with the apologists ofr)r(lx)doxy (such as Baghdadi), and our preceding remarks should havc

slrown thc onc-sidcdncss of that thesis. On thc othcr hand, Ismailism's

intcgration ofZoroastrian prophecy within thc complete Cycle ofProphccy

<lcrnonstratcs both the ecumenism of Ismaili theosophy and the resourccs

whi<h its complex hierarchics providcd for constructing a satisfactory

schcrna ol'history.lVc owc our information conccrning this subject to a controversy which

rnarkcd tlrc fourth/tenth century and which involved four great Iranianlsnrail i l igures. Muhammad Nasafi (or Nakhshabi, d. 33r1942) wrote alxxrk, thc Kifib al-MahsnL, in reply to whicb Abu Hitim Razr wrote ac()rrcctivc work entit led Kitab al-Isldh (several chapters ofwhich have avirluablc complcm e^t tn his Kitab A'lam al-Nubuuua). AbuY a'qub Sejcstanircpficd in favor ofM. Nasafi, his friend, with a new book, the Kitab al-Nusra.In turn, Hamid Kcrmani attcmptcd a lcarned arbitration in his l( i ld,af Rildrl. Wc wil l not bc able to study this important episode in the history ofI snrail i thought in dcpth and detail unti l a manuscript ofth e Kitab al-Mahsilis rcdiscovcrcd. On the other hand, however, thanks to Abu Hatim Razr, wecan alrctdy form somc idca ofwhat was dcbatcd conccrning thc casc ofthc

Zoroastr ians.Il no way did it involvc challenging their status as Ahl al-Kitab or

rclirt ing thcir claims on that point.3'jRather, what was in qucstion was thc

thcsis ol M. Nasafi, who conncctcd thc Zoroastrians with thc rcligion ofthcthilr l Nc1i4 (i.c., Abraham) and conncctcd with that origin ccrtain ofthcirlcl igious prcscriptionsi such as taking thc sun lbr thcir qibla or wcaring astlrcir <listinctivc ancl symbolic sign thc 4rianar (i.c., thc torl i). Abn HatimRazi's own 1>osition is as subtft: as it is instructivc. His book l ' lazral"Nuhwuut is markccl by a l irsthand knowlcdgc ol thc Old and Ncw'listlr lrrt, irs wcll irs ol 'othcr sccts. l ht'rc wc {ind, l irr cxanrplc, I)anicl 'svisiorr irrtcr'prctrrl as rcli rring t(, thc su.ccssi()lr ol thc l irur grcat rcligiorrs( l t {uzr l r r i rnr , . l r r r l : r isrr , ( ihr ist iarr i ty, arrd ls lar l ) . " ' ' l hr ' posi t ivc valu:r t ion ol '

l l2 ( i ) r l r l ry t r ' \ahl t r 'n. r r r ight r r r l4xrnc l i r r r r t l rc t r r r l r r r . l i r l l r r r l r r r r r l \ ! lv l r row rrr, f tu lh t l , . )u l r l 'u\ in | r r l r , , / i r r , , rnr l . r l , I | |7

FROM THE ON OSIS OF ANTIqUITY

Zoroastrianism that is alrcady indicatcd by this hcrmcncutic is furthcrconfirmed by thc,Kirab al-lslah.'fhelattcr work strcsscs on scvcral occasionsthc story which has thc first Imam intervening to prcvcnt Omar from kil l ingthc Mazdeans: "They havc a Book and a Prophct, cvcn though thcy havc

altcred thcir Book. "u' Thc author observcs that ifthe Imam docs not oecrarethat thcir religious codc originatcs with Abraham, ncithcr do thc Mazdeans

thcmsclvcs makc any such claim. Thcy affirm that thcy havc a Prophct(-N'aDi) and a Book; that is all. Now in addition, the rank of.N'aDi is cxplicit lygivcn to Zoroaster in sevcral statcments attributcd to thc sixth Imam and tothe Prophet himself. It was for that rcason that thc Prophet allor.r'ed thcZoroastrians to fulfill their obligations by means of thc ji37a, whilc herefused to allow this for the Arab idolaters."

What Abu Hatim does take exception to is thc thesis of M. Nakhshabi

connecting the Mazdeans with thc cyclc ofAbraham.' What hc knows from

a reliable source, having learncd it from his prcdcccssors, is that Zoroastcr(Zarhusht) was one of thc Lahiqs, i.e., one of the lfuar, belonging to thc

cycle of thc 4th Nali4, who was Moses. One of thc d cputies (khulafi'J of thclmam, during an interreguum or period ofoccultation ofthe Imam ofthattimc, gave Zoroaster the investiture; this was also the case with David.Therc arc quite a number of symbols ofall that which the init iate is able to

decipher: there is, for example, the fact that thc Mazdcans practicc the dccpbow (rukt), which corresponds to thc rank of thc Hujja, and not the fullprostration (rryzl) corrcsponding to the rank ofthc Imam. And ifthc Magimention that thcir NaDl wrote for them a book oflaalze thousand volumcs(jald), that is likewise an allusion to the fact that he was ote of the tweLueHujjas who were each sent out into one of the twelve jaarrus, Finally, ourauthor is l ikewise able to give an esoteric meaning to the 3anzar (i.e., the

*orti), the sacred cord that the Zoroastrians wear around their waist (Abu

Hatim stresses that this is actually one of Zoroastcr's prcscriptions, notAbraham's): the four knots ('a4d: knot or "pact") refer respectivcly to thefourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh N4riq-this last being the Qa'in, the sahib

I al-dawr or "mastcr ofthc Cycle" who recapitulates it in its entircty.3'8 3 (:1. A'hn aLnfiuuua Ied. Salah al-Sawy, Tehran, I977, p. 52t ]; cl i the hexaemeron of

rlrr. iilnnr-r /r,l iu Nisir-e Khusraw,.rldzi' . . ., p. I65.tf4 fr( 'r whar l i, l lows. cl. Ki6b af-Islah, pp. 43-5 (prrsonal copv).tls l l i l . ;cl. thr larl it lr gnruped tog€ther in.5ht'rr II,52T.Theposition taken br'Nisir-e

Klrrrsrrl l ir l l l1h r l)rn,1t1t I r 'rrl l . l is thcrelort,r,mpltt"lr utvpicul.I t l , l . 'kew'1r l , ' I lxA, '1.r ' r lDt( l ) . l )5) ,Zoroast l rwtsa/tu1inol thclrnanr.whoappearcrt

l t t l rc crrr l , r l Alrr lh l rn 's pr"r ' i rx l .

I l t l i t tJ()

FROM THE G NOSIS OF ANTIQUITY

lVhat Abu Hatim knows very wcll is that aftcr thc Zoroastrians' Nalihad

sct up thc laws of their bclicf for thcm, the Magi altered those rules and

rrirclc substitutions in thcm, just as theJews had done after Moses and thc( )hristians after.Jcsus. This was thc work of thc Antagonist, who is ncvcr

abscnt i iom any pcriod ofProphecy. 'fheir wise NaDi had taught thcm, for

cxamplc, that thc totality of being cncompasses two principlcs (arl): thc

nubda' and thc makhliq, i.e., thc eternally originatcd (dar al-ibdd) and the

crcirtural world. But thcy changcd this doctrine so as to set up a Mubdi' and

a Khaliq as ctcrnal antagonists. In other words, Abu Hatim quite clcarly

rccognizcs that therc is on thc onc hand the syzygial duality ofthe invisible

Ircavcnly Plcroma (dar al-Ibdd) and the visible world, corresponding to thcpiir ninok-gitik in thc Pahlavi texts-and on the other hand, there is the

tlualism ofthc two principles Ohrmazd and Ahriman. Now ifone observes

irr a n I smaili of the tenth century the awarcncss ofthis di{Ierence, along with

tlrc positivc valuation Iof Zoroasrer] it makes possible, that wil l provide a(rrrt.xt lbr vicwing Suhrawardi's effort, in the twelfth ccntury, at founding

his doctrine oflrlrag on a revivif ication ofthe wisdom ofancient Persia, as

hc undcrstood it.' l his positivc valorization which rclieves Zoroastcr of the rcsponsibil i ty

l irr thc dualism of thc Magi postulates in addition a larger historical con-st ruction thc clemcnts ofwhich are outl ined in the ,(it4-, ,4'Lam al-Nubwt'ua.' l ' lrr: upshot ol 'tbis story is that thc alteration of the doctrine of Zoroastcr(Zarh ush t) was thc work of a ccrtain Zaratos," whose master was a disciplc

ol Pytlragoras who had comc to Persia.'o This involves a curious mixture ol-

traditions, which should bc studicd in thc ovcrall contcxt ofthc legcnds ol'

Zorrastcr. Abu Hatim mcntions traditions which havc Zoroastcr l ivine in

thc timc ol.jamshid, and which idcn tify .Jamshid with Solomon thc son of'

l)avid.' l hus onc can glimpse thc twofold tracc oftraditions which on thc

onc sidc conncct Zoroastcr's activity to thc Scmitic rcligious world, whilc on

thc othcr sidc thcy rclatc him to thc lcgcnd ofPythagoras. But it sccms thal

tt: ' l i i t ib dl. l, l ih Iabove. n. u4li i t is remarkahlc thar Abir Hririnr alrcady knew asvnr lxr l isnt o l thc l i rur knots ol the *0.r l i , whi le in our own dav an Oricrr ta l is t , . l r rnkrr ' ,i r r rcrprcted thrnr i r tu|n;rs thc synrbol o l a Zenani tc r t r ra<l : c l . Cvt l tcal ' l imahrvc, p. r1|./ /r / . ,14r. r r t i l l ./ r i l . , pp. I r l l nrxl r2(t. Shlhf ls( i iur i , l t t Ir rr( l ( , l l ix rr ' r i { . r ' rr I 'ythagora:r. l i l rrwrscnr.rr rr lr th is ( l i r( i l , l r i rrnl ir l tuuatelv, the i t lorr i l i r 'at iorr ol t l rcrr" prr lrrr nlnrrr worrI lrcr lrr i lc frrrt frrr rrncal lh. ( l l l Al io (:unxnrt arr<l l l i r lcr. l lqt hl l lni t , l , pp ,{( '11.,r r r l l l ; l l ,11r. t7,rrrr l4 l l .

I ( ) r r

FROM THE G NOSI S OF ANTIqUITY

a ccrtain splitt ing ol his person has occurrcd, eithcr as a reflection or as aconscqucncc of the r, 'ariations ofthis prophct's namc in Crcck (Zogo6orplgand Zcqdbug or Zdgcrog). In fact, Abu Hatim docs distinguish betwccna Zoroastcr (Zarhusht) who is thc foundcr of the Magi, and a Zaratoswho was thc corruptcr of his doctrinc. Hcrc, indccd, rhe lescndary thcmccontains its aspect of truth, sincc it cxprcsses all that distancc which inreality scparates Zoroastcr the original Iranian prophet from thc figurc ofZoroastcr as thc Chaldcan Magus.

As lor thc inscrtion ofZoroastcr in the csoteric hierarchy ofthc 1a'ara asthe l!z7;ia of thc fourth NAhq, that follows from an archctypal image whichordcrs historical t ime according to the modality ofa l iturgical rimc, sincc itinvolves a Cycle. Thc entry ofparticular personagcs into that cyclical t imeis governed by the ritual form ofa cosmic l iturgy, according to thc functionthat thev assume there. Here there are no prc-cxistcnt matcrial facts in animmediate statc already situated by themselves. Instcad, it is thc mode ofperception which is ri laaliae, which orders and controls thc structures andrelations according to the significancc perceived-which hcrc, {icr examplc,situates Zoroaster's appearance during thc course ofthe fourth cycle. In thcsame manner, Mazdean prophetology siLtates Zarathnstra's appearancc onearth during the transition from the sccond to the third triad ofmillennia (atthc time ofAhriman's invasion ofthe world), becausc it perceives in him thercappearance ofthe primordial Man. Likewise, when sti l l anothcr traditionsituates him six millennia before Plato, that is because it perccives Plato asZarathustra ftdia;aus, the Savior who is to conclude the Aion.'g" Thc modc ofperception is itsclf part of thc "fact," whose meaning can only emergcthanks to a structure ofwhich this mode ofperccption is itsclfa constitutivcelement.

For this rcason, too, there are other figures which our theosophcrs cannotso casily succced in intcgrating. The case of the Sabeans, of whom it wassaid that they had once been Christians, both typifies and allows one toclassify what cannot be put into the other categories. The Sabeans likewisedcrivcd from a Lahiq or Hujja whose doctrine, l ike that ofZoroastcr, wasunli)rtunatcly corruptcd by an agcnt ofthe eternal Antagonist. Similarly,Mlzdak, Mani, and Bardcsancs (Daysan) cach acted, in their cyclcs, asarlvcrsarics ol thr./,aua\iq,rn thc samc way thar thc First Antagonist acted

r1r ( l l . l l .S.Nvlrrg, / ) rRl4tomltral tcnl ta l I { l )cutschvonH.H.Schaeder) ,Leipzig,t , ) r l l , I l , l , 2r t t0.

fIl

r9r

FROM THE GN OS IS OF ANTIqUITY

t()wards thc onc who was thc foundation of thc Imamatc. 'I hus Abu Hitim

rigorously distinguishcs their case from that of Zoroastcr."l And Abn

Yl'qub Scjcstani explains that Mazdak and Bnhafarid added their own

pn scriptions to thosc ofAbraham (since for Abu Ya'qub, as for his friend

M. Nasafi, Zoroastcr's religion was thc religion of Abraham), in thc samc

$av that Mani, Bardesancs, and Marcion addcd thcir ideas to those of

lcsus, whilc believing that thcy werc carrying out the work ofrenovators ln

sh()rt. thc first of thesc wcrc, in relation to the Zoroastrians, what thc

nrissuidcd Sabeans wcre in rclation to the Christians.(1k:arly it would havc bcen diff icult to cxpccl thc occurrencc of an opcn

rchabil itation or revalorization of thc namcs of thcsc figures, whose doc-

trirrs arc most often rcduced to more or lcss accuratcly condeqscd formu-

las. l hc problcm that thc existcnce ofthcir sects posed for our theosophers

w;rs quitc dif l 'crcnt from thc case of the Zoroastl ians as Ahl al-Rifib'

l{owcvcr, thcy did appeal to them enough for Hisham ibn al-Hakam tr.r

cstal>lish thosc "relations" which wc have recalled earlicr hcre (l lV) All

rhc m()rc significant, then, is the reactivation of thosc archetypal themcs

which took placc frccly, so to speak, undcr the covcr ofanonymity. Lcr rrs

concludc with this example: Abn Ya'qub Sejcstani analyscs in dctail thc

symbolic concordancc betwcen thc four branches of the Christian (lross

irrr<f thc four words making tp thc shahada. Thcn hc contemplatcs tlrc

nrystcrv of thc Night of Dcstiny (laiat al-Qadt)' whosc mystical l ight

transligurcs all things, whcn suddcnly thcrc aPPcars bcforc his mctttal

vision tlrc imagc-pcrfcctly recognizablc to us----of thc "Cross of l, ight" ol

thc Acts ol 'fohn and of Manichacism."r

Our aim hcrc was only to asscmblc ccrtain indications and to bri ltg

t()gctlx r ccrtairl thcnrcs, ntlt at all to skotch a systcmatization whiclr woultl

rrcccssarily bc prt:maturc, givcn thc prcscDt statc olirur knowlcdgc Yctoltc

cln alrcady firrcsct' what largcr scopt' wil l br: givcn to a wltolt: scgntctl l rrl t lrc

scicn< c ol rcligions (' l that day-lct us h<lpc it wil l l lc soon*wlrcn wc wil l at

last l )c al) l ( ' (o study thosc ( lopt ic gt lost ic tcxts, u l rc i r r ly t l is t r rvcrcr l sontc lo

ycars ag{), itt t onjutt< tior witl l t}rc t( 'xts that Isnrail i ctt l l t 'ctiorrs sti l l lrokl irr

lcsclvc, ( i t rosis was trol lx)rn i t l Is larn in thc Middlc Agcs, at ty nr()rc l l rn l l l l

is i r s i t t tp lc ( ih l is l ian l tcr t 'sy ol thc l i rs l ct ' t t tur ics ol ot t t cta; I i l l lx r ' i l ls

sr)nr( lh i r { t l l i t t ( 'x is lc( l l r t tg lx ' l i r tc ( l l t r i$t i i l l l i ty l l tcrc wi ts i l g l l ( ) r r r r r r

(r | ,.1'rnr, tI). l lxrl l . l\ ,

^ th

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r93

FROM THE G NOSIS OF ANTIQUITY

Christianity; thcre has bccn one, and pcrhaps thcrc sti l l is, in Islam-andpcrhaps it may yet providc for an unforcsccablc spiritual encountcr bc-twccn Oricnt and Occidcnt. For gnosis itsclf, in all i ts manifold forms andvariants, also dcscrvcs to be callcd a We relipion.