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The Gnostics: The Undominated Race
Author(s): Francis T. Fallon

Source: Novum Testamentum, Vol. 21, Fasc. 3 (Jul., 1979), pp. 271-288
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Novum Testamentum, Vol. XXI, fasc. 3
THE GNOSTICS: THE UNDOMINATED RACE

BY
FRANCIS T. FALLON
Lawrence
Many and varied are the ways in which the gnostics expressed
their disaffection with the world in which they lived. One particularly striking way is their use of the motif of kinglessness. In order
to see their use of this motif in its proper context, we shall first
consider the relatively rare occurrencesof the term in classical and
Greco-Roman literature and then turn to the gnostic appropriation
of the term 1).
HELLENICAND GRECO-ROMAN
WORLD
Xenophon is the first classical author to use the term "kingless"
In his Hellenica 5.2.II ff Xenophon presents the meeta,pocLXuToc.
ing of the ambassadors of Acanthus and Apollonia with Lacedaemon and its allies on the occasion of the threat of the Olynthians 2).
In this context (5.2.I7) the Olynthians are said to have as their
neighbors the Thracians, who are "not ruled by a king" or who are
"kingless" (apaatXeuroL). The Macedonians, however, do have a
king, Amyntas (5.2.12). On the other hand, the Olynthians, as
Hellenes, are under the laws of their fathers and citizens of their own
city (5.2.14). The term "kingless," then, is used in a political
sense in a context in which the Hellenes are governed by a constitution and in which the non-Hellenes may or may not be ruled
by a king.
Thucydides also uses the term in a political sense. In his History
of the Peloponnesian
War 2.80.5-7, Thucydides lists the forces

fighting with Athens 3). First, he lists the troops of the Hellenes
and then the troops of the barbarians. Among the barbarians are
1) For their helpful comments on this paper, I express my thanks to Dr.
Harold ATTRIDGE and Prof. George MACRAE.
Hellenica (trans. Carleton L. BROWNSON [New York, Put2) Xenophon,
nam, I918] 414 ff.).
3) Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War (trans. C. FOSTER SMITH;
LCL [New York, Putnam, 19I9] I.408-09).
FRANCIS T. FALLON
272
the Chaonians, who have no king (Xa&PoXturo1), and also some

Thesprotians, who likewise have no king (ocaCXouToL). In addition
from the barbarians there was a force from the Paraveans, whose
king was Oroedus. In an earlier passage Thucydides had already
discussed the usual sequence of rule, which had occurred in the
Hellenic cities; the transition was from hereditary kingships to
tyrants to a constitution 4). Thus the contrast here, just as in
Xenophon, is between the Hellenes with their constitution and the
barbarians who have no constitution but may or may not have a
king.
In the later, Greco-Roman period the term is still used in a
political sense but now in association with religious themes in two
authors. Plutarch, first of all, at the beginning of the second century C.E. uses the term in his reply to Colotes, the Epicurean.
According to Plutarch Colotes had praised the men who established
the government of cities by kings and magistrates and laws. But, in
the opinion of Colotes, if these were taken away, there would be
chaos since men would follow their brutal instincts and devour one
another. As a consequence of this desire to avoid contact with
these brutal instincts and to maintain an untroubled spirit, Colotes
then is said to exhort his followers not to become involved in public
life. Plutarch states the matter as follows:
"But who are the men that nullify these things, overthrowing the state
and utterly abolishing the laws? Is it not those who say that the crown of
an untroubled spirit is a prize beyond all comparison with success in some
great command? Is it not those who say that to be a king is a fault and a
mistake? Who write in these words: 'We must proceed to tell how a person
will best uphold the purpose of his nature and how of his own free will he
is not to present himself for public office at all' ?" 5).
In response, Plutarch too praises the men who have established

kings, magistrates, and laws, but he vigorously denies that the
absence of these will lead to chaos in these words:
"For if someone takes away the laws but leaves us with the teachings of
Parmenides, Socrates, Heracleitus, and Plato, we shall be very far from
devouring one another and living the life of wild beasts; for we shall fear
all that is shameful and shall honour justice for its intrinsic worth, holding
that in the gods we have good governors (0eo0u5 cpXovTaoc?
ya0Oo6) and in
the demons protectors of our lives (xoc 8aoctovocaq
Xev 'roi ou qp6Xaxoca)
4) Thucydides,
History 1.13-18
(trans. SMITH; LCL, 1.24-35).
Plutarch, "Reply to Colotes," Moralia II24D-II25A

(trans. B. EINARSON and P. H. DELACY; LCL [Cambridge, Harvard University, 1967]
5)
I4.294-97).
273
accounting all the gold on earth and under it a poor exchange for virtue,
and doing freely at the bidding of our reason, as Xenocrates says, what we
now do perforce at the command of law. Then when will our life be that of a
beast, savage and without fellowship? When the laws are swept away, but
the arguments that summon us to a life of pleasure are left standing, when
the providence of heaven is not believed in, and when men take for sages
those who 'spit on excellence, unless pleasure attends it' " 6).
The basis then for Plutarch's optimism, even if the kings, magistrates and laws were removed, is man's belief in the gods and his
power of reason.
In a passage, which further underscoresPlutarch's position that
religion and belief in the gods are the foundation of society, Plutarch considers some possible, barbarian cities as opposed to
civilized cities. Even here he finds belief in the gods, whether
these cities have a king or are kingless. Plutarch writes as follows:
"Again the very legislation that Colotes praises provides first and foremost for our belief in the gods, a faith whereby Lycurgus made the Spartans
a dedicated people, Numa the Romans, Ion of old the Athenians, and Deucalion well nigh the whole Greek nation, using hope as well as fear to establish
in them by means of prayers, oaths, oracles and omens, a lively sense of
the divine. In your travels you may come upon cities without walls, writing,
houses, or property,
daocaLXe6TouS),
q &:XreL'ouS &dcYpa.tL&ouS
king (7c6?Xs
doing without currencey, having no notion of a theatre or gymnasium; but
a city without holy places and gods, without any observance of prayers,
oaths, oracles, sacrifices for blessings received or rites to avert evils, no
traveller has ever seen or will ever see. No, I think a city might rather be
formed without the ground it stands on than a government, once you remove
all religion from under it, get itself established or once established survive.
Now it is this belief, the underpinning and base that holds all society and
legislation together, that the Epicureans, not by encirclement or covertly
in riddles, but by launching against it the first of their most Cardinal Tenets,
proceed directly to demolish" 7).
One cannot help but contrast the view of the gnostics with this
view of Plutarch. The gnostics retain belief in the gods and the
heavenly archons, but they are consideredto be evil and oppressive.
The focus of gnostics is upon knowledge rather than reason, and
the tendency of their thought is to avoid involvement in this evil
world.
6) Plutarch,
Moralia
II24D-II25A
(trans. EINARSON and DELACY; LCL,
I4.294-97).
7) Plutarch,
Moralia
II25C-F
(trans.
EINARSON and
DELACY; LCL,
14.298-303). For a discussion of the role of religious belief in constructing a

sound society, see Harold W. ATTRIDGE,The Interpretation of Biblical History
in "Antiquitates Judaicae" of Flavius Josephus, Harvard Dissertations in
Religion 7 (Missoula, Scholars' Press, I976) 6o-66.
x8
274
FRANCIS T. FALLON
A second, pagan author in the Greco-Roman world to use the

term "kingless" in a political sense but also in association with a
religious theme is Artemidorus Daldianus, the second century
C.E. investigator of dreams 8). In his treatise Oneirocriticon,in a
discussion about the common customs of mankind and contrary
to Plutarch, he asserts simply that just as one will not find a nation
without gods, so one will not find a nation without a king ((BaccLXeutoq) 9).
Among Jewish authors in the Greco-Roman world, Josephus is

the only one who uses the term "kingless". He uses it twice in its
political sense. In the first instance, Josephus discusses the succession to the Parthian throne after the death of Phraataces.
According to him the Parthian nobles considered a government
without a king as an impossibility and thus set about to search
for a successor in the Arsacid lineage 10). The kingship then is
evaluated positively by the Parthians. Chaos seems to be the
implied alternative to kingship as far as the Parthians were concerned.
The second instance in Josephus occurs in the report concerning
the assassination of Gaius Caligula. Caligula was accused of being
a tyrant who had robbed the people of freedom by suspending the
wise laws and ruling by whim 11). As a result, he was assassinated.
Then, however, the soldiers decided against democracy as an
unworkable mode of government and instead elected Claudius12).
In the meantime and unaware of the election of Claudius, Sentius
delivered a speech to the senate and the people, who were for
democracy. After the speech of Sentius, Josephus reportsas follows:
8) J. D. DENNISTON,
tion; 1970) I26.
"Artemidorus,"
Oxford Classical Dictionary (2d edi-
9) Artemidori Daldiani Onirocriticon 1.8 (edidit Roger A. PACK, [Leipzig,

Teubner,
1963] I7).
10) "He (Phraataces) was detested on both counts, for his subjects considered the incest with his mother no less abominable than the murder of
his father, so that before he gathered much strength he was caught up in a
civil war, banished from the throne, and so died. Those of the Parthians who
were of the highest birth were of one mind that no form of government but
the monarchical
was manageable
Ltiv Od'AaZCvov roXte6ea0r0x),

(6Q &paaLcxeuot&q
and that it was necessary that the occupant of the throne should belong to
the lineage of the Arsacidae since custom did not permit others to rule."
Josephus, Antiquities I8.43-44 (trans. L. H. FELDMAN;LCL [Cambridge,
Harvard University, I969] 9.34-37).
11) Josephus, Antiquities I9.I72-75
12) Josephus,
Antiquities I9.I62-66
(trans. FELDMAN; LCL, 9.294-95).

(trans. FELDMAN; LCL, 9.288-91).
THE GNOSTICS:THE UNDOMINATEDRACE
275
"And now, with the night far advanced, Chaerea asked the consuls for the
watchword and they gave 'Liberty'. This ritual filled them with wonder,
and they were almost unable to believe their ears, for it was the hundredth
year since they had first been robbed of the democracy to the time when
the giving of the watchword reverted to the consuls. For before the city
came under a tyranny, it was they who had commanded the armies. Chaerea,
having received the watchword, passed it on to such of the soldiers as had
joined the side of the senate; there were a total of four cohorts who regarded
freedom from imperial rule as more honourable than tyranny (o6 apacLXeuTov
'T4 Tupavvt8oq). These cohorts now left with their tribunes. By this
,TILLCTs,pOv
time the people were also withdrawing, overjoyed and full of hope and pride
because they had acquired selfgovernment (T,v -'e
oUoSoxit , ix
jy?ovtlv
tr6 eapeq x6TL) and no longer were under a master. Chaerea was everything
to them"
13).
For our purposes this passage is notable for its portrayal of the
kingship as tyranny and kinglessness as freedom from tyranny as
well as its portrayal of kinglessness in the civilized Roman Empire
in this case as democracyand self-government.
Thus far, the examples we have considered all use the term
"kingless" in its proper, political sense. Usually the term has a
negative connotation and refers to the barbarians;in one example
we have seen that the term has a positive connotation and refers
to the Romans. In the example that we shall now consider, "kingless" is used in a metaphorical sense. It refers not to the absence
of a king but to a person'sfreedomfrom subjectionto the rule of a
king. Lucian, the second century satirist, says in a treatise concerning the historian and his need to be independent and subject
only to the truth that the historian should also be aBaL[Xeutoq,
i.e. "undominated"14). In order to catch the metaphorical sense
intended here, the translation "undominated" is preferable rather
than "kingless", although it should be noted that in this passage
the freedom involved is freedom from the rule of a real, earthly
king. The term then, as used by Lucian, refers not to the absence
of an external, political form of organization but rather to the
presence of an internal, spiritual attitude on the part of the person.
In this case, clearly, the term has a positive connotation. Lucian
writes as follows:
13) Josephus, Antiquities I9.I86-89
(trans. FELDMAN; LCL, 9.300-o3). For
an extended discussion of aristocratic antipathy to the principate, see
R. MACMULLEN,Enemies of the Roman Order (Cambridge; Harvard University Press, I966).
14) This passage was first called to my attention by B. LAYTON in his article
"The Hypostasis of the Archons: or 'The Reality of the Rulers'," HTR 69
(1976) 79.
FRANCIST. FALLON
276
"That, then, is the sort of man the historian should be: fearless, incorruptible, free, a friend of free expression and the truth, intent, as the comic
poet says, on calling a fig a fig and a trough a trough, giving nothing to
hatred or to friendship, sparing no one, showing neither pity nor shame nor
obsequiousness, an impartial judge, well disposed to all men up to the point
of not giving one side more than its due, in his books a stranger and a man
not
without a country, independent, subject to no sovereign (&cacLXsu?TOq),
reckoning what this or that man will think, but stating the facts" 15).
which originally had a

We have seen that the term patocaXruuos,
sense
and
("kingless")
usually had a negative
proper, political
in
assumed
later
literature
a metaphorical sense
connotation,
("undominated"), which was based on an inner attitude and
bore a positive connotation. We shall see that it was this metaphorical sense and positive connotation that the gnostics appropriated.
Further, for them the basis was not only an inner attitude but more
so an inner, different nature. In addition, they transposed the
framework under consideration from the earthly to the cosmic
realm and especially included the religious realm, the realm of the
gods, in their view. Also their concern was more generic, i.e. a
concern for freedom from subjection to any rule whether identified
as kingly or not and especially-but not exclusively-freedom
from the rule of the heavenly powers which were considered as
tyrannical. In this regard probably a further point of association
was that the heavenly ruler in pagan and Jewish sources (e.g.
Zeus and God)
16)
and then also in gnostic sources
17) was
sometimes
identified as a king. Although the term &oCalXzuToq

involved only
an earthly king in the Hellenic and Greco-Roman literature, it
would understandablyinvolve a heavenly ruler when that ruler was
considered a king and when the framework under consideration
changed to the cosmic realm.
GNOSTICISM
As we begin to consider the Gnostic literature, we shall first treat

those instances in which the gnostics use the term in the phrase
"the undominated race" and then those instances in which the
term is applied to other items.
15) Lucian, How to Write History 41 (trans. K. KILBURN; LCL [Cambridge,
Harvard University, I959] 6.56-67).
See H. KLEINKNECHT, "Basileus," TDNT (I964) 1.564-7I.

TriProt (CG XIII, 2: 43.I5-I7);
Heracleon, Fragment 40, in W.
VOELKER, Quellen zur Geschichte der christlichen Gnosis (Sammlung Aus16)
17)
gewahlter Kirchen- und Dogmengeschichtlicher Quellenschriften 5; Tiibingen, Mohr, I932) 80. See also ApocryJn
BG 8502 4I.I2-I5
in which Ialda-
baoth appoints seven kings over the world and five over the underworld.
277
The first document in which the phrase "the undominated

race" occurs is The Apocalypse of Adam (ApocAd CG V, 5) 18).
The text stems from Sethian Gnosticism 19)and probably evidences
an early form of Jewish Gnosticism, not yet influenced by Christianity 20). In its literary genre ApocAd is a testament, in which
Adam instructs his son Seth concerning the experiences which he
himself and Eve have undergone and concerning the revelation
which he has received. In this instruction Seth and his race are
said not to belong to this world but to the great aeons (65[59].3-9;
64[63].I-25). The God of this world, the creator, is opposed to the
knowledge of the greater aeons (64[58].5-28). As the evil God, he
will seek to destroy all flesh from the earth and especially those
descended from Seth (69[63].I-I8). Again, as the evil God, he will
18) A. B6HLIG and P. LABIB, Koptisch-gnostische
Apokalypsen
aus Codex
V von Nag Hammadi im koptischen Museum zu A It-Kairo (Wissenschaftliche

Zeitschrift der Martin-Luther-Universitat, Halle-Wittenberg, I963) 86-I 7.
19) B6HLIG-LABIB, Koptisch-gnostische
Apokalypsen
aus Codex V, 86-87;
F. WISSE, "The Sethians and the Nag Hammadi Library," The Society of
Biblical Literature, One Hundred Eighth Annual Meeting, Seminar Papers
(ed. Lane C. McGAUGHY; SBL, I972) 2.6o0-07.
20) B6HLIGin his introduction to the edition (Koptisch-gnostische Apohalypsen aus Codex V, 90 ff.) and subsequently has expressed the view that
ApocAd is not a Christian document: i.e. A. BOHLIG,"Die Adamapokalypse
aus Codex V von Nag Hammadi als Zeugnis jiidischiranischer Gnosis,"
Oriens Christ 48 (I964) 44-49; and A. B6HLIG, "Jiidisches
und iranisches
Seminar
573-80.
in
der Adamapokalypse des Codex V von Nag Hammadi, "Mysterion und

Wahrheit (Arbeiten zur Geschichte des spateren Judentums und des Urchristentums Band 6; Leiden, Brill, I967) I49-6I. G. MACRAEhas also
supported this view in his articles "The Coptic Gnostic Apocalypse of
Adam," Hey J 6 (1965) 27-35 and "The Apocalypse of Adam Reconsidered,"
The Society of Biblical Literature, One Hundred Eighth Annual Meeting,
Papers
(ed. Lane
C. McGAUGHY; SBL,
I972)
See also
P. PERKINS,"Apocalyptic Schematization in the Apocalypse of Adam and

The Gospel of the Egyptians," The Society of Biblical Literature, One Hundred
Eighth Annual Meeting, Seminar Papers (ed. Lane C. MCGAUGHY;SBL,
1972) 2.591-95.
W. BELTZ in his Habilitationsschrift
Die Adam-Apokalypse
aus Codex V von Nag-Hammadi: Jiidische Bausteine in gnostischen Systemen

(Humboldt-Universitat; Berlin, I970) has argued for a late date for ApocAd.
He claims that ApocAd is contemporaneous with the acknowledgedly late
GEgypt, since the obscure elements in ApocAd can be clarified by the fuller
GEgypt. However, it is equally possible that GEgypt is a later development of material in ApocAd. He has secondly argued for a late date because
of Manichaean material, which he finds in 82.4-83.4. However, this material
could just as well be pre-Manichaean material, which was taken over by the
Manichaeans rather than vice versa. See also most recently P. PERKINS,
"The Genre and Function of the Apocalypse of Adam," CBQ 39 (I977)
382-95, who argues that ApocAd may not be as early as originally argued by
some scholars.
278
FRANCIS T. FALLON
spare Noah and place him and his sons in charge of the entire
earth. Noah and his sons are to rule the earth as kings (7I[65].
I-4) 21). In an inversion of the biblical account, Noah's sons Ham
and Japheth, who must represent the gentiles, fashion twelve

kingdoms (73[67].25-27) 22). Although it is not explicitly stated,
it seems clear that Noah's other son Shem is considered to fashion
another, a thirteenth kingdom. This seems clear since Shem also
receives the command to rule (7I[65].I-4) and since twice a distinction is made between Ham and Japheth on the one side and the
seed of Noah through his son on the other side (74[68].8-2I;
76[7o].8-I5) 23). The race descended from Seth, on the other hand,
are those who do not belong to this evil, creator God or to these
kings or to their thirteen kingdoms. Rather, they are taken to a
special place, a special land after the flood, where there is no mention of king or kingdom (69[63]'.I-25 and 72[65].I-I5).
In addition
400,000 from the seed of Ham and Japheth are taken to this special
land and protected by the glory of that race (73[66].I3-20). The
type of place is made clear by the references to the great aeons
(65[59].3-9) and to their becoming like angles (76[7o].I-6); it is
the transcendent area that is being referredto.
In this revelation concerning the future, Seth is also told that a
third time the Enlightener of knowledge will appear in order to
save those who have the knowledge of the eternal God in their
heart whether they are from the seed of Noah or the seed of Ham
and Japheth (76[70].8-26).
After this discussion of the coming of the Enlightener, there is a
section with fourteen sayings concerning this Enlightener, thirteen
from the thirteen kingdoms and the fourteenth from "the undominated race" (tigenea de nnatr rro ehrai ejos (77[7I].27-83[77].
4) 24). Because of the distinct nature of the material, Boehlig
entitled this section as an excursus in his edition. Subsequent

21) "Therefore, I shall give you the earth, to you and your sons. Royally
will you rule over it, you and your sons." B6HLIG-LABIB, Koptisch-gnostische
Apokalypsen aus Codex V, Io3 (translation is mine).
aus Codex V von Nag-Hammadi,
22) See BELTZ, Die Adam-Apokalypse
87. At Qumran in IQM 2.I3-I4 Ham and Japheth represent the non-Jewish
peoples, the impure godless, the sons of darkness; Shem represents the true
and pure children of light.
23) See PERKINS, "Apocalyptic Schematization in the Apocalypse of Adam
and the Gospel of the Egyptians,"
592-93.
As the subsequent discussion will show, the Greek underlying this

Coptic probably included both 1 yeve&and opacatXeuoq..
24)
279
commentators have suggested that the section may be an interpolation 25). However, even if this section is a later addition, it
must be from the same circle of gnostics, since it shares the same
terminology and concepts with the main document. The revealer
figure is called an Enlightener (pcorjp 82[76].28 and 76[70].8-9).
The term for the transcendent area is the great aeon or aeons
(82[76].26-27 and 72 [65].II-I3). The saving knowledge is knowledge of the undefiled of truth (82[76].23-24) and knowledge of the
God of truth (65[59].Io-II).
Lastly, the number of kingdoms is
the same in both the main document and this section, i.e. thirteen.
Therefore, it seems valid to interpret this smaller section in the
light of the main document and thus to see the thirteen kingdoms
as the earthly realms established by the evil God and ruled over by
the kings who are descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth and
then to see the undominated race as the gnostics, i.e. the descendants of Seth and those who have come to knowledge 26). As one
might expect, the thirteen kingdoms are erroneousin their sayings
about the Enlightener. It is only the undominated race, who truly
know his identity.
If we are correct in this interpretation, then ApocAd uses the
term "undominated" in a metaphorical sense and even extends
its meaning. The framework under consideration has been expanded; not only earth but also heaven and the transcendent aeon
are considered. The claim is not made that there is a city or a
nation but that there is a race which dwells in a special place, a
special land, and which is not subject to rule. The basis for this lack
25)
B6HLIG, Koptisch-gnostische
Apokalypsen,
Io9;
R. KASSER, "Textes
Gnostiques: Remarques A Propos des Editions R6centes du Livre Secret

de Jean, et des Apocalypses de Paul, Jacques, et Adam," Le Musdon 78
(1965) 91-92; MACRAE, "The Apocalypse of Adam Reconsidered,"
2.574;
aus Codex V von Nag-Hammadi, Io6-07.
BELTZ, Die Adam-Apokalypse

26) SCHOTTROFF has seen
that the kingdoms are under the rule of the

demiurge but incorrectly ascribes the statements to the demonic powers;
L. S. SCHOTTROFF,"Animae naturaliter salvandae: Zum Problem der himmlischen Herkunft des Gnostikers," Christentum und Gnosis, hrsg. W. ELTESTER, (Berlin, Topelmann, I969) 74-78. BELTZ, Die Adam-Apokalypse aus
Codex V von Nag-Hammadi, Io6, has seen that the twelve kingdoms are
those of Ham and Japheth and that Shem represents another kingdom but
he erroneously evaluates the twelve kingdoms from Ham and Japheth to
be an anti-Jewish polemic against the idea of the twelve tribes of Israel.
The motif here may indeed be anti-Jewish, but nevertheless all the kingdoms are descended from Noah and subject to the demiurge and thus evil.
See PERKINS, "Apocalyptic Schematization in the Apocalypse of Adam
and the Gospel of the Egyptians," 2.592.
280
FRANCIS T. FALLON
of subjection is not that there is an absence of political development or a death of the king or even that an inner attitude is present
but that this race belongs to the transcendent aeon and thus cannot
be subject to a king of this evil world or its God. Further, insofar as
the seed of Shem, Ham and Japheth has come to knowledge, they
are included in the "undominated" and are no longer subject to
the kings of this world who are descended from Shem, Ham and
Japheth 27) or to the evil God who installed them in their power.
What is particularly striking in ApocAd and perhaps a further
sign of its early date is that it retains a reference to the earthly
realm in its use of "undominated".The language of ruling as a king
and kingdom apply to Shem, Ham and Japheth, whereas the God
of the heavens is not identified as a king. The gnostic, then, as one
who is not dominated, is free from subjection to the earthly rulers
as well as to the heavenly rulers. We shall see that the other, later
documents do not refer explicitly to earthly rule.
But why the term yevezoin this phrase and why the translation
"the undominated race" rather than "the undominated generation"? To answer this question it is helpful to consider some developments in Hellenistic Judaism. The term yvso&had been used in
classical Greekto refer to a family, an offspring, a race, a generation
or an age 28). In the Septuagint the term was used to refer to an
age or generation, especially in phrases such as "the crooked
generation" (e.g. Wis iii I9) or "the righteous generation" (e.g.
Isa lxi 3) 29). In one passage, Philo uses the term with less emphasis
on those born at the same time and more emphasis on those sharing
in the same family lineage. In this section he is contrasting Pharaoh
and Joseph, the body with the soul, pleasure with virtues, and the
company of irrational men with the better yeveawhich the virtues
have taken as their heritage. Philo writes as follows:
"We must, then, let alone the irrational and truly lifeless company of
such men as these, and scan well that of those who practise looking and
finding. Our first example shall be the man who takes part indeed in public
life, but is very far from having a mad thirst for fame: his ambition is for
27) See H. G. KIPPENBURG, "Versuch einer soziologischen Verortung des
antiken Gnostizismus," Numen 17 (I950) 2II-3I, who considers the Roman
Empire to be the real oppressive earthly rule referred to by gnostics, although

he notes that there is no direct pointing to the Roman Empire in the gnostic
documents.
28) LIDDELL and SCOTT,Greek-English Lexicon (1966) 342; BAUER, ARNDT,
and GINGRICH, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (I957) I53.
29) See F. BUECHSEL, "yevec," TDNT (I964) 1.662-63.
28I
that better family (Trj &p?evovoqyvecqs), which the virtues have taken as
their heritage, and he is presented as both seeking and finding it. For we
are told that a man found Joseph wandering in the plain, and asked him,
'What art thou seeking?' and he said 'I am seeking my brethren; tell me,
where are they feeding their flocks?' And the man said to him, 'They have
departed hence, for I heard them saying, Let us go to Dothan (Gen. xxxvii
I5-I7). Dothan means 'a thorough forsaking,' and is the symbol of a soul
that has in no half measure but completely run away from those empty
notions which resemble the practices of women rather than those of men.
Accordingly it is finely said that Sarah, who is Virtue, 'forsakes the ways of
women' (Gen. xviii II), those ways on which we toil who follow after the
unmanly and really feminine life. But the wise man too 'forsaking is added'
(Gen. xxv 8), as Moses says in perfect accord with the nature of things: for
the subtraction of vainglory is the addition of reality. If a man, while spending his days in this mortal life full of such diverse elements and assuming so
many phases, and while he has at his disposal abundant material for a life
of luxury, makes that better family, which has an eye only for what is
r .- &eE?vovoq
xaocxTp60r6 x&Xovi6vov&yop6oavq
yEsva&),
morally excellent (7rpt
his study and quest, he is worthy of approbation, if the dreams and phantoms
of things that have the name and appearance of good things do not rise to
the surface again and get the better of him. For if he continues in that soul
inquiry and keeps it free from alloy, he will not give up walking in the
track of the objects of his quest, and following them up until he has reached
those for whom he yearns. But none of them will he find among the worthless. Why so? Because 'they have departed hence,' forsaking all that we
care about, and have removed into the abode of the pious where no evil
men are found. The speaker is the true 'man', the Monitor, set over the soul,
who, seeing its perplexity, its inquiring, its searching, is afraid lest it go
astray and miss the right road" 30).
The translation "family" is suggested by the referenceto Joseph

seeking his "brethren". For our purposes, however, it is important
to note that the term yevoc is used metaphorically to refer to all
those, whom the virtues have taken as their heritage, to refer to
the pious as opposed to evil men. It is the usage of the term in this
sense-i.e. a reference not to those born at the same time (e.g.
generation) but to those sharing some religious and/or ethical
quality-which is a step toward the gnostic usage. Obviously,
though, the focus for the gnostic is possession of knowledge rather
than virtue. The dualism of body and soul is also accompanied
30) Philo, De fuga et inventione 123-31
WHITAKER; LCL, [Cambridge, Harvard
(trans. F. H. COLSON and G. H.

I958] 5.76-8I). One
University,
should note the exegetical play that is involved in this passage. In Gen.
xxv 8 Abraham is "added to" his people in the sense that he died, whereas
Philo interprets the terms in the sense of "receive an addition." Further,
xXehtco,translated as "forsake" here, means that Abraham left off or died,
whereas Philo interprets the term as giving up something. Lastly, the expression "soul inquiry" is a very literal translation which refers to "inquiry
concerning the soul."
FRANCIS T. FALLON
by an anti-cosmic dualism for the gnostic; and in the case of

ApocAd a lineage, an ultimate descending from Seth, is also proposed
31).
According to Hippolytus in his Refutatio omnium haeresium

there is another sect, the Naassenes, who twice use the phrase
"the undominated race" to refer to the gnostics themselves. In the
context of the first occurrence, there is an allegorical discussion
concerningOcean and the Jordan River, flowing down as the origin
of man, and flowing up as the origin of the gods. Flowing up then
is equal to escape from the earth to the heavenly Jerusalem, the
mother of the living, and spiritual birth as a god. Thus, for the
Naassenes those who ascend and are "the undominated race" are
the gnostics. Hippolytus writes as follows:
"They say, 'He who says that the universe proceeds from one (principle)
is mistaken; he who says it is from three, speaks the truth and will give
the description (or, proof?) of all things. For one, he says, is the blessed
nature of the blessed Man on high, Adamas; and one the mortal (nature)
here below; and one is the undominated race ( &ocaczXeuzo0q
y?vec) that
ascends to that place where, he says, is Miriam who was sought after and
Jethro, the great sage, Zipporah the seer, and Moses, whose generation is
not in Egypt, for there were born to him children in Midian' " 32).
In a second passage the context is that of the interpretation of

the parable of the Sower. Again the gnostics are the ones who are
undominated, as Hippolytus writes:
"That means, he says: No one has become a hearer of these mysteries
saving only the gnostics who are 'fulfilled' (or 'perfect'). This, he says, is
the fair and good (land), of which Moses says, 'I will bring you into a land
which is fair and good, a land flowing with milk and honey (Deut. xxxi 20).
Now the milk and honey, he says, are that whose taste makes the perfect
become undominated (&aalXeuroq) and attain the pleroma (or 'fullness').
The pleroma, he says, is that through which all originate beings that come
into being, come to be, and are filled from that which is unoriginate" 33).
31) See also Philo, De Praemiis I58-6I (trans. F. H. COLsON;LCL, [Cambridge, Harvard University, I960] 8.412-I5) in which the soul receives the
divine seed and begets a "blameless generation" (yeve&&?vtrX?Tvoq), i.e.
the virtues. Here the translation of yeve& is appropriately rendered as
"generation" rather than "race," since the reference is to a y?ve? of virtues
which redresses the yevea of vices which went before.
32) Hippolytus,
Refutatio omnium haeresium 5.8.I-2
(trans. W. FOERSTER,
Gnosis: a Selection of Gnostic Texts [English trans. R. Mc L. WILSON;Oxford,

Clarendon Press, I972] 1.270-7I). Text ed. P. WENDLAND, GCS 26 (Leipzig,
Hinrichs, 1916) 89.
33) Hippolytus,
Refutatio 5.8.30 (ed. WENDLAND, GCS 26, 94; trans.
FOERSTER, I.275-76).
283
It is noticeable that in this account concerning the Naassenes there

is no explicit reference to earthly rule as in ApocAd. Rather, the
freedom of the gnostic is freedom from subjection to the heavenly
ruler, the evil demiurge 34). This freedom is attained by him by
participation in the divine realm, the pleroma.
Within gnostic writings the phrase "the undominated race" is
applied not only to the gnostics but also to pleromatic beings. Our
first instance of this usage occurs in the Letter of Eugnostos (Eug
CG III, 3 and V, I) and its parallel work The Sophia of Jesus
Christ (SJC CG III, 4 and BG 3) 35). The Letter of Eugnostos is a
dogmatic epistle and the Sophia of Jesus Christ is a revelation
dialogue of the risen Christ to his disciples 36). Although it has been
argued that Eug is a dechristianized version of SJC 37), it is more
probable that the literary dependence is in the other direction and
that SJC is a Christianized version of Eug 38). Within the context
of a presentation of the pleromatic realm both Eug and SJC term
the highest principle the First-Father. He brings to appearance a
Self-Father who is equal in age but not in power (Eug III, 3:
Then the highest principle
74.20-75.I2//SJC BG 90.I5-9I.I6).
brings to appearance a multitude of self-begotten ones who in a
literal translation of Eug, are "the race which has no kingdom over
it from the existing kingdoms" 39). On the basis of ApocAd and the
Naassenes, one may conclude that the same phrase "the kingless
race", although expanded, is being rendered by this Coptic transSee Hippolytus,
34)
Refutatio 5.7.30-40
GCS 26, 85-88;
(ed. WENDLAND,
trans. Foerster, 1.269-70).

35) W. C. TILL, Die gnostischen Schriften des koptischen Papyrus Berolinensis 8502, TU 60, (Berlin, Akademie Verlag, I955).
K. RUDOLPH, "Der gnostische
36)
'Dialog'
als literarisches
Genus,"
Pro-
bleme der koptischen Literatur (bearbeitet von P. NAGEL;Wissenschaftliche

Beitrage der Martin-Luther-Universitat Halle-Wittenberg 1968/I [K 2],
Halle) 85-IO7.
37) H. M. SCHENKE, "Nag Hammadi Studien II: Das System der Sophia
Jesu Christi," ZRGG 14 (I962) 263-78.
zur
"Das literarische Verhaltnis der Eugnostosbriefes
38) M. KRAUSE,
Sophia Jesu Christi," Mullus Festschrift Theodor Klauser 1964, Jahrbuch fur
Antike und Christentum, Erganzungsband i (hrsg. A. STUIBERund A.
HERMANN; Miinster, Westfalen, Aschendorffsche Verlagsbuchhandlung,
I964) 215-23; P. PERKINS, The Genre Gnostic Revelation
dissertation, Harvard University, I972) 21-33.
Dialogue
(Ph. D.
tgenea ete mn mntrro hijos nhrai hn mmntrrai etke ehrai (Eug III, 3:
39)
75.I7-19);
TILL, Die gnostischen Schriften des koptischen Papyrus Berolinensis,
224-25.
284
FRANCIS T. FALLON
lation 40). In the parallel passage, SJC has the same Coptic phrase
but omits the expansion "fromthe existing kingdoms" 41).
It is noteworthy that within these documents a later emanation,
the immortal Man, is termed the king of kings (Eug III, 3: 77.II78.3//SJC BG 95.5-96.II) 42) and that ultimately these later
emanations including their kingdoms evidence a defect, the defect
of femaleness or woman (Eug III, 3: 85.7-9, 23-24//SJC BG
I07.II-I3 and I09.7-8) 43). Once again there is no reference to
earthly rule in the usage of "the undominated race". Rather, the
phrase refers to those of the highest realm of the pleroma and their
freedom from subjection to any rule or defect whether of the lower
world or even of later emanationswithin the pleroma.
The next instance of the usage of "the undominated race" in
referenceto transcendent beings occurs in The Nature of theArchons
(NatArch CG II, 4). The context is that of the revelation dialogue
of the angel Eleleth to Norea, the sister of Seth and wife of Noah.
When she asks how long the divine element which has come from
above will be trapped in matter, he respondsthat it will be until the
True Man appears in a creaturely form (NatArch 96[I44].20-35).
Eleleth then adds these words:
"Then he will teach them about everything: and he will anoint them with
the unction of iife eternal, given him from the undominated generation
(or, preferably, the undominated race)" 44).
Here "the undominated race" must refer to those divine beings

who are above and free from the created and evil world. Again
there is no explicit referenceto earthly rule. The rulers from which
these divine beings are free are the powers of the evil heavens and
particularly their leader Sabaoth (94[I42].34-96[I44].II), who is
portrayed as rulingfrom the seventh heaven 45).
40) The Greek original may have been T)yeve&&dcaralXeuo
raYc 3c
Esv
actXCcat;
41) BG 92.6-7; TILL, Die gnostischen Schriften des koptischen Papyrus
Berolinensis, 224-25.
42) TILL, Die gnostischen Schriften des koptischen Papyrus Berolinensis,
230-33.
254-55 and 258-59.
44) NatArch 97 (I45).I-4; ed. B. LAYTON,"The Hypostasis of the Archons:
or 'The Reality of the Rulers'," HTR 67 (I974) 422-23. The phrase in Coptic
is tgenea tetmmntesrro.
45) See F. FALLON, The Enthronement of Sabaoth: Jewish Elements in
Gnostic Creation Myths (Nag Hammadi Studies io; Leiden, Brill, I978).
285
The idea, if not the phrase, of "the undominated race" is probably also applied to the gnostics in this document. At 93(I4I).
25-32 it is stated that he (the revealer) appeared at the last time,
that the powers will be ruled over, and that the powers will not be
able to defile Norea of "that race" (tgenea etmmau), since their
abode is in Incorruptibility. Clearly the point of association is that
the members of "the undominated race" share in the divine nature
whether they are in their true abode or temporarily enmeshed in
matter.
The idea of the true gnostics as "the undominated race" (but
only the term "undominated")is also found in the tractate entitled
On the Origin of the World (OnOrgWldCG II, 5) 46). In the document the author had consistenly maintained that there were three
races (yevea)of men: the pneumatic, the psychic, and the earthly
(I22[I7o].6-9). But after a discussion of the Angel of Gnosis and the
innocent spirits who are sent into the world (124 [I72].4-32), the
author states that there are some who are undominated and that
there are thus four kinds (yevoS).By introducing a fourth category above and beyond that of the pneumatics, who would normally be considered the gnostics, the author is moving in the
direction of Manichaeism, which also distinguished two grades
within its gnostic community: the "elect" as the more perfect and
then the catechumens or hearers.47)The author wrote as follows:
"For the Savior fashioned each one of them all and the spirits of these
are manifest as chosen and blessed and different according to their elections
and many other kingless ones (are manifest) as more chosen than all before
them. Therefore, there are four kinds. Three belong to the kings of the
Eighth. But the fourth kind is a perfect, kingless one, which is above them
all. For these will go into the holy place of their father and will be at ease
in rest with their eternal, unspeakable glory and with an unceasing joy.
But they are kings among the mortal as immortal. They will judge the gods
of chaos and their powers"
(I24[I72].32-I25[I73].I4)
48).
It is clear that the kings of the Eighth are the rulers of the lower,
evil world 49). The true gnostics are not ruled by them. Along with
this negative reference, the passage develops a positive aspect;
the true gnostics are also kings. In the example cited from Josephus
46) A. B6HLIG and P. LABIB, Die koptisch-gnostische Schrift ohne Titel aus
Codex II von Nag Hammadz (Berlin, Akademie Verlag, I962).
PW (Sup 6; I935) 259, 262-64.
47) See H. J. POLOTSKY, "Manichaeismus,"
48) The Coptic for "kingless" is atrro in each case; B6HLIG, Die koptischgnostische Schrift ohne Titel, IOO-03.
49)
See the kingdom of Sabaoth at I04 (152).23
and io6 (I54).9.
286
FRANCIS T. FALLON
above we saw that freedom from the tyranny of the king meant
self-government, democracy. Here the gnostic author takes a
further step when he identifies that freedom from a king as equivalent to being a king oneself. Thereby, he takes over the common
Stoic idea of the wise man as king 50) and applies it to the true
gnostic 51).
The author of OnOrgWld completes his thought concerning lack
of domination and continues his thought on the various grades of
election by his teaching on the consummation. According to him
those who are kings and are perfect will enter into the Light, but
those who are not perfect will remain in their aeons and in the
immortal kingdoms but never attain to a lack of domination
(tmntatrro: I27[I75].8-I4)
52). Lack of domination here then is an
for
the
epithet
completely transcendent realm, which is above the
lower world and even the realm of the middle (cf. II2[I6o].IO-22).
Once again there is no reference to an earthly king but rather a
reference to the evil heavenly rulers and to the gnostic's freedom
from subjection to this rule.
There are three further instances in which the term "undominated" is used in gnostic literature, without, however, a reference to
"the undominated race". The first occurs in Eug and its parallel
in SJC. The context is the presentation of the aeons. The first aeon
is that of the immortal man and the second aeon is that of the Son
of Man (Eug III, 3: 85.8-15) 53). However, the ruler of these aeons
in a literal translation is said to be the aeon of the eternal, boundless
God "over which there is no kingdom" (Eug III, 3: 85.I5-I9//SJC
BG I08.II-I6) 54). Since the Coptic here is the same as that of
50) See E. R. GOODENOUGH, "The Political Philosophy of Hellenistic
The
Kingship," Yale Classical Studies I (I928) 55-Io2; E. R. GOODENOUGH,
Political Philosophy of Philo Judaeus (New York, Yale University Press,
1938) 87-II9; and W. A. MEEKS, "Moses as God and King," Religions in
Antiquity: Essays in Memory of E. R. Goodenough(ed. J. NEUSNER;Leiden,
Brill, 1968) 354-7I.
51) The motif that the gnostics become kings is found in other circles of
Gnosticism: e.g. ApocryJas 3.25-27; IO.I-5; GTh Sayings 2, 8i; ThCon
I45.I4;
DialSav
138.11-15.
52) B6HLIG, Die koptisch-gnostische Schrift ohne Titel, IO8-09.

53) The parallel in SJC BG IO8.I-II ascribes the first aeon to
the Son of
Man and the second aeon to Adam; TILL, Die gnostischen Schriften des
koptischen Papyrus Berolinensis, 256-57.
256-57.
287
"the undominated race" referred to earlier 55), the Greek original

and thus the Coptic can be
t
here was also probably
aocXeuroq;,
translated more freely as "undominated". The aeon referred to is
the aeon of the First Father and the Self-Father and their emanaBG 83.5-93.I2) 56). Clearly
tions (Eug III, 3: 7I.I3-76.I2//SJC
there is no reference to an earthly ruler here. Rather, "the undominated aeon" refers to the highest realm of the pleroma and its
freedom from subjection to any rule.
The second passage in which the term "undominated" but not
the phrase "the undominated race" is used occurs in SJC (there
is no parallel in Eug at this point). The Savior proclaims to his
disciples how he has overcome the evil powers and released the
immortal man so that all who come to know the Father or the
invisible Spirit would come to rest in the Father. He further states
that he has taught them "in order that the male host (i.e. the
gnostics) might be manifest in all the aeons from the boundless to
those which arose in the unsearchable richness of the Great, Invisible Spirit, and that they might all receive from his goodness
and the undominated richness of their resting place" (tmntrmmao
ete mn mntrro hijos: 121.13-125.9) 57). The epithet "undominated"
is applied here then not to a race of transcendent beings but to the
divine aeon, which in essence is the Father and his Spirit. Again
the significance of the term "undominated" is to stress not so much
that this aeon has no king but rather the freedom of this aeon from
subjection to any rule.
The second instance of the epithet "undominated" occurs in the
untitled work of Codex Brucianus. Here the first-born Son establishes a world, an aeon, and a city which is called imperishability,
Jerusalem, the new land, independent, and also undominated
(aB[CnXleut0xo:c.I2) 58). This land is also said to be god-begetting
and life-giving. It is the land in whose image the perceptible man
55) ete mn mntrro hij6f. TILL, Die gnostischen Schriften des koptischen
Papyrus Berolinensis, 256-57.
56) The First-Father is referred to as eternal, boundless, and God within
this section. TILL, Die gnostischen Schriften des koptischen Papyrus Berolinensis, 206-7.
282-91.
58) Text
C. SCHMIDT, Gnostische Schriften in koptischer Sprache aus dem
Codex Brucianus (Leipzig, Hinrichs'sche Buchhandlung,

C. SCHMIDT and W. TILL, Koptisch-gnostische
Akademie Verlag, I962) 352.
1892) 249; tr.
Schriften I, GCS 45 (Berlin,
288
FRANCIST. FALLON
was fashioned and the land which the first-born has saved by his
own dispersion (c. 12). Clearly then what is being termed "undominated" here is not so much a place-as in the example cited
above from Plutarch-but rather a further emanation of the
divine, a part of the divine nature itself, which is free from subjection to any rule.
CONCLUSION
had been used in clasIn conclusion, then, the term &poicsXeuos

sical and Greco-Roman literature with reference to the earthly
king. It indicated in a proper sense lack of having a king (kingless)
or in a metaphorical sense lack of subjection to a king (undominated).
For the gnostics then the term became an apt means of expressing their particular theology. Just as the term patcLXe'qhad been
applied in the Greco-Roman world to both the earthly ruler and

could be and was
the heavenly ruler, so too the term Cao3aLXeuToq<
to
the
those
who
were
free
from
gnostics
earthly rule
applied by
rule.
since
the
considered
the
Further,
gnostics
and/or heavenly
world and all matter to be evil, they also considered that the
divine nature and they themselves, as enlightened through knowledge and as participants in this divine nature, could not be subject to the evil rule of this world. Thus, the term "undominated"
was used to refer to those who were free from subjection to the
earthly kings in one instance (ApocAd). More frequently the term
referred to those who were free from subjection to the heavenly
ruler, whose rule was tyranny, whether he was identified as a king,
a god, or simply as a ruler. Those who were free from this rule
included the gnostics themselves as well as the transcendent beings;
they were often called "the undominated race". In addition, the
epithet "undominated" could be applied to aspects of the transcendent realm (e.g. "the undominated aeon", "the undominated
richness", or "the undominated land") 59). What is particularly
striking about the gnostic usage of the term "undominated" is
its radical nature. It goes right to the root of being: the world is
evil and the divine is good. Therefore, what shares in the divine
nature and is properly enlightened must be free from subjection
to the world and any aspect of its tyrannical rule.
59) For the continued use of the term b[alcAeuoqsin both its proper,
political sense and in its metaphorical senses, see G. W. H. LAMPE, A Patristic
Greek Lexicon (Oxford, Clarendon Press, I96I) I.

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The Gnostics: The Undominated Race

Author(s): Francis T. Fallon

Novum Testamentum, Vol. XXI, fasc. 3

THE GNOSTICS: THE UNDOMINATED RACE

War 2.80.5-7, Thucydides lists the forces

the Chaonians, who have no king (Xa&PoXturo1), and also some

In response, Plutarch too praises the men who have established

(trans. SMITH; LCL, 1.24-35).

Plutarch, "Reply to Colotes," Moralia II24D-II25A

THE GNOSTICS: THE UNDOMINATED RACE

(trans. EINARSON and DELACY; LCL,

14.298-303). For a discussion of the role of religious belief in constructing a

A second, pagan author in the Greco-Roman world to use the

Among Jewish authors in the Greco-Roman world, Josephus is

Oxford Classical Dictionary (2d edi-

9) Artemidori Daldiani Onirocriticon 1.8 (edidit Roger A. PACK, [Leipzig,

Ltiv Od'AaZCvov roXte6ea0r0x),

(trans. FELDMAN; LCL, 9.294-95).

THE GNOSTICS:THE UNDOMINATEDRACE

which originally had a

and then also in gnostic sources

identified as a king. Although the term &oCalXzuToq

As we begin to consider the Gnostic literature, we shall first treat

Harvard University, I959] 6.56-67).

See H. KLEINKNECHT, "Basileus," TDNT (I964) 1.564-7I.

THE GNOSTICS:THE UNDOMINATEDRACE

The first document in which the phrase "the undominated

V von Nag Hammadi im koptischen Museum zu A It-Kairo (Wissenschaftliche

aus Codex V, 86-87;

Oriens Christ 48 (I964) 44-49; and A. B6HLIG, "Jiidisches

der Adamapokalypse des Codex V von Nag Hammadi, "Mysterion und

P. PERKINS,"Apocalyptic Schematization in the Apocalypse of Adam and

W. BELTZ in his Habilitationsschrift

aus Codex V von Nag-Hammadi: Jiidische Bausteine in gnostischen Systemen

and Japheth, who must represent the gentiles, fashion twelve

entitled this section as an excursus in his edition. Subsequent

and the Gospel of the Egyptians,"

As the subsequent discussion will show, the Greek underlying this

THE GNOSTICS:THE UNDOMINATEDRACE

Gnostiques: Remarques A Propos des Editions R6centes du Livre Secret

BELTZ, Die Adam-Apokalypse

that the kingdoms are under the rule of the

Empire to be the real oppressive earthly rule referred to by gnostics, although

THE GNOSTICS:THE UNDOMINATEDRACE

The translation "family" is suggested by the referenceto Joseph

(trans. F. H. COLSON and G. H.

by an anti-cosmic dualism for the gnostic; and in the case of

According to Hippolytus in his Refutatio omnium haeresium

In a second passage the context is that of the interpretation of

Refutatio omnium haeresium 5.8.I-2

Gnosis: a Selection of Gnostic Texts [English trans. R. Mc L. WILSON;Oxford,

THE GNOSTICS: THE UNDOMINATED RACE

It is noticeable that in this account concerning the Naassenes there

GCS 26, 85-88;

trans. Foerster, 1.269-70).

bleme der koptischen Literatur (bearbeitet von P. NAGEL;Wissenschaftliche

TILL, Die gnostischen Schriften des koptischen Papyrus Berolinensis,

Here "the undominated race" must refer to those divine beings

THE GNOSTICS: THE UNDOMINATED RACE

See the kingdom of Sabaoth at I04 (152).23

and io6 (I54).9.

52) B6HLIG, Die koptisch-gnostische Schrift ohne Titel, IO8-09.