Archon

**Archons** are, in Gnosticism and religions closely related to it, demonic entities subordinate to the embodiment of evil in the corresponding belief-system. Among the Archontics, Ophites, Sethians and in the writings of Nag Hammadi library, the archons are rulers, each related to one of seven planets; they prevent souls from leaving the material realm. The political connotation of their name reflects rejection of the governmental system, as flawed without chance of true salvation.[1] In Manichaeism, the archons are the rulers of a realm within the 'Kingdom of Darkness', who together make up the Prince of Darkness.

## Hebdomad[edit]

A characteristic feature of the Gnostic concept of the universe is the role played in almost all Gnostic systems by the seven world-creating archons, known as the *Hebdomad* (ἑβδομάς). These Seven are in most systems semi-hostile powers, and are reckoned as the last and lowest emanations of the Godhead; below them—and frequently considered as proceeding from them—comes the world of the actually devilish powers. There are indeed certain exceptions; Basilides taught the existence of a "great archon" called Abraxas who presided over 365 archons.[2]

Evidently from works such as the *Apocryphon of John*, the *Ophite Diagrams*, *On the Origin of the World* and *Pistis Sophia*, archons play an important role in Gnostic cosmology. Probably originally referring to the Greek daimons of the planets, in Gnosticism they became the demonic rulers of the material world, each associated with a different celestial sphere.[3] As rulers over the material world, they are called *ἄρχοντες* (*archontes*, "principalities", or "rulers"). As with ancient astronomy, which thought of a sphere of fixed stars, above the spheres of the seven planets,[4] beyond the spheres of the evil archons (Hebdomad), there were the supercelestial regions which a soul must reach by gnosis to escape the dominion of the archons. This place is thought of as the abode of Sophia (Wisdom) and Barbelo, also called *Ogdoad*.

## Naming and associations[edit]

The Ophites accepted the existence of these seven archons (Origen, *Contra Celsum*, vi. 31; a nearly identical list is given in *On the Origin of the World*):[5]

* **Yaldabaoth**, called also **Saklas** and **Samael**
	+ Saturn.
	+ Feminine name: Pronoia (Forethought) Sambathas, "week".
	+ Prophets:[6] Moses, Joshua, Amos, Habakkuk.
	+ From Hebrew '**yalda bahut*,* "Child of Chaos"? The outermost who created the six others, and therefore the chief ruler and Demiurge *par excellence*. Called "the Lion-faced", *leontoeides*.**
* **Iao**
	+ Jupiter.
	+ Feminine name: Lordship.
	+ Prophets: Samuel, Nathan, Jonah, Micah.
	+ Perhaps from Yahu, Yahweh, but possibly also from the magic cry *iao* in the Mysteries.
* **Sabaoth**
	+ Mars.
	+ Feminine name: Deity.
	+ Prophets: Elijah, Joel, Zechariah.
		- The Old Testament phrase *Yahweh sabaoth* or 'Jehovah of Armies' was thought a proper name, hence Jupiter Sabbas.
* **Astaphanos**, or **Astaphaios**
	+ Venus.
	+ Feminine name: Sophia.
	+ Prophets: Esdras, Zephaniah.
	+ Astraphaios is beyond doubt the planet Venus, as there are gnostic gems with a female figure and the legend ASTAPHE, which name is also used in magic spells as the name of a goddess.[*citation needed*]
* **Adonaios**
	+ The Sun.
	+ Feminine name: Kingship.
	+ Prophets: Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Daniel.
	+ From the Hebrew term for "the Lord", used of God; Adonis of the Syrians representing the Winter sun in the cosmic tragedy of Tammuz. In the Mandaean system Adonaios represents the Sun.
* **Elaios**, or **Ailoaios**, or sometimes **Ailoein**
	+ Mercury.
	+ Feminine name: Jealousy.
	+ Prophets: Tobias, Haggai.
	+ From Elohim, God (El).
* **Horaios**
	+ The Moon.
	+ Feminine name: Wealth.
	+ Prophets: Michaiah, Nahum.
	+ From Jaroah? or "light"? or Horus?

In the Hellenized form of Gnosticism, either all or some of these names are replaced by personified vices. Authadia (Authades), or Audacity, is the obvious description of Yaldabaoth, the presumptuous Demiurge, who is lion-faced as the Archon Authadia. Of the archons Kakia, Zelos, Phthonos, Errinnys, Epithymia, the last represents Venus. The number seven is obtained by placing a proarchon or chief archon at the head. That these names are only a disguise for the Sancta Hebdomas is clear, for Sophia, the mother of them, retains the name of Ogdoad, *Octonatio*. Occasionally, as among the Naassenes, one meets with the archon *Esaldaios*, which is evidently the El Shaddai of the Bible, and he is described as the archon "number four" (*harithmo tetartos*).

In the system of the Gnostics mentioned by Epiphanius we find, as the Seven Archons,

* Iao
* Saklas (the chief demon of Manichaeism)
* Seth
* David
* Eloiein
* Elilaios (probably connected with En-lil, the Bel of Nippur, the ancient god of Babylonia)
* Yaldabaoth (or no. 6 Yaldaboath, no. 7 Sabaoth)

The last book of the *Pistis Sophia* contains the myth of the capture of the rebellious archons, whose leaders here appear as five in number.[7]

* Paraplex
* Hekate
* Ariouth (females)
* Typhon
* Iachtanabas (males)

## Mandaeans[edit]

Among the Mandaeans, there is a different and perhaps more primitive conception of the Seven, according to which they, together with their mother Namrus (Ruha) and their father (Ur), belong entirely to the world of darkness. They and their family are looked upon as captives of the god of light (Manda-d'hayye, Hibil-Ziva), who pardons them, sets them on chariots of light, and appoints them as rulers of the world.[8]

## Manichaeans[edit]

The Manicheans readily adopted the Gnostic usage, and their archons are invariably evil beings, who make up the Prince of Darkness. It is related how the helper of the Primal Man, the spirit of life, captured the evil archons, and fastened them to the firmament, or according to another account, flayed them, and formed the firmament from their skin,[9] and this conception is closely related to the other, though in this tradition the number (seven) of the archons is lost.

## Origins[edit]

### Planets[edit]

Irenaeus tells us that "the holy Hebdomad is the seven stars which they call planets".[10] It is safe, therefore, to take the above seven Gnostic names as designating the seven planetary divinities, the sun, moon and five planets. In the Mandaean system the Seven are introduced with the Babylonian names of the planets. The connection of the Seven with the planets is also clearly established by the expositions of Celsus and Origen (*Contra Celsum*, vi. 2 2 seq.) and similarly by the above-cited passage in the *Pistis Sophia*, where the archons, who are here mentioned as five, are identified with the five planets (excluding the sun and moon).

In this, as in several other systems, the traces of the planetary seven have been obscured, but hardly in any have they become totally effaced. What tended most to obliterate the sevenfold distinction was the identification of the God of the Jews, the Lawgiver, with Yaldabaoth and his designation as World-creator, whereas formerly the seven planets together ruled the world. This confusion, however, was suggested by the very fact that at least five of the seven archons bore Old-Testament names for God—El Shaddai, Adonai, Elohim, Jehovah, Sabaoth.

Wilhelm Anz has also pointed out that Gnostic eschatology, consisting in the soul's struggle with hostile archons in its attempt to reach the Pleroma, is a close parallel of the soul's ascent, in Babylonian astrology, through the realms of the seven planets to Anu.[11] The late Babylonian religion can definitely be indicated as the home of these ideas.[12]

### Zoroastrianism[edit]

The *Bundahishn* tells us that in the primeval strife of the devil[*citation needed*] against the light-world, seven hostile powers were captured and set as constellations in the heavens, where they are guarded by good star-powers and prevented from doing harm. Five of the evil powers are the planets, while here the sun and moon are of course not reckoned among the evil powers—for the obvious reason that in the Persian official religion they invariably appear as good divinities.[13] It must be also noted that the Mithras mysteries, so closely connected with the Persian religion, are acquainted with this doctrine of the ascent of the soul through the planetary spheres.[14]

### Fallen angels[edit]

In *On the Origin of the World*, the archons impregnate the Biblical Eve, an idea probably deriving from the Sons of God in Genesis 6:1–4 or the Book of Enoch.[15] In accordance with the depictions of fallen angels in the Enochian writings, the archons incite passions to humans. Further, they both teach idolatry, sacrifices and bloodshed to enslave the Gnostics and trapping them in ignorance.[16]

## Greek theology[edit]

The mythology of ancient Greece knew gods, daemons, and heroes. Θεοὶ ἄρχοντες (ruling gods) appear in the subsequent philosophy of Plato.[17] However Philo never alludes to archons: in a single passage (*De Mon*. i. 1),[18] ἄρχοντες is merely correlative to ὑπήκοοι.

Presently the syncreticism of the later Greek philosophy found room for archons, which appear in Neoplatonism and were claimed to derive from Plato's unwritten tradition. They are inserted by the author of the book *De Mysteriis Aegyptiorum*,[19] and even it would seem by his questioner Porphyry, below gods, daemons, angels, and archangels, and above heroes (omitted by Porphyry) and departed "souls", in the scale of invisible beings whose presence may become manifest. It may be only an accidental coincidence that about the end of the 2nd century "Archon" was one of the names given by the Platonist Harpocration to the "Second God" of Numenius (Proclus in *Tim*. 93 C).

## Ancient Greece[edit]

In the early literary period of ancient Greece the chief magistrates of various Greek city states were called *Archontes*.[1] The term was also used throughout Greek history in a more general sense, ranging from "club leader" to "master of the tables" at *syssitia* to "Roman governor".[*citation needed*] In Roman terms, *archontes* ruled by *imperium*, whereas *basileis* ("kings") had *auctoritas*.

In Athens a system of three concurrent Archons evolved, the three office holders being known as the *Eponymous archon*, the *Polemarch*, and the *Archon basileus*.[1] According to Aristotle's *Constitution of the Athenians*, the power of the king first devolved to the archons, and these offices were filled from the aristocracy by elections every ten years. During this period the Archon Eponymos was the chief magistrate, the Polemarch was the head of the armed forces, and the Archon Basileus was responsible for the civic religious arrangements. After 683 BC the offices were held for only a single year, and the year was named after the Archon Eponymos. (Many ancient calendar systems did not number their years consecutively.) Although the process of the next transition is unclear, after 487 BC the archonships were assigned by lot to any citizen and the Polemarch's military duties were taken over by a new class of generals known as *strategoi*. The Polemarch thereafter had only minor religious duties. The Archon Eponymos remained the titular head of state under democracy, though of much reduced political importance. The Archons were assisted by "junior Archons", called *Thesmothetai* (pl. of *Thesmothetes*). After 457 BC ex-archons were automatically enrolled as life members of the Areopagus, though that assembly was no longer extremely important politically at that time.[2]

Under the Athenian constitution, Archons were also in charge of organizing festivals by bringing together poets, playwrights, actors, and city-appointed choregai (wealthy citizen patrons). The Archon would begin this process months in advance of a festival by selecting a chorus of three playwrights based on descriptions of the projected plays. Each playwright would be assigned a choregos, also selected by the Archon, from among the wealthy citizens who would pay all the expenses of costumes, masks, and training the chorus. The Archon also assigned each playwright a principal actor (the *protagonist*), as well as a second and third actor. The City Dionysia, an ancient dramatic festival held in March in which tragedy, comedy, and satyric drama originated, was under the direction of one of the principal magistrates, the *archon eponymos*.

## Byzantine Empire[edit]

Byzantine historians usually described foreign rulers as *archontes*.[3] The rulers of the Bulgars themselves, along with their own titles, often bear the title *archon placed by God* in inscriptions in Greek.

Inside Byzantium, the term could be used to refer to any powerful noble or magnate, but in a technical sense, it was applied to a class of provincial governors. In the 8th and 9th centuries, these were the governors of some of the more peripheral provinces, inferior in status to the *themata*: Dalmatia, Cephalonia, Crete and Cyprus. *Archontes* were also placed in charge of various naval bases and trade stations, as well as semi-autonomous Slavic-inhabited areas (*sclaviniae*) under Byzantine sovereignty. In the 10th–12th centuries, *archontes* are also mentioned as the governors of specific cities. The area of an archon's jurisdiction was called an ***archontia*** (ἀρχοντία).[4] The title was also used for the holders of several financial posts, such as the head of the mint (ἄρχων τῆς χαραγῆς), as well as directors of the imperial workshops, arsenals, etc.[5]

The title of ***megas archon*** ("grand archon") is also attested, as a translation of foreign titles such as "grand prince". In the mid-13th century, it was established as a special court rank, held by the highest-ranking official of the emperor's company. It existed throughout the Palaiologan period, but did not have any specific functions.[6]

## Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople[edit]

Main article: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate

From time to time, laity of the Orthodox Church in communion with the Patriarch of Constantinople have been granted the title of *Archon* to honor their service to Church administration. In 1963, Archons in the United States were organized into a service society, the *Order of St Andrew*. This *Archon* status is not part of the Church hierarchy and is purely honorary.

An Archon is an honoree by His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch, for his outstanding service to the Church, and a well-known, distinguished, and well-respected leader of the Orthodox Church (at large).

It is the sworn oath of the Archon to defend and promote the Orthodox Church faith and tradition. His main concern is to protect and promote the Holy Patriarchate and its mission. He is also concerned with human rights and the well-being and general welfare of the Church.

As it is a significant religious position, the faith and dedication of a candidate for the role are extensively reviewed during consideration; the candidate should have demonstrated commitment for the betterment of the Church, Parish-Diocese, Archdiocese and the community as a whole.