Creating Angels had the Hebrews particularly entrusted to his care. Jews could easily adopt this idea; for, from the most ancient times they had been taught that all nations, except themselves, were governed by Spirits of the Planets, and the Stars. And after the return from Babylon, it was a common belief among them that the Archangel Michael, Chief of "the Seven Great Princes," was the especial guardian of the Jews.

In the Gnostic theories, there is a singular mixture of the profound with the fantastic. If their speculations concerning the origin of evil, and the nature of God, sometimes seem wild and absurd, theirs is the common lot of finite minds seeking to fathom the Infinite. Their wish to separate God, by a long series of intermediate Spirits, from any participation in a creation involved with evil, was prompted by a reverential sentiment, though the details sometimes seem otherwise. Their various ideas of Christ as a Heavenly Spirit, and their unwillingness to invest him. with a mortal body, are only eccentric expressions of a sincere wish to do him honour, as the highest messenger from God to man. The division of Spirits into masculine and feminine, and the offspring proceeding from these couples, seemed gross to many minds; but the names given to them show that they were mere representatives of metaphysical ideas. Thus the mate of the Supreme was Silent Thought; and the offspring was Mind, or Wisdom; as if they had said, God, in the silence of his own thought, resolved to create the worlds; and he did it by the agency of his wisdom. A boldly figurative style always prevailed in the East; and no metaphors were in such common use, as those alluding to sexual attraction. The Hindoo, Hebrew, and Christian Scriptures abound with them. The passion of Sophia [Wisdom] for the Unknown One, and the imperfect being produced by her longing, is only a metaphorical way of expressing the eager curiosity of the human mind to know the nature of God, and the incomplete and unsatisfactory result of all such investigations; and the ultimate purification of that imperfect offspring, after a

long process of ages, merely utters the universal prophecy of a final union of the soul with God.

The doctrine of many Gnostic sects, that some human souls were derived from Good Spirits, and must be saved by virtue of their birthright, whatever might be their outward acts; and their common maxim, "Give to the spirit that which is spirit, and to the flesh that which is flesh," were doubtless abused by some individuals, and even occasioned the degeneracy of entire sects. Their exceeding contempt for the body would naturally lead some ascetic temperaments to starve it, and abuse it in every way; while opposite temperaments would infer, from the same premises, that its actions were of no consequence to the soul. There seems to be sufficient evidence, even from their enemies, that many of them were characterized by strict morality. This was peculiarly the case with regard to the Syrian sects. But they all suffered under the general odium brought on their name by those whose contempt of external laws was not limited by inward restraining grace.

The small importance they attached to outward things induced them generally to avoid persecution. Most of them thought it no harm to sacrifice to the gods, when magistrates put them to the test, because their souls did not participate in the worship they were thus compelled to offer; therefore, they did not sympathize with the enthusiastic reverence for martyrs. Clement of Alexandria says: "Some of them held that man to be a self-murderer, who, by confessing Christ, gave up his life." However, this rule was by no means universal. Many of the Marcionites endured martyrdom. Mani died in a most terrible manner, rather than renounce his opinions; and multitudes of his followers endured the most horrible persecutions with unshaken constancy.

Gatherings at the tombs of martyrs would of course be inconsistent with their views. Most of them believed, as did also the Hindoos and Buddhists, that souls would suffer or enjoy more or less hereafter, according to deeds done on

earth. But none of them believed in the resurrection of the body; conceiving that it would be a degradation to the emancipated soul to reënter its prison-house. By the word resurrection in the Scriptures, many of them understood resurrection from sin.

Their oriental ideas concerning Matter as the origin of Evil made them generally regard the propagation of material bodies as a sin; therefore, nearly all of them were advocates of strict celibacy. Some of them taught that when a human soul left the body, its was questioned by Superior Spirits concerning its life, and if unable to answer satisfactorily, was sent back to the world again. Above all things, it was necessary for the soul to declare that it had left no children on the earth; otherwise, it would be compelled to go through a severe process of purification.

It will be obvious to every observing reader that Gnosticism was merely an attempt to graft Christianity upon oriental and Grecian theories, then generally current in the world, as another class of minds had already grafted it upon the old Jewish system. In most of the sects, the Persian element predominated; in some, the Platonic; in all of them there was an infusion of Hindoo ideas, derived from India, or Egypt. Mani's system was an amalgamation of Zoroaster, Buddha, and Christ. Agreeing with each other in a few prominent points, they differed in a multitude of details. Some sects rejected external worship altogether; others attached great importance to it. Some regarded baptism, the Lord's Supper, and vocal prayer, as useless; saying, all those things ought to be strictly spiritual. Others said outward baptism constituted initiation into spiritual life, and that participation of the Eucharist produced an intimate union between the soul and the Celestial Christ. The most ascetic sects drank water on such occasions, instead of wine. The Christian Fathers, commenting on this practice, say: "Jesus drank wine after his resurrection, in order to eradicate the pernicious heresy of those who use water instead of wine at the Eucharist." Paul, urging the doctrine of resurrection, inquires: "What shall VOL. II.-35*

they do, who are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?" Some of the Gnostic sects inferred from these words, that representative baptism ought to be administered to the living, for the benefit of converts who had died unbaptized. Many of those who believed that the Spirit called Christ descended on the man Jesus at his baptism, kept a religious festival in honour of that event. Some regarded music as a mere pleasure to the senses, and therefore ensnaring to the soul; others stimulated devotion by singing glowing religious hymns.

Some sects had bishops, and a regular church government; but, in general, there was great scope for individual freedom. Tertullian finds great fault with their discipline. He says: "It is uncertain who is a catechumen, or who is one of the faithful; for they all attend the worship, and hear and pray in common. How noisy are their women! How they have the assurance to teach, to argue, to exorcise, to undertake cures, and perhaps to baptize!" Women performed a prominent part in the progress of Gnosticism. Helen had powerful influence with Simon Magus. Apelles, a leader of one of the sects, believed he received constant revelations through the inspirations of Philomena, whom he seems to have regarded with a pure and sincere reverence. Ptolemy, another leader among them, constantly corresponded with his friend Flora, concerning all views of spiritual subjects, which dawned upon his mind. Agape, a Spanish lady of rank, was a zealous proselyte of Marcus, and the founder of a society of Gnostics, which took her name. Marcellina, a celebrated teacher, about the middle of the second century, preached with general acceptance to the Gnostics at Rome.

All the Gnostics agreed in abhorrence of idolatry; but many of them regarded with reverence the images, or portraits of those whom they considered great teachers, sent by God to various ages and nations. Marcellina, during her discourses, was accustomed to exhibit to the audience likenesses of Homer, Pythagoras, Jesus, and Paul. Some

of these sects had likewise a variety of small medallions, supposed to have been used as symbols to teach secret doctrines, or as amulets for the cure of diseases. These were probably of Egyptian origin. Some of them represented deities with a human form, with the head of a hawk, or a dog, like Osiris and Anubis. These were inscribed, in Greek characters, with the word Abraxas, the meaning of which is lost. The head of Christ was engraved on some of them, with his name in Greek, and the symbol of a fish below; because the initials of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour, formed the word fish in that language. In some of the sects, the Egyptian element greatly predominated; and emblems of the Ram, the Serpent, and the Cross of Hermes were conspicuous in their worship.

As Christians were divided into many sects, which mu tually attacked each other, whose differences were little understood by their Jewish and polytheistic neighbours, the opinions and customs of the Gnostics were continually ascribed to the great body of the Christians. This was very annoying to the Fathers, who considered them the spiritual offspring of Simon Magus, and the most troublesome corrupters of the church. Their censure is unsparing and indiscriminate. They call them "heretics," "blasphemers," and "atheists," and constantly repeat the charge of licentiousness. They are peculiarly severe in their stric tures upon Carpocrates and his son. They accuse all the Carpocratians of carrying out their speculative opinions into very immoral practices; but the charge is probably exaggerated. Judging from the general history of human nature, some sincere aspirations and efforts after goodness would be likely to mingle with the dangerous abuse of theories not originally intended for evil. The devout and ascetic Marcion was regarded with equal abhorrence. Justin Martyr describes him as "every where teaching blasphemies, by instigation of the Devil." Irenæus relates the particulars of a meeting between him and Polycarp, with whom he had been well acquainted before he began to preach objectionable doctrines. When Marcion advanced