The People of the Book

A note from Bruce concerning the three religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam)

 As indicated in the introduction, the three religions, account between them for some 53.3 % of believers today. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam each have their roots in the complex of pantheons current among Western Semitic folk some 3000 years ago, and I believe that it is vital, if one wishes to understand the modern religions fully, to gain a dispassionate appreciation for those roots. Then too, each of the three faiths has claimed a position of monotheism, yet each has described and interacted with a multitude of spiritual forces both good and evil. A careful consideration of these entities is equally important to a full understanding of the religion as a whole. Out of respect for the religions involved, I will not claim that the diverse angels, saints, and demons spoken of below constitute a pantheon in the sense of a collection of fully articulated divinities, but I will adhere to what I describe in the introductory page: any entity that exists as a spirit, has an interest in and influence on the material world in a supernatural way, and is recognized by believers as a legitimate element in their faith, deserves a description on these pages.

 Caveat. I recognize that the material on this page may be regarded as controversial, or perhaps even offensive. Each of the three religions remarked upon here retains an exclusionary element which says in effect; "We have sole ownership of Truth, all variants and competitors are at best erroneous and at worst diabolical." This is particularly true of Christianity and Islam. It may be, therefore, that some readers will regard a description of the polytheistic roots of their faith, together with material concerning semi-divine agents within the faith, as tending toward a disparagement or insult toward that faith. Firstly, please understand that no insult or belittlement is within my intention. Secondly, please be assured that any factual, documentable error is my own, and that documented correction is earnestly solicited. Beyond that, reasonable discussion of this material is also welcome.

GO (BACK) TO THE PANTHEON INDEX

The Names of God

• Adonai Hebrew A euphemism for "Elohim"; normally translated as "(the) Lord"
• AGLA An acronymic, representing the (Hebrew) phrase: "Ateh Gibor le-Olam Adonai", ie. "Thou art mighty forever,O Lord". Often found in magickal or Qabalistic texts.
• Allah Arabic The Islamic name for God, normally untranslated, or simply replaced by "the Lord" or "God". It will be noted that among the names mentioned in this section, this is the only Islamic one. Islam does speak of numerous Names of God; a widely known tradition refers to 100, 99 of which are known, the final one being ineffable and unknowable. But these 99 Names are more in the nature of epithets and descriptions (ie. ar-Rashid, the Merciful) than that of nominative labels. The fact is that Islam is the most trenchantly monotheistic of the three faiths, and as such minimizes strongly any tendency to differentiate aspects of divinity away from The One.
• Ehieh Hebrew, "I am" This is what God required Moses to say to Israel concerning His name, Exodus 3:14.
• Ehieh Asher Ehieh Hebrew, "I am that I am" This is how God described Himself to Moses, Exodus 3:14.
• El Hebrew, "God"
• Eloah Hebrew, "God"
• Elohim Hebrew Nowadays a euphemism for YHVH, normally translated as "Lord". This, the third word to occur in the Hebrew Scripture, is difficult to translate out of Hebrew, owing to the grammatical structure of the language. "El" is "God"; "Eloh" is God with a feminine determinant attached, thus : "Goddess". The suffix "-im" is a plural ending, so, "Goddesses"... but, Hebrew genderizes grammatical particles; -im is the masculine plural. The normal explanation of this construction is that it represents a corporate plural (the Royal "We") referring to God and His angels in toto. Other thinkers and traditions regard it as a pre-monotheistic survival.
• Elohim Tzaboath Hebrew, "Lord of Hosts"
• El Shaddai Hebrew, "God Almighty" Also transliterated as "Lord of the Mountain (or, Heights)".
• God The first "Person" or Aspect of the Christian Trinity. The idea of God as advanced by Judaic and Christian theologians in the past 2000 years began as a synthesis of the earlier Hebrew deities El and Yahweh. Over the centuries, God has been increasingly seen as remote, impersonal, and transcendent of any definable catagory: thus, "He" is often regarded as genderless (though typically refered to with masculine pronouns). He is normally regarded as immanent, omnipresent while nevertheless being entirely spiritual, omnipotent, and omniscient. Source, creator, orderer, and governor of the universe, He is essentially unknowable and unapproachable directly, and stands both within and beyond the created universe.
• The Holy Spirit The third "Person" or Aspect of the Christian Trinity. Understood as the manifestation of God's spirit, and recognized in such experiences as the immediate sense of divine presence in one's life or situation, as the focus in prayer and devotional exercise, and as the Source of specific spiritual gifts such as prophecy or speaking in tongues.
• Jesus Christ The second "Person" or Aspect of the Christian Trinity. Jesus is, of course, the focus and basis for the entire Christian experience. He was a historical person, an itinerant rabbi and (probably) political activist (anti-Roman) of the 1st century CE (born c. 6 BCE-died c. 27 CE: his name, incidently, was Yeshua, which can be Anglicized as "Joshua"; "Jesus" is an Anglicization of a Latinized form of the Greek version of Yeshua). There are no known references to him during his lifetime, but a great deal of material was recorded by those who knew him at first or second hand. To Jews and Muslims he remains an important theological figure; certainly a teacher, perhaps a prophet. Christians may reasonably be defined as those who regard him as the incarnation of the Living God, and the direct channel of God's mercy to humanity. As an Aspect of the Trinity, He continues to offer a message of redemptive salvation and boundless divine love. His role in the Trinity is thus a personalization of divinity, a presentation of abstract divinity in a context that a mortal human can relate to.
• Shaddai Hebrew , (the) Almighty"
• Shaddai El Chai Hebrew, (the) Almighty Living God"
• ha-Shem Hebrew the Name
• YHVH Hebrew The four consonants (yod, heh, vau, heh) which make up the ineffable and hidden Name of God. Regarded as too holy to even be spoken aloud by anyone save the High Priest of the Temple while alone in the inner sanctum, the vowel values were never revealed, and were eventually lost. Modern common usage has applied versions of the vowels of Adonai, to construct "Jehovah", which is almost certainly incorrect. In pronunciation, the form Yahweh is usually used, which I follow below. The point to this is that according to early Hebrew thought, language in and of itself has supernatural power; the mere existence of a written word on paper or stone, or the act of speaking aloud a set of syllables is an inherently magickal act which evokes the concept, powers, or entities so named. Thus, to write out in full or to speak aloud the Name of God is an act so powerful as to verge on the blasphemous if done in a place or a time or by a person not sufficiently imbued with holiness. The use of the four consonants is thus in such a context the famous Tetragrammaton which has so often appeared in mystical and magickal texts.
• YHVH Eloah Hebrew, Lord God"

Angels and Saints

ANGELS

• Djibril Arabic The Islamic equivalent of the Judaeo-Christian Gabriel. To Muslims, he is the messenger of Allah who dictated the Quran to Mohammed.
• Gabriel Hebrew One of the mightiest and most active angels in lore and scripture, he is, in fact, only one of two or three mentioned in the Old Testament (Michael is another - and Raphael is spoken of in the Book of Tobit, apocryphal to some, but canonical to others). In popular lore, Gabriel is God's messenger -- he it was who announced the conception of Jesus to Mary; he it shall be who sounds the trumpet beginning the final struggle between good and evil at Armageddon. In mystical and magickal sources, he is sometimes regarded as the Guardian of the West and the Warden of Water.
• al-Khidr Arabic, "The Green", i.e. "The Green One"/ "The Green Man". An unusual figure, inhabiting the grey area between mythic folk-hero and supernatural spirit. One tale relates that, as a mortal human, he accompanied Iskandar Akbar (Alexander the Great) on his search for the Fountain of Life. Separated from Iskandar, he accidently discovered the Fountain, fell into it, and thereby received immortality. Other tales, however, accord him a status resembling that of a major archangel. In these traditions, he is Allah's deputy in regards to the seas and oceans, and His regent upon the Earth. He is said to have revealed occult wisdom to various sages and worthy humans. Most notable among these is Musa (Moses), to whom al-Khidr is related to have instructed in a thinly-disguised initiatory sequence.
• Metatron Unknown derivation Metatron does not appear in canonical scripture, but his presence looms large in apocryphal and mystical sources of all sorts. Not widely known outside of such sources, he is apparently the greatest of angels, and the highest ranking, second only to God Himself, and sometimes refered to as "the Lesser YHWH". He is spoken of most often as being the chief of the Angels of the Countenance, those angels who stand immediately before the Throne of God and the only beings sufficiently holy to be able to endure the radiance of God directly.
• Michael Hebrew One of two or three angels mentioned in the Old Testament (Gabriel is another - and Raphael is spoken of in the Book of Tobit, apocryphal to some, but canonical to others), Michael is popularly regarded in Judaeo-Christian lore to be God's warrior, the marshal of the hosts of heaven in the final conflict with the forces of hell. He is often regarded as the highest ranking of all the angels, but see Metatron. In mystical and magickal sources, he is sometimes regarded as the Guardian of the South and the Warden of Fire, but see Uriel.
• Mika'il Arabic The Islamic equivalent of the Judaeo-Christian Michael. To Muslims, he is a guardian spirit central to works of exorcism.
• Raphael Hebrew Raphael is mentioned in the Book of Tobit, an apocryphal book to Protestants, but canonical to Catholics. He is usually regarded as the primary angel of healing and works of restoration, and he has associations with science and knowlege generally. In mystical and magickal sources, he is often regarded as the Guardian of the East and the Warden of Air.
• Uriel Hebrew Not spoken of directly in the canonical Old Testament, he is frequently discussed in apocryphal and mystical literature. Among the "big four" (Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, are the others) in archangels, he is probably the least well-known in popular imagination. One source has it that he is the angel who stands before the gates of Eden, bearing a flaming sword. Other sources credit him as being involved in works of salvation. In mystical and magickal sources, he is sometimes regarded as the Guardian of the South and the Warden of Fire, but see Michael.

SAINTS

The process of sanctification has been practiced for a very long while, andit's roots extend back into pre-Christian times. During early Imperialtimes, it was often the practice to Apotheosize deceased Emperors and somemembers of their immediate family, a recognition based on the receipt ofsigns and omens indicating that such an ascension had taken place. Thechurch followed the logic of this process by recognizing that certain ofit's deceased communicants, having led demonstrably exemplary lives, wereindisputably resident in Heaven, as evidenced by miracles performed intheir name. There are many thousands of individuals named as saints, andit is important to understand that the church specifically denies thatany of them are in the least bit divine; their influence on Earth is asa channel of divine power, nothing more. Even so, a number of these individualsfit the pattern of spiritual entities having influence over certain aspectsof earthly life, and as such should be mentioned here. What follows isthe merest glance at a small handful of some of the more important saintshaving unusually well defined spheres of Patronage; a much more thoroughexamination may be found http://saints.catholic.org/index.shtml here.
• Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) This thirteenth century anchorite is nowadays regarded as Patron to several things, notable to harvests, and to the recovery of lost objects.
• Bridget Quite probably a conflation of the early Irish Goddess of fire and eloquence, Bridget is not now listed among the officially recognized saints, although formerly she was regarded as a Patron of learning and scholarly discourse.
• Christopher Very likely a purely mythological figure, and as such recently removed from the official list of recognized saints. The tale is that he carried the infant Jesus across a bridgeless river, and as such was the Patron of travellers and wayfarers. Though he has lost his standing now, he has been a figure of very widespread influence.
• Eligius (c. 590-c. 660) A seventh century Frank who early in his life was a smith involved in precious metals; he is therefore regarded as a Patron of goldsmiths, silversmiths, jewelers, coiners, and the like.
• Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) Perhaps one of the best known among Christian saints, the founder of the Franciscan Orders is widely recognized as Patron to animals and, by extension, to the natural world in general.
• George (fl. c. 275/300 CE) A Roman military officer during the Diocletian era, he has become the Patron of soldiers everywhere. Additionally, he is also the Patron of England.
• John of Capistrano (1385-1456) A jurist and legal officer, he has become a Patron of judges and legal scholars.
• Luke (fl. 1st century CE) The apostle and author of the third Gospel, as well as the Book of Acts (originally an integral continuation of the Gospel of St. Luke, but later separated). He is widely understood to have been a doctor or medical practitioner (and in fact his Gospel betrays the best educated and most polished writing style among the four). He has become a general Patron of the medical profession.
• Mary (fl. early 1st century CE) The Virgin Mary holds a unique position within Christendom. She is the Mother of God, and as such she or any of her many Aspects (Sacred Heart, Immaculate Conception, etc.) have emerged as Patroness of many different occupations, locales, and circumstances. She has been conflated with numerous pre-Christian Goddesses in a wide variety of traditions and cultures, and her influence over Christianity in general and Roman Catholicism in particular is immeasureable. She is most often seen as a counterpoise to the sterner aspects of Christianity, being thus a channel for divine sanction, mercy, forgiveness and surcease from care. She quite often takes on an oracular role, appearing in visions or mystical experiences to selected individuals in order to pronounce God's forthcoming will or prophetic interpretation of future events. The best-known occurance of this in the modern world is probably the Vision at Fatima. In every way she appears as a feminine balance to her Son, and in this Roman Catholicism can become quite defensive, for she often appears in roles both hagiographic and ritualistic that scarcely can be separated from that of a genuine Goddess, and yet, Roman Christianity is monotheistic and strives to avoid being seen as creating new divinities. As a spiritual persona, understanding of her is still evolving, and the best that can be said of her story for now is that her influence and position in the church remains unimpeded.
• Nicholas of Myra (fl. c. 275/325) A leader of the church in early Asia Minor, he has become enormously influential in a number of ways. His original tale has him saving three young women from a life of prostitution by an anonymous gift of money, and so he has become attached to acts of charity and gift-giving generally. He has emerged as a Patron of children, a Patron of thieves, and as a Patron of mariners, especially those in distress. In modern times, he has emerged in the Protestant world as a somewhat secularized spirit of childhood joy and gift-giving; the English-speaking world normally refers to him as Santa Claus, a transliteration of the Dutch "Sinter Klaes" (Saint Nicholas). This Aspect of him has a very fully developed mythology and set of Attributes which have recently sprung up around the original figure.
• Paul (d. 67 CE) The apostle to the Gentiles, the man who took the Christian message outside it's roots as a Jewish sect, and brought it to the world at large. Although his influence on the faith and the subsequent development of Christianity is beyond measure, he has little in the way of particular Patronage, and he remains a rather distant figure.
• Peter (d. c. 67 CE) One of Christ's original followers and, based on an interpretation of Matthew 16: 18-19, perhaps Christ's senior vicar and transmitter of the faith. He is said to have ended his life as the leader of the Christian community in Rome, and is thus regarded by Catholics as the first Pope. He is also regarded as having led the first Christian community in Antioch, as well. In popular mythology, he is regarded as Heaven's gatekeeper and, as such, he has been viewed as a Judge of the Dead (or, more technically, the Transmitter of divine Judgement written in the Book of Life).
• Sebastian (fl. 1st century CE) An obscure Roman soldier, evidently one of the first reported Martyrs. He is a Patron of Archers and Archery, by analogy to his method of execution (which is a misunderstanding; his persecutors first attempted to kill him with arrows, but were unsuccessful -- he was eventually bludgeoned to death). Thomas Aquinas
• Thomas More (1478-1535) An English courtier and intellectual, martyred by Henry VIII. He is regarded as the Patron of lawyers and the legal profession.
• Valentine (d. c. 270) One or perhaps a conflation of two early martyrs in the third century. He has become a Patron of love and lovers, and as such has gained widespread recognition as a somewhat secularized modern spirit of romance. The original figure has apparently no connection at all with what the modern image has become, aside from the fact that his Feast day occurs on the Pagan Roman festival of Lupercalia, dedicated to love and mating rituals.
• Vitus (fl. 2nd or 3rd cent. CE?) Associated nowadays with storms, and also associated with certain forms of epilepsy.

Demons and Devils

• Abaddon Hebrew, Greek: Apollyon A somewhat ambiguous figure - generally regarded as diabolic, but certain commentary of him can be interpreted as describing a servant of God. He is generally regarded as "the Destroyer", Angel of the Abyss. In Revelations 9:11 his name is explicitly connected to the same root as that of the Greek divinity Apollo, one of whose aspects is that of an unendurable searing brilliance which annihilates and purifies.
• Asmodeus Latinized Persian An early demon of impurity, evidently emerging out of reports of Persian demons from the 7th century BCE. He has become a senior Devil in Hell, and is sometimes regarded as an alternate name for Satan.
• The Beast Although profoundly obscure, and actually nameless, this entity has seized popular imagination to a very wide degree; it is the creature discussed in Revelations 13:11-18, whose number is 666. It is in fact the second of two "beasts" - the first rises from the sea, is given power by Satan, and is permitted to wage war upon the Saints, while "666" rises from the earth and induces mankind to worship the first by lies and deceit. Furthermore, it is given the power to control buying and selling, reserving such only to those who receive its mark. Its designation has been widely regarded as an example of numerological coding, and has been used to identify many individuals, from Nero to Hitler.
• Beelzebub A powerful infernal spirit, sometimes regarded as a conflation to Satan, but normally regarded as a separate entity. The name, usually translated as "Lord of the Flies" or "Lord of Corruption" seems to based on earlier Semitic divinities.
• Belial A senior fiend in Hell, and a name quite often used as referring to Satan, rather than as a separate entity.
• The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse An image from Apocalyptic literature which has gained very wide recognition. These four appear in Revelations 6:1-8, where they are released to do their will upon a "fourth part of the earth." They are described thusly: a crowned figure riding a white horse and bearing a bow, which seems to represent War, a figure riding a red horse and bearing a sword whose representation is ambiguous - perhaps violence or anarchy, a figure riding a black horse who clearly represents Famine, and a figure riding a "pale" (the Greek translates best as a greenish-white or greenish-pale yellow - the color of putrid decay) horse who is explicitly identified as Death. Modern interpretations of these images has given them the labels of Death, War, Famine, and Pestilence.
• Harut & Marut Arabic Two angels, normally paired together, and most frequently encountered in Islamic lore. They were given early commission to rule the earth, and to instruct and tutor mankind. Their role in Hell is ambiguous; only some sources make them fallen angels, others are not explicit about their fate, or claim for them a continued presence in heaven.
• Iblis Arabic An Islamic spirit, usually described as a djinn or as a fallen angel. His tale parallels the classic version of Satan; he refused to honour mankind, claiming superiority to them, for which sin of pride he was cast down.
• Lilith Hebrew A Hebrew demon of madness, despair, and desolation, especially as regarding unhappy wives and barren marriages. She was regarded as an enemy of newborn infants, and as a succubus, a demonic temptress. She is based on an earlier Babylonian model, the Lilitu demonic trio.
• Lucifer Latin This name is present in scripture and subsequent popular imagination owing to a mistranslation of Isaiah 14:12; in a series of passages referencing a prophecized collapse of Nebuchadrezzar II's Babylon, a simile to the setting of the morning star is made. This was translated into the Vulgate Bible as "Lucifer", the Latin name for the morning star, and was thereafter enshrined as a name of Satan. In Isaiah's time, the idea of a revolt in heaven by dissident and corrupt angels, and their subsequent fall into the abyss of Hell, had not been imagined as yet. The word "Lucifer" means in Latin "Light-bearer" or "Shining one", hardly appropriate terms for the Adversary.
• Mephistopheles Hebrew One among the chiefs of the fallen angels; in literature his role is sometimes as servant to Satan, and sometimes as an alternate name for Satan himself. His best-known role is as the tempter in the Dr. Faustus legend.
• Samael Hebrew The term means "Venom of God", and his position is ambiguous. Most sources have him as a fallen angel, one among Hell's minions, but other sources regard him as still among the hosts of heaven, representing the severity of God. Perhaps the most usual role assigned him is that of the Angel of Death, collecting souls for perdition or judgement, depending upon which side of the aisle one sees him as serving.
• Satan Hebrew The basic name of the leader of the fallen angels who inhabit Hell and torment sinners while plotting the assault on heaven at the end of days. The idea of Satan has changed a great deal from the time he first appears (I Chronicles 21:1). Initially, he was a member of God's court, testing creation for flaws, the Book of Job is the classic exposition of that idea. In Christian times, however, his role was radically altered. He was said to have been God's chief angel, the one closest to His heart. When mankind was created, though, he resented their addition, and regarded them as vastly inferior to the angels. When God required angelic obeisance to humanity, Satan refused, and for disobedience and pride he was cast down. From his place in Hell, he and the other angelic rebels who fell with him continue to tempt mankind into error and sin, primarily by means of Satan's own attributes of disobedience and pride.
• Shaitan Arabic The Islamic version of Satan, similar in most respects to that figure. The term is, however, sometimes used as the generic name for any of the class of fallen angels.

The Western Semitic Pantheons

• Anat Caananite Daughter of Dagon and sister of Baal, She follows closely the "Love and War" theme detailed just below, and in fact may be another Aspect of Astarte. She is responsible for restoring Baal to life following His cyclical defeat by Mot, and in so doing providing nurturance to the earth. She had a considerable following in Egypt, where She became known as Antit, and in that role was conflated to a certain degree with Hathor.
• Astarte Phoenician Astarte was the Goddess of sexual love and fertility, of warfare, and of the Evening Star. She was the western equivalent to the Babylonian Ishtar (Sumerian Inanna), and as such, appears within a number of Levantine cultures in a variety of forms and name-variants. Seated upon a throne between two sphinxes, She is represented as nude, wearing a crown of cow-horn supporting a solar disc. Her local variants were:
  • Asertu (Ugaritic) A fertility Goddess with followings in the north and among the Ugaritic folk. Consort of Elkunirsa. The model for the Hittite Goddess Aserdus.
  • Asherah(Caananite)The consort of Il, and a major fertility Goddess in Her own right. Her sanctuaries were outdoor affairs containing wooden imagery, and She was very popular among not only the Caananites but other peoples as well, including the early Hebrews. Her name was applied to her places of worship, and it is these asherah (translated in the King James Old Testament as "Grove") and the activities therein which are thundered against by Old Testament era prophets in the days when monotheism was becoming ascendent.
  • Ashtoreth(Palestinian (Philistine))The local Love-and-War Goddess equivalent of Astarte among the earlier Palestinian population, Her attributes are more-or-less identical to that of Astarte/Ishtar/Inanna.
  • Asratum(Caananite)Very likely a local linguistic equivalent of this divinity, with little independent existence at all.
  • Astarot(Western Semitic generally)A fertility Goddess with particular connections to sheep and shepherds. Her name was applied at times as a generic descriptor for all Female divinities.
  • Atargatis(Syrian)A major figure, the consort of Hadad and an important Goddess of vegetive fertility, the sea, luck, and possibly of the Astral and/or Solar worlds as well.
• Baal Caananite A God of vegetive strength and land fertility, He also has some connections with weather, particularly rain and thunder. He is the son of Dagon and brother of Anat. His tale is that of an eternal cycle of death and rebirth, in this instance brought about by his journey to the cthonic realm of Mot, there to confront Mot for stewardship over the earth. Six years He stays underground, in the seventh He rises once more with the assistence of Anat. Note a resonance in Hebrew scripture (Exodus 23: 10-11) which establishes a six year harvest cycle followed by a seventh year in which a field should lie fallow. As the representative of His power in His absence, He sires a golden calf to stand for Him.
• Baal Hermon Phoenician A local tutulary God of Mount Hermon, in western Lebanon.
• Baal Samin Phoenician Ruler of the Phoenician pantheon, and modeled closely on Baal as a God of vegetive fertility and authority over the rains. He continued even into late period to have celestial associations as a Lord of the Heavens and of both the Sun and the Moon, and He was regarded as well as a mariner's Patron, particularly to seamen in distress. Worshipped wherever the Phoenicians had colonies, in later Hellenic times he was often conflated with Zeus.
• Dagon Palestinian (Philistine) Supreme God of the Philistine pantheon, He was concerned most closely with vegetive fertility, especially as regards the grain harvest. Closely paralleling the Babylonian God Dagan, this versions main sanctuary was in Gaza. To the extent that he is remembered today, He is usually shown with a fish-tail, and given associations with the sea: this stems from a Hebrew mistranslation of the Ugaritic root of His name, which sounds like "Fish" in Hebrew.
• El Hebrew The Hebrew version of Il, and as such supreme God among the northern (Israelite) tribes. As Judaic monotheism developed, El became conflated with Yahweh, and His cult assimilated into the national religion. Even so, northerners were ultimately unwilling to surrender all aspects of their Patron, and so the name survives in one form or fashion, or as an element in other names, down to the present day.
• Elkunirsa Ugaritic A Creator deity, consort of Asertu; apparently a close model on Il. Also recognized by the Hittites.
• Mot Caananite and Phoenician Lord of death and ruler of Chaos, son of Il by Asherah. Mot figures largely in the tale of Baal, who confronts Him in His underworld stronghold. Mot slays Baal in an eternal cycle, and is in turn slain by Anat, who thereupon restores Baal while using Mot's remains in a agrarian ritual to transfigure the harvest.
• Yahweh Hebrew Supreme deity of the southern Hebrews (Judah), whose chief sanctuary was at the Temple, in Jerusalem. He was regarded as inhabiting (or at least retaining His power within) the Ark of the Covenant. Yahweh came to be the senior partner in a synthesis of Himself and the northern Hebrew deity El; El's name survives in itself or as an element in other words, but the personality and focus of the latter God is largely Yahweh's. Out of this synthesis emerged the remote and rather mysterious God whose eternal covenant with the Hebrew nation endures so long as they heed His Law; from that divinity arose the modern Judaeo-Christian-Islamic monotheistic creator and ruler of the universe.

Gnosticism

It is difficult to say anything about the Gnostics that would apply to all of them as a whole. Gnostic groups derived from many diverse sources, and never achieved a stable or unified standard Gnostic set of beliefs. There was no hierarchy among them, aside from prominent individuals who espoused Gnostic doctrines and, in fact, they showed a strong tendency to avoid highly structured organizational circumstances - not surprising, given the reaction to Gnostic movements by churches and governments of the time. Gnostic thought has it's roots in Jewish, Hellenistic, Egyptian, and Zoroastrian speculative tendencies in the 1st century BCE, but did not emerge in full force until the advent of Christianity. By the 2nd century CE, Gnosticism was one of a number of serious contenders for a position of prominence in the Roman Empire, but continued persecution by early Christian groups marginalized Gnostic thinkers, and by the beginning of the 4th century they had faded almost entirely from view. Even so, Gnostically inclined individuals and secret schools continued to exist for centuries and, even today, there is a sect in Iraq and western Iran, the Mandaeans, whose tenets are strongly Gnostic in character.
• Abathur An angelic being, said to have created a duplicate of itself from contemplation of it's image within a pool of still, black water - the image is named Ptah-il-Uthra, and the two are called Uthras as a combined entity.
• Abel Progeny of Adam, brother of Cain. Patron of shepherds and nomads, the biblical tale of his being slain by Cain looms large in Gnostic thought, as a testament to the proper path for mankind, overturned by the Lord of This World.
• Abracadabra
• Abyzu
• Achamoth
• Adamas
• Adonai
• the Aeons Primal divine entities, male-female pairs
• Ailaios
• Alaghom Naom
• the Archons The seven ruling spirits created by Ophiomorphus. They are Adonai, Ialdabaoth, Iao, Sabaoth, Astaphaios, Ailaiosastaphaios, and Horaios.
• the Ashamspans
• Astaphaeus
• Authades A Primal divinity associated with the Great Forefather and Barbelo as rulers of the Thirteenth Aeon.
• Azrua A higher god, associated with light. The name and attributes are likely derived from the Zoroastrian supreme creator divinity, Ahura Mazda.
• Barbelo A Primal female divinity associated with the Great Forefather and Authades as rulers of the Thirteenth Aeon.
• Basilisk A winged creature with the neck and head of a serpent (but sometimes envisioned as a serpent with the body of a cock), whose angry glare can freeze those who encounter it in their tracks.
• Cain Progeny of Adam, brother of Abel. Patron of farmers and settled folk.
• Demiurge or, Metropator Chief of the lower order of Aeons, and bringer of Evil into the material world - often identified with Jehovah.
• Elohim
• Ennoia Goddess of Thought and the intellect. Often regarded as a creation of Simon Magus.
• Fihrist
• Hebdomad
• Horaios
• Ialdabaoth
• Iao
• Kosmokrator
• Leviathan
• Nous
• the Ogdoad
• Ophiomorphos
• Oraios
• Pistis Sophia
• Pronoia
• Saboath
• Samael
• Zoe