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The Ophites and the “Ophite” Diagram in Celsus and Origen 1783-08_JECS_05_Ledegang kopie 31-03-2009 14:09 Pagina 51 Journal of Eastern Christian Studies 60(1-4), 51-83. doi: 10.2143/JECS.60.1.2035275 © 2008 by Journal of Eastern Christian Studies. All rights reserved. THE OPHITES AND THE “OPHITE” DIAGRAM IN CELSUS AND ORIGEN FRED LEDEGANG* OPHITISM In the beginning of Genesis the serpent is associated with Evil: he seduces the first men to ignore God’s commandments by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2,16-17; 3,1-7). It leads then to his cursing and to enmity between the serpent and man and finally it will ruin him (Gen 3,15). It would not be surprising, however, if in gnostic circles the serpent would be valued positively, since he showed the way to all knowledge (gn¬siv) and due to this he could have in a way the role of a saviour. Two movements within Gnosticism, the Ophites and the Naassenes, are explicitly named after the serpent (∫fiv; wcn). Ps.-Tertullian speaks about ‘those heretics who are called Ophites, for they magnify the serpent to such a degree that they prefer him even to Christ Himself’.1 And Origen writes: ‘they pride themselves on being called Ophians, taking their name from the snake, which is a reptile very hostile to men, believing him to be the originator of good gifts’.2 About the origin of the name Clement of Alexandria says that sects are called after their founder, nation or dogmas and that the Cainists and the Ophians take their designation from their ‘sup- positions and from the objects of veneration’, i.e. their myths and religious symbols.3 * Dr. Fred Ledegang is a pastor emeritus of the Protestant Church of the Netherlands and an expert at Alexandrian Theology, esp. at Origen. From 1979 until 1984 he was a research scholar at the University of Nijmegen. 1 Ps.-Tertullian, Adv. omnes haereses II,1 (CC II,1403). 2 Origen, Contra Celsum VI,28,29-31 (SC 147,250); cp.28,21-25 (248). Epiphanius, Haer. 37,1,2 (GCS 31,50); 5,2 (57) agrees with it: ‘They are called Ophites, because they worship a serpent that provides people with knowledge’; cp. Isidore, Etymologiae VIII,5,10 (BAC 433,694): ‘Ophitae a colubro nominati sunt. Coluber enim Graece ∫fiv dicitur. Colunt enim serpentem, dicentes ipsum in paradiso induxisse virtutis cog- nitionem.’ 3 Clemens, Stromata VII,xvii,108,1-2 (GCS III,76,20-30). 1783-08_JECS_05_Ledegang kopie 31-03-2009 14:09 Pagina 52 52 FRED LEDEGANG Ophitism, however, within Gnosticism reaches further than the two move- ments mentioned.4 Scott counts eleven groups among this movement.5 Others widen the circle even more.6 But the difference between them is too great to put them in the same category.7 And though their names lead one to suspect otherwise, not the same group is meant by Ophites and Naassenes.8 Ophitism must have been propagated before 180 A.D., as it is already described by Irenaeus in his Adversus haereses. In general this author is well informed about gnostic groupings and their ideas. Partly this is founded on his own reading of gnostic writings, partly on information of earlier heresi- ologists, whose writings have disappeared.9 Hippolytus in his Philosophumena or Refutation of all heresies also makes mention of the Ophites. Although he depends to a large extent on Irenaeus, he uses also gnostic writings. In his book, written after 222 A.D., he enters among others into the Naassenes, Ophites, Perates, Sethians, the gnostic Justin and the Nicolaitans.10 In the work Adversus omnes haereses, that is in the name of Tertullian, there is not much original evidence.11 4 B.A. Pearson, ‘Ophites’, in Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism, ed. W.J. Hane- graaff et al. (Leiden – Boston, 2006), pp. 895-898. 5 E.F. Scott, ‘Ophitism’, ERE, 9 (1961), p. 500: except the Ophites and Naassenes also the Cainites, Perates, Sethians, the “Gnostics” of Irenaeus, the Barbelo-Gnostics, the Severians, Nicolaitans, Archontics and Justinians. 6 E. Amann, ‘Ophites’, in Dictionnaire de Théologie Catholique, XI (Paris, 1932), cc. 1063- 1064. 7 J-D. Kaestli, ‘L’interprétation du serpent de Genèse 3 dans quelques textes gnostiques et la question de la gnose “ophite”’, in Gnosticism et monde hellénistique (Actes du Colloque de Louvain-la-Neuve 1980), ed. J. Ries, Publications de l’Institut Orientaliste de Louvain, 27 (Leuven, 1982), pp. 116-130. 8 Kaestli, ‘L’interprétation du serpent’, pp. 117f; G. Bornkamm, ‘Ophiten’, in Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft, Bd. 35 (Stuttgart, 1939), c. 658; G. Kretschmar, ‘Ophiten und Naassener’, in Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, IV (Berlin, 1960), c. 1659. Differently: P.-Th. Camelot, ‘Ophites’, in Catholicisme, X (Paris, 1985), c. 100; H. Leisegang, Die Gnosis (Leipzig, 1924, 21934), p. 113. 9 J. Quasten, Patrology. Vol. I. The Beginnings of Patristic Literature (Utrecht-Antwerp, 51975), pp. 288-292; U. Hamm, ‘Irenaeus von Lyon’, in Lexikon der antiken christlichen Literatur, hrsg. S. Döpp und W. Geerlings (Freiburg-Basel-Wien, 21999), pp. 311-312. 10 J. Quasten, Patrology. Vol. II. The Ante-Nicene Literature after Irenaeu (Utrecht-Antwerp, 41975), pp. 166-169; B.R. Suchla, ‘Hippolyt’, in Lexikon der antiken christlichen Literatur, p. 298. 11 The booklet originates probably from circles around Zephyrinus of Rome (198/199-217). See C. Smidt, ‘Zephyrinus von Rom’, in Lexikon der antiken christlichen Literatur, p. 636. 1783-08_JECS_05_Ledegang kopie 31-03-2009 14:09 Pagina 53 THE OPHITES AND THE “OPHITE” DIAGRAM IN CELSUS AND ORIGEN 53 THE “OPHITE” DIAGRAM The interesting thing is that via Origen we become acquainted with a dia- gram, in which according to him the views of an ophite group are described. In the sixth book of his defence Contra Celsum from about 248 Origen reacts to the comparison which Celsus had made seventy years earlier between Mithraic religion and Christianity. It is about the entering of the soul after death into the divine reality. Celsus in this respect prefers the ideas of Plato to those of the Christians, who according to him show much similarity to the Mitraic thoughts.12 Origen, however, finds that Celsus does not talk about the orthodox Christian faith, but about ideas which exist within ‘the most undistinguished sect of the Ophians’. Celsus founds his view partly on a schematic representation (diágramma), which describes the system of this sect. Origen tells that after industrious research he has managed to obtain a copy of this diagram, which however on certain points differs from Celsus’. Origen’s copy appears to be more com- prehensive. Therefore he can say that Celsus could base himself ‘only partly’ on the diagram. And he continues: ‘Although I have travelled many places in the world and have inquired everywhere of those who professed to be learned, I have not met with anyone who believed in the teachings of the dia- gram’.13 Because of the observations that it is about an ‘undistinguished sect’, that ‘after industrious research’ Origen had managed to obtain a copy of the dia- gram and that in spite of his many journeys he has never met an adherent of this sect, one could conclude that Origen was not well informed about their views, as in his days this group had virtually become extinct.14 This remains, however, to be seen. Even in the fourth century Epiphanius can say that he has received oral information from somebody about the Ophite liturgy.15 12 Origen, Contra Celsum VI,18,1-24,9 (SC 147,222-238). 13 Contra Celsum VI,24,10-24 (238-240). 14 This is the opinion of B. Witte, Das Ophiten-diagramm nach Origenes’ Contra Celsum VI,22-38, Arbeiten zum spätantiken und koptischen Ägypten, 6 (Altenberge, 1993), p. 97, who bases himself among others on Contra Celsum VI,26,18-20 (244), where Origen says that the Ophians are a sect, ‘which probably does not exist any longer and has entirely disappeared, or which, if it does survive, consists of a very few people of no significance’. 15 Epiphanius, Haer. 37,5,7 (57). 1783-08_JECS_05_Ledegang kopie 31-03-2009 14:09 Pagina 54 54 FRED LEDEGANG Apparently there were still gatherings of Ophites in his days. Moreover, Origen speaks elsewhere also about the Ophians. In his reply to Celsus he says, that Ophians and Cainites ‘do not share with us the name of Jesus’: they have totally turned their back on Him.16 And in his Commentary on Matthew he counts the Ophites among those who ‘multum a proposita errant via, qui omnino contraria sapiunt veritati’.17 Therefore we should deem his remark about “a most undistinguished sect” to belong to the apologetic jargon. We shall soon find out whether Origen is ignorant of the way of thinking of the “Ophians”, as he calls them.18 THE FUNCTION OF THE DIAGRAM Diagrams, as mentioned by Celsus and Origen, were not unusual in gnostic circles. We find numerous examples e.g. in the two Books of Jeû, which prob- ably date from the third century.19 According to Witte the function of such a diagram is that it plays a part in contemplation, the descent inwards into one’s own self, as well as in the ascent of the soul after death, a function which afterwards was to prevail. At seeing the diagram the gnostic is able to visualize the content of his faith, in contemplation and concentration, or in the course of certain cult acts which make the ascent of the soul after death possible. According to him we have to do with a formulary in preparation to the initiation into a gnostic sect, that also may be helpful in individual med- itation.
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