Theos-Talk Archives (March 2004 Message tt00424)

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, samblo@c... wrote:
> Steve,
> Well, Valentinus impressed me, it was an esthetically pleasing 
system
> with the 33 Aeons, and apparently quite popular for centuries to the
> chagrin of the Catholic Church, but then again everything displeased
> them. 

Axxoeding to Tertullian, Valentinus was an up and coming priest of 
more than usual ability who went to Rome since that is where the seat 
of power was. There he expected to angle his way into some sort of 
promotion, but an office politician of greater ability or better 
connections beat him out. Some things never change. So he got 
p.o.'ed and went to Alexandria in Egypt, where he founded his own 
sect, teaching what he represented as the secret teachings of Paul as 
received from Theudas. There is hood reason to believe that these 
reallt re the secret teachings, albeit presented in such a way as to 
make them unfathomable to the uninitiated.

Since this information was supposed to be reserved to priests and 
other second degree initiates, he was condemned and studied at the 
same time. Irenaeus says he went to considerable ttrouble to get to 
know disciples of Valentinus and get initiated and get access to 
their books, which he studied assiduously. All of which makes it 
possiblefor us to lift a veil that would remain in place had not all 
of this taken place.