144 LITERATURE OF GNOSTIC WISDOM
THE FOUR LUMINARIES
Now, from the light, which is the anointed, and from incorruptibility, by the
grace of the spirit, the four luminaries that derive from the self-conceived god
gazed out^30 in order to stand before it. The three beings are:
will,
thought,
life.
The four powers are:
understanding,
grace,
perception,
thoughtfulness.
Grace dwells in the eternal realm of the luminary Harmozel, who is the
first angel.^31 There are three other realms with this eternal realm:
grace,
truth,
form.^32
The second luminary is Oroiael, who has been appointed over the second
eternal realm. There are three other realms with it:
afterthought,^33
perception,
memory.
The third luminary is Daveithai, who has been appointed over the third
eternal realm. There are three other realms with it:
understanding,- Or "appeared" (in BG 8502 and Nag Hammadi Codex III).
- Or "and is the first angel."
- The lists of heavenly beings and powers here and elsewhere are meant to indicate the glori-
ous manifestations of the emerging fullness of the divine mind. Upon occasion the lists include
duplicate names. - Epinoia (from Greek). In Greek mythology the Titans Prometheos ("forethought") and
Epimetheos ("afterthought") create human beings, though Epimetheos does his job imper-
fectly. Prometheos, who is linked to Athena, makes the humans stand upright, after the manner
of the gods, and he takes fire from the gods and brings it down to earth. He thus functions as a
savior of humans, but he is punished for his actions by being chained to a pillar in the moun-
tains, where a bird of prey continually eats his liver. Eventually Herakles frees him. Much of this
recalls aspects of the plot in the Secret Book of John, particularly the roles of forethought
(pronoia), afterthought (epinoia), and the demiurge.