GLOSSARY^811Kronos Divine ruler of the Titans in Greek mythology. Referred to in the Naassene Sermon.
Kushta Truth, ritualized by means of a handshake, in Mandaean religion.
Laughing Jesus Jesus is described laughing at the world in the Gospel of Philip, the Round
Dance of the Cross, the Second Treatise of the Great Seth, and elsewhere, because,
though the world thinks him a vulnerable human being, he is divine and cannot suffer
and die.
Leda Woman ravished by Zeus, who took the form of a swan, in Greek mythology. Re-
ferred to in the Book of Baruch.
Letter Symbol of divine call to revelation and knowledge in the Song of the Pearl. As a
winged divine messenger the letter functions as a form of the gnostic revealer.
Light Glorious expression of the divine, in general, in gnostic texts. In the Paraphrase of
Shem, light is the primal power or root above, perhaps like the sun. This concept is par-
alleled in platonic and neoplatonic thought.
Limit Greek hows, "limit, boundary." In Valentinian thought, a limit or boundary sepa-
rates the world inside the pleroma from the world outside and thus protects the in-
tegrity of the divine fullness.
Living Gospel Sacred book written by Mani, now lost. Referred to in On the Origin of His
Body and the Great Song to Mani.
Living spirit Light being sent to rescue the primal man in Manichaean thought, who had
fallen into the kingdom of darkness. Father of five sons: the custodian of splendor, the
great king of honor, Adamas of light, the king of glory, and Atlas. Referred to in the
Kephalaia.
Living water Flowing water, water connected to life and to baptism.
Logos Word; the word of god, commonly personified, is comparable to the wisdom of god
in gnostic and other texts. In Judaism the divine logos is the creative word of Genesis,
and in Greco-Roman philosophy, including stoicism and forms of platonism, the di-
vine logos is the reason and rationality that permeate the cosmos. In the Johannine tra-
dition the logos is particularly prominent, and Jesus is said to be the manifestation or
incarnation of the divine word. In the Mother of Books Salman is called the word of
god. In the Second Treatise of the Great Seth the word translated as "treatise" is logos.
Lucifer "Lightbearer," an angel identified with the morning star (Venus) and later with
Satan, as in the Gospel of the Great Supper.
Luminaries Four lights in gnostic thought, especially in Sethian texts, which shine in the
pleroma. They are named Harmozel, Oroiael, Daveithai, and Eleleth.
Male Gender category used symbolically to designate what is spiritual and heavenly (for
example, the divine described as the heavenly father). The epithet "triple male" as a su-
perlative can be used of either male or female powers.
Mana Spirit of the divine and spirit in people, in Mandaean thought. The great Mana is
the heavenly spirit, the highest divine manifestation.
Manda "Knowledge," gnosis, in Mandaean thought.
Manda dHayye "Knowledge of life," gnostic revealer and important messenger of light,
sometimes linked to Hibil, in Mandaean thought.
Mani Founder of Manichaeism and messenger of the light. Mani proclaimed a universal
religion, based on the teachings of the prophets Buddha, Jesus, and Zoroaster, which he
was convinced would unite the people of the world.