The Gnostic Genesis: Norea and Samael

In 1945, a cache of apocrypha (non-canonical religious texts) written by Gnostic Christians was discovered near Nag Hammadi in southern Egypt. Among them was a Gnostic retelling of the first 6 chapters of the book of Genesis: The Hypostasis of the Archons. The sixth chapter is highly original, and tells how Norea battled the archons:

The Archons came to meet Norea, intending to lead her astray.

“Your mother Eve came to us,” said Samael.

“You are the rulers of the darkness; you are accursed,” Norea said to them. “You did not defile my mother. Instead it was your own female element that you defiled. I am not your descendant. Rather, I come from the world above.”

Samael turned on her with all his might, and his countenance was like a blazing fire.

“You must service us, as did your mother Eve,” he said to her presumptuously.

But Norea turned with power of her own, and, in a loud voice, she cried out to the holy one, the god of all.

“Rescue me from the rulers of unrighteousness and save me from their clutches—at once!” she cried.

A great angel came down from the heavens, and the Archons withdrew.

“Why are you crying out to god? Why do you act so boldly toward the holy spirit?” the angel asked her.

“Who are you?” Norea asked.

“I am Eleleth, sagacity, the great angel who stands in the presence of the holy spirit,” he said. “I have been sent to speak with you and save you from the grasp of the lawless. And I shall teach you about the source of your being.”

This chapter is completely original to this book. It continues the depiction of the terrestrial gods (the archons) as evil. Norea is able to call upon one of the powers of heaven to defend her against them.

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Image By William-Adolphe Bouguereau