The Substance of the Archons

The Substance of the Archons is a Sethian epistle that explores the schemes of the archons — spiritual rulers created by the Demiurge to carry out his will on earth. Drawing heavily from the earlier Secret Book of John, the letter retells humanity's origin story with a particular focus on the attributes, material substance, and theological significance of the archons.

Since its discovery, the title of this text has been controversial among scholars. Many settle for Hypostasis of the Archons, often inaccurately translated as The Reality of the Rulers. We shall demonstrate a better title, The Substance of the Archons, in our footnotes. The title therefore does not refer to the spiritual nature or ontological reality of the archons, but to their physical origin, substance, and subsistence.

Other Gospels proudly presents as part of our Nag Hammadi Initiative. The Coptic text was translated by Samuel Zinner and edited by Mark Mattison via our financial support.

How to cite:

Zinner, Samuel. . Translated by Samuel Zinner, edited by Mark Mattison, technical editing by Rachel Bousfield. Other Gospels. (accessed ).

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The rendering of the above scripture was made possible by Willis Barnstone, who has graciously provided exclusive permission to present it here. All rights including the right of electronic reproduction are reserved by the author. Chapter and verse numbers have been added to aid reference.

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