Getting the Whole Picture, Part 8: The Shift Continues, Contexts 2 and 3

CONTEXT 2: When authente, etal is referring to impartial objects, such as planets influence for zodiac predictions in astrological texts, it is about power dynamics which adds to the confusion around this word family.

Hermetic usage re astrology/horoscope/zodiac: 

Methodus Mystica (Hermetic astrological source, debated 1st century BCE–CE): Refers to superiority or mastery of a skill/occupation of the lowest class of people such as slaves or possibly criminals based on positions of planets.

Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos (astrological, 2nd century CE): Saturn "authentēsas"/ gaining dominance/ mastery over Mercury/Moon produces certain character traits.

Papyrus Tebtunis 276 (astrological, 2nd–3rd century CE): Planetary rulership or superior position.

Dorotheus of Sidon (Carmen Astrologicum, Hellenistic Greek horoscopic astrology, 80-120AD): Jupiter position with waning Moon phase makes people not authentas/ dominant / masters / superior but subservient instead.

Here’s a very brief background for some astrological history: Remember Daniel, who was put in charge of the wise men of Babylon / modern day Iran around 600 BC (Daniel 2:47-49)? About 600 years later, other wise men, followed the star to Bethlehem to worship Jesus the King. Babylon’s wise men had studied the stars over several thousand years, and developed horoscopic zodiac signs based on positions of the stars. These zodiac signs are included on the ancient statues of Artemis of the Ephesians between her neck and chest (picture of statue: Artemis of Ephesus - Livius).

Also, remember Pharaoh’s Egyptian sorcerers Jannes & Jambres that Paul specifically names in 2 Tim 3:8 (Who were Jannes and Jambres in the Bible?) Well, astrology merged with the curious/dark arts (alchemy) via Hermes Trismegistus (blend of Egyptian god Thoth and Greek counterpart Hermes) in Methodus Mystica which evolved into a gnostic hermeticism possibly starting right around the time of Paul. Methodus Mystica was an early key document (with a debatable date between 100BC and 100AD) that spawned subsequent astrological Hermetic writing by Dorothea, Ptolemy, along with the Corpus Hermetica that includes Poimandres (discussed in Context 3, below).

In addition, Paul had written to the Ephesians that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of darkness, authorities, principalities and rulers in the heavenly realms. Paul would have been aware of the astrology/zodiac, the magic/ curious arts/ sorcery and the special/ secret knowledge, but it would be very difficult to prove that he would have been aware of the use of authentounta in the Methodus Mystica. He would have had to have a unique knowledge of the astrological context that would have also been understood by Timothy. However, it’s possible that Paul meant a specific woman was acting superior to or as master over a man, and both would be negative in the context of a human relationship.

CONTEXT 3: This is when authente  is describing some ultimate divine being as an absolute ruler, superior, master, lord. There are no occurrences of this meaning used before Paul that we know of. Interestingly, the first uses in this context came out around the same time, about 150 AD in the Shepherd of Hermas, who refers to Jesus Christ as the Master/Owner/Builder of the Church (allegorical tower) and also in Poimandres (means “The Shepherd of Men”, is the first of 17 texts that comprise the Corpus Hermeticum; The Corpus Hermeticum - Sacred Texts - Hermetic Library). This is used in the context of some superlative divine mind/knowledge.

Who copied who, we don’t know. But again, this all adds to the confusion of the meaning, and also possibly influenced the early translations meaning of domineer/lord over, when applied in a human context compared to divine (ie YHWH & Adonai are Dominus in Latin).

The following is a statement by a key influential scholar for decades on the authentein debate that has been cited in various influential secondary sources (my emphasis added): “It (authentia) was the name of the supreme deity in the systems of the early Gnostics Cerinthus and Saturninus, and in the gnostic writing Poimandres.” 

Anything influenced by the Gnostics almost always adds to the confusion. When Irenaeus & Hippolytus refutes Cerinthus/Saturninus Gnostic beliefs in Against Heresies (Irenaeus), Refuting Heresies (Hippolytus), it seems they are using authentia to describe the gnostic supreme deity. But it is not a name gnostics actually used.

Also adding to the confusion, Poimandres is considered part of the Corpus Hermeticum, which are considered astrological texts, not gnostic, but they do seem to include significant gnostic influences about knowledge. Nothing is plain or clear when astrology, gnostics and mystics are all mixed up in a toxic milieu of cultic syncretism with secret knowledge and sorcery, and that shift seems to be what happened for the most part over the 100 years after Paul! The pagan influence was significant before Paul, but the Gnostic and Hermetic cults were in their beginnings during this time of history and caused some of the confusion.

Using the authente family to describe God as Absolute, Sovereign and Supreme expanded in patristic uses over the next several hundred years, especially with Chrysostom (YHWH God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit). Over half of Chrysostom’s uses are positive meanings in a superlative manner for the Christian Triune God.

So those are three key contexts of where the authente family was used. 

Now, where do we go from here? 

Next up is a summary on authentein, including why Paul was most likely using it with a negative meaning and why that matters, along with various interpretations. After that, I will continue working through Paul’s pastoral corrections in 1 Tim 2:12-15 regarding teaching, created order, and childbirth, then share some additional thoughts on 1 Timothy to conclude the series. 

In the meantime…

THE SHIFT CONTINUES: In the comments below I will share a fairly extensive, but not exhaustive chart I compiled with how authentein has been translated over the years since the Latin Venus (around 150AD) in various versions of our Bibles. I compare the translation of authentein with how each version translated “lord over” / katakyrieuousin and “exercise authority” / katexousiazousin in Matt 20:25. An interesting note is that all the ancient translations use similar negative language of domineering / lording over for authentein and katakyrieuousin (lording it over).