-
Articles/Ads
Article COLLECTANEA. ← Page 3 of 5 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Collectanea.
of the beginning , course , and end of the system . Long before the Christian era , the symbols aleph and tau were employed in the mythologies of Egypt ; and as the worship of the bull has always been a prominent feature in the idolatries of the east , the type aleph ( X ) appears to have been generally recognised as the symbol of Apis , or Serapis . By the Egyptians and the Gnostics , who imitated them , it was employed as the monogram of the deity . Hencein Coptic antiques and Gnostic
, memorials , we have satisfactory elucidation of ' some of the ancient mysteries—a knowledge of which will enable us to explain such inscriptions as appear of a more recondite character . We learn from Dionysius Halicarnassensis , and others , that the Egyptian priests celebrated their gods by chaunting the seven vocalic sounds , namely , a , e , -g , i , o , v , a . Now the Gnostics imitated this : they accepted the type Apis as an emblem of Christand accompanied the sign or monogram with some part of
, the vocalic chaunt . Many gems , metal plates , and amulets , now extant , exemplify this . The full chaunt required the whole seven—the monadic , one vowel ; the triadic , three ; and tbe tetrachtyc four . These were , however , rather subtleties of the Gnostics than of the Egyptians . Aleph was ( as a monogram ) frequently associated with Coptic or Greek uncials . A seal , or amulet , in brass , of some antiquity ( though probably
only a copy ot some genuine antique ) exhibits on its two matrices the head of Apis . On the larger face is inscribed the legend + ft . TO ONtf ftl CION O . OIE . That is : + Aleph . To " Oi < o /_ a " a ? Siov . 'O , o ) . i . e . That is , -f- Aleph ( Sarapis ) , the name ever divine : the celebrated ! Here we have , first , the epochal cross ; then aleph , the symbol of Apis ; then
a contraction tor TO ovoy . a . iNext at , . db-Olice tor dti ; then __ i _ y for Qewv ( Sior being put Dorice , vel Laconice , for Gedr ) . Lastly , an emphatic triadic chaunt—the a , i , e , or a , t , g . The inscription , therefore , may be thus expressed : -j- N To " Ovo / xa del deiov . ' O , a , i , IJ , or < B , i , e , i . e ., + Sarapis , the name ever divine the Trisagion . After much consideration I incline to pronounce this amulet Gnostic rather than Coptic . The aleph thrice expressed denotes the abstract , the concrete ( or attributal ) , and the sempiternal character of the
Deity . As to the three vowels , preceded by the article , they agree indeed in number , with the above distinction , but must be considered merely as an adapted portion of the vocalic chaunt . Some elucidation of this view may probably be supplied by the description of a seal , once in the possession of Sir William Jones , and now the property of Miss Milner ( of Nun Appleton ) , to whose courtesy I am indebted for an impression . This seal , on a cornelian , bears the human-formed head of Serapis , with the usual ciildthus . The legend in Greek uncials , of square form , is " Me ' ya To"Ovoua i o v S , apams , i . e ., the greatnamei o u Saraois :
or , hail ! Serapis . This seal , bearing the figure of a human head , is of course not attributable to the Gnostics . The Gnostics seem to have borrowed largely from the Pythagoreans . Much of their doctrine is a jumble of Coptic mysticism , Platonism , and
Chris-. tianity ; and their fancies strikingly resemble the cabalistic reveries of thc Jews .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Collectanea.
of the beginning , course , and end of the system . Long before the Christian era , the symbols aleph and tau were employed in the mythologies of Egypt ; and as the worship of the bull has always been a prominent feature in the idolatries of the east , the type aleph ( X ) appears to have been generally recognised as the symbol of Apis , or Serapis . By the Egyptians and the Gnostics , who imitated them , it was employed as the monogram of the deity . Hencein Coptic antiques and Gnostic
, memorials , we have satisfactory elucidation of ' some of the ancient mysteries—a knowledge of which will enable us to explain such inscriptions as appear of a more recondite character . We learn from Dionysius Halicarnassensis , and others , that the Egyptian priests celebrated their gods by chaunting the seven vocalic sounds , namely , a , e , -g , i , o , v , a . Now the Gnostics imitated this : they accepted the type Apis as an emblem of Christand accompanied the sign or monogram with some part of
, the vocalic chaunt . Many gems , metal plates , and amulets , now extant , exemplify this . The full chaunt required the whole seven—the monadic , one vowel ; the triadic , three ; and tbe tetrachtyc four . These were , however , rather subtleties of the Gnostics than of the Egyptians . Aleph was ( as a monogram ) frequently associated with Coptic or Greek uncials . A seal , or amulet , in brass , of some antiquity ( though probably
only a copy ot some genuine antique ) exhibits on its two matrices the head of Apis . On the larger face is inscribed the legend + ft . TO ONtf ftl CION O . OIE . That is : + Aleph . To " Oi < o /_ a " a ? Siov . 'O , o ) . i . e . That is , -f- Aleph ( Sarapis ) , the name ever divine : the celebrated ! Here we have , first , the epochal cross ; then aleph , the symbol of Apis ; then
a contraction tor TO ovoy . a . iNext at , . db-Olice tor dti ; then __ i _ y for Qewv ( Sior being put Dorice , vel Laconice , for Gedr ) . Lastly , an emphatic triadic chaunt—the a , i , e , or a , t , g . The inscription , therefore , may be thus expressed : -j- N To " Ovo / xa del deiov . ' O , a , i , IJ , or < B , i , e , i . e ., + Sarapis , the name ever divine the Trisagion . After much consideration I incline to pronounce this amulet Gnostic rather than Coptic . The aleph thrice expressed denotes the abstract , the concrete ( or attributal ) , and the sempiternal character of the
Deity . As to the three vowels , preceded by the article , they agree indeed in number , with the above distinction , but must be considered merely as an adapted portion of the vocalic chaunt . Some elucidation of this view may probably be supplied by the description of a seal , once in the possession of Sir William Jones , and now the property of Miss Milner ( of Nun Appleton ) , to whose courtesy I am indebted for an impression . This seal , on a cornelian , bears the human-formed head of Serapis , with the usual ciildthus . The legend in Greek uncials , of square form , is " Me ' ya To"Ovoua i o v S , apams , i . e ., the greatnamei o u Saraois :
or , hail ! Serapis . This seal , bearing the figure of a human head , is of course not attributable to the Gnostics . The Gnostics seem to have borrowed largely from the Pythagoreans . Much of their doctrine is a jumble of Coptic mysticism , Platonism , and
Chris-. tianity ; and their fancies strikingly resemble the cabalistic reveries of thc Jews .