Archons

 The Hypostasis of the Archons: This text describes the archons as the rulers of the material world, who were created by a chief archon named Yaldabaoth, who is also called Samael, the blind god. The archons are ignorant and arrogant, and they try to prevent humanity from attaining gnosis (knowledge) of the true God. They also create a counterfeit spirit to deceive the human soul. The text names seven archons, each associated with a planet and a day of the week. 

- The Apocryphon of John: This text also identifies Yaldabaoth as the chief archon, who emanated from Sophia, the lowest aeon in the Pleroma (the realm of the true God). Yaldabaoth creates twelve archons, six male and six female, who rule over the twelve realms of the zodiac. The text gives the names and attributes of each archon, and also describes how they created Adam and Eve, and how they tried to keep them in ignorance and bondage. The text also mentions the archons of fate, who are subordinate to Yaldabaoth and control the destiny of humans. 

- The Pistis Sophia: This text depicts the archons as the enemies of Pistis Sophia, the personification of divine wisdom, who descended from the Pleroma and was trapped in the lower regions by Yaldabaoth and his minions. The text narrates how Pistis Sophia suffered and repented, and how Jesus rescued her and restored her to her original place. The text also describes the different regions of punishment where the archons torment the souls of the wicked, and how Jesus judges and binds the archons at the end of time. The text also mentions the archons of the aeons, who are the guardians of the gates of the Pleroma. 

- The Gospel of Thomas: This text is a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus, some of which are similar to those found in the canonical gospels, and some of which are unique and cryptic. The text does not mention the archons explicitly, but it implies their existence and their opposition to the true God and his kingdom. For example, in saying 7, Jesus says: \"Blessed is the lion which becomes man when consumed by man; and cursed is the man whom the lion consumes, and the lion becomes man.\" This could be interpreted as a reference to the archons, who are often depicted as having animal forms, and who try to devour the human soul and prevent it from reaching its divine potential. 

- The Book of Zohar: This text is the main work of the Kabbalah, the mystical tradition of Judaism. It is a commentary on the Torah, the five books of Moses, and it reveals the hidden meanings and secrets of the creation, the nature of God, the soul, and the cosmic order. The text does not use the term archon, but it refers to the forces of evil and impurity that oppose the divine plan and the spiritual ascent of humanity. These forces are called the Sitra Achra, the Other Side, or the Klipot, the Shells. They are the remnants of the primordial chaos that existed before the creation, and they are the source of all evil and suffering in the world. The text also mentions the angelic princes of the seventy nations, who are the spiritual rulers of the Gentiles, and who are sometimes hostile to Israel and God. 

- Sefer Yezirah: This text is one of the oldest and most influential works of the Kabbalah. It is a short treatise on the creation of the universe, based on the power of the Hebrew alphabet and the ten sefirot, the divine attributes or emanations. The text does not mention the archons or any other evil forces, but it implies that the creation is a dynamic and harmonious balance of opposing forces, such as light and darkness, good and evil, mercy and judgment. The text also suggests that the human soul is composed of different elements and faculties, some of which are higher and closer to God, and some of which are lower and more prone to sin. 

- The Secret Book of John: This text is a Mandean scripture, not to be confused with the Gnostic text of the same name. It is a collection of stories and teachings about John the Baptist, who is revered by the Mandeans as the true prophet and messenger of God. The text does not mention the archons, but it refers to the ruhin, the spirits or demons, who are the enemies of John and his followers. The text also describes the creation of the world by the Great Life, the supreme deity of the Mandeans, and his emanations, such as the King of Light, the Great Builder, and the Mighty Jordan. The text also narrates the adventures and miracles of John, and his encounters with Jesus, whom the Mandeans regard as a false prophet and an impostor. 

- The Ginza Rabba: This text is the main holy scripture of the Mandeans, and it consists of two parts: the Right Ginza and the Left Ginza. The Right Ginza contains hymns, prayers, and rituals for various occasions, such as baptism, marriage, death, and festivals. The Left Ginza contains cosmological and historical narratives, such as the creation of the world, the origin of the Mandeans, the stories of the prophets, and the end of time. The text does not mention the archons, but it refers to the planets and the zodiac as the rulers of the material world, who are hostile to the Great Life and his emanations. The text also mentions the evil spirits, such as the Seven and the Twelve, who are the enemies of the Mandeans and their faith. 

- The Coptic Apocalypse of Paul: This text is a Sethian Gnostic text, not to be confused with the Nag Hammadi text of the same name. It is a visionary account of Paul's ascent to the heavens, guided by an angel. The text mentions the archons several times, as the rulers of the lower heavens, who try to stop Paul from reaching the highest heaven, where the invisible God and his aeons dwell. The text also describes the different heavens and their inhabitants, such as the angels, the souls, the powers, and the virtues. The text also reveals the secret names and formulas that Paul uses to overcome the archons and their challenges. 

- The Pistis Sophia Unveiled: This text is a commentary on the Pistis Sophia by Samael Aun Weor, a self-proclaimed Gnostic master and founder of the Universal Christian Gnostic Movement. The text interprets the Pistis Sophia from a Christian Gnostic perspective, based on sexual magic, Kabbalah, alchemy, astrology, and esoteric psychology. The text explains the archons as the psychological defects and egos that enslave the human soul and prevent it from achieving self-realization and liberation. The text also provides practical exercises and techniques to eliminate the archons and to awaken the inner Christ. 

- The Nag Hammadi Library: This is a collection of thirteen ancient codices, containing over fifty Gnostic texts, discovered in 1945 near Nag Hammadi, Egypt. The texts date from the 2nd to the 4th century AD, and they represent various schools and traditions of Gnosticism, such as Sethianism, Valentinianism, Basilidianism, Hermeticism, and others. The texts mention the archons in different ways, depending on the cosmology and theology of each text. Some texts identify the archons with the biblical angels and demons, some with the pagan gods and planets, some with the cosmic forces and elements, and some with the psychological aspects and impulses of the human soul. The texts also describe the origin, nature, and function of the archons, and how the Gnostic initiates can overcome them and attain gnosis. 

- The Apocryphon of James: This text is a Valentinian Gnostic text, not to be confused with the Nag Hammadi text of the same name. It is a dialogue between Jesus and James, the brother of the Lord, in which Jesus reveals the secret teachings of his resurrection and his ascension. The text does not mention the archons explicitly, but it implies their existence and their opposition to Jesus and his disciples. For example, in chapter 2, Jesus says: \"For this reason I say to you, be sober; do not go astray. And many times have I said to you all together, and also to you alone, James, have I said: Be saved. And I have commanded you to follow me, and I have taught you the response in the presence of the archons.

- The Gospel of Judas: This text is a Sethian Gnostic text, discovered in the 1970s in Egypt and published in 2006. It is a dialogue between Jesus and Judas Iscariot, in which Jesus reveals the mysteries of his betrayal and his death. The text mentions the archons several times, as the rulers of the world and the creators of humanity. The text also identifies the archons with the twelve disciples of Jesus, who are ignorant and corrupt.