POEMANDRES. I. 5 



created some Seven Administrators (a-), 1 encompassing in 

 circles the sensible world; and their administration is 

 called Fate (&). 2 



10. Immediately from the downborne elements sprung 

 forth The Word of The God to the pure creation of all 

 Nature, 3 and was united to the creative Mind(c), for it was 

 of the same essence (d), 4 and the irrational downborne 

 elements of Nature were left to be matter only. 



11. But the Creator Mind along with The Word, that 

 encompassing the circles, and making them revolve with 

 force (e), turned about its own creations and permitted 

 them to be turned about from an indefinite beginning to 

 an interminable end; for they begin ever where they end. 



. (a) Sfo/x/rree?. (b) slfteipfisvYi. (c) ru ^^vovpy^ vu. 



(d) ofAoovatos. (e) ^ivuv poi^a. 



1 " The Seven Spirits which are before His throne " (Rev. i 4) ; " The! 

 Seven Spirits of God, and the Seven Stars " (ibid. L 20 ; iii. 1) ; " Seven 

 lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are Seven Spirits of 

 God " (ibid. iv. 5) ; " The Seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the 

 earth" (ibid. v. 6) ; "I saw the Seven Angels which stand before God " 

 (ibid. viii. 2) ; " Seven Angels" (ibid. v. 7, 8) ; " Raphael, one of the 

 Seven Holy Angels which present the prayers of the Saints, and 

 which go in and out before the Glory of The Holy One" (Tobit, xiv. \ 

 15). See Rev. viii. 3, 4 ; Ps. ciii. 20 ; and the extracts from Hermes 

 by Stobeeus (188); Meineke, i. 48 (post, Part II.). 



2 That Hermes held that Fate and Necessity are wholly subject to ^ 

 the Providence of the Creator, see ch. x. 20, and the Excerpt by Stobseus 

 (183) (post, Part II.); Meineke, i. 47. 



3 By the Word of the Lord were the Heavens made, and all the 

 host of them by the breath of His mouth (tvTtptuQwciv xeti r<a 

 irvsvfAKTi (Spirit) " rot/ orof^etrog ctvrw -Kottja, vj ^vyf^ig oturui/," Septua- 

 gint), Ps. xxxiii. 6. " All things were made by Him " (i.e., The 

 Word), " and without Him (xuplc dvrov, "apart from Him ") was not 

 anything made that was made " (John i. 3) ; and see the remainder of 

 the passage before quoted. " Who is the Image of the invisible God, 

 the first born of all creation. For in Him were all things created in 

 the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, 

 whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers. All 

 things have been created through Him and unto Him " (Col. i. 15, 

 Revised Version). See Heb. i. 3, quoted next page. 



4 It is remarkable to recognise here the test epithet of the orthodox 

 at the Council of Nicsea. 



