Magical Incantations, Gnostic Ritual, and Censure
The Gnostic baptismal hymn spelled out sequences of vowels interspersed with praise. They are mixed up and strung out in varying sequences with words like “really truly” interjected throughout the vowels and also with words of praise to the Holy One. You might wonder if the string of vowels might then be magical incantations or some symbolic way of uttering divine praise or addressing the Unknowable Holy One. Both options might be correct. The Gnostics, at least some of them, possessed esoteric knowledge that included symbolism, astrology, and numerology. It is possible that numerologically the vowels added up to some number equating with a symbolic name for God or power.
It is also possible that uttering them might have invoked some kind of magical power that afforded some degree of protection from the archons and enemies of light. A final possible meaning might be that chanting the vowels, if correctly done, induced an ecstatic trance, brought about meditative centering, or invoked contemplation in which a transcendent experience could occur.
Simon Magus (magus means worker or practitioner of magic), who was a contemporary of the Apostles, was credited with establishing Gnosticism and specifically starting a sect known as the Simonians. In his polemic Against Heresies, Irenaeus called Simon Magus the “father of all heretics.”
Did the Gnostics even practice magic? Probably. Some sources say Gnostic magic was for medicinal purposes such as healing illnesses and afflictions. The Christian Gnostics certainly would have known about and possibly have had contact with the magic of the Chaldeans, Egyptians, and Hebrews. Many first-century Christians believed that invoking the name of Christ called forth unseen powers that bestowed healing and banished darkness.
However, the early church fathers, notably Irenaeus of Lyons, Hippolytus, and Tertullian, did not think magic and magical incantations had a part in the Christian experience, although in the first-century world many diverse groups worked with magic. In some non-canonical texts, Jesus was called a master magician. Irenaeus had personal experience with the Gnostics, and wrote extensively against what he considered the error of their thinking and their practices. In his writings, he gave detailed accounts of their doctrines, especially focusing on the Barbelo-Gnostics and the Valentinians. Hippolytus thought that the Gnostics' philosophy was rooted in heathenism, and Tertullian spent much of his life writing against Gnostic heresies. These three church fathers, from their positions within the orthodox church, refuted, censured, and documented the Gnostics and their doctrines.
