Ophites

“ But Hippolytus tells us, no doubt truly, that the Ophiomorphus of the earlier Ophites was in the opinion of his votaries a benevolent and beneficent power. After saying that they worship
“nothing else than Naas, whence they are called Naassenes, and that they say that to this Naas (or serpent) alone is dedicated every temple, and that he is to be found in every mystery and initiatory rite,” he continues, “They say that nothing of the things that are, whether deathless or mortal, with or without soul, could exist apart from him. ”

“ The cause seems to have had its origin in the opinion, that the serpent was "more subtle than any other beast of the field." It is not difficult to account, therefore, for the serpent being an early emblem of wisdom.
There were also Ophites who were a sort of mongrel christians, and perhaps revered the serpent as a type of Christ, [2] as the brazen serpent is still considered. ”

“ They were of the same family as the Cadmians, and Phœnices; and as the Hivites, or Ophites who came from Egypt, and settled near Libanus and Baal Hermon, upon the confines of Canaan. They worshipped the Sun under the symbol of a serpent: hence they were styled in different parts, where they in time settled, Europians, Oropians, Anopians, Inopians, Asopians, Elopians; all which names relate to the worship of the Pytho Ops, or Opis. What may be the precise etymology of the term Κυκλωψ, Cuclops, I cannot presume to determine. ”

“ Ophites, a sect of Gnostics who regarded the serpent as a benefactor of the race in having persuaded Eve to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in disregard, or rather in defiance, of the warning of the God of the Jews.
Opie, John, English artist, born near Truro, Cornwall; began to learn his father's trade of carpenter, but turning to art went with Dr. ”

“ The Gnostics are called Ophites, brethren of the Serpent, not after the serpent with which the fathers compared Gnosticism, meaning to indicate the dangerous poison of its doctrine, and to suggest that it was the hydra, which as soon as it lost one head at once put forth another; but because the serpent was the accepted symbol of their lofty Knowledge. ... The first priests and supporters of the dogma were, according to the author of the Philosophoumena, the so-caned Naassenes--a name derived from the Hebrew name of the serpent. ”

“ He was represented in the Orphic theology under the mixed symbol of a lion and a serpent, and sometimes of a serpent only.
The Cuthites, under the title of Heliadæ, having settled at Rhodes, as they were Hivites, or Ophites, the island was in consequence named Ophiusa. There was likewise a tradition that it had once swarmed with serpents. (Bochart says the island is said to have been named Rhodus from Rhad, a Syriac word for a serpent.) The like notion prevailed almost in every place where they settled. ”

“ The Ophites, a sect of the second century, professed that the world had been created, and was governed by evil Eons or geniuses, and that God had sent Jesus Christ, his Son, to oppose the evil geniuses. They held the doctrine of Metempsychosis.
In the second century the sect of the Cainites denied the resurrection of the body, and believed in Metempsychosis.
The above sects compose the large body of Christians in the second century; and yet we do not find in their doctrines anything like the dogma of endless hell. ”

“ Bryant and Faber both derive the name of “Europe” from “Aur-ab, the solar serpent.” “Whether this be correct or not,” says Deane, “it is certain that Ophiolatreia prevailed in this quarter of the globe at the earliest period of idolatry. The first inhabitants of Europe are said to have been the offspring of a woman, partly of the human and partly of the dracontic figure, a tradition which alludes to their Ophite origin.
“Of the countries of Europe, Greece was first colonized by Ophites, but at separate times, both from Egypt and Phœnicia ”

“ But it is probable that, as Sir William Ramsay himself says, this idea had become less prominent with the immigration from Europe of tribes of male warriors without female companions, [144] while Semitic influence was always against it. Hence the Ophites found themselves compelled to make their female deity inferior or posterior to their male. “Below these, again (i.e. below the First and Second Man or Father-and-Son) ,” says Irenaeus in reporting their doctrines, “is the Holy Spirit ... whom they call the First Woman [145] .” ”

“ See Neptune Powers, the Three Triple. See Tridynami Praedestinatus, heresiology of, its sources, ii. 10 n. 1; describes “rabbling” of Ophites by Christian bishops and mob, ii. 77 Praetextatus, Vettius Agorius, his rank in Mithraism, ii. 268; one of the last Pagan noblemen, ii. ”

“ The same learned writer discovers traces of the serpent worship among the Hyperboreans, at Rhodes, named Ophiusa, in Phrygia, and upon the Hellespont, in the island Cyprus, in Crete, among the Athenians, in the name of Cecrops, among the natives of Thebes in Bœotia, among the Lacedæmonians, in Italy, in Syria, &c, and in the names of many places, as well as the people where the 855Ophites settled. One of the most early heresies introduced into the Christian church was that of the Ophitæ, who introduced serpents emblematically among their rites. ”

“ That work, though complete in itself, meets in this a further elucidation of its subject, since, in the opinion of many, Ophiolatreia, the worship of the Serpent, is of Phallic origin. Such a view, and others of a contrary nature, have been honestly set forth, and the best and most trustworthy authorities have been consulted for history, arguments, and illustrations by which they may be understood. No attempt has been made to insist upon any one method of interpretation as undoubtedly correct, but simple facts have been stated, and the reader has been left to form his own independent judgment. ”

“ There is enough of the mysterious in an ophidian to excite the awe and wonder of even a nineteenth-century beholder, taking each one of these surprising doings singly; but considering that any one serpent may be endowed with nearly all of these phenomenal powers, let us imagine the effect produced by them in the savage mind. ”

“ The ancients said that the flesh of the ophidians, though the deadliest of created things, gave eternal youth, and even cured death, itself; and, though fatal as the shears of Atropos, the poison of asps was the supreme drug in the cabinet of the God of Doctors. ”

“ Ophiuchus is a man who holds a serpent (Greek Ophis) in his hands. The constellation is situated to the south of Herculês; and the principal star, called “Ras Alhague,” is in the man’s head. (Ras Alhague) is from the Arabic, rás-al-hawwá, “the serpent-charmer’s head.”)
Satan stood
Unterrified, and like a comet burned,
That fires the length of Ophiuchus huge,
In the Arctic sky.
Milton, Paradise Lost, ii. 709, etc. (1665) .
Opium-Eater (The English) , Thomas de Quincey, who published Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1845) .
O. P. Q., Robert Merry (1755-1798) ”

“ Yet, strangely enough, many persons missed the excitement of the possibility of a fatal bite in other regions, where there were nothing but black and green and striped snakes, mean ophidians, having the spite of the nobler serpent without his venom,--poor crawling creatures, whom Nature would not trust with a poison-bag. ”

“ Ophiuchus is represented as an old man, holding in his hands a writhing serpent. Ras Algethi, the head of Hercules, lies just west of Ras Alhague.
Equally distant southeast and southwest of Ras Alhague, are to be seen two stars close together, representing the shoulders of Ophiuchus. His foot rests on the Scorpion just above Antares. ”

“ Caulah and Opheirah, and several other women of the highest rank and chief families of the Arabian tribes, with a great many more of inferior note, also prepared themselves for the battle. Kaled turned about to them, and said, “Noble girls, assure yourselves, that what you do is very acceptable to God and his apostle, and the Mussulmans; you will hereby purchase to yourselves a lasting memory, and the gates of paradise will be open to you. And assure yourselves, that I repose the greatest confidence in you. If any party of the Greeks fall upon you, fight for yourselves ”

“ Ottilia was the keenest reader. Ottilia had divined what could be wrought out of me. I was still subject to the relapses of a not perfectly right nature, as I perceived when glancing back at my thought of 'An odd series of accidents!' which was but a disguised fashion of attributing to Providence the particular concern, in my fortunes: an impiety and a folly! This is the temptation of those who are rescued and made happy by circumstances. The wretched think themselves spited, and are merely childish, not egregious in egoism. ”

“ He is stronger than we. Otee has been angry with the real men for many years. He is gone over to the palefaces and helps their god against the real men. My young men shall take their guns back to the palefaces to-morrow, and shall bring back fire-water, and we will drink, and forget that the days of Powhatan are past and that Otee fights against us. Also when the Pamunkey is red with to-morrow's sunset, my brothers from the Blue Mountains shall turn their faces homewards. ”

“ Our good white father said to Oytes, “I am heartily sorry that you have such a bad heart. Let me tell you, Oytes, if you want to get your young men into trouble, you can. I have not come here to make you do what you don’t want to do. I came to tell you all that government is willing to do for you, and if you will not do it I cannot help you. I have men here to teach you all how to work, and now you wart to take your men away with those bad Columbia River Indians. They are just like you. They don’t want to work like other people. ”

“ Ophid began moving slowly toward Roya. His hissing voice was like his eyes—impelling. "There are no warriors from your Outer World. There is no one...."
In desperation Roya upended the table and darted for the door. Only reaching out, Ophid eased the table to the floor. Roya fumbled frantically at the latch—but couldn't release it! Feeling Ophid's eyes burning over her, she whirled. Rippling sinuously, tail swaying in rhythm, Ophid was moving slowly backward.
His hissing voice was an opiate. "It is useless, fair one. You cannot resist what is to be...."
Had Toka and the others not really come! ”

“ Now the daughter of Omartes, the king of the Marathi, a tribe dwelling on the other side of the Tanais, was named Odatis. And concerning her it is written in the Histories, that she in her sleep beheld Zariadres, and fell in love with him; and that the very same thing happened to him with respect to her. And so for a long time they were in love with one another, simply on account of the visions which they had seen in their dreams. And Odatis was the most beautiful of all the women in Asia; and Zariadres also was very handsome. ”

“ But I made money—much money—I send them to school—I give them a start—ach," he sighed, "it was once a good business—in the old times! The old times then when Jews were in it. You never hear of Yiddish organ-grinders now," He winked slyly. "The Jews are too smart: they would make money.
"So—your sons tried to make you stop?" asked Nell.
He seemed to awake from a revery.
"They? Yes, yes. Of course. And I stopped—one week! And then—" he suddenly tapped the Doctor on the shoulder, "I found out the dear God made me an organ-grinder. I could not stay home. The streets called me. ”

“ And Opitsah was mad with anger, and danced stiff-legged before him, as men do when they wish to give another shame. And Opitsah sang a song of his own greatness and the greatness of his people, filled with bad words for the Chilcats and for Ligoun. And as he danced and sang, Opitsah threw off his blanket and with his knife drew bright circles before the face of Ligoun. ”

“ Maximus of Tyre, and Apollonius of Rhodes, following Orpheus, speak of the war of the gods against the angels who rebelled under their chief Ophion, or the Serpent, and Pherecydes, according to Origen, sang of this event as having taken place in pre-historic times; so that the knowledge of it could only have reached man by revelation. He described the two armies face to face,—one commanded by Saturn, the supreme Creator; the other by Ophioneus, the old Dragon, and the defeat of the latter and its expulsion from the realms of bliss to Ogenos, the regions of annihilation. ”

“ So Oytes came back, and told our people to go with him to the Columbia River Indians and trade. He said: “Take everything; your furs, and blankets, and buckskins, too.”
My father and Sub-chief Egan came to me and said: “We have come to tell our father, Parrish, what Oytes is doing. He wants us to go to those bad Indians and trade with them.” Egan said, “Yes, they are our enemies, and we must not have them coming here, for they will bring us trouble. We are afraid of Oytes; he is a very bad man.” I told Mr. Parrish everything that father and Egan had said about Oytes. ”

“ The cortege forming the entire party marched for the Hall Of Life—where the final victory over the hordes of Ophid was portrayed in huge scenes. But there remained space there still for many more scenes.
Going down the sacred stairway, Toka glanced to Kolano. "How about the hordes of Ophid?"
"There are no men of Ophid or dragons left alive," Kolano assured. ”

“ Caulah now addressed them: “What! will you suffer yourselves to be abused by these barbarians, and become handmaids and slaves to those idolaters? Where is your courage? For my part, I will sooner die than suffer any of these idolatrous slaves to touch me.” Opheirah, who was one of them, replied, that their patience was not the effect of cowardice, but necessity. “For,” says she, “we are defenceless; we have neither sword nor spear, nor bow, nor any thing else.” “But cannot we,” says Caulah, “take each of us a tent-pole, and stand upon our guard? ”