Archon (Gr. άρχων, pl. άρχοντες) is a Greek word that means "ruler", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly It is the masculine present participle of the verb stem αρχ-, meaning "to rule", derived from the same root as monarch and hierarchy. @@@ main@@@ - title Hierarchy@@@ keywords structure; sociology; information@@@ review@@@ -
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Ancient Greece
In the early literary period of ancient Greece the chief magistrates of various Greek city states were called Archon. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca A magistrate is a judicial officer In Common law systems a magistrate usually has limited authority to administer and enforce the Law. The term was also used throughout Greek history in a more general sense, ranging from "club leader" to "master of the tables" at syssitia to "Roman governor". The syssitia (in Classical Greek / ta syssítia) was in Ancient Greece, a common meal for men and youths in social or religious groups especially in In Roman terms, archontes ruled by imperium, whereas Basileis ("Kings") had auctoritas. Imperium in a broad sense translates as power. In Ancient Rome the concept applied to People, and meant something like "power "Basilissa" redirects here For the saint of this name see Julian and Basilissa. A king is a male Monarch, or a Head of state, who may or may not depending on the style of government of a nation exercise monarchal powers over a territory usually Auctoritas is a Latin word and is the origin of English " Authority "
In Athens a system of three concurrent Archons evolved, the three office holders being known as the Archon Eponymos, the Polemarch, and the Archon Basileus. Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's A polemarch (from πολέμαρχος polemarchos) was a senior military title in various ancient Greek City states ( poleis) "Basilissa" redirects here For the saint of this name see Julian and Basilissa. Originally these offices were filled from the aristocracy by elections every ten years. During this period the Eponymos Archon was the chief magistrate, the Polemarch was the head of the armed forces, and the Archon Basileus was responsible for the civic religious arrangements. After 683 BC the offices were held for only a single year, and the year was named after the Archon Eponymos. Events and trends 689 BC — King Sennacherib of Assyria sacks Babylon. (Many ancient calendar systems did not number their years consecutively. The word Calendar consist of two words 1 Cal ( in Pashto means Year in Hindi and Persian is Sal- also means Year ) After 487 BC the archonships were assigned by lot to any citizen and the Polemarch's military duties were taken over by a new class of generals known as strategoi. Events By place Greece The island of Aegina and the city of Athens go to war For the board game see Stratego. "Strategus" redirects here The Polemarch thereafter had only minor religious duties. The Archon Eponymus remained the titular head of state under democracy, though of much reduced political importance. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system The Archons were assisted by "junior Archons", called Thesmothetes. After 457 BC ex-archons were automatically enrolled as life members of the Areopagus, though that assembly was no longer extremely important politically at that time. Events By place Persian empire Artaxerxes I decrees that the city government of Jerusalem shall be re-established (see Ezra 7 This article concerns the place where a classical judicial body met (See Archons of Athens. This is a list of the eponymous archons of Athens. Background The Archon was the chief Magistrate in many Greek cities but in )
Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
From time to time, laity of the Orthodox Church in communion with the Patriarch of Constantinople have been granted the title of Archon to honor their service to Church administration. In religious organizations the laity comprises all persons who are not Clergy. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world "Patriarch of Constantinople" redirects here For the institutional church itself see Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. In 1963, Archons were organized into a service society dedicated to St Andrew. This Archon status is not part of the Church hierarchy and is purely honorary. See http://www.archons.org/ .
An Archon is an honoree by His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch, for his outstanding service to the Church, and a well-known, distinguished, and well-respected leader of the Orthodox Church (at large). The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world
It is the sworn oath of the Archon to defend and promote the Orthodox Church faith and tradition. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world His main concern is to protect and promote the Holy Patriarchate and its mission. He is also concerned with human rights and the well-being and general welfare of the Church. Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled
As it is a significant religious position, the faith and dedication of a candidate for the role are extensively reviewed during consideration; the candidate should have demonstrated commitment for the betterment of the Church, Parish-Diocese, Archdiocese and the community as a whole.
Gnostic Archons
In late antiquity some variants of Gnosticism used the term Archon to refer to several servants of the Demiurge, the "creator god", that stood between the human race and a transcendent God that could only be reached through gnosis. Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems The history of Gnosticism is subject to a great deal of debate and interpretation Early Gnosticism refers to a point in Gnosticism that occurred following the Fathers of Christian Gnosticism and related groups but prior to the shift to Syrian-Egyptian Gnostic Schools were ancient Gnostic sects from around the Middle East. Gnosticism includes a variety of ancient religions prevalent in the Mediterranean in the third century AD. The Church Fathers or Fathers of the Church is a term used in Catholic and Orthodox forms of Christianity to refer to the early and Philo (20 BC - 50 AD) known also as Philo of Alexandria (gr Φίλων ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς Philo Judaeus, Philo Judaeus of Alexandria Valentinus (also spelled Valentius) ( c 100 - c160 CE) was the best known and for a time most successful Early Christian gnostic Cerinthus ( c 100 was an Early Christian originator of a heretical sect a " Heresiarch " in the view of the Church Fathers "Basilides" redirects here For the 17th century Ethiopian Emperor see Fasilides of Ethiopia. Gnosticism used a number of Religious texts that are preserved in part or whole in ancient Manuscripts or are lost but mentioned critically in Patristic The term gnostic gospels refers to Gnostic collections of writings about the teachings of Jesus, written around the 2nd century AD. Nag Hammadi library (popularly known as The Gnostic Gospels) is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered near the The Codex Tchacos is an ancient Egyptian Coptic Papyrus containing early Christian Gnostic texts from approximately 300 A The Bruce Codex (also called the Codex Brucianus) is a gnostic manuscript acquired by the British Museum. This article discusses the relationship between Gnosticism and the New Testament. Gnosis (from one of the Greek words for Knowledge, γνώσις is the spiritual knowledge of a Saint or mystically enlightened human being Pythagoreanism is a term used for the Esoteric and metaphysical beliefs held by Pythagoras and his followers the Pythagoreans who were much influenced Neoplatonism (also Neo-Platonism) is the modern term for a school of Hellenistic philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD, based Manichaeism (in Modern Persian fa-Arab آیین مانی Āyin e Māni; Chinese zh 摩尼教 was one of the major Gnostic Religions originating The Bosnian Church ( crkva bosanska, ecclesia bosniensis) seems to have been a Catholic monastic order that separated itself from the wider Church possibly over the Esoteric Christianity is a term which refers to an ensemble of spiritual currents which regard Christianity as a Mystery religion, and profess the existence This article is about the philosophy introduced by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems Demiurge (the Latinized form of Greek demiourgos, δημιουργός, literally "public or skilled worker" from demos Gnosis (from one of the Greek words for Knowledge, γνώσις is the spiritual knowledge of a Saint or mystically enlightened human being In this context they have the role of the angels and demons of the Old Testament. An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon.
The Egyptian Gnostic Basilideans accepted the existence of an archon called Abraxas who was the prince of 365 spiritual beings (Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, I. The Basilideans were a Gnostic Sect founded by Basilides of Alexandria in the 2nd century. The word Abraxas (or Abrasax or Abracax) was engraved on certain antique stones called on that account Abraxas stones, which were used Saint Irenaeus (Greek Ειρηναίος (2nd century AD - c 202 was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, Roman Empire (now Lyons France On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis ( commonly called Against Heresies (Latin Adversus haereses,) is a five-volume work 24). The Orphics accepted the existence of seven archons: Iadabaoth or Ialdabaoth (who created the six others), Iao, Sabaoth, Adonaios, Elaios, Astaphanos and Horaios (Origen, Contra Celsum, VI. Orphism (more rarely Orphicism) is the name given to a set of religious beliefs and practices in the ancient Greek and Thracian world associated with literature Demiurge (the Latinized form of Greek demiourgos, δημιουργός, literally "public or skilled worker" from demos In Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title Origen ( Greek: Ōrigénēs, or Origen Adamantius, ca 185–ca Contra Celsus, or (in correct classical Latin Contra Celsum, is the title of a major work by the Church Father Origen of Alexandria, refuting the anti-Christian 31). The commonly-called Pistis Sophia (or The Books of the Savior) gives another set: Paraplex, Hekate, Ariouth (females), Typhon, and Iachtanabas (males). Pistis Sophia is an important Gnostic text The five remaining copies which scholars date c Hecate ( Greek: Ἑκάτη, "far-shooting") Hekate ( Hekátê In Greek mythology, Typhon ( Ancient Greek:, Tuphōn) also Typheus / Typhoeus ( Tuphōeus) Typhaon (
Ialdabaoth had a head of a lion, like Mithraic Kronos (Chronos) and Vedic Narasimha, a form of Vishnu. The Mithraic Mysteries or Mysteries of Mithras (also Mithraism) was a Roman mystery religion which became popular among the military in the late In Greek mythology, Chronos ( Ancient Greek:) in pre-Socratic philosophical works is said to be the personification of Time. This article discusses the historical religious practices in the Vedic time period see Hinduism and Indian religions for details Narasimha ( IAST Narasiṃha Sanskrit नरसिंह (other spellings are Narasingh, Narasinga) is an Avatara of Vishnu For other meanings see Vishnu (disambiguation. Vishnu ( IAST viṣṇu Devanagari विष्णु (honorific Their wrathful nature was mistaken as evil. Evil, in many cultures is used to describe acts or thoughts which are contrary to some particular religion The snake wrapped around them is Ananta (Sesha) Naga (mythology). In Hindu ( Vedic) tradition Shesha (Śeṣa in IAST transliteration Devanagari: शेष is the king of all nagas, one of the primal Nāga ( नाग, IAST: nāgá, Indonesian: naga, Javanese: nogo, Khmer: neak) is
Other uses
Real life
- The term is used within the Arab-speaking Copts in church parlance as a title for a leading member of the laity. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language A Copt ( Coptic: ouRemenkīmi enEkhristianos, literally Egyptian Christian) is a native Egyptian Christian. A title is a prefix or suffix added to a person's name to signify either veneration an official position or a professional or academic qualification In religious organizations the laity comprises all persons who are not Clergy.
- Archon is the title given to presidents of student chapters of the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. History Nu Phi In 1904 the College of Charleston was a small municipal College. Vice-presidents are known as Vice Archons.
- Archon is the title given to the vice-president of student chapters of the Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity
- Archon is the title given to presidents of student chapters of the Phi Sigma Sigma Sorority. Pi Lambda Phi (ΠΛΦ or Pi Lam is a College social fraternity founded by Frederick Manfred Werner Louis Samter Levy and Henry Mark Fisher at Yale University Phi Sigma Sigma ( ΦΣΣ) colloquially known as "Phi Sig" was the first collegiate Nonsectarian Sorority, welcoming women of all faiths Vice-presidents are known as Vice Archons.
- Eminent Archon is the title given to presidents of chapters of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. Sigma Alpha Epsilon (also known as SΑΕ) is a secret letter social college fraternity Vice-presidents are known as Eminent Deputy Archons.
- Grand Archon is the title given to presidents of the Sigma Delta Phi sorority and the Sigma Rho fraternity of the University of the Philippines. The University of the Philippines (or Unibersidad ng Pilipinas in Filipino and commonly abbreviated as U
- Archon is the designation given to individual members of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. Sigma Pi Phi is generally considered to be the first African-American Greek-lettered organization The wives of the members are termed Archousa (pl. Archousai).
- The Archons are a Greek co-ed group at Kenyon College that focuses on social fun through service events. Their motto is "Esse Quam Videri," Latin for "To Be, Not to Seem to Be. Esse quam videri is a Latin phrase meaning " To be rather than to seem " "
- On the campus of the University of Rio Grande (Ohio) the Fraternal order of Archon exists. Their brethren are commonly called, “Archons. ” The fraterinty has adapted the Greek letters AXN (alpha chi nu).
Books
- The term is used as the title of rulers in English language fiction, television programs, and games of the science fiction and fantasy genres. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Fiction is the telling of stories which are not real More specifically fiction is an imaginative form of Narrative, one of the four basic Rhetorical modes. A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Examples include the Outlanders series of science fiction novels and the comic book series, The Invisibles, in which they are generally portrayed according to the authentic Gnostic nature of the term. Outlanders is a long-running series of science-fiction novels created by Mark Ellis and published by Gold Eagle an imprint of Harlequin Enterprises The Invisibles is a mature readers Comic book series that was published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics from 1994 to It is also a common title in collegiate fraternity and sorority organizations. Fraternities and sororities (from the Latin words la frater and la soror, meaning "brother" and "sister" respectively are fraternal
- In the book Scar Night, Archons were a race of winged beings that were sent by Ulcis,the god of chains, out of the Abyss.
- In the book Mind Invaders by Dave Hunt, The Archons are nine demonic beings who pretend to be highly evolved intelligent beings who have come to guide mankind to its next evolutionary step.
- In the Greek versions of the Harry Potter books Tom Riddle is named Anton Morvol Hert, an anagram of "Archon Voldemort". Harry Potter is a series of seven Fantasy novels written by British author J
- Jacques Derrida uses 'archon' to refer to the guardian and authoritative interpreter of an archive. For example, Derrida traces the archon to the Greek concept in Archive Fever: A Freudian Impression (1995, p. 2).
- "Archons of Athens!" was the catchphrase of Dr. Gideon Fell, a long-running detective character created by John Dickson Carr. Doctor Gideon Fell is a fictional detective created by John Dickson Carr. John Dickson Carr ( November 30, 1906 &ndash February 27, 1977) was an American Author of Detective stories
- In Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, the Judge shares many aspects of an archon, though is never explicitly stated as being an archon. Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West is a 1985 Western Novel by American author Cormac McCarthy. Cormac McCarthy, born Charles McCarthy (born July 20, 1933 in Providence Rhode Island) is an American Novelist and Judge Holden is purportedly a historical person a Murderer who partnered with John Joel Glanton as a professional scalphunter in the mid-19th century
Movies and television
- In the Star Trek episode "The Return of the Archons," the space vessel Archon crashes on Beta III. Star Trek is a Science fiction Television series created by Gene Roddenberry that aired from September 8, 1966 through " The Return of the Archons " is a first season episode of Star Trek The Original Series. The crew of the USS Enterprise are referred to as Archons, after the crew of the ill-fated ship.
- In Stargate SG-1, Archons are similar to lawyers for the Tollans (an advance race living on a planet called Tollana). This is a list of the human civilizations featured in the television series Stargate SG-1. During Triad (trial), there are three archons, one for each defendant and a neutral archon, who has a casting vote.
- In NX Files, Archons are evolved beings who guide Team Xtreme, the true purpose of which remains a mystery. NX Files is an action martial arts multi-season video series broadcast online
- Some speculate that the Agents featured in The Matrix films were intended to metaphorically represent Gnostic Archons, in that they stood between humanity and their transcendence from the Matrix, into the enlightened real world. The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction - martial arts - Action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski and Also the robots could be seen as Archons in that they are our creations who have in a sense enslaved us in a false reality and live off our energy.
Role-playing games
- In the Dungeons & Dragons multiverse, archons are an angelic race indigenous to Mount Celestia. Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG originally designed by Parallel universe or alternative reality is a self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own Archons are a type of lawful good celestial from the Dungeons & Dragons Role playing game. An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition In Dungeons & Dragons, the Fantasy Role-playing game, Mount Celestia or more fully the Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia, or even
- In the World of Darkness, Archons are the chosen servants of the Justicars; both serving under, to reinforce, the Camarilla sect of Vampires. The World of Darkness (or WoD) is the name given to three related but distinct Fictional universes The first was conceived by Mark Rein-Hagen, while the
- In the game Kult, the ten Archons are servitors of the evil Demiurge. Kult is a contemporary fantasy horror Role-playing game originally designed by Gunilla Jonsson and Michael Petersén first published in Sweden by Target Games Demiurge (the Latinized form of Greek demiourgos, δημιουργός, literally "public or skilled worker" from demos Their task is to keep humanity imprisoned in the Demiurge's illusion and ignorant of Reality and their true nature.
Video games
- Warlords Battlecry uses Archons as special powerful troops that can be produced in towers (as allies) and as a flight unit for one of the races in Warlords Battlecry III. Warlords Battlecry was a Real-time strategy Computer game released in 1999. Warlords Battlecry III is a Real-time strategy game developed by Infinite Interactive and published in 2004.
- In the Battletech universe, the heads of state of first the Lyran Commonwealth and later the Lyran Alliance are known by the title of Archon. BattleTech is a Wargaming and Science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation and currently owned by WizKids. The Lyran Alliance is a fictional state in the BattleTech universe The Lyran Alliance is a fictional state in the BattleTech universe
- In the science-fiction series StarCraft, archons are powerful psionic entities, formed by two mentally disciplined Protoss merging their minds and corporeal bodies into psionic energy. StarCraft is a Military science fiction Real-time strategy Video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. Psionics is the study and/or practice of using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena Blizzard Entertainment's 1998 bestselling Real-time strategy game series StarCraft revolves around interstellar affairs in a distant sector of the galaxy In the games, they serve as heavy assault warriors. A number of variations of archons can be formed depending on the affiliation of the participants.
- In the game Fable, archon was the title of rulers of the Old Kingdom. Fable is a role-playing Video game for Xbox, Mac OS X, and Windows platforms Ultimately, the last archon became corrupted by the Sword of Aeons that granted archons the might to rule.
- Archon was a popular 1980s 8-bit computer game where opposing teams of good and evil characters did battle on a game board similar to a chess board. Archon The Light and the Dark is a Computer game developed by Free Fall Associates and distributed by Electronic Arts.
- In the online game Materia Magica, Archons are the highest level players, subordinate only to the Immortals (system administrators). Materia Magica, originally named Moongate, is a custom codebase MUD published by Ingenii Interactive that has been in operation since 1996 Achievement of Archon rank requires advancement through 240 levels of play and completion of a special quest.
- One of the final areas in the video game Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra is called the Archon Cathedral. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. is an RPG for the PlayStation 2, and the third and final game in the primary Xenosaga trilogy This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral The game is known to use Gnostic and Judeo-Christian terminology as well as various terms from psychology.
- Used as the title for subcommanders of the Council villain group in the MMORPG City of Heroes and it's expansion/counterpart City of Villains. A massively multiplayer online role-playing game ( MMORPG) is a genre of Computer role-playing games (CRPGs in which a large number of players interact with City of Heroes (CoH is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on the Superhero Comic book Genre, developed by City of Villains is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on the Superhero Comic book Genre, developed by Cryptic
- In the computer game Lords of Magic (put out by Sierra Entertainment), the Archons were the human race that adhered to the faith of Order. A personal computer Game (also known as a computer game or simply PC game) is a Video game played on a Personal computer, rather Lords of Magic Sierra Entertainment Inc is a Worldwide American Video game developer and publisher founded in 1979 by Ken and Roberta
- In the computer game EVE Online (put out by CCP Games), the Archon is the carrier of the Amarrian race. A personal computer Game (also known as a computer game or simply PC game) is a Video game played on a Personal computer, rather CCP hf (or C rowd C ontrol P roductions is a Video game developer.
- In the computer game NetHack, the Archon is the second most difficult of the randomly-generated monsters, and is regarded as the best pet. A personal computer Game (also known as a computer game or simply PC game) is a Video game played on a Personal computer, rather NetHack is a single-player Roguelike computer game originally released in 1987.
- In Deus Ex, the username demiurge and the password archon can be used on a UNATCO computer to find a killphrase to be used on a powerful enemy. Deus Ex (abbreviated DX and pronounced as ˌdeɪəsˈɛks day-uss ex) is a Cyberpunk -themed Action role-playing game developed Demiurge (the Latinized form of Greek demiourgos, δημιουργός, literally "public or skilled worker" from demos This is a list of organizations within the world of the futuristic Cyberpunk Computer game Deus Ex.
- Archons in RF Online are ten players with the highest Contribution Point (although Archons must be voted in to be elected), therefore considered as the leader of the race. RF Online, originally named 'Rising Force' ( Korean:라이징 포스 is a 3D MMORPG developed by CCR Each race has its own Archon players.
- In Age of Wonders 2 the Archons are a race who fight for just causes, and preach virtue and obedience to their subjects. Age of Wonders 2 The Wizard's Throne is a Turn-based, Strategy PC - game in a Fantasy setting They seldom seek to overrun any kingdom, but instead seem to appear where they might most likely be overpowered. Still, they persevere and are fearless in the face of death.
Others
- In the popular trading card game Magic: The Gathering, there are cards named Blazing Archon and Cabal Archon. Collectible card games (CCGs also called trading card games (TCGs or customizable card games (CCGs are played using specially designed sets of cards This article is somewhat over-complete Please do not add significant new content without first discussing it on the talk page
- In the fantasy webcomic Erfworld, "Charlie's Archons" are powerful flying units. Erfworld The Battle for Gobwin Knob is a fantasy/comedy Their appearance and name are parodies of Charlie's Angels. Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency and is one of the first shows to showcase women
References
- A Greek-English Lexicon (aka Liddell and Scott), ISBN 0-19-864226-1
- The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature, ISBN 0-19-866121-5. The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature is a book in the series of Oxford Companions produced by Oxford University Press.
- Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
- Dark Mirrors of Heaven: Gnostic Cosmogony
Dictionary
archon
-noun
- a chief magistrate of ancient Athens
- a ruler, head of state or other leader
- (gnosticism) a supernatural being subordinate to the Demiurge
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