Talk:Hylics
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I worked my way through the logic inherent in this stub, and gave greek roots of words. By doing this though I feel somehow the order of lowest, Somatics (Hylics), pneumatics, then psychics, should rather be re-arranged to go like this: somatics, psychics, then pneumatics - reason is that soma is entirely fleshly, the soul inhabits the body, and pneuma or spirit is independent of matter. Tried to find something to support this but can't. This is why I left the order while expanding the article until I track it down. Yes, I read the entire Gnosticism article and they don't mention this trilevel of humanity focussing mainly on the cosmology. Anyone else have a view on this? Julia Rossi 02:19, 8 October 2006 (UTC)
All that sounds right to me, as the three states are a kind of ascent. Its a good article.
Interestingly there are huge parallels here with concepts in other cultures eg Hinduism's Three Gunas - Tamas (equivalent to Somatics/Hylics), Rajas (Psychics) & Sattva (Pneumatics) and the Kaballistic concept of the triple nature of the soul - Nephesh (the element most linked to the body), Ruach (the Spirit dwelling in the body which bridges Nephesh with the third level) & Neshamah (the Nous or Higher Ego, the most eternal and higher side of the soul).
Similarly, the Gnostic movement known as the Cathars were said to divide people between the Perfectae (the Priesthood, or pneumatics, who had undergone the spiritual transformation which made them semi-angelic), the Credentes (or Believers, the rank and file of the Cathar movement who were not expected to undergo the privations of the Perfectae) and then everyone else who remained outside the Cathar faith (although this did not mean the Cathars condemned, ignored or excommunicated them. They were still humans, after all!).
One thing though: did the Gnostics believe that Matter was 'evil' or just corrupt and/or imperfect? Some merely believed that it was an illusion brought about through Ignorance of the true nature of the universe. In this reading Matter is like Maya or Samsara, an illusion in which you can get trapped, not 'evil' as such. ThePeg 21:01, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
