Valentinus and the Valentinian Tradition
The longing of the Aeons to know their origin leads inevitably to disaster.
Valentinian theologians expressed this through a myth in which Sophia,
the youngest Aeon becomes separated from her syzygy.
This fall leads to a disruption of the Name. According to Theodotus,
"The Aeon which desired to grasp that which is beyond knowledge
fell into ignorance and formlessness. Therefore he brought about a void
of knowledge which is a shadow of the Name, which is the Son, the form
of the Aeons. Thus the partial name of the Aeons is the loss of the Name"
(Excerpts of Theodotus 31:3-4).
This is the ultimate origin of the physical universe. The things in this
world were seen as separated from their name and existing in a state
of deficiency and ignorance.
The Name and Naming in Valentinianism