This Cosmogony, adopted with a change of names in the Rabbinical _Kabala_, found its way, later, with some additional speculations of Manes, the half-Magus, half-Platonist, into the great body of Gnosticism. The real doctrines of the Basilideans, Valentinians, and the Marcionites cannot be correctly ascertained in the prejudiced and calumnious writings of the Fathers of the Church; but rather in what remains of the works of the Bardesanesians, known as the Nazarenes. It is next to impossible, now that all their manuscripts and books are destroyed, to assign to any of these sects its due part in dissenting views. But there are a few men still living who have preserved books and direct traditions about the Ophites, although they care little to impart them to the world. Among the unknown sects of Mount Lebanon and Palestine the truth has been concealed for more than a thousand years. And their _diagram_ of the Ophite scheme differs with the description of it given by Origen and hence with the _diagram_ of Matter.[416] The kabalistic trinity is one of the models of the Christian one. “The ANCIENT whose name be sanctified, is with three heads, but which make only one.”[417] _Tria capita exsculpa sunt, unum intra alterum, et alterum supra alterum._ Three heads are inserted in one another, and one over the other. The first head is the Concealed Wisdom (_Sapientia Abscondita_). Under this head is the ANCIENT (Pythagorean _Monad_), the most hidden of mysteries; a head which is no head (_caput quod non est caput_); no one can know what that is in this head. No intellect is able to comprehend this wisdom.[418] This _Senior Sanctissimus_ is surrounded by the three heads. He is the eternal LIGHT of the wisdom; and the wisdom is the source from which all the manifestations have begun. These three heads, included in ONE HEAD (which is no head); and these three are bent down (overshadow) SHORT-FACE (the son) and through them all things shine with light.[419] “En-Soph emits a thread from El or _Al_ (the highest God of the Trinity), and the light follows the thread and enters, and passing through makes its exit through Adam _Primus_ (Kadmon), who is _concealed_ until the plan for arranging (_statum dispositionis_) is ready; it threads through him from his head to his feet; and in him (in the concealed Adam) is the figure of A MAN.”[420]