A Hebrew makes another Hebrew, and such a person is called "proselyte". But a
proselyte does not make another proselyte. [...] just as they [...] and make others like themselves, while others simply exist.
The slave seeks only
to be free, but he does not hope to acquire the estate of his master. But the son is not only a son but lays claim to the
inheritance of the father. Those who are heirs to the dead are themselves dead, and they inherit the dead. Those who are heirs
to what is living are alive, and they are heirs to both what is living and the dead. The dead are heirs to nothing. For how
can he who is dead inherit? If he who is dead inherits what is living he will not die, but he who is dead will live even more.
A Gentile does not die,
for he has never lived in order that he may die. He who has believed in the truth has found life, and this one is in danger
of dying, for he is alive. Since Christ came, the world has been created, the cities adorned, the dead carried out. When we
were Hebrews, we were orphans and had only our mother, but when we became Christians, we had both father and mother.
Those who sow in winter
reap in summer. The winter is the world, the summer the other Aeon (eternal realm). Let us sow in the world that we may reap
in the summer. Because of this, it is fitting for us not to pray in the winter. Summer follows winter. But if any man reap
in winter he will not actually reap but only pluck out, since it will not provide a harvest for such a person. It is not only
[...] that it will [...] come forth, but also on the Sabbath [...] is barren.
Christ came to ransom
some, to save others, to redeem others. He ransomed those who were strangers and made them his own. And he set his own apart,
those whom he gave as a pledge according to his plan. It was not only when he appeared that he voluntarily laid down his life,
but he voluntarily laid down his life from the very day the world came into being. Then he came first in order to take it,
since it had been given as a pledge. It fell into the hands of robbers and was taken captive, but he saved it. He redeemed
the good people in the world as well as the evil.
Light and Darkness,
life and death, right and left, are brothers of one another. They are inseparable. Because of this neither are the good good,
nor evil evil, nor is life life, nor death death. For this reason each one will dissolve into its earliest origin. But those
who are exalted above the world are indissoluble, eternal.
Names given to the worldly
are very deceptive, for they divert our thoughts from what is correct to what is incorrect. Thus one who hears the word "God"
does not perceive what is correct, but perceives what is incorrect. So also with "the Father" and "the Son" and "the Holy
Spirit" and "life" and "light" and "resurrection" and "the Church (Ekklesia)" and all the rest - people do not perceive what
is correct but they perceive what is incorrect, unless they have come to know what is correct. The names which are heard are
in the world [...] deceive. If they were in the Aeon (eternal realm), they would at no time be used as names in the world.
Nor were they set among worldly things. They have an end in the Aeon.
One single name is not
uttered in the world, the name which the Father gave to the Son; it is the name above all things: the name of the Father.
For the Son would not become Father unless he wore the name of the Father. Those who have this name know it, but they do not
speak it. But those who do not have it do not know it.
But truth brought names
into existence in the world for our sakes, because it is not possible to learn it (truth) without these names. Truth is one
single thing; it is many things and for our sakes to teach about this one thing in love through many things. The rulers (archons)
wanted to deceive man, since they saw that he had a kinship with those that are truly good. They took the name of those that
are good and gave it to those that are not good, so that through the names they might deceive him and bind them to those that
are not good. And afterward, what a favor they do for them! They make them be removed from those that are not good and place
them among those that are good. These things they knew, for they wanted to take the free man and make him a slave to them
forever.
These are powers which
[...] man, not wishing him to be saved, in order that they may [...]. For if man is saved, there will not be any sacrifices
[...] and animals will not be offered to the powers. Indeed, the animals were the ones to whom they sacrificed. They were
indeed offering them up alive, but when they offered them up, they died. As for man, they offered him up to God dead, and
he lived.
Before Christ came,
there was no bread in the world, just as Paradise, the place were Adam was, had many trees to nourish the animals but no wheat
to sustain man. Man used to feed like the animals, but when Christ came, the perfect man, he brought bread from heaven in
order that man might be nourished with the food of man. The rulers thought that it was by their own power and will that they
were doing what they did, but the Holy Spirit in secret was accomplishing everything through them as it wished. Truth, which
existed since the beginning, is sown everywhere. And many see it being sown, but few are they who see it being reaped.
Some said, "Mary conceived
by the Holy Spirit." They are in error. They do not know what they are saying. When did a woman ever conceive by a woman?
Mary is the virgin whom no power defiled. She is a great anathema to the Hebrews, who are the apostles and the apostolic men.
This virgin whom no power defiled [...] the powers defile themselves. And the Lord would not have said "My Father who is in
Heaven" (Mt 16:17), unless he had had another father, but he would have said simply "My father".
The Lord said to the
disciples, "[...] from every house. Bring into the house of the Father. But do not take (anything) in the house of the Father
nor carry it off."
"Jesus" is a hidden
name, "Christ" is a revealed name. For this reason "Jesus" is not particular to any language; rather he is always called by
the name "Jesus". While as for "Christ", in Syriac it is "Messiah", in Greek it is "Christ". Certainly all the others have
it according to their own language. "The Nazarene" is he who reveals what is hidden. Christ has everything in himself, whether
man, or angel, or mystery, and the Father.
Those who say that the
Lord died first and (then) rose up are in error, for he rose up first and (then) died. If one does not first attain the resurrection,
he will not die. As God lives, he would [...].
No one will hide a large
valuable object in something large, but many a time one has tossed countless thousands into a thing worth a penny. Compare
the soul. It is a precious thing and it came to be in a contemptible body.
Some are afraid lest
they rise naked. Because of this they wish to rise in the flesh, and they do not know that it is those who wear the flesh
who are naked. It is those who [...] to unclothe themselves who are not naked. "Flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom
of God" (1 Co 15:50). What is this which will not inherit? This which is on us. But what is this, too, which will inherit?
It is that which belongs to Jesus and his blood. Because of this he said "He who shall not eat my flesh and drink my blood
has not life in him" (Jn 6:53). What is it? His flesh is the word, and his blood is the Holy Spirit. He who has received these
has food and he has drink and clothing. I find fault with the others who say that it will not rise. Then both of them are
at fault. You say that the flesh will not rise. But tell me what will rise, that we may honor you. You say the Spirit in the
flesh, and it is also this light in the flesh. (But) this too is a matter which is in the flesh, for whatever you shall say,
you say nothing outside the flesh. It is necessary to rise in this flesh, since everything exists in it. In this world, those
who put on garments are better than the garments. In the Kingdom of Heaven, the garments are better than those that put them
on.
It is through water
and fire that the whole place is purified - the visible by the visible, the hidden by the hidden. There are some things hidden
through those visible. There is water in water, there is fire in chrism.
Jesus took them all
by stealth, for he did not appear as he was, but in the manner in which they would be able to see him. He appeared to them
all. He appeared to the great as great. He appeared to the small as small. He appeared to the angels as an angel, and to men
as a man. Because of this, his word hid itself from everyone. Some indeed saw him, thinking that they were seeing themselves,
but when he appeared to his disciples in glory on the mount, he was not small. He became great, but he made the disciples
great, that they might be able to see him in his greatness.
He said on that day
in the thanksgiving, "You who have joined the perfect light with the Holy Spirit, unite the angels with us also, as being
the images." Do not despise the lamb, for without it, it is not possible to see the king. No one will be able to go in to
the king if he is naked.
The heavenly man has
many more sons than the earthly man. If the sons of Adam are many, although they die, how much more the sons of the perfect
man, they who do not die but are always begotten. The father makes a son, and the son has not the power to make a son. For
he who has been begotten has not the power to beget, but the son gets brothers for himself, not sons. All who are begotten
in the world are begotten in a natural way, and the others are nourished from the place whence they have been born. It is
from being promised to the heavenly place that man receives nourishment. [...] him from the mouth. And had the word gone out
from that place, it would be nourished from the mouth and it would become perfect. For it is by a kiss that the perfect conceive
and give birth. For this reason we also kiss one another. We receive conception from the grace which is in one another.
There were three who
always walked with the Lord: Mary, his mother, and her sister, and Magdalene, the one who was called his companion. His sister
and his mother and his companion were each a Mary.
"The Father" and "the
Son" are single names; "the Holy Spirit" is a double name. For they are everywhere: they are above, they are below; they are
in the concealed, they are in the revealed. The Holy Spirit is in the revealed: it is below. It is in the concealed: it is
above.
The saints are served
by evil powers, for they are blinded by the Holy Spirit into thinking that they are serving an (ordinary) man whenever they
do so for the saints. Because of this, a disciple asked the Lord one day for something of this world. He said to him, "Ask
your mother, and she will give you of the things which are another's."
The apostles said to
the disciples, "May our entire offering obtain salt." They called Sophia "salt". Without it, no offering is acceptable. But
Sophia is barren, without child. For this reason, she is called "a trace of salt". Wherever they will [...] in their own way,
the Holy Spirit [...], and her children are many.
What the father possesses
belongs to the son, and the son himself, so long as he is small, is not entrusted with what is his. But when he becomes a
man, his father gives him all that he possesses.
Those who have gone
astray, whom the spirit begets, usually go astray also because of the Spirit. Thus, by one and the same breath, the fire blazes
and is put out.
Echamoth is one thing
and Echmoth, another. Echamoth is Wisdom simply, but Echmoth is the Wisdom of death, which is the one who knows death, which
is called "the little Wisdom".
There are domestic animals,
like the bull and the ass and others of this kind. Others are wild and live apart in the deserts. Man ploughs the field by
means of the domestic animals, and from this he is nourished, he and the animals, whether tame or wild. Compare the perfect
man. It is through powers which are submissive that he ploughs, preparing for everything to come into being. For it is because
of this that the whole place stands, whether the good or the evil, the right and the left. The Holy Spirit shepherds everyone
and rules all the powers, the "tame" ones and the "wild" ones, as well as those which are unique. For indeed he [...] shuts
them in, in order that [...] wish, they will not be able to escape.
He who has been created
is beautiful, but you would <not> find his sons noble creations. If he were not created, but begotten, you would find
that his seed was noble. But now he was created (and) he begot. What nobility is this? First, adultery came into being, afterward
murder. And he was begotten in adultery, for he was the child of the Serpent. So he became a murderer, just like his father,
and he killed his brother. Indeed, every act of sexual intercourse which has occurred between those unlike one another is
adultery.
God is a dyer. As the
good dyes, which are called "true", dissolve with the things dyed in them, so it is with those whom God has dyed. Since his
dyes are immortal, they become immortal by means of his colors. Now God dips what he dips in water.
It is not possible for
anyone to see anything of the things that actually exist unless he becomes like them. This is not the way with man in the
world: he sees the sun without being a sun; and he sees the heaven and the earth and all other things, but he is not these
things. This is quite in keeping with the truth. But you saw something of that place, and you became those things. You saw
the Spirit, you became spirit. You saw Christ, you became Christ. You saw the Father, you shall become Father. So in this
place you see everything and do not see yourself, but in that place you do see yourself - and what you see you shall become.
Faith receives, love
gives. No one will be able to receive without faith. No one will be able to give without love. Because of this, in order that
we may indeed receive, we believe, and in order that we may love, we give, since if one gives without love, he has no profit
from what he has given. He who has received something other than the Lord is still a Hebrew.
The apostles who were
before us had these names for him: "Jesus, the Nazorean, Messiah", that is, "Jesus, the Nazorean, the Christ". The last name
is "Christ", the first is "Jesus", that in the middle is "the Nazarene". "Messiah" has two meanings, both "the Christ" and
"the measured". "Jesus" in Hebrew is "the redemption". "Nazara" is "the Truth". "The Nazarene" then, is "the Truth". "Christ"
[...] has been measured. "The Nazarene" and "Jesus" are they who have been measured.
When the pearl is cast
down into the mud, it becomes greatly despised, nor if it is anointed with balsam oil will it become more precious. But it
always has value in the eyes of its owner. Compare the Sons of God: wherever they may be, they still have value in the eyes
of their Father.
If you say, "I am a
Jew," no one will be moved. If you say, "I am a Roman," no one will be disturbed. If you say, "I am a Greek, a barbarian,
a slave, a free man," no one will be troubled. If you say, "I am a Christian," the [...] will tremble. Would that I might
[...] like that - the person whose name [...] will not be able to endure hearing.
God is a man-eater.
For this reason, men are sacrificed to him. Before men were sacrificed, animals were being sacrificed, since those to whom
they were sacrificed were not gods.
Glass decanters and
earthenware jugs are both made by means of fire. But if glass decanters break, they are done over, for they came into being
through a breath. If earthenware jugs break, however, they are destroyed, for they came into being without breath.
An ass which turns a
millstone did a hundred miles walking. When it was loosed, it found that it was still at the same place. There are men who
make many journeys, but make no progress towards any destination. When evening came upon them, they saw neither city nor village,
neither human artifact nor natural phenomenon, power nor angel. In vain have the wretches labored.
The eucharist is Jesus.
For he is called in Syriac "Pharisatha," which is "the one who is spread out," for Jesus came to crucify the world.
The Lord went into the
dye works of Levi. He took seventy-two different colors and threw them into the vat. He took them out all white. And he said,
"Even so has the Son of Man come as a dyer."
As for the Wisdom who
is called "the barren," she is the mother of the angels. And the companion of the [...] Mary Magdalene. [...] loved her more
than all the disciples, and used to kiss her often on her mouth. The rest of the disciples [...]. They said to him "Why do
you love her more than all of us?" The Savior answered and said to them,"Why do I not love you like her? When a blind man
and one who sees are both together in darkness, they are no different from one another. When the light comes, then he who
sees will see the light, and he who is blind will remain in darkness."
The Lord said, "Blessed
is he who is before he came into being. For he who is, has been and shall be."
The superiority of man
is not obvious to the eye, but lies in what is hidden from view. Consequently, he has mastery over the animals which are stronger
than he is and great in terms of the obvious and the hidden. This enables them to survive. But if man is separated from them,
they slay one another and bite one another. They ate one another because they did not find any food. But now they have found
food because man tilled the soil.
If one goes down into
the water and comes up without having received anything, and says "I am a Christian," he has borrowed the name at interest.
But if he receives the Holy Spirit, he has the name as a gift. He who has received a gift does not have to give it back, but
of him who has borrowed it at interest, payment is demanded. This is the way it happens to one when he experiences a mystery.
Great is the mystery
of marriage! For without it, the world would not exist. Now the existence of the world [...], and the existence of [...] marriage.
Think of the [...] relationship, for it possesses [...] power. Its image consists of a defilement.
The forms of evil spirit
include male ones and female ones. The males are they which unite with the souls which inhabit a female form, but the females
are they which are mingled with those in a male form, though one who was disobedient. And none shall be able to escape them,
since they detain him if he does not receive a male power or a female power, the bridegroom and the bride. One receives them
from the mirrored bridal chamber. When the wanton women see a male sitting alone, they leap down on him and play with him
and defile him. So also the lecherous men, when they see a beautiful woman sitting alone, they persuade her and compel her,
wishing to defile her. But if they see the man and his wife sitting beside one another, the female cannot come into the man,
nor can the male come into the woman. So if the image and the angel are united with one another, neither can any venture to
go into the man or the woman.
He who comes out of
the world, and so can no longer be detained on the grounds that he was in the world, evidently is above the desire of the
[...] and fear. He is master over [...]. He is superior to envy. If [...] comes, they seize him and throttle him. And how
will this one be able to escape the great [...] powers? How will he be able to [...]? There are some who say, "We are faithful"
in order that [...] the unclean spirits and the demons. For if they had the Holy Spirit, no unclean spirit would cleave to
them. Fear not the flesh nor love it. If you fear it, it will gain mastery over you. If you love it, it will swallow and paralyze
you.
And so he dwells either
in this world or in the resurrection or in the middle place. God forbid that I be found in there! In this world, there is
good and evil. Its good things are not good, and its evil things not evil. But there is evil after this world which is truly
evil - what is called "the middle". It is death. While we are in this world, it is fitting for us to acquire the resurrection,
so that when we strip off the flesh, we may be found in rest and not walk in the middle. For many go astray on the way. For
it is good to come forth from the world before one has sinned.
There are some who neither
will nor have the power to; and others who, if they will, do not profit; for they did not act since [...] makes them sinners.
And if they do not will, justice will elude them in both cases: and it is always a matter of the will, not the act.
An apostolic man in
a vision saw some people shut up in a house of fire and bound with fiery [...], lying [...] flaming [...], them in [...] faith
[...]. And he said to them, "[...] able to be saved?" [...], "They did not desire it. They received [...] punishment, what
is called 'the [...] darkness', because he [...]."
It is from water and
fire that the soul and the spirit came into being. It is from water and fire and light that the son of the bridal chamber
(came into being). The fire is the chrism, the light is the fire. I am not referring to that fire which has no form, but to
the other fire whose form is white, which is bright and beautiful, and which gives beauty.
Truth did not come into
the world naked, but it came in types and images. The world will not receive truth in any other way. There is a rebirth and
an image of rebirth. It is certainly necessary to be born again through the image. Which one? Resurrection. The image must
rise again through the image. The bridal chamber and the image must enter through the image into the truth: this is the restoration.
Not only must those who produce the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, do so, but have produced them for
you. If one does not acquire them, the name ("Christian") will also be taken from him. But one receives the unction of the
[...] of the power of the cross. This power the apostles called "the right and the left." For this person is no longer a Christian
but a Christ.
The Lord did everything
in a mystery, a baptism and a chrism and a eucharist and a redemption and a bridal chamber. [...] he said, "I came to make
the things below like the things above, and the things outside like those inside. I came to unite them in the place." [...]
here through types [...]and images.
Those who say, "There
is a heavenly man and there is one above him" are wrong. For it is the first of these two heavenly men, the one who is revealed,
that they call "the one who is below"; and he to whom the hidden belongs is that one who is above him. For it would be better
for them to say, "The inner and outer, and what is outside the outer". Because of this, the Lord called destruction the "the
outer darkness": there is not another outside of it. He said, "My Father who is in secret". He said, "Go into your chamber
and shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father who is in secret" (Mt 6:6), the one who is within them all. But that
which is within them all is the fullness. Beyond it, there is nothing else within it. This is that of which they say, "That
which is above them".
Before Christ, some
came from a place they were no longer able to enter, and they went where they were no longer able to come out. Then Christ
came. Those who went in, he brought out, and those who went out, he brought in.
When Eve was still with
Adam, death did not exist. When she was separated from him, death came into being. If he enters again and attains his former
self, death will be no more.
"My God, my God, why,
O Lord, have you forsaken me?" (Mk 15:34). It was on the cross that he said these words, for he had departed from that place.
[...] who has been begotten
through him who [...] from God.
The [...] from the dead.
[...] to be, but now [...] perfect. [...] flesh, but this [...] is true flesh. [...] is not true, but [...] only possess an
image of the true.
A bridal chamber is
not for the animals, nor is it for the slaves, nor for defiled women; but it is for free men and virgins.
Through the Holy Spirit
we are indeed begotten again, but we are begotten through Christ in the two. We are anointed through the Spirit. When we were
begotten, we were united. None can see himself either in water or in a mirror without light. Nor again can you see in light
without mirror or water. For this reason, it is fitting to baptize in the two, in the light and the water. Now the light is
the chrism.
There were three buildings
specifically for sacrifice in Jerusalem. The one facing the west was called "The Holy". Another, facing south, was called
"The Holy of the Holy". The third, facing east, was called "The Holy of the Holies", the place where only the high priest
enters. Baptism is "the Holy" building. Redemption is the "Holy of the Holy". "The Holy of the Holies" is the bridal chamber.
Baptism includes the resurrection and the redemption; the redemption (takes place) in the bridal chamber. But the bridal chamber
is in that which is superior to [...] you will not find [...] are those who pray [...] Jerusalem who [...] Jerusalem, [...]
those called the "Holy of the Holies" [...] the veil was rent, [...] bridal chamber except the image [...] above. Because
of this, its veil was rent from top to bottom. For it was fitting for some from below to go upward.
The powers do not see
those who are clothed in the perfect light, and consequently are not able to detain them. One will clothe himself in this
light sacramentally in the union.
If the woman had not
separated from the man, she should not die with the man. His separation became the beginning of death. Because of this, Christ
came to repair the separation, which was from the beginning, and again unite the two, and to give life to those who died as
a result of the separation, and unite them. But the woman is united to her husband in the bridal chamber. Indeed, those who
have united in the bridal chamber will no longer be separated. Thus Eve separated from Adam because it was not in the bridal
chamber that she united with him.
The soul of Adam came
into being by means of a breath. The partner of his soul is the spirit. His mother is the thing that was given to him. His
soul was taken from him and replaced by a spirit. When he was united (to the spirit), he spoke words incomprehensible to the
powers. They envied him [...] spiritual partner [...] hidden [...] opportunity [...] for themselves alone [...] bridal chamber,
so that [...].
Jesus appeared [...]
Jordan - the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven. He who was begotten before everything, was begotten anew. He who was once
anointed, was anointed anew. He who was redeemed, in turn redeemed (others).
Indeed, one must utter
a mystery. The Father of everything united with the virgin who came down, and a fire shone for him on that day. He appeared
in the great bridal chamber. Therefore his body came into being on that very day. It left the bridal chamber as one who came
into being from the bridegroom and the bride. So Jesus established everything in it through these. It is fitting for each
of the disciples to enter into his rest.
Adam came into being
from two virgins, from the Spirit and from the virgin earth. Christ therefore, was born from a virgin to rectify the Fall
which occurred in the beginning.
There are two trees
growing in Paradise. The one bears animals, the other bears men. Adam ate from the tree which bore animals. He became an animal
and he brought forth animals. For this reason the children of Adam worship animals. The tree [...] fruit is [...] increased.
[...] ate the [...] fruit of the [...] bears men, [...] man. [...] God created man. [...] men create God. That is the way
it is in the world - men make gods and worship their creation. It would be fitting for the gods to worship men!
Surely what a man accomplishes
depends on his abilities. For this reason, we refer to one`s accomplishments as "abilities". Among his accomplishments are
his children. They originate in a moment of ease. Thus his abilities determine what he may accomplish, but this ease is clearly
evident in the children. You will find that this applies directly to the image. Here is the man made after the image accomplishing
things with his physical strength, but producing his children with ease.
In this world, the slaves
serve the free. In the Kingdom of Heaven, the free will minister to the slaves: the children of the bridal chamber will minister
to the children of the marriage. The children of the bridal chamber have just one name: rest. Altogether, they need take no
other form, because they have contemplation, [...]. They are numerous [...] in the things [...] the glories [...].
Those [...] go down
into the water. [...] out (of the water), will consecrate it, [...] they who have [...] in his name. For he said, "Thus we
should fulfill all righteousness." (Mt 3:15)
Those who say they will
die first and then rise are in error. If they do not first receive the resurrection while they live, when they die they will
receive nothing. So also when speaking about baptism they say, "Baptism is a great thing," because if people receive it they
will live.
Philip the apostle said,
"Joseph the carpenter planted a garden because he needed wood for his trade. It was he who made the cross from the trees which
he planted. His own offspring hung on that which he planted. His offspring was Jesus, and the planting was the cross." But
the Tree of Life is in the middle of the Garden. However, it is from the olive tree that we got the chrism, and from the chrism,
the resurrection.
This world is a corpse-eater.
All the things eaten in it themselves die also. Truth is a life-eater. Therefore no one nourished by truth will die. It was
from that place that Jesus came and brought food. To those who so desired, he gave life, that they might not die.
God [...] garden. Man
[...] garden. There are [...] and [...] of God. [...] The things which are in [...] I wish. This garden is the place where
they will say to me, "[...] eat this or do not eat that, just as you wish." In the place where I will eat all things is the
Tree of Knowledge. That one killed Adam, but here the Tree of Knowledge made men alive. The law was the tree. It has power
to give the knowledge of good and evil. It neither removed him from evil, nor did it set him in the good, but it created death
for those who ate of it. For when he said, "Eat this, do not eat that", it became the beginning of death.
The chrism is superior
to baptism, for it is from the word "Chrism" that we have been called "Christians," certainly not because of the word "baptism".
And it is because of the chrism that "the Christ" has his name. For the Father anointed the Son, and the Son anointed the
apostles, and the apostles anointed us. He who has been anointed possesses everything. He possesses the resurrection, the
light, the cross, the Holy Spirit. The Father gave him this in the bridal chamber; he merely accepted (the gift). The Father
was in the Son and the Son in the Father. This is the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Lord said it well:
"Some have entered the Kingdom of Heaven laughing, and they have come out [...] because [...] a Christian, [...]. And as soon
as [...] went down into the water, he came [...] everything (of this world), [...] because he [...] a trifle, but [...] full
of contempt for this [...] the Kingdom of Heaven [...] If he despises [...], and scorns it as a trifle, [...] out laughing.
So it is also with the bread and the cup and the oil, even though there is another one superior to these.
The world came about
through a mistake. For he who created it wanted to create it imperishable and immortal. He fell short of attaining his desire.
For the world never was imperishable, nor, for that matter, was he who made the world. For things are not imperishable, but
sons are. Nothing will be able to receive imperishability if it does not first become a son. But he who has not the ability
to receive, how much more will he be unable to give?
The cup of prayer contains
wine and water, since it is appointed as the type of the blood for which thanks is given. And it is full of the Holy Spirit,
and it belongs to the wholly perfect man. When we drink this, we shall receive for ourselves the perfect man. The living water
is a body. It is necessary that we put on the living man. Therefore, when he is about to go down into the water, he unclothes
himself, in order that he may put on the living man.
A horse sires a horse,
a man begets man, a god brings forth a god. Compare the bridegroom and the bride. They have come from the [...]. No Jew [...]
has existed. And [...] from the Jews. [...] Christians [...] these [...] are referred to as "The chosen people of [...],"
and "The true man" and "Son of Man" and "the seed of the Son of Man". This true race is renowned in the world [...] that the
sons of the bridal chamber dwell.
Whereas in this world
the union is one of husband with wife - a case of strength complemented by weakness(?) - in the Aeon (eternal realm), the
form of the union is different, although we refer to them by the same names. There are other names, however; they are superior
to every other name that is named and are stronger than the strong. For where there is a show of strength, there those who
excel in strength appear. These are not separate things, but both of them are this one single thing. This is the one which
will not be able to rise above the heart of flesh.
Is it not necessary
for all those who possess everything to know themselves? Some indeed, if they do not know themselves, will not enjoy what
they possess. But those who have come to know themselves will enjoy their possessions.
Not only will they be
unable to detain the perfect man, but they will not be able to see him, for if they see him, they will detain him. There is
no other way for a person to acquire this quality except by putting on the perfect light and he too becoming perfect light.
He who has put it on will enter [...]. This is the perfect [...] that we [...] become [...] before we leave [...]. Whoever
receives everything [...] hither [...] be able [...] that place, but will [...] the Middle as imperfect. Only Jesus knows
the end of this person.
The priest is completely
holy, down to his very body. For if he has taken the bread, he will consecrate it. Or the cup or anything else that he gets,
he will consecrate. Then how will he not consecrate the body also?
By perfecting the water
of baptism, Jesus emptied it of death. Thus we do go down into the water, but we do not go down into death, in order that
we may not be poured out into the spirit of the world. When that spirit blows, it brings the winter. When the Holy Spirit
breathes, the summer comes.
He who has knowledge
of the truth is a free man, but the free man does not sin, for "He who sins is the slave of sin" (Jn 8:34). Truth is the mother,
knowledge the father. Those who think that sinning does not apply to them are called "free" by the world. Knowledge of the
truth merely makes such people arrogant, which is what the words, "it makes them free" mean. It even gives them a sense of
superiority over the whole world. But "Love builds up" (1 Co 8:1). In fact, he who is really free, through knowledge, is a
slave, because of love for those who have not yet been able to attain to the freedom of knowledge. Knowledge makes them capable
of becoming free. Love never calls something its own, [...] it [...] possess [...]. It never says,"This is yours" or "This
is mine," but "All these are yours". Spiritual love is wine and fragrance. All those who anoint themselves with it take pleasure
in it. While those who are anointed are present, those nearby also profit (from the fragrance). If those anointed with ointment
withdraw from them and leave, then those not anointed, who merely stand nearby, still remain in their bad odor. The Samaritan
gave nothing but wine and oil to the wounded man. It is nothing other than the ointment. It healed the wounds, for "love covers
a multitude of sins" (1 P 4:8).
The children a woman
bears resemble the man who loves her. If her husband loves her, then they resemble her husband. If it is an adulterer, then
they resemble the adulterer. Frequently, if a woman sleeps with her husband out of necessity, while her heart is with the
adulterer with whim she usually has intercourse, the child she will bear is born resembling the adulterer. Now you who live
together with the Son of God, love not the world, but love the Lord, in order that those you will bring forth may not resemble
the world, but may resemble the Lord.
The human being has
intercourse with the human being. The horse has intercourse with the horse, the ass with the ass. Members of a race usually
have associated with those of like race. So spirit mingles with spirit, and thought consorts with thought, and light shares
with light. If you are born a human being, it is the human being who will love you. If you become a spirit, it is the spirit
which will be joined to you. If you become thought, it is thought which will mingle with you. If you become light, it is the
light which will share with you. If you become one of those who belong above, it is those who belong above who will rest upon
you. If you become horse or ass or bull or dog or sheep, or another of the animals which are outside or below, then neither
human being nor spirit nor thought nor light will be able to love you. Neither those who belong above nor those who belong
within will be able to rest in you, and you have no part in them.
He who is a slave against
his will, will be able to become free. He who has become free by favor of his master, and has sold himself into slavery, will
no longer be able to be free.
Farming in the world
requires the cooperation of four essential elements. A harvest is gathered into the barn only as a result of the natural action
of water, earth, wind and light. God's farming likewise has four elements - faith, hope, love, and knowledge. Faith is our
earth, that in which we take root. And hope is the water through which we are nourished. Love is the wind through which we
grow. Knowledge, then, is the light through which we ripen. Grace exists in four ways: it is earthborn; it is heavenly; [...]
the highest heaven; [...] in [...].
Blessed is the one who
on no occasion caused a soul [...]. That person is Jesus Christ. He came to the whole place and did not burden anyone. Therefore,
blessed is the one who is like this, because he is a perfect man. For the Word tells us that this kind is difficult to define.
How shall we be able to accomplish such a great thing? How will he give everyone comfort? Above all, it is not proper to cause
anyone distress - whether the person is great or small, unbeliever or believer - and then give comfort only to those who take
satisfaction in good deeds. Some find it advantageous to give comfort to the one who has fared well. He who does good deeds
cannot give comfort to such people, for he does not seize whatever he likes. He is unable to cause distress, however, since
he does not afflict them. To be sure, the one who fares well sometimes causes people distress - not that he intends to do
so; rather, it is their own wickedness which is responsible for their distress. He who possesses the qualities (of the perfect
man) bestows joy upon the good. Some, however, are terribly distressed by all this.
There was a householder
who had every conceivable thing, be it son or slave or cattle or dog or pig or corn or barley or chaff or grass or [...] or
meat and acorn. Now he was a sensible fellow, and he knew what the food of each one was. He served the children bread [...].
He served the slaves [...] and meal. And he threw barley and chaff and grass to the cattle. He threw bones to the dogs, and
to the pigs he threw acorns and slop. Compare the disciple of God: if he is a sensible fellow, he understands what discipleship
is all about. The bodily forms will not deceive him, but he will look at the condition of the soul of each one and speak with
him. There are many animals in the world which are in a human form. When he identifies them, to the swine he will throw acorns,
to the cattle he will throw barley and chaff and grass, to the dogs he will throw bones. To the slaves he will give only the
elementary lessons, to the children he will give the complete instruction.
There is the Son of
Man and there is the son of the Son of Man. The Lord is the Son of Man, and the son of the Son of Man is he who creates through
the Son of Man. The Son of Man received from God the capacity to create. He also has the ability to beget. He who has received
the ability to create is a creature. He who has received the ability to beget is an offspring. He who creates cannot beget.
He who begets also has power to create. Now they say, "He who creates begets". But his so-called "offspring" is merely a creature.
Because of [...] of birth, they are not his offspring but [...]. He who creates works openly, and he himself is visible. He
who begets, begets in private, and he himself is hidden, since [...] image. Also, he who creates, creates openly. But one
who begets, begets children in private.
No one can know when
the husband and the wife have intercourse with one another, except the two of them. Indeed, marriage in the world is a mystery
for those who have taken a wife. If there is a hidden quality to the marriage of defilement, how much more is the undefiled
marriage a true mystery! It is not fleshly, but pure. It belongs not to desire, but to the will. It belongs not to the darkness
or the night, but to the day and the light. If a marriage is open to the public, it has become prostitution, and the bride
plays the harlot not only when she is impregnated by another man, but even if she slips out of her bedroom and is seen. Let
her show herself only to her father and her mother, and to the friend of the bridegroom and the sons of the bridegroom. These
are permitted to enter every day into the bridal chamber. But let the others yearn just to listen to her voice and to enjoy
her ointment, and let them feed from the crumbs that fall from the table, like the dogs. Bridegrooms and brides belong to
the bridal chamber. No one shall be able to see the bridegroom with the bride unless he become such a one.
When Abraham [...] that
he was to see what he was to see, he circumcised the flesh of the foreskin, teaching us that it is proper to destroy the flesh.
Most things in the world,
as long as their inner parts are hidden, stand upright and live. If they are revealed, they die, as is illustrated by the
visible man: as long as the intestines of the man are hidden, the man is alive; when his intestines are exposed and come out
of him, the man will die. So also with the tree: while its root is hidden, it sprouts and grows. If its root is exposed, the
tree dries up. So it is with every birth that is in the world, not only with the revealed but with the hidden. For so long
as the root of wickedness is hidden, it is strong. But when it is recognized, it is dissolved. When it is revealed, it perishes.
That is why the Word says, "Already the axe is laid at the root of the trees" (Mt 3:10). It will not merely cut - what is
cut sprouts again - but the ax penetrates deeply, until it brings up the root. Jesus pulled out the root of the whole place,
while others did it only partially. As for ourselves, let each one of us dig down after the root of evil which is within one,
and let one pluck it out of one's heart from the root. It will be plucked out if we recognize it. But if we are ignorant of
it, it takes root in us and produces its fruit in our heart. It masters us. We are its slaves. It takes us captive, to make
us do what we do not want; and what we do want, we do not do. It is powerful because we have not recognized it. While it exists
it is active. Ignorance is the mother of all evil. Ignorance will result in death, because those who come from ignorance neither
were nor are nor shall be. [...] will be perfect when all the truth is revealed. For truth is like ignorance: while it is
hidden, it rests in itself, but when it is revealed and is recognized, it is praised, inasmuch as it is stronger than ignorance
and error. It gives freedom. The Word said, "If you know the truth, the truth will make you free" (Jn 8:32). Ignorance is
a slave. Knowledge is freedom. If we know the truth, we shall find the fruits of the truth within us. If we are joined to
it, it will bring our fulfillment.
At the present time,
we have the manifest things of creation. We say, "The strong who are held in high regard are great people. And the weak who
are despised are the obscure." Contrast the manifest things of truth: they are weak and despised, while the hidden things
are strong and held in high regard. The mysteries of truth are revealed, though in type and image. The bridal chamber, however,
remains hidden. It is the Holy in the Holy. The veil at first concealed how God controlled the creation, but when the veil
is rent and the things inside are revealed, this house will be left desolate, or rather will be destroyed. And the whole (inferior)
godhead will flee from here, but not into the holies of the holies, for it will not be able to mix with the unmixed light
and the flawless fullness, but will be under the wings of the cross and under its arms. This ark will be their salvation when
the flood of water surges over them. If some belong to the order of the priesthood, they will be able to go within the veil
with the high priest. For this reason, the veil was not rent at the top only, since it would have been open only to those
above; nor was it rent at the bottom only, since it would have been revealed only to those below. But it was rent from the
top to bottom. Those above opened to us the things below, in order that we may go in to the secret of the truth. This truly
is what is held in high regard, (and) what is strong! But we shall go in there by means of lowly types and forms of weakness.
They are lowly indeed when compared with the perfect glory. There is glory which surpasses glory. There is power which surpasses
power. Therefore, the perfect things have opened to us, together with the hidden things of truth. The holies of the holies
were revealed, and the bridal chamber invited us in.
As long as it is hidden,
wickedness is indeed ineffectual, but it has not been removed from the midst of the seed of the Holy Spirit. They are slaves
of evil. But when it is revealed, then the perfect light will flow out on every one. And all those who are in it will receive
the chrism. Then the slaves will be free and the captives ransomed. "Every plant which my father who is in heaven has not
planted will be plucked out." (Mt 15:13) Those who are separated will unite [...] and will be filled. Every one who will enter
the bridal chamber will kindle the light, for [...] just as in the marriages which are [...] happen at night. That fire [...]
only at night, and is put out. But the mysteries of that marriage are perfected rather in the day and the light. Neither that
day nor its light ever sets. If anyone becomes a son of the bridal chamber, he will receive the light. If anyone does not
receive it while he is here, he will not be able to receive it in the other place. He who will receive that light will not
be seen, nor can he be detained. And none shall be able to torment a person like this, even while he dwells in the world.
And again when he leaves the world, he has already received the truth in the images. The world has become the Aeon (eternal
realm), for the Aeon is fullness for him. This is the way it is: it is revealed to him alone, not hidden in the darkness and
the night, but hidden in a perfect day and a holy light.
The Gospel According to Philip
Selection made from James M. Robinson,
ed., The Nag Hammadi Library, revised edition. HarperCollins, San Francisco, 1990.
