These are the secret sayingsº which the living Yeshúaº has spoken and Didymos Judas Thomasº inscribed. (Lk 8:10)
1. And he
2. Yeshúa says: Let him who seeks not cease seeking until he finds, and when he finds he shall be troubled, and when he has
been troubled he shall marvel and he shall reign over the totalityº
3. Yeshúa says: If those who would lead you, say to you: Behold, the Kingdom is in the skyº!, then the birds of the sky would
precede you. If they say to you: It is in the sea!, then the fish
4. Yeshúa says: The person old in days will not hesitate to ask a little child of seven days concerning the place of life--and he
shall live. For many who are first shall become last,
5. Yeshúa says: Recognize what is in front of thy face, and what is hidden from thee shall be revealed to thee. For there is
nothing concealed which shall not be revealed,
6. His Disciples ask him,* they say to him: How do thou want us to fast, and how shall we pray? And how shall we give alms, and what diet shall we maintain? | Yeshúa says: Do not lie, and do not practice what you hate--for everything is manifest before the face of the sky. For there is nothing concealed that shall not be revealed, and there is nothing covered that shall remain without being exposed. (*asyndeton, or omission of conjunctions, characterizing Semitic languages but not Greek or Coptic--thus signaling an underlying Semitic source- text)
7. Yeshúa says: Blestº be the lion which the human eats--and the lion shall become human. And accursed be the human which the lion eats--and the [human] shall become [lion].
8. And he says: The [Kingdom] is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea. He drew it up from the sea full of small fish. Among them he found a large good fish. That wise fisherman, he threw all the small fish back into the sea,* he chose the large fish without hesitation. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear! (*asyndeton)
9. Yeshúa says: Behold, the sower came forth--he filled his hand, he threw. Some indeed fell upon the road--the birds came, they gathered them. Others fell on the bedrock--and they did not take root down into the soil, and did not sprout grain skyward. And others fell among the thorns--they choked the seed, and the worm ate them. And others fell upon the good earth--and it produced good fruit up toward the sky, it bore 60-fold and 120-fold. (multiple asyndeta; Mt 13:18- 23)
10. Yeshúa says: I have cast fire upon the worldº--and behold, I guard it until it is ablaze. (Lk 12:49)
11. Yeshúa says: This sky shall pass away, and the one above it shall pass away. And the dead are not alive, and the living shall not die. In the days when you consumed the dead, you transformed it to life--when you come into the Light, what will you do? On the day when you were together, you became separated--yet when you have become separated, what will you do? (Mt 24:35)
12. The Disciples say to Yeshúa: We know that thou shall go away from us. Who is it that shall be Rabbiº over us? | Yeshúa says to them: In the place that you have come, you shall go to Jacob the Righteousº, for whose sake the sky and earth come to be. (apparently a post-resurrection dialog; vide Jn 7:5 & Ac 1:14)
13. Yeshúa says to his Disciples: Make a comparison to me, and tell me whom I resemble. | Simon Peterº says to him: Thou are like a righteous angel. | Matthewº says to him: Thou are like a philosopherº of the heart. | Thomas says to him: Teacher, my mouth will not at all be capable of saying whom thou are like. | Yeshúa says: I'm not thy teacher, now that thou have drunk, thou have become drunken from the bubbling spring which I have measured out. And he takes him, he withdraws, he speaks three words to him:
(AHYH ASHR AHYH I•Am Who I•Am)
Now when Thomas comes to his comrades, they inquire of him: What did Yeshúa say to thee? | Thomas says to them: If I tell you even one of the words which he spoke to me, you will take up stones to cast at me--and fire will come from the stones to consume you. (the Name does not appear in the papyrus, but can be inferred; Ex 3:14, Lev 24:16, Mk 14:62, Lk 6:40, Jn 4:14, 15:1, Th 61b, 77, Odes of Solomon 11:6-9)
14. Yeshúa says to them: If you fast, you shall beget transgression for yourselves. And if you pray, you shall be condemned. And if you give alms, you shall cause evil to your spirits. And when you go into any land to sojourn in the regions, if they receive you then eat what they set before you and heal the sick among them. For what goes into your mouth will not defile you--but rather what comes out of your mouth, that is what will defile you. (Isa 58:6-9, Mt 6:6 + Jn 18:1, Th 6, 95, 104, Ph 74)
15. Yeshúa says: When you see him who was not born of woman, prostrate yourselves upon your faces and worship him--he is your Father. (Th 101)
16. Yeshúa says: People perhaps think that I have come to cast peace upon the world, and they do not know that I have come to cast divisions upon the earth-- fire, sword, war. For there shall be five in a house--three shall be against two and two against three, the father against the son and the son against the father. And they shall stand as solitaries.
17. Yeshúa says: I shall give to you what eye has not seen and what ear has not heard and what hand has not touched and what has not arisen in the mind of mankind. (Isa 64:4)
18. The Disciples say to Yeshúa: Tell us how our end shall be. | Yeshúa says: Have you then discovered the originº, so that you inquire about the end? For at the place where the origin is, there shall be the end. Blest be he who shall stand at the origin-- and he shall know the end, and he shall not taste death.
19. Yeshúa says: Blest be he who was before he came into being. If you become Disciples to me and heed my sayings, these stones shall minister to you. For you have five treesº in paradise, which in summer are unmoved and in winter their leaves do not fall--whoever is acquainted with them shall not taste death.
20. The Disciples say to Yeshúa: Tell us what the Kingdom of the Heavensº is like. | He says to them: It resembles a mustard seed, smaller than all (other) seeds--yet when it falls on the tilled earth, it produces a great plant and becomes shelter for the birds of the sky.
21. Mariamº says to Yeshúa: Whom are thy Disciples like? | He says: They are like little children who are sojourning in a field which is not theirs. When the owners of the field come, they will say: Leave our field to us! They take off their clothing in front of them in order to yield it to them and to give back their field to them. Therefore I say, if the householder ascertains that the thief is coming, he will be alert before he arrives and will not allow him to dig thru into the house of his domain to carry away his belongings. Yet you, beware of the systemº--gird up your loins with great strength lest the bandits find a way to reach you, for they will find the advantage which you anticipate. Let there be among you a person of awareness--when the fruit ripened, he came quickly with his sickle in his hand,* he reaped it. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear! (*asyndeton)
22. Yeshúa sees little children who are being suckled. He says to his Disciples: These little children who are being suckled are like those who enter the Kingdom. | They say to him: Shall we thus by becoming little children enter the Kingdom? | Yeshúa says to them: When you make the two one, and you make the inside as the outside and the outside as the inside and the above as the below, and if you establish the male with the female as a single unity so that the man will not be masculine and the woman not be feminine, when you establish [an eye] in the place of an eye and a hand in the place of a hand and a foot in the place of a foot and an imageº in the place of an image--then shall you enter [the Kingdom].
23. Yeshúa says: I shall choose you, one from a thousand and two from ten thousand--and they shall stand as a single unity. (Dt 32:30, Ecc 7:28, Jer 3:14)
24. His Disciples say: Explain thy place to us, for it is compulsory for us to seek it. | He says to them: Whoever has ears, let him hear! Within a Person of Light there is Light, and he illumines the entire world. When he does not shine, there is darkness. (Mt 5:14-16, Jn 12:36)
25. Yeshúa says: Love thy Brother as thy soul, protect him as the pupil of thine eye. (asyndeton; Dt 32:10, I-Sam 18:1, Ps 17:8, Jn 13:34-35)
26. Yeshúa says: The mote which is in thy Brother's eye thou see--but the plank that is in thine own eye thou see not. When thou cast the plank out of thine own eye, then shall thou see clearly to cast the mote out of thy Brother's eye.
27. (Yeshúa says:) Unless you fast from the system, you shall not find the Kingdom
28. Yeshúa says: I stood in the midst of the world, and incarnateº I was manifest to them.* I found them all drunk, I found none among them athirst. And my soul was grieved for the sons of men, for they are blind in their hearts and do not see that empty they have come into the world and that empty they are destined to come forth again from the world. (Ecc 6:15) However, now they are drunk--when they have shaken off their wine, then shall they rethinkº. (*re 'Gnosticism', Jn 1:14--this appears to be a post-resurrection saying)
29. Yeshúa says: If the flesh has come into being because of spirit, it is a marvel--yet if spirit because of the body, it would be a marvel among marvels. But I marvel at this, how this great wealth has inhabited this poverty.
30. Yeshúa says: Where there are three gods, they are
31. Yeshúa says: No oracleº is accepted in his own village, no physician heals those who know him. (asyndeton)
32. Yeshúa says: A city being built upon a high mountain and fortified cannot fall nor can it be hidden.
33. Yeshúa says: What thou shall hear in thy ear proclaim to other ears from your rooftops. For no one kindles a lamp and sets it under a bushel-basket nor puts it in a hidden place, but rather it is placed upon the lampstand so that everyone who comes in and goes out will see its light.
34. Yeshúa says: If a blind person leads a blind person, both together fall into a pit.
35. Yeshúa says: It is impossible for anyone to enter the house of the strong to take it by force, unless he binds his hands-- then he will ransack his house. (Isa 49:24-25)
36. Yeshúa says: Be not anxious in the morning about the evening or in the evening about the morning,
37. His Disciples say: When will thou be revealed to us, and when shall we behold thee? | Yeshúa says: When you take off your clothing without being ashamed, and take your clothes and place them under your feet to tread on them as the little children do--then [shall you behold] the Son of the Living-One, and you shall not fear. (Gen 2:25, 3:7; this appears to be a post- resurrection dialog)
38. Yeshúa says: Many times have you yearned to hear these sayings which I speak to you, and you have no one else from whom to hear them. There will be days when you will seek me but you shall not find me. (Prov 1:28, Lk 17:22)
39. Yeshúa says: The clergyº and the theologiansº have received the keys of knowledge, but they have hidden them. They did not enter, nor did they permit those to enter who wished to. Yet you--become astute as serpents and pure as doves.
40. Yeshúa says: A vine has been planted without the Father, and as it is not viable it shall be pulled up by its roots and destroyed. (Mt 15:13)
41. Yeshúa says: Whoever has in his hand, to him shall (more) be given. And whoever does not have, from him shall be taken even the trifle which he has. (Mt 13:12, Lk 12:48)
42. Yeshúa says: Become transientsº (passers-by). (Mt 10:1-23, 28:19-20, Jn 16:28)
43. His Disciples say to him: Who are thou, that thou say these things to us? | (Yeshúa says to them:) From what I say to you, you do not recognize who I be, but rather you have become as the Jews--for they love the tree but hate its fruit, and they love the fruit but hate the tree. (Mt 12:33)
44. Yeshúa says: Whoever vilifies the Father, it shall be forgiven him. And whoever vilifies the Son, it shall be forgiven him. Yet whoever vilifies the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him--neither on earth nor in heaven.
45. Yeshúa says: They do not harvest grapes from thorns, nor do they gather figs from thistles--for they give no fruit. A good person brings forth goodness out of his treasure. A bad person brings forth wickednessº out of his evil treasure which is in his heart, and he speaks oppressively--for out of the abundance of the heart he brings forth wickedness. (I-Sam 24:13)
46. Yeshúa says: From Adamº until John the Baptistº there is among those born of women none more exalted than John the Baptist--so that his eyes shall not be broken. Yet I have said that whoever among you becomes childlike shall know the Kingdom, and he shall become more exalted than John. (Lk 7:28, Th 15)
47. Yeshúa says: It is impossible for a person to mount two horses or to stretch two bows, and it is impossible for a slave to serve two masters--otherwise he will honor the one and offend the other. No person drinks vintageº wine and immediately desires to drink new wine, and they do not put new (wine) into old wineskins lest they burst, and they do not put vintage wine into new wineskins lest it sour. They do not sew an old patch on a new garment because there would come a split.
48. Yeshúa says: If two make peace with each other in this one house, they shall say to the mountain: Be moved!--and it shall be moved.
49. Yeshúa says: Blest be the solitary and chosen--for you shall find the Kingdom. You have come from it, and unto it you shall return. (Jn 16:28)
50. Yeshúa says: If they say to you: 'From whence do you come?', say to them: 'We have come from the Light, the place where the Light has originated thru himself--he stood and he revealed himself in their imagery.' If they say to you: 'Who are you?', say: 'We are his Sons and we are the chosen of the Living Father.' If they ask you: 'What is the sign of your Father in you?', say to them: 'It is movement with repose.' (Lk 16:8, Jn 12:36)
51. His Disciples say to him: When will the repose of the dead occur, and when will the new world come? | He says to them: That which you look for has already come, but you do not recognize it.
52. His Disciples say to him: Twenty-four prophetsº proclaimed in Israel, and they all spoke within thee. | He says to them: You have ignored the Living-One who is facing you, and you have spoken about the dead.
53. His Disciples say to him: Is circumcision beneficial or not? | He says to them: If it were beneficial, their father would beget them circumcised from their mother. But the true spiritual circumcision has become entirely beneficial.
54. Yeshúa says: Blest be the poor, for the Kingdom of the Skies is yours.
55. Yeshúa says: Whoever does not hate his father and his mother will not be able to become a Disciple to me. And whoever does not hate his brothers and his sisters and does not take up his own cross in my way, will not become worthy of me. (Lk 14:26-27)
56. Yeshúa says: Whoever has known the system has found a corpse--and whoever has found a corpse, of him the system is not worthy.
57. Yeshúa says: The Kingdom of the Father is like a person who has [good] seed. His enemy came by night,* he sowed a weed among the good seed. The man did not permit them to pull up the weed. He says to them: Lest perhaps you go forth saying: 'We shall pull up the weed'--and you pull up the wheat along with it. For on the day of harvest the weeds will appear--they pull them and burn them. (*asyndeton; II-Pt 3:15-17?!)
58. Yeshúa says: Blest be the person who has suffered--he has found the life. (asyndeton; Mt 5:10-12, Jas 1:12, I-Pt 3:14)
59. Yeshúa says: Behold the Living-One while you are alive, lest you die and seek to perceive him and be unable to see.
60. (They see) a Samaritanº carrying a lamb, entering Judea. Yeshúa says to them: Why does he (take) the lamb with him? | They say to him: So that he may kill it and eat it. | He says to them: While it is alive he will not eat it, but only after he kills it and it becomes a corpse. | They say: Otherwise he will not be able to do it. | He says to them: You yourselves--seek a place for yourselves in repose, lest you become corpses and be eaten.
61a. Yeshúa says: Two will rest on a bed--the one shall die, the other shall live. (asyndeton; Lk 17:34)
61b. Salomeº says: Who are thou, man? As if (sent) from someone, thou laid upon my bedº and thou ate from my table. | Yeshúa says to her: I•Am he who is from equality. To me have been given from the things of my Father. | (Salome says:) I'm thy Disciple.* | (Yeshúa says to her:) Thus I say that whenever someone equalizes he shall be filled with light, yet whenever he divides he shall be filled with darkness. (*'thy Disciple': the Coptic indicates a masculine possessive of a feminine noun; see Plumley, Bibliography #3, §50, or the online grammar Bibliography #18, lesson 5.1)
62. Yeshúa says: I tell my mysteries to those [who are worthy of] my mysteries. What thy right (hand) shall do, let not thy left (hand) ascertain what it does. (Mk 4:10-12)
63. Yeshúa says: There was a wealthy person who possessed much money, and he said: I shall utilize my money so that I may sow and reap and replant, to fill my storehouses with fruit so that I lack nothing. This is what he thought in his heart--and that night he died. Whoever has ears, let him hear!
64a. Yeshúa says: A person had houseguests, and when he had prepared the banquet he sent his slave to invite the guests. He went to the first, he says to him: My master invites thee. He replied: I have some business with some merchants, they are coming to me in the evening, I shall go to place my orders with them--I beg to be excused from the banquet. He went to another, he says to him: My master has invited thee. He replied to him: I have bought a house and they require me for a day, I shall have no leisure time. He came to another, he says to him: My master invites thee. He replied to him: My comrade is to be married and I must arrange a feast, I shall not be able to come--I beg to be excused from the banquet. He went to another, he says to him: My master invites thee. He replied to him: I have bought a villa, I go to receive the rent, I shall not be able to come--I beg to be excused. The slave came, he said to his master: Those whom thou have invited to the banquet have excused themselves. The master said to his slave: Go out to the roads, bring those whom thou shall find so that they may feast. (multiple asyndeta)
64b. (And he says:) Tradesmen and merchants shall not enter the places of my Father. (Ezek 27 28, Zech 14:21, Jn 2:13-16, Rev/Ap 18:11-20)
65. He says: A kindº person had a vineyard. He gave it out to tenants so that they would work it and he would receive its fruit from them. He sent his slave so that the tenants would give to him the fruit of the vineyard. They seized his slave, they beat him--a little longer and they would have killed him. The slave went, he told it to his master. His master said: Perhaps [they] did not recognize [him]. He sent another slave--the tenants beat him as well. Then the owner sent his son. He said: Perhaps they will respect my son. Since those tenants knew that he was the heir of the vineyard, they seized him, they killed him. Whoever has ears, let him hear! (multiple asyndeta)
66. Yeshúa says: Show me the stone which the builders have rejected--it is the cornerstone. (Isa 28:16)
67. Yeshúa says: Whoever knows everything, but fails (to know) himself, lacks everything. (Th 3)
68. Yeshúa says: Blest be you when you are hated and persecuted and find no place there where you have been persecuted.
69a. Yeshúa says: Blest be those who have been persecuted in their heart--these are they who have known the Father in truth.
69b. (Yeshúa says:) Blest be the hungry, for the stomach of him who desires shall be filled.
70. Yeshúa says: When you bring forth that which is within you, this that you have shall save you. If you do not have that within you, this which you do not have within you will kill you. (Mt 13:52)
71. Yeshúa says: I shall destroy [this] house, and no one will be able to [re]build it.
72. [Someone says] to him: Tell my brothers to divide the possessions of my father with me. | He says to him: Oh man, who made me a divider? | He turned to his Disciples,* he says to them: I'm not a divider, am I? (*asyndeton)
73. Yeshúa says: The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the workers are few. Yet beseech the Lord that he send workers into the harvest.
74. He says: Lord, there are many around the reservoir, yet no one in the reservoir.
75. Yeshúa says: There are many standing at the door, but the solitary are those who shall enter the Bridal-Chamberº.
76. Yeshúa says: The Kingdom of the Father is like a merchant possessing a fortune, who found a pearl. That merchant was shrewd--he sold the fortune, he bought the one pearl for himself. You yourselves, seek for [the treasure of his face], which perishes not, which endures--the place where no moth comes near to devour nor worm ravages. (multiple asyndeta; Ps 11:7, 17:15)
77. Yeshúa says: I•Am the light who is above them all, I•Am the Allº. All came forth from me and all return to me. Cleave wood,* there am I. Lift up the stone and there you shall find me. (*asyndeton; Jn 8:12)
78. Yeshúa says: Why did you come out to the wilderness--to see a reed shaken by the wind? And to see a person dressed in plush garments? [Behold, your] rulers and your dignitaries are those who are clad in plush garments, and they shall not be able to recognize the truth.
79. A woman from the multitude says to him: Blest be the womb which bore thee, and the breasts which nursed thee! | He says to her: Blest be those who have heard the meaning of the Father and have kept it in truth. For there shall be days when you will say: Blest be the womb which has not conceived and the breasts which have not nursed. (Lk 1:42)
80. Yeshúa says: Whoever has known the system has found the body--and whoever has found the body, of him the system is not worthy. (Th 56)
81. Yeshúa says: Let whoever is enriched be made sovereign, and let whoever has power renounce it.
82. Yeshúa says: Whoever is close to me is close to the fire, and whoever is far from me is far from the Kingdom.
83. Yeshúa says: The images are manifest to mankind, and the Light which is within them is hidden. (Th 19) He shall reveal himself in the imagery of the Light of the Father--[yet] his image is concealed by his Light.
84. Yeshúa says: When you see your reflection, you rejoice. Yet when you perceive your images which come into being in front of you--which neither die nor disguise--to what extent will they depend upon you? (this is the epistemological hinge of the entire text; Ps 139:16, Jn 5:19, Th 19!)
85. Yeshúa says: Adam came into existence from a great power and a great wealth, and yet he did not become worthy of you. For if he had been worthy, he would not have tasted death.
86. Yeshúa says: [The foxes have their dens] and the birds have their nests, yet the Son of Mankind has no place to lay his head for rest.
87. Yeshúa says: Wretched be the body which depends upon (another) body, and wretched be the soul which depends upon their being together.
88. Yeshúa says: The angelsº and the oracles shall come to you, and they shall bestow upon you what is yours. And you yourselves, give to them what is in your hands, and say among yourselves: On what day will they come to receive what is theirs?
89. Yeshúa says: Why do you wash the outside of the chalice? Do you not mind that He who creates the inside is also he who creates the outside? (Lk 11:39-41)
90. Yeshúa says: Come unto me, for my yogaº is naturalº and my lordship is gentle--and you shall find repose for yourselves.
91. They say to him: Tell us who thou are, so that we may believe in thee. | He says to them: You examine the face of the sky and of the earth--yet you do not recognize Him who is facing you, and you do not know to inquire of Him at this moment. (Th 5, 52, 76, 84)
92. Yeshúa says: Seek and you shall find. But those things which you asked me in those days, I did not tell you then. Now I wish to tell them, and you do not inquire about them.
93. (Yeshúa says:) Give not what is holy to the dogs, lest they throw it on the dungheap. Cast not the pearls to the swine, lest they cause it to become [...].
94. Yeshúa [says:] Whoever seeks shall find. [And whoever knocks,] it shall be opened to him.
95. [Yeshúa says:] If you have copper-coins,* do not lend at interest--but rather give it to those from whom you will not be repaid. (Lk 6:30-36; *here in the bound codex there is a single sheet blank on both sides)
96. Yeshúa says: The Kingdom of the Father is like a woman who has taken a little yeast and has hidden it in dough--she produced large loaves of it. Whoever has ears, let him hear!
97. Yeshúa says: The Kingdom of the [Father] is like a woman who was carrying a jar full of grain. While she was walking on a distant road, the handle of the jar broke, the grain streamed out behind her onto the road. She did not know it, she had noticed no accident. When she arrived in her house, she set the jar down--she found it empty. (multiple asyndeta)
98. Yeshúa says: The Kingdom of the Father is like a person who wishes to slay a prominent man. He drew forth his sword in his house,* he thrust it thru the wall in order to ascertain whether his hand would prevail. Then he slew the prominent man. (*asyndeton)
99. His Disciples say to him: Thy brothers-and-sisters and thy mother are standing outside. | He says to them: Those here who practice the desires of my Father--these are my Brothers-and-Sisters and my Mother. It is they who shall enter the Kingdom of my Father. (Th 15)
100. They show Yeshúa a gold coin, and they say to him: The agents of Caesar extort tribute from us. | He says to them: Give the things of Caesar to Caesar, give the things of God to God, and give to me what is mine. (Rev/Ap 13:18 <- I- Ki 10:14?!--an extraordinary gematria)
101. (Yeshúa says:) Whoever does not hate his father and his mother in my way shall not be able to become a Disciple to me. And whoever does [not] love his [Father] and his Mother in my way shall not be able to become a Disciple to me. For my mother [boreº me], yet [my] true [Mother] gave me the life. (Jn 2:4, Th 15)
102. Yeshúa says: Woe unto them, the clergy--for they are like a dog sleeping in the manger of oxen. For neither does he eat, nor does he allow the oxen to eat. (The Fables of Aesopº)
103. Yeshúa says: Blest be the person who knows in which part the bandits may invade, so that he shall arise and collect his [belongings] and gird up his loins before they enter. (Mt 24:43)
104. They say [to him:] Come, let us pray today and let us fast. | Yeshúa says: Which then is the transgression that I have committed, or in what have I been vanquished? But when the Bridegroom comes forth from the Bridal-Chamber, then let them fast and let them pray. (Mk 2:19-20, Th 14)
105. Yeshúa says: Whoever acknowledges father and mother, shall be called the son of a harlot. (Mt 23:8-9)
106. Yeshúa says: When you make the two one, you shall become Sons of Mankind-- and when you say to the mountain: Be moved!, it shall be moved. (Th 22)
107. Yeshúa says: The Kingdom is like a shepherd who has 100 sheep. One of them went astray, which was the largest. He left the 99, he sought for the one until he found it. Having wearied himself, he said to that sheep: I desire thee more than 99. (Ezek 34:15-16)
108. Yeshúa says: Whoever drinks from my mouth shall become like me. I myself shall become him, and the secrets shall be revealed unto him. (Lk 6:40, Jn 4:7- 15, 7:37)
109. Yeshúa says: The Kingdom is like a person who has a treasure hidden in his field without knowing it. And after he died, he bequeathed it to his [son. The] son did not know about it, he accepted that field, he sold it. And he came who purchased it-- he plowed it, [he found] the treasure. He began to lend money at interest to whomever he wishes. (multiple asyndeta; Mt 13:44)
110. Yeshúa says: Whoever has found the system and been enriched, let him renounce the system. (Th 81)
111. Yeshúa says: The sky and the earth shall be rolled up in your presence. And he who lives from within the Living-One shall see neither death [nor fear]--for Yeshúa says: Whoever finds himself, of him the world is not worthy. (Isa 34:4, Lk 21:33, Rev/Ap 6:14)
112. Yeshúa says: Woe to the flesh which depends upon the soul, woe to the soul which depends upon the flesh. (asyndeton; Th 87)
113. His Disciples say to him: When will the Kingdom come? | (Yeshúa says:) It shall not come by expectation. They will not say: Behold here! or: Behold there! But the Kingdom of the Father is spread upon the earth, and humans do not perceive it. (Lk 17:20-21)
114. Simon Peter says to them: Let Mariam depart from among us, for women are not worthy of the life. | Yeshúa says: Behold, I shall inspireº her so that I make her male, in order that she herself shall become a living spirit like you males. For every female who becomes male shall enter the Kingdom of the Heavens. (Gen 3:16, Th 22)
The Gospel according to Thomas
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NOTES TO THOMAS
Coptic was the final stage of the classical Egyptian language, evolving after the invasion of Alexander the Great (332 BC) and subsequently supplanted by Arabic following the Muslim conquest (640 AD). It has always been the liturgical language of the Egyptian Church; moreover, the ancient Coptic versions of the Old and New Testaments are of great importance in textual Biblical studies. Utilizing many Greek loan words, Coptic also adopted the Greek alphabet (with C for sigma, and W for omega), adding these letters: $ (shai), £ (fai), % (hori), ¥ (janja), 6 (gima), and † (ti).
Adam (46,85): Hebrew (blood-red, clay)--the original human and/or generic mankind
Aesop (102): crippled Greek slave who flourished in the 6th-century BC and was executed at Delphi for 'impiety', whose Fables were well-known thruout the ancient world; the only non-Israelite other than the Delphic Oracle ('know thyself': Th 3) whom Christ is known to have quoted, as also in Lk 4:23 (moral from 'The Quack Frog'), Mt 7:15 ('The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing') and various other allusions
Bear (101): TA.MAAU GAR NTA.C.[MICE MMO.I EB]OL, 'my-mother for did-she[-bear accusative-me for]th' (vide Crum, Bibliography #4, 184b; also Plumley, Bibliography #3, §202 re II-Perfect tense in subordinate clauses)
Bed (61b, as notably also 61a): see Crum (Bibliography #4, above), 408b & 815a; the Coptic text here is: A.K.TELO (did- thou[masc]-lay) E¥M (upon) PA.6LO6 (my- bed)--this last term emphatically cannot mean 'bench' or 'sofa' or 'dining- couch'
Blest (7,18,19,49,54,58,68,69a,69b,79,103): Greek MAKARIOS; this Greek word means divine, rather than merely human, beatitude (Mt 5:3)
Bridal-Chamber (75,104): Coptic MA N.$ELEET (place of-bride) = Greek NUMFWN = Hebrew KHEDER; the bedroom where the marriage is consummated (Ps 19:5, S-of-S 1:4, Jn 3:29!, Mt 9:15)--see Ph 65, 71, 72, 73, 82, 94, 101, 108, 131, 143
Clergy (39,102): Hebrew 'Pharisee' (separated); religious leaders, teachers, indoctrinators (remember Mt 23)
Image/Imagery (22,50,83,84): Greek EIKON = Hebrew TSELEM (Gen 1:26); sensory perceptions and/or mental images, the five senses (Th 19) together with memory and the imagination; see 'Angel and Image', below
Incarnate (28): Coptic %N CARX (in flesh--intentionally utilizing the Greek term from Jn 1:14); see Recognition in Ph Notes re 'Gnosticism'
Inspire (114): Coptic COK; to blow as the wind or to flow as water, hence to draw or attract
Jacob the Righteous (12): Hebrew (heeler, supplanter; Gen 25:26) = Greek 'James'; Christ's human brother (Mk 6:3, Ac 12:17, Epistle of James)
John the Baptist (46,78): John = Hebrew (Yah[weh] is merciful); the last Hebrew prophet and the Messianic precursor (Lk 1, 3, 7 etc.), see Oracle, Ph 73, 81, 133, Baptism in Ph Notes, Logia in Tr Notes
Mariam (21,114): from Hebrew MROM (exalted; Ex 15:20); five females named Mariam appear in the Gospels: the Virgin, Mariam Magdalene, Mariam of Bethany, Mariam of Cleopas, and Mariam the Lord's human sister (Mc 6:3, Ph 36); Jn 20:16 gives a transliteration of this (Semitic) name into Greek letters: MARIAM
Matthew (13): Hebrew MATTAN-YAH (gift of Yah[weh]); the Apostle/Evangelist, also named 'Levi of Alphaeus' (see Levi in Ph Notes, Mk 2:14), brother of the Apostle Jacob of Alphaeus; Mt 10:3 etc.
Oracle/Prophet (31,52,88): Greek PROFHTHS = Hebrew NABI; a divine spokesperson, not merely predictive; note that there are 24 books in the Hebrew canon of the OT, and also 24 Prophets including John the Baptist (see IV-Ezra 14:45, Rev/Ap 4:4)
Origin (18): Greek ARChH; term from the pre-Socratic Greek philosophers, meaning not a temporal beginning but rather the primal source or basic substance underlying reality (thus in Gen 1:1 [Septuagint/LXX], Mk 1:1, Jn 1:1)
Philosopher (13): Greek FILOSOFOS (fond of wisdom); this word (coined by the pre-Socratic Pythagoras) has no Hebrew/Aramaic parallel, and thus Matthew himself must have used the Greek term
Rabbi (12): Hebrew (my great) = Coptic NO6 (great); a spiritual authority
Rethink (28): Greek METANOEW: reconsider, be wholeminded (Mt 3:2 etc.); the initial message of both John the Baptist and Christ; this important term 'metanoia' (with-mind) contrasts with 'paranoia' (beside-mind)--it does not signify a mere feeling of remorse, which is METAMELOS (see Metanoia in Tr Notes)
Sabbath (27): Hebrew SHABAT (repose); the (7th) day of rest; Ex 21:8-11, Lk 6:1- 11, Tr 7, 33--see the pericope Lk 6:4+ in Codex D (05) [Bezae]: "That same day, he saw someone working on the Sabbath,* he said to him: Man, if indeed you understand what you are doing, you are blest; if indeed you do not understand, you are accursed and a transgressor of the Torah"; Nestle- Aland, Novum Testamentum Graece, textual notes (*asyndeton)
Salome (61b): Hebrew (peaceful); an early female Disciple (Mk 15:40-41, 16:1)
Samaritan (60): those Hebrews not deported to Babylon and hence lacking the later OT scriptures (I-Ki 16:24, II-Ki 17), therefore in post-Exilic times considered heretics (as in Lk 10:25-37, Jn 4:1-42)
Saying/Meaning (Prolog, 1,19,38,79): Coptic $A¥E = Greek LOGOS = Hebrew AMR = Aramaic MEMRA; English 'meaning' derives from Anglo-Saxon 'mænan' = 'concept + expression', the exact sense of both logos and memra; Jn 1:1 thus reads 'In (the) Origin was the Meaning'; the Greek term for 'word' is RHMA
Simon Peter (13,114): Hebrew SHIMÓN = hearing (Gen 29:33); Greek PETROS (Peter) = Aramaic KEFA ('Cephas': bedrock)--the chief Apostle (Mt 10:2, 16:15-19)
Sky/Heaven (3,6,9,11,12,20,44,54,91,111,114): Coptic PE = Greek OURANOS; note that 'sky' = 'heaven' in Hebrew, Greek and Coptic
Theologian (39): Greek GRAMMATEUS (scribe); an expert on the scriptures (but Mt 23)
Thomas (Prolog, 13, Colophon): Aramaic TEOM = Greek DIDUMOS (duplicate, twin); the Apostle Thomas, author of this text (Jn 11:16, 20:24-29, 21:2); also note that Hebrew 'Judas' = 'praised' = Arabic 'hammad' as in 'Nag Hammadi' (village of praise) and 'Mohammad' (great praise)
Totality/Everything/the All (2,6,67,77): Coptic THR-£ (all of him/it)
Transient (42): Greek PARAGEIN (by-led); passer-by, itinerant--see Hebrew in Ph Notes
Trees (19): the 'five trees' may refer to the five senses (N.B. that all emotions can presumably be included in the realm of feeling); see Tr 28 and 'Angel and Image', below (it is noteworthy that the olive tree in particular does not shed its leaves seasonally)
Vintage/Kind/Natural (47,65,90): Greek ChRHSTOS (used), Ph 126; the ancient pagans often confused this common term with the rare ChRISTOS, with reference to the Hebrew Messiah
Wickedness (45): Greek PONEROS; this term (which also occurs in the canonical Gospels at Mk 7:22-23 etc.) has a root meaning of hard work or laborious drudgery, thus oppressed or exploited
World/System (10,16,21,24,27,28,51,56,80,110,111): Greek KOSMOS (arrangement, order)--originally the pre-Socratic philosopher Pythagoras had used this term to designate the entire natural universe, as in 'cosmos'; but in the Gospel koiné (later common Greek) it had also come to signify the conventionality or artificiality of the human social system, as in 'cosmetic'; see Lk 2:1, 4:5-6, 12:30-31
Yeshúa (Prolog et passim): Aramaic YESHÚA (yod.shin.vav.ayin) = Hebrew YEHÓSHUA; from YAHWEH YASHA (He-is Savior); Josh 1:1, Ezra 5:2 [Aramaic form], Mt 1:21, Ph 20a; see also the Hebrew text of Ex 15:2 as well as the spelling of the Tetragrammaton as written in second commandment on synagogue tablets of the Decalogue [!]
Yoga (90): Coptic NA%B (yoke), here meaning a spiritual discipline (the cognate Sanskrit term 'yoga' conveys this sense quite well)
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THE GOSPEL OF PHILIP
1. A Hebrew° person makes a (convert) Hebrew, who moreover is called thus: a novice° (proselyte). Yet a novice does not make (another) novice. [Some persons] are as they are [...] and also influence others [to become like themselves, while for the remainder] it suffices to them that they shall be. (Ex 12:48-49, Ac 6:5)
2. The slave seeks only to be set free, yet he does not seek after the estate of his master. Yet the son is not only a son, but also ascribes to himself the inheritance of the father. (Jn 8:35)
3. Those who inherit the dead are themselves dead, and they inherit the dead. Those who inherit the living are alive, and they inherit both the living and the dead. The dead do not inherit anything. For how will the dead inherit? When the dead inherits the living, he shall not die but rather the dead shall instead live.
4. A nationalist° does not die, for he has never lived so that he could die. Whoever has trusted° the truth is alive--and this- one is in danger of dying (as a martyr), for he is alive since the day that the Christ° came. (Mt 24:9)
5. The system is contrived, the cities are constructed, the dead carried out. (asyndeta; Isa 40:17, Rev/Ap 18, Lk 9:60)
6. In the days when we were Hebrews we were orphans, having only our Mother (the Spirit°). Yet when we become Messianics°, the Father joins with the Mother.
7. Those who sow in the winter reap in the summer. The winter is the world,* the summer is the other aeon°. Let us sow in the world so that we will harvest in the summer. Because of this, it is appropriate for us not to pray in the wintertime. What emerges from the winter is the summer. Yet if anyone reaps in the winter he will not harvest but rather uproot, as this method will not produce fruit. Not only does it not come forth [in the winter], but in the other Sabbath also his field is fruitless. (*asyndeton; Mt 6:1-6, Th 14, 27)
8. The Christ came! Some indeed he ransomed, yet others he rescued, yet for others he atoned°. He ransomed the alienated,* he brought them to himself. And he rescued those who came to him. These he set as pledges in his will. Not only when he appeared did he voluntarily lay down his soul, but since the day of the world's coming-to-be he placed his soul. Then at the time he desired he came earliest to reclaim her, since she was placed among the pledges. She had come to be under the bandits and they had taken her captive, yet he rescued her. He atoned for both the good and the evil in the world. (*asyndeton; Jn 10:17-18)
9. The light with the darkness, life with death, the right with the left are brothers to one another. It is not possible for them to be separated from one another. Because of this, neither is the good a good, nor are the evils an evil, nor is the life a life, nor is the death a death. Therefore each individual shall be solved into his origin from the beginning. Yet those who have been exalted above the world are indissoluble and eternal°. (Isa 45:7, Lam 3:38--cp. the Chinese Tao)
10. The names which have been given by the worldly--therein is a great confusion°. For their hearts are turned away from the real unto the unreal. And he who hears the (word) 'God' does not think of the real, but rather he is made to think of the unreal. So also with the (words) 'the Father' and 'the Son' and 'the Holy Spirit' and 'the Life' and 'the Light' and 'the Resurrection' and 'the Convocation°' [and] all the other (words)--they do not think of the real, but rather they are made to think of the [un]real. Moreover they learn the [all- human] reality of death. They are in the system,* [they think of the unreal]. If they were in eternity, they would not designate anything as a worldly evil nor would they be placed within worldly events. There is a destiny for them in eternity. (*asyndeton)
11. One single name they do not utter in the world--the name which the Father bestows upon himself in the Son. This he exalts above every other name. For the Son will not become the Father unless the name of the Father was bestowed upon him. This existing name they are indeed each made to think to himself, yet they speak it not. Yet those who do not have it do not even think it. But the truth begets these words in the world for our sake. It would not be possible to learn it without words. (Jn 17)
12. She alone is the truth. She makes the many, and she teaches us this alone in love thru many. (Ph 6, 18, 40)
13. The authorities° desire to deceive humankind, because they perceived him being in a kinship to the truly good. So they took the word 'good', they applied it to the ungood so that thru words they might deceive and bind him within the ungood. And subsequently whenever grace is enacted to them, they are to be withdrawn from the ungood and be appointed in the good--as these know. For they desired to take the free person and keep him as a slave to themselves forever. There is empowerment given to humans. They do not want him [to know], so that they will become [masters] over him. For where there is humankind, there is [slavery]. (Isa 5:20; this entry together with Ph 9, 10, 72, 136 pertain to the theoretical linguistics of this text)
14. Sacrifice began [...], and they offered up animals to the powers. [...] They indeed offered them up alive, but when they were offered up they died. But the human was offered up dead to God, and he lived.
15. Before Christ came there was no bread in the world as there had been in paradise°, the place where Adam was. There were many plants as nourishment for the animals, but it had no grain as food for humankind. So humans ate like the animals. But Christ came, the perfect° person. He brought forth bread in heaven so that humankind would be nourished with the food of humankind. (Ps 78:25, Jn 6:30-59)
16. The authorities think that by their own power and volition they are doing what they do. Yet the Holy Spirit in secret was energizing everything thru them as she wished.
17. The truth is sown everywhere from the origin, and the multitude see it sown. Yet few who see it reap it. (Mt 22:14)
18. Some say that Mariam was impregnated by the Holy Spirit. They are confused,* they know not what they say. Whenever was a female° impregnated by a female? Mariam is the virgin whom no power defiled. She is the great consecration for the Hebrew Apostles° and for the Apostolics°. If the powers attempted to defile this virgin, they would only defile [themselves]. And the Lord did not say 'my Father [in] heaven', as if he had [another] father--but rather he said simply ['my Father']. (*asyndeton; Lk 2:48-49, Ph 6)
19. The Lord said to the Disciples°: [...] Indeed come into the house of the Father, but do not possess anything in the house of the Father nor take anything away. (Jn 14:2)
20a. Yeshúa is a secret name, Christ is a revealed name. Thus Yeshúa does not occur in any (other) languages, but rather his name is Yeshúa as he is called. Yet his name Christ in Aramaic° is Messiah°, but in Ionian° is: ChRISTOS. Altogether, it is in all the other languages according to each one('s word for anointed°).
20b. The revealed Nazarene° is the secret!
21. The Christ has everything within himself--whether human or angel° or mystery°, and also the Father.
22. They say that the Lord first died and then arose; they are confused. For first he arose and then he died. If anyone does not first acquire the resurrection he will die, for he is not really alive until God transforms him. (Th 29)
23. No one will hide a precious valuable in something expensive, but oftentimes has something worth countless myriads been placed in something worth a pittance. Thus is the case with the soul--a precious thing has come to be in a lowly body.
24. Some are fearful lest they arise naked. Therefore they desire to arise in the flesh, and they do not know that those who wear the flesh are the denuded. Those [...] who are divested (of the flesh) are those who are clad (in the images).
25. (Paul° claims that) 'flesh [and blood cannot] inherit the Kingdom [of God].' (I-Cor 15:50) What is this which shall not inherit? This which is upon us? Yet this is exactly what will inherit--that which belongs to Yeshúa with his flesh and blood. Therefore he said: Whoever does not eat my flesh and drink my blood has no life within himself. (Jn 6:53) What is his flesh?--it is the Logos. And his blood?--it is the Holy Spirit. Whoever has received these has food and drink and clothing. I disagree with those who say that flesh and blood shall not arise. Then (these) both are wrong: thou say that the flesh shall not arise, but tell me what will arise so that we may honor thee; thou say it is the spirit in the flesh and this light in the flesh, but this also is an incarnate saying. For whatever thou will say, thou do not speak apart from the flesh. It is necessary to arise in this flesh, as everything exists within it.
26. In this world they who wear garments are more valuable than the garments. In the Kingdom of the Heavens the garments are more valuable than those to whom they have been given by means of water and fire, which purify the entire place.
27. The revelations by means of revelation,* the secrets by means of secrecy. Some things are kept secret by means of the revelations. (*asyndeton; Th prolog, 62, 108)
28. There is liquid in water, there is fire in Chrism°. (asyndeton)
29. Yeshúa took them all by stealth. For he did not reveal himself as he [really] was, but rather he reveals himself as [they will] be able to perceive him. He revealed himself to [them all--he revealed himself] to the great as great, he revealed himself to the small as small, he [revealed himself] to the angels as an angel and to humans as a human. Thus his Logos concealed him from everyone. Some indeed saw him while they thought they were seeing themselves. But when he revealed himself to his Disciples in glory on the mountain he was not made small. He became great, but he made the Disciples great so that they would be capable of beholding him made great. (Mt 17:1-8)
30. He says today in the Eucharist°: Oh thou who have mated° the Perfect Light with the Holy Spirit, mate also our angels with our imagery!
31. Do not disdain the Lamb, for without him it is not possible to see the door. No one divested will be able to enter unto the King. (Jn 1:36)
32. The Sons of the Man of Heaven are more numerous than those of the man of earth. If the sons of Adam are numerous although they surely die, how many more are the Sons of the Perfect Man--those who do not die but rather are continually born.
33. The Father creates a Son, but it is not possible for the Son himself to create a Son. For it is impossible for him who is begotten himself to beget. But rather the Son begets for himself Brothers instead of Sons. (Jn 20:17)
34. All those who are begotten in the system are begotten physically, and the others are begotten [spiritually]. Those begotten in his heart [call forth] there to humankind in order [to nourish] them in the promise [of the goal] which is above. [...] (Jn 1:12-13)
35. The Logos comes forth from the mouth. And he who is nourished from the mouth shall become perfect. The perfect are conceived thru a kiss and they are born. Therefore we also kiss one another--to receive conception in our mutual grace. (Th 108)
36. There were three Mariams who walked with the Lord at all times: his mother and [his] sister and the Magdalene°, she who is called his mate. Thus his (true) Mother, Sister and Mate is (also) called 'Mariam'. (Mk 3:35, Th 101)
37. 'Father' and 'Son' are single names, 'Holy Spirit' is a double name. For the Father and the Son are everywhere--above and below, secretly and manifestly. The Holy Spirit is the secret above within the manifestation below.
38. The Saints are served by the oppressive powers, for the latter are blinded by the Holy Spirit so that they think they are assisting a human when in fact they are working for the Saints. Because of this, (when) a Disciple one day made request of the Lord for something worldly, he said to him: Request of thy Mother and she will give to thee from what belongs to another.
39. The Apostles said to the Disciples: May our entire offering obtain salt! They called [grace] 'salt'--without it no offering [becomes] acceptable. (Lev 2:13, Num 18:19, Mk 9:49)
40. Wisdom is barren [without] the Son--hence she is called [his Mother]. But in the place of salt [...] the Holy Spirit has many Sons. (Prov 8, Isa 54:1, Lk 7:35, Th 101)
41. Everything that the Father possesses belongs to the Son. And also he the Son, as long as he is small, (the Father) does not entrust to him what is his. But when he matures, the Father bestows on him all that he (himself) has. (Th 61b)
42. Those who are lost are also begotten by the Holy Spirit, and they go astray thru her. Thus by the one breath°, the fire both blazes and is extinguished.
43. Wisdom is one thing, and dead wisdom is another. Wisdom is simply being wise, yet dead wisdom is the wisdom of death. That which acknowledges death is called the trite wisdom.
44. There are animals which are subject to mankind, such as the calf and the donkey and others of this kind. There are others which are not subject, and live apart in the wilderness. Man plows the field by means of the animals that are subject, and from this he feeds both himself and the animals whether tame or wild. So it is with the Perfect Person--thru the powers that are subject he plows, providing for everything which exists. For because of this the entire place stands--whether the good or the evil, both the right and the left. The Sacred Spirit shepherds everyone and commands all the powers, both those who are subject and also those who are not subject and are isolated. For truly she continues [...] to control them [beyond] their own volition. [...]
45. [Adam] was formed, and yet thou will [not] find his sons to be noble formations. If he were not formed but rather begotten, thou would find his seed to be noble. Yet for now he has been formed and he has begotten. What nobility is this? (Gen 2:7, 4:1)
46. Adultery occurred first, then murder. And (Cain°) was begotten in adultery, for he was the son of the serpent*. Therefore he became a manslayer just like his father, and he killed his brother. Yet every mating which has occurred between those who are dissimilar is adultery. (*i.e. born of the falsity called human, rather than divine, generation?; Gen 4:1-16, Jn 8:31-59!!, Th 105)
47. God is a dyer. Just as the good pigments which are called true then label the things which have been permanently dyed in them, so it is also with those whom God colors. Because his hues are imperishable, (those who are tinted) become immortal thru his coloring. Yet God immerses whomever he baptizes° in an inundation of waters (i.e. a flood of images?).
48. It is not possible for anyone to see anything of those that are established unless he becomes like them. Not as with the person who is in the world--he sees the sun without becoming a sun, and he sees the sky and the earth and all other things without being them. But in the truth it is thus--thou thyself saw something of that place, and thou came to be there. Thou saw the Spirit,* thou became spiritual; thou saw the Christ,* thou became christlike; thou saw [the Father,* thou] shall become paternal. Thus [in the world ...] thou see everything and [...] thou do not see thy self, yet thou see thy self in that [place]. For what thou see, thou shall [become]. (*asyndeta)
49. Faith receives,* love gives. [No one can receive] without faith,* no one can give without love. Therefore we believe in order that indeed we shall receive, yet we love in order that we may truly give. Otherwise, if someone gives without love, he derives no benefit from giving. (*asyndeta)
50. Whoever has not received the Lord is still a Hebrew. (Ph 6)
51. The Apostles who preceded us called him thus: Yeshúa' the Nazirite° Messiah, that is Yeshúa' the Nazirite Christ. The last name is the Christ, the first is Yeshúa', the middle is the [Nazirite]. Messiah has two significations: both anointed and also measurement°. Yeshúa' in Aramaic is the Atonement. Nazara is the truth, therefore the Nazirite is the true. Christ is the measurement, the [Nazirite] and Yeshúa' are the measured. (Num 6:1-8, Jud 13:5 -> Mt 2:23, Ph 20)
52. If the pearl is cast down into the mire it is not despised, nor if it is anointed with balsam oil is it more valued. But rather it has its great worth to its owner at all times. So it is with the Sons of God--whatever happens to them, they still have the great value to their Father. (Job 30:19, Jer 38:6)
53. If thou say 'I'm a Jew'--no one will be moved. If thou say 'I'm a Roman'--no one will be disturbed. If thou say 'I'm a Greek, a barbarian, a slave, a freeman'--no one will be troubled. If thou [say] 'I'm a Christic°'--[everyone] will tremble. May it be that I [speak] in such a manner that [they] will not be able to withstand [hearing] this name!
54. A god is a cannibal. Because of this, they [sacrifice] mankind to it. Before they sacrificed mankind, they were sacrificing animals. For these to which they sacrificed, were not divinities. (Ph 14)
55. Both vessels of glass and vessels of pottery come to be thru fire. But if glass vessels break they are remade, for they come to be by means of breath (spirit). Yet if pottery vessels break they are destroyed, for they come to be without breath.
56. A donkey going in a circle at a millstone did a hundred miles walking. When it was released it found itself still in the same place. There are also people who take many journeys but make no progress anywhere. When evening comes upon them, they discern neither city nor village, neither creation nor nature, neither power nor angel. In vain did the wretches toil! (Ps 127:2, Ecl 2:11)
57. The Eucharist is Yeshúa. For in Aramaic they call him FARISATHA--this is, the outspread. For Yeshúa came to crucify the world.
58. The Lord went into the dyeworks of Levi°. He took 72 complexions,* he threw them into the vat. He brought them all up white, and he said: This is how the son of mankind comes--[as] a dyer. (*asyndeton; Gen 10 [LXX] lists 72 nations in all the world; also, Lk 10:1 in some ancient MSS mentions 72 Disciples)
59. The wisdom which humans call barren is the Mother of the Angels. (Ph 40) And the Mate of the [Christ] is Mariam Magdalene. The [Lord loved] Mariam more than [all the other] Disciples, [and he] kissed her often on her [mouth. (Ph 35) He embraced] the other women also, yet they said to him: Why do thou love [her] more than all of us? | The Savior° replied,* he said to them: Why do I not love you as I do her? (*asyndeton; Th 61b)
60. While a blind person and one who sees are both in the dark, they do not differ from one another. But when the light comes, then he who sees shall behold the light yet he who is blind shall remain in the darkness. (Th 34)
61. The Lord said: Blest be he who was before he came into being. (Th 19) For he who is, both was and shall be.
62. The exaltation of mankind is not manifest but rather implicit. Because of this he dominates the animals which are stronger than him--who thus is great both manifestly and implicitly. And this gives to them their survival. Yet when mankind separates from them, they kill each other and gnash each other and devour each other, because they find no food. Yet when mankind cultivated the earth they found food.
63. If anyone goes down into the water and comes back up without having received, but says 'I'm a Christic', he has taken the name on loan. Yet if he receives the Holy Spirit, he has the gift of the name. He who has received a gift is not deprived of it, but he who takes a loan has it demanded from him. (Th 41)
64. This is how it is when someone exists in a mystery--the sacrament° of marriage is grand. For the world is complex: [the system] is based upon mankind, yet [mankind] is based upon matrimony*. (Therefore) contemplate the pure mating, for it has [great] power. Its imagery is in a defiling [of bodies]. (*matrimony <-> patrimony°; Lev 15:18!!)
65. Among the unclean spirits there are male and female. The males indeed are those who mate with the souls inhabiting a female form, yet the females are those who unite° with a male form--both thru disparity°. (Ph 46) And no one will be able to escape from these once they seize him unless he receives both male and female power--which is the Bridegroom with the Bride. One receives them in the mirrored Bridal-Chamber. (Th 75) Whenever the foolish women see a male sitting alone, they leap upon him to carouse with him and defile him. So also the foolish men when they see a beautiful female sitting alone, they seduce her or coerce her in the desire to defile her. Yet if they see the man sitting together with his woman, the females cannot violate the man nor can the males violate the woman. So it is if the imagery and the angel are mated together, neither can anyone dare to violate the male or the female. (Ph 30) He who comes forth from the world cannot be detained any longer merely because he used to be in the world. It is evident that he transcends both the yearning and the fear of the [flesh]. He is master over [desire],* he is more precious than jealousy. And if [the many] come to seize him and strangle [him], how will he not be able to escape [by the salvation] of God? How can he fear them? (*asyndeton)
66. Many times there are some who come [and say]: We are faithful, hide us from [unclean spirits] and demons! But if they had the Holy Spirit, no unclean spirit would cling to them.
67. Do not fear the flesh, nor love it. If thou fear it, it will enslave thee. If thou love it, it will devour and strangle thee.
68. One exists either in this world or in the resurrection or in the transitional° regions. May it not occur that I be found in the latter! In this world there is good and evil. Its goods are not good and its evils are not evil. (Ph 9) Yet there is evil after this world, which is truly evil and which is called the transition; it is death. While we are in this world it is appropriate for us to be begotten in the resurrection, so that if we are divested of the flesh we shall find ourselves in the repose and not wander in the transition. For many go astray on the way. Thus it is good to come forth from the world before humankind transgressed. (Rev/Ap 20:5)
69. Some indeed neither wish nor are able. Yet others if they wish gain no benefit, for they do not act correctly. For desire makes them transgressors. Yet not desiring righteousness conceals from them both the wish and the deed.
70. An Apostolic in a vision saw some [...] who were in a house of fire, crying out in a fiery air, cast [...] in the flames. [... Even] the water in [that place is aflame], and they declare to themselves: [...] The waters cannot save us, whatever we may wish! They received [death as] chastisement. This is called the [outermost] darkness. The enemy [comes] forth in water with fire. (Rev/Ap 20:14-15, Mt 25:30)
71. The soul and the spirit of the Son of the Bridal-Chamber come forth [in] water and fire with light. The fire is the Chrism, the light is the fire. I do not mean this fire that has no form, but rather the other--whose form is white and which is made of beautiful light and which bestows splendor. (Ph 26, 28)
72. The truth does not come unto the system naked, but rather it comes in symbols with imagery. The world will not receive it in any other fashion. There is a rebirth° (or upbirth) together with a reborn (or upborn) imagery. It is truly appropriate to be reborn (or upborn) thru the imagery. (Jn 3) What is the resurrection with its imagery?--it is appropriate to arise thru the imagery. The Bridal-Chamber with its imagery?--it is appropriate to come into the truth. This is the restoration°. It is appropriate to be begotten not only of the words 'the Father with the Son with the Holy Spirit', but also to be begotten of them themselves. Whoever is not begotten of them will have the name also taken from him. (Ph 63) Yet one receives them in the Chrism which comes in the power of the cross, which the Apostles call: the right with the left. For this-one is no longer a Christic but rather a Christ. (Isa 30:21)
73. The Lord [did] everything sacramentally: Baptism and Chrism and Eucharist and Atonement and [holy] Bridal- Chamber.
74. He said: I have come [to make the outer] as the inner and the [above as the below]. (Th 22) The other place [is represented] here in symbols. [...] She is the one who is above. (Ph 12) He who is revealed [...] from there is called: he who is below. And he has the hidden that is there above him. For it is good that they say: the inner and the outer together with what is outside of the outer. Because of this, the Lord called destruction: the outer darkness. There is nothing outside of that. He said: thy Father in secret. He said: Go into thy closet, shut thy door behind thee and pray to thy Father in secret. This is He who is within them all. Yet He who is within them all is the fullness--beyond him there is nothing further within. This is what is meant by: He who is above them (all). (Mt 8:12, 6:6, Th 77, Ph 70)
75. Before Christ some came forth. They are no longer able to enter into whence they came, and they are no longer able to exit from whither they went. Yet the Christ came. Those who had gone in he brought out, and those who had gone out he brought in.
76. In the days when Eve° was within Adam, there was no death. When she separated from him, death came to be. If [she] again enters and he receives [her], death will no longer be.
77. 'My God, my God, why oh Lord [have] thou abandoned me?'--He said these (words) on the cross. For he put asunder the [entire] place, having been begotten within the [Holy] Spirit by God. (Ps 22:1 -> Mk 15:34, vis-à-vis 'Gnosticism'°)
78. The [Lord arose] from death. [He became again] as he had been, but [his body] was made [entirely] perfect. He wore the flesh, but this [flesh is indeed] the true flesh. (Jn 1:14) [Yet our flesh] is not true, but rather a mirror-image of the true [flesh].
79. The Bridal-Bed° is not for the animals nor is it for the slaves nor for the impure women, but rather it is for the free men with the virgins. (Ac 21:8-9!)
80. Thru the Holy Spirit we are indeed born, yet we are reborn (or upborn) thru the Christ. In both we are anointed thru the Spirit--and having been begotten, we are mated. (Gen 2:7, Jn 3:7)
81. No one will be able to see himself either in water or in a mirror without light. Nor again will thou be able to see thyself in the light without water or a mirror. Therefore it is appropriate to baptize in both--in the light and the water. Yet the light is the Chrism. (Isa 43:2, Mt 3:11)
82. There had been* three vestibules for places of offering in Jerusalem°--one open to the west called the holy, another open to the south called the holy of the holiness, the third open to the east called the holy of the holinesses where the high priest alone was to enter. Baptism is the holy vestibule, Atonement is the holy of the holiness, the holy of the holinesses is the Bridal- Chamber. Baptism has the resurrection [with] the Atonement entering the Bridal-Chamber. Yet the Bridal-Chamber is more exalted than those. [...] Thou will find nothing that [compares with it]. (multiple asyndeta; Lev 16, Num 18:7; *'There had been': Coptic pluperfect tense--hence this entry was written after the Roman conquest of 70 AD; see Plumley's Grammar, §231)
83. [Those who] pray [for] Jerusalem pray [in] Jerusalem and they see [Jerusalem]. These are called the holies (or Saints) of the holinesses.
84. [The sacred] veil was torn [in order to reveal] the Bridal-Bed, which is nothing but the imagery [which is] above. And the veil was torn from the top to the bottom, for it is appropriate for some from below to go above. (Th 84, Mk 15:38)
85. Those who are clothed in the Perfect Light--the powers can neither see them nor restrain them. Yet one shall be clothed with light in the sacrament of the Mating. (Ph 38)
86. If the female had not separated from the male, she would not die with the male. [Her] separation was the inception of death. Therefore Christ came, so that he might overcome the separation that had obtained from the beginning and again mate the two. And to those who have died in the separation he shall give life by mating them. Yet the woman mates with her husband in the bridal-bed. Those however who have mated in the Bridal-Bed will no longer be separated. Because of this, Eve separated from Adam--because she did not mate with him in the Bridal-Bed. (Gen 3:19, Th 11, 22, Ph 76)
87. The soul of Adam came into being from a Spirit (= breath, Gen 2:7), and her Mate is the [Christ]. The Spirit bestowed upon (Adam) is his Mother, and is given to him in his soul. [Yet because] he was not mated [...] in the Logos, the dominant powers bewitched him. But those who mate with the [Holy] Spirit in secret [...] are invited individually to the Bridal-Bed, where they are mated.
88. Yeshúa revealed [himself by the River] Jordan° as the fullness of the Kingdom of the Heavens who precedes the totality. Moreover [*] he was begotten as a Son, moreover he was anointed, moreover he was atoned, moreover he atoned. (asyndeta; *dittography)
89. If it is appropriate to tell a mystery, the Father of the totality mated with the Virgin who had come down--and a fire shone for him on that day. He revealed the great Bridal-Bed. Thus his body came into being on that day. He came forth in the Bridal-Bed as one issuing from the Bridegroom with the Bride. This is how Yeshúa established the essence of the totality. And it is appropriate for each one of the Disciples to enter into his repose.
90. Adam came into being thru two virgins--thru the Spirit and thru the virgin earth. Therefore Christ was begotten thru a virgin, in order to rectify the fall which had occurred in the beginning. (Gen 2:7, Lk 1:26-35)
91. There were two trees in paradise--the one produces beasts,* the other produces humans. Adam ate from the tree that produces beasts, and becoming a beast he begot beasts. Because of this (the beasts) were then worshipped. Adam [ate] the fruit of that tree, [...] and this bore many fruits [...] which were also eaten; humans begot [humans] and worshipped humans. (*asyndeton)
92. God creates mankind, yet mankind creates gods. This is how it is in the world--the humans create gods and they worship their creations. It would be more appropriate for the gods to worship the humans! (Isa 44:9-20)
93. Thus is the truth regarding the deeds of mankind--those that come forth thru his power are therefore called works, but his creations are his sons who come forth thru his repose. Because of this, his power governs in his [works], yet his repose is manifest in his sons. And thou will find that this also penetrates thru the imagery: this is the Mirrored Person--doing his [works] in his power, yet begetting his Sons in his repose. (Jn 5:19, Th 50!)
94. In this world the slaves work for the free. In the Kingdom of the Heavens the free serve the slaves: the Sons of the Bridal-Chamber serve the sons of marriage. The Sons of the Bridal-Chamber have [a single] name, share in the repose, and have no needs. [...] (Ph 64)
95. Contemplation° [of the images] is the greatest [...] of glories. (compare Aristotle, Metaphysics XII.7, 1072b.23)
96. [Those who] go down into the water do not go down to death, for he atoned for those who are [fulfilled] in his name. For he said: [Thus] we must fulfill all righteousness. (Mt 3:15)
97. Those who say that they will first die and then arise are confused. If they do not first receive the resurrection while they live, they will receive nothing when they die. Thus it is said also of Baptism in stating that Baptism is great, for those who receive it shall live. (Ph 22)
98. Philip the Apostle° says: Joseph the Craftsman° planted a garden because he needed wood for his craft. He made the cross from the trees that he planted, and his posterity hung on that which he had planted. His posterity is Yeshúa, yet the plant is the cross. But the tree of life is in the center of paradise, the olive tree from which the Chrism comes thru him who is the resurrection. (Mt 13:55, Ex 30:22-33, Dt 21:22-23)
99. This world devours corpses--everything which is eaten in it thereby dies. The truthful consumes the living--therefore no one nourished in [the living shall] die. Yeshúa came forth from that place and he brought nourishment from there. And to those whom he wished he gave life so that they would not perish. (Jn 6:53, Th 11, 60, Ph 15)
100. God [planted] a garden-paradise. Mankind lives in the garden, but [...] their hearts [...] are not in God. [...] This garden [is the place] where it will be said: My Son, [eat] this or do not eat that according to thy desire. In this place I shall consume all things, for the tree of knowledge is there. It slew Adam, yet the place of the tree of knowledge gave life to mankind. The Torah° is the tree. It has the capability to bestow the knowledge of good and evil. It neither stopped him from evil nor preserved him in the good, but rather it presupposed death for those who ingested it. For death originated in his saying: Eat this but do not eat that. (Th 113, Gen 2:16-17)
101. The Chrism is lord over Baptism. For from the Chrism we are called Christics, and not because of the Baptism. And he is called the Christ because of the Chrism. For the Father anointed the Son, yet the Son anointed the Apostles, yet the Apostles anointed us. (Lk 4:18, Jn 20:21-22, Ac 6:5-6) He who is anointed has everything--he has the resurrection, the light, the cross,* the Holy Spirit. The Father bestowed this upon him in the Bridal-Chamber, and he received. (*asyndeton)
102. The Father was in the Son, and the Son in the Father. This is the Kingdom of the Heavens! (Jn 14:10, 17:20-23)
103. Ideally did the Lord say: Some have entered the Kingdom of the Heavens laughing, and they came forth [from the world rejoicing]. The Christic [...] who went down into the water immediately came forth as lord over everything, because [he not only considered] (this world) a farce but also [disdained it for] the Kingdom of the Heavens. [...] If he disparages it and scorns it as a farce, he will come forth laughing.
104. This is altogether how it is with the bread and the chalice and with the ointment--there is nonetheless another (sacrament) more exalted than these. (Ph 73)
105. The system began in a transgression, for he who contrived it desired to make it imperishable and immortal. He fell away and did not attain his ambition. For there is no imperishability of the system, and there was no imperishability of him who contrived the system. For there is no imperishability of things but only of Sons, and no one can obtain imperishability except by becoming a Son. Yet he who is unable to receive, how much more will he be unable to give! (Ph 5, 49)
106. The chalice of communion° contains wine and water, for it is appointed as the symbol of the blood for which the Eucharist is celebrated. And it is filled with the Holy Spirit, and it belongs to the completely Perfected Person. Whenever we drink this, we receive the Perfect Person. (Jn 19:34, I-Jn 5:6-8)
107. The living water is a body. It is appropriate that we be clothed with the Living Person. Because of this, when he comes to go down into the water he undresses himself in order that he may be clothed with that.
108. A horse begets a horse, a human begets a human,* a god begets a god. This is how it is with the Bridegroom within the Bride--[the Sons] come forth in the Bridal-Chamber. The Jews did not derive from the Greeks, and we Christics do not [derive] from the Jews. [...] And these are called the chosen generation of the [Holy Spirit]--the true person and the son of mankind and the seed of the son of mankind. This generation are called the true ones in the world. This is the place where the Sons of the Bridal-Chamber are. (*asyndeton)
109. Mating in this world is the man upon the woman, the place of strength over weakness. In eternity the mating is something else in the likeness of this, yet it is called by these same names. Yet there is another (mating) which is exalted beyond all designated names, and which transcends force. For where there is force, there are also those who are more precious than force.
110. The one is not, and the other is--but these are together the single unity. This is He who shall not be able to come unto me thru a heart of flesh. (Ph 9)
111. Is it not appropriate for all those who possess the totality to understand themselves? Some indeed, who do not understand themselves, do not enjoy what they have. Yet those who do understand themselves shall enjoy it. (Th 67)
112. Not only will they be unable to seize the perfected person, but they will not be able even to see him. For if they saw him they would seize him. In no other fashion will one be able to be begotten of this grace, unless he is clothed in the Perfect Light and himself becomes one of the Perfect Lights. [...] Thus clad he enters into this perfection.
113. [It is appropriate] that we become [perfected persons] before we come forth [from the world]. Whoever receives everything [without mastering] these places will [not be able to master] that place, but rather he shall [go] to the transition as imperfect. Only Yeshúa knows the destiny of that one.
114. The Saint is entirely holy, including his body. For if he receives the bread he sanctifies it, or the chalice, or anything else he receives he purifies. And how will he not purify the body also?
115. By perfecting the water of Baptism, Yeshúa poured death away. Because of this, we indeed go down into the water yet we do not go down unto death, in order that we not be poured away into the spirit of the world. Whenever that breathes the winter comes, but when the Holy Spirit breathes the summer comes. (Mk 10:38-39)
116. Whoever recognizes° the truth is free. Yet he who is free does not transgress, for 'he who transgresses is the slave of transgression.' (I-Jn 3:9, Jn 8:34) The Mother is the truth, yet recognition is the union. These to whom it is given not to transgress in the world are called free. These to whom it is given not to transgress have their hearts exalted by recognizing the truth. This is what liberates them and exalts them over the universe. Yet (Paul claims that 'knowledge is vain but) love edifies.' (I-Cor 8:1) He however who is liberated thru recognition is enslaved by love for the sake of those who have not yet been able to be carried up to the freedom of recognition. Yet recognizing suffices to liberate them.
117. Love [does not take] anything, for how [can it take anything when everything belongs to it?] It does not say 'This is [mine]' or '[That] is mine', [but rather it says] 'It is thine.'
118. Spiritual love is wine and fragrance. All those who are anointed with it enjoy it. As long as the anointed remain, those also enjoy it who stand beside them. But if they who are anointed with the Chrism withdraw and depart, those who are not anointed but only stand alongside will still remain in their own miasma. The Samaritan gave nothing to the wounded man except wine and ointment-- and it healed the wounds, for 'love covers a multitude of transgressions.' (Lk 10:30-37, Prov 10:12 -> I-Pet 4:8)
119. Those whom the woman begets will resemble him whom she loves. If it is her husband they will resemble her husband,* if it is an adulterer they will resemble the adulterer. Often, if there is a woman who sleeps with her husband by compulsion yet her heart is toward the adulterer and she mates with him and begets, then the one to whom she gives birth resembles the adulterer. Yet you who are with the Sons of God--love not the world but rather love the Lord, so that those whom you beget will not be made to resemble the world but rather will be made to resemble the Lord. (*asyndeton)
120. The human unites with the human, the horse unites with the horse, the donkey unites with the donkey. The species unite with their like-species. Thus in this manner the Spirit unites with the Spirit, the Logos mates with the Logos, and the Light mates [with the Light]. If thou become human then [mankind will] love thee, if thou become [spiritual] then the Spirit will mate with thee, if thou become meaningful then the Logos will unite with thee, if thou become enlightened then the Light will mate with thee, if thou transcend then the Transcendental will repose upon thee. But if thou become like a horse or a donkey or a calf or a dog or a sheep or any other animal outside and inferior, then neither mankind nor the Spirit nor the Logos nor the Light nor those above nor those within will be able to love thee. They will be unable to repose in thy heart and they will not be thy heritage. (multiple asyndeta; Ph 108)
121. He who is enslaved against his own volition will be able to be freed. He who has been liberated by the gift of his master, and has sold himself back into slavery, will no longer be able to be freed. (Ex 21:5-6 [but also Lev 25:10], Ph 116)
122. Cultivation in the world is thru four modes°--(crops) are gathered into the barn thru earth and water and wind and light. And the cultivation by God is likewise thru four: trust and hope° and love and recognition. Our earth is trust in which we take root, the water is hope thru which we are nourished, the wind is love thru which we grow, yet the light is recognition thru which we ripen. [...] (Ph 116)
123. Grace made [...] the earth to be made [...] in Heaven above. Blest be this [...] soul!
124. This is Yeshúa the Christ--he beguiled the entire place and did not burden anyone. Therefore blest be a perfected person of this kind, for such is the Logos.
125. Ask us concerning him, inasmuch as it is difficult uprightly (to portray him). How shall we be able to succeed in this magnificent task?
126. How will he bestow repose on everyone? First and foremost, it is not appropriate to aggrieve anyone--whether great or small, unbeliever or believer. Then, to provide repose for those who rest in the good. There are some whose privilege it is to provide repose for those who are ideal. He who does good cannot of himself give repose to them, for he does not come of his own volition. Yet neither can he grieve them, for he does not oppress or distress them. But he who is ideal sometimes grieves them--not that he is thus (grievous), but rather it is their own wickedness which causes them grief. Whoever is natural° gives joy to him who is good--yet consequently some grieve terribly. (Th 90)
127. The master of an estate acquired everything--whether son or slave or dog or cattle or swine, whether wheat or barley or straw or hay or [bones] or meat [or] acorns. He was wise and knew the food of [each]. Before the sons he indeed set bread and [olive-oil with meat, before] the slaves he set castor-oil with grain, before the cattle he set [barley] with straw and hay, to the dogs he cast bones, yet before [the swine] he threw acorns and crusts of bread. So it is with the Disciple of God--if he is wise he is perceptive about the Discipleship. The bodily forms will not deceive him, but rather he will look to the disposition of the soul of each one in order to speak with him. In the world there are many animals made in human form--these he recognizes. To the swine indeed he will throw acorns, yet to the cattle he will cast barley with straw and hay, to the dogs he will cast bones, to the slaves he will give the elementary, to the Sons he shall present the Perfect.
128. There is the son of mankind and there is the grandson of mankind. The Lord is the son of mankind, and the grandson of mankind is he who is created thru the son of mankind. The son of mankind received from God (the ability) to create as well as to beget.
129. That which is created is a creature,* that which is begotten is a child. A creature cannot beget,* (but) a child can create. Yet they say: The creature begets. But a child is a creature. Therefore (a person's) children are not his sons but rather [God's]. (*asyndeta; Ecl 11:5, Isa 29:23, Jn 1:12-13 & 3:3, Ph 33)
130. He who creates, works manifestly and he himself is manifest. He who begets, acts in secret and is himself [hidden from] the imagery. He who creates [indeed] creates visibly, yet he who begets the Sons [begets them] in secret.
131. No [one will be able] to know on what day [the man] and the woman mate with each other, except themselves only. For marriage in the world is a mystery for those who have taken a wife. If the marriage of impurity is hidden, how much more is the immaculate marriage a true sacrament! It is not carnal but rather pure, it is not lustful but rather willing, it is not of the darkness or the night but rather of the day and the light. A marriage which is exhibited becomes prostitution°, and the bride has prostituted herself not only if she receives the semen of another man but even if she leaves the bedroom° and is seen. She may only display herself to her father and her mother and the comrade of the bridegroom and the sons of the bridegroom. To these it is given to enter daily into the bridal-chamber and to see her. Yet as for the others, let them yearn even to hear her voice and to enjoy her fragrance, and let them feed like the dogs from the crumbs that fall from the table. Bridegrooms with Brides belong in the Bridal-Chamber. No one will be able to behold the Bridegroom with the Bride unless he becomes this. (Mk 7:28, Jn 3:29!)
132. When Abraham° [rejoiced] at seeing what he was to see, he circumcised the flesh of the foreskin--showing us that it is appropriate to sever the flesh [...] of this world. (Gen 17:9-14, Jn 8:56, Th 53)
133. As long as [......] the entrails of the person are enclosed, the person continues to live. [...] If his entrails are exposed and he is disemboweled, the person will die. So also the tree sprouts and thrives as long as its root is covered, but if its root is exposed the tree withers. Thus it is with everything in the world, not only with the manifest but also with the covert. For as long as the root of evil is hidden it is strong, yet when it is recognized it decomposes and when it is exposed it perishes. This is why the Logos (John!) says: Already the axe has reached the root of the trees! (Mt 3:10) It will not merely chop off, for that which is chopped off sprouts again. But rather the axe delves down underground and uproots. Yeshúa pulled up the root of the entire place, yet the others had done so only in part. As for ourselves--let each one of us dig down to the root of the evil that is within him and pull up its root from out of his own heart. Yet it will be uprooted if we but recognize it. Yet if we are unaware of it, it takes root within us and produces its fruits in our hearts. It becomes master over us and we become its slaves. We are taken captive, and we are coerced into doing what we do [not] want and [not] doing what we do want. It is potent because we do not recognize it. While indeed it is subliminal it impels.
134. Ignorance is the mother of [all evils....] (Lk 23:34, Ac 3:17) Those things which came forth from [ignorance] neither existed nor [exist] nor shall exist [in reality. Yet] they shall be perfected when the entire truth is revealed. For the truth is like ignorance--while it is hidden it reposes within itself, yet when it is revealed it is recognized. It is glorious in that it prevails over ignorance and confusion and in that it liberates. The Logos says: You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free. Ignorance is slavery, recognition is freedom. By recognizing the truth we shall find the fruits of the truth within our hearts. By mating with it we shall receive our fulfillment. (Jn 8:32)
135. At present we have the revelation of creation. They say that (visible beings) are strong and honorable yet the invisible are weak and contemptible. However the truth is that visible beings are weak and inferior yet the invisible are strong and honorable.
136. The mysteries of the truth are revealed in symbolic imagery. Yet the bedroom is hidden--it is the holy (or the Saint) within the holiness.
137. The veil indeed at first concealed how God governs the creation. Yet when the veil is torn and the things within are revealed, then this house will be forsaken and desolate and yet moreover it shall be destroyed. Yet the whole divinity shall depart from these places, never to re-enter, for it shall not be able to unite therein with the light and with the fullness. But rather it shall enter into the holies (or Saints) of the holinesses, under the wings of the cross [and in] its arms. (Ex 26:31-34, Mt 27:51, 23:38, 24:2, Ph 83)
138. This ark will become salvation [for us] when the cataclysm of water overwhelms them.
139. If someone is in the tribe of the priesthood, he shall be allowed to enter within the veil with the high priest. Therefore the veil was not torn at the top only, else it would have been opened only for those who are higher--nor was it torn at the bottom only, else it would have been revealed only to those who are lower. But rather it was torn from the top to the bottom. Those who are above have opened to us who are below in order that we might enter into the secret of the truth. (Num 18:7, Mk 15:38)
140. This strengthening is truly excellent. Yet we shall enter therein by means of despised symbols and weaknesses. They are indeed humble by comparison with the perfect glory. There is a glory that surpasses glory,* there is a power which surpasses power. Therefore the perfect have opened to us with the secrets of the truth. Moreover, the holies (or Saints) of the holinesses are revealed, and the bedroom has invited us within. (*asyndeton; Ph 83, 137)
141. As long as evil indeed is covert it is potent, not yet truly purged from the midst of the seed of the Sacred Spirit. They are enslaved by the oppression. Yet when the Perfect Light is revealed, then it will pour forth upon everyone and all those within it shall receive the Chrism. Then the slaves shall be freed [and] the captives atoned.
142. '[Every] plant which my heavenly Father has not implanted [shall be] rooted out.' (Mt 15:13) Those who are separated shall be mated [and the empty] shall be filled. (Th 40) Everyone who [enters] the bedroom shall be born of the Light. For they are [not begotten] in the manner of the [unseen] marriages which are enacted by night, the fire of which [flares] in the dark (and then) is extinguished. Yet the sacraments of this marriage are consummated in the day and the light. That day with its light never sets.
143. If anyone becomes a Son of the Bridal-Chamber, he shall receive the Light. If he does not receive it in these places, he will not be able to receive it in the other place. He who receives the Light shall not be seen nor shall he be seized, nor shall anyone disturb such a one even if he socializes in the world. And furthermore, when he leaves the world he has already received the truth in the imagery. The world has become eternity, because the fullness is for him the eternal. And it is thus revealed to him individually--not hidden in the darkness or the night but rather hidden in a Perfect Day and a Holy Light. (Ph 85)
143. If anyone becomes a Son of the Bridal-Chamber, he shall receive the Light. If he does not receive it in these places, he will not be able to receive it in the other place. He who receives the Light shall not be seen nor shall he be seized, nor shall anyone disturb such a one even if he socializes in the world. And furthermore, when he leaves the world he has already received the truth in the imagery. The world has become eternity, because the fullness is for him the eternal. And it is thus revealed to him individually--not hidden in the darkness or the night but rather hidden in a Perfect Day and a Holy Light. (Ph 85)
The site of this discovery, across the river from the modern town of Nag Hammadi, was already famous as the location called in antiquity ChHNOBOSKEION (Goose-Pasture), where in 320 AD Saint Pachomius founded the earliest Christian monastery. Less than a half-century later in 367 AD (and thus 30 years prior to the canonization of the NT at the Third Council of Carthage), the local monks copied some 45 diverse religious writings--including the Gospels of Thomas, Philip and Valentine--into 13 leather-bound codices. This entire library was carefully sealed in an urn and hidden nearby among the rocks, where it remained undetected for almost 1600 years. These papyri are now preserved in the library of the Coptic Museum at Old Cairo.
The author of the Thomas Gospel is recorded as Thomas the Apostle, one of the Twelve. The text is a collection of 117 sayings and dialogues of the Savior, without any connecting narrative. A few Christian authors quoted it in antiquity--for example #2, by Clement of Alexandria (±150-211 AD) in his Stromata (Patches)--but without explicit attribution to Thomas. Then 100 years ago at Oxyrhynchus in Egypt, there were discovered a few fragments of what we now know to be a prior Greek version of Thomas, dated by paleography to 200-250 AD (one page of which is on display in the British Museum in London; see Bibliography #8). The more recent discovery of the Coptic version of Thomas has finally made this Gospel available in its entirety. As indicated in the press release below, almost all biblical scholars who have been studying this document since its first publication have now concluded that Thomas must be accounted an authentic fifth Gospel, alongside the canonical quartet of John and the synoptics.
The Gospel of Philip--as can be inferred from its entries 51, 82, 98 & 101--was completed after 70 AD by Philip called the Evangelist, who appears in the Book of Acts at 6:1-6, 8:4-40 & 21:8 ff. There is no known previous citation of this text, which is an elaborate and elegant series of reflections on Israel and the Messiah.
The Gospel of Truth was composed in about 150 AD by Valentine, the famous Saint of Alexandria (born 100± AD). A continuous interwoven meditation on the Logos, it was widely known in antiquity--but until the Nag Hammadi discovery no copy of this noble document was known to be extant.
The translations themselves are both as literal and as lyrical as I could
make them. Plausible textual reconstructions are in [brackets], while editorial
additions are in (parentheses). '[...]' indicates that it is not possible to
interpolate the deterioration of the papyrus manuscript. The Greek Oxyrhynchus
variants to Thomas are within
In place of the Greek form, Jesus (IHSOUS), the original Aramaic has been used: Yeshúa, meaning 'Yahweh-Savior' (Ph 20a). 'I•Am' represents the divine self-naming: Hebrew AHYH, Greek EGW EIMI, Coptic ANOK PE (Th 13).
Lastly, I have appended three commentaries: (1) 'The Female Spirit', on the gender in the Semitic languages of RUAKH HA-QODESH [Spirit the-Holy]; (2) 'Angel and Image', regarding these two primary concepts as found in the texts; and (3) 'The Paul Paradox', a philosophical analysis of the apparent discrepancies between the Gospels and the theology of Saul of Tarsus.
In searching out the sense of these new writings, I have had the benefit of extended conversations across the years with many friends and colleagues, especially Robert Michael Schapiro and Christina Maria Wesson. My long-term thanks are also due to Prof. William E. Kennick of Amherst College, for his example of the highest standards in philosophical theology. Much of the present edition was prepared while I was a guest in numerous Latin American seminaries, both Catholic and Protestant; for their fraternal hospitality I am profoundly grateful.
These new Gospels are surely the most extraordinary discovery of our times--like a drink of light direct from the source: IChThUS EUChARISTW COI!
Paterson Brown, BA (Amherst), PhD (London)
Athens, All Saints 1998
crosby@fidnet.com
2. The entire collection of some 45 titles (including a wide diversity of period religious writings) is available in a popularized edition: The Nag Hammadi Library in English (edited with introduction by James M. Robinson), San Francisco: Harper & Row, 3rd revised edition 1988.
3. For the grammatical structure of the Coptic language, I have used: Introductory Coptic Grammar, (by J. Martin Plumley), London: Home & Van Thal, 1948--this rare mimeographed sourcebook of the Sahidic dialect is available in photocopy from the Mt. Scopus Library of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem; see also #18, below.
4. The indispensable standard lexicon is: A Coptic Dictionary (by Walter Ewing Crum), Oxford: The University Press, 1939. Note that this monumental work is alphabetized by consonants only. Also, Coptic is an agglutinative language, utilizing a complex system of morphological and syntactical prefixes and suffixes which must be subtracted in order to identify the root term (e.g., TNNANNHUEBOL -> TN-NA-NNHU-EBOL ['we-shall-come-forth']--thus on p.220b of Crum).
5. The Coptic text of Thomas together with line-by-line English, French, German and Dutch translations were first published in: The Gospel according to Thomas (edited by Antoine Guillaumont, Henri-Charles Puech, Gilles Quispel, Walter Till & Yassah 'Abd al-Masih), Leiden: E.J. Brill; New York: Harper & Brothers; London: Collins, 1959.
6. The Gospel of Thomas WebPage (www.epix.net/~miser17/Thomas.html), with many links, is maintained by Stevan Davies.
7. The current standard popular edition of Thomas, with Coptic text, English translation and notes: The Gospel of Thomas (edited and translated by Marvin Meyer), San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1992.
8. The prior Greek fragments of Thomas, which vary significantly from the Coptic version: New Sayings of Jesus and Fragment of a Lost Gospel from Oxyrhynchus (edited by Bernard Grenfell, Lucy Drexel & Arthur Hunt), Oxford University Press, London: Henry Frowde, 1904.
10. A well-illustrated and most informative historical account and analysis: 'The Gospel of Thomas: Does It Contain Authentic Sayings of Jesus?' (by Helmut Koester & Stephen Patterson), Bible Review (tel. 800-221-4644, basedit@clark.net), April 1990.
11. The standard scholarly edition of Thomas and Philip, with ancillary materials, critical Coptic text, English translation and fully indexed Coptic and Greek glossaries: Nag Hammadi Codex II (volume I, edited by Bentley Layton), Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1989.
12. The primary Spanish edition of Thomas and Philip, translated directly from the Coptic with introductory material, extensive bibliographies and annotations: Los Evangelios Apócrifos (edited and translated by Aurelio de Santos Otero), Madrid: Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, 7th edition 1991.
13. I based my initial translation of Philip on the amply annotated interlinear Coptic/German text, with fully indexed glossaries: Das Evangelium nach Philippos (edited and translated by Walter Till), Berlin: Walter De Gruyter, 1963.
14. A superlative English edition of the Gospel of Truth, extensively annotated with an expansive introductory essay: The Gospel of Truth, A Valentinian Meditation on the Gospel (edited and translated by Kendrick Grobel), New York: Abingdon Press; London: Black, 1960.
15. The standard scholarly edition of the Gospel of Truth, with introduction, Coptic text, English translation, copious notes and fully-indexed glossaries: Nag Hammadi Codex I (two volumes, edited by Harold W. Attridge), Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1985.
16. The best Greek/English interlinear and lexicon of the New Testament canon, with super-linear textual variants and sub-linear ultraliteral translation: Concordant Greek Text and The Greek Elements (edited by Adolph Ernst Knoch), Santa Clarita CA 91350 USA: Concordant Publishing Concern (www.concordant.org; tel. 805-252-2112), 4th edition 1975 [a wonderful edition and textual analysis, hightly recommended].
17. A work of extraordinary breadth and insight regarding the basic parameters of Biblical metaphysics, as contrasted with Greek and Western: Claude Tresmontant, A Study of Hebrew Thought, New York, Tournai, Paris, Rome: Desclee Company, 1960; see 'Angel and Image', below.
18. The hypertext version of this edition and of the parallel Spanish translation is at: www.metalog.org.
19. Coptic 'True-Type' fonts, a history of the Coptic language and a basic grammar of the Boharic dialect (similar to the Sahidic of our texts) online: www.stshenouda.com.
20. Various editions of the Bible: http://bible.gospelcom.net.
21. The magisterial Liddell-Scott-Jones Greek Lexicon is now available on- line: www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/resolveform.
(RNS) An ancient document composed of sayings of Jesus has generated a recent spate of scholarly articles, along with strongly held opinions that the document, known as the Gospel of Thomas, deserves a much wider audience. According to scholars, the 114 quotations in the Gospel of Thomas are as valuable as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John for gaining understanding of the man Christians worship as Messiah.
In a recent telephone interview, Helmut Koester of Harvard Divinity School, the new president of the Society of Biblical Literature, said nearly all biblical scholars in the United States agree that Thomas is as authentic as the New Testament Gospels. In an article that appeared in Bible Review in April 1990, Koester and his co-author Stephen J. Patterson wrote, 'the Gospel of Thomas must be given equal weight with the canonical Gospels' in any effort to reconstruct the beginnings of Christianity.
Yet, despite excitement over the work for several decades, 'nobody's heard of it except the academic scholars,' says Paterson Brown. 'If the general public knew that there was a book around called Thomas--which I think 95 percent of the public doesn't know exists--there would be a volcanic eruption,' said Brown, a former professor of the philosophy of religion who has written on Thomas for the journal Novum Testamentum.
Thomas was discovered in 1945 in Egypt along with more than 50 other ancient Christian, Jewish and pagan works that make up a collection known as the Nag Hammadi Library. The documents, which date from the 4th century BC to the 4th century AD, were written in Coptic, the language of early Egyptian Christians. The library, including Thomas, has been translated into English and published in several scholarly editions. But many scholars feel that Thomas should be made available in a separate volume. 'I think it's urgent that Thomas be published alone in a paperback edition,' said Brown.
Unlike the other Nag Hammadi volumes, Thomas contains teachings of Jesus, which scholars believe would be particularly valuable for Christian readers. Many students of the Gospel of Thomas believe that its material is potentially of more interest to the general public than the much-ballyhooed Dead Sea Scrolls--except that it is not as well known.
Many quotations recorded in Thomas are similar to those in the Gospels that make up what is known as the New Testament canon--the writings of the early church that eventually came to be accepted as authentic and authoritative texts for all Christians. For example, Saying 90 in Thomas, 'Come unto me, for my yoke is easy and my lordship is mild, and you will find repose for yourselves,' bears strong resemblance to a familiar passage in Matthew 11:28-30.
Helmut Koester, Introduction to 'The Gospel of Thomas', in James M. Robinson (ed.), The Nag Hammadi Library in English (Bibliography #2, above): If one considers the form and wording of the individual sayings in comparison with the form in which they are preserved in the New Testament, The Gospel of Thomas almost always appears to have preserved a more original form of the traditional saying. In its literary genre, The Gospel of Thomas is more akin to one of the sources of the canonical gospels, namely the so-called Synoptic Sayings Source (often called 'Q' from the German Quelle, 'source'), which was used by both Matthew and Luke.... In its most original form, [Thomas] may well date from the first century.
------------, Ancient Christian Gospels (London: SCM Press; Philadelphia: Trinity Press International, 1990): What is put to the test is the 'early Catholic' or 'orthodox' tradition, which asserts the monopoly of the canonical gospel tradition.... Only dogmatic prejudice can assert that the canonical writings have an exclusive claim to apostolic origin and thus to historical priority.... The parables of the Gospel of Thomas are to be read as stories in their own right, not as artificial expressions of some hidden Gnostic truth.
James M. Robinson (General Editor for the Nag Hammadi Codices), Introduction to The Nag Hammadi Library in English (Bibliography #2, above): The focus of this library has much in common with primitive Christianity, with eastern religion and with 'holy men' (and women) of all times, as well as with the more secular equivalents of today, such as the counter-culture movements coming from the 1960s. Disinterest in the goods of a consumer society, withdrawal into communes of the like-minded away from the bustle and clutter of big-city distraction, non-involvement in the compromises of political process, sharing an in-group's knowledge both of the disaster-course of the culture and of an ideal, radical alternative not commonly known--all this in modern garb is the real challenge rooted in such materials as the Nag Hammadi library.... Primitive Christianity was itself a radical movement. Jesus called for a full reversal of values, advocating the end of the world as we have known it and its replacement by a quite new, utopian kind of life in which the ideal world would be real. He took a stand quite independent of the authorities of his day ··· and did not last very long before they eliminated him. Yet his followers reaffirmed his stand-- for them he came to personify the ultimate goal.... Just as the Dead Sea Scrolls [at Qumran] were put in jars for safekeeping and hidden at the time of the approach of the Roman Tenth Legion, the burial [three centuries later] of the Nag Hammadi library in a jar may have been precipitated by the approach of Roman authorities, who had by then become Christian.