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Estimated Range of Dating: 120-180 A.D.
Information on Apocryphon of John: The manuscripts [three at Nag Hammadi, one elsewhere] and summary [in Irenaeus] attest the circulation of no less than four distinct editions of the Greek text in antiquity. Such a series of editions must have resulted from continual study and revision of AJn by gnostic teachers; it is a measure of the importance and timeliness of the work for ancient gnostic Christianity. These four ancient editions, usually called "versions," comprise the following. 1. The long version, which is represented by two virtually identical Coptic manuscripts, MSS NHC II and NHC IV, is the text translated here. When one of the two manuscripts is defective, its original reading can often be restored from the other. The most obvious difference between the long version and the short version is that the former contains a lengthy excerpt from a certain Book of Zoroaster (cf. 15:29-19:8f). 2. A short version, which is represented by Coptic MS NHC III, differs from the others in certain details of phraseology and systematic theology; as a Coptic translation it differs in style and vocabulary from all the other Coptic versions. Apocryphon of John: Teaching of the savior, and the revelation of the mysteries and the things hidden in silence, even these things which he taught John, his disciple. And it happened one day, when John, the brother of James - who are the sons of Zebedee - had come up to the temple, that a Pharisee named Arimanius approached him and said to him, "Where is your master whom you followed?" And he said to him, "He has gone to the place from which he came." The Pharisee said to him, "With deception did this Nazarene deceive you (pl.), and he filled your ears with lies, and closed your hearts (and) turned you from the traditions of your fathers." When I, John, heard these things I turned away from the temple to a desert place. And I grieved greatly in my heart, saying, "How then was the savior appointed, and why was he sent into the world by his Father, and who is his Father who sent him, and of what sort is that aeon to which we shall go? For what did he mean when he said to us, 'This aeon to which you will go is of the type of the imperishable aeon, but he did not teach us concerning the latter, of what sort it is." Straightway, while I was contemplating these things, behold, the heavens opened and the whole creation which is below heaven shone, and the world was shaken. I was afraid, and behold I saw in the light a youth who stood by me. While I looked at him, he became like an old man. And he changed his likeness (again), becoming like a servant. There was not a plurality before me, but there was a likeness with multiple forms in the light, and the likenesses appeared through each other, and the likeness had three forms. He said to me, "John, John, why do you doubt, or why are you afraid? You are not unfamiliar with this image, are you? - that is, do not be timid! - I am the one who is with you (pl.) always. I am the Father, I am the Mother, I am the Son. I am the undefiled and incorruptible one. Now I have come to teach you what is and what was and what will come to pass, that you may know the things which are not revealed and those which are revealed, and to teach you concerning the unwavering race of the perfect Man. Now, therefore, lift up your face, that you may receive the things that I shall teach you today, and may tell them to your fellow spirits who are from the unwavering race of the perfect Man." And I asked to know it, and he said to me, "The Monad is a monarchy with nothing above it. It is he who exists as God and Father of everything, the invisible One who is above everything, who exists as incorruption, which is in the pure light into which no eye can look. "He is the invisible Spirit, of whom it is not right to think of him as a god, or something similar. For he is more than a god, since there is nothing above him, for no one lords it over him. For he does not exist in something inferior to him, since everything exists in him. For it is he who establishes himself. He is eternal, since he does not need anything. For he is total perfection. He did not lack anything, that he might be completed by it; rather he is always completely perfect in light. He is illimitable, since there is no one prior to him to set limits to him. He is unsearchable, since there exists no one prior to him to examine him. He is immeasurable, since there was no one prior to him to measure him. He is invisible, since no one saw him. He is eternal, since he exists eternally. He is ineffable, since no one was able to comprehend him to speak about him. He is unnameable, since there is no one prior to him to give him a name. "He is immeasurable light, which is pure, holy (and) immaculate. He is ineffable, being perfect in incorruptibility. (He is) not in perfection, nor in blessedness, nor in divinity, but he is far superior. He is not corporeal nor is he incorporeal. He is neither large nor is he small. There is no way to say, 'What is his quantity?' or, 'What is his quality?', for no one can know him. He is not someone among (other ) beings, rather he is far superior. Not that he is (simply) superior, but his essence does not partake in the aeons nor in time. For he who partakes in an aeon was prepared beforehand. Time was not apportioned to him, since he does not receive anything from another, for it would be received on loan. For he who precedes someone does not lack, that he may receive from him. For rather, it is the latter that looks expectantly at him in his light. "For the perfection is majestic. He is pure, immeasurable mind. He is an aeon-giving aeon. He is life-giving life. He is a blessedness-giving blessed one. He is knowledge-giving knowledge. He is goodness-giving goodness. He is mercy and redemption-giving mercy. He is grace-giving grace, not because he possesses it, but because he gives the immeasurable, incomprehensible light. "How am I to speak with you about him? His aeon is indestructible, at rest and existing in silence, reposing (and) being prior to everything. For he is the head of all the aeons, and it is he who gives them strength in his goodness. For we know not the ineffable things, and we do not understand what is immeasurable, except for him who came forth from him, namely (from) the Father. For it is he who told it to us alone. For it is he who looks at himself in his light which surrounds him, namely the spring of the water of life. And it is he who gives to all the aeons and in every way, (and) who gazes upon his image which he sees in the spring of the Spirit. It is he who puts his desire in his water-light which is in the spring of the pure light-water which surrounds him. "And his thought performed a deed and she came forth, namely she who had appeared before him in the shine of his light. This is the first power which was before all of them (and) which came forth from his mind, She is the forethought of the All - her light shines like his light - the perfect power which is the image of the invisible, virginal Spirit who is perfect. The first power, the glory of Barbelo, the perfect glory in the aeons, the glory of the revelation, she glorified the virginal Spirit and it was she who praised him, because thanks to him she had come forth. This is the first thought, his image; she became the womb of everything, for it is she who is prior to them all, the Mother-Father, the first man, the holy Spirit, the thrice-male, the thrice-powerful, the thrice-named androgynous one, and the eternal aeon among the invisible ones, and the first to come forth. "(She) requested from the invisible, virginal Spirit - that is Barbelo - to give her foreknowledge. And the Spirit consented. And when he had consented, the foreknowledge came forth, and it stood by the forethought; it originates from the thought of the invisible, virginal Spirit. It glorified him and his perfect power, Barbelo, for it was for her sake that it had come into being. "And she requested again to grant her indestructibility, and he consented. When he had consented, indestructibility came forth, and it stood by the thought and the foreknowledge. It glorified the invisible One and Barbelo, the one for whose sake they had come into being. "And Barbelo requested to grant her eternal life. And the invisible Spirit consented. And when he had consented, eternal life came forth, and they attended and glorified the invisible Spirit and Barbelo, the one for whose sake they had come into being. "And she requested again to grant her truth. And the invisible Spirit consented. And when he had consented, truth came forth, and they attended and glorified the invisible, excellent Spirit and his Barbelo, the one for whose sake they had come into being. "This is the pentad of the aeons of the Father, which is the first man, the image of the invisible Spirit; it is the forethought, which Barbelo, and the thought, and the foreknowledge, and the indestructibility, and the eternal life, and the truth. This is the androgynous pentad of the aeons, which is the decad of the aeons, which is the Father. "And he looked at Barbelo with the pure light which surrounds the invisible Spirit, and (with) his spark, and she conceived from him. He begot a spark of light with a light resembling blessedness. But it does not equal his greatness. This was an only-begotten child of the Mother-Father which had come forth; it is the only offspring, the only-begotten one of the Father, the pure Light. "And the invisible, virginal Spirit rejoiced over the light which came forth, that which was brought forth first by the first power of his forethought, which is Barbelo. And he anointed it with his goodness until it became perfect, not lacking in any goodness, because he had anointed it with the goodness of the invisible Spirit. And it attended him as he poured upon it. And immediately when it had received from the Spirit, it glorified the holy Spirit and the perfect forethought, for whose sake it had come forth. "And it requested to give it a fellow worker, which is the mind, and he consented gladly. And when the invisible Spirit had consented, the mind came forth, and it attended Christ, glorifying him and Barbelo. And all these came into being in silence. "And the mind wanted to perform a deed through the word of the
invisible Spirit. And his will became a deed and it appeared with the
mind; and the light glorified it. And the word followed the will. For
because of the word, Christ the divine Autogenes created everything.
And the eternal life "And the holy Spirit completed the divine Autogenes, his son,
together with Barbelo, that he may attend the mighty and invisible,
virginal Spirit as the divine Autogenes, the Christ whom he had
honored with a mighty voice. He came forth through the forethought.
And the invisible, virginal Spirit placed the divine Autogenes of
truth over everything. And he subjected to him every authority, and
the truth which is in him, that he may know the All which had been
called with a name exalted above every name. For that name will be
mentioned to those who are worthy of it.
"For from the light, which is the Christ, and the indestructibility,
through the gift of the Spirit the four lights (appeared) from the
divine Autogenes. He expected that they might attend him. And the
three (are) will, thought, and life. And the four powers (are)
understanding, grace, perception, and prudence. And grace belongs
to the light-aeon Armozel, which is the first angel. And there are
three other aeons with this aeon: grace, truth, and form. And the
second light (is) Oriel, who has been placed over the second aeon.
And there are three other aeons with him: conception, perception,
and memory. And the third light is Daveithai, who has been placed over
the third aeon. And there are three other aeons with him: understanding,
love, and idea. And the fourth aeon was placed over the fourth light
Eleleth. And there are three other aeons with him: perfection, peace,
and wisdom. These are the four lights which attend the divine Autogenes,
(and) these are the twelve aeons which attend the son of the mighty
one, the Autogenes, the Christ, through the will and the gift of the
invisible Spirit. And the twelve aeons belong to the son of the
Autogenes. And all things were established by the will of the holy
Spirit through the Autogenes.
"And from the foreknowledge of the perfect mind, through the
revelation of the will of the invisible Spirit and the will of the
Autogenes, "And he placed his son Seth over the second aeon in the presence of
the second light Oriel. And in the third aeon the seed of Seth was
placed over the third light Daveithai. And the souls of the saints
were placed (there). And in the fourth aeon the souls were placed of
those who do not know the Pleroma and who did not repent at once,
but who persisted for a while and repented afterwards; they are by
the fourth light Eleleth. These are creatures which glorify the
invisible Spirit.
"And the Sophia of the Epinoia, being an aeon, conceived a thought
from herself and the conception of the invisible Spirit and
foreknowledge. She wanted to bring forth a likeness out of herself
without the consent of the Spirit, - he had not approved - and without
her consort, and without his consideration. And though the person of
her maleness had not approved, and she had not found her agreement,
and she had thought without the consent of the Spirit and the knowledge
of her agreement, (yet) she brought forth. And because of the
invincible power which is in her, her thought did not remain idle, and
something came out of her which was imperfect and different from her
appearance, because she had created it without her consort. And it was
dissimilar to the likeness of its mother, for it has another form.
"And when she saw (the consequences of) her desire, it changed into
a form of a lion-faced serpent. And its eyes were like lightning
fires which flash. She cast it away from her, outside that place, that
no one of the immortal ones might see it, for she had created it in
ignorance. And she surrounded it with a luminous cloud, and she placed
a throne in the middle of the cloud that no one might see it except
the holy Spirit who is called the mother of the living. And she called
his name Yaltabaoth.
"This is the first archon who took a great power from his mother.
And he removed himself from her and moved away from the places in
which he was born. He became strong and created for himself other
aeons with a flame of luminous fire which (still) exists now. And he
joined with his arrogance which is in him and begot authorities for
himself. The name of the first one is Athoth, whom the generations
call the reaper. The second one is Harmas, who is the eye of envy.
The third one is Kalila-Oumbri. The fourth one is Yabel. The fifth
one is Adonaiou, who is called Sabaoth. The sixth one is Cain, whom
the generations of men call the sun. The seventh is Abel. The eighth
is Abrisene. The ninth is Yobel. The tenth is Armoupieel. The eleventh
is Melceir-Adonein. The twelfth is Belias, it is he who is over the
depth of Hades. And he placed seven kings - each corresponding to the
firmaments of heaven - over the seven heavens, and five over the
depth of the abyss, that they may reign. And he shared his fire with
them, but he did not send forth from the power of the light which he
had taken from his mother, for he is ignorant darkness.
"And when the light had mixed with the darkness, it caused the
darkness to shine. And when the darkness had mixed with the light, it
darkened the light and it became neither light nor dark, but it became
dim.
"Now the archon who is weak has three names. The first name is
Yaltabaoth, the second is Saklas, and the third is Samael. And he is
impious in his arrogance which is in him. For he said, 'I am God and
there is no other God beside me,' for he is ignorant of his strength,
the place from which he had come.
"And the archons created seven powers for themselves, and the
powers created for themselves six angels for each one until they became
365 angels. And these are the bodies belonging with the names: the
first is Athoth, a he has a sheep's face; the second is Eloaiou, he
has a donkey's face; the third is Astaphaios, he has a hyena's face;
the fourth is Yao, he has a serpent's face with seven heads; the fifth
is Sabaoth, he has a dragon's face; the sixth is Adonin, he had a
monkey's face; the seventh is Sabbede, he has a shining fire-face.
This is the sevenness of the week.
"But Yaltabaoth had a multitude of faces, more than all of them, so
that he could put a face before all of them, according to his desire,
when he is in the midst of seraphs. He shared his fire with them;
therefore he became lord over them. Because of the power of the glory
he possessed of his mother's light, he called himself God. And he did
not obey the place from which he came. And he united the seven powers
in his thought with the authorities which were with him. And when he
spoke it happened. And he named each power beginning with the highest:
the first is goodness with the first (authority), Athoth; the second
is foreknowledge with the second one, Eloaio; and the third is divinity
with the third one, Astraphaio); the fourth is lordship with the fourth
one, Yao; the fifth is kingdom with the fifth one, Sabaoth; the sixth
is envy with the sixth one, Adonein; the seventh is understanding with
the seventh one, Sabbateon. And these have a firmament corresponding
to each aeon-heaven. They were given names according to the glory which
belongs to heaven for the destruction of the powers. And in the names
which were given to them by their Originator there was power. But the
names which were given them according to the glory which belongs to
heaven mean for them destruction and powerlessness. Thus they have two
names.
"And having created [...] everything, he organized according to the
model of the first aeons which had come into being, so that he might
create them like the indestructible ones. Not because he had seen the
indestructible ones, but the power in him, which he had taken from
his mother, produced in him the likeness of the cosmos. And when he
saw the creation which surrounds him, and the multitude of the angels
around him which had come forth from him, he said to them, 'I am a
jealous God, and there is no other God beside me.' But by announcing
this he indicated to the angels who attended him that there exists
another God. For if there were no other one, of whom would he be
jealous?
"Then the mother began to move to and fro. She became aware of the
deficiency when the brightness of her light diminished. And she became
dark because her consort had not agreed with her."
And I said, "Lord, what does it mean that she moved to and fro?"
But he smiled and said, "Do not think it is, as Moses said, 'above the
waters.' No, but when she had seen the wickedness which had happened,
and the theft which her son had committed, she repented. And she was
overcome by forgetfulness in the darkness of ignorance and she began
to be ashamed. And she did not dare to return, but she was moving about.
And the moving is the going to and fro.
"And the arrogant one took a power from his mother. For he was
ignorant, thinking that there existed no other except his mother alone.
And when he saw the multitude of the angels which he had created, then
he exalted himself above them.
"And when the mother recognized that the garment of darkness was
imperfect, then she knew that her consort had not agreed with her. She
repented with much weeping. And the whole pleroma heard the prayer of
her repentance, and they praised on her behalf the invisible, virginal
Spirit. And he consented; and when the invisible Spirit had consented,
the holy Spirit poured over her from their whole pleroma. For it was
not her consort who came to her, but he came to her through the
pleroma in order that he might correct her deficiency. And she was
taken up not to her own aeon but above her son, that she might be in
the ninth until she has corrected her deficiency.
"And a voice came forth from the exalted aeon-heaven: 'The Man
exists and the son of Man.' And the chief archon, Yaltabaoth, heard
(it) and thought that the voice had come from his mother. And he did
not know from where it came. And he taught them, the holy and perfect
Mother-Father, the complete foreknowledge, the image of the invisible
one who is the Father of the all (and) through whom everything came
into being, the first Man. For he revealed his likeness in a human
form.
"And the whole aeon of the chief archon trembled, and the
foundations of the abyss shook. And of the waters which are above
matter, the underside was illuminated by the appearance of his image
which had been revealed. And when all the authorities and the chief
archon looked, they saw the whole region of the underside which was
illuminated. And through the light they saw the form of the image in
the water.
"And he said to the authorities which attend him, 'Come, let us
create a man according to the image of God and according to our
likeness, that his image may become a light for us.' And they created
by means of their respective powers in correspondence with the
characteristics which were given. And each authority supplied a
characteristic in the form of the image which he had seen in its
natural (form). He created a being according to the likeness of the
first, perfect Man. And they said, 'Let us call him Adam, that his
name may become a power of light for us.'
"And the powers began: the first one, goodness, created a bone-soul;
and the second, foreknowledge, created a sinew-soul; the third,
divinity, created a flesh-soul; and the fourth, the lordship, created
a marrow-soul; the fifth, kingdom created a blood-soul; the sixth,
envy, created a skin-soul; the seventh, understanding, created a
hair-soul. And the multitude of the angels attended him and they
received from the powers the seven substances of the natural (form)
in order to create the proportions of the limbs and the proportion of
the rump and the proper working together of each of the parts.
"The first one began to create the head. Eteraphaope-Abron created
his head; Meniggesstroeth created the brain; Asterechme (created) the
right eye; Thaspomocha, the left eye; Yeronumos, the right ear;
Bissoum, the left ear; Akioreim, the nose; Banen-Ephroum, the lips;
Amen, the teeth; Ibikan, the molars; Basiliademe, the tonsils; Achcha,
the uvula; Adaban, the neck; Chaaman, the vertebrae; Dearcho, the
throat; Tebar, the right shoulder; [...], the left shoulder; Mniarcon,
the right elbow; [...], the left elbow; Abitrion, the right underarm;
Evanthen, the left underarm; Krys, the right hand; Beluai, the left
hand; Treneu, the fingers of the right hand; Balbel, the fingers of
the left hand; Kriman, the nails of the hands; Astrops, the right
breast; Barroph, the left breast; Baoum, the right shoulder joint;
Ararim, the left shoulder joint; Areche, the belly; Phthave, the
navel; Senaphim, the abdomen; Arachethopi, the right ribs; Zabedo,
the left ribs; Barias, the right hip; Phnouth the left hip;
Abenlenarchei, the marrow; Chnoumeninorin, the bones; Gesole, the
stomach; Agromauna, the heart; Bano, the lungs; Sostrapal, the liver;
Anesimalar, the spleen; Thopithro, the intestines; Biblo, the kidneys;
Roeror, the sinews; Taphreo, the spine of the body; Ipouspoboba, the
veins; Bineborin, the arteries; Atoimenpsephei, theirs are the breaths
which are in all the limbs; Entholleia, all the flesh; Bedouk, the
right buttock (?); Arabeei, the left penis; Eilo, the testicles; Sorma,
the genitals; Gorma-Kaiochlabar, the right thigh; Nebrith, the left
thigh; Pserem, the kidneys of the right leg; Asaklas, the left kidney;
Ormaoth, the right leg; Emenun, the left leg; Knyx, the right shin-bone;
Tupelon, the left shin-bone; Achiel, the right knee; Phnene, the left
knee; Phiouthrom, the right foot; Boabel, its toes; Trachoun, the left
foot; Phikna, its toes; Miamai, the nails of the feet; Labernioum - .
"And those who were appointed over all of these are: Zathoth, Armas,
Kalila, Jabel, (Sabaoth, Cain, Abel). And those who are particularly
active in the limbs (are) the head Diolimodraza, the neck Yammeax, the
right shoulder Yakouib, the left shoulder Verton, the right hand
Oudidi, the left one Arbao, the fingers of the right hand Lampno, the
fingers of the left hand Leekaphar, the right breast Barbar, the left
breast Imae, the chest Pisandriaptes, the right shoulder joint Koade,
the left shoulder joint Odeor, the right ribs Asphixix, the left ribs
Synogchouta, the belly Arouph, the womb Sabalo, the right thigh
Charcharb, the left thigh Chthaon, all the genitals Bathinoth, the
right leg Choux, the left leg Charcha, the right shin-bone Aroer, the
left shin-bone Toechtha, the right knee Aol, the left knee Charaner,
the right foot Bastan, its toes Archentechtha, the left foot
Marephnounth, its toes Abrana.
"Seven have power over all of these: Michael, Ouriel, Asmenedas,
Saphasatoel, Aarmouriam, Richram, Amiorps. And the ones who are in
charge over the senses (are) Archendekta; and he who is in charge over
the receptions (is) Deitharbathas; and he who is in charge over the
imagination (is) Oummaa; and he who is over the composition Aachiaram,
and he who is over the whole impulse Riaramnacho.
"And the origin of the demons which are in the whole body is
determined to be four: heat, cold, wetness, and dryness. And the
mother of all of them is matter. And he who reigns over the heat (is)
Phloxopha; and he who reigns over the cold is Oroorrothos; and he who
reigns over what is dry (is) Erimacho; and he who reigns over the
wetness (is) Athuro. And the mother of all of these, Onorthochrasaei,
stands in their midst, since she is illimitable, and she mixes with all
of them. And she is truly matter, for they are nourished by her.
"The four chief demons are: Ephememphi, who belongs to pleasure,
Yoko, who belongs to desire, Nenentophni, who belongs to grief,
Blaomen, who belongs to fear. And the mother of them all is
Aesthesis-Ouch-Epi-Ptoe. And from the four demons passions came
forth. And from grief (came) envy, jealousy, distress, trouble, pain,
callousness, anxiety, mourning, etc. And from pleasure much wickedness
arises, and empty pride, and similar things. And from desire (comes)
anger, wrath, and bitterness, and bitter passion, and unsatedness, and
similar things. And from fear (comes) dread, fawning, agony, and
shame. All of these are like useful things as well as evil things.
But the insight into their true (character) is Anaro, who is the
head of the material soul, for it belongs with the seven senses,
Ouch-Epi-Ptoe.
"This is the number of the angels: together they are 365. They all
worked on it until, limb for limb, the natural and the material body
was completed by them. Now there are other ones in charge over the
remaining passions whom I did not mention to you. But if you wish to
know them, it is written in the book of Zoroaster. And all the angels
and demons worked until they had constructed the natural body. And
heir product was completely inactive and motionless for a long time.
"And when the mother wanted to retrieve the power which she had
given to the chief archon, she petitioned the Mother-Father of the
All, who is most merciful. He sent, by means of the holy decree, the
five lights down upon the place of the angels of the chief archon.
They advised him that they should bring forth the power of the mother.
And they said to Yaltabaoth, 'Blow into his face something of your
spirit and his body will arise.' And he blew into his face the spirit
which is the power of his mother; he did not know (this), for he exists
in ignorance. And the power of the mother went out of Yaltabaoth into
the natural body, which they had fashioned after the image of the one
who exists from the beginning. The body moved and gained strength, and
it was luminous.
"And in that moment the rest of the powers became jealous, because
he had come into being through all of them and they had given their
power to the man, and his intelligence was greater than that of those
who had made him, and greater than that of the chief archon. And when
they recognized that he was luminous, and that he could think better
than they, and that he was free from wickedness, they took him and
threw him into the lowest region of all matter.
"But the blessed One, the Mother-Father, the beneficent and
merciful One, had mercy on the power of the mother which had been
brought forth out of the chief archon, for they (the archons) might
gain power over the natural and perceptible body. And he sent, through
his beneficent Spirit and his great mercy, a helper to Adam, luminous
Epinoia which comes out of him, who is called Life. And she assists
the whole creature, by toiling with him and by restoring him to his
fullness and by teaching him about the descent of his seed (and) by
teaching him about the way of ascent, (which is) the way he came down.
And the luminous Epinoia was hidden in Adam, in order that the archons
might not know her, but that the Epinoia might be a correction of the
deficiency of the mother.
"And the man came forth because of the shadow of the light which
is in him. And his thinking was superior to all those who had made him.
When they looked up, they saw that his thinking was superior. And they
took counsel with the whole array of archons and angels. They took
fire and earth and water and mixed them together with the four fiery
winds. And they wrought them together and caused a great disturbance.
And they brought him (Adam) into the shadow of death, in order that
they might form (him) again from earth and water and fire and the
spirit which originates in matter, which is the ignorance of darkness
and desire, and their counterfeit spirit. This is the tomb of the
newly-formed body with which the robbers had clothed the man, the bond
of forgetfulness; and he became a mortal man. This is the first one
who came down, and the first separation. But the Epinoia of the light
which was in him, she is the one who was to awaken his thinking.
"And the archons took him and placed him in paradise. And they said
to him, 'Eat, that is at leisure,' for their luxury is bitter and their
beauty is depraved. And their luxury is deception and their trees are
godlessness and their fruit is deadly poison and their promise is death.
And the tree of their life they had placed in the midst of paradise.
"And I shall teach you (pl.) what is the mystery of their life,
which is the plan which they made together, which is the likeness of
their spirit. The root of this (tree) is bitter and its branches are
death, its shadow is hate and deception is in its leaves, and its
blossom is the ointment of evil, and its fruit is death and desire is
its seed, and it sprouts in darkness. The dwelling place of those who
taste from it is Hades, and the darkness is their place of rest.
"But what they call the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which
is the Epinoia of the light, they stayed in front of it in order that
he (Adam) might not look up to his fullness and recognize the nakedness
of his shamefulness. But it was I who brought about that they ate."
And to I said to the savior, "Lord, was it not the serpent that
taught Adam to eat?" The savior smiled and said, "The serpent taught
them to eat from wickedness of begetting, lust, (and) destruction,
that he (Adam) might be useful to him. And he (Adam) knew that he was
disobedient to him (the chief archon) due to light of the Epinoia
which is in him, which made him more correct in his thinking than the
chief archon. And (the latter) wanted to bring about the power which
he himself had given him. And he brought a forgetfulness over Adam."
And I said to the savior, "What is the forgetfulness?" And he said
"It is not the way Moses wrote (and) you heard. For he said in his
first book, 'He put him to sleep' (Gn 2:21), but (it was) in his
perception. For also he said through the prophet, 'I will make their
hearts heavy, that they may not pay attention and may not see'
(Is 6:10).
"Then the Epinoia of the light hid herself in him (Adam). And the
chief archon wanted to bring her out of his rib. But the Epinoia of
the light cannot be grasped. Although darkness pursued her, it did
not catch her. And he brought a part of his power out of him. And he
made another creature, in the form of a woman, according to the
likeness of the Epinoia which had appeared to him. And he brought the
part which he had taken from the power of the man into the female
creature, and not as Moses said, 'his rib-bone.'
"And he (Adam) saw the woman beside him. And in that moment the
luminous Epinoia appeared, and she lifted the veil which lay over
his mind. And he became sober from the drunkenness of darkness. And
he recognized his counter-image, and he said, 'This is indeed bone of
my bones and flesh of my flesh.' Therefore the man will leave his
father and his mother, and he will cleave to his wife, and they will
both be one flesh. For they will send him his consort, and he will
leave his father and his mother ... (3 lines unreadable)
"And our sister Sophia (is) she who came down in innocence in order
to rectify her deficiency. Therefore she was called Life, which is
the mother of the living, by the foreknowledge of the sovereignty of
heaven. And through her they have tasted the perfect Knowledge. I
appeared in the form of an eagle on the tree of knowledge, which is
the Epinoia from the foreknowledge of the pure light, that I might
teach them and awaken them out of the depth of sleep. For they were
both in a fallen state, and they recognized their nakedness. The
Epinoia appeared to them as a light; she awakened their thinking.
"And when Yaltabaoth noticed that they withdrew from him, he cursed
his earth. He found the woman as she was preparing herself for her
husband. He was lord over her, though he did not know the mystery
which had come to pass through the holy decree. And they were afraid
to blame him. And he showed his angels his ignorance which is in him.
And he cast them out of paradise and he clothed t7hem in gloomy
darkness. And the chief archon saw the virgin who stood by Adam,
and that the luminous Epinoia of life had appeared in her. And
Yaltabaoth was full of ignorance. And when the foreknowledge of the
All noticed (it), she sent some and they snatched life out of Eve.
"And the chief archon seduced her and he begot in her two sons;
the first and the second (are) Eloim and Yave. Eloim has a bear-face
and Yave has a cat-face. The one is righteous but the other is
unrighteous. (Yave is righteous but Eloim is unrighteous.) Yave he
set over the fire and the wind, and Eloim he set over the water and
the earth. And these he called with the names Cain and Abel with a
view to deceive.
"Now up to the present day, sexual intercourse continued due to
the chief archon. And he planted sexual desire in her who belongs to
Adam. And he produced through intercourse the copies of the bodies,
and he inspired them with his counterfeit spirit.
"And the two archons he set over principalities, so that they might
rule over the tomb. And when Adam recognized the likeness of his own
foreknowledge, he begot the likeness of the son of man. He called him
Seth, according to the way of the race in the aeons. Likewise, the
mother also sent down her spirit, which is in her likeness and a copy
of those who are in the pleroma, for she will prepare a dwelling place
for the aeons which will come down. And he made them drink water of
forgetfulness, from the chief archon, in order that they might not
know from where they came. Thus, the seed remained for a while
assisting (him), in order that, when the Spirit comes forth from the
holy aeons, he may raise up and heal him from the deficiency, that the
whole pleroma may (again) become holy and faultless."
And I said to the savior, "Lord, will all the souls then be brought
safely into the pure light?" He answered and said to me, "Great things
have arisen in your mind, for it is difficult to explain them to
others except to those who are from the immovable race. Those on whom
the Spirit of life will descend and (with whom) he will be with the
power, they will be saved and become perfect and be worthy of the
greatness and be purified in that place from all wickedness and the
involvements in evil. Then they have no other care than the incorrupt
ion alone, to which they direct their attention from here on, without
anger or envy or jealousy or desire and greed of anything. They are
not affected by anything except the state of being in the flesh alone,
which they bear while looking expectantly for the time when they will
be met by the receivers (of the body). Such then are worthy of the
imperishable, eternal life and the calling. For they endure everything
and bear up under everything, that they may finish the good fight and
inherit eternal life."
I said to him, "Lord, the souls of those who did not do these works
(but) on whom the power and Spirit descended, (will they be rejected?"
He answered and said to me, "If) the Spirit (descended upon them),
they will in any case be saved, and they will change (for the better).
For the power will descend on every man, for without it no one can
stand. And after they are born, then, when the Spirit of life increases
and the power comes and strengthens that soul, no one can lead it
astray with works of evil. But those on whom the counterfeit spirit
descends are drawn by him and they go astray."
And I said, "Lord, where will the souls of these go when they have
come out of their flesh?" And he smiled and said to me, "The soul in
which the power will become stronger than the counterfeit spirit, is
strong and it flees from evil and, through the intervention of the
incorruptible one, it is saved, and it is taken up to the rest of the
aeons."
And I said, "Lord, those, however, who have not known to whom they
belong, where will their souls be?" And he said to me, "In those, the
despicable spirit has gained strength when they went astray. And he
burdens the soul and draws it to the works of evil, and he casts it
down into forgetfulness. And after it comes out of (the body), it is
handed over to the authorities, who came into being through the
archon, and they bind it with chains and cast it into prison, and
consort with it until it is liberated from the forgetfulness and
acquires knowledge. And if thus it becomes perfect, it is saved."
And I said, "Lord, how can the soul become smaller and return into
the nature of its mother or into man?" Then he rejoiced when I asked
him this, and he said to me, "Truly, you are blessed, for you have
understood! That soul is made to follow another one (fem.), since the
Spirit of life is in it. It is saved through him. It is not again cast
into another flesh."
And I said, "Lord, these also who did not know, but have turned
away, where will their souls go?" Then he said to me, "To that place
where the angels of poverty go they will be taken, the place where
there is no repentance. And they will be kept for the day on which
those who have blasphemed the spirit will be tortured, and they will
be punished with eternal punishment."
And I said, "Lord, from where did the counterfeit spirit come?"
Then he said to me, "The Mother-Father, who is rich in mercy, the holy
Spirit in every way, the One who is merciful and who sympathizes with
you (pl.), i.e., the Epinoia of the foreknowledge of light, he raised
up the offspring of the perfect race and its thinking and the eternal
light of man. When the chief archon realized that they were exalted
above him in the height - and they surpass him in thinking - then he
wanted to seize their thought, not knowing that they surpassed him
in thinking, and that he will not be able to seize them.
"He made a plan with his authorities, which are his powers, and
they committed together adultery with Sophia, and bitter fate was
begotten through them, which is the last of the changeable bonds. And
it is of a sort that is interchangeable. And it is harder and stronger
than she with whom the gods united, and the angels and the demons and
all the generations until this day. For from that fate came forth
every sin and injustice and blasphemy, and the chain of forgetfulness
and ignorance and every severe command, and serious sins and great
fears. And thus the whole creation was made blind, in order that they
may not know God, who is above all of them. And because of the chain
of forgetfulness, their sins were hidden. For they are bound with
measures and times and moments, since it (fate) is lord over everything.
"I, therefore, the perfect Pronoia of the all, changed myself into
my seed, for I existed first, going on every road. For I am the
richness of the light; I am the remembrance of the pleroma.
"And I went into the realm of darkness and I endured till I entered
the middle of the prison. And the foundations of chaos shook. And I
hid myself from them because of their wickedness, and they did not
recognize me.
"Again I returned for the second time, and I went about. I came
forth from those who belong to the light, which is I, the remembrance
of the Pronoia. I entered into the midst of darkness and the inside of
Hades, since I was seeking (to accomplish) my task. And the
foundations of chaos shook, that they might fall down upon those who
are in chaos and might destroy them. And again I ran up to my root of
light, lest they be destroyed before the time.
"Still for a third time I went - I am the light which exists in the
light, I am the remembrance of the Pronoia - that I might enter into
the midst of darkness and the inside of Hades. And I filled my face
with the light of the completion of their aeon. And I entered into the
midst of their prison, which is the prison of the body. And I said,
'He who hears, let him get up from the deep sleep.' And he wept and
shed tears. Bitter tears he wiped from himself and he said, 'Who is
it that calls my name, and from where has this hope come to me, while
I am in the chains of the prison?' And I said, 'I am the Pronoia of
the pure light; I am the thinking of the virginal Spirit, who raised
you up to the honored place. Arise and remember that it is you who
hearkened, and follow your root, which is I, the merciful one, and
guard yourself against the angels of poverty and the demons of chaos
and all those who ensnare you, and beware of the deep sleep and the
enclosure of the inside of Hades.
"And I raised him up, and sealed him in the light of the water with
five seals, in order that death might not have power over him from
this time on.
"And behold, now I shall go up to the perfect aeon. I have
completed everything for you in your hearing. And I have said
everything to you that you might write them down and give them
secretly to your fellow spirits, for this is the mystery of the
immovable race."
And the savior presented these things to him that he might write
them down and keep them secure. And he said to him, "Cursed be
everyone who will exchange these things for a gift or for food or
for drink or for clothing or for any other such thing." And these
things were presented to him in a mystery, and immediately he
disappeared from him. And he went to his fellow disciples and related
to them what the savior had told him.
Jesus Christ, Amen.
GOSPEL OF THE SAVIOR - A REVIEW
To my surprise this is not a popularisation but the editio princeps
of the text, and a piece of sound textual scholarship. Speculation
is kept to a minimum, Christian-baiting is omitted, and the emphasis
is on providing the data to the scholarly community. The introduction,
transcription and translation are by Prof. Hedrick; the commentary by
Dr. Mirecki, but both take responsibility for each other's
contribution, and the 'join' is not really visible. Full monochrome
photographs are provided, and a critical apparatus. There is a
distinct tendency to avoid making judgements on points of detail.
The editors are clearly aware that any such discussion would render
their book obsolete within a year or two as the issues are thrashed
out. There is an excellent section on the codicology. It is
difficult not to be impressed at the skill with which the jigsaw
puzzle has been put together. Interestingly some of the fragments
bear Coptic page numbers - 99, 100, etc - which indicates the text
comes from a larger volume. The translation is literalist, which
is very welcome, and the text and translation laid out opposite each
other in the diplomatic manner. The commentary attempts to elucidate
the meaning of the fragments, and likewise avoids large and loose
conclusions.
Issues of dating are addressed very tentatively. The book is
parchment, in quires, written in a polished Sahidic Coptic, and
displays some skill in codex making. Analysis of letter forms
suggests a date between the 4th-7th centuries - perhaps most likely
somewhere in the middle. The book has suffered damage by fire, but
no comment is made about this. The text seems to make use of both
Matthew and John, with an occasional echo of Luke, and reflects the
Coptic text of these works. There is a reference to 'Aeons', the
'Pleroma', and other general Gnostic indicators, e.g. 'Do not let
matter rule over you' (p.98 line 44 of the codex/p.31). The editors
feel that the 'latest date for its original composition is probably
in the late second century' (p.2), although they fail to make quite
clear why. However a second century date for the work seems quite
reasonable, in view of the definite but unfocused nature of the
Gnosticism in the surviving fragments, which I suspect is the basis
for their statement. There is a general smattering of Greek words
throughout the codex. A very careful paragraph (pp.12-13) discusses
evidence for one Coptic word being a too literal mistranslation of a
Greek idiom and so 'implies that the Gospel of the Savior is based on
an earlier Greek original subsequently translated into Coptic'. The
scholarly refusal here to say too more than the evidence demands,
combined with the solid scholarship underlying it, makes very pleasant
reading.
There are full references to other ancient texts, probable or
otherwise. Curiously there are two references in the fragments which
could relate to the long ending of Mark, (e.g. 'sitting at the right
hand of the father upon your (sg.) throne', 17H 4-6, p71 = Mark 14:6,
Mark 16:19 and many other refs). One of the statements of the
'saviour' is also found in the Coptic Gospel of Thomas - 'he that is
near me is near to the fire; he that is far from me is far from life'
(107.43-48, CGoT 82). It is pleasing to see an awareness that some
of the elements used may have no connection with any organised group
but may simply be part of the general pagan religious climate of
antiquity (p.24). The pseudo-Christian title given to this document
by the editors is unfortunate, in that it acts as a barrier to
understanding, as M.R.James long ago pointed out in the preface to
his edition of the 'New Testament Apocrypha'. To call this work a
gospel forces the editors to define a 'gospel' to mean nothing more
specific than a work containing sayings or perhaps narrative about
someone who may be called Jesus or is in some way based on the
historical figure (p.1). This ties the work too closely to some sort
of pseudo-Christian context. Few would doubt that in antiquity the
extra-canonical works formed a broad spectrum, shading from orthodox
works like the Acts of Paul right the way down to basically pagan
texts which added some nominal 'Jesus' into the syncretist stew.
It would seem that the word 'gospel' has really outlived its
usefulness if it prevents us from recognising and working with this
continuum. Doubtless the difficulty of finding another word has
something to do with the continued popularity of the word 'gospel'.
To call the codex the 'Gospel of the Savior' also seems unwise, in
view of the inferences that those ignorant of the subject will
infallibly draw from it. It would have been better to give it a
neutral name like the Berlin Gospel.
The work consists of dialogue between a central figure and his
hearers, and an ascension by them all in 'to the [fourth] heaven
'(p.113 line 16 of the codex - p.45 in the edition), scattering the
discomfited 'watchers' and cherubim. The central figure is referred
to only as the 'saviour' and the words 'for us apostles' (113.3/p.45)
and mention of Andrew and John suggest that the unknown 'author' is
supposed to be an apostle, although I do not recall that this point
is made anywhere. The manner in which the saviour does his saving
is unclear, due to the fragmentary nature of the text. But he does
do a lot of direct talking to the cross - 'A little longer, O Cross,
and all the pleroma is perfected'(5F.30-32/p.55) etc, which may yet
inspire some satire, perhaps about a previously unrecognised
'ecological Jesus', who talked a lot to trees!
The book reflects the standard presumption of New Testament
'scholarship' that documents not much different to a piece of
6th century Coptic toilet paper with an anecdote about Jesus are
the only trustworthy evidence available, while the provenanced gospels
are to be regarded with suspicion. It was curious to see that nowhere
is the suggestion made that the author of the text edited it to his
own pleasure, while the same suggestion is allowed to linger in the
references to the canonical gospels. It would be unfair to blame the
editors for sharing this absurd prejudice, as doubtless they could not
carry on their work unless they at least paid lip-service to it. But
the tone is not aggressive in this area, and the thinking reader can
quickly skim over such nonsense. The focus of the book is the data,
and for that we owe them a debt of gratitude. Recommended.
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