Another Gnostic book, The Apocryphon of John, was
probably written shortly after the last books of the New Testament.
In this book's reinterpretation of the Genesis account, the acts of
sex and childbearing are attributed to the chief evil ruler: "Now up
to the present day sexual intercourse continued due to the chief
archon [ruler]. 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 opposing spirit" (NHC II,1,24,26-31).
Hippolytus, one of the Church Fathers,
describes Gnostics who had a negative view of sex (Ref. V,4), and Clement
of Alexandria cites a Gnostic work named The Gospel of the Egyptians
in which the Lord forbids procreation (Strom. III,9). Paul comes down
hard on these false teachings in 1 Timothy 4:1-5,7.
The Apocryphon of John (long version)
Translated by Frederik Wisse
The Apocryphon of John (long
version)
Translated by Frederik Wisse
The 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> his will and
the mind and the foreknowledge attended and glorified the invisible
Spirit and Barbelo, for whose sake they had come into being.
"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, <the> perfect Man (appeared), the
first revelation, and the truth. It is he whom the virginal Spirit
called Pigera-Adamas,
and he placed him over the first
aeon with the mighty one, the Autogenes, the Christ, by the first light
Armozel;
and with him are his powers. And the invisible one gave him a
spiritual, invincible power. And he spoke and glorified and praised
the invisible Spirit, saying, 'It is for thy sake that everything has
come into being and everything will return to thee. I shall praise
and glorify thee and the Autogenes and the aeons, the three: the
Father, the Mother, and the Son, the perfect power.'
"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 their 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."
See FathHippolAnt5.html re
annedoti
The original names of seven of
Berosus' bringers of civilization (Oannes and his brethren)
OANNES (BM)
And Edem gives great power to her third angel, Naas,
that by every species of punishment she might chasten the spirit of
Elohim which is in men,
in order that Elohim,
through the spirit, might be punished for having deserted his spouse,
in violation of the agreements entered into between them.
Elohim the father, seeing these
things, sends forth
Baruch, the
third angel among his own, to succour the
spirit that is in all men. Baruch then coming, stood in the midst of
the angels of Edem, that is, in the midst of paradise-for
paradise is the
angels, in the midst of
whom he stood,-and issued to the man the following injunction:
"Of every tree that is in paradise thou mayest freely eat,
but thou mayest not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, [Gen. ii. 16, 17.
] which is Naas.
Now the meaning is, that he
should obey the rest of
the eleven angels of
Edem, for the eleven
possess passions, but are not guilty of transgression.
Naas,
however, has committed sin, for he went in unto Eve, deceiving her, and debauched her; and (such an act as) this is a violation of law.
He, however, likewise went in unto
Adam,
and had
unnatural
intercourse with him;
and this is itself also a piece of turpitude, whence have arisen adultery and
sodomy.
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 (Zoe), 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 them 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 incorruption 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.
"And he (the chief archon) repented for
everything which had come into being through him. This time he
planned to bring a flood upon the work of man. But the greatness of
the light of the foreknowledge informed Noah, and he proclaimed (it)
to all the offspring which are the sons of men. But those who were
strangers to him did not listen to him. It is not as Moses said,
'They hid themselves in an ark' (Gn 7: 7), but they hid themselves in
a place, not only Noah, but also many other people from the immovable
race. They went into a place and hid themselves in a luminous cloud.
And he (Noah) recognized his authority, and she who belongs to the
light was with him, having shone on them because he (the chief
archon) had brought darkness upon the whole earth.
"And he made a plan with his powers. He sent
his angels to the daughters of men, that they might take some of them
for themselves and raise offspring for their enjoyment. And at first
they did not succeed. When they had no success, they gathered
together again and they made a plan together. They created a
counterfeit spirit, who resembles the Spirit who had descended, so as
to pollute the souls through it. And the angels changed themselves in
their likeness into the likeness of their mates (the daughters of
men), filling them with the spirit of darkness, which they had mixed
for them, and with evil. They brought gold and silver and a gift and
copper and iron and metal and all kinds of things. And they steered
the people who had followed them into great troubles, by leading them
astray with many deceptions. They (the people) became old without
having enjoyment. They died, not having found truth and without
knowing the God of truth. And thus the whole creation became enslaved
forever, from the foundation of the world until now. And they took
women and begot children out of the darkness according to the
likeness of their spirit. And they closed their hearts, and they
hardened themselves through the hardness of the counterfeit spirit
until now.
"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.
The Apocryphon According to John
Selection made from James M. Robinson, ed., The
Nag Hammadi Library, revised edition. HarperCollins, San Francisco,
1990.
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