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THE GOSPEL OF PHILIP - GNOSTIC
By: patrick jane Date: September 20, 2020, 12:35 pm
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[center]The Gnostic Society Library
The Nag Hammadi Library
The Gospel of Philip
Translated by Wesley W. Isenberg[/center]
A Hebrew makes another Hebrew, and such a person is called
"proselyte". But a proselyte does not make another proselyte.
[...] just as they [...] and make others like themselves, while
others simply exist.
The slave seeks only to be free, but he does not hope to acquire
the estate of his master. But the son is not only a son but lays
claim to the inheritance of the father. Those who are heirs to
the dead are themselves dead, and they inherit the dead. Those
who are heirs to what is living are alive, and they are heirs to
both what is living and the dead. The dead are heirs to nothing.
For how can he who is dead inherit? If he who is dead inherits
what is living he will not die, but he who is dead will live
even more.
A Gentile does not die, for he has never lived in order that he
may die. He who has believed in the truth has found life, and
this one is in danger of dying, for he is alive. Since Christ
came, the world has been created, the cities adorned, the dead
carried out. When we were Hebrews, we were orphans and had only
our mother, but when we became Christians, we had both father
and mother.
Those who sow in winter reap in summer. The winter is the world,
the summer the other Aeon (eternal realm). Let us sow in the
world that we may reap in the summer. Because of this, it is
fitting for us not to pray in the winter. Summer follows winter.
But if any man reap in winter he will not actually reap but only
pluck out, since it will not provide a harvest for such a
person. It is not only [...] that it will [...] come forth, but
also on the Sabbath [...] is barren.
Christ came to ransom some, to save others, to redeem others. He
ransomed those who were strangers and made them his own. And he
set his own apart, those whom he gave as a pledge according to
his plan. It was not only when he appeared that he voluntarily
laid down his life, but he voluntarily laid down his life from
the very day the world came into being. Then he came first in
order to take it, since it had been given as a pledge. It fell
into the hands of robbers and was taken captive, but he saved
it. He redeemed the good people in the world as well as the
evil.
Light and Darkness, life and death, right and left, are brothers
of one another. They are inseparable. Because of this neither
are the good good, nor evil evil, nor is life life, nor death
death. For this reason each one will dissolve into its earliest
origin. But those who are exalted above the world are
indissoluble, eternal.
Names given to the worldly are very deceptive, for they divert
our thoughts from what is correct to what is incorrect. Thus one
who hears the word "God" does not perceive what is correct, but
perceives what is incorrect. So also with "the Father" and "the
Son" and "the Holy Spirit" and "life" and "light" and
"resurrection" and "the Church (Ekklesia)" and all the rest -
people do not perceive what is correct but they perceive what is
incorrect, unless they have come to know what is correct. The
names which are heard are in the world [...] deceive. If they
were in the Aeon (eternal realm), they would at no time be used
as names in the world. Nor were they set among worldly things.
They have an end in the Aeon.
One single name is not uttered in the world, the name which the
Father gave to the Son; it is the name above all things: the
name of the Father. For the Son would not become Father unless
he wore the name of the Father. Those who have this name know
it, but they do not speak it. But those who do not have it do
not know it.
But truth brought names into existence in the world for our
sakes, because it is not possible to learn it (truth) without
these names. Truth is one single thing; it is many things and
for our sakes to teach about this one thing in love through many
things. The rulers (archons) wanted to deceive man, since they
saw that he had a kinship with those that are truly good. They
took the name of those that are good and gave it to those that
are not good, so that through the names they might deceive him
and bind them to those that are not good. And afterward, what a
favor they do for them! They make them be removed from those
that are not good and place them among those that are good.
These things they knew, for they wanted to take the free man and
make him a slave to them forever.
These are powers which [...] man, not wishing him to be saved,
in order that they may [...]. For if man is saved, there will
not be any sacrifices [...] and animals will not be offered to
the powers. Indeed, the animals were the ones to whom they
sacrificed. They were indeed offering them up alive, but when
they offered them up, they died. As for man, they offered him up
to God dead, and he lived.
Before Christ came, there was no bread in the world, just as
Paradise, the place were Adam was, had many trees to nourish the
animals but no wheat to sustain man. Man used to feed like the
animals, but when Christ came, the perfect man, he brought bread
from heaven in order that man might be nourished with the food
of man. The rulers thought that it was by their own power and
will that they were doing what they did, but the Holy Spirit in
secret was accomplishing everything through them as it wished.
Truth, which existed since the beginning, is sown everywhere.
And many see it being sown, but few are they who see it being
reaped.
Some said, "Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit." They are in
error. They do not know what they are saying. When did a woman
ever conceive by a woman? Mary is the virgin whom no power
defiled. She is a great anathema to the Hebrews, who are the
apostles and the apostolic men. This virgin whom no power
defiled [...] the powers defile themselves. And the Lord would
not have said "My Father who is in Heaven" (Mt 16:17), unless he
had had another father, but he would have said simply "My
father".
The Lord said to the disciples, "[...] from every house. Bring
into the house of the Father. But do not take (anything) in the
house of the Father nor carry it off."
"Jesus" is a hidden name, "Christ" is a revealed name. For this
reason "Jesus" is not particular to any language; rather he is
always called by the name "Jesus". While as for "Christ", in
Syriac it is "Messiah", in Greek it is "Christ". Certainly all
the others have it according to their own language. "The
Nazarene" is he who reveals what is hidden. Christ has
everything in himself, whether man, or angel, or mystery, and
the Father.
Those who say that the Lord died first and (then) rose up are in
error, for he rose up first and (then) died. If one does not
first attain the resurrection, he will not die. As God lives, he
would [...].
No one will hide a large valuable object in something large, but
many a time one has tossed countless thousands into a thing
worth a penny. Compare the soul. It is a precious thing and it
came to be in a contemptible body.
Some are afraid lest they rise naked. Because of this they wish
to rise in the flesh, and they do not know that it is those who
wear the flesh who are naked. It is those who [...] to unclothe
themselves who are not naked. "Flesh and blood shall not inherit
the kingdom of God" (1 Co 15:50). What is this which will not
inherit? This which is on us. But what is this, too, which will
inherit? It is that which belongs to Jesus and his blood.
Because of this he said "He who shall not eat my flesh and drink
my blood has not life in him" (Jn 6:53). What is it? His flesh
is the word, and his blood is the Holy Spirit. He who has
received these has food and he has drink and clothing. I find
fault with the others who say that it will not rise. Then both
of them are at fault. You say that the flesh will not rise. But
tell me what will rise, that we may honor you. You say the
Spirit in the flesh, and it is also this light in the flesh.
(But) this too is a matter which is in the flesh, for whatever
you shall say, you say nothing outside the flesh. It is
necessary to rise in this flesh, since everything exists in it.
In this world, those who put on garments are better than the
garments. In the Kingdom of Heaven, the garments are better than
those that put them on.
It is through water and fire that the whole place is purified -
the visible by the visible, the hidden by the hidden. There are
some things hidden through those visible. There is water in
water, there is fire in chrism.
Jesus took them all by stealth, for he did not appear as he was,
but in the manner in which they would be able to see him. He
appeared to them all. He appeared to the great as great. He
appeared to the small as small. He appeared to the angels as an
angel, and to men as a man. Because of this, his word hid itself
from everyone. Some indeed saw him, thinking that they were
seeing themselves, but when he appeared to his disciples in
glory on the mount, he was not small. He became great, but he
made the disciples great, that they might be able to see him in
his greatness.
He said on that day in the thanksgiving, "You who have joined
the perfect light with the Holy Spirit, unite the angels with us
also, as being the images." Do not despise the lamb, for without
it, it is not possible to see the king. No one will be able to
go in to the king if he is naked.
The heavenly man has many more sons than the earthly man. If the
sons of Adam are many, although they die, how much more the sons
of the perfect man, they who do not die but are always begotten.
The father makes a son, and the son has not the power to make a
son. For he who has been begotten has not the power to beget,
but the son gets brothers for himself, not sons. All who are
begotten in the world are begotten in a natural way, and the
others are nourished from the place whence they have been born.
It is from being promised to the heavenly place that man
receives nourishment. [...] him from the mouth. And had the word
gone out from that place, it would be nourished from the mouth
and it would become perfect. For it is by a kiss that the
perfect conceive and give birth. For this reason we also kiss
one another. We receive conception from the grace which is in
one another.
There were three who always walked with the Lord: Mary, his
mother, and her sister, and Magdalene, the one who was called
his companion. His sister and his mother and his companion were
each a Mary.
"The Father" and "the Son" are single names; "the Holy Spirit"
is a double name. For they are everywhere: they are above, they
are below; they are in the concealed, they are in the revealed.
The Holy Spirit is in the revealed: it is below. It is in the
concealed: it is above.
The saints are served by evil powers, for they are blinded by
the Holy Spirit into thinking that they are serving an
(ordinary) man whenever they do so for the saints. Because of
this, a disciple asked the Lord one day for something of this
world. He said to him, "Ask your mother, and she will give you
of the things which are another's."
The apostles said to the disciples, "May our entire offering
obtain salt." They called Sophia "salt". Without it, no offering
is acceptable. But Sophia is barren, without child. For this
reason, she is called "a trace of salt". Wherever they will
[...] in their own way, the Holy Spirit [...], and her children
are many.
What the father possesses belongs to the son, and the son
himself, so long as he is small, is not entrusted with what is
his. But when he becomes a man, his father gives him all that he
possesses.
Those who have gone astray, whom the spirit begets, usually go
astray also because of the Spirit. Thus, by one and the same
breath, the fire blazes and is put out.
Echamoth is one thing and Echmoth, another. Echamoth is Wisdom
simply, but Echmoth is the Wisdom of death, which is the one who
knows death, which is called "the little Wisdom".
There are domestic animals, like the bull and the ass and others
of this kind. Others are wild and live apart in the deserts. Man
ploughs the field by means of the domestic animals, and from
this he is nourished, he and the animals, whether tame or wild.
Compare the perfect man. It is through powers which are
submissive that he ploughs, preparing for everything to come
into being. For it is because of this that the whole place
stands, whether the good or the evil, the right and the left.
The Holy Spirit shepherds everyone and rules all the powers, the
"tame" ones and the "wild" ones, as well as those which are
unique. For indeed he [...] shuts them in, in order that [...]
wish, they will not be able to escape.
He who has been created is beautiful, but you would <not> find
his sons noble creations. If he were not created, but begotten,
you would find that his seed was noble. But now he was created
(and) he begot. What nobility is this? First, adultery came into
being, afterward murder. And he was begotten in adultery, for he
was the child of the Serpent. So he became a murderer, just like
his father, and he killed his brother. Indeed, every act of
sexual intercourse which has occurred between those unlike one
another is adultery.
God is a dyer. As the good dyes, which are called "true",
dissolve with the things dyed in them, so it is with those whom
God has dyed. Since his dyes are immortal, they become immortal
by means of his colors. Now God dips what he dips in water.
It is not possible for anyone to see anything of the things that
actually exist unless he becomes like them. This is not the way
with man in the world: he sees the sun without being a sun; and
he sees the heaven and the earth and all other things, but he is
not these things. This is quite in keeping with the truth. But
you saw something of that place, and you became those things.
You saw the Spirit, you became spirit. You saw Christ, you
became Christ. You saw the Father, you shall become Father. So
in this place you see everything and do not see yourself, but in
that place you do see yourself - and what you see you shall
become.
Faith receives, love gives. No one will be able to receive
without faith. No one will be able to give without love. Because
of this, in order that we may indeed receive, we believe, and in
order that we may love, we give, since if one gives without
love, he has no profit from what he has given. He who has
received something other than the Lord is still a Hebrew.
The apostles who were before us had these names for him: "Jesus,
the Nazorean, Messiah", that is, "Jesus, the Nazorean, the
Christ". The last name is "Christ", the first is "Jesus", that
in the middle is "the Nazarene". "Messiah" has two meanings,
both "the Christ" and "the measured". "Jesus" in Hebrew is "the
redemption". "Nazara" is "the Truth". "The Nazarene" then, is
"the Truth". "Christ" [...] has been measured. "The Nazarene"
and "Jesus" are they who have been measured.
When the pearl is cast down into the mud, it becomes greatly
despised, nor if it is anointed with balsam oil will it become
more precious. But it always has value in the eyes of its owner.
Compare the Sons of God: wherever they may be, they still have
value in the eyes of their Father.
If you say, "I am a Jew," no one will be moved. If you say, "I
am a Roman," no one will be disturbed. If you say, "I am a
Greek, a barbarian, a slave, a free man," no one will be
troubled. If you say, "I am a Christian," the [...] will
tremble. Would that I might [...] like that - the person whose
name [...] will not be able to endure hearing.
God is a man-eater. For this reason, men are sacrificed to him.
Before men were sacrificed, animals were being sacrificed, since
those to whom they were sacrificed were not gods.
Glass decanters and earthenware jugs are both made by means of
fire. But if glass decanters break, they are done over, for they
came into being through a breath. If earthenware jugs break,
however, they are destroyed, for they came into being without
breath.
An ass which turns a millstone did a hundred miles walking. When
it was loosed, it found that it was still at the same place.
There are men who make many journeys, but make no progress
towards any destination. When evening came upon them, they saw
neither city nor village, neither human artifact nor natural
phenomenon, power nor angel. In vain have the wretches labored.
The eucharist is Jesus. For he is called in Syriac "Pharisatha,"
which is "the one who is spread out," for Jesus came to crucify
the world.
The Lord went into the dye works of Levi. He took seventy-two
different colors and threw them into the vat. He took them out
all white. And he said, "Even so has the Son of Man come as a
dyer."
As for the Wisdom who is called "the barren," she is the mother
of the angels. And the companion of the [...] Mary Magdalene.
[...] loved her more than all the disciples, and used to kiss
her often on her mouth. The rest of the disciples [...]. They
said to him "Why do you love her more than all of us?" The
Savior answered and said to them,"Why do I not love you like
her? When a blind man and one who sees are both together in
darkness, they are no different from one another. When the light
comes, then he who sees will see the light, and he who is blind
will remain in darkness."
The Lord said, "Blessed is he who is before he came into being.
For he who is, has been and shall be."
The superiority of man is not obvious to the eye, but lies in
what is hidden from view. Consequently, he has mastery over the
animals which are stronger than he is and great in terms of the
obvious and the hidden. This enables them to survive. But if man
is separated from them, they slay one another and bite one
another. They ate one another because they did not find any
food. But now they have found food because man tilled the soil.
If one goes down into the water and comes up without having
received anything, and says "I am a Christian," he has borrowed
the name at interest. But if he receives the Holy Spirit, he has
the name as a gift. He who has received a gift does not have to
give it back, but of him who has borrowed it at interest,
payment is demanded. This is the way it happens to one when he
experiences a mystery.
Great is the mystery of marriage! For without it, the world
would not exist. Now the existence of the world [...], and the
existence of [...] marriage. Think of the [...] relationship,
for it possesses [...] power. Its image consists of a
defilement.
The forms of evil spirit include male ones and female ones. The
males are they which unite with the souls which inhabit a female
form, but the females are they which are mingled with those in a
male form, though one who was disobedient. And none shall be
able to escape them, since they detain him if he does not
receive a male power or a female power, the bridegroom and the
bride. One receives them from the mirrored bridal chamber. When
the wanton women see a male sitting alone, they leap down on him
and play with him and defile him. So also the lecherous men,
when they see a beautiful woman sitting alone, they persuade her
and compel her, wishing to defile her. But if they see the man
and his wife sitting beside one another, the female cannot come
into the man, nor can the male come into the woman. So if the
image and the angel are united with one another, neither can any
venture to go into the man or the woman.
He who comes out of the world, and so can no longer be detained
on the grounds that he was in the world, evidently is above the
desire of the [...] and fear. He is master over [...]. He is
superior to envy. If [...] comes, they seize him and throttle
him. And how will this one be able to escape the great [...]
powers? How will he be able to [...]? There are some who say,
"We are faithful" in order that [...] the unclean spirits and
the demons. For if they had the Holy Spirit, no unclean spirit
would cleave to them. Fear not the flesh nor love it. If you
fear it, it will gain mastery over you. If you love it, it will
swallow and paralyze you.
And so he dwells either in this world or in the resurrection or
in the middle place. God forbid that I be found in there! In
this world, there is good and evil. Its good things are not
good, and its evil things not evil. But there is evil after this
world which is truly evil - what is called "the middle". It is
death. While we are in this world, it is fitting for us to
acquire the resurrection, so that when we strip off the flesh,
we may be found in rest and not walk in the middle. For many go
astray on the way. For it is good to come forth from the world
before one has sinned.
There are some who neither will nor have the power to; and
others who, if they will, do not profit; for they did not act
since [...] makes them sinners. And if they do not will, justice
will elude them in both cases: and it is always a matter of the
will, not the act.
An apostolic man in a vision saw some people shut up in a house
of fire and bound with fiery [...], lying [...] flaming [...],
them in [...] faith [...]. And he said to them, "[...] able to
be saved?" [...], "They did not desire it. They received [...]
punishment, what is called 'the [...] darkness', because he
[...]."
It is from water and fire that the soul and the spirit came into
being. It is from water and fire and light that the son of the
bridal chamber (came into being). The fire is the chrism, the
light is the fire. I am not referring to that fire which has no
form, but to the other fire whose form is white, which is bright
and beautiful, and which gives beauty.
Truth did not come into the world naked, but it came in types
and images. The world will not receive truth in any other way.
There is a rebirth and an image of rebirth. It is certainly
necessary to be born again through the image. Which one?
Resurrection. The image must rise again through the image. The
bridal chamber and the image must enter through the image into
the truth: this is the restoration. Not only must those who
produce the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
do so, but have produced them for you. If one does not acquire
them, the name ("Christian") will also be taken from him. But
one receives the unction of the [...] of the power of the cross.
This power the apostles called "the right and the left." For
this person is no longer a Christian but a Christ.
The Lord did everything in a mystery, a baptism and a chrism and
a eucharist and a redemption and a bridal chamber. [...] he
said, "I came to make the things below like the things above,
and the things outside like those inside. I came to unite them
in the place." [...] here through types [...]and images.
Those who say, "There is a heavenly man and there is one above
him" are wrong. For it is the first of these two heavenly men,
the one who is revealed, that they call "the one who is below";
and he to whom the hidden belongs is that one who is above him.
For it would be better for them to say, "The inner and outer,
and what is outside the outer". Because of this, the Lord called
destruction the "the outer darkness": there is not another
outside of it. He said, "My Father who is in secret". He said,
"Go into your chamber and shut the door behind you, and pray to
your Father who is in secret" (Mt 6:6), the one who is within
them all. But that which is within them all is the fullness.
Beyond it, there is nothing else within it. This is that of
which they say, "That which is above them".
Before Christ, some came from a place they were no longer able
to enter, and they went where they were no longer able to come
out. Then Christ came. Those who went in, he brought out, and
those who went out, he brought in.
When Eve was still with Adam, death did not exist. When she was
separated from him, death came into being. If he enters again
and attains his former self, death will be no more.
"My God, my God, why, O Lord, have you forsaken me?" (Mk 15:34).
It was on the cross that he said these words, for he had
departed from that place.
[...] who has been begotten through him who [...] from God.
The [...] from the dead. [...] to be, but now [...] perfect.
[...] flesh, but this [...] is true flesh. [...] is not true,
but [...] only possess an image of the true.
A bridal chamber is not for the animals, nor is it for the
slaves, nor for defiled women; but it is for free men and
virgins.
Through the Holy Spirit we are indeed begotten again, but we are
begotten through Christ in the two. We are anointed through the
Spirit. When we were begotten, we were united. None can see
himself either in water or in a mirror without light. Nor again
can you see in light without mirror or water. For this reason,
it is fitting to baptize in the two, in the light and the water.
Now the light is the chrism.
There were three buildings specifically for sacrifice in
Jerusalem. The one facing the west was called "The Holy".
Another, facing south, was called "The Holy of the Holy". The
third, facing east, was called "The Holy of the Holies", the
place where only the high priest enters. Baptism is "the Holy"
building. Redemption is the "Holy of the Holy". "The Holy of the
Holies" is the bridal chamber. Baptism includes the resurrection
and the redemption; the redemption (takes place) in the bridal
chamber. But the bridal chamber is in that which is superior to
[...] you will not find [...] are those who pray [...] Jerusalem
who [...] Jerusalem, [...] those called the "Holy of the Holies"
[...] the veil was rent, [...] bridal chamber except the image
[...] above. Because of this, its veil was rent from top to
bottom. For it was fitting for some from below to go upward.
The powers do not see those who are clothed in the perfect
light, and consequently are not able to detain them. One will
clothe himself in this light sacramentally in the union.
If the woman had not separated from the man, she should not die
with the man. His separation became the beginning of death.
Because of this, Christ came to repair the separation, which was
from the beginning, and again unite the two, and to give life to
those who died as a result of the separation, and unite them.
But the woman is united to her husband in the bridal chamber.
Indeed, those who have united in the bridal chamber will no
longer be separated. Thus Eve separated from Adam because it was
not in the bridal chamber that she united with him.
The soul of Adam came into being by means of a breath. The
partner of his soul is the spirit. His mother is the thing that
was given to him. His soul was taken from him and replaced by a
spirit. When he was united (to the spirit), he spoke words
incomprehensible to the powers. They envied him [...] spiritual
partner [...] hidden [...] opportunity [...] for themselves
alone [...] bridal chamber, so that [...].
Jesus appeared [...] Jordan - the fullness of the Kingdom of
Heaven. He who was begotten before everything, was begotten
anew. He who was once anointed, was anointed anew. He who was
redeemed, in turn redeemed (others).
Indeed, one must utter a mystery. The Father of everything
united with the virgin who came down, and a fire shone for him
on that day. He appeared in the great bridal chamber. Therefore
his body came into being on that very day. It left the bridal
chamber as one who came into being from the bridegroom and the
bride. So Jesus established everything in it through these. It
is fitting for each of the disciples to enter into his rest.
Adam came into being from two virgins, from the Spirit and from
the virgin earth. Christ therefore, was born from a virgin to
rectify the Fall which occurred in the beginning.
There are two trees growing in Paradise. The one bears animals,
the other bears men. Adam ate from the tree which bore animals.
He became an animal and he brought forth animals. For this
reason the children of Adam worship animals. The tree [...]
fruit is [...] increased. [...] ate the [...] fruit of the [...]
bears men, [...] man. [...] God created man. [...] men create
God. That is the way it is in the world - men make gods and
worship their creation. It would be fitting for the gods to
worship men!
Surely what a man accomplishes depends on his abilities. For
this reason, we refer to one`s accomplishments as "abilities".
Among his accomplishments are his children. They originate in a
moment of ease. Thus his abilities determine what he may
accomplish, but this ease is clearly evident in the children.
You will find that this applies directly to the image. Here is
the man made after the image accomplishing things with his
physical strength, but producing his children with ease.
In this world, the slaves serve the free. In the Kingdom of
Heaven, the free will minister to the slaves: the children of
the bridal chamber will minister to the children of the
marriage. The children of the bridal chamber have just one name:
rest. Altogether, they need take no other form, because they
have contemplation, [...]. They are numerous [...] in the things
[...] the glories [...].
Those [...] go down into the water. [...] out (of the water),
will consecrate it, [...] they who have [...] in his name. For
he said, "Thus we should fulfill all righteousness." (Mt 3:15)
Those who say they will die first and then rise are in error. If
they do not first receive the resurrection while they live, when
they die they will receive nothing. So also when speaking about
baptism they say, "Baptism is a great thing," because if people
receive it they will live.
Philip the apostle said, "Joseph the carpenter planted a garden
because he needed wood for his trade. It was he who made the
cross from the trees which he planted. His own offspring hung on
that which he planted. His offspring was Jesus, and the planting
was the cross." But the Tree of Life is in the middle of the
Garden. However, it is from the olive tree that we got the
chrism, and from the chrism, the resurrection.
This world is a corpse-eater. All the things eaten in it
themselves die also. Truth is a life-eater. Therefore no one
nourished by truth will die. It was from that place that Jesus
came and brought food. To those who so desired, he gave life,
that they might not die.
God [...] garden. Man [...] garden. There are [...] and [...] of
God. [...] The things which are in [...] I wish. This garden is
the place where they will say to me, "[...] eat this or do not
eat that, just as you wish." In the place where I will eat all
things is the Tree of Knowledge. That one killed Adam, but here
the Tree of Knowledge made men alive. The law was the tree. It
has power to give the knowledge of good and evil. It neither
removed him from evil, nor did it set him in the good, but it
created death for those who ate of it. For when he said, "Eat
this, do not eat that", it became the beginning of death.
The chrism is superior to baptism, for it is from the word
"Chrism" that we have been called "Christians," certainly not
because of the word "baptism". And it is because of the chrism
that "the Christ" has his name. For the Father anointed the Son,
and the Son anointed the apostles, and the apostles anointed us.
He who has been anointed possesses everything. He possesses the
resurrection, the light, the cross, the Holy Spirit. The Father
gave him this in the bridal chamber; he merely accepted (the
gift). The Father was in the Son and the Son in the Father. This
is the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Lord said it well: "Some have entered the Kingdom of Heaven
laughing, and they have come out [...] because [...] a
Christian, [...]. And as soon as [...] went down into the water,
he came [...] everything (of this world), [...] because he [...]
a trifle, but [...] full of contempt for this [...] the Kingdom
of Heaven [...] If he despises [...], and scorns it as a trifle,
[...] out laughing. So it is also with the bread and the cup and
the oil, even though there is another one superior to these.
The world came about through a mistake. For he who created it
wanted to create it imperishable and immortal. He fell short of
attaining his desire. For the world never was imperishable, nor,
for that matter, was he who made the world. For things are not
imperishable, but sons are. Nothing will be able to receive
imperishability if it does not first become a son. But he who
has not the ability to receive, how much more will he be unable
to give?
The cup of prayer contains wine and water, since it is appointed
as the type of the blood for which thanks is given. And it is
full of the Holy Spirit, and it belongs to the wholly perfect
man. When we drink this, we shall receive for ourselves the
perfect man. The living water is a body. It is necessary that we
put on the living man. Therefore, when he is about to go down
into the water, he unclothes himself, in order that he may put
on the living man.
A horse sires a horse, a man begets man, a god brings forth a
god. Compare the bridegroom and the bride. They have come from
the [...]. No Jew [...] has existed. And [...] from the Jews.
[...] Christians [...] these [...] are referred to as "The
chosen people of [...]," and "The true man" and "Son of Man" and
"the seed of the Son of Man". This true race is renowned in the
world [...] that the sons of the bridal chamber dwell.
Whereas in this world the union is one of husband with wife - a
case of strength complemented by weakness(?) - in the Aeon
(eternal realm), the form of the union is different, although we
refer to them by the same names. There are other names, however;
they are superior to every other name that is named and are
stronger than the strong. For where there is a show of strength,
there those who excel in strength appear. These are not separate
things, but both of them are this one single thing. This is the
one which will not be able to rise above the heart of flesh.
Is it not necessary for all those who possess everything to know
themselves? Some indeed, if they do not know themselves, will
not enjoy what they possess. But those who have come to know
themselves will enjoy their possessions.
Not only will they be unable to detain the perfect man, but they
will not be able to see him, for if they see him, they will
detain him. There is no other way for a person to acquire this
quality except by putting on the perfect light and he too
becoming perfect light. He who has put it on will enter [...].
This is the perfect [...] that we [...] become [...] before we
leave [...]. Whoever receives everything [...] hither [...] be
able [...] that place, but will [...] the Middle as imperfect.
Only Jesus knows the end of this person.
The priest is completely holy, down to his very body. For if he
has taken the bread, he will consecrate it. Or the cup or
anything else that he gets, he will consecrate. Then how will he
not consecrate the body also?
By perfecting the water of baptism, Jesus emptied it of death.
Thus we do go down into the water, but we do not go down into
death, in order that we may not be poured out into the spirit of
the world. When that spirit blows, it brings the winter. When
the Holy Spirit breathes, the summer comes.
He who has knowledge of the truth is a free man, but the free
man does not sin, for "He who sins is the slave of sin" (Jn
8:34). Truth is the mother, knowledge the father. Those who
think that sinning does not apply to them are called "free" by
the world. Knowledge of the truth merely makes such people
arrogant, which is what the words, "it makes them free" mean. It
even gives them a sense of superiority over the whole world. But
"Love builds up" (1 Co 8:1). In fact, he who is really free,
through knowledge, is a slave, because of love for those who
have not yet been able to attain to the freedom of knowledge.
Knowledge makes them capable of becoming free. Love never calls
something its own, [...] it [...] possess [...]. It never
says,"This is yours" or "This is mine," but "All these are
yours". Spiritual love is wine and fragrance. All those who
anoint themselves with it take pleasure in it. While those who
are anointed are present, those nearby also profit (from the
fragrance). If those anointed with ointment withdraw from them
and leave, then those not anointed, who merely stand nearby,
still remain in their bad odor. The Samaritan gave nothing but
wine and oil to the wounded man. It is nothing other than the
ointment. It healed the wounds, for "love covers a multitude of
sins" (1 P 4: 8).
The children a woman bears resemble the man who loves her. If
her husband loves her, then they resemble her husband. If it is
an adulterer, then they resemble the adulterer. Frequently, if a
woman sleeps with her husband out of necessity, while her heart
is with the adulterer with whim she usually has intercourse, the
child she will bear is born resembling the adulterer. Now you
who live together with the Son of God, love not the world, but
love the Lord, in order that those you will bring forth may not
resemble the world, but may resemble the Lord.
The human being has intercourse with the human being. The horse
has intercourse with the horse, the ass with the ass. Members of
a race usually have associated with those of like race. So
spirit mingles with spirit, and thought consorts with thought,
and light shares with light. If you are born a human being, it
is the human being who will love you. If you become a spirit, it
is the spirit which will be joined to you. If you become
thought, it is thought which will mingle with you. If you become
light, it is the light which will share with you. If you become
one of those who belong above, it is those who belong above who
will rest upon you. If you become horse or ass or bull or dog or
sheep, or another of the animals which are outside or below,
then neither human being nor spirit nor thought nor light will
be able to love you. Neither those who belong above nor those
who belong within will be able to rest in you, and you have no
part in them.
He who is a slave against his will, will be able to become free.
He who has become free by favor of his master, and has sold
himself into slavery, will no longer be able to be free.
Farming in the world requires the cooperation of four essential
elements. A harvest is gathered into the barn only as a result
of the natural action of water, earth, wind and light. God's
farming likewise has four elements - faith, hope, love, and
knowledge. Faith is our earth, that in which we take root. And
hope is the water through which we are nourished. Love is the
wind through which we grow. Knowledge, then, is the light
through which we ripen. Grace exists in four ways: it is
earthborn; it is heavenly; [...] the highest heaven; [...] in
[...].
Blessed is the one who on no occasion caused a soul [...]. That
person is Jesus Christ. He came to the whole place and did not
burden anyone. Therefore, blessed is the one who is like this,
because he is a perfect man. For the Word tells us that this
kind is difficult to define. How shall we be able to accomplish
such a great thing? How will he give everyone comfort? Above
all, it is not proper to cause anyone distress - whether the
person is great or small, unbeliever or believer - and then give
comfort only to those who take satisfaction in good deeds. Some
find it advantageous to give comfort to the one who has fared
well. He who does good deeds cannot give comfort to such people,
for he does not seize whatever he likes. He is unable to cause
distress, however, since he does not afflict them. To be sure,
the one who fares well sometimes causes people distress - not
that he intends to do so; rather, it is their own wickedness
which is responsible for their distress. He who possesses the
qualities (of the perfect man) bestows joy upon the good. Some,
however, are terribly distressed by all this.
There was a householder who had every conceivable thing, be it
son or slave or cattle or dog or pig or corn or barley or chaff
or grass or [...] or meat and acorn. Now he was a sensible
fellow, and he knew what the food of each one was. He served the
children bread [...]. He served the slaves [...] and meal. And
he threw barley and chaff and grass to the cattle. He threw
bones to the dogs, and to the pigs he threw acorns and slop.
Compare the disciple of God: if he is a sensible fellow, he
understands what discipleship is all about. The bodily forms
will not deceive him, but he will look at the condition of the
soul of each one and speak with him. There are many animals in
the world which are in a human form. When he identifies them, to
the swine he will throw acorns, to the cattle he will throw
barley and chaff and grass, to the dogs he will throw bones. To
the slaves he will give only the elementary lessons, to the
children he will give the complete instruction.
There is the Son of Man and there is the son of the Son of Man.
The Lord is the Son of Man, and the son of the Son of Man is he
who creates through the Son of Man. The Son of Man received from
God the capacity to create. He also has the ability to beget. He
who has received the ability to create is a creature. He who has
received the ability to beget is an offspring. He who creates
cannot beget. He who begets also has power to create. Now they
say, "He who creates begets". But his so-called "offspring" is
merely a creature. Because of [...] of birth, they are not his
offspring but [...]. He who creates works openly, and he himself
is visible. He who begets, begets in private, and he himself is
hidden, since [...] image. Also, he who creates, creates openly.
But one who begets, begets children in private.
No one can know when the husband and the wife have intercourse
with one another, except the two of them. Indeed, marriage in
the world is a mystery for those who have taken a wife. If there
is a hidden quality to the marriage of defilement, how much more
is the undefiled marriage a true mystery! It is not fleshly, but
pure. It belongs not to desire, but to the will. It belongs not
to the darkness or the night, but to the day and the light. If a
marriage is open to the public, it has become prostitution, and
the bride plays the harlot not only when she is impregnated by
another man, but even if she slips out of her bedroom and is
seen. Let her show herself only to her father and her mother,
and to the friend of the bridegroom and the sons of the
bridegroom. These are permitted to enter every day into the
bridal chamber. But let the others yearn just to listen to her
voice and to enjoy her ointment, and let them feed from the
crumbs that fall from the table, like the dogs. Bridegrooms and
brides belong to the bridal chamber. No one shall be able to see
the bridegroom with the bride unless he become such a one.
When Abraham [...] that he was to see what he was to see, he
circumcised the flesh of the foreskin, teaching us that it is
proper to destroy the flesh.
Most things in the world, as long as their inner parts are
hidden, stand upright and live. If they are revealed, they die,
as is illustrated by the visible man: as long as the intestines
of the man are hidden, the man is alive; when his intestines are
exposed and come out of him, the man will die. So also with the
tree: while its root is hidden, it sprouts and grows. If its
root is exposed, the tree dries up. So it is with every birth
that is in the world, not only with the revealed but with the
hidden. For so long as the root of wickedness is hidden, it is
strong. But when it is recognized, it is dissolved. When it is
revealed, it perishes. That is why the Word says, "Already the
axe is laid at the root of the trees" (Mt 3:10). It will not
merely cut - what is cut sprouts again - but the ax penetrates
deeply, until it brings up the root. Jesus pulled out the root
of the whole place, while others did it only partially. As for
ourselves, let each one of us dig down after the root of evil
which is within one, and let one pluck it out of one's heart
from the root. It will be plucked out if we recognize it. But if
we are ignorant of it, it takes root in us and produces its
fruit in our heart. It masters us. We are its slaves. It takes
us captive, to make us do what we do not want; and what we do
want, we do not do. It is powerful because we have not
recognized it. While it exists it is active. Ignorance is the
mother of all evil. Ignorance will result in death, because
those who come from ignorance neither were nor are nor shall be.
[...] will be perfect when all the truth is revealed. For truth
is like ignorance: while it is hidden, it rests in itself, but
when it is revealed and is recognized, it is praised, inasmuch
as it is stronger than ignorance and error. It gives freedom.
The Word said, "If you know the truth, the truth will make you
free" (Jn 8:32). Ignorance is a slave. Knowledge is freedom. If
we know the truth, we shall find the fruits of the truth within
us. If we are joined to it, it will bring our fulfillment.
At the present time, we have the manifest things of creation. We
say, "The strong who are held in high regard are great people.
And the weak who are despised are the obscure." Contrast the
manifest things of truth: they are weak and despised, while the
hidden things are strong and held in high regard. The mysteries
of truth are revealed, though in type and image. The bridal
chamber, however, remains hidden. It is the Holy in the Holy.
The veil at first concealed how God controlled the creation, but
when the veil is rent and the things inside are revealed, this
house will be left desolate, or rather will be destroyed. And
the whole (inferior) godhead will flee from here, but not into
the holies of the holies, for it will not be able to mix with
the unmixed light and the flawless fullness, but will be under
the wings of the cross and under its arms. This ark will be
their salvation when the flood of water surges over them. If
some belong to the order of the priesthood, they will be able to
go within the veil with the high priest. For this reason, the
veil was not rent at the top only, since it would have been open
only to those above; nor was it rent at the bottom only, since
it would have been revealed only to those below. But it was rent
from the top to bottom. Those above opened to us the things
below, in order that we may go in to the secret of the truth.
This truly is what is held in high regard, (and) what is strong!
But we shall go in there by means of lowly types and forms of
weakness. They are lowly indeed when compared with the perfect
glory. There is glory which surpasses glory. There is power
which surpasses power. Therefore, the perfect things have opened
to us, together with the hidden things of truth. The holies of
the holies were revealed, and the bridal chamber invited us in.
As long as it is hidden, wickedness is indeed ineffectual, but
it has not been removed from the midst of the seed of the Holy
Spirit. They are slaves of evil. But when it is revealed, then
the perfect light will flow out on every one. And all those who
are in it will receive the chrism. Then the slaves will be free
and the captives ransomed. "Every plant which my father who is
in heaven has not planted will be plucked out." (Mt 15:13) Those
who are separated will unite [...] and will be filled. Every one
who will enter the bridal chamber will kindle the light, for
[...] just as in the marriages which are [...] happen at night.
That fire [...] only at night, and is put out. But the mysteries
of that marriage are perfected rather in the day and the light.
Neither that day nor its light ever sets. If anyone becomes a
son of the bridal chamber, he will receive the light. If anyone
does not receive it while he is here, he will not be able to
receive it in the other place. He who will receive that light
will not be seen, nor can he be detained. And none shall be able
to torment a person like this, even while he dwells in the
world. And again when he leaves the world, he has already
received the truth in the images. The world has become the Aeon
(eternal realm), for the Aeon is fullness for him. This is the
way it is: it is revealed to him alone, not hidden in the
darkness and the night, but hidden in a perfect day and a holy
light.
[center]The Gospel According to Philip
Original translation of this text was prepared by members of the
Coptic Gnostic Library Project of the Institute for Antiquity
and Christianity, Claremont Graduate School.
The Coptic Gnostic Library Project was funded by UNESCO, the
National Endowment for the Humanities, and other Institutions.
E. J. Brill has asserted copyright on texts published by the
Coptic Gnostic Library Project.
The translation presented here has been edited, modified and
formatted for use in the Gnostic Society Library.
For academic citation, please refer to published editions of
this text.[/center]
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