Read Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament Online
Authors: [edited by] Bart D. Ehrman
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approval and for their release. And still
upon themselves are coming. And they
others of them who have sensual (nawill put themselves to shame. But me tures) think that they will perfect the wisthey cannot touch. And you, O Peter, will dom of the brotherhood that really exists,
stand in their midst. Do not be afraid
the spiritual friendship with those combecause of your cowardice. Their minds panions rooted in fellowship, those
will be closed. For the invisible one has
through whom the wedding of incorruptopposed them.”
ibility will be revealed.
When he had said those things, I saw
“The kindred race of the sisterhood
him apparently being seized by them.
will appear as an imitation. These are the
And I said, “What am I seeing, O Lord?
ones who oppress their brothers, saying
Is it you yourself whom they take? And
to them, ‘Through this our God has pity,
are you holding on to me? Who is this
since salvation (allegedly) comes to us
one above the cross, who is glad and
through this.’ They do not know the punlaughing? And is it another person whose ishment of those who are delighted by
feet and hands they are hammering?”
what has been done to the little ones
The Savior said to me, “He whom you
whom they sought out and imprisoned.
see above the cross, glad and laughing,
And there will be others of those who are
is the living Jesus. But he into whose
outside our number who name themhands and feet they are driving the nails selves ‘bishop’ and also ‘deacons,’ as if
is his physical part, which is the substithey have received their authority from tute. They are putting to shame that
God. They submit to the judgment of the
which is in his likeness. But look at him
leaders. Those people are dry canals.”
and me.”
But I said, “I am afraid because of
But I, when I had looked, said, “Lord,
what you have told me—that indeed little
no one is looking at you. Let us flee this
ones are, in our view, counterfeit. Indeed,
place.” But he said to me, “I have told
there are multitudes that will mislead
you, ‘Leave the blind alone!’ And notice
THE COPTIC APOCALYPSE OF PETER
81
how they do not know what they are
whom you saw coming to me was our
saying. For the son of their glory, instead
intellectual pleroma, which unites the
of my servant, they have put to shame.”
perfect light with my pure spirit. These
And I saw someone about to approach
things, therefore, which you saw, you
us who looked like him, even him who
shall present to those of another race,
was laughing above the cross, and he was
who are not of this age. For there will be
�filled� with a pure spirit, and he (was)
no grace in any one who is not immortal,
the Savior. And there was a great ineffabut (grace will) only (be in) those who ble light around them and the multitude
were chosen from an immortal essence
of ineffable and invisible angels blessing
that has shown that it is able to accept
them. And it was I who saw him when
him who gives his abundance.
this one who glorifies was revealed. And
“Therefore I said, ‘To every one who
he said to me, “Be strong! For you are
has, it will be given, and that one will
the one to whom these mysteries have
have plenty.1 But the one who does not
been given, to know through revelation
have’—that is, the one of this place, bethat he whom they crucified is the firsting completely dead and changed by the born, and the home of demons, and the
planting of creation and begetting, who,
clay vessel in which they dwell, belongif one of the immortal essence appears, ing to Elohim, and belonging to the cross
think�s� that he (i.e. the one of immorthat is under the law. But he who stands tal essence) is being seized—‘it will be
near him is the living Savior, the primal
taken from him.’ And it will be added to
part in him whom they seized. And he
the one who is. You, therefore, be couhas been released. He stands joyfully rageous and do not fear anything. For I
looking at those who persecuted him.
will be with you so that none of your
They are divided among themselves.
enemies will prevail over you. Peace be
Therefore he laughs at their lack of perto you! Be strong!”
ception, and he knows that they are born
When he (the Savior) had said these
blind. Indeed, therefore, the suffering one
things, he (Peter) came to his senses.
must remain, since the body is the substitute. But that which was released was my incorporeal body. But I am the intellectual spirit filled with radiant light. He 1Matt 25:29.
The Second Treatise of the
Great Seth
In the gnostic “Second Treatise of the Great Seth,” Christ himself provides a first-hand description of how he descended into the man Jesus’ body, occupied it for the length of his ministry, and then died only in appearance.
Like other gnostic teachers, such as Basilides, the unknown author of this book thinks that Simon of Cyrene, who bore Jesus’ cross, was mistakenly crucified in his place, while Jesus looked on and laughed. Those who ascribe to a literal understanding of Christ’s death are said to proclaim “a doctrine of a dead man”; in so doing they subject themselves to “fear and slavery”; they are “small and ignorant.”
As in the Coptic Apocalypse of Peter, these false believers are the proto-orthodox Christians, who foolishly believe that the Jewish Scriptures are true (from Adam to the Patriarchs, Moses, and the prophets) and that the Creator of the world is almighty. In fact, the ancient Jews and their God himself are all a “laughingstock.” Those who do not see the deeper truths about God and Christ from the Scriptures—i.e., those without gnosis—are
“like dumb animals.” They think that “they are advancing the name of Christ,” especially in persecuting those who have been liberated (i.e., the Gnostics); but in fact they are completely ignorant.
The name Seth does not occur anywhere in the tractate except in the title; in the Old Testament, he is said to be the third son of Adam and Eve.
Some gnostic groups maintained that he was the first to whom gnosis came, the progenitor of the Gnostics themselves. This book, which was discovered at Nag Hammadi (see page 19), probably dates from the third century.
I visited a bodily dwelling. I cast out the
chons was disturbed. And all the physical
one who was in it previously, and I went
matter of the archons along with the pow-
in. And the whole multitude of the ar-
ers born of the earth began to tremble
Translation by Roger A. Bullard and Joseph A. Gibbons, in
Nag
Hammadi
Codex
VII
(Nag Hammadi Studies, 30) ed. Birger Pearson (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1996); used with permission.
82
THE SECOND TREATISE OF THE GREAT SETH
83
when it saw the likeness of the image,
ing, lest perhaps the surrounding angels
since it was mixed. And I was the one
stand against them. For on account of
who was in it, not resembling him who
those who were offering (him) praise I
was in it previously. For he was a worldly
died, though not in reality, because their
man, but I, I am from above the heavens.
archangel was vain. And then a voice of
I did not refuse them, on the one hand,
the World Ruler came to the angels “I am
and I became Christ. But on the other, I
God and there is no other beside me.”1But
did not reveal myself to them in the love
I laughed with joy when I considered his
which was coming forth from me. I was
conceit. And he kept saying all the more,
revealing that I am a stranger to the
“Who is Man?”2 And the entire army of
regions below.
his angels who had seen Adam and his
There was a great disturbance in the
dwelling were laughing at his smallness.
whole earthly region, with confusion and
And in this way their thought came to
flight, and (in) the plan of the archons.
be removed away from the Greatness of
And some were persuaded, when they
the heavens, who is the Man of truth,
saw the acts of power which were being
whose name they saw because he is in
accomplished by me. And they flee,
the smallness of a dwelling place. Since
namely all these who are descended by
they are foolish in the senselessness of
race from the one who fled from the
their vain thought, namely their laughter,
throne to the Sophia of Hope—since she
it became defilement for them. The whole
had previously given indication concerngreatness of the Fatherhood of the Spirit ing us and all those who were with me—
was resting in its places, and I was with
these of the race of Adonaios. Yet others
him, since I have a thought of a single
fled as though (sent) from the World
emanation from the eternal ones and the
Ruler and those with him, and brought
unknowable ones, undefiled and immeasevery punishment upon me. And there urable. I placed the small Ennoia in the
was a flight of their mind about what
world, having disturbed them and frightcounsel they would take concerning me, ened the whole multitude of the angels
thinking that the(ir) Greatness is (the)
and their ruler. And I examined them all
All, and speaking lying witness against
with burning and fire on account of my
the Man also and the whole greatness of
thought. And each of their activities they
the assembly. It was not possible for them
did on account of me. And trouble and
to know who the Father of truth is, the
fighting arose around the Seraphim and
Man of the greatness. And these took the
Cherubim, since their glory will perish,
name because of �pollution� and ig-
and the disturbance which is around
norance—which (is) a burning and a ves
Adonaios this side and that, and (around)
sel which they created for destruction of
their dwelling—(reaching) to the World
Adam, which they had made in order to
Ruler and the one who said “Let us seize
cover up those who are equally theirs.
him.” Others again (said), “The counsel
But they, the archons belonging to the
shall not come to be.” For Adonaios
place of Yaldabaoth, lay bare the circuit
knows me because of Hope.
of the angels. This is what humanity was
And I was in the mouths of lions. And
going around seeking because they did
(as for) the counsel which they planned
not know the Man of truth. For Adam
appeared to them, the one whom they
had fashioned. And a disturbance of fear
occurred throughout their entire dwell1Isa 45:5–6 2Ps 8:4.
84
NON-CANONICAL GOSPELS
about me against destruction of their de
And all these things I kept doing on
ception and their foolishness, I did not
account of my will in order that this
give in to them as they had devised. And
which I willed in the will of the Father
I was not afflicted at all. Those there
above I might complete. And the Son of
punished me, yet I did not die in solid
the Greatness, who was hidden in the
reality but in what appears, in order that
region below, we brought to the height,
I not be put to shame by them, because
where I am with all these aeons, which
these are part of me. I cut off the shame
no one has seen nor understood, where
from me and I did not become faintthe wedding of the wedding robe is, the hearted at what happened to me at their
new (wedding) and not the old, nor does
hands. I was about to become a slave to
it perish. For the new bridal chamber is
fear, but I was struck (merely) according
of the heavens and perfect.
to their sight and thought, in order that
I have revealed (that) there are three
no word might ever be found to speak
paths, (which are) an undefiled mystery
about them. For my death which they
in a spirit of this aeon, which does not
think happened, (happened) to them in
perish, nor is it partial, nor is to be spoken
their error and blindness. They nailed
of; rather, it is undivided, universal, and
their man up to their death. For their
permanent. For the soul, which is from