Read Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament Online
Authors: [edited by] Bart D. Ehrman
Tags: #Biblical Reference, #Bible Study Guides, #Bibles, #Other Translations, #Apocryphal books (New Testament), #New Testament, #Christianity, #Religion, #Biblical Commentary, #Biblical Studies, #General, #History
particular Aeon and tell you about the
behold, there has appeared [a] Voice beforces that are in it. The birth beckons: longing to that invisible Speech of [the
[hour] begets hour, [day begets day]. The
Aeon] (and) which we know not. And
months made known the [month. Time]
we ourselves did not recognize to whom
has [gone round] succeeding [time]. This
we belong, for that Voice which we lisparticular Aeon was completed in [this]
tened to is foreign to us, and we do not
fashion, and it was estimated, and it (was)
recognize it; we did not know whence it
short, for it was a finger that released a
was. It came and put fear in our midst
finger and a joint that was separated from
and weakening in the members of our
a joint. Then when the great Authorities
arms. So now let us weep and mourn
knew that the time of fulfillment had ap-
most bitterly! As for the future, let us
peared—just as in the pangs of the parmake our entire flight before we are imturient it (the time) had drawn near, so prisoned perforce and taken down to the
also had the destruction approached—all
bosom of the underworld. For already the
together the elements trembled, and the
slackening of our bondage has apfoundations of the underworld and the proached, and the times are cut short and
ceilings of Chaos shook and a great fire
the days have shortened and our time has
shone within their midst, and the rocks
been fulfilled, and the weeping of our
and the earth were shaken like a reed
destruction has approached us so that we
shaken by the wind. And the lots of Fate
may be taken to the place we recognize.
and those who apportion the domiciles
For as for our tree from which we grew,
were greatly disturbed over a great thuna fruit of ignorance is what it has; and der. And the thrones of the Powers were
also its leaves, it is death that dwells in
disturbed since they were overturned, and
them, and darkness dwells under the
their King was afraid. And those who
shadow of its boughs. And it was in depursue Fate paid their allotment of visits ceit and lust that we harvested it, this
to the path, and they said to the Powers,
(tree) through which ignorant Chaos be
“What is this disturbance and this shakcame for us a dwelling place. For behold, ing that has come upon us through a
even he, the Archigenetor of our birth,
Voice �belonging� to the exalted
about whom we boast, even he did not
Speech? And our entire habitation has
know this Speech.”
been shaken, and the entire circuit of our
So now, O Sons of the Thought, listen
path of ascent has met with destruction,
to me, to the Speech of the Mother of
and the path upon which we go, which
your mercy, for you have become worthy
takes us up to the Archigenetor of our
of the mystery hidden from (the beginbirth, has ceased to be established for us.”
ning of) the Aeons, so that [you might
Then the Powers answered, saying, “We
receive] it. And the consummation of this
THE FIRST THOUGHT IN THREE FORMS
321
[particular] Aeon [and] of the evil life
spring [that supports me] as my founda[has approached and there dawns the]
tion. And it (the Speech) exists from the
beginning of the [Aeon to come] which
beginning in the foundations of the All.
[has no change forever].
But there is a Light [that] dwells hid
I am androgynous. [I am Mother (and)
den in Silence and it was first to [come]
I am] Father since [I copulate] with myforth. Whereas she (the Mother) alone self. I [copulated] with myself [and with
exists as Silence, I alone am the Word, inthose who love] me, [and] it is through effable, unpolluted, immeasurable, inme alone that the All [stands firm]. I am conceivable. It (the Word) is a hidden
the Womb [that gives shape] to the All
Light, bearing a Fruit of Life, pouring
by giving birth to the Light that [shines
forth a Living Water from the invisible,
in] splendor. I am the Aeon to [come. I
unpolluted, immeasurable Spring, that is,
am] the fulfillment of the All, that is,
the unreproducible Voice of the glory of
Me[iroth]ea, the glory of the Mother. I
the Mother, the glory of the offspring of
cast [voiced] Speech into the ears of those
God; a male Virgin by virtue of a hidden
who know me.
Intellect, that is, the Silence hidden from
And I am inviting you into the exalted,
the All, being unreproducible, an imperfect Light. Moreover (as for) this measurable Light, the source of the All,
(Light), when you enter it you will be
the Root of the entire Aeon. It is the
glorified by those [who] give glory, and
Foundation that supports every movethose who enthrone will enthrone you.
ment of the Aeons that belong to the
You will accept robes from those who
mighty Glory. It is the Foundation of
give robes and the Baptists will baptize
every foundation. It is the Breath of the
you and you will become gloriously glo
Powers. It is the Eye of the Three Permarious, the way you first were when you nences, which exist as Voice by virtue of
were �Light�.
Thought. And it is a Word by virtue of
And I hid myself in everyone and re
Speech; it was sent to illumine those who
vealed [myself] within them, and every
dwell in the [darkness].
mind seeking me longed for me, for it is I
Now behold [I will reveal] to you [my
who gave shape to the All when it had no
mysteries] since you are my fellow
form. And I transformed their forms into
[brethren, and you shall] know them all
(other) forms until the time when a form
[ . . . ]. I [told all of them about my myswill be given to the All. It is through me teries] that exist in [the incomprehensithat the Voice originated and it is I who ble], inexpressible [Aeons]. I taught
put the breath within my own. And I cast
[them the mysteries] through the [Voice
into them the eternally holy Spirit and I
that exists] within a perfect Intellect [and
ascended and entered my Light. [I went
I] became a foundation for the All, and
up] upon my branch and sat [there among
[I empowered] them.
the] Sons of the [holy] Light. And [I
The second time I came in the
withdrew] to their dwelling place which
[Speech] of my Voice. I gave shape to
[ . . . ] become [glorious. . . . Amen].
those who [took] shape until their
consummation.
I am [the Word] who dwells [in the] in
The third time I revealed myself to
effable [Voice]. I dwell in undefiled
them [in] their tents as Word and I re[Light] and a Thought [revealed itself]
vealed myself in the likeness of their
perceptibly through [the great] Speech of
shape. And I wore everyone’s garment
the Mother, although it is a male offand I hid myself within them, and [they]
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NON-CANONICAL APOCALYPSES AND REVELATORY TREATISES
did not know the one who empowers me.
therhood. And [he received] the Five
For I dwell within all the Sovereignties
Seals from [the Light] of the Mother,
and Powers and within the Angels and in
Protennoia, and it was [granted] him [to]
every moment [that] exists in all matter.
partake of [the mystery] of knowledge,
And I hid myself within them until I
and [he became a Light] in Light.
revealed myself to my [brethren]. And
So, now [ . . . I was] dwelling in them
none of them (the Powers) knew me,
[in the form of each] one. [The Ar[although] it is I who work in them.
chons] thought [that I] was their Christ.
Rather [they thought] that the All was
Indeed I [dwell in] everyone. Indeed
created [by them] since they are ignorant,
within those in whom [I revealed mynot knowing [their] root, the place in self] as Light [I eluded] the Archons. I
which they grew.
am their beloved, [for] in that place I
[I] am the Light that illumines the All.
clothed myself [as] the Son of the Ar
I am the Light that rejoices [in my] brethchigenetor, and I was like him until the ren, for I came down to the world [of]
end of his decree, which is the ignomortals on account of the Spirit that rerance of Chaos. And among the Angels mains [in] that which [descended] (and)
I revealed myself in their likeness, and
came forth [from] the innocent Sophia. [I
among the Powers as if I were one of
came] and I delivered [ . . . ] and I [went]
them, but among the Sons of Man as if
to [ . . . ] which he had [formerly and I
I were a Son of Man, even though I am
gave to him] from the Water [of Life,
Father of everyone.
which strips] him of the Chaos [that is in
I hid myself within them all until I
the] uttermost [darkness] that exists [inrevealed myself among my members, side] the entire [abyss], that is, the
which are mine, and I taught them about
thought of [the corporeal] and the psythe ineffable ordinances, and (about) the chic. All these I put on. And I stripped
brethren. But they are inexpressible to
him of it and I put upon him a shining
every Sovereignty and every ruling
Light, that is, the knowledge of the
Power except to the Sons of the Light
Thought of the Fatherhood.
alone, that is, the ordinances of the Fa
And I delivered him to those who gives
ther. These are the glories that are higher
robes—Yammon, Elasso, Amenai—and
than every glory, that is, [the Five] Seals
they [covered] him with a robe from the
complete by virtue of Intellect. He who
robes of the Light; and I delivered him
possesses the Five Seals of these particto the Baptists and they baptized him—ular names has stripped off �the� gar
Micheus, Michar, and Mn[e]sinous—and
ments of ignorance and put on a shining
they immersed him in the spring of the
Light. And nothing will appear to him
[Water] of Life. And I delivered him to
that belongs to the Powers of the Arthose who enthrone—Bariel, Nouthan, chons. Within those of this sort darkness
Sabenai—and they enthroned him from
will dissolve and [ignorance] will die.
the throne of glory. And I delivered him
And the thought of the creature which [is
to those who glorify—Ariom, Elien,
scattered will] present a single appear
Phariel—and they glorified him with the
ance and [dark Chaos] will dissolve and
glory of the Fatherhood. And those who
[ . . . ] and the [ . . . ] incomprehensible
snatch away snatched away—Kamaliel.
[ . . . ] within the [ . . . ] until I reveal my[ . . . ]anen, Samblo, the servants of self [to all my fellow brethren] and until
�the� great holy Luminaries—and they
I gather [together] all [my fellow] brethtook him into the light-[place] of his Faren within my [eternal kingdom]. And I THE FIRST THOUGHT IN THREE FORMS
323
proclaimed to them the ineffable [Five
And those who watch over their dwelling
Seals in order that I might] abide in them
places did not recognize me. For I, I am
and they also might abide in me.
unrestrainable together with my Seed,
As for me, I put on Jesus. I bore him
and my Seed, which is mine, I shall
from the cursed wood, and established
[place] into the Holy Light within an
him in the dwelling places of his Father.
incomprehensible Silence. Amen.
The Hymn of the Pearl
One of the most elegant compositions of early Christianity, the “Hymn of the Pearl” is embedded in the third-century Acts of Thomas (see p. 122).1
Most scholars agree, however, that the hymn was composed by a different hand and at an earlier date. On the surface, it appears to be a simple folktale of a prince sent by his royal parents on a mission to snatch a pearl from the lair of a ravenous dragon in Egypt, only to arrive at his destination and forget his task and identity, needing a message from the royal court to be awakened from his torpor and reminded of who he is. He then seizes the pearl and returns to the glories of his father’s realm.
The hymn may be something far more than a simple folk tale, however.
Hints within the text itself—such as the “knowledge” (literally “gnosis”) connected with the prince’s heavenly garment (l. 88)—along with parallels to other literature, suggest that the story represents a Gnostic allegory of the incarnation of the soul, which enjoys a glorious heavenly existence (“my father’s palace”) from which it descends (to “Egypt”) to become entrapped in matter (“clothed myself in garments like theirs”). Forgetting whence it came, the soul eventually relearns its true nature from a divine emissary.