A Hebrew makes another Hebrew, and such a person is called
proselyte. But a proselyte does not make another proselyte. Some both exist just as they are 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. Ever since Chirst came
the world is 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.
Let us sow in the world that we may reap in the summer. Because it is not fitting for us not to
pray in the winter. Summer follows winter. But if any man reap in the winter hw will not actually
reap but pluck out, since this sort of thing will not provide him a harvest. It is not only noe that
the fruit will not come forth, but also on the Sabbath his field will be 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 in
his will. 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 forth in
order to take it, since it has 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 original nature. But those who are exalted
above the world are indissoluble, eternal.
Names given to worldly things 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 Holy Spirit and life and
light and ressurrection and the Church(Ekklesia) and all the rest - people do not perceive what
is correct. The names which are heard in the world to deceive. If they were in the Aeon, 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, the name
above all things; the name of the Father. For the Son would not become Father unless he wears
the name of the Father. Thos who have this name know it, buut they do not speak it. But those
who do not have it do not know it.
But truth brought names into existennce in the world because it is not possible to teach without
names. Truth is one single thing and it is also many things for our sakes who learn this one thing
in love through many things. The powers wanted to deceive man, since they saw that he had
kinship with those that are truly good. They took the name of those that are good and gave it to
those who are not good, so that through the names they might deceive him and bind them to those
that are not good. And afterward, if they do them a favor, they will be made to remove them 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 the powers which contend against man, not wishing him to be saved. For if man is
saved, there will not be any sacrifices and animals will not be offered to the powers. They were
indeed offering them up alive, but then they offered them up they died. As for (the Son of?) 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 powers thought that it was by their own power and
will they were doing what they did ,but the Holy Spirit in secret accomplished everything through
them as it wished. Truth, which existed since the beginning, is sown everywhere. And many see
it as it is sown, but few are they who see it as it is 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 apostolic men. This
virgin whom no power defiled; the powers defiled themselves. And the Lord would not have said
My Father who is in Heaven[Matt16:17] unless he had had another father, but he would have
said simply My father.
The Lord said to the disciples Bring out from every other hourse 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 does not exist in any
other language, but his name is always Jesus as he is called. Christ is also his name; 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 -
man, angel, 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 ressurrection will he not die? As God lives, he would already
be dead.
No one will hide a large valuable objectin 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 be able to inherit the kingdom of
God[1Cor15:50] What is this which will not inherit? This which is on us. But what is this very
thing 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[John6:53] What is it? His
flesh is the word, and his blood is the Holy Spirit. He who have 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 honour
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 the water,
there is fire in the chrism. Jesus took them all by stealth, for he did not reveal himself in the
manner in which he was, but it was in the manner in which they would be able to see him that he
revealed himself. He revealed himself to them all. He revealed himself as great to the great. He
revealed himself as small to the small. He revealed himself to the angels as an angel. 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 his greatness. He said
on that day in the Thanksgiving You who have joined the perfect, the light, with the Holy Spirit,
unite the angels with us also, 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 if Adam are many,
although they die, how much more the sons of the perfect manm 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 sons gets brothers for himself, not
sons. All who are begotten in the world in a natural way, and the others in a spiritual way. Those
who are begotten by him cry out from that place to the perfect man, because they are nourished on
the promise concerning the heavenly place. If the word has gone out from that place 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 each other.
There were three who always walked with the Lord; Mary, his mother, and his sister and
Magdalene, the one who was his companion. His sister and his mother and his companion were
each a Mary.
The Father and the Son is both single names, the Holy Spirit is a double name. For they are
everywhere: they are in the concealed, they are in the revealed. The Holy Spirit is 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 something 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 offering obtain salt They called Sophia salt. Without
it no offering is acceptable. But Sophia is without child. For this reason she is called a trace of
salt . But where they will be in their own way, the Holy Spirit will also be, 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 give him all that he possesses.
Those who have gone astray, whom the spirit itself begets, usaully go astray because of the Spirit.
Thus, by this 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 [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 feeds both
himself and the animals, wether tame or wild. Compare the perfect man. It is through powers
which are submissive that he ploughs, prepairing for everything to come into being. For it is
because of this that the whole place stands, wether good or 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 she gathers them and shuts them inn, in order that these, even
if they wish, will not be able to escape. He who has been created us beautiful, and you would find
his sons noble creations. If he was 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 accured between those who are 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 the dyes is immortal, they are immortal by means of
his co,ors. 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. You saw the Spirit, and you became spirit. You saw Christ and
you became Christ [a christian]. You saw the Father and 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; but it is so
that we may love and give, since if one does not give in love, he has no profit from what he has
given. He who has not received 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, Christ The last name is Christ, the first is Jesus, that in the middle is
the Nazarne 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 does not become greatly despised, nor if it is anointed
with balsam oil will it become more precious. But it always has value in the eyes of the owner.
Compare the Sons of God, whatever they may be. They still have value in the eyes of their
Father.
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 of walking. When it was loosened, it found
that it was still at the same place. There are men who make many journeys, but make no progress
towards a destination. When evening came upon them, they saw neither city nor village, neither
creation nor nature, 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 crufifying 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 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 Saviour is Mary Magdalene. But Christ loved her more than all the disciples and used to
kiss her often on the mouth. The rest of the disciples were offended by it and expressed
disapproval. They said to him Why do you love her more than all of us? The Saviour answered
and said to them,Why do I not love you like her?.When a blind man and one who sees are
together in the 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 the 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 again without having received anything, and says
I am a Chrçstian 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 one
experiences a mystery. Great is the mystery of marriage! For without it the world would not have
existed. Now the existence of the world depends on man, and the existence of man on marriage.
Think of the undefiled relationship, for it possesses a great power. Its image consists of a
defilement of the form.
As for the unclean spirits, there are males among them and there are females. 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, through 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 comple
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 a 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 can no longer be detained, because he was in the world. It is
evident that he is above desire and fear. He is master over nature. He is superior to envy. If
anyone else comes, they seize him and throttle him. And how will this one be able to escape the
great grasping powers? How will he be able to hide from them? Often some come and say We
are faithful in order that they may be able to escape 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 paralyzr you. Either
will he be in this world or in the ressurrection ot in the places of the middle.God forbid that I be
found in them! In this world there is good and evil.Its good is not good, and its evil 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 ressurrection for ourselves, 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.
Some neither desire to sin nor are able to sin. Others, even if they desire to sin, are not better off
for not having done it, for this desire makes them sinners. But even if some do not desire to sin,
rightousness will be concealed for them both - those who desire not and do not. An apostolic man
in a vision saw some people shut up in a house afire and bound with fiery chains, lying in flaming
ointment. And he said to them Why are they not able to be saved? They answered They did not
desire it. They received this place as punishment,what is called the outer darkness, because he
is thrown out into it. 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 the other fire
whose for are 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. One will receive the
truth in any other way. There is a rebirth and an image of rebirth.It is certainly necessary that they
should be born again through the image. The bridegroom and the image must enter through the
image into the truth: this is the restoration. It is appropiate that those who do not have it only
acquire the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but that the have acquired it on
their own. If one does not acquire the name for himself, the name Christian will also be taken
from him. But one receives them in the aromatic unction 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. The Lord said,I came to make the things below like the things above, and
the things outside like the inside. I came to unite them in that place He revealed himself in this
place through types and images. Those who say, There is a heavenly man and there is one
above him are wrong.For he who is revealed in Heaven is that heavenly man, the one who is
called the one who is below, and he to whom the hidden belongs is that one who is above him.
For it is good that they should say, The inner and outer, with 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 secret. He said , Go into your chamber and shut the door behind you,
and pray to your Father who is secret[Matt6:6], 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. The 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 again becomes complete and attains his
former self, death will be no more.
My God, my God, why, O Lord, have you forsaken me? [Mark15:23].It was on the cross that he
said these words, for it was there he was divided.
Everyone who has been begotten through him who destroys did not emanate from God.
The Lord rose from the dead. He became as he used to be, but now his body was perfect. He did
indeed possess flesh, but this flesh is true flesh. Our flesh is not true, but we only possess an
image of that which is true. A bridal chamber is not for the animals, nor is it for the slaves, nor
for the 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 by we were united. None shall be able to see himself either in the water
or in a mirror without the light. Nor again will you be able to see in light without mirror or water.
For this reason it is fitting to baptize in the two, in the light and in 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 the South was called The Holy of the Holy. The third facing the
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 building. The Holy of the Holies is the
bridal chamber. Baptism includes ressurrection and the redemption; the redemption takes place in
the bridal chamber. But the bridal chamber is in that which is superior to it and the others,
because you will not find anything like it. Those who are familiar with it are those who prays in
the Holy in Jerusalem. There are some in Jerusalem, awaiting the Kingdom of Heaven. These
are called the Holy of the Holies because before the veil was rent we had no other bridal chamber
except for the image of the bridal chamber which is above. Because of this, its veil was rent from
top to bottom. For it was fitting for some from below to go upward.