The Gospel of Philip

II 51, 29-86, 19

A Hebrew makes another Hebrew, ³⁰ and such a person is called ^| "proselyte". But a proselyte does not ^| make another proselyte. [...] ^| just as they [...] ^| and make others like themselves, 52 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, ¹⁰ 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 ¹⁵ 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 ²⁰ 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. ²⁵

Those who sow in winter reap in summer. The winter is the world, the summer the other eternal realm (aeon). ^| 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 ³⁰ 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 ³⁵ [...] is barren.

Christ came 53 to ransom some, ^| to save others, to ^| redeem others. He ransomed those who were strangers and ^| made them his own. And he set ⁵ 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. ¹⁰ 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, ¹⁵ 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. ²⁰ 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, ²⁵ 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" ³⁰ 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] ³⁵ they have come to know what is correct. The [names which are heard] ^| are in the world [... 54 deceive. If they] were in the eternal realm (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 ⁵ the eternal realm.

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 ¹⁰ 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 ¹⁵ to learn it 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 ²⁰ 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 ²⁵ 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 ³⁰ 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 ³⁵ is [saved, there will not] be any sacrifices ^| [...] and animals will not be offered 55 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 ⁵ 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 ¹⁰ 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 ¹⁵ 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, ²⁰ 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. ²⁵ 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 ³⁰ 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) ³⁵ unless [he] had had another father, ^| but he would have said simply "[My father]". ^|

The Lord said to the disciples, "[...] 56 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. ⁵ 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 ¹⁰ 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 ¹⁵ or mystery, and the Father.

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 57 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 ⁵ 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 ¹⁰ that it will not rise. Then both of them ^| are at fault. You (sg.) say ^| that the flesh will not rise. But tell me ^| what will rise, that we may honor you (sg.). ^| You (sg.) say the apirit in the flesh, ¹⁵ and it is also this light in the flesh. (But) this too is a matter ^| which is in the flesh, for whatever you (sg.) shall say, ^| you (sg.) say nothing outside the flesh. ^| It is necessary to rise in this flesh, since ^| everything exists in it. In this world, ²⁰ 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, ²⁵ 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 ³⁰ 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] ³⁵ to the small as small. He [appeared 58 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 ⁵ 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 ¹⁰ 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, ¹⁵ 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, ²⁰ 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 ²⁵ 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. ³⁰ 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, 59 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. ⁵ 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. ¹⁰ His sister and his mother ^| and his companion were each a Mary.

The saints are served ^| by evil powers, ²⁰ 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 ²⁵ 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." ³⁰ 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 [..., 60 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 ⁵ he becomes a man, his father gives him ^| all that he possesses.

Those who have gone astray, whom ^| the spirit (itself) 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 ¹⁵ "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 ²⁰ the field by means of the domestic animals, ^| and from this he is nourished (both) he and ^| the animals, whether tame ^| or wild. Compare the perfect ^| man. It is through powers which are submissive ²⁵ 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 ³⁰ [all] the powers, the "tame" ones ^| and the "wild" ones, as well as those which are unique. ^| For indeed he [... (and)] shuts them in, ^| in order that [if ...] wish, they will not be able [to escape].

[He who] has been created is ³⁵ [beautiful, but] you(sg.) would <not> find his sons 61 noble creations. If he were not ^| created, but begotten, you (sg.) would find ^| that his seed was noble. But now ^| he was created (and) he begot. What ⁵ 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 ¹⁰ 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 ¹⁵ 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 ²⁰ 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; ²⁵ 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 (sg.) saw ^| something of that place, and you became ^| those things. You saw the Spirit, you ³⁰ 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 ³⁵ you see you shall [become]. ^|

Faith receives, love gives. [No one will be able 62 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 ¹⁰ 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 ¹⁵ Nazarene" then, is "the Truth". "Christ" ^| ... been measured. "The Nazarene" and "Jesus" ^| are they who have been measured.

If you (sg.) 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, ³⁰ 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 ³⁵ [hearing].

God is a 63 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. ⁵

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 ¹⁰ 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. ¹⁵ 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, ²⁰ 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. ²⁵

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 ³⁵ more than [all] the disciples [and used to] ^| kiss her [often] on her [...]. ^| The rest of [the disciples 64 ...]. 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 ⁵ 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." ¹⁰

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. ²⁰ 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," ²⁵ 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 ³⁰ [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 ³⁵ of [... marriage]. Think of the [... relationship], for it possesses ^| [...] power. Its image 65 consists of a [defilement].

The forms of evil spirit ^| include male ones and ^| female ones. The males are they that ^| unite with the souls which inhabit ⁵ 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 ¹⁰female 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 ¹⁵ 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 ²⁰ 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 ²⁵ 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 ³⁰ 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? ³⁵ How will he be able to [...] ^| There are some [who say], ^| "We are faithful" in order that [... 66 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 ⁵ love it. If you (sg.) 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! ¹⁰ 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 - ¹⁵ 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 ²⁰ 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, ²⁵ if they will, do not profit: for ^| they did not act since, (they believe,) [...] 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 ³⁰ 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, ³⁵ "[...] able to be saved?" ^| [...], "They did not desire it. They received ^| [...] punishment, what is called 67 '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 ¹⁰ 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 ¹⁵ 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 ²⁰ the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, do so, but <those who> 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 ³⁰ 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, 68 ^| that they call "the one who is below"; and he to whom the hidden belongs ^| is (supposed to be) that one who is above him. ^| For it would be better for them to say, "The inner ⁵ 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 (sg.) 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. ¹⁵ 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 ²⁰ 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. ²⁵ 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 ³⁰ him who [...] from God. ^|

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 ⁵ 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 ¹⁰ a mirror without light. Nor again can you (sg.) ^| see in light without water or mirror. ^| 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 ¹⁵ 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 ²⁰ 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" ²⁵ 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 (sg.) will not find [...] ³⁰ are those who pray [...] ^| Jerusalem. [...] ^| Jerusalem who [...] ^| Jerusalem, [...] ^| those called the "holy ^| of the holies" [... the] ^| veil was rent [...] ^| bridal chamber except the image [...] 70 above. Because of this its ^| veil was rent from top to bottom. For it was fitting for some ^| from below to go upward. ⁵

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 ligh ^|t sacramentally in the union.

If the ¹⁰ 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 ²⁰ no longer be separated. Thus Eve ^| separated from Adam because it was not in the bridal chamber ^| that she united with him.

Jesus appeared ³⁵ [...] Jordan - the ^| [fullness of the kingdom] of heaven. He who ^| [was begotten] before everything 71 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 ⁵ 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 ¹⁰ 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 ¹⁵ to enter into his rest. ^|

There are two trees growing in Paradise. ^| The one bears [animals], the other bears ^| men. Adam [ate] from the tree ²⁵ 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 [...] ³⁰ increased. [...] ate the [...] ^| fruit of the [...] ^| bears men, [...] man. ³⁵ [...] God created man. [... men] 72 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. ¹⁰ 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 ¹⁵ 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 ²⁰ 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) ²⁵ form, [because they have] contemplation, ^| [...]. They are numerous ^| [...] in the things ^| [...] the glories [...].

Those ³⁰ [... 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 at 73 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. ⁵ 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 ¹⁰ a garden because he needed wood ¹⁰ 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.

God [...] a garden. ^| Man [...] garden. ^| There are [...] ³⁰ and [...] ^| of God. [...] ^| The things which are in [...] ^| I wish. This garden [is the place where] ^| they will say to me, "[...] ³⁵ eat this or do not eat [that, just as you(sg.)] 74 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 ¹⁰ 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 ¹⁵ 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 ²⁰ 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. ²⁵

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 ³⁰ [...] everything (of this world), [...] because ^| he [...] a trifle, but ^| [... full of] contempt for this ^| [...] the kingdom of ^| [heaven ...]. If he despises ³⁵ [...], and scorns it as a trifle, ^| [...] out laughing. So it is also 75 with the bread and the cup and the oil, ^| even though there is another one superior to these.

The cup ¹⁵ 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 ²⁰ 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. ^|

Whereas in this world the union ^| is one of husband with wife - a case of strength complemented by ^| weakness(?) - in the eternal realm (aeon), the form of the union ^| is different, although we refer to them by the same names. There are ¹⁰ 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, ¹⁵ 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 ²⁰ 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, ²⁵ 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 ³⁰ [...]. This is the perfect ^| [...] that we [...] become ^| [...] before we leave ^| [...]. Whoever receives everything ^| [...] hither [...] be able ³⁵ [...] that place, but will ^| [... the middle] as imperfect. 77 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 ⁵ or anything else that he gets, ^| he will consecrate. Then how will he not consecrate ^| the body also?

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. ²⁵ 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 ³⁰ 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] ³⁵ are yours". Spiritual love ^| is wine and fragrance. 78 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 ⁵ 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 ¹⁰ 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, ¹⁵ then they resemble the adulterer. Frequently, ^| if a woman sleeps with her ^| husband out of necessity, while her heart is with the adulterer ^| with whom she usually has intercourse, the child ^| she will bear is born resembling ²⁰ 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. ²⁵

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 ³⁰ consorts with thought, ^| and [light] shares ^| [with light. If you (sg.)] 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 ³⁵ thought, it is thought which will mingle 79 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 ⁵ 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 ¹⁰ 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. ¹⁵ 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 ²⁰ 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 ²⁵ 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 ³⁰ 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 [...]. 80 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 ⁵ 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, ¹⁰ 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 ¹⁵ 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 ²⁰ 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 ²⁵ 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 ³⁰ [...]. 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 81 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, ⁵ 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 ¹⁰ 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 ¹⁵ 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 ²⁰ 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. ²⁵ 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. ³⁰ 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] ³⁵ know when [the husband] 82 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, ⁵ 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 ¹⁰ 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. ¹⁵ Let her show herself only to her father and he ^|r 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 ²⁰ 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 ²⁵ 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. ³⁰

[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; 83 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 ¹⁰ 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 ¹⁵ 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 ²⁰ 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 ²⁵ 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] ³⁰ 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] ³⁵ nor shall be. [...] 84 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 ⁵ and is recognized, it is praised, inasmuch as ^| it is stronger than ignorance and error. ^| It gives freedom. The word said, ^| "If you(pl.) know the truth, ^| the truth will make you free" (Jn 8:32). ¹⁰ 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 ¹⁵ 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 ²⁰ 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 ²⁵ 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 ³⁰ [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 ³⁵ [their] salvation when the flood 85 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. ⁵ 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. ¹⁰ 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 ¹⁵ 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 ²⁰ 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 ²⁵ 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] ³⁰ 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 ³⁵ at night. That fire [...] only 86 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 ⁵ 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 ¹⁰ 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 eternal realm (aeon), ^| for the Aeon is fullness for him. ¹⁵ 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.

The Gospel ^|
According to Philip

The Gospel According to Philip

Translated by Wesley W. Isenberg
Selection made from James M. Robinson, ed., The Nag Hammadi Library, revised edition.
HarperCollins, San Francisco, 1990.