Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament (21 page)

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