Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament (9 page)

actually was the Son of God.”
46
Pilate

things we have brought at the entrance as

replied, “I am clean of the blood of the

a memorial to him; and we will weep and

Son of God; you decided to do this.”

beat our breasts until we return home.”

47
Then everyone approached him to

55
When they arrived they found the

ask and urge him to order the centurion

tomb opened. And when they came up to

and the soldiers to say nothing about

it they stooped down to look in, and they

what they had seen.
48
“For it is better,”

saw a beautiful young man dressed in a

they said, “for us to incur a great sin

very bright garment, sitting in the middle

before God than to fall into the hands of

of the tomb. He said to them,
56
“Why

the Jewish people and be stoned.”
49
And

have you come? Whom are you seeking?

so Pilate ordered the centurion and the

Not the one who was crucified? He has

soldiers not to say a word.

risen and left. But if you do not believe

50
Now Mary Magdalene, a disciple

it, stoop down to look, and see the place

of the Lord, had been afraid of the Jews,

where he was laid, that he is not there.

since they were inflamed with anger; and

For he has risen and left for the place

so she had not done at the Lord’s crypt

from which he was sent.”
57
Then the

the things that women customarily do for

women fled out of fear.

loved ones who die. But early in the

58
But it was the final day of the Feast

morning of the Lord’s day
51
she took

of Unleavened Bread, and many left to

some of her women friends with her and

return to their homes, now that the feast

came to the crypt where he had been

had ended.
59
But we, the twelve disciburied.
52
And they were afraid that the ples of the Lord, wept and grieved; and

Jews might see them, and they said,

each one returned to his home, grieving

“Even though we were not able to weep

for what had happened.
60
But I, Simon

and beat our breasts on the day he was

Peter, and my brother Andrew, took our

crucified, we should do these things now

nets and went off to the sea. And with us

at his crypt.
53
But who will roll away

was Levi, the son of Alphaeus, whom the

for us the stone placed before the en-

Lord. . . .

The Gospel of Mary

The Gospel of Mary is preserved in two Greek fragments of the third century and a fuller, but still incomplete, Coptic manuscript of the fifth. The book itself was composed sometime during the (late?) second century.

Even though we do not have the complete text, it was clearly an intriguing Gospel, for here, among other things, Mary (Magdalene) is accorded a high status among the apostles of Jesus. In fact, at the end of the text, the apostle Levi acknowledges to his comrades that Jesus “loved her more than us.” Mary’s special relationship with Jesus is seen above all in the circumstance that he reveals to her alone, in a vision, an explanation of the nature of things hidden from the apostles.

The Gospel divides itself into two parts. In the first, Jesus, after his resurrection, gives a revelation to all his apostles concerning the nature of sin, speaks a final blessing and exhortation, commissions them to preach the gospel, and then leaves. They are saddened by his departure, but Mary consoles them and urges them to reflect on what he has said. She is then asked by Peter to tell them what Jesus had told her directly. In the second part, she proceeds to describe the vision that she had been granted. Unfortunately, four pages are lost from the manuscript, and so we know only the beginning and end of her description. But it appears that the vision involved a conversation she had with Jesus, who described how the human soul could ascend past the four ruling powers of the world in order to find its eternal rest. This description of the fate of the soul is related to salvation narratives found in other Gnostic texts.

The Gospel continues with two of the apostles—Andrew and Peter—challenging Mary’s vision and her claim to have experienced it; it ends, though, with Levi pointing out that she was Jesus’ favorite, and urging them to go forth to preach the gospel as he commanded. They are said to do so, and there the Gospel ends.

Translation of George MacRae and R McL. Wilson, in James Robinson,
The
Nag
Hammadi
Library
in
English,
3rd ed. (Leiden: Brill, 1988) 524–27; used with permission.

35

36

NON-CANONICAL GOSPELS

[ . . . ] (pp. 1–6 missing) will matter

Then Mary stood up, greeted them all,

then be [destroyed] or not?” The Savior

and said to her brethren, “Do not weep

said, “All natures, all formations, all creaand do not grieve nor be irresolute, for tures exist in and with one another and

his grace will be entirely with you and

they will be resolved again into their own

will protect you. But rather let us praise

roots. For the nature of matter is resolved

his greatness, for he has prepared us and

into the (roots) of its nature alone. He

made us into men.” When Mary said this,

who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

she turned their hearts to the Good, and

Peter said to him, “Since you have

they began to discuss the words of the

explained everything to us, tell us this

[Savior].

also: What is the sin of the world?” The

Peter said to Mary, “Sister, we know

Savior said, “There is no sin, but it is you

that the Savior loved you more than the

who make sin when you do the things

rest of women. Tell us the words of the

that are like the nature of adultery, which

Savior which you remember—which you

is called ‘sin.’ That is why the Good came

know (but) we do not, nor have we heard

into your midst, to the (essence) of every

them.” Mary answered and said, “What

nature, in order to restore it to its root.”

is hidden from you I will proclaim to

Then he continued and said, “That is why

you.” And she began to speak to them

you [become sick] and die, for [ . . . ] of

these words: “I,” she said, “I saw the Lord

the one who [ . . . He who] understands,

in a vision and I said to him, ‘Lord, I saw

let him understand. [Matter gave birth to]

you today in a vision.’ He answered and

a passion that has no equal, which prosaid to me, ‘Blessed are you, that you did ceeded from (something) contrary to nanot waver at the sight of me. For where ture. Then there arose a disturbance in

the mind is, there is the treasure.’ I said

the whole body. That is why I said to

to him, ‘Lord, now does he who sees the

you, ‘Be of good courage,’ and if you are

vision see it �through� the soul �or�

discouraged (be) encouraged in the presthrough the spirit?’ The Savior answered ence of the different forms of nature. He

and said. ‘He does not see through the

who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

soul nor through the spirit, but the mind

When the blessed one had said this, he

which [is] between the two—that is

greeted them all, saying, “Peace be with

[what] sees the vision and it is [ . . . ].’

you. Receive my peace to yourselves.

(pp. 11–14 missing)

Beware that no one lead you astray, say

“[ . . . ] it. And desire that, ‘I did not

ing, ‘Lo here!’ or ‘Lo there!’ For the Son

see you descending, but now I see you

of Man is within you. Follow after him!

ascending. Why do you lie, since you

Those who seek him will find him. Go

belong to me?’ The soul answered and

then and preach the gospel of the kingsaid, ‘I saw you. You did not see me nor dom. Do not lay down any rules beyond

recognize me. I served you as a garwhat I appointed for you, and do not give ment, and you did not know me.’ When

a law like the lawgiver lest you be conit had said this, it went away rejoicing strained by it.” When he had said this, he

greatly.

departed.

“Again it came to the third power,

But they were grieved. They wept

which is called ignorance. [It (the

greatly, saying, “How shall we go to the

power)] questioned the soul saying,

gentiles and preach the gospel of the

‘Where are you going? In wickedness are

kingdom of the Son of Man? If they did

you bound. But you are bound; do not

not spare him, how will they spare us?”

judge!’ And the soul said, ‘why do you

THE GOSPEL OF MARY

37

judge me although I have not judged? I

answered and said to the brethren, “Say

was bound though I have not bound. I

what you (wish to) say about what she

was not recognized. But I have recoghas said. I at least do not believe that the nized that the All is being dissolved, both

Savior said this. For certainly these teachthe earthly (things) and the heavenly.’

ings are strange ideas.” Peter answered

“When the soul had overcome the third

and spoke concerning these same things.

power, it went upwards and saw the

He questioned them about the Savior:

fourth power, (which) took seven forms.

“Did he really speak with a woman with

The first form is darkness, the second

out our knowledge (and) not openly? Are

desire, the third ignorance, the fourth is

we to turn about and all listen to her? Did

the excitement of death, the fifth is the

he prefer her to us?”

kingdom of the flesh, the sixth is the

Then Mary wept and said to Peter,

foolish wisdom of flesh, the seventh is

“My brother Peter, what do you think?

the wrathful wisdom. These are the seven

Do you think that I thought this up myself

[powers] of wrath. They ask the soul,

in my heart, or that I am lying about the

‘Whence do you come, slayer of men, or

Savior?” Levi answered and said to Peter,

where are you going, conqueror of

“Peter, you have always been hot-

space?’ The soul answered and said,

tempered. Now I see you contending

‘What binds me has been slain, and what

against the woman like the adversaries.

surrounds me has been overcome, and

But if the Savior made her worthy, who

my desire has been ended, and ignorance

are you indeed to reject her? Surely the

has died. In a [world] I was released from

Savior knows her very well. This is why

a world, [and] in a type from a heavenly

he loved her more than us. Rather let us

type, and (from) the fetter of oblivion

be ashamed and put on the perfect man

which is transient. From this time on will

and acquire him for ourselves as he com

I attain to the rest of the time, of the

manded us, and preach the gospel, not

season, of the aeon, in silence.’ ”

laying down any other rule or other law

When Mary had said this, she fell sibeyond what the Savior said.” When lent, since it was to this point that the

[ . . . ] and they began to go forth [to]

Savior had spoken with her. But Andrew

proclaim and to preach.

The Gospel of Philip

The Gospel of Philip was almost completely unknown from Late Antiquity, through the Middle Ages, and down to the present day, until it was discovered as one of the documents in the Nag Hammadi Library (see p. 19).

Although it is easily recognized as a Gnostic work, the book is notoriously difficult to understand in its details. In part this is due to the form of its composition: it is not a narrative Gospel of the type found in the New Testament nor a group of self-contained sayings like the Coptic Gospel of Thomas. It is instead a collection of mystical reflections that have evidently been excerpted from previously existing sermons, treatises, and theological meditations, brought together here under the name of Jesus’ disciple Philip.

Since these reflections are given in relative isolation, without any real narrative context, they are difficult to interpret. There are, at any rate, extensive uses of catchwords to organize some of the material, and several of the principal themes emerge upon a careful reading.

One of the clearest emphases is the contrast between those who can understand and those who cannot, between knowledge that is exoteric (available to all) and that which is esoteric (available only to insiders), between the immature outsiders (regular Christians, called “Hebrews”) and the mature insiders (Gnostics, called “Gentiles”). Those who do not understand, the outsiders with only exoteric knowledge, err in many of their judgments—for example, in taking such notions as the virgin birth (v. 17) or the resurrection of Jesus (v. 21) as literal statements of historical fact, rather than symbolic expressions of deeper truths.