Apocryphon of John

The Apocryphon of John is a gnostic, pseudepigraphic dialogue gospel. It is found in three versions among the Nag Hammadi writings. The shorter version is also included in the Codex Berolinensis Gnosticus 8502 (BG 8502,2), known since the 19th century and dating from the 5th century. Irenaeus of Lyons gives a paper on the Barbelo-Gnostics (Adv. haer. I 29), which corresponds in content to the middle part of the Apocryphon of John.

Classification

The pseudepigraphal text belongs to the tradition that makes the apostle John the recipient of secret revelations. It can be divided into three parts. The first part is a revelatory discourse on the supreme deity and on cosmogony, the second part is a dialogue between John and Jesus on soteriological and anthropological issues, involving the interpretation of the first chapters of Genesis. A typical protest exegesis is found here, rejecting conventional interpretations of the texts. The third part consists of a hymn of the gnostic savior figure Pronoia.

The Apocryphon of John is considered the core writing of Sethian gnosis.

Contents

The contents of the Apocryphon of John can be roughly divided as follows (based on the texts presented by Lüdemann and Janßen[1] (hereafter abbreviated as "LJ") and Dietzfelbinger[2] (hereafter abbreviated as "D"):

Introduction

(LJ 103-105, D 72-74)

Initiated by the doubts of a Pharisee, John asks himself questions about the background of Jesus' mission. Thereupon Jesus appears to him in many forms in a vision with the commission to pass on to his companions from the non-violent generation what he will now teach them.

The One Immeasurable Spirit

(LJ 105-107, D 74-76)

Attempt of the description of the One, original spirit, the father of the universe, immeasurable, unlimited, neither spatial nor temporal.

The First Thought - Barbelo (the Pronoia of the All)

(LJ 107-108, D 76-78)

The First Thought, the Pronoia[3] of the All, emerges from the Father's thought. This is also called Barbelo - the glory of the virgin spirit, the image of the Father, the First Man. The First Thought, the Barbelo, asks the invisible Spirit for First Knowledge, Imperishability, Eternal Life and Truth. These four enter into revelation and together they form the fivefold Aeon, again called the First Man and also the Father.

Christ, the only child

(LJ 108, D 78-79)

From the unknowable spirit a spark of light is begotten in the barbelo, the only begotten of the Mother-Father, the only birth, the pure light. This one is anointed with goodness to perfection by the invisible spirit (Christ, the Anointed). The Anointed One asks for a collaborator, Reason, who enters into revelation.

The universe, the four lights, the twelve eons

(LJ 108-110, D 79-82)

Reason wants to accomplish a work, and through the Word the All is created, of which Christ is the Head. The three will, thought, life place themselves to him. The basis of the All is formed by the four lights or illuminators.

• Armozel, the grace with the three eons grace, truth, form,
• Oriael, the perception with the three eons perception, insight/reflection (=Epinoia), memory,
• Daveithai, the understanding with the three eons understanding, love, idea/image,
• Eleleth, the wisdom with the three eons wisdom (=Sophia), perfection, peace, together the 12 eons belonging to Christ, the Son.

Above the four great enlighteners are placed:

• Pigera-Adamas, the perfect man (again!), the first revelation, the truth,
• his (Pigera-Adamas') son Seth,
• the descendants of Seth and the souls of the saints,
• the souls of those who did not know the Pleroma (= the fullness).

Sophia and Jaldabaoth

(LJ 110-114, D 82-88)

The Sophia wants to make an image of herself appear, without the consent of the spirit. But since she has the power, an imperfect work with a lion's face is created. She calls it Jaldabaoth. He is the first archon (= ruler). Sophia pushes him away, but Jaldabaoth has great power from his mother.

Jaldabaoth creates twelve archons (rulers) for himself. These create seven powers for themselves and the powers create angels for themselves. Jaldabaoth distributes his fire among them, is lord over them and calls himself "God" - an envious god beside whom there is no other god.

He names the seven powers

• Athoth - goodness
• Eloaio - foresight
• Astraphaio - divinity
• Jao - dominion
• Sabaoth - Kingdom
• Adonein - Desire
• Sabbateon - wisdom

His orders correspond to the image of the first eons, but not because he can see the imperishability, but because of the power of his mother (Sophia), which is in him.

When the Sophia sees what mistake she has committed (she had acted without the consent of the spirit and without the consent of her couple), she repents. She is overwhelmed by darkness and ignorance and is ashamed and weeps. The Pleroma (= the fullness) hears her repentance and asks the spirit. Thus, her pair-mate is sent to her so that she may rectify her mistake.

Creation of man

(LJ 114-119, D 88-93)

From the height of the sublime eons an impulse - voice and image of man - penetrates the sphere of Jaldabaoth. This prompts Jaldabaoth: "Let us create a man...", "let us call him Adam".

Now follows a long enumeration of creating powers or angels and their works:

• Seven powers (see above) create seven souls.
• Dozens of named angels create individual organs, whereby it is noticeable that also internal organs are enumerated in detail, as well as that the creation is androgynous, thus contains both sex characteristics.
• Seven rulers are placed above the preceding ones.
• 30 angels are named as efficacy in the organs and members.
• Once again, seven rule over these.
• Five named powers have oversight of consciousness functions: Sense Perception, Reception, Imagination, Harmony, Movement.
• The source of the demons (= forces) that are in the body is heat, cold, wetness, dryness, four forces or principles are named that are lord over these four.
• The mother of all is matter, unlimited and true.
• Four leading demons are named, which are psychic in nature: Lust, Desire, Sorrow, Fear, as well as several passions derived from each.
• The number of angels is 365.
• The enumeration ends with a reference to the book of Zoroaster, in which also the powers or angels are said to be named, which were not enumerated here.

The revival of Adam

(LJ 119-120, D 93-96)

Adam is motionless for a long time. At the request of Sophia to the Mother-Father of the universe to recover her power from the First Archon (Jaldabaoth), the latter is advised to breathe something of his spirit into Adam's face. He does not know that it is the power of his mother, and heeds the advice. Thereupon Adam moves, receives power and glows.

At that moment, the archons and angels of Jaldabaoth's hierarchy of creation become jealous because they realize that Adam's thinking exceeds their own. Therefore, they throw him down to the region at the bottom of matter.

The Mother-Father of the universe sends to Adam's help a light epinoia called Life. She instructs him about his descent and the way back to clear up the mistake of the mother (Sophia).

Paradise

(LJ 120-121, D 96-97)

The Archons (of Jaldabaoth) look down and see that Adam's thinking is higher than their own. They take the four elements, mix them together and bring Adam into the shadow of death. This is the bondage of oblivion. Adam becomes a mortal man. But the epinoia of light within him awakens his mind.

The Archons place him in Paradise and command him to eat. There follows an enumeration of the attributes of Paradise and its trees, especially also of the tree of life (their life), which are contrary to the commonly held view: Deceit, impiety, poison, death, bitterness, hatred, wickedness, darkness.

Dialogue between Jesus and John: the tree of knowledge of good and evil is the epinoia of light. By means of the serpent Jaldabaoth tries to tempt Adam to arbitrary-creative / sexual (depending on the translation) abuse of this property.

The Creation of Woman

(LJ 121-122, D 97-99)

Jaldabaoth wants to get his power and especially the epinoia of light out of Adam's rib. But the epinoia of light cannot be seized and Jaldabaoth brings out only a part of his (own) power. After the image of the Epinoia he forms a woman and brings the part of the power out of Adam into the structure. When Adam sees the woman next to him, the light Epinoia appears, so that Adam recognizes (again).

The Sophia has come down to correct her mistake, therefore she is called life or mother of the living (= Zoe, Eve). Christ appears as an eagle on the tree of knowledge to awaken both from the depth of sleep and to raise their thinking.

When Jaldabaoth notices that they are moving away from him, he exposes himself before his angels in his ignorance and casts Adam and the woman out of paradise and clothes them in dark darkness.

Cain, Abel and Seth

(LJ 122-123, D 99-100)

The First Archon (Jaldabaoth) sees that the light epinoia makes life appear in the woman and wants to defile her. The Pronoia of the All causes life to be taken from Eve beforehand. From the defilement two sons emerge: Eloim and Jave (enumeration of attributes). Jaldabaoth calls them Cain and Abel with a certain intention (these are the names of the sixth and seventh of the twelve archons that Jadabaoth creates at the beginning - see above The Sophia and Jaldabaoth).

Regarding coitus and sexual desire, there is a significant difference in the German-language translations:

• "Until this day the sexual coitus continues through the First Archon. And he planted sexual desire in those who belong to Adam." (Lüdemann & Janßen)[4].
• "Up to the present day the institution of coitus, which the First Ruler had established, has remained. He had placed procreative desire [in Adam]." (Dietzfelbinger)[5].

Through coitus, the images of the bodies are awakened. Eloim and Jave or Cain and Abel are set over powers to rule over the cave/grave.

Adam begets the image of the son of man and calls him Seth (name in connection with the second of the four great enlighteners of the universe - see above The universe, the four lights, the twelve eons).

The First Archon (Jaldabaoth) makes them drink water of forgetfulness, so that they do not know from where they came. But when the spirit comes down from the holy eons, they rise.

The ways of the souls

(LJ 123-124, D 100-103)

Dialogue between Jesus and John about the ways of souls:

• Those whose focus of life is according to the spirit of life will accomplish the good and inherit eternal life.
• Those in whom the spirit of life works, but who do not do the works, will be saved to the rest of the eons, even though they were previously led astray by the despised spirit. Concerning the wrong ways, conditions and ratios of the reincarnation sequence are spoken about.
• Those who have recognized and yet turned away go to a place where the angels of poverty go, to a place without repentance. Those who have blasphemed the Holy Spirit will be punished there with eternal punishment.

Fate, Noah, fornication, despised spirit

(LJ 124-126, D 103-106)

Jesus' explanation of John's question about the despised spirit / spirit of rebellion (depending on translation):

The First Archon (Jaldabaoth) wants to dominate the minds of men, but does not know that this is not possible. He and his powers break the marriage with Sophia and a bitter destiny (home army) is begotten by her. From that destiny arise all the sins, the injustice, the blasphemy, the fetter of forgetfulness, the ignorance, every difficult arrangement / every wrong order (depending on the translation), the great fear. The fate fetters with measures, times and moments.

Jaldabaoth repents of everything and wants to destroy it with a flood. This is communicated to Noah from on high, who hides in a cloud of light with many other people of the non-violent race.

Jaldabaoth sends his angels to the daughters of men to produce offspring for their pleasure. They do not succeed and therefore create a despised spirit that imitates the spirit that had descended. The angels change their appearance according to the mates of the people to fill them with the spirit of darkness. They bring gold, silver, gifts, metals and figures and mislead the people who follow them.

People grow old without having leisure, die without having found the truth, without having known God and so the whole creation is enslaved. The angels take women and beget children in the image of their spirit through darkness.

Triple descent of the pronoia of the universe, revival and redemption

(LJ 126-127, D 106-107)

In first person form the perfect pronoia of the universe speaks in these last paragraphs:

• The pronoia of the All goes into the greatness of darkness to the center of the prison.
• Again, the pronoia of the All goes into the midst of the darkness and into the inner side of the underworld.
• For the third time the pronoia of the universe goes into the middle of the darkness and the inside of the underworld, into the middle of the prison, which is the prison of the body, and speaks to the human being. The latter is very moved, hears, but does not see yet. The pronoia impulse declares itself and appeals to man: "Arise and remember (...) beware of the angels of poverty (...) beware of the deep sleep and the constriction of the inside of the underworld!" and finally seals him with five seals to free him from the power of death.

Conclusion

(LJ 128, D 108)

The order to keep it secret and to pass it on to like-minded people is repeated. A curse is pronounced on all who give out this teaching in return. John testifies to the fulfillment of his commission.

Literature

Editions

• Original texts and translation were published in the Nag Hammadi Studies (NHS) series.
  • See Bibliography (Memento of April 1, 2011 in the Internet Archive).
• James M. Robinson: The Nag Hammadi Library in English. Harper & Row, San Francisco 1988, ISBN 978-0-06-066935-5 (English translation).
• Gerd Lüdemann, Martina Janßen: The Bible of the Heretics. Radius, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-87173-128-5 (German translation of the Nag Hammadi texts).
• Konrad Dietzfelbinger (ed.): Creation Reports from Nag Hammadi. Edition Argo, Dingfelder, Andechs 1989, 2nd edition 1996, ISBN 3-926253-17-7 (draws on several translations, texts and commentaries).

See also editions and literature of the Wikipedia article Nag Hammadi writings.

Secondary literature

• Karen L. King: The Secret Revelation of John. Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Mass.) 2006, ISBN 0-674-01903-2.
• Martin Pierre Steiner (ed.): Interrogatio Iohannis and Apocryphon of John (The Secret Book of John). With an introduction: the birth of Christianity and its meaning in the 21st century. Edition Oriflamme, Basel 2019.

External links

• The Apocryphon of John Collection in the Gnostic Society Library (English). Several English translations there as well.
• The Apocryphon of John (Memento of September 12, 2007 in the Internet Archive) German translation by Gerd Lüdemann and Martina Janßen.

Individual references

Lüdemann and Janßen or Dietzfelbinger refers to the German translations given in the bibliography.

• Gerd Lüdemann and Martina Janßen. S. 102-128.
• Konrad Dietzfelbinger. S. 39-108.
• To ancient Greek πρόνοια prónoia, German 'Vorsorge'.
• Gerd Lüdemann and Martina Janßen: The Bible of the Heretics. Radius, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-87173-128-5, p. 122.

• Konrad Dietzfelbinger (ed.): Creation Reports from Nag Hammadi. Edition Argo, Dingfelder, Andechs 1989, 2nd edition 1996, ISBN 3-926253-17-7, p. 100.

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