millenomi
06-02-07, 09:32
The Gnostic Sacraments
The Gnostic Sacraments
by
Thomas Saunders
According to the Gospel of Philip, five "mysteries" or sacraments were
recognized. They are
1.. baptism
2.. anointing
3.. redemption
4.. eucharist
5.. bridal chamber
http://www.gnosis.org/library/valentinus/Valentinian_Sacramental.htm
By themselves the descriptions of the Chrism, Eucharist, and Baptisms, in
the Nag Hammadi, are vague as to the purpose and explanation of the Gnostic
rights of each. However the ''Gospel of Philip,'' serves to explain quite a
bit about these sacraments. Indeed the idea of each is quite different from
the Orthodox ceremonies, which has only one of each.
The descriptions below from the ''Gospel of Philip,'' are out of context,
and arranged to accomodate a thematic explanation. I have always felt that
the Philip gospel was composed of ancient notes, possibly made by the
Apostle and reassembled by later scribes. Rearranging the text, seems to
serve to explain the acts better. The arrangement is my own attempt to
clarify the themes of the Chrism, Eucharist, and Baptisms.
First are the descriptions of the Chrism, then the Eucharist, and Baptisms
found in the Nag Hammadi Library (NHL):
On the Anointing: Chrism (NHL)
''[....] according to [....] the type of [...] see him. It is fitting for
you at this time to send thy Son Jesus Christ and anoint us so we might be
able to trample upon the snakes and the heads of the scorpions and all the
power of the Devil since he is a shepherd of the seed. Through him we have
known thee. And we glorify thee : Glory be to thee, the Father in the Son,
the Father in the Son, the Father in the Holy Church and in the holy angels!
From now he abides forever in the perpetuity of the Aeons, forever until the
untraceable Aeons of the Aeons. Amen.''
Eucharist A: (NHL)
We give thanks to you and we celebrate the eucharist, O Father, remembering
for the sake of thy Son, Jesus Christ that they come forth [...] invisible
[...] thy [Son....] his [love...] to [knowledge ......] they are doing thy
will through the name of Jesus Christ and will do thy will now and always.
They are complete in every spiritual gift and every purity. Glory be to thee
through thy Son and they offspring Jesus Christ from now and forever. Amen.
Eucharist B: (NHL)
[...] in the [...] the word of the [....the] holy one it is [...] food and
[drink...] Son, since you [...] food of the [...] to us the [...] in the
[life ..] he does [not boast...] that is[...] Church [...] you are pure
[...] thou art the Lord. Whenever you die purely, you will be pure so as to
have him [...] everyone who will guide him to food and drink. Glory be to
thee forever. Amen.
Baptism A: (NHL)
This is the fullness of the summary of knowledge which summary was revealed
to us by our Lord Jesus Christ, the Monogenes. These are the sure and
necessary items so that we may walk in them. But they are those of the first
baptism [......The First] baptism is the Forgiveness of sins [...] said,
[...] you to the [...] your sins the [...] is a pattern of the [...] of the
Christ which is the equal of the [..within] him [...]. For the [...] of
Jesus [...]. Moreover, the first baptism is the forgiveness of sins. We are
brought from those of the right, that is, into the imperishability which is
the Jordan. But that place is of the world. So we have been sent out of the
world into the Aeon. For the interpretation of John is the Aeon, while the
interpretation of that which is the upward progression, that is, our Exodus
from the world into the Aeon.
Baptism B: (NHL)
[..... from the ] world into the Jordan and from the blindness of the world
into the sight of God, from the carnal into the spiritual, from the physical
into the angelic, from the created into the Pleroma, from the world into the
Aeon, from the servitudes into sonship, from entanglements into one another,
from the desert into our village, from the cold into the hot, from [...]
into a [...] and we [...] into the [....thus] we were brought from seminal
bodies into bodies with a perfect form. Indeed I entered by way of example
the remnant for which the Christ rescued us in the fellowship of his Spirit.
And he brought us forth who are in him, and from now on the souls will
become perfect spirits. Now the things granted us by the first baptism
[....invisible ...which] is his, since [.......speak][about...]....
The Chrism, The Eucharist, The Baptism (''Gospel of Philip.'')
The Lord did everything in a mystery, a baptism and a chrism and a eucharist
and a redemption 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.
Truth did not come 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 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
the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, do so, but 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.
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, we were united. None can see himself either in water or in a
mirror without light. Nor again can you see in light without mirror or
water. For this reason, it is fitting to baptize in the two, in the light
and the water. Now the light is the chrism.
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.
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 water, there is fire in chrism.
Philip the apostle said, "Joseph the carpenter planted a garden because he
needed wood 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.
The chrism is superior to baptism, for it is from the word "Chrism" that we
have been called "Christians," certainly not because 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 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.
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 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 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 at night. That fire [...] only 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
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 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 Aeon (eternal realm), for the
Aeon is fullness for him. 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.
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! 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 - 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 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.
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. {This is a
reference to Jesus and the marriage of the cross}
Those [...] 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 all righteousness." (Mt 3:15)
The cup 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 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.
If one goes down into the water and comes up without having received
anything, and says "I am a Christian," 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
he experiences a mystery.
By perfecting the water of baptism, Jesus emptied it of death. Thus we do go
down into the water, but we do not go down into death, in order that we may
not be poured out into the spirit of the world. When that spirit blows, it
brings the winter. When the Holy Spirit breathes, the summer comes.
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. So also when speaking about baptism they say, "Baptism is a
great thing," because if people receive it they will live.
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. 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 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 are yours". Spiritual
love is wine and fragrance. 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 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 the ointment. It healed the wounds,
for "love covers a multitude of sins" (1 P 4:8).
The Bridal Chamber
One of the most mysterious sacraments is that of the bridal chamber. In
effect the act may be the essence of Gnosis, the joining of the soul of man
with the Soul of God. The act of entering the bridal chamber is a sacrament
followed by the Eucahrist.
In the Gospel of Thomas (75) Jesus said, "Many are standing at the door, but
it is the solitary who will enter the bridal chamber."
Gospel of Thomas (104) They said to Jesus, "Come, let us pray today and let
us fast."
Jesus said, "What is the sin that I have committed, or wherein have I been
defeated? But when the bridegroom leaves the bridal chamber, then let them
fast and pray."
According to Valentinians theologians, the divine Fullness (pleroma)
corresponds to the Holy of Holies in the Temple (Herakleon Fragment 13).
Like the Holy of Holies, the Pleroma is separated from the "outer tent" (i.e.
the cosmos) by a boundary or Limit which is often described as a curtain or
"veil". The Gospel of Philip compares the hidden nature of the Pleroma to
that of the Holy of Holies: "At the present time we have access to the
visible aspects of creation. We say that they are mighty and glorious, but
the hidden things are powerless and contemptible. Are the hidden aspects of
Truth like this? Are they powerless? Are they contemptible? No, rather it is
these hidden aspects that are mighty and glorious. The mysteries of Truth
are manifestly representations and images. Thus the bridal chamber (i.e.
Pleroma) remains hidden. It stands for the Holy in the Holy." (Gospel of
Philip 105)
Such ideas are linked to speculation about Christ as the High Priest.
According to Hebrews, "We have a High Priest who has gone into the very
presence of God -- Jesus, the Son of God" (Hebrews 4:14). He entered for
"once and for all into the Most Holy Place" (Hebrews 9:12). Similarly,
Valentinian theologians claimed that Jesus, "the joint fruit of the
Fullness" is the "great High Priest" (Hippolyus 6:27). He is "the
confirmation and the hypostatis of the All, the silent veil, the true High
Priest, the one who has the authority to enter the Holies of Holies,
revealing the glory of the Aeons and bringing forth the abundance to
fragrance....He is the one who revealed himself as the primal sanctuary and
the treasury of the All" (Valentinian Exposition 25-26).
According to the Epistle to the Hebrews, Jesus enables those who are joined
to him to enter the Holy of Holies. "We have then, my brothers, complete
freedom to go into the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies) by means of the
death of Jesus. He opened for us a new way, through the curtain - that is
through his own body". (Hebrews 10:19-20). Christ provides an opening
through the curtain into the heavenly "Holy of Holies".
This theme was further developed by Valentinian theologians. According to
Herakleon, the Fullness is "the Holy of Holies, into which only the
High-Priest enters, into which the spiritual go" (Herakleon Fragment 13).
The Gospel of Philip links the opening provided by Christ with the tearing
of the veil at the time of Jesus' death (Matthew 27:51). According to
Philip,
There were three buildings specifically for 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 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" 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 will not find [...] are those who
pray [...] Jerusalem who [...] Jerusalem, [...] those called the "Holy of
the Holies" [...] the veil was rent, [...] bridal chamber except the image
[...] above. Because of this, its veil was rent from top to bottom. For it
was fitting for some from below to go upward. (''Gospel of Philip.'')
At the present time, we have the manifest things 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 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 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 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 their
salvation when the flood 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. 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. 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 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 of the holies were
revealed, and the bridal chamber invited us in. (''Gospel of Philip.'')
''It is thus only fitting that we, as Gnostics, should pick our own
Valentinus as the saint for whom this feast day is dedicated. In studying
the Valentinian tradition of Gnosticism, particularly in that of his
disciples in Ptolemaeus' Letter to Flora and the Gospel of Philip, we find
that this is more than a mere coincidence of the name, but that the
Valentinian literature is filled with the imagery and metaphor of spiritual
love and the Gnostic sacrament of the Bridal Chamber and marriage.
(Valentinian Tradition)
The Valentinians did not deny the physical dimension of love in the world
but sought something greater, something that could truly bring wholeness,
that could fulfill the desiring of the longing heart for that which truly
fills the emptiness of the soul and heals the fragmention and separation of
the human condition. They symbolized this consummation of wholeness, of the
union of the human and the divine, in the image of marriage and the rite of
the Bridal Chamber. "Those who are separated will be united and will be
filled. Every one who will enter the bridal chamber will kindle the light,
for it burns just as the marriages which are observed at night. That fire
burns only at night and is put out. But the mysteries of this marriage are
perfected rather in the day and the light." (The Gospel of Philip)
http://www.gnosis.org/ecclesia/homily_Valentinus.htm
--
Jesus is a hidden name, Christ is an open one.
So Jesus is not a word in any tongue but a name
they call him.
In Syriac the Christ is messias, in Greek he is christos.
All languages have their own way of calling him.
Nazarene is the revealed name for what is secret.
The Gnostic Sacraments
by
Thomas Saunders
According to the Gospel of Philip, five "mysteries" or sacraments were
recognized. They are
1.. baptism
2.. anointing
3.. redemption
4.. eucharist
5.. bridal chamber
http://www.gnosis.org/library/valentinus/Valentinian_Sacramental.htm
By themselves the descriptions of the Chrism, Eucharist, and Baptisms, in
the Nag Hammadi, are vague as to the purpose and explanation of the Gnostic
rights of each. However the ''Gospel of Philip,'' serves to explain quite a
bit about these sacraments. Indeed the idea of each is quite different from
the Orthodox ceremonies, which has only one of each.
The descriptions below from the ''Gospel of Philip,'' are out of context,
and arranged to accomodate a thematic explanation. I have always felt that
the Philip gospel was composed of ancient notes, possibly made by the
Apostle and reassembled by later scribes. Rearranging the text, seems to
serve to explain the acts better. The arrangement is my own attempt to
clarify the themes of the Chrism, Eucharist, and Baptisms.
First are the descriptions of the Chrism, then the Eucharist, and Baptisms
found in the Nag Hammadi Library (NHL):
On the Anointing: Chrism (NHL)
''[....] according to [....] the type of [...] see him. It is fitting for
you at this time to send thy Son Jesus Christ and anoint us so we might be
able to trample upon the snakes and the heads of the scorpions and all the
power of the Devil since he is a shepherd of the seed. Through him we have
known thee. And we glorify thee : Glory be to thee, the Father in the Son,
the Father in the Son, the Father in the Holy Church and in the holy angels!
From now he abides forever in the perpetuity of the Aeons, forever until the
untraceable Aeons of the Aeons. Amen.''
Eucharist A: (NHL)
We give thanks to you and we celebrate the eucharist, O Father, remembering
for the sake of thy Son, Jesus Christ that they come forth [...] invisible
[...] thy [Son....] his [love...] to [knowledge ......] they are doing thy
will through the name of Jesus Christ and will do thy will now and always.
They are complete in every spiritual gift and every purity. Glory be to thee
through thy Son and they offspring Jesus Christ from now and forever. Amen.
Eucharist B: (NHL)
[...] in the [...] the word of the [....the] holy one it is [...] food and
[drink...] Son, since you [...] food of the [...] to us the [...] in the
[life ..] he does [not boast...] that is[...] Church [...] you are pure
[...] thou art the Lord. Whenever you die purely, you will be pure so as to
have him [...] everyone who will guide him to food and drink. Glory be to
thee forever. Amen.
Baptism A: (NHL)
This is the fullness of the summary of knowledge which summary was revealed
to us by our Lord Jesus Christ, the Monogenes. These are the sure and
necessary items so that we may walk in them. But they are those of the first
baptism [......The First] baptism is the Forgiveness of sins [...] said,
[...] you to the [...] your sins the [...] is a pattern of the [...] of the
Christ which is the equal of the [..within] him [...]. For the [...] of
Jesus [...]. Moreover, the first baptism is the forgiveness of sins. We are
brought from those of the right, that is, into the imperishability which is
the Jordan. But that place is of the world. So we have been sent out of the
world into the Aeon. For the interpretation of John is the Aeon, while the
interpretation of that which is the upward progression, that is, our Exodus
from the world into the Aeon.
Baptism B: (NHL)
[..... from the ] world into the Jordan and from the blindness of the world
into the sight of God, from the carnal into the spiritual, from the physical
into the angelic, from the created into the Pleroma, from the world into the
Aeon, from the servitudes into sonship, from entanglements into one another,
from the desert into our village, from the cold into the hot, from [...]
into a [...] and we [...] into the [....thus] we were brought from seminal
bodies into bodies with a perfect form. Indeed I entered by way of example
the remnant for which the Christ rescued us in the fellowship of his Spirit.
And he brought us forth who are in him, and from now on the souls will
become perfect spirits. Now the things granted us by the first baptism
[....invisible ...which] is his, since [.......speak][about...]....
The Chrism, The Eucharist, The Baptism (''Gospel of Philip.'')
The Lord did everything in a mystery, a baptism and a chrism and a eucharist
and a redemption 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.
Truth did not come 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 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
the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, do so, but 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.
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, we were united. None can see himself either in water or in a
mirror without light. Nor again can you see in light without mirror or
water. For this reason, it is fitting to baptize in the two, in the light
and the water. Now the light is the chrism.
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.
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 water, there is fire in chrism.
Philip the apostle said, "Joseph the carpenter planted a garden because he
needed wood 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.
The chrism is superior to baptism, for it is from the word "Chrism" that we
have been called "Christians," certainly not because 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 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.
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 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 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 at night. That fire [...] only 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
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 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 Aeon (eternal realm), for the
Aeon is fullness for him. 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.
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! 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 - 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 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.
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. {This is a
reference to Jesus and the marriage of the cross}
Those [...] 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 all righteousness." (Mt 3:15)
The cup 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 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.
If one goes down into the water and comes up without having received
anything, and says "I am a Christian," 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
he experiences a mystery.
By perfecting the water of baptism, Jesus emptied it of death. Thus we do go
down into the water, but we do not go down into death, in order that we may
not be poured out into the spirit of the world. When that spirit blows, it
brings the winter. When the Holy Spirit breathes, the summer comes.
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. So also when speaking about baptism they say, "Baptism is a
great thing," because if people receive it they will live.
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. 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 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 are yours". Spiritual
love is wine and fragrance. 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 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 the ointment. It healed the wounds,
for "love covers a multitude of sins" (1 P 4:8).
The Bridal Chamber
One of the most mysterious sacraments is that of the bridal chamber. In
effect the act may be the essence of Gnosis, the joining of the soul of man
with the Soul of God. The act of entering the bridal chamber is a sacrament
followed by the Eucahrist.
In the Gospel of Thomas (75) Jesus said, "Many are standing at the door, but
it is the solitary who will enter the bridal chamber."
Gospel of Thomas (104) They said to Jesus, "Come, let us pray today and let
us fast."
Jesus said, "What is the sin that I have committed, or wherein have I been
defeated? But when the bridegroom leaves the bridal chamber, then let them
fast and pray."
According to Valentinians theologians, the divine Fullness (pleroma)
corresponds to the Holy of Holies in the Temple (Herakleon Fragment 13).
Like the Holy of Holies, the Pleroma is separated from the "outer tent" (i.e.
the cosmos) by a boundary or Limit which is often described as a curtain or
"veil". The Gospel of Philip compares the hidden nature of the Pleroma to
that of the Holy of Holies: "At the present time we have access to the
visible aspects of creation. We say that they are mighty and glorious, but
the hidden things are powerless and contemptible. Are the hidden aspects of
Truth like this? Are they powerless? Are they contemptible? No, rather it is
these hidden aspects that are mighty and glorious. The mysteries of Truth
are manifestly representations and images. Thus the bridal chamber (i.e.
Pleroma) remains hidden. It stands for the Holy in the Holy." (Gospel of
Philip 105)
Such ideas are linked to speculation about Christ as the High Priest.
According to Hebrews, "We have a High Priest who has gone into the very
presence of God -- Jesus, the Son of God" (Hebrews 4:14). He entered for
"once and for all into the Most Holy Place" (Hebrews 9:12). Similarly,
Valentinian theologians claimed that Jesus, "the joint fruit of the
Fullness" is the "great High Priest" (Hippolyus 6:27). He is "the
confirmation and the hypostatis of the All, the silent veil, the true High
Priest, the one who has the authority to enter the Holies of Holies,
revealing the glory of the Aeons and bringing forth the abundance to
fragrance....He is the one who revealed himself as the primal sanctuary and
the treasury of the All" (Valentinian Exposition 25-26).
According to the Epistle to the Hebrews, Jesus enables those who are joined
to him to enter the Holy of Holies. "We have then, my brothers, complete
freedom to go into the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies) by means of the
death of Jesus. He opened for us a new way, through the curtain - that is
through his own body". (Hebrews 10:19-20). Christ provides an opening
through the curtain into the heavenly "Holy of Holies".
This theme was further developed by Valentinian theologians. According to
Herakleon, the Fullness is "the Holy of Holies, into which only the
High-Priest enters, into which the spiritual go" (Herakleon Fragment 13).
The Gospel of Philip links the opening provided by Christ with the tearing
of the veil at the time of Jesus' death (Matthew 27:51). According to
Philip,
There were three buildings specifically for 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 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" 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 will not find [...] are those who
pray [...] Jerusalem who [...] Jerusalem, [...] those called the "Holy of
the Holies" [...] the veil was rent, [...] bridal chamber except the image
[...] above. Because of this, its veil was rent from top to bottom. For it
was fitting for some from below to go upward. (''Gospel of Philip.'')
At the present time, we have the manifest things 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 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 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 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 their
salvation when the flood 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. 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. 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 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 of the holies were
revealed, and the bridal chamber invited us in. (''Gospel of Philip.'')
''It is thus only fitting that we, as Gnostics, should pick our own
Valentinus as the saint for whom this feast day is dedicated. In studying
the Valentinian tradition of Gnosticism, particularly in that of his
disciples in Ptolemaeus' Letter to Flora and the Gospel of Philip, we find
that this is more than a mere coincidence of the name, but that the
Valentinian literature is filled with the imagery and metaphor of spiritual
love and the Gnostic sacrament of the Bridal Chamber and marriage.
(Valentinian Tradition)
The Valentinians did not deny the physical dimension of love in the world
but sought something greater, something that could truly bring wholeness,
that could fulfill the desiring of the longing heart for that which truly
fills the emptiness of the soul and heals the fragmention and separation of
the human condition. They symbolized this consummation of wholeness, of the
union of the human and the divine, in the image of marriage and the rite of
the Bridal Chamber. "Those who are separated will be united and will be
filled. Every one who will enter the bridal chamber will kindle the light,
for it burns just as the marriages which are observed at night. That fire
burns only at night and is put out. But the mysteries of this marriage are
perfected rather in the day and the light." (The Gospel of Philip)
http://www.gnosis.org/ecclesia/homily_Valentinus.htm
--
Jesus is a hidden name, Christ is an open one.
So Jesus is not a word in any tongue but a name
they call him.
In Syriac the Christ is messias, in Greek he is christos.
All languages have their own way of calling him.
Nazarene is the revealed name for what is secret.