Translation and Comments on Gospel of Judas - Chapters 10 & 11

[Guest guest]

Dear Jagbir and all,

 

i have just realized that where i used the word 'Segment' in the preceding posts

(i.e., Segments 1 through to 9) for the Gospel of Judas these should have been

called 'Chapters'. That wasn't apparent as the material had been numbered

without the word 'Chapter' put in front of them. However, P.147 (see just below)

refers to these as 'Chapters'. So, i will refer to them as 'Chapters' also, from

now on.

 

regards,

 

violet

 

 

 

 

(P.147) Chapters 10-14 of the 'Gospel of Judas' contain the core of Jesus's

teaching. Many things Jesus has only hinted at before are presented here more

systematically. [17] We can best understand the thinking underlying the 'Gospel

of Judas' by grasping some of the core presuppositions the author assumes. The

author of the 'Gospel of Judas', like other early Christians, turned first to

the biblical book of 'Genesis' to answer questions about human nature, moral

order, and their relationship to God. But even as people today read their sacred

stories in terms of what they know about science, so too ancient Christians

interpreted 'Genesis' in the light of ancient philosophical and scientific

thinking, especially astronomy, as well as Jewish interpretations of Scripture.

Ideas from all these sources appear in the 'Gospel of Judas', as we will see.

Another presupposition is that the world we live in was patterned after a

higher, perfect realm of God above. These Christians read 'Genesis' knowing that

the account of the creation of the lower world would contain hints about that

heavenly realm, since this world is patterned upon it. They therefore not only

read 'Genesis' to learn about the nature of this world but also sought clues in

it about the nature of the transcendent realm of God above. In chapters 10-11,

Jesus describes that realm to Judas.

 

Reading Judas - The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity,

('Comments on the Translation' Pg. 147)

 

 

 

 

A./ 'English Translation of the Gospel of Judas'

 

Chapter 10:

 

(P.116) [1] Jesus said, [ " Com]e and I will [te]ach you about the [things.....

that] no human will see. [2] For there exists a great realm and a boundlessness

whose measure no angelic race has comprehended. [3] [in] it is the great

invis[ib]le Sp[irit] - [4] the one whom no a[ngeli]c eye has seen nor any inner

thought of heart contained nor has anyone called it by any name. [5] And a

luminous cloud appeared in that place.

 

[6] " And he said, 'Let an angel come into being to attend me.' [7] And a great

angel - the luminous divine Autogenes - came forth from the cloud. [8] And

another four angels came forth because of him from another cloud, [9] and they

came into being to attend the angelic Autogenes.

 

(P.117) [10] " And [A]uto[genes] said, 'Let [Adamas] come into be[ing],' and

[..........] came into being. [11] And he c[reated] the first luminary so that

[it] might rule over it. [12] Next he said, 'Let angels come into being to

worship it,' [13] and immeasurable myriads came into being. [14] And he said,

'[Le]t [a] luminous [re]alm come into being,' [15] and it came into being. [16]

He established the second luminary to rule over it, [17] along with innumerable

angelic myriads to worship (it). [18] And in this way, he created the rest of

the realms of light, [19] he established (luminaries) to rule over them, [20]

and he created for them innumerable angelic myriads for their service.

 

('English Translation of the Gospel of Judas' - Pg. 116-117)

 

 

 

 

B./ 'Comments on the Translation' (Gospel of Judas) - Chapter 10

 

[1] of Chapter 10

 

(P.116) Jesus said, [ " Com]e and I will [te]ach you about the [things..... that]

no human will see.

 

Comments:

 

(P.147) Here we learn why knowledge of the divine realm above requires a savior

who comes down from above. For Judas could never comprehend the heavenly world

himself, Jesus tells him here, because it is not visible to the human eye. Jesus

is talking about things beyond even the highest of the visible heavens and the

stars. As we will learn later, God can be known in this world - not by examining

the heavens, as most people in the ancient world believed, but by looking

'within'.

 

 

 

 

[2] of Chapter 10

 

(P.116) For there exists a great realm and a boundlessness whose measure no

angelic race has comprehended.

 

Comments:

 

(P.147) The heavenly realm is beyond comprehension - even by angels. It is

boundless, and hence cannot be measured or limited in any way. The reader is to

imagine a higher, invisible reality.

[3]-[5] of Segment 10

 

(P.116) [in] it is the great invis[ib]le Sp[irit] - the one whom no a[ngeli]c

eye has seen nor any inner thought of heart contained nor has anyone called it

by any name. And a luminous cloud appeared in that place.

 

Comments:

 

(P.148) In this realm exists the highest God, whom Jesus calls the " Great

Invisible Spirit. " This great deity is beyond all comprehension - unseen,

ungraspable by even the heart, such that no name can truly express its essence.

Metaphorically, this realm is like a cloud - it has substance but can't be

grasped; it can be seen, but what lies in it is obscure. Yet it is also light -

radiant, life-giving, illuminating. This is the true God; the " spirit of God "

that " moved over the face of the waters " described in 'Genesis' 1:2 is but a

reflection of him.

 

The notion that God cannot be heard, seen or comprehended is common in Jewish

and Christian literature (compare 'Isaiah' 64:4; and from the Nag Hammadi texts:

'Prayer of the Apostle Paul' 1:25-29; 'Gospel of Thomas' 17; 'Tripartite

Tractate' 54:15-19), but is especially close in context to the sentiment of

Paul, who writes:

 

Among the mature we do speak wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or

of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God's wisdom,

secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the

rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have

crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, " What no eye has seen, nor

ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who

love him " (1 Corinthians 2:6-9)

 

In the 'Gospel of Judas', it is Jesus who imparts secret wisdom to Judas -

wisdom hidden from the rulers of this world and unknown to humanity. This

revealed knowledge is contrasted with the " polluted and perishable wisdom "

claimed by those who are ruled by the lower angels of this world ('Judas 8:7').

 

 

 

 

[6]-[20] of Chapter 10

 

(P.116) " And he said, 'Let an angel come into being to attend me.' And a great

angel - the luminous divine Autogenes - came forth from the cloud. And another

four angels came forth because of him from another cloud, and they came into

being to attend the angelic Autogenes.

 

(P.117) [10] " And [A]uto[genes] said, 'Let [Adamas] come into be[ing],' and

[..........] came into being. [11] And he c[reated] the first luminary so that

[it] might rule over it. Next he said, 'Let angels come into being to worship

it,' and immeasurable myriads came into being. And he said, '[Le]t [a] luminous

[re]alm come into being,' and it came into being. He established the second

luminary to rule over it, along with innumerable angelic myriads to worship

(it). And in this way, he created the rest of the realms of light, he

established (luminaries) to rule over them, and he created for them innumerable

angelic myriads for their service.

 

Comments:

 

(P.148) As in 'Genesis', creation begins with God's command. The first to come

into being is the great angel, the divine Autogenes, whose name literally means

" the self-begotten. " (P.149) In a number of related works found in Egypt,

Autogenes is associated with Christ. [18] Here he comes forth from the cloud of

light. From another cloud come four angels to attend him. These form the

original pentad - the five who are the highest in the divine realm. As we will

see, five others are " first over chaos " below, including the highest,

Seth-Christ. Thus these provide the model for ordering the material world below.

 

Next, Autogenes brings forth Adamas and appoints a luminary to rule over his

realm. Immeasurable myriads are created to worship the highest, most luminous

being in each realm of light. This pattern is important, for it indicates that

ruling is crucial to the divine order. Each being is set in its proper place;

the higher rule over the lesser, who are appointed to attend and serve them.

Thus the pattern of ruling and serving is established as one that is not only

good and natural but divine. The entire universe was ordered this way by God's

command - both the divine realm above and the world below. Ruling and order

display God's goodness.

 

Reading Judas - The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity,

('Comments on the Translation' Pg.147-149)

 

 

 

 

A./ 'English Translation of the Gospel of Judas'

 

Chapter 11:

 

(P.117) [1] " Adamas dwelled in the first cloud of the light, [2] (yet) none

among the angels - who are all called 'divine' - has seen that (cloud). [3] And

he ['about two lines are untranslatable'] [4] the image [...........] and

according to the likeness of t[hat an]gel. [5] He made the imperishable [race]

of Seth appear [......] the twelve [.......] the twenty [fo]ur [.......]. [6] By

the will of the Spirit, he made seventy-two luminaries appear in the

imperishable ra[ce]. [7] Then by the will of the Spirit, the seventy-two

luminaries themselves made three hundred sixty luminaries appear in the

imperishable race in order that their number might become five for each.

 

(P.118) [8] " And their father is the twelve realms of the twelve luminaries, [9]

with six heavens for every realm so that the seventy-two heavens might come into

being for the seventy-two luminaries, [10] with [five fi]rmaments for each one

[of them so that] three hundred sixty [firmaments might come into being .....].

[11] They were given [an] authority with a [great, innumerab]le angelic army for

glory and wor[ship], [12] [and] then [in addition] virginal [sp]irits for

gl[o]ry and [wor]ship of all the realms and the heavens and their [fi]rmaments.

 

('English Translation of the Gospel of Judas' - Pg. 117-118)

 

 

 

B./ 'Comments on the Translation' (Gospel of Judas) - Chapter 11

 

[1]-[12] of Chapter 11

 

(P.117) " Adamas dwelled in the first cloud of the light, (yet) none among the

angels - who are all called 'divine' - has seen that (cloud). And he ['about two

lines are untranslatable'] the image [...........] and according to the likeness

of t[hat an]gel. He made the imperishable [race] of Seth appear [......] the

twelve [.......] the twenty [fo]ur [.......]. By the will of the Spirit, he made

seventy-two luminaries appear in the imperishable ra[ce]. Then by the will of

the Spirit, the seventy-two luminaries themselves made three hundred sixty

luminaries appear in the imperishable race in order that their number might

become five for each.

 

(P.118) " And their father is the twelve realms of the twelve luminaries, with

six heavens for every realm so that the seventy-two heavens might come into

being for the seventy-two luminaries, with [five fi]rmaments for each one [of

them so that] three hundred sixty [firmaments might come into being .....]. They

were given [an] authority with a [great, innumerab]le angelic army for glory and

wor[ship], [and] then [in addition] virginal [sp]irits for gl[o]ry and [wor]ship

of all the realms and the heavens and their [fi]rmaments.

 

Comments:

 

(P.149) Jesus returns to focus more closely upon the figure of Adamas. His

elevated status is emphasized - he dwells in the first cloud, which is so

transcendent that not even the angels are able to see it. Here the author

comments ironically that the supposed " gods " of this world are unable to

perceive the higher realms above - in this case, the luminous " cloud " of Adamas.

 

Adamas, who is the heavenly model for the human Adam described in 'Genesis' 5:3,

brings forth a child in his image and likeness, Seth, and with Seth an

imperishable race comes to exist. The numbers twelve and twenty-four appear for

the first time, but it is not clear exactly what they refer to, because of the

missing text. Through an act of will, Adamas brought forth seventy-two

luminaries. Each of those brought forth five additional luminaries, for a total

of 360.

 

(P.150) Jesus explains that the " father " - the origin and ruler - of the others

is the twelve luminaries and their realms, each with six heavens, to create a

total of seventy-two heavens for the same number of luminaries. These

seventy-two each had five firmaments, bringing the total again to 360. All these

were given authority over an innumerable army of angels, not to mention over

additional virginal spirits, who were created to glorify and worship them. [19]

 

Why the repeated emphasis on numbers? For the 'Gospel of Judas', numbers are

evidence of the Invisible Spirit's true nature. They show divine goodness by

demonstrating the orderliness of creation, and in the world below they provide

visible evidence of God's existence. (For more on numbers, see note to 12:5-21).

All these luminaries and angels, in their mathematical order, form the shape of

the immaterial, spiritual world of light above. They also provide the model for

the subsequent creation of the material world below. As we will see, the stars

and planets of the visible heavens come into being as a material reflection of

eternity.

 

Properly read, then, Scripture reveals something of this divine world. The

movement of the Spirit at creation, the voice of God calling the universe into

existence, the heavenly luminaries - so like the sun, moon, and stars below -

each ruling its own sphere, the appearance of the heavenly Adam, his son Seth

(and, as we will see, Eve), along with the whole heavenly race: All these can be

seen as the true models of what will come into being in the material cosmos that

Jesus describes in chapter 12-13.

 

Reading Judas - The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity,

'Comments on the Translation' Pg. 147-150

Elaine Pagels and Karen L. King

Penguin Group - London, England

ISBN 978-0-713-99984-6

 

 

Notes:

 

[17] Many elements of the theology and cosmology of the 'Gospel of Judas' are

similar to a set of newly discovered writings found in Egypt that scholars

classify as " Sethian Gnosticism " or simply " Sethianism. " One of these is 'The

Secret Revelation of John', with which several scholars have compared the

'Gospel of Judas', notably Marvin Meyer ( " Judas and the Gnostic Connection " in

Kasser, Meyer, and Wurst, editors, 'The Gospel of Judas', op. cit. Not only are

there important similarities, crucial differences also appear. For example, in

'The Secret Revelation of John', the true God is not responsible for appointing

the lower beings who shape the material world, but rather against God's will,

the world comes into being at the hand of an ignorant and arrogant pretender

god. An extensive episode tells of how this happens when a divine being, named

Sophia ( " Wisdom " ) acts without the permission of the Invisible Spirit and her

male consort, thus setting in motion the creation of the lower world and the

enslavement of humanity to its wicked rulers. For more on these topics, see

Karen L. King, 'The Secret Revelation of John', op.cit., for more on Sethianism,

see Karen L. King, 'What is Gnosticism'?, pp.154-169.

 

[18] See, for example, 'The Secret Revelation of John' 7:1-25 (BG 29:18-32; NHC

II 6:10-11:2).

 

[19] Other new early Christian writings in the Nag Hammadi Codices and the

Berlin Codex, especially 'Eugnostos the Blessed' and its parallel text, the

'Sophia of Jesus Christ', also rely on similar numbers to describe the

orderliness of the universe as a creation of God. These works explicitly state

that the model for the number of the zodiac, the seasons, and the days is found

in the divine realm above. Similarly the 'Gospel of the Egyptians' 56:22-58:23

tells of the creation of the angels who rule the lower world, including Saklas,

Nebruel, and others known to the author of the 'Gospel of Judas'.