Three Forms of First Thought - Introduction

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Excerpt, Introduction - (Introduced and Translated by John D. Turner)

 

(p.716) First, Protennoia is the divine but as yet inarticulate Voice of the

Invisible Spirit's First Thought who presides over the establishing of the

heavenly dwellings for her members and descends into the realm of chaos to give

shape to her " members, " fragments of her spirit that have fallen into the world

(35,32-36,27; 40,29-41,1). Second, Protennoia is the articulate Speech of the

Thought who descends to overthrow the old aeon [eternal realm] ruled by the evil

powers and empower her fallen members to prepare for the coming new age by

giving them spirit or breath (42,4-27; 45,2-12; 45, 21-46,3). Third, Protennoia

is the fully articulated Word, or Logos, of the Thought who descends in the

likeness of successively lower powers and, entering the " tents " of her members,

confers upon them the saving baptismal rite of the Five Seals by which they are

immersed in divine " living water " --whose divine luminescence washes away their

corporeal nature--whereupon they along with the crucified Jesus are raptured

into the light (46,5-6; 47,5-22; 49,15-22; 50,9-12.18-20).

 

The Nag Hammadi Scriptures (The International Edition)

Edited by Marvin Meyer; Advisory Board: Wolf-Peter Funk, Paul-Hubert Poirier,

James M. Robinson; Introduction by Elaine H. Pagels

Three Forms of First Thought, Excerpt, Introduction, p.716

HarperCollins Publishers - New York

ISBN:978-0-06-052378-7

ISBN-10: 0-06-052378-6