"As Sophia looked down into the region of the Waters, her Image appeared in the Waters; and the Authorities of the Darkness became enamored of her. But they could not lay hold of that Image which had appeared to them in the Waters, because of their weakness - since beings that merely possess a soul cannot lay hold of those that possess a spirit; for they were from below, while it was from Above. And thus she withdrew up to her light." ”Hypostasis of the Archons.” The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 77.

Sophia Revealed

When he had finished creating the physical universe, Yaldabaoth boasted to the angels beneath him, demanding that they worship him...
"The entire realm of the Chief Ruler quaked, and the foundations of hell shook. The bottomside of the waters above the material world was lit up by the image that had appeared. When all the Authorities and the Chief Ruler stared at this appearance, they saw the whole bottomside as it was lit up. And through the light they saw the shape of the image in the water." “The Secret Book of John.” The Secret Teachings of Jesus. Trans. Marvin W. Meyer. Vintage, 1984. 69.

Yaldabaoths Vision

When Yaldabaoth realized that his creation was threatened by Immortal Man, he began to preen and bluster shamelessly: "... when...
"...the First Father gave those who were with him a false intention concerning the man. Then each one of them cast his seed on the midst of the navel of the earth. Since that day, the seven Rulers have formed the man: his body is like their body, his likeness is like the man who appeared to them. His molded body came into being according to a portion of each one of them. Their chief created his head and the marrow." ”On the Origin of the World.” The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 69.

Adam the Golem

Adam (the first man) was a misbegotten android, spawned when Yaldabaoth tried to duplicate and enslave a reflected vision of...
"When Eve saw her co-likeness cast down, she pitied him, and she said,'Adam, live! Rise up on the earth!' Immediately her word became a deed... Adam rose up [and] he opened his eyes. When he saw her, he said,'You will be called'the mother of the living' because you are the one who gave me life.'" ”On the Origin of the World.” The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 70.

Eve and the Breath of Life

Eve was not produced from Adam's rib; rather, Adam was created by fallen angels who abandoned him as lifeless experiment,...
"The body moved, and became powerful. And it was enlightened. At once the rest of the powers became jealous. Although Adam had come into being through all of them, and they had given their power to this human, yet Adam was more intelligent than the creators and the first Ruler…" “The Secret Book of John.” The Secret Teachings of Jesus. Trans. Marvin W. Meyer. Vintage, 1984. 75.

Adam Awakens

When Adam came to life, the Rulers panicked as they realized that the creature they had created was becoming too...
...Eve, since she existed as a power, laughed at their false intention. She darkened their eyes and left her likeness there stealthily beside Adam. She entered the Tree of Knowledge, and remained there. But they tried to follow her. She revealed to them that she had entered the tree and become tree. And when the blind ones fell into a great fear, they ran away." ”On the Origin of the World.” The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 70.

God and His Angels Rape Eve

The Rulers laid plans to impregnate Eve and create a slave race to worship them, but Eve simply laughed and...
"Some of them say that the serpent was Sophia herself; for this reason it was opposed to the maker of Adam and gave knowledge to men, and therefore is called the wisest of all [Gen. 3:1]. And the position of our intestines through which food is taken in, and their shape, shows that the hidden Mother of the shape of the serpent is a substance within us." "The Sethian Ophites." The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 664.

Secrets of the Serpent Savior

Disgusted by the Rulers' antics, Sophia sent a slithering spirit to help the hapless humans: a divine messenger known as...
"Then the seven took counsel. They came to Adam and Eve timidly. They said to him… "Every tree which is in Paradise, whose fruit may be eaten, was created for you. But beware! Don't eat from the Tree of Knowledge. If you do eat, you will die." After they gave them a great fright, they withdrew up to their Authorities." ”On the Origin of the World.” The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 71.

The Forbidden Fruit

Hoping to keep mankind ignorant, the Archons warned Adam and Eve not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge: "Then...
"Then the one who is wiser than all of them, this one who was called "the beast," came. And when he saw the likeness of their mother, Eve, he said to her, "What is it that God said to you?'Don't eat from the Tree of Knowledge'?" She said, "He not only said'Don't eat from it,' but'Don't touch it lest you die.' " He said to her, "Don't be afraid! You certainly shall not die. For he knows that when you eat from it your mind will be sobered and you will become like God, knowing the distinctions which exist between evil and good men. For he said this to you, lest you eat from it, since he is jealous." ”On the Origin of the World.” The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 71. <i>This picture shows the gnostic symbol of the universe - the ouroboros, a vast cosmic serpent devouring it's own tail. Here the serpent is taking a break from its' steady diet of tail to force a man to smell a dirty old shoe. The man in question stubbornly refuses to recognize the cyclical nature of existence - thus he must rely on his sense of smell, the source of humanity's oldest and most powerful memories. We can only hope that he will some day awaken. </i>

Tempted by the Serpent

The serpent arose from inside Adam and Eve as a whispering voice which prompted them to curiousity and rebellion, urging...
"You are the Tree of Knowledge, which is in Paradise, from which the first man ate and which opened his mind, so that he became enamored of his co-likeness, and condemned other alien likenesses, and loathed them." ”On the Origin of the World.” The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 67-68.

Eating from the Tree

Adam ate from the Tree of Knowledge and absorbed some of Eve's divine force. The surge of living, intelligent energy...
"Then when the Rulers knew that they had transgressed their commandment, they came in an earthquake with a great threat into Paradise to Adam and Eve in order to see the result of the help…. Then, because the Rulers did not know where they were, they said,'Adam, where are you?" ”On the Origin of the World.” The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 71.

The Phony Fall

Adam and Eve awoke from the Rulers' brainwashing and discovered that they had been experiments, built by Yaldabaoth in a...
"The law was the tree. It has power to give the knowledge of good and evil. It neither removed him from evil, nor did it set him in the good, but it created death for those who ate of it. For when he said, "Eat this, do not eat that," it became the beginning of death." ”The Gospel of Philip.” The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 95.

The Tree of Laws

The "Tree of Knowledge" was not a positive symbol for all gnostics but instead underwent numerous revisionist interpretations, sometimes several...
"There are two trees growing in Paradise. One bears animals, the other bears men. Adam ate from the tree which bore animals. He became an animal and he brought forth animals. For this reason the children of Adam worship animals. The tree whose fruit Adam ate is the Tree of Knowledge. That is why sins increased." If he ate the fruit of the other tree, that is to say, the fruit of the Tree of Life, the one which bears men, then the gods would worship man. For in the beginning God created man. But now men create God. That is the way it is in the world - men make gods and worship their creation. It would be fitting for the gods to worship men!" ”The Gospel of Philip.” The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 95.

The Tree of Animals

Elsewhere the "Tree of Knowledge" becomes a symbol of humanity's tragic, fallen status - talking apes hypnotized by language and...
"Yaldabaoth was angry with men because they did not worship or honor him as Father and God; he sent a deluge upon them to destroy all of them at the same time. But Sophia withstood him... and saved those who [had] the moist nature of that light which originated from her; through it the world was again filled with men." "The Sethian Ophites." The Nag Hammadi Library. Ed. James Robinson. HarperCollins, 1978. 663.

Hidden History of the Flood

Almost every culture on Earth has some sort of flood myth - and the same haunting feeling accompanies them all,...
"Their bodies emitted evil spirits because they were born from human women and the holy Watchers. The giants afflict, oppress, destroy, attack over the earth. Although they hunger and thirst, they do not eat. They offend. These spirits will rise up against men and women because they proceed from them..." "Enoch's Dream Vision of Heaven, the Watchers, and the Giants." The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 487-88.

Those Nasty Nephilim

The idea that an omnipotent creator god could callously seek to exterminate an entire species for the sins of a...
"The Rulers went to meet [Norea], intending to lead her astray. Their supreme chief said to her, "Your mother, Eve, came to us." But Norea turned to them and said: "It is you who are the Rulers of the Darkness; you are accursed. And you did not know my mother; instead it was your female counterpart that you knew. For I am not your descendant; rather it is from the World Above that I am come." The arrogant Ruler turned with all his might. He said to her presumptuously, "You must render service to us, as did also your mother Eve." ”Hypostasis of the Archons.” The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 78.

Naughty Norea

It was not Noah who was the hero of the flood story, but Eve's daughter Norea - a fiery, rebellious...
Load More