Apocryphote of the Day: 2-3-09

"The passion which is a delight to them constrains the souls of those who are begotten in this place...and they turn away from the light, unable to pass by the ruler of darkness until they pay the last penny."

Testimony of Truth (Alexandrian gnostic text, second century)

Commentary: an interesting use of Matthew 5:25-26, "Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny." The ruler of darkness is the judge of the dead who shuts the soul up in the body (=the prison) unless the soul pays it debt for its sins. This is a doctrine and support text from Matthew is attributed by the church fathers to Carpocrates, the infamous libertine. But the Testimony of Truth is encratic or body-denying throughout the document.

Apocryphote of the Day: 4-21-08

It is written, "Moses made a serpent of bronze (and) hung it upon a pole...Whoever will gaze upon this bronze serpent, none will destroy him. Whoever will believe in this bronze serpent will be saved." For this is Christ. Those who believed in him have received life. Those who did not believe will die. What then is this faith?

The Testimony of Truth 48.31-49.11 (anonymous Gnostic text, probably from Alexandria, early second century).

Apocryphote of the Day: 4-3-08

What sort of God is this? First he maliciously refused Adam from eating of the tree of knowledge. And second he said, "Adam, where are you?" Does not God have foreknowledge? Would he not know from the beginning? Afterwards he said, "Let us cast him out of this place, lest he might eat of the tree of life and live forever." Surely he has shown himself to be a malicious grudger. And what kind of God is this? For great is the blindness of those who read, and they did not know him. And he said, "I am the jealous God. I will bring the sins of the fathers upon the children until three and four generations." And he said, "I will make their heart thick, and I will cause their mind to become blind, that they might not know nor comprehend the things that are said." But these things he has said to those who believe in him and serve him!

The Testimony of Truth (47.15-48.15)

Comment: This is from a Gnostic sermon. For me, it shows just how much Gnostic exegesis is bible literalism.