This piece presents a dramatized reading of the Apocryphon of John, the Gnostic text also known as the Secret Book of John, rather than a commentary on it. The narrative opens with John, son of Zebedee, challenged at the temple by a Pharisee named Arimanius, withdrawing to a mountainous place and receiving a vision of a figure that shifts between child, old man and youth and identifies itself as father, mother and son. The text then unfolds a cosmology of the unknowable One, the emanation of Barbelo, the transgression of Sophia, the birth of the ignorant creator Yaldabaoth, the fashioning and awakening of Adam, the luminous Epinoia, and Providence's three descents into the prison of matter.
In brief
- The supreme principle is described as the invisible spirit, the One, which is unbounded, unmeasurable, self-sufficient and beyond investigation, and which contains everything rather than existing within anything.
- The first emanation is Barbelo, the self-aware thought of the One, described as universal womb, mother, father, first man and holy spirit, who requests foreknowledge, incorruptibility, everlasting life and truth.
- The material world originates in error, when Sophia conceives without the consent of the spirit or her partner and produces Yaldabaoth, who steals her power, rules with seven archons and declares himself the only god while remaining ignorant of his own origin.
- Humanity is created by the archons but exceeds them, since Yaldabaoth is tricked by five luminaries into breathing the stolen power into the motionless body, so that Adam becomes luminous and more intelligent than his makers and is cast down into matter for it.
- Salvation is framed as recollection rather than atonement, with the hidden Epinoia lifting the veil from Adam's mind, the eating from the tree of knowledge presented as a liberating act, and Providence descending three times into the underworld to wake those imprisoned in the body.
Full text
One day, John, the brother of James, these are the sons of Zebedee, was going up to the temple. A Pharisee by the name of Arimanius came up to him and challenged him. Where is the teacher you used to follow? That Nazarene misled you. Told you lies. Closed your hearts and turned you away from your ancestral traditions. He has gone back to the place from which he came. When I heard these things, I, John, turned away from the temple and went off to deserted mountainous place. I was very unhappy. How was the savior designated? Why did his father send him into the world? Who is his father?
What kind of realm will we go to? All of a sudden, while I was contemplating these things, the whole the heavens opened and the whole of creation shone with a light from above and the world quickened. Behold, a little child appeared before me in the light. I continued looking at him as he became an old man, and then he changed again, becoming like a young man. John, why doubt? Why be afraid? Don't you know this image? Be not afraid. I am with you always. I am the father, the mother, the son. I am the incorruptible purity. I have come to teach you about what is and what was and what will be in order for you to understand the invisible world and the world that is visible and the immovable race of perfect humanity.
The One is without boundaries. The One cannot be investigated. The One cannot be measured. The One is infinite light, purity, holiness, stainless. It is impossible to specify in quantity or quality, for it is beyond knowledge. The One is the invisible spirit. Nothing is above it. Nothing rules it. Since everything exists within it, it does not exist within anything. Since it is not dependent on anything, it is eternal. It is absolutely complete and so needs nothing. It is utterly perfect light. The One rules all. Nothing has authority over it. It is the God. It is father of everything. It is uncontaminated. Pure light no eye can bear to look within.
The father is surrounded by light. He apprehends himself in that light, which is the pure spring of the water of life. He perceives his image in this spring of spirit pouring forth from himself. His self-aware thought came into being, appearing to him in the effulgence of his light. She stood before him. This, then, is the first of the powers prior to everything. She is the universal womb. She is mother, father, first man, holy spirit. She is Barbelo. She, Barbelo, asked the virgin spirit for foreknowledge. The spirit agreed. She asked for incorruptibility. The spirit agreed. She asked for everlasting life. The spirit agreed. She asked for truth.
The spirit agreed. I am Barbelo, glorious among the realms. I ask the virgin spirit for providence. I ask for incorruptibility. I ask for everlasting life, truth, and foreknowledge. It happened that the realm wisdom, Sophia, began to think for herself. She intended to reveal an image from herself without the consent of the spirit, without the knowledge of her partner. Something imperfect came out of her, different in appearance from her. She cast him far from her, outside of the realm of the immortal beings. She named him Yaldabaoth. He took great power from his mother and assumed command. He shared his fire with seven rulers, but none of the light.
When darkness mixed with the light, the light diminished, no longer light nor darkness, but dim. I am God, and there is NO GOD BUT ME. HE DID NOT KNOW WHERE his own power originated. But by announcing this, he suggested to his angels that there is indeed another God. For if there were no other God, of whom would he be jealous? The holy mother father, the complete providence, the image of the invisible, revealed the human form to Yaldabaoth and his archons. The foundations of the abyss shook. The man exists. Cometh the son of man. When Yaldabaoth heard this voice, he thought it came from his mother.
He didn't realize its true source. Come, let's create a human being in the image of God and in our own likeness so that his image will light up our world. Yes, Lord Yaldabaoth. Yes, we will create a human being in our own image and likeness. They fashioned a body, but for a long time it lay motionless and could not rise. The divine mother father sent five luminaries to deceive Yaldabaoth into breathing the power he had stolen from Sophia back into the clay. We come to you with a message of truth. Blow some of your spirit into the face of Adam. Then the body will rise. The body rose, became luminous, and was more intelligent than all the rulers who had made it.
When they realized that Adam surpassed them, they seized him and cast him into the lowest region of all matter. The rulers placed Adam in paradise saying to him, "Eat freely." But their luxury is bitter. Their beauty is depraved. Their pleasure is deception. Their food is a way into death. They had brought him into the shadow of death. But the luminous Epinoia was hidden within Adam. She lifted the veil from his mind and he recognized his own essence. The tree of knowledge was set in the middle of paradise. It was I who caused them to eat. And when they saw their own nakedness, they recognized that they were naked of the spiritual.
And when Yaldabaoth noticed that they withdrew from him, he cursed his earth. And he cast them out of paradise and he clothed them in gloomy darkness. I am the providence of everything. I became like my own human children. I existed from the first. I walked down every possible road. I am the wealth of the light. I am the remembering of the fullness. You have returned. I walked into the place of greatest darkness and on down. I entered the central part of the prison. The foundations of chaos quaked. I hid because of their evil. They did not recognize me.
I came down a second time continuing on. I emerged from among those of light. I am the remembering of providence. I descended a third time. I entered the midst of darkness. I came to the deepest part of the underworld. I entered their prison. The body is that prison. I am the providence of pure light. I am the thought of the virgin spirit, he said. Rise up. Remember what you have heard. Trace back your roots to me, the merciful one. Stay awake. Rise out of the depths of the underworld.
Transcript of the video essay, lightly edited for readability. Originally published on the Liminal News channel.