The Secret Book of John
Also known as the Apocryphon of John
Chapter 1: The Revelation to John
1
It happened one day when John, the brother of James—who are the sons of Zebedee—went up to the temple, that a Pharisee named Arimanius approached him and said, "Where is your master whom you followed?"
2
He replied, "He has returned to the place from which he came." The Pharisee said to me, "This Nazarene deceived you with deception, filled your ears with lies, and closed your hearts and turned you from the traditions of your fathers."
3
When I heard these things, I turned away from the temple and went to a mountainous and barren place. I grieved greatly in my heart, saying, "How then was the savior appointed? Why was he sent into the world by his Father? Who is his Father? And of what sort is that aeon to which we shall go?"
4
"What did he mean when he said to us, 'This aeon to which you will go is of the type of the imperishable aeon,' but he did not teach us about the latter?"
5
While I was contemplating these things, behold, the heavens opened and the whole creation which is below heaven shone, and the world was shaken.
6
I was afraid, and behold I saw within the light a child who stood by me. While I looked, it became like an old man. And he changed his likeness again, becoming like a servant.
7
There was not a plurality before me, but there was a likeness with multiple forms in the light, and the likenesses appeared through each other, and the likeness had three forms.
8
He said to me, "John, John, why do you doubt, and why are you afraid? You are not unfamiliar with this image, are you?—that is, do not be timid!—I am the one who is with you always. I am the Father, I am the Mother, I am the Son.
9
I am the undefiled and incorruptible one. Now I have come to teach you what is and what was and what will come to pass, that you may know the things which are not revealed and those which are revealed, and to teach you concerning the unwavering race of the perfect Human.
10
Now, therefore, lift up your face that you may receive the things that I shall teach you today, and may tell them to your fellow spirits who are from the unwavering race of the perfect Human."
11
And I asked to know, and he said to me, "The Monad is a monarchy with nothing above it. It is he who exists as God and Father of everything, the invisible one who is above everything, who exists as incorruption, which is in the pure light into which no eye can look."
12
He is the invisible Spirit. It is not right to think of him as a god or something similar. For he is more than a god, since there is nothing above him, for no one lords it over him.
Chapter 2: The Divine Realm
1
The Father is surrounded by his divine powers: Foreknowledge, Incorruptibility, Life Eternal, and Truth. These are the four lights that stand before the Father.
2
And the three powers are Will, Thought, and Life. The Father's Will became Thought, and his Thought became Word, and his Word became Life.
3
All things came into being through him, and apart from him not one thing came into being. That which came into being in him is Life, and the Life was the light of humanity.
4
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
5
And Barbelo, the first power, the glory of Barbelo, the perfect glory in the aeons, the glory of the revelation, she glorified the virgin Spirit and it was she who praised him, because thanks to him she had come forth.
6
This is the first thought, his image; she became the womb of everything, for it is she who is prior to them all, the Mother-Father, the first human, the holy Spirit, the thrice-male, the thrice-powerful, the thrice-named androgynous one, and the eternal aeon among the invisible ones.
7
The Father looked into Barbelo, with the pure light which surrounds the invisible Spirit, and she conceived from him. He begot a spark of light with a light resembling blessedness.
8
But it does not equal his greatness. This is an only-begotten child of the Mother-Father which had come forth, the only begotten one, the only offspring of the Father, the pure Light.
9
The invisible Spirit rejoiced over the light which had come into being, the one who was first to come forth from the first power of his Forethought, which is Barbelo. And he anointed it with his goodness until it became perfect, lacking no goodness, because he had anointed it with the goodness of the invisible Spirit.
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