

The Concept of Our Great Power -- The Nag Hammadi Library

    (Above image of the Gospel of Thomas courtesy of the
    Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont Graduate University)

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The Nag Hammadi Library

    The Concept of Our Great Power

Translated by Frederik Wisse

      The Perception of Understanding

      The Concept of the Great Power

He who will know our great Power will become invisible, and fire will not be able to
      consume him. But it will purge and destroy all of your possessions. For everyone in whom
      my form will appear will be saved, from (the age of) seven days up to one hundred and
      twenty years. (Those) whom I constrained to gather all that is fallen - and the writings
      of our great Power, in order that he may inscribe your name in our great light - and their
      thoughts and their works may be ended, that they may be purged, and be scattered and be
      destroyed, and be gathered in the place which no one in it sees. But you will see me, and
      you will prepare your dwelling places in our great Power.

Know how what has departed came to be, in order that you may know how to discern what
      lives to become: of what appearance that aeon is, or what kind it is, or how it will come
      to be. Why do you not ask what kind you will become, (or) rather how you came to be?

Discern what size the water is, that it is immeasurable (and) incomprehensible, both
      its beginning and its end. It supports the earth; it blows in the air where the gods and
      the angels are. But in him who is exalted above all these there is the fear and the light,
      and in him are my writings revealed. I have given them as a service to the creation of the
      physical things, for it is not possible for anyone to stand without that One, nor is it
      possible for the aeon to live without him. It is he who possesses what is in him by
      discerning (it) in purity.

Then behold the Spirit and know where he is. He gave himself to men that they may
      receive life from him every day, since he has his life within him; he gives to them all.

Then the darkness together with Hades took the fire. And he (the darkness) will release
      from himself what is mine. His eyes were not able to endure my light. After the spirits
      and the waters moved, the remainder came into being: the whole aeon of the creation, and
      their <powers>. The fire came forth from them and the Power came in the midst of the
      powers. And the powers desired to see my image. And the soul became its replica.

This is the work that came into being. See what it is like, that before it comes into
      being it does not see, because the aeon of the flesh came to be in the great bodies. And
      there were apportioned to them long days in the creation. For when they had polluted
      themselves and had entered into the flesh, the father of the flesh, the water, avenged
      himself. For when he had found that Noah was pious (and) worthy - and it is the father of
      the flesh who holds the angels in subjection. And he (Noah) preached piety for one hundred
      and twenty years. And no one listened to him. And he made a wooden ark, and whom he had
      found entered it. And the flood took place.

And thus Noah was saved with his sons. For if indeed the ark had not been meant for man
      to enter, then the water of the flood would not have come. In this way he intended (and)
      planned to save the gods and the angels, and the powers, the greatness of all of these,
      and the <nourishment> and the way of life. And he moves them from the aeon (and)
      nourishes them in the permanent places. And the judgment of the flesh was unleashed. Only
      the work of the Power stood up.

Next the psychic aeon. It is a small one, which is mixed with bodies, by begetting in
      the souls (and) defiling (them). For the first defilement of the creation found strength.
      And it begot every work: many works of wrath, anger, envy, malice, hatred, slander,
      contempt and war, lying and evil counsels, sorrows and pleasures, basenesses and
      defilements, falsehoods and diseases, evil judgments that they decree according to their
      desires.

Yet you are sleeping, dreaming dreams. Wake up and return, taste and eat the true food!
      Hand out the word and the water of life! Cease from the evil lusts and desires and (the
      teachings of) the Anomoeans, evil heresies that have no basis.

And the mother of the fire was impotent. She brought the fire upon the soul and the
      earth, and she burned all <the> dwellings that are in it. And its shepherd perished.
      Moreover, when she does not find anything else to burn, she will destroy herself. And it
      will become incorporeal, without body, and it will burn matter, until it has cleansed
      everything, - and all wickedness. For when it does not find anything else to burn, it will
      turn against itself until it has destroyed itself.

Then, in this aeon, which is the psychic one, the man will come into being who knows
      the great Power. He will receive (me) and he will know me. He will drink from the milk of
      the mother, in fact. He will speak in parables; he will proclaim the aeon that is to come,
      just as he spoke in the first aeon of the flesh, as Noah. Now concerning his words, which
      he uttered, he spoke in all of them, in seventy-two tongues. And he opened the gates of
      the heavens with his words. And he put to shame the ruler of Hades; he raised the dead,
      and he destroyed his dominion.

Then a great disturbance took place. The archons raised up their wrath against him.
      They wanted to hand him over to the ruler of Hades. Then they recognized one of his
      followers. A fire took hold of his soul. He (Judas?) handed him over, since no one knew
      him (Jesus?). They acted and seized him. They brought judgment upon themselves. And they
      delivered him up to the ruler of Hades. And they handed him over to Sasabek for nine
      bronze coins. He prepared himself to go down and put them to shame. Then the ruler of
      Hades took him. And he found that the nature of his flesh could not be seized, in order to
      show it to the archons. But he was saying: "Who is this? What is it? His word has
      abolished the law of the aeon. He is from the Logos of the power of life." And he was
      victorious over the command of the archons, and they were not able by their work to rule
      over him.

The archons searched after that which had come to pass. They did not know that this is
      the sign of their dissolution, and (that) it is the change of the aeon. The sun set during
      the day; that day became dark. The evil spirits were troubled. And after these things he
      will appear ascending. And the sign of the aeon that is to come will appear. And the aeons
      will dissolve.

And those who would know these things that were discussed with them, will become
      blessed. And they will reveal them, and they will become blessed, since they will come to
      know the truth. For you have found rest in the heavens.

Then many will follow him, and they will labor in their birthplaces. They will go
      about; they will write down his words according to (their) desire.

Behold, these aeons have passed. What size is the water of the aeon that has dissolved?
      What dimensions do aeons have? How will men prepare themselves, and how will they be
      established, and how will they become indestructible aeons?

But at first, after his preaching - it is he who proclaims the second aeon, and the
      first. And the first aeon perished in the course of time. He made the first aeon, going
      about in it until it perished, while preaching one hundred and twenty years in number.
      This is the perfect number that is highly exalted. He made the border of the West
      desolate, and he destroyed the East. Then your seed and those who wish to follow our great
      Logos and his proclamation - [...]

Then the wrath of the archons burned. They were ashamed of their dissolution. And they
      fumed and were angry at the life. The cities were <overturned>; the mountains
      dissolve. The archon came, with the archons of the western regions, to the East, i.e.,
      that place where the Logos appeared at first. Then the earth trembled, and the cities were
      troubled. Moreover, the birds ate and were filled with their dead. The earth mourned
      together with the inhabited world; they became desolate.

Then when the times were completed, then wickedness arose mightily even until the final
      end of the Logos. Then the archon of the western regions arose, and from the East he will
      perform a work, and he will instruct men in his wickedness. And he wants to nullify all
      teaching, the words of true wisdom, while loving the lying wisdom. For he attacked the
      old, wishing to introduce wickedness and to put on dignity. He was incapable, because the
      defilement of his garments is great. Then he became angry. He appeared and desired to go
      up and to pass up to that place.

Then the appointed time came and drew near. And he changed the commands. Then the time
      came until the child had grown up. When he had come to his maturity, then the archons sent
      the imitator to that man in order that they might know our great Power. And they were
      expecting from him that he would perform for them a sign. And he bore great signs. And he
      reigned over the whole earth and all those who are under heaven. He placed his throne upon
      the end of the earth, for "I shall make you god of the world". He will perform
      signs and wonders. Then they will turn from me, and they will go astray.

Then those men who will follow after him will introduce circumcision. And he will
      pronounce judgment upon those who are from the uncircumcision, who are the (true) people.
      For in fact he sent many preachers beforehand, who preached on his behalf.

When he has completed the established time of the kingdom of the earth, then the
      cleansing of the souls will come, since wickedness is stronger than you. All the powers of
      the sea will tremble and dry up, And the firmament will not pour down dew. The springs
      will cease. The rivers will not flow down to their springs. And the waters of the springs
      of the earth will cease. Then the depths will be laid bare and they will open. The stars
      will grow in size, and the sun will cease.

And I shall withdraw with everyone who will know me. And they will enter into the
      immeasurable light, (where) there is no one of the flesh nor the wantonness of the first
      to seize them. They will be unhampered (and) holy, since nothing drags them down. I myself
      protect them, since they have holy garments, which the fire cannot touch, nor darkness nor
      wind nor a moment, so as to cause one to shut the eyes.

Then he will come to destroy all of them. And they will be chastised until they become
      pure. Moreover their period, which was given to them to have power, which was apportioned
      to them, (is) fourteen hundred and sixty years. When the fire has consumed them all, and
      when it does not find anything else to burn, then it will perish by its own hand. Then the
      [...] will be completed [...] the second power [...] the mercy will come [...] through
      wisdom [...]. Then the firmaments will fall down into the depth. Then the sons of matter
      will perish; they will not be, henceforth.

Then the souls will appear, who are holy through the light of the Power, who is
      exalted, above all powers, the immeasurable, the universal one, I and all those who will
      know me. And they will be in the aeon of beauty of the aeon of judgment, since they are
      ready in wisdom, having given glory to him who is in the incomprehensible unity; and they
      see him because of his will, which is in them. And they all have become as reflections in
      his light. They all have shone, and they have found rest in his rest.

And he will release the souls that are being punished, and they will come to be in
      purity. And they will see the saints and cry out to them, "Have mercy on us, O Power
      who art above all powers!" For [...] and in the tree of iniquity that exists [...] to
      him their eyes. And they do not seek him because they do not seek us, nor do they believe
      us, but they acted according to the creation of the archons and its other rulers. But we
      have acted according to our birth of the flesh, in the creation of the archons, which
      gives law. We also have come to be in the unchangeable aeon.

The Concept of Our Great Power

   Original translation of this text was prepared by members of the

Coptic Gnostic Library Project of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont Graduate School.

The Coptic Gnostic Library Project was funded by UNESCO, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and other Institutions.

 E. J. Brill has asserted copyright on texts published by the Coptic Gnostic Library Project.

The translation presented here has been edited,  modified and formatted for use in the Gnostic Society Library.

For academic citation, please refer to published editions of this text.

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