

The Apocalypse of Paul -- 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 Apocalypse of Paul

Translated by George W. MacRae and William R. Murdock

            [...] the road. And he spoke to him, saying, "By which road shall I go up to
            Jerusalem?" The little child replied, saying, "Say your name, so that I may show
            you the road". The little child knew who Paul was. He wished to make conversation
            with him through his words in order that he might find an excuse for speaking with him.

The little child spoke, saying, "I know who you are, Paul. You are he who was
            blessed from his mother`s womb. For I have come to you that you may go up to Jerusalem to
            your fellow apostles. And for this reason you were called. And I am the Spirit who
            accompanies you. Let your mind awaken, Paul, with [...]. For [...] whole which [...] among
            the principalities and these authorities and archangels and powers and the whole race of
            demons, [...] the one that reveals bodies to a soul-seed."

And after he brought that speech to an end, he spoke, saying to me, "Let your mind
            awaken, Paul, and see that this mountain upon which you are standing is the mountain of
            Jericho, so that you may know the hidden things in those that are visible. Now it is to
            the twelve apostles that you shall go, for they are elect spirits, and they will greet
            you." He raised his eyes and saw them greeting him.

Then the Holy Spirit who was speaking with him caught him up on high to the third
            heaven, and he passed beyond to the fourth heaven. The Holy Spirit spoke to him, saying,
            "Look and see your likeness upon the earth." And he looked down and saw those
            who were upon the earth. He stared and saw those who were upon the [...]. Then he gazed
            down and saw the twelve apostles at his right and at his left in the creation; and the
            Spirit was going before them.

But I saw in the fourth heaven according to class - I saw the angels resembling gods,
            the angels bringing a soul out of the land of the dead. They placed it at the gate of the
            fourth heaven. And the angels were whipping it. The soul spoke, saying, "What sin was
            it that I committed in the world?" The toll-collector who dwells in the fourth heaven
            replied, saying, "It was not right to commit all those lawless deeds that are in the
            world of the dead". The soul replied, saying, "Bring witnesses! Let them show
            you in what body I committed lawless deeds. Do you wish to bring a book to read
            from?"

And the three witnesses came. The first spoke, saying, "Was I not in the body the
            second hour [...]? I rose up against you until you fell into anger and rage and
            envy." And the second spoke, saying, "Was I not in the world? And I entered at
            the fifth hour, and I saw you and desired you. And behold, then, now I charge you with the
            murders you committed." The third spoke, saying, "Did I not come to you at the
            twelfth hour of the day when the sun was about to set? I gave you darkness until you
            should accomplish your sins." When the soul heard these things, it gazed downward in
            sorrow. And then it gazed upward. It was cast down. The soul that had been cast down went
            to a body which had been prepared for it. And behold, its witnesses were finished.

Then I gazed upward and saw the Spirit saying to me, "Paul, come! Proceed toward
            me!". Then as I went, the gate opened, and I went up to the fifth heaven. And I saw
            my fellow apostles going with me while the Spirit accompanied us. And I saw a great angel
            in the fifth heaven holding an iron rod in his hand. There were three other angels with
            him, and I stared into their faces. But they were rivalling each other, with whips in
            their hands, goading the souls on to the judgment. But I went with the Spirit and the gate
            opened for me.

Then we went up to the sixth heaven. And I saw my fellow apostles going with me, and
            the Holy Spirit was leading me before them. And I gazed up on high and saw a great light
            shining down on the sixth heaven. I spoke, saying to the toll-collector who was in the
            sixth heaven, "Open to me and the Holy Spirit who is before me." He opened to
            me.

Then we went up to the seventh heaven, and I saw an old man [...] light and whose
            garment was white. His throne, which is in the seventh heaven, was brighter than the sun
            by seven times. The old man spoke, saying to me, "Where are you going, Paul? O
            blessed one and the one who was set apart from his mother`s womb." But I looked at
            the Spirit, and he was nodding his head, saying to me, "Speak with him!". And I
            replied, saying to the old man, "I am going to the place from which I came." And
            the old man responded to me, "Where are you from?" But I replied, saying,
            "I am going down to the world of the dead in order to lead captive the captivity that
            was led captive in the captivity of Babylon." The old man replied to me saying,
            "How will you be able to get away from me? Look and see the principalities and
            authorities." The Spirit spoke, saying, "Give him the sign that you have, and he
            will open for you." And then I gave him the sign. He turned his face downwards to his
            creation and to those who are his own authorities.

And then the <seventh> heaven opened and we went up to the Ogdoad. And I saw the
            twelve apostles. They greeted me, and we went up to the ninth heaven. I greeted all those
            who were in the ninth heaven, and we went up to the tenth heaven. And I greeted my fellow
            spirits.

The Apocalypse of Paul

   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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