The Sophia of Jesus Christ is a
Gnostic
Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...
text that was first discovered in the
Berlin Codex
The Berlin Codex (also known as the Akhmim Codex), given the accession number ''Papyrus Berolinensis'' 8502, is a Coptic manuscript from the 5th century AD, unearthed in Akhmim, Egypt. In Cairo, in January 1896, Carl Reinhardt bought the codex, ...
(a Codex purchased in Cairo in 1896 and given to the Berlin Museum which also contains the ''Gospel of Mary'', the ''Apocryphon of John'', and a summary of the ''Act of Peter''). More famously, the ''Sophia of Jesus Christ'' is also among the many Gnostic tractates in the
Nag Hammadi codices, discovered in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
in 1945. The Berlin-Codex manuscript (as opposed to its contents) probably dates to c. AD 400, and the Nag-Hammadi manuscript has been dated to the 300s. However, these are complemented by a few fragments in Greek dating from the 200s, indicating an earlier date for the contents. The text has strong similarities to the ''
Epistle of Eugnostos'', which is also found in the Nag Hammadi codices, but with a Christian framing added, and expanding it somewhat.
Background
The debate about dating is critical, since some argue that it reflects the "true, recorded, sayings" of
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...
, which is possible if they were to be dated as far back as the 1st century. Others argue that they are, in fact, considerably later, and constitute an unreliable secondary source (at best ''post factum'' hearsay).
Most scholars argue that the text is of Gnostic origin, based on the similarities between the
mystical
Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...
teachings found in the text itself and standard Gnostic themes. Highly mystical, the content of this text concerns creation of
gods
A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater ...
,
angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...
s, and the
universe
The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the universe. ...
with an emphasis on
infinite
Infinite may refer to:
Mathematics
* Infinite set, a set that is not a finite set
*Infinity, an abstract concept describing something without any limit
Music
*Infinite (group), a South Korean boy band
*''Infinite'' (EP), debut EP of American m ...
and
metaphysical
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...
truth
Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth 2005 In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as belie ...
.
The text is composed of 13 questions from the disciples, followed by brief discourses by Jesus in response.
#The first question concerns the vanity and futility of searching for God.
#The second concerns how to find truth, but only explaining what it is not.
#The third concerns how truth was revealed to the
gnostics at the beginning of time.
#The fourth concerns how one must awake to see the truth.
#The fifth concerns how things began.
#The sixth concerns how mankind came to
gnosis
Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge ( γνῶσις, ''gnōsis'', f.). The term was used among various Hellenistic religions and philosophies in the Greco-Roman world. It is best known for its implication within Gnosticism, where it ...
.
#The seventh concerns the position of Jesus in all this.
#The eighth concerns the identity of Jesus.
#The ninth concerns how the spirit connects to the material.
#The tenth concerns the number of spirits.
#The eleventh concerns the immortal.
#The twelfth concerns those who are not material.
#The final question concerns where mankind came from and what purpose it should have.
References
External links
The Sophia of Jesus Christ translation by Douglas M. Parrott, a
the Gnosis Archive
Gnostic apocrypha
Nag Hammadi library
{{NewTestament-apocrypha-stub