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The Gospel of Philip's Cain story may draw on John's description of the devil as a murderous father. Philip makes this family link explicit by calling Cain the serpent's son, turning an accusation about murder into a story about Cain's birth.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
John 8:44
New Testament
42 Jesus replied, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here. I have not come on my own initiative, but he sent me. 43 Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept my teaching. 44 You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I am telling you the truth, you do not believe me.
Gospel of Philip 5:31
Nag Hammadi
The holy Spirit shepherds everything, and she governs [all] the powers that have been tamed, as well as those that have [not been tamed], and those that dwell alone by themselves, because truly she [...] corrals them, [in order that ...] want to, they will be unable to [escape]. [He who was] formed [...]. you would find his children to be noble beings. If he had not been formed, but begotten, you would find his offspring noble. However, he was molded, and he begot. What nobility this is! First, an adulteress appeared, and she was followed by a murderer, even he who was begotten of adultery, because he was the son of the serpent. Consequently, he was a murderer like his father as well, and he killed his brother. Every act of sexual union that has occurred between those who are unlike each other equals adultery.
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Notes and References
“... This saying alludes to the adulterous conception of Cain, who is the son of the serpent and became a murderer (ϩⲁⲧ7ⲣⲱⲙⲉ) like his father. This is similar to John 8:44 where Jesus indicates that the Jews who seek to kill him have the devil as their father, and he was a murderer (ϩⲉⲧ7ⲣⲱⲙⲉ || avnqrwpokto,noj) from the beginning. It is possible §42a was influenced by John 8:44 since the examples above (§§110a, 123d) indicate the probable influence of John 8 and the description of the serpent/devil as a murderer and father is similar in both passages, but 1 John 3:12–15 also relates Cain to the ‘evil one’ and includes the term avnqrwpokto,noj.57 ...”
Zelyck, Lorne R.
John among the Other Gospels: The Reception of the Fourth Gospel in the Extra-Canonical Gospels
(pp. 119-120) Mohr Siebeck, 2013
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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