The Patriarchs Were a Farce
With beneficial friendship I will fulfill all things by means of the Good One, because the harmony of truth is that they should be without an enemy. However, none of those who cause division learns wisdom, because causing division is not to be a friend, but an enemy to everyone. The one, however, who lives in the union and friendship of brotherly love, out of nature and not just out of obligation, perfectly and not just partly, that one is truly the desire of the Father, being universal and perfect love, because Adam was a farce, and he was created by the Hebdomad from the image of a type of a man, as if he had grown stronger than myself and my brethren, but we are innocent with regard to him, given that we did not sin. Abraham, however, was a farce, like Isaac and Jacob were, given that the Hebdomad gave them a name, that is, “patriarchs,” from the image, as if he had grown stronger than myself and my brethren, but we are innocent with regard to him, given that we did not sin. David was a farce, given that his son was named Son of Man, having been put into action by the Hebdomad, as if he had grown stronger than myself and my race, but we are innocent with regard to him. We did not sin. Solomon was a farce, given that he grew proud by means of the Hebdomad, even thinking he was Christ, as if he had grown stronger than myself and my brethren, but we are innocent with regard to him. I did not sin. The 12 prophets were a farce, given that they appeared as mimicries of the true prophets. They came to exist from the image by means of the Hebdomad, as if it had grown stronger than myself and my brethren, but we are innocent with regard to it, and we did not sin. Moses was a farce, “a faithful servant” called “friend.” They testified of him falsely, given that he never knew me. He knew me not, and not one of those who preceded him, from Adam to Moses and John the Baptizer, knew myself or my brethren. They possessed teaching from angels to keep dietary rules, even bitter bondage. They never knew the truth, and they will never know it, because their souls are in bondage, and they will never be able to find a free mind in order for them to know, unless they come to know the Son of Man. However, owing to my Father, I was the one the world knew not, and this is why it rose up in opposition to me and my brethren, but we are innocent with regard to it. We did not sin, because the archon was a farce, given that he said, “I am God, and there is no one who is greater than I am. I am the only one who is Father and Lord, and no one exists other than me. I am a jealous God, and I assign the sins of the fathers to the children for three and four generations” – as if he had grown stronger than myself and my brethren, but we are innocent with regard to him, because we did not sin. Although we learned his teaching, he abides in pride, and he does not concur with our Father, because he was a farce, with his judgment and false prophecy.
Texts in conversation
Compare Gospel of Thomas 52 and Second Discourse of the Great Seth 8:8
Nag Hammadi
Summary
Passages
Gospel of Thomas 52
Nag HammadiSecond Discourse of the Great Seth 8:8
Nag Hammadi · Second Treatise of the Great SethReferences
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