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Substance of the Archons

Hypostasis of the Archons

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Eleleth Saves Norea

Chapter 7

The archons went to meet her, scheming to fool her. Their leader said to her, “Your mother, Eve, approached us,” but Norea turned to them, and said: “You are the archons of the darkness; cursed be you! You did not know my mother, but you instead knew your own female counterpart, because I am not your offspring; I come from the world above.” In his might, the haughty archon turned, and his expression became as a flaming [inferno]. He was presumptuous toward her, and [said]: “You must render us sexual services, as did your mother Eve, because [...] has been delegated to me.” Norea, however, in the power of [God] turned and cried with a loud voice to the Holy One, the God of the All: “Rescue me from archons of injustice and save me immediately from their hands!” An angel descended from heaven and said to her: “Why do you invoke God? Why are you so presumptuous toward the holy Spirit?” Norea said, “Who are you?” (Meanwhile), the archons of injustice had withdrawn from her. The angel said: “It is I, Eleleth, the great angel Wisdom, who stands in front of the holy Spirit. I have been sent to speak with you, and to save you from the hand of those who are lawless, and I will instruct you concerning your root.” Regarding that angel, I am unable to speak of his power. His appearance resembles fine gold, and his garment resembles snow. My mouth is truly unable to speak of his power and the appearance of his face.⁠ The great angel Eleleth spoke to me, and said: “I am Wisdom, being one of the Four Lights who stand in front of the great unseen Spirit. Do you (really) imagine that these archons are able to exercise (any) power over you? Not one of them will be able to conquer the root of the truth, because he has appeared in the last days on account of the root of the truth, and these authorities will be confined. Also, these authorities will be unable to defile you and that generation, because your abode is in indestructibility, where abides the virgin Spirit, who is superior over the authorities of chaos and over their world.”

Texts in conversation

Compare Gospel of Thomas 13 and Substance of the Archons 7:16

Nag Hammadi

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Summary

In the Gospel of Thomas, Thomas cannot find language to describe Jesus. Someone facing an angel says much the same in the Substance of the Archons, using the same failure of speech to convey how extraordinary the encounter is.

Passages

Gospel of Thomas 13

Nag Hammadi
12 The disciples said to Jesus, “We know that you will leave us. Who will be our leader?” Jesus said to them, “Wherever you are, you should go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being.” 13 Jesus said to his disciples, “Compare me and tell me whom I am like.” Simon Peter said to him, “You are like a righteous messenger.” Matthew said to him, “You are like a wise philosopher.” Thomas said to him, “Teacher, my mouth is utterly unable to say whom you are like.” Jesus said, “I am not your teacher. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring I have measured out.” And he took him and withdrew and spoke three sayings to him. When Thomas returned to his companions, they asked him, “What did Jesus say to you?” Thomas said to them, “If I tell you even one of the sayings he spoke to me, you will pick up stones and throw them at me, and fire will come out of the stones and burn you up.”
135–200 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Gospel of Thomas

Substance of the Archons 7:16

Nag Hammadi · Hypostasis of the Archons
The angel said: “It is I, Eleleth, the great angel Wisdom, who stands in front of the holy Spirit. I have been sent to speak with you, and to save you from the hand of those who are lawless, and I will instruct you concerning your root.” Regarding that angel, I am unable to speak of his power. His appearance resembles fine gold, and his garment resembles snow. My mouth is truly unable to speak of his power and the appearance of his face.
200–300 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Substance of the Archons

References

“... 13.4 Thomas said to him, ‘Master, my mouth is completely unable to say whom you are like.’ We will see from Jesus’ response (in 13.5) that the title ‘master’ or ‘teacher’ is not deemed appropriate, but the ineffability of Jesus’ identity seems to be the point on which Thomas is correct. Jesus is apparently not definable by existing roles within the creaturely realm, and he elsewhere gives rather oblique answers to questions of who he is (e.g. GTh 91). We can probably assume that Thomas is correct on the point of Jesus’ ineffability, but it is worth remembering that this viewpoint is not clearly endorsed. [...] There is an interesting parallel to the language here in the description of Eleleth in the Hypostasis of the Archons: ‘For my mouth will not be able to receive (it) in order to speak of his power and the appearance of his face ([...])’ (Hyp. Arch. 93,16–17). ...”
Simon Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas: Introduction and Commentary (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 263.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Gospel of Thomas 13 and Substance of the Archons 7:16

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