Texts in Conversation
The author of Ephesians compares a husband’s authority with Jesus’ authority over the church. Exegesis on the Soul, a Nag Hammadi text, applies this relationship to the individual soul and her heavenly husband.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Ephesians 5:23
New Testament
22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church (he himself being the savior of the body). 24 But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Exegesis on the Soul 4:7
Nag Hammadi
Because of this the prophet said about the first man and the first woman, “They will become one flesh.” ‒ (Genesis 2:24) For they were at first joined to each other when they dwelt with the Father before the woman led astray the man who is her brother. This marriage has joined them together again, and the soul has been united with her true love, her original master; as it is written, “For the woman’s master is her husband.” ‒ (Genesis 3:16), (Ephesians 5:23) One step at a time she then recognized him, and she rejoiced again, weeping in his presence, recalling her earlier shame as a widow. And she beautified herself even more so that he would be delighted to abide with her.
Search:
Notes and References
“... But [once] they unite [with one another], they become a single life. Wherefore the prophet said (Gn 2:24) concerning the first man and the first woman, They will become a single flesh. For they were originally joined to one another when they were with the father before the woman led astray the man, who is her brother. This marriage has brought them back together again and the soul has been joined to her true love, her real master, as it is written (cf. Gn 3:16; 1 Co 11:1; Ep 5:23), For the master of the woman is her husband. ...”
Robinson, William C., Jr.; Scopello, Maddalena
"The Exegesis on the Soul (II,6)" in Robinson, James M. (ed.) The Nag Hammadi Library in English
(p. 195) HarperCollins, 1990
* 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.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.
User Comments
,