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In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus readies the disciples for questions about where they came from and for a demand for a sign. The Coptic Apocalypse of Paul has the same kind of questioning as Paul rises past the powers of the heavens.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Gospel of Thomas 1:50
Nag Hammadi
49 Jesus said, “Blessed are the solitary and elect, for you will find the kingdom. For you have come from it, and to it you will return.” 50 Jesus said, “If they say to you, ‘Where did you come from?’ say to them, ‘We came from the light, from the place where the light came into being by itself, established itself, and appeared in their image.’ If they say to you, ‘Is it you?’ say, ‘We are its children, and we are the elect of the living Father.’ If they ask you, ‘What is the sign of your Father in you?’ say to them, ‘It is movement and repose.’” 51 His disciples said to him, “When will the repose of the dead come about, and when will the new world come?” He said to them, “What you look forward to has already come, but you do not recognize it.”
Coptic Apocalypse of Paul 5:9
Revelation of Paul
Nag Hammadi
The man, ancient (of days), spoke and asked [me], “Where are you going, O Paul, O blessed one, and the one set apart from his mother’s womb?” I, however, gazed on the Spirit. And he was shaking his head, saying to me, “Speak to him!” And in response I said to the man, ancient (of days), “I go to the place whence I came.” And the man, ancient (of days), asked me, “Where are you from?” I, however, said in response, “I descend to the world of the dead to lead captivity captive, that which was led captive in the captivity of Babylon.” The man, ancient (of days), spoke to me and asked, “How can you escape from me? Behold and look on the principalities and authorities.” [The] Spirit spoke and said, “Give to him [the] sign you have, and [he will] open for you.” And I then gave [him] the sign.
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Notes and References
“... On the other hand, salvation in the Gospel of Thomas is perceived in the same way as in many Gnostic writings. It is a result of one's knowing oneself (3; 70; cf. also 111) or, more precisely, one's divine origin in the realm of light (49; 50; 18; 19). Jesus' instruction in logion 50, which he gives his disciples who have to explain their identity, has its closest parallels in those Gnostic texts which describe the post-mortem ascent of the soul past archontic powers back to the realm of light. [...] Cf. Gos. Mary 15,1–17,7; 1 Apoc. Jas. 32,28–36,1; Ap. Jas. 8,35–36; Apoc. Paul 22,23–23,28; CH 1,24–26; Iren., Adv. haer. 1.21,5; Epiph., Pan. 26.13,2; 36.3,1–6; cf. also 2 Book of Jeu 127,5–138,4; PS 286,9–291,23. [...] Yet as regards the questions and answers presented in Gos. Thom. 50, the Gnostic ascent passages clearly provide the closest parallels. ...”
Marjanen, Antti
The Woman Jesus Loved: Mary Magdalene in the Nag Hammadi Library and Related Documents
(p. 34) E. J. Brill, 1996
* 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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