(The Teachings of Silvanus)
The Torah of Zillah[1]
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The Teachings of Silvanus was found among a large group or eclectic texts known as the Nag Hammadi Library or Codices. Many of the treatises in the Library are Gnostic, Hermetic or Philosophical. The Teachings of Silvanus / Torah of Zillah are none of these types, but Messianic Nazorean / Essene Wisdom literature. The literalistic translations available on the web do not do justice to the content of the epistle. My paraphrase is meant to get at the actual purpose of the writing, which I believe is to dissuade Silas of Jerusalem’s son from joining with violent, anti-Roman, anti-Herodian military factions such as the sect described in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The text is specific enough to convey the message but general enough to be of no threat to establishment powers. Some scholars date Silvanus to early second century. However, there is no reason why this letter could not have been written by Silas the Nazorean (mentioned in Acts 15:22, 27, 32, 34, 40, 16:19, 25, 29, 17:4, 10, 14, 15, 18:5, 2 Cor 1:19, 1 Thes 1:1, 2 Thes 1:1, 1 Peter 5:12). For more information, contact Silas, 801 605-1715, leave message. - Gush
Interpretation by Gush Patel
Zillah 1
1. Put an end to every childish fantasy; get yourself strength of mind and being. Step up the struggle against every folly of the passions of lust and root evil, the love of praise, the attachment to controversy, the maddening jealousy and rage, the resentment, the greedy desire.
2. Guard your campus, your weapons and spears. Arm yourself; arm all your word-soldiers and advice-commanders; use your reasoning to establish a standard of leadership.
3. My son, throw every thief out of your doors. Guard your gates with speech-flames and you will gain quiet through all the turmoil of life. The one who will not guard his resources will become like a city that has been taken and is barren.
4. All kinds of monsters have marched through, for immoral thoughts are evil, wild beasts. Your campus will be filled with thieves and you will get no peace, only all manner of wild, savage fiends.
5. The Depraved Tyrant is master over these. While leading the way, the Wicked One stands up from inside a great sludge-pit. The whole campus of your very being will thus like perish. Rid yourself from these, desolate being!
6. Get your guide and teacher. Your mind is your guide, and reason your teacher. They will convey you out of dangers and ruin.
7. Hear, my son, to my advice! Do not show your back to enemies and run away, but pursue them as a mighty man. Do not be like an animal with men pursuing you, but a person pursuing the evil, wild beasts; else they become victorious over you by some means then trample you as though you were already dead - until their impiety kills you.
8. Desolate person, what if you fall into their hands?
9. Protect yourself in case you are delivered over into the hands of your enemies. Entrust yourself to reason and mind, a friendly couple, and no one will be able to win victory over you.
10. May Elohim[2] inhabit your campus; may his Spirit protect your gates; may the mind of Yahweh guard your walls. Let revelatory reason become a torch in your brain, burning off the wood of iniquity entirely.
11. If you do these things, my son, you will beat all your enemies; they will not be strong enough to engage in battle against you, nor will they have power to resist you, nor will they get in your way.
12. For if you encounter them, you will see them as deniers of the truth and scorn them.
13. They will chatter to you, sweet-talking and enticing you: not because they are afraid of you personally, but because they are terrified of those who dwell within you: the guardians of Elohim and his Torah.
Zillah 2
1. My son, receive training and its lessons. Do not flee from instruction and teaching, but when you are taught, accept everything with joy. If you are trained in any certain duty, do it right. You will put on a helmet of instruction by means of your guiding standard. Put on the sacred teaching like a robe.
2. Make yourself noble-minded through good conduct. Obtain the seriousness of superior discipline. Judge yourself as a wise adjudicator. Yet do not go astray from my Torah so as to acquire ignorance to lead your men astray.
3. Do not run from Elohim nor his inner coaching, for he who is coaching you loves you very much and will pass on to you an admirable seriousness. Cast out the beastly nature within you, and do not allow immoral thought to enter. (You know my manner of teaching!)
4. If leading a few is successful (as you see it), how much better to lead all, since you are honored above every group and tribe! Are you not prominent in every respect, even in right strategy, mastering every power that destroys the inner being?
10. My son, who wants to be a slave? Then why do you stir yourself up (mistakenly)?
11. My son, revere no person but Elohim alone, the Exalted One. Cast off from you the sedition of Belial. Accept light in your eyes and cast away darkness. Live in Moshiach[3] and you will acquire a treasure in the heavens. Do not be like a sausage, composed of many worthless meats, and do not come to be a leader in your blind ignorance.
12. My son, consider my good and useful teaching and quit the sleepiness that weighs heavily on you. Leave the forgetfulness that fills you with darkness.
13. If you could not succeed, I would not have said these things to you. But Moshiach has come in order to give you this gift.
14. Why must you pursue darkness when light is at your service? Why drink stale water when sweet wine is available?
Zillah 3
1. Wisdom summons you, yet you want to be stupid - not that you really want to do stupidly, but the animal nature within you does.
2. Wisdom summons you in her goodness, saying, "Come to Me, all of you, O foolish ones, that you may receive a gift: first-rate proficiency in righteousness! Yea, I give you the robe of the High Priest, woven from all kinds of wisdom."
3. What is a more wicked death than death from ignorance? What is devilish darkness except forgetfulness? Cast your fear upon Elohim alone.
4. Do not care for profitless gold and silver; but put on wisdom as a priest
S robe; wear knowledge as a crown; sit upon a throne of perception. For these resources are already yours (yet maybe you will receive them again on high another time).
5. For a fool puts on folly like a robe; like a cloak of sadness, he wears his shame. He crowns himself with myopia, and takes his seat upon a throne of ignorance.
6. While he is unreasoning, he leads himself astray for he is guided by unawareness. And he takes the road of obsession – obsessed with all passions.
7. He swims in the cravings of life and sinks.
8. He thinks he finds profit when he does the unprofitable.
9. Because the wretch does not have the captain’s mind, when he charges through all these things, he dies; for he is like a ship that the wind tosses about; like a horse without a rider – loose.
10. Yet a horse must have a rider named “rationale.” The wretch went astray because he did not take rational advice. He was thrown off course by three misfortunes:
11. he received death for a father, ignorance for a mother, evil counselors, and demons for friends and brothers! So, foolish one, you should indeed mourn for yourself.
12. Therefore, from here on, my son, return to your true purpose. Cast off these wicked, deceiving ‘friends’! Accept Moshiach, the True Friend, as a superior teacher.
13. Throw off death, your adopted father; for death did not originally exist and will not exist at the end.
14. Still, since you cast off Elohim, the Devoted Parent, the True Life, the Spring of Living, you adopted death as a father and ignorance as a mother. They have robbed you of your knowledge of the Truth.
17. Return, my son, to your first father, Elohim, and Wisdom, your mother, from whom you came to be from the first so you might struggle successfully against all of your enemies – the Powers of the Satan.
Zillah 4
1. So listen, my son, to my counsel. Do not be arrogant and oppose every good opinion, but take the side YHWH’s reasoning.
2. Keep the set-apart commandments of Yahshua Moshiach; then you will reign over every realm on earth be honored by the angelic messengers.
3. Yes, you will have angels as friends and fellow servants, and you will possess properties in the Shamayim[4].
4. Do not bring grief and trouble to the Elohim in your heart.
5. As long as you obey him you may request of him to keep you set-apart toward becoming self-controlled in both soul and body. Thus you will become a throne for Wisdom in the household of Elohim. He will give you a great light through Her.
6. Above all, know of your birth: from what substance are you? or from what race? or from what species?
7. You should know that you have come from three races: from the earth, from the formed, and from the created. The body has come from the earth with an earth-like material; but the formed part, for the sake of the life-force, has come from the mind of Elohim.
8. The created is your mind, which has come into conformity with the image of Yahweh.
9. The heavenward mind gets its essence from the Elohim, but the soul is what Elohim formed from his own heart. For I think that the soul exists much as a partner to that which is in conformity with the image; then physical matter is the stuff of the body, coming from the ground.
10. If you mix yourself up, you will split into three parts as you descend from virtue into worthlessness. So live with the Mind. Do not reflect on things pertaining to the flesh.
11. Get some strength, for the mind is to be strong. If you fall, you will be neutralized. If you cast out the logical mind, you have excised the male part and made yourself a eunuch.
12. You may thus become intuitive since you take away the substance of the formed. But if you cast away even the smallest part of mind, you may not again re-acquire humanity.
13. For you would accept the animal mind and likeness: you would become carnal since all you have left is the beastly nature.
14. Since it is so difficult to find a mindful person, how much more so to find Elohim?
Zillah 5
1. But I teach that Elohim is the creator of spirit – the spiritual one. Humankind has taken shape from the essence of Elohim.
2. The divine part shares in this to some extent just as it shares in the flesh. The soulish part is wont to turn from one to the other – the mind to the flesh – the flesh to the mind – side to side to side. In this way, a person acquires images of what it considers real.
3. It is good for you, O man, to turn yourself toward the mind rather than toward the animal nature – the flesh. You will resemble that which you most often turn.
4. For which will you, O man, be zealous? Did you, O woman, desire to be beastly when you encountered the beastly nature? It is better for you to share in the true nature of life.
5. The essence of the animal will surely guide you in the challenges of the world all right; but the rational mind will guide you in rational ways. Turn toward the rational and cast away the earth-begotten nature.
6. O spirit, persistent one, be sober and shake off your drunkenness, your work of ignorance. If you remain in the body, you live plain. When you entered here through a physical birth, you came to be. Likewise, be borne into the bridal chamber!
7. Be of enlightened mind!
8. My son, do not swim in just any water-hole; that is, do not be defiled by occult knowledge. Certainly you know that the schemes of Satan are many and its tricks varied?
9. The intellectual has especially been robbed of intelligence by the viper. For it is fitting for you to be well-informed of the characteristics of the two: the viper’s cleverness and the dove’s innocence,
10. lest Satan come at you in a flatterer’s disguise, like a true friend, saying, "I predict good things for you."
11. You did not discern the treachery of this fellow when you accepted him as a true friend; for he casts evil thoughts into your heart – and seemingly good ones, too – such as
12. hypocrisy in the cloak of true wisdom; greed in the costume of thriftiness; love of esteem in the dress of the beautiful; boastfulness and pride in the semblance of great seriousness; and unrighteousness as great uprightness.
13. The one who says, "I have many gods," is without any. He offers imitation knowledge to your heart in the form of religious mysteries. Who may grasp his various notions and strategies since he is the master intellect for those who wish to accept his rule?
14. My son, how will you be able to ascertain his schemes and soul-killing instruction? For many are his devices and wicked schemes.
15. Consider hard where and how he may enter your soul, and in what disguise he will wear when he tries.
Zillah 6
1. Receive Moshiach, who is able to set you free – since he has already taken on the devices of the evil one so as to destroy the Satan by deception. For Moshiach is your King. He is forever invincible, against whom none may fight nor even speak a word.
2. Behold your King – even your Father – for there is none like him. The Rabbi[5] is with you always. He is your Paraclete[6] who seeks you out for the good in you.
3. Do not be cruel in your decisions; every cruel person wounds the heart of the Paraclete. Only a fool stays upon the course of destruction, but the wise knows the way.
4. And a fool does not guard against telling a secret plan; a wise person never blurts every word, but is discriminating, considering who may be listening. Do not talk around those whom you do not know well.
5. Have a great number of comrades, but not advisors. First, examine your advisor closely: do not honor any flatterer. The flatterer’s word is surely sweet as honey, but the flatterer’s heart is full of poisonous hellebore[7].
6. For whenever flatterers think they have become reliable friends, they will turn against you viciously, and throw you into the dung pile.
7. So trust no one as a friend, for this whole world has become deceitful, and every person is troubled with futility. Not everything of the world is profitable: most acts are in vain.
8. There is no trustworthy soul, not even a brother, since each individual seeks personal advantage.
9. My son, do not have any friend; but if you do get one, do not entrust yourself. To Elohim alone entrust yourself – as father and friend. For everyone proceeds deceitfully even as the whole world is full of suffering and pain – unprofitable things.
10. If you wish to pass your life in peace, do not keep company with anyone. And if you do keep company, act as if you do not. Be pleasing to Elohim and you will not need anyone else.
11. Live with the Anointed One and he will deliver you. For he is the Light of Truth and the Sun of Life.
12. For just as the visible sun makes light for fleshly eyes, so Moshiach illuminates every mind and the heart. If an unrighteous person has a bad physical death, how much worse for the one with the blind mind!
13. Every blind person who moves along alone is considered to be insane. He does not delight in acquiring illumination from Moshiach, which is reason.
14. For everything seen has a double that is unseen. As a fire burns unconfined, so it is with the sun in the sky, the rays of which extend to earth. Similarly, Moshiach is a solitary being that bears light to every place.
15. This is also how he speaks of our minds, as if they were burning lamps lighting up the room – being partially spirit, he lights up minds everywhere.
Zillah 7
1. I shall tell you what is greater than this: the mind inhabits a physical space in the body; but with respect to thought, that part of the mind is not in any place. For how can a mind be confined to one place since it contemplates all places?
2. What is even greater: never think that Elohim exists somewhere in particular. If you localize YHWH in one spot then it is natural to think that the spot is greater than the one who dwells in it; that is, something that contains is greater than what it cannot contain.
3. Yet there is no physical place we can go without a body. So it is incorrect for us to say that Elohim is corporeal in that sense.
4. We would have to attribute both growth and decline to that which is corporeal; if our Elohim be subjected to growth and decline, Elohim will not remain imperishable.
5. Though it is not difficult to know the Creator, it is impossible to envision his likeness. The difficulty is not only for humans, but even for mighty entities, malachim and ruling malachim[8].
6. Is it so necessary to know Elohim as he really is? You cannot know by any means but Moshiach, who owns the image of the Father: the image that reveals true likenesses corresponding to every characteristic of YHWH.
7. Is a king commonly known apart from an image? No.
8. Consider Elohim: he is every place; he is no place. With respect to power, he is every place; but with respect to spiriuality, he is no place.
9. So we say it is possible to know Elohim but a little. In power, he fills every place; but in the joy of his spirituality, nothing contains him.
10. Everything is in Elohim; but Elohim is not in anything.
11. What is it to know Elohim, then? Elohim is entirely in truth. It is as impossible to look at Moshiach as to look directly at the sun. Elohim sees everyone; yet no one sees Elohim. But Moshiach, without stinginess, receives and gives.
12. He is the Light of his Father – and he gives Father’s light freely. This is why he can give light to every place.
13. All is Moshiach for he inherited all from YHWH. Moshiach is designed for incorruptibility, and he is the Light that shines uncorrupted. The sun too shines on every impure place and yet it is not defiled.
14. So it is with Moshiach: even if he is scarce, he is without scarcity. Even if he is begotten, still he is unbegotten.
15. So it is with Moshiach: comprehensible; incomprehensible with respect to his actual being. Moshiach is all in all. Anyone who does not possess the All is unable to know Moshiach.
Zillah
1. My son, do not try to describe the Eternal One, and do not confine Elohim to mental images; for he who condemns may not be condemned by the One who condemns.
2. Yet it is good to ask and to get to know who Elohim is. “Reason” and “Mind” are masculine gender. Let the man who wishes to know about Elohim quietly and reverently ask.
3. There is no small danger in speaking about these things, since you know that you will be judged on the basis of everything that you say.
4. Those in darkness will not be able to see anything unless they receive the light and recover their sight by its means. See yourself – do you wholly have the light, so that, if you ask about these things from wrong motives, you may know how to escape?
5. Many are seeking in darkness, wishing to know, but groping around since there is no light for them.
6. My son, do not allow your mind to stare downward. Let it examine things above by the light. For the light will always come from above.
7. Even if the mind is upon the earth, let it seek to pursue the things above. Enlighten your mind with the light of shamayim[9], so that you may turn in its direction.
8. Do not tire of knocking on the door of reason; do not cease walking in the Way of Moshiach. Walk in it so you may receive rest from your labors.
9. If you walk in another way, there will be no profit in it. For those who walk in the broad way will eventually go down to the miry destruction. For Gey Hinnom[10] is open wide to all and the place of destruction is broad.
10. Receive Moshiach, the narrow way; for he is worried and bears affliction for your sin.
11. O your soul, you relentless one! In what ignorance you exist! For who is your guide into the darkness? How many personae[11] did Moshiach need to assume on account of you!
12. Although he is Elohim, he was discovered among humankind as though a man. He descended to Sheol[12] and released the righteous children of death. They were in travail, as the scripture of Elohim has said.
13. Then he sealed up the heart of Sheol and broke its strong bowers completely. And when all the princes had spotted him, they fled away, so that he might bring you, wretched one, up from the abyss, and might die for you as a ransom for your sin. Yes, He rescued you from the mighty hand of Sheol.
14. But you find it difficult to give him your serious consent with even so much as a hint – that he might take you onward with joy! Now the most important choice, heart-felt humility, is the gift of Moshiach. A heart of turning back is your acceptable sacrifice. If you humble yourself, you will be greatly exalted; and if you exalt yourself, you will be exceedingly humbled.
Zillah 9
1. My son, guard yourself against evil and do not let the Spirit of Wickedness cast you down into the Abyss. He is mad and bitter. He is terrifying, and he would cast everyone down into a pit of mire.
2. It is a great and good thing not to love immorality, and not to even to think of the shameful matter at all, for to think on lewdness is death.
3. It is not good for any person to fall into death. For a soul that has arrived at Death will be there for no good reason.
4. Still. it is better not to live at all than to assume the life of an animal. Protect yourself, lest you are burned by the fires of immorality. For those submerged in fires serve fire, whom you do not consider as your enemy.
5. O my son, strip off the old, lewd clothing and put on a clean, shining suit so you may be beautiful. And once you don the shining clothes, guard them well.
6. Release yourself from every shackle, so that you may be free. If you cast out vain desire (whose evil devices are many) you will release yourself from the sin of lusting.
7. Shema[13], O spirit man, to my advice! Do not become a burrow of foxes and snakes, nor a hole of serpents and vipers, nor a den of lions, or a cave of basilisks[14]. When these things happen to you, O spirit man, what will you do? For these are the powers of the haShatan[15].
8. Everything dead will come into you through the powers of Satan. For the food of demons is the corpse and every other unclean thing. For when these dead ones are within you, what living thing will enter?
9. The living spirits will detest you. You were a temple; you have made a tomb of yourself. Cease being a tomb and again become a temple so that righteousness and spirit may remain in you.
10. Light the light within you. Do not extinguish it! Certainly, no one lights a lamp for wild beasts or their young. Raise your dead, for they lived and have died for you. Give them life. Let them live again!
11. For the Tree of Life is Moshiach. He is Wisdom and Word. Yes, he is Wisdom and also Word. He is the Life, the Power, and the Door. He is the Light, the Spirit, and the Good Shepherd. Entrust yourself to the one who became All for your sake.
12. Knock on yourself as upon a door, and walk upon yourself as on a straight road. For if you walk on the road, it is impossible to go astray. And if you knock with wisdom, you knock for hidden treasures.
13. For since Moshiach is Wisdom, he can make even the fool wise. Wisdom is a set-apart kingdom and shining robe. For Wisdom is as good as gold, and can give you great esteem. 14. The Wisdom of Elohim became a fool for you so that it might take you up, O simple one, and make you a wise man. And Life died for you when he was powerless. Through his death, then, he might give life to you who are dead.
15. Entrust yourself to good sense and get yourself away from the animal. For the animal that has no mind is in here. Many think they have intellect, but if you watch them attentively, they speak as an animal.
16. Grant yourself gladness from the true vine of Moshiach. Satisfy yourself with the true wine, in which there is neither drunkenness nor error. For the true wine marks the end of drinking, since in consists of joy to both soul and spirit through the Spirit of Elohim.
17. But first, nurture your reasoning powers before you drink of the true wine.
Zillah 10
1. Pierce not with the sword of sin. Burn not, O wretched one, with the fire of lust. Surrender not yourself to barbarians so as to be a prisoner, or to savage beasts that will stomp you.
2. They as roaring lions! Play not dead lest they stomp you. You will be human! It is possible through reasoned living to conquer them.
3. But the person who does nothing about all this is unworthy of being considered rational. The rational person fears Elohim. He who fears Elohim does nothing disrespectful toward Elohim.
4. He who guards himself against doing anything disrespectful keeps his guiding Walk. Though he exists on earth, he is elohim.
5. Yet the one who makes herself like elohim, who does nothing unworthy of elohim, has become as Moshiach (according to the statement of Paul).
6. For who can revere Elohim and, at the same time, not want to please to him? Piety is from the heart, and heart-felt piety identifies everyone near to Elohim.
7. The spirit that is a member of Elohim's household is kept pure, and the soul that has put on Moshiach is pure. It is impossible for such to sin. Where Moshiach is, there sin is idle.
8. Let Moshiach alone enter your world, and let him cause all powers that have come upon you to cease their work against you.
9. Let him enter that temple within you, so that he may cast out all the salesmen. Let him dwell in the temple within you, and may you become a priest and minister for him in purity.
10. Blessed are you, O spirit-man, if you find Moshiach in your temple. Blessed are you all the more if you perform his temple service.
11. You defiling the temple of Elohim, Elohim will destroy. You lay yourself open if you cast Moshiach out. For when the enemies cannot discern Moshiach in you, they will come in armed to crush you.
12. O my son, I have given you orders concerning these things many times so that you would always guard your spirit. You may not cast Moshiach out; he will cast you out.
13. If you flee from him, you will fall into great wickedness. Again, if you flee from him, you will be food for your enemies. For all base persons flee from their rabbi, and those corrupt in purity and wisdom flee from Moshiach.
14. Everyone who is separated falls into the claws of wild beasts.
15. Know Moshiach and acquire him as a friend; he is the faithful friend. He is also Elohim and Master. Elohim became like man for your sake. He broke the iron bars of the Sheol, even the bronze bolts.
16. He attacked and cast down every arrogant tyrant. He loosened the chains that had grasped him. He raised the poor from the Abyss and the mourners from Sheol.
17. He humbled the haughty powers; he put to shame conceit through humility; he cast down the strong man and the boaster by weakness; he, in his contempt, scorned honor so that humility for Elohim's sake might be highly exalted.
18. Indeed, he has put on humanity.
Zillah 11
1. And yet, the heavenly Word is Elohim, who bears patiently with humans always.
2. He wishes to produce meekness in the exalted. Moshiach, who has raised humanity, became like Elohim, not so that he might bring El down to the human level, but that humans might become like Elohim.
3. O, great good of Elohim!
O, Moshiach, Ruler, who
Showed to man El Elyon,
Melek, King, of virtue true.
4. King of Life, King of Time.
Great One of the Shamayim:
Think not on my sin in rhyme:
Hear my pleadings and redeem!
5. Moshiach showed a great zeal for YHWH. Find me a wise, powerful or intelligent person, one of many resources, because he is on familiar terms with Chochmah?
6. Let Him speak shrewdly; allow Him to boast loudly! For everyone else is a fool, having shown off out of their own knowledge only.
7. For Moshiach confounds the counsels of spiteful people and he prevails over those wise in their own understanding.
8. Who will discover the Almighty’s ways, or to speak about YHWH, or proclaim correctly? If we have not been able to understand our fellow students, how can we possibly comprehend YHWH or the Mighty of the Shamayim?
9. If we scarcely find on earth, who will find in the shamayim? But the Great El and Great Esteem has made Himself known to the world.
10. And the Life of the Great Heavenly One wishes to renew all creation so that he may cast out the weak along with every black form, so all may shine forth in heavenly garments and thus make manifest the Torah of the Father, exceedingly bright, to all; so that Moshiach may publicly crown those wishing to contend well.
11. Moshiach, being judge of the contest, is he who crowns, teaching each to contend. The One who first contended received the crown, gained dominion, then appeared, shedding light on everyone.
12. And all were made new through the Spirit and the Mind haKodeshim[16].
13. O, Almighty YHWH, how much favor shall I give?
Not a one has uttered ample yadah davarim[17]!
14. You alone esteem the Word enough for us to live
And give your yeshua[18] to everyone, O Elohim.
15. Risen from your Heart then through your mouth into our sight:
The First-born Wisdom Prototype, the First Love and First Light.
16. For Moshiach is Light from the might of YHWH, and he is a giving off of the unique radiance of El Shaddai. He is the spotless mirror of the working of El, and he is the image of his goodness.
17. For he is also the Light of the Eternal Light. He is the eye that sees the invisible Father, always serving and creating by His will.
18. He alone came to be by the good intention of Father. For he is the incomprehensible Logos[19], he is Wisdom and he is Life.
19. And he gives life and nourishes all living things and powers. Just as the spirit gives life to all the limbs, he rules all with the power of rendering life.
20. For he is the Alef and the Yod for everyone, watching over all and encompassing them.
21. He is compassionate for everyone; his compassion rejoices and mourns. He mourns for those who have chosen the place of punishment as their lot; he is troubled about every one whom he arduously drives to Torah. But he rejoices over everyone who is clean.
22. So be forewarned in case you fall somehow into the hands of bandits. Do not allow sleep to enter your eyes nor drowsiness to cover your eyelids; so that he may provide you yeshua out - like a gazelle from nets, and like a bird from a trap.
Zillah 12
1. Fight this great war as long as the war lasts, while all the powers are stalking you – not only the good, but all the powers of Satan also.
2. Woe to you if you are defeated while all watch! If you fight the war and are victorious over the enemies, you will bring great joy to all the set-apart, and great disappointment to your enemies.
3. Your Judge aids your cause in every way since He wants you to be victorious.
4. Listen, my son; do not slow-eared. Once you have left the old man behind, raise yourself up like an eagle. Revere Elohim in all your acts and esteem him through good deeds.
5. You know that everyone who is not pleasing to YHWH is a son of destruction. He will go down to the Abyss of Sheol. Yet,
6. O, this patient Elohim
bears with humans, frail;
Sinners all he would redeem,
Not one soul would he fail.
7. No one prevents Elohim from doing what he desires. For who is stronger than him, that Elohim may be prevented? Surely he touches the earth and it trembles. Do not the mountains smoke?
8. He gathered together such a great sea as in a wineskin, and has weighed it on his scales. 9. Only the hand of YHWH has accomplished these things; for the hand of the Father is Moshiach – and this hand forms everything. All have come to be by it; and it became the mother of all.
10. For Moshiach is always the Father’s Son.
11. Consider these things about El Almighty, who always exists: El was not always King for fear he might be without a mighty heir. For all dwell in Elohim since all came to be through the Word, who is the Son, the image of the Father.
12. Elohim is nearby, not far away. Only spiritual entities belong to YHWH’s household. So if the Spirit agrees with you in anything, even in part only, know also that Elohim agrees with you.
13. But YHWH is not pleased with anything evil: Elohim teaches only what is good. This is what YHWH has given to humanity so that people might be chosen before angels, even archangels.
14. For Elohim does not need to put anyone to the test. He knows all things before they happen; he knows the hidden of the heart. They are all revealed and found wanting in his presence.
15. Let no one say that Elohim is ignorant. It is wrong to think that the Creator does not know; for he knows matters hidden in darkness as though they were before him in the light.
16. Indeed, there is no other completely hidden but Elohim. Though he is revealed to everyone, he remains very hidden. He is revealed only because He knows all.
17. And if people do not wish to affirm this fact, they may eventually be corrected by their heart.
18. But now he is hidden because no one perceives his works; for it is impossible to know the counsel of YHWH unless he reveals it; and it is just as difficult as to find Moshiach.
19. For he is the One who dwells in every place and in no place. No one cares to know Elohim in actuality, nor Moshiach, nor the Spirit, nor the chorus of angels, or even the archangels, as well as the thrones of the spirits, the exalted princes, and the Great Mind.
20. If you do not know yourself, you will not be able to know any of these.
Zillah 13
1. Open the door for yourself that you may know the One who is. Knock on yourself that the Logos may open for you; for he is the Great Ruler of Faith and the Sharp Sword, having become all for all because he wishes to have mercy on all.
2. My son, prepare yourself to escape from the world-rulers of darkness and of this kind of air, air full of malevolent powers. But if you have Moshiach, you will conquer this whole world.
3. What you open, you will open. What you knock on, you will knock on, all benefiting you.
4. So help yourself, my son, by not even starting the unprofitable. First cleanse yourself of the outward life so you may be capable of cleansing the inward.
5. And be not as salesmen of YHWH’s word. Put all words to the test before you speak them.
6. Do not wish to acquire honors; they are insecure; nor the boastfulness; which is ruin.
7. Accept the Wisdom of Moshiach, the patient and mild, and fervently guard it, O my son, realizing that the Torah of Yahweh is ever profitable.
IhsouV CristoV QeoV UioV Swter ICQUS[20] Wonder Extraordinary
[1] Zillah, Silas, Silvanus, the Shadow.
[2] Elohim, El = the Mighty One, the Almighty – often mistranslated “God.”
[3] Moshiach = Messiah.
[4] Shamayim = heavens.
[5] Rabbi = great one, usually refering to a great teacher or leader..
[6] Paraclete = one who stay alongside to be an advocate or counselor.
[7] Hellebore = an attractive but poisonous flower.
[8] Malachim = angels, messengers, ruling archangels.
[9] Shamayim = the skies; also the dimension in which the Creator was thought to dwell: heaven.
[10] Gey Hinnom = the Valley of Hinnom – burning, miry trash dump south of Jerusalem, the dumping-place of the dead.
[11] Personae (Latin) = characters in the drama of life.
[12] Sheol = the pit of death.
[13] Shema = listen and do.
[14] Basilisk = legendary snake that could kill with a glance.
[15] HaShatan = Satan, the Adversary.
[16] haKodeshim = things set apart, devoted, holy.
[17] Yadah davarim = words of praise.
[18] Shua, yeshua = rescue, salvation.
[19] Logos = Word, Greek.
[20] ICQUS translated “Yahshua Anointed Son of Elohim, Savior.” Though this is an Aramaic text. The anagram and comment is Greek. The anagram, ichthus, means “fish.” The mark, anagram and comment were added to this document by a later scribe perhaps after translating to Greek..
The Teachings of Silvanus
The Torah of Zillah[1]
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The Teachings of Silvanus was found among a large group or eclectic texts known as the Nag Hammadi Library or Codices. Many of the treatises in the Library are Gnostic, Hermetic or Philosophical. The Teachings of Silvanus / Torah of Zillah are none of these types, but Messianic Nazorean / Essene Wisdom literature. The literalistic translations available on the web do not do justice to the content of the epistle. My paraphrase is meant to get at the actual purpose of the writing, which I believe is to dissuade Silas of Jerusalem’s son from joining with violent, anti-Roman, anti-Herodian military factions such as the sect described in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The text is specific enough to convey the message but general enough to be of no threat to establishment powers. Some scholars date Silvanus to early second century. However, there is no reason why this letter could not have been written by Silas the Nazorean (mentioned in Acts 15:22, 27, 32, 34, 40, 16:19, 25, 29, 17:4, 10, 14, 15, 18:5, 2 Cor 1:19, 1 Thes 1:1, 2 Thes 1:1, 1 Peter 5:12). For more information, contact Silas, 801 605-1715, leave message. - Gush
Interpretation by Gush Patel
Zillah 1
1. Put an end to every childish fantasy; get yourself strength of mind and being. Step up the struggle against every folly of the passions of lust and root evil, the love of praise, the attachment to controversy, the maddening jealousy and rage, the resentment, the greedy desire.
2. Guard your campus, your weapons and spears. Arm yourself; arm all your word-soldiers and advice-commanders; use your reasoning to establish a standard of leadership.
3. My son, throw every thief out of your doors. Guard your gates with speech-flames and you will gain quiet through all the turmoil of life. The one who will not guard his resources will become like a city that has been taken and is barren.
4. All kinds of monsters have marched through, for immoral thoughts are evil, wild beasts. Your campus will be filled with thieves and you will get no peace, only all manner of wild, savage fiends.
5. The Depraved Tyrant is master over these. While leading the way, the Wicked One stands up from inside a great sludge-pit. The whole campus of your very being will thus like perish. Rid yourself from these, desolate being!
6. Get your guide and teacher. Your mind is your guide, and reason your teacher. They will convey you out of dangers and ruin.
7. Hear, my son, to my advice! Do not show your back to enemies and run away, but pursue them as a mighty man. Do not be like an animal with men pursuing you, but a person pursuing the evil, wild beasts; else they become victorious over you by some means then trample you as though you were already dead - until their impiety kills you.
8. Desolate person, what if you fall into their hands?
9. Protect yourself in case you are delivered over into the hands of your enemies. Entrust yourself to reason and mind, a friendly couple, and no one will be able to win victory over you.
10. May Elohim[2] inhabit your campus; may his Spirit protect your gates; may the mind of Yahweh guard your walls. Let revelatory reason become a torch in your brain, burning off the wood of iniquity entirely.
11. If you do these things, my son, you will beat all your enemies; they will not be strong enough to engage in battle against you, nor will they have power to resist you, nor will they get in your way.
12. For if you encounter them, you will see them as deniers of the truth and scorn them.
13. They will chatter to you, sweet-talking and enticing you: not because they are afraid of you personally, but because they are terrified of those who dwell within you: the guardians of Elohim and his Torah.
Zillah 2
1. My son, receive training and its lessons. Do not flee from instruction and teaching, but when you are taught, accept everything with joy. If you are trained in any certain duty, do it right. You will put on a helmet of instruction by means of your guiding standard. Put on the sacred teaching like a robe.
2. Make yourself noble-minded through good conduct. Obtain the seriousness of superior discipline. Judge yourself as a wise adjudicator. Yet do not go astray from my Torah so as to acquire ignorance to lead your men astray.
3. Do not run from Elohim nor his inner coaching, for he who is coaching you loves you very much and will pass on to you an admirable seriousness. Cast out the beastly nature within you, and do not allow immoral thought to enter. (You know my manner of teaching!)
4. If leading a few is successful (as you see it), how much better to lead all, since you are honored above every group and tribe! Are you not prominent in every respect, even in right strategy, mastering every power that destroys the inner being?
10. My son, who wants to be a slave? Then why do you stir yourself up (mistakenly)?
11. My son, revere no person but Elohim alone, the Exalted One. Cast off from you the sedition of Belial. Accept light in your eyes and cast away darkness. Live in Moshiach[3] and you will acquire a treasure in the heavens. Do not be like a sausage, composed of many worthless meats, and do not come to be a leader in your blind ignorance.
12. My son, consider my good and useful teaching and quit the sleepiness that weighs heavily on you. Leave the forgetfulness that fills you with darkness.
13. If you could not succeed, I would not have said these things to you. But Moshiach has come in order to give you this gift.
14. Why must you pursue darkness when light is at your service? Why drink stale water when sweet wine is available?
Zillah 3
1. Wisdom summons you, yet you want to be stupid - not that you really want to do stupidly, but the animal nature within you does.
2. Wisdom summons you in her goodness, saying, "Come to Me, all of you, O foolish ones, that you may receive a gift: first-rate proficiency in righteousness! Yea, I give you the robe of the High Priest, woven from all kinds of wisdom."
3. What is a more wicked death than death from ignorance? What is devilish darkness except forgetfulness? Cast your fear upon Elohim alone.
4. Do not care for profitless gold and silver; but put on wisdom as a priest
S robe; wear knowledge as a crown; sit upon a throne of perception. For these resources are already yours (yet maybe you will receive them again on high another time).
5. For a fool puts on folly like a robe; like a cloak of sadness, he wears his shame. He crowns himself with myopia, and takes his seat upon a throne of ignorance.
6. While he is unreasoning, he leads himself astray for he is guided by unawareness. And he takes the road of obsession – obsessed with all passions.
7. He swims in the cravings of life and sinks.
8. He thinks he finds profit when he does the unprofitable.
9. Because the wretch does not have the captain’s mind, when he charges through all these things, he dies; for he is like a ship that the wind tosses about; like a horse without a rider – loose.
10. Yet a horse must have a rider named “rationale.” The wretch went astray because he did not take rational advice. He was thrown off course by three misfortunes:
11. he received death for a father, ignorance for a mother, evil counselors, and demons for friends and brothers! So, foolish one, you should indeed mourn for yourself.
12. Therefore, from here on, my son, return to your true purpose. Cast off these wicked, deceiving ‘friends’! Accept Moshiach, the True Friend, as a superior teacher.
13. Throw off death, your adopted father; for death did not originally exist and will not exist at the end.
14. Still, since you cast off Elohim, the Devoted Parent, the True Life, the Spring of Living, you adopted death as a father and ignorance as a mother. They have robbed you of your knowledge of the Truth.
17. Return, my son, to your first father, Elohim, and Wisdom, your mother, from whom you came to be from the first so you might struggle successfully against all of your enemies – the Powers of the Satan.
Zillah 4
1. So listen, my son, to my counsel. Do not be arrogant and oppose every good opinion, but take the side YHWH’s reasoning.
2. Keep the set-apart commandments of Yahshua Moshiach; then you will reign over every realm on earth be honored by the angelic messengers.
3. Yes, you will have angels as friends and fellow servants, and you will possess properties in the Shamayim[4].
4. Do not bring grief and trouble to the Elohim in your heart.
5. As long as you obey him you may request of him to keep you set-apart toward becoming self-controlled in both soul and body. Thus you will become a throne for Wisdom in the household of Elohim. He will give you a great light through Her.
6. Above all, know of your birth: from what substance are you? or from what race? or from what species?
7. You should know that you have come from three races: from the earth, from the formed, and from the created. The body has come from the earth with an earth-like material; but the formed part, for the sake of the life-force, has come from the mind of Elohim.
8. The created is your mind, which has come into conformity with the image of Yahweh.
9. The heavenward mind gets its essence from the Elohim, but the soul is what Elohim formed from his own heart. For I think that the soul exists much as a partner to that which is in conformity with the image; then physical matter is the stuff of the body, coming from the ground.
10. If you mix yourself up, you will split into three parts as you descend from virtue into worthlessness. So live with the Mind. Do not reflect on things pertaining to the flesh.
11. Get some strength, for the mind is to be strong. If you fall, you will be neutralized. If you cast out the logical mind, you have excised the male part and made yourself a eunuch.
12. You may thus become intuitive since you take away the substance of the formed. But if you cast away even the smallest part of mind, you may not again re-acquire humanity.
13. For you would accept the animal mind and likeness: you would become carnal since all you have left is the beastly nature.
14. Since it is so difficult to find a mindful person, how much more so to find Elohim?
Zillah 5
1. But I teach that Elohim is the creator of spirit – the spiritual one. Humankind has taken shape from the essence of Elohim.
2. The divine part shares in this to some extent just as it shares in the flesh. The soulish part is wont to turn from one to the other – the mind to the flesh – the flesh to the mind – side to side to side. In this way, a person acquires images of what it considers real.
3. It is good for you, O man, to turn yourself toward the mind rather than toward the animal nature – the flesh. You will resemble that which you most often turn.
4. For which will you, O man, be zealous? Did you, O woman, desire to be beastly when you encountered the beastly nature? It is better for you to share in the true nature of life.
5. The essence of the animal will surely guide you in the challenges of the world all right; but the rational mind will guide you in rational ways. Turn toward the rational and cast away the earth-begotten nature.
6. O spirit, persistent one, be sober and shake off your drunkenness, your work of ignorance. If you remain in the body, you live plain. When you entered here through a physical birth, you came to be. Likewise, be borne into the bridal chamber!
7. Be of enlightened mind!
8. My son, do not swim in just any water-hole; that is, do not be defiled by occult knowledge. Certainly you know that the schemes of Satan are many and its tricks varied?
9. The intellectual has especially been robbed of intelligence by the viper. For it is fitting for you to be well-informed of the characteristics of the two: the viper’s cleverness and the dove’s innocence,
10. lest Satan come at you in a flatterer’s disguise, like a true friend, saying, "I predict good things for you."
11. You did not discern the treachery of this fellow when you accepted him as a true friend; for he casts evil thoughts into your heart – and seemingly good ones, too – such as
12. hypocrisy in the cloak of true wisdom; greed in the costume of thriftiness; love of esteem in the dress of the beautiful; boastfulness and pride in the semblance of great seriousness; and unrighteousness as great uprightness.
13. The one who says, "I have many gods," is without any. He offers imitation knowledge to your heart in the form of religious mysteries. Who may grasp his various notions and strategies since he is the master intellect for those who wish to accept his rule?
14. My son, how will you be able to ascertain his schemes and soul-killing instruction? For many are his devices and wicked schemes.
15. Consider hard where and how he may enter your soul, and in what disguise he will wear when he tries.
Zillah 6
1. Receive Moshiach, who is able to set you free – since he has already taken on the devices of the evil one so as to destroy the Satan by deception. For Moshiach is your King. He is forever invincible, against whom none may fight nor even speak a word.
2. Behold your King – even your Father – for there is none like him. The Rabbi[5] is with you always. He is your Paraclete[6] who seeks you out for the good in you.
3. Do not be cruel in your decisions; every cruel person wounds the heart of the Paraclete. Only a fool stays upon the course of destruction, but the wise knows the way.
4. And a fool does not guard against telling a secret plan; a wise person never blurts every word, but is discriminating, considering who may be listening. Do not talk around those whom you do not know well.
5. Have a great number of comrades, but not advisors. First, examine your advisor closely: do not honor any flatterer. The flatterer’s word is surely sweet as honey, but the flatterer’s heart is full of poisonous hellebore[7].
6. For whenever flatterers think they have become reliable friends, they will turn against you viciously, and throw you into the dung pile.
7. So trust no one as a friend, for this whole world has become deceitful, and every person is troubled with futility. Not everything of the world is profitable: most acts are in vain.
8. There is no trustworthy soul, not even a brother, since each individual seeks personal advantage.
9. My son, do not have any friend; but if you do get one, do not entrust yourself. To Elohim alone entrust yourself – as father and friend. For everyone proceeds deceitfully even as the whole world is full of suffering and pain – unprofitable things.
10. If you wish to pass your life in peace, do not keep company with anyone. And if you do keep company, act as if you do not. Be pleasing to Elohim and you will not need anyone else.
11. Live with the Anointed One and he will deliver you. For he is the Light of Truth and the Sun of Life.
12. For just as the visible sun makes light for fleshly eyes, so Moshiach illuminates every mind and the heart. If an unrighteous person has a bad physical death, how much worse for the one with the blind mind!
13. Every blind person who moves along alone is considered to be insane. He does not delight in acquiring illumination from Moshiach, which is reason.
14. For everything seen has a double that is unseen. As a fire burns unconfined, so it is with the sun in the sky, the rays of which extend to earth. Similarly, Moshiach is a solitary being that bears light to every place.
15. This is also how he speaks of our minds, as if they were burning lamps lighting up the room – being partially spirit, he lights up minds everywhere.
Zillah 7
1. I shall tell you what is greater than this: the mind inhabits a physical space in the body; but with respect to thought, that part of the mind is not in any place. For how can a mind be confined to one place since it contemplates all places?
2. What is even greater: never think that Elohim exists somewhere in particular. If you localize YHWH in one spot then it is natural to think that the spot is greater than the one who dwells in it; that is, something that contains is greater than what it cannot contain.
3. Yet there is no physical place we can go without a body. So it is incorrect for us to say that Elohim is corporeal in that sense.
4. We would have to attribute both growth and decline to that which is corporeal; if our Elohim be subjected to growth and decline, Elohim will not remain imperishable.
5. Though it is not difficult to know the Creator, it is impossible to envision his likeness. The difficulty is not only for humans, but even for mighty entities, malachim and ruling malachim[8].
6. Is it so necessary to know Elohim as he really is? You cannot know by any means but Moshiach, who owns the image of the Father: the image that reveals true likenesses corresponding to every characteristic of YHWH.
7. Is a king commonly known apart from an image? No.
8. Consider Elohim: he is every place; he is no place. With respect to power, he is every place; but with respect to spiriuality, he is no place.
9. So we say it is possible to know Elohim but a little. In power, he fills every place; but in the joy of his spirituality, nothing contains him.
10. Everything is in Elohim; but Elohim is not in anything.
11. What is it to know Elohim, then? Elohim is entirely in truth. It is as impossible to look at Moshiach as to look directly at the sun. Elohim sees everyone; yet no one sees Elohim. But Moshiach, without stinginess, receives and gives.
12. He is the Light of his Father – and he gives Father’s light freely. This is why he can give light to every place.
13. All is Moshiach for he inherited all from YHWH. Moshiach is designed for incorruptibility, and he is the Light that shines uncorrupted. The sun too shines on every impure place and yet it is not defiled.
14. So it is with Moshiach: even if he is scarce, he is without scarcity. Even if he is begotten, still he is unbegotten.
15. So it is with Moshiach: comprehensible; incomprehensible with respect to his actual being. Moshiach is all in all. Anyone who does not possess the All is unable to know Moshiach.
Zillah
1. My son, do not try to describe the Eternal One, and do not confine Elohim to mental images; for he who condemns may not be condemned by the One who condemns.
2. Yet it is good to ask and to get to know who Elohim is. “Reason” and “Mind” are masculine gender. Let the man who wishes to know about Elohim quietly and reverently ask.
3. There is no small danger in speaking about these things, since you know that you will be judged on the basis of everything that you say.
4. Those in darkness will not be able to see anything unless they receive the light and recover their sight by its means. See yourself – do you wholly have the light, so that, if you ask about these things from wrong motives, you may know how to escape?
5. Many are seeking in darkness, wishing to know, but groping around since there is no light for them.
6. My son, do not allow your mind to stare downward. Let it examine things above by the light. For the light will always come from above.
7. Even if the mind is upon the earth, let it seek to pursue the things above. Enlighten your mind with the light of shamayim[9], so that you may turn in its direction.
8. Do not tire of knocking on the door of reason; do not cease walking in the Way of Moshiach. Walk in it so you may receive rest from your labors.
9. If you walk in another way, there will be no profit in it. For those who walk in the broad way will eventually go down to the miry destruction. For Gey Hinnom[10] is open wide to all and the place of destruction is broad.
10. Receive Moshiach, the narrow way; for he is worried and bears affliction for your sin.
11. O your soul, you relentless one! In what ignorance you exist! For who is your guide into the darkness? How many personae[11] did Moshiach need to assume on account of you!
12. Although he is Elohim, he was discovered among humankind as though a man. He descended to Sheol[12] and released the righteous children of death. They were in travail, as the scripture of Elohim has said.
13. Then he sealed up the heart of Sheol and broke its strong bowers completely. And when all the princes had spotted him, they fled away, so that he might bring you, wretched one, up from the abyss, and might die for you as a ransom for your sin. Yes, He rescued you from the mighty hand of Sheol.
14. But you find it difficult to give him your serious consent with even so much as a hint – that he might take you onward with joy! Now the most important choice, heart-felt humility, is the gift of Moshiach. A heart of turning back is your acceptable sacrifice. If you humble yourself, you will be greatly exalted; and if you exalt yourself, you will be exceedingly humbled.
Zillah 9
1. My son, guard yourself against evil and do not let the Spirit of Wickedness cast you down into the Abyss. He is mad and bitter. He is terrifying, and he would cast everyone down into a pit of mire.
2. It is a great and good thing not to love immorality, and not to even to think of the shameful matter at all, for to think on lewdness is death.
3. It is not good for any person to fall into death. For a soul that has arrived at Death will be there for no good reason.
4. Still. it is better not to live at all than to assume the life of an animal. Protect yourself, lest you are burned by the fires of immorality. For those submerged in fires serve fire, whom you do not consider as your enemy.
5. O my son, strip off the old, lewd clothing and put on a clean, shining suit so you may be beautiful. And once you don the shining clothes, guard them well.
6. Release yourself from every shackle, so that you may be free. If you cast out vain desire (whose evil devices are many) you will release yourself from the sin of lusting.
7. Shema[13], O spirit man, to my advice! Do not become a burrow of foxes and snakes, nor a hole of serpents and vipers, nor a den of lions, or a cave of basilisks[14]. When these things happen to you, O spirit man, what will you do? For these are the powers of the haShatan[15].
8. Everything dead will come into you through the powers of Satan. For the food of demons is the corpse and every other unclean thing. For when these dead ones are within you, what living thing will enter?
9. The living spirits will detest you. You were a temple; you have made a tomb of yourself. Cease being a tomb and again become a temple so that righteousness and spirit may remain in you.
10. Light the light within you. Do not extinguish it! Certainly, no one lights a lamp for wild beasts or their young. Raise your dead, for they lived and have died for you. Give them life. Let them live again!
11. For the Tree of Life is Moshiach. He is Wisdom and Word. Yes, he is Wisdom and also Word. He is the Life, the Power, and the Door. He is the Light, the Spirit, and the Good Shepherd. Entrust yourself to the one who became All for your sake.
12. Knock on yourself as upon a door, and walk upon yourself as on a straight road. For if you walk on the road, it is impossible to go astray. And if you knock with wisdom, you knock for hidden treasures.
13. For since Moshiach is Wisdom, he can make even the fool wise. Wisdom is a set-apart kingdom and shining robe. For Wisdom is as good as gold, and can give you great esteem. 14. The Wisdom of Elohim became a fool for you so that it might take you up, O simple one, and make you a wise man. And Life died for you when he was powerless. Through his death, then, he might give life to you who are dead.
15. Entrust yourself to good sense and get yourself away from the animal. For the animal that has no mind is in here. Many think they have intellect, but if you watch them attentively, they speak as an animal.
16. Grant yourself gladness from the true vine of Moshiach. Satisfy yourself with the true wine, in which there is neither drunkenness nor error. For the true wine marks the end of drinking, since in consists of joy to both soul and spirit through the Spirit of Elohim.
17. But first, nurture your reasoning powers before you drink of the true wine.
Zillah 10
1. Pierce not with the sword of sin. Burn not, O wretched one, with the fire of lust. Surrender not yourself to barbarians so as to be a prisoner, or to savage beasts that will stomp you.
2. They as roaring lions! Play not dead lest they stomp you. You will be human! It is possible through reasoned living to conquer them.
3. But the person who does nothing about all this is unworthy of being considered rational. The rational person fears Elohim. He who fears Elohim does nothing disrespectful toward Elohim.
4. He who guards himself against doing anything disrespectful keeps his guiding Walk. Though he exists on earth, he is elohim.
5. Yet the one who makes herself like elohim, who does nothing unworthy of elohim, has become as Moshiach (according to the statement of Paul).
6. For who can revere Elohim and, at the same time, not want to please to him? Piety is from the heart, and heart-felt piety identifies everyone near to Elohim.
7. The spirit that is a member of Elohim's household is kept pure, and the soul that has put on Moshiach is pure. It is impossible for such to sin. Where Moshiach is, there sin is idle.
8. Let Moshiach alone enter your world, and let him cause all powers that have come upon you to cease their work against you.
9. Let him enter that temple within you, so that he may cast out all the salesmen. Let him dwell in the temple within you, and may you become a priest and minister for him in purity.
10. Blessed are you, O spirit-man, if you find Moshiach in your temple. Blessed are you all the more if you perform his temple service.
11. You defiling the temple of Elohim, Elohim will destroy. You lay yourself open if you cast Moshiach out. For when the enemies cannot discern Moshiach in you, they will come in armed to crush you.
12. O my son, I have given you orders concerning these things many times so that you would always guard your spirit. You may not cast Moshiach out; he will cast you out.
13. If you flee from him, you will fall into great wickedness. Again, if you flee from him, you will be food for your enemies. For all base persons flee from their rabbi, and those corrupt in purity and wisdom flee from Moshiach.
14. Everyone who is separated falls into the claws of wild beasts.
15. Know Moshiach and acquire him as a friend; he is the faithful friend. He is also Elohim and Master. Elohim became like man for your sake. He broke the iron bars of the Sheol, even the bronze bolts.
16. He attacked and cast down every arrogant tyrant. He loosened the chains that had grasped him. He raised the poor from the Abyss and the mourners from Sheol.
17. He humbled the haughty powers; he put to shame conceit through humility; he cast down the strong man and the boaster by weakness; he, in his contempt, scorned honor so that humility for Elohim's sake might be highly exalted.
18. Indeed, he has put on humanity.
Zillah 11
1. And yet, the heavenly Word is Elohim, who bears patiently with humans always.
2. He wishes to produce meekness in the exalted. Moshiach, who has raised humanity, became like Elohim, not so that he might bring El down to the human level, but that humans might become like Elohim.
3. O, great good of Elohim!
O, Moshiach, Ruler, who
Showed to man El Elyon,
Melek, King, of virtue true.
4. King of Life, King of Time.
Great One of the Shamayim:
Think not on my sin in rhyme:
Hear my pleadings and redeem!
5. Moshiach showed a great zeal for YHWH. Find me a wise, powerful or intelligent person, one of many resources, because he is on familiar terms with Chochmah?
6. Let Him speak shrewdly; allow Him to boast loudly! For everyone else is a fool, having shown off out of their own knowledge only.
7. For Moshiach confounds the counsels of spiteful people and he prevails over those wise in their own understanding.
8. Who will discover the Almighty’s ways, or to speak about YHWH, or proclaim correctly? If we have not been able to understand our fellow students, how can we possibly comprehend YHWH or the Mighty of the Shamayim?
9. If we scarcely find on earth, who will find in the shamayim? But the Great El and Great Esteem has made Himself known to the world.
10. And the Life of the Great Heavenly One wishes to renew all creation so that he may cast out the weak along with every black form, so all may shine forth in heavenly garments and thus make manifest the Torah of the Father, exceedingly bright, to all; so that Moshiach may publicly crown those wishing to contend well.
11. Moshiach, being judge of the contest, is he who crowns, teaching each to contend. The One who first contended received the crown, gained dominion, then appeared, shedding light on everyone.
12. And all were made new through the Spirit and the Mind haKodeshim[16].
13. O, Almighty YHWH, how much favor shall I give?
Not a one has uttered ample yadah davarim[17]!
14. You alone esteem the Word enough for us to live
And give your yeshua[18] to everyone, O Elohim.
15. Risen from your Heart then through your mouth into our sight:
The First-born Wisdom Prototype, the First Love and First Light.
16. For Moshiach is Light from the might of YHWH, and he is a giving off of the unique radiance of El Shaddai. He is the spotless mirror of the working of El, and he is the image of his goodness.
17. For he is also the Light of the Eternal Light. He is the eye that sees the invisible Father, always serving and creating by His will.
18. He alone came to be by the good intention of Father. For he is the incomprehensible Logos[19], he is Wisdom and he is Life.
19. And he gives life and nourishes all living things and powers. Just as the spirit gives life to all the limbs, he rules all with the power of rendering life.
20. For he is the Alef and the Yod for everyone, watching over all and encompassing them.
21. He is compassionate for everyone; his compassion rejoices and mourns. He mourns for those who have chosen the place of punishment as their lot; he is troubled about every one whom he arduously drives to Torah. But he rejoices over everyone who is clean.
22. So be forewarned in case you fall somehow into the hands of bandits. Do not allow sleep to enter your eyes nor drowsiness to cover your eyelids; so that he may provide you yeshua out - like a gazelle from nets, and like a bird from a trap.
Zillah 12
1. Fight this great war as long as the war lasts, while all the powers are stalking you – not only the good, but all the powers of Satan also.
2. Woe to you if you are defeated while all watch! If you fight the war and are victorious over the enemies, you will bring great joy to all the set-apart, and great disappointment to your enemies.
3. Your Judge aids your cause in every way since He wants you to be victorious.
4. Listen, my son; do not slow-eared. Once you have left the old man behind, raise yourself up like an eagle. Revere Elohim in all your acts and esteem him through good deeds.
5. You know that everyone who is not pleasing to YHWH is a son of destruction. He will go down to the Abyss of Sheol. Yet,
6. O, this patient Elohim
bears with humans, frail;
Sinners all he would redeem,
Not one soul would he fail.
7. No one prevents Elohim from doing what he desires. For who is stronger than him, that Elohim may be prevented? Surely he touches the earth and it trembles. Do not the mountains smoke?
8. He gathered together such a great sea as in a wineskin, and has weighed it on his scales. 9. Only the hand of YHWH has accomplished these things; for the hand of the Father is Moshiach – and this hand forms everything. All have come to be by it; and it became the mother of all.
10. For Moshiach is always the Father’s Son.
11. Consider these things about El Almighty, who always exists: El was not always King for fear he might be without a mighty heir. For all dwell in Elohim since all came to be through the Word, who is the Son, the image of the Father.
12. Elohim is nearby, not far away. Only spiritual entities belong to YHWH’s household. So if the Spirit agrees with you in anything, even in part only, know also that Elohim agrees with you.
13. But YHWH is not pleased with anything evil: Elohim teaches only what is good. This is what YHWH has given to humanity so that people might be chosen before angels, even archangels.
14. For Elohim does not need to put anyone to the test. He knows all things before they happen; he knows the hidden of the heart. They are all revealed and found wanting in his presence.
15. Let no one say that Elohim is ignorant. It is wrong to think that the Creator does not know; for he knows matters hidden in darkness as though they were before him in the light.
16. Indeed, there is no other completely hidden but Elohim. Though he is revealed to everyone, he remains very hidden. He is revealed only because He knows all.
17. And if people do not wish to affirm this fact, they may eventually be corrected by their heart.
18. But now he is hidden because no one perceives his works; for it is impossible to know the counsel of YHWH unless he reveals it; and it is just as difficult as to find Moshiach.
19. For he is the One who dwells in every place and in no place. No one cares to know Elohim in actuality, nor Moshiach, nor the Spirit, nor the chorus of angels, or even the archangels, as well as the thrones of the spirits, the exalted princes, and the Great Mind.
20. If you do not know yourself, you will not be able to know any of these.
Zillah 13
1. Open the door for yourself that you may know the One who is. Knock on yourself that the Logos may open for you; for he is the Great Ruler of Faith and the Sharp Sword, having become all for all because he wishes to have mercy on all.
2. My son, prepare yourself to escape from the world-rulers of darkness and of this kind of air, air full of malevolent powers. But if you have Moshiach, you will conquer this whole world.
3. What you open, you will open. What you knock on, you will knock on, all benefiting you.
4. So help yourself, my son, by not even starting the unprofitable. First cleanse yourself of the outward life so you may be capable of cleansing the inward.
5. And be not as salesmen of YHWH’s word. Put all words to the test before you speak them.
6. Do not wish to acquire honors; they are insecure; nor the boastfulness; which is ruin.
7. Accept the Wisdom of Moshiach, the patient and mild, and fervently guard it, O my son, realizing that the Torah of Yahweh is ever profitable.
IhsouV CristoV QeoV UioV Swter ICQUS[20] Wonder Extraordinary
[1] Zillah, Silas, Silvanus, the Shadow.
[2] Elohim, El = the Mighty One, the Almighty – often mistranslated “God.”
[3] Moshiach = Messiah.
[4] Shamayim = heavens.
[5] Rabbi = great one, usually refering to a great teacher or leader..
[6] Paraclete = one who stay alongside to be an advocate or counselor.
[7] Hellebore = an attractive but poisonous flower.
[8] Malachim = angels, messengers, ruling archangels.
[9] Shamayim = the skies; also the dimension in which the Creator was thought to dwell: heaven.
[10] Gey Hinnom = the Valley of Hinnom – burning, miry trash dump south of Jerusalem, the dumping-place of the dead.
[11] Personae (Latin) = characters in the drama of life.
[12] Sheol = the pit of death.
[13] Shema = listen and do.
[14] Basilisk = legendary snake that could kill with a glance.
[15] HaShatan = Satan, the Adversary.
[16] haKodeshim = things set apart, devoted, holy.
[17] Yadah davarim = words of praise.
[18] Shua, yeshua = rescue, salvation.
[19] Logos = Word, Greek.
[20] ICQUS translated “Yahshua Anointed Son of Elohim, Savior.” Though this is an Aramaic text. The anagram and comment is Greek. The anagram, ichthus, means “fish.” The mark, anagram and comment were added to this document by a later scribe perhaps after translating to Greek..
The Teachings of Silvanus
Translated by Malcolm L. Peel and Jan Zandee
Abolish every childish time of life, acquire for yourself strength of mind and soul, and intensify the struggle against every folly of the passions of love and base wickedness, and love of praise, and fondness of contention, and tiresome jealousy and wrath, and anger and the desire of avarice. Guard your (pl.) camp and weapons and spears. Arm yourself and all the soldiers, which are the words, and the commanders, which are the counsels, and your mind as a guiding principle.
My son, throw every robber out of your gates. Guard all your gates with torches, which are the words, and you will acquire through all these things a quiet life. But he who will not guard these things will become like a city which is desolate, since it has been captured. All kinds of wild beasts have trampled upon it, for thoughts which are not good are evil wild beasts. And your city will be filled with robbers, and you will not be able to acquire peace, but only all kinds of savage wild beasts. The Wicked One, who is a tyrant, is lord over these. While directing this, he (the Wicked One) is beneath the great mire. The whole city, which is your soul, will perish.
Remove yourself from these things, O wretched soul! Bring your guide and your teacher. The mind is the guide, but reason is the teacher. They will bring you out of destruction and dangers.
Listen, my son, to my advice! Do not show your back to enemies and flee, but rather, pursue them as a strong one. Be not an animal, with men pursuing you; but rather, be a man, with you pursuing the evil wild beasts, lest somehow they become victorious over you and trample upon you as on a dead man, and you perish due to their wickedness.
Oh wretched man, what will you do if you fall into their hands? Protect yourself, lest you be delivered into the hands of your enemies. Entrust yourself to this pair of friends, reason and mind, and no one will be victorious over you. May God dwell in your camp, may his Spirit protect your gates, and may the mind of Divinity protect the walls. Let holy reason become a torch in your mind, burning the wood which is the whole of sin.
And if you do these things, O my son, you will be victorious over all your enemies, and they will not be able to wage war against you, neither will they be able to resist, nor will they be able to get in your way. For if you find these, you will despise them as deniers of truth. They will speak to you, cajoling you and enticing (you), not because they are afraid of you, but because they are afraid of those who dwell within you, namely, the guardians of the divinity and the teaching.
My son, accept the education and the teaching. Do not flee from the education and the teaching, but when you are taught, accept (it) with joy. And if you are educated in any matter, do what is good. You will plait a crown of education by your guiding principle. Put on the holy teaching like a robe. Make yourself noble-minded through good conduct. Obtain the austerity of good discipline. Judge yourself like a wise judge. Do not go astray from my teaching, and do not acquire ignorance, lest you lead your people astray. Do not flee from the divine and the teaching which are within you, for he who is teaching you loves you very much. For he shall bequeath to you a worthy austerity. Cast out the animal nature which is within you, and do not allow base thought to enter you. For ... you know the way which I teach.
If it is good to rule over the few, as you see it, how much better it is that you rule over everyone, since you are exalted above every congregation and every people, (are) prominent in every respect, and (are) a divine reason, having become master over every power which kills the soul.
My son, does anyone want to be a slave? Why, then, do you trouble yourself wrongly?
My son, do not fear anyone except God alone, the Exalted One. Cast the deceitfulness of the Devil from you. Accept the light for your eyes, and cast the darkness from you. Live in Christ, and you will acquire a treasure in heaven. Do not become a sausage (made) of many things which are useless, and do not become a guide in your blind ignorance.
My son, listen to my teaching, which is good and useful, and end the sleep which weighs heavily upon you. Depart from the forgetfulness which fills you with darkness, since if you were unable to do anything, I would not have said these things to you. But Christ has come in order to give you this gift. Why do you pursue the darkness when the light is at your disposal? Why do you drink stale water, though sweet wine is available for you? Wisdom summons you, yet you desire folly. Not by your own desire do you do these things, but it is the animal nature within you that does them.
Wisdom summons you in her goodness, saying, "Come to Me, all of you, O foolish ones, that you may receive a gift, the understanding which is good and excellent. I am giving to you a high-priestly garment which is woven from every (kind of) wisdom." What else is evil death except ignorance? What else is evil darkness except familiarity with forgetfulness? Cast your anxiety upon God alone. Do not become desirous of gold and silver, which are profitless, but clothe yourself with wisdom like a robe; put knowledge on yourself like a crown, and be seated upon a throne of perception. For these are yours, and you will receive them again on high another time.
For a foolish man usually puts on folly like a robe, and like a garment of sorrow, he puts on shame. And he crowns himself with ignorance, and takes his seat upon a throne of nescience. For while he is without reason, he leads only himself astray, for he is guided by ignorance. And he goes the ways of the desire of every passion. He swims in the desires of life and has sunk. To be sure, he thinks that he finds profit when he does all the things which are without profit. The wretched man who goes through all these things will die, because he does not have the mind, the helmsman. But he is like a ship which the wind tosses to and fro, and like a loose horse which has no rider. For this (man) needed the rider, which is reason. For the wretched one went astray because he did not want advice. He was thrown to and fro by these three misfortunes: he acquired death as a father, ignorance as a mother, and evil counsels - he acquired them as friends and brothers. Therefore, foolish one, you should mourn for yourself.
From now on, then, my son, return to your divine nature. Cast from you these evil, deceiving friends! Accept Christ, this true friend, as a good teacher. Cast from you death, which has become a father to you. For death did not exist, nor will it exist at the end.
But since you cast from yourself God, the holy Father, the true Life, the Spring of Life, therefore you have obtained death as a father and have acquired ignorance as a mother. They have robbed you of the true knowledge.
But return, my son, to your first father, God, and Wisdom, your Mother, from whom you came into being from the very first in order that you might fight against all of your enemies, the Powers of the Adversary.
Listen, my son, to my advice. Do not be arrogant in opposition to every good opinion, but take for yourself the side of the divinity of reason. Keep the holy commandments of Jesus Christ, and you will reign over every place on earth, and will be honored by the angels and archangels. Then you will acquire them as friends and fellow servants, and you will acquire places in heaven above.
Do not bring grief and trouble to the divine which is within you. But when you will care for it, will request of it that you remain pure, and will become self-controlled in your soul and body, you will become a throne of wisdom, and one belonging to God's household. He will give you a great light through it (wisdom).
But before everything (else), know your birth. Know yourself, that is, from what substance you are, or from what race, or from what species. Understand that you have come into being from three races: from the earth, from the formed, and from the created. The body has come into being from the earth with an earthly substance, but the formed, for the sake of the soul, has come into being from the thought of the Divine. The created, however, is the mind, which has come into being in conformity with the image of God. The divine mind has substance from the Divine, but the soul is that which he (God) formed for their own hearts. For I think that it (the soul) exists as wife of that which has come into being in conformity with the image, but matter is the substance of the body, which has come into being from the earth.
If you mix yourself, you will acquire the three parts as you fall from virtue into inferiority. Live according to the Mind. Do not think about things pertaining to the flesh. Acquire strength, for the mind is strong. If you fall from this other, you have become male-female. And if you cast out of yourself the substance of the mind, which is thought, you have cut off the male part, and turned yourself to the female part alone. You have become psychic, since you have received the substance of the formed. If you cast out the smallest part of this, so that you do not acquire again a human part - but you have accepted for yourself the animal thought and likeness - you have become fleshly, since you have taken on animal nature. For (if) it is difficult to find a psychical man, how much more so to find the Lord?
But I say that God is the spiritual one. Man has taken shape from the substance of God. The divine soul shares partly in this one; furthermore, it shares partly in the flesh. The base soul is wont to turn from side to side, [...] which it images the truth.
It is good for you, O man, to turn yourself toward the human, rather than toward the animal nature - I mean toward the fleshly. You will take on the likeness of the part toward which you will turn yourself.
I shall say something further to you. Again, for what will you (masc. sg.) be zealous? Did you (fem. sg.) wish to become animal when you had come into this kind of nature? But rather, share in a true nature of life. To be sure, animality will guide you into the race of the earth, but the rational nature will guide you in rational ways. Turn toward the rational nature, and cast from yourself the earth-begotten nature.
O soul, persistent one, be sober and shake off your drunkenness, which is the work of ignorance. If you persist and live in the body, you dwell in rusticity. When you entered into a bodily birth, you were begotten. Come into being inside the bridal chamber! Be illuminated in mind!
My son, do not swim in any water, and do not allow yourself to be defiled by strange kinds of knowledge. Certainly you know that the schemes of the Adversary are not few, and (that) the tricks which he has are varied? Especially has the noetic man been robbed of the intelligence of the snake. For it is fitting for you to be in agreement with the intelligence of (these) two: with the intelligence of the snake and with the innocence of the dove - lest he (the Adversary) come into you in the guise of a flatterer, as a true friend, saying, "I advise good things for you."
But you did not recognize the deceitfulness of this one when you received him as a true friend. For he casts into your heart evil thoughts as good ones, and hypocrisy in the guise of true wisdom, avidity in the guise of conservative frugality, love of glory in the guise of that which is beautiful, boastfulness and pride in the guise of great austerity, and godlessness as great godliness. For he who says, "I have many gods," is godless. And he casts spurious knowledge into your heart in the guise of mysterious words. Who will be able to comprehend his thoughts and devices, which are varied, since he is a Great Mind for those who wish to accept him as king?
My son, how will you be able to comprehend the schemes of this one, or his soul-killing counsel? For his devices, and the schemes of his wickedness, are many. And think about his entrances, that is, how he will enter your soul, and in what garment he will enter you.
Accept Christ, who is able to set you free, and who has taken on the devices of that one, so that through these he might destroy him by deceit. For this is the king whom you have who is forever invincible, against whom no one will be able to fight nor say a word. This is your king and your father, for there is no one like him. The divine teacher is with you always. He is a helper, and he meets you because of the good which is in you.
Do not put maliciousness in your judgment, for every malicious man harms his heart. For only a foolish man is wont to his destruction, but a wise man knows his way.
And a foolish man does not guard against speaking (a) mystery: A wise man (however) does not blurt out every word, but he will be discriminating toward those who hear. Do not mention everything in the presence of those whom you do not know.
Have a great number of friends, but not counselors. First, examine your counselor, for do not honor anyone who flatters. Their word, to be sure, is sweet as honey, but their heart is full of hellebore. For whenever they think that they have become a reliable friend, then they will deceitfully turn against you, and they will cast you down into the mire.
Do not trust anyone as a friend, for this whole world has come into being deceitfully, and every man is troubled in vain. All things of the world are not profitable, but they happen in vain. There is no one, not even a brother (who is trustworthy), since each one is seeking his own advantage.
My son, do not have anyone as a friend, but if you do acquire one, do not entrust yourself to him. Entrust yourself to God alone as father and as friend. For everyone proceeds deceitfully, while the whole earth is full of suffering and pain - things in which there is no profit. If you wish to pass your life in quiet, do not keep company with anyone. And if you do keep company with them, be as if you do not. Be pleasing to God, and you will not need anyone.
Live with Christ and he will save you. For he is the true light and the sun of life. For just as the sun which is visible and makes light for the eyes of the flesh, so Christ illuminates every mind and the heart. For (if) a wicked man (who is) in the body (has) an evil death, how much more so (does) he who has his mind blind. For every blind man goes along in such a way that he is seen just as one who does not have his mind sane. He does not delight in acquiring the light of Christ, which is reason.
For everything which is visible is a copy of that which is hidden. For as a fire which burns in a place without being confined to it, so it is with the sun which is in the sky, all of whose rays extend to places on the earth. Similarly, Christ has a single being, and he gives light to every place. This is also the way in which he speaks of our mind, as if it were a lamp which burns and lights up the place. (Being) in a part of the soul, it gives light to all the parts.
Furthermore, I shall speak of what is more exalted than this: the mind, with respect to actual being, is in a place, which means it is in the body; but with respect to thought, the mind is not in a place. For how can it be in a place, when it contemplates every place?
But we are able to mention what is more exalted than this: for do not think in your heart that God exists in a place. If you localize the Lord of all in a place, then it is fitting for you to say that the place is more exalted than he who dwells in it. For that which contains is more exalted than that which is contained. For there is no place which is called incorporeal. For it is not right for us to say that God is corporeal. For the consequence (would be) that we (must) attribute both increase and decrease to the corporeal, but also that he (God) who is subject to these will not remain imperishable.
Now, it is not difficult to know the Creator of all creatures, but it is impossible to comprehend the likeness of this One. For it is difficult not only for men to comprehend God, but it is (also) difficult for every divine being, (both) the angels and the archangels. It is necessary to know God as he is. You cannot know God through anyone except Christ, who has the image of the Father, for this image reveals the true likeness in correspondence to that which is revealed. A king is not usually known apart from an image.
Consider these things about God: he is in every place; on the other hand, he is in no place. With respect to power, to be sure, he is in every place; but with respect to divinity, he is in no place. So then, it is possible to know God a little. With respect to his power, he fills every place, but in the exaltation of his divinity, nothing contains him. Everything is in God, but God is not in anything.
Now what is it to know God? God is all which is in the truth. But it is as impossible to look at Christ as at the sun. God sees everyone; no one looks at him. But Christ, without being jealous, receives and gives. He is the Light of the Father, as he gives light without being jealous. In this manner he gives light to every place.
And all is Christ, he who has inherited all from the Existent One. For Christ is the idea of incorruptibility, and he is the Light which is shining undefiled. For the sun (shines) on every impure place, and yet it is not defiled. So it is with Christ: even if he is in the deficiency, yet he is without deficiency. And even if he has been begotten, he is (still) unbegotten. So it is with Christ: if, on the one hand, he is comprehensible, on the other, he is incomprehensible with respect to his actual being. Christ is all. He who does not possess all is unable to know Christ.
My son, do not dare to say a word about this One, and do not confine the God of all to mental images. For he who condemns may not be condemned by the one who condemns. Indeed, it is good to ask and to know who God is. Reason and mind are male names. Indeed, let him who wishes to know about this One, quietly and reverently ask. For there is no small danger in speaking about these things, since you know that you will be judged on the basis of everything that you say.
And understand by this that he who is in darkness will not be able to see anything unless he receives the light and recovers (his) sight by means of it. Examine yourself (to see) whether you wholly have the light, so that, if you ask about these things, you may understand how you will escape. For many are seeking in darkness, and they grope about, wishing to understand, since there is no light for them.
My son, do not allow your mind to stare downward, but rather, let it look by means of the light at things above. For the light will always come from above. Even if it (the mind) is upon the earth, let it seek to pursue the things above. Enlighten your mind with the light of heaven, so that you may turn to the light of heaven.
Do not tire of knocking on the door of reason, and do not cease walking in the way of Christ. Walk in it so that you may receive rest from your labors. If you walk in another way, there will be no profit in it. For also those who walk in the broad way will go down at their end to the perdition of the mire. For the Underworld is open wide for the soul, and the place of perdition is broad. Accept Christ, the narrow way. For he is oppressed and bears affliction for your sin.
O soul, persistent one, in what ignorance you exist! For who is your guide into the darkness? How many likenesses did Christ take on because of you! Although he was God, he was found among men as a man. He descended to the Underworld. He released the children of death. They were in travail, as the scripture of God has said. And he sealed up the (very) heart of it (the Underworld). And he broke its (the Underworld's) strong bows completely. And when all the powers had seen him, they fled, so that he might bring you, wretched one, up from the Abyss, and might die for you as a ransom for your sin. He saved you from the strong hand of the Underworld.
But you, yourself, difficult (though it be) give to him your fundamental assent with (even so much as) a hint that he may take you up with joy! Now the fundamental choice, which is humility of heart, is the gift of Christ. A contrite heart is the acceptable sacrifice. If you humble yourself, you will be greatly exalted; and if you exalt yourself, you will be exceedingly humbled.
My son, guard yourself against wickedness, and do not let the Spirit of Wickedness cast you down into the Abyss. For he is mad and bitter. He is terrifying, and he casts everyone down into a pit of mire.
It is a great and good thing not to love fornication, and not even to think of the wretched matter at all, for to think of it is death. It is not good for any man to fall into death. For a soul which has been found in death will be without reason. For it is better not to live than to acquire an animal's life. Protect yourself, lest you are burned by the fires of fornication. For many who are submerged in fire are its servants, whom you do not know as your enemies.
O my son, strip off the old garment of fornication, and put on the garment which is clean and shining, that you may be beautiful in it. But when you have this garment, protect it well. Release yourself from every bond, so that you may acquire freedom. If you cast out of yourself the desire whose devices are many, you will release yourself from the sins of lust.
Listen, O soul, to my advice. Do not become a den of foxes and snakes, nor a hole of serpents and asps, nor a dwelling place of lions, or a place of refuge of basilisk-snakes. When these things happen to you, O soul, what will you do? For these are the powers of the Adversary. Everything which is dead will come into you through them (the powers). For their food is everything which is dead, and every unclean thing. For when these are within you, what living thing will come into you? The living angels will detest you. You were a temple, (but) you have made yourself a tomb. Cease being a tomb, and become (again) a temple, so that uprightness and divinity may remain in you.
Light the light within you. Do not extinguish it! Certainly, no one lights a lamp for wild beasts or their young. Raise your dead who have died, for they lived and have died for you. Give them life. They shall live again!
For the Tree of Life is Christ. He is Wisdom. For he is Wisdom; he is also the Word. he is the Life, the Power, and the Door. He is the Light, the Angel, and the Good Shepherd. Entrust yourself to this one who became all for your sake.
Knock on yourself as upon a door, and walk upon yourself as on a straight road. For if you walk on the road, it is impossible for you to go astray. And if you knock with this one (Wisdom), you knock on hidden treasures.
For since he (Christ) is Wisdom, he makes the foolish man wise. He (Wisdom) is a holy kingdom and a shining robe. For it (Wisdom) is much gold, which gives you great honor. The Wisdom of God became a type of fool for you, so that it might take you up, O foolish one, and make you a wise man. And the Life died for you when he was powerless, so that through his death, he might give life to you who have died.
Entrust yourself to reason and remove yourself from animalism. For the animal which has no reason is made manifest. For many think that they have reason, but if you look at them attentively, their speech is animalistic.
Give yourself gladness from the true vine of Christ. Satisfy yourself with the true wine, in which there is no drunkenness nor error. For it (the true wine) marks the end of drinking, since there is usually in it what gives joy to the soul and the mind, through the Spirit of God. But first, nurture your reasoning powers before you drink of it (the true wine).
Do not pierce yourself with the sword of sin. Do not burn yourself, O wretched one, with the fire of lust. Do not surrender yourself to barbarians like a prisoner, nor to savage beasts which want to trample upon you. For they are as lions which roar very loudly. Be not dead lest they trample upon you. You shall be man! It is possible for you through reasoning to conquer them.
But the man who does nothing is unworthy of (being called) rational man. The rational man is he who fears God. He who fears God does nothing insolent. And he who guards himself against doing anything insolent is one who keeps his guiding principle. Although he is a man who exists on earth, he makes himself like God.
But he who makes himself like God is one who does nothing unworthy of God, according to the statement of Paul, who has become like Christ.
For who shows reverence for God while not wanting to do things which are pleasing to him? For piety is that which is from the heart, and piety from the heart (characterizes) every soul which is near to God.
The soul which is a member of God's household is one which is kept pure, and the soul which has put on Christ is one which is pure. It is impossible for it to sin. Now where Christ is, there sin is idle.
Let Christ alone enter your world, and let him bring to naught all powers which have come upon you. Let him enter the temple which is within you, so that he may cast out all the merchants. Let him dwell in the temple which is within you, and may you become for him a priest and a Levite, entering in purity.
Blessed are you, O soul, if you find this one in your temple.
Blessed are you still more if you perform his service.
But he who will defile the temple of God, that one God will destroy. For you lay yourself open, O man, if you cast this one out of your temple. For whenever the enemies do not see Christ in you, then they will come into you armed in order to crush you.
O my son, I have given you orders concerning these things many times so that you would always guard your soul. It is not you who will cast him (Christ) out, but he will cast you out. For if you flee from him, you will fall into great sin. Again, if you flee from him, you will become food for your enemies. For all base persons flee from their lord, and the (man) base in virtue and wisdom flees from Christ. For every man who is separated (from him) falls into the claws of wild beasts.
Know who Christ is, and acquire him as a friend, for this is the friend who is faithful. He is also God and Teacher. This one, being God, became man for your sake. It is this one who broke the iron bars of the Underworld, and the bronze bolts. It is this one who attacked and cast down every haughty tyrant. It is he who loosened from himself the chains of which he had taken hold. He brought up the poor from the Abyss and the mourners from the Underworld. It is he who humbled the haughty powers; he who put to shame haughtiness through humility; he who has cast down the strong and the boaster through weakness; he who, in his contempt, scorned that which is considered an honor, so that humility for God's sake might be highly exalted; (and) he who has put on humanity.
And yet, the divine Word is God, he who bears patiently with man always. He wished to produce humility in the exalted. He (Christ), who has exalted man became like God, not in order that he might bring God down to man, but that man might become like God.
O this great goodness of God! O Christ, King, who has revealed to men the Great Divinity, King of every virtue and King of life, King of ages and Great One of the heavens, hear my words and forgive me!
Furthermore, he manifested a great zeal for Divinity.
Where is a man (who is) wise or powerful in intelligence, or a man whose devices are many because he knows wisdom? Let him speak wisdom; let him utter great boasting! For every man has become a fool and has spoken out of his (own) knowledge. For he (Christ) confounded the counsels of guileful people, and he prevailed over those wise in their own understanding.
Who will be able to discover the counsel of the Almighty, or to speak of the Divinity, or to proclaim it correctly? If we have not even been able to understand the counsels of our companions, who will be able to comprehend the Divinity, or the divinities of the heavens? If we scarcely find things on earth, who will search for the things of heaven? A great power and great glory has made the world known.
And the Life of Heaven wishes to renew all, that he may cast out that which is weak, and every black form, that everyone may shine forth in heavenly garments in order to make manifest the command of the Father (who) is exceedingly brilliant, and that he (Christ) may crown those wishing to contend well. Christ, being judge of the contest, is he who crowned every one, teaching every one to contend. This one who contended first received the crown, gained dominion, and appeared, giving light to everyone. And all were made new through the Holy Spirit and the Mind.
O Lord Almighty, how much glory shall I give Thee? No one has been able to glorify God adequately. It is Thou who hast given glory to Thy Word in order to save everyone, O Merciful God. (It is) he who has come from Thy mouth and has risen from Thy heart, the First-born, the Wisdom, the Prototype, the First Light.
For he is light from the power of God, and he is an emanation of the pure glory of the Almighty. He is the spotless mirror of the working of God, and he is the image of his goodness. For he is also the light of the Eternal Light. He is the eye which looks at the invisible Father, always serving and forming by the Father's will. He alone was begotten by the Father's good pleasure. For he is an incomprehensible Word, and he is Wisdom and Life. He gives life to, and nourishes, all living things and powers. Just as the soul gives life to all the members, he rules all with power and gives life to them. For he is the beginning and the end of everyone, watching over all and encompassing them. He is troubled on behalf of everyone, and he rejoices and also mourns. On the one hand, he mourns for those who have gotten as their lot the place of punishment; on the other, he is troubled about every one whom he arduously brings to instruction. But he rejoices over everyone who is in purity.
Then beware, lest somehow you fall into the hands of robbers. Do not allow sleep to your eyes nor drowsiness to your eyelids, that you may be saved like a gazelle from nets, and like a bird from a trap.
Fight the great fight as long as the fight lasts, while all the powers are staring after you - not only the holy ones, but also all the powers of the Adversary. Woe to you if you are vanquished in the midst of every one who is watching you! If you fight the fight and are victorious over the powers which fight against you, you will bring great joy to every holy one, and yet great grief to your enemies. Your judge helps (you) completely, since he wants you to be victorious.
Listen, my son, and do not be slow with your ears. Raise yourself up when you have left your old man behind like an eagle. Fear God in all your acts, and glorify him through good work. You know that every man who is not pleasing to God is the son of perdition. He will go down to the Abyss of the Underworld.
O this patience of God, which bears with every one, which desires that every one who has become subject to sin be saved!
But no one prevents him (God) from doing what he wants. For who is stronger than him, that he may prevent him? To be sure, it is he who touches the earth, causing it to tremble and also causing the mountains to smoke. (It is) he who has gathered together such a great sea as in a leather bag, and has weighed all the water on his scales. Only the hand of the Lord has created all these things. For this hand of the Father is Christ, and it forms all. Through it, all has come into being, since it became the mother of all. For he is always Son of the Father.
Consider these things about God Almighty, who always exists: this One was not always King, for fear that he might be without a divine Son. For all dwell in God, (that is), the things which have come into being through the Word, who is the Son as the image of the Father.
For God is nearby; he is not far off. All divine limits are those which belong to God's household. Therefore, if the divine agrees with you partially in anything, know that all of the Divine agrees with you. But this divine is not pleased with anything evil. For it is this which teaches all men what is good. This is what God has given to the human race, so that for this reason every man might be chosen before all the angels and the archangels.
For God does not need to put any man to the test. He knows all things before they happen, and he knows the hidden things of the heart. They are all revealed and found wanting in his presence. Let no one ever say that God is ignorant. For it is not right to place the Creator of every creature in ignorance. For even things which are in darkness are before him like (things in) the light.
So, there is no other one hidden except God alone. But he is revealed to everyone, and yet he is very hidden. He is revealed because God knows all. And if they do not wish to affirm it, they will be corrected by their heart. Now he is hidden because no one perceives the things of God. For it is incomprehensible and unfathomable to know the counsel of God. Furthermore, it is difficult to comprehend him, and it is difficult to find Christ. For he is the one who dwells in every place, and also he is in no place. For no one who wants to will be able to know God as he actually is, nor Christ, nor the Spirit, nor the chorus of angels, nor even the archangels, as well as the thrones of the spirits, and the exalted lordships, and the Great Mind. If you do not know yourself, you will not be able to know all of these.
Open the door for yourself, that you may know the One who is. Knock on yourself, that the Word may open for you. For he is the Ruler of Faith and the Sharp Sword, having become all for everyone because he wishes to have mercy on everyone.
My son, prepare yourself to escape from the world-rulers of darkness and of this kind of air, which is full of powers. But if you have Christ, you will conquer this entire world. That which you open for yourself, you will open. That which you knock upon for yourself, you will knock upon, benefiting yourself.
Help yourself, my son, (by) not proceeding with things in which there is no profit.
My son, first purify yourself toward the outward life, in order that you may be able to purify the inward.
And be not as the merchants of the Word of God.
Put all words to the test before you utter them.
Do not wish to acquire honors which are insecure, nor the boastfulness which brings you to ruin.
Accept the wisdom of Christ, (who is) patient and mild, and guard this, O my son, knowing that God's way is always profitable.
Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior (Ichthus), Wonder Extraordinary
My son, throw every robber out of your gates. Guard all your gates with torches, which are the words, and you will acquire through all these things a quiet life. But he who will not guard these things will become like a city which is desolate, since it has been captured. All kinds of wild beasts have trampled upon it, for thoughts which are not good are evil wild beasts. And your city will be filled with robbers, and you will not be able to acquire peace, but only all kinds of savage wild beasts. The Wicked One, who is a tyrant, is lord over these. While directing this, he (the Wicked One) is beneath the great mire. The whole city, which is your soul, will perish.
Remove yourself from these things, O wretched soul! Bring your guide and your teacher. The mind is the guide, but reason is the teacher. They will bring you out of destruction and dangers.
Listen, my son, to my advice! Do not show your back to enemies and flee, but rather, pursue them as a strong one. Be not an animal, with men pursuing you; but rather, be a man, with you pursuing the evil wild beasts, lest somehow they become victorious over you and trample upon you as on a dead man, and you perish due to their wickedness.
Oh wretched man, what will you do if you fall into their hands? Protect yourself, lest you be delivered into the hands of your enemies. Entrust yourself to this pair of friends, reason and mind, and no one will be victorious over you. May God dwell in your camp, may his Spirit protect your gates, and may the mind of Divinity protect the walls. Let holy reason become a torch in your mind, burning the wood which is the whole of sin.
And if you do these things, O my son, you will be victorious over all your enemies, and they will not be able to wage war against you, neither will they be able to resist, nor will they be able to get in your way. For if you find these, you will despise them as deniers of truth. They will speak to you, cajoling you and enticing (you), not because they are afraid of you, but because they are afraid of those who dwell within you, namely, the guardians of the divinity and the teaching.
My son, accept the education and the teaching. Do not flee from the education and the teaching, but when you are taught, accept (it) with joy. And if you are educated in any matter, do what is good. You will plait a crown of education by your guiding principle. Put on the holy teaching like a robe. Make yourself noble-minded through good conduct. Obtain the austerity of good discipline. Judge yourself like a wise judge. Do not go astray from my teaching, and do not acquire ignorance, lest you lead your people astray. Do not flee from the divine and the teaching which are within you, for he who is teaching you loves you very much. For he shall bequeath to you a worthy austerity. Cast out the animal nature which is within you, and do not allow base thought to enter you. For ... you know the way which I teach.
If it is good to rule over the few, as you see it, how much better it is that you rule over everyone, since you are exalted above every congregation and every people, (are) prominent in every respect, and (are) a divine reason, having become master over every power which kills the soul.
My son, does anyone want to be a slave? Why, then, do you trouble yourself wrongly?
My son, do not fear anyone except God alone, the Exalted One. Cast the deceitfulness of the Devil from you. Accept the light for your eyes, and cast the darkness from you. Live in Christ, and you will acquire a treasure in heaven. Do not become a sausage (made) of many things which are useless, and do not become a guide in your blind ignorance.
My son, listen to my teaching, which is good and useful, and end the sleep which weighs heavily upon you. Depart from the forgetfulness which fills you with darkness, since if you were unable to do anything, I would not have said these things to you. But Christ has come in order to give you this gift. Why do you pursue the darkness when the light is at your disposal? Why do you drink stale water, though sweet wine is available for you? Wisdom summons you, yet you desire folly. Not by your own desire do you do these things, but it is the animal nature within you that does them.
Wisdom summons you in her goodness, saying, "Come to Me, all of you, O foolish ones, that you may receive a gift, the understanding which is good and excellent. I am giving to you a high-priestly garment which is woven from every (kind of) wisdom." What else is evil death except ignorance? What else is evil darkness except familiarity with forgetfulness? Cast your anxiety upon God alone. Do not become desirous of gold and silver, which are profitless, but clothe yourself with wisdom like a robe; put knowledge on yourself like a crown, and be seated upon a throne of perception. For these are yours, and you will receive them again on high another time.
For a foolish man usually puts on folly like a robe, and like a garment of sorrow, he puts on shame. And he crowns himself with ignorance, and takes his seat upon a throne of nescience. For while he is without reason, he leads only himself astray, for he is guided by ignorance. And he goes the ways of the desire of every passion. He swims in the desires of life and has sunk. To be sure, he thinks that he finds profit when he does all the things which are without profit. The wretched man who goes through all these things will die, because he does not have the mind, the helmsman. But he is like a ship which the wind tosses to and fro, and like a loose horse which has no rider. For this (man) needed the rider, which is reason. For the wretched one went astray because he did not want advice. He was thrown to and fro by these three misfortunes: he acquired death as a father, ignorance as a mother, and evil counsels - he acquired them as friends and brothers. Therefore, foolish one, you should mourn for yourself.
From now on, then, my son, return to your divine nature. Cast from you these evil, deceiving friends! Accept Christ, this true friend, as a good teacher. Cast from you death, which has become a father to you. For death did not exist, nor will it exist at the end.
But since you cast from yourself God, the holy Father, the true Life, the Spring of Life, therefore you have obtained death as a father and have acquired ignorance as a mother. They have robbed you of the true knowledge.
But return, my son, to your first father, God, and Wisdom, your Mother, from whom you came into being from the very first in order that you might fight against all of your enemies, the Powers of the Adversary.
Listen, my son, to my advice. Do not be arrogant in opposition to every good opinion, but take for yourself the side of the divinity of reason. Keep the holy commandments of Jesus Christ, and you will reign over every place on earth, and will be honored by the angels and archangels. Then you will acquire them as friends and fellow servants, and you will acquire places in heaven above.
Do not bring grief and trouble to the divine which is within you. But when you will care for it, will request of it that you remain pure, and will become self-controlled in your soul and body, you will become a throne of wisdom, and one belonging to God's household. He will give you a great light through it (wisdom).
But before everything (else), know your birth. Know yourself, that is, from what substance you are, or from what race, or from what species. Understand that you have come into being from three races: from the earth, from the formed, and from the created. The body has come into being from the earth with an earthly substance, but the formed, for the sake of the soul, has come into being from the thought of the Divine. The created, however, is the mind, which has come into being in conformity with the image of God. The divine mind has substance from the Divine, but the soul is that which he (God) formed for their own hearts. For I think that it (the soul) exists as wife of that which has come into being in conformity with the image, but matter is the substance of the body, which has come into being from the earth.
If you mix yourself, you will acquire the three parts as you fall from virtue into inferiority. Live according to the Mind. Do not think about things pertaining to the flesh. Acquire strength, for the mind is strong. If you fall from this other, you have become male-female. And if you cast out of yourself the substance of the mind, which is thought, you have cut off the male part, and turned yourself to the female part alone. You have become psychic, since you have received the substance of the formed. If you cast out the smallest part of this, so that you do not acquire again a human part - but you have accepted for yourself the animal thought and likeness - you have become fleshly, since you have taken on animal nature. For (if) it is difficult to find a psychical man, how much more so to find the Lord?
But I say that God is the spiritual one. Man has taken shape from the substance of God. The divine soul shares partly in this one; furthermore, it shares partly in the flesh. The base soul is wont to turn from side to side, [...] which it images the truth.
It is good for you, O man, to turn yourself toward the human, rather than toward the animal nature - I mean toward the fleshly. You will take on the likeness of the part toward which you will turn yourself.
I shall say something further to you. Again, for what will you (masc. sg.) be zealous? Did you (fem. sg.) wish to become animal when you had come into this kind of nature? But rather, share in a true nature of life. To be sure, animality will guide you into the race of the earth, but the rational nature will guide you in rational ways. Turn toward the rational nature, and cast from yourself the earth-begotten nature.
O soul, persistent one, be sober and shake off your drunkenness, which is the work of ignorance. If you persist and live in the body, you dwell in rusticity. When you entered into a bodily birth, you were begotten. Come into being inside the bridal chamber! Be illuminated in mind!
My son, do not swim in any water, and do not allow yourself to be defiled by strange kinds of knowledge. Certainly you know that the schemes of the Adversary are not few, and (that) the tricks which he has are varied? Especially has the noetic man been robbed of the intelligence of the snake. For it is fitting for you to be in agreement with the intelligence of (these) two: with the intelligence of the snake and with the innocence of the dove - lest he (the Adversary) come into you in the guise of a flatterer, as a true friend, saying, "I advise good things for you."
But you did not recognize the deceitfulness of this one when you received him as a true friend. For he casts into your heart evil thoughts as good ones, and hypocrisy in the guise of true wisdom, avidity in the guise of conservative frugality, love of glory in the guise of that which is beautiful, boastfulness and pride in the guise of great austerity, and godlessness as great godliness. For he who says, "I have many gods," is godless. And he casts spurious knowledge into your heart in the guise of mysterious words. Who will be able to comprehend his thoughts and devices, which are varied, since he is a Great Mind for those who wish to accept him as king?
My son, how will you be able to comprehend the schemes of this one, or his soul-killing counsel? For his devices, and the schemes of his wickedness, are many. And think about his entrances, that is, how he will enter your soul, and in what garment he will enter you.
Accept Christ, who is able to set you free, and who has taken on the devices of that one, so that through these he might destroy him by deceit. For this is the king whom you have who is forever invincible, against whom no one will be able to fight nor say a word. This is your king and your father, for there is no one like him. The divine teacher is with you always. He is a helper, and he meets you because of the good which is in you.
Do not put maliciousness in your judgment, for every malicious man harms his heart. For only a foolish man is wont to his destruction, but a wise man knows his way.
And a foolish man does not guard against speaking (a) mystery: A wise man (however) does not blurt out every word, but he will be discriminating toward those who hear. Do not mention everything in the presence of those whom you do not know.
Have a great number of friends, but not counselors. First, examine your counselor, for do not honor anyone who flatters. Their word, to be sure, is sweet as honey, but their heart is full of hellebore. For whenever they think that they have become a reliable friend, then they will deceitfully turn against you, and they will cast you down into the mire.
Do not trust anyone as a friend, for this whole world has come into being deceitfully, and every man is troubled in vain. All things of the world are not profitable, but they happen in vain. There is no one, not even a brother (who is trustworthy), since each one is seeking his own advantage.
My son, do not have anyone as a friend, but if you do acquire one, do not entrust yourself to him. Entrust yourself to God alone as father and as friend. For everyone proceeds deceitfully, while the whole earth is full of suffering and pain - things in which there is no profit. If you wish to pass your life in quiet, do not keep company with anyone. And if you do keep company with them, be as if you do not. Be pleasing to God, and you will not need anyone.
Live with Christ and he will save you. For he is the true light and the sun of life. For just as the sun which is visible and makes light for the eyes of the flesh, so Christ illuminates every mind and the heart. For (if) a wicked man (who is) in the body (has) an evil death, how much more so (does) he who has his mind blind. For every blind man goes along in such a way that he is seen just as one who does not have his mind sane. He does not delight in acquiring the light of Christ, which is reason.
For everything which is visible is a copy of that which is hidden. For as a fire which burns in a place without being confined to it, so it is with the sun which is in the sky, all of whose rays extend to places on the earth. Similarly, Christ has a single being, and he gives light to every place. This is also the way in which he speaks of our mind, as if it were a lamp which burns and lights up the place. (Being) in a part of the soul, it gives light to all the parts.
Furthermore, I shall speak of what is more exalted than this: the mind, with respect to actual being, is in a place, which means it is in the body; but with respect to thought, the mind is not in a place. For how can it be in a place, when it contemplates every place?
But we are able to mention what is more exalted than this: for do not think in your heart that God exists in a place. If you localize the Lord of all in a place, then it is fitting for you to say that the place is more exalted than he who dwells in it. For that which contains is more exalted than that which is contained. For there is no place which is called incorporeal. For it is not right for us to say that God is corporeal. For the consequence (would be) that we (must) attribute both increase and decrease to the corporeal, but also that he (God) who is subject to these will not remain imperishable.
Now, it is not difficult to know the Creator of all creatures, but it is impossible to comprehend the likeness of this One. For it is difficult not only for men to comprehend God, but it is (also) difficult for every divine being, (both) the angels and the archangels. It is necessary to know God as he is. You cannot know God through anyone except Christ, who has the image of the Father, for this image reveals the true likeness in correspondence to that which is revealed. A king is not usually known apart from an image.
Consider these things about God: he is in every place; on the other hand, he is in no place. With respect to power, to be sure, he is in every place; but with respect to divinity, he is in no place. So then, it is possible to know God a little. With respect to his power, he fills every place, but in the exaltation of his divinity, nothing contains him. Everything is in God, but God is not in anything.
Now what is it to know God? God is all which is in the truth. But it is as impossible to look at Christ as at the sun. God sees everyone; no one looks at him. But Christ, without being jealous, receives and gives. He is the Light of the Father, as he gives light without being jealous. In this manner he gives light to every place.
And all is Christ, he who has inherited all from the Existent One. For Christ is the idea of incorruptibility, and he is the Light which is shining undefiled. For the sun (shines) on every impure place, and yet it is not defiled. So it is with Christ: even if he is in the deficiency, yet he is without deficiency. And even if he has been begotten, he is (still) unbegotten. So it is with Christ: if, on the one hand, he is comprehensible, on the other, he is incomprehensible with respect to his actual being. Christ is all. He who does not possess all is unable to know Christ.
My son, do not dare to say a word about this One, and do not confine the God of all to mental images. For he who condemns may not be condemned by the one who condemns. Indeed, it is good to ask and to know who God is. Reason and mind are male names. Indeed, let him who wishes to know about this One, quietly and reverently ask. For there is no small danger in speaking about these things, since you know that you will be judged on the basis of everything that you say.
And understand by this that he who is in darkness will not be able to see anything unless he receives the light and recovers (his) sight by means of it. Examine yourself (to see) whether you wholly have the light, so that, if you ask about these things, you may understand how you will escape. For many are seeking in darkness, and they grope about, wishing to understand, since there is no light for them.
My son, do not allow your mind to stare downward, but rather, let it look by means of the light at things above. For the light will always come from above. Even if it (the mind) is upon the earth, let it seek to pursue the things above. Enlighten your mind with the light of heaven, so that you may turn to the light of heaven.
Do not tire of knocking on the door of reason, and do not cease walking in the way of Christ. Walk in it so that you may receive rest from your labors. If you walk in another way, there will be no profit in it. For also those who walk in the broad way will go down at their end to the perdition of the mire. For the Underworld is open wide for the soul, and the place of perdition is broad. Accept Christ, the narrow way. For he is oppressed and bears affliction for your sin.
O soul, persistent one, in what ignorance you exist! For who is your guide into the darkness? How many likenesses did Christ take on because of you! Although he was God, he was found among men as a man. He descended to the Underworld. He released the children of death. They were in travail, as the scripture of God has said. And he sealed up the (very) heart of it (the Underworld). And he broke its (the Underworld's) strong bows completely. And when all the powers had seen him, they fled, so that he might bring you, wretched one, up from the Abyss, and might die for you as a ransom for your sin. He saved you from the strong hand of the Underworld.
But you, yourself, difficult (though it be) give to him your fundamental assent with (even so much as) a hint that he may take you up with joy! Now the fundamental choice, which is humility of heart, is the gift of Christ. A contrite heart is the acceptable sacrifice. If you humble yourself, you will be greatly exalted; and if you exalt yourself, you will be exceedingly humbled.
My son, guard yourself against wickedness, and do not let the Spirit of Wickedness cast you down into the Abyss. For he is mad and bitter. He is terrifying, and he casts everyone down into a pit of mire.
It is a great and good thing not to love fornication, and not even to think of the wretched matter at all, for to think of it is death. It is not good for any man to fall into death. For a soul which has been found in death will be without reason. For it is better not to live than to acquire an animal's life. Protect yourself, lest you are burned by the fires of fornication. For many who are submerged in fire are its servants, whom you do not know as your enemies.
O my son, strip off the old garment of fornication, and put on the garment which is clean and shining, that you may be beautiful in it. But when you have this garment, protect it well. Release yourself from every bond, so that you may acquire freedom. If you cast out of yourself the desire whose devices are many, you will release yourself from the sins of lust.
Listen, O soul, to my advice. Do not become a den of foxes and snakes, nor a hole of serpents and asps, nor a dwelling place of lions, or a place of refuge of basilisk-snakes. When these things happen to you, O soul, what will you do? For these are the powers of the Adversary. Everything which is dead will come into you through them (the powers). For their food is everything which is dead, and every unclean thing. For when these are within you, what living thing will come into you? The living angels will detest you. You were a temple, (but) you have made yourself a tomb. Cease being a tomb, and become (again) a temple, so that uprightness and divinity may remain in you.
Light the light within you. Do not extinguish it! Certainly, no one lights a lamp for wild beasts or their young. Raise your dead who have died, for they lived and have died for you. Give them life. They shall live again!
For the Tree of Life is Christ. He is Wisdom. For he is Wisdom; he is also the Word. he is the Life, the Power, and the Door. He is the Light, the Angel, and the Good Shepherd. Entrust yourself to this one who became all for your sake.
Knock on yourself as upon a door, and walk upon yourself as on a straight road. For if you walk on the road, it is impossible for you to go astray. And if you knock with this one (Wisdom), you knock on hidden treasures.
For since he (Christ) is Wisdom, he makes the foolish man wise. He (Wisdom) is a holy kingdom and a shining robe. For it (Wisdom) is much gold, which gives you great honor. The Wisdom of God became a type of fool for you, so that it might take you up, O foolish one, and make you a wise man. And the Life died for you when he was powerless, so that through his death, he might give life to you who have died.
Entrust yourself to reason and remove yourself from animalism. For the animal which has no reason is made manifest. For many think that they have reason, but if you look at them attentively, their speech is animalistic.
Give yourself gladness from the true vine of Christ. Satisfy yourself with the true wine, in which there is no drunkenness nor error. For it (the true wine) marks the end of drinking, since there is usually in it what gives joy to the soul and the mind, through the Spirit of God. But first, nurture your reasoning powers before you drink of it (the true wine).
Do not pierce yourself with the sword of sin. Do not burn yourself, O wretched one, with the fire of lust. Do not surrender yourself to barbarians like a prisoner, nor to savage beasts which want to trample upon you. For they are as lions which roar very loudly. Be not dead lest they trample upon you. You shall be man! It is possible for you through reasoning to conquer them.
But the man who does nothing is unworthy of (being called) rational man. The rational man is he who fears God. He who fears God does nothing insolent. And he who guards himself against doing anything insolent is one who keeps his guiding principle. Although he is a man who exists on earth, he makes himself like God.
But he who makes himself like God is one who does nothing unworthy of God, according to the statement of Paul, who has become like Christ.
For who shows reverence for God while not wanting to do things which are pleasing to him? For piety is that which is from the heart, and piety from the heart (characterizes) every soul which is near to God.
The soul which is a member of God's household is one which is kept pure, and the soul which has put on Christ is one which is pure. It is impossible for it to sin. Now where Christ is, there sin is idle.
Let Christ alone enter your world, and let him bring to naught all powers which have come upon you. Let him enter the temple which is within you, so that he may cast out all the merchants. Let him dwell in the temple which is within you, and may you become for him a priest and a Levite, entering in purity.
Blessed are you, O soul, if you find this one in your temple.
Blessed are you still more if you perform his service.
But he who will defile the temple of God, that one God will destroy. For you lay yourself open, O man, if you cast this one out of your temple. For whenever the enemies do not see Christ in you, then they will come into you armed in order to crush you.
O my son, I have given you orders concerning these things many times so that you would always guard your soul. It is not you who will cast him (Christ) out, but he will cast you out. For if you flee from him, you will fall into great sin. Again, if you flee from him, you will become food for your enemies. For all base persons flee from their lord, and the (man) base in virtue and wisdom flees from Christ. For every man who is separated (from him) falls into the claws of wild beasts.
Know who Christ is, and acquire him as a friend, for this is the friend who is faithful. He is also God and Teacher. This one, being God, became man for your sake. It is this one who broke the iron bars of the Underworld, and the bronze bolts. It is this one who attacked and cast down every haughty tyrant. It is he who loosened from himself the chains of which he had taken hold. He brought up the poor from the Abyss and the mourners from the Underworld. It is he who humbled the haughty powers; he who put to shame haughtiness through humility; he who has cast down the strong and the boaster through weakness; he who, in his contempt, scorned that which is considered an honor, so that humility for God's sake might be highly exalted; (and) he who has put on humanity.
And yet, the divine Word is God, he who bears patiently with man always. He wished to produce humility in the exalted. He (Christ), who has exalted man became like God, not in order that he might bring God down to man, but that man might become like God.
O this great goodness of God! O Christ, King, who has revealed to men the Great Divinity, King of every virtue and King of life, King of ages and Great One of the heavens, hear my words and forgive me!
Furthermore, he manifested a great zeal for Divinity.
Where is a man (who is) wise or powerful in intelligence, or a man whose devices are many because he knows wisdom? Let him speak wisdom; let him utter great boasting! For every man has become a fool and has spoken out of his (own) knowledge. For he (Christ) confounded the counsels of guileful people, and he prevailed over those wise in their own understanding.
Who will be able to discover the counsel of the Almighty, or to speak of the Divinity, or to proclaim it correctly? If we have not even been able to understand the counsels of our companions, who will be able to comprehend the Divinity, or the divinities of the heavens? If we scarcely find things on earth, who will search for the things of heaven? A great power and great glory has made the world known.
And the Life of Heaven wishes to renew all, that he may cast out that which is weak, and every black form, that everyone may shine forth in heavenly garments in order to make manifest the command of the Father (who) is exceedingly brilliant, and that he (Christ) may crown those wishing to contend well. Christ, being judge of the contest, is he who crowned every one, teaching every one to contend. This one who contended first received the crown, gained dominion, and appeared, giving light to everyone. And all were made new through the Holy Spirit and the Mind.
O Lord Almighty, how much glory shall I give Thee? No one has been able to glorify God adequately. It is Thou who hast given glory to Thy Word in order to save everyone, O Merciful God. (It is) he who has come from Thy mouth and has risen from Thy heart, the First-born, the Wisdom, the Prototype, the First Light.
For he is light from the power of God, and he is an emanation of the pure glory of the Almighty. He is the spotless mirror of the working of God, and he is the image of his goodness. For he is also the light of the Eternal Light. He is the eye which looks at the invisible Father, always serving and forming by the Father's will. He alone was begotten by the Father's good pleasure. For he is an incomprehensible Word, and he is Wisdom and Life. He gives life to, and nourishes, all living things and powers. Just as the soul gives life to all the members, he rules all with power and gives life to them. For he is the beginning and the end of everyone, watching over all and encompassing them. He is troubled on behalf of everyone, and he rejoices and also mourns. On the one hand, he mourns for those who have gotten as their lot the place of punishment; on the other, he is troubled about every one whom he arduously brings to instruction. But he rejoices over everyone who is in purity.
Then beware, lest somehow you fall into the hands of robbers. Do not allow sleep to your eyes nor drowsiness to your eyelids, that you may be saved like a gazelle from nets, and like a bird from a trap.
Fight the great fight as long as the fight lasts, while all the powers are staring after you - not only the holy ones, but also all the powers of the Adversary. Woe to you if you are vanquished in the midst of every one who is watching you! If you fight the fight and are victorious over the powers which fight against you, you will bring great joy to every holy one, and yet great grief to your enemies. Your judge helps (you) completely, since he wants you to be victorious.
Listen, my son, and do not be slow with your ears. Raise yourself up when you have left your old man behind like an eagle. Fear God in all your acts, and glorify him through good work. You know that every man who is not pleasing to God is the son of perdition. He will go down to the Abyss of the Underworld.
O this patience of God, which bears with every one, which desires that every one who has become subject to sin be saved!
But no one prevents him (God) from doing what he wants. For who is stronger than him, that he may prevent him? To be sure, it is he who touches the earth, causing it to tremble and also causing the mountains to smoke. (It is) he who has gathered together such a great sea as in a leather bag, and has weighed all the water on his scales. Only the hand of the Lord has created all these things. For this hand of the Father is Christ, and it forms all. Through it, all has come into being, since it became the mother of all. For he is always Son of the Father.
Consider these things about God Almighty, who always exists: this One was not always King, for fear that he might be without a divine Son. For all dwell in God, (that is), the things which have come into being through the Word, who is the Son as the image of the Father.
For God is nearby; he is not far off. All divine limits are those which belong to God's household. Therefore, if the divine agrees with you partially in anything, know that all of the Divine agrees with you. But this divine is not pleased with anything evil. For it is this which teaches all men what is good. This is what God has given to the human race, so that for this reason every man might be chosen before all the angels and the archangels.
For God does not need to put any man to the test. He knows all things before they happen, and he knows the hidden things of the heart. They are all revealed and found wanting in his presence. Let no one ever say that God is ignorant. For it is not right to place the Creator of every creature in ignorance. For even things which are in darkness are before him like (things in) the light.
So, there is no other one hidden except God alone. But he is revealed to everyone, and yet he is very hidden. He is revealed because God knows all. And if they do not wish to affirm it, they will be corrected by their heart. Now he is hidden because no one perceives the things of God. For it is incomprehensible and unfathomable to know the counsel of God. Furthermore, it is difficult to comprehend him, and it is difficult to find Christ. For he is the one who dwells in every place, and also he is in no place. For no one who wants to will be able to know God as he actually is, nor Christ, nor the Spirit, nor the chorus of angels, nor even the archangels, as well as the thrones of the spirits, and the exalted lordships, and the Great Mind. If you do not know yourself, you will not be able to know all of these.
Open the door for yourself, that you may know the One who is. Knock on yourself, that the Word may open for you. For he is the Ruler of Faith and the Sharp Sword, having become all for everyone because he wishes to have mercy on everyone.
My son, prepare yourself to escape from the world-rulers of darkness and of this kind of air, which is full of powers. But if you have Christ, you will conquer this entire world. That which you open for yourself, you will open. That which you knock upon for yourself, you will knock upon, benefiting yourself.
Help yourself, my son, (by) not proceeding with things in which there is no profit.
My son, first purify yourself toward the outward life, in order that you may be able to purify the inward.
And be not as the merchants of the Word of God.
Put all words to the test before you utter them.
Do not wish to acquire honors which are insecure, nor the boastfulness which brings you to ruin.
Accept the wisdom of Christ, (who is) patient and mild, and guard this, O my son, knowing that God's way is always profitable.
Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior (Ichthus), Wonder Extraordinary
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