The Father is the Tree of Life The Tripartite Tractate

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**Welcome to Pleroma Pathways: Apocalyptic and Mystic Christianity, where we explore esoteric and apocalyptic texts.**  

# **The Tree of Life in the *Tripartite Tractate***  

The expression “tree of life” appears in various biblical and early Christian texts, symbolizing wisdom, divine knowledge, and the eternal relationship between God and creation. In Proverbs, wisdom itself is called a tree of life:  

*"She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who hold her fast."* (Proverbs 3:18)  

This passage presents wisdom as a personification of God’s mind or an aspect of divine thought. The *Tripartite Tractate*, a Valentinian Gnostic text from the *Nag Hammadi Library*, expands upon this concept by describing divine emanation as a branching tree, with the Father as the root of the Totality. This idea echoes other Valentinian texts, such as *A Valentinian Exposition*, which uses similar imagery to explain the hierarchical emanation of divine principles.  

## **The Father as the Root of the Tree**  

The *Tripartite Tractate* begins with a discussion of the Father, describing Him as the singular source from which all divine manifestations arise:  

*"As for what we can say about the things which are exalted, what is fitting is that we begin with the Father, who is the root of the Totality, the one from whom we have received grace to speak about him."* (*Tripartite Tractate*)  

Here, the Father is likened to a root, hidden and unseen, yet the source of all growth. This aligns with the Valentinian belief that *Bythos* (Depth) is the first principle, from which the Aeons and the Pleroma emerge. This root extends into branches, fruit, and ultimately, a complete tree:  

*"The single one, who alone is the Father, is like a root, with tree, branches, and fruit."* (*Tripartite Tractate*)  

This metaphor reflects the hierarchical emanation of divine aspects from the unknowable Father down to the visible world.  

## **The Limbs of the Ineffable**  

Another non-Valentinian Gnostic text, *Pistis Sophia*, describes divine emanations as the “limbs of the inexpressible”:  

*"There is a multitude of limbs but only one body. For this cause, he who has found the words of those mysteries is like unto him."* (*Pistis Sophia*)  

This idea resonates with the *Tripartite Tractate*, where the Father’s emanations unfold like the branches of a great tree, each extending further into the structure of the divine order.  

## **The Tree as a Model of Emanation**  

Valentinian cosmology describes a structured unfolding of divine principles, mirroring the growth of a tree. This structure can be understood as follows:  

1. **The Root** – The hidden source, the Father (*Bythos*).  

2. **The Secondary Root** – The Holy Spirit (*Sigē*, Silence, or *Charis*, Grace), an emanation of the Father.  

3. **The Base of the Tree (Stump)** – *Nous* (Mind) and *Aletheia* (Truth), the first emanation, the Son Monogenes representing divine comprehension and reality.  

4. **The Trunk and Primary Branches** – emanating from the Son (*Logos* and *Zoe*, Word and Life), the visible foundation of divine revelation.  

5. **The Secondary Branches** – The further emanations, including *Anthropos* (Man) and *Ecclesia* (Church).  

6. **The Fruit** – The final manifestations of divine wisdom, the offspring of the Aeons, representing the fullness (*Pleroma*).  

### **The Tetrads of Emanation**  

*A Valentinian Exposition* follows a structured hierarchy of divine emanation:  

*"That Tetrad projected the Tetrad which is the one consisting of Word and Life and Man and Church."* (*A Valentinian Exposition*)  

This passage describes how the first four Aeons—Bythos (Depth), Sigē (Silence), Nous (Mind), and Aletheia (Truth)—serve as the model for subsequent emanations. From this divine foundation, another Tetrad emerges, consisting of Logos (Word), Zoe (Life), Anthropos (Man), and Ecclesia (Church). The process of emanation continues, reflecting the structured unfolding of divine attributes within the Pleroma.  

*"The Uncreated One projected Word and Life. Word is for the glory of the Ineffable One while Life is for the glory of Silence, and Man is for his own glory, while Church is for the glory of Truth."* (*A Valentinian Exposition*)  

Each Aeon serves a distinct role within the divine order, reflecting different aspects of the Father's emanation. Logos (Word) manifests the glory of the Ineffable Father, Zoe (Life) expresses the radiance of Sigē (Silence), Anthropos (Man) exists for his own realization, and Ecclesia (Church) embodies the glory of Aletheia (Truth). This structured unfolding of divine attributes illustrates the harmonious relationships within the Pleroma, where each Aeon contributes to the fullness (*plerōma*) of divine reality.  

## **The Fruit of the Aeons**  

*A Valentinian Exposition* also speaks of the Aeons producing fruit, reinforcing the tree metaphor:  

*"Moreover, it is the one from the Triacontad of the Aeons who bear fruit from the Triacontad. They enter jointly, but they come forth singly, fleeing from the Aeons and the Uncontainable Ones."* (*A Valentinian Exposition*)  

This suggests that divine emanation is both unified and individual, with each aspect of God’s mind unfolding uniquely while still belonging to the totality (*Pleroma*).  

### **The Will of the Father and the Production of Fruit**  

*A Valentinian Exposition* further clarifies that the Aeons are meant to produce and bear fruit, much like branches of a tree:  

*"Again, the will of the Father is: always produce and bear fruit. That she should suffer, then, was not the will of the Father, for she dwells in herself alone without her consort."* (*A Valentinian Exposition*)  

This passage refers to *Sophia* (Wisdom), one of the Aeons, who experiences a form of separation from the divine order. However, the Father’s ultimate will is that all divine aspects continue to produce and manifest their nature.  

## **Conclusion: The Tree as the Divine Structure**  

The *Tripartite Tractate* and related Valentinian texts present a profound vision of divine emanation as a tree. This tree metaphor helps illustrate the emanation of the Aeons. Each part of the tree plays a role in expressing divine attributes culminating in the fullness of the *Pleroma*.  

Through this model, the *Tripartite Tractate* reveals a structured yet organic vision of divine reality—one in which every emanation originates from the unknowable *Bythos*, spreads out as living branches, and ultimately bears fruit in the divine order. This cosmic tree stands as a symbol of the interconnectedness of divine wisdom, true knowledge, and the realization of the Father's will...

The expression “tree of life” is used with regard to true wisdom, the fruitage of the righteous, the realization of a thing desired, and calmness of the tongue; it is also associated with the crown of life. (Pr 3:18; 11:30; 13:12; 15:4; Re 2:7, 10

. God’s word or message is like “seed,” which, if planted in good soil, brings forth much fruitage (Lu 8:11-15); his sayings are also said to ‘run with speed.’—Ps 147:15

Wisdom is called the tree of life in the book of Proverbs see Proverbs 3:18

She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast.
wisdom is a personification of God or an aspect of God

The tree of life is used with regard to true wisdom, God’s word or message is like “seed,” which, if planted in good soil, brings forth much fruitage (Lu 8:11-15).

As for what we can say about the things which are exalted, what is fitting is that we begin with the Father, who is the root of the Totality, the one from whom we have received grace to speak about him.

2. The Father

He existed before anything other than himself came into being. The Father is singular while being many, for he is the first one and the one who is only himself.  Yet he is not like a solitary individual. Otherwise, how could he be a father? For whenever there is a "father," the name "son" follows. But the single one, who alone is the Father, is like a root, with tree, branches and fruit.

The Tripartite Tractate, is an explanation of the limbs of the ineffable

Of the Limbs of the Ineffable."

AND those who are worthy of the mysteries which abide in the inexpressible, which are those which have not gone forth,--these exist before the First Mystery, and to use a likeness and similitude, that ye may understand it, they are as the Limbs of the inexpressible....There is a multitude of limbs but only one body.....For this cause he who hath found the words of those mysteries, is like unto him.....[sc. the First, i.e. the inexpressible], Pistis Sophia

Moreover it is these who have known him who is, the Father, that is, the Root of the All, the Ineffable One who dwells in the Monad. He dwells alone in silence, and silence is tranquility since, after all, he was a Monad and no one was before him. He dwells in the Dyad and in the Pair, and his Pair is Silence. And he possessed the All dwelling within him. And as for Intention and Persistence, Love and Permanence, they are indeed unbegotten. God came forth: the Son, Mind of the All, that is, it is from the Root of the All that even his Thought stems, since he had this one (the Son) in Mind. For on behalf of the All, he received an alien Thought since there were nothing before him. From that place it is he who moved [...] a gushing spring. Now this is the Root of the All and Monad without any one before him. Now the second spring exists in silence and speaks with him alone. And the Fourth accordingly is he who restricted himself in the Fourth (The Nag Hammadi Library A Valentinian Exposition)

Let me explain this in this manner........ A Tree that grows Multiple Fruit is as the limbs of the inexpressible, let us begin at the root, there is the main root that remains hidden is the very source of the tree = The Father- The Bythos:

There also the First extensions of the root that spreads out from the main root Bythos, is called = Holy Spirit - sigē or charis (Grace), which has extensions from it, this secondary root has two emanations which are aspects or attributes, Nous Νοΰς (Nus, Mind) and Aletheia Άλήθεια (, Truth) Nous and Aletheia make up the androdinous emanation of the son the Monogenes

While these things are due to the Root of the All, let us for our part enter his revelation and his goodness and his descent and the All, that is, the Son, the Father of the All, and the Mind of the Spirit; for he was possessing this one before [...]. He is a spring. He is one who appears in Silence, and he is Mind of the All dwelling secondarily with Life. For he is the projector of the All and the very hypostasis of the Father, that is, he is the Thought and his descent below. (The Nag Hammadi Library

A Valentinian Exposition)

Now we move on to the base of the tree/stump, or base which is called = Logos (the Word; Logos Λόγος) and Zoe (the Life; Zoe Ζωή) which is the visible beginning part of the tree, the inner most part is call = Zoe-Logos, and he also has extensions called= Anthropos Άνθρωπος (Homo, Man) and Ecclesia Έκκλησία[5

That Tetrad projected the Tetrad which is the one consisting of Word and Life and Man and Church. Now the Uncreated One projected Word and Life. Word is for the glory of the Ineffable One while Life is for the glory of Silence, and Man is for his own glory, while Church is for the glory of Truth. This, then, is the Tetrad begotten according to the likeness of the Uncreated (Tetrad). And the Tetrad is begotten [... ] the Decad from Word and Life, and the Dodecad from Man, and Church became a Triacontad. (The Nag Hammadi Library A Valentinian Exposition)

The body- which is the children, the church we are called = Pleroma: 'that which fills' - we fill the space between Christ and the remaining 22 aeons

on to the Limbs which is called Bythios (Profound) and Mixis (Mixture)

Ageratos (Never old) and Henosis (Union)

Autophyes (Essential nature) and Hedone (Pleasure)

Acinetos (Immovable) and Syncrasis (Commixture)

Monogenes (Only-begotten) and Macaria (Happiness)

The Branches- are the emanations of Paracletus (Comforter) and Pistis (Faith)

Patricas (Paternal) and Elpis (Hope)

Metricos (Maternal) and Agape (Love)

Ainos (Praise) and Synesis (Intelligence)

Ecclesiasticus (Son of Ecclesia) and Macariotes (Blessedness)

Theletus (Perfect) and Sophia (Wisdom)

And last the fruit - is the emanations of they that were emanated by the aeons.

Moreover, it is the one from the Triacontad of the Aeons who bear fruit from the Triacontrad. They enter jointly, but they come forth singly, fleeing from the Aeons and the Uncontainable Ones. And the Uncontainable Ones, once they had looked at him, glorified Mind since he is an Uncontainable One that exists in the Pleroma.I deserve the things (passions) I suffer. I used to dwell in the Pleroma putting forth the Aeons and bearing fruit with my consort" And she knew what she was and what had become of her.Again, the will of the Father is: always produce and bear fruit. That she should suffer, then, was not the will of the Father, for she dwells in herself alone without her consort. Let us [...] another one [...] the Second [...] the son of another [...] is the Tetrad of the world. And that Tetrad put forth fruit as if the Pleroma of the world were a Hebdomad. And it entered images and likenesses and angels and archangels, divinities and ministers. (The Nag Hammadi Library A Valentinian Exposition)

The aeons are not persons or primordial beings controlled by the Father they are aspects of the mind of God or mental powers, unfolding or expanding from its thought to become an idea

the gnostic tree of life has 12 not 10 structures as in kabbalah in the gnostic tree of life logos is the lowest level

the 12 structures or levels are

1 light

2 fire

3 love

4 Beloved

5 Grace

6 Truth

7 Wisdom

8 understanding

9 perception

10 perfection

11 peace

12 logos