**The Crucifixion in *The Second Treatise of the Great Seth* and *The Apocalypse of Peter***
The *Second Treatise of the Great Seth* presents a radically different perspective on the crucifixion from that found in the canonical Gospels. In this text, Jesus speaks in the first person, explaining that what the rulers of the world thought happened to him in the crucifixion actually happened to “their man,” a different figure altogether. He declares:
> “For my death, which they think happened, happened to them in their error and blindness, since they nailed their man unto their death. Their thoughts did not see me, for they were deaf and blind. But in doing these things, they condemn themselves. Yes, they saw me; they punished me. It was another, their father, who drank the gall and the vinegar; it was not I. They struck me with the reed; it was another, Simon, who bore the cross on his shoulder. It was another upon whom they placed the crown of thorns. But I was rejoicing in the height over all the wealth of the rulers and the offspring of their error, of their empty glory. And I was laughing at their ignorance.”
Here, Jesus explicitly distances himself from the one who underwent the suffering of the crucifixion. The “man” who died is not the living Jesus himself, but a substitute. The text clarifies that it was “their man” whom the rulers killed — a man belonging to the powers of this world. The account even mentions Simon carrying the cross, echoing the Synoptic tradition, but does not claim Simon was crucified. This is important because the Gnostic teacher Basilides reportedly taught that Simon of Cyrene was crucified instead of Jesus; however, in the *Second Treatise of the Great Seth*, Simon is never said to be crucified. The emphasis is on a separation between the true, living Jesus and the suffering fleshly figure.
The treatise continues:
> “It was my cross that the world did not accept, my apparent exaltation, my third baptism in a revealed image. When they had fled from the fire of the seven authorities, and the sun of the powers of the rulers set, darkness overtook them. And the world became poor. After they bound him with many restraints, they nailed him to the cross, and they fastened him with four nails of brass. The veil of his temple he tore with his hands. There was a trembling that overcame the chaos of the earth, for the souls that were in the sleep below were released, and they arose. They walked about boldly, having shed jealousy of ignorance and unlearnedness beside the dead tombs; having put on the new human; having come to know that perfect blessed one of the eternal and incomprehensible father and the infinite light, which is I. When I came to my own and united them with myself, there was no need for many words, for our thought was with their thought. Therefore they knew what I was saying, for we took counsel about the destruction of the rulers. And therefore I did the will of the father, who is I.”
This passage shows that the crucifixion is interpreted not as the suffering of the divine Jesus, but as a cosmic event affecting “their man.” The true Jesus is the revealer, the one united with his own, laughing at the rulers’ ignorance and rejoicing above their “empty glory.”
A parallel perspective is found in *The Apocalypse of Peter*. Here, Peter witnesses a strange scene during the crucifixion:
> “When he had said those things, I saw him seemingly being seized by them. And I said ‘What do I see, O Lord? That it is you yourself whom they take, and that you are grasping me? Or who is this one, glad and laughing on the tree? And is it another one whose feet and hands they are striking?’ The Savior said to me, ‘He whom you saw on the tree, glad and laughing, this is the living Jesus. But this one into whose hands and feet they drive the nails is his fleshly part, which is the substitute being put to shame, the one who came into being in his likeness. But look at him and me.’”
Here the distinction is crystal clear: the one actually suffering is the “fleshly part,” a substitute that came into being in the likeness of Jesus. The one laughing on the tree is the “living Jesus” — the immortal being who does not suffer.
The Savior further tells Peter:
> “I have told you, ‘Leave the blind alone!’ And you, see how they do not know what they are saying. For the son of their glory instead of my servant, they have put to shame.”
Peter then sees the living Jesus filled with the Holy Spirit, surrounded by “a great, ineffable light” and a multitude of invisible angels. The Savior explains:
> “Be strong, for you are the one to whom these mysteries have been given, to know them through revelation, that he whom they crucified is the first-born, and the home of demons, and the stony vessel in which they dwell, of Elohim, of the cross, which is under the Law. But he who stands near him is the living Savior, the first in him, whom they seized and released, who stands joyfully looking at those who did him violence, while they are divided among themselves. Therefore he laughs at their lack of perception, knowing that they are born blind. So then the one susceptible to suffering shall come, since the body is the substitute. But what they released was my incorporeal body. But I am the intellectual Spirit filled with radiant light. He whom you saw coming to me is our intellectual Pleroma, which unites the perfect light with my Holy Spirit.”
This explanation parallels the *Second Treatise of the Great Seth* in emphasizing that the crucifixion involved only the mortal, fleshly part — “the stony vessel” and “home of demons” — while the real, living Jesus remained untouched, joyful, and immortal. The living Jesus is not bound by the Law, not subject to death, and exists in union with the intellectual Pleroma.
The revelation concludes:
> “These things, then, which you saw you shall present to those of another race who are not of this age. For there will be no honor in any man who is not immortal, but only (in) those who were chosen from an immortal substance, which has shown that it is able to contain him who gives his abundance. Therefore I said, ‘Every one who has, it will be given to him, and he will have plenty.’ But he who does not have, that is, the man of this place, who is completely dead, who is removed from the planting of the creation of what is begotten, whom, if one of the immortal essence appears, they think that they possess him — it will be taken from him and be added to the one who is. You, therefore, be courageous and do not fear at all. For I shall be with you in order that none of your enemies may prevail unto you. Peace be to you, Be strong!”
In both texts, the crucifixion is not the defeat of the living Jesus but the execution of a substitute — the mortal, fleshly part. The true Jesus is an immortal being who does not suffer or die, laughing at the ignorance of the rulers. Thus, in these Gnostic writings, Jesus suffers in the flesh, but the Christ — the living Savior — remains untouched, triumphant, and united with the Pleroma.
**The Qur’an, the Cross, and *The Apocalypse of Peter***
The Qur’an presents a distinctive perspective on the crucifixion of Jesus that stands apart from the traditional Christian narrative. In *Surah* 4:157, it states:
> “And because of their saying (in boast), ‘We killed Messiah ‘Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Allah,’ – but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the resemblance of ‘Iesa (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man), and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not \[i.e. ‘Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)]:”
Another translation renders the verse as:
> “And \[for] their saying, ‘Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah.’ And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but \[another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.”
In this statement, the Qur’an firmly rejects the idea that Jesus himself was crucified. Instead, it teaches that someone else — made to appear like him — was crucified in his place. The passage emphasizes the uncertainty and conjecture of those who dispute this matter.
The following verse, *Surah* 4:158, affirms:
> “Rather, Allah raised him to Himself. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise.”
Abdullah Yusuf Ali comments on these verses, noting that:
> “The end of the life of Jesus on earth is as much involved in mystery as his birth, and indeed the greater part of his private life, except the three main years of his ministry. It is not profitable to discuss the many doubts and conjectures among the early Christian sects and among Muslim theologians. The Orthodox-Christian Churches make it a cardinal point of their doctrine that his life was taken on the Cross, that he died and was buried, that on the third day he rose in the body with his wounds intact, and walked about and conversed, and ate with his disciples, and was afterwards taken up bodily to heaven.”
Yusuf Ali explains that this crucifixion doctrine is necessary for the theology of blood sacrifice and vicarious atonement — a doctrine Islam rejects. He further observes:
> “But some of the early Christian sects did not believe that Christ was killed on the Cross. The Basilidans believed that someone else was substituted for him. The Docetae held that Christ never had a real physical or natural body, but only an apparent or phantom body, and that his Crucifixion was only apparent, not real. The Marcionite Gospel (about A.C. 138) denied that Jesus was born, and merely said that he appeared in human form. The Gospel of St. Barnabas supported the theory of substitution on the Cross. The Qur’anic teaching is that Christ was not crucified nor killed by the Jews, notwithstanding certain apparent circumstances which produced that illusion in the minds of some of his enemies; that disputatious, doubts, and conjectures on such matters are vain; and that he was taken up to Allah (see 4:158 and 3:55).”
Regarding 4:158, Yusuf Ali adds:
> “There is difference of opinion as to the exact interpretation of this verse. The words are: The Jews did not kill Jesus, but Allah raised him up (rafa’ahu) to Himself. One school holds that Jesus did not die the usual human death, but still lives in the body in heaven, which is the generally accepted Muslim view. Another holds that he did die (5:117) but not when he was supposed to be crucified, and that his being ‘raised up’ unto Allah means that instead of being disgraced as a malefactor, as the Jews intended, he was on the contrary honoured by Allah as His Messenger: (see 4:159). The same word *rafa’a* is used in association with honour in connection with al Mustafa in 94:4.”
This Qur’anic depiction of substitution bears a striking resemblance to the imagery found in *The Apocalypse of Peter*, an early Christian text excluded from the New Testament canon. In that work, Peter witnesses the crucifixion and sees two figures: one suffering on the cross, and another above it, glad and laughing. Peter asks:
> “What do I see, O Lord? That it is you yourself whom they take, and that you are grasping me? Or who is this one, glad and laughing on the tree? And is it another one whose feet and hands they are striking?”
The Savior answers:
> “He whom you saw on the tree, glad and laughing, this is the living Jesus. But this one into whose hands and feet they drive the nails is his fleshly part, which is the substitute being put to shame, the one who came into being in his likeness. But look at him and me.”
This vision mirrors the Qur’anic concept: the true Jesus — here called “the living Jesus” — is untouched by the crucifixion, while a substitute suffers in his place. The text explains further:
> “Be strong, for you are the one to whom these mysteries have been given, to know them through revelation, that he whom they crucified is the first-born, and the home of demons, and the stony vessel in which they dwell, of Elohim, of the cross, which is under the Law. But he who stands near him is the living Savior, the first in him, whom they seized and released, who stands joyfully looking at those who did him violence, while they are divided among themselves. Therefore he laughs at their lack of perception, knowing that they are born blind. So then the one susceptible to suffering shall come, since the body is the substitute. But what they released was my incorporeal body. But I am the intellectual Spirit filled with radiant light.”
Both the Qur’an and *The Apocalypse of Peter* affirm that the crucifixion did not truly touch the real Jesus. In the Qur’an, someone “was made to resemble him” and was killed instead. In *The Apocalypse of Peter*, the one crucified is “the fleshly part,” “the substitute,” while the living Jesus is an immortal being who does not suffer or die.
The theological implications are significant. In both accounts, the death on the cross is not the defeat of the divine Jesus but the destruction of a mortal substitute. The living Jesus is exalted, preserved from death, and returned to the divine realm — whether described in Islamic terms as being “raised to Allah” or in Gnostic-Christian language as the “intellectual Spirit filled with radiant light.”
Thus, the Qur’an and *The Apocalypse of Peter*, though emerging from different religious traditions, share a rare point of agreement: Jesus was not crucified in the ordinary sense, and the true Savior remained untouched by the suffering of the cross.
**The Quran, the Cross, and the Apocalypse of Peter**
The question of the death of Jesus has long been a subject of debate, conjecture, and theological interpretation across religious traditions. The Qur’an, early Christian sects, and Gnostic writings such as *The Apocalypse of Peter* and *The Second Treatise of the Great Seth* offer diverse perspectives on the Crucifixion, revealing complex understandings of Jesus’ corporeal and spiritual existence.
The Qur’an explicitly rejects the notion that Jesus was killed or crucified, presenting a narrative of substitution and divine preservation. In \[Quran 4:157], it is written:
> “And because of their saying (in boast), 'We killed Messiah 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Allah,' - but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the resemblance of 'Iesa (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man), and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not \[i.e. 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)]…”
The verse continues:
> “And \[for] their saying, 'Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah.' And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but \[another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.”
Abdullah Yusuf Ali comments on the Qur’anic position, noting that the end of Jesus’ earthly life is "as much involved in mystery as his birth," with the majority of his life, aside from the three years of ministry, remaining unclear. He further explains:
> “The Orthodox-Christian Churches make it a cardinal point of their doctrine that his life was taken on the Cross, that he died and was buried, that on the third day he rose in the body with his wounds intact, and walked about and conversed, and ate with his disciples, and was afterwards taken up bodily to heaven. This is necessary for the theological doctrine of blood sacrifice and vicarious atonement for sins, which is rejected by Islam. But some of the early Christian sects did not believe that Christ was killed on the Cross. The Basilidans believed that someone else was substituted for him. The Docetae held that Christ never had a real physical or natural body, but only an apparent or phantom body, and that his Crucifixion was only apparent, not real. The Marcionite Gospel (about A.C. 138) denied that Jesus was born, and merely said that he appeared in human form. The Gospel of St. Barnabas supported the theory of substitution on the Cross.”
The Qur’an teaches that Jesus was neither crucified nor killed, and instead:
> “Rather, Allah raised him to Himself. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise” (\[Quran 4:158]).
Abdullah Yusuf Ali elaborates on interpretations of this raising:
> “One school holds that Jesus did not die the usual human death, but still lives in the body in heaven, which is the generally accepted Muslim view. Another holds that he did die (5:117) but not when he was supposed to be crucified, and that his being 'raised up' unto Allah means that instead of being disgraced as a malefactor, as the Jews intended, he was on the contrary honoured by Allah as His Messenger: (see 4:159). The same word rafa'a is used in association with honour in connection with al Mustafa in 94:4.”
Early Gnostic sources offer complementary perspectives, emphasizing that Jesus’ suffering was not experienced by the divine Christ but by a corporeal substitute. In *The Second Treatise of the Great Seth*, Jesus states:
> “For my death, which they think happened, happened to them in their error and blindness, since they nailed their man unto their death. Their thoughts did not see me, for they were deaf and blind. But in doing these things, they condemn themselves. Yes, they saw me; they punished me. It was another, their father, who drank the gall and the vinegar; it was not I. They struck me with the reed; it was another, Simon, who bore the cross on his shoulder. It was another upon whom they placed the crown of thorns. But I was rejoicing in the height over all the wealth of the rulers and the offspring of their error, of their empty glory. And I was laughing at their ignorance.”
Here, the text affirms that the cross and apparent suffering were not endured by Christ himself but by a proxy. Jesus continues:
> “It was my cross that the world did not accept, my apparent exaltation, my third baptism in a revealed image...When I came to my own and united them with myself, there was no need for many words, for our thought was with their thought. Therefore they knew what I was saying, for we took counsel about the destruction of the rulers. And therefore I did the will of the father, who is I.”
Similarly, *The Apocalypse of Peter* distinguishes the living Jesus from the fleshly body that is crucified:
> “He whom you saw on the tree, glad and laughing, this is the living Jesus. But this one into whose hands and feet they drive the nails is his fleshly part, which is the substitute being put to shame, the one who came into being in his likeness. But look at him and me.”
The text underscores the incorporeal nature of Christ, stating:
> “But what they released was my incorporeal body. But I am the intellectual Spirit filled with radiant light. He whom you saw coming to me is our intellectual Pleroma, which unites the perfect light with my Holy Spirit.”
The Apocalypse instructs the faithful to recognize the distinction between mortal flesh and immortal essence:
> “These things, then, which you saw you shall present to those of another race who are not of this age. For there will be no honor in any man who is not immortal, but only (in) those who were chosen from an immortal substance, which has shown that it is able to contain him who gives his abundance. Therefore I said, 'Every one who has, it will be given to him, and he will have plenty.' But he who does not have, that is, the man of this place, who is completely dead...it will be taken from him and be added to the one who is. You, therefore, be courageous and do not fear at all. For I shall be with you in order that none of your enemies may prevail unto you. Peace be to you, Be strong!”
In sum, the Qur’an, early Christian Gnostic texts, and commentaries on the cross converge in emphasizing that Jesus’ divine essence remained unharmed while a substitute bore the visible suffering. The Qur’an’s \[4:157] highlights the error of those who thought they had crucified Jesus, while Gnostic works like *The Second Treatise of the Great Seth* and *The Apocalypse of Peter* illustrate the spiritual reality of Jesus as an immortal being, laughing at the ignorance of worldly rulers, whose fleshly proxies underwent the apparent punishment. These narratives collectively challenge conventional interpretations of the Crucifixion, presenting a vision of Christ whose divinity transcends human mortality and whose ultimate victory is spiritual rather than corporeal.
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The Second Treatise of the Great Seth
For my death, which they think happened, happened to them in their error and blindness, since they nailed their man unto their death. Their thoughts did not see me, for they were deaf and blind. But in doing these things, they condemn themselves. Yes, they saw me; they punished me. It was another, their father, who drank the gall and the vinegar; it was not I. They struck me with the reed; it was another, Simon, who bore the cross on his shoulder. It was another upon whom they placed the crown of thorns. But I was rejoicing in the height over all the wealth of the rulers and the offspring of their error, of their empty glory. And I was laughing at their ignorance.
It was my cross that the world did not accept, my apparent exaltation, my third baptism in a revealed image. When they had fled from the fire of the seven authorities, and the sun of the powers of the rulers set, darkness overtook them. And the world became poor. After they bound him with many restraints, they nailed him to the cross, and they fastened him with four nails of brass. The veil of his temple he tore with his hands. There was a trembling that overcame the chaos of the earth, for the souls that were in the sleep below were released, and they arose. They walked about boldly, having shed jealousy of ignorance and unlearnedness beside the dead tombs; having put on the new human; having come to know that perfect blessed one of the eternal and incomprehensible father and the infinite light, which is I. When I came to my own and united them with myself, there was no need for many words, for our thought was with their thought. Therefore they knew what I was saying, for we took counsel about the destruction of the rulers. And therefore I did the will of the father, who is I.
it was The Gnostic teacher Basilides who claimed that Simon of Cyrene was crucified in place of jesus. yet in the The Second Treatise of the Great Seth Simon of Cyrene is never actually crucified and jesus says that it is their man that the world rulers put to death
The Apocalypse of Peter
When he had said those things, I saw him seemingly being seized by them. And I said "What do I see, O Lord? That it is you yourself whom they take, and that you are grasping me? Or who is this one, glad and laughing on the tree? And is it another one whose feet and hands they are striking?"The Savior said to me, "He whom you saw on the tree, glad and laughing, this is the living Jesus. But this one into whose hands and feet they drive the nails is his fleshly part, which is the substitute being put to shame, the one who came into being in his likeness. But look at him and me."
But I, when I had looked, said "Lord, no one is looking at you. Let us flee this place."
But he said to me, "I have told you, 'Leave the blind alone!'. And you, see how they do not know what they are saying. For the son of their glory instead of my servant, they have put to shame."
And I saw someone about to approach us resembling him, even him who was laughing on the tree. And he was <filled> with a Holy Spirit, and he is the Savior. And there was a great, ineffable light around them, and the multitude of ineffable and invisible angels blessing them. And when I looked at him, the one who gives praise was revealed.
And he said to me, "Be strong, for you are the one to whom these mysteries have been given, to know them through revelation, that he whom they crucified is the first-born, and the home of demons, and the stony vessel in which they dwell, of Elohim, of the cross, which is under the Law. But he who stands near him is the living Savior, the first in him, whom they seized and released, who stands joyfully looking at those who did him violence, while they are divided among themselves. Therefore he laughs at their lack of perception, knowing that they are born blind. So then the one susceptible to suffering shall come, since the body is the substitute. But what they released was my incorporeal body. But I am the intellectual Spirit filled with radiant light. He whom you saw coming to me is our intellectual Pleroma, which unites the perfect light with my Holy Spirit."
"These things, then, which you saw you shall present to those of another race who are not of this age. For there will be no honor in any man who is not immortal, but only (in) those who were chosen from an immortal substance, which has shown that it is able to contain him who gives his abundance. Therefore I said, 'Every one who has, it will be given to him, and he will have plenty.' But he who does not have, that is, the man of this place, who is completely dead, who is removed from the planting of the creation of what is begotten, whom, if one of the immortal essence appears, they think that they possess him - it will be taken from him and be added to the one who is. You, therefore, be courageous and do not fear at all. For I shall be with you in order that none of your enemies may prevail unto you. Peace be to you, Be strong!"
the one who is above or beside the cross who is smiling and laughing is the living Jesus. and the one actually being crucified is the man of flesh later called man of Elohim man of the cross who is under the law
the fleshly body of jesus was crucified but the living jesus is an immortal being who does not suffer and die
Jesus suffered on cross but not Christ
