The Concept of the Great Power in Relation to EL and Elohim
The notion of a “Great Power” has long intrigued scholars of the Nag Hammadi Library, particularly writing 28 of Codex VI, known as The Concept of the Great Power. While often mistaken for Valentinian literature, this text presents an independent Gnostic vision of cosmic order, power, and human salvation. My theory centers on the understanding that the "Great Power" refers to EL, the corporeal and substantial Higher Power, while the term Elohim corresponds to the powers emanating from EL. EL is not an abstract or metaphorical concept but tangible power, and Elohim are corporeal emanations, reflecting the magnitude and authority of the One True Power.
In the text, the direct experience of this Great Power is described as transformative: "He who will know our great Power will become invisible, and fire will not be able to consume him. But it will purge and destroy all of your possessions. For everyone in whom my form will appear will be saved, from (the age of) seven days up to one hundred and twenty years. (Those) whom I constrained to gather all that is fallen - and the writings of our great Power, in order that he may inscribe your name in our great light - and their thoughts and their works may be ended, that they may be purged, and be scattered and be destroyed, and be gathered in the place which no one in it sees. But you will see me, and you will prepare your dwelling places in our great Power." This passage emphasizes both protection and purgation, showing the dual role of EL: as savior for those aligned with the Power, and as a force of destruction for the unprepared. EL’s corporeal nature allows it to act upon the world directly, in a material way that is perceptible to those attuned to it.
The text further elaborates on the interplay between the darkness and the Great Power: "Then the darkness together with Hades took the fire. And he (the darkness) will release from himself what is mine. His eyes were not able to endure my light. After the spirits and the waters moved, the remainder came into being: the whole aeon of the creation, and their . The fire came forth from them and the Power came in the midst of the powers. Psalm 104:4Psalm 97:3Deuteronomy 4:24 And the powers desired to see my image. And the soul became its replica." Here, the emergence of the powers (Elohim) from the original Power (EL) is described, showing a structured emanation from the corporeal source. Biblical references reinforce the idea of divine or cosmic authority acting within creation, while the soul, as a corporeal entity, reflects the image of this Power, connecting the human to the cosmic hierarchy.
The narrative of Noah is presented not merely as mythic storytelling but as a demonstration of the mechanics of the Great Power: "And thus Noah was saved with his sons. For if indeed the ark had not been meant for man to enter, then the water of the flood would not have come. In this way he intended (and) planned to save the gods and the angels, and the powers, the greatness of all of these, and the and the way of life. And he moves them from the aeon (and) nourishes them in the permanent places. And the judgment of the flesh was unleashed. Only the work of the Power stood up." This passage illustrates the Great Power’s role in preserving and organizing life and celestial powers, safeguarding the integrity of creation through its tangible influence.
The emergence of a man who knows the Great Power further demonstrates the accessibility of EL to human consciousness: "Then, in this aeon, which is the psychic one, the man will come into being who knows the great Power. He will receive (me) and he will know me. He will drink from the milk of the mother, in fact. He will speak in parables; he will proclaim the aeon that is to come, just as he spoke in the first aeon of the flesh, as Noah. Now concerning his words, which he uttered, he spoke in all of them, in seventy-two tongues. And he opened the gates of the heavens with his words. And he put to shame the ruler of Hades; he raised the dead, and he destroyed his dominion." The human reception of EL and the subsequent empowerment to overcome archonic forces illustrates the corporeal and practical dimension of the Great Power, which directly intervenes in worldly and cosmic affairs.
The conflict with the archons and the trial of the man reveal the opposition faced by those aligned with EL: "Then a great disturbance took place. The archons raised up their wrath against him. They wanted to hand him over to the ruler of Hades. Then they recognized one of his followers. A fire took hold of his soul. He (Judas?) handed him over, since no one knew him (Jesus?). They acted and seized him. They brought judgment upon themselves. And they delivered him up to the ruler of Hades. And they handed him over to Sasabek for nine bronze coins. He prepared himself to go down and put them to shame. Then the ruler of Hades took him. And he found that the nature of his flesh could not be seized, in order to show it to the archons. But he was saying: 'Who is this? What is it? His word has abolished the law of the aeon. He is from the Logos of the power of life.' And he was victorious over the command of the archons, and they were not able by their work to rule over him." This emphasizes the corporeal strength of the Power in overcoming material and spiritual adversaries, further affirming the tangible, not abstract, nature of EL.
The establishment of authority and governance is shown in the passage: "Then the appointed time came and drew near. And he changed the commands. Then the time came until the child had grown up. When he had come to his maturity, then the archons sent the imitator to that man in order that they might know our great Power. And they were expecting from him that he would perform for them a sign. And he bore great signs. And he reigned over the whole earth and all those who are under heaven. He placed his throne upon the end of the earth, for 'I shall make you god of the world'. He will perform signs and wonders. Then they will turn from me, and they will go astray." Through this, the text demonstrates how the corporeal Power influences authority and human perception of divinity.
Apocalyptic imagery illustrates the cleansing and ultimate purification under the Great Power: "When he has completed the established time of the kingdom of the earth, then the cleansing of the souls will come, since wickedness is stronger than you. All the powers of the sea will tremble and dry up, And the firmament will not pour down dew. The springs will cease. The rivers will not flow down to their springs. And the waters of the springs of the earth will cease. Then the depths will be laid bare and they will open. The stars will grow in size, and the sun will cease." Likewise, "Then he will come to destroy all of them. And they will be chastised until they become pure. Moreover their period, which was given to them to have power, which was apportioned to them, (is) fourteen hundred and sixty years. When the fire has consumed them all, and when it does not find anything else to burn, then it will perish by its own hand. Then the [...] will be completed [...] the second power [...] the mercy will come [...] through wisdom [...]. Then the firmaments will fall down into the depth. Then the sons of matter will perish; they will not be, henceforth." These passages portray the Great Power as an active, corporeal force bringing restoration and order to the cosmos, rather than as an abstract principle.
Finally, the text concludes with the ultimate restoration of the faithful: "Then the souls will appear, who are holy through the light of the Power, who is exalted, above all powers, the immeasurable, the universal one, I and all those who will know me. And they will be in the aeon of beauty of the aeon of judgment, since they are ready in wisdom, having given glory to him who is in the incomprehensible unity; and they see him because of his will, which is in them. And they all have become as reflections in his light. They all have shone, and they have found rest in his rest." Similarly, "And he will release the souls that are being punished, and they will come to be in purity. And they will see the saints and cry out to them, 'Have mercy on us, O Power who art above all powers!' For [...] and in the tree of iniquity that exists [...] to him their eyes. And they do not seek him because they do not seek us, nor do they believe us, but they acted according to the creation of the archons and its other rulers. We also have come to be in the unchangeable aeon." The culmination of these events emphasizes the salvific and restorative function of EL and the Elohim as corporeal forces acting through the cosmos, manifesting the Higher Power in tangible form.
In conclusion, the concept of the Great Power as presented in the Nag Hammadi text highlights the corporeal, tangible nature of EL and its emanations, the Elohim. EL is the substantive force underlying all creation, while the Elohim serve as the extensions of this power. Misinterpretations that translate these terms simply as “God” obscure the text’s precise cosmological and metaphysical message. Recognizing EL and the Elohim as real, substantial forces brings clarity to the work, demonstrating that the universe is governed by a hierarchy of corporeal powers and that human knowledge of this Power grants both protection and cosmic insight.
