**Union in the Bridal Chamber: The Restoration of Oneness**
The concept of union in the bridal chamber, as described in the *Gospel of Philip*, reveals a profound theological understanding of the nature of creation, fall, and redemption. The idea is presented clearly in this Gnostic text: "If the female had not separated from the male, the female and the male would not have died. The separation of male and female was the beginning of death. Christ came to heal the separation that was from the beginning and reunite the two, in order to give life to those who died through separation and unite them." (*Gospel of Philip*, 56). This idea is rooted in the belief that death entered the world through the separation of the masculine and feminine principles, a separation that began with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
The *Gospel of Philip* further elaborates on this union: "A woman is united with her husband in the bridal chamber, and those united in the bridal chamber will not be separated again. That is why Eve became separated from Adam, because she had not united with him in the bridal chamber" (*Gospel of Philip*, 56). This union in the bridal chamber signifies a return to the original state of oneness that Adam and Eve shared before the fall, a state where death did not exist. In the mystical and esoteric context of Gnostic thought, this union represents a spiritual reconciliation, an understanding of the primordial unity between masculine and feminine aspects of the divine.
The concept of this separation and its consequences is seen in Genesis 3:16: "Unto the woman, he said, I will increase thy pain of pregnancy; in pain shalt thou bear children; yet unto thy husband shall be thy longing, though he rule over thee." This passage is crucial in understanding the separation that caused the entry of death into the world. The Hebrew word *teshuwqah*, translated as "desire," is key to understanding the relationship between Eve and Adam. It is not a desire "for" her husband, but "to" him—indicating a longing for the restoration of the oneness they once shared. This longing represents Eve's desire to return to her original state of unity with Adam, a unity that was lost through her separation from him.
The restoration of this unity is central to the Gnostic understanding of salvation. In this context, *teshuwqah* can also be translated as "return," highlighting the idea of a return to the original unity. The Concordant translation reflects this with: "By your husband is your restoration, and he shall rule over you." This is not a mere statement about marital hierarchy but a symbolic expression of the spiritual restoration of the Bride (the Church) to Christ, her Husband.
The *Song of Songs* also speaks of this longing in a similar way: "I am my beloved’s, and unto me is his longing" (Song 7:10). Here, the desire of the Bride for her Beloved (Christ) is reciprocated, signaling the restoration of the intimate union that was lost in Eden.
Eve’s separation from Adam, as described in the *Gospel of Philip*, has profound implications for understanding death. It is suggested that when Adam and Eve were still united, death did not exist, as "God does not die, hence His image and likeness would not die as long as it continued in Oneness with the Father." (*Gospel of Philip*). However, upon their separation, death came into being. It was through their disobedience, their departure from the will of the Father, that they introduced death into the world. This separation was not only physical but spiritual, as it represented the fragmentation of the divine unity.
The *Gospel of Philip* teaches that Christ's mission was to restore this primal unity: "When he enters again [into harmony with the will of the Father] and attains his former self [brings body, soul, and spirit back together as One], death will be no more" (*Gospel of Philip*, 56). Christ’s role in reuniting the masculine and feminine, symbolized in the union of the Bride and the Groom, brings about the victory over death.
In this understanding, the phrase "When Adam and Eve had not been separated, death did not exist. When they were separated, death commenced among them. When they regain their primal unity, death itself will die" encapsulates the core of this esoteric Gnostic teaching. It reflects the belief that death is not a natural part of creation but a result of disunity, both between humanity and God and between the masculine and feminine principles. Through the reconciliation of these elements, death is overcome.
In John 17:21, Christ prayed for this restoration of oneness: "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me, through their word; that they all may be one; as Thou, Father art in me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us." This union, which was lost in Eden, is the fulfillment of Christ's prayer—a restoration of the divine unity between God and humanity, a unity that will be realized fully in the marriage of the Lamb.
Paul, too, affirms this union in Galatians 3:28: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." This passage emphasizes the spiritual oneness that transcends physical distinctions, pointing to the ultimate union in Christ that will occur when the Bride is fully united with the Groom.
Thus, the union in the bridal chamber is not merely a metaphorical concept but a deep spiritual truth about the reconciliation of all things in Christ. It is through the reunion of the masculine and feminine principles in the divine order that death will be overcome, and life will be restored to its fullest. The *Gospel of Philip* presents this union as the ultimate goal of salvation, where death will no longer have any hold on those who are united with Christ, the Bridegroom.
Union in the Bridal Chamber
If the female had not separated from the male, the female and the male would not have died. The separation of male and female was the beginning of death. Christ came to heal the separation that was from the beginning and reunite the two, in order to give life to those who died through separation and unite them.
A woman is united with her husband in the bridal chamber, and those united in the bridal chamber will not be separated again. That is why Eve became separated from Adam, because she had not united with him in the bridal chamber.
gen 3:16 ¶ Unto the woman, he said, I will, increase, thy pain of pregnancy, In pain, shalt thou bear children,--Yet, unto thy husband, shall be thy longing, Though, he, rule over thee.
Song 7:10 ¶ I, am my beloved’s, and, unto me, is his longing.
"I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt
bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule
overthee" (Gen. 3:16).
The word "desire", Hebrew teshuwqah, is the connecting link between the covenant to Eve, and the declaration of the Bride in Song 7:10.
But what is the "desire"? With regard to Eve, it was not "for" her husband, but "to" him. It was for something she had lost, but hoped to regain through him. In this context, it obviously referred to the restoration of former privileges that she had enjoyed when there was complete "oneness" between the two. Adam had regarded her as "the woman whom Thou (God) gavest to be with me" (Gen. 3:12). They associated as one, on grounds of equality; but the presumption of Eve had destroyed that. Eve's desire was for a resumption of the previous state.
Instead of teshuwqah, desire, some read teshewbah, return. Thus the Concordant translation renders: "By your husband is your restoration, and he shall rule over you." The LXX and the Syriac also render it as "return." the LXX has the word apostrophee, "a turning of oneself", "an escape of place of refuge from evil", "a resource against the want of water, and a means of getting it" (see Liddel & Scott, Greek Lexicon).
All these meanings are most significant. Eve was reminded that her restoration, return, place of refuge, help in need, was subject to her husband, and that he must exercise the rule over her. Eve, however, was typical of the Bride of Christ, and these words spoken to her have an added significance when related to the Bride. The restoration of the Bride is subject to her husband (Christ), and he must bear rule over her, if she would attain unto it.
That unity for which Christ prayed the Father when he declared: "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me, through their word; that they all may be one; as Thou, Father art in me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us" (John 17:21). This expresses the complete union of marriage; that oneness that shall only be experienced when the marriage of the Lamb hath come. For the moment, the Bride is espoused as a "chaste virgin" to Christ, and in this relationship, there is partial restoration. Thus Paul wrote: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28).
When Eve [holy spirit (mother of everyone living)] was still with Adam [still in the creative thoughts of the Father], death did not exist [God does not die, hence His image and likeness would not die as long as it continued in Oneness with the Father]. When she was separated from him [when she was manifest in creation as individual spirit consciousness (i.e. was able to make independent choices)], death came into being [by making the wrong choice to follow a path contrary to Gods Law causing double mindedness – it is the separation of the will of the Father from the will of individual spirit]. If he enters again [into harmony with the will of the Father] and attains his former self [brings body, soul and spirit back together as One], death will be no more [this is victory over death] (Philip 56)
When Adam and Eve had not been separated, death did not exist. When they were
separated, death commenced among them. When they regain their primal unity,
death itself will die.