The Nature of Sin in the Gospel of Mary

Matter, Passion, the Psychic Aeon, and the Restoration of Nature to Its Root

Introduction

The Gospel of Mary presents a distinctive understanding of sin, human nature, matter, suffering, and salvation. In the passage under consideration, Jesus challenges the assumption that sin exists as an independent power that possesses the world by its own authority. Instead, he directs his disciples towards a deeper understanding of how human beings participate in the formation of sin through their actions, desires, and relationship with the material order.

The central statement is found in section 26:

“The Savior said There is no sin, but it is you who make sin when you do the things that are like the nature of adultery, which is called sin.”

This statement raises a fundamental question: if the Savior declares that there is no sin, why do human beings experience corruption, suffering, sickness, and death? His answer is connected to the nature of matter, the passions that arise from it, and the possibility of restoration to the original root of existence.

The passage does not simply deny that harmful actions occur. Rather, it questions whether sin should be understood as an independent substance or power. The Savior distinguishes between nature itself and the activities through which human beings produce what is called sin. His teaching consequently shifts attention away from the mere application of external laws and towards the inner causes of human conduct.

When this passage is compared with The Concept of Our Great Power, a text from the Nag Hammadi collection, a related picture emerges. The latter describes a psychic aeon associated with bodies and the production of destructive passions, including anger, envy, hatred, slander, and falsehood. Read together, these texts offer a framework for examining sin as a condition arising through the interaction of material existence, psychic activity, and human behaviour.

The result is a conception of salvation centred upon healing, understanding, and the restoration of nature to its root.

1. All Nature Exists in Relationship

The Savior begins his teaching with a statement about the interconnectedness of existence:

“All nature, all formations, all creatures exist in and with one another, and they will be resolved again into their own roots.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 22)

This statement establishes the foundation for everything that follows. Nature, formations, and creatures do not exist as completely isolated realities. They exist in relationship with one another, participating in an ordered process of existence and eventual dissolution.

The expression “all formations” can be understood as encompassing the forms and arrangements that constitute the world. These formations are not necessarily permanent in their present condition. Their existence is temporary, and their ultimate resolution involves a return to their respective roots.

The reference to roots is particularly important. The Savior does not describe the end of existence simply as annihilation into absolute nothingness. Instead, the passage describes a resolution into the origins or underlying principles from which particular forms arise.

This provides a framework for understanding the relationship between material existence and corruption. Things have a nature, and their eventual dissolution is related to that nature. Their existence does not require that every condition experienced during their formation should be regarded as an eternal or independent principle.

Within this interpretation, sin is not necessarily a fundamental constituent of existence. It can instead be understood as a condition associated with the way particular forms of life operate.

This distinction becomes clearer in the following verse.

2. The Nature of Matter and Its Own Roots

The Savior continues:

“For the nature of matter is resolved into the roots of its own nature alone.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 23)

Here, the Savior specifically addresses matter. Matter has its own nature and returns to the roots belonging to that nature.

This statement should not automatically be interpreted as meaning that matter is evil in itself. The text does not explicitly say that matter is identical with sin. Rather, it distinguishes matter according to its nature and its eventual resolution.

The distinction is important because the passage subsequently connects matter with passion and disturbance. Matter participates in a process through which particular conditions arise, but the existence of matter and the designation of certain human actions as sinful are not necessarily identical propositions.

The passage therefore invites a distinction between the material order and the moral or psychic conditions associated with embodied existence.

A body can experience desire, pleasure, pain, sickness, and death. These experiences belong to the conditions of embodied life. Yet the question of sin concerns how human beings act within those conditions and how their actions become destructive.

The Savior's teaching can consequently be read as a rejection of the assumption that every negative human condition must be explained through an independent substance called sin.

Instead, the explanation begins with nature, its formations, and the processes through which those formations arise and return to their roots.

3. Peter's Question: What Is the Sin of the World?

Peter then asks the question that brings the discussion directly to the nature of sin:

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 24)

Following this statement, Peter responds:

“Peter said to him, Since you have explained everything to us, tell us this also: What is the sin of the world?”

(Gospel of Mary, section 25)

Peter's question is significant because it asks about the sin of the world, rather than merely asking which individual actions are prohibited.

The wording suggests a question about the condition of existence itself. Is sin an independent reality governing the world? Is it an inherent quality of nature? Or does it arise through the actions of living beings?

The Savior's response challenges the assumptions behind the question.

“The Savior said There is no sin, but it is you who make sin when you do the things that are like the nature of adultery, which is called sin.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 26)

The words “There is no sin” are deliberately provocative. Taken in isolation, they might appear to deny the reality of wrongdoing altogether. Yet the remainder of the sentence immediately qualifies that reading: human beings make sin when they perform actions associated with what is called sin.

The statement therefore distinguishes between sin as an independent entity and sin as something produced through human conduct.

The Savior does not say that human actions have no consequences. Instead, he locates the making of sin in what people do.

The reference to adultery functions as an example of conduct designated as sinful. The precise meaning of the comparison has been interpreted in different ways, and the passage does not provide an exhaustive definition. Nevertheless, its immediate argument is clear: the designation of an action as sin is connected to the action itself, rather than proof that sin exists as an independent substance.

This distinction opens the possibility of understanding sin as a manifestation of disordered desire, action, or consciousness.

4. Sin as Something Human Beings Make

The expression “you make sin” deserves particular attention.

It suggests that sin is not simply an external object imposed upon a person. Human beings participate in its production through their actions. The responsibility for conduct cannot therefore be transferred entirely to an external power, a lawgiver, or the material world.

This interpretation does not mean that all harmful behaviour is freely chosen under ideal circumstances. Human conduct can be influenced by habits, desires, social circumstances, ignorance, and bodily conditions. Nevertheless, the Savior's statement directs attention to the relationship between human activity and the formation of what is called sin.

A useful distinction can be made between three related concepts:

• Nature: the underlying constitution and conditions of existence.

• Passion: a powerful impulse or disturbance arising within embodied and psychic life.

• Sinful action: conduct through which such impulses become expressed in ways designated as sinful.

These concepts are related, but they are not interchangeable.

A passion is not necessarily identical with an action, and an action is not necessarily proof that sin exists as an independent substance. The passage instead encourages examination of the processes through which human beings become involved in destructive behaviour.

This is where The Concept of Our Great Power becomes a valuable comparative text.

5. The Psychic Aeon and the Defilement of Souls

The Concept of Our Great Power describes a psychic aeon in language that connects psychic existence, bodies, and the emergence of destructive activity:

“Next the psychic aeon. It is a small one, which is mixed with bodies, by begetting in the souls (and) defiling (them). For the first defilement of the creation found strength. And it begot every work: many works of wrath, anger, envy, malice, hatred, slander, contempt and war, lying and evil counsels, sorrows and pleasures, basenesses and defilements, falsehoods and diseases, evil judgments that they decree according to their desires.”

This passage offers a more elaborate account of the development of destructive passions than the Gospel of Mary provides in its brief discussion of sin.

The psychic aeon is described as “mixed with bodies.” The text associates this mixture with the generation of conditions in souls that are described as defilement. From this first defilement, a multitude of activities emerges.

The list is extensive: wrath, anger, envy, malice, hatred, slander, contempt, war, lying, evil counsel, falsehood, disease, and unjust judgments.

These are not all the same kind of thing. Some describe emotions, others interpersonal actions, others forms of deception, and still others conditions of suffering. Yet the passage brings them together as manifestations of a disturbed condition.

The phrase “evil judgments that they decree according to their desires” is particularly relevant to the Gospel of Mary. It suggests a connection between desire and judgment: people do not merely experience impulses but may also form decisions and judgments in accordance with them.

This provides a possible bridge between passion and action. An impulse becomes consequential when it shapes how someone thinks, judges, and behaves.

The psychic aeon passage thus offers a model in which destructive activity proliferates through the interaction of embodied existence and psychic life.

However, the two texts should not be treated as if they necessarily use identical terminology or express precisely the same system. The Gospel of Mary directly questions the status of sin, whereas The Concept of Our Great Power describes the generation of defiling conditions and destructive works. Their comparison is illuminating without requiring that every detail be harmonised.

6. Psalm 7:14 and the Formation of Evil

The comparison with Psalm 7:14 adds another dimension to this discussion:

“Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.” — Psalm 7:14, King James Version

The verse uses the imagery of conception and birth to describe the development of wrongdoing. Iniquity is conceived, mischief is brought forth, and falsehood emerges as the result.

This imagery resembles the generative language used in The Concept of Our Great Power, where the first defilement “begot every work.”

In both passages, wrongdoing is presented through a process of formation. It does not appear merely as an isolated label attached to an action after the event. Something develops and produces consequences.

The comparison does not establish that the Psalmist and the author of The Concept of Our Great Power held identical theological beliefs. It does, however, provide a useful conceptual parallel: destructive behaviour can be described as something conceived and brought forth.

Applied to the Gospel of Mary, this reinforces the possibility that sin is made through the processes of desire, judgment, and action.

A person may experience anger without immediately committing an act of violence. Envy may arise without becoming slander. Desire may exist without becoming betrayal. The important question is how the conditions of inner life develop into conduct.

The language of conception and birth encourages attention to that development.

7. The Good Comes to Restore Nature to Its Root

Following his statement about sin, the Savior explains the purpose of the Good:

“That is why the Good came into your midst, to the essence of every nature in order to restore it to its root.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 27)

This is one of the most important statements in the passage because it explains salvation in terms of restoration.

The Good comes to the essence of every nature, with the purpose of restoring it to its root. Salvation is therefore presented as more than the imposition of an external command. It involves a movement towards the underlying origin of nature.

The language of restoration connects directly with the earlier declaration that all formations and creatures will be resolved into their own roots.

The Savior's teaching thus forms a sequence:

1. All nature and its formations exist in relationship.

2. Matter has its own nature and returns to its roots.

3. Human beings make sin through particular actions.

4. Destructive passions and works arise within embodied and psychic existence.

5. The Good comes to restore nature to its root.

Within this framework, salvation can be interpreted as the healing and restoration of a condition that has become disturbed.

The phrase “the essence of every nature” is especially significant. The Good is not described merely as addressing an external legal classification. Its work reaches the nature of things themselves.

For a Gnostic interpretation, this can suggest that salvation involves the recovery of a proper relationship with the source of existence. Yet the text's exact metaphysical meaning should not be reduced to a single formula. Its emphasis on roots and restoration allows several related interpretations.

The central point remains that the Good addresses the condition from which disorder arises.

8. Sickness and Death as Consequences of Being Deprived of Healing

The Savior continues:

“Then He continued and said, That is why you become sick and die, for you are deprived of the one who can heal you.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 28)

This statement links sickness and death with the absence of the one who can heal.

It follows the declaration that the Good came to restore nature to its root. Healing and restoration are therefore closely connected.

The passage does not explicitly state that every physical illness is caused by an individual's wrongdoing. Nor does it establish that every person who becomes sick has committed a particular sin. Such a conclusion would go beyond the wording of the text.

Instead, sickness and death are presented within a larger account of humanity's condition and its need for healing.

The statement can be understood on two related levels.

First, sickness and death belong to the experience of embodied existence. The earlier verses have already discussed matter, nature, and the eventual resolution of formations into their roots.

Second, the language of healing may point towards a deeper restoration of the human condition. The absence of the healer signifies deprivation: human beings lack what is necessary to overcome their disturbed state.

This interpretation also clarifies why the Savior's response to sin is not simply another prohibition. If the problem concerns a condition requiring healing, then salvation must address the condition itself.

The Good restores; the healer heals.

The passage consequently places the emphasis on recovery rather than merely condemnation.

9. Matter Gives Birth to Passion

The Savior then offers a further explanation:

“He who has a mind to understand, let him understand.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 29)

He continues:

“Matter gave birth to a passion that has no equal, which proceeded from something contrary to nature. Then there arises a disturbance in its whole body.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 30)

This is a difficult and important statement. Matter is described as giving birth to an extraordinary passion, which proceeds from something “contrary to nature.” The result is a disturbance affecting the whole body.

The language echoes the generative imagery found in The Concept of Our Great Power. In both passages, a process of formation leads to a condition of disturbance.

However, the Gospel of Mary does not explicitly identify matter itself with sin. Rather, matter is described as giving birth to passion, while the earlier statement locates the making of sin in human actions.

This distinction allows for a layered interpretation.

Matter provides the conditions of embodied existence. Passion arises within those conditions. Human beings act within the resulting field of impulses, desires, and judgments. Certain actions are then identified as sinful.

The passage's reference to something “contrary to nature” suggests that the passion in question is not simply an ordinary feature of existence operating in a harmonious manner. It represents a distortion or disorder.

The subsequent “disturbance in its whole body” suggests that this disorder is not confined to a single isolated act. It has consequences for the wider condition of embodied life.

The language should not be turned into an unsupported claim that matter is intrinsically evil. The text describes a problematic process involving matter and passion, but its larger movement is towards restoration rather than the simple rejection of existence.

10. Courage in the Presence of the Different Forms of Nature

The Savior responds to this difficult teaching with encouragement:

“That is why I said to you, Be of good courage, and if you are discouraged be encouraged in the presence of the different forms of nature.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 31)

The reference to the “different forms of nature” returns the reader to the opening declaration that all nature, formations, and creatures exist in relationship.

The Savior does not instruct the disciples to surrender to despair because matter and passion are associated with disturbance. Instead, he tells them to be courageous.

This is important because knowledge of the human condition can itself be unsettling. Recognising the relationship between embodied existence, passion, and destructive behaviour might lead someone to believe that disorder is unavoidable.

The Savior's response points in the opposite direction.

The possibility of restoration means that the present condition need not be regarded as the final truth about existence. If the Good can restore nature to its root, then the experience of disturbance does not eliminate the possibility of healing.

The encouragement is therefore consistent with the entire argument: the human condition requires understanding, but understanding should lead to restoration rather than despair.

The Savior again declares:

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 32)

This repeated formula emphasises that the teaching demands discernment. The disciples must do more than hear the words; they must understand the relationship between nature, passion, sin, and restoration.

11. Peace, the Inner Son of Man, and the Kingdom

After completing his teaching, the Savior says:

“When the Blessed One had said this, He greeted them all,saying, Peace be with you. Receive my peace unto yourselves.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 33)

The greeting of peace follows the explanation of nature's disturbance and the need for healing. Peace is therefore a fitting conclusion to the discussion.

The Savior's next warning is equally important:

“Beware that no one lead you astray saying Lo here or lo there! For the Son of Man is within you.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 34)

This statement directs attention away from the search for an exclusively external location of salvation.

The disciples are warned against being misled by claims that the decisive reality is located only “here” or “there.” Instead, the Son of Man is described as being within them.

This can be understood as an invitation to recognise the presence of the saving reality within human existence, rather than depending entirely on external authorities or geographical claims.

The passage does not explain every aspect of the Son of Man's identity, but its immediate emphasis is clear: the disciples must seek and recognise what is within.

The Savior continues:

“Follow after Him!”

(Gospel of Mary, section 35)

And:

“Those who seek Him will find Him.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 36)

These statements connect inner recognition with active seeking. The disciples are not merely told that the Son of Man is within them; they are instructed to follow and seek.

In the context of the earlier teaching, this seeking can be understood as part of the movement towards restoration. The Good comes to restore nature to its root, and the disciples are encouraged to pursue the saving reality rather than be diverted by misleading claims.

The passage concludes with a commission:

“Go then and preach the gospel of the Kingdom.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 37)

The teaching about sin is therefore not an isolated philosophical speculation. It belongs to the proclamation of the Kingdom.

The disciples are to communicate the message of the Good, the possibility of healing, and the call to seek the saving reality.

12. Rejecting Additional Rules and the Burden of the Lawgiver

The final statement provides a fitting conclusion:

“Do not lay down any rules beyond what I appointed you, and do not give a law like the lawgiver lest you be constrained by it.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 38)

This instruction is particularly significant when read alongside the declaration that human beings make sin through their actions.

The Savior warns the disciples against introducing additional rules and becoming like a lawgiver. The concern is that the disciples might become constrained by a system of regulations that extends beyond the teaching they have received.

The passage does not necessarily mean that all moral distinctions are meaningless or that harmful behaviour should be ignored. Its earlier statements clearly distinguish actions associated with sin and describe the destructive consequences of passion and disturbance.

Instead, the warning challenges the assumption that salvation can be achieved merely by multiplying external rules.

If the fundamental problem concerns the condition of nature, the generation of passion, and the actions that human beings produce, then external regulation alone cannot fully address that problem.

A person may know a rule without understanding the passion that leads to destructive conduct. A person may follow an external requirement while remaining governed by envy, hatred, malice, or deceit.

The Gospel of Mary therefore places particular importance on understanding, inner recognition, healing, and restoration.

The warning against becoming a lawgiver also prevents the disciples from replacing the Savior's teaching with a new system of burdensome regulations. Their task is to preach the Kingdom, not to create additional constraints that obscure the message.

Conclusion

The nature of sin in the Gospel of Mary can be understood through the relationship between matter, passion, human action, and restoration.

The Savior begins by declaring:

“All nature, all formations, all creatures exist in and with one another, and they will be resolved again into their own roots.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 22)

He then makes the central statement:

“There is no sin, but it is you who make sin when you do the things that are like the nature of adultery, which is called sin.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 26)

These statements establish the framework for interpreting the passage. Nature has its own constitution and process of resolution, while sin is associated with actions that human beings perform. The text challenges the idea that sin must exist as an independent substance, without denying that destructive conduct and its consequences are real.

The Concept of Our Great Power provides a complementary account of how defiling conditions and destructive works arise within psychic and embodied existence. Its catalogue of wrath, anger, envy, malice, hatred, slander, war, lying, and falsehood illustrates the proliferation of destructive activity. Psalm 7:14 offers a further parallel through its image of iniquity being conceived and falsehood being brought forth.

Against this background, the Savior declares that the Good has come:

“to the essence of every nature in order to restore it to its root.”

(Gospel of Mary, section 27)

This is the decisive answer to the problem of sin. The goal is restoration, not simply the multiplication of prohibitions. The healer addresses the disturbed condition; the Good restores nature to its root.

The passage concludes by directing the disciples towards the Son of Man within them, encouraging them to seek, and commissioning them to preach the Kingdom without imposing additional rules.

The central message is therefore that sin should not automatically be treated as an eternal, independent power. The Gospel of Mary instead invites readers to examine how destructive conditions arise through passion and action, why human beings require healing, and how restoration becomes possible through the Good.

Sin is described as something human beings make; salvation is described as the restoration of nature to its root.

Valentinian Teaching on Sin, Human Nature, the Fall, and Salvation

The Two Aspects of Sin, the Restoration of the Divine Image, and the Redeemed Redeemer

Introduction

Valentinian teaching on sin can be understood as fundamentally Christian in nature because it addresses the same central problems found throughout the New Testament: humanity's subjection to sin and mortality, the failure of human beings to reflect the divine character, and the necessity of redemption through Jesus Christ. Yet the Valentinian perspective also invites us to consider salvation in terms of spiritual knowledge, restoration, and the recovery of humanity's proper condition.

The Valentinian Exposition presents Christ as the great Champion who overcomes the Kingdom of Death and gathers the Church, consisting of the elect and the called. Its account of redemption brings together the spiritual and psychic dimensions of humanity, the work of Christ, and the principle that what is holy at its root produces holiness in its branches.

This teaching can be considered alongside Genesis 3, the New Testament's language of sin, the doctrine of human nature developed in Elpis Israel, and the relationship between salvation and knowledge. Together, these themes provide a framework for understanding sin in two principal aspects: the physical constitution of human nature, subject to mortality, and the individual acts of transgression for which a person is responsible.

Salvation, correspondingly, involves more than the cancellation of past wrongdoing. It concerns the rectification of human life, the renewal of the mind, the restoration of the divine image, and the transformation of character through Christ.

1. The Valentinian Exposition: Christ the Great Champion

The Valentinian Exposition describes Christ's victory over death in the following passage:

"58 Then after the Kingdom of Death, which had made a great and fair promise, but had none the less become a ministry of death, Jesus Christ the great Champion, when every principality and divinity had refused, received unto himself by an act of power the Church, that is, the elect and the called, one (the spiritual) from the Mother, the other (the psychic) by the Dispensation; and he saved and bore aloft what he had received and through them what was consubstantial. For 'if the first fruits be holy, the lump will be also; if the root be holy, then will also the shoots.'"

This passage presents redemption as a decisive act of Christ against the Kingdom of Death. The language of a ministry of death is significant because it portrays a system that may appear to promise something good but ultimately remains subject to mortality.

Christ, by contrast, is the great Champion. His work is not merely an announcement that humanity ought to become righteous. He receives the Church, saves what he has received, and bears it aloft. Redemption is therefore presented as an act of deliverance and restoration.

The passage distinguishes between the spiritual, received from the Mother, and the psychic, associated with the Dispensation. These categories belong to the particular cosmological framework of the Valentinian text. They should not simply be equated with the physical and moral aspects of human nature discussed in other Christian traditions. Nevertheless, the passage provides a useful starting point for considering how redemption concerns both humanity's origin and its restored condition.

The quotation concludes with a scriptural principle:

"If the first fruits be holy, the lump will be also; if the root be holy, then will also the shoots."

The image of the root and its branches suggests continuity between the source of life and what proceeds from it. Christ's holiness becomes central to the restoration of those who belong to him. The New Testament similarly uses the imagery of first fruits to explain the relationship between Christ's resurrection and the future of humanity (1 Corinthians 15:20–23).

In this sense, the Valentinian passage presents Christ as the one who overcomes death and makes restoration possible. It establishes the foundation for considering the relationship between sin, human nature, and salvation.

2. The Two Aspects of Sin

A fundamental distinction must be made between the condition of human nature and the sinful actions committed by individuals.

The following statement expresses this distinction:

"Sin in human life has two aspects. First our nature itself has a bias towards sin and an inbred mortality which is the consequence of sin. That nature Christ shared with us. But secondly, in us the nature expresses itself in acts of sin for which we are individually responsible."

This formulation identifies two related but distinguishable aspects of the human predicament.

The first concerns human constitution: humanity possesses a nature subject to mortality and to desires that can lead away from righteousness. The second concerns personal conduct: people act upon those desires and become responsible for their choices.

The distinction may be represented as follows:

1 — Physical human nature

Human beings possess a mortal constitution, subject to weakness, bodily appetites, and death.

2 — Acts of sin or transgression

Human beings make choices that violate what they understand to be right, thereby becoming morally responsible for their actions.

These two aspects must not be confused. The existence of a mortal nature does not mean that every human action is sinful, nor does the existence of temptation eliminate personal responsibility. Conversely, acknowledging personal responsibility does not require denying the influence of human nature.

The distinction is particularly important when considering Christ. Hebrews 2:14 states that the children share in flesh and blood and that Christ likewise partook of the same. Hebrews 4:15, however, describes him as tempted yet without sin.

Within this interpretation, Christ shared the human condition without committing transgression. His victory demonstrates that possessing mortal human nature and committing sinful acts are not identical propositions.

This understanding also avoids treating sin merely as a collection of isolated actions. It recognizes a deeper problem associated with humanity's present constitution while maintaining that individual wrongdoing remains morally significant.

The two aspects are therefore connected, but they are not interchangeable.

3. The Meaning of Sin: Hamartia and Chata

The Hebrew and Greek vocabulary of sin helps illuminate this distinction.

In Hebrew, the word commonly translated as sin is chata or chatta't, depending on the grammatical form. In Greek, the principal New Testament term is hamartia, together with its related forms.

The Greek word hamartia can carry the sense of missing a mark, failing to achieve a goal, or going wrong. In biblical usage, it develops into a broader theological term for sin, wrongdoing, and the condition associated with sin.

The image of missing a mark is useful because it presents righteousness as a proper direction or objective from which a person can depart. Sin is not simply a physical substance residing in the body. It can describe an action, a failure, or a condition that prevents a person from fulfilling the proper purpose of human life.

Nevertheless, the term has several related uses. It can refer to particular sinful acts, to sin considered as a governing power, or to the wider condition under which humanity lives.

This explains why biblical discussions of sin cannot always be reduced to one definition.

When Paul speaks of sin reigning in death in Romans 5:21, he uses language that goes beyond an individual transgression. Similarly, Romans 7 describes sin as operating within the human predicament, while other passages speak directly about particular acts of wrongdoing.

The distinction between human nature and sinful conduct is therefore an interpretative framework that helps organize these different biblical uses. It should not be taken to mean that hamartia always denotes physical human nature, or that every occurrence of the word contains both meanings simultaneously.

The central point is that the biblical language of sin encompasses both personal wrongdoing and humanity's wider subjection to sin and death.

4. The Fall in Genesis 3

The account of the Fall provides a narrative explanation of humanity's departure from obedience to God.

Genesis 3:6 states:

"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate."

Three features are identified in the woman's perception of the tree.

First, it was good for food. Second, it was pleasant to the eyes. Third, it was desirable for making one wise.

These three features correspond to the familiar biblical description of temptation in 1 John 2:16:

"For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world."

The correspondence between Genesis and 1 John provides a framework for examining the way temptation operates.

The lust of the flesh concerns bodily desire and the pursuit of gratification.

The lust of the eyes concerns attraction to what appears desirable, valuable, or pleasing.

The pride of life concerns the desire for elevation, status, self-sufficiency, or wisdom pursued independently of God's instruction.

These categories describe interconnected aspects of human experience. A temptation may appeal to bodily appetite, visual attraction, ambition, or several of these at once.

The account of the Fall therefore provides an illustration of how perception, desire, and decision can combine in an act of disobedience. The woman sees, evaluates, desires, takes, and eats. The narrative does not describe an involuntary bodily process alone; it depicts a sequence culminating in an action.

The accompanying interpretation states:

"The woman was now under the domination of the 'lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life' which sum up the three avenues of temptation, but which, taught John, 'are not (out) of the Father' (1 John 2:16). They are 'not of the Father' because, in their inflamed condition, they were brought into existence by the serpent."

This interpretation emphasizes the serpent's role in the development of temptation. The expression "in their inflamed condition" is important: bodily desires and perceptions become destructive when they dominate judgment and direct a person away from righteousness.

However, the precise claim that these desires were brought into existence by the serpent is an interpretative theological position rather than an explicit statement of Genesis 3 or 1 John 2:16. The biblical texts establish the relationship between temptation, desire, and disobedience, while the proposed explanation develops that relationship into a particular account of the Fall.

5. The Fall as a Regression of Consciousness

The Fall can also be interpreted as a movement away from spiritual understanding and towards self-directed desire.

One formulation expresses the idea in these words:

"Therefore the fall is a regression in the mind from the pure or spotless character of the Christ consciousness to the ego and outward senses of man, which is the carnal mind or the consciousness of sin."

This interpretation describes the Fall as a change in the direction of human consciousness. Instead of allowing understanding and obedience to govern desire, the individual becomes increasingly governed by outward appearances, personal gratification, and the ego.

The phrase "Christ consciousness" is best understood here as an interpretative expression for the righteousness and spiritual orientation exemplified by Christ. It is not a phrase used in Genesis 3 itself.

Nevertheless, the proposed contrast between spiritual understanding and self-centred desire can be connected with Paul's discussion of the mind in Romans 8:5–7. Paul contrasts the mind set on the flesh with the mind directed towards the Spirit, describing the former as incompatible with submission to God's law.

This does not require the conclusion that the body itself is evil. Rather, the problem lies in the direction of desire and the relationship between bodily impulses, judgment, and obedience.

The Fall can consequently be understood on two levels: as the biblical account of disobedience and its consequences, and as an enduring pattern in which human beings allow immediate desires to displace a proper orientation towards God.

This interpretation connects the Genesis narrative with the continuing struggle described in Romans 7.

6. The Image and Likeness of God

Genesis establishes humanity's original status through the language of the divine image and likeness.

Genesis 1:26 states:

"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.'"

The distinction between image and likeness has played an important role in theological interpretation. The supplied explanation emphasizes that likeness concerns not merely outward appearance but also humanity's capacity to reflect divine character.

It states:

"'According to Our likeness' — This is a very important statement teaching that man was created in the divine image and likeness, to reflect the divine character. Likeness in Hebrew, means to bring together, to compare. It is translated 'likeness' in Ezekiel 1:5, and is there used in regard to the cherubim. In Isaiah 40:18, 25; 46:5, it is used in connection with Yahweh."

The explanation continues:

"A consideration of these passages will show that the word Likeness defines capacity, authority and status. Man was made in the image of the Father, given a status similar to His over creation and granted a capacity to reflect the divine character. Therefore, a man's character should conform to his Godlike shape, as James suggests (see James 3:9). But whereas Adam was made in 'the image and likeness of the Elohim,' the descendants of Adam inherit the consequences of the Fall. Seth was 'in the likeness after the image' of Adam (Gen. 5:3), and not that of God. Therefore, since the Fall it has been impossible for man to reflect the divine excellence in its fullness, and this has required the formation of a New Man who should exactly reveal the divine image and likeness. This Christ accomplished by conquering the flesh (Rom. 1:3; Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:15)."

This interpretation links the divine image with humanity's vocation and character. Human beings were created to exercise authority over creation while reflecting the character of their Creator.

James 3:9 reinforces the moral significance of this teaching by condemning the contradiction involved in blessing God while cursing human beings, who are made in God's likeness.

The argument also draws attention to Genesis 5:3, which describes Seth as being in Adam's likeness and image. This provides a way of considering the transmission of human nature from Adam to his descendants.

The supplied explanation further states:

"'While image, then, hath reference to form or shape, 'likeness' hath regard to mental constitution, or capacity... Adam's mental capacity enabled him to comprehend and receive spiritual ideas, which moved him to veneration, hope, the expression of his views, affections, and so forth. Seth was capable of the like display of intellectual and moral behaviour; and of an assimilation of character to that of his father. He was therefore in the likeness as well as in the image of Adam; and, in the same sense, they were both 'after the likeness of the Elohim.'"

The distinction proposed here is between form and capacity. Image concerns form or shape, while likeness concerns the capacity for intellectual, emotional, and moral activity.

This should be recognized as a particular theological interpretation rather than an uncontested definition of the Hebrew words. Genesis itself does not explicitly assign these separate meanings to image and likeness.

Even so, the interpretation provides a useful way of expressing the relationship between humanity's created status and its capacity to reflect divine character.

7. The Law of Sin and Death

Humanity's original vocation must be considered alongside the present condition of mortality.

The supplied passage states:

"The almost uncontrolled and continuous operation of 'the law of sin and death' (Rom. 7:23), called by philosophers 'the law of nature,' which is an indwelling and inseparable component of our present condition, has exceedingly deformed the image, and effected the likeness of God, which man originally had possession of."

This formulation draws upon Paul's language in Romans 7:23, where he describes a law at work in his members that opposes the law of his mind.

The expression "law of sin and death" connects human weakness with the wider biblical account of mortality. Romans 5:12 relates the entrance of sin into the world to death, while Romans 6:23 describes death as the wages of sin.

In this framework, the human condition is not explained exclusively through individual decisions. Human beings enter life already subject to mortality, and their bodily constitution presents them with limitations that cannot simply be removed through determination.

The term "law of nature" describes the regularity of this condition. It does not mean that every natural process is morally sinful. Rather, it refers to the persistent operation of a mortal condition that humanity cannot overcome by its own unaided power.

The result, in this interpretation, is that humanity no longer manifests the divine character in its fullness. The image and likeness remain relevant to humanity's identity, but the intended moral and spiritual expression of that identity has been profoundly compromised.

This prepares the way for the doctrine of the New Man.

8. Christ as the New Man and the Last Adam

The supplied explanation continues:

"It required, therefore, the appearance of a New Man, in whom the image and likeness should re-appear, as in the beginning. This was 'the man Christ Jesus,' whom Paul called 'the last Adam.' He is 'the Image of the invisible God' (Col. 1:15), 'the mirror of the glory, and the exact likeness of His person' (Heb. 1:3)."

Christ occupies a central position in this account because he represents the restoration of what humanity was created to express.

Colossians 1:15 identifies Christ as "the image of the invisible God." Hebrews 1:3 describes the Son as the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being. These passages establish Christ as the one who perfectly reveals the Father.

Paul's description of Christ as the last Adam in 1 Corinthians 15:45 places him in contrast with the first Adam. The first Adam belongs to the story of humanity's entry into mortality; Christ, the last Adam, is associated with resurrection and life.

This contrast does not require the claim that Christ merely possessed a different kind of human body. Hebrews 2:14 emphasizes his participation in flesh and blood, while Romans 1:3 speaks of his descent from David according to the flesh.

His significance lies in his faithful obedience and his victory over the condition that holds humanity in bondage to death.

The connection between Christ's humanity and his sinlessness is particularly important. If Christ shared the human condition, yet did not commit sin, then the existence of a mortal nature cannot simply be equated with personal transgression.

Christ becomes the New Man because he reveals the divine character without the disobedience that characterized the Fall.

His resurrection further establishes the pattern of redemption described in the Valentinian Exposition: the Champion overcomes death and becomes the foundation of restoration for those who belong to him.

9. Salvation as Rectification and Restoration

Salvation is often discussed as deliverance from sin and death. The supplied material adds another emphasis: salvation as the restoration of humanity's intended condition.

One statement proposes:

"Salvation comes from a Greek word meaning the coming to a new understanding of God through mental effort, not through God's benevolence."

This wording requires qualification. The Greek words for salvation, including sōtēria, and for a saviour, sōtēr, do not literally mean the acquisition of knowledge through mental effort. Their ordinary meanings concern salvation, deliverance, preservation, and rescue. Moreover, the New Testament explicitly attributes salvation to God's grace, notably in Ephesians 2:8–9.

Nevertheless, the connection between salvation and knowledge is important in the New Testament.

First Timothy 2:4 states that God desires people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Knowledge is therefore not necessarily opposed to salvation by grace. It can be understood as part of the transformation through which people come to understand God and live in accordance with that understanding.

The supplied material develops this emphasis in the following passage:

"In the NT, Salvation or being saved is closely linked with 'coming to the knowledge of the truth' (1 Tm 2:4). The term 'rectification' better encompasses the meaning of the Greek word than does salvation, for the Greek word, traditionally translated saviour, is a first century title that refers to a healer who rectifies a problem, rather than a transcendental being who saves the world."

The idea of rectification is valuable as an interpretative description of what salvation accomplishes, even though it is not the literal lexical meaning of the Greek term.

To rectify something is to put it right. Applied to humanity, rectification means correcting the disorder that prevents human beings from reflecting the divine character.

The accompanying explanation states:

"In effect, Salvation literally means rectification in the sense of getting things right, rather than being saved from something we have no control over."

Strictly speaking, salvation does not literally mean rectification in Greek. Nevertheless, the concept of getting things right captures an important dimension of biblical salvation: reconciliation with God, forgiveness, renewed conduct, and the restoration of life.

The same material offers this fuller definition:

"The restoration of man to his spiritual birthright; regaining conscious possession of his God-given attributes or likeness. It comes as the result of repentance; the change from sin to righteousness. Salvation comes to man as a free gift from God. It embodies a knowledge of God that frees one from all limitations and points the way by which mind and heart may be lifted up to the spiritual place of consciousness."

This passage combines two elements: salvation as a gift from God and salvation as a transformation of the human person.

Repentance involves a change of direction. Knowledge provides an understanding of what is right. Righteousness concerns the resulting transformation of conduct.

Salvation is therefore neither merely intellectual nor merely external. It concerns the relationship between divine grace, understanding, repentance, and the reformation of life.

10. The Inner Overcoming and the New Man

The relationship between knowledge and transformation is developed further in the following statement:

"Salvation is based upon an inner overcoming, a change in consciousness. It is a cleansing of the mind, by Christ, from the consciousness of sin to the consciousness of righteousness."

The phrase "inner overcoming" describes the process by which the mind ceases to be governed by sinful desires and becomes oriented towards righteousness.

This is consistent with the New Testament's emphasis on the renewal of the mind. Romans 12:2 instructs believers to be transformed by the renewing of their minds, while Ephesians 4:22–24 describes putting away the former manner of life and putting on the new man.

The supplied text connects this transformation with the manifestation of spiritual truth:

"When the thoughts of sin are crossed out, the spiritual truth and life are manifested in the consciousness. 'The Spirit of him that raised up Jesus . . . shall give life also to your mortal bodies.' This is pictured in the resurrection of Jesus as an angel of Yahweh descending from heaven (the ruling spiritual kingdom) and rolling away the stone from the door of the tomb."

The quotation combines an interpretation of inner renewal with the biblical hope of bodily resurrection. The reference to the Spirit giving life to mortal bodies comes from Romans 8:11, while the rolling away of the tombstone draws on the Gospel resurrection narratives.

These ideas should be distinguished carefully. The renewal of consciousness is a present transformation of thought and conduct. Resurrection is the New Testament's promise of life beyond the present condition of mortality.

The supplied interpretation brings the two together by treating Christ's resurrection as the decisive expression of the life that overcomes death.

It continues:

"Jesus resurrected the body that was crucified; He did this by putting into the body the true state of consciousness. 'put on the new man, having been created according to God in righteousness and holiness of truth.'"

The final quotation echoes Ephesians 4:24, which describes the new man as created according to God in righteousness and holiness of truth.

However, the assertion that Jesus resurrected his body by putting into it a state of consciousness is an interpretative claim, not an explicit explanation supplied by the Gospel resurrection accounts. The biblical text affirms the resurrection of Jesus, but does not state that it occurred through a psychological change.

The broader connection remains meaningful: the risen Christ is the foundation of the new life, while believers are called to manifest that new life through righteousness and truth.

11. Knowledge as the Salvation of the Inner Person

The material concludes by emphasizing knowledge as a means of overcoming ignorance.

It states:

"Salvation consists in the faculties that is the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses."

And further:

"Sin and affliction resulted from ignorance, this whole system originating in ignorance is dissolved through knowledge. Hence, acquaintance is the salvation of the inner man. . . . Acquaintance redeems the inner, spiritual man; he finds his satisfaction in the knowledge of the Whole. And this is the true salvation."

This language strongly emphasizes knowledge as the means by which the inner person is redeemed. It also resembles themes found in some ancient Gnostic writings, in which ignorance is associated with humanity's alienation from its true origin and knowledge with awakening or restoration.

It is important, however, not to assume that every Valentinian teaching can be reduced to the proposition that knowledge alone saves. The Valentinian Exposition itself presents Christ as acting powerfully to receive, save, and raise the Church. Its account of redemption therefore places Christ's action alongside the spiritual significance of knowledge.

Knowledge, in this context, is more than the accumulation of information. It concerns a proper understanding of God, humanity, and the purpose of existence. It can change how a person interprets desire, exercises judgment, and responds to temptation.

Ignorance can contribute to wrongdoing when a person fails to understand the consequences of an action or the demands of righteousness. Knowledge can correct mistaken judgments and encourage a different way of life.

Nevertheless, ignorance cannot explain every sinful act. People may understand what is right and still choose what is wrong. The distinction between knowledge and conduct must therefore be preserved.

True rectification involves knowledge expressed through a transformed life.

Conclusion: From the Fall to Restoration

Valentinian teaching on sin, considered alongside the biblical account of the Fall and the doctrine of the New Man, presents a broad understanding of humanity's predicament.

The two aspects of sin distinguish the mortal condition of human nature from the particular acts of transgression for which individuals are responsible. Genesis 3 illustrates how bodily desire, visual attraction, and pride can become channels of temptation. First John 2:16 identifies these same dimensions as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

Genesis 1:26 establishes humanity's creation in God's image and likeness. The supplied interpretation understands this as a vocation to reflect divine character, exercise responsibility, and manifest intellectual and moral capacities. The Fall represents a failure to fulfil that vocation, while the continuing operation of sin and death describes the limitations of humanity's present condition.

Christ appears as the New Man and the last Adam, the one who perfectly reveals the divine character. Hebrews 2:14 establishes his participation in flesh and blood, while Hebrews 4:15 emphasizes his sinlessness. His victory demonstrates the distinction between sharing the human condition and committing transgression.

Salvation, accordingly, involves the restoration of what has been lost through sin: reconciliation with God, the renewal of the mind, repentance, righteousness, and the hope of resurrection. Knowledge contributes to this restoration by correcting ignorance and directing the person towards truth, but it should not be confused with the literal Greek meaning of salvation or treated as a replacement for divine grace.

The Valentinian Exposition brings these themes together in its portrayal of Jesus Christ as the great Champion who overcomes the Kingdom of Death:

"If the first fruits be holy, the lump will be also; if the root be holy, then will also the shoots."

Christ is the foundation of restoration because he reveals the divine character and conquers death. The new life associated with him calls humanity away from the domination of disordered desire and towards righteousness, understanding, and spiritual maturity.

The central argument is that salvation is both deliverance and restoration: deliverance from the dominion of sin and death, and restoration of the human capacity to reflect the divine character. The problem involves both the mortal condition humanity inherits and the transgressions for which individuals are accountable. The answer is found not in denying either aspect, but in understanding how Christ's victory, divine grace, knowledge, repentance, and transformed conduct belong together in the movement from the Fall towards the New Man.

POLITICAL UNIVERSE

 Bible Symbolism 

The bible mostly uses very straightforward language. The majority is a simple communication. Error is often made when people 'interpret' according to their theories, out of context, the simple communication as symbolic. To further confuse, some others may interpret prophetic 'symbolic' language as literal.

Bible symbolism is consistent and, once understood, is easily recognised. Bible symbolism is not any different to ordinary English use of metaphor as illustration. 

Some examples we have no trouble understanding are: 

People may say anything, from a bank to a boat, is "Steady as the rock of Gibraltar."

We don't mean the bank is steady in the same way as the rock is. The 'image' or symbol of the rock of Gibraltar gives a multitude of other subtle ideas to the idea of 'steady'.

We might say of a lost object- “it's a needle in a haystack!”.

We don't mean it really became a needle, we mean that all the issues of finding a needle in a haystack are present in the situation. The picture or symbol of the needle in the haystack in a few words gives a lot of information. 

In just such a way Bible symbol is shorthand for conveying a multitude of characteristics. A comprehensible, understood, thing is used to explain another. The mental outline, picture or “figure” of one thing is used to communicate characteristics regarding another thing, usually more complex. Just as English is rich with such 'picture' language, or figurative language, so was Hebrew. 

Prophetic Symbolism (figurative language)

The Bible does not aim to speak about science, or observation of the natural world. It is the record of God's interaction with humans. It is about humans and relationships. It speaks of how people are to treat each other and how they form a relationship with God. This is why the Bible never dates, as human nature, and interaction, hasn't changed over time. The Bible therefore comments on politics, as politics is the relationship of people at a national level. 

In Isaac Newton's 'Observations on the prophecy Daniel', he stated, “For understanding the prophecies, we are, in the first place, to acquaint ourselves with the figurative language”

Isaac Newton with his scientific mind clarified the definitive basis of prophetic symbolism.

“This (figurative) language is taken from the analogy between the world natural, and an empire or kingdom considered as a world politic”

Newton said that after studying the Bible he could see clearly that there is a pattern where a natural visible features of the physical world is used to describe some aspect of the political intangible 'world' of nations. This is especially evident in the prophets. He then goes on to explain each. The following uses Newton's order and goes to the Bible to show examples.

Heavens and Earth:

The heavens and earth encompass our whole experience of the natural world. In analogy, in prophecy, they relate to the whole political world. The aspects of the political world, the focus of the bible prophecy, are related to aspects we understand of the natural world. In the political world some are elevated above others into ruling positions. Those great ones that rule are 'high' above the ordinary person and are said to be in 'the heavens'. The Hebrew for 'heaven'(shâmayim) is from a word for 'lofty', or 'high'. One can rise in power into the political heavens, and likewise descend. The ordinary person is said to be of the earth. In Hebrew a word for 'earth' (ădâmâh) is related to the name Adam.

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice. (Psalm 96:11) 

Hear, heavens, and listen, earth; for Yahweh has spoken: (Isaiah 1:2) 

Sing, you heavens, for Yahweh has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth! (Isaiah 44:23)

In all of these instances the heavens and earth have human emotions, and skills, which inanimate nature cannot have. They are poetry and prophecy are analogy. Isaiah particularly uses this analogy

Sing, heavens; and be joyful, earth; 

for Yahweh has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted. (Isaiah 49:13)

Isaiah is both poetry and prophecy. Note the poetic pairs: heavens - people, earth - afflicted.

In any instance when you read 'heavens' in a prophetic book, or a prophetic song, where it is speaking of the fate of nations, think first it means political heavens. There may be some instances where prophets speak of the natural world, but they will be rarer.

Hell

As an extension, of the idea of ' the heavens' being those people elevated and the earth being the ordinary people, hell is the lowest parts of the earth, and is used in prophetic language to illustrate those who are miserable, and subjected to slavery or other political subjection. 

That thou shall take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How has the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. .... thou shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. (Isaiah 14:4-15)

The king who put people into slavery and subjected them to a living death, is to be removed from power and himself and his rulers subjected to hard slavery. This analogy is used in common language when people say after a very bad experience “It was hell!”

Heavens Shake & Earthquake

In the natural world the heavens do not shake. Bit in the political 'heavens' large events can 'shake' the political structure. Isaiah uses this image, note how the shaking is the result of God's anger. God is not angry at the natural world, rather at the people who live on earth.

Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. (Isaiah 13:13)

If the earth are the common people a great earthquake, is an event that like a natural earthquake changes their political world. This symbol or analogy is also used throughout the western world.

An example from a source which is not religious at all is the 'Socialist Review, No.126, December 1989, pp.11-14', by Tony Cliff titled “Earthquake in the East”

We are witnessing the most massive earthquake of the social and political order in Eastern Europe. It is on a scale reminiscent of 1848 and 1917.....To understand an earthquake you have to look at the pressure inside the system. It is summed up with Marx’s statement that when the social system becomes a brake on the development of the productive forces, the epoch of the social revolution starts.

Note Tony Cliff does not explain he is using an analogy- he uses the word 'earthquake' as synonymous for revolution, assuming his audience understands. In revelation, this analogy of an earthquake is used a few times,

The smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. (Rev 8:4-5)

There is no way in the natural world a fire will cause the earth to quake! This is symbolic of people. We will return to other symbols in this verse.

Sun & Moon

Just as the sun dominates the heavens of the natural world, so the sun is emblematic of the supreme ruler in the political world. The moon is the lesser ruler. Jacob had not trouble understanding his son Joseph's dream.

“Behold, I have dreamed yet another dream: and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.”He told it to his father and to his brothers. His father rebuked him, and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves down to you to the earth?”(Genesis 37:9-10)

In the tribe of Israel now numbering many people in the extended family, Jacob was the supreme ruler, and his wife was secondary by virtue of reflected glory. Isaiah is clearly not speaking of the natural moon and sun, when he writes,

Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Yahweh of Armies will reign on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before his elders will be glory.(Isaiah 24:23)

There is no reason for the natural moon to be without words, if Deity rules as a king from Jerusalem. But we can easily understand how the religious authority, who are secondary to the national leaders and secondary in the political 'heavens', like the moon, will be put to silence by such an event.

In prophecy we should readily see the analogy of 'the sun' to kings. The sun is accepted as the symbol for a king from Ancient Egypt, to ancient Ceylon, to France. In ancient Egypt Aten a sun deity was pictured as a king and considered father to the king (Pharaoh). From approx 160 BC Kauravas of Sir Lanka used the sun and moon emblems to represent the two royal clans. http://www.karava.org/sun_and_moon. One king, Louis XIV reigning 72 years in France called himself the 'Sun king' and surrounded himself with images of the sun. Historians are happy to retain the analogy in Louis' self title as he was an absolute ruler for much of his reign and considered beneficial to French culture. The analogy to the sun carries all the ideas associated with our experience of the natural sun.

Just as the natural sun and moon set and rises, so do kings and religious powers. They can be covered or wane. They can also be 'turned to blood', which means they are attacked violently and wounded.

Stars

We understand this word, thanks to Hollywood's use of the term in the early 1900's, before electric light spillage prevented us from seeing stars and Satnav replaced all navigation by stars. If someone says “for the stars, silver is the new black”, we would not look with concern to the heavens, but rather conclude famous people were wearing silver in preference to black. Stars in prophetic analogy also are famous people. They may not be political rulers, though some have such a personality they become stars. Some stars become political rulers. Daniel explains the analogy

Those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the expanse; and those who turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12:3)

The wise shall have influence or 'shine' so we know of them like we see natural stars. Deborah uses this rich language in her song of victory

“The kings came and fought, then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo. They took no plunder of silver From the sky the stars fought. From their courses, they fought against Sisera.(Judges 5:19-20)

Sisera was not defeated by stars doing strange things. If we read the parallel account, he was defeated by the kings of Canaan. Notice the poetic links: kings came = from the sky, Kings of Canaan = stars, and, waters = courses. 

Fire & meteors

In the natural world a fire consumes. In the political world a war will in s similar way devastate a nation. Fire is warfare in analogy. Due to gunpowder this is now literally as well as figuratively true. But in the image the picture of random nature of a driven fire captures how a war can kill people in its path. And war, like fire, is fought until it is burnt out or put out. 

Through the wrath of Yahweh of Armies, the land is burnt up;

and the people are the fuel for the fire. No one spares his brother.(Isaiah 9:19)

If it was a fire in the natural world you would need a lot of people to be its fuel, this speaks of how in war the Israelites were defeated (burnt-up). The destruction was worse as traitors helped the enemy by giving their brethren to the enemy as 'fuel' to help the enemy's warfare or 'fire'.

A meteor is a fire that descends rapidly from the sky, as such in analogy it is warfare by a remarkable leader. As such being in a 'furnace' is like being in slavery to another nation. 

Scorching of the sun is like a pointless and un-winnable war or persecutions by a tyrant king.

Thunder, Lightning, Rain

For a king to 'ride on the clouds' means they in an exalted place reign over many people.

For the sun to be covered by cloud, or by smoke speaks of oppression of a great king by enemy armies.

Tempest or great wind speaks of wars, and storms.

Thunder for the voice of a multitude (causing fear).

Storms with thunder, lightening and hail signify a powerful exalted enemy coming in war 'down on the heads' of their enemies.

But if the rain is moderate, it speaks of blessing of the 'living water' of the word of God. 

Dew then is the early blessing of the doctrine of the Spirit

Drought symbolises spiritual barrenness(or the lack of hearing of God's word). 

Some other pictures and analogies used throughout scripture.

Light and Darkness

The most easily understood analogy is that light equals knowledge and darkness equals spiritual ignorance.

The Woman, Wife

Isarel is likened to a woman who is married to God. The principle of unity in marriage is articulated in Genesis

The Harlot

Israel when they serve many gods is likened to an unfaithful woman.

The Beast

There is a contrast between enlightened humans and base humans, where base ones are likened to a beast

Man held in honour, and who understands not, is like the beasts that perish. (Psalm 49:20)

Nebuchadnezzar when he is consumed by pride is turned into a beast until he learnt that the Most High rules in the kingdoms of men.

Heavens and Earth in more detail

Previously the idea of how in prophecy (and some poetry) there is an analogy used where the Heavens is a 'picture' speaks of rulers and 'the earth' refers to the people. For some reason this idea is often poorly understood. We will examine some more instances in greater depth.

For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;

and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. 

But be you glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; 

for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. (Isaiah 65:17-18)

See how Isaiah repeats “for behold” making poetic pairs: heavens - Jerusalem, earth - her people

Isaiah says the Jerusalem that Yahweh creates (in the future- see context) is like a 'new heavens'. It is a new political heavens as Jerusalem is the political centre of Israel and the Jewish diaspora. He says that when, in the future, Yahweh makes the people of Jerusalem a joy, it is like having a 'new earth'. At that time people will experience relationships with each other that will be like making a new order in animal creation. Isaiah is in an analogy trying to make people see how it will appear and feel so greatly different.

“Be astonished, you heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid. Be very desolate,” says Yahweh. “For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the spring of living waters, and cut them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. (Jer 2:12-13)

“For my people are foolish, they don’t know me. They are foolish children, and they have no understanding. They are skillful in doing evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.”I saw the earth, and, behold, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. (Jer 4:22-23)

Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and tell him, You were likened to a young lion of the nations: yet you are as a monster in the seas; and you broke out with your rivers, and troubled the waters with your feet, and fouled their rivers. Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I will spread out my net on you with a company of many peoples; and they shall bring you up in my net. I will leave you on the land, I will cast you forth on the open field, and will cause all the birds of the sky to settle on you, and I will satisfy the animals of the whole earth with you. I will lay your flesh on the mountains, and fill the valleys with your height. I will also water with your blood the land in which you swim, even to the mountains; and the watercourses shall be full of you. When I shall extinguish you, I will cover the heavens, and make its stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light. All the bright lights of the sky will I make dark over you, and set darkness on your land, says the Lord Yahweh. I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I shall bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries which you have not known. Yes, I will make many peoples amazed at you, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for you, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of your fall. (Eze 32:2-10)

“Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, ‘I will shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overthrow the chariots, and those who ride in them. The horses and their riders will come down, everyone by the sword of his brother. (Hag 2:21-22)

men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. (Luk 21:26-27)

whose voice shook the earth then, but now he has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.”[8] This phrase, “Yet once more,” signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. Therefore, receiving a Kingdom that can’t be shaken, let us have grace, through which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, (Heb 12:26-28)

But the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (2Pe 3:7)

But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.(2Pe 3:13)

They overcame him because of the Lamb’s blood, and because of the word of their testimony. They didn’t love their life, even to death. Therefore rejoice, heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil has gone down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time.”(Rev 12:11-12)

Every symbol/analogy is specific and is determined from the context as to whether it is literal or a a symbolic analogy. The analogies are meant to make the picture of events clearer to ordinary people. There are no 'hidden' symbols or mystery. One may need great worldly intelligence to obfuscate and confuse, but those who approach prophecy with the simplicity of comprehension of the richness of imagery in ordinary English will understand it. Unfortunately for our ready understanding of the analogies we do not live so close to the natural world, but the bible was written for all people ancient and modern. It was not until the last 100 years that people were no longer for example reliant on sun and moon light. It was only recently people were no reliant on stars for navigation. Once the natural world was so much part of life that its experience came readily as analogy and imagery in language and culture. Once we understand the analogy of the natural and political world, we understand the analogy/ imagery/ pictures of the Bible prophets.

http://biblefocus.net/theology/bible-symbols/Bible-Symbolism-.html

http://www.aletheiacollege.net/angels/angels12_7.htm

POLITICAL UNIVERSE

Jer 10:1 ¶  Hear ye the word which Yahweh hath spoken unto you, O house of Israel:––

2  Thus, saith Yahweh––Unto the way of the nations, become not ye accustomed, Nor, at the signs of the heavens, be ye dismayed,––Because the nations are dismayed at them.

Bible Symbolism 

The bible mostly uses very straightforward language. The majority is a simple communication. Error is often made when people 'interpret' according to their theories, out of context, the simple communication as symbolic. To further confuse, some others may interpret prophetic 'symbolic' language as literal.

Prophetic Symbolism (figurative language)

The Bible does not aim to speak about science, or observation of the natural world. It is the record of God's interaction with humans. It is about humans and relationships. It speaks of how people are to treat each other and how they form a relationship with God. This is why the Bible never dates, as human nature, and interaction, hasn't changed over time. The Bible therefore comments on politics, as politics is the relationship of people at a national level. 

For understanding the prophecies, we are, in the first place, to acquaint ourselves with the figurative language.

This figurative language is taken from the analogy between the world natural, and an empire or kingdom considered as a world politic

Heavens and Earth:

The heavens and earth encompass our whole experience of the natural world. In analogy, in prophecy, they relate to the whole political world. The aspects of the political world, the focus of the bible prophecy, are related to aspects we understand of the natural world. In the political world some are elevated above others into ruling positions. Those great ones that rule are 'high' above the ordinary person and are said to be in 'the heavens'. The Hebrew for 'heaven'(sha^mayim) is from a word for 'lofty', or 'high'. One can rise in power into the political heavens, and likewise descend. 

Lam 2:1 ¶  How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger!

Mt 11:23  And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

Lu 10:15  And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.

Lu 10:18  And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

 The ordinary person is said to be of the earth. In Hebrew a word for 'earth' (ăda^ma^h) is related to the name Adam.

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice. (Psalm 96:11) 

Hear, heavens, and listen, earth; for Yahweh has spoken: (Isaiah 1:2) 

Sing, you heavens, for Yahweh has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth! (Isaiah 44:23)

In all of these instances the heavens and earth have human emotions, and skills, which inanimate nature cannot have. They are poetry and prophecy are analogy. Isaiah particularly uses this analogy

Sing, heavens; and be joyful, earth; 

for Yahweh has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted. (Isaiah 49:13)

Isaiah is both poetry and prophecy. Note the poetic pairs: heavens - people, earth - afflicted.

In any instance when you read 'heavens' in a prophetic book, or a prophetic song, where it is speaking of the fate of nations, think first it means political heavens. There may be some instances where prophets speak of the natural world, but they will be rarer.

Heavens Shake & Earthquake

In the natural world the heavens do not shake. Bit in the political 'heavens' large events can 'shake' the political structure. Isaiah uses this image, note how the shaking is the result of God's anger. God is not angry at the natural world, rather at the people who live on earth.

Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of Yahweh of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. (Isaiah 13:13)

If the earth are the common people a great earthquake, is an event that like a natural earthquake changes their political world. This symbol or analogy is also used throughout the western world.

An example from a source which is not religious at all is the 'Socialist Review, No.126, December 1989, pp.11-14', by Tony Cliff titled “Earthquake in the East”

We are witnessing the most massive earthquake of the social and political order in Eastern Europe. It is on a scale reminiscent of 1848 and 1917.....To understand an earthquake you have to look at the pressure inside the system. It is summed up with Marx’s statement that when the social system becomes a brake on the development of the productive forces, the epoch of the social revolution starts.

Note Tony Cliff does not explain he is using an analogy- he uses the word 'earthquake' as synonymous for revolution, assuming his audience understands. In revelation, this analogy of an earthquake is used a few times.

The smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. (Rev 8:4-5)

There is no way in the natural world a fire will cause the earth to quake! This is symbolic of people. 

Sun & Moon

Just as the sun dominates the heavens of the natural world, so the sun is emblematic of the supreme ruler in the political world. The moon is the lesser ruler. Jacob had not trouble understanding his son Joseph's dream.

“Behold, I have dreamed yet another dream: and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me. ”He told it to his father and to his brothers. His father rebuked him, and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves down to you to the earth?”(Genesis 37:9-10)

In the tribe of Israel now numbering many people in the extended family, Jacob was the supreme ruler, and his wife was secondary by virtue of reflected glory. Isaiah is clearly not speaking of the natural moon and sun, when he writes,

Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Yahweh of Armies will reign on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before his elders will be glory.(Isaiah 24:23)

There is no reason for the natural moon to be without words, if Deity rules as a king from Jerusalem. But we can easily understand how the religious authority, who are secondary to the national leaders and secondary in the political 'heavens', like the moon, will be put to silence by such an event.

In prophecy we should readily see the analogy of 'the sun' to kings. The sun is accepted as the symbol for a king from Ancient Egypt, to ancient Ceylon, to France. In ancient Egypt Aten a sun deity was pictured as a king and considered father to the king (Pharaoh). From approx 160 BC Kauravas of Sir Lanka used the sun and moon emblems to represent the two royal clans. http://www.karava.org/sun_and_moon. One king, Louis XIV reigning 72 years in France called himself the 'Sun king' and surrounded himself with images of the sun. Historians are happy to retain the analogy in Louis' self title as he was an absolute ruler for much of his reign and considered beneficial to French culture. The analogy to the sun carries all the ideas associated with our experience of the natural sun.

Just as the natural sun and moon set and rises, so do kings and religious powers. They can be covered or wane. They can also be 'turned to blood', which means they are attacked violently and wounded.

Stars

We understand this word, thanks to Hollywood's use of the term in the early 1900's, before electric light spillage prevented us from seeing stars and Satnav replaced all navigation by stars. If someone says “for the stars, silver is the new black”, we would not look with concern to the heavens, but rather conclude famous people were wearing silver in preference to black. Stars in prophetic analogy also are famous people. They may not be political rulers, though some have such a personality they become stars. Some stars become political rulers. Daniel explains the analogy

Those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the expanse; and those who turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12:3)

The wise shall have influence or 'shine' so we know of them like we see natural stars. Deborah uses this rich language in her song of victory

“The kings came and fought, then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo. They took no plunder of silver From the sky the stars fought. From their courses, they fought against Sisera.(Judges 5:19-20)

Sisera was not defeated by stars doing strange things. If we read the parallel account, he was defeated by the kings of Canaan. (See Judges chapter 4)  Notice the poetic links: kings came = from the sky, Kings of Canaan = stars, and, waters = courses. 

#http://biblefocus.net/theology/bible-symbols/Bible-Symbolism-.html"http://biblefocus.net/theology/bible-symbols/Bible-Symbolism-.html

http://www.aletheiacollege.net/ld/31.htm

http://www.aletheiacollege.net/angels/angels12_7.htm

Jesus says Lk 21:25 "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

The Deity’s signs are in the political universe. This, in a sense analogous to the material, hath its earth, sea, and firmament or aerial expanse; in which are set its greater and lesser lights, and constellations -- its Sun, Moon, and Stars. It hath its hurricanes, shakings, eclipses, hailstorms, and so forth, which affect injuriously those who belong to the Body Politic, whether they be rulers or the common people.

Early Christian Teaching on the Saved Savior / Redeemed Redeemer

 Early Christian Teaching on the Saved Savior / Redeemed Redeemer

 

Exploring Shared Identity, Incarnation, and the Archetype of Redemption

 

 

 

Introduction

 

One of the most profound and often overlooked themes in early Christian literature—including both orthodox and Gnostic texts from the first centuries—is the concept of the Redeemed Redeemer: the idea that the Savior himself entered into the human condition, stood in solidarity with those he came to save, and himself experienced the need for redemption before becoming the source of redemption for all humanity. This teaching centres on a radical shared identity: the Savior was not a distant deity merely appearing as human, but truly took upon himself our flesh, our nature, our struggles, and even our mortality. He was one of us, so that through him we might become like him. As the Odes of Solomon beautifully expresses: "those who are saved in Him Who was saved" (Ode 8:21).

 

This document examines early Christian sources—Nag Hammadi texts, the Odes of Solomon, and biblical parallels—to set forth this teaching, preserving all quoted material in full, and demonstrating the consistent witness across diverse early traditions that the Savior shared our identity, needed redemption as part of his human journey, and thus became the archetype and source of our redemption.

 

 

 

I. Identity: Does the Savior Share Identity with the Saved?

 

The foundational question before us is this: was Jesus truly one of those he came to save? Or was he a divine being who only seemed to be human, untouched by our condition? The answer from multiple early Christian sources is unambiguous: he fully shared our identity, our flesh, and our human nature.

 

The Nag Hammadi Text of Melchizedek – Refuting Docetism

 

The passage from the Melchizedek text is one of the most striking affirmations of the genuine humanity of Jesus found anywhere in early Christian literature, directly addressing and refuting the docetic heresy—the teaching that Christ only seemed to have a physical body and that his suffering and death were not real.

 

"Furthermore, they will say of him that he is unbegotten, though he has been begotten, (that) he does not eat, even though he eats, (that) he does not drink, even though he drinks, (that) he is uncircumcised, though he has been circumcised, (that) he is unfleshly, though he has come in the flesh, (that) he did not come to suffering,  he came to suffering, (that) he did not rise from the dead,  he arose from the dead."

— Nag Hammadi Library, Melchizedek, p. 600

 

This passage is a powerful corrective to those who would deny the physical reality of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection. It confirms that:

 

- He was begotten—born into human lineage

- He ate and drank—participated in ordinary human life

- He was circumcised—identifying himself with the covenant people and human custom

- He came in the flesh—truly possessed a human body

- He suffered—his suffering was not an illusion

- He rose from the dead—his resurrection was literal and real

 

The text explicitly states that those who claim otherwise are in error. In affirming that Jesus was circumcised, came in the flesh, suffered, and died, it declares plainly: he shared identity with the saved. He was one of us.

 

The Gospel of Philip – Birth, Parentage, and True Humanity

 

The Gospel of Philip offers further insight into the genuine humanity of Jesus and his connection to human birth:

 

"Some said Mary became pregnant by the holy spirit. They are wrong and do not know what they are saying. When did a woman ever get pregnant by a woman? Mary is the virgin whom none of the powers defiled. This is greatly repugnant to the Hebrews, who are the apostles and apostolic persons. This virgin whom none of the powers defiled [wishes that] the powers would defile themselves. The master [would] not have said, 'My [father who is] in heaven,' if [he] did not also have another father. He would simply have said, '[My father].'"

— Gospel of Philip

 

While the Christological nuances here are debated, the text affirms that Jesus had a genuine human birth and stood in real human lineage. He was not simply a spirit appearing on earth; he was born of a woman, entering into the human family just as we do.

 

The Gospel of Thomas – "I Appeared to Them in the Flesh"

 

The saying from the Gospel of Thomas reinforces this visible, tangible humanity:

 

Saying 28:

"Jesus said: I stood in the midst of the world, and I appeared to them in the flesh. I found them all drunk; I found none of them thirsting, and my soul was afflicted for the sons of men; for they are blind in their heart, and they do not see that they came empty into the world, (and) empty they seek to leave the world again. But now they are drunk. When they have thrown off their wine, they will repent."

— Gospel of Thomas, Saying 28

 

The phrase "I appeared to them in the flesh" is translated by Layton as "I was shown forth incarnate." The word incarnate means "having a bodily form"—from the Latin in- (in) and caro (flesh). Jesus is saying plainly: I stood among you in a real body of flesh.

 

Moreover, he says: "my soul was afflicted for the sons of men." He experienced genuine human emotion, sorrow, and concern. He was not detached from our condition; he felt it.

 

Gospel of Thomas Saying 101 – Two Natures, Two Births

 

Saying 101 deepens our understanding of what it meant for Jesus to take our nature upon himself:

 

Saying 101:

"Jesus said, 'Those who do not hate their [father] and their mother as I do cannot be [disciples] of me. And those who [do not] love their [father and] their mother as I do cannot be [disciples of] me. For my birth mother gave me [death, or falsehood.] But my true [mother] gave me life.'"

— Gospel of Thomas, Saying 101 (April DeConick translation)

 

The translator notes that "death or falsehood" is an equivalent expression for human nature—the fallen, mortal condition we all inherit. Jesus acknowledges that through his human birth, he entered into the same mortal condition that belongs to all humanity. As one early commentator expressed it:

 

"His body was as unclean as the bodies of those for whom he died; for he was born of a woman, and 'not one' can bring a clean body out of a defiled body; for 'that', says Jesus himself, 'which is born of the flesh is flesh' (John 3:6)."

 

Here is the heart of the matter: sin and mortality are bound up with our human nature. Jesus took that nature—with all its weakness, mortality, and inherent tendency toward corruption—upon himself. He did not come in a different kind of flesh; he came in our flesh. And because he took our flesh, he too stood in need of deliverance from death and the power of sin.

 

 

 

II. The Redeemed Savior: Jesus Needed Redemption

 

If Jesus truly shared our mortal human nature, it follows that he too needed to be redeemed from it. This is the distinctive and profound insight found across several early Christian sources: the Savior first received redemption before he could bestow it. He is the Redeemed Redeemer.

 

The Tripartite Tractate – The Son Himself Needed Redemption

 

This passage from the Nag Hammadi library is perhaps the clearest statement of the Redeemed Redeemer doctrine:

 

"Not only do humans need redemption, but also the angels, too... even the Son himself, who has the position of redeemer of the Totality, needed redemption as well—he who had become man—since he gave himself for each thing which we need, we in the flesh, who are his Church. Now, when he first received redemption from the word which had descended upon him, all the rest received redemption from him, namely those who had taken him to themselves."

— Tripartite Tractate

 

The logic is breathtaking:

 

- ✅ Humans need redemption

- ✅ Angels need redemption

- ✅ Even the Son himself needed redemption—because he had become man

 

He entered our condition completely. He fought the same battle against sin and mortality that we fight. He overcame not by escaping our nature, but by conquering within it. Having himself been redeemed—passing through death and emerging immortal—he then became the source of redemption for all who are united with him.

 

The Interpretation of Knowledge – He Relinquished Majesty for Our Sake

 

This text describes the Savior’s condescension and the cost of his identification with us:

 

"The man ... this is the name. The [...] he emitted himself and he relinquished his majesty, taking scorn in exchange for the name. For our sakes he endured the scorn. He appeared as flesh, and came as a provider. He has no need of the glory that is not his; he has his own glory with the name, which is the Son. Now he came that we might become glorious through his humiliation as he dwelled in these humble places. And through him who was reproached we receive the forgiveness of sins. And through the one who was reproached and the one who was redeemed we receive grace."

— Interpretation of Knowledge

 

Notice the final phrase: "through the one who was reproached and the one who was redeemed we receive grace." The text pointedly describes him as "the one who was redeemed." He was redeemed, so that in him we might be redeemed.

 

Nag Hammadi Melchizedek p. 601 – Included in the Living Offering

 

The Melchizedek text continues with a vision of Christ as High Priest who included himself in the sacrifice:

 

"He included himself in the living offering, together with your offspring. He offered them up as an offering to the All. For it is not cattle that you will offer up for sin(s) of unbelief, and for the ignorances, and (for) all the wicked deeds which they will do."

— Nag Hammadi Library, Melchizedek, p. 601

 

He did not stand outside the offering; he included himself within it. He offered his own life—first for himself, to conquer death in his own flesh, and then for us. As one commentary explains:

 

"The Lord's sacrifice was necessary for his own redemption. His sacrifice was a public demonstration that his flesh was rightly related to death and a declaration of the righteousness of God that required the offering of his life in devotion to Him. By his sacrifice the ungodly propensities (diabolos) of his nature was destroyed (Heb. 2:14; 9:12; 7:27), thus providing for the granting of immortality."

 

Christ’s offering was both:

 

1. For himself—defeating sin and death in his own mortal flesh

2. For us—securing redemption for all who are joined to him

 

"Here this passage teaches that Christ the high priest offered his own body for his own redemption. He offered himself for himself and his brothers—his offspring—in the living offering that is his life as a living sacrifice."

 

The Gospel of Philip – "He Who Was Redeemed, in Turn Redeemed Others"

 

This passage is the definitive summary of the Redeemed Redeemer concept:

 

"Jesus revealed himself [at the] Jordan River as the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven. He who was begotten before everything, was begotten anew. He who was once anointed, was anointed anew. He who was redeemed, in turn redeemed others."

— Gospel of Philip

 

The parallel structure is unmistakable:

 

- He was begotten anew → so we might be born again

- He was anointed anew → so we might receive the Spirit

- He was redeemed → so he could redeem us

 

"This shows that some Gnostic groups understood that Jesus first needed redemption for himself before he could redeem those for whom he came to die for. Jesus is thus the redeemed redeemer coming in our sinful nature. The Savior himself was in need of redemption."

 

 

 

III. From Mortal Flesh to Immortal Flesh: The Two States of Christ’s Body

 

The Gospel of Philip further clarifies what redemption meant for Jesus—a transformation from mortal human flesh to immortal, spiritual flesh:

 

"The Lord was conceived (born again) from what is imperishable, from God. The [Lord arose] from among the dead. But [He did not come into being as he was. Rather [his body] was [completely] perfect. It was of flesh, and this [flesh is indeed] true flesh.¹ [Yet our flesh] is not true, but rather a mirror-image of the true [flesh]. (¹Jn 1:14, 20:27, II-Jn 7; NHS p. 174, Gospel of Philip)"

 

This text makes a crucial distinction:

 

Before Resurrection After Resurrection 

"Our flesh" — mortal, perishable, shadow of the true "True flesh" — imperishable, glorified, from God 

Subject to death and corruption Immortal and incorruptible 

A mirror-image / type The reality and substance 

 

"So before his resurrection from the dead Jesus had human flesh or human nature which is called in the text 'our flesh is not true flesh' but after he arose from among the dead he had a new body imperishable, from God."

 

This is the redemption he achieved: he took our mortal nature, lived a perfect life in it, died, and then was raised—transforming that mortal flesh into immortal, true flesh. He did not discard our humanity; he perfected it. As Romans 5:14 says of Adam: "who is a type of the one who was to come." Adam was the type; Christ is the true reality.

 

 

 

IV. The Odes of Solomon – "Him Who Was Saved"

 

The Odes of Solomon are among the most ancient Christian hymns, and they bear witness to this same understanding in deeply poetic form. These texts speak repeatedly of the Savior as one who himself was saved.

 

Ode 8 – "Those Who Are Saved in Him Who Was Saved"

 

"20) Pray and increase, and abide in the love of the Lord; 21) And the beloved ones in the Beloved, and those who are protected in Him Who liveth, and those who are saved in Him Who was saved. 22) And ye shall be found incorrupt in all ages, on account of the Name of your Father."

— Ode of Solomon 8:20–21

 

The phrasing could not be more direct: "Him Who Was Saved." Our salvation rests in the One who himself entered death and was brought safely through it. He is not a distant Saviour observing from above; he is the One who walked the valley of death and returned victorious.

 

Ode 17 – The Redeemed Redeemer Speaks

 

This extraordinary passage presents the voice of the Redeemer himself, describing his own experience of salvation and then his mission to save others:

 

"Then I was crowned by my God, and my crown was living. And I was justified by my Lord, for my salvation is incorruptible. I have been freed from vanities, and am not condemned. My chains were cut off by His hands, I received the face and likeness of a new person, and I walked in Him and was saved. And the thought of truth led me, and I went after it and wandered not. And all who saw me were amazed, and I seemed to them like a stranger. And He who knew and exalted me, is the Most High in all His perfection. And He glorified me by His kindness, and raised my understanding to the height of truth. And from there He gave me the way of His steps, and I opened the doors which were closed. And I shattered the bars of iron, for my own shackles had grown hot and melted before me. And nothing appeared closed to me, because I was the opening of everything. And I went towards all my bound ones in order to loose them; that I might not leave anyone bound or binding. And I gave my knowledge generously, and my resurrection through my love. And I sowed my fruits in hearts, and transformed them through myself. Then they received my blessing and lived, and they were gathered to me and were saved; Because they became my members, and I was their Head. Glory to You, our Head, O Lord Messiah. Hallelujah."

— Ode of Solomon 17

 

The progression is clear and powerful:

 

1. "I was justified... I was freed... I walked in Him and was saved" — the Redeemer himself experienced salvation

2. "My chains were cut off... my own shackles had grown hot and melted" — he broke the power of death and bondage within himself

3. "I went towards all my bound ones in order to loose them" — having been liberated, he now liberates others

4. "They became my members, and I was their Head" — we are joined to him, sharing in the victory he first won

 

Ode 42 – "You Are Our Savior"

 

"17 And open for us the door by which we may come out to You; for we perceive that our death does not touch You. 18 May we also be saved with You, because You are our Savior. 19 Then I heard their voice, and placed their faith in my heart. 20 And I placed my name upon their head, because they are free and they are mine. Hallelujah."

— Ode of Solomon 42:17–20

 

We are saved with him. He goes before us as the pioneer—our forerunner who has passed through death and opened the way for us.

 

 

 

V. Synthesis and Biblical Parallels

 

The witness of these early Christian texts—from Nag Hammadi to the Odes of Solomon—converges on a single, magnificent truth: Christ did not merely come to save us from outside our condition; he entered into our condition, experienced its full weight, overcame from within, and in so doing became the Author of salvation.

 

This teaching resonates profoundly with the canonical scriptures:

 

- Hebrews 2:10–11, 14–18: "In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God... should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family... Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death... Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

- Hebrews 5:7–9: "During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears... and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him."

- Romans 8:3: "God did what the law was powerless to do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh."

- Philippians 2:7–9: "Who, being in very nature God... made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place..."

 

The pattern is identical across all these texts: Humiliation → Suffering → Death → Resurrection/Exaltation → Ability to Save. Christ could not have saved us without first conquering death and sin within his own humanity. He is the Redeemed Redeemer—the one who was saved, so that we might be saved in him.

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

The early Christian witness—preserved in the Melchizedek text, the Gospel of Philip, the Gospel of Thomas, the Tripartite Tractate, the Interpretation of Knowledge, and the Odes of Solomon—speaks with one voice: Jesus shared our identity completely. He was born of a woman, circumcised, ate and drank, suffered, died, and rose again. In taking our mortal nature, he stood in need of redemption. By conquering death in his own flesh, he was himself redeemed. And because he was the firstfruits of the new creation, he became the source of redemption for all humanity.

 

He is the Savior who was saved.

He is the Redeemer who was redeemed.

And because he passed through the waters of death and emerged victorious, he says to every generation: "Where I am, there you may be also."

 

"Through the one who was reproached and the one who was redeemed we receive grace."

— Interpretation of Knowledge

 

 

 

Early Christian teaching on the saved savior or Redeemed Redeemer

The first thing I think we should look at is identity does the savior of the Gnostic text have a shared identity with the saved

The Nag Hammadi Library text of Melchizedek:

Furthermore, they will say of him that he is unbegotten, though he has been begotten, (that) he does not eat, even though he eats, (that) he does not drink, even though he drinks, (that) he is uncircumcised, though he has been circumcised, (that) he is unfleshly, though he has come in the flesh, (that) he did not come to suffering, <though> he came to suffering, (that) he did not rise from the dead, <though> he arose from the dead. NHS p. 600

This is a remarkable passage, which speaks out about the false doctrine of doceticism (docetic heretics those who will deny the physical reality of Jesus's nature) 
and confirms orthodox teaching on life death and resurrection of Jesus. 

It also shows that Jesus had a shred identity with the saved he was circumcised he came in the flesh

ome said Mary became pregnant by the holy spirit. They are wrong and do not know what they are saying. When did a woman ever get pregnant by a woman?

Mary is the virgin whom none of the powers defiled. This is greatly repugnant to the Hebrews, who are the apostles and apostolic persons. This virgin whom none of the powers defiled [wishes that] the powers would defile themselves. The master [would] not have said, “My [father who is] in heaven,” if [he] did not also have another father. He would simply have said, “[My father].” gospel of Philip 

The Gospel of Thomas saying 28

28 Jesus said: I stood in the midst of the world, and I appeared to them in the flesh. I found them all drunk; I found none of them thirsting, and my soul was afflicted for the sons of men; for they are blind in their heart, and they do not see that they came empty into the world, (and) empty they seek to leave the world again. But now they are drunk. When they have thrown off their wine, they will repent

Here Jesus came in the Flesh his soul was afflicted for the children of men.  
"I appeared to them in the flesh" is translated by LAYTON to read "I was shown forth incarnate" 

Incarnate means “having a bodily form.” ... The prefix in- means “in” and caro means “flesh,” so incarnate means “in the flesh.”

We should compare this saying with saying 101 to find out the meaning of the word flesh Jesus has 2 mother's his birth mother after the flesh and his true mother the holy spirit

The Gospel of Thomas saying 101

Jesus said, "Those who do not hate their [father] and their mother as I do cannot be [disciples] of me. And those who [do not] love their [father and] their mother as I do cannot be [disciples of] me. For my birth mother gave me [death, or falsehood.] But my true [mother] gave me life." April Deconick translation

The words death or falsehood come from the April Deconick translation.Jesus's birth mother could only give him death or falsehood which we understand to be our sinful nature. 

Here in saying 101 death or or falsehood is an equivalent expression for human nature. So here again in the Gospel of Thomas we have Jesus the Savior identitied with those he came to save by birth and natural nature the flesh

His body was as unclean as the bodies of those for whom he died; for he was born of a woman, and "not one" can bring a clean body out of a defiled body; for "that", says Jesus himself, "which is born of the flesh is flesh" (John 3:6)

Sin, is an equivalent expression for human nature.

Jesus needed to be saved from human nature or sinful flesh

The Redemption of Jesus is the Archetype for Redemption 

In the Tripartite Tractate, the Son (Jesus) is in need of redemption, because he had become a man. It is the heavenly Word which ‘descended upon him’ that offered him ‘redemption’: “Not only do humans need redemption, but also the angels, too... even the Son himself, who has the position of redeemer of the Totality, needed redemption as well - he who had become man - since he gave himself for each thing which we need, we in the flesh, who are his Church. Now, when he first received redemption from the word which had descended upon him, all the rest received redemption from him, namely those who had taken him to themselves.” (Tripartite Tractate)

The interpretation of Knowledge::

The man ... (11 lines missing)... this is the name. The [...] he emitted himself and he relinquished his majesty, taking scorn in exchange for  the name. for our sakes he endured the scorn. He appeared as flesh, and came as a provider.  He has no need of the glory that is not his; he has his own glory with the name, which is the Son. Now he came that we might become glorious through his humiliation as he dwelled in these humble places. And through him who was reproached we receive the forgiveness of sins. And through the one who was reproached and the one who was redeemed we receive grace.

The Nag Hammadi Library text of Melchizedek:

He included himself in the living offering, together with your offspring. He offered them up as an offering to the All. For it is not cattle that you will offer up for sin(s) of unbelief, and for the ignorances, and (for) all the wicked deeds which they will do NHS p. 601

The Lord's sacrifice was necessary for his own redemption. His sacrifice was a public demonstration that his flesh was rightly related to death and a declaration of the righteousness of God that required the offering of his life in devotion to Him. By his sacrifice the ungodly propensities (diabolos) of his nature was destroyed (Heb. 2:14; 9:12; 7:27), thus providing for the granting of immortality.

Here this passage teaches that Christ the high  priest offered his own body for his own redemption He offered himself for himself and his brothers his offspring in the living offering that is his life as a living sacrifice

Now we come to the Gospel of Philip

The Gospel of Philip:

Jesus revealed himself [at the] Jordan River as the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven. He who was begotten before everything, was begotten anew. He who was once anointed, was anointed anew. He who was redeemed, in turn redeemed others.

This shows that the some gnostic groups understood that Jesus first needed redemption for himself before he could redeem those for whom he came to die for. Jesus is thus the redeemed redeemer coming in our sinful nature. The Savor himself was in need of redemption.

78. The Lord was conceived (born again) from what is imperishable, from God. The [Lord arose] from among the dead. But [He did not come into being as he was. Rather [his body] was [completely] perfect. It was of flesh, and this [flesh is indeed] true flesh.¹ [Yet our flesh] is not true, but rather a mirror-image of the true [flesh]. (¹Jn 1:14, 20:27, II-Jn 7; NHS p. 174 gospel of Philip 

This passage shows that the spiritual body is corporeal (tangible) and it has flesh and this flesh is true flesh, which is called spiritual flesh thus spiritual body but our flesh is only a shadow of the true like Adam who was only a type of him who was to come (Romans 5:14)

So before his resurrection from the dead Jesus had human flesh or human nature which is called in the text "our flesh is not true flesh" but after he arose from among the dead he had a new body imperishable, from God 



the Odes of Solomon 

Ode 8

20) Pray and increase, and abide in the love of the Lord;
21) And the beloved ones in the Beloved, and those who are protected in Him Who liveth, and those who are saved in Him Who was saved.
22) And ye shall be found incorrupt in all ages, on account of the Name of your Father.

address of the Redeemed Redeemer with a Christological doxology

Ode 17


Then I was crowned by my God, and my crown was living.
And I was justified by my Lord, for my salvation is incorruptible.
I have been freed from vanities, and am not condemned.
My chains were cut off by His hands, I received the face and likeness of a new person, and I walked in Him and was saved.
And the thought of truth led me, and I went after it and wandered not.
And all who saw me were amazed, and I seemed to them like a stranger.
And He who knew and exalted me, is the Most High in all His perfection.
And He glorified me by His kindness, and raised my understanding to the height of truth.
And from there He gave me the way of His steps, and I opened the doors which were closed.
And I shattered the bars of iron, for my own shackles had grown hot and melted before me.
And nothing appeared closed to me, because I was the opening of everything.
And I went towards all my bound ones in order to loose them; that I might not leave anyone bound or binding.
And I gave my knowledge generously, and my resurrection through my love.
And I sowed my fruits in hearts, and transformed them through myself.
Then they received my blessing and lived, and they were gathered to me and were saved;
Because they became my members, and I was their Head.
Glory to You, our Head, O Lord Messiah.
Hallelujah.

Ode 42

17 And open for us the door by which we may come out to You; for we perceive that our death does not touch You.
18 May we also be saved with You, because You are our Savior.
19 Then I heard their voice, and placed their faith in my heart.
20 And I placed my name upon their head, because they are free and they are mine.
Hallelujah.