Monday 27 February 2023

Prophecies about the corruption of the church



Prophecies about the corruption of the church

There are many prophecies in the bible about the the corruption of the church but what do the Gnostic Gospels say

The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles

For many in the churches have shown partiality to the rich, because they also are sinful, and they give occasion for others to sin. But judge them with uprightness, so that your ministry may be glorified, and that my name also, may be glorified in the churches." The disciples answered and said, "Yes, truly this is what is fitting to do."

James 2:4 My brothers,show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. ..(4) have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

On the Origin of the World

And out of envy the authorities mixed their seed with them, in hopes of polluting them. They could not. Then when the blessed beings appeared in luminous form, they appeared in various ways. And each one of them, starting out in his land, revealed his (kind of) knowledge to the visible church constituted of the modelled forms of perdition. It (viz., the church) was found to contain all kinds of seed, because of the seed of the authorities that had mixed with it.

forms of perdition reminds me of 

 2Th 2:3Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

The Second Treatise of the Great Seth

we were hated and persecuted, not only by those who are ignorant (gentiles, pagans), but also by those who think that they are advancing the name of Christ (so-called Chistians), since they were unknowingly empty, not knowing who they are, like dumb animals. 

revelatin 2:8 “And to the [a]angel of the church in Smyrna write,

‘These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: 
9 “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a [b]synagogue of Satan. 
10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

The Odes Of Solomon

Ode 38

All the poisons of error, and pains of death which are considered sweetness.
And the corrupting of the Corruptor, I saw when the bride who was corrupting was adorned, and the bridegroom who corrupts and is corrupted.
And I asked the Truth, Who are these? And He said to me: This is the Deceiver and the Error.
And they imitate the Beloved and His Bride, and they cause the world to err and corrupt it.
And they invite many to the wedding feast, and allow them to drink the wine of their intoxication;
So they cause them to vomit up their wisdom and their knowledge, and prepare for them mindlessness.
Then they abandon them; and so they stumble about like mad and corrupted men.
Since there is no understanding in them, neither do they seek it.
But I have been made wise so as not to fall into the hands of the Deceivers, and I myself rejoiced because the Truth had gone with me.



17 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying [a]to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of [b]her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written:

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS

OF THE EARTH.
6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.





The Gospel of Thomas 



(39) Jesus said, The Pharisees and the scholars have taken the keys of knowledge and have hidden them. They have not entered, nor have they allowed those who want to enter to go inside. You should be shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves.

The Pharisees here are a symbol of all false religion and undoubtedly today the Lord would speak this way of the priests and clergy of orthodox Christianity, the churches have lost the keys. The keys of knowledge are the one true faith and hope of Abraham the promises made to him. Therefore we must have the faith as that of Abraham for those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham Gal 3:9 who is the father of us all saying 105 cp. Rom 4:11,12,16. Now his faith and ours is this that the gentiles shall be blessed in him and this promises was made to him before the law and his seed who is the Christ 

39) ## Jesus said, "The Pharisees and the scribes [who are still operating today through the Triple Crown Power controlled by the Vatican] have taken the keys of Knowledge [the higher/inward (spiritual) meaning of the scriptures] and hidden them [behind the fleshly locks of earthly types and images]. They themselves have not entered [in their depraved condition and deceptive practices they have shut themselves out of the Kingdom], nor have they allowed to enter those who wish to [these have become "wolves in sheep's clothing" who subvert the knowledge of truth that they may continue to "lord it over you" for the glory of men]. #You, however, be as wise as serpents [the Pharisees and scribes (Mat 23:33, 12:34 etc.. we must be aware that the devil will use many deceptions and tricks through your own flesh and the people around you to find ways "to accuse you day and night before the Father"] and as innocent as doves [we are to take great care not to harm anyone, even "those who hate you and despitefully use you" for they are all your brothers and some are there for the sole purpose of the Elect (doves/peacemakers) that they may be tested and refined in the Way]." 

saying 40 Jesus said, "A grapevine has been planted outside the father. And because it is not sound, it will be plucked out by the root and will perish."


But what orthodox churches of Christianity called the error was planted outside of the father’s wises in the days of the apostles and Paul also tells us that wolfs will come in and destroy the truth and this evenly gave birth to the man of lawlessness when Constine removed that which was holding it back.. This grapevine cannot bear fruit (everlasting life) and those in it are already dead not knowing the knowledge of the truth that brings everlasting life. 


40)# Jesus said, "A grapevine [religion] has been planted outside of the Father, but being unsound [in health being rooted in the depraved imaginations of men], it will be pulled up by its roots [that it has no chance to come back] and destroyed [by Jesus the true vine (Jn. 15:1)]."

(102) Jesus said, Shame on the Pharisees.
[today, the Churches that spread the wrong message to gain power and profit for themselves like most Churches that call themselves 'Catholic', 'Christian' or 'Evangelic', Mormons] They are like a dog sleeping in the cattle manger. It does not eat or let the cattle eat. [They will spiritually starve, because instead of drinking from Jesus Christ's mouth, they spread lies either because they have their own agenda or they simply just don't see the truth and don't let their 'believers' drink from Jesus Christ's words either]."


102) Jesus said, "Woe to the Pharisees [who hid the Key of Knowledge], for they are like a dog [unclean animal] sleeping [spiritually dead in law] in the manger [where the animals (beasts) food is kept] of oxen [the Laity who are to tread out the corn (the Word of God)], for neither does he eat ["if anyone is not willing to work, neither let him eat"] nor does he let the oxen eat [the Laity are always discouraged or kept from doing so by religious leaders who love to "lord it over them"]."




In The Gospel of Judas we can we the corruption of the church


THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS

THE DISCIPLES SEE THE TEMPLE AND DISCUSS IT

They [said, “We have seen] a great [house (Ezekiel 8:6) with a large] altar [in it, and] twelve men (Ezekiel 8:11,16)— they are the priests, we would say—and a name; and a crowd of people is waiting at that altar, [until] the priests [… and receive] the offerings. [But] we kept waiting.” [Jesus said], “What are [the priests] like?” They [said, “Some …] two weeks; [some] sacrifice their own children, others their wives, in praise [and] humility with each other; some sleep with men; some are involved in [slaughter]; some commit a multitude of sins and deeds of lawlessness. And the men who stand [before] the altar invoke your [name], [39] and in all the deeds of their deficiency, the sacrifices are brought to completion […].” After they said this, they were quiet, for they were troubled.


JESUS OFFERS AN ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE VISION OF THE TEMPLE

Jesus said to them, “Why are you troubled? Truly I say to you, all the priests who stand before that altar invoke my name. Again I say to you, my name has been written on this […] of the generations of the stars through the human generations. [And they] have planted trees without fruit, in my name, in a shameful manner.” Jesus said to them, “Those you have seen receiving the offerings at the altar—that is who you are. That is the god you serve, (2 Thess 2:3,4) and you are those twelve men you have seen. The cattle you have seen brought for sacrifice are the many people you lead astray [40] before that altar. […] will stand and make use of my name in this way, and generations of the pious will remain loyal to him. After him another man will stand there from [the fornicators], and another [will] stand there from the slayers of children, and another from those who sleep with men, and those who abstain, and the rest of the people of pollution and lawlessness and error, and those who say, ‘We are like angels’; they are the stars that bring everything to its conclusion. For to the human generations it has been said, ‘Look, God has received your sacrifice from the hands of a priest’—that is, a minister of error. But it is the Lord, the Lord of the universe, who commands, ‘On the last day they will be put to shame.’” [41] Jesus said [to them], “Stop sac[rificing …] which you have […] over the altar, since they are over your stars and your angels and have already come to their conclusion there. So let them be [ensnared] before you, and let them go [—about 15 lines missing—] generations […]. A baker cannot feed all creation [42] under [heaven]. And […] to them […] and […] to us and […]. Jesus said to them, “Stop struggling with me. Each of you has his own star, (Jude 13) and every[body—about 17 lines missing—] [43] in […] who has come [… spring] for the tree […] of this aeon […] for a time […] but he has come to water God’s paradise, and the [generation] that will last, because [he] will not defile the [walk of life of] that generation, but […] for all eternity.”


what the disciples have seen in Jerusalem is interpreted as a foreshadowing of the emerging Catholic church

The vision of the temple and twelve priests should first be understood from an historical point of view.
The Gospel of Judas challenges the idea that God wants people to die as martyrs—just as it challenges the idea that God wanted Jesus to die. Whoever wrote this gospel—and the author is anonymous—is challenging church leaders who teach that.


The Testimony of Truth

The foolish - thinking in their heart that if they confess, "We are Christians," in word only (but) not with power, while giving themselves over to ignorance, to a human death, not knowing where they are going nor who Christ is, thinking that they will live, when they are (really) in error - hasten towards the principalities and authorities. They fall into their clutches because of the ignorance that is in them. For (if) only words which bear testimony were effecting salvation, the whole world would endure this thing and would be saved. But it is in this way that they drew error to themselves. ...
... (3 lines unrecoverable)
... they do not know that they will destroy themselves. If the Father were to desire a human sacrifice, he would become vainglorious.

For the Son of Man clothed himself with their first-fruits; he went down to Hades and performed many mighty works. He raised the dead therein; and the world-rulers of darkness became envious of him, for they did not find sin in him. But he also destroyed their works from among men, so that the lame, the blind, the paralytic, the dumb, (and) the demon-possessed were granted healing. And he walked upon the waters of the sea. For this reason he destroyed his flesh from [...] which he [...]. And he became [...] salvation [...] his death ...
... (4 lines unrecoverable)
... everyone [...] how many they are! They are blind guides, like the disciples. They boarded the ship; at about thirty stadies, they saw Jesus walking on the sea. These are empty martyrs, since they bear witness only to themselves. And yet they are sick, and they are not able to raise themselves.

But when they are "perfected" with a (martyr's) death, this is the thought that they have within them: "If we deliver ourselves over to death for the sake of the Name we will be saved." These matters are not settled in this way. But through the agency of the wandering stars they say they have "completed" their futile "course", and [...] say, [...]. But these [...] they have delivered themselves ...
... (7 lines unrecoverable)


... but they resemble [...] them. They do not have the word which gives life. (The Testimony of Truth)





Vision through the soul or through the spirit? The Gospel of Mary

Vision through the soul or through the spirit? The gospel of Mary
or
how does the person who sees the vision see it, through the soul or through the spirit? The Gospel of Mary













8) And she began to speak to them these words: I, she said, I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to Him, Lord I saw you today in a vision. He answered and said to me,
9) Blessed are you that you did not waver at the sight of Me. For where the mind is there is the treasure.
10) I said to Him, Lord, how does he who sees the vision see it, through the soul or through the spirit?
11) The Savior answered and said, He does not see through the soul nor through the spirit, but the mind that is between the two that is what sees the vision and it is [...]
(pages 11 - 14 are missing from the manuscript)
the past tense Lord I saw you today in a vision Mary is addressing Jesus after the vision

this passage is based on John 20:14-18

John 20:14 After saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 
15 Jesus said to her: “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She, thinking it was the gardener, said to him: “Sir, if you have carried him off, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 
16 Jesus said to her: “Mary!” On turning around, she said to him in Hebrew: “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher!”) 
17 Jesus said to her: “Stop clinging to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God.’” 
18 Mary Magdalene came and brought the news to the disciples: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what he had said to her.


17 Jesus said to her: “Stop clinging to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God.’”

This suggests the ascent of the soul as the theme of the vision which Mary goes on to narrate

He answered and said to me,
9) Blessed are you that you did not waver at the sight of Me. For where the mind is there is the treasure.

did not waver not wavering and standing firm are terms in gnostic texts for those who possess knowledge
treasure and mind 
where the mind is, there is the treasure’. In one way this appears to be close to (but not identical with) the saying in Matt. 6.21 // Luke 12.34: ‘where your treasure is, there will your heart be also’ here in the Gospel of Mary replacing heart with mind

Metaphysical meaning of treasure (rw)
treasure--True wealth is a state of consciousness, the consciousness of God as man's supplySpiritual wealth expresses itself as faithlovewisdomgracejoy, and so on. Material wealth expresses as worldly riches, possessions of an earthly nature

Justin, 1 Apol. 15.16 But seek the kingdom of heaven, and all these things shall be added unto you. For where his treasure is, there also is the mind of a man.

the version in the Gospel of Mary seems to refer to a present state of affairs the ‘mind’ itself the valued site, this is where the treasure’ itself is. 

the ‘mind’ (as the place where one’s ‘treasure’ is) 

This should be understood in light of Jesus's words that For the Son of Man is within you. his saving work allows us to follow after him the way to the true human existence and to find within ourselves the son of man as our own new self 
mind and vision
10) I said to Him, Lord, how does he who sees the vision see it, through the soul or through the spirit?
11) The Savior answered and said, He does not see through the soul nor through the spirit, but the mind that is between the two that is what sees the vision and it is

Here the words soul and spirit refer to natural human faculties

Man is made up of a body, soul and spirit

1Th 5:23  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb 4:12  For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Sometimes the word soul and spirit and be translated mind, heart,

brain seat of consciousness
Mind = the intellect
soul = seat of the outward senses or the body 
spirit = seat of emotions or the heart 

Mary asks which human faculty enables one to see a vision, and she mentions the ‘soul’ or the ‘spirit’ as possibilities. The Saviour’s reply is to say that, rather than the soul or the spirit, it is the mind. 

The mind conveys the vision, functioning as a mediator between the spirit and the soul.

The mind is the ruling function of the soul, not something separate from it. He maintained that the soul, as well as the body, is material

For the Gospel of Mary, a human being is composed of body, soul, and mind.9 The mind is consciousness literally a co-perception. It implies that there are two types of perception within the believer- human perception, and spiritual self perception, that which links it with God. The Mind that is cleansed in Christ, that is at peace, will be a consciousness that keeps those two perceptions, of the real self and of the ego, in harmony.

The mind rules and leads the soul, so that when the mind is directed toward God, it purifies and directs the soul toward spiritual attainment. As the Savior said, "Where the mind is, there is the treasure" (GMary 7:4).

According to the Gospel of Mary, however, it is not the soul that sees the vision, but the mind acting as a mediator between the sensory perceptions of the soul and the Deity. This view was widely held among Christian theologians.18 For example, the second-century theologian and martyr, Justin,19 argued that God is invisible, and thus "the vision of God does not occur with the eyes, as with other living beings, but He can be grasped only by the mind" (Dialogue with Trypho 3).

The Gospel of Mary clearly agrees that only spiritually advanced persons have visionary experiences. Mary, for example, is praised by the Savior because she has not wavered at the sight of him.21 

The Savior ascribes Mary's stability to the fact that her mind is concentrated on spiritual matters. Mary has clearly achieved the purity of mind necessary to see the Savior and converse with him. The vision is a mark of that purity and her closeness to God.22 Note, too, that her stability is in marked contrast with the contentious fearfulness of the other disciples.

Because the mind is not associated with the senses, it is not dimmed in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Madness and ecstasy are not necessary characteristics of true prophecy from the Gospel of Mary's point of view; rather the purified mind is clear and potent.

The mind being described as a treasure (GosMar 10.15-16) reminds one of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians where he quotes Isaiah's question 'who has the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?' (Isa. 11.13). And he answers: but we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2.16). In his letter to the Romans the mind is the inner Human being, which is able to distinguish between the good and the bad (Rom. 7.22-23). The mind is able to honour the law of God, but is held prisoner by the flesh, causing death (Rom. 7.26). 

If the Spirit of God who raised Christ lives within one, this situation changes, enabling one to become free and alive (Rom. 7.24-25; 8.10-15). In the second letter to the Corinthians Paul calls the knowledge of God's glory in Jesus Christ, a treasure which we have in earthen vessels, referring to his hardships as an apostle (2 Cor. 4.6-11). He encourages his readers by saying that, although the outer human being is decaying, the inner one is renewed from day to day (2 Cor. 4.16). Furthermore he asks them to change themselves and to live their lives in accordance with their renewed mind (Rom. 12.2). In the letter to the Ephesians this renewal through one's mind is the same as clothing oneself with the new Human being (Eph. 4.23-24).


Sunday 29 January 2023

The Gnostic Redeemed Redeemer Not A Myth

 The Redeemed Redeemer 

or
The Gnostic Redeemer Myth




If anyone has read any books on Gnosticism they may of come a cross the term(s) redeemed redeemer or saved savior I find it strange that this called a myth by many 
scholars instead of a teaching in a belief system. I believe this is a doctrine not a myth we find this teaching in many Gnostic texts and in the Bible itself.   

Karen L. King writes in her book What is Gnosticism


Reitzenstein had argued that a key feature of the Gnostic redeemer myth was the shared identity of the savior with the saved....the term redeemed redeemer itself never appears in any primary text and its content was determined only by reference to the Gnostic salvation myth constructed by Reitzenstein, Bultmann, and Jonas. What is Gnosticism p 143

Speaking on hymn of the pear the acts of Thomas Hans Jonas writes: 

We can confidently take the King's Son to be the Savior, a definite divine figure, and not just the personification of the human soul in general. Yet this unique position does not prevent him from undergoing in his own person the full force of human destiny, even to the extent that he the savior himself has to be saved. Hans Jonas Gnostic Religion

Some quotes from the The Gnostic Bible

He who was redeemed redeemed the world. The Gnostic Bible p 282

You are saved in him who was saved. The Gnostic Bible 364

Speaking on hymn of the pear the acts of Thomas: 

The son has a double or twin role, for he appears to be both savior and the soul that he
saves; he saves and must himself be saved. The Gnostic Bible 387

In this allegory of redemption, as Hans Jonas points out, the savior himself must be saved—or rather, must save himself. The Gnostic Bible 387

Early Christian teaching on the saved savior or Redeemed Redeemer

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.

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.

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.

address of the Redeemed Redeemer with a Christological doxology

The Redeemed One becomes the Redeemer Michael Lattke The odes of Solomon 244


From this we can see that the Redeemed Redeemer refers to the savior who was saved from death

As I have said above this is not myth but a doctrine this teaching can be found in the Bible and the Nag Hammadi Library, the Odes of Solomon, the hymn of the pear in the acts of Thomas

The Redeemed Redeemer is not a myth but a doctrine or teaching. 

So why would Jesus need to be saved the bible answers this because of sin and death. 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 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

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.] But my true [mother] gave me life." April Deconick translation


Jesus's birth mother could only give him death which we understand to be our sinful nature. 


Here in saying 101 death is an equivalent expression for human nature or the flesh. 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


 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.

In some Gnostic texts, the man Jesus is separate from the heavenly Christ (or Logos) which descended into him during his baptism in the Jordan.

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.


Why should Jesus be baptized?

By this act, then, Jesus associated himself openly with the sinners he came to save. By it he proclaimed the essential one-ness of his nature with theirs. He too needed this baptism, inasmuch as he also was a member of this fallen race needing redemption. It was an acknowledgement that the great truth taught by John: “all flesh is grass”, applied to him also. He needed the benefits of his own sacrifice. Now, as well as at the end of the days of his flesh, he was “numbered with the transgressors” (Is. 53: 12). Harry Whittaker, Studies in the Gospels

Jesus's sanctification started at his baptism and ended with his resurrection after his death on the cross:

Hence, in the First Apocryphon of James, Jesus says to James that, during the time of his crucifixion, his (Jesus’) redemption ‘will be near’. Jesus: “Behold, I shall reveal to you everything of this mystery. For they will seize me the day after tomorrow. But my redemption will be near.” (First Apocryphon of James)

Further light is thrown on these baptismal records by the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, where the anointing of the Messianic Priest-king is described in these terms : " The heavens shall be opened, and from the Temple of glory shall come upon him sanctification, with the Father's voice as from Abraham to Isaac. And the glory of the Most High shall be uttered over him, and the spirit of understanding and sanctification shall rest upon him  The quotation is from Test. Levi. xviii, 6-7 (Cf. Test. Judah xxiv, I-3,\rhich is to the same effect). The Testaments, according to Charles, date from the second century B.C Hugh j. Schonfield  according to the Hebrews  p245 

"And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the Truth” (Jno. 17:19).

The Master, according to himself, had to be sanctified in order to sanctify his brethren. The principles of his redemption laid down the foundation for ours, namely, the condemnation of sin in the flesh, and the declaration of the Righteousness of God. In him, God was declared Right to require the destruction of the diabolos through death, and we must seek to likewise crucify the flesh (Gal. 5:24), and die daily (1 Cor. 15:31) in our endeavours to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness.

Each year on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest entered into the Holy of Holies, offering a sacrifice for himself first, and having been sanctified, he offered to the people. These two aspects foreshadowed the work of Messiah, for speaking of these things, the Apostle wrote:

“For such an high priest became us … who needeth not daily, as those high priests to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once when he offered up himself.” (Heb. 7:26, 27).

The Scriptures could hardly be more explicit: just as the High Priest offered for himself and then for the people, “this he did once …” when he offered up himself. Of course, Messiah had no committed sin to be forgiven for—but he did have the root cause of sin within himself. He was “the likeness of sinful flesh” (Rom. 8:3), as it is testified of him:

“… be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him sin for us, who knew no sin: that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

Every High Priest taken from among men ... for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins" (Heb. 5:1-3).

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;


Here we have Jesus the Savor who was saved from death this is the bibles teaching of a Saved Savor or Redeemed Redeemer who was saved from death.

The fact that Christ had to plead with God to save him from death rules out any possibility of him being God in person. After Christ's resurrection, death had "no more dominion over him" (Rom. 6:9), implying that beforehand it did.

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

"Such an High Priest became us ... who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's, for this he did once, when he offered up himself" (Heb. 7:26-27).

If Christ's offering did not comprehend himself how are we to understand the statement of Paul (in Heb 7:27)


The Jewish high priest had to make an offering firstly for his own sins, and then for those of the people (Heb. 5:1-3). Christ's sacrifice had this same two-fold structure. Although he did not have any sins personally, Jesus was still of human nature, and needed salvation from death. This salvation was provided by God on account of Christ's own sacrifice; thus Jesus died both to gain his own salvation, and also to make ours possible.

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

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

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 

Does the Gospel of Thomas teach the Trinity?

Does the gospel of Thomas teach the trinity


Saying 61 tells us this


61) Jesus said, "Two will rest on a bed: the one will die, and other will live." Salome said to him, "Who are You, man, that You, as though from the One, have come up on my couch and eaten from my table?" Jesus said to her, "I am He who exists from the Undivided One. I was given some of the things of my Father." <Salome said,> "I am Your disciple." <Jesus said to her,> "Therefore I say, if he is <undivided>, he will be filled with light, but if he is divided, he will be filled with darkness." 
(Thomas O. Lambdin (1988)


The Undivided one is the Father Jesus was given some of the things of his Father


Therefore Jesus and the Undivided Father are not the same person

In Logion 61 of the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus engages in a conversation with Salome regarding the nature of his identity. Salome asks Jesus who he is, expressing surprise that he has come to her couch and eaten from her table. Jesus responds by stating that he comes from the Undivided One and has been given some of the things of his Father.

From this logion, it can be inferred that Jesus and the Undivided One (referring to the Father) are distinct entities. Jesus speaks of receiving things from his Father, indicating a relationship between them. This logion does not explicitly address the concept of the Trinity, nor does it provide detailed theological explanations about the nature of Jesus' relationship with the Father.

It is worth noting that interpretations of this logion may vary among different Christian traditions and theological perspectives. Some groups, such as the Christadelphians, interpret this logion as supporting their rejection of the Trinity doctrine. They argue that it emphasizes the distinction between Jesus and the Father and their separate identities.

It is important to recognize that the Gospel of Thomas is one among many texts that contribute to the diverse range of early Christian thought. Different interpretations and understandings of theological concepts, including the Trinity, exist within Christianity.



(13) Jesus said to his disciples, "Compare me to something and tell me what I resemble." Simon Peter said to him, " You are like a just messenger." Matthew said to him, "An intelligent philosopher is what you resemble." Thomas said to him, "Teacher, my mouth utterly will not let me say what you resemble." Jesus said, "I am not your (sing.) teacher, for you have drunk and become intoxicated from the bubbling wellspring that I have personally measured out. And he took him, withdrew, and said three sayings to him. Now, when Thomas came to his companions they asked him, "What did Jesus say to you?" Thomas said to them, "If I say to you (plur.) one of the sayings that he said to me, you will take stones and stone me, and fire will come out of the stones and burn you up." 
(Stephen Patterson and Marvin Meyer 1998)

Notice here that Simon Peter and Matthew describe Jesus as a 
just messenger or a intelligent philosopher vs the son of the Living God in the canonical gospels 

30) Jesus said, "Where there are three gods, they are gods. Where there are two or one, I am with him."
Translated by Thomas O. Lambdin (from Coptic)

(30) Jesus said "Where there are three, they are without God, and where there is only one, I say, I am with that one."
Translated by Marvin Meyer (from Greek)

The Jews had and worshipped several Gods at that time - Moses had to fight with that fact already and Jesus encountered it again. Even though the Trinity was formed after Jesus' crucifixion - Father, Son, Holy Spirit - it can be assumed that Jesus was aware of the plans for his future, so here Jesus is having a slap against Trinitarian doctrine, declaring that a doctrine of 3 gods is polytheistic if one understands that each of the gods is a separate god. Thus there is only one true god and where there is one god alone Jesus is with that him,

Reading it again,

30) Jesus said, "Where there are three gods, they are gods. Where there are two or one, I am with him."

Jesus is denouncing the idea of the trinity, whether that be 3 in 1 or three separate beings.
To Jesus, there is only the 
Undivided One.

So when I read this I see Jesus denouncing a cluster of three gods, also known as a trinity of gods.

This teaches us that the Father is the Undivided One, the Deity is not divided into 3 persons.

But the Coptic text is corrupted and the Greek like the Coptic is nonsense as well April Deconick in her translation of the GTh "The original Gospel of Thomas in Translation" has reconstructed the text: Jesus says: 
 Jesus said, “Where two or more are gathered in My name, I am with them.”Jesus said, ‘Split a piece of wood or lift a stone, and you will see My Father’s handiwork.”

The interpretation you provided for Logion 30 of the Gospel of Thomas is a valid interpretation within the context of rejecting the Trinitarian doctrine. You argue that Jesus is denouncing the idea of the Trinity and emphasizing the belief in the Undivided One, the oneness of God. This interpretation suggests that Jesus is asserting his unity with the one true God and challenging the concept of multiple gods or a triune God.

However, it's important to note that Logion 30 is subject to different translations and interpretations due to variations in the available manuscripts. The Coptic and Greek versions of the Gospel of Thomas have slight differences in wording and can lead to divergent understandings.

The translation you cited by April DeConick provides an alternative reading where Jesus speaks about being present when two or more are gathered in his name, emphasizing his divine presence in communal worship or spiritual gatherings. This interpretation focuses on the spiritual presence of Jesus rather than directly addressing the concept of the Trinity.

Overall, the Gospel of Thomas is a complex and enigmatic text, and scholars have different viewpoints on its intended meaning and original teachings. The interpretations of individual sayings can vary based on the translation, textual variants, and the theological lens through which they are examined.


77) Jesus said, "It is I who am the light which is above everything. It is I who now am everything. From Me now that everything comes forth, and up to Me did everything reach. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find Me there."

This saying is about the Lord Jesus been give all power and authority in heaven and on earth after his resurrection so this saying is speaking about Jesus' new power of providence over the universe

Thus the Lord can now penetrate everything

77) Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find Me there."

108) Jesus said, "He who will drink from my mouth will become like Me. I myself shall become he, and the things that are hidden will become revealed to him."

Thus we too can become equal with Jesus this saying plainly states that the believer who drinks from Jesus’ mouth becomes Jesus


The gospel of thomas does not teach the Trinity 
ChatGPT
You are correct that the Gospel of Thomas does not explicitly teach the doctrine of the Trinity as it is understood in traditional Christian theology. The Gospel of Thomas, being a Gnostic text, presents a unique perspective on spiritual teachings and focuses on the inner wisdom and enlightenment gained through gnosis (knowledge).

The doctrine of the Trinity, which states that God is one being existing in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), is a concept that developed within the mainstream Christian tradition over time and is primarily based on interpretations of various biblical texts.

While the Gospel of Thomas contains teachings attributed to Jesus, it does not explicitly address the concept of the Trinity or provide detailed theological explanations in that regard. The emphasis of the text is more on the individual's spiritual journey, self-discovery, and the attainment of inner wisdom.

It is important to recognize that different texts within early Christianity present diverse perspectives, and not all of them delve into the complexities of theological doctrines such as the Trinity. The Gospel of Thomas, in particular, highlights a distinct Gnostic approach to spiritual teachings, focusing on personal revelation and the inner transformation of the individual.

Therefore, if one is seeking explicit teachings on the Trinity, they would typically turn to other canonical texts within the New Testament or later theological writings that address this specific doctrine.



In Logion 13 of the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus engages in a conversation with his disciples regarding their perceptions of him. Simon Peter compares Jesus to a just messenger, and Matthew compares him to an intelligent philosopher. However, when it is Thomas' turn to respond, he states that he cannot adequately express what Jesus resembles.

This logion highlights the diverse perspectives and understandings of Jesus among his disciples. It contrasts with the canonical Gospels where Simon Peter confesses Jesus as the "Messiah, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16). The Gospel of Thomas emphasizes the unique and enigmatic nature of Jesus, suggesting that he cannot be easily confined to a single role or title.

It is important to note that the Gospel of Thomas is a Gnostic text and presents a distinct perspective on Jesus and his teachings. It focuses on the inner spiritual journey and the acquisition of gnosis (knowledge) rather than specific doctrinal beliefs. Consequently, the descriptions given by the disciples in this logion reflect their limited understanding of Jesus at that moment.

The differences in portrayal between the Gospel of Thomas and the canonical Gospels can be attributed to the different theological contexts and intentions of the texts. The canonical Gospels aim to present a comprehensive narrative of Jesus' life, teachings, and identity, while the Gospel of Thomas prioritizes a more esoteric and mystical exploration of Jesus' wisdom and the disciple's quest for enlightenment.


Logion 77 in the Gospel of Thomas emphasizes the all-encompassing presence of Jesus as the light above everything. It speaks to his divine nature and suggests his omnipresence. The saying highlights the spiritual significance of Jesus, who is portrayed as the source from which everything comes forth and to which everything reaches. The imagery of finding Jesus even in the splitting of wood or lifting of a stone conveys the idea of his pervasive presence.

While the BASF provides a framework for understanding the beliefs of specific Christian groups, it does not directly address Logion 77 or offer a specific interpretation of this saying. The interpretation of Logion 77 may vary among different individuals and Christian traditions. It is important to study the saying within the context of the Gospel of Thomas and consider various scholarly interpretations to gain a more comprehensive understanding of its meaning.

The Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith (BASF) is a specific doctrinal statement followed by certain Christian groups, including the Christadelphians. While the BASF provides a framework for understanding their beliefs, it does not directly address or interpret individual sayings from the Gospel of Thomas, such as Logion 77.

Logion 77 in the Gospel of Thomas emphasizes the all-encompassing presence of Jesus as the light above everything. The saying highlights the spiritual significance of Jesus and the idea that everything originates from him and reaches back to him. The imagery of being present in the splitting of wood or lifting of a stone conveys his pervasive presence.

Regarding the belief of Christadelphians, it is true that they do not believe in the pre-existence of Jesus. According to their beliefs, Jesus was begotten by God through the Holy Spirit and was a mortal man, sharing in human nature and experiencing the effects of Adam's transgression.

While the BASF provides a theological framework for understanding Christadelphian beliefs, it does not offer a specific interpretation of Logion 77 or address the concept of Jesus as the light above everything. Interpretations of this saying may vary among different individuals and Christian traditions. It is important to study the saying within the context of the Gospel of Thomas and consider various scholarly interpretations to gain a more comprehensive understanding of its meaning.

Certainly. According to the BASF and the Christadelphian belief in God manifestation, Jesus is understood as God with us, God manifested in the flesh. The belief is that Jesus, while being of like nature with mortal man, was begotten of God and inhabited by God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This belief emphasizes that Jesus, during his natural life, shared in the physical nature of humanity, experiencing the effects of Adam's transgression, including death. Jesus is seen as the representative of Adam's disobedient race and the means through which God accomplished His plan of redemption.

In light of this understanding, Logion 77 in the Gospel of Thomas can be seen as expressing the concept of Jesus as the manifestation of God's light that is above everything. It emphasizes the all-encompassing presence and authority of Jesus, who is the source from which everything comes forth and to whom everything reaches. The saying highlights the divine nature and significance of Jesus as the embodiment of God's light and presence in the world.

Saturday 21 January 2023

The Aeons in the Odes of Solomon



Aeon in the Odes of Solomon


Ode 7
A wonderfully, simple and joyful psalm on the Incarnation.
  1. As is the course of anger over wickedness, so is the course of joy over the Beloved; and brings in of its fruits unhindered.
  2. My joy is the Lord and my course is towards Him, this path of mine is beautiful.
  3. For there is a Helper for me, the Lord. He has generously shown Himself to me in His simplicity, because His kindness has diminished His dreadfulness.
  4. He became like me, that I might receive Him. In form He was considered like me, that I might put Him on.
  5. And I trembled not when I saw Him, because He was gracious to me.
  6. Like my nature He became, that I might understand Him. And like my form, that I might not turn away from Him.
  7. The Father of knowledge is the Word of knowledge.
  8. He who created wisdom is wiser than His works.
  9. And He who created me when yet I was not knew what I would do when I came into being.
  10. On account of this He was gracious to me in His abundant grace, and allowed me to ask from Him and to benefit from His sacrifice.
  11. For He it is who is incorrupt, the perfection of the worlds and their Father.
  12. He has allowed Him to appear to them that are His own; in order that they may recognize Him that made them, and not suppose that they came of themselves.
  13. For towards knowledge He has set His way, he has widened it and lengthened it and brought it to complete perfection.
  14. And has set over it the traces of His light, and it proceeded from the beginning until the end.
  15. For by Him He was served, and He was pleased by the Son.
  16. And because of his salvation He will possess everything. And the Most High will be known by His holy ones:
  17. To announce to those who have songs of the coming of the Lord, that they may go forth to meet Him and may sing to Him, with joy and with the harp of many tones.
  18. The Seers shall go before Him, and they shall be seen before Him.
  19. And they shall praise the Lord in His love, because He is near and does see.
  20. And hatred shall be removed from the earth, and with jealousy it shall be drowned.
  21. For ignorance was destroyed upon it, because the knowledge of the Lord arrived upon it.
  22. Let the singers sing the grace of the Lord Most High, and let them bring their songs.
  23. And let their heart be like the day, and their gentle voices like the majestic beauty of the Lord.
  24. And let there not be anyone who breathes that is without knowledge or voice.
  25. For He gave a mouth to His creation: to open the voice of the mouth towards Him, and to praise Him.
  26. Confess His power and declare His grace.
    Hallelujah.
knowledge and joy
the whole Ode implies that "knowledge" must not come to us without "joy,":

Ode 7:1 As is the course of anger over wickedness, so is the course of joy over the Beloved; and brings in of its fruits unhindered.


wisdom and the word are with God in heaven: 



Ode 7:7 "The Father of knowledge is the Word of knowledge. He who created wisdom is wiser than His works.." 

wisdom one of the seven spirits of perfection

from the God of knowledge comes all that is and will be (1QS III,15)


the Father is wiser than his works and superior to all wisdom:


Ode 28:20 For the thought of the Most High cannot be anticipated; and His heart is superior to all wisdom.



The Father of the Aeons
Ode 7:11 "Because He it is that is incorrupt, the fulness of the ages and the Father of them." 

Odes of Solomon 7:11 Because he is, he is imperishable the pleroma of the Aeons and their Father. Michael Lattke translation.

7:11 For He it is who is incorrupt, the perfection of the worlds and their Father. James Charlesworth translation


"The Fulness of the aeons and their Father.

ode 16:19 And the worlds (Aeons) are by His Word, and by the thought of His heart.

God is the Father of the Aeons because they emanated from him

The Aeons are not eternal they have a beginning and a Father. The Aeons can refer to the hidden and infinite past


Psalm 77:5 NWT I have thought upon the days of long ago, 
On the years in the indefinite past.

Heb 11:3 New Heart English Bible

By faith, we understand that the ages were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen has not been made out of things which are visible.

Rev. 15:3 American Standard Version

And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are thy ways, thou King of the ages. ("King of the aeons" )
"The Father of the Aeons", there exists high up in invisible and ineffable regions a perfect Aeon, pre-existent [to all]... and this they call Propator (i.e. Pre-existent-Father)

The Aeons are faithful believers
Ode 12
He has filled me with words of truth, that I may proclaim Him.
And like the flowing of waters, truth flows from my mouth, and my lips declare His fruits.
And He has caused His knowledge to abound in me, because the mouth of the Lord is the true Word, and the entrance of His light.
And the Most High has given Him to His generations 
(Aeons), which are the interpreters of His beauty, [the Key of Knowledge found within His Word]

And the narrators of His glory,
And the confessors of His purpose,
And the preachers of His mind,
And the teachers of His works.
For the subtlety of the Word is inexpressible [in its lower/outward (fleshly) meaning], and like His utterance so also is His swiftness and His acuteness, for limitless is His progression.
He never falls but remains standing, and one cannot comprehend His descent or His way.
For as His work is, so is His expectation, for He is the light and dawning of thought.
And by Him the generations (Aeons)spoke to one another, and those that were silent acquired speech. [Blessed are they who by means thereof have understood everything, and have known the Lord in His truth]

ode 19 Then She gave the mixture to the generation without their knowing, and those who have received it are in the perfection of the right hand.

IGNATIUS to the Ephesians CHAPTER 19
19:1 And hidden from the prince of this world were the virginity of Mary and her child-bearing and likewise also the death of the Lord -- three mysteries to be cried aloud -- the which were wrought in the silence of God.
19:2 How then were they made manifest to the ages (Aeons)?A star shone forth in the heaven above all the stars; and its light was unutterable, and its strangeness caused amazement; and all the rest of the constellations with the sun and moon formed themselves into a chorus about the star; but the star itself far outshone them all; and there was perplexity to know whence came this strange appearance which was so unlike them.
19:3 From that time forward every sorcery and every spell was dissolved, the ignorance of wickedness vanished away, the ancient kingdom was pulled down, when God appeared in the likeness of man unto _newness of_ everlasting _life;_ and that which had been perfected in the counsels of God began to take effect. Thence all things were perturbed, because the abolishing of death was taken in hand


In Scripture, the Heb. word rendered by LXX aeon is perhaps best explained as meaning originally (Gesen. 761 V) "hidden," and hence (i) the hidden and infinite past, (2) the hidden and infinite future

The Aeons are personified in the Odes the generations of [past] aeons (Ode 12:4, 8) are represents as, some of them, "speaking" while others are "silent." The generations are past aeons of believers the Elect. They speak to each other by the word, the prophetic messages of the scriptures



and the Father is actively carrying out His Thought of Redemption, by the Word, through the aeons, and not as the mere object of a contemplative

The Patriarchs were called Fathers of the Age." or the The Leader of the Age (or, World),  "the days of the Fathers of the Age (or, World}."

Philo speaks of "aeon" as being in the life of God what "time" is in the life of Man. Time is measured by material motion, but aeon by immaterial or spiritual motion. Spiritual motion can only be conceived of, by us men, as "Thought". It is God's Thought. God's Thought as is reiterated throughout the Odes is a Thought, Plan, or Design, of Redemption for Man. This Thought was revealed by God's Word or Son moving and expressing Himself in the sons of Man, more especially in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These three Philo calls "measures of aeon," that is to say, phases of God s Thought of Redemption as it was developed through Faith, Joy, and Righteousness

For him the heroes of Israel are incarnate thoughts of God. His series of illustrations is a picture-book of the progressive phases of God's foreordained redemptive Purpose expressed in human beings. It represents spiritual lives (which are, as Philo says, "measures of aeon 1"],


Philo says (i. 277) that "time," xpuvos, being measured by the motions of the material Cosmos, may be called son of Cosmos, but only the grandson (not the son) of God, who is the Father of Cosmos. Aeon, he says, is the archetype of Time. We might be disposed to say that it must be measured by the motions of God's Thought; but he thinks of God's Thought as never past or future but always present: (id.) "In aeon, nothing has passed away, nothing is future, but everything simply subsists." The Hebrew view is that God combines past, present, and future, in a motion that is also rest. Elsewhere Philo says that the race of Wisdom produced (i. 455) "the threefold fruits of him that seeth, [namely], Israel." These are "Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," and he calls these three "measures of aeon" i.e. apparently of divine Time. According to Philo (i. 342), "aeonian" does not mean "infinite in time" but "He that is graciously giving (6 x n P l C"f Ji(l "^--- always and continuously...," in other words, "infinite in His scope of graciousness," so that no limit of space, time, or thought, can be attached to it.

The Jews believed that all through the generations, from Adam to Abraham, God was waiting for the latter that He might begin to build His Habitation. Before Abraham, all was swamp. When he came, the rock rose to the surface, and building became possible. In effect, the Building was begun when Abraham "believed." 

When Abraham "believed." Nothing outward and visible took place then. But inwardly and invisibly a new spiritual period began, the period, or age (aeon), of "belief." Such an age is not measured by days or years or by "time" at all. For time depends on material, acoti on spiritual, motion

With Abraham began the aeon of Faith.

Then after the aeon of Joy typified by Isaac, and the aeon of Hopeful Endurance typified by Jacob, and after the silent aeons of the Egyptian oppression during which the patriarchal seed was being prepared to grow up into the tree of national life came Moses
The New Aeon
Ode 22
11 Incorruptible was Your way and Your face; You have brought Your world (Aeons) to corruption, that everything might be resolved and renewed.
12 And the foundation of everything is Your rock. And upon it You have built Your kingdom, and it became the dwelling-place of the holy ones.
Hallelujah.


Ode 8:22 And you shall be found incorrupt in all ages, on account of the name of your Father.
Hallelujah.

Ode 8:22 "Ye shall be found incorruptible in all the aeons to the Name of your Father."

It is God that is incorruptible, the fulness of the aeons and the Father of them"  The meaning is that, in the end of all the aeons, the Incorruptible Father of all the aeons will have kept His Promise to His human children that they should be conformed to His incorruptible nature.