The Figure of Error in Odes of Solomon
First a reading from Ode 38
1 I went up to the light of truth as if into a chariot:
2 And the Truth took me and led me: and carried me across pits and gulleys; and from the rocks and the waves it preserved me:
3 And it became to me a haven of Salvation: and set me on the arms of immortal life:
4 And it went with me and made me rest, and suffered me not to wander, because it was the Truth;
5 And I ran no risk, because I walked with Him;
6 And I did not make an error in anything because I obeyed the Truth.
7 For Error flees away from it, and meets it not: but the Truth proceeds in the right path, and
8 Whatever I did not know, it made clear to me, all the poisons of error, and the plagues of death which they think to be sweetness:
9 And I saw the destroyer of destruction, when the bride who is corrupted is adorned: and the bridegroom who corrupts and is corrupted;
10 And I asked the Truth 'Who are these?'; and He said to me, 'This is the deceiver and the error:
11 And they are alike in the beloved and in his bride: and they lead astray and corrupt the whole world:
12 And they invite many to the banquet, p. 138
13 And give them to drink of the wine of their intoxication, and remove their wisdom and knowledge, and so they make them without intelligence;
14 And then they leave them; and then these go about like madmen corrupting: seeing that-they are without heart, nor do they seek for it!
15 And I was made wise so as not to fall into the hands of the deceiver; and I congratulated myself because the Truth went with me,
16 And I was established and lived and was redeemed,
17 And my foundations were laid on the hand of the Lord: because He established me.
18 For He set the root and watered it and fixed it and blessed it; and its fruits are for ever.
19 It struck deep and sprung up and spread out, and was full and enlarged;
20 And the Lord alone was glorified in His planting and in His husbandry: by His care and by the blessing of His lips,
21 By the beautiful planting of His right hand: and by the discovery of His planting, and by the thought of His mind. Hallelujah.
Now we have read Ode 38 of the Odes of Solomon let us look at the word Error in the Bible
Error in the Bible
05771 עון ‘avon aw-vone’ or עוון ‘avown (#2Ki 7:9; Ps 51:5) aw-vone’ this Hebrew word is normally translated 1) perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity 1a) iniquity 1b) guilt of iniquity, guilt (as great), guilt (of condition) 1c) consequence of or punishment for iniquity
However the new world translation (1983 edition) translates this Hebrew word 05771 עון ‘avon as Error the Watchtower writes this about the word 05771 עון ‘avon:
,`a·won´ is the Hebrew term most frequently linked with or used in parallel with chat·ta´th´ (sin, missing the mark)
Thus, `a·won´ basically relates to erring, acting crookedly or wrongly. The Hebrew term refers to a moral error or wrong, a distortion of what is right. (Job 10:6, 14, 15
The “error” (`awon´) may be intentional or unintentional, either a conscious deviation from what is right or an unknowing act, a “mistake” (shegha·ghah´), which, nevertheless, brings the person into error and guilt before God. (Le 4:13-35; 5:1-6, 14-19; Nu 15:22-29; Ps 19:12, 13) If intentional, then, of course, the error is of far graver consequence than if by mistake. (Nu 15:30, 31; compare La 4:6, 13, 22.)
Error is contrary to truth, and those willfully sinning pervert the truth, a course which only brings forth grosser sin. (Compare Isa 5:18-23.) The apostle Paul speaks of “the deceptive power of sin,” which has a hardening effect on human hearts. (Heb 3:13-15; compare Ex 9:27, 34, 35.)
In the Septuagint the Hebrew word 05771 עון ‘avon is translated by the word G4108 πλάνη plánē
Prov 14:8 ¶ The wisdom of the prudent will understand their ways; but the folly of fools leads astray. LXX
LXX Deut 29:19 Job 19:4 Job 35:13 Ec 5:6 Ec 10:5 Isa 19:14 Isa 30:28 Isa 32:6 Jer 4:11 Jer 23:17 Eze 44:13 Eze 48:11 Dan 6:4
G4108 πλάνη plánē, plan'-ay; feminine of G4108 (as abstractly); objectively, fraudulence; subjectively, a straying from orthodoxy or piety:—deceit, to deceive, delusion, error.
Thayer:
1) a wandering, a straying about
1a) one led astray from the right way, roams hither and thither
2) metaph.
2a) mental straying
2a1) error, wrong opinion relative to morals or religion
2b) error which shows itself in action, a wrong mode of acting
2c) error, that which leads into error, deceit or fraud
In the N. T. metaphorically, mental straying, i. e. error, wrong opinion relative to morals or religion Ephesians 4:14; 1 Thessalonians 2:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:11; 2 Peter 2:18; 2 Peter 3:17; 1 John 4:6; Jude 1:11
Error has a mental condition That which is untrue. Error thoughts represent belief in thoughts and beliefs not of God. Error thoughts have no foundation in Truth. They originate in the intellect. They are eliminated by one's denying their reality and power, and affirming the Truth of Being.
The Odes of Solomon
In the Odes of Solomon Error means to go astray, mislead, deceive, to be deluded, to forget in the Odes Error parallel to nothingness Ode 18:9,10 and linked to knowing Leading astray is characteristic of Error as her own going astray Ode 31:2 Death is parallel to error Ode 15:6-9 Ode 42:11
Ode 15:6 I repudiated the way of error, and went towards Him and received salvation from Him abundantly.
In the Odes of Solomon Error means to go astray, mislead, deceive, to be deluded, to forget in the Odes Error parallel to nothingness Ode 18:9,10 and linked to knowing Leading astray is characteristic of Error as her own going astray Ode 31:2 Death is parallel to error Ode 15:6-9 Ode 42:11
Ode 15:6 I repudiated the way of error, and went towards Him and received salvation from Him abundantly.
ode 18
10 And You know not error; because neither does it know You.
11 And ignorance appeared like dust, and like the foam of the sea.
12 And vain people thought that it was great, and they became like its type and were impoverished.
13 But those who knew understood and contemplated, and were not polluted by their thoughts;
14 Because they were in the mind of the Most High, and mocked those who were walking in error.
15 Then they spoke the truth, from the breath which the Most High breathed into them.
Praise and great honor to His name.
Hallelujah.
11 And ignorance appeared like dust, and like the foam of the sea.
12 And vain people thought that it was great, and they became like its type and were impoverished.
13 But those who knew understood and contemplated, and were not polluted by their thoughts;
14 Because they were in the mind of the Most High, and mocked those who were walking in error.
15 Then they spoke the truth, from the breath which the Most High breathed into them.
Praise and great honor to His name.
Hallelujah.
Now with Ode 18 I have noticed a similarity with the Gospel of Truth in Ode 18 ignorance (which is linked to error in verse 10 and 14) appears "like dust and like the foam of the sea", and in the Gospel of Truth ignorance became dense like a fog. I think "dust like the foam of the sea" is a good description of fog
Acquaintance and ignorance The gospel of truth is joy for those who have received from the Father of truth the grace of knowing him, through the power of the Word that came forth from the pleroma, the one who is in the thought and the mind of the Father, that is, the one who is addressed as 'the Savior', (that) being the name of the work he is to perform for the redemption of those who were ignorant of the Father, while in the name of the gospel is the proclamation of hope, being discovery for those who search for him.
When the totality went about searching for the one from whom they had come forth - and the totality was inside of him, the incomprehensible, inconceivable one who is superior to every thought - ignorance of the Father brought about anguish and terror; and the anguish grew solid like a fog, so that no one was able to see. For this reason, error became powerful; it worked on its own matter foolishly, not having known the truth. It set about with a creation, preparing with power and beauty the substitute for the truth.
Acquaintance is gnosis Un-acquaintance is a lack of gnosis or "deficiency" lack is destroyed by the advent of gnosis.
the terms "error" and "lack" are used interchangeably in the Gospel of Truth
ignorance (Un-acquaintance) of the Father brought about Error through anxiety and fear
Ode 18
1 My heart was lifted up and enriched in the love of the Most High, so that I might praise Him with my name.
2 My members were strengthened, that they may not fall from His power.
3 Infirmities fled from my body, and it stood firm for the Lord by His will; because His kingdom is firm.
4 O Lord, for the sake of those who are in need, do not dismiss Your Word from me.
5 Nor, for the sake of their works, withhold Your perfection from me.
6 Let not light be conquered by darkness, nor let truth flee from falsehood.
7 Let Your right hand set our salvation to victory, and let it receive from every region, and preserve it on the side of everyone who is besieged by misfortunes.
8 You are my God, falsehood and death are not in Your mouth; only perfection is Your will.
9 And vanity You know not, because neither does it know You.
Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface.
And ignorance appeared like dust, and like the foam of the sea.
And vain people thought that it was great, and they became like its type and were impoverished.
This ignorance of the father brought about terror and fear. And terror became dense like a fog, so no one was able to see. Because of this, error became strong. But she worked on her material substance vainly, because she did not know the truth. She assumed a fashioned figure while she was preparing, in power and in beauty, the substitute for truth.
Error in the Gospel of Truth is not set in the primordial past, as for instance in the Apocryphon of John, but in the time of Jesus’ earthly mission and in the present time of the community
The personification of error represents the "state of consciousness of the Jewish Sanhedrin and the Roman authorities " For this reason error was angry with him, so she persecuted him. She was distressed by him, and she was made powerless. He was nailed to a tree."(Gospel of Truth 18:16-18).
Error is simultaneously a symbolic designation for the group of people that persecuted Jesus and a description of their mental state.
I have found a paraphrase translation of the Gospel of Truth which best explains this:
Ignorance of the Source of Life generates anguish and fear, which are like a fog clouding mortal vision so that mankind cannot perceive the realities of their existence. This is the reason Error is powerful. It has generated its own world, a world of illusions and falsehoods, in which mortal mind is trapped, unable to see the Divine Reality which is beyond those illusions. Error's illusions are often beautiful and desirable to mortal mind, but in the end they melt like the mists they are, and those who embrace them as their reality are left with only darkness in their place. The evils of mortal existence do not reflect the nature of the Parents. They take nothing from Divine perfection, for it has no part in them. The Parents are the Source of all Good, all Light, all Life. That which is not of these flows from Error's illusions. (A paraphrase of the Gospel of Truth: Truths Good News Church of the Pearl)
In the Odes of Solomon and the Gospel of Truth, Error is a personified power opposed to God. Error has characteristics of the human condition 31:25; 32:35
Ode 31:1 Chasms vanished before the Lord, and darkness dissipated before His appearance.
2 Error erred (Error went astray) and perished on account of Him; and contempt received no path, for it was submerged by the truth of the Lord.
Since error is frequently linked with or used in parallel with sin in the Bible it would be logical to conclude in the Odes of Solomon that error is equivalent to sin
Ode 31 a song of triumph sung by the church this Ode represents the victory of christ over sin and death :
Ode 31:1 The abysses [world's religious systems] were dissolved [the Old Covenant and its institutionalized way of things passed away] before the Lord [with the New Covenant]: and darkness [ignorance] was destroyed by His appearance [leaving no excuse]:
2 Error went astray [and tried to kill Him] and perished at His hand [by His power to overcome death]: and folly found no path to walk in [when the physical temple fell these were in great confusion], and was submerged [brought low] by the truth of the Lord [the hidden higher/inward (spiritual) meaning of the Word].
Again this Ode can be linked to the Error of the Gospel of Truth
Jesus the anointed. Through him he enlightened those who were in darkness because of forgetfulness. He enlightened them and gave them a path. And that path is the truth that he taught them. For this reason error was angry with him, so she persecuted him. She was distressed by him, and she was made powerless. He was nailed to a tree. (the Gospel of Truth)
(the Gospel of Truth) Error was upset, not knowing what to do; it was grieved, in mourning, afflicting itself because it knew nothing. When knowledge drew near it - this is the downfall of (error) and all its emanations - error is empty, having nothing inside. Truth appeared; all its emanations knew it. (Ode 18: Because they were in the mind of the Most High, and mocked those who were walking in error.)
Error hates him because he redeems those who are enmeshed in its chains. Error persecuted him but could not overcome him. It tried to destroy him, but its own state of nothingness was manifested in the attempt. He was nailed to a tree; he became a fruit of divine gnosis, (A paraphrase of the Gospel of Truth: Truths Good News Church of the Pearl)
Ode 38
And He went with me and caused me to rest and did not allow me to err; because He was and is the Truth.
And there was no danger for me because I constantly walked with Him; and I did not err in anything because I obeyed Him.
For Error fled from Him, and never met Him.
But Truth was proceeding on the upright way, and whatever I did not understand He exhibited to me:
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.
Ode 38 can be compared with Revelation 17 the Beast and the Harlot of Revelation 17 is the Deceiver and Error who resemble the Beloved and his bride. The beloved is Christ and his bride is the church. The counterfeits are the Antichrist (The Pope or papacy) and the harlot woman (the roman catholic church) Rev 17:4
The deceiver and Error are both personifications in Ode 38 of the Antichrist the Pope and the Roman Catholic system
[the word of error found in religious systems];
The feminine error is paired with the masculine deceiver this is the architect of all deception and his companion is Illusion (the illusory self)
and the false " Bride." These appear to mean the parody, or false image, or evil antitype, of the union that should join the true "Bridegroom" with the true "Bride" (Ode 38:69)
The passage in Ode 38:9 14 repeatedly mentions "corrupt" in various forms the Bride that is "corrupted" the Bridegroom that "corrupts and is corrupted" and then others who go about "corrupting."
we are told that the teachers of error operate upon their victims with intoxicating wine (Revelation 17:2) ; and the suggestion arises that the deadly poison has been introduced into the wine (false doctrine), and that the wine thus drugged has been sweetened with honey
The Antichrist is the bridegroom who corrupts and is corrupted ode 38:9 the Deceiver ode:38:10; 2 john 7 and his ally is error typified by the harlot gaily adorned. Christ with his church which is truth and Anitchrist with his companion error
They invite many to the wedding feast, and allow them to drink the wine of their intoxication rev 17:3 17:2 Gospel of Thomas saying 28
Who is the Deceiver? The Deceiver is a personification of sin. Sin is a deceiver (Rom. 7:11).
Human nature is the devil of the Bible, and is a great deceiver (see Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8; Rom. 7:11; Mark 7:20-23). Moreover, it is manifested in many forms. It can relate to the lust of the flesh, denote a person who incites to evil, describe a government, or an organisation, opposed to the truth, and so forth.
Sin, as the great deceiver of mankind, is there well spoken of as the Liar, the Accuser, the
Slanderer of God—alias the Devil. In its literal aspect, it is, of course, an impersonal thing,
tempting without being a conscious tempter, as expressed by James. "Every man is tempted
when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed; then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth
forth sin: and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death" (James 1:14).
1 I went up to [believed in and accepted] the light of truth [Christ] as if into a chariot [a vessel of (spiritual) war]:
2 And the Truth took me and led me [into more Truth]: and carried me across pits [falsehoods of religion] and gulleys [persecutions - "the shadow of death"]; and from the rocks [governments] and the waves [agitated or raging thoughts of political winds] it [Truth] preserved me:
3 And it [Truth] became to me a haven of Salvation [it set me free]: and set me [established me that I put my trust in] on the arms of immortal life [as opposed to "the arm of flesh"]:
4 And it went with me and made me rest [from my own works], and suffered me not to wander [out of the Way] because it was the Truth [and once you have it, you cannot away with it only throw it to the ground].
5 And I ran no risk [of failure], because I walked with Him [obeyed His Commandments];
5 And I did not make an error for anything [did not allow any errant thoughts to take hold of me] because I obeyed the Truth [which discovers our sins for us and helps us destroy them].
7 For Error [errant thoughts and intents] flees away from it [Truth] and meets it not: but the Truth proceeds in the right path [regardless of being surrounded by Error], and
8 What ever I did not know [in my ignorance in the flesh], it made clear to me [in the spirit of Truth], all the poisons [bitter waters] of error [the lower/outward (fleshly) forms (traditions, ordinances etc.) of religion, government], and the plagues of death [caused by the errant word ("the letter which kills") and has been the basis for unjust wars and killing for almost six thousand years] which they [the religious leaders and their adherents] think to be sweetness [sweet waters - they believe that they are doing a service to God and country]:
9 And I saw the destroyer of destruction [the Messiah], when the [Errant] bride [religion] who is corrupted is adorned [by the world as though she is in incorruption]: and the bridgegroom [the Antichrist, the Pope] who corrupts and is corrupted [from the beginning of her ways (as are all religions)];
10 And I asked the Truth, 'Who are these?'; and He said to me, 'This is the deceiver [the Antichrist, the Pope] and the error ["the mother of harlots" (Rev 17:5) and her daughters - the apostate churches of Christendom from Rome downwards]:
11 And they [the religious leaders] are alike in the beloved and in his bride [his ministers also "transform themselves into angels of light"]: and they lead astray [captive] and corrupt the whole world [under Roman Catholic Cult Laws even unto this day]:
12 And they invite many to the banquet [to eat of their poisoned food],
13 And give them to drink of the [worldly] wine of their intoxication [ignorant stupor], and remove their [ability to acquire] wisdom and knowledge, and so they make them without [spiritual] intelligence [these are clearly spoken of in Isaiah];
14 And then they leave them [to their own devices]; and then these go about like madmen corrupting [this is quite evident in how the rulers of the world are acting today]: seeing that they are with out heart [they have no love in them], nor do they seek for it [they only seek power and glory in the world].'
15 And I was made wise so as not to fall into the hands [under the power] of the deceiver; and I congratulated myself because the Truth went with me,
16 And I was established [in faith] and lived and was redeemed,
17 And my foundations [my conscious/subconscious mind and heart (soul)] were laid on [handed over to] the hand [power of] of the Lord: because He established me [by Grace].
18 For He set the root [the foundation of faith of the True Vine] and watered it [with the Words of Life] and fixed it [removed any spots from the world] and blessed it; and its fruits [of Righteousness] are for ever.
19 It [the root] struck deep [into the hearts of man] and sprung up [within them] and spread out [through their testimony] and was full and enlarged [filled the whole earth];
20 And the Lord alone was glorified in His planting [the Vine] and in His husbandry [the branches]: by His care and by the blessing of His lips,
21 By the beautiful planting of His right hand [the Power in Messiah]: and by the discovery of His planting [by those who found Him (or the lost sheep that He found!)], and by the thought of His mind [which they are being conformed to]. Hallelujah.
The Ode 38 above discussed describes the soul as going up to the region of Truth. Its meaning may be illustrated from another Ode which regards the soul not as going up above, but as being above: (34:4 5) "Whosoever is surrounded on every side by beauty in him there is nothing that is divided [against itself]. The pattern of that which is below is that which is above. For everything soever is above. Below is nothing soever. But it merely seems to be [seems] to those who have no knowledge."
