The Apocryphon of John

Preface

This article recounts Yeshua’s presentation to John of the story of creation in its entirety. It ends with our present day predicament of being imprisoned in a dark realm largely devoid of God’s light. The Gnostic cosmology referenced in parts of John’s vision will be more fully explored in later articles. Don’t let them become a diversion from personal gnostic pursuit – that is remembering your divine nature.

Overview of the Apocryphon

The Apocryphon of John, otherwise known as the Secret Revelation or Secret Book of John is described in the following video (20:29 minutes). It is one of the Gnostic texts found in the Nag Hammadi Codex discovered in 1995.

The video opens by describing the understanding of the story in the text as “remembering” or gnosis, a key concept that permeates the Gnostic literature. The text is the blueprint of creation, starting with the divine consciousness in its original state called the Pleroma. The video outlines the creation of the soul, its descent into matter, and its true purpose leading to the resurrection or return to its full divine state of consciousness.

The role of Sophia I describe in another post since she plays a central role in Gnostic cosmology. In particular, the Pleroma, Aeons and Archons are explained more fully in other Gnostic texts which I will explore in depth. For now, don’t spend a lot of time agonizing over them.

Here is the free ebook the narrator promises: Escaping the Illusion — A Gnostic Guide To Mastering Reality.

The Text of the Book

I have made available two texts of the Book^1,2. I will use the second as it is written more compactly and is immediately available in a PDF format that one can highlight and annotate. At 15 pages it is still too long to include inline. I will refer to material by the page number in the PDF file on which the reference is made. If you can’t read a PDF file, use the other reference¹ which is a link to the text readable online.

The Book begins with a vision from Jesus that John has in the desert. First is a description of God as the Monad: that this is singular and above all else. To call it God is convenient but inappropriate as it is not a god but it is The God. On page 2 of the PDF file, Jesus gives an extensive description of some of God’s properties.

The PDF begins page 3 with the first step in creation, Barbelo:

This is the first power which was before all of them (and) which came forth from his mind, She is the forethought of the All – her light shines like his light – the perfect power which is the image of the invisible, virginal Spirit who is perfect. The first power, the glory of Barbelo, …

The story in the book is that of creation beginning in the spiritual realm before the material realm was created. It proceeds with the aeon Sophia’s unauthorized creation of that which became ignorance in a form named Yaldaboath or the Demiurge. The Demiurge created the material realm. The creation of souls became a result with the intervention from Sophia. Here also are the events leading to the creation of Adam and Eve. Elements of the Genesis story can be found at this point. It ends with a description of Christ’s role for all soles in transcending the dark or material realm.

The book ends with the Christ reentering the dark realm as Yeshua – Jesus – who sets forth the prescription of how to ascend back to the light from the realm of Yaldaboath.

My Comments

The Gnostics have a detailed cosmology. The story related to John by Jesus maps closely onto the formal cosmology. This document is complex, requiring multiple readings. Use it to get a rough idea of the creation of which you are a part. But focus on your own ascent and awakening throuh remembering. Other writings will help with this.

References

1. The Apocryphon (Secret Revelation/Secret Book) of John Collection. The Gnostic Society Library
2. The Apocryphon of John. PDF.

Articles in This Series

Refer to the series index in Gnostic Wisdom.

***

If you liked this post, consider subscribing – in right-hand sidebar – if you are not a subscriber already. Please forward it to anyone else you might think will benefit from it. We are at a critical point in time where we need to disseminate truth to those who have ears to hear, and be forming communities of like-minded individuals. If you want to discuss an idea or issue, contact me – see Contacts.