Gospel of Philip Weirdness

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Blood
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Gospel of Philip Weirdness

Post by Blood »

This Nag Hammadi text doesn't seem to get as much attention as some of the others. All the gnostic texts are weird, but this one has some weird passages not found in any other text, as far as I know.
Philip the apostle said, "Joseph the carpenter planted a garden because he needed wood for his trade. It was he who made the cross from the trees which he planted. His own offspring hung on that which he planted. His offspring was Jesus, and the planting was the cross." But the Tree of Life is in the middle of the Garden.
Joseph made the cross, and his offspring hung on it? :wtf:

But in the same garden is "The Tree of Life" (so Joesph's garden is the Garden of Eden???)? Again :wtf:
However, it is from the olive tree that we got the chrism, and from the chrism, the resurrection ... The chrism is superior to baptism, for it is from the word "Chrism" that we have been called "Christians," certainly not because of the word "baptism". And it is because of the chrism that "the Christ" has his name.
So the Gnostics were anointed, not baptized, and without the chrism ceremony, there can be no resurrection. Is that correct?


http://gnosis.org/naghamm/gop.html
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Peter Kirby
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Re: Gospel of Philip Weirdness

Post by Peter Kirby »

The translator seems to have a different interpretation of the first passage (not that we need to heed the translator). The translator distinguishes between "a garden" that Joseph planted and "the Garden" where the Tree of Life is in the middle.

This does seem like a possible interpretation; Joseph's garden doesn't have to be the same as the Garden of Eden (though... interesting thought). I think I like your interpretation better, just because it's more surprising.
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Ben C. Smith
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Re: Gospel of Philip Weirdness

Post by Ben C. Smith »

More weirdness with trees from this gospel:

91 There are two trees growing in Paradise. The one bears animals, the other bears men. Adam ate from the tree which bore animals. He became an animal and he brought forth animals. For this reason the children of Adam worship animals. The tree [...] fruit is [...] increased. [...] ate the [...] fruit of the [...] bears men, [...] man. [...]

....

100 God [...] garden. Man [...] garden. There are [...] and [...] of God. [...] The things which are in [...] I wish. This garden is the place where they will say to me, "[...] eat this or do not eat that, just as you wish." In the place where I will eat all things is the Tree of Knowledge. That one killed Adam, but here the Tree of Knowledge made men alive. The law was the tree. It has power to give the knowledge of good and evil. It neither removed him from evil, nor did it set him in the good, but it created death for those who ate of it. For when he said, "Eat this, do not eat that", it became the beginning of death.

Trees bearing animals and other trees bearing people?

And the relationship between the tree and the law seems even more convoluted than something that Paul might write.

I have the Coptic of this gospel (as well as an English translation and some inscriptional parallels) here: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2097.
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MrMacSon
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Re: Gospel of Philip Weirdness

Post by MrMacSon »

Blood wrote: Sun Aug 20, 2017 11:42 am
This Nag Hammadi text - http://gnosis.org/naghamm/gop.html - doesn't seem to get as much attention as some of the others. All the gnostic texts are weird, but this one has some weird passages not found in any other text, as far as I know.
Philip the apostle said, "Joseph the carpenter planted a garden because he needed wood for his trade. It was he who made the cross from the trees which he planted. His own offspring hung on that which he planted. His offspring was Jesus, and the planting was the cross." But the Tree of Life is in the middle of the Garden.
Joseph made the cross, and his offspring hung on it? :wtf:

But in the same garden is "The Tree of Life" (so Joesph's garden is the Garden of Eden???)? Again :wtf:
However, it is from the olive tree that we got the chrism, and from the chrism, the resurrection ... The chrism is superior to baptism, for it is from the word "Chrism" that we have been called "Christians," certainly not because of the word "baptism". And it is because of the chrism that "the Christ" has his name.
So the Gnostics1 were anointed, not baptized, and without the chrism ceremony, there can be no resurrection. Is that correct?
1 These Gnostics, at least.
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