The Sophia (Wisdom) of Jesus Christ
Date of composition
- First to the second century.
- This work was found in the Nag Hammadi Gnostic Collection from the 300s and the Berlin Gnostic Codex of the 400s.
- It is patterned after another work also found in the Nag Hammadi collection, "Eugnostos the Blessed." "Eugnostos" was written as early as the first century BC, probably in Egypt, with Eugnostos as the spiritual leader. This writing was reworked with Jesus as the spiritual leader. This means it could have been written (reworked) as early as the first century AD
Biography of Jesus?
- No. It is a conversation between Jesus, his Apostles, and Mary.
Type of Apocrypha (heretical or in error (made up))
- Heresy.
- The teachings are not strictly Gnostic but contain similar ideas. The writing also includes Egyptian mystical teachings.
Length
Summary
- The original "Eugnostos the Blessed" was an essay on heretical teachings. In this writing, the editor took the original essay and inserted Jesus, the Apostles, and Mary. Instead of an essay, the editor caused the Apostles and Mary to ask questions of Jesus, with the answers coming from the original essay. Basically, someone asked Jesus a question, and his response was from the "Eugnostos the Blessed" writing, then someone asked another question, and the answer is the next paragraph or idea from "Eugnostos the Blessed." This pattern is followed throughout the writing.
Noteworthy from the book
- After Jesus arose from the dead, he appeared to the twelve Apostles plus seven women who followed him. He did not appear in physical form but in a spiritual form. [Judas was dead by this point, but the writing does not make clear who the twelfth Apostle was.].
- As an example of one of the teachings: "[The] Son of Man consented with Sophia, his consort, and revealed a great androgynous light. His male name is designated 'Savior, Begetter of All Things.' His female name is designated 'All-Begettress Sophia.' Some call her 'Pistis.'" The writing contains much of this type of teaching.