Gospel of Philip

On the resurrection, the Lord and Mary, the truth that comes by parables and types, and the seventy-two colors of the dyer Jesus.

1Christ hath in Himself everything: man, angel, mystery, and the Father.

2They that say the Lord first died and then rose are mistaken. He first rose, and then died. If a man receive not first the resurrection, shall he not die? As God liveth, that man shall die.

3No man shall hide a great and precious thing in a great vessel; but oftentimes one entrusteth countless treasures to a vessel worth a single penny. So is it with the soul: a precious thing came to be in a despised body.

4Some men are afraid lest they rise naked. Therefore they wish to rise in flesh, and they know not that they which wear the flesh are they that are naked. They which strip themselves to be naked are they that are not naked.

5Flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God. What is this flesh that shall not inherit? It is that which we are wearing. And what is the flesh that shall inherit? It is the flesh of Jesus, and His blood.

6For this cause He said: He that eateth not My flesh and drinketh not My blood hath not life in himself. What is this flesh? It is the Logos. And His blood — it is the Holy Spirit. He that hath received these hath food, and hath drink, and hath raiment.

7I find fault with the others who say it shall not rise. Then both are at fault. Thou sayest the flesh shall not rise; but tell me what shall rise, that we may honour thee. Thou sayest the spirit in the flesh, and also this light in the flesh. But this also is a thing that is in the flesh. For whatsoever thou shalt say, thou sayest nothing outside the flesh. It is needful to rise in this flesh, since everything is in it.

8In this world they that put on garments are better than the garments. In the kingdom of heaven the garments are better than them that have put them on.

9By water and fire is the whole place purified — the manifest by the manifest, the hidden by the hidden. There are some things hidden through the manifest. There is water in water; there is fire in chrism.

10Jesus took them all by stealth, for He revealed Himself not as He was, but in such manner as they could see Him. Unto them all He revealed Himself: He revealed Himself unto the great as great; He revealed Himself unto the small as small; He revealed Himself unto the angels as an angel, and unto men as a man.

11For this cause His word concealed itself from every one. Some indeed beheld Him, thinking they beheld their own selves. But when He revealed Himself unto His disciples in glory upon the mountain, He was not little. He became great — but He made the disciples great, that they might be able to behold Him in His greatness.

12He said in that day in the thanksgiving: Thou that hast joined the perfect Light with the Holy Spirit, join the angels with us also as the images.

13Despise not the lamb, for without it no man can see the King. None shall come unto the King if he is naked.

14The heavenly man hath many more sons than the earthly man. If the sons of Adam be many, even though they die, how much more the sons of the perfect man — they that die not, but ever beget anew.

15The Father maketh a son, but the son cannot make a son. For he that is begotten cannot beget. But the son obtaineth brethren, not sons.

16All they that are begotten in the world are begotten of nature, and the others are nourished from the place where they are begotten. Man receiveth nourishment from the promise of the heavenly place. Christ shall nourish him from the mouth — and the Word came thence.

17There were three that walked always with the Lord: Mary His mother, and her sister, and the Magdalene, who is called His companion. For Mary is His sister and His mother and His companion.

18Father and Son are simple names, but the Holy Spirit is a double name — for she is everywhere; she is above; she is below; she is in the hidden, and she is in the manifest. The Holy Spirit is in the manifest: she is below; she is in the hidden: she is above.

19The saints are served by evil powers, for these are blinded by the Holy Spirit, supposing that they are serving their own — when they are serving the saints. Therefore a disciple once asked the Lord for something of this world. He said unto him: Ask of thy mother, and she shall give thee of that which belongeth to another.

20The apostles said unto the disciples: May our whole offering obtain salt. They called Sophia salt. Without it, no offering is acceptable. But Sophia is barren without son. Therefore she is called the trace of salt. Wherever they shall be after their own fashion, the Holy Spirit will accompany them, and her sons are many.

21What the father possesseth belongeth to the son. And the son himself, so long as he is small, is not entrusted with what is his. But when he becometh a man, his father giveth him all that is his.

22Them that go astray, they whom the Spirit begetteth, do also go astray on account of her. So by one and the same breath the fire blazeth and is put out.

23Sophia is one thing; Death-Sophia is another. The little one is the sister of Jesus; she is called Echamoth. Now Echmoth is the Sophia of death, even she that knoweth death — she that is called the little Sophia.

24There are domestic animals — the bull, the ass, and others. There are wild animals which dwell apart in the wilderness. Man tilleth his field with the domestic animal, and from this he himself is fed, and the animal also, whether it be tame or wild. So is it with the perfect man: he tilleth by means of the powers that are subject unto him, that all things may stand fast.

25God is a dyer. As the good dyes — those they call true dyes — die together with the things dyed in them, so it is with them that God hath dyed: as His dyes are immortal, they become immortal by His pharmacy. Now God dippeth them whom He dippeth in water.