Gospel of Philip

On the labour of the perfect, the trees of life, the seal, the rest, and the inheritance of the children of the bridal chamber.

1Some say: He went out of the world. Let it be, then. He that is the perfect man — they cannot detain him.

2He hath received truth in images. The world hath become the eternal realm; for the eternal realm is fulness unto him. So is it manifest unto him alone — not hidden in the darkness or in the night, but hidden in a perfect day and a holy light.

3We are sown in the wintertime, and we are reaped in the summer. Winter is the world; summer is the other realm. Let us sow in the world that we may reap in the summer.

4The Lord saith: Blessed is he that hath the Word and laboureth in it. The Word laboureth in him also. The Word is the cooperation of the works. The Word and the deed agree.

5There are three offerings to the Lord: glory, mercy, and righteousness. Some give glory unto God by their tongue, and they have no mercy nor righteousness. Some give mercy by works, and they have no glory nor righteousness. The third hath all three: glory, mercy, and righteousness. The first is incomplete; the second is incomplete; the third is the seal of perfection.

6The seal of the Father is the Spirit. The seal of the Son is the cross. The seal of the Spirit is the bridal chamber. He that beareth the three seals shall stand at the gate of the kingdom, and the gate shall be opened unto him.

7Whatsoever a slave wisheth, his master demandeth not from him. The master, on the other hand, who is wise, knoweth the will of his slave, even as the slave knoweth the will of his master. The wise man, who is also a slave, looketh forward to the freedom of the will of his master.

8It behoveth the perfect man not only to do all the will of God; he ought also to know whence he is, and whither he goeth, and what manner of man he is, and what manner of man he hath become. Then shall the rest be at hand for him.

9He hath knowledge as one who being drunk hath turned away from his drunkenness, and being returned unto himself, hath set his own things in order.

10It is no light thing to know how to receive instruction, but it is harder to give instruction, that he that giveth and they that receive may stand firm in the doctrine. He that hath not received the Lord is yet a Hebrew.

11It is not possible for any to behold what is established, except he is made like unto it. So is it for man in this world: he beholdeth the sun without being a sun, the heaven and earth and other things without being them. So is it in the truth. But thou hast seen something there, and hast become those things. Thou hast seen the Spirit, and hast become spirit. Thou hast seen Christ, and hast become Christ. Thou hast seen the Father, and shalt become Father.

12There were many trees of every kind in paradise for him, but there was no wheat for the food of man. Man fed himself like the beasts. But when Christ came, the perfect man, He brought bread from heaven, that man might be nourished by the food of man.

13The rulers thought that what they did was by their own power and will. But the Holy Spirit was secretly accomplishing all things through them as she willed.

14Truth, which existed from the beginning, is sown everywhere. And many see her sown, but few see her gathered.

15Some say that Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit. They are mistaken. They know not what they say. When did a woman ever conceive by a woman? Mary is the virgin whom no power hath defiled.

16Glorious is this great anathema unto the Hebrews — that is to say, the apostles and the apostolic men. This virgin whom no power hath defiled — though the powers defiled themselves with her — the Lord would not have said: My Father in heaven, except He had another Father; rather He would have said only: My Father.

17The Lord said unto His disciples: Enter into the house of the Father, but neither take anything in the house of the Father, nor carry away anything from it.

18Jesus is a hidden name; Christ is a manifest name. For this cause Jesus is rendered in no other tongue, but His name is Jesus, as it is. But Christ in the Syriac is Messias; in the Greek, Christos.

19Echamoth is one thing, and Echmoth another. Echamoth is simply Wisdom; Echmoth is the wisdom of death — that is, the wisdom that knoweth death — which is called the little wisdom.

20Let us, therefore, abide in the truth. He that hath the knowledge of the truth is free, and the free sinneth not. For he that doeth sin is the slave of sin. The truth is the mother; knowledge is the father. They that are not yet able to sin, the world calleth them free. The knowledge of the truth uplifteth the heart of those who are not free; that is, it maketh them free, and maketh them above all the place.

21But love buildeth up. He that hath become free by knowledge is a slave because of love unto them which have not yet been able to attain the freedom of knowledge. Knowledge maketh them able to be free. Love calleth nothing its own. How can it have anything as its own, when it possesseth all things? It saith not: This is mine, or that is mine. Rather, it saith: All these are thine.

22Spiritual love is wine and fragrance. They which anoint themselves with it enjoy it, even all they that stand near. So long as they that are anointed are present, they that stand near them have part in their joy. If those that are anointed depart from them, those that stand near and have not been anointed shall remain in their own stench.

23The Samaritan gave nothing unto the wounded man save wine and oil — that is, the chrism. He cured the wounds, for love covereth a multitude of sins.

24If a woman bear a child of her own husband, the child shall be like the husband. If she bear it of a paramour, the child shall be like the paramour. So oftentimes when a woman lieth with her husband out of necessity, while her heart is with the adulterer, she beareth a child like the adulterer. But ye who are with the Son of God, love not the world; love the Lord, that what ye beget may not become like the world, but like the Lord.

25Man hath congress with man; horse hath congress with horse; ass hath congress with ass. Each kind keepeth to its own kind. So spirit hath congress with spirit; the Word hath converse with the Word; light hath converse with light. If thou be made man, the man shall love thee. If thou be made spirit, the spirit shall be joined unto thee. If thou be made Word, the Word shall have converse with thee. If thou be made light, the light shall be joined unto thee.

26If thou be made one of them which are above, them which are above shall rest in thee. If thou become a horse or an ass or a dog or a sheep or any other of the beasts, none shall be able to love thee, neither shall the Word be joined unto thee. None of those of the hidden things shall rest in thee. None of those of the manifest things shall be in thee. Thou shalt have part with them only, and shalt take of their substance.

27He that goeth forth from the world is no longer detained, even because he was once in the world. He is plainly above lust and fear, and is master over nature. He is mightier than envy. If any come and lay hold of him, and would choke him, how shall he not also escape by the power of these? Surely they shall be afraid of him.

28By means of the bridal chamber the daughters of God are joined unto the sons of God. They are no more two, but one. As long as they are two, the children of marriage are not yet perfected.

29If a man become a child of the bridal chamber, he shall receive the light. If a man receive it not while he is in this place, he shall not be able to receive it in the other place. Therefore he that hath received that light shall not be seen, neither can he be detained. Neither shall any harass such an one, even though he dwelleth in the world. And again, when he leaveth the world, he hath already received the truth in the images. The world hath become the eternal realm — for the eternal realm is fulness unto him.

30And so it is manifest unto him alone — hidden not in the darkness or the night, but in a perfect day and a holy light. Amen.