prayer-thanksgivingnag-hammadi
Prayer of Thanksgiving
A prayer of thanksgiving addressed to the Father — the ineffable Name — for the threefold gift of mind, speech, and knowledge by which the covenant soul comes to understand, expound, and know Him. The assembly declares they have been brought to life through this knowledge and, while still embodied, have been made godlike — language that maps precisely onto the covenant promise of deification through the Holy Order. The prayer closes with a petition for preservation in this knowledge, followed by a shared unbloody meal: bread identified as the body of gnosis, wine as the joy of the Spirit — an ordinance of remembrance anchored in life rather than sacrifice.
1
We give thanks unto Thee. Every soul and heart is lifted up unto Thee, O ineffable Name — honoured by the appellation of God, blessed by the appellation of Father.
2
Unto every one and unto all things hath come the fatherly kindness, and affection, and love, and any teaching there may be that is sweet and plain — even granting unto us mind, speech, and knowledge.
3
Mind — that we may understand Thee; speech — that we may expound Thee; knowledge — that we may know Thee. We rejoice; for, having been illumined by Thy knowledge, we rejoice.
4
Having been illumined by Thy knowledge, we rejoice; we have been brought back to life through having known Thee. We have shown forth Thy goodness; we have made men gods, even while we are yet in our bodies.
5
Wherefore the gift which we have received from Thee is this — that we have been saved by Thy knowledge. We rejoice in this — that, being yet in the body, we have been deified.
6
There is one petition that we have. We desire that we should be preserved in this knowledge; we desire that we should not stumble during this manner of life.
7
And as we have prayed, we shall partake of the holy meal — that is, of the unbloody bread. We shall not slay any beast for our offering; we shall offer the bread which Thou hast given. The bread is the body of the gnosis; the wine is the joy of the Spirit. He that eateth this bread shall live for ever.
8
Now when they had said these things in prayer, they embraced one another. And they went to eat their holy meal — the bread which is without blood.
