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Gnostic sects and founders
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TheSecond Treatise of the Great Seth,[note 1] also known as theSecond Discourse of the Great Seth andSecond Logos of the Great Seth, is aGnostic text. It is the secondtractate inCodex VII of theNag Hammadi library. It was likely originally written in theKoine Greek language and composed around 200 CE. The surviving manuscript from Nag Hammadi is a translation of the Greek intoCoptic. The work's author is unknown; he was perhaps writing in Alexandria, the literary center ofEgyptian Christianity.
The work is a speech given byJesus, perhaps intended as ahomily to rally Gnostic Christians with against opposition fromproto-orthodox Christians. It repeatedly denigrates opponents, both material and spiritual, as "jokes" whose bluster hides their weakness. Despite the title, the word "Seth" never appears in the text, nor is a separate work called the First Discourse of Seth extant. The title might refer toSethian beliefs that the first incarnation of the GreatSeth was the son of Adam and Eve, while the second manifestation of Great Seth was Jesus himself.
A variety of Gnostic themes and doctrines are propounded: souls are preexisting and immortal, but the mortal bodies they are attached to have forgotten their noble origin; the false GodYaldabaoth is an inferior being, and those who serve him are deluded fools and laughingstocks; and Jesus's teachings (gnosis andsophia) can enable souls to cast off their earthly shackles and achieve spiritual enlightenment. Like theGnostic Apocalypse of Peter, the text takes adocetic view of thecrucifixion of Jesus: that Jesus did not die in reality, but only in appearance. ThePassion of Jesus is treated as a joke, with the invulnerable, divine, spiritual Jesus laughing at those who thought they could kill him, but only succeeded in killing "their man", the unimportant physical side of Jesus.
The text is written from the perspective of Jesus.[1] In it, Jesus reflects on the nature of reality and the existence of a perfect deity, who is at rest in the truth and ineffable light. He speaks about the word of the deity, the thought of the imperishable spirit, and the idea of dying with Christ. He visits a bodily dwelling and reveals himself to be a stranger from above the heavens, causing the rulers of the earthly area to become troubled. Some are persuaded by the wonders he accomplishes, while others flee and bring punishment upon him. The rulers are unable to recognize the true father of truth and the human of greatness, but instead, they take the name out of ignorance. Jesus died because of those who offered praise, but not really, because the archangel was vacuous.
Jesus describes the voice of the world ruler who claims to be the only god, causing Jesus to laugh. He has a single emanation from the eternal and unknowable ones, places a small thought in the world, and visits theangels with fire and flame, causing a disturbance and a fight around theseraphim andcherubim. Jesus says that he did not die in reality but in appearance, and the ignorant ones who punished him condemned themselves. He assumed different shapes and passed by the gates of the angels without being seen, mingled with them, and tramped on those who were harsh. He brought the son of the majesty to the height and revealed the three ways to a perfect bridal chamber of the heavens. Hiscross was rejected by the world, and after they nailed him to the cross, darkness overtook the world. The veil ofthe temple was torn, and thesouls that were in the sleep below were released.
Jesus criticizes the rulers for not understanding the truth about the ineffable union between the children of light and for instead promoting a doctrine of fear,slavery, and worldly worship. He contrasts the rulers with those who have nothing but desire the truth, and those who live in harmony and love, which is the universal and perfect love. Jesus also speaks ofAdam,Abraham,Isaac,Jacob,David,Solomon, thetwelve prophets, andMoses, who were all made to be a laughingstock by therealm of seven, and that they never truly knew Jesus or his brothers. The ruler is also criticized for claiming to be god and bringingsin upon generations, but Jesus and his brothers are innocent and have overcome the ruler's false teachings. Jesus addresses those who do not see their blindness, having never known the truth or listened to a reliable report, leading them to a judgment of error.
In the conclusion, Jesus describes himself as the despised human son. The text emphasizes the importance of unity among Gnostics and the avoidance of negative qualities such asjealousy, division, anger, and fear. Jesus is depicted as a mystery who, along with others, was spiritually married in union before the foundation of the world. The text also mentions that the rulers aroundYaldabaoth were disobedient due to their envy, but Jesus is a friend ofSophia and is a member of the children of truth and greatness. The ending encourages the readers to rest with Jesus, his fellow spirits, and his brothers and sisters, forever.[2]
The author of the originalGreek text is unknown, but he is speculated to have written at some point from the late second century to the early third century (c. 150–230 CE), and most likely inRoman Egypt. The city ofAlexandria is a reasonable guess as to the site of composition, largely on grounds that it was a wealthy and prosperous city that was a hub of literary activity. The text was probably a unity composed by one author, rather than a composite work created by a later editor. The surviving manuscript from Nag Hammadi is a translation of the Greek intoCoptic; while the translation is adequate, there remain many confusing and ambiguous passages, with it unclear whether the original Greek was similarly opaque. The manuscript is in excellent condition as far as reading the text. The work is the second in Codex VII, following theParaphrase of Shem, and is itself followed by theGnostic Apocalypse of Peter.[3][4]
TheNag Hammadi library was discovered in 1945, but due to a variety of reasons, it was not until 1972 that a reproduction of Codex VII was published and available to the public.[5] The manuscript is held in theCoptic Museum in Old Cairo. The section of Codex VII with the Second Treatise is 21 pages long, from page 49 to page 70. As there is only a single manuscript extant, citations to passages are done via page number and line number.[3]
I [Jesus] approached a bodily dwelling and evicted the previous occupant, and I went in.
— Second Treatise of the Great Seth 51, 20[4]
Gnosticism was a broad movement containing many different strands, although it remains poorly understood due to the rarity of surviving documents from the Gnostic perspective, with the Nag Hammadi library being the main guide. One variety classified by scholars isSethianism, seen in works such as theApocryphon of John. An idea in Sethianism is that ofemanations over theaeons (ages). While the Second Treatise of the Great Seth is not very explicit on what is going on, the best guess is that the title is implying that bothSeth andJesus were emanations of the same powerful immortal soul, sent to the mortal world to dispense wisdom (sophia). The immortal spiritual Jesus is who mattered in this view, not the unimportant physical body it possessed during its time in the mortal realm.[3]
While theGospel of Matthew was the most popular gospel in Egypt by far, the "logos" of the title might refer to thedivine logos usually associated with Johannine works, where the preexisting essence of Jesus is associated with the "Word".[4]
The ruler was a joke, for he said, "I am God, and no one is greater than I. I alone am Father and Lord, and there is no other beside me. I am a jealous god, and I bring the sins of the fathers upon the children for three and four generations" – as though he had become stronger than I [Jesus] and my siblings.
— Second Treatise of the Great Seth 64,17 – 65, 1[4]
The text mocksYaldabaoth, the evil ruler of the material world, as a joke who has greatly exaggerated his power. However, he has fooled various people into attempting to worship both him and the true God at the same time, with ineffective results.Adam,Abraham,Isaac,Jacob,David,Solomon, thetwelve prophets,Moses, andJohn the Baptist were all jokes, either fooled by Yaladbaoth's bluster or in Adam's case, creations of him.[4]
Interestingly, the text includes a single "good" archon who, unlike the other archons, is welcoming to Jesus's arrival, while the other archons are hostile. This good archon is called Adonaios, presumably taken from the Hebrewadonai, "my lord". This archon might be the same asSabaoth, seen in other works as a sympathetic archon.[4]
They saw me and punished me, but someone else, their father,drank the gall and the vinegar; it was not I. They werestriking me with a scourge, but someone else, Simon,bore the cross on his shoulder. Someone else wore thecrown of thorns. And I was on high, poking fun at all the excesses of the rulers and the fruit of their error and conceit. I was laughing at their ignorance.
— Second Treatise of the Great Seth 56,1 – 56,20[4]
Like theGnostic Apocalypse of Peter, the text takes adocetic view of thecrucifixion of Jesus: Jesus "did not die in reality but in appearance." The evilarchons, the rulers of the mortal world, attempted to kill Jesus, but failed and only killed his unimportant material side. After the sham crucifixion, Jesus celebrates in heaven at a "wedding of truth" and a "feast of love".[1][6][3]
According to the proto-orthodoxheresiologistIrenaeus, some Gnostics propounded asubstitution hypothesis whereinSimon of Cyrene was crucified instead of Jesus.[6][7] While the Second Treatise does mention Simon, it does not appear to say Simon was crucified; rather, it seems Jesus was crucified, but only the unimportant mortal body the spiritual Christ had possessed. Gnosticism sought to liberate its followers from the constraints of the mortal body and awaken their immortal souls, so the crucifixion of Jesus's mortal body was not perceived as that problematic.[1][4]
While the work does not go into great detail, it includes some presumed criticisms ofproto-orthodox Christianity's understanding of the Passion. In this view, they have misunderstood what occurred and worship "the doctrine of a dead man," while true salvation is achieved by allowing the spiritual Christ within.[4]
You who are perfect and undefiled, I have presented this to you on account of the mystery that is undefiled and perfect and ineffable, that you understand that we ordained these things before the foundation of the world, so that when we appear throughout the world, we may present the symbols of incorruption from the spiritual union with knowledge.
— Second Treatise of the Great Seth 69, 23 – 70,1[4]
The text encourages unity among Gnostics, assuring them that Jesus will help them overcome the false rulers and their followers. Jesus himself has already unified with his faithful followers, presumably Gnostics, and is the "friend ofSophia." Meanwhile, the proto-orthodox are "ignorant and of no significance." If Gnostics live in harmony and harmony and friendship, they demonstrate perfect love and reflect the "will of the Father."[4][3][6]