This is the second post of the Gospel of Bartholomew. What is fascinating about these remaining parts of the gospel is the inclusion of the “fallen angel / Satan” origin story. This is always alluded to in the canon but never fully laid out. Continuing on with the Gospel of Bartholomew, section 3 begins with Jesus taking …
Author Archives: bP
Gospel of Bartholomew (1 of 2)
Today I present a dialogue style gospel. This is a post resurrection text that mainly involves Jesus speaking to Bartholomew. The gospel goes through various situations including another retelling of the harrowing of hell (see my previous post HERE in regards to that story). This text also goes by the name “The Questions of St. Bartholomew” and is …
(Greek) Gospel of the Egyptians
In the Nag Hammadi library, there is a text identified as the “Gospel of the Egyptians”, but did you know there is another text that goes by the same name? This other text has the name of the “Greek” Gospel of the Egyptians and only survives in fragmented / quotation form, as the Nag Hammadi version …
2 Clement & Gospel of Thomas 22
I love how Gospel of Thomas sayings pop up in other writings and today I am showcasing such an example. Saying 22 from Thomas shows up in 2 Clement. What is 2 Clement you ask? Better known as the “Second Epistle of Clement”, this is an early writing attributed to Clement of Rome (not to …
The Preaching and Martyrdom of James the Just
With the feast day of James the Just coming up on October 23, I wanted to post some lesser known stories of James. This post presents two stories from the Ethiopian tradition. Usually I do summaries of texts but in this case I am presenting the two stories in complete form. These come from the …
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The Apocalypse of Peter
The Apocalypse (Revelation) of Peter is quite the interesting text. Not to be confused with the “Coptic” Apocalypse of Peter that was found in Nag Hammadi (gotta love similar titled texts), this apocalyptic work almost made it into the canon and was used in some early churches. If you are unfamiliar with it, the text …
Greater Questions of Mary
Once again, I invoke the writings of Epiphanius (the Panarion) of the Borborites. The lost text I am writing about today is the “Greater Questions of Mary”. A few lines are quoted by Epiphanius but most of it is his commentary. I will warn you, the content can get pretty explicit. Epiphanius gives a few …
The Gospel of Eve
Once again I dip back into the Panarion by Epiphanius, this time referencing the lost text, “The Gospel of Eve.” This Gnostic (Borborite) text survives in two quotations. Keep this in mind when reading the following because there is no context behind what is being said, either from within the gospel itself or the purpose …
The Birth of Yaldabaoth
When I started this blog a few years ago, I had no idea how long I would keep it up. I figured I would eventually run out of things to talk about. Boy was I wrong. This blog entry is #100! I figure with this post I will comment on the demiurge, Yaldabaoth. I don’t …
The Donkey deity
I am currently reading “The Apocryphal Gospels” translated by Simon Gathercole. It features numerous non-canonical texts, some gnostic, some that are not, as well as fragments. As I have mentioned elsewhere, it is always a pleasure to read new translations of various texts which gives me a new perspective (and in the case of Gospel …
Culmination of Wisdom 