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Mon 22 Dec, 2008 02:28 pm
I'll start of by saying, that i hold know attachment to any religion or structured faith in "God". I look for the ultimate truth within these structures and smile when I see the hints and awareness. Out of some of the texts that Ive read pertaining to religious content, This has some of the strongest words telling us what god consists of, and how we are in relation.
With that said, what piece of religious documents, if you had to pick, embody your understanding of the ultimate truth? Why so?
Here is the text (I) was referring too:
Mary said to him: "Lord, then how will we know that?"
The perfect Savior said: "Come (you) from invisible things to the end of those that are visible, and the very emanation of Thought will reveal to you how faith in those things that are not visible was found in those that are visible, those that belong to Unbegotten Father. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!
"The Lord of the Universe is not called 'Father', but 'Forefather', the beginning of those that will appear, but he (the Lord) is the beginningless Forefather. Seeing himself within himself in a mirror, he appeared resembling himself, but his likeness appeared as Divine Self-Father, and <as> Confronter over the Confronted ones, First Existent Unbegotten Father. He is indeed of equal age <with> the Light that is before him, but he is not equal to him in power.
"And afterward was revealed a whole multitude of confronting, self-begotten ones, equal in age and power, being in glory (and) without number, whose race is called 'The Generation over Whom There Is No Kingdom' from the one in whom you yourselves have appeared from these men. And that whole multitude over which there is no kingdom is called 'Sons of Unbegotten Father, God, Savior, Son of God,' whose likeness is with you. Now he is the unknowable, who is full of ever-imperishable glory and ineffable joy. They all are at rest in him, ever rejoicing in ineffable joy in his unchanging glory and measureless jubilation; this was never heard or known among all the aeons and their worlds until now."
Matthew said to him: "Lord, Savior, how was Man revealed?"
The perfect Savior said: "I want you to know that he who appeared before the universe in infinity, Self-grown, Self-constructed Father, being full of shining light and ineffable, in the beginning, when he decided to have his likeness become a great power, immediately the principle (or beginning) of that Light appeared as Immortal Androgynous Man, that through that Immortal Androgynous Man they might attain their salvation and awake from forgetfulness through the interpreter who was sent, who is with you until the end of the poverty of the robbers.
"And his consort is the Great Sophia, who from the first was destined in him for union by Self-begotten Father, from Immortal Man, who appeared as First and divinity and kingdom, for the Father, who is called 'Man, Self-Father', revealed this. And he created a great aeon, whose name is 'Ogdoad', for his own majesty.
"He was given great authority, and he ruled over the creation of poverty. He created gods and angels, <and> archangels, myriads without number for retinue, from that Light and the tri-male Spirit, which is that of Sophia, his consort. For from this, God originated divinity and kingdom. Therefore he was called 'God of gods' and 'King of kings'.
"First Man has his unique mind, within, and thought - just as he is it (thought) - (and) considering, reflecting, rationality, power. All the attributes that exist are perfect and immortal. In respect to imperishableness, they are indeed equal. (But) in respect to power, they are different, like the difference between father and son <, and son> and thought, and the thought and the remainder. As I said earlier, among the things that were created, the monad is first.
"And after everything, all that was revealed appeared from his power. And from what was created, all that was fashioned appeared; from what was fashioned appeared what was formed; from what was formed, what was named. Thus came the difference among the unbegotten ones from beginning to end."
(This comes from the Hammadi library)
@Joe,
From what book/s do these quotes come from?
@VideCorSpoon,
As far as I have researched, these are texts from The Nag Hammadi Library, a collection of thirteen ancient codices containing over fifty texts, was discovered in upper Egypt in 1945. scriptures such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, and the Gospel of Truth.
This is Gnostic stuff.
@Joe,
A copy of Plato's
Republic was found at Nag Hammadi. Not all of the texts are Gnostic.
Which text does the above quote come from? I've only read the Gospel of Thomas and I do not recognize the lines.
As to the original question, many scriptures have been important to me. The Synoptic Gospels, the Gospel of Thomas, a good portion of the Old Testament, the Diamond Sutra, the Upanishads, the Tao te Ching. Also, a great many non-scriptural texts have been useful to me. Lama Yeshe's work, Thich Nhat Hahn, Robert Thurman, Thomas Merton among others.
@Joe,
Well, it wasn't the Republic, but rather a fragment of book X of the Republic (588A-589B). Here is the fragment.
Plato, Republic 588A-589B -- The Nag Hammadi Library
The quote above comes from the text "The Sophia of Jesus Christ." I would just read it at the Nag Hammadi library since it is friendlier on the eyes.
The Sophia of Jesus Christ -- The Nag Hammadi Library
@Theaetetus,
I find the Gnostic Christians to be interesting. A sect of religion that almost flat out says that structured religion has been a giant misunderstanding from the beginning of the Constantine days. Whoops, not misunderstanding but a direction that it could be used as a controller.
@Joe,
i believe that jesus christ was a woman child came to age of 18 fell from the sky just before 2000 she suffered whipping rape after rape and sexual humilation which is on going to this very day the reason i say this is because i know her.