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Gospel of Thomas · 114 of 114 · tr. Thomas O. Lambdin

Logion 114

Simon Peter said to him, "Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of life." Jesus said, "I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven." The Gospel According to Thomas Original translation of this text was prepared by members of the Coptic Gnostic Library Project of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont Graduate School. The Coptic Gnostic Library Project was funded by UNESCO, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and other Institutions. E. J. Brill has asserted copyright on texts published by the Coptic Gnostic Library Project. The translation presented here has been edited, modified and formatted for use in the Gnostic Society Library. For academic citation, please refer to published editions of this text. | Nag Hammadi Library | Gnostic Society Library | Gnosis Archive |
Themes
Alchemical Workpraxis

The transformation of base substance — outer matter or the inner soul — into a purified, perfected, or 'gold' state; the magnum opus as both laboratory practice and spiritual allegory.

The transformation of Mary's nature from female to male spirit mirrors the alchemical transmutation of base substance into a purified state.

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Divine Sparkscosmology

Fragments of divine light or spirit trapped inside material bodies, awaiting liberation and return to their source.

The reference to becoming a 'living spirit' suggests the activation or realization of an inner divine element.

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Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

The path to the kingdom relies on an internal transformation of identity rather than external ritual or faith.

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Hidden Sayingssoteriology

Esoteric teachings reserved for those ready to receive them; outer meaning conceals an inner liberating truth.

As a logion from the Gospel of Thomas, it belongs to a corpus of esoteric teachings reserved for those ready to receive them.

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Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

Entering the kingdom of heaven signifies the soul's return to its divine origin.

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Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

The movement from an unworthy state to a living spirit entering heaven represents a journey upward through levels of being.

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Theosis Deificationsoteriology

The doctrine — central to Eastern Orthodox and Maximian theology — that the human person is progressively transformed into a partaker of the divine nature by grace, not merely justified or united in passing ecstasy.

Jesus promises transformation into a 'living spirit' and entry into the kingdom, indicating the deification of the believer.

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Body As Obstacleanthropology

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

[auto] Peter's assertion that women are unworthy of life reflects a view of the female physical state as an impediment to salvation.

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Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

[auto] The text establishes a dualistic hierarchy where maleness aligns with the divine kingdom and femaleness with deficiency.

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Opposites Transcendedanthropology

The dissolution of binary oppositions (male/female, inner/outer, above/below) as a mark of spiritual completion.

[auto] The passage explicitly instructs women to become male to enter the kingdom, dissolving gender binaries as a requirement for spiritual completion.

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Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

[auto] The command for a woman to make herself male functions as a paradoxical reversal intended to provoke deeper spiritual understanding.

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Pneumatic Electsoteriology

A spiritual elite who possess the divine spark and are predestined for salvation, contrasted with psychic (faithful) and hylic (material) persons.

[auto] The distinction between those who become 'living spirit' and ordinary males suggests a spiritual elite status required for the kingdom.

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