Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth · 15 of 32 · tr. G.R.S. Mead
Section 15
When the youth saw her alone, he set himself free and fell down from
the cloud. He set himself free and fell down from the cloud and kissed the
mouth of Enishbai. When Anōsh, the treasure, saw him [do this], he spake unto
Yahyā in Jerusalem: "Stands it for thee written in thy book, is it declared
unto thee p. 59 on thy page, to kiss her alone,
on the mouth?"—Thereon answered Yahyā and spake unto Anōsh, the treasure, in
Jerusalem: "Nine months I abode in her womb, 1 so long as all other
children abide there, without any reluctance on her part; therefore is it no
charge against me now to kiss her alone, on the mouth. Nay, hail and again
hail to the man who repays father and mother in full. A man who recompenses
father and mother, has not his like in the world."
When Yahyā said this, Anōsh, the treasure, knew that Yahyā is wise.
Thereon Anōsh, the treasure, spake to the Sun in Jerusalem: "Take for me care
of the youth, the Man, who is sent by the King. Take for me care of the
youth, until we ask for him." Then Anōsh, the treasure, spake to the Moon in
Jerusalem: "Take for me care of the youth, the Man, who is sent by the King.
Take for me care of the youth, until we ask for him."
Life is exalted and is victorious, and victorious is the
Man who has come hither.
JOHN'S ANSWER TO JESUS CONCERNING THE ANGEL OF DEATH (§
33).
Yahyā proclaims in the nights, Yōhānā on the Night's
evenings.
YAHYĀ proclaims and speaks: "Stand I not alone? Because of my voice the
[heavenly] wheels quake and the chariots capsize. The tempest became silent
and settled down in the world's deserts. Sun and Moon wail, and Earth and
Heaven mourn."
Messiah opened his mouth and spake to Yahyā in Jerusalem: p. 60 "I asked thee, Yahyā, by Great
Life and by Sunday, whose name is dear. I asked thee Yahyā, by the Way,
whereby the Men of piety put to the test go without hindrance. Tell me: To
what is the shape of Ṣauriēl's 1 knife like? Tell me:
If the soul leaves the body, with what is it clothed, and to what is it like
in the vain body? Surely the soul is not possibly like the blood, that it
should become heated in the body and come to a stop in it? Surely the soul is
not possibly like the wind, that it should fare to the mountains, be lost
there and come to a stop? Surely the soul is not possibly like the dew, that
it should fall on the fruit and be lost?"
§ Ask Guru about this passage →Themes
Anthropomorphismtheology
Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.
Divine beings are depicted with human characteristics such as mouths, wombs, and the ability to speak.
All passages →Body As Obstacleanthropology
The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.
The text questions whether the soul is clothed like blood or wind within the body.
All passages →Cosmic Sympathycosmology
The Stoic and Plotinian doctrine that all parts of the cosmos are bound by hidden affinities, so that a movement in one part resonates through the whole; the metaphysical basis for astrology, magic, and divination.
The text describes celestial bodies wailing and mourning in response to Yahyā's proclamation.
All passages →Divine Providencetheology
Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.
Anōsh and the Sun/Moon are assigned specific roles in caring for the youth until asked for him.
All passages →Living Godtheology
The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.
Divine agents like Yahyā and Anōsh are depicted as active, speaking, and caring beings.
All passages →Related passages · 6 parallels
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“Section 45 45.
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Shared concept: Cosmic Sympathy — The Stoic and Plotinian doctrine that all parts of the cosmos are bound by hidden affinities, so that a movement in one part resonates through the whole; the metaphysical basis for astrology, magic, and divination. (derived)
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Shared concept: Divine Providence — Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity. (derived)
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Shared concept: Divine Providence — Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity. (derived)
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“255:1 However gratifying it may be for the curious seeker in history to know whether or when such an event has actually occurred in the history of the Jewish nation, such a historical belief would be of little benefit to him if he could not…”
Shared concept: Body As Obstacle — The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return. (derived)
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 9, Section 1c
“For just as, supposing we were in thought to represent the soul itself in bodily shape, and represent this indivisible substance as surrounded by bodily parts, we should, in such a case, give the surrounding parts a different meaning suited…”
Shared concept: Anthropomorphism — Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery. (derived)