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,I;' ... 'itn_ absolute· gold mine ~f the literature of ,Gnosticism."

-The Los Angeles Times ·. ,., C

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REVISED EDITION

Tbe definitive new translation of the Gnostic scriptures,

complete in one volume f

James M. Robinson General Editor

THE THREE STELES OF SETH (VII,5)

Introduced by

JAMES E. GOEHRING

Tra,:islated by

JAMES M. ROBINSON

The Three Ste/es of Seth offers a rare view into the worship practice of a Gnos-tic Sethian community. These Gnostics identified their teachings with the primal revelation of God to Aclam, which had passed through Seth to his descendants (The Apocalypse of Adam, V,5). Lost and forgotten for ages, this Sethian gnosis had been revealed anew in the latter days. The recipients of this renewed reve-lation understood themselves as "the living and unshakable race" (118,12-13), the true latter-day descendants of Seth (hence the modern label, of Sethian Gnos-ticism). The Three Ste/es of Seth is presented as part of this latter-day revelation, in this case to-Dositheos, the supposed Samaritan ,founder of Gn,osticism.

The text, which shows no Christian influence, is indebted to Jewish and Neo-platonic traditions. In Genesis, Seth marks a new beginning after the tragic con-flict between Cain and Abel (Gn 3:25-5:8). Appointed by God to replace Abel, he is a son in the likeness of his father Adam, as Adam is in the likeness of God. It is in his time that "men began to call upon the name of the Lord." According to the first-century Jewish historian Josephus (Ant. 1,67-71), Seth's descendants continued to follow his godf earing ways for seven generations, after which they too fell into a life of depravity. During this time, they preserved and added to the knowledge transmitted by Adam to Seth. Forwarned of impending divine judgements by water and fire, they preserved this knowledge-for future genera-tions on two steles, one of stone to survive the flood and one of brick to survive the fire. ·

This legend accounts for the presentation of the present text as the content of steles attributed to Seth (cf. Zost. 130,1-_4 and Gos. Eg. 68,10-23). The expansion from the original two steles in the Jewish legend to three represents the influence of Neoplatonic conceptions of the divine triad. The three steles or hymnic prayers of th~ present text are addressed in ascending order to the threefold nature of god: the Selfbegotten Son, the male virgin Barbelo (mother), and the Unbegotten Father.

Ecstatic trips through the heavens are well attested in Sethian Gnosticism. The Sethian tractates Zostrianos and A/logenes record such journeys by the seers for which the texts were named. These accounts, however, record what was revealed to the seer in his ascent. The invocations of the seer to the divine triad are only noted in passing, as when Zostrfanos affirms, "I joined with them all and blessed the Kalyptos aeon and the virgin Barbelo and the Invisible Spirit. I became all-perfect." In The Three Ste/es. of Seth these blessings or hymnic prayers are re-corded in full.

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' THE THREE STELES OF SETH (vrr,5) 397

' . Since Allogenes may be interpreted as another name for Seth, both tractates

may commemorate the ascent of the community's primal ancestor to tne divine triad. However, while A/lo genes records for edification what was revealed to the seer, The Three Ste/es of Seth preserves the invoc~tions of the seer as a prototype to serve the latter-day Sethian community in its liturgical reenactment of his as-cent. While the hymnic prayers are set · forth in the tractate as prayers of Seth, first person plural references in the text (e.g. 124,17-18) betray the use of the prayers in the worship practice of the community. The text has led Hans Martin Schenke to posit the existence of a Sethian mystery of ascension. The three sub-divisions of the text thus correspond to the three stages or levels in the worship-pers' ascent to the threefold nature of god, since at the conclusion of the tractate one must return from the third back down to the se~ond and first.

Neoplatonic philosophical \erminology abounds in the text, especially the Existence-Life-Mind triad in the deity. The terminology is also found in the relat-ed tractates of Zostrianos, Allogenes, and Marsanes, which together form a cluster of Sethian Gnostic texts with close ties to Neoplatonism. Zostrianos. and Allogenes are both mentioned by Porphyry in his Life of Plotinus as texts refuted by Plotinus, who taught a course "Against the Gnostics" in 265-266 C.E. Thus a dating for this stage of Sethian Gnosticism and therefore for The Three Ste/es oJ Seth is suggested. Provenience is uncertain, though the philosophical nature of the text would be much at home in Alexandria, Egypt. . I

The scribal no.teat the end of the text (127,28-32) has been variously interpret-ed as applying to The Three Ste/es of Seth alone or to the codex as a whole.

THE THREE STELES OF SETH

vn 118, 10-121, 21 127, 28-32

The revelation of Dositheos I about the three steles I of Seth, the Father of the living I and unshakabie race, which I he (Dositheos) 'saw and understood. 15 And after he had read them, he I remembered them. And he gave them I to the elect, just I as they w~re I inscribed there.

20

Many times I joined in I giving glory with the powers, and I became worthy of the I immeasurable majesties. 1

Now they (the steles) are as. follows: . '

The First 25

Stele of Seth.

I bless I thee, Father Geradama(s), I, 1 as thine (own) Son, 1 Emma-cha Seth, whom thou didst beget I without begetting, as a blessing 30 of our God; for I am I thine (own) Son. And thou 119 art my mind, O my

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398 THE NAG HAMMAD! LIBRARY IN ENGLISH

Father. And I I, I sowed and begot; 1 [but] thou hast [seen] the ma-jesties. 1 Thou hast stood imperishable. I 5 bless thee, Father. Bless me, 1 Father. It is because of thee that I exist; 1 it is because of God that thou dost exist. Because I of thee I am with I that very one. Thou art light, 10 since thou beholdest light. Thou hast I revealed light. Thou art 1 Mirotheas; thou art my Mirotheos. 1 I bless thee as I God; I bless thy 15 divinity. Great is the I good Self-begotten who I stood, the God who had already I stood. Thou didst come in goodness; 1 thou hast ap-peared, and thou hast 20 revealed goodness. I shall utter I thy name, for thou art a first I name. Thou art unbegotten. Thou I hast appeared in order that thou I mightest reveal the eternal ones. 25 Thou art he who is. Therefore I thou hast revealed those who really I are. Thot1: att he who is uttered I by a voice, 1 but by mind art thou 30 glorified, thou who hast 1• dominion everywhere. Therefore 1 [the] perceptible world too I knows thee because of I thee and they seed. Thou art merciful. 120

And thou art from another race, 1 and its place is over another race. 1 And now thou art from another I race, and its [place is] over another 5 race. Thou art from another I race, for thou art not similar. And thou 1 art merciful, for thou art eternal. 1 And thy place is over a race, 1 for thou hast caused all these to increase; and for the sake of 10 my seed. For it is thou who knows I it, that its place is in begetting. But they I are from other races, for 1- they are not similar. But their place is over 1

other races, for their-place is in 15 life. Thou art Mirotheos. I bless his power which was I given to me, who caused the I male-

nesses that really are to become I male three times; 20 he who was divid-ed into the pentad, the one who I was given to us in triple I power, the one who was begotten without begetting, the one who I came from that

. which is elect; because of 25 what is humble, he went I forth from the midst.

Thou art a Father I through a Father, 1 a word from a command. 1

We bless thee, Thrice Male, 30 for thou didst unite the all I through them all, for thou hast I empowered us. Thou. hast arisen from I one; from one thou hast gone forth; 1 thou hast come to one. [Thou] hast saved, 35 thou hast saved, thou hast saved us, 0 1 crown-bearer, crown-giver! 121 We bless thee eternally. 1 We bless ,thee, once we have I been saved, as the perfect individuals, 1 perfect on account 5 of thee, those who [became] perfect with thee I who is complete, who completes, 1 the one perfect through all these, 1 who is similar everywhere.

Thrice I Male, thou hast stood. Thou hast already 10 stood. Thou wast divided everywhere. Thou didst continue being one. And I those

-------....

THE THREE STELES OF SETH (vrr,5) 399

whom thou hast willed, thou hast saved I But th d . 1 all who are worthy. · · ou OSt will to be saved

Thou art 15 perfect! Thou art perfect ' 1 Th f · ou art per ect !

The First 1

Stele of Seth 1

The Second Stele 1

of Seth 20

G_rea! _is the first aeon, 1 male vi;ginal Barbelo, 1 the first glory I of the mv1s1ble Father, she I who is called 25 "perfect. "

Thou (fem.) hast seen first I the one who truly pre-exists I because he is a non-being. And I from hill! and through I him thou hast pre-existed 30 eternally, the non-being I from one indivisible, 1 triple [power], thou a triple I power, [thou a] great monad I from [a] pure monad, 122 thou an elect monad, the I first [shadow] of the holy I Father, light from 1

light. [We] bless thee, 5 producer (fem.) of perfection, aeon-giver (fem.). 1

Thou hast [seen] the eternal I ones because they are from a shadow. 1

And thou hast become numerable. And I thou didst find , thou didst continue being 10 one (fem.); yet becoming numerable in division, thou 1 art three-fold . Thou art truly I thrice, thou one (fem:) 1 of the one (masc.). And thou art from I a shadow of him, thou a Hidden One, 15

thou a world of understanding, 1 knowi!}g those of the one,-that they 1

are from a shadow. And these I are thine in the heart. For I their sake thou hast empowered the eternal ones 20 in being;

thou hast empowered I divinity in living; 1 thou hast empowered knowl-edge in I goodness; in I blessedness thou hast empowered the 25 shadows which pour from the one . . 1 Thou hast empowered this (one) in knowl-edge; 1 thou hast empowered another one in creation. 1 Thou hast em-powered him who is equal 1· and him who is not equal, him 30 who is similar and him who is not similar. 1 Thou hast empowered in be-getting, and 1 (provided) forms in [that which] exists I to others. [ . ... 1 Thou hast] empowered 123 these. - He is that One Hidden 1 [in] the heart. - And [thou hast] come forth to I these and [from] these. Thou art divided · 1 [ among them] . And thou dost 5 become a great male [noetic] First-Appearer. 1

Fatherly God , 1 divine child, 1 begetter of multiplicity according to a division I of all who really are, 10 thou (masc.) hast appeared to them all

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400 THE NAO HAMMADI LIBRARY IN ENGLISH

in I a word. And thou (masc.) dost possess I them all without begetting 1 and eternally indestructible I on account of thee (fem.). 15

Salvation has come to us; from I thee is 'salvation. Thou art I wisdom, thou knowledge; thou I art truthfulness. On account of thee is I life; front thee is life. 20 On account of thee· is mind; from I thee is mind. Thou art mind, ·1 thou a world of truthfulness, 1 thou a triple power, thou I threefold. Truly thou art 25 thrice, the aeon of I aeons. It is thou only 1 ~ho sees pu~ely the first I eternal ones and the unbegotten ones .. 1 .

But the first divisions are as 30 thou wast divided. Unite us I as thou hast been united. 1 Teach us [those] things which thou dost see. 1 Em-power [us] that we may 124 be saved to eternal life. 1 For [we] are [each] a shadow I of thee as thou art I a shadow [of that] 5 first pre-existent one. Hear I us first. We are eternal ones. 1 Hear us as the I perfect indi-viduals. Thou art the aeon I of aeons, the all-perfect one 10 who is es-tablished.

Thou hast heard! 1 Thou hast heard! Thou hast saved! Thou hast saved! 1

We give tha~ks! We bless thee always! 1 We shall glorify thee! 1

The Second Stele 15

of Seth 1

The Third Stele ·'

We rejoice! We rejoice! We rejoice! 1

We have seen! We have seen! We have seen the I really pre-existent one (masc.), 20 that he really exists, that he is the I first eternal one.

0 Unconceived, 1 from thee are the eternal ones I and the aeons, the all-perfect ones I who are established~ and the 25 perfect individuals.

We bless I thee, non-being, existence I which is before existences, 1

first , being which is before I beings, Father of 30 divinity and life, 1

creator of mind, 1 giver of good, giver of I blessedness! We all bless I thee, knower, in 35 a [glorifying] blessing, (thou) 125

because of whom [all these are. · 1 ••• really, 1 ••• ], who knows thee 1

[through] thee alone. For there is no· one 5 [who is] active before I thee. Thou ar't an only and living [spirit]. 1 And [thou] .knowest one, 1 for this one who belongs to thee is on every side. 1 We are not able' to express him. For lO thy light shines upon us. I

Present a command to us I to see thee, so that I we may be saved. Knowledge of thee, it I is the salvation of us all. Present 15 a command!

THE THREE STELES OF SETH (vn,5) 401

When thou dost command, 1 we have been saved! Truly we have been 1

saved! We have seen thee by mind! 1 Thou art them all, for thou dost save I them all, he who 20 was not saved, nor was he I saved through them. 1 For thou, thou hast commanded us. 1

Thou art one. Thou art one, just as I there is one (who) will say 25 to thee: Thou art one, thou art a single living spirit. 1 How shall we give 1

thee a name? We do not have it. 1 For thou art the existence I of them all. 30 Thou art the life of them I all. Thou art the mind I of them all. 1

[For] thou [art he in whom they all] rejoice. 126 Thou hast commanded all these 1 [to be saved] through thy I word

[ ••• ) 1 glory 5 who is before him, Hidden One, blessed I Senaon, [he who begat] 1 himself, [Asi]neu(s). 1

[ • • • ]ephneu(s), Optaon, Elemaon 1

the great power, Emouniar, 10 Nibareu(s), Kandephor(os), Aphredon, 1

Deiphaneus, thou I who art Armedon to me, power-begetter, 1 Thalana-theu(s), Antitheus, 1 thou who existeth within 15 thyself, thou who art before I thyself - and after thee I no one entered into activity.

As what shall we I bless thee? We are I not empowered. But we give thanks, 20 as being humble toward thee. For thou hast I commanded us, as he who I is elect, to glorify thee to the extent that I we are able. 1 We bless thee because we were saved. 25 Always we glorify I thee. For this reason we shall I glorify thee, that we may be I saved to eternal salva-tion. 1 We have blessed thee, for we are 30 empowered. We have been saved, for thou I hast willed always I that we all do this.

We I all did this . [ ... ] 1 not through [. . . 1273 aeon. . .. ] , 1 the one who was 5 [ •• • ] , we and those I who [ . . . ] . He who will I remember these and give I glory always will I become perfect among those who are perfect 10 and impassable beyond I all things. For they all bless I these individually and together. 1 And afterwards they shall be I silent. And just as they 15 were ordained, they ascend. 1 After the silence, they des-cend I from the third. 1 They bless the second; 1 after these the first.

20

The way of ascent is the way I of descent. Know therefore, I as those who live, that you have I attained. And

you taught I yourselves the infinite things. 25 Marvel at the truth which is within I them, and (at) the revelation. 1

.

The Three Steles of Seth. 1

******* This book belongs to the fatherhood. 1

It is the son who wrote it. 30

Bless me, 0 father. I bless 1

you, 0 father, in peace. 1

Amen.