Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament (52 page)

summons when without delay they laid

with God who has called them and perhold of cudgels and pursued these fellows mitted them to come, on this account

till they had driven them completely out

alone they have no reward. . . .

of the city. . . .

4
“But if after being called they do

what is good, and that rests with them

12 After he had stayed for several

days with the inhabitants of

Berytus, had made many conversant with

the worship of the one God, and had

4Matt 8:11. 5Matt 22:14.

200

NON-CANONICAL EPISTLES AND RELATED WRITINGS

themselves, for that they will receive their

hidden this from the wise and elder, but

reward.

have revealed it to simpletons and in-

fants.’7 Thus has God himself hidden the

5 “For even the Hebrews who be teacher from some since they know believe in Moses . . . are not saved forehand what they ought to do, and has

unless they abide by what has been said

revealed him to others since they know

to them.

not what they have to do.

2
“For their believing in Moses lies not

with a decision of their own will but with

“Thus the Hebrews are not con7

God, who said to Moses. ‘Behold, I come

demned because they did not know

to you in a pillar of cloud that the people

Jesus . . . provided only they act accordmay hear me speaking to you and believe ing to the instructions of Moses and do

forever!’6 Since then it is granted to the

not injure him whom they did not know.

Hebrews and to them that are called from

2
“And again the offspring of the Genthe Gentiles to believe the teachers of tiles are not judged, who . . . have not

truth, while it is left to the personal deknown Moses, provided only they act cision of each individual whether he will

according to the words of Jesus and thus

perform good deeds, the reward rightly

do not injure him whom they did not

falls to those who do well.

know.

4
“For neither Moses nor Jesus would

3
“Also it profits nothing if many dehave needed to come if of themselves scribe their teachers as their lords, but do

people had been willing to perceive the

not do what it befits servants to do.

way of discretion. And there is no sal

4
“Therefore our Lord Jesus said to

vation in believing in teachers and calling

one who again and again called him Lord,

them lords.

but at the same time did not abide by any

of his commands. ‘Why call me Lord and

6 “Therefore is Jesus concealed from not do what I say?’8 For it is not speaking the Hebrews who have received

that can profit any one, but doing.

Moses as their teacher, and Moses hidden

5
“In all circumstances goods works

from those who believe Jesus.

are needed; but if a person has been con

2
“For since through both one and the

sidered worthy to know both teachers as

same teaching becomes known, God acheralds of a single doctrine, then that one cepts those who believe in one of them.

is counted rich in God. . . .”

3
“But belief in a teacher has as its aim

the doing of what God has ordered.

4
“That this is the case our Lord himself declares, saying: ‘I confess to you, 6Exod 19:9. 7Matt 11:25; Luke 10:21. 8Matt 7:21;

Father of heaven and earth, that you have

Luke 6:46.

Ptolemy’s Letter to Flora

One of the most famous Christian Gnostics of the second century was Ptolemy, a renowned teacher who lived and taught in Rome. From Ptolemy’s own hand comes one of the clearest expositions of Gnostic ideas, in a letter addressed to a woman named Flora, a non-Gnostic Christian whom Ptolemy is concerned to educate into the higher realms of knowledge. The letter is just the beginning of Ptolemy’s instruction, but it concerns a central component of his Gnostic views, his understanding of the Bible.1 Regrettably, his subsequent lessons have been lost.

The proper interpretation of the Bible, Ptolemy avers, depends on understanding the nature of its divine inspiration. Those who maintain that it was authored by the Perfect God and Father (e.g., the “proto-orthodox”

Christians) err, because a perfect being could not inspire laws that are imperfect. Yet those who claim that it was written by God’s adversary, the Devil (e.g., other groups of Gnostics?) also err, because an evil deity could not inspire laws that are just. Instead, there is a god intermediate between these two, the just but imperfect and harsh god who created the world; it was he who inspired parts of the Bible. Other parts, however, derive from Moses himself, and yet others from the elders around him. Those that are from the intermediate god can themselves be divided into three parts, those that Jesus fulfilled (e.g., the Ten Commandments), those that he abolished (e.g., “an eye for an eye”), and those that he has symbolically transformed (e.g., ceremonial laws). Ptolemy explicitly bases his views on the teachings of Paul and, especially, Jesus himself.

This letter has not been transmitted independently and was not present among the Nag Hammadi writings, but can be found only in quotations in the writings of the fourth-century heresy hunter Epiphanius (Book 33 of
The
Medicine
Chest
).

1See further, Ehrman,
Lost
Christianities
, 129–31.

Translation by Bentley Layton,
Gnostic
Scriptures:
Ancient
Wisdom
for
the
New
Age
(New York: Doubleday, 1987) 308–15; used with permission.

201

202

NON-CANONICAL EPISTLES AND RELATED WRITINGS

The law established by Moses, my

3

blind not only in the eye of the soul but

dear sister Flora, has in the past

even in the eyes of the body.

been misunderstood by many people, for

7
Now, from what has been said it

they were not closely acquainted with the

should be clear to you (sing.) that these

one who established it or with its com

(schools of thought) utterly miss the

mandments. I think you will see this at

truth, though each does so in its own

once if you study their discordant opinparticular way: one (school) by not being ions on this topic.

acquainted with the god of righteousness,

2
For some say that this law has been

the other by not being acquainted with

ordained by god the father; while others,

the father of the entirety, who was manfollowing the opposite course, stoutly ifested by him alone who came and who

contend that it has been established by

alone knew him.

the adversary, the pernicious devil; and

8
It remains for us, who have been

so the latter school attributes the craftsdeemed worthy of �acquaintance� with manship of the world to the devil, saying

both, to show you (sing.) exactly what

that he is “the father and maker of the

sort of law the law is, and which legisuniverse.”2

lator established it. We shall offer proofs

3
�But� they are �utterly� in error,

of what we say by drawing from our

they disagree with one another, and each

savior’s words, by which alone it is

of the schools utterly misses the truth of

possible to reach a certain apprehension

the matter.

of the reality of the matter without

4
Now, it does not seem that the law

stumbling.

was established by the perfect god and

father: for, it must be of the same character as its giver; and yet it is imperfect 4 Now, first you must learn that, as a

whole, the law contained in the

and needful of being fulfilled by another

Pentateuch of Moses was not established

and contains commandments incongruby a single author, I mean not by god ous with the nature and intentions of such

alone: rather, there are certain of its coma god.

mandments that were established by hu

5
On the other hand to attribute a law

man beings as well. Indeed, our savior’s

that abolishes injustice to the injustice

words teach us that the Pentateuch diof the adversary is the false logic of vides into three parts.

those who do not comprehend the prin

2
For one division belongs to god himciple of which the savior spoke. For our self and his legislations; while �another

savior declared that a house or city didivision� belongs to Moses—indeed, vided against itself will not be able to

Moses ordained certain of the commandstand.

ments not as god himself ordained

6
And, further, the apostle states that

through him, rather based upon his own

the craftsmanship of the world is his, and

thoughts about the matter; and yet a third

that “all things were made through him,

division belongs to the elders of the peoand without him was not anything ple, �who� likewise in the beginning

made,”3 thus anticipating these liars’

must have inserted certain of their own

flimsy wisdom. And the craftsmanship is

commandments.

that of a god who is just and hates evil,

not a pernicious one as believed by these

thoughtless people, who take no account

of the craftsman’s forethought and so are

2Plato
Tim
28e. 3John 1:3.

PTOLEMY’S LETTER TO FLORA

203

3
You will now learn how all this can

10
These are Moses’ intentions, with

be demonstrated from the savior’s words.

which we find him ordaining laws con

4
When the savior was talking with

trary to those of god. At any rate, even if

those who were arguing with him about

we have for the moment used only one

divorce—and it has been ordained (in the

example in our proof, it is beyond doubt

law) that divorce is permitted—he said

that, as we have shown, this law is of

to them: “For your (pl.) hardness of heart

Moses himself and is distinct from god’s.

Moses allowed divorce of one’s wife.

11
And the savior shows also that there

Now, from the beginning it was not so.”4

are some traditions of the elders inter

For god, he says, has joined together this

woven in the law. He says, “For god

union, and “what the lord has joined tospoke: ‘Honor your father and your gether, let no man put asunder.”5

mother, that it may be well with you.’

5
Here he shows that �the� law of

12
But you have declared,” the savior

god is one thing, forbidding a woman to

says, addressing the elders, “ ‘What you

be put asunder from her husband; while

would have gained from me is given to

the law of Moses is another, permitting

god.’ And for the sake of your tradition,

the couple to be put asunder because of

O ancients, you have made void the law

hard-heartedness.

of god.”6

6
And so, accordingly, Moses ordains

13
And Isaiah declared this by saying,

contrary to what god ordains; for �sep-

“This people honors me with their lips,

arating� is contrary to not separating.

but their heart is far from me; in vain do

Yet if we also scrutinize Moses’ intenthey worship me, teaching as doctrines tions with which he ordained his comthe precepts of men.”7

mandment, we find that he created the

4
Thus it has been clearly shown from

commandment not of his own inclination

these passages that, as a whole, the law

but of necessity because of the weakness

is divided into three parts. For we have

of those to whom it was ordained.

found in it legislations belonging to

7
For the latter were not able to put

Moses himself, to the elders, and to god

into practice god’s intentions, in the mathimself. Moreover, the analysis of the law ter of their not being permitted to divorce

as a whole, as we have divided it here,

their wives. Some of them were on very

has made clear which part of it is

bad terms with their wives, and ran the

genuine.

risk of being further diverted into injustice and from there into their destruction.

Now, what is more, the one part

5

8
Moses, wishing to excise this unthat is the law of god himself dipleasant element through which they also vides into three subdivisions.

ran the risk of being destroyed, ordained

The first subdivision is the pure legisfor them of his own accord a second law, lation not interwoven with evil, which

the law of divorce, choosing under the

alone is properly called law, and which