Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament (86 page)

When it awakens to its true identity (“son of kings”), it returns to its heavenly home where it receives the full knowledge of itself.

If the “Hymn of the Pearl” was written in a Gnostic milieu, only later to be incorporated into the Acts of Thomas, it may have been composed sometime in the late second century.

1

When I was a little child, in my fasions and sent me out from the ther’s palace,

East, our homeland.

2

And enjoyed the wealth and luxury

4

From the wealth of our treasury they

of those who nurtured me,

gave me a great burden,

3

My parents equipped me with provi1See further Ehrman,
Lost
Christianities,
39–41.

Translation by J. K. Elliott,
Apocryphal
New
Testament
(Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993) 488–91; used with permission.

324

THE HYMN OF THE PEARL

325

5

Which was light so that I could carry

24 But I saw one of my kinsmen there,

it by myself:

a freeborn man from the East,

6

Gold from the land above, silver from

25 A youth fair and beautiful, the son of

great treasuries,

courtiers.

7

And stones, chalcedonies of India and

26 He came and kept me company.

agates from Kushan.

27 And I made him my intimate friend,

8

And they girded me with steel,

a comrade with whom I commu9

And they took away from me the

nicated my business.

garment set with gems and

28 Being exhorted to guard against the

spangled with gold

Egyptians and against partaking

Which they had made out of love for

of unclean things,

me

29 I clothed myself in garments like

10 And the yellow robe which was made

theirs, so that I would not be seen

for my size,

as a stranger

11 And they made a covenant with me

30 And as one who had come from

And wrote it in my mind that I might

abroad to take the pearl,

not forget:

Lest the Egyptians might arouse the

12 “If you go down to Egypt and bring

serpent against me.

the one pearl

31 But somehow they learned that I was

13 Which is in the land of the devouring

not their countryman.

serpent,

32 They dealt with me treacherously,

14 You shall put on again that garment

and I tasted their food.

set with stones and the robe which

33 I no longer recognized that I was a

lies over it,

king’s son, and I served their

15 And with your brother, our next in

king.

command, you shall be a herald

34 I forgot the pearl for which my par-

for our kingdom.”

ents had sent me.

16 So I departed from the East on a

35 And I fell into a deep sleep because

difficult and frightening road led

of the heaviness of their food.

by two guides,

36 While I was suffering these things my

17 And I was very young to travel on it.

parents were aware of it and

18 I passed over the borders of the Mos-

grieved over me,

ani, where there is the meeting37 And a proclamation was heralded in place of the merchants of the

our kingdom that all should pres-

East,

ent themselves at our doors.

19 And reached the land of the Baby38 The kings of Parthia and those in lonians.

office, and the great men of the

20 I went down to Egypt, and my com-

East

panions parted from me.

39 Resolved that I should not be left in

21 I went straight to the serpent and

Egypt.

stayed near his den

40 So the courtiers wrote me a letter:

22 Until he should slumber and sleep, so

41 “From your father the king of kings

that I might take the pearl from

and your mother, the mistress of

him.

the East

23 Being alone I altered my appearance

42 And their brothers, who are second

and seemed an alien even to my

to us, To our son in Egypt,

own people,

greetings!

326

NON-CANONICAL APOCALYPSES AND REVELATORY TREATISES

43 Awake, and rise from your sleep.

68 And with familial love leading me

44 Listen to the words in this letter, Re-

and drawing me on

member you are the son of kings,

69 I passed by the Labyrinth, And leav-

You have fallen beneath the yoke

ing Babylon behind on the left,

of slavery.

70 I reached Meson which is a great

45 Remember your gold-spangled gar-

coast.

ment,

75 But I could not recall my splendor,

46 Recall the pearl for which you were

For it had been when I was still a

sent to Egypt,

child and quite young that I had

47 Your name has been called to the

left it behind in my father’s

book of life,

palace.

48 Together with that of your brother

76 But, when suddenly I saw my gar-

whom you have received in our

ment reflected as in a mirror,

kingdom.”

77 I perceived in it my whole self as

49 And the king sealed it to make it an

well

ambassador,

And through it I knew and saw

50 Because of the wicked Babylonian

myself.

children and the tyrannical de78 For though we originated from the mons of the Labyrinth.

one and the same we were par53 I rose from sleep when I recognized tially divided,

its voice,

Then again we were one, with a sin54 I took it up and kissed it and I read.

gle form.

55 And what was written concerned

79 The treasurers too who had brought

that which was engraved on my

the garment

heart.

80 I saw as two beings, but there existed

56 And I immediately remembered that

a single form in both,

I was a son of kings and that my

One royal symbol consisting of two

freedom demanded my people.

halves.

57 I remembered the pearl for which I

81 And they had my money and wealth

had been sent to Egypt,

in their hands and gave me my

58 And the fact that I had come to snatch

reward:

it from the terrifying serpent.

82 The fine garment of glorious colors,

59 I subdued it by calling out my father’s

83 Which was embroidered with gold,

name,

precious stones, and pearls to give

61 And I snatched the pearl and turned

a good appearance.

about to go to my parents.

84 It was fastened at the collar.

62 And I took off the dirty clothing and

86 And the image of the King of Kings

left it behind in their land.

was all over it.

63 And directed my way forthwith to the

87 Stones of lapis lazuli had been skill-

light of our Eastern home.

fully fixed to the collar,

64 And on the road I found a female

88 And I saw in turn that motions of

who lifted me up.

knowledge were stirring through65 She awakened me, giving me an or-out it,

acle with her voice, and guided

89 And that it was prepared to speak.

me to the light,

90 Then I heard it speak:

66 The Royal silken garment shone be91 “It is I who belong to the one who is fore my eyes.

stronger than all people and for

THE HYMN OF THE PEARL

327

whose sake I was written about

of the father who had sent it to

by the father himself.”

me.

92 And I took note of my stature,

100 For it was I who had obeyed his

93 And all the royal feelings rested on

commands

me as its energy increased.

And it was I who had also kept the

94 Thrust out by his hand the garment

promise,

hastened to me as I went to re101 And I mingled at the doors of his ceive it,

ancient royal building.

95 And a longing aroused me to rush

102 He took delight in me and received

and meet it and to receive it.

me in his palace.

96 And I stretched out and took it and

103 All his subjects were singing hymns

adorned myself with the beauty

with harmonious voices.

of its colors.

104 He allowed me also to be admitted

97 And I covered myself completely

to the doors of the king himwith my royal robe over it.

self,

98 When I had put it on I ascended to

105 So that with my gifts and the pearl

the land of peace and homage.

I might appear before the king

99 And I lowered my head and proshimself.

trated myself before the splendor

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CANONICAL LISTS

330

CANONICAL LISTS

Among the many writings that still survive from early Christianity are several that discuss the issue of which books ought to be included in the canon of Scripture. These discussions provide us with our clearest indications that no set canon of the New Testament existed, even among orthodox Christians, prior to the end of the fourth century. I have included in this collection several of the fullest discussions available, all of them from forebears of orthodoxy: no “heretical” canon list survives.

Among other things, these lists show that even though the contours of the canon were still very much in flux in the early Christian centuries, there was a broad agreement in proto-orthodox circles that the canon was to include the four Gospels, the writings of Paul, and several other apostolic texts. They also reveal the criteria for canonicity that were considered in such circles: for a book to be accepted as canonical, it needed to be ancient (near the time of Jesus), apostolic (connected to one of his closest followers), catholic (used widely by like-minded churches throughout the world), and orthodox (promoting the right kind of belief rather than heresy).

It appears that of all the criteria, “orthodoxy” was primary: if a writing did not promote a perspective that was considered orthodox—so the argument went—it could not very well be apostolic. Those who made the argument found the point obvious: no apostle would support heresy. Any book, therefore, that was written in the name of an apostle, yet supported an “aberrant” perspective, was necessarily forged. These may not be the grounds scholars use today to determine the authorship of ancient texts, but the arguments proved both persuasive and powerful for the formation of the Christian canon.

The first author to list the twenty-seven books of our New Testament as
the
canonical books (these and no others) was the bishop of Alexandria, Athanasius, in 367 ce. Even then, however, debates continued, even in orthodox circles. In some parts of the Christian church, there never has been complete agreement.1

1See the discussion in Ehrman,
Lost
Christianities,
229–46.

The Muratorian Canon

The Muratorian Fragment is the oldest surviving New Testament canon list—that is a list of books believed to comprise the canonical New Testament—known to exist. The document is named after L. A. Muratori, the Italian scholar who discovered it in a library in Milan in the early eighteenth century. Written in ungrammatical Latin, the fragmentary text begins in mid-sentence by describing the production of an unnamed Gospel; since it continues by explicitly calling Luke the “third book of the Gospel” and John, then, the “fourth,” the list evidently began with Matthew and Mark.

Twenty-two of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament canon are included here—all except Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, and 3 John.

But the author also accepts as canonical the Wisdom of Solomon and the Apocalypse of Peter (see p. 280). The
Shepherd
of Hermas is accepted for reading but not as part of sacred Scripture for the church. The author explicitly rejects the Pauline Letters to Laodicea1 and to Alexandria as forgeries made by the followers of Marcion, indicating that they are not to be accepted by the church, since “it is not fitting that gall be mixed with honey.”2 His list concludes by condemning forgeries made by various heretics, such as Valentinus, Basilides, Marcion, and the Montanists.

The time and place of composition of the Muratorian Canon are in great dispute. But since the author shows a particular concern with the false teachings of heretical teachers who lived in the middle of the second century, and knows something of the family of bishop Pius of Rome (d. 154), many scholars think he was living in the latter half of the second century, possibly in Rome. If so, then this list shows that at that time, some proto-orthodox Christians were already accepting the core of what were later to be almost universally regarded as the books of the New Testament.