A Budapesti Református Theológiai Akadémián 1977-ben szerzett diplomát. Az ELTE Bölcsészkarán 1984-ben egyiptológus diplomát szerzett. Egy-egy évig ösztöndíjas tanulmányokat folytatott a berlini Humboldt Egyetemen és az Oxfordi Egyetemen. 1981-85 tanévekben a Budapesti Ref. Theol. Akadémián óraadóként vallástudományt oktatott. 1985-től a Dunamelléki Ref. Egyházkerület Ráday Gyűjteményében tudományos munkatárs. 1988-ban létrehozta a Biblia Múzeumot, s annak kiállítását rendezte. 1988-tól a Szépművészeti Múzeum Egyiptomi Osztályának munkatársa, egy ideig osztályvezető-helyettese, majd főmúzeológusa. 1996-ban Alexandriai Szent Márk apostol mártiriuma. A legenda kopt szövege, kommentárja és egyiptológiai interpretációja címmel benyújtott disszertációjával, ill. annak megvédésével szerzett kandidátusi tudományos fokozatot. 1996 óta tart előadásokat a WJLF Theológiai és Vallástudományi Tanszék keretében.
A WJLF Theológiai és Vallástudományi Tanszék vezetője.
A WJLF Vallástudományi Kutatóintézetének igazgatója. Több hazai és külföldi tudományos társaság tagja.
Könyvei:
Jézus rejtett szavai (Pröhle Károllyal és Rugási Gyulával közösen). Budapest, 1990. Ikon vagy portré. Posztamarna férfifej a Szépművészeti Múzeumban. Budapest, 2001. A Megváltó a keresztről. Kopt apokrifek Núbiából. (A Kasr el-Wizz Kódex) Budapest, 2006
A Megváltó, tanítványai körében, passiója előtt a kereszt körül táncol. Táncol, és himnuszokat énekel a kereszthez... Ez a számunkra teljesen ismeretlen Jézus-kép őrződött meg abban a kódexben, amelyet Egyiptom legdélibb határán 1965-ben Kasr-el Wizz monostorában tártak föl a régészek. Paradox módon, amikor a település az új Asszuáni Gát mögött keletkezett hatalmas mesterséges tengerben örökre elsüllyedt, az ősi pergamen lapok, s azok egykori hitvilága éppen akkor támadhattak új életre. Ám a kódexet ekkor már századok óta nem forgatták, a szövegeit még értő hajdanvolt szerzetesek csontjait réges-rég elnyelte a sivatagi homok. Másfélezer év után a világon először magyarul olvasható A Megváltó tánca a kereszt körül, a máshonnan és más nyelven nem ismert ősi kopt szöveg, melyet Hubai Péter, a Szépművészeti Múzeum egyiptológusa szólaltatott meg.
Méret (mm): 144 x 205 x 24 Oldalszám: 348 Megjelenés: 2006.
Kossuth Rádió / Szonda/Tudomány 2006. december 22.
Amikor Egyiptomban a 60-as években megépítették a Níluson a Nagy Gátat, mielőtt a Nasszer-tó vize végleg elárasztotta volna a területeket, a világ régészei leletmentő ásatásokat végeztek. És az amerikaiak ekkor találtak rá egy keresztény-kopt kódexre, közvetlenül az egyiptomi-szudáni határ mellett egy kolostorban. Ennek a kódexnek, amelyet a lelőhely után Kasr el-Wiz - kódexnek neveztek el, nagyon érdekes lett a története. A benne levő ősi szövegeknek az első alapos tudományos elemzése és közreadása csak most történik meg, mégpedig Magyarországon. A könyv szerzője Hubai Péter, a Szépművészeti Múzeum egyiptológusa.- '65 karácsonyán, illetve '66 újévén az amerikai sajtó szétkürtölte a világszenzációt. Akkor a Time magazinban megjelent egy cikk: New World of Jesus, Jézus új szavai. Ehhez képest a kódexet valamilyen megfoghatatlan oknál fogva igen hamar elfelejtették.- És hova került, tehát hol őrzik ezt, vagy hol őrizték? Elvitték az amerikaiak magukkal?- Ez a kódex Kairóba került és ott a Kopt Múzeumban őrizték. Én magam 1991-ben láttam először a Kairói Múzeum első emeletén, egy tárlóban, hát mondjam azt, porosodni.- Nem foglalkozott vele senki. Tehát filológus nem látta, nem elemezték.- Én erről semmit nem tudtam. Mellé volt írva az, hogy imakönyv. Szerettem volna megnézni, hogy mi ez? Ez Egyiptomban nem könnyű dolog. Többször jártam Egyiptomban, többször próbálkoztam, nem sikerült megtudnom semmit.
1999-ben ezt a kódexet már Asszuánban láttam, a Nubia Múzeumban. Megint megpróbálkoztam. Ismét az éppen hivatalban levő államtitkárhoz küldtek. Az államtitkár felhívta az asszuáni múzeum igazgatóját, majd pár perc múlva letette a kagylót, és azt mondta, öné a kódex, publikálhatja. Ez fantasztikus ajándék volt, mert meg sem fordult a fejemben, hogy publikálhatnám, annál is inkább, merthogy korábban azt hallottam, hogy különböző tudósok állítólag már publikálták. Két iratot tartalmaz ez a kódex. Az egyik nem teljesen új, ugyanis előkerült egy, a koptnál még egzotikusabb nyelven, ó-nubiai változatban. A második irat egy, legalábbis tudomásom szerint teljesen ismeretlen szöveg, sem az Óegyházban, sem később nem volt ismeretes, vagy legalábbis eddig nem került elő a klasszikus nyelveken. Tehát nem ismerjük sem görögül, sem latinul, sem szírül, sem esetleg mondjuk koptul, vagy akár ó-nubiai változatban. Ez úgy tűnik, teljesen ismeretlen szöveg.
- Na de mi ez tulajdonképpen? Ha nem imádság, esetleg valami evangéliumhoz hasonlítható szöveg?
- Az első iratról könnyebb nyilatkozni. Nem teljesen olyan evangélium, ahogy mi az evangéliumot ismerjük. Van egy olyan tudományos megnevezés, a közelmúltban született maga a kifejezés is, hogy dialógus evangélium. A megváltó kijelentései ezek dialógus formában. Az első iratban már húsvét után, de még a mennybemenetel előtt, Péter a kereszt titka felől érdeklődik. A második irat ennél nehezebb dió, himnuszokat tartalmaz. Az irat maga nevezi a himnuszokat himnusznak, noha én például nem nevezném annak. Szokatlan forma. Ez a történet nagycsütörtökön, vagy esetleg nagypénteken játszódik. Mindenesetre a keresztre feszítés előtt. Úgy tűnik, hogy a kereszt már áll.
El kell, hogy áruljam a nagy titkot, a kereszt alatt körtáncot táncoló Jézus az, aki itt megjelenik. Nincs részletezve, hogy hogyan, nem tudjuk. Jézus megszólítja a tanítványait, maga köré gyűjti őket, és felszólítja, hogy himnuszai után feleljenek erre, és azt, amit korábban himnuszoknak nevez, a későbbiekben körtáncoknak nevezi. Feltehetően ez férfiak tánca, valami olyan körtánc, mint amit ma is láthatunk keleten.
- Szerbek, bolgárok, románok táncolnak így?
- Igen, haszid zsidók, amit azért említek, mert az egyfajta kultikus tánc. Itt az az érdekes, hogy egy keresztény apokrif iratban egy kultikus táncra történik utalás. Tehát ez a legszentebb tánc, ami elképzelhető. A kereszt alatt a megváltó, a keresztre feszítés előtt szól a kereszthez, és ez az irat másik érdekessége. A kereszthez úgy beszél, mint élőlényhez.
- Nekem irodalmi alkotások jutnak az eszembe, amelyek ezt az egész történetet sajátos, egyéni látásmóddal dolgozzák fel, vagy értelmezik. Van ilyen a Mester és Margarítában is. Tehát nem lehet az, hogy egy író, egy művész egyszerűen csak leírta azt, amit ő gondolt erről a történetről és ez egy irodalmi alkotás?
- Ez egy kolostorban került elő. Nem látjuk, hogy ez egy eretnek szekta lett volna, hívő keresztények olvasták. Nem gondolom, hogy itt egy szuverén írói alkotásról lenne szó.
Szabadulni vágyom és szabadítani vágyom. Üdvözölni vágyom és üdvözíteni vágyom. Oldódni vágyom és oldani vágyom. Nemzeni vágyom és megfoganni vágyom. Sebesülni vágyom és sebesíteni vágyom. Dalolni vágyom és dallá válni vágyom. Mind táncoljatok! Enni vágyom és etetni vágyom. Hallani vágyom é szólni vágyom. Tisztulni vágyom és tisztítani vágyom. Értésre vágyom, mert értelem vagyok. A Kegyelem vezeti a táncot. Fuvolázni vágyom, mind táncoljatok! Jajdulni vágyom, mind jajongjatok. A Nyolc dicséretet énekel velünk. A Tizenkettő körtáncot jár fenn. A Minden táncot jár fenn. Aki nem táncol, nem ismeri meg az előtte állót. Menekülni vágyom és maradni vágyom. Ékeskedni vágyom és ékesíteni vágyom. Egyesülni vágyom és egyesíteni vágyom. Nincs hajlékom és hajlékaim vannak. Nincs szállásom és szállásaim vannak. Nincs templomom és templomaim vannak.
''Az Úr dicséretére az Ószövetség szerint a zsidók gyakran lejtettek táncot "Dicsérjétek az Urat dobbal és tánccal" (Zsolt 150,4). Ugyanakkor a másik érzelmi véglet, a gyász és a fájdalom kifejezője is lehet Az Úr prófétái esetében a tánc azt jelzi, hogy Isten lelke rájuk szállott, azaz valószínűleg ritmikus mozgással kísért transzba estek: "Előttünk zeng majd a hárfa, a dob, a furulya és a cintányér, ők maguk meg prófétai révületben lesznek" (1Sám 10,5).
Az Újszövetségben a táncos ünneplés nem fordul elő, a keresztény szertartásokból hiányzik a mozgással történő spontán érzelemkifejezés. A tánc irracionális és bűvölő hatalma nyilvánul meg Salome táncában. Egy ismeretlen ókeresztény költő Jézus táncol c. versében a hit örömét és feloldó erejét jeleníti meg: "A Tizenkettő körtáncot jár fenn. / A minden táncot jár fenn"
[PDF] Ο ΧΟΡΟΣ ΣΤΗ ΜΕΤΑΒΥΖΑΝΤΙΝΗ ΜΝΗΜΕΙΑΚΗ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣΤΙΚΗ ΖΩΓΡΑΦΙΚΗ (15ος ...
Μορφή αρχείου: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Προβολή ως HTML γράφεται και από τις πηγές-, ηχεί τύμπανο πε- ... ψαλάτωοαν αύτω) ή 150.4 (αινείτε αυτόν έν τυ- ... από τον κυκλικό χορό γυναικών με τοπικές φο- ... www.arxaiologia.gr/assets/media/PDF/migrated/91_50-58.pdf
"Αυτόν αινείτε με της σάλπιγγας τους ήχους, Αυτόν αινείτε με λαούτο και κιθάρα. Αυτόν αινείτε με το τύμπανο και με τον κυκλικό χορό, Αυτόν αινείτε με έγχορδα και με φλογέρα! Αυτόν αινείτε με τα κρόταλα τα ηχηρά, αυτόν αινείτε με τα κύμβαλα, που αλαλάζουν" (Ψαλμός 150:3-5).
"Κι άκουσα φωνή από τον ουρανό σαν τη βοή του καταρράχτη, σαν τη βοή μεγάλης βροντής. Κι η φωνή που άκουσα έμοιαζε ακόμη με τη μουσική που κάνουν οι κιθαριστές με τις κιθάρες τους" (Αποκάλυψη 14:2).
[PDF] Ο ΧΟΡΟΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΥΣΤΕΡΗ ΑΡΧΑΙΟΤΗΤΑ Μαρτυρίες κειμένων και παραστάσεων
Μορφή αρχείου: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Προβολή ως HTML δος εις άκοσμίαν, άναιρούσας Ίωάννην (PG 9, στ, 105). Αποτρεπτικά αναφέρεται στη μουσική και το χορό κατά τη διάρκεια των γευμάτων και ... www.arxaiologia.gr/assets/media/PDF/migrated/91_8-19.pdf
The Gospel of John (Greek, Κατὰ Ἰωάννην, Katá Iōánnēn), is the last of the four canonical gospels. This non-synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details the story of Jesus from his Baptism to his Resurrection.
dance pipe Eight (Ogdoad) sounds circle-dance "going round in a ring, mystery-drama "leads the dance" "I would pipe." Naassene Document (T.G.H., i. 183) "The Phrygians also say that that which is generated from Him is Syriktκs." Syriktκs Piper syrinx seven-reeded Pan-pipe music of the spheres is created early Jewish commentator remarks:"For that which is generated is Spirit in harmony." harmony Seven Spheres encircled by the Eighth "Wisdom in harmony." "dance ye all" "leadeth the dance." I "orchestra" "sprang from the choral dances round the altar of Dionysus," circular dancing place orchκstra Gospel-saying taken by the first (Matth., xi.17) and third (Lk., vii. 27) Evangelist from a common source:"We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; Naassene Document (T.H.G., i. 195) Ogdoad or Eight (in music the full Octave) "sounds with us"; dance to the Music of the Spheres. "Who danceth not, knows not what is being done."
THE HYMN OF JESUS Echoes from the Gnosis Translated with comments by G. R. S. MEAD
The Theosophical Publishing Society, London and Benares [1907]
''Amen!
(Grace leadeth the dance.)
I would pipe; dance ye all.
Amen!
I would play a dirge; lament ye all.
Amen!
The one Eight (Ogdoad) sounds (or plays) with us.
Amen!
The Twelfth number above leadeth the dance.
Amen!
pg 25
All whose nature is to dance [doth dance].
Amen!
Who danceth not, knows not what is being done.
Amen!''
"Grace leadeth the dance."
In the text this has the next sentence run on to it; but I am myself inclined to think that it is a note or a rubric rather
pg 55
than an utterance of the Initiator.
The ceremony changes. Hitherto there had been the circle-dance, the "going round in a ring," which enclosed the mystery-drama, and the chanting of the sacred word.
Contact is now mystically established with the Great Sphere, Charis or Sophia, the Counterpart or Spouse or Syzygy of the Supernal Christ, or of the Christ Above. She "leads the dance"; that is to say, the actors begin to act according to the great cosmic movements.
"I would pipe."
In the Naassene Document (T.G.H., i. 183), we read:
"The Phrygians also say that that which is generated from Him is Syriktκs."
Syriktκs is the Piper, properly the player on the syrinx, or seven-reeded Pan-pipe, whereby the music of the spheres is created
pg 56
And on this the early Jewish commentator remarks:
"For that which is generated is Spirit in harmony."
That is to say, Spirit, or Sophia the Holy Breath, is harmony; and the Harmony was the name of the Seven Spheres encircled by the Eighth. Curiously enough, later on in our fragment the Logos is called "Wisdom in harmony."
The Greek word for "dance" in the sentence "dance ye all" is different from that in the phrase "leadeth the dance." It reminds us of the "orchestra" in the Greek theatre.
The Greek drama, I hold, arose from the Mysteries. The general view, however, is that it "sprang from the choral dances round the altar of Dionysus," and so the architectural form of the Greek theatre "was developed form the circular dancing place," the orchκstra.
The dance is to represent the dance of
pg 57
the world-mystery, and therefore of the man-mystery--of joy and sorrow, of rejoicing and beating the breast.
It is hardly necessary here to remind the reader of the Gospel-saying taken by the first (Matth., xi.17) and third (Lk., vii. 27) Evangelist from a common source:
"We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced;
"We have played a dirge unto you, and ye have not lamented."
Is it possible that there was an inner tradition of a scripture in which this Saying stood in the first person singular? I think I have made out a presumption in my analysis of the Naassene Document (T.H.G., i. 195) that the Christian commentator, in his parallels with the Fourth Gospel, legitimately opens up for us the question whether or no he was in touch with "sources" of that "Johannine" document.
pg 58
In any case, I would suggest that for the Gnostic there was an under-meaning, and that it is here in our Hymn expressed for us though still mystically hidden
The higher quaternion, or tetrad, as the Gnostic Marcus would have phrased it, of joy is to blend with the lower tetrad of sorrow; and both together are to form an octave, whereby the man is raised from his littleness into the Greatness; that is to say, he can now respond to cosmic music.
Therefore what was apparently originally a rubric ("The one Eight" etc.), has been put by an unknowing scribe into the mouth of the Initiator, and an Amen added.
The Ogdoad or Eight (in music the full Octave), "sounds with us"; that is, we are now beginning to dance to the Music of the Spheres.
And this being so, the sense of the initiated soul may be said to become cosmic, for it begins to vibrate with, or
pg 59
answer back to, or become in sympathy with, the ordered motions of the Greatness; and therefore the Higher Twelve, the Powers that transcend the separated soul, and which crown or surround the Great Sphere, now lead the dance.
Or, to speculate more daringly; the indications seem to denote a belief that at this stage in the rite there was present the Presence of Masterhood; and this would mean for the aspirant--as is so nobly set forth in the Trismegistic "Secret Sermon on the Mount," which might very well be called "The Initiation of Tat"--that he passes out of himself to greater things.
And so his "twelve disciples," as it were, begin to dance above him or outside him; for the real disciples or apostles of a new-born Christ are not the things he has been taught on earth as man, but powers raying forth from the true Person into still greater regions.
Apostles who go forth into the world of men are but reflections of Great Powers
pg 60
who now go forth from the true Person and link him on to the Great Cosmos.
It is not easy to conjecture the meaning of the phrase "all whose nature is to dance doth dance," for the text is so faulty that we cannot be certain of a correct version. If, however, this be the right rendering, then I would suggest that the "all" is the cosmic order; and that now all is made ready, and spiritual communion has ben established between the church, or circle below, and the Church Above, who again is the Supernal Sophia.
"Who danceth not, knows not what is being done."
The soul must dance, or be active in a corresponding way, with the Great Dance, in order to know, or attain true Gnosis. Knowledge of the Great World can only be attained when the man has abandoned his self-will and acts in harmony with the Great Happenings.
pg 61
This reminds us of the Saying in the Fourth Gospel (vii. 17): "If a man will to do His Will, he shall know of the Doctrine"; and again (ix. 31): "If a man be a worshipper of God and do His Will, He will hear him." And the Will of God is His Divine Spouse, the Sophia or Wisdom, by Whom and in Whom He has made the worlds.
"I would flee."
It may be that here the new-born is in fear; the new motions of the Great Passions are too great for him. Or, again, it may signify the necessity of balance, or equilibrium; the soul feels itself swept away into the infinitudes, and is held back by the greater power of the Master--the that in him which alone is stable; these two are then the centrifugal and centripetal powers.
"I would be adorned."
The original Greek term suggests the idea of being rightly "ordered" (kosmein).
pg 62
It may also mean "clothed in fit garments"; that is, the soul prays that his little cosmos, which has previously been awry or out of order, may be made like unto the Great Order, and so he may be clad in "glories" or "robes of glory" or "power" like unto the Great Glories of the Heavenly Spheres.
"I would be at-oned."
We now approach the mystery of union, when the soul abandons with joy its separateness, and frees itself from the limitations of its "possession"--of that which is "mine" as apart from the rest.
And so we have the triple declaration as to the loss of "dwelling," "place" and "temple" (the very "shrine" of the soul), and the assurance of the gain of all"dwellings," "places" and "temples." And in illustration of this sublime idea we may yet again quote from the "Untitled Apocalypse" of the Bruce Codex (F.F.F., p. 554):
pg 63
"'Holy, Holy, Holy is He, the [here come the seven vowels each three times repeated]'
"That is to say:
"'Thou art the Living One among the living.
"'Thou art the Holy One among the holy.
"'Thou art Being among beings.
"'Thou art Father among Fathers.
"'Thou art God among gods.
"'Thou art Lord among lords.
"'Thou art Space among spaces.'
"Thus too do they praise Him.
"'Thou art the House;
"'And Thou art the Dweller in the House.'
"And yet again do they praise the Son hidden in Him:
"'Thou art; Thou art the Alone-begotten--Light, Life and Grace.'"
"The Son of Man hath nowhere to lay His head"--for indeed He has all "places" in His possession.
pg 64
Then follow the comfortable words that the Christ, the Logos, is the Lamp, the Mirror, the Door and the Way for the human soul; the Divine Soul is all things for the beloved.
In the worlds of darkness and uncertainty Christ is the Lamp, whom we must follow, for He leads us along the Way.
For those who can perceive the Christ-essence in all, this Christ-essence is a Mirror reflecting the great truths of the higher worlds.
There is one means alone of passing through the Wall of Separation between the Higher and the Lower, and that is Christ the Mediator. He is the Door; even as Thrice-greatest Hermes calls the Mind the "Inner Door" (T.G.H., iii. 274). And Parmenides in his "Truthwards" refers to the same mystery when he describes the Gates, twixt Day and Night, or Light and Darkness.
For him who truly knocks at this Door,
pg 65
that is who turns all his attention and power in this direction, the Great Wall or Limit will be no more, and he shall go in and out at will.
Again, Christ the Logos is the Way. He is our Path to God, both on the Light-side of things and on the Substance-side; either as a Lamp, or that for which the pure mind looks, or a Way, that on which the feet walk. In either case the Christ is that which leads to God.
The ceremony again changes with the words: "Now answer to My dancing."
All now may be believed to be taking place within the Master-Presence. Union of substance has been attained, but not yet union of consciousness. Before that final mystery can be consummated,the knowledge of the Passion of Man, that is of the Great Passion or perpetual experience of the Great Act, must be achieved.
The soul is to gaze upon the mystery as upon its own Passion. The perfected
pg 66
soul can gaze upon the mystery in peace; as yet, however, the soul of the aspirant is not perfected in gnosis, but in substance only, so that it may feel the Great Passion in itself, and yet as apart from itself.
Hereupon in the lower rite, the mystery-drama, the Passion of Man, must have been shown. What it may have been is not easy to conjecture; it must, however, have been something of a most distressing nature, for the neophyte is moved or shaken completely--that is to say,unnerved. He had not the strength of perfect faith in the Power of the Master; for, presumably, he saw that very Master dismembered before his eyes, or becoming many from one, or in some way done to death.
After the Passion-drama or Passion-vision comes the instruction; for in such rites--such passions or experiences for the sake of knowing--there must be
pg 67
the actual experience in feeling before there can be gnosis.
This knowledge is given by the Master Himself, the Logos in man: Wherefore it needs must be the lover should first behold the Beloved suffering.
And then follow the comfortable words: "I am a couch; rest thou upon Me." For the Suffering Christ is but the translation into manifestation in time and space of the Triumphant Eternal Christ, the Ζon. It is here that that mystery of Docetism, of what the Vedβnta calls Mβyβ, receives a philosophical meaning. This mystery is suggested in many a logos; but here I will quote only from the Trismegistic sermon called "The Inner Door" (T.G.H., iii. 275):
"And being so minded and so ordering his life, he shall behold the Son of God becoming all things for holy souls, that he may draw her (the soul) forth from
pg 68
out the region of the Fate into the Incorporeal.
"For having power in all, He becometh all things, whatsoever He will; and in obedience to the Father's nod, through the whole Body doth He penetrate, and pouring forth His Light into the mind of every soul. He starts it back into the Blessed Region, where it was before it had become corporeal--following after Him, and led by Him into the Light."
"Who I am thou shalt know when I depart."
This and the two following sentences seem to suggest--that is, if we may venture to believe that there was true vision of an inner mystery accompanying the outer drama--some such idea as this.
The substantial nature of the Presence, the Body, so to speak, of atmosphere, which may have been seen--with some suggestion of an idea of human form as its "pillar" or "support," and at the same time of a sphere or completeness
pg 69
holding it together--this, says the Master, is not my true Self. I am not this Mirror of the World, I am not this Word or Living Symbol which contains the whole world, and also stamps it with meaning and idea. What the nature of the real Christ is thou shalt know when thou comest, or becomest Him.
"If thou hadst known how to suffer."
The sentences so beginning are perhaps the most pregnant in meaning in the whole of this marvellous ritual. It seems in one sense (for there are infinite meanings) to signify: If the substance of your body had really known how to dance, and so been able to respond exactly to My Passion (that is, the manifestation in activity of real life and consciousness), then you would have had the power to have kept stable about the Mystic Centre, and not have been dragged back into your body of suffering, or in-harmony; you would not have been dragged back onto the
pg 70
dramatic side of things and been swamped by the drama.
"That which thou knowest not, I Myself will teach thee."
That which the soul unaided cannot know, the Master will teach. That is to say, presumably: This Power or Presence is a link between your own "body" or atmosphere and the realities of Great Things.
As soon as the sphere-"body" (the psychic envelope of normal man is said to be ellipse, egg-shaped, imperfect) is capable of dancing, the Power of the Master will stamp it with meaning. The little self cannot do this. The Power is not connected with little things. It comes from the greater worlds as a natural result of the perfect dancing of the substances of all man's "bodies."
"I am thy God, not the Betrayer's." Taken in connection with the introductory words before our Hymn, this will probably
pg 71
suggest to most readers the thought of Judas. But the Gnostics moved in a wider circle of ideas.
The Betrayer is rather the lawless Serpent, the Kakodaimτn, that which hands the soul over to the bodies of death--a mystery that is not touched upon in our ritual.
"I would be kept in time with holy souls."
This sentence appears to me to be misplaced. One of its meanings seems to be that as the soul watches the Dance, it prays to be brought into harmony with "Holy Souls"; that is to have its consciousness and form brought into such perfect relationship as to become one. Then the little soul would become a Great Soul or Master, a Perfect or Balanced Soul.
The concluding sentences are evidently drawn from two different traditions of the original text; they are two separate
pg 72
endings copied down one after the other. It is thus to be conjectured that there were several variants of this ritual, and that it was, therefore, widely known and used in Gnostic circles.
It must, however, have been at first kept very secret, for later on in the text of our fragment we read the injunction of the Master to John: "That Passion which I showed unto thee and unto the rest in the Dance, I will that it be called a mystery."
Can it be that in the the original form, it was John, the Beloved himself, who was the candidate?
It may have been so; but even if so, "John" would not be understood by a Gnostic to be the name of one single historical character. There had been, there were, and there would be many Johns.
From the Twelve Three; and from the Three One.
pg 73
For just as we find that there were Three--Peter, James and John--who were nearest the Lord in His Great Moments, so also do we find in the Johannine tradition that of these Three, it was John who was nearest to Him in His Great Acts.
Moreover, just as in the Trismegistic tradition we find that out of the Three--Ammon, Asclepius and Tat--it is Tat, the most spiritual of the disciples, who succeeds his "Father," Thrice-greatest Hermes, when He is taken to the Gods; so also do we find in the Johannine tradition that it is John who succeeds Jesus when He ascends to the Father of all "Fathers."
"Father" was the technical name of the Master, or Initiator, and the Head of the community.
And so, in a codex of the Fourth Gospel, preserved in the archives of the Templars of St. John of Jerusalem, in Paris--that is to say in all probability in a document that belonged to those who came into contact with the Johannine tradition in
pg 74
the East--we find (Thilo, Code. Apoc. N.T., p. 880) the following additions which are absent from the Textus Receptus.
To John, xvii. 26:
"Amen, I say unto you, I am not of this world; but John shall be your Father, till he shall go with Me into Paradise. And He anointed them with the Holy Spirit."
And to John, xix. 26-30:
"He saith to His Mother: Weep not; I go to My Father and to Eternal Life. Behold Thy Son. He will keep My place.
"Then saith He to the Disciple: Behold thy Mother!
"Then bowing His Head He breathed forth His Spirit."
But if it be willed that that which "I showed unto thee . . . in the Dance"
pg 75
be "called a mystery," it must equally be willed that it be kept a mystery.
I therefore offer my surmises on the altar of the Outer Court, though hardly venturing to think they will be regarded as reasonable oblations to the Great Presence by many of the Many who serve there.
I would, however, venture to hope that I have at least established a strong presumption that the Hymn of Jesus is no hymn, but a very early Christian mystery-ritual, and perhaps the oldest Christian ritual of any kind preserved to us.''
It also contains the episode at the Last Supper of the Round Dance of the Cross initiated by Jesus, saying, "Before I am delivered to them, let us sing a hymn to the Father and so go to meet what lies before us". Directed to form a circle around him holding hands and dancing, the apostles cry "Amen" to the hymn of Jesus.
hymn (sections 94 – 96) "which no doubt was once used as a liturgical song (with response) in some Johannine communities" (Davis). In the summer of 1916 Gustav Holst set it, in a version by G.R.S. Mead, as "The Hymn of Jesus" for two mixed choirs and a small orchestra (Trippett).
M. R. James: the Latin fragments contain episodes now missing in the Greek. The Stichometry of Nicephorus gives its length as 2500 lines. An on-line translation.
''The Acts of John is a 2nd-century Christian collection of narratives and traditions, well described as a "library of materials" [1]
, inspired by the Gospel of John, long known in fragmentary form. The traditional author was said to be one Leucius Charinus, a companion of John, who was associated with several 2nd century Acts. As a description of acts attributed to one of the major apostles who had put their words down into the New Testament, together with the Acts of Paul it is considered one of the most significant of the apostolic Acts in the New Testament apocrypha. It was traditionally ascribed to Prochorus, one of the Seven Deacons discussed in Acts of the Apostles.
It contains two apocryphal journeys of John to Ephesus, filled with dramatic events, miracles such as the collapse of the Temple of Artemis just as John is in the theater preaching to try to convert Artemis' followers, anecdotes and well-framed melodramatic speeches. It may have originated as a Christianized wonder tale, designed for an urbane Hellenic audience accustomed to such things as having one's portrait painted (the setting for one episode), living in that part of the province of Asia. It also contains the episode at the Last Supper of the Round Dance of the Cross initiated by Jesus, saying, "Before I am delivered to them, let us sing a hymn to the Father and so go to meet what lies before us". Directed to form a circle around him holding hands and dancing, the apostles cry "Amen" to the hymn of Jesus.
Embedded in the text is another hymn (sections 94 – 96), "which no doubt was once used as a liturgical song (with response) in some Johannine communities" (Davis). In the summer of 1916 Gustav Holst set it, in a version by G.R.S. Mead, as "The Hymn of Jesus" for two mixed choirs and a small orchestra (Trippett).
Though the Acts of John was condemned as heretical, a large fragment survives in Greek manuscripts of widely varying date. In two medieval Greek versions, the magical survival of John when put to tortures will be familiar to any reader of hagiography: "He was brought before Domitian, and made to drink poison, which did not hurt him: the dregs of it killed a criminal on whom it was tried: and John revived him; he also raised a girl who was slain by an unclean spirit." (James 1924, Introduction).
Most of its docetic imagery and overt gnostic teachings are concentrated in a few chapters (94-102 and 109), which may be interpolations, or they may simply reflect the diverse nature of the sources that were drawn upon to assemble this episodic collection, which falls in the genre of Romance.
The surviving Latin fragments, by contrast, seem to have been purged of unorthodox content, according to their translator M. R. James: the Latin fragments contain episodes now missing in the Greek. The Stichometry of Nicephorus gives its length as 2500 lines. An on-line translation [2]
presents the confrontation of John and Domitian during Domitian's persecution of Christians, described as instigated by a letter of complaint from the Jews.''
"The Early Christian Prayer Circle" first appeared in Brigham Young University Studies 19 (1978): 41—78.
'' "Praise (glory, doxa) to thee, Father," and we standing in the circle, followed him with the Amen.
"Glory to thee Logos, glory to thee grace (charis, love). Amen.
Glory to thee spirit, glory to thee Holy One; praise to thy glory. Amen (or be praised [doxasou] with glory. Amen).
We praise thee Father; we thank thee Light in which there is no darkness. Amen.
And while we (all) give thanks, I say (explain):
I wish to be saved and I wish to save. Amen.
I wish to be delivered, and I wish to deliver. Amen.
I wish to bear wounds (titrosko) and I wish to inflict them. Amen.
I wish to be born and I wish to bring forth (bear). Amen.
I wish to eat and I wish to be eaten. Amen.
I want to hear and I want to be heard. Amen.
I want to comprehend (know), being all intelligence (nous). Amen.
I want to be washed, and I want to wash. Amen.
Charis (grace) (leads) dances in the chorus: I wish to pipe (Play the flute)dance all of you! Amen.
I wish to mourn, all of you mourn (lit. kopsastheinflict blows [cuts] upon yourselves). Amen."
And after having led us in other things in the circle (chorus), beloved, the Lord went out. And we went forth like lost wanderers or like people in a dream, fleeing our several ways.3''
3. Texts of this part of the Acts of John, taken from a number of sources, may be found in Mansi, Sacrorum Conciliorum Acta; Leclercq, "Agape," 787—92; ANT 253—70; NTA 2:227—32.
''Hugh Winder Nibley (March 27, 1910 – February 24, 2005) was a professor at Brigham Young University and an apologist for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although his works—which mainly attempt to demonstrate archaeological, linguistic, and historical evidence for the claims of Joseph Smith, Jr.—have no official religious authority, they are highly regarded within the LDS community.
A prolific author and professor of Biblical and Mormon scripture at BYU, he was fluent in numerous languages,[1] including Classical Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Egyptian, Coptic, Arabic, German, French, English, Italian, and Spanish. He also studied Dutch and Russian during World War II. He also studied Old Bulgarian and Old English, and his fluency in Old Norse was reportedly sufficient to enable him to read an entire encyclopedia in Norwegian.[citation needed]
Nibley wrote and lectured on LDS scripture and doctrinal topics, publishing many articles in LDS Church magazines. His An Approach to the Book of Mormon was adopted in 1957 as a religious lesson manual by the LDS Church. Although LDS members commonly regard his work as lending scientific authority to the more controversial historical and archaeological claims of Mormonism, Nibley's scholarship is largely ignored by the wider academic and scientific community because of his primary commitment to Mormon apologetics.''
The Early Christian Prayer Circle Hugh W. Nibley Provo, Utah: Maxwell InstituteThe views expressed in this article are the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Maxwell Institute, Brigham Young University, or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
''Martin Litchfield West (born 23 September 1937, London, England) is an internationally recognised scholar in classics, classical antiquity and philology. In 2002, upon his receipt of the Kenyon Medal for Classical Studies from the British Academy, he was called "the most brilliant and productive Greek scholar of his generation."[1] He is an Emeritus Fellow of All Souls College, University of Oxford.
He has written extensively on ancient Greek music, the relations between Greece and the ancient Near East, and the connexion between shamanism and early ancient Greek religion, including the Orphic tradition. This work stems from material in Akkadian, Phoenician, Hebrew, Hittite, and Ugaritic, as well as Greek and Latin. In addition to the Near-Eastern connection, he has recently written on the reconstitution of Indo-European culture and poetry, and its influence on Greece.
He has recently produced an edition of Homer's Iliad for Teubner, accompanied by a study of its critical tradition and overall philology, Studies in the Text and Transmission of the Iliad.''
The Gnostic Succotash: Orphic ceremonial bowl showing sixteen naked adepts, eight men and eight women, in a circle with their feet touching. ("The Sanctum of the Winged Serpent," Orphic bowl, 200-300 CE. In Joseph Campbell, Creative Mythology, p. 96.)
