According to Rumi, one's words should pass through three gates: 1. Is it true? 2. Is it necessary? 3. Is it kind?
Apocryphon of John contains one of the most complete and detailed narrations of a gnostic cosmogony, explaining how the invisible and visible realms emanated from the original monad in a highly sophisticated narrative. The tractate takes the form of the popular "apocryphal acts of the apostles," after the Greek "romances", pseudepigrapha attributed to the disciple John,... Continue Reading →
Enoch: Culture Hero, Antediluvian Authority, Divine Man The collection of texts called 1 Enoch currently comprises five books, themselves largely composited of earlier source texts by various authors, often resulting in some level of narrative tension. Chapters 72-82, the Astronomical Book (henceforth AB), is the oldest section, composed in the third century BCE. Chapters 1-36,... Continue Reading →
The following suffers from parameters of subject, style and brevity (plus the general fumbling around in the dark that is the learning experience). It connects the "sons of God" from Genesis 6 who had some mysterious relationship with the "daughters of men" to interesting apocryphal literature, including the books about Enoch. This paper explores relationships... Continue Reading →
Pass Three Gates 