Apocryphon of James
The Apocryphon of James, also known by the translation of its title - the Secret Book of James, is a pseudonymous text among the New Testament apocrypha. It describes the secret teachings of Jesus to Peter and James, given after the Resurrection but before the Ascension.
Unknown to church historians until its discovery at Nag Hammadi in the mid twentieth century, the Apocryphon of James an early example of the gnostic tradition in which the risen Jesus delivers secret teachings a select disciple or group of disciples. It takes the form of a letter from James, called elsewhere the brother of Jesus, to an unnamed reader.
The letter touches on some familiar Christian themes, but emphasizes gnostic concepts such as the body as type of prison for the soul, salvation through knowledge (gnosis) as well as faith, and being "full" rather than diminishing in knowledge. A distinctive characteristic of the work is that Jesus urges his disciples to become even better than he is. It also looks to future generations as going beyond the spiritual achievements of James and the other disciples. Unlike some gnostic works, it emphasizes the importance of Jesus' actual death through the crucifixion, and it strongly urges the disciples to follow his example of enduring persecution and death, rather than avoiding these sufferings. After the revelation is complete, James sends the other apostles to various locations and returns to Jerusalem.
Origin
None of the Church Fathers seems to mention the Apocyphon of James in their writings, implying that it was had not achieved wide circulation and popularity. This may be explained by the fact that its system of gnostic thought is not highly developed, and other gnostic writings may have replaced it by the time orthodox writers began their work of criticizing well known heretical writings.
The text survives in a single, damaged manuscript as the second section of the Jung Codex, the first of the 13 codices in the Nag Hammadi library. Although the text appears to be a Coptic translation from Greek, the author claims to have written in Hebrew.
Because of its emphasis on the essential need to endure persecution and martyrdom, it is unlikely that the text was written after 313, when Constantine I ended the persecution of Christians. Other clues in the text point to a composition in the second century. It is normally dated to the years 100-150 C.E.
Content
The text of "Secret James," as the book is known for short, is framed as an epistle from James to someone else whose name is obscured by the damage to the text. It refers to a previous such letter, saying "I sent you ten months ago another secret book which the Savior revealed to me."
The author describes Jesus answering the disciples questions when he appears to them 550 days after the Resurrection, but before the his final Ascension. Both James and Peter are given the secret instruction, but at the end only James appears to understand what has happened. There is little "action" in the book, as it consists almost exclusively of dialog.
Jesus gives teachings in unusual and sometimes contradictory phrases, and also offers brief parables. Peter has a hard time with this, asking, "Sometimes you urge us on to the Kingdom of After the dialog ends, James sends out the 12 apostles and returns to Jerusalem, indicating that it is he, not Peter, who Jesus as the leader of the movement.
The early verses of the letter strongly emphasize such concepts as "fullness" and not diminishing. " I say unto you, become full, in order that you may not be diminished," Jesus says. "Those who are diminished, however, will not be saved." Also used in Paul's letters, the idea of fullness (pleroma) became a common theme in later Gnostic literature.
Relation to other texts
To many scholars, the flavor of the sayings appears somewhat gnostic in tone, primarily because its doctrines do not accord with orthodox interpretation of canonical scripture. The manuscript was also found among explicit gnostic teachings in the Nag Hamadi Library. The text also uses gnostic terms, such as referring to "fullness" as a means to salvation, but the doctrines in the Apocryphon of John certainly do not accord with the Valentinian or other developed gnostic cosmologies, so it is not usually counted as a truly gnostic text.
Many of the sayings appear to be shared with the canonical Gospels, and the text includes this reference to other sayings: "It sufficed for some persons to pay attention to the teaching and understand 'The Shepherds' and 'The Seed' and 'The Building' and 'The Lamps of the Virgins' and 'The Wage of the Workers' and 'The Double Drachma' and 'The Woman'." The references to salvation through "the cross" seem to imply familiarity with Paul's letters, or at least his teachings. But its introduction says, "And five hundred and fifty days after he arose from the dead, we said to him: ...," which is considerably longer than the forty days which Luke's Acts of the Apostles gives for the Ascension. Some have felt that this implies that the relationship of the Apocryphon of James with the canon is through oral tradition, and that the community which wrote it rejected or else did not know Luke-Acts. (On the other hand, Irenaeus in Against Heresies gave a time span of eighteen months, and Irenaeus was certainly familiar with the work.) Some scholars posit that the earliest version of the Apocryphon was independent of the canonical gospels, but that an unknown redactor knew of and referenced canonical works in the known edition.
Notable quotations
I sent you ten months ago another secret book with the Savior revealed to me.
five hundred and fifty days after he arose from the dead, we said to him: "Have you gone and departed from us?"
And Jesus said: "No, but I shall go to the place from which I have come. If you desire to come with me, come."
no one ever will enter the Kingdom of Heaven if I bid him, but rather because you yourselves are full.
I say unto you, become full, in order that you may not be diminished. Those who are diminished, however, will not be saved.
I say that he will love you and will make you equal with me and will consider that you have become beloved through his providence according to your free choice. Will you not cease, then, being lovers of the flesh and being afraid of sufferings?
you have not yet been mistreated and have not yet been accused unjustly, nor have you yet been shut up in prison, nor have you yet been condemned lawlessly, nor have you yet been crucified without reason, nor have you yet been buried shamefully, as was I myself, by the evil one?
Scorn death, therefore, and take concern for life. Remember my cross and my death and you will live.
none will be saved unless they believe in my cross. But those who have believed in my cross, theirs is the Kingdom of God.
In truth I say to you, none of those who are afraid of death will be saved.
For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who have put themselves to death.
Become better than I; make yourselves like the son of the Holy
Spirit."
"Do you not know that the head of prophecy was cut off with John?"
"Be zealous to be saved without being urged. Rather, be ready on your own and, if possible, go before me. For thus the Father will love you.
understand 'The Shepherds' and 'The Seed' and 'The Building' and 'The Lamps of the Virgins' and 'The Wage of the Workers' and 'The Double Drachma' and 'The Woman'.
it is also possible for you all to receive the Kingdom of Heaven: unless you receive it through knowledge, you will not be able to find it.
Understand what the great light is. The Father does not need me. For a father does not need a son, but it is the son who needs the father.
Pay attention to the Word. Understand Knowledge.
Implore God often, and he will give to you. Blessed is the one who has seen you with him when he is proclaimed among the angels and glorified among the saints.
Truly I say to you, the Father will not forgive the sin of the soul at all, nor the guilt of the flesh. For none of those who have worn the flesh will be saved.
Do not become arrogant on account of the light which illumines. Rather, become to yourselves in this manner, as I am to you. For I have placed myself under the curse, in order that you may be saved
Peter answered to this and said: "Sometimes you urge us on to the Kingdom of Heaven, and other times you turn us away, Lord. Sometimes you persuade us and impel us to faith and promise us life, and other times you expel us from the Kingdom of Heaven."
And are you distressed when you are taught about the Kingdom? But you through faith and knowledge have received life. Therefore, scorn rejection when you hear it, but, when you hear the promise, be the more glad.
the one who will receive life and believe in the Kingdom will never leave it - not even if the Father desires to banish him!
I, not desiring to entice them to scandal, sent each one to another place. But I myself went up to Jerusalem, praying that I may obtain a portion with the beloved who are to be revealed.
I pray that the beginning may come from you, for thus I can be saved. Because they will be enlightened through me, through my faith and through another's which is better than mine, for I desire that mine become the lesser.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Online Translation of the Apocryphon of James
- Miller, Robert J., The Complete Gospels, pp. 332-342. Polebridge Press, 1992. ISBN 0-944344-49-6
- Secret Gospels
- Williams, Francis E., "The Apocryphon of James (Introduction and Translation)," from The Nag Hammadi Library, James M. Robinson (ed.), p. 29
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