Dialogue of the Saviour
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The Dialogue of the Saviour is one of the New Testament apocrypha texts that was found within the Nag Hammadi library of predominantly gnostic texts. Constructed primarily as a question-and-answer session between Jesus, Matthew, Mary, and Judas, the work is primarily concerned with the question of how salvation via gnosis—perfect knowledge.
The Dialogue of the Saviour teaches that the physical body and material world serve as prisons for the soul, which can only be enlightened by following a difficult path of renunciation, especially of the "works of woman." The work, however, is not misogynistic, and it presents Mary Magdalene as the one disciple who best understands Jesus' teaching. Rather, it seems to have in mind that sex itself must be avoided, in order to escape the cycle of birth-death-and-rebirth, and enter finally into the bliss of the "great vision" of the Eternal Existent.
The text is somewhat peculiarly constructed, containing and introduction and interludes which seemingly have been rather crudely edited into the dialog. Scholars believe this composite work is the creation of the mid-second century, although some believe the dialog itself may be have been composed as early as the late first century, perhaps even preceding New Testament writings such as the Gospel of John.
The text presupposes a basic understanding of gnostic cosmology and scholars believe it may have been intended as an instructional or inspirational text for candidates for initiation into an sect of Gnostic Christianity.
Text and date
The text was found within in a single Coptic codex, and is heavily damaged, resulting in numerous missing words, phrases, and sometimes entire passage. Enough of the text is intact, however, to discern its basic outline and teaching.
The surviving portions indicate that the general content is a dialogue with Jesus, in a similar manner to the Gospel of Thomas. However, most scholars who have studied the text believe it to be a composite work, consisting of the original dialog between Jesus, Matthew, Mary (Magdalene), and Judas (either Dydumus Judas Thomas or Judas Iscariot). A lengthy introduction appears to have been added to this, and other material as been inserted into the dialog, interrupting its flow.
Some writers, such as Helmut Koester and Elaine Pagels, hold the core of the work to be quite early, possibly as early as the first century and preceding the Gospel of John. Other consider it to have been written in the early to mid second century. The current text appears to have been copied in sometime in the third century. The Nag Hammadi texts as a whole were buried sometime in the fourth century, possibly as a result of an episcopal edict commanding their destruction. They were discovered by Arab peasants in Egypt digging for fertilizer in 1945.
The gnostic milieu
Central to many gnostic systems was a dualistic view of the universe, in which matter was seen as essentially evil and illusory while spirit is the only true reality. Christian gnostics emphasized spiritual knowledge and experience—rather than faith in Jesus' atoning death and the sacraments of the church—as the key to unity with the divine.
Salvation thus lies in attaining gnosis, the esoteric knowledge kept secret to all but the initiated. Other ideas believed by all or some gnostic groups, include: the spiritual (not physical) nature of Jesus' resurrection, and the femininity of the Holy Spirit or of a feminine aspect of the deity. Some gnostics practiced and ascetic discipline, as appears to be the case in the teachings of the Dialogue of the Savior.
The gnostic cosmology was a complex one, involving the idea that the physical universe was either an accidental creation of an unenlightened angelic power or the intentional creation of the Demiurge, thought to be either opposed to or unaware of the true God, who sent Jesus as a messenger to enlighten souls on earth to attain the knowledge necessary to escape entrapment. Many permutations of the gnostic vision are evident in the corpus of gnostic literature, much of which was only rediscovered in the library unearthed at Nag Hammadi in 1945.
Summary
Introduction
The text open with "the Savior" speaking to his disciples, in which he explains that the time has already come "for us to abandon our labor and stand at rest. For whoever stands at rest will rest forever." Anger in particular must not be aroused.
Those who know the Father are "the elect and solitary," who have believed the truth. In a manner reminiscent of the Lord's Prayer, the Savior instructs the disciples to pray:
Hear us, Father, just as you heard your only-begotten son, and received him, and gave him rest... You are the thinking and the entire serenity of the Solitary... Through your sacrifice, these [disciples] will enter; through their good works, these have saved their souls from these blind limbs [of the physical body], so that they might exist eternally. Amen.
The prayer is interpreted by some commentators as an precursor to an initiation, either baptism or the gnostic ceremony of the "bridal chamber," both of which are referred to later on in the text.
The Savior continues, teaching his disciples about "the time of dissolution" which is soon arrive, during which they must adhere to the truth and pass through the fearful "crossing place" with a "single mind." Unfortunately, the text here is badly damaged.
The diaolog
At this point, the dialog begins in earnest. Matthew, Mary, and Judas take turns asking Jesus questions, to which he responds with answers that appear extremely cryptic to modern readers unfamiliar with the gnostic cosmology presupposed by the text, which seems to be intended for catechumens—committed students preparing for intiation.
"The lamp of the body is the mind," Jesus says. "As long as the things inside you are set in order... your minds are luminous."
Judas asks to be told "what was before the heaven and the earth existed." The Lord replies, hearkening back to the story of Genesis, that "There was darkness and water, and spirit upon water." He continues in a more recognizably gnostic vein, although the text here is damaged: "When the Father established the cosmos... and his word came forth from it, and it inhabited many... a great fire encircling them like a wall... a great and powerful light... (which was) scattered... above and below." Judas is so enthralled by these words that, "he bowed down... and offered praise to the Lord."
Matthew requests "to see that place of life, where there is no wickedness, but rather, there is pure light!" Jesus replies that "you will not be able to see it as long as you are carrying flesh around." He explains that in the meantime, the highest calling is to know oneself: "Everyone who has known himself has seen it in everything given to him to do."
In response to a question from Judas, Jesus teaches that "Whoever does not know the work of perfection, knows nothing." Perfection here indicates perfect knowledge, gained from living in the physical body and material world, but coming ultimately to transcend them:
If one does not stand in the darkness, he will not be able to see the light. If one does not understand how fire came into existence, he will burn in it... If one does not first understand water, he knows nothing, for what use is there for him to be baptized in it? If one does not understand how blowing wind came into existence, he will blow away with it. If one does not understand how body, which he bears, came into existence, he will perish with it.
Interlude
At this point, the dialog is temporarily halted, as Matthew, Mary, and Judas are found at the "edge of heaven and earth," where they behold a fearful vision of "an exceedingly high place and the abyss below." Here, the "Son of Man" greets them and summarizes the gnostic cosmology:
"A seed from a power was deficient, and it went down to the abyss of the earth. And the Greatness remembered it, and he sent the Word to it. It brought it up into his presence, so that the First Word might not fail."
This teaching amazes them, and they accept it as a matter of faith. The disciples now behold two spirits bring a single soul in a great flash of lightening. The Son of Man commands that a special garment be given them, "and the small one became like the big one." He promises the disciples that they may see the "Eternal Existent," which he describes as "the great vision."
Judas complains that "the governors dwell above us, so it is they who will rule us," apparently referring to the gnostic concept of unenlightened aeons and principalities which stand between the believer and the "great vision." The Lord replies that "It is you who will rule over them! But when you rid yourselves of jealousy, then you will clothe yourselves in light and enter the bridal chamber." Judas asks how one the garments of the bridal chamber will be provided, and the Lord responds that they will indeed be given. However, he warns that "the garments of life were given to man because he knows the path by which he will leave. And it is difficult even for me to reach it!"
Here Mary enters the dialog not with a question but a comment relating the Lord's teaching to several well-known biblical phrases: "Thus with respect to 'the wickedness of each day,' and 'the laborer is worthy of his food,' and 'the disciple resembles his teacher.'" The narrator declares that, "She uttered this as a woman who had understood completely."
Conclusion
Jesus now hints more specifically at the difficult path by which one can escape being trapped in this evil world and obtain the garments of life. "Whatever is born of truth does not die," he explains. "Whatever is born of woman dies." This certainly refers to the gnostic idea that the physical body is the prison of the soul, but could also related to a doctrine found in some gnostic communities that the truly enlightened must refrain from sex and procreation.
Mary again speaks, not as questioner, but fellow teacher with the Lord: "There is but one saying I will speak to the Lord concerning the mystery of truth: 'In this have we taken our stand, and to the cosmic are we transparent.'"
She soon returns to the role of questioner, drawing the Lord out on another mystery. "Of what sort is that mustard seed?" she asks. "Is it something from heaven or is it something from earth?" Jesus replies: "When the Father established the cosmos for himself, he left much over from the Mother of the All. Therefore, he speaks and he acts."
Judas seeks clearer guidance: "How should we pray?" he asks. Jesus replies simply: "Pray in the place where there is no woman." Matthew explains to Judas that this means the same as "Destroy the works of womanhood." It it not, he explains, because there is any other manner of birth into this world, but "because they will cease giving birth." Judas agrees: "the works of womanhood will dissolve." (Here, it becomes more apparent that a doctrine of refraining from procreation is meant.)
Jesus confirms that the men finally have begun to understand. "Right... Now behold! A true Word is coming forth from the Father to the abyss, in silence with a flash of lightning, giving birth... It belongs to the Father and the Son, because they are both a single [...]. And you will go via the path which you have (now) known... But listen - I tell you that it is difficult even for me to reach it!"
The conclusion of the dialog's text, once again, is badly damaged. It ends with an admonition that these teachings have been given "so that you will not lead your spirits and your souls into error."
Analysis
The Dialog of the Savior, despite it cryptic nature and damaged text, proceeds rather logically along the lines of gnostic instruction. It begins with a call to discipleship based on attain the goal of "rest" through single-minded truth seeking. It then expands on this theme by having the Lord explain to the truth-seeks several of the key mysteries of gnosis. The body is composed of "blind members," anger must not be aroused, the ultimate truth cannot be perceived while still in the body. In the meantime, knowledge of oneself is the highest calling.
In the coming "dissolution," the soul must find its way based a fearful crossroads, caught between the heights and the abyss, but "The Greatness" has sent its seed, the Word, to enlighten those who seek it with a single mind and achieve the right to enter the bridal chamber. This is no easy path, however, even for the Lord himself, as it involves "destroying the works of womanhood," by adhering to an ascetic path of renunciation. Mary understands this teaching implicitly, and ultimately Judas and Matthew, too, come to know the path. Jesus concludes with a word of hope and warning: "A true Word is coming forth from the Father to the abyss, in silence with a flash of lightning, giving birth," and yet even for him the path to enlightenment is difficult to attain.
Importance
Since the Dialog of the Savior is not recognizably mentioned in the writings of the Church Fathers, it is difficult to assess its importance in the gnostic movement in terms of popularity. However, scholars believe it represents a significant early development in the history of gnostic literature, moving from a strictly "sayings"-based text to a more sophisticate genre involving dialog, visions, and a limited among of action.
Perhaps more important, it provides a glimpse into the spiritual life of new gnostic believers preparing for their initiation into the mystery of baptism and/or the bridal chamber. Despite the poor condition of the text, we are fortunate that it has been rediscovered. Further study is bound to reveal additional insights not only into the text itself, but its relationship to others and its place in both the gnostic and Christian traditions.
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