Nag Hammadi Codex VII (review)

Codex VII of the Coptic Nag Hammadi Library contains five interesting tractates: 1) The Paraphrase of Shem (= Paraph. Shem), 2) Second Treatise of the Great Seth (= Treat. Seth), 3) Apocalypse of Peter (= Apoc. Pet.), 4) The Teachings of Silvanus (= Teach. Silv.), and 5) The Three Steles of Seth (= Steles Seth).

The most helpful feature of this work is the presentation of the original Coptic text facing its translation of each tractate, accompanied by helpful annotations, as in the case of the Loeb Classical Library series of Greek and Latin works. Brief but helpful introductions and select bibliographies accompany each tractate. Indices of Coptic words, Greek words and proper names are included at the end of the volume.

In the case of Paraph. Shem and Treat. Seth, the same scholars (Frederick Wisse and Gregory Riley respectively) wrote both the introductions to the tractates and produced the translations. Work on the other tractates were the result of collaboration among a number of scholars (Michel Desjardins, James Brashler, Malcolm Peel, the late Jan Zandee, James E. Goehring, and James M. Robinson).

Codex VII is the best preserved of the dozen codices found at Nag Hammadi. Pearson’s statement that the codex was produced in a Pachomian monastery (1) seems plausible as the discovery site was near Pachomius’ monasteries at Chenoboskia and Pabau. But John Shelton in the final report on the papyri concluded that the monks of the letters found in the cartonnage were not Pachomian monks. ¹

In a seminal article in 1970 by Wisse the Paraph. Shem was first hailed as presenting a gnostic non-Christian redeemer myth such as presupposed by Rudolf Bultmann. ² While acknowledging that other scholars have detected Christian allusions in the tractate, Wisse still prefers to dismiss such traces as ambiguous. It is his view that the striking polemic against was not necessarily directed against Christian orthodoxy. In a brief note (107) Wisse acknowledges that M. Roberge, four of whose studies are cited in his bibliography, believes that there is a reference to the crucifixion of Christ in the use of the Greek word πησσω (107). It is a bit ironic that Roberge, who believes pace Wisse, that the Paraph. Shem is a Gnostic polemic against Christian orthodoxy, provided the introduction to Wisse’s translation of the Paraph. Shem in the third revised edition of The Nag Hammadi Library, ed. James M. Robinson (San Francisco: HarperSan Francisco, 1988), 339–41.

The Treat. Seth is a Christian gnostic homily delivered by the ascended Christ to encourage gnostics in the face of persecution from orthodox Christians. This tractate together with the following treatise, Apoc. Peter, resemble the docetic view of Christ’s crucifixion ascribed by Irenaeus and Epiphanius to Basilides. The Savior laughs as he did “not die in solid reality” but another took his place. In opposition to Paul’s teaching in Romans 6, the tractate claims “it is slavery that we should die with Christ” (149).

The Apoc. Peter is Jesus’ revelation to peter that the one who was crucified is a substitute, whereas the living Jesus, released from his body, hovers above the cross, laughing at the spectacle. A polemic against bishops and deacons, denounces them as “dry canals” (230).

The Teach. Silv. is one of the rare non-Gnostic texts in the Nag Hammadi Library. Similar to the Sentences of Sextus (NHC XII, 1), it is a collection of pithy sayings which reflect biblical, Jewish, Stoic and Middle Platonic traditions. Peel notes that the tractate betrays the influence of Clement and Origen. One striking sentence is “Do not become a sausage (made) of many things which are useless” (88, 18–19).

The Steles Seth purports to be a revelation to Dositheos, which is the same name as that of the Samaritan teacher of Simon Magus. It resembles Neoplatonism in its triple revelation of the Self-Begotten, the male virginal Barbelo, and the Unbegotten. According to Goehring, it is “one of the few examples of Gnostic literature of a document that functioned with...