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The Gospel of Philip is one of the texts of the New Testament Apocrypha . In a similar manner to the Gospel Of Thomas , it is a ''sayings gospel'', a collection of wise sayings, purportedly of Jesus . Sacraments , in particular the sacrament of marriage, are a major theme. The text is perhaps most famous as a very early source for the idea that Jesus married Mary Magdalene . The text's misleading title is modern; the only connection with Philip The Apostle is that he is the only apostle mentioned (at 73,8). The text makes no claim to be from Philip. HISTORY AND CONTEXT A single manuscript of the ''Gospel of Philip'', in Coptic , was found in the Nag Hammadi Library , a cache of documents that was secreted in a jar and buried in the Egyptian desert at the end of the 4th century, when Gnostic writings and pagan ones were being burned by the official church. Among the mix of aphorisms, Parable s, brief Polemic s, narrative dialogue, biblical exegesis (especially of '' Genesis ''), and dogmatic propositions, Wesley Isenberg has enumerated seventeen sayings (''logia'') attributed to Jesus, nine of which are citations and interpretations of Jesus' words already found in the canonical gospels (55,33-34; 57,3-5; 68,8-12; 68,26-27; 72,33-73,1; 77,18; 83,11-13; 84,7-9; 85,29-31). The new sayings (55,37-56,3; 58,10-14; 59,25-27; 63,29-30; 64,2-9; 64,10-12; 67,30-35; and 74,25-27), "identified by the formula introducing them ('he said', 'the Lord said', or 'the Savior said') are brief and enigmatic and are best interpreted from a gnostic perspective," Isenberg has written in his Introduction to the text (see link). ''Philip'' emphasizes the sacramental nature of the embrace between man and woman in the nuptial chamber. Many of the sayings are identifiably Gnostic , and often appear quite mysterious and enigmatic:
One in particular appears to identify the levels of initiation in gnosticism, although what exactly the ''bridal chamber'' represented in gnostic thought is currently a matter of great debate. The Lord did everything in a mystery, a baptism and a chrism and a eucharist and a redemption and a bridal chamber. Another interpretation of the Gospel of Philip finds Jesus as the central focus of the text. This view is supported by renowned Gnostic scholar, Marvin W. Meyer. Evidence for this belief can be found in the following selection of quotations from the gospel:
Thus, according to Meyer, it is clear: without Jesus, the rituals and mysteries mentioned within this gospel would have no context. Furthermore, this text seems to follow the beliefs of the Valentinian Christian sect, a group that worshipped the Gnostic Christ, and is often linked to Valentinius' self-written gospel, the Gospel Of Truth . Mary Magdalene The Gospel of Philip has been cited for the idea that Jesus married Mary Magdalene (for example, see '' The Da Vinci Code ''). Much of the Gospel of Philip is dedicated to a discussion of marriage as a sacred mystery, and two passages directly refer to Mary Magdalene and her close relationship with Jesus: There were three who always walked with the Lord: Mary, his mother, and her sister, and Magdalene, the one who was called his companion. His sister and his mother and his companion were each a Mary. That passage is also interesting for its suggestion that Jesus had a sister, although the text is confusing on that point: she appears to be described first as the Virgin Mary's sister, then as the sister of Jesus, although this may be a translation problem. The other passage referencing Mary Magdalene is incomplete due to damage to the original manuscript, but it appears to describe Jesus kissing Magdalene and using a parable to explain to the disciples why he loved her more than he loved them: And the companion of the Mary Magdalene. [... more than the disciples, [... kiss her on her [... . The rest of the disciples [...]. They said to him "Why do you love her more than all of us?" The Savior answered and said to them, "Why do I not love you like her? When a blind man and one who sees are both together in darkness, they are no different from one another. When the light comes, then he who sees will see the light, and he who is blind will remain in darkness. CRITICISMS The ''Gospel of Philip'' is a text that reveals some connections with Early Christian writings of the Gnostic traditions. It is a series of ''logia'' or pithy Aphoristic utterances, most of them apparently quotations and excerpts of lost writings, without any attempt at a narrative context. The main theme concerns the value of Sacrament s. Scholars debate whether the original language was Syriac or Greek . James Robinson, the text's translator, places the date in the 2nd half of the 3rd century and places its origin in Syria due to the traces of Syriac words, eastern baptismal practices and the ascetic outlook. The on-line Early Christian Writings site gives it a date ''ca'' 180 – 250 {Link without Title} A second or third century dates is the range given in ''The Ancient Mysteries: A Sourcebook'', Marvin W.Meyer editor, 1987 p. 235. The text has been interpreted by Wesley W. Isenberg (''The Nag Hammadi Library in English'', p. 141) as a Christian Gnostic sacramental -style fantasy of a type not uncommon among Christian apocryphal literature of the third and fourth centuries." EXTERNAL LINKS
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