The Apocalypse of Adam
NHC V, 5
The following translation has been committed to the public domain and may be freely copied and used, changed or unchanged, for any purpose. It is based on the Coptic text of Nag Hammadi Codex I, 1. The Nag Hammadi texts were written in the fourth century, subsequently buried, and then rediscovered in 1945. This tractate narrates Adam passing on a revelation to his son Seth.
This translation from the Coptic is by Samuel Zinner and was edited by Mark M. Mattison with the generous support of Other Gospels.
Symbols
[ ] Gap in the text (known as a “lacuna”)
( ) Editorial insertion to clarify the text
< > Editorial correction of a scribal error
[64] Page number of the Coptic codex (hyperlinked)
Introduction
[64] The revelation in which Adam instructed his son Seth in the seven hundredth year; and he said: Pay heed to my words, my son Seth.
The Creation of Adam and Eve
After God had created me out of the ground together with your mother Eve, I walked around with her with a glory that she had viewed in the aeon from which we had come forth. She instructed me in a word of knowledge of the eternal God. We were like the huge eternal angels, because we were exalted above the god and the powers that accompany him who had created us, none of whom we knew.
Then God, ruler of the aeons and the powers, divided us in wrath. Then we became two aeons, and the glory inside our hearts forsook your mother Eve and me, together with the primal knowledge that had breathed inside us. And it fled from us, entering [another] great [aeon] and another great [generation]. [65] Not from this aeon, from which your mother Eve and I came forth, did knowledge [come forth]. It instead entered the seed of great aeons. This is why I myself have named you with the name of that man who is the seed of the great generation, or from its (origin). After those days, the eternal knowledge of the God of truth departed from your mother Eve and me. Afterwards, we learned about dead entities, like humans.
Then we recognized the god who had created us, because his powers were not alien to us, and we served him in fear and slavery. But after these things, we became dark inside our minds.
Adam’s Vision
I slept, however, in the thought of my mind, because I saw before me three men whose appearance I was unable to recognize, given that they did not originate from the powers of the god who had [created us]. They exceeded [. . .] glory, and [. . .] men [. . .], [66] saying to me: “Adam, rise up from the sleep of death, and hear concerning the aeon and the seed of that man to whom life has come, who originated from you and Eve, your wife.”
After hearing these things from the tall men standing before me, we moaned, Eve and I, in our minds. The Lord, the god who had created us, stood before us. He said to us: “Adam, why were you (two) moaning in your minds? Know you not that I am the god who created you, and that I breathed into you a spirit of life, in the form of a living soul?”
Then darkness came over our eyes. Then the god who had created us created a son from himself and [your] mother Eve [. . .]. [. . .] in the [. . .] [67] the thought [of procreation].
I knew a delightful lust for your mother. The power of our eternal knowledge was annihilated, and weakness pursued us. The days of our life, consequently, became few, because I knew I had fallen under the authority of death.
Noah (Deucalion) and the Flood
Now then, my son Seth, I shall reveal to you what those men I saw before me revealed at first to me. After I have completed the times of this generation, and [the] years of [the generation] have ended, then [will come Noah, a] servant [of the Lord, the god who created us …][1] [69] because rainstorms of the almighty [God] will be poured out in order to destroy all flesh from the earth because of what it seeks after, together with those of the seed of men to whom has passed the life of knowledge that originated from me and Eve, your mother, because they were alien to him. After that, huge angels will arrive on lofty clouds, who will bring those men into the place where the spirit of life abides [. . .].[70] [. . .] come from heaven to [earth]. Then the entire [multitude] of flesh will be abandoned to the [waters].
Then will God rest from his wrath. And he will throw his power on the waters, and [he will] empower his sons and [their wives] with the ark, together with the animals he had chosen and the birds of heaven he had called and had set free on the earth.
And God will say to Noah, whom the generations will call Deucalion: “Behold, I have protected <you> inside the ark together with your wife, your sons, their wives, and their animals and the birds [of heaven] you called [and set free on the earth . . .]. [71] I will therefore grant the [earth] to you and to your sons. Like kings you will rule over it, and you will not bring forth from yourselves seed of men who will stand in a different glory other than in my presence.”
Another Generation
Then they will become like a cloud of the great light.
Those men have been cast forth from the knowledge of the great aeons and of the angels. They will stand before Noah and the aeons, and God will say to Noah: ‘Why have you forsaken what I said to you, creating another generation in order to mock my power?’
Then will Noah say: “I will testify before the power of your arm that the generation of these men originated neither from me nor from [my] sons [. . .].”
[72] [. . .] knowledge, and he will [. . .] bring those men into the land that is theirs and will build for them a holy dwelling place, and they will be called by that name, and they will live there for six hundred years in knowledge of indestructability, and angels of the great light will abide with them. No wrong thought will be in their heart, but solely the knowledge of God.
Noah Divides the Earth
Then Noah will divide all the earth between his sons, Ham, Japheth, and Shem. He will say to them: “My sons, heed my words.Behold, I have divided the earth between you, but worship him in reverence and service all the days of your life. Do not allow your seed to forsake the face of the almighty God. […] I and your […].”
[73] [Shem] the son of Noah [will then say: “My] seed [will be] pleasing before you, and before your power. Seal it by your strong hand with reverence and commandment, so that all the seed that has issued from me will not be turned away from you and the almighty God, but will serve in humility and in reverence for its knowledge.”
The Four Hundred Thousand
Then others will come from the seed of Ham and Japheth, who will number four hundred thousand, even entering another land and sojourning there together with those who issued forth from the great eternal knowledge, because the shade of their power will protect those who will sojourn together with them from all evil things and from all filthy desires.
Then will the seed of Ham and Japheth establish twelve kingdoms, and their seed will mingle with the kingdom of another people. [Then . . .] will take counsel [. . .] aeons [. . .] [74] being dead [. . .] of the great aeons of indestructability. They will approach Sakla their god. They will enter in before the powers to accuse the great men with their glory.
They will say to Sakla: “What is the power of these men who stood before your presence, who were taken from among the seed of Ham and Japheth, even numbering four hundred <thousand>? They were received into a different aeon than the one from which they came, and they have overthrown the entire glory of your power and the rule of your hand, because the seed of Noah, through his son, has entirely fulfilled your will, as well as the will of every power in the aeons where your power rules, whereas those men and the sojourners in their glory have not fulfilled your will, but they have turned (away) all your host.”
Rescue from Fire
Then the god of the aeons will consign to them some from among those who serve [him . . .]. They will enter that land [75] where the great men will dwell, who have neither been defiled, nor who will be defiled by any lust, because their souls did not originate from a defiled power, but it issued from a great commandment of an eternal angel.
Fire, sulfur, and asphalt will then be thrown on those people, and fire and smoke will cover those aeons, and the eyes of the powers of the illuminators will be darkened, and in those days the aeons will not see by them, and great clouds of light will descend, and other clouds of light will alight on them from the great aeons Abrasax, Sablo, and Gamaliel, (who) will descend and bring out those men from the fire and the fury, and escort them above the aeons and the rulers of the powers, and [escort] them away [. . .] of life [. . .] and escort them [away . . .] the aeons [. . .] [76] dwelling-place of the great [. . .] there together with the holy angels and the aeons. The men will resemble those angels, because they are not alien to them, but they work with the indestructible seed.
The Illuminator of Knowledge in the Flesh
The illuminator of knowledge will for a third time once again pass by in great glory, so as to preserve some of the seed of Noah and the sons of Ham and Japheth, to preserve for himself fruit-bearing trees, and he will rescue their souls from the day of death, because the entire creation that came from the dead earth will languish under the authority of death. However, those who meditate on the knowledge of the eternal God inside their heart will not perish, because they have not received spirit solely from this kingdom, but they have received from an [. . .] eternal angel [. . .] illuminator [. . .] will come [. . . that is] dead [. . .] [77] of Seth, and he will perform signs and wonders so as to deride the powers and their ruler.
Then will the god of the powers be troubled, saying: “What is the power of this man who is exalted over us?”
Then will he provoke a great fury against that man, and the glory will leave and abide in holy houses it has chosen for itself, and the powers will not see it with their eyes, nor will they see the illuminator.
Then will they punish the flesh of the man on whom the holy Spirit has alighted.
Then will the angels and every generation of the powers use the name incorrectly, asking: “Where did (the mistake) originate?” or: “Where did the deceitful words, which every power has failed to discern, originate?”
The Oracles of the Kingdoms
Now, the first kingdom[2] [says about him that] he originated [from . . .]. [78] A spirit [. . .] up to heaven; he was nourished in the heavens, receiving that one’s glory and power. He came to his mother’s bosom, and thus he arrived at the water.
The second kingdom, however, says about him that he originated from a great prophet, and that a bird came, took the child who had been born, even bringing him onto a high mountain, and he was nourished by the bird of heaven. From there came an angel, who said to him: “Arise! God has granted you glory.” He received glory and strength, and thus he arrived at the water.
The third kingdom says about him that he originated from a virgin womb. He was thrown out of his city, he and his mother. He was brought to a place in the desert; there was he nourished. He came, even receiving glory and power, and thus he arrived at the water.
[The fourth] kingdom says [about him that] he originated [from a virgin . . .]. [Solomon] [79] [sought] her, together with Phersalo and Sauel and his armies that had been dispatched. Solomon himself dispatched his army of demons to look for the virgin. They found not the one they sought, but the virgin who (instead) was given to them. They brought her; Solomon took her. The virgin became pregnant and there delivered the child. She nourished him on a boundary of the desert. When he had been nourished, he received glory and power from the seed from which he had been begotten, and thus he arrived at the water.
The fifth kingdom, however, says about him that he originated from a droplet of heaven. He was thrown into the sea; the abyss received him, giving birth to him, even taking him up (to heaven). He received glory and power, and thus he arrived at the water.
The sixth kingdom, however, [says] that a [. . . descended] to the lower aeon [80], so as to [gather] flowers. She became pregnant from (her) desire for the flowers. She gave birth to him in that place. The angels of the garden of flowers nourished him. There he received glory and power, and thus he arrived at the water.
The seventh kingdom, however, says about him that he is a droplet that came from heaven (and descended) to earth. Dragons brought him down to caves; he became a child. A spirit alighted on him and brought him on high to the place the droplet had originated. There he received glory and power, and thus he arrived at the water.
The eighth kingdom, however, says about him that a cloud went over the earth and surrounded a rock, from which he originated, the angels above the cloud nourishing him. There he [received] glory and power, and [thus he] arrived at [the water].
[81] The ninth kingdom, however, says about him that one among the nine muses separated herself, going away. She came to a high mountain and, seated there, passed time, so that she desired only herself, in order to become androgynous. She fulfilled her desire, even becoming pregnant from her desire; he was born. The angels over desire nourished him, and there he received glory and power, and thus he arrived at the water.
The tenth kingdom says about him that his god loved a cloud of desire. He begot him with his hand, even ejaculating from the droplet onto the cloud near him, and he was born. There he received glory and power, and thus he arrived at the water.
The eleventh kingdom, however, says about him that the father desired his [own] daughter; she herself becoming pregnant [from] her father. She threw [. . .] tomb out into the desert. [82] There the angel nourished him, and thus he arrived at the water.
The twelfth kingdom says about him that he originated from two illuminators. There they nourished him, he receiving glory and power, and thus he arrived at the water.
The thirteenth kingdom, however, says about him that each birth from their ruler is a Logos, and there this Logos received a command, receiving glory and power, and thus he arrived at the water, so that the desire of those powers could be fulfilled.
The generation without a king, however, says that God chose him over all the aeons, causing knowledge of the undefiled True One to exist [inside] him. He said that [from] an alien atmosphere, [from a] great aeon, originated the [great] illuminator, and that [he] [83] caused the generation of those men he chose for himself to shine, so that they would shine on the entire aeon.[3]
The Seed of Seth Vindicated
Then the seed, those who will receive his name on the water, and of all of them, will battle against the power, and a cloud of darkness will come over them.
Then will people shout with a great voice, saying: “Blessed is the soul of those men, because they have known God with a true knowledge. They will live for ever and ever together with the angels, because they were not corrupted by their desire, nor have they committed the works of the powers. They, instead, have stood in front of him in a knowledge of God that resembles light that has issued forth from fire and blood.
“We, however, have foolishly committed all the works of the powers. We have bragged about the transgression of [all] our works. We have [shouted] against [the God] of [truth], because all his works [. . .] [84] is eternal, being against our spirits, because we now realize our souls certainly will die.”
A voice then came to them,[4] Micheus, Michar, and Mnesinous, who are over the holy baptism and the living water, saying: “Why were you shouting against the living God with lawless voices and tongues not ruled by law and with souls full of blood and unclean [works]? You are full of false works, but your ways are full of mirth and laughter. You have polluted the water of life, even drawing it to the will of the powers, to whom you have been consigned to slave for them.
Your thought does not resemble that of those men you persecute [. . .] desire [. . .], [85] whose fruit does not wither, but who will be recognized up to the great aeons, because the words of the God of the aeons that they have observed were not consigned to a book, nor were they written.
“Those, however, who are angelic, whom none of the generations of men will know, will bring them, because they will be (deposited) on a high mountain, on a crag of truth. They will therefore be called the words of indestructability [and] of truth for those who forever know the eternal God in wisdom of knowledge and of the teaching of the angels, because he knows everything.”
Conclusion
These are the revelations that Adam made known to his son Seth, and his son instructed his seed in them.
This is the hidden knowledge of Adam that he bequeathed to Seth, being the holy baptism of those who know the eternal knowledge, through the Logos-born and the indestructible illuminators, who originated from the holy seed, Yesseus Mazareus [Yesse]dekeus, [the living] water.
The Apocalypse of Adam
Notes
[1] Page 68 is blank.
[2] “Kingdom,” mntrro, but a kingdom speaks through its king, rro. Consequently, “kingdom” here is a personified entity that symbolizes or stands for the king. This interpretation is supported by 82.19-20’s mention of a “king” immediately after the oracles of the 13 kingdoms are concluded. Therefore, “the first kingdom says” is a poetic way of saying “the first king says.”
[3] This last paragraph comprises a fourteenth oracle, in this instance, not by a king/kingdom, but by a “generation,” which is personified like the thirteen kingdoms. “He said,” that is, the personified kingless generation.
[4] The message is not directed at the three angels, but to wicked humans. The three angels are made to overhear the message.