Sermon 11 – Philip 9

Sermon 11 – Philip 9 Verses 81-101 This week we will review a large section of Philip that concerns itself with the Baptism, Anointing, and the Resurrection in the Bridal Chamber, with some background that looks into primordial first causes. We will discuss the many appearances and interpretations of the word “body”, and we will look at the expression “blissful calm”. Verse 81 exposes the subject with a reflection on Jesus’s impact on John the Baptist’s ministry on the River Jordan: “81. On the bank of Jordan, Jesus revealed (to John the Baptist) the Primordial Consciousness of theKingdom of Heaven, Which was before the beginning of everything. Later He appeared (to John) again. Then He manifested Himself as a Son (of the Heavenly Father). Then He was blessed (by God-the-Father to serve people). Then He was taken by the Father (from this world). Then He began to take (to God-the-Father).” As usual there is a slightly higher level of clarity in the Isenburg translation: “81. Jesus appeared [in his glory in the baptism in the] Jordan - the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven. He who was begotten before everything, was begotten anew. He who was once anointed, was anointed anew. He who was redeemed, in turn redeemed (others).” The theme of the proselyte and the Son is once more reprised in these two simple sentences:  “He who was once anointed, was anointed anew. He who was redeemed, in turn redeemed (others).” With the image of the River Jordan in mind, it is not difficult to interpret the Baptism of Jesus, by John, as a “new begetting”. The expression “begotten anew” seems to point to the ceaseless cyclical repetition of events in the material AND heavenly realms, as events unfold in the mind and memory of God. Thus, a unity of everything (the pleroma) is catalyzed, as an ACT, in the Bridal Chamber. By this I mean that the connection between Earth and Heaven is forged by a physical action—virtuous activity creates a link between the terrestrial man and the Divine Man. Below we will encounter the expressions, “the act of meditation and the object of meditation merge into oneness”, and “, from THE ACT OF ANOINTING COMES THE RESURRECTION.” As we have expected from the outset of our review of Philip, there is a great deal here about the ceremonial aspects of an acquired enlightenment—enlightenment acquired through the performance of ceremonial acts. Going on, we discover a meditation on the transformation of the physical body, into a spiritual body, in the Bridal Chamber: “82. Since it is allowed to me to reveal this mystery, I say: the Father of everything united (in the Bridal Chamber) with the Bride Who afterwards came down (to crucified Jesus), and the Light illuminated Him then. And He (leaving that place) came to the Great Bridal Chamber. Therefore, His body, which appeared in the next days, came out from the Bridal Chamber. This body was similar to a body born from a unity of husband and wife (i.e. similar to a usually born body). Jesus made in it (in His new body) everything similar to the image (of a usual body). It is necessary that each disciple enter the Chamber of the Father.” We have discussed several times the different ways the word “body” can be interpreted. As usual, with Philip, the existence of a higher and a lower body, or an old body and a new body, is suggested. Going on, we return to the old gag of the feminine Holy Spirit begetting in the womb a feminine virgin. This is just a joke, to be sure, but, as Antonov has suggested, these humorous jibes are purposeful, in that they make the reader think a bit about first causes. “83. Adam came into being from two virgins: from the (Holy) Spirit and from the uninhabited Earth. Therefore, Christ was born from (only) one virgin to rectify the mistake which occurred in the beginning.” The two-virgin problem makes me wonder about this sentence: “Christ was born from (only) one virgin to rectify the mistake which occurred in the beginning.” I wonder Who is referred to as the ONE virgin: Mary or the Holy Spirit? Antonov’s Commentary suggests that the idea of Adam coming from two virgins is merely another of Philip’s humorous ironies, but Isenburg’s Translation develops the virgin concept a little more allegorically, a little more meaningfully: “82. Indeed, one must utter a mystery. The Father of everything united with the virgin who came down, and a fire shone for him on that day. He appeared in the great bridal chamber. Therefore his body came into being on that very day. It left the bridal chamber as one who came into being from the bridegroom and the bride. So Jesus established everything in it through these. It is fitting for each of the disciples to enter into his rest.  83 Adam came into being from two virgins, from the Spirit and from the virgin earth. Christ therefore, was born from a virgin to rectify the Fall which occurred in the beginning.”  What follows is another parable. This section reprises the idea Philip has proposed, many times, that life in the original Garden of Eden was an animal-like existence. Adam ate from the tree and vine just like animals, thus producing animal offspring; the last line of the verse mentions that God created Men –this without actually naming the OTHER tree –the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil: “84. There are two trees in the midst of paradise. From one of them originate animals, from another — men. Adam ate of the tree which originates animals. He became an animal and then brought forth animals. Therefore at present, animals like Adam are held in respect. So, the tree of which Adam ate a fruit is the tree of animals. This is why his children became so numerous. And all of them also ate the fruits of the tree of animals. As a result, the fruits of the tree of animals begot numerous people-animals who now honor only man-animal. But God creates Men. (And these) Men create God.” Of extreme interest is the line, “But God creates Men. (And these) Men create God.” We have often heard the cynical remark that “God was created in Man’s image”, meaning that God is an imaginary invention of Human Beings unable to handle the big philosophical questions of life, like morality and death. That is certainly not the case here. In this case, it is the flow back and forth from the Mundane to the Divine that is referred to, and Men creating God is the action of Men BECOMING God, RETURNING to God. Antonov’s Commentary: “The most part of this fragment is irony, this time — bitter. Such a mood of Phillip is especially understandable because of the recent killing of Man-Christ by people-animals. But the last paragraph in the end of the parable deserved to be analyzed seriously. From God-the-Father Men-Christs come. They hasten the evolution of individual consciousnesses on the Earth, and by this They contribute to fast arrival of the high quality “Food” into God-the-Father.” The next verse is clearly another slam against the Roman polytheistic culture—and, again, the author(s) does it through the use of sarcasm. “85. Worldly people also create “gods” and worship their creations. So let these “gods” worship these people— it will be just!” The irony of this passage is somewhat obscured by Antonov’s language. Isenburg translates the last sentence as simply: “It would be fitting for the gods to worship men!”  Antonov’s Commentary: “This is irony about pagans inventing gods for themselves. So let the invented “gods” look after these people!” Going on with Philip, the author(s) ponder once again the qualitative distinction between the activity of Earthly Men and Divine Men: “86. The deeds of man result from man’s power. Therefore, they are regarded as efforts. But man also begets children, which are conceived in calm. The power of man is manifested in deeds, and calm —in children. You may find that man is similar to God in this respect. Because God also performs His deeds (in the Creation) thanks to His Power, but it is in Calm that He begets His Children.” Antonov’s Commentary: “The sexual function can be realized fully only in the deep calm of both partners. Therefore, Philip speaks about children as about the result of the calm of people. The state of God-the-Father in the Bridal Chamber is the deepest tender Calm. His Sons and Daughters come from It.” I have put off commenting on the use of the word “calm”, even though it has been used, significantly, in a previous section. Verse 63 includes this statement: “While we live in this world, it is necessary for us to acquire the Resurrection, so that when we strip off the flesh, we may be found in Calm, but not walk outside.” Verse 87 goes on to state: “87. In this world, the slaves serve the free, but in the other world, the free will serve these slaves. However, the Sons of the Bridal Chamber will serve the sons of earthly marriages. The Sons of the Bridal Chamber have one and the same name. Calm is Their common estate. And They are in need of nothing.” Antonov’s Commentary expands: “In this fragment there are three profound themes connected together by the common literal “pattern”. In the first part, there is a theme about the predetermination of the future destiny according to our present behavior. Thus, haughtiness, arrogance, violent attitude, cruelty — disgusting manifestations of the hypertrophied “I” in some people— will be destroyed in them by God through placing these people in the situation of slaves subjected to power of similar to them people-animals. If such vicious people do not want to struggle with their vices voluntarily, God will have to destroy these vices in them using other disgusting people. But the Holy Spirits gladly bring Their Love to people, serving them. All Who have settled in the eon of God-the-Father and merged with Him are the Father. They have attained everything possible to attain in the universe. And They exist in the blissful highest Calm.” From Quotations on: Shamatha - Calm Abiding we read: “Calm abiding is a powerful tool to be used in the service of enhancing the force of the wisdom realizing the emptiness of inherent existence so that it can overcome intellectually acquired and innate conceptions of inherent existence. The aim is to undo the ideational process behind afflictive emotions and then to remove even the appearance of inherent existence that prevents the attainment of the Christ Consciousness. The details of the process of achieving calm abiding yield a picture of how the human condition is viewed in these traditions. Humans are trapped in a situation of repeated suffering not just by false assent to the seeming solidity of objects but also by a mind that is so mired in the extremes of either being too loose or too tight that attempts at correction push the mind between these two extremes. Also, the very structure of the ordinary mind prevents manifestation of certain chronic psychic problems, such that when this structure is disturbed by attempting to focus it and develop powers of concentration, deeply seated problems appear with greater force and others newly manifest. Also, the mere fact that mindfulness and introspection need to be developed means that even though at present we have small versions of these, we have little idea of their potential--we are in a state of deprivation, sometimes arrogantly convinced of our wholeness and sometimes disparagingly reluctant to take cognizance of our potential.” From Ask-Angels.com we read: “As you let your mind become calm and you shift your awareness within, you are able to tune into your oneness and interconnectedness with everything, with God, Source, the Universe, All That Is. Recognize that you are not separate, you are one. Separation is illusion. Oneness is truth. Love is the foundation. And thereby, returning to the perspective and awareness of love, you transcend illusion, you release the layers, the clouds and the chaos created by remaining solely in illusion. And you witness the underlying strength, beauty and peace of being in alignment with your oneness with God, with love, with the universe, with everything. The illusion of the physical is persistent. The duality created by the mind is strong. The events and hardships and challenges of life pull you back into the illusion which feels real, which looks real, but is not the highest truth from which you are able to view your experience. The highest truth is oneness with God, with Creative Source, with Love. And you are able to always experience this, and it changes everything. It changes your perception, it changes how you feel. It changes how you view yourself, how you relate to others, and it changes what manifests and unfolds in your life.” From Wikipedia we read: “Samadhi (Sanskrit: समाधि, Hindi pronunciation: [səˈmaːd̪ʱi]), also called samāpatti, in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools refers to a state of meditative consciousness. It is a meditative absorption or trance, attained by the practice of dhyāna. In samādhi the mind becomes still. It is a state of being totally aware of the present moment; a one-pointedness of mind. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yoga tradition, it is the eighth and final limb identified in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Various interpretations for the term's etymology are possible: sam, "together"; a, "toward"; stem of dadhati, "puts, places": "a putting or joining together;" sam, "together" or "integrated"; ā, "towards"; dhā, "to get, to hold": "to acquire integration or wholeness, or truth" (samāpatti); sam, "uniformly" or "fully"; adhi, "to get established: : a state wherein one establishes himself to the fullest extent in the Supreme consciousness; samā, "even"; dhi, "intellect": a state of total equilibrium of a detached intellect. sam, "perfect," "complete." dhi, "consciousness": a state of being where "all distinctions between the person who is the subjective meditator, the act of meditation and the object of meditation merge into oneness." Clearly Cosmic Calm is a vast subject, and deserves its own sermon. For now we will hold that thought in reserve and go back to Philip who returns to the subject of death and resurrection: “90. Those who say that they will die first and then rise are in error. If they do not receive the Resurrection while being incarnate, they will receive nothing after leaving their bodies. It is the same with baptism: it is significant only if it is received by the incarnate.” Antonov’s Commentary: “For changing oneself, one needs to have a material body, which is a “transformer” of energies. Without a material body, a non-incarnate soul exists in the state in which it was at the end of its last incarnation. It cannot move to another eon on its will, and no one can do this for it.” The next verse is the only one in this gospel in which the author identifies himself as Philip: “91. It is I, Apostle Philip, saying: Joseph the carpenter planted a garden because he needed wood for his handicraft. It was he who made a cross from the trees, which he himself planted. And the Child of his semen was hung to that which he had planted. The Child of his semen was Jesus, and the planted —the cross. “92. The true tree of life is in the middle of paradise. It is an olive tree, from which blessings come. It is from this tree that the Resurrection is.” Isenburg’s translation substitutes for the word “blessings”, the word “chrism”: “However, it is from the olive tree that we got the chrism, and from the chrism, the resurrection.” From a previous sermon we learned that: “It is not crystal clear what is meant by, “There is water in water, there is fire in chrism,” but I think we can safely say that the sense in which the “chrism” is used here refers to the “ACT of anointing”, not the actual mixture of oil and balsam; thus, “there is fire in the ACT of anointing.” From this verse we read that from the chrism comes the resurrection—thus, from THE ACT OF ANOINTING COMES THE RESURRECTION. This is a powerful statement, as it definitely states that the resurrection is the end product of AN ACT. Antonov’s Commentary: “The idea of the previous fragment continues: it was necessary for Joseph to look after not the material trees (or not only after them) but after the paradisiacal tree of life, growing beyond this world. Then he could gain the Resurrection.” The next verse of Philip includes one of the most startling expressions in the book: the expression : “corpse-eater”. “93. This world is a corpse-eater. And all that is eaten (by humans) is contemptible as well. But the Truth is a life-eater. Therefore, no one who is nourished by the Truth can die. Jesus came from that place, and He brought food from there. And to those who desired, He gave thus the (True) Life, and they did not die.” Isenburg’s translation is almost identical, but it is a little clearer. “93. This world is a corpse-eater. All the things eaten in it themselves die also. Truth is a life-eater. Therefore no one nourished by truth will die. It was from that place that Jesus came and brought food. To those who so desired, he gave life, that they might not die.” This striking expression “corpse-eater” is explicated in several places, and appears in variant forms in several other gospels. In the Gospel of Thomas we read: “Jesus said, "Whoever has become acquainted with the world has found a corpse, and the world is not worthy of the one who has found the corpse.”” In the Manichaean Kephalaia (the book of ancient Iranian religious discourses) we read: “The worlds that are [above] are of soul and of spirit, but [the worlds that are] below are of body and [of] carcass [. . .]. For this reason, then, he . . . the powers of heaven; he has sealed them upon their bodies and their carcasses that are in the lands. . . .” In Luke 17:37 we read: “And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.” In Mattew 24:28 we read: “For wheresoever the carcas is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” Robert M. Grant and David Noel Freedman commenting on The Gospel of Thomas write: "Knowing the world is equivalent to finding a corpse (or, in the parallel Saying, a body); this knowledge and this discovery are evidently regarded as good, for the world is not worthy of the discoverer. Knowing the world, then, must be truly knowing it for what it is. But we must also consider one more saying. The world is not worthy of the one 'who will find himself.'  We conclude that Saying 57, like these variants we have cited, is based on the verse which in Matthew 10:39  ("He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.); and the verses in Mark 8:34-35  (34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.)  These verses follow the verses cited in Saying 56.  'He who finds his soul [life] will lose it, and he who loses his soul for my sake will find it.'  Either Thomas simply mystifies his readers by speaking of a corpse or he uses 'corpse' as the equivalent for 'body' and hence for 'self.' The Naassenes (a Christian Gnostic sect from around 100 AD known only through the writings of Hippolytus of Rome) used 'corpse' of the spiritual man." The beginning of the next fragment is damaged, so Antonov does not attempt a translation. Isenburg offers us this version: “94. God [plants the] garden. Man [tends the] garden. This garden is the place where they will say to me, "[...] eat this or do not eat that, just as you wish." In the place where I will eat all things is the Tree of Knowledge. That one killed Adam, but here the Tree of Knowledge made men alive. The law was the tree. It has power to give the knowledge of good and evil. It neither removed him from evil, nor did it set him in the good, but it created death for those who ate of it. For when he said, "Eat this, do not eat that", it became the beginning of death.”  As I have mentioned, the Gnostic writers are always seeking after first causes. This digression back to the Garden of Eden is just such a deeply meaningful digression. Antonov Comments: “Philip plays in this parable with the biblical story about paradise. God-Teacher shows people both what is good and what is bad. Moreover, having explained to people the principles of advancement towards the Highest Goal, He provides them with the freedom of will — the freedom of choice of where and how to go. People have to go by themselves, finding the  correct Path, developing themselves through this. God only suggests the Path— secretly or obviously, sometimes jokingly. And the choices are made usually by people. This provides people with the experience, maturity, and wisdom. Having obtained wisdom, one can overcome all difficulties and through such a struggle become Perfect. Only for such a person God-the-Father will open the door to His Bridal Chamber.” For the remainder of this presentation, I will use the Isenburg translation, exclusively, but I will continue to interject the Antonov commentary. “95. The chrism is superior to baptism, for it is from the word "Chrism" that we have been called "Christians," certainly not because of the word "baptism". And it is because of the chrism that "the Christ" has his name. For the Father anointed the Son, and the Son anointed the apostles, and the apostles anointed us. He who has been anointed possesses everything. He possesses the resurrection, the light, the cross, the Holy Spirit. The Father gave him this in the bridal chamber; he merely accepted the gift. 96. The Father was in the Son and the Son in the Father. This is the Kingdom of Heaven.  The Lord said it well: "Some have entered the Kingdom of Heaven laughing, and they have come out [...] because [...] a Christian, [...]. And as soon as [...] went down into the water, he came [...] everything (of this world), [...] because he [...] a trifle, but [...] full of contempt for this [...] the Kingdom of Heaven [...] If he despises [...], and scorns it as a trifle, [...] out laughing. So it is also with the bread and the cup and the oil, even though there is another one superior to these.  99. The world came about through a mistake. For he who created it wanted to create it imperishable and immortal. He fell short of attaining his desire. For the world never was imperishable, nor, for that matter, was he who made the world. For things are not imperishable, but sons are. Nothing will be able to receive imperishability if it does not first become a son. But he who has not the ability to receive, how much more will he be unable to give?” Antonov’s Commentary: The first part of the fragment is just a joke, which serves as an artistic beginning of the parable. Then there is a point that the only valuable fruits of all the activity in the entire Creation are Those Who have gained absolute Imperishability and Eternity — the Sons and Daughters of the Heavenly Father, i.e. Those Who have entered His Bridal Chamber. In the end of the fragment, there is an idea that the one who strives to help others must first help oneself through efforts on self-development: the one who can do nothing — how can such one help others?” “100. The cup of prayer contains wine and water, since it is appointed as the type of the blood for which thanks is given. And it is full of the Holy Spirit, and it belongs to the wholly perfect man. When we drink this, we shall receive for ourselves the perfect man. The living water is a body. It is necessary that we put on the living man.” Antonov’s Commentary: “To drink the Cup of Christ does not mean to take communion in a church, even if one does it a hundred times. To drink the Cup of Christ means to walk His entire Path up to the Bridal Chamber, and go through His Calvary.” “101. Therefore, when he is about to go down into the water, he unclothes himself, in order that he may put on the living man.”  Antonov’s Commentary: “The Body of the Holy Spirit is an image that helps meditative perception of the integrity of the Holy Spirit. He is indeed Living, Perceiving, Loving, Guiding, Speaking.” In order to experience the Body of the Holy Spirit, one has to become “naked”, to get rid of all shells and layers which are coarser than the Holy Spirit. Thus we find ourselves in the same eon where He is and receive the baptism, birth, and blessing in this eon.” To summarize this section of Philip, we heard remarks on 1.the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, climaxing in the statement, “THE ACT OF ANOINTING COMES THE RESURRECTION,” 2.we discussed different interpretations of the word, “body”, 3. the issue of the mundane Man and the Divine Man was reviewed beginning with Adam the Animal-Man, 4.we had a long discussion of the subject of Cosmic Calm that attends the creation of God’s children, 5.and, finally, we witnessed some subtleties surrounding the ceremony of baptism. In all these discussions we discover the central issue of Mundane versus Divine Consciousness. If we were as clear about these things as Philip is, how blessed we would be. Let us pray: Jesus continue to lead our puny brains down the path to enlightened knowledge of Heaven which resides in all places where our eyes are open. Amen.