The First Apocalypse of James
Translated by William R. Schoedel
The Apocalypse of James.
It is the Lord who spoke with me , "See now the completion of my redemption. I
have given you a sign of these things, James, my brother. For not without reason have I
called you my brother, although you are not my brother materially. And I am not ignorant
concerning you ; so that when I give you a sign - know and hear." "Nothing
existed except Him-who-is. He is unnameable and ineffable. I myself am also unnameable,
from Him-who-is, just as I have been given a number of names - two from Him-who-is. And I,
I am before you. Since you have asked concerning femalenesss, femaleness existed, but
femaleness was not first. And it prepared for itself powers and gods. But it did not exist
when I came forth, since I am an image of Him-who-is. But I have brought forth the image
of him so that the sons of Him-who-is might know what things are theirs and what things
are alien to them. Behold, I shall reveal to you everything of this mystery. For they will
seize me the day after tomorrow. But my redemption will be near." I, James, said:
"Rabbi, you have said , ´they will seize me` But I, what can I do?" He said to
me, "Fear not, James. You too will they seize. But leave Jerusalem. For it is she who
always gives the cup of bitterness to the sons of light. She is a dwelling place of a
great number of archons. But your redemption will be preserved from them. So that you may
understand who they are and what kinds they are, you will [...]. And listen. They are not
[...] but [...archons]. These twelve [...] down [...] archons [...] upon his own
hebdomad." James said,"Rabbi, are there then twelve hebdomads and not seven as
there are in the scriptures?" The Lord said, "James, he who spoke concerning
this scripture has limited understanding. I , however, shall reveal to you what has come
forth from him who has no number. I shall give a sign concerning their number. As for what
has come forth from him who has no measure, I shall give a sign concerning their
measure" James said,"Rabbi, behold then, I have received their number. There are
seventy-two measures!" The Lord said, "These are the seventy-two heavens, which
are their subordinates. These are the powers of all their might ; and they were
established by them ; and these are they who were distributed everywhere, existing under
the authorities of twelve archons. The inferior power among them brought forth for itself
angels and unnumbered hosts. Him-who-is, however, has been given [...]on account of [...]
Him-who-is [...] they are unnumbered. If you want to give them a number now, you will not
be able to do so until you cast away from your blind thought , this bond of flesh which
encircles you. And then you will reach Him-who-is. And you will no longer be James; rather
you are the One-who-is. ANd all those who are unnumberd will all have been named."
I,James, said : "Rabbi, in what way shall I reach Him-who-is, since all these powers
and these hosts are armed against me?" He said to me , "These powers are not
armed against you specifically, but are armed against another. It is against me they are
armed. And they are armed with the powers. But they are armed against me in judgment. They
did not give [...] to me in it [...] through them [...]. In this place [...] suffering , I
shall [...].He will [...] and I shall not rebuke them. But there shall be within me a
silcence and a hidden mystery. But I am fainthearted before their anger." I, James,
said: "Rabbi, if they arm themselves against you, then is there no blame?
You have come with knowledge, that you might rebuke their forgetfulness. You have come
with recollection, that you might rebuke their ignorance. But i was concerned because of
you. For you descended into a great ignorance, but you have not been defiled by anything
in it. For you descended into a great mindlessness, and your recollection remained. You
walked in mud, and your garments were not soiled, and you have not been buried in their
filth, and you have not been caught. And I was not like them, but I clothed myself with
everything of theirs. There is in me forgetfulness, yet I remember things that are not
theirs, There is in me [....], and I am in their [...]
[...] knowledge [...] not in their sufferings [...]. But I have become afraid before
them, since they rule. For what will they do? What will I be able to say? Or what word
will I be able to say that I may escape them?" The Lord said , "James, I praise
your understanding and your fear. If you continue to be distressed, do not be concerned
for anything else except your redemption. For behold, I shall complete this destiny upon
this earth as I have said from the heavens. And I shall reveal to you your
redemption" James said,"Rabbi, how, after these things, will you appear to us
again? After they seize you, and you complete this destiny, you will go up to
Him-who-is." The Lord said, "James, after these things I shall reveal to you
everything, not for your sake alone but for the sake of the unbelief of men, so that faith
may exist in them. For a multitude will attain to faith and they will increase [in ...].
And after this I shall appear to reproof to the archons. And I shall reveal to them that
he cannot be seized. If they seize him, then he will overpower each one of them. But now I
shall go. Remember the things that I have spoken and let them go up before you."
James said,"Lord, I shall hasten as you have said." The Lord said farewell to
him and fulfilled what was fitting. When James heard of his suffering and was much
distressed, they awaited again the sign of his coming. And he came after several days. And
James was walking upon the mountain which is called "Gaugelan", with his
disciples, who listened to him [because they had been distressed], and he was [...] a
comforter, saying , "This is [...] the second [..." Then the ] crowd dispersed,
but James remained [...] prayer [...] , as was his custom." And the Lord appeared to
him. Then he stopped his prayer and embraced him. He kissed him, saying, "Rabbi, I
have found you! I have heard of your sufferings, which you endured. And I have been much
distressed My compassion you know. Therefore, on reflection, I was wishing that I would
not see this people. They must be judged for these things that they have done. For these
things they have done are contrary to what is fitting" The Lord sad, "James, do
not be concerned for me or for this people. I am he who was within me. Never have I
suffered in any way, not have I been distressed. And this people has done me no harm. But
this people existed as a type of the archons, and it deserved to be destroyed through
them. But [...] the archons, [...] who has [...] since it [...] angry with [...The] just
[...] is his servant. Therefore your name is "James the Just". You see how you
will become sober when you see me. And you stopped this prayer. Now since you are a just
man of God, you have embraced and kissed me. Truly I say to you that you have stirred up a
great anger and a wrath against yourself. But this has happened so that these others might
come to be." But James was timid and wept. And he was very distressed. And they both
sat down upon a rock. The Lord said to him, "James, thus you will undergo these
sufferings. But do not be sad. Fot the flesh is weak. It will receive what has been
ordained for it. But as for you, do not be timid or afraid". The Lord ceased. Now
when James heard these things, he wiped away the tears in his eyes and very bitter [...]
which is [...]. The Lord said to him, "James, behold, I shall reveal to you your
redemption. When you are seized, and you undergo these sufferings, a multitude will arm
themselves against you that they might seize you. And in particular three of them will
seize you - they who sit there as toll collectors. Not only do they demand toll, but they
also take away souls by theft. When you come into their power, one of them who is their
guard will say to you, "Who are you or where are you from?" You are to say to
him , "I am a son, and I am from the Father" He will say to you, "What sort
of son are you, and to what father do you belong?" You are to say to him, "I am
from the Pre-existent Father, and a son in the Pre-existent One" [When he says] to
you, [...], you are to [...say to him] in the [...] that I might [...]."
"[...of] alien things?" You are to say to him, "They are not entirely
alien, but they are from Achamoth, who is the female. And these she produced as she
brought down the race from the Pre-existent One. So then they are not alien, but they are
ours. They are indeed ours because she who is mistress of them is from the Pre-existent
One. At the same time they are alien because the Pre-existent One did not have intercourse
with her, when she produced them." "But when you come to these three detainers
who take away souls by theft in that place [...] these. You [...] a vessel [...] much more
than [...] of the one whom you [...] for [...] her root. You too will be sober [...]. But
I shall call upon the imperishable knowledge, which is Sophia who is in the Father and who
is the mother of Achamoth. Achamoth had no father nor male consort, but she is female from
a female. She produced you without a male, since she was alone and in ignorance as to what
lives through her mother because she thought that she alone existed. But I shall cry out
to her mother. And then they will fall into confusion and will blame their root and the
race of their mother. But you will go up to what is yours [...] you will [...] the
Pre-existent One." "They are a type of the twelve disciples and the twelve
pairs, [...] Achamoth, which is translated "Sophia". And who I myself am, and
who the imperishable Sophia is through whom you will be redeemed, and who are all the sons
of Him-who-is - these things they have known and have hidden within them. You are to hide
these things within you, and you are to keep silence. But you are to reveal them to Addai.
When you depart, immediately war will be made with this land. Weep, then, for him who
dwells in Jerusalem. But let Addai take these things to heart. In the tenth year let Addai
sit and write them down. And when he writes them down [...] and they are to give them
[...] he has the [...] he is called Levi. Then he is to bring [...] word [...] from what I
said earlier [...] a woman [...] Jerusalem in her [...and] he begets two sons through her.
They are to inherit these things and the understanding of him who [...] exalts. And they
are to receive [...] through him from his intellect. Now, the younger of them is greater.
And may these things remain hidden in him until he comes to the age of seventeen years
[...] beginning [...] through them. They will pursue him exceedingly, since they are from
his [...] companions. He will be proclaimed through them, and they will proclaim this
word. Then he will become a seed of [...]." James said, [I am] satisfied and they are
[...] my soul. Yet another thing I ask you : who are the seven women who have been your
disiciples? And behold all women bless you. I also am amazed how powerless vessels have
become strong by perception which is in them." The Lord said, "You [...] well
[...] a spirit [of...], a spirit of thought, a spirit of counsel of a [...] , a spirit
[...a,] spirit of knowledge of their fear. [...] when we had passed through the breath of
this archon who is named Adonaios [...] [...] him and [...] he was ignorant [...] when I
came forth from him, he remebered that I am a son of his. He was gracious to me at that
time as his son. And then, before I appeared here, he cast them among this people. And
from the place of heaven the prophets..." James said, "Rabbi, [...] I [...] all
together [...] in them especially [...] " The Lord said, "James, I praise
[you...] walk upon the earth [...] the words while he [...] on the [...]. For cast away
from you the cup, which is bitterness. For some from [...] set themselves against you, For
you have begun to understand their roots from the beginning to end. Cast away from
yourself lawlessness. And beware lest they envy you. When you speak these words of this
perception, encourage these four : Salome and Mariam [ and Martha and Arsione ...] since
he takes some [...] to me he is [...] burnt offerings and [...]. But I [...] not in this
way ; but [...] first-fruits of the [...] upward [...] so thar the power of God might
appear. The perishable has gone up to the imperishable and the female element has attained
to this male element." James said, "Rabbi, into these three things, then, has
their [...] been cast. For they have been reviled, [and they have been] persecuted [...].
Behold [...] everything [...] from anyone [...]. For you have received [...] of knowledge.
[And...] that what is the [...] go [...] you will [find...]. But I shall go [forth] and
shall reveal that they believed in you that they may be content with their blessing and
salvation, and this revelation may come to pass." And he went at that time
immediately and rebuked the twelve and cast out of them contentment concerning the way of
knowledge [...]. [...] And the majority of [them...] when they saw, the messenger took in
[...]. The others [...] said, "[...] him from this earth. For he is not worthy of
life." These, then, were afraid. They arose, saying, "We have no part in this
blood, for a just man will perish through injustice" James departed so that [...]
look [...] for we [...him].
The Apocalypse of James.
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