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The Gospel of Philip

Some Gnostic scholars and experts on early Christianity have called the Gospel of Philip a text of Valentinian theology or simply a Valentinian anthology of sayings and excerpts. The gospel also has been referred to as a sayings gospel, with wisdom sayings attributed to Jesus, but in addition it includes information about the sacraments, especially the sacrament of marriage. The literary forms found in the Gospel of Philip include some parables and aphorisms, an interpretation of Genesis, some narrative dialogue, paraenesis, analogy, and a smattering of polemics.

What Is Found in This Gospel?

The Gospel of Philip expounds upon the Valentinian notion that the separation of the sexes brought error into the world. When Adam and Eve were together, death did not exist. But when Eve became separate from Adam, their androgyny ceased. Christ had to come in order to reunite Adam and Eve. The gospel reveals that two thus united in the “bridal chamber” no longer will be separated. Such were the beliefs of the followers of Valentinus, the great Gnostic teacher who almost became pope (he was a candidate but narrowly lost the election). They called themselves the “spiritual ones” or “the elect” or “disciples of God.”

What was the gospel tradition? It encompassed the oral teaching about Jesus' ministry, death, and resurrection. The Christian church initially began and evolved through public preaching (not with the use of texts). The Apostles traveled throughout the ancient world, sharing a core message that Jesus died for the sins of humankind. However, their retelling of the stories of his life most likely meant that many gospels accounts circulated.

The Gospel of Philip dates to roughly the third century. Scholars are still debating whether the original was written in Syriac or Greek. The gospel was lost until a copy was found in the Nag Hammadi cache of ancient texts that were buried perhaps in the fourth century, when the official church was burning texts deemed heretical.

Philip, the Third Man Jesus Called

The Gnostics had high regard for Jesus' apostle Philip and believed he was the authority for the gospel named after him. Unlike the Gospel of Thomas that declares Thomas to be the author of that account, the Gospel of Philip makes no such declaration. The Philip of the Gospel of Philip is not to be confused with the evangelist (whose name appears in the Acts of the Apostles). Like the Apostles Peter and Andrew, Philip was born in Bethsaida. Originally a follower of John the Baptist, Philip became the third disciple that Jesus called. He was knowledgeable about the scripture and may have spoken Greek. The book of John reveals that Philip was both practical and helpful.

Philip's Family

Philip was married, according to the writings of early church father Clement. Like the other Apostles, after Jesus' resurrection Philip went to work, performing miracles, preaching, and traveling to Greece, Azota, Phrygia (modern Turkey), Galilee, and Syria (some sources also say Gaul) in connection with his Christian missionary tasks. Tradition teaches that Philip also may have lived and worked in Scythia, which today is the Ukraine. At least one of his daughters was married. Other daughters of Philip remained unmarried, for church historian Eusebius stated that Polycrates, bishop in Ephesus in the second century, wrote that one of Philip's daughters was buried in Ephesus while Philip was interred at Hieropolis.

Exploits and Demise

One story of Philip's exploits during Emperor Domitian's rule, circa A.D. 80, occurs in Hieropolis where Philip had gone in the company of the Apostles John and Bartholomew (also called Nathanael) and Marian, Philip's sister (not Mary Magdalene). There, while preaching, Philip killed a giant snake through prayer. The local pagans worshipped the snake and its death so outraged them that they crucified Philip upside down. Another version of the story says that the pagans crucified both Philip and Bartholomew, but when the earth opened up and swallowed the judge (who had ordered their deaths) along with a number of pagan people, others rushed to remove the men from their crosses. Unfortunately, Philip had already passed away.

Sayings attributed to Jesus and used in the New Testament Gospels are known as logia (from the Greek logia, meaning “divine utterances or sayings”). The Sayings Gospel Q and the Gospel of Thomas may have served as the sources for the logia contained in the canonical gospels.

Philip's virgin daughters were buried with him at Hieropolis, although one of his daughters was buried at Ephesus. At some point later, Philip's relics were taken from Hieropolis to Constantinople and then to Rome, where they were placed in the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles. The Roman Catholic Church now celebrates Philip's feast day on May 3 (from the sixth century, it was celebrated on May 1); the Greek Orthodox Church celebrates it on November 14.

The Holiest of Holy

The Gospel of Philip declares that the means of attaining Christhood is in the sacrament of the Bridal Chamber. That Gnostic sacrament was also mentioned in other noncanonical texts — for example, the Gospel of Thomas (saying number 75) and the Exegesis on the Soul, in which the Soul waits for the true bridegroom in the bridal chamber that she has filled with perfume and in which she has cleansed herself. The Gospel of Philip, however, discusses the value of the sacraments but places special emphasis on that particular sacrament, raising questions for modern scholars. For example, what did the Gnostics mean by the sacrament of the Bridal Chamber? Should the meaning be taken as allegorical, as the merging of two beings or energies, or the sense of separateness from the wholeness of the Divine back into oneness? Or could the sacrament refer to the physical sexual union between a man and a woman? Could it have been a single initiation that included five steps: baptism, chrism, Eucharist, redemption, and bridal chamber all in one?

Consecrated Sex?

Another theory suggests that the Bridal Chamber might simply be a single sacramental rite, perhaps involving an entirely spiritual sexual act performed in a controlled manner rather than through inflamed passions. If so, was it a fertility rite? Could it have been a sacred sexual act to create spiritually-evolved offspring? Could the Gnostics have seen it as the “correct, conscious” way to have intercourse because of a belief they may have had about the spiritual pitfalls or consquences of an unconsecrated sex act? If, as some Gnostics believed, that improper mixing of the spirit with the flesh (as in the sexual act) was the reason for humanity's downfall from grace, then the idea of procreating physical offspring in order to have spiritually advanced children would have had little appeal. The higher path would have been to abstain and have no children.

Some Christian sects embracing Gnostic ideas saw the body as filthy and the world of matter as evil. Many practiced celibacy, lived an ascetic lifestyle, fasted, and gave little attention to the demands of the flesh. Hoping to be freed from passions of the flesh and sexuality altogether, they sought to clothe themselves in the “light” through gnosis of the divine truths.

The Valentinians sought in union with the Divine the kind of love that would reestablish wholeness, fill the longing of the empty heart, restore the soul, and heal the fractiousness found in the human condition. Their sacrament of the Bridal Chamber represented their hearts straining toward that transcendant love.

The Gospel of Philip states that the bridal chamber cannot be entered by defiled women (prostitutes, adulteresses), slaves, and animals. It states who can enter: free men and virgins. It also declares that those clothed in the “perfect light” cannot be seen by the powers and that in the sacramental union, one clothes oneself in that light.

Free men do not love the flesh and are not enslaved by it. But archons by nature seek to entrap free men and imprison them in fleshly ignorance. Slaves are those unknowing about their inner lives and what entraps them as well as what frees them.

The gospel also differentiates between sons of man who create and sons of man who beget. Those who create (or have the ability to do so) are creators and their progeny are humans ensnared in matter, but those who beget do so in private and their offspring are children of light. No one knows when the husband and wife have intercourse because it is pure and in the light and no one can see them. The Gospel of Philip states that for those who have received the light of the bridal chamber, none can torment them for they cannot be seen and they cannot be detained or enslaved.

Sex with an Angel

The Gnostics saw the Sophia's fall from the Pleroma as the beginning of the imperfect physical universe and all the suffering that accompanied material creation. You'll recall from previous chapters how she tried to create without her male counterpart and the result was the Demiurge. Early church father Tertullian's polemic Against Valentinians explains the fantastic theology and complexities of the Valentinian doctrine.

In chapter seventeen of Against Valentinians , Tertullian examines the Valentinian idea that Achamoth (the fallen Sophia) harbored a carnal desire for angelic luminaries (Tertullian saw this kind of thinking, in particular, as lascivious) and during her emotionally inflamed, passionate phase became pregnant. In due time, she birthed an offspring, the Demiurge, that had three natures — material, animal, and spiritual. The Demiurge then created humans. The Redeemer, Christ the Savior, came to the aid of humanity and into the world, not by virtue of being born of a virgin, but using the virgin as a passageway or channel. Tertullian wrote that the Valentinians strangely believed that Jesus and Christ were not the same. He noted that the Valentinians “engrafted Jesus,” inserting a spiritual seed into him through animal “inflatus.” Indeed, Tertullian addresses rather condescendingly the studying that the Valentinians did in their theology. He noted that they believed Jesus was not human, that Soter (seeded) Jesus entered Christ but left again when Christ was examined by Pilate. In fact, Tertullian claimed that the Valentinians reduced everything to images and imaginery beings.

Who Was Valentinus?

Egyptian-born Valentinus was among the Christian mystics who had visions of the risen Lord. Born in Upper Egypt circa A.D. 100, he received his education in Alexandria. He studied Greek philosophy, Christianity, and techniques for interpreting Jewish scripture. He may also have had some knowledge of Sethnian Gnostic teachings and integrated Gnostic principles into his own philosophy. He became a disciple of Theudas, who was himself a disciple of the Apostle Paul. Valentinus said that Theudas taught him the same the secret knowledge that Paul had taught his core of disciples. From his vision of the risen Christ, Valentinus felt inspired to become a Christian teacher. He developed a following in his homeland and also in Syria. Eventually he went to Rome and there established a reputation as an eloquent and persuasive speaker. The Roman Church must have held him in high esteem, because he was considered for the candidacy of bishop. Some reports say an election took place and he failed by a narrow margin. Others say he refused the position. What is known is that Valentinus continued to preach in Rome for another decade. After his death, his followers continued to evolve his ideas, further developing and spreading them throughout the ancient world.

Shades of Valentinian Ideas

Early orthodox father Tertullian pointed out that the Valentinians, whether advocating a particular point of view or negating it, had disagreements not only among themselves but with their own founder's ideas on how to interpret their doctrines. The Gnostics considered all spiritual doctrines as only paths or approaches to the truth manifested in the realm of Light. They emphasized that gnosis was the means to that enlightenment. The early church fathers, conversely, came to believe that their orthodox doctrine was itself the truth. They taught that one had to have faith that the church's teachings were the right interpretations of the gospel. Their doctrine represented the truth, or so they believed, whereas the unorthodox doctrines like those of the Gnostics encouraged a constant questioning but never achieved the truth.

What did the Valentinian teacher Theodotus teach about gnosis?

He taught that “saving” knowledge can be summarized as understanding who we were; where we were (came from); where we have been, where we have come to, and where we are hastening; from what we are redeemed; and what is birth and rebirth.

Gnostic scholar Elaine Pagels suggests that the “radical” Gnostics and the orthodox Christians were aligned on opposite poles and the followers of Valentinus, who saw themselves not as outsiders, but inside the Christian church, assumed a middle position. But like a pot of water simmering until it reached the boiling point, the Valentinians began discoursing among themselves about who constituted the body of Christ until the debate became a conflict that ultimately split the Valentinians into two groups. One group said that the church (the body of Christ) was made up only by those completed in gnosis while the other group believed that the church was split between the spiritual ones with gnosis (Gnostics) and those who had not yet received gnosis (the unspiritual Christians).

Gnostic Masters in Disagreement

Gnostic teachers holding viewpoints at variance with each other were Theodotus (espousing the view that only the eastern Valentinians were spiritual ones with gnosis) and Ptolemy and Heracleon (representing the western Valentinians), who taught that the church was made up of both those Christians with and without gnosis. The former was to teach and lead the latter, or so they thought. The Gnostic view that many orthodox Christians did not have gnosis and therefore were unspiritual beings to be led by Gnostics with gnosis outraged the orthodox leadership. Modern scholars know about Ptolemy from mentions of a letter he sent to Flora, a wealthy woman who some sources say was not a Gnostic. He was definitely a follower of Valentinus, but was active in southern Gaul (modern France) and Italy. Heracleon was a second-century Gnostic and perhaps one of the most well-regarded teachers in Valentinian tradition at Rome. His commentary on the Gospel of John exists in fragments that were written about by early church father Origen in his own commentary on John. Heracleon also wrote about the Gospels of Matthew and Luke and some of his beliefs have been preserved in the writings of Clement of Alexandria.

Conservative Church Outraged

The bishops were intent on guiding the church in a direction of universal acceptance of converts of varying degrees of knowledge and understanding and would not tolerate challenges to their doctrine, hierarchy, or ritual. As Pagel noted in her book, The Gnostic Gospels, the Gnostics challenged them all. Consquently, the Gnostic teachings were suppressed and Gnostic texts destroyed, and the Gnostic churches died out within a few centuries.

Revealing Statements

There are seventeen sayings in the Gospel of Philip, of which about half have resonance in the canonical Gospels. These sayings and citations suggest a connection (however loose) between the Gnostic Gospel of Philip and the canon gospels.

The Gospel of Philip states that Jesus would not have prayed or referred to the father in heaven unless he also had an earthly father (presumably because he was differentiating between the two when he identified the one in heaven).

He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. — Matthew 16:15–17

The Gospel of Philip saying number 57:5 iterates a saying about the celebration of the Eucharist. A similar version of the saying is found in the Gospel of John 6:53: “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”

Also in Philip's Gospel is found the statement about praying in secret that has a parallel in the canonical Gospel of Matthew: “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily, I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou has shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” — Matthew 6:5–6

Finally, saying number 84 in the Gospel of Philip iterates the well-known saying that truth will make you free. Its parallel is found in John 8:32: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Some of the sayings or statements must be interepreted in purely Gnostic context. For example, the Gospel of Philip states in 55:33–34 that those who say that the conception of Jesus in Mary (the Blessed Virgin) was due to the Holy Spirit were wrong because no power ever defiled Mary. The Valentinians saw the Holy Spirit as female, and the author of the Gospel of Philip poses the question: How is it possible for a female to conceive by a woman? Another excellent question might be: How is it possible for a human female to conceive by something that is not a human male (i.e., the Holy Spirit)? Both of these conceptions require a leap of logic.

Much Ado about a Kiss

The Gospel of Philip suggests a close relationship between Mary Magdalene and Jesus. In fact, it has often been cited as a source for the belief in popular culture that the two may have been married. The gospel states that Jesus' mother, her sister, and Mary Magdalene always walked with him and further states that Mary Magdalene was his companion (sometimes also translated as consort). In Chapter Seven, you learned that the Gospel of Philip contains the now famous phrase that Jesus loved Mary Magdalene more than the other disciples and kissed her often on the … — then there is a lacuna (hole) in the manuscript.

In ancient times, texts often bore the names of an individual or individuals seen as authorities for the work so that the author could further a particular point of view. Materials might thus be linked to an individual such as an apostle of Jesus, a disciple of an important apostle, or student of a famous teacher where no linkage could actually be made.

The point is that Jesus kissed a woman who was not his mother or his sister and he kissed her often, to the consternation of the other disciples. They struggled to understand why. The gospel states that they asked Jesus why did he love her more than he loved them. He responded by asking them why he doesn't love them as her, then he tells them a parable about how when a sighted and a blind person are together in darkness, they are not different, yet when the light comes, the sighted one sees and the blind individual does not see.

Was Jesus Married to Mary Magdalene?

The Gospel of Philip mentions Mary Magdalene in saying number 63:35 as the companion that Jesus often kissed. This has led to much modern speculation about the relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The Gospel of Philip does not reveal whether or not the two were married and neither do the canonical gospels. In fact, there is no historical proof whatsoever of the two being married. There is, however, a lot of speculation. Some assert that Jesus was a Jewish rabbi, and in his time Jewish men were expected to marry and bear children. In fact, his mother Mary's own father Joachim was ostracized for being barren until he and his wife Ann prayed for the birth of a child. Tradition says that God heard and granted their prayer, allowing them to bring forth Mary. Some modern Gnostics take the opposite view — that is, that Jesus and Mary Magdalene would not have married because in society in the first century, marriage was about ownership. Women became the property of their husband, and neither Mary Magdalene nor Jesus would have wanted that, according to those believers. So, until some historical document surfaces that proves Jesus and Mary Magdalene were husband and wife, the question remains unanswered.

Handbook of Gnostic Sacramental Rites?

The Gospel of Philip contains many disparate pieces arranged in an illogical, even eccentric manner. The gospel perhaps makes the most sense if thought of as a kind of handbook containing oral religious instruction before baptism — in other words, a book of sacramental catechesis. The word “catechism” derives from the Greek verb katexein , which means to teach. Catechism has been used from the fourth century (perhaps even earlier) to teach candidates for church membership about church doctrine, history, beliefs, practices, sacraments, and rites.

The Valentinians most likely instructed their initiates into their Gnostic doctrine before they could particpate in the sacraments. The five Gnostic sacraments, as discussed earlier in this book, included baptism, chrism or rituals of anointing with oil, redemption, bridal chamber, and the Eucharist, which possibly involved readings of scripture or sacred texts (some Valentinian liturgical readings can be found in The Gnostic Bible by Willis Barnstone and Marvin Meyer). The Gospel of Philip in saying number 69:11–13 expounds upon the Valentinian belief that followers have to be baptized in the water and the light, and that the light is the chrism. The Gnostic sacrament of the chrism was a sacrament through which they received the Holy Spirit. Its counterpart would be confirmation in the Roman Catholic church.

A final word about Gnostic salvation — it includes individual and also a cosmic redemption. In other words, all things must be returned to what they were before they came into being in the realm of matter. All sparks of light must be set free to return to the divine light. Only then will the flawed and evil material realm that the Gnostics called Hyle be destroyed. The Valentinians developed a doctrine that espoused an extremely complicated and elaborate salvation process that involved Aeons who must restore order in the Pleroma after Sophia's fall. An Aeon called Jesus-Soter (also called Jesus Logos and Christ) comes into the material world as a second Savior and unites with Jesus (at Jesus' baptism). This savior comes to show humans the way to return their spirit (pneuma ) “home” to the Pleroma.