from the ,google ,print project47       
,,the ,,gnostic ,,crucifixion           
,,works ,,by ,,the ,,same ,,author      
,net4    ,,thrice ,,greatest ,,hermes   
7#c vols47      #cj_/-    ,,fragments   
,,of ,a ,,faith ,,forgotten             
#aj_/f    ,,did ,,jesus ,,live #ajj     
,b4,c48               #i_/-    ,,the    
,,world-,,mystery                       
#e_/-    ,,the ,,gospel ,,and ,,the     
,,gospels             #d_/f             
,,apollonius ,,of ,,tyana               
#c_/f    ,,the ,,upanishads 7#b vols47  
#c_/-    ,,plotinus                     
#a_/-       ,,echoes ,,from ,,the       
,,gnosis    ,,by ,g4 ,r4 ,s4 ,,mead     
,,vol4 ,,vii4     ,,the ,,gnostic       
,,crucifixion     ,,the ,,theosophical  
,,publishing ,,society   ,,london ,,and 
,,benares   #aijg     ,,printed ,,in    
,,great ,,britain     ,,echoes ,,from   
,,the ,,gnosis4   ,under this general   
title is now being published a series of
 small volumes1 drawn from1 or based    
upon1 the mystic1 theosophic and gnostic

 writings of the ancients1 so as to make
 more easily audible for the            
ever-widening circle of those who love  
such things1 some echoes of the mystic  
experiences and initiatory lore of their
 spiritual ancestry4 ,there are many who
 love the life of the spirit1 and who   
long for the light of gnostic           
illumination1 but who are not           
sufficiently equipped to study the      
writings of the ancients at first hand1 
or to follow unaided the labours of     
scholars4 ,these little volumes are     
therefore intended to serve as          
introduction to the study of the more   
difficult literature of the subject2 and
 it is hoped that at the same time they 
may become for some1 who have1 as yet1  
not even heard of the ,gnosis1          
stepping-stones to higher things4  ,g4  
,r4 ,s4 ,m4     ,,the ,,gnostic         
,,crucifixion     ,,contents            
,,page    ,,preface                     
#i    ,,the ,,vision ,,of ,,the ,,cross 
#ab    ,,comments                       

#bj    ,,postcript                      
#fi   ,,texts  ,bonnet 7,m471 ,acta     
,apostolorum ,apocrypha 7,leipzig1      
#ahih74  ,james 7,m4 ,r471 ,apocrypha   
,anecdota1 ,t4  ,s41 v4 i4 7,cambridge1 
#ahig74   ,f4  ,fragments of a ,faith   
,forgotten1 #bnd4 ed4 7,london1 #aijf74 
,h4  ,thrice ,greatest ,hermes 7,london1
 #aijf74     ,,echoes ,,from ,,the      
,,gnosis     ,,vol4 ,i4   ,,the ,,gnosis
 ,,of ,,the ,,mind4   ,,vol4 ,,ii4      
,,the ,,hymns ,,of ,,hermes4   ,,vol4   
,,iii4 ,,the ,,vision ,,of ,,arid,,us4  
,,vol4 ,,iv4  ,,the ,,hymn ,,of ,,jesus4
   ,,vol4 ,v4   ,,the ,,mysteries ,,of  
,,mithra4   ,,vol4 ,,vi4  ,a ,,mithriac 
,,ritual4   ,,vol4 ,,vii4 ,,the         
,,gnostic ,,crucifixion4   ,,some       
,,proposed ,,subjects ,,for             
,,forthcoming ,,volumes    ,,the        
,,chald,,an ,,oracles4   ,,the ,,hymn   
,,of ,,the ,,prodigal4   ,,some ,,orphic
 ,,fragments4     ,,the ,,gnostic       
,,crucifixion4     ,,preface4   ,the    
,gnostic ,mystery of the ,crucifixion is

 most clearly set forth in the new-found
 fragments of ,the ,acts of ,john1 and  
follows immediately on the ,sacred      
,dance and ,ritual of ,initiation which 
we endeavoured to elucidate in ,vol4    
,,iv4 of these little books1 in treating
 of ,the ,hymn of ,jesus4  ,the reader  
is1 therefore1 referred to the ,preamble
 of that volume for a short introduction
 concerning the nature of the ,gnostic  
,acts in general and of the ,leucian    
,acts of ,john in particular4 ,i would1 
however1 add a point of interest bearing
 on the date which was forgotten1 though
 ,i have frequently remarked upon it    
when lecturing on the subject4  ,the    
strongest proof that we have in our     
fragment very early material is found in
 the text itself1 when it relates the   
following simple form of the miracle of 
the loaves4  ,now if at any time ,he    
were invited by one of the ,pharisees   
and went to the bidding1 we used to go  
with ,him4 ,and before each was set a   
single loaf by the host2 and of them ,he

 ,himself also received one4 ,then ,he  
would give thanks and divide ,his loaf  
among us2 and from this little each had 
enough1 and our own loaves were saved   
whole1 so that those who bade ,him were 
amazed4  ,if the marvellous narratives  
of the feeding of the five thousand had 
been already in circulation1 it is      
incredible that this simple story1 which
 we may so easily believe1 should have  
been invented4 ,of what use1 when the   
minds of the hearers had been strung to 
the pitch of faith which had already    
accepted the feeding of the five        
thousand as an actual physical          
occurrence1 would it have been to invent
 comparatively so small a wonder8 ,on   
the other hand1 it is easy to believe   
that from similar simple stories of the 
power of the ,master1 which were first  
of all circulated in the inner circles1 
the popular narratives of the           
multitude-feeding miracles could be     
developed4 ,we1 therefore1 conclude1    
with every probability1 that we have    

here an indication of material of very  
early date4  ,nevertheless when we come 
to the ,mystery of the ,crucifixion as  
set forth in our fragment1 we are not   
entitled to argue that the popular      
history was developed from it in a      
similar fashion4 ,the problem it raises 
is of another order1 and to it we will  
return when the reader has been put in  
possession of the narrative1 as         
translated from ,bonnet's text4 ,john is
 supposed to be the narrator4  7,the    
,arabic figures and the ,roman figures  
in square brackets refer respectively to
 ,bonnet's and ,james' texts4 ,i have   
added the side figures for convenience  
of reference in the comments47     ,,the
 ,,vision ,,of ,,the ,,cross4   #a4 #ig 
7xii47 ,and having danced these things  
with us1 ,beloved1 the ,lord went out4  
,and we1 as though beside ourselves1 or 
wakened out of sleep1 fled each our     
several ways4  #b4 ,i1 however1 though  
,i saw the beginning of ,his passion    
could not stay to the end1 but fled unto

 the ,mount of ,olives weeping over that
 which had befallen4  #c4 ,and when ,he 
was hung on the tree of the cross1 at   
the sixth hour of the day darkness came 
over the whole earth4  ,and my ,lord    
stood in the midst of the ,cave1 and    
filled it with light1 and said3  #d4    
,john1 to the multitude below1 in       
,jerusalem1 ,i am being crucified1 and  
pierced with spears and reeds1 and      
vinegar and gall is being given ,me to  
drink4 ,to thee now ,i speak1 and give  
ear to what ,i say4 ',twas ,i who put it
 in thy heart to ascend this ,mount1    
that thou mightest hear what disciple   
should learn from ,master1 and man from 
,god4  #e4 #ih 7xiii47 ,and having thus 
spoken1 ,he showed me a ,cross of ,light
 set up1 and round the ,cross a vast    
multitude1 and therein one form and a   
similar appearance1 and in the ,cross   
another multitude not having one form4  
#f4 ,and ,i beheld the ,lord ,himself   
above the ,cross4 ,he had1 however1 no  
shape1 but only as it were a voice--not1

 however1 this voice to which we are    
accustomed1 but one of its own kind and 
beneficent and truly of ,god1 saying    
unto me3  #g4 ,john1 one there needs    
must be to hear those things1 from ,me2 
for ,i long for one who will hear4  #h4 
,this ,cross of ,light is called by ,me 
for your sakes sometimes ,word 7,logos71
 sometimes ,mind1 sometimes ,jesus1     
sometimes ,christ1 sometimes ,door1     
sometimes ,way1 sometimes ,bread1       
sometimes ,seed1 sometimes              
,resurrection1 sometimes ,son1 sometimes
 ,father1 sometimes ,spirit1 sometimes  
,life1 sometimes ,truth1 sometimes      
,faith1 sometimes ,grace4  #i4 ,now     
those things it is called as towards    
men2 but as to what it is in truth1     
itself in its own meaning to itself1 and
 declared unto ,us1 it is the defining  
7or delimitation7 of all things1 both   
the firm necessity of things fixed from 
things unstable1 and the 'harmony' of   
,wisdom4  #aj4 ,and as it is ,wisdom in 
'harmony1' there are those on the ,right

 and those on the ,left--powers1        
authorities1 principalities1 and dmons1 
energies1 threats1 powers of wrath1     
slanderings--and the ,lower ,root from  
which hath come forth the things in     
genesis4  #aa #ii4 ,this1 then1 is the  
,cross which by the ,word 7,logos7 hath 
been the means of 'cross-beaming' all   
things--at the same time separating off 
the things that proceed from genesis and
 those below it from those above1 and   
also compacting them all into one4  #ab4
 ,but this is not the cross of wood     
which thou shalt see when thou          
descendest hence2 nor am ,i he that is  
upon the cross--,i whom now thou seest  
not1 but only hearest a voice4  #ac4 ,i 
was held to be what ,i am not1 not being
 what ,i was to many others2 nay1 they  
will call ,me something else1 abject and
 not worthy of ,me4 ,as1 then1 the      
,place of ,rest is neither seen nor     
spoken of1 much more shall ,i1 the ,lord
 of it1 be neither seen nor spoken of4  
#ad4 #ajj 7xiv47 ,now the multitude of  

one appearance round the ,cross is the  
,lower ,nature4 ,and as to those whom   
thou seest in the ,cross1 if they have  
not also one form1 it is because the    
whole ,race 7or every ,limb7 of ,him who
 descended hath not yet been gathered   
together4  #ae4 ,but when the ,upper    
,nature1 yea1 the ,race that is coming  
unto ,me1 in obedience to ,my ,voice1 is
 taken up1 then thou who now hearkenest 
to ,me1 shalt become it1 and it shall no
 longer be what it is now1 but above    
them as ,i am now4  #af4 ,for so long as
 thou callest not thyself ,mine1 ,i am  
not what ,i am4 ,but if thou hearkenest 
unto ,me1 hearing1 thou1 too1 shalt be  
as ,i am1 and ,i shall be what ,i was1  
when thou art as ,i am with ,myself2 for
 from this thou art4  #ag4 ,pay no      
attention1 then1 to the many1 and them  
that are without the mystery think      
little of2 for know that ,i am wholly   
with the ,father and the ,father with   
,me4  #ah4 #aja 7xv47 ,nothing1 then1 of
 the things which they will say of ,me  

have ,i suffered2 nay that ,passion as  
well which ,i showed unto thee and the  
rest1 by dancing it1 ,i will that it be 
called a mystery4  #ai4 ,what thou art1 
thou seest2 this did ,i show unto thee4 
,but what ,i am1 this ,i alone know1 and
 none else4  #bj4 ,what1 then1 is ,mine 
suffer ,me to keep2 but what is thine   
see thou through ,me4 ,to see ,me as ,i 
really am ,i said is not possible1 but  
only what thou art able to recognise1 as
 being kin to ,me 7or of the same       
,race74  #ba4 ,thou hearest that ,i     
suffered2 yet ,i did not suffer3 that ,i
 suffered not2 yet ,i did suffer3 that  
,i was pierced2 yet was ,i not smitten3 
that ,i was hanged2 yet ,i was not      
hanged3 that blood flowed from me2 yet  
it did not flow3 and in a word the      
things they say about ,me ,i had not1   
and the things they do not say those ,i 
suffered4 ,now what they are ,i will    
riddle for thee2 for ,i know that thou  
wilt understand4  #bb4 ,understand1     
therefore1 in ,me1 the slaying of a     

,word 7,logos71 the piercing of a ,word1
 the blood of a ,word1 the wounding of a
 ,word1 the hanging of a ,word1 the     
passion of a ,word1 the nailing 7or     
putting together7 of a ,word1 the death 
of a ,word4  #bc4 ,and thus ,i speak    
separating off the man4 ,first1 then1   
understand the ,word1 then shalt thou   
understand the ,lord1 and in the third  
place only the man and what he suffered4
  #bd4 #ajb 7xvi47 ,and having said     
these things to me1 and others which ,i 
know not how to say as ,he ,himself     
would have it1 ,he was taken up1 no one 
of the multitude beholding ,him4  #be4  
,and when ,i descended ,i laughed at    
them all1 when they told ,me what they  
did concerning ,him1 firmly possessed in
 myself of this truth only1 that the    
,lord contrived all things symbolically1
 and according to ,his dispensation for 
the conversion and salvation of man4    
,,comments4   ,the translation is       
frequently a matter of difficulty1 for  
the text has been copied in a most      

careless and unintelligent fashion1 so  
that the ingenuity of the editors has   
often been taxed to the utmost and has  
not infrequently completely broken down4
 ,it is of course quite natural that    
orthodox scribes should blunder when    
transcribing ,gnostic documents1 owing  
to their ignorance of the subject and   
their strangeness to the ideas2 but this
 particular copyist is at times quite   
barbarous1 and as the subject is deeply 
mystical and deals with the unexpected1 
the reconstruction of the original      
reading is a matter of great difficulty4
 ,with a number of passages ,i am still 
unsatisfied1 though ,i hope they are    
somewhat nearer the spirit of the       
original than other reconstructions     
which have been attempted4  ,it is      
always a matter of difficulty for the   
rigidly objective mind to understand the
 point of view of the ,gnostic          
scripture-writers4 ,one thing1 however1 
is certain3 they lived in times when the
 rigid orthodoxy of the canon was not   

yet established4 ,they were in the      
closest touch with the living tradition 
of scripture-writing1 and they knew the 
manner of it4  ,the probability is that 
paragraphs #a-c are from the pen of the 
redactor or compiler of the ,acts1 and  
that the narrative1 beginning with the  
words ,and my ,lord stood in the midst  
of the ,cave1 is incorporated from prior
 material--a mystic vision or apocalypse
 circulated in the inner circles4  ,the 
compiler knows the general              
,gospel-story1 and seems prepared to    
admit its historical basis2 at the same 
time he knows well that the story       
circulated among the people is but the  
outer veil of the mystery1 and so he    
hands on what we may well believe was   
but one of many visions of the mystic   
crucifixion4  ,the gentle contempt of   
those who had entered into the mystery1 
for those unknowing ones who would fain 
limit the crucifixion to one brief      
historic event1 is brought out strongly1
 and savours1 though mildly1 of the     

bitterness of the struggle between the  
two great forces of the inner and       
spiritualizing and the outer and        
materializing traditions4  #a4 ,the     
disciples flee after beholding the inner
 mystery of the ,passion and            
,at-one-ment as set forth in the        
initiating drama of the ,mystic ,dance  
which formed the subject of our fourth  
volume4  #b4 ,yet even ,john the        
,beloved1 in spite of this initiation1  
cannot yet bear the thought that his    
,master did actually suffer historically
 as a malefactor on the physical cross4 
,in his distress he flees unto the      
,mount of ,olives1 above ,jerusalem4    
,but to the ,gnostic the ,mount of      
,olives was no physical hill1 though it 
was a mount in the physical1 and        
,jerusalem no physical city1 though a   
city in the physical4 ,the ,mount1      
however it might be distinguished       
locally1 was the ,height of             
,contemplation1 and the bringing into   
activity of a certain inner             

consciousness2 even as ,jerusalem here  
was the ,jerusalem below1 the physical  
consciousness4  #c4 ,the sentence when  
,he was hung on the tree of the ,cross  
contains a great puzzle4 ,the word for  
tree in the original is batos2 this may 
mean the bush or tree of the cross4 ,but
 the ,cross for the ,gnostics was a     
living symbol4 ,it was not only the     
cross of dead wood1 or the dead trunk of
 a tree lopped of its branches--a symbol
 of ,osiris in death2 it was also the   
,tree of ,life1 and was equated with the
 ,fiery ,bush out of which the ,angel of
 ,god spake to ,moses--that is the ,tree
 of ,fiery ,life1 in the ,paradise of   
man's inner nature1 whence the ,word of 
,god expresses itself to one who is     
worthy to hear4 ,and this ,tree of ,life
 was also1 as the ,cross1 the ,tree of  
,knowledge of ,good and ,evil2 indeed1  
both are but one ,tree1 for the fruit of
 the ,tree of ,life is the knowledge of 
good and evil1 the cross of the         
opposites4  ,but seeing that the word   

batos in ,greek had also another        
meaning1 the ,gnostics1 by their method 
of mystical word-play1 based on the     
power of sound1 brought this further    
meaning into use for the expansion of   
the idea4 ,the difference of            
accentuation and of gender 7though the  
reading of the ,septuagint is masculine 
and not feminine as is usual with batos 
in the sense of bush or tree7 presented 
no difficulty to the word-alchemy of    
these allegorists4  ,hippolytus1 in his 
,refutation of all ,heretics1 attempts  
to summarize a system of the            
,christianized ,gnosis which is assigned
 to the ,docet2 and ,docetism is        
precisely the chief characteristic of   
our ,acts of ,john1 as we have already  
pointed out in ,vol4 ,,iv4 ,in this     
unsympathetic summary there is a passage
 which throws some light on our puzzle4 
,it would1 of course1 require a detailed
 analysis of our hresiologist's         
refutation of the ,docetic system to    
make the passage to which we refer 7op4 

cit41 viii41 #i7 fully comprehensible2  
but as this would be too lengthy an     
undertaking for these short comments1 we
 must content ourselves with a bald     
statement4  ,the pure spiritual         
emanations or ideas or intelligences of 
the ,light descend into the lowest      
,darkness of matter4 ,for the moulding  
of vehicles or bodies for them it is    
necessary to call in the aid of the ,god
 of ,fire1 the creative or rather       
formative ,power1 who is ,living ,fire  
begotten of ,light4  ,hippolytus        
summarizes1 doubtless imperfectly1 from 
the ,docetic document that lay before   
him1 as follows3  ,moses refers to this 
,god as the ,fiery ,god who spake from  
the ,batos1 that is to say1 from the    
,dark ,air2 for ,batos is all the ,air  
subjected to ,darkness4  ,that is1      
presumably1 the material ,air1 ,air of  
the ,darkness1 as compared with the     
spiritual ,air or ,air of the ,light4   
,the ,docetic writer1 ,hippolytus says1 
explained the use of the term as        

follows3  ,moses called it ,batos1      
because1 in their passing from ,above1  
,below1 all the ,ideas of the ,light    
that is1 the ,light-sparks or spirits of
 men used the ,air as their means of    
passage 7batos74  ,in other words       
,batos1 as ,air1 was the link between   
,light and ,darkness1 which ,darkness   
was regarded as essentially a flowing or
 ,watery chaos4 ,the ,batos was the ,way
 ,down and the ,way ,up of souls4  ,we  
are not1 however1 to suppose that the   
origin of this idea was the text of     
,exodus4 ,by no means2 the idea came    
first1 indeed was fundamental with the  
,gnosis2 the mystic exegesis of the     
burning bush passage was an exercise in 
ingenuity4 ,for the ,gnosis1 the that   
which at once separated and united the  
,light and the ,darkness was the ,cross4
 ,the ,angel of ,god speaking to ,moses 
out of the ,fiery ,batos was for the    
,christian ,gnostics one of the most    
striking apocalypses of ancient ,jewish 
scripture2 and it was primarily one of  

the chief functions of the ,gnosis to   
throw light on the under-meaning4 ,this 
the ,docetic exegete does in his own    
fashion1 using the reading of the ,greek
 ,targum or ,translation of the         
,seventy1 in this wise3 ,batos8 ,batos  
does not mean 'bush' really1 but 'medium
 of transmission1' ,it is by means of   
this that the ,word of ,god comes unto  
us--namely1 by the mystery of the       
uniter-separator in one1 which was      
called by many names4  ,for instance1 in
 setting forth the ,sophia-mythus1 or   
,wisdom-story1 or mystery of            
cosmogenesis1 of the ,valentinian       
school1 ,hippolytus 7op4 cit41 vi4 #c71 
treats of the ,cross as the final       
mystery of all4 ,with original documents
 before him1 he writes3  ,now it is     
called ,boundary1 because it bounds off 
the ,deficiency from the ,fullness so as
 to make it exterior to it2 it is called
 ,partaker because it partakes of the   
,deficiency as well2 and it is called   
,cross 7or ,stock7 because it hath been 

fixed immovably and unchangeably1 so    
that nothing of the ,deficiency should  
be able to approach the eternities      
within the ,fullness4  ,here it is      
useless to tie oneself to the physical  
symbol of a cross4 ,the ,stauros        
7,cross7 in its true self is a living   
idea1 a reality or root-principle4 ,it  
is the principle of separation and      
limit1 dividing entity from non-entity1 
being from non-being1 perfection from   
imperfection1 fullness or sufficiency   
from deficiency or insufficiency--,light
 from ,darkness4 ,it is the that which  
causes all opposites4 ,at the same time 
it shares in all opposites1 for it is   
the immediate emanation of the ,father  
,himself1 and therefore unites while    
separating4 ,it is1 therefore1 the      
principle of participation or sharing   
in1 sharing in both the ,fullness and   
the ,deficiency4 ,finally1 it is the    
,stock or ,pillar as that which has     
stood1 stands and will stand--the       
principle of immobility1 as the energy  

of the ,father in ,his aspect of the    
supreme ,individuality that changes not1
 because he is ,lord of the             
ever-changing4  ,that such a master-idea
 is difficult to grasp goes without     
saying2 it was confessedly the supreme  
mystery4 ,from it the mind1 the formal  
mind of man1 falls back unable to grasp 
it2 for it is precisely this personal   
mind that creates duality1 and          
insinuates itself between cause and     
effect4 ,the spiritual ,mind alone can  
embrace the opposites4  ,but to return  
to our text4 ,when ,he was hung on the  
batos of the ,cross--when ,he had       
reached the state of balance1 was in the
 mystic centre--then at the sixth hour1 
that is mid-day1 when there was greatest
 light1 there was also greatest         
darkness4  ,and then when the ,lord1 the
 ,higher ,self of the man1 was balanced 
and justified1 the man1 the disciple1   
became conscious1 in the cave of his    
heart--that is to say1 in his inmost    
substantial nature--of the ,presence of 

,light4  #d4 ,thereon follow the        
illumination and the explanation of the 
familiar drama of appearance taught to  
those without the mystery4  ,the        
multitude below in ,jerusalem is the    
lower nature of the man1 his unillumined
 mind4 ,jerusalem ,below is set over    
against ,jerusalem ,above1 the ,city of 
,god4 ,jerusalem ,below is that nature  
in him that is still unordered and      
unpurified2 while ,jerusalem ,above is  
that ordered and purified portion of his
 substance that can respond to the      
immediate shining of the ,light1 which  
further orders it according to the      
,ordering of ,heaven4  ,and yet the     
drama below is real enough2 there are   
ever crucifixion and piercing and the   
drinking of vinegar and gall1 before the
 triumphant ,christ is born4 ,it is by  
such means that ,his ,body is conformed2
 it is the mystery of the transformation
 of what we call evil into good4 ,the   
,body of the ,christ is perfected by the
 absorption of the impersonal evil of   

the world1 which ,he transmutes into    
blessing4  ',twas ,i who put it in thy  
heart to ascend this ,mount4 ,i am thy  
,self1 thy true ,god2 'twas ,i          
energizing in thee who enabled thee to  
rise to the height of contemplation1    
where thou canst hear what disciple     
should learn from ,master and man from  
,god4 ,the man has now reached the stage
 of ,hearer in the ,spiritual           
,mysteries4  #e4 ,there then follows the
 vision of the great ,cross of ,light1  
fixed firm1 and stretching from earth to
 heaven4 ,round its foot on earth is a  
vast multitude of all the nations of the
 world2 they resemble one another in    
that they are configured according to   
the ,darkness1 their ,spark burns low4  
,on the ,cross1 or in it1 for doubtless 
the seer saw within as well as without1 
was another multitude of various grades 
of light1 being formed into some        
marvellous ,image like unto the ,divine1
 but not yet completed--as it might be  
the ,rose on the ,cross1 in the famous  

symbol of the ,rosicrucians4  #f4 ,and  
above the ,cross1 lost in the dazzling  
brilliancy of the ,fullness1 ,john      
beheld the ,lord2 he beheld but could   
not see1 because of the ,great ,light1  
as we are told in another great vision  
of the ,master in the ,pistis ,sophia4  
,he can hear only a ,voice4 ,but this   
,voice is no voice of man1 but one truly
 of ,god--a ,bath-kol or ,heavenly      
,voice1 as the ,rabbis called it--a     
,voice of sweetest reasonableness1 using
 no words1 but of a higher order of     
utterance1 that can make the man speak  
to himself in his own language1 using   
his own terms4  #g4 ,the sentence ,i    
long for one who will hear1 is instinct 
with the yearning of the ,divine ,love1 
the eagerness to bestow1 the longing to 
speak if only there be one to hear4  #h4
 ,there then follows a list of synonyms 
of the ,cross1 every one of which shows 
that the ,cross1 if a symbol1 must be   
taken to denote the master-symbol of all
 symbols4 ,it is the key to the chief   

nomenclature of the ,gnosis and the     
greatest terms of the ,gospel4 ,these   
terms1 it is stated1 are used by the    
,wisdom for your sakes1 that is1 to     
bring home in many ways to the hearts of
 men the intuition of the mystery4  ,as 
is explained later on in the text1 the  
mystery of the ,cross is the mystery of 
the ,word1 the ,spiritual ,man1 or      
,great ,man1 the ,divine ,individuality4
 ,therefore is it called ,word or       
,reason1 ,mind1 ,jesus and ,christ4 ,son
 and ,father2 for ,jesus is the ,christ1
 both as human and divine1 the two      
natures uniting in one in the ,cross2   
and the ,son is the ,father in a still  
more divine meaning of the mystery2 for 
both ,son and ,cross are of the ,father 
alone1 they are ,himself manifesting    
,himself to ,himself4 ,the whole is the 
mystery of ,atman or the ,self4  ,the   
,door is the ,door of the ,two in ,one1 
the state of equilibrium of the         
opposites which opens out into the      
all-embracing consciousness and         

understanding of all oppositions4  ,the 
,cross is the ,way on which there is no 
travelling1 for it perpetually enters   
into itself2 it is the true ,meth-od1   
not so much in the sense of the         
,way-between or the ,medium or          
,mediator1 as in the sense of the ,means
 of ,gnosis4  ,it is also called ,seed  
because it is the mystery of the power  
of growth and development2 it is        
self-initiative4  ,and if the ,cross be 
,son and ,father in separation and      
union1 or as simultaneously ,cause and  
,result1 it is likewise ,spirit or      
,atman1 and therefore ,life4  ,it is    
also ,truth or the ,perpetual ,paradox1 
distinguishing and uniting in itself all
 pros and cons1 and all analysis and    
synthesis in simultaneous operation4    
,therefore also is it called ,faith1    
because it is the that which is stable  
and unchanging amid perpetual change4   
,faith in its true mystic meaning seems 
to denote the power of withdrawing the  
personal consciousness from between the 

pairs of opposites1 where these appear  
external and other than oneself1 and    
embracing the opposites within the      
greater consciousness1 when they are    
within oneself and appear as natural    
processes in the great economy4  ,faith 
is of the contemplative mind2 it        
embraces1 it includes4 ,it is therefore 
of the ,great ,mother1 as the life and  
substance of the ,cross2 so also is it  
of ,grace1 elsewhere called ,wisdom4    
,finally1 the ,cross regarded from this 
point of view is called ,bread1 the     
substance of ,life4  ,in a remarkable   
paper in ,the ,theosophical ,review1    
,nov41 #aijg1 ,e4 ,r4 ,innes speaks of a
 vision of a great drama of those       
,powers beyond the mind-spheres1 which  
in the ,indian scriptures are called    
,food and ,eater--that is to say1 the   
mystical union between the ,not-self and
 the ,self4  ,in the                    
,chhandogyopanishad1 for instance1 we   
read of one who had passed into the     
heaven-world possessing a knowledge of  

the identity of the ,self and ,not-self4
 ,the transformations of his vehicles   
that thus occur in the inner states or  
worlds become as it were processes of   
natural digestion in his ,great ,body1  
for we read3  ,having what food he      
wills1 what form he wills1 this song he 
singing sits3    ',o wonder1 wonder1    
wonder6   ,food ,i2 food ,i2 food ,i6   
,food-eater ,i2 food-eater ,i2          
food-eater ,i6'  7,see my               
,world-,mystery1 #bnd ed41 p4 #agi47    
,our author in similar fashion writes of
 a soul watching the processes of its   
own substance in the heaven-world4  ,she
 watched the interaction of those two   
great currents of the ,one ,great       
,life-,force--the ,life-,force as       
,supporter1 the ,life-,force as         
,sustainer4 ,she watched the great      
transfiguration of the crossing over of 
the surface-forms as life met life in   
perfect mystic union4 ,as the currents  
crossed the forms changed1 but without  
loss of life or consciousness4 ,the     

,powers crossed and recrossed2 and with 
each appearance of that sacred symbol   
there was further expansion and         
intensification of the ,life-,force4 ,at
 each piercing or insinuation of the one
 into the other1 that which had been two
 became one1 yet there still remained   
the two4 ,she watched the great mystery 
of that ,cross on which the ,heavenly   
,man dies in order to live again4  ,in  
heaven you do not demolish forms in     
order to sustain life1 you daily        
insinuate yourself into all the forms   
you meet1 and thus by supplying them    
with food1 the food of your own greater 
life1 you become each separate object1  
and gain in power and expansiveness4    
,thus in heaven by sacrifice do you grow
 and live1 and slowly become the world4 
,thus in heaven do you give life to     
others in order to live yourself2 thus  
do the many rebecome the ,one4 ,the     
,great ,mystery of the ,bread of ,life  
which must be partaken of by all before 
the ,day of ,triumph was acted out      

before her eyes4  ,and it might be added
 that as heaven is a state and not a    
place1 the mystery can be consummated on
 earth1 and that this is the true       
sacrifice of the ,christ and the ,way to
 become a ,christ4  #i4 ,ideas of this  
or a similar order may be held not      
rashly to underlie the words of our     
text4 ,the ,cross of ,life may well be  
called the ,harmony--or articulation1 or
 joining-together--of ,wisdom1 for it is
 by means of ,wisdom that all the       
contraries are joined together1 and this
 ,articulation constitutes the firm     
necessity of ,fate1 which was also      
called in the ,gnostic schools the      
,harmony4 ,and if it is a ,cross of     
,life1 it is also a ,cross of ,light1   
for ,life and ,light are the eternally  
united twin-natures1 female and male1 of
 the ,logos1 the ,good4 ,life is        
,passion and ,light is ,understanding4  
,the ,logos divides ,himself to         
experience and know ,himself4  #aj4 ,all
 opposites unite in ,wisdom as a ground2

 she is the pure substance in which all 
the powers play4 ,it is only when the   
,cross is regarded as a separator1 that 
it may be said to have a right and a    
left1 with good forces on the one hand  
and evil on the other4 ,the forces are  
in reality in themselves the same       
forces2 it is the personality of the man
 7represented by the upright of the     
,cross71 which refers all things to its 
incomplete self1 that regards them as   
good and evil4  ,this personality is    
rooted in the ,lower ,root or lower     
nature1 and stretches upward towards the
 ,above4  ,but in reality there are     
roots above and branches below1 or roots
 below and branches above1 of the trunk 
of this ,tree of ,life and ,light4      
,though the nomenclature is somewhat    
different1 ,i cannot refrain from       
quoting a striking passage from a       
,gnostic scripture to give the reader   
some idea of the lofty region of thought
 to which the ,gnosis accustomed its    
disciples4  ,it is taken from ,the      

,great ,announcement1 a document        
ascribed by ,hippolytus to the very     
beginning of the ,christianized ,gnosis4
 ,strong efforts have been made to      
question this ascription1 and to prove  
the document to be of a later date1 but 
,i think ,i have established a high     
probability that it may be even a       
pre-,christian writing 7see ,h41 i4     
#ahd74  ,the text is to be found in     
,hippolytus' ,refutation of all         
,heresies 7vi41 #ah73  ,to you1         
therefore1 ,i say what ,i say and write 
what ,i write4 ,and the writing is this3
  ,of the universal ons 7,eternities7   
there are two ,branchings1 without      
beginning or end1 from one ,root1 which 
is the ,power unseeable1                
incomprehensible ,silence4  ,of these   
,branchings one is manifested from      
,above--the ,great ,power1 ,mind of the 
universals1 ordering all things1 male2  
and the other from ,below--,great       
,thought1 female1 generating all things4
  ,thence partnering one another they   

pair 7lit4 have union--syzyga71 and     
bring into manifestation the ,middle    
,distance1 incomprehensible ,air without
 beginning or end4  ,in this is that    
,father1 who supports and nourishes the 
things which have beginning and end4    
,this is ,he who has stood1 stands and  
shall stand--a male-female ,power in    
accordance with the transcendent        
,boundless ,power1 which hath neither   
beginning nor end1 subsisting in        
onlyness4  ,it was by emanating from    
this ,power 7sci41 ,incomprehensible    
,silence7 that ,thought-in-onlyness     
became two4  ,yet was ,he1 7the         
,supernal ,father7 one2 for having her  
7sci4 ,thought7 in ,himself ,he was     
alone that is1 all-one1 or only1 that is
 one-ly4 ,he was not1 however1 in this  
state 'first1' although transcendent2 it
 was only in manifesting ,himself from  
,himself that ,he became 'second' that  
is to say1 as ,he who stands4 ,nay1 ,he 
was not even called ',father' till      
,thought named ,him ',father4'  ,as1    

therefore1 ,himself pro-ducing ,himself 
by means of ,himself1 ,he manifested to 
,himself ,his own ,thought2 so also ,his
 ,thought on manifesting did not make   
,him1 but beholding ,him1 she concealed 
the ,father1 that is the ,power1 in     
,herself1 and is thus male-female1      
,power and ,thought4  ,thence is it that
 they partner one another 7for ,power in
 no way differs from ,thought7 and yet  
are one4 ,from the things ,above is     
discovered ,power1 and from those ,below
 ,thought4  ,so is it1 too1 with that   
which is manifested from them2 namely1  
that though it 7sci4 the ,middle        
,distance1 ,incomprehensible ,air7 is   
one1 it is found to be two1 male-female1
 having the female in itself4  ,thus is 
,mind in ,thought--inseparable from one 
another1 which though one are yet found 
to be two4  ,i believe that our ,vision 
of the ,cross sets forth in living      
symbol precisely what is explained above
 in more abstract terms4 ,it would1     
however1 be a mistake to make           

abstractions of these sublime ideas2    
they must be realized as fullnesses1 as 
transcendent realities4 ,the ,air1 the  
,batos1 the ,middle ,distance1 is the   
manifestation1 or thinking-manifest1 of 
the ,divine to ,itself1 the true meaning
 of ma-ya4 7,see the ,trismegistic      
,sermon1 ,though ,unmanifest ,god is    
most ,manifest1 and the commentary1 ,h41
 ii41 #ii-aji74  #aa4 ,i have translated
 the term ,greek3 diapexamenos by       
cross-beaming1 for ,greek3 diapegion is 
a cross-beam2 and ,i would refer the    
reader to the famous myth of ,plato     
known as ,the ,vision of ,er1 where the 
same idea is set forth when we read3    
,there they saw the extremities of the  
,boundaries of the ,heaven1 extended in 
the midst of the ,light2 for this ,light
 was the final ,boundary of             
,heaven--somewhat like the undergirdings
 of ships--and thus confined its whole  
revolution4 7,see ,h41 i41 #ddj47  ,this
 cross-beaming or operation of the      
,cross is the mode of the energizing of 

the ,logos4 ,it is the simultaneous     
separating and joining of the generable 
and the ingenerable1 the two modes of   
the ,self-generable2 it is the link     
between personal and impersonal1 bound  
and free1 finite and infinite4 ,it is   
the instrument of creation1 male-female 
in one4  #ab4 ,there is little surprise1
 therefore1 in learning that this       
mystery is not the cross of wood which  
the disciple will see and has seen in   
the pictures framed by his lower mind1  
when reading the historicized narrative 
of the mystery-drama or hearing the     
great story4 ,nor is it to be imagined  
that the ,lord could be hung upon such a
 cross of wood1 seeing that ,he is      
crucified in all men--,he whom even the 
disciple in contemplation cannot see as 
,he is1 but can only hear the ,wisdom of
 ,his ,voice4  #ac4 ,i was held to be   
what ,i am not4 ,as to what the many say
 concerning the mystery1 they speak as  
the many vain and contradictory         
opinions4 ,nay1 even those who believed 

in ,him have not understood2 they have  
been content with a poor and unworthy   
conception of the mystery4  ,the        
teaching seems to be that as the        
,christ-story was intended to be the    
setting-forth of an exemplar of what    
perfected man might be--namely1 that the
 path was fully opened for him all the  
way up to ,god--it was spiritual suicide
 to rest content with a limited and     
prejudiced view4 ,every mould of thought
 was to be broken1 every imperfect      
conception was to be transcended1 if    
there was to be realization4  ,for those
 who cling to the outward forms and     
symbols the ,place of ,rest is neither  
seen nor spoken of4 ,this ,place of     
,rest1 this ,home of ,peace1 is in      
reality the very ,cross itself1 the     
,firm ,foundation1 the that on which the
 whole creation rests4 ,and if the      
,place of ,rest1 where all things cross1
 and unite1 the ,mystic ,centre of the  
whole system1 which is everywhere1 is   
not seen or spoken of1 much more shall  

the ,lord of it be neither seen nor     
spoken of--,he who has the power1 of the
 ,centre1 who can adjust ,his centre of 
gravity at every moment of time1 and    
therewith the attitude of this ,great   
,body or1 if it be preferred1 of his    
,mind1 and thus be in perpetual balance1
 as the ,justified and the ,just ,one4  
#ad4 ,the interpretation of the ,vision 
that follows in the text may in its turn
 be interpreted from several            
standpoints4 ,it may be regarded        
cosmicly according to the restauratio   
omnium1 when the whole creation becomes 
the object of the ,great ,mercy1 as     
,basilides calls it2 or it may be taken 
soteriologically as referring to the    
salvation or the making safe or sure of 
our humanity1 or it may be referred to  
the perfection of the individual man4   
,the multitude of one appearance are the
 ,earth-bound1 the ,hylics as the       
,gnostics called them2 that is1 those   
who are immersed in things of matter1   
the delights of the world4 ,they are the

 ,dead1 because they are under the sway 
of birth-and-death1 the spheres of      
,fate4 ,they have not yet risen from the
 ,dead1 and consciously ascended the    
,cross of ,light and ,life4  ,thus in   
the preface to ,the ,book of the ,gnoses
 of the ,invisible ,god1 that is to say1
 ,the ,book of the ,gnosis of ,jesus the
 ,living ,one--which begins with the    
beautiful words3 ,i have loved you and  
longed to give you ,life--we read the   
following ,saying of the ,lord3  ,jesus 
saith3 ,blessed is the man who          
crucifieth the world1 and doth not let  
the world crucify him4  ,and later on   
the mystery is set forth in another     
,saying3  ,jesus saith3 ,blessed is the 
man who knoweth this ,word1 and hath    
brought down the ,heaven1 and borne the 
,earth and raised it heavenwards2 and he
 becometh the ,midst1 for it 7the       
,midst7 is a 'nothing4' 7,f41 #eah1     
#eai47  ,those who have become          
spiritual1 who have risen from the      
,dead1 are born into the ,race of the   

,logos1 they become kin with ,him4  ,of 
this ,race much has been written by the 
mystics of the many different schools of
 these early days4  ,thus the ,jewish   
,gnostic commentator of the ,naassene   
,document writes3  ,one is the ,nature  
,below which is subject to ,death2 and  
one is the ,race without a king that is1
 those who are kings of themselves which
 is born ,above 7,h41 i41 #afd474  ,and 
the ,christian ,gnostic commentator     
refers to the ineffable ,race of perfect
 men 7,h41 i41 #aff71 who are in the    
,logos4  ,such illuminati were called by
 one tradition of the ,christianized    
,gnosis the ,race of ,elxai1 the ,hidden
 ,power or ,holy ,spirit1 the ,spouse of
 ,iexai1 the ,hidden ,lord or ,logos4   
7,h41 ii41 #bdb2 see my ,did ,jesus live
 #ajj ,b4,c48 chap4 xviii47  ,philo of  
,alexandria tells us that ,wisdom1 who1 
after the fashion of a mother1 brings   
forth the self-taught ,race1 declares   
that ,god is the ,sower of it 7,h41 i41 
#bbj74 ,this is the term he applies to  

his beloved ,therapeuts1 adding that    
this ,race is rare and found with       
difficulty4  ,elsewhere he tells us that
 the angels are the people of ,god2 but 
there is a still higher degree of union1
 whereby a man becomes one of the ,race1
 or ,kin1 of ,god4 ,this ,race is an    
intimate union of all them who are kin  
to ,him2 they become one4 ,for this     
,race is one1 the highest one2 but      
'people' is the name of many4  ,as many1
 then1 as have advanced in discipline   
and instruction1 and been perfected     
therein1 have their lot among this      
'many4'  ,but they who have passed      
beyond these introductory exercises1    
becoming natural disciples of ,god1     
receiving ,wisdom free from all toil1   
migrate to this incorruptible and       
perfect ,race1 receiving a lot superior 
to their former lives in genesis 7,h41  
i41 #eed474  ,and so in one of the      
,hymns of ,thrice ,greatest ,hermes1    
after the triple trisagion1 the ,hermes 
or ,illuminated prays3  ,and fill me    

with ,thy ,power and with this ,grace of
 ,thine1 that ,i may give the ,light to 
those in ignorance of the ,race--my     
,brethren and ,thy ,sons4 7,h41 ii41    
#bj474  ,philo calls it self-taught1    
just as the ,buddhists speak of the     
,arhats as asekha2 and the ,trismegistic
 teacher writes3  ,this ,race1 my sons1 
is never taught2 but when ,he willeth   
it1 its memory is restored by ,god4     
7,h41 ii41 #bba47  ,the ,elect ,race of 
,valentinus is the ,sonship of          
,basilides that incarnates on earth for 
the abolition of ,death4 7,f41 #cjc47   
,in the ,pistis ,sophia document1 the   
,sophia1 or the soul turning towards the
 ,light1 first utters seven repentances1
 or turnings-of-the-mind1 or rather of  
the whole nature4 ,at the fourth of     
these1 the turning-point of some        
subcycle of the great ,return1 she prays
 that the ,image of the ,light may not  
be turned or averted from her1 for the  
time is come when those who turn in the 
lowest regions should be regarded--the  

mystery which is made the type of the   
,race4 7,f41 #dga47  ,again in the      
introduction to ,the ,book of the ,great
 ,logos according to the ,mystery1 the  
disciples beg the ,master to explain the
 ,mystery of the ,word4 ,jesus answers  
that the ,life of ,his ,father consists 
in their purifying their souls from all 
earthly stain1 and making them to become
 the ,race of the ,mind1 so that they   
may be filled with understanding and by 
,his teaching perfect themselves4 7,f41 
#ebh47  ,finally in the marvellous      
,untitled ,apocalypse of the ,bruce     
,codex we read3  ,these words said the  
,lord of the ,universe to them1 and     
disappeared from them1 and hid ,himself 
from them4  ,and the ,births-of-matter  
rejoiced that they had been remembered1 
and were glad that they had come out of 
the narrow and difficult place1 and     
prayed to the ,hidden ,mystery3  ',give 
us authority that we may create for     
ourselves ons and worlds according to   
,thy ,word1 upon which ,thou didst agree

 with ,thy servant2 for ,thou alone art 
the changeless ,one1 ,thou alone the    
boundless1 the uncontainable1           
self-taught1 self-born ,self-father2    
,thou alone art the unshakeable and     
unknowable2 ,thou alone art ,silence and
 ,love1 and ,source of all2 ,thou alone 
art virgin of matter1 spotless2 whose   
,race no man can tell1 whose            
manifestation no man can comprehend4'   
7,f41 #efd47  ,to understand1 man must  
pass beyond the stage of man1 and       
self-realize himself as kin to ,him--the
 ,logos4  ,it is1 however1 doubtful     
whether ,race is the correct reading in 
our text2 but as it is the clear reading
 in #ae the above notes are germane to  
our study4 ,the ,,ms4 apparently reads  
every ,limb4 ,this again is one of the  
most general ,gnostic mystical terms1   
and is taken over from the ,osiric      
,mysteries4 ,the ,limbs of the ,god are 
scattered abroad1 and collected together
 again in the resurrection4 ,the inner  
meaning of this graphic symbolism may be

 gleaned from the following striking    
passages4  ,in a ,,ms4 of the ,gnostic  
,marcus there is a description of the   
method of symbolizing the ,great ,body  
of the ,heavenly ,man1 whereby the      
twenty-four letters of the ,greek       
alphabet were assigned in pairs to the  
twelve ,limbs4 ,this ,body was the      
symbol of the ideal economy1            
dispensation or ordering of the         
universe1 its planes1 regions1          
hierarchies1 and powers4 7,f41 #cff47   
,this also is the true ,body of man1 the
 ,source of all his bodies4 ,and so we  
read the following mystery-saying in    
,the ,gospel of ,eve3  ,i stood on a    
lofty mountain and saw a ,great ,man1   
and another1 a dwarf1 and heard as it   
were a ,voice of thunder1 and drew nigh 
for to hear4 ,and ,he spake unto me and 
said3 ',i am thou1 and thou art ,i2 and 
wheresoever thou art1 ,i am there1 and  
in all am ,i sown 7or scattered74 ,and  
whencesoever thou willest1 thou         
gatherest ,me2 and gathering ,me1 thou  

gatherest ,thyself4' 7,f41 #dci47  ,this
 is a vision of the ,great ,person and  
little person1 of the ,higher ,self and 
lower self4 ,it may also be interpreted 
in terms of the ,logos and humanity2 but
 it comes nearer home to think of it as 
the mystery of the individual man--the  
scattering of the ,limbs of the ,great  
,person in the personalities that have  
been his in many births4  ,this idea is 
brought out more clearly in a passage   
from ,the ,gospel of ,philip4 ,it is an 
apology or defence1 as it was called1 a 
formula to be used by the soul in its   
ascent above1 as it passed through the  
space of the ,midst2 and for the mystic 
it is a declaration of the state of a   
man who is in his last compulsory       
earth-life4  ,i have recognised myself1 
and gathered myself together from all   
sides4 ,i have sown no children for the 
,ruler1 but have torn up his roots1 and 
have gathered together my ,limbs that   
were scattered abroad4 ,i know ,thee who
 ,thou art2 for ,i am of those from     

,above4 7,ibid47  ,he has sown no       
children to the ,ruler1 the ,lord of    
,death2 he has not contracted any fresh 
debt1 or created a new form of          
personality1 into which he must again   
incarnate4 ,but he has torn up the roots
 of ,death1 by shattering the form of   
egoity1 and bursting the bonds of ,fate4
 ,he has gathered together his ,limbs1  
completed the articulation of his       
,perfect ,body4  ,the ,limbs were       
according to certain orderings1 one of  
which was the configuration of the      
five-fold ,star1 the five-limbed ,man4  
,thus in ,the ,acts of ,thomas we read3 
,come ,thou who art more ancient far    
than the five holy ,limbs--,mind1       
,thought1 ,reflection1 ,thinking1       
,reasoning6 ,commune with them of later 
birth6 7,f41 #dbb47  ,these five ,limbs 
are also the five ,words of the mystery 
of the ,vesture of ,light in the ,pistis
 ,sophia 7p4 #af71 with which the       
,christ is clothed in power on the ,day 
of ,triumph1 the ,great ,day ,come unto 

us1 when ,his ,limbs are gathered       
together and the ,song of the ,powers   
begins3  ,come unto us1 for we are ,thy 
,fellow-,limbs4 ,we are all one with    
thee4 ,we are one and the same1 and     
,thou art one and the same4  ,in the    
whole document much is said of the sweet
 mysteries that are in the ,limbs of the
 ,ineffable1 but it would be too long to
 repeat it here4 ,it will be perhaps of 
greater service to append a very        
striking passage1 from ,the ,books of   
the ,saviour1 which has been copied into
 the ,,ms4 of the ,pistis ,sophia 7pp4  
#bec1 #bed73  ,and they who are worthy  
of the ,mysteries that dwell in the     
,ineffable1 which are those that have   
not emanated--these are prior to the    
,first ,mystery4 ,to use a similitude   
and correspondence of speech that ye may
 understand1 they are the ,limbs of the 
,ineffable4 ,and each is according to   
the dignity of its ,glory--the ,head    
according to the dignity of the ,head1  
the ,eye according to the dignity of the

 ,eye1 the ,ear according to the dignity
 of the ,ear1 and the rest of the ,limbs
 in like fashion2 so that the matter is 
plain3 ,there are many ,limbs 7,members7
 but only one ,body4  ,of this ,i have  
spoken in a plan1 a correspondence and  
similitude1 but not in its true form2   
nor have ,i revealed the ,word in       
,truth1 but as the ,mystery of the      
,ineffable4  ,and all the ,limbs that   
are in ,him4441 that is1 they that dwell
 in the ,mystery of the ,ineffable1 and 
they that dwell in ,him1 and also the   
,three ,spaces that follow according to 
their ,mysteries--of all of these in    
truth and verity am ,i the ,treasure2   
apart from which there is no ,treasure  
peculiar to this cosmos4 ,but there are 
other ,words and ,mysteries and ,regions
 of other worlds4  ,now1 therefore1     
,blessed is he who hath found the ,words
 of the ,mysteries of the ,space towards
 the exterior4 ,he is a ,god who hath   
found the ,words of the ,mysteries of   
the second ,space1 in the midst4 ,he is 

a ,saviour and free of every space who  
hath found the ,words of the ,mysteries 
of the third ,space towards the         
interior4444  ,but ,he1 on the other    
hand1 who hath found the ,words of the  
,mysteries which ,i have set forth for  
you according to a similitude--namely1  
the ,limbs of the ,ineffable--,amen ,i  
say unto you1 that man who hath found   
the ,words of those ,mysteries in the   
,truth of ,god1 he is the ,first in     
,truth1 and like unto ,him2 for it is   
through these ,words and ,mysteries that
 all things are made and the universe   
itself stands through that ,first ,one4 
,therefore is he who hath found the     
,words of these ,mysteries1 like unto   
the ,first4 ,for it is the gnosis of the
 ,gnosis of the ,ineffable in which ,i  
have spoken with you this day4  ,it is  
thus seen that the means used in        
revealing the manner of the highest     
,mysteries of the ,ineffable was by the 
similitude of the ,limbs or ,members of 
the ,body4 ,it1 therefore1 follows1 as  

we have already seen1 that this         
symbolism was one of the most1 if not   
the most1 fundamental in this ,gnosis4  
,the three stages of perfectioning are  
those of the ,saint1 ,god and ,saviour4 
,but these are still stages in evolution
 or process1 no matter how sublime they 
be4 ,the fourth or consummation is      
other2 it transcends process1 it is ever
 itself with itself1 embracing all      
processes and all powers simultaneously4
 ,but we must not be tempted to comment 
on this instructive passage1 for there  
is quite enough material in it to       
develop into a small treatise in itself4
 ,for an admirable intuition of the     
,mystery of the ,limbs of the           
,ineffable1 and the meaning of the words
 the ,head is according to the dignity  
of the ,head1 etc41 the reader is       
referred to the beautiful passage in    
,the ,untitled ,apocalypse of the ,bruce
 ,codex1 quoted in the comments on ,the 
,hymn of ,jesus 7pp4 #ed1 #ee74  ,the   
,gnostic seers lost themselves in the   

contemplation of the simultaneous       
simplicity and multiplicity of these    
,mysteries4 ,thus again in the same     
,untitled ,apocalypse we read3  ,he it  
is whose ,limbs 7,members7 make a myriad
 of myriads of ,powers1 each one of     
which comes from ,him4 7,f41 #edg74     
,this graphic symbolism of the ,limbs is
 derived from the tradition of the      
,osiric ,mysteries4 ,many a passage     
could be quoted in illustration from    
,the ,book of the ,coming-forth by ,day1
 that strange and marvellous collection 
of ,egyptian ,rituals commonly known as 
the ,book of the ,dead2 but perhaps the 
under-meaning of the mystery is nowhere 
more clearly shown than in the following
 magnificent passage from ,the ,litany  
of the ,sun1 inscribed on the ,tombs of 
the ,kings of ancient ,thebes3  ,the    
,kingly ,osiris is an intelligent       
,essence4 ,his ,limbs conduct ,him2 ,his
 ',fleshes' open the way for ,him4      
,those who are born from ,him create    
,him4 ,they rest when they have caused  

the ,kingly ,osiris to be born4  ,it is 
,he who causes them to be born4 ,it is  
,he who engenders them4 ,it is ,he who  
causes them to exist4 ,his ,birth is the
 ,birth of ,ra in ,amenti4 ,he causes   
the ,kingly ,osiris to be born2 ,he     
causes the ,birth of ,himself4  7,see my
 ,world-,mystery1 #bnd ed41 p4 #afb47   
,it requires no elaboration to show that
 this is precisely the same mystery as  
the secret set forth in our ,vision of  
the ,cross4 ,the ,kingly ,osiris is     
,atman1 the ,self1 the ,true ,man1 the  
,monad4 ,this is the ,kingly ,osiris in 
his male-female nature1 self-creative4  
,atman is both the producer and product 
of evolution4 ,in a restricted sense the
 above may be interpreted from the      
standpoint of the individuality and its 
series of personalities in incarnation4 
#ae4 ,and now to return to the text4    
,the ,race is the ,upper ,nature1 now   
scattered abroad in the hearts of men2  
it is the true ,spirit of man1 the      
hidden ,divinity within him4 ,it is this

 which re-turns1 and so causes the man  
to turn or repent4 ,it is obedient1 that
 is audient1 to the ,voice of the ,self1
 the compelling ,utterance of the       
,logos4 ,he who not only hears1 but     
hearkens to or obeys the sweet counsels 
of this ,great ,persuasion1 becomes this
 ,upper ,nature consciously2 and        
therefore it no longer is what it was1  
for it is conscious in the man1 and so  
the man is above men of the lower       
nature4  #af4 ,these mysterious         
sentences all set forth the state of    
true ,self-consciousness4 ,so long as   
man is not conscious that he is ,divine1
 so long is the ,divine in him not what 
it really is2 the lower limits the      
higher4 ,union is attained by           
hearkening1 by attention4 ,then it is   
that the man becomes his ,higher ,self1 
and that ,higher ,self becomes in its   
turn the ,self1 having taken his self in
 separation into his ,self as union4    
#ag4 ,this attention is the straining or
 striving towards the ,one2 and         

therefore no attention must be paid to  
the many4 ,the whole strife of warring  
opinions and doubts must be reconciled1 
or at-oned1 within the ,mystery4 ,the   
thought must be allowed to dwell but    
little on those without4 ,a height must 
be reached from which the whole human   
drama can be seen as a spectacle below  
and within2 this height is not with     
regard to space and place1 but with     
respect to consciousness and realization
 that all is taking place within the    
man's ,great ,body as the operations of 
the ,divine economy4 ,they who are      
without the mystery are not arbitrarily 
excluded1 but are those who prefer to go
 forth without instead of returning     
within4  #ah4 ,they who have re-turned1 
or turned back on themselves1 and       
entered into themselves for the         
realization of true ,self-consciousness1
 alone can understand the meaning of the
 ,great ,passion1 as has been so        
admirably set forth in the              
,mystery-,ritual of the ,dance4  ,those 

who have consciousness of these         
spiritual verities1 nay1 even those who 
have but dimly felt their greatness1    
will easily understand that the story of
 the crucifixion as believed in by the  
masses was for the ,gnostics but the    
shadow of an eternal happening that most
 intimately concerned every man in his  
inmost nature4  #ai4 ,the outer story   
was centred round a dramatic crisis of  
death on a stationary cross--a dead     
symbol1 and a symbol of death4 ,but the 
inner rite was one of movement and      
dancing1 a living symbol and a symbol of
 life4 ,this was shown to the           
disciple--indeed1 as we have seen1 he   
was made in the ,dance to partake in    
it--that he might know the mystery of   
suffering in a moment of ,great         
,experience4 ,he saw it and became it2  
it was shown him in action4 ,he had seen
 sorrow and suffering1 and the cause of 
it had been dimly felt2 but its ceasing 
he did not yet know really1 for the     
ceasing of sorrow could only come when  

he could realize sorrow and joy1        
suffering and bliss1 simultaneously4    
,and that mystery the ,christ alone     
knows4  #bj4 ,let the disciple then     
first see the suffering of the man      
through1 not his own1 but ,his ,master's
 eyes4 ,he will first only see the      
mystery1 grasp it intellectually2 he    
will not as yet realize it4 ,when he    
realizes it1 there will then be bliss   
indeed1 for he will begin to become the 
,master ,himself4 ,and the ,master is   
the conqueror of woe--not1 however1 in  
the sense of the annihilator of it1 but 
as the one who rejoices in it2 for he   
knows that it is the necessary          
concomitant of bliss1 and that the more 
pain he suffers in one portion of his   
nature1 the more bliss he experiences in
 another2 the deeper the one the deeper 
the other1 and therewith the intenser   
becomes his whole nature4 ,his ,great   
,body is learning to respond to greater 
and greater impulses or vibrations4     
,the consummation is that he becomes    

capable of experiencing joy in sorrow   
and sorrow in joy2 and thus reaches to  
the gnosis that these are inseparables1 
and that the solution of the mystery is 
the power of ever experiencing both     
simultaneously4  #ba4 ,it may thus to   
some extent become clear that what is   
asserted of the ,christ in the general  
,gospel-story is typically true and yet 
is not true4 ,those who look at one side
 only of the living picture see in a    
glass darkly4  ,if we could only realize
 that all the ugliness and misery and   
confusion of life is but the underside1 
as it were1 of a pattern woven on the   
,great ,loom or embroidered by ,divine  
,fingers6 ,we can in our imperfect      
consciousness see only the underside1   
the medley of crossing of threads1 the  
knots and finishings-off2 we cannot see 
the pattern4 ,nevertheless it exists    
simultaneously with the underside4 ,the 
,christ sees both sides simultaneously1 
and understands4  #bb4 ,but the term    
that our ,gnostic writer chooses with   

which to depict this grade of being is  
not ,christ1 but ,word or ,reason       
7,logos74 ,this ,reason is not the      
ratiocinative faculty in man which      
conditions him as a duality2 it is      
rather more as a ,divine ,monad1 as     
,pure ,reason1 or that which can hold   
all opposites in one4 ,it is called     
,word because it is the immediate       
intelligible ,utterance of ,god4  #bc4  
,this is the first mystery that man must
 learn to understand2 then will he be   
able to understand ,god as unity2 and   
only finally will he understand the     
greatest mystery of all--man1 the       
personal man1 the thing we each of us   
now are1 ,god in multiplicity1 and why  
there is suffering4  #bd4 ,with this the
 writer breaks off1 knowing fully how   
difficult it is to express in human     
speech the living ideas that have come  
to birth in him1 and knowing that there 
are still more marvellous truths of     
which he has caught some glimpse or     
heard some echo1 but which he feels he  

can in no way set forth in proper       
decency4  ,and so he tells us the ,lord 
is taken up1 unseen by the multitudes4  
,that is to say1 presumably1 no one in  
the state of the multiplicity of the    
lower nature can behold the vision of   
unity4  #be4 ,when he descends from the 
height of contemplation1 however1 he    
remembers enough to enable him to laugh 
at the echoes of his former doubts and  
fancies and misconceptions1 and to make 
him realize the marvellous power of the 
natural living symbolic language that   
underlies the words of the              
mystery-narrative that sets forth the   
story of the ,christ4     ,,postcript4  
,the vision itself is not so marvellous 
as the instruction2 nevertheless it     
allows us to see that the ,cross in its 
supernal nature is the ,heavenly ,man   
with arms outstretched in blessing1     
showering benefits on all--the perpetual
 ,self-sacrifice 7,f41 #ccj74 ,and in   
this connection we should remind        
ourselves of the following striking     

sentence from ,the ,untitled ,apocalypse
 of the ,bruce ,codex1 an apocalypse    
which contains perhaps the most sublime 
visions that have survived to us from   
the ,gnosis3  ,the ,outspreading of ,his
 ,hands is the manifestation of the     
,cross4  ,and then follows the key of   
the mystery3  ,the ,source of the ,cross
 is the ,man ,logos whom no man can     
comprehend4  7,see ,hymn of ,jesus1 p4  
#ec47  ,no man can comprehend ,man2 the 
little cannot contain the ,great1 except
 potentially4  ,it was some echo of this
 sublime teaching that found its way    
into the nave though allegorical        
narrative of ,the ,acts of ,philip4     
,when ,philip was crucified he cursed   
his enemies4       ,and behold suddenly 
the abyss was opened1 and the whole of  
the place      in which the proconsul   
was sitting was swallowed up1 and the   
whole of      the temple1 and the viper 
which they worshipped1 and great crowds1
      and the priests of the viper1     
about seven thousand men1 besides women 

and children1 except where the apostles 
were2 they remained      unshaken4      
,this is a cataclysm in which the lower 
nature of the man is engulfed4 ,the     
apostles are his higher powers2 the rest
 the opposing forces4 ,the latter plunge
 into ,hades and experience the         
punishments of those who crucify the    
,christ and his apostles4 ,they are thus
 converted and sing their repentance4   
,whereupon a ,voice was heard saying3 ,i
 shall be merciful to you in the ,cross 
of ,light4  ,philip is reproved by the  
,saviour for his unmerciful spirit4     
,but ,i1 ,o ,philip1 will not endure    
thee1 because thou hast swallowed up the
 men in the abyss2 but behold ,my       
,spirit is in them1 and ,i will bring   
them up from the dead2 and thus they1   
seeing thee1 shall believe in the ,glory
 of ,him that sent thee4  ,and the      
,saviour having turned1 stretched up    
,his hand1 and marked a ,cross in the   
,air coming down from ,above even unto  
the ,abyss1 and it was full of ,light1  

and had its form after the likeness of a
 ladder4 ,and all the multitude that had
 gone down from the ,city into the      
,abyss came up on the ,ladder of the    
,cross of ,light2 but there remained    
below the proconsul and the viper which 
these worshipped4 ,and when the         
multitude had come up1 having looked    
upon ,philip hanging head downwards1    
they lamented with great lamentation at 
the lawless action which they had done4 
,the doers of the lawless deed are the  
same as the lawless ,jews in the ,acts  
of ,john--those who are under the law of
 the lawless ,serpent2 that is to say1  
those who are under the sway of         
,generation1 as contrasted with those   
under the law of ,re-generation 7see    
,hymn of ,jesus1 pp4 #bh1 #dg74  ,philip
 stands for the man learning the last   
lesson of divine mercy4 ,the ,proconsul 
and the ,viper are the antitypes of the 
,saviour and the ,serpent of ,wisdom4   
,the crucifixion of ,philip is1 however1
 not the same as the crucifixion of the 

,christ2 he is hanged reversed1 his head
 to the earth and not towards heaven4   
,it is a lower grade of the mysteries4  
,concerning the mystery of the          
crucifixion of the ,christ we learn     
somewhat of its inner nature from the   
doctrines of the ,docet4  ,his baptism  
was on this wise3 ,he washed ,himself in
 the ,jordan1 that is the ,stream of the
 ,logos1 and after ,his purification in 
the ,life-giving ,water1 ,he became     
possessed of a spiritual or perfect     
body1 the type and signature of which   
were in accordance with the matter of   
his virginity1 that is of virgin        
substance2 so that when the             
,world-ruler1 or ,god of generation or  
death1 condemned his own plasm1 the     
physical body1 to death1 that is to the 
,cross1 the soul nourished in that      
physical body might strip off the body  
of flesh1 and nail it to the tree1 and  
yet triumph over the powers of the      
,ruler and not be found naked1 but      
clothed in a robe of glory4 ,hence the  

saying3 ,except a man be born of ,water 
and the ,spirit he cannot enter into the
 ,kingship of the ,heavens2 that which  
is born of the flesh is flesh4 7,f41 p4 
#bba74  ,it was because of these and    
such like ideas1 and in the conviction  
that the mystery of the crucifixion was 
to be worked out in every man1 that a   
,gnostic writer1 following the          
,valentinian tradition1 explains a      
famous passage in the ,pauline ,letter  
to the ,ephesians as follows3  ',for    
this cause ,i bow my knees to the ,god  
and ,father and ,lord of our ,lord      
,jesus ,christ1 that ,god may vouchsafe 
to you that ,christ may dwell in your   
inner man'--that is to say1 the psychic 
and not the bodily man--'that ye may be 
strong to know what is the ,depth'--that
 is1 the ,father of the universals--'and
 what is the ,breadth'--that is the     
,cross1 the ,boundary of the ,pleroma or
 ,fullness--'and what is the            
,greatness'--that is1 the ,pleroma of   
the ons the eternities or universals1   

the ,limbs of the ,body of the          
,ineffable4 7,f41 #ecb74  ,to be closely
 compared with the ,vision in ,the ,acts
 of ,john is the ,address of ,andrew to 
the ,cross in ,the ,acts of ,andrew4    
,they both plainly belong to the same   
tradition1 and might indeed have been   
written by the same hand4  ,rejoicing ,i
 come to thee1 ,thou ,cross1 the        
,life-giver1 ,cross whom ,i now know to 
be mine4 ,i know thy mystery2 for thou  
hast been planted in the world to       
make-fast things unstable4  ,thy head   
stretcheth up into heaven1 that thou    
mayest symbol-forth the ,heavenly       
,logos1 the ,head of all things4  ,thy  
middle parts are stretched forth1 as it 
were hands to right and left1 to put to 
flight the envious and hostile power of 
the ,evil ,one1 that thou mayest gather 
together into one them sci41 the ,limbs 
that are scattered abroad4  ,thy foot is
 set in the earth1 sunk in the deep     
i4e41 abyss1 that thou mayest draw up   
those that lie beneath the earth and are

 held fast in the regions beneath it1   
and mayest join them to those in heaven4
  ,o ,cross1 engine1 most skilfully     
devised1 of ,salvation1 given unto men  
by the ,highest2 ,o ,cross1 invincible  
trophy of the ,conquest of ,christ o'er 
,his foes2 ,o ,cross1 thou life-giving  
tree1 roots planted on earth1 fruit     
treasured in heaven2 ,o ,cross most     
venerable1 sweet thing and sweet name2  
,o ,cross most worshipful1 who bearest  
as grapes the ,master1 the true vine1   
who dost bear1 too1 the ,thief as thy   
fruit1 fruitage of faith through        
confession2 thou who bringest the worthy
 to ,god through the ,gnosis and        
summonest sinners home through          
repentance6  ,a magnificent address     
indeed4 ,the identification of the      
,master and the man with the ,cross and 
in the ,cross is hardly disguised4 ,the 
,cross is the ,tree of ,life and the    
tree of death simultaneously4 ,give up  
thy life that thou mayest live1 says    
that inspired mystic treatise1 ,the     

,voice of the ,silence1 and this is no  
other than the secret of the ,mystery of
 the ,cross4 ,the ,master is hanged     
between two thieves1 the one repentant  
and the other obdurate1 the soul turned 
towards the ,light and towards the      
,darkness1 all united in the one        
,mystery of the ,cross--the ,mystery of 
,man4  ,we have seen above that ,philip 
is hanged head downwards1 but he is not 
the most famous instance of this        
reversal4 ,the best known is associated 
with the name of ,peter in the mystic   
romances4  ,thus in a fragment of the   
,linus-collection called ,the ,martyrdom
 of ,peter1 we learn the doctrine as set
 forth in a speech put into the mouth of
 ,peter thus crucified3  ,fitly wast    
,thou alone stretched on the ,cross with
 head on high1 ,o ,lord1 who hast       
redeemed all of the world from sin4  ,i 
have desired to imitate ,thee in ,thy   
,passion too2 yet would ,i not take on  
myself to be hanged upright4  ,for we1  
pure men and sinners1 are born from     

,adam1 but ,thou art ,god of ,god1      
,light of true ,light1 before all ons   
and after them2 thought worthy to become
 for men ,man without strain of man1    
,thou has stood forth man's glorious    
,saviour--,thou ever upright1 ever      
raised on high1 eternally ,above6  ,we1 
men according to the flesh1 are sons of 
the ,first ,man 7,adam71 who sank his   
being in the earth1 whose fall in human 
generation is shown forth4  ,for we are 
brought to birth in such a way1 that we 
do seem to be poured into earth1 so that
 the right is left1 the left doth right 
become2 in that our state is changed in 
those who are the authors of this life4 
,for this world down below doth think   
the right what is the left--this world  
in which ,thou1 ,lord1 hast found us    
like the ,ninevites1 and by ,thy holy   
preaching hast thou rescued these about 
to die4  ,the authors of this life of   
reversal1 are the parents of the lower  
nature2 not our natural parents whom we 
are to love1 but the powers of illusion 

we are to abandon4 ,the ,jonah-myth was 
used as a type of the ,initiate1 who    
after being three days in the ,belly of 
the ,fish1 the ,great ,life or ,animal  
that dwells in the ,ocean or ,great     
,water1 is vomited forth re-generate1   
and so a fit vehicle for preaching with 
compelling words or acts for the benefit
 of those in ,nineveh or the ,jerusalem 
,below1 or this world4  ,but for those  
who had ears to hear there was a still  
further instruction concerning the      
secret of the ,mystic ,cross4  ,but ye1 
my brothers1 who have the right to hear1
 lend me the ears of your heart1 and    
understand what now must be revealed to 
you--the hidden mystery of every nature 
and secret source of every thing        
composed4  ,for the ,first ,man1 whose  
race ,i represent by my position1 with  
head reversed1 doth symbolize the birth 
into destruction2 for that his birth was
 death and lacked the ,life-stream4     
,but of ,his own compassion the ,power  
,above came down into the world1 by     

means of corporal substance1 to him who 
by a just decree had been cast down into
 the earth1 and hanged upon the ,cross1 
and by the means of this most holy      
calling the ,cross ,he did restore us1  
and did make for us these present things
 7which had till then remained unchanged
 by men's unrighteous error7 into the   
,left1 and those that men had taken for 
the ,left into eternal things4  ,in     
exaltation of the ,right ,he hath       
changed all the signs into their proper 
nature1 considering as good those       
thought not good1 and those men thought 
malefic most benign4  ,whence in a      
mystery the ,lord hath said3 ',if ye    
make not the ,right like to the ,left1  
the ,left like to the ,right1 ,above as 
the ,below1 ,before as the ,behind1 ye  
shall not know ,god's ,kingdom4'  7,this
 saying is from ,the ,gospel according  
to the ,egyptians47  ,this saying have  
,i made manifest in myself1 my brothers2
 this is the way in which your eyes of  
flesh behold me hanging4 ,it figures    

forth the ,way of the ,first ,man4  ,but
 ye1 beloved1 hearing these words1 and1 
by conversion of your nature and        
changing of your life1 perfecting them1 
even as ye have turned you from that    
,way of ,error where ye trod1 unto the  
most sure state of ,faith1 so keep ye   
running1 and strive towards the ,peace  
that calls you from ,above1 living the  
holy life4 ,for that the ,way in which  
ye travel there is ,christ4  ,therefore 
with ,jesus1 ,christ1 true ,god1 ascend 
the ,cross4 ,he hath been made for us   
the ,one and ,only ,word2 whence also   
doth the ,spirit say3 ',christ is the   
,word and ,voice of ,god4'  ,the ,word  
in truth is symbolled forth by that     
straight stem on which ,i hang4 ,as for 
the ,voice--since that voice is a thing 
of flesh1 with features not to be       
ascribed unto ,god's nature1 the        
cross-piece of the ,cross is thought to 
figure forth that human nature which    
suffered the fault of change in the     
,first ,man1 but by the help of         

,god-and-man received again its real    
,mind4  ,right in the centre1 joining   
twain in one1 is set the nail of        
discipline--conversion and repentance4  
7,f41 #ddf-ddi47  ,the interpretation   
becomes somewhat strained towards the   
end4 ,the reversed hanging typified the 
man of sex1 or the man still under the  
sway of generation1 separated into male 
and female4 ,such hang head-downwards in
 the ,great ,womb of ,nature1 and all is
 reversed for them4 ,hanged upright1 the
 re-generate man contains in himself in 
active operation the twin powers in     
union1 now used for spiritual creation1 
and self-perfection4  ,and if it be     
thought that there is abandonment of any
 thing in this consummation1 then let it
 be known that it is only a giving up of
 the part for the whole1 the passing    
from the state of separation to the     
realization of inexpressible bliss2 for 
as the inspired writer of ,the ,untitled
 ,apocalypse phrases it in an ecstasy of
 enthusiasm3  ,this is the eternal      

,father2 this the ineffable1            
unthinkable1 incomprehensible1          
untranscendible ,father4 ,he it is in   
whom the ,all became joyous2 it rejoiced
 and was joyful1 and brought forth in   
its joy myriads of myriads of ons2 they 
were called the ',births of ,joy1'      
because the ,all had joyed with the     
,father4  ,these are the worlds from    
which the ,cross upsprang2 out of these 
incorporeal ,members did the ,man arise4
 7,f41 #eej74       ,,printed ,,by      
,,percy ,,lund1 ,,humphries ,,and ,,co41
 ,,ltd41   ,,the ,,country ,,press1     
,,bradford2   #c1 ,,amen ,,corner1      
,,london1 ,e4,c42   ,,and #ig1 ,,bridge 
,,street1 ,,manchester4   #adhhg        
,transcriber's ,notes3  ,passages in    
italics are indicated by italics4  ,the 
original text includes ,greek           
characters4 ,for this text version these
 letters have been replaced with        
transliterations that appear as ,greek3 
transliteration4