The Apocalypse of Adam is a first- to fourth-century CE Gnostic writing that

was found among the Nag Hammadi manuscripts discovered in Egypt in the

early 20th century. Seth, the son of Adam, became very important in Gnostic

belief because he was supposed to be the one to whom Adam revealed many

secrets, which Seth passed on to the people who called themselves Gnostics

(see Chapter 12 for more on Gnostic beliefs). “Gnosis” is the Greek word for

“knowledge.”

The Gnostic philosophy, which appears to have arisen in the second century

CE, influenced many other religious traditions, including Judaism and espe-

cially Christianity. There were many Christian Gnostic writings, but the

Apocalypse of Adam appears to be a Gnostic Jewish writing — that is, a work

that draws on the Jewish instead of the Christian tradition in order to argue

Gnostic beliefs.

In short, the Gnostics believed that the material world isn’t real in any pro-

found sense and that the only reality is spiritual. The God of the Hebrews, the

creator of this world, is an evil god who tries to cover up the truth about the

Higher God, the God of Light and Truth.

Thus, in Gnostic writings, the Hebrew biblical narrative is typically told as a

narrative of enslavement to an evil god who doesn’t want humans to know

the truth. But according to the Apocalypse of Adam, an Illuminator will come

with the truth.

This work has a long poetic sequence that describes this Illuminator as one

who was carefully chosen and cared for by the angels of the Higher God.

There are 13 sections in the sequence, and each section ends with the

phrase, “thus, he came to the water.” Given that water and “coming to the

water” are themes throughout the entire writing, it’s possible that this writing

had something to do with a kind of water ritual (perhaps a sort of baptism)

conducted as part of entry into a Gnostic sect.Orphica: Writings imitating

Orpheus the poet

Orpheus, one of the most famous ancient Greek poets, is widely referred to in

classical literature. He’s believed to have perfected the playing of the lyre and

to have written a number of ancient hymns to accompany his playing.

References to Orphean “hymns” and poetic lines are found as early as the

fifth century. These particular fragments, however, are clearly Jewish

attempts to write “Orphic” poetry in the pagan form, and they’re only known

because they’re quoted in the writings of the early Christian Church Father,

Eusebius, from whom comes many such quotations of works that are now

lost.

Some of the common questions about Orphica include:

-

 Were these attempts to write a “Jewish Orpheus” — a kind of religious

propaganda?

-

 Were they attempts to convert Greeks by using a famous Greek writer

and claiming that he came to understand the truth of the Jewish God?

-

 Were they intended for Jewish consumption only?

The answers to these questions are mysteries, as are the lines of poetry

themselves, which are rather cryptic descriptions of God but descriptions,

nonetheless, that are vaguely familiar to readers of the Hebrew Bible/Old

Testament.

For example, compare the following passage of Orphica to descriptions in

Isaiah 66:1, “Thus says the Lord: Heaven is my throne and the earth is my

footstool”:

I will sing for those for whom it is lawful, but you uninitiated, close your

doors . . .

My son, I will point it out to you, whenever I notice his footsteps,

And the strong hand of the mighty God.

But I do not see him, because around [him] a cloud is set up . . .

Yes he after this is established in the great heaven

On a golden throne. He stands with his feet on the earth.

He stretches out his right hand to the ends of the ocean.

The foundations of the mountains trembles within [his] anger

—Orphica (ed. Charlesworth, 799)