He wrote it when he was about 92 years old, while a prisoner of rome on the remote desert penal colony of patmos, an island in the aegean sea. The secret book of john the secret revelation of john. The secret book of john, also called the apocryphon of john or the secret revelation of john, is a secondcentury sethian gnostic christian text of secret teachings. It proposes a fringe hypothesis regarding the relationship between jesus, john the baptist and mary magdalene, and states that their true story has been. After studies at leiden and groningen, his 1943 doctorate at utrecht was on tertullians sources.
For those who find it hard at first, the blessing is at the completion of the book. Stella has done a marvelous work with care, love and respect. He was a jewish christian prophet, probably belonging to a group of such prophets, and was accepted by the. The name revelation comes from the first word of the book in koine greek.
John as a christian text linking social critique with spirituality has something to commend it. Secret guardians of the true identity of christ, inspired the new york times bestsellers the da vinci code and the secret supper. Secret guardians of the true identity of christ is a book written by lynn picknett and clive prince and published in 1997 by transworld publishers ltd in great britain, australia and new zealand. Todays post looks at the evidence for and against john being the author of the book of revelation. This post starts a series through the book of revelation. Patmos was a quarry mine for the roman empire, and was home to many political and religious prisoners or slaves. Included are translations of the short and long version of the text based on the waldsein and wisse edition, an in. One set of levels is the evident addition of rather lengthy texts a list of magical names, a dialogue on the soul. Ephesus, smyrna, pergamos, thyatira, sardis, philadelphia and laodicea 1. Its title is derived from the first word of the koine greek text. Paul spilsburys book is a close runnerup for my go to book for an introduction to revelation. The author names himself as john, but modern scholars consider it unlikely that the author of revelation also wrote the gospel of john. Having spoken of the apostle john as the author of revelation, lets turn to johns location and experience when he wrote the book. It is in these four passages that the author refers to himself as john.
Since it was known to the church father irenaeus, it must have been written before around 180 ce. Her seminal book, written with clive prince, the templar revelation. Like koester, spilsbury walks you through johns revelation. The apocryphon of john is commonly referenced by two other names. Apocryphon comes from, apokryphos, hidden, obscure, from apo away and kryptein to hide. Gilles quispel was a dutch theologian, and historian of christianity and gnosticism. The primary reason some bible teachers claim that the book of revelation was written around ad 96 is because john noted in revelation 1.
The main debate centers on who authored the writings, and which of the writings, if any, can be ascribed to a common author. Lost in antiquity, rediscovered in 1896, and only rece. This translation is presented in the gnostic society library by exclusive permission of the author. The original recipients of revelation were the believers in these seven churches. The book is a secret code that tells us the date of jesus return. The secret book of john is a complex developmental mythology that has been made more complicated because, over the years, versions of it have been improved by several levels of scribal alteration. John the divine hardcover november 1, 1979 by gilles quispel author visit amazons gilles quispel page. Annotated and explained breathes new life into the gnostic gospel message their good news. It too would make a good companion volume as you read this challenging book.
Before starting in revelation 1 i want to give plenty of explanations for the authorship, textual design, interpretation, date, themes, and outlines for the book of revelation. Inspirational mysteries held secret for thirty years, that impinge on the twentyfirst century. The teaching on the millennium was based on a literal reading of the book of revelation revelation 20. Book of revelation explained scripture by scripture.
Lynn picknett is a writer, researcher, and lecturer on historical and religious mysteries. This is an extensive and scholarly but still very readable study of the text and the cultural milieu that both influenced, and in turn was influenced by, the apocryphon iohannis. Secrets never heard until now of the book of revelation by john zachary. Fragments of a great secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in. It has always seemed to me that the secret book of john evolved to be more difficult to read than it originally was. Observations upon the prophecies of daniel, and the apocalypse of st. The author of revelation in this post i want to explain why it is almost universally thought that the same author did not write the fourth gospel and the book of revelation, and then to show why the latter author was almost certainly not john the son of zebedee, jesus close disciple. In 2006, a groundbreaking featurelength film revealed the great mystery of the universethe secretand, later that year, rhonda byrne followed with a book that became a worldwide bestseller. Gilles quispel quotes author of the secret book of. The apocryphon of john was still used in the eighth century by the audians of mesopotamia.
The secret book of john, the apocryphon of john, or the secret revelation of john all have accuracy, but knowing the roots of the name leads to a clearer understanding. The secret book of john the secret revelation of john aeon a divine power or nature emanating from the supreme being and playing various roles in the operation of the universe ineffable defying expression barbelo the first emanation something that is emitted or radiated of god autogenes self generated pleroma the totality of divine powers. In fewer than sixty manuscript pages, it describes christs revelation of god and the divine world, the origins of the universe and humanity, the cause of evil and suffering, the nature of the body and. Reading sex and gender in the secret revelation of john. It is the only book of the new testament classified as apocalyptic literature rather than didactic or historical, indicating thereby its extensive use of visions, symbols, and allegory, especially in connection with future events.
The secret book of john and the secret revelation of john, depending upon how the word apocryphon is translated. The secret book of john apocryphon of john the gnosis archive. Gilles quispel author of the secret book of revelation. John wrote in code, other authors, meaning well, added their on distortions. He claimed, based on the writing style and the lack of an apostolic claim in the book, john the elder presbyter was the author not john the apostle. For those interested in johns true message, reading this will be easy. The secret book of john, also called the apocryphon of john, is a secondcentury sethian gnostic christian text of secret teachings. Dionysius, who studied under origen, also denied the teaching of a literal millennium.
The apocryphon of john marvin meyer the nag hammadi. The internal evidence of the authorship is found in four passages in the book of revelation. The book of revelation often called the revelation to john, apocalypse of john, the revelation from jesus christ from its opening words, the apocalypse, the revelation, or simply revelation is the final book of the new testament, and consequently is also the final book of the christian bible. The authorship of the johannine worksthe gospel of john, epistles of john, and the book of revelationhas been debated by scholars since at least the 2nd century ad. The apocryphon of john collection the gnostic society.
This commentaryillustration publication is the book for anyone who has studied the apocalypse book of revelation and are convinced of 3 things. The gospel of john does not mention james or john by name but just refers to the sons of zebedee. The true revelation is a revelation of the past, present and future. Gnosis is the yeast that lifts the dough of revelation above the arid flatland of religious convention. The author describes this having occurred after jesus has gone back to the place from which he came.
However, by using a revelatory framework, the author was able to explain the fundamental concepts of gnosticism. Revelation includes the contrasting female images of babylon the whore and new jerusalem the bride 17. Secrets book goodies connecting readers and authors. This revelation described the creation and the fall, explained how god became imprisoned in the world of matter, and provided the means for people to learn about their divine nature and salvation, thereby enabling them to become one with god. The secret revelation of john harvards dash harvard university.
In contrast to roman rulers who declared themselves the authors and enforcers of. It is encouraging for those of us living today and a promise of a better future that rings true to heart. The book of revelation is an apocalyptic letter that relies on visions, symbols and old testament references to reveal the. King offers an illuminating reading of this ancient texta narrative of the creation of the universe and humanity and a guide to justice and.
He became professor emeritus of early christian history at utrecht university. There may have been a single author for the gospel and the three epistles. When writing the book of revelation, john used a literary form that would have been familiar to his readers. The apocryphon of john frederik wisse the nag hammadi. John is foundational for the study of the western esoteric tradition and the illustrations in this thing blow my mind. This was an ardent call for reflection and selfawareness. The author of the book of revelation christopher l. It is well worth the attention of anyone interested in. Revelation to john appears to be a collection of separate. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Across two millennia, the book of revelation seems to have lain in a deep crypt, shrouded by its mysteries. The second recommended book is karen kings the secret revelation of john.
The apostle john is the author of the book of revelation. Introduction the man and his times new light on the secret revelation summary bible text and commentary the relevance of the apocalyptic the heritage of john. Many gnostic texts claim to be eyewitness accounts of the apostles or secret divine messages which expand on christs public revelation. The title of this scripture in greek is apocryphon ioannis. It describes jesus appearing and giving secret knowledge to john the apostle. King, 9780674030558, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. There are four surviving coptic manuscripts of this text. Watch our overview video on the book of revelation, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought.
In this document secret book of john too there is reference to the coming into being of three men. Lost in antiquity, rediscovered in 1896, and only recently accessible for study, the secret revelation of john offers a firsthand look into the diversity of christianity before the establishment of canon and creed. Traditionally, the five books of the new testament gospel according to john, 1 john, 2 john, 3 john, and revelation have been attributed to john the apostle. In revelation, johns visions reveal that jesus has overcome evil by. Excerpt from introduction to the secret revelation of john. The secret revelation of john is replete with imagery of the divine mother alongside the father god and his son christ. Revelation to john, also called book of revelation or apocalypse of john, last book of the new testament.
John is foundational for the study of the western esoteric tradition. Stevan davies the secret book of john is very yeasty. There is some historical evidence that john was exiled to patmos under the reign of domitian between ad 81 and ad 96. During the persecutions under the emperor domitian, john was summoned to rome, where he was tortured by immersion in a pot of boiling oil and subsequently banished to the island of patmos in the aegean sea. John was told to write down what he saw in a book and to send it to seven churches in the province of asia western asia minor. It describes jesus appearing and giving secret knowledge gnosis to john the apostle.