Here's a quote from the Gospel of Thomas which has intrigued me ever since first reading it a few months ago. My intent is not to introduce any particular religious focus or commentary into the discussion. I offer it only to show that historical apocrypha mention joining of the male and female into a single entity.
When you make the two one, and when you make the inside as the outside, and the outside as the inside, and the upper as the lower, and when you make the male and the female into a single one, so that the male is not male and the female not female, and when you make eyes in place of an eye, and a hand in place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image, then shall you enter (the kingdom).
I never knew that passage existed. I have often read some CDers calling it a gift. Just further proof that crossdressing (being female) is a gift, I think.
WOW!!!! How great is that??? I saw where one "visitor" even referenced Carl Jung and his work on alchemy!
Damn!!! Maybe we do have gift!!! I have always believed it but this just adds further confirmation to my theory!!!
Thanks so much for this Zippy!
Love,
Virginia
First star to the right, then straight on 'till mornin!
The original web reference is now gone, but I've since found a much better reference to this apochryphal (and some say heretical) document. The parent site contains full-page scans of the original scrolls, also broken into individual lines and translated from Greek. This includes the literal word-for-word interpretation as well as three different modern interpretations.
Verse 2 emphasizes the importance of knowing one's self, a topic I believe many of us are studying in our own ways:
2.1 "Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds.
2.2 When he finds, he will become troubled.
2.3 When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished,
2.4 and he will rule over the all."
22.4 When you make the two one, and when you make the inside like the outside, and the outside like the inside, and the above like the below,
22.5 and when you make the male and the female one and the same, so that the male not be male, nor the female female;
22.6 and you fashion eyes in place of an eye, and a hand in place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, and a likeness in place of a likeness;
22.7 then you will enter [the kingdom].
I'm not much on Christianity, but I did enjoy reading the translated copy of Thomas that I found at the library a couple of years ago. There were a lot of happy ideas in there.
The most common form of despair comes from not being who you are. - Soren Kierkegaard
I'm Irish, I'll talk politics and government til they've stolen my last dime, but I say my prayers at night and leave God to make the big decisions. I figure that he got this far without worrying about my opinion. He is probably waiting until he meets me face to face.
me ever since first reading it a few months ago. My intent is not to introduce any particular religious focus or commentary into the discussion. I offer it only to show that historical apocrypha mention joining of the male and female into a single entity.
