The Secret Revelation of John

by Karen L. King

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. Karen L. King offers an illuminating reading of this ancient text--a narrative of the creation of the universe and humanity and a guide to justice and salvation, said to be Christ's revelation to his disciple John. Freeing the Revelation from the category of "Gnosticism" to which such accounts were relegated, King shows how the Biblical text could be read by early Christians in radical and revisionary ways. By placing the Revelation in its social and intellectual milieu, she revises our understanding of early Christianity and, more generally, religious thought in the ancient Mediterranean world. Her work helps the modern reader through many intriguing--but confusing--ideas in the for example, that the creator god of Genesis, a self-described jealous and exclusive god, is not the true Deity but a kind of fallen angel; or, in an overt critique of patriarchy unique in ancient literature, the declaration that the subordination of woman to man was an ignorant act in direct violation of the "holy height." In King's analysis, the Revelation becomes not strange but a comprehensible religious vision--and a window on the religious culture of the Roman Empire. A translation of the complete Secret Revelation of John is included.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Gnosticism, Biblical Studies

416 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2006

Reviews

[Alan Fuller · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Apocryphon (Secret Revelation) of John is the preeminent example of early Gnosticism. Gnosis (knowledge) is an unfortunate modern name for the movement. There isn't anything wrong with knowledge unless it is substituted for faith. The church fathers usually referred to them as heretics. The label for Gnosticism is related to 1Ti 6:20.

1Ti 6:20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called "knowledge," ESV

The Apocryphon of John is supposedly written by the apostle John. He is ridiculed by a Pharisee and John's faith is shaken to the Ground. This is the same John who saw the resurrected Christ and was given the Great Commission.

The Apocryphon turns the Bible stories on their head. God the Creator is an evil and ignorant being who sees that the man he has created is wiser than he is. The Creator also rapes Eve. The tree of knowledge is good and the tree of life is bad. It is Christ as an eagle that replaces the serpent in the story. If the antichrist had a creation story, this would be it.

1Jn 2:22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.

The Apocryphon teaches salvation comes through instruction, moral purification, and ritual practices. Church fathers such as Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, and Origen railed against this sort of teaching. It is based on an intertextual reading of Platonic cosmology, Genesis, and Wisdom literature. It is not through contemplation of the world but by accepting the secret revelation that knowledge is gained. The church father Origen blamed the error of the sort of thinking that led to the Apocryphon on literalism.

"Now the reason why all those we have mentioned hold false opinions and make impious or ignorant assertions about God appears to be nothing else but this, that scripture is not understood in its spiritual sense, but is interpreted according to the bare letter." (On First Principles 4.2,1-2)

So what do Ms. King and other scholars say about the Apocryphon? It was an early form of Christianity. It sounds like total apostasy to me.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important book on an early Christian scripture most of us hadn't even heard of. Karen King does here usual good job of explain the obscure (to us moderns) writings of early Christians, bringing to light the diversity of the early Jesus-movement.

[Masho Shanshashvili · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only scholarly book I have encountered on the ApJn that is so admirably clear and accessible. I would absolutely recommend it to everyone but especially to those who are just getting acquainted with the Nag Hammadi library.

[Michael Hurd 👁️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book holds many of the answers for which I had been searching.