1

The

Gospel of Judas

from

Codex Tchacos

Introduction by G. Wurst
Coptic text edited by R. Kasser and G. Wurst
English translation by M. Meyer and F. Gaudard
French translation by R. Kasser
German translation by G. Wurst
Notes by M. Meyer and G. Wurst

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 2

Introduction

Sigla

Bethge Comments communicated by Hans-Gebhard Bethge, Berlin.

Cherix Online text of a French annotated translation of the Gospel of Judas published by
Pierre Cherix (dated 24th april 2006).
Funk Comments and transcriptions based on older photographic evidence communicated
by Wolf-Peter Funk, Québec.
Hedrick Older photographic evidence and preliminary transcriptions communicated by Ch.
W. Hedrick, Missouri.
Nagel German annotated translation of the Gospel of Judas by Peter Nagel, Bonn, with
extensive commentary to be published in ZNW.
Plisch German annotated translation of the Gospel of Judas published in: Uwe-Karsten
Plisch, Was nicht in der Bibel steht. Apokryphe Schriften des frühen Christentums,
(Brennpunkt Bibel, 3), Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2006; Plisch's
translation is also to be published in ZAC.
Turner Comments communicated by John D. Turner, Nebraska.

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 3
L–G 33
plogo{s} etàhp‘ Ntapofa The secret word of declaration
sis N{ta ç}H—s éaèe mN çoydas 2 by which Jesus spoke in conversation
{pi}skarivt{hs} NàhtW vac N with Judas Iscariot, during
{é}moyn nàooy àa uh Néo 4 eight days, three days
{m}nT nàooy empatewR before he celebrated
pasxa Ntarewoyvnä e 6 Passover. When he appeared
bol àièM pkaà aweire nàN on earth, he performed
maçn mN àNnoq Né{p}hre 8 miracles and great wonders
epeyèaç NtmNtrv{m}e : for the salvation of humanity.
ayv à—oçne men ey{moo}ée 10 And since some [walked]
àN teàih ntdikaios{y}nh : in the way of righteousness
ànkooye eymooée {à}n tey 12 while others walked in their
parabasis : aymoy{te} de : transgression, the twelve
epmNtsnooys m{ma}uh 14 disciples were called.
ths awarè{ei} néa{è}e nM He began to speak with
may eMmysthri{o}n etài 16 them about the mysteries
èN pkosmos ayv netna beyond the world and what would take
évpe éabol oyhpe de 18 place at the end. But often
{n}sop‘ mawoyonàW enew he does not appear to his disciples as
mauhths alla Nà—rot >— 20 himself, but you find him
éakà—e erow àN teymhte among them as a child.
ayv awévpe àN <oydaia 22 And one day he was with
éa newmauhths noyà—o his disciples in Judea,
{o}y awàe erooy eyàmoos 24 and he found them seated
eysooyä eyR gymnaze and gathered together practicing
etmNtnoyte nterew 26 their piety. When he
t{vm}t enewmauhths > [approached] his disciples,

1-2 “word” : or, “discourse”; cf. the introduction..” The antecedent of “by which” is “word” (or “discourse”).
3-4 The exact meaning of “eight days” and the relation to “three days” is unclear; cf. the introduction.
5-6 We understand R pasxa as a translation of the Greek poei'n th;n pavsca; cf. R ppasxa in Matthew 26:18 and
Hebrews 11:28. But it is also possible to understand it as a translation of the Greek verb pavscein, so that one
would have to translate the passage “three days before his passion.”
13 aymoy{te} : Nagel suggests that this may be corrected to read a%w&moy{te}, “he called.”
20 àrot : cf. B ;ro< “child,” a word that is mostly attested as a plural form, but the forms ;rot (once in B) and
;rvt (once in Old Coptic) are also attested; cf. Crum 631 a-b and, for the etymology, Westendorf 388.
Alternatively, and not less likely, it may be a form of B àortW or àort, “apparition, phantom.”
21 éakàe : the reading of the 2nd person sing. pronoun is certain under infrared light. Nagel suggests to correct to
read éa%y&àe. Plisch (and Bethge) suggest that the entire sentence (ll. 18-21) may be regarded as a secondary
gloss. The idea of Christ appearing as a child occurs only here in the Gospel of Judas.
25-26 “practicing their piety” : that is, “offering a prayer of thanksgiving over the bread” (p. 34,1-2). Alternatively,
Nagel suggests that this may be translated “disputing issues about God.”
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 4
L–D 34

eysooyà eyàmoos {e}yR eyxa gathered together and seated and offering
risti eèn partos {aw}svbe 2 a prayer of thanksgiving over the bread,
Mmauhth{s de} peèay naw {èe} [he] laughed. [And] the disciples said to
psa—à etbe oy ksvbe nsa t{en} 4 him, “Master, why are you laughing at
eyxaristia h ntanr oy p{aç} [our] prayer of thanksgiving? Or what did
petesée : { vac } awoyvéW p{e} 6 we do? [This] is what is right (to do).” He
èaw nay eeisvbe NsvtN answered and said to them, “I am not
an {oy}de etneire Mpaei an 8 laughing at you. You are not doing this
à—{n pe}tNoyvé alla àN paç because of your own will but because it is
e{wnaè}i smoy Nqi petNnoy 10 through this that your god [will receive]
te { : vac}at peèay èe ps—a—à ntok‘ thanksgiving.” They said, “Master, you
…… {……} … pe péhre Mpennoy 12 [---] the son of our god.”
te { : vac}at peèaw nay nqi çhs Jesus said to them,
èe e{tet}nsooyne mmoei 14 “In what way do [you] know me?
àN oy {à}amhn {<}èv mmos nh Truly [I] say to you,
tN è{e} mn lao{y}e ngenea na 16 no generation of the people that are
soyvnT àN Nrvme etnàht among you will know me.”
thytN Nteroysvtm {d}e : 18 And when his disciples
epaç Nqi newmauhths a{y} heard this, they
arèei naganaktei : ayv e {±……} 20 started getting angry and infuriated,
orgh ayv eèi oya erow àN and began blaspheming against him in
peyàht : i–H—s de Nterew 22 their hearts. And when Jesus observed
nay eteymnt‘auht {peèaw} their lack of understanding, [he said]
nay èe etbe oy apétortR 24 to them, “Why has this agitation led
Npqvnt petNnoyte etN (you) to anger? Your god who
àhtthytN ayv n{ew ± ………} 26 is within you and [his ---]

5 p{aç} : restored by Funk; the French translation of Cherix presupposes the same text.
8 etn- : that is, in standard Sahidic, etetN-; cf. also pp. 37,26 and 54,6.
10 Literally, “that your god [will be] praised.” But the Coptic èi smoy seems to correspond to R eyxaristi (ll. 1-2)
and eyxaristia (l. 5) and may thus be interpreted as the equivalent of Greek eujcaristei'n; cf. Luke 22:19;
24:30; 1 Corinthians 11:24.
12 The ink traces at the beginning of the line are too faint to be read with any certainty. Funk suggests oy{n a}n: “so
you are not the son of our god?” Bethge and Nagel suggest {pèoçs}, “You, [O Lord], you are the son of our
god.”
20 At the end restore to e{èi-} or e{<-} or e{R}|orgh, certainly a translation of Greek ojrgivzein.
23 mnt‘auht : very faint.
24 pé : very faint.
26 Perhaps n{ewqom}, “[his powers],” or the like.

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L–E 35

ayagan{ak}ti mn netncyxh have become angry together with your

pet{t}a{èr}hy Nà{h}tthytN NN 2 souls. [Let] any one of you who is
rvme vac ma{rewR} parage Mprv [strong] [enough] among human beings
{me} ntelios ayv nwvàeratW 4 bring out the perfect human and stand
MpeMto ebol mpaprosv before my face.”
pon ayv ayèoos throy èe 6 And they all said, “We have the
tNèoor ayv Mpeé peyp—n—a strength.” But their spirits could not
tolma evà—eratW M{pew}M : 8 find the courage to stand
to ebol eimh çoydas {pis}ka before [him], except for Judas Iscariot.
rivths : awqm qom men {e}v 10 He was able to stand
àerat—w MpewMto eb{ol} : M before him,
pewqm qom de eqvéT {eà}Oyn 12 but he could not look him
eà—raw Nnewbal : al{la N}taw in the eyes, and he
kte à—raw epaà—oy : {peèa}w naw 14 turned his face away. Judas
Nqi çoydas èe <so{o}yne èe [said] to him, “I know
Ntk nim ayv Ntak{e}i ebol : 16 who you are and where you have come
àNn aé Mma : Ntakei ebol àN from. You have come from
paivn NtB–A–R–B–H–L–V paua 18 the immortal aeon of Barbelo.
natos ayv pentawtaoyok And I am not worthy to utter the name of
paç ete N<Mpéa an Ntaoyo 20 the one who has sent you.”
Mpewran , vac çH–S de ewsooyne And knowing
èe wmeoye epkeseepe et 22 that Judas was reflecting upon something
èose peèaw naw : èe pvrü that was exalted, Jesus said to him, “Step
ebol Mmooy : taèv erok N 24 away from the others and I shall tell you
Mmysthrion NtmNtero the mysteries of the kingdom.
oyn qom èe ekebvk emay 26 It is possible for you to reach it,
alla èe ekeaé aà—om Nàoyo but you will grieve a great deal.

1 mn : the ink traces of the first letter do not seem to allow the reading àn.
19-20 We understand pentawtaoyok paç ete- … to be a cleft sentence without pe; cf. below, p. 40,23-24. Thus,
these lines may be translated, literally, “And it is the one who has sent you whose name I am not worthy to
utter.”

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l—s 36

èe oyN kaioy{a} gar {n}aévpe For someone else will replace you,
epekma à–ina èe e{re p}mn—t 2 in order that the twelve [disciples]
snooys Ns{boyç} on eye may again come to completion
èvk‘ ebol àN peynoyte { : } 4 with their god.”
ayv peèaw naw Nqi çO–Y–D–A–s And Judas said to him,
èe ekaèe naç eroç naé N 6 “When will you tell me these things,
à—ooy ayv nwéae Nqi pno{q} and (when) will the great
Nà{oo}y Mpoyoçn Ntgene 8 day of light dawn for the [---]
a {………} ……… : naç de nterew generation?” But when he
èo{o}y awlo àathw nqi i–H—s 10 said this, Jesus left him.
év{r}p‘ de nterewévpe Now, the next morning, after this
aw{oyv}nà ebol Nnewmauh 12 happened, Jesus [appeared] to his
ths { : ay}v peèay naw èe psa{à} disciples (again). They said to him,
Nta{kb}vk etvn ekr oy e 14 “Master,
aklo à—{a}ron : peèaw nay nq{i} where did [you] go and what did you do
çH—s èe Ntaeibvk éa kainoq 16 when you left us?” Jesus said to them,
Ngenea esoyaab : peèay “I went to another great
naw Nqi newmauhths èe : 18 and holy generation.”
pèoçs aé te tnoq Ngenea His disciples said to him,
etèose eron ayv etoyaab 20 “Lord, what is the great generation
ensàN neçaivn an : tenoy that is superior to us and holy,
ayv nterewsvtm enaç Nqi 22 that is not now in these aeons?”
çH—s awsvbe : peèaw nay èe And when Jesus heard this,
aàrvtN tetNmeoye àN pe 24 he laughed. He said to them,
tNàht etbe tgenea et “Why are you thinking in
èoor ayv etoyaab >>>> 26 your hearts about the strong
and holy generation?

9 The ink traces are very uncertain. We expect a relative complement to genea, but the traces do not seem to fit
with etèoor or etoyaab from ll. 25-26.

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l—z 37

{à}amhn {<}è{v} mmos nhtN èe Truly [I] say to you,

{è}po nim {Nte p}eeiaivn Nse 2 no one born [of] this aeon
nanay a{n etgenea} etMmay will see that [generation],
{o}yde mn laoye nstratia nag 4 and no host of angels
gelos NNsioy naR ero eèN tge of the stars will rule over
nea etmmay : oyde mN laoye 6 that generation, and no
nèpo nrvme nunhtos naé offspring of mortal birth will be able
ei nMmas vac èe {tg}ene{a et}mmay 8 to associate with it, because
noyebol an {………} …… {…………t}e N that generation is not from [---] that
tawévpe a{lla ……} s … {…… tge} 10 has become, [but --- the]
nea nnrvm{e et}nàht{thytN} generation of people among [you]
oyebol àN t{ge}nea N{tmNt} 12 is from the generation of
rvme te : e … { } humanity [---]
………… qom et { } 14 [---] power, which [---]
oye Ndynam{is } powers [---]
etetNo Nrro àr{aei} n{àhtoy} 16 [by] which you rule.”
NteroysvtM enaç Nqi n{ew} When [his] disciples heard this,
mauhths ayétortR à—{n pey} 18 they each were troubled in [their]
p—n—a oya oya MpoyqN e{yna} spirit. They did not find
èoos èe oy : awei éaro{oy N} 20 a word to say. Another day Jesus
kaiàooy Nqi çH—s peèay n{aw èe} came up to [them]. They said to [him],
psa—à annay erok‘ àN oy{nay} 22 “Master, we have seen you in a [vision],
annay gar eàNnoq Nra{soy} for we have had great [dreams]
{Nteei}oyéh Ntaoyein{e : >>} 24 [during this] night that has passed.”
{peèaw è}e etbe oy Nta{tetN-} [He said], “Why have [you]
{…………………} atNàap‘ thyt{N >>} 26 [---] and have gone into hiding?”

19 e{yna} : restored by Funk.

24 Ntaoyein{e : that is, in standard Sahidic, Ntasoyein{e; cf. above, the note to p. 4,24.
26 atN- : that is, in standard Sahidic, atetN-; cf. the notes to pp. 34,8 and 54,6.

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l—h 38

Ntooy de p{eèa}y {èe an}na{y} They [said, "We have] seen

eynoq nh{ç} e{re oyn}oq nuy{si} 2 a great house [with a] large altar
asthr{ion NàhtW ay}v mnt{s} [in it, and] twelve
nooys Nrvme enèv Mmo{s} 4 men—they are the priests, we would say;
èe Noyhhb ne : ayv oyran %---& and a name %---&;
oyn oymhhée de proskar 6 and a crowd of people
terei {epeuysiasthri} epe is waiting at
uy{sia}sth{ri}on etMmay >>>> 8 that altar,
é{antoyèvk eb}ol nqi Noyhhb [until] the priests [finished]
{Nseèi eàoyn N}néMée anon 10 [presenting] the offerings. We
{on ne}npro{ska}rteri pe >>> [also] kept waiting.”
{peèa}w Nqi ç{H—s} èe àNaé Mmi 12 [Jesus said], “What
{ne ne ± ………………} Ntooy de are [---] like?” And they
{peèay èe àoei}ne men ey 14 [said], “Some
{± ………………… Nàe}bdomas sNte [--- for] two weeks;
{àNkooye} de eyR uysiase N 16 [others] sacrifice
{ne}yéhre Mmin Mmooy : àN their own children,
{ko}oye Nneyà–iome eysmoy 18 others their wives, in praise
{ay}v eyu—bbihy Nneyerhy >> [and] in humility with each other;
{àN}kooye eyNkotke mN Nào 20 others sleep with men;
{oy}t : àNkooye eyR àvb efv others are involved in slaugh[ter];
{tB} vac àNkekooye eyeire noy 22 still others commit a multitude of sins
{mh}hée Nnobe ài anomia >> and deeds of lawlessness.
{ay}v nrvme etvà—e r{atoy} 24 [And] the men who stand
{eè}N peuysiasthrio{n eyR} [before] the altar
{e}pikalei epekr{an >>>} 26 invoke your [name].

5 As Funk suggests, it is possible that ayv oyran is the beginning of a new sentence, so that something has been
omitted by the scribe, e.g., “and a name %was invoked by / was written on … &,” or the like; cf. l. 26 and p. 39,
10-13.
10 For the proposed restoration, cf. p. 39,19.
11 [on ] : restored by Nagel.
13 Restore to read either Noyhhb}, referring to the “priests” in l. 9, as suggested in the preliminary online text, or
pmhhée} or nirvme}, referring to the “crowd of people” in l. 6, as Nagel suggests.
15 Probably restore to read {nhsteye Nàe}bdomas, “[abstain for]”; cf. p. 40,12-13.
20 Nkotke, variant spelling for NkotK; cf. p. 40,11.

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 9
L–U 39

ayv ey{à}N n{e}àbhoye throy And while they are involved in all the
Mpeyévvt {e}é{a}wmoyä nqi 2 deeds
peuys vac {iasthrion et}Mmay : of their sacrifice,
ayv naç Nteroyèooy a{y}ka 4 that [altar] is filled.”
rvoy eyétRtvr : peèaw And after they said this, they were quiet,
nay Nqi çH—s èe etbe oy ate 6 for they were troubled. Jesus
tNétortR : à—amhn <èv : said to them, “Why are you
Mmos nhtN èe Noyh{hb} th 8 troubled? Truly I say
roy etvà—e ratoy eè{N pe}uy to you, all the priests
siasthrion etmmay e{yR} epi 10 who stand before
kale{i} Mparan : ayv o{n} <èv that altar
Mmos nhtN èe ntays{à}aç 12 invoke my name. And again I say
Mparan epe ………… ç Nngenea to you, my name has been
Nnsioy ebol à—{i}tN ngenea 14 written on [---] of the
nnrvme : vac {ay}v {a}ytvqe generations of the stars by the
àm paran NàNé{h}n natkar 16 human generations. [And] they have
pos ayv àN oyéipe : planted trees without fruit, in my name,
peèaw nay Nqi çH—s èe NtvtN 18 in a shameful manner.”
Nnetèi eà—oyn NNéMée Jesus said to them, “It is you
epeuysiasthrion Ntate 20 who are presenting the offerings
tNnay erow : v petMmay : on the altar that you have seen. That one
pe p—n—< etetNéMée naw 22 is the god you serve,
ayv pmNtsnooyS Nrvme and you are
NtatetNay erooy NtvtN 24 the twelve men you have seen.
pe : ayv NtBnooye etoy And the cattle that
eine Mmooy eàoyn Nuysia 26 are brought in are the sacrifices
NtatetNnay erooy ne : e you have seen—
te pmhhée pe etetNplana 28 that is, the many people you lead astray

2 évvt may also be understood as “deficiency.”

2-3 Reading and restoration proposed by Cherix.
13 epe ………… ç : the first uncertain letter is e or s, the second may be i; a reading epesiàaç (that is, epeçsàaç, “on
this writing,” with an inversion of i and s) would be possible, but it is too hypothetical to be included in the
restored text.
19 Nnetèi : variant spelling for netèi.
24 NtatetNay : variant spelling for NtatetNnay.

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 10
M 40

Mmow eèN p{e}uy{si}asthri before that

on etm{ma}y {wn}a{v}àeratW 2 altar.
Nq{i ± ……………………………} mos ayv [The ruler of this uni]verse
u{e} te taei etWnar xrasuai 4 will stand up and
Mparan v ayv senar pros make use of my name in this way,
karterei erow Nqi %N&genea > 6 and <the> generations of the pious
N{N}eysebhs : mnNsa paç > will be loyal to him.
oy{n} kairvme naparista N 8 After him
n{……… p}o{r}ne{ye : } ayv kaioya another man will stand up from
w{na}parà—ista NNrewàatb 10 the [fornicators], and another
é{hr}e kaioya de nnrewnko [will] stand up from the slayers of
kte mN àoo{yt} : mN netnh 12 children, and another from those
stey{e} : a{y}v pkesepe na who sleep with men and those who
kauar{si}a à{i} anomia : ài pla 14 abstain, and the rest of the people of
nh : ayv n{e}tèv Mmos èe pollution and lawlessness and error,
anon ànà—isos naggelos >> 16 and those who say,
ayv Ntooy ne Nsioy etèvk ‘We are like angels’;
ebol Nàvb nim : ayèoos gar 18 they are the stars that bring everything to
NNgenea NNrvme èe eis : completion. For to the
àhhte apnoyte éep te 20 human generations it has been said,
tNuysia Ntootoy noyh ‘Look, God has received your sacrifice
hb ete paei pe pdiakonos 22 from the hands of priests,’
Nteplanh : pèoeis de e : that is, a minister
toyeà sa—àne paç eto Nü–S 24 of error. But the Lord, who commands, is
eèN pthrW àraç àN fae N he who is the Lord of the universe. On
àooy senaèpiooy >>>>> 26 the last day they will be put to shame.”
>>>—

3 Perhaps restore to read Nq{i parxvn Mpikos}mos; cf. John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11.
8 The exact meaning of par(à)ista here and in the following lines is unclear.
9 Restore to read n{rewp}o{r}ne{ye or n{etRp}o{r}ne{ye; cf. p. 54,24-26.
11 nkokte : variant spelling for nkotke.
12-13 Perhaps follow the suggestion of Nagel and translate “and with those who abstain,” in order to link “those who
abstain” with “men.”
15 ayv : y legible in older photographic evidence supplied by Hedrick.
16 Cf. Luke 20:36.
17 The letters vk at the end of the line are written in ligature.
21-22 Ntootoy noyhhb : probably a variant spelling for Ntootoy Nnoyhhb. The plural, if read as such in the Coptic
text, seems to be wrong. The original Greek text may well have read “by the hands of a priest,” since in the next
line “a (single) minister of error” is mentioned.
23-24 pèoeis … paç et- : cf. above, note to p. 35,19-20.
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M–A 41

peèaw {nay N}qi çH–S èe à—v erv Jesus said [to them], “Stop
tN Nuy{siase ±……} … {………} e {………} oy 2 sac[rificing ---]
e Ntate{tN- …………………………àr}aç which you have [---]
à–ièN peuysiasth{ri}on {e}yà–i 4 over the altar, since they are over
èN netNsioy mN net{Na}gge your stars and your angels and have
los eayérp èvk ebol {M}may 6 already come to their conclusion there.
maroyévpe qe eyé … {…} … t‘ So let them be [---]
naà—rhtN ayv Nseé{e n}ey 8 before you, and let them go [---]
{ } …… {………} N
10

12

14

about 15 illegible lines 16

18

20

22

engenea 24 [---] generations.

{………} mn é qom noyartoko [---]. A baker cannot
{pos} eR trefe Ntektisis 26 feed all creation

7 At the end of the line, the reading of the é is very uncertain, and the ink traces of the letter preceeding the final t
may be interpreted as i (without a diaeresis) or as the right stroke of m, n, p, v, or é.
10-26 The lower part of this page (ll. 10-26) is physically missing. Thus far, the editors have had access only to
photographic evidence of poor quality for a lower part of a page, which might represent the missing portion of
page 41. Only the last lines are clearly legible.

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 12
m—b 42

thrS euaro{s Ntpe} ayv under [heaven]. And

n {± ………………………………} m erooy 2 [---] to them
N {± ………………………………} … ayv N (?) [---] and
è {……} ……………… : eron ayv 4 [---] to us and
n {……} oy ……… peèaw nay > [---]. Jesus said
n{qi} çH—s èe alvtn tetnév 6 to them, “Stop struggling
è{e} nMmaç oynte poya poy with me. Each of you
a {Mm}vtN {p}ewsioy Mmay 8 has his own star,
a{yv} oy{on nim --- [and every] one [---]
10

12

14

about 17 lines of unknown text

16

18

20

22

24

26

10-26 Cf. the note to p. 41,10-26; no photography of the verso of this fragment is extant.

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 13
M–G 43

àN t {………} … {……} ana< {…} … ntaw in [---] who has

ei an et { p}hgh mp 2 not come [--- spring] for the
éhn N {……………} … o … {………… ……}ç tree [---]
ros mpeeiaivn ………… {… mN}N 4 of this aeon [--- af-]
sa oyoeié ………………… {………} > ter a time [---]
alla Ntawei etso Mppa{ra}dei 6 but he has come to water God’s
sos Mpnoyte ayv p{ge}nos paradise, and the race
etnamoyn eb{o}l èe {Nwn}a > 8 that will last, because [he] will
èvàm an ntqinm{ooée N}<ge not defile the [walk of life of] that
nea etMmay v al{la ± ………………} 10 generation, but [---]
pe èn eneà néa e{neà : pe} for all eternity.”
èaw Nqi çoydas na{w èe àrabb}ei : 12 Judas said to [him, “Rabb]i (?),
èe aé Nkarpos pe{te} oyntasw what kind of fruit does this generation
Nqi teeigenea : p{e}èaw Nqi 14 produce?” Jesus said,
çH—s èe genea nim nrvme se “The souls of every human generation
namoy Nqi neycy{x}h nai de 16 will die. When these people,
Ntooy àotan eyéanèvk however, have completed
ebol mpeoyoeié Ntmnte 18 the time of the kingdom
ro ayv Ntepep—n—a pvrè e and the spirit leaves
bol Mmooy : neysvma men 20 them, their bodies
senamoy v neycyxh de se will die, but their souls
natanà—ooy ayv Nsewitoy 22 will be alive, and they will be taken
eàraç : v peèaw Nqi çoydas up.” Judas said,
èe eynar oy qe Nqi pkesee 24 “And what will the rest of the human
pe Ngenea NNrvme : peèaw generations do?” Jesus
Nqi çH—S èe oyatqom pe 26 said, “It is impossible

3-4 Perhaps restore to read kaç}ros “[ti]me”, as suggested by Cherix, Turner and Nagel.
4-5 mN]Nsa : restored by Nagel. oyoeié : variant spelling for oyoyoeié.
7 “race” : or, “generation.”

18.10.2006 22:44 final_3_GW

 14
M–D 44

etèo eèN oy{p}et{ra} Nseèi to sow seed on [rock] and

ney{kar}pos { : tae}ç on te ue 2 harvest its fruit. This is also the way
oyn {………} … n … {± ……………} mpgenos [---] of the [defiled]
{etèoà}m mN tsofia Nfuarth 4 race and corruptible Sophia
{± ……} tqiè Ntatamie rvme [---] the hand that has created mortal
{N}unhtos Nteneycyxh 6 people, and their souls
{b}vk eà—rai enaivn età–i pévç go up to the aeons on high.
à{amh}n <èv Mmos nhtN 8 [Truly] I say to you,
è{e mN arxh} oy{de} m{N ag}gelos [no authority] or angel
{oyde mN d}ynamis : naé nay 10 [or] power will be able to see
{eMma et}mmay : naç etere those [realms] that
t{einoq} ngenea etoyaab 12 [this great], holy generation
n{anay e}rooy : naç Ntere{w} [will see].” After Jesus
èooy {Nq}i çH—s awbvk vacat 14 said this, he departed.
peèaw {N}qi çoydas èe psa—à N Judas said, “Master,
ue Nt{a}ksvtM erooy thro{y} 16 as you have listened to all of them,
svtM àvt on eroç : aeinay now also listen to me. For I have seen
gar eynoq Nà—oroma : çH—s de 18 a great vision.” And when Jesus
NterewsvtM awsvbe pe heard this, he laughed
èaw naw èe aà—rok‘ kR gymna 20 and said to him, “You thirteenth spirit,
ze v? pme—àmnTIG %N&daimvn why do you try so hard?
alla éaèe à—vvk‘ taanexe 22 But speak up, and I shall bear
Mmok‘ vac peèaw naw Nqi çoy with you.” Judas said to him,
das èe açnay eroç àM foro 24 “In the vision I saw
ma ere pmntsnooys mma the twelve disciples
uhths à–i vne eroei se : 26 stoning me and

2 tae}ç : very uncertain; only the left point of the diaeresis survives: ∑{i ∑}
4 “race” : or, “generation.”
5 Ntatamie : that is, in standard Sahidic, Ntastamie; cf. the note to p. 4,24.
9-13 Restored by Funk.
11 {eMma et}mmay (restored by Kasser/Wurst) : that is, “the aeons on high”; cf. l. 7.
13-15 Contrary to pp. 36,11 and 37,21-22, the text does not state that the following scene happened on a new day. The
reading awbvk in l. 14 is probably a scribal error for a%y&bvk, “%they& departed” (that is, the disciples), the
pronominal subject “%they&” referring to nhtN, “to you,” in l. 8; cf. the introduction.

18.10.2006 22:44 final_3_GW

 15
M–E 45

pht {nsvç Mpéa} : ayv ae{i}ei on
epma e {
aeinay e{oyhei
v pewéi nabal naé {éitW} an
nere àNnoq de Nrvme k{v}te
erow pe ayv neoy%NtW oy&stegh #noy
ote# pe Nqi phei etMm{ay} : ay
v àN tmhte Mphç er{e oy}mh
{hée } …– {
{ } ée {
psa—à éopT‘ àv eào{yn m}n nirv
me : awoyvéB Nqi {çS} peèaw
èe apeksioy pla{na} Mmok‘
v? çoyda : ayv èe NwMpéa
an Nqi peèpo Nrv{m}e nim
Nunhton : ebvk eàoyn e
phei Ntaknay erow èe pto
pos gar etMmay Ntow pe
toyareà erow Nnetoyaab
pma ete Mpr—h : mN poo—à :
naR ero Mmay an oyde peà—o
oy : alla eynavà—e ratoy N
oyoeié nim àM paivn mN :
Nnaggelos etoyaab : eis :
à—hhte aeièv erok Nmmy>
sthrion NtmNtero >>—
persecuting [me severely]. And I also
} Nsv—k 2 came to the place where [---] after you.
} s ay I saw [a house ---], and
4 my eyes could not [comprehend] its
size. And great people were surrounding
6 it, and that house <had>
a roof of †greenery†, and
8 in the middle of the house was [a]
} k‘ [crowd ---],
} e èe 10 [---] (saying),
‘Master, take me in along with these
12 people.’ ” [Jesus] answered and said,
“Your star has led you astray,
14 Judas.” And (he continued), “No person
of mortal birth is worthy
16 to enter the house
you have seen, for that
18 place is reserved
for the holy.
20 Neither the sun nor the moon
will rule there, nor the day,
22 but the holy will abide
always in the aeon
24 with the holy angels. Look,
I have explained to you the mysteries of
26 the kingdom

3 For the restoration, cf. l. 17, “the house you have seen.”
6-7 ayv … etMm{ay} : The emendation is justified by the fact that the subject of a nominal sentence cannot be
introduced by the particle Nqi. The complement noyote may be regarded, if the reading is correct, as a crux,
because a “roof of greenery (or, herbs)” remains difficult. One may speculate whether oyote is a scribal error
for oyostN, so that the original text would have read: “And that house had a broad roof.”

18.10.2006 22:44 final_3_GW

 16
M–s 46

ayv açtsabok {etepl}anh > and I have taught you about the error
NNs{i}oy {:} ay{v ±……………} tnooys 2 of the stars; and [---] send
N … {± ………………………………} te eèN >> [---] on
pm{Nts}nooys nnaivn >>>– 4 the twelve aeons.”
peèa{w} nqi çoydas èe psa—à mh Judas said, “Master,
pote à—v pasperma àypotas 6 could it be that my seed is under the
s{e} nnarxvn awoyvéB Nqi control of the rulers?” Jesus
çS {pe}èaw naw èe amoy Nta 8 answered and said to him, “Come, that I
é {± ………} Mmo{k} è{e ±…………………} [---]
1 line missing 10 [---]
er {……… a}lla èe ekeévpe e [---], but you may
kaé {aào}m Nà—oyo eknay e 12 grieve much when you see
tmn{te}ro mN tesgenea the kingdom and all its generation.”
thrS { : } naç NterewsvtM 14 When he heard this,
eroo{y} Nqi çoydas peèaw Judas said
naw èe oy pe peà—oyo Nta 16 to him, “What is the advantage that
eièitW èe akporèT etge I have received? For you have set me
nea etMmay : awoyvéB 18 apart for that generation.” Jesus answered
Nqi çH—S peèaw èe knaév and said, “You will become
pe Mme—àmNtI–G vac ayv >> 20 the thirteenth, and
knaévpe eksà—oyorT à–i you will be cursed by
tN pkesepe Ngenea ay 22 the other generations,
v knaévpe ekarèi eèv and you will come to rule over them.
oy Nàaeoy nneà—ooy se 24 In the last days they %will --- &
%na- & nak‘ ayv nekbvk epévç to you and you will not ascend on high
>>>>>> >>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>>>>>

3 N : the uncertain letter may be n or m.

9 è{e : very uncertain.
17-18 Or, but less likely, “… from that generation.”
25 %na- & : that is, something seems to have dropped out by homoioarcton, as Funk and Nagel suggest. The
reading bvk is certain under infrared light.

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 17
M—Z 47

etge{nea et}oyaab : {p}eèaw to the holy [generation].” Jesus

Nqi çH—s è{e amo}y Nta{ts}abok 2 said, “[Come], that I may teach you
etbe n {± ……………………………… e}tna about the (pl.) [---] that
nay er{o}oy nqi lao { vac ye} Nrv 4 [no (?)] human will (ever) see.
me wéoop‘ gar Nqi o vac {yn}oq nai For there exists a great
vn ayv oyatarhèW vac pa{ç} ete 6 and boundless aeon, whose
Mpeslaoye sic! Ngene vac a N{ag}ge extent no generation of angels
los nay epewéi ere vac p{n}oq 8 has seen, [in] which
Mp{N—a} naà—ora{t}on {Nàht}W is the great invisible [Spirit],
paç e{t}e Mpebal na{ggelo}s > 10 which no eye of an [angel]
nay erow : oyde Mp{em}eye has ever seen, no thought of the heart
Nàht éapW oyde mpoymoy 12 has ever comprehended, and it was
te erow Nlaoye {N}ran >>> never called by any name.
ayv asoyvnä ebo{l} mpma e 14 And a luminous cloud
tMmay Nqi oyklo{o}le Noyo appeared there.
çn vac ayv peèaw èe {èe} marew 16 And he said, ‘Let
évpe Nqi oyaggelos eta an angel come into being as my
parastasis : vac ayv awei ebol 18 attendant.’ And a great angel,
àN tekloole Nqi oynoq nag the Self-Generated, the god
gelos paytogenhs pnoy 20 of the light, emerged from
te Mpoyoçn ayv ayév the cloud. And because of him,
pe etbhtW Nqi kaiwtooy 22 four other angels came into being
naggelos : ebol àitn kai from another cloud,
qhpe : ayv ayévpe etpa 24 and they became attendants
rastasis Mpaytogenhs : for the angelic Self-
naggelos : vac ayv peèaw : 26 Generated. And

3 e}tna : read under infrared light.

4 The reading lao{ye is very uncertain, even under infrared light.
10-12 Cf. 1 Corinthians 2:9; Gospel of Thomas 17; Prayer of the Apostle Paul A,25-34; etc.
12 moy written in ligature.

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 18
M–H 48

Nqi p{a}yto{genhs èe } marew the Self-Generated said, ‘Let

évp{e} Nqi a{damas} ayv asév 2 A[damas] come into being,’ and [the]
pe {Nqi teprood}os ayv : [emanation] occurred. And
awt{amio} MpéoRp‘ mfvsthr 4 he [created] the first luminary
etr{ew} vac R ero eàraç eèvw : ay to reign over him. And
v peè vac aw èe maroyévpe : 6 he said, ‘Let angels
N{qi à}n vac aggelos eyéMée : come into being to serve
n{aw : ay}v ayévpe Nqi àN 8 [him,’ and myriads] without
t{ba N}athpe : ayv {pe}èaw number came into being. And he said,
èe {mar}ewévpe Nq{i oya}i 10 ‘[Let] a luminous aeon come into being,’
vn Noyoçn ayv awévpe and he came into being.
awtaà{—o} Mpmeàsnay Nfv 12 He created the second luminary
sthr : {eR e}ro eàraç eèvw > [to] reign over him,
mN àNtba naggelos nath 14 together with myriads of angels without
pe eyéMée ayv ue te taei number, to offer service. And that is how
Ntawtamio Mpkeseepe > 16 he created the rest
Nnaivn Mpoyoçn ayv aw of the aeons of the light. And he
toyR ero eàraç eèvoy ay 18 made them reign over them, and
v awtamio nay NàNtba nag he created for them myriads
gelos nathpe eteyàyph 20 of angels without number, to assist
resia : ayv newéoop Nqi them. And Adamas was
A—D—A—M—A—S àN téorP Nqhpe 22 in the first cloud
Nte poyoçn taei ete Mpes sic! of light that
laoye naggelos nay eros 24 no angel has ever seen
àN naç etoymoyte erooy among all those called
throy èe noyte : ayv aw 26 ‘divine.’ And he

2 a{damas} : restored by Plisch.

3 {Nqi teprood}os : restored by Turner.

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 19
M—U 49

ayv {
tMmay {
uikvn {
ayv kata pine np{eeiag}
gelos : vac awoyonä t{genea}
nafuartos NsH–U {±………………}
Mpmntsnooys {±…………………}
NèoyT{a}wte …… {±…………………}
awoyonä éwesno{oys}
Nfvsthr àN tgen{ea n}a >
fuartos àM poy{v}é Mpe
p—n—a peéwesn{ooy}s de àv
oy Mfv{s}thr a{yo}yonä,
t–J ebol Nfvsthr àn tge
nea nafuarton {à}m poy
vé MpeP–N–A èe eyeév
pe Nqi teyhpe N<oy epoya
ayv peyeivt pe pmNt
snooys naivn MpmNt
snooys Mfvsthr ayv
kata aivn nim sooy noy
ranos èe eyeévpe Nqi
éwesnooys noyranos :
mpeéwesnooys Mfvsthr
ayv kata poya poya > > :
e} [---]
} 2 that [---]
} the image [---]
4 and after the likeness of [this]
angel. He made the incorruptible
6 [generation] of Seth appear [---]
the twelve [---]
8 24 [---].
He made 72
10 luminaries appear in the incorruptible
generation, in accordance with the will of
12 the Spirit. And the 72
luminaries themselves made
14 360 luminaries appear in the
incorruptible generation, in accordance
16 with the will of the Spirit, that their
number should be five for each.
18 And the twelve aeons
of the twelve luminaries
20 constitute their father,
with six heavens for each aeon,
22 so that there are
72 heavens
24 for the 72 luminaries,
and for each

1 Here either we have repetition due to dittography, ayv aw * ayv {aw-, or the second ayv is the beginning of a
verb, e.g., aw*ayv{n for aw*oyv{n.
4-5 The restoration nn{eeiag}|gelos, “of [these] angels” (Turner), is also possible.
5 From here through p. 50,11, cf. parallels in Eugnostos the Blessed (NHC III,3 pp. 83-84 and 88-89, and V,1
pp.11-12 and 15-16) and the Wisdom of Jesus Christ (NHC III,4 p. 113 and BG 8502,3 p. 115).
17 N<oy : N supra lineam.

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{N}
{Mmooy <oy Nst}erevma
{èe eyeévpe} nqi t—J :
{Nsterevma : Nto}oy ay<
{nay oy}ejoysia mN oymnt
{noq n}stratia naggelos n
{athp}e eyeooy mN oyéM
{ée eti} de àNparuenos >>
{on Mp}N—a eye{o}oy mN oy
{éMé}e nnaivn throy mN
n{o}yranos mN ney{s}tere
vma { : } pmhhée de Nnatmoy
etMm{a}y : eéaymoyte e
rooy {è}e kosmos èe te >
fuora {e}bol àitn pivt
mN peéwesnooys Nfv
sthr etnemaw : Mpayto
genhs mN pewéwesno
oys Nnaivn : vac pm{a} ntaw
oyvnà ebol NàhtW nqi
pérp Nrvme : mN new
dynamis nafuarton :
paivn de Ntawoyvnä e
bol mN tewgenea paç e
teretqhpe Ntegn{v}sis
Nà—htW mN paggelos
eéaymoyte erow èe
5 stratia : r supra lin.
7 eti} de : restored by Plisch.
11 moy : written in ligature.
24 “the one” : i.e., the aeon.
18.10.2006 22:44
20
[50]
[of them five] firmaments,
2 [for a total of] 360
[firmaments. They] were
4 given authority and a
[great] host of angels
6 [without number], for glory and
adoration, and [also] virgin
8 spirits, for glory and
[adoration] of all the aeons and
10 the heavens and their firmaments.
Now, the multitude of those
12 immortals is called
‘cosmos’—that is,
14 perdition—by the Father
and the 72 luminaries
16 who are with the
Self-Generated and his 72
18 aeons. In that place
the first human
20 appeared with his
incorruptible powers.
22 And the aeon that appeared
with his generation,
24 the one in whom are the cloud of
knowledge and the angel,
26 is called
final_3_GW

{N–A}
H–L vac … {
mn vac {
vn {
Ns vac a naç peèaw Nq{i …………}
èe vac maroyévpe N{qi mNt}
sn vac ooys naggelos : {eyR e}
ro vac eèN pexaos mN a{mNte (:)}
ayv eis àhhte awo{yvnà e}
bol Ntqhpe Nqi oya{ggelos}
ere{p}ewà—o éoyo kr{vm} ebol
peweine de e{w}èo{à}m Nsnow
eoyNtaw Mmay n{oyr}an èe ne
brv ete paei pe {Nt}ayàermh
neye Mmow èe ap{os}taths
àNkooye de èe ç{al}dabavu
ayv on akaiaggel{o}s ei ebol
{à}N tqhpe èe saklas nebrv
q{e} awtamio Nsooy naggelos
ayv saklas etparastasis
ayv naç ayèpo Mmntsno
oys naggelos àn mphoye
ayv ayèi noymeros epoya
àN Mphoye : ayv peèay N
qi pmNtsnooys narxvn
mN pmntsnooys naggelos
èe mare poya poya MmvtN
>>>>>– >{>>>}>–
1 H– L : the supralinear stroke seems to end over the l, and the traces that follow do not fit with h, so that a
restoration elh{lhu is not probable; cf. also the form addvn for ad(d)vnaios in James p. 26,13.
3 From here through p. 52,17, cf. Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit (or Egyptian Gospel, NHC III,2) pp.
56,22-58,14.
9 Ntqhpe : t supra lin.
18.10.2006 22:44
21
[51]
} El. [---]
ai} 2 [---]
mN} aeon [---]
4 After that [---] said,
‘Let twelve angels
6 come into being [to] rule
over chaos and the [underworld].’
8 And look, from the cloud there
appeared an [angel]
10 whose face flashed with fire
and whose appearance was defiled with
12 blood. His name was
Nebro, which means in
14 translation ‘rebel’;
others call him Yaldabaoth.
16 And another angel, Saklas,
also came from the cloud. So
18 Nebro created six angels—as well as
Saklas—to be assistants,
20 and these produced twelve
angels in the heavens,
22 with each one receiving a portion
in the heavens. And the
24 twelve rulers spoke
with the twelve angels:
26 ‘Let each of you
>>>>>–
final_3_GW
 22
{N–B} [52]

{ } … vac Nse [---] and let them

{ ge} vac nea 2 [---] generation
{ }eN: [---]
{<oy N}aggelos : péo vac rp‘ 4 [five] angels.’ The first
{pe s}hu vac peteéaym vac oy is [Se]th, who is
{te e}row èe peX–S : pm vac e—ä 6 called ‘the Christ.’ The
{sna}y pe à—a—r—M—a—U—V—u e vac te [second] is Harmathoth, who
{………………} …… {…} …… e : pme vac à : 8 is [---]. The
{éomN}t pe G–A–L–I–L—A : pmE–ä [third] is Galila. The
wto{o}y pe çV–B–H–L : pmE–ä 10 fourth is Yobel. The
<oy {p}e aD–V–N–A—i—o—s : naei fifth is Adonaios. These
ne p<{o}y Ntayr ero eèN 12 are the five who ruled over
amnt{e : } ayv Néorp eèN the underworld, and first of all over
pexao{s} : vac tote peèaw nqi 14 chaos. Then Saklas
sakla{s} Nnewaggelos èe : said to his angels,
marn vac tamio noyrvme {ka} 16 ‘Let us create a human being
ta pine ayv kata uikv{n} after the likeness and after the image.’
Ntooy de ayplassa na—D—a—m 18 And they fashioned Adam
ayv tewsà–ime e—y—à—a eéay and his wife Eve. But
moyte de eros àN tqhpe 20 she is called, in the cloud,
èe z—V—H vac à—raei gar àM peei ‘Zoe.’ For by this
ran ere Ngenea throy éi 22 name all the generations seek
ne Nsvw : ayv poya poya him (i.e., Adam), and each
Mmooy semoyte eros 24 of them calls her (i.e., Eve)
Nneyran : {sa}kla de MpW by these names. Now, Sakla did not

4 {<oy N} : restored by Nagel.

5 s}hu : the letter before u is certainly not v, so the name au}vu that we find in the parallel texts (cf. the Secret
Book of John and the Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit) is excluded. If we expect a vowel here, the traces
are only compatible with an h.
22-23 The reference of poya poya Mmooy, “each of them,” is not clear. It cannot refer to the “generations,” because
in that case we would expect the feminine.

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 23
{N–G} [53]

oyeà {saàne } com[mand ---]

eimh{ti
Ngen{ea
taei …… {…………} … { } 4
ayv peèaw naw Nqi p{arxvn}
èe ere pekvnä évp{e ±…………}
Noyoeié mN nekéh{re : >>>}
çoydas de peèaw NçS {èe oy}
pe peàoyo etwnavn{à >– }
Nqi {p}rvm{e} : vac peèaw {Nqi} çhs
èe aà—rok‘ kr {é}phre {è}e adam
mN tewgenea Nt{a}wèi pew
oyoeié àN oyhp{e} àM pma
Ntawèi Ntewmn{te}ro N >–
àhtSsic! {àN oyhpe} mn pewar
xvn : peèaw nqi ç{o}ydas NI–S
{è}e éap—n—a Nrvme moy : pe
èaw nqi çH–S èe ue te taei
Nta pnoyte oyeà saàne
Mm—i—x—a—h—l e< Nnep—n—a nn
rvme nay eyéMée epey
éap : pnoq de Ntawoyeà
saàne %e&gabrihl e< Nnep—n—a
Ntnoq Ngenea natRro
pep—n—a mN tecyxh etbe
paei ere pk{es}epe nnecyxh
} 2 except [---]
} the gene[rations ---]
this [---].
And the [ruler] said to him,
6 ‘Your life will last [---]
time with your children.’ ”
8 And Judas said to Jesus, “[What]
is the extent (of time?) that the
10 human being will live?” Jesus said,
“Why are you wondering about this, that
12 Adam, with his generation, has received
his span of life in such a number in the
14 place where he has received his
kingdom {in such a number}, with his
16 ruler?” Judas said to Jesus,
“Does the human spirit die?”
18 Jesus said, “In this way
God ordered
20 Michael to give the spirits of
people to them as a loan, so that they
22 might offer service. But the Great One
ordered Gabriel to grant spirits to the
24 great generation with no ruler over it—
the spirit and the soul. Therefore,
26 the [rest] of the souls

5 p{arxvn} : for the restoration, cf. l. 15.

6-7 The difficulty in restoring this line is due to the fact that the exact meaning of àN oyhpe in l. 13 is not clear. It
may be understood as signifying either “in such a large number” or “in such a restricted number”; cf. Crum 527
b where the Greek equivalents range from plh'qo", “multitude,” to mevtron, “measure.” Possible restorations are
évp{e Nnoq} Noyoeié, “your life will last [for a long] time,” or évp{e nak} Noy(oy)oeié, “your life will last
[for you] for a time,” as Nagel suggests.
9 The exact meaning of àoyo is unclear in this context.
15 The repetition of àN oyhpe in this line is probably due to dittography (cf. l. 13).
17 éa- : variant spelling for éare-.
26 pk{es}epe : the e looks like a s, but the horizontal stroke seems to have broken away with a fiber of papyrus.

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 24
{N}D [5]4

{ } tooy [---]
{ } oyoçn 2 [---] light
{ } … {…} os [---]
{ } e ……… eè {………} ekvte 4 [---] surround
{ } … p—n—a nà—htthytN : [---] spirit within you (pl.)
{Nta}tNtrewoyv—à àn teei 6 [which] you have let dwell in this
{sar}j : àN Ngenea NNagge [flesh] (coming) from the generations
{los : } pnoyte de awt{r}ey 8 of angels. But God caused
{< t}egnvsis nadam m{n} ne knowledge to be [given] to Adam and
t{ne}maw à–in{a è}e neyR èoeis 10 those with him, so that the kings of chaos
eroo{y} Nqi n{e}rvoy Mpe and the underworld might not
xaos m{N} amNte : 12 lord it over them.”
çoydas {de} peèaw n[i]çH—s èe [And] Judas said to Jesus,
eynar {o}y qe Nqi Nge%ne&a etM 14 “So what will those generations
may : { vac}at peèaw Nqi çH—s do?” Jesus said,
èe alhuvs <èv Mmos nh 16 “Truly I say to you (pl.),
tN èe nsioy eyèvk ebo{l} above them all, the stars bring matters
eèN naei throy àotan de 18 to completion. And when
ewéanèvk ebol Nnewoy Saklas completes the span of time
oeié Ntaytoéoy naw N 20 assigned for him,
qi saklas wnhy Nqi peyàoy their first star
eit Nsioy mN Ngenea : 22 will appear with the generations,
ayv nentayèooy Nse and they will finish
èokoy ebol : tote sena 24 what has been said (above). Then
porneye àN paran ayv they will fornicate in my name and
Nsemoyoy{t} nneyéhre 26 slay their children

5 “within you (pl.)” : here Jesus addresses the twelve (?) again, as he does in l. 16 (“to you [pl.]”). Perhaps a new
scene opens in the first four lines of this page, cf. the introduction.
6 [Nta}tN-, that is, in standard Sahidic, {Ntate}tN-; cf. above, the notes to pp. 34,8 and 37,26.
9 {<} : or {N}, “[brought],” or the like.
10 neyR èoeis : R supra lin.
9-10 ne|t{ne}maw : only the very left part of the t is preserved.
21 peyàoyeit : y supra lin.
23 “what has been said (above)” : cf. p. 38 and p. 40.

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 25
{N–E} [55]

ayv n{se } and [they will ---]

ayv n { } 2 and [---]
{…} … hy { } [---]
4

about 5 lines missing 6

……… ro ……… r …… { à}n paran [--- in] my name,

ayv [ayv] wnar e{ro Nqi} peksioy 10 and your star will ru[le] over the
eèN pme—àmNt{éom}te naiV [thir]teenth aeon.”
mNnsvs de aw{svb}e Nqi çH—S 12 And after that Jesus [laughed].
{peè}aw N{qi çoydas} èe ps—a—à [Judas said], “Master,
{etbe oy ksvbe Nsvn : } awoyv 14 [why are you laughing at us]?”
{éB Nqi çh—s peèaw è}e eeisv [Jesus] answered [and said], “I am not
{be Nsvt}n a{n : al}la {N}sa tepla 16 laughing [at] you but at the error
nh nnsioy è{e} peeisooy N of the stars, because these six
sioy plana mN peei<oy Mpo 18 stars wander about with these five
lemisths ayv naç throy se combatants, and they all will be
natako mN neyktisma : 20 destroyed along with their creatures.”
çoydas de peèaw NçH—s èe à–i ey And Judas said to Jesus, “Look, what
nar oy Nqi neNtayèvkM > 22 will those who have been baptized
àM pekran : vacat in your name do?”
peèaw Nqi çH—S èe alhuvs < 24 Jesus said, “Truly I
èv mmo{s nak} èe peeièvkM say [to you], this baptism

1 After mentioning the “fornicators” and the “slayers of children” (cf. pp. 38 and 40) in the preceding lines, the
text may have read here ayv n{seNkokte mN àooyt} | ayv n{se-, “and [they will sleep with men] | and [they -
--],” or the like.
10 sioy : oy written in ligature.
14 Or, {aà–rok ksvbe Nsvn}; the restoration is tentative, but cf. p. 34,2-3.
17 The letter n at the beginning of the line is physically missing today. It is extant in older photographic evidence
supplied by Hedrick.

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 26
n—s 56

{ àN} paran [--- in] my name.

{ } mh >> 2 [---]
{ } M {………} [---]
4

about 5 lines missing 6

…… o … { } eé {………}
moy { } o … e eroç : vacat
alhuvs {<è}v Mmos nak‘ çoy
da èe n{ett}ale uysia eà––r—Aç
nsakla{s n}oyt{e }
èe nà {
èN p {
roy … {…} … {
àvb nim e{yà}ooy ntok
de knaR àoyo erooy th
roy prvme gar etr fo
rei Mmoei vac knar uysiase
Mmow hdh apektap èise
ayv pekqvnT awmoy—à
ayv peksioy awèvbe ay
v pekàhT a{wamaà}te >>>>>>
[---]
10 [---] to me.
Truly [I] say to you,
12 Judas, those [who] offer sacrifices
to Saklas [---] divine [---]
} 14 [---]
} [---]
} 16 [---]
everything that is evil. But
18 you will exceed all of them.
For you will sacrifice
20 the man that bears me.
Already your horn has been raised,
22 and your wrath has been kindled,
and your star has passed by, and
24 your heart has [become strong].

17 e{y}àooy : the à is missing today. It is legible in older photographic evidence—and in a transcription based on
that evidence—supplied by Hedrick.

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 27
N{z} 5[7]

alhu{vs <èv Mmos nak èe} nek “Truly [I say to you], your
à—aeo{y }v 2 last [---],
m {…} … { é}vpe [---] become
{ } …… o 4 [---]
{ } me : [---]
{ aé a}àom >— 6 [---grie]ving
{ } ooy [---]
{ } … {…………} … {…} … { } par 8 [---] the ru[ler],
{xvn} ewwvte ebol : {ay}v to since he will be destroyed. [And] then
te wnaèise Nqi pt{y}pos : 10 will the image of the great generation
ntnoq ngenea N{a}dam èe of Adam be exalted, for
à—a teà—h Ntpe mN {p}kaà mN n 12 prior to heaven, earth, and the
aggelos Séoo{p N}qi tgene angels, that generation, which is
a etMmay ebol àitN naivn : 14 from the aeons, exists.
eis àhhte ayèe àv{b} nim erok Look, you have been told everything.
wi eiatk eàraei nK{n}ay etqh 16 Lift up your eyes and look at the
pi ayv poyoçn etNàhtS : cloud and the light within it
ayv Nsioy etkvte eros 18 and the stars surrounding it.
ayv psioy eto Mprohgoy : And the star that leads the
menos Ntow pe peksioy >— 20 way is your star.”
çoydas de awwiatW eà—raei >— Now, Judas lifted up his eyes
awnay etqhpe Noyoçn ay 22 and saw the luminous cloud,
v awwvk eà—oyn eros ne and he entered it. Those
taàeratoy ài pesht : ay 24 standing on the ground
svtm eysmh esnhy ebol heard a voice coming from
àN tqhpe e{s}èv Mmos >— 26 the cloud, saying,

23 “he entered it” : the antecedent of the 3rd person masc. sing. pronoun is probably Judas, but conceivably it could
be Jesus, as Sasagu Arai and Gesine Schenke Robinson have suggested.

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 28
N—H 58

è{e t}noq n “[--- the] great

ge{nea
qi … {
va{
N …… {
nay {
év {
àN {
N{ } vac aykrMrM vac {de}
nqi n{e}yarèiereys èe Nta{…}
bvk‘ {eào}yn epkatalyma n
tewp{ro}seyxh : neoyn ào
eine d{e M}may Nnegramma
teys e{y}parathrei èe eye
amaàt{e} mmow à—raç àN te >
prose{y}xh neyR à—ote gar
àhtW mplaos pe èe newN
tootoy throy à—vs pro
fhths ayv ay< peyoy
oç eçoydas peèay naw :
èe ekr oy Ntok Mpeeima
Ntok pe pmauhths NçS
Ntow de awoyvéB nay
kata peyoyvée çoydas
de awèi NàNàomnt awpa
radidoy m{mo}w nay >>>>>—
>>>>>> >>> >>> >>>>>>
ài}kvn N 2 gene[ration ---] image
} … {…} ay [---] and
} 4 [---]
} [---]
} 6 [---]
} [---]
} 8 [---]
[--- And] their
10 high priests murmured because [---]
had gone into the guest room for
12 his prayer. But some of the
scribes were there
14 watching carefully in order to
arrest him during the
16 prayer. For they were afraid
of the people, since he was regarded
18 by all as a prophet.
And they approached
20 Judas and said to him,
“What are you doing here?
22 You are Jesus’ disciple.”
And he answered them
24 as they wished. And Judas
received some money and
26 handed him over to them.

peyaggelion The Gospel

Nçoydas 28 of Judas

10 nqi n{e}yarèiereys : the faint ink traces of the letters i, y and a are legible in older photographic evidence only.
At the end of the line, Nta {…} may be restored to either Nta{y-}, “[they],” or Nta{w-}, “[he].” Since the word
katalyma in l. 11 is a clear allusion to Mark 14:11 and Luke 22:11—that is, the place where Jesus wished to eat
the Passover (the last supper) together with his disciples (cf. p. 33,4-6, “three days before he celebrated
Passover”)—the plural is probably more plausible. The question of the scribes in l. 21 also seems to presuppose
that the disciples are together with Jesus in the “guest room”; cf. the introduction.
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