Forbidden Gospels, Esoteric Commentaries,
and the Recovery of Gnosis

Preservation Note: This text was discovered at Nag Hammadi in 1945, buried in the Egyptian desert. It contains 114 logia — “sayings” — attributed to Yeshua the Living One. There is no crucifixion, no resurrection — only the Word. What follows is a raw mirror of gnosis, rendered in sacred formatting for the digital temple of The Gnostic Key.

1

And he said, ”Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death.“

2

Jesus said: He who seeks, let him not cease seeking until he finds; and when he finds he will be troubled, and when he is troubled he will be amazed, and he will reign over the All.“

3

Jesus said, ”If your leaders say to you, ‘Look, the Kingdom is in the sky,’ then the birds will get there before you. If they say it is in the sea, then the fish will get there before you. Rather, the Kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you.“

4

Jesus said, ”The old man will not hesitate to ask a small child seven days old about the place of life, and he will live. For many who are first will be last, and will become a single one.“

5

Jesus said, ”Recognize what is in front of your face, and what is hidden from you will be disclosed to you. For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed.“

6

His disciples asked him and said, ”Do you want us to fast? How should we pray? Should we give alms? What diet should we observe?“ Jesus said, ”Do not lie, and do not do what you hate, for all things are disclosed before heaven. For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing covered that will remain undisclosed.“

7

Jesus said, ”Blessed is the lion that the human eats, so that the lion becomes human. And cursed is the human that the lion eats, and the lion becomes human.“

8

And he said, ”The human being is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea and drew it up full of small fish. Among them, the wise fisherman found a fine large fish. He threw all the small fish back into the sea and chose the large fish without difficulty. Whoever has ears to hear should hear.“

9

Jesus said, ”Look, the sower went out, took a handful (of seeds), and scattered them. Some fell on the road, and the birds came and pecked them up. Others fell on rock, and they didn’t take root in the soil and didn’t produce heads of grain. Others fell on thorns, and they choked the seeds and worms ate them. And others fell on good soil and it produced a good crop: it yielded sixty per measure and one hundred twenty per measure.“

10

Jesus said, ”I have cast fire upon the world, and look, I’m guarding it until it blazes.“

11

Jesus said, ”This heaven will pass away, and the one above it will pass away. The dead are not alive, and the living will not die. During the days when you ate what is dead, you made it alive. When you are in the light, what will you do? On the day when you were one, you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?“

12

The disciples said to Jesus, ”We know that you are going to leave us. Who will be our leader?“ Jesus said to them, ”No matter where you are, you are to go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being.“

13

Jesus said to his disciples, ”Compare me to something and tell me what I am like.“ Simon Peter said to him, ”You are like a just messenger.“ Matthew said to him, ”You are like a wise philosopher.“ Thomas said to him, ”Teacher, my mouth is utterly unable to say what you are like.“ Jesus said, ”I am not your teacher. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring that I have tended.“

14

Jesus said to them, ”If you fast, you will bring sin upon yourselves. And if you pray, you will be condemned. And if you give to charity, you will harm your spirits. When you go into any region and walk through the countryside, if people take you in, eat what they serve you and heal the sick among them. After all, what goes into your mouth won’t defile you; what comes out of your mouth will.“

15

Jesus said, ”When you see one who was not born of woman, fall on your faces and worship. That one is your Father.“

16

Jesus said, ”Perhaps people think that I’ve come to cast peace upon the world. They do not know that I’ve come to cast conflicts upon the earth: fire, sword, war. For there will be five in a house: there’ll be three against two and two against three, father against son and son against father, and they will stand alone.“

17

Jesus said, ”I will give you what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, what no hand has touched, and what has never entered the human mind.“

18

The disciples said to Jesus, ”Tell us how our end will be.“ Jesus said, ”Have you discovered the beginning, then, that you look for the end? For where the beginning is, there the end will be. Blessed is one who stands at the beginning: that one will know the end and will not taste death.“

19

Jesus said, ”Blessed is one who came into being before coming into being. If you become my disciples and pay attention to my sayings, these stones will serve you. For there are five trees in paradise that do not change in summer or in winter, and their leaves do not fall. Whoever knows them will not taste death.“

20

The disciples said to Jesus, ”Tell us what Heaven’s kingdom is like.“ He said to them, ”It’s like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds. But when it falls on prepared soil, it produces a large branch and becomes a shelter for birds of the sky.“

21

Mary said to Jesus, ”What are your disciples like?“ He said, ”They’re like little children living in a field that’s not theirs. When the owners of the field come, they’ll say, ‘Give us back our field.’ They undress in their presence so as to let them have it and return their field to them. That’s why I say, if the owner of a house knows that a thief is coming, they’ll be on guard before the thief arrives and won’t let the thief break into their house and steal their possessions. As for you, be on guard against the world. Prepare yourselves with great strength so the robbers can’t find a way to come to you, for the trouble you expect will come. Let there be a person of understanding among you. When the crop ripened, he came quickly carrying a sickle and harvested it. Whoever has ears to hear should hear.“

22

Jesus saw some babies nursing. He said to his disciples, ”These nursing babies are like those who enter the kingdom.“ They said to him, ”Then shall we enter the kingdom as babies?“ Jesus said to them, ”When you make the two one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, and when you make male and female into a single one… then you will enter the kingdom.“

23

Jesus said, ”I will choose you, one from a thousand and two from ten thousand, and they will stand as a single one.“

24

His disciples said, ”Show us the place where you are, for we must seek it.“ He said to them, ”Whoever has ears should hear. Light shines out from the centre of a being of light and illuminates everything. If they don’t shine, there’s darkness.“

25

Jesus said, ”Love your friends like your own soul, protect them like the pupil of your eye.“

26

Jesus said, ”You see the speck in your brother’s eye, but you don’t see the beam in your own eye. When you remove the beam from your own eye, then you’ll see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.“

27

”If you don’t fast from the world, you won’t find the kingdom. If you don’t observe the sabbath as a sabbath, you won’t see the Father.“

28

Jesus said, ”I stood in the midst of the world, and in flesh I appeared to them. I found them all drunk, and I found none of them thirsty. My soul ached for the children of humanity, because they are blind in their hearts and can’t see. They came into the world empty and they try to leave it empty. But now they are drunk. When they shake off their wine, then they will change their ways.“

29

Jesus said, ”If the flesh came into being because of spirit, it is a wonder. But if spirit came into being because of the body, it is a wonder of wonders. Yet I marvel at how this great wealth has come to dwell in such poverty.“

30

Jesus said, ”Where there are three gods, they are divine. Where there are two or one, I am with them.“

31

Jesus said, ”No prophet is welcome on his home turf. Doctors don’t heal those who know them.“

32

Jesus said, ”A city built on a high hill and fortified cannot fall, nor can it be hidden.“

33

Jesus said, ”What you will hear in your ear, in the other ear proclaim from your rooftops. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket or in a hidden place. Rather, it is placed on a lampstand so that everyone who comes and goes can see its light.“

34

Jesus said, ”If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a hole.“

35

Jesus said, ”One can’t enter a strong person’s house and take it by force without tying his hands. Then you can loot his house.“

36

Jesus said, ”Don’t fret, from morning to evening and from evening to morning, about what you’re going to wear.“

37

His disciples said, ”When will you appear to us, and when will we see you?“
Jesus said, ”When you strip without being ashamed, and take your clothes and place them under your feet like little children and trample them, then you will see the Son of the Living One, and you will not be afraid.“

38

Jesus said, ”Many times you have desired to hear these sayings, and you have no one else from whom to hear them. There will be days when you will seek me and not find me.“

39

Jesus said, ”The Pharisees and the scholars have taken the keys of knowledge and have hidden them. They haven’t entered, nor have they let those who want to enter do so. You should be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.“

40

Jesus said, ”A grapevine has been planted away from the Father. Since it is not strong, it will be pulled up by its roots and will perish.“

41

Jesus said, ”Whoever has something in hand will be given more. Whoever has nothing will be deprived of even the little they have.“

42

Jesus said, ”Be passersby.“

43

His disciples said to him, ”Who are you to say these things to us?“
”You don’t understand who I am from what I say to you. Rather, you have become like the Judeans who either love the tree but hate its fruit, or love the fruit but hate the tree.“

44

Jesus said, ”Whoever blasphemes against the Father will be forgiven. Whoever blasphemes against the Son will be forgiven. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven—either on earth or in heaven.“

45

Jesus said, ”Grapes are not harvested from thorn trees, nor are figs gathered from thistles. They yield no fruit. A good person brings forth good from their treasure. A bad person brings forth evil from the bad treasure in their heart and speaks from that. For from the overflow of the heart they bring forth evil.“

46

Jesus said, ”From Adam to John the Baptist, among those born of women, no one is greater than John. But I have said that whoever among you becomes like a child will know the kingdom and be greater than John.“

47

Jesus said, ”It is impossible for people to mount two horses or stretch two bows. And a servant cannot serve two masters. That servant will honor one and offend the other.“

48

Jesus said, ”If two make peace with each other in a single house, they will say to the mountain, ‘Move from here!’ and it will move.“

49

Jesus said, ”Blessed are those who are alone and chosen, for you will find the kingdom. You came from it, and you will return there.“

50

Jesus said, ”If they ask you, ‘Where have you come from?’ say to them, ‘We came from the light, from the place where the light came into being by itself. It stood and revealed itself in their image.’ If they ask you, ‘Is it you?’ say, ‘We are its children. We are the chosen of the living Father.’ If they ask you, ‘What is the evidence of your Father in you?’ say to them, ‘It is motion and rest.’“

51

His disciples said to him, ”When will the rest for the dead take place, and when will the new world come?“
He said to them, ”What you are looking for has come, but you do not know it.“

52

His disciples said to him, ”Twenty-four prophets have spoken in Israel, and all of them spoke of you.“
He said to them, ”You have disregarded the living one who is in your presence, and have spoken of the dead.“

53

His disciples said to him, ”Is circumcision useful or not?“
He said to them, ”If it were useful, their father would beget them already circumcised from their mother. But the true circumcision in spirit has become fully profitable.“

54

Jesus said, ”Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven.“

55

Jesus said, ”Whoever does not hate father and mother cannot be my disciple, and whoever does not hate brothers and sisters and carry the cross as I do will not be worthy of me.“

56

Jesus said, ”Whoever has come to know the world has found a corpse, and whoever has found a corpse is superior to the world.“

57

Jesus said, ”The kingdom of the Father is like a person who had good seed. His enemy came by night and sowed weeds among the good seed. The person did not let them pull out the weeds but said to them, ‘No, otherwise you might go to pull out the weeds and pull out the wheat along with them.’ For on the day of the harvest the weeds will be conspicuous, and will be pulled out and burned.“

58

Jesus said, ”Blessed is the person who has struggled. That person has found life.“

59

Jesus said, ”Look to the living one as long as you live, lest you die and try to see the living one, and you will be unable to see.“

60

He saw a Samaritan carrying a lamb on his way to Judea. He said to his disciples, ”That person is going around the lamb.“
They said to him, ”So he may kill it and eat it.“
He said to them, ”As long as it is alive, he will not eat it, but only if he kills it and it becomes a corpse.“
They said, ”Otherwise he can’t do it.“
He said to them, ”So also with you, seek for yourselves a place for rest, or you might become a corpse and be eaten.“

61

Jesus said, ”Two will recline on a couch; one will die, one will live.“
Salome said, ”Who are you, mister? You have climbed onto my couch and eaten from my table as if you are from someone.“
Jesus said to her, ”I am the one who comes from the one who is whole. I was granted from the things of my Father.“
”I am your disciple.“
”Therefore I say, if one is whole, one will be filled with light, but if one is divided, one will be filled with darkness.“

62

Jesus said, ”I disclose my mysteries to those who are worthy of my mysteries. Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.“

63

Jesus said, ”There was a rich person who had a lot of money. He said, ‘I shall use my money to sow, reap, plant, and fill my storehouse with crops, so that I will not lack anything.’
That was what he was thinking in his heart, but that very night he died. Whoever has ears should hear.“

64

Jesus said, ”A person was receiving guests. When he had prepared the dinner, he sent his servant to invite the guests.
The servant went to the first and said to that one, ‘My master invites you.’
That person said, ‘Some merchants owe me money; they are coming to me tonight. I have to go and give them instructions. Please excuse me from dinner.’
The servant went to another and said to that one, ‘My master has invited you.’
That person said, ‘I have bought a house, and I have been called away for a day. I shall have no time.’
The servant went to another and said to that one, ‘My master invites you.’
That person said, ‘My friend is to be married, and I am to arrange the banquet. I cannot come. Please excuse me from dinner.’
The servant went to another and said to that one, ‘My master invites you.’
That person said, ‘I have bought an estate, and I am going to collect the rent. I cannot come. Please excuse me.’
The servant returned and said to his master, ‘Those whom you invited to dinner have asked to be excused.’
The master said to his servant, ‘Go out on the streets and bring back whomever you find to have dinner.’
Buyers and merchants will not enter the places of my Father.“

65

He said, ”A good person owned a vineyard. He leased it to tenant farmers so they could work it and he could collect its fruit from them. He sent his servant so the tenants might give him the vineyard’s fruit. They seized his servant, beat him, and almost killed him, and the servant returned and told his master. The master said, ‘Perhaps he didn’t know them.’ He sent another servant. The tenants beat that one as well. Then the master sent his son and said, ‘Perhaps they will show respect to my son.’
Since the tenants knew that he was the heir to the vineyard, they seized him and killed him. Whoever has ears should hear.“

66

Jesus said, ”Show me the stone that the builders rejected: that is the cornerstone.“

67

Jesus said, ”One who knows all but lacks within is lacking everything.“

68

Jesus said, ”Blessed are you when you are hated and persecuted. Wherever you have been persecuted, they will find no place.“

69

Jesus said, ”Blessed are those who have been persecuted in their hearts. They are the ones who have truly come to know the Father.
Blessed are those who go hungry so that the belly of another may be filled.“

70

Jesus said, ”Jesus said: If you have gained this within you, what you have will save you. If you do not have this in you, what you do not have in you will kill you.“

71

Jesus said, ”I will destroy this house, and no one will be able to rebuild it.“

72

A person said to him, ”Tell my brothers to divide my father’s possessions with me.“
He said to the person, ”Who made me a divider?“
He turned to his disciples and said to them, ”I’m not a divider, am I?“

73

Jesus said, ”The crop is huge but the workers are few, so beg the harvest boss to dispatch workers to the fields.“

74

He said, ”Lord, there are many around the drinking trough, but there is nothing in the well.“

75

Jesus said, ”There are many standing at the door, but those who are alone will enter the bridal suite.“

76

Jesus said, ”The Father's kingdom is like a merchant who had a supply of merchandise and found a pearl. That merchant was prudent. He sold the merchandise and bought the single pearl for himself. So also with you, seek his treasure that is unfailing, that is enduring, where no moth comes to eat and no worm destroys.“

77

Jesus said, ”I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attained. Split a piece of wood—I am there. Lift the stone, and you will find me there.“

78

Jesus said, ”Why have you come out to the countryside? To see a reed shaken by the wind? And to see someone dressed in soft clothes, like your rulers and your powerful ones? They are dressed in soft clothes, and they cannot understand truth.“

79

A woman in the crowd said to him, ”Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that fed you.“
He said to her, ”Blessed are those who have heard the Father’s word and truly kept it. For the days are coming when you will say, ‘Blessed is the womb that has not conceived and the breasts that have not given milk.’“

80

Jesus said, ”Whoever has come to know the world has found a corpse, and whoever has found a corpse of that world, the world is not worthy of them.“

81

Jesus said, ”Let one who has become wealthy reign, and let one who has power renounce it.“

82

Jesus said, ”Whoever is near me is near the fire, and whoever is far from me is far from the kingdom.“

83

Jesus said, ”Images are visible to people, but the light within them is hidden in the image. The light of the Father will reveal itself, but his image is hidden by his light.“

84

Jesus said, ”When you see your likeness, you are happy. But when you see your images that came into being before you and that neither die nor become visible, how much you will have to bear!“

85

Jesus said, ”Adam came from great power and great wealth, but he wasn’t worthy of you. For had he been worthy, he wouldn’t have tasted death.“

86

Jesus said, ”Foxes have their dens and birds have their nests, but human beings have no place to lay down and rest.“

87

Jesus said, ”How miserable is the body that depends on a body, and how miserable is the soul that depends on these two.“

88

Jesus said, ”Messengers and prophets will come to you and give you what belongs to you. You, in turn, give them what you have, and say to yourselves, ‘When will they come and take what belongs to them?’“

89

Jesus said, ”Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Don’t you understand that the one who made the inside is also the one who made the outside?“

90

Jesus said, ”Come to me, for my yoke is easy and my command is gentle, and you will find rest for yourselves.“

91

They said to him, ”Tell us who you are so that we may believe in you.“ He said to them, ”You examine the face of heaven and earth, but you do not know the one who is in your presence, and you do not know how to examine this moment.“

92

Jesus said, ”Seek and you will find. In the past, however, I did not tell you the things about which you asked me then. Now I am willing to tell them, but you do not seek them.“

93

Jesus said, ”Do not give what is holy to dogs, for they might throw them upon the manure pile. Do not throw pearls to pigs, or they might... it [love] it.“

94

Jesus said, ”One who seeks will find, and for one who knocks it will be opened.“

95

Jesus said, ”If you have money, don’t lend it at interest. Rather, give it to someone from whom you won’t get it back.“

96

Jesus said, ”The kingdom of the Father is like a woman who took a little yeast, hid it in dough, and made it into large loaves of bread. Anyone here with two ears had better listen!“

97

Jesus said, ”The kingdom of the Father is like a woman who was carrying a jar full of flour. While she was walking on a road, still far from home, the handle of the jar broke and the flour spilled behind her on the road. She didn’t know it, she hadn’t noticed a problem. When she reached her house, she put the jar down and discovered that it was empty.“

98

Jesus said, ”The kingdom of the Father is like someone who wanted to kill a powerful person. While still at home, he drew his sword and thrust it into the wall to test his strength. Then he killed the powerful one.“

99

The disciples said to him, ”Your brothers and your mother are standing outside.“ He said to them, ”Those here who do what my Father wants are my brothers and my mother. They are the ones who will enter my Father’s kingdom.“

100

They showed Jesus a gold coin and said to him, ”The Roman emperor’s people demand taxes from us.“ He said to them, ”Give the emperor what belongs to the emperor, give God what belongs to God, and give me what is mine.“

101

”Whoever does not hate father and mother as I do cannot be my disciple, and whoever does not love father and mother as I do cannot be my disciple. For my mother gave me falsehood, but my true mother gave me life.“

102

Jesus said, ”Woe to the Pharisees, for they are like a dog lying in the manger of the cattle; for he neither eats nor does he let the cattle eat.“

103

Jesus said, ”Blessed are those who know where the rebels are going to attack. They can get up, collect their imperial gear, and be prepared before the rebels arrive.“

104

They said to Jesus, ”Come, let us pray today and let us fast.“ Jesus said, ”What sin have I committed, or how have I been undone? But when the groom leaves the bridal chamber, then let people fast and pray.“

105

Jesus said, ”Whoever knows the father and the mother will be called the child of a whore.“

106

Jesus said, ”When you make the two into one, you will become children of humanity, and when you say, ‘Mountain, move from here!’ it will move.“

107

Jesus said, ”The kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety-nine and looked for the one until he found it. After he had gone to so much trouble, he said to the sheep, ‘I love you more than the ninety-nine.’“

108

Jesus said, ”He who drinks from my mouth will become like me, and I will become like him, and the hidden things will be revealed to him.“

109

Jesus said, ”The kingdom is like a person who had a treasure hidden in his field. He didn’t know about it. And when he died, he left it to his son. The son didn’t know about it either. He took over the field and sold it. The buyer went plowing, found the treasure, and began to lend money at interest to whomever he wished.“

110

Jesus said, ”Let one who has found the world, and has become wealthy, renounce the world.“

111

Jesus said, ”The heavens and the earth will roll up before you, and whoever is living from the living one will not see death.“

112

Jesus said, ”Damn the flesh that depends on the soul. Damn the soul that depends on the flesh.“

113

His disciples said to him, ”When will the kingdom come?“ ”It will not come by watching for it. People will not say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘Look, there it is.’ Rather, the kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and people don’t see it.“

114

Simon Peter said to them, ”Make Mary leave us, for females don’t deserve life.“ Jesus said, ”Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven.“