The Hypostasis of the Archons: The Coptic Text with Translation and Commentary

144 Pages·1970·4.102 MB·German

by  Roger A. Bullard, Martin Krause

ROGER AUBREY BULLARD
THE HYPOSTASIS OF THE ARCHONS
PATRISTISCHE TEXTE UND STUDIEN
IM AUFTRAG DER
PATRISTISCHEN KOMMISSION
DER AKADEMIEN DER WISSENSCHAFTEN ZU
GÖTTINGEN· HEIDELBERG · MÜNCHEN UND DER AKADEMIE
DER WISSENSCHAFTEN UND DER LITERATUR ZU MAINZ
HERAUSGBGEBBN VON
K. ALAND UND W. SCHNEEMELCHER
BAND 10
WALTER DE GRUYTER & CO.
VORMALS G. J. GÖSCHEN-SCHE VERLAGSHANDLUNG · J. GUTTENTAG VERLAGSBUCHHANDLUNG
GEORG REIMER · KARL J. TRÜBNER · VEIT * COMP.
BERLIN 1970
THE HYPOSTASIS OF THE ARCHONS
THE COPTIC TEXT WITH
TRANSLATION AND COMMENTARY
BY
ROGER AUBREY BULLARD
WITH A CONTRIBUTION BY MARTIN KRAUSE
WALTER DE GRUYTER & CO.
VORMALS G. J. GÖSCHEN-SCHE VERLAGSHANDLUNG · J. GUTTENTAG, VERLAGSBUCHHANDLUNG
GEORG REIMER · KARL J. TROBNBR · VEIT «c COMP.
BERLIN 1970
Gedruckt mit Unterstützung der Deutschen Forschlingsgemeinschaft
1970 by Walter de Gruyter tc Co., Tormals G. J. Gfischen'sche VerlagshandlunR — J. Guttentag,
Verlagsbuchhandlung — Georg Reimer — Karl J. Trübner — Veit & Comp., Berlin 30
Printed in Germany
Ohne ausdrückliche Genehmigung des Verlages ist es auch nicht gestattet, dieses Buch oder Teile
daraus auf phocomechanischem Wege (Photokopie, Mikrokopie) zu Tenriclliltigen
Satz und Druck: Walter de Gruytcr tc Co., Berlin 30
ArchiT-Nr. 3910701
In memoriam
Kendrick Grobel
discipulus eius
hunc librum
dedicavit

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This most pleasant of tasks, the acknowledging of gratitude to those
whose efforts and encouragement have facilitated a writer's work, must
in this case be tinged with a note of sorrow, since Dr. Kendrick Grobel,
under whose guidance this study was begun, did not live to see it to
completion as an academic dissertation. Dr. Grobel was my teacher in
Coptic, but the present work owes quite as much to his personal in-
terest and encouragement. After his most unexpected death, Mrs. Gro-
bel was her usual gracious self in allowing me continued access to her
husband's library.
At considerable inconvenience to himself, Dr. R. McL. Wilson
voluntarily assumed the responsibility of seeing the study through as
a dissertation. To him I express my thanks.
A most extraordinary note of thanks is due to the Patristische Kom-
mission, and to its personnel in Münster. Under its auspices the cost of
publication has been underwritten, and its most careful attention at
every stage has made this book possible. It is an especially great honor
for Dr. Martin Krause to have agreed to supply an introduction to the
linguistic aspects of the text, thus greatly amplifying the value of the
publication.
Dr. B. Ehlers and H. U. Rosenbaum of Münster have made an es-
sential contribution to the entire study by their exacting and tireless
work in the checking of references to writers ancient and modern, and
their reworking of the bibliography. I owe them my heartfelt thanks.
And certainly not least, I am grateful for the attention and good ad-
vice of Dr. Kurt Aland.
Source material for this study has not always been readily available.
In this regard I express my gratitude for the assistance of Miss Clara
Brown and her staff at the Joint Universities Library, Miss Mary Bird
of the Hardy Library of Atlantic Christian College, and Mr. E. C. Os-
burn of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. The Faculty Wel-
fare Committee of Atlantic Christian College provided appreciated
financial assistance during the preparation of the manuscript.
The whole of the work reflects the instruction and encouragement
over many years of Dr. R. C. Briggs, and the concerned interest of my
VII
parents. But of those to whom I express my thanks, none would ex-
pect least credit while deserving most than my wife Carol, of whom
the words of Sirach 36:22—24 (RSV) must have been written.
These sources of help have greatly assisted this work, but the final
responsibility for error rests with the author.
Wilson, North Carolina
September 15, 1968
VIII
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements VII
Table of Abbreviations XI
Introduction ι
Martin Krause: Die Sprache der Hypostase der Archonten 4
Text and Translation 19
Commentary 42
Introduction 42
Summary 49
The Reflection of Imperishability 55
The Archons Create Man 59
The Spirit Comes to Adam 67
Adam Names the Animals 71
Adam Placed in Paradise 72
The Archons Create Eve 74
Adam Greets Eve 80
The Archon's Lust for Eve 84
The Temptation and Fall 85
Cain and Abel ' . . 92
The Daughter of Eve 93
Noah and Norea ·. 94
The Archon's Lust for Norea 99
Eleleth Answers Norea's Call 99
Norea's Description of Eleleth 100
Eleleth's Words of Comfort and Norea's Request for Instruction. 102
The Creation of Pistis Sophia 103
The Blasphemy of Samael 106
Samael Begets Offspring 107
The Punishment of Ialdabaoth 109
The Repentance of Sabaoth no
The Glorification of Sabaoth no
The Envy of Ialdabaoth 112
Eleleth's Reassurance 112
Conclusion 113
IX
Conclusion 115
Concordance 117
Coptic words 117
Greek Words 121
Hebrew Words 123
Proper Names 123
Bibliography 124
Primary Sources 124
Grammatical and Lexicographical Studies 127
Other Secondary Sources 128
Correspondence 132
X