THE LETTER AND ITS STRUCTURE
To cite a truism, every translation is itself an interpretation. In order to circumvent the possibility of erroneous interpretation at the level of translation, therefore, we have worked directly with the Coptic text of ‘Rheginos’. Generally, the English translation by Robert McL. Wilson of St Andrews,’ which is given in the first critical edition of the Letter, De Resurrection( (pp. 60-67), has been found to be quite faithful to the Coptic. His translation has been conformed to the German of Walter Till and shares in the understanding of the language which that master of Coptic possessed. Nevertheless, there are points where-in this writer finds himself at variance with Dr Wilson: i. There is some inconsistency in his use of critical marks, e.g. parenthesis marks, square brackets, and arrows are all used to indicate conjectural reconstructions of lacunae in the Coptic text. 1 Dr Wilson (private letter of April 13, tg68) writes that in the actual division of the tabour it was agreed that Dr Wilson should have the last word in matters of English style and idiom. since that was his native tongue. Dr Zandee, as the Coptic specialist, claimed the right of final decision in matters of Coptic idiom. Differences of opinion were discussed by correspondence and agrmnient reached, so that:
1. Both share responsibility for the English version.
2. The desire to match a line of English translation exactly with a line of Coptic, while commendable, occasionally produces an awkward translation. 3. Some renderings of the Coptic are too much paraphrase, others too literal. 4. In general, Wilson is consistent in translating key expressions into English. There are a few exceptions, however, which may mislead those unable to use the Coptic text.
5. The sporadic excursions into ‘King James English’ are prompted by Wilson’s desire to indicate the difference between the singular and plural forms of the pronoun ‘you’. He accordingly adopts the same style for the immediate contexts involved, e.g. in 474-8. However, his effort is not consistent (cf. 45.t5—’you’); and, as we have already shown,: the plural form of ‘you’ does not appear until the final page of the text. For this reason, we think the use of modern English throughout with the addition of an asterisk after the few plural forms is preferable to the highly formal and anti-quated ‘King James’ vernacular.
6. At several points we believe prior interpretation of the meaning of the text has resulted in erroneous translation, e.g. 45.11-13. Having reached these conclusions, a new translation seemed justi-fied, especially if it was to serve as the basis for the interpretation of the Letter. This translation we present here, reserving discussion of the philological and grammatical matters which support it until Chapter III. We would note at the outset that where Wilson’s trans-lation is a dear rendering of the Coptic we have refrained from substi-tuting synonyms simply for the sake of novelty.
Kg to Signs in the Translation I. (U) Greek words in parentheses appear as loan words in the Coptic text. 2. ((…)) denotes an addition by the translator to convey the sense of the passage. These words do not appear in the Coptic text 3. (…) indicates a parenthetical remark by the author of the Letter. 4. […] indicates a conjectural emendation for a lacuna in the papyrus text. 5. • will follow the second person plural pronoun, ‘you’, wherever it MOWS.
2 Spa, pp. 8-to.
THE LETTER TO RHEGINOS
25 Some there are, my son Rheginos,
who desire to learn much.
They have this aim
when they are occupied with questions
which lack their answer; and
3o if they succeed with these, they customarily
think very highly of
themselves. But I do not think
they have stood within
the Word of Truth. Rather,
35 they seek their own Rest, which
we have received through our
Saviour, our Lord Christ.
1 We received it ((i.e. ‘Rest’)) after we
had known the Truth and rested
ourselves upon it. But
because you ask us
5 pleasantly what is proper
concerning the resurrection, I am writing
you ((to say)) that it is necessary.
To be sure many are
lacking faith in it, but
10 to there are a few who find it.
So then, let us discuss
the matter.
How did the Lord make
use of things while existing
15 in flesh and after
He had revealed himself as Son
of God? He lived
in this place where you
remain, speaking
20 about the Law of Nature. (But I
call it ‘Death!) Now the
Son of God, Rheginos,
was Son of Man.
He embraced both of them,
25 possessing the humanity and the divinity,
so that on the one hand he might conquer
death through his being
Son of God,
3o and that on the other through the Son of
Man the restoration
to the Pleroma
might occur because
originally He was from above,
35 a seed of Truth before
this structure had come into being.
In this ((i.e. ‘structure’)) many dominions and
deities came into existence.
I know I am giving
1 the solution in difficult
things, but there is nothing
difficult in the Word
of Truth. But since
5 the solution appeared
so as not to leave anything hidden,
but to reveal all
things openly concerning
existence—the destruction of evil on the one hand,
10 but the revelation
of the Elect on the other—this is
the emanation of Truth and
Spirit. Grace is of Truth.
The Saviour swallowed up
15 death. (You are not reckoned as being ignorant.)
For He put aside the
world which is perishing. He transformed
[himself] into an imperishable Aeon
and raised himself up, having
20 swallowed the visible
by the invisible,
and He gave us
the way of our immortality.
Then , indeed, as the Apostle
25 said, ‘We suffered
with him, and we arose
with him, and we went to heaven
with him.’ Now if we
are revealed in
3o this world wearing
him, we are that one’s beams,
and we are
enclosed by
him until our setting, that is to say,
35 our death in this life.
We are drawn to heaven
by him like the beams
by the sun, not being restrained
by anything. This is
40 the spiritual resurrection
which swallows up the psychic
alike with the other fleshly.
But if there is one who
does not believe, he does not have
5 ((the capacity for)) persuasion. For
it is the place of faith,
my son, and not
of persuasion. He who is dead shall
arise. There is one who believes
among the philosophers who are in this world.
10 At least he will arise. And let not the philosopher
who is in this world be caused
to believe that he is a man who returns
himself (and ((that)) because of our faith).
For we have known the Son of
15 Man, and we have believed
that He arose from among the
dead. This is He of whom we say,
‘He became the destruction
of death’, as He is a great One
20 who is believed in. Among
the im[mortal] are those who believe. The
thought of those who are saved shall
not perish. The mind of
those who have known him shall not perish.
25 Therefore, we are elected to
salvation and redemption,
since we are predestined from the beginning
not to fall into the
foolishness of those who are without knowledge,
3o but we shall enter into the
wisdom of those who have known the
Truth. Indeed, the Truth which they keep
cannot be abandoned,
nor has it been.
35 ‘Strong is the system of the
Pleroma; small is that which
broke loose ((and)) became ((the))
world. But the All is
what is encompassed. ((Before))
it came into being, it was existing.’
Therefore,
never doubt concerning
the resurrection, my son Rheginos.
For if you did not exist
5 in flesh, you received flesh when
you entered this world. Why ((then))
will you not receive flesh when you
ascend into the Aeon?
What is better than the flesh is
10 for it ((the)) cause of life.
Is not that which comes into being on your account
yours? Does not that which is yours
exist with you?
Yet, while you are in this world, what is it
15 that you lack? This is what you
have been making every effort to learn.
The afterbirth of the body is
old age, and you
exist in corruption. You have
20 absence as a gain.
For you will not give up what is
better if you should depart. That which is worse
has diminution,
but there is grace for it. Nothing,
25 therefore, redeems us from
this world. But the All which
we are—we are saved. We have received
salvation from ((one)) end of it
to the other. Let us think in this way.
3o Let us comprehend in this way. But
there are some ((who)) wish to
understand in the enquiry about
those things they are looking into, whether
he who is saved, if he leaves behind
35 his body, will
be saved immediately? Let
no one be given cause to doubt concerning this,
… indeed, the visible members
39 which are dead shall
not be saved,
((only)) the living [members] which exist within
them would arise. Then, what
is the resurrection? It is always the
5 disclosure of
those who have arisen. For if you
remember reading in the
Gospel that Elijah appeared and Moses
10 with him, do not think the
resurrection is an illusion.
It is no illusion, but
it is truth. It is more
suitable to say, then that
15 the world is an illusion,
rather than the resurrection which
came into being through
our Lord the Saviour,
Jesus Christ.
20 But what am I telling
you now? Those who are
living shall die. How
do they live in an illusion?
The rich have become poor
25 and the kings have been over-
thrown, everything is wont to
change. The world
is an illusion (so that I
should not rail at
3o things exceedingly). But
the resurrection does not have
this aforesaid character; for
it is the Truth, that which stands firm.
And it is the revelation of
35 that which exists, and the transformation
of things, and a
transition into
38 newness. For imperishability
de[scends] upon the
perishable; and the light flows
down upon the darkness,
swallowing it up; and the Pleroma
5 fills up the deficiency.
These are the symbols and
the images of the resurrection.
He it is who makes the
good. Therefore, do not
10 think in part, o Rheginos,
neither live
in conformity with this flesh for the sake of
unanimity, but flee
from the divisions and the
15 fetters, and already you have
the resurrection. For if
he who will die knows
himself that he
will die (even if he spends many
years in this life he is
brought to this),
why not consider yourself
as risen and ((already))
brought to this?
25 If you have the
resurrection but continue as if
you will die (and yet that one
knows that he has died), why then
do I ignore your
3o lack of exercise? It is right for
each one to practise
in a number of ways, and
he shall be released from this Element,
so that he may not be misled but
35 shall himself receive again
what at first was.
These things I have received
38 from the trust of my
Lord Jesus Christ. [I have] taught
you and your broth[ers], my sons, concerning them,
while I have not at all omitted any
of the things suitable for strengthening you.
5 But if there is one thing written
which is obscure in my exposition of
the Word, I shall interpret it for you*
when you* ask. But now,
do not be jealous toward anyone who is in your number
to when it is possible for him to
help. Many may look at
this which I have written
to you. To these I say,
‘Peace ((be)) among them and grace.’
15 I greet you and those who love
you* in fraternal love.
The Word concerning the Resurrection