The Gospel of Mary

Introduction

The Gospel of Mary is found in the Berlin Gnostic Codex (or Papyrus Berolinensis 8502). This codex was purchased in Cairo in 1896 by the German scholar Carl Reinhardt. It dates to the early 5th century, but the Gospel itself is older, with fragments found in Oxyrhynchus papyri dating back to the 3rd century.

The Character of Mary

Mary Magdalene appears as the primary interlocutor of the Savior after his resurrection. She is portrayed as having a unique understanding of his teachings, receiving visions and knowledge that the other disciples—specifically Peter—do not initially grasp or accept.

The Missing Pages

The text is frustratingly incomplete. Pages 1-6 and 11-14 are missing from the codex. The surviving text begins in the middle of a dialogue between the Savior and the disciples concerning the nature of matter and the world, and ends with Mary relaying her vision and the subsequent dispute among the disciples.

Core Themes

The Gospel focuses on the soul's ascent and the overcoming of the four powers of the world (Darkness, Desire, Ignorance, and Death). It emphasizes that sin is not a moral transgression in the traditional sense, but an entanglement with the material world that prevents the soul from returning to its divine source.

...Will matter then be destroyed or not?

The Savior said, All nature, all formations, all creatures exist in and with one another, and they will be resolved again into their own roots.

For the nature of matter is resolved into the roots of its own nature alone.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Peter said to him, Since you have explained everything to us, tell us this also: What is the sin of the world?

The Savior said, There is no sin, but it is you who make sin when you do the things that are like the nature of adultery, which is called sin.

That is why the Good came into your midst and to the (essences) of every nature in order to restore it to its root.

Then He continued and said, That is why you become sick and die, for you are deprived of the one who can heal you.

He who can understand, let him understand.

Matter gave birth to a passion that has no equal, which proceeded from something contrary to nature. Then there arises a disturbance in its whole body.

That is why I said to you, Be of good courage, and if you are discouraged be reassured by the different forms of nature.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

When the Blessed One had said this, He greeted them all, saying, Peace be with you. Receive my peace unto yourselves.

Beware that no one lead you astray saying Lo here or lo there! For the Son of Man is within you.

Follow after Him! Those who seek Him will find Him.

Go then and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Do not lay down any rules beyond what I appointed you, and do not give a law like the lawgiver lest you be constrained by it.

When He had said this He departed.

The Gospel of Mary · Chapter One

The Gospel of Mary · Chapter Two

But they were grieved. They wept greatly, saying, How shall we go to the Gentiles and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of the Son of Man? If they did not spare Him, how will they spare us?

Then Mary stood up, greeted them all, and said to her brethren, Do not weep and do not grieve nor be irresolute, for His grace will be entirely with you and will protect you.

But rather, let us praise His greatness, for He has prepared us and made us into Men.

When Mary said this, she turned their hearts to the Good, and they began to discuss the words of the Savior.

Peter said to Mary, Sister we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of woman.

Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember which you know, but we do not, nor have we heard them.

Mary answered and said, What is hidden from you I will proclaim to you.

And she began to speak to them these words: I, she said, I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to Him, Lord I saw you today in a vision.

He answered and said to me, Blessed are you that you did not waver at the sight of Me. For where the mind is there is the treasure.

I said to Him, Lord, how does he who sees the vision see it, through the soul or through the spirit?

The Savior answered and said, He does not see through the soul nor through the spirit, but the mind which is between the two that is what sees the vision and it is...

When she had said these things, Mary was silent, since the Savior had spoken to her up to this point.

But Andrew answered and said to the brethren, Say what you wish to say about what she has said. I at least do not believe that the Savior said this. For certainly these teachings are strange ideas.

Peter answered and spoke concerning these same things. He questioned them about the Savior: Did He really speak privately with a woman and not openly to us? Are we to turn about and all listen to her? Did He prefer her to us?

Then Mary wept and said to Peter, My brother Peter, what do you think? Do you think that I have thought this up myself in my heart, or that I am lying about the Savior?

Levi answered and said to Peter, Peter, you have always been hot-tempered. Now I see you contending against the woman like the adversaries.

But if the Savior made her worthy, who are you indeed to reject her? Surely the Savior knows her very well. That is why He loved her more than us.

Rather let us be ashamed and put on the perfect Man, and separate as He commanded us and preach the Gospel, not laying down any other rule or other law beyond what the Savior said.

And when they heard this they began to go forth to proclaim and to preach.

The Gospel of Mary · Chapter Three

The Gospel of Mary · Chapter Four

And the Desire said, I did not see you descending, but now I see you ascending. Why do you lie since you belong to me?

The soul answered and said, I saw you. You did not see me nor recognize me. I served you as a garment and you did not know me.

When it had said this, it went away rejoicing greatly.

Again it came to the third power, which is called ignorance. It (the power) questioned the soul, saying, Where are you going? In wickedness are you bound. But you are bound; do not judge!

And the soul said, Why do you judge me, although I have not judged? I was bound, though I have not bound. I was not recognized. But I have recognized that the All is being dissolved, both the earthly things and the heavenly.

The Gospel of Mary · Chapter Five

When the soul had overcome the third power, it went upwards and saw the fourth power, which had seven forms.

The first form is darkness, the second desire, the third ignorance, the fourth is the excitement of death, the fifth is the kingdom of the flesh, the sixth is the foolish wisdom of flesh, the seventh is the wrathful wisdom. These are the seven powers of wrath.

They questioned the soul and said, Whence do you come slayer of men, or whither are you going, conqueror of space?

The soul answered and said, What binds me has been slain, and what surrounds me has been overcome, and my desire has been ended, and ignorance has died. In a world I was released from a world, and in a type from a heavenly type, and from the fetter of oblivion which is transient. From this time on will I attain to the rest of the time, of the season, of the aeon, in silence.

The Gospel of Mary · Chapter Six

When Mary had said this, she fell silent, for it was to this point that the Savior had spoken with her.

But Andrew answered and said to the brethren, Say what you wish to say about what she has said. I at least do not believe that the Savior said this. For certainly these teachings are strange ideas.

Then Mary wept and said to Peter, My brother Peter, what do you think? Do you think that I have thought this up myself in my heart, or that I am lying about the Savior?

Levi answered and said to Peter, Peter, you have always been hot-tempered. Now I see you contending against the woman like the adversaries. But if the Savior made her worthy, who are you indeed to reject her? Surely the Savior knows her very well. That is why He loved her more than us.

Rather let us be ashamed and put on the perfect Man, and separate as He commanded us and preach the Gospel, not laying down any other rule or other law beyond what the Savior said. And when they heard this they began to go forth to proclaim and to preach.

The Closing Commentary

Divine Authority & The Silence

When Mary had finished speaking, she fell silent, signaling that her transmission of the Savior\'s specific private revelation was complete. This silence is not a lack of knowledge, but a profound completion of the word given specifically to her, establishing her authority as a visionary leader among the disciples.

The Disciples\' Conflict

The immediate reaction of Andrew and Peter reveals the deep-seated tension surrounding female spiritual leadership. Their disbelief and questioning of the Savior\'s preference for Mary highlights the struggle between traditional hierarchies and the individual Gnostic experience of the Divine.

Levi\'s Defense & The Worthy Woman

Levi acts as the voice of reason, rebuking Peter\'s hot temper and emphasizing that the Savior\'s choice is absolute. If the Savior made her worthy, no external judgment can strip her of that status. This defense underscores the Gnostic value of spiritual worthiness over social or gendered identity.

Separation & The Command to Preach

The Gospel ends with a call to \"put on the perfect Man,\" to reach states of spiritual wholeness and integration that transcend gender. The command to separate and preach the Gospel, without imposing new laws, is the final mission—a mission that they eventually depart to fulfill despite their initial inner conflicts.

The ending of the Gospel of Mary serves as a powerful reminder that the inner light and private revelation are the ultimate guides to preaching the Kingdom of the Son of Man.