Apocryphal collection · Jewish-Christian and lost · 2 min read
Gospel of the Egyptians (Greek)
Salome's dialogue with the Lord about death
The full text of this study is in Portuguese; the summary, key points and official view are in English.
Known from quotations by Clement of Alexandria, this 2nd-century gospel contained a dialogue between Salome and the Lord. She asks: “How long will death prevail?”, and he answers: “As long as you women give birth”. In another passage, he says he came to “destroy the works of the female” and that the Kingdom will come “when you tread on the garment of shame and when the two become one, and the outside like the inside, and the male with the female, neither male nor female”.
Key points
- Sources: Clement of Alexandria, Stromata book 3; also Hippolytus and Epiphanius.
- Origin: Egypt, 2nd century.
- Used by Encratite groups, who rejected marriage and procreation.
- It has no connection with the Coptic Nag Hammadi text of the same name.
What scholars say
It is an ascetic text of early Egyptian Christianity, known only from fragments. Its relationship with the Gospel of Thomas points to a shared circulation of sayings.
Keep investigating
- Gospel of Thomas 114 secret sayings of Jesus, hidden for almost two thousand years
- Gospel of Eve "I am you and you are me": a vision on a mountaintop
- Gospel and Traditions of Matthias The apostle who replaced Judas and the secret teachings
Other languages: Português · Español
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