The Apocryphon of John (Short Version), Nag Hammadi Codex III and Berlin Codex

The Apocryphon of John (Short Version), Nag Hammadi Codex III and Berlin Codex

Gnostic Christianity, theology, Sethian, pseudepigraphic text

An ancient Gnostic Christian manuscript detailing alleged secret knowledge given to John the Apostle by an angel sent by God. This secret knowledge outlines some of the theological beliefs of early Gnostic Christians, which stand in stark contrast with canonical Christian theology. This version of the Apocryphon of John is known as the short version. Two separate manuscripts exist with minor differences between them, one known as the Nag Hammadi Codex III and the other as the Berlin Codex. Representing the same text, these two manuscripts stand in contrast to the so-called long version of the Apocryphon of John (Nag Hammadi Codex II & IV). Though the words of these manuscripts are attributed to John the Apostle, it is unknown who exactly first authored them. The surviving manuscripts today are likely copies and their presumed scribe(s) are unknown.

John the Apostle

Nag Hammadi Library and Papyrus Berolinensis 8502

2nd to 5th-century CE

Unknown scibe(s)

The Coptic Museum Cairo and Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

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483 x 679

Coptic

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NHC-III (p. 1-40) and Papyrus Berolinensis 8502 (p. 19-77)

2nd to 5th-century CE, Egypt

Coptic text translated from ancient Greek

Papyrus manuscripts