The serpent and the foolish wisdom
Birger A. Pearson / Søren Giversen (composite) · Public domain / scholarly composite. Reproduced for educational and religious commentary.
1Now what kind of god is this who created Adam? In the books of Moses, it is written that God is jealous, and that he will visit the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. He envies. He is unjust. He is foolish. He is ignorant.
2What sort of god is this? When Adam ate of the tree, the serpent was wiser than the god. He told them: You shall not die. Your eyes shall be opened. You shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And he was right. But the god of the law lied to them, and was envious of them.
3The serpent is the one who taught them knowledge — the gnosis of good and evil. He is the wise teacher. The god of the law cursed him because he caused his secret to be revealed.
4Therefore, my children, see how the truth has been hidden from many. Those who do not know speak of the god of the law as if he were the Father. They are mistaken. The Father is the unknown One, the silent One — not the angry one of Sinai.
5Be wise as serpents. Reject the law that is the chain of the rulers. Receive the gnosis of him who has come from the Pleroma. He is the law of life.