014 - YIR/PGoTh - Logion 22

[Rogier van Vlissingen]

P/Goth:

quote
When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, and when you make male and female into a single one, so the male will not be male and the female will not be female... then you will enter into the Kingdom.
unquote



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Form:
Note again that the square brackets [] indicate what Pursah edits out entirely. The angle brackets <> set off a word that was apparently missing in the Coptic text and is supplied by the translator. The elipsis in Pursah's edit appears to account for the fact that the omitted material occurred in midsentence.
We note that Pursah here uses the traditional translation Kingdom, and does not attempt this time with the Jesus Seminar to use the word Domain in this instance. We note Pursah's capitalization of Kingdom, which would seem to emphasize that this is no ordinary kingdom, but a Kingdom not of this world.

Content:
The content of the statement is very clear and simple and straightforward, except if you think duality is reality... then it seems the height of confusion and gobbledygook. The point simply is that if we practice forgiveness, and heal the separation, i.e. if we accept the Atonement for ourselves, then all differences will fall away, as we re-join the Kingdom.

[Rogier van Vlissingen]

Original posting on DU forum at Yahoo Groups, as 12158 of April 9th, 2005

22. Jesus saw some babies nursing. He said to his disciples, "These
nursing babies are like those who enter the (Father's) kingdom."

They said to him, "Then shall we enter the (Father's) kingdom as babies?"

Jesus said to them, "When you make the two into one, and when you make the
inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the
lower, and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the
male will not be male nor the female be female, when you make eyes in
place of an eye, a hand in place of a hand, a foot in place of a foot, an
image in place of an image, then you will enter [the kingdom]."

from www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gosthom.html - translation
Patterson/Meyer

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As a continuation of these (ir)regular discussions of the Thomas logia,
here are some thoughts about the present quote. Note that DU quotes only
the words of Jesus, and drops the preamble.

The themes that jump out from this statement in the context of the Course
are the strong emphasis on undoing as the core issue in the Course. While
we spend most of our lives building up our egos, the path of forgiveness
is really about freeing ourselves from the prison of our own ego
judgments, and in that sense to become as babies again. The first 50
lessons in the workbook really put us in touch with the ways in which we
are trapped in the web of our perceptions.
As the Course puts it:
quote
"Except ye become as little children" means that unless you fully
recognize your complete dependence on God, you cannot know the real power
of the Son in his true relationship with the Father.
unquote (ACIM:T-1.V.3:2)

and it also reminds me of
quote
7 I do not know the thing I am, and therefore do not know what I am doing,
where I am, or how to look upon the world or on myself.
unquote (ACIM:T-31.V.17:7)
Which gives clear expression to our state of mind when we let go of all
the ego's pseudo-certainties and judgments, and become as children again.
Obviously the ego's authority problem is our primary defense against our
"complete dependence on God." Needless to say, we are our own worst enemy.


The second theme that is raised here is about the return from duality to
oneness, which is another very clear theme of the Course. And after that
the statement about a hand for a hand etc. seems to reflect most closely
the Course statement:
quote
To learn this course requires willingness to question every value that you
hold. 2 Not one can be kept hidden and obscure but it will jeopardize your
learning. 3 No belief is neutral.
unquote (ACIM:T-24.in.2:1-3)

i.e. in the course of our forgiveness lessons we learn to see the world
anew, as we shift from the ego's eyes of judgment to the Holy Spirit's
vision of love.