THE EGYPTIAN FOUNDATIONS OF GNOSTIC THOUGHT

This is the knowledge of the living book which he revealed to the aeons, at the
end, as [his letters], revealing how they are not vowels nor are they consonants,
so that one might read them and think of vain things, rather they are the letters
of the truth which they alone speak who know them. Each letter is a complete
like a complete book, since they are letters written by the Unity.
(NHC I,3 22.38-23.15) 52
which can be contrasted with a New Kingdom Egyptian religious piece which
describes the functions of the sacred books in the temple:
One makes the book “End of the Work” on this day. It is a secret book, which
wrecks charms, which binds the conspiracies, which halts the conspiracies,
which intimidate the whole universe. It contains life, it contains death.... The
books which are inside, they are the “emanations of Re” in order that this god
may live thanks to those and in order to overcome his enemies. 53
Marsanes presents an extended discourse upon the nature and functioning of sacred
sounds and a brief excerpt will serve to illustrate this:
The sounds of [the semivowels] are superior to the voiceless (consonants). And
those that are double are superior to the semivowels which do not change. But
the aspirates are better than the inaspirates (of) the voiceless (consonants). And
those that are intermediate will [accept] their combination in which they are;
they are ignorant [of] the things that are good... [Form] by [form] they, the nomenclature of the [gods] and the angels, [not] because they
are mixed with each other according to every form, but only (because) they
have a good function (NHC X 26.28-27.18) 54
A similar connection can be made between the Demotic magical papyri and the
Gnostic Books of Jeu. A ceaseless reference to sacred formulae in both cases makes
use of words and the names of personages that are quite similar at times, often
involving a string of divine functionaries whose names begin with the same
consonant. For example, in the Leiden Demotic magical papyrus we find the
following names evoked: Bakhukhsikhukh, Babel, Baoth, Bumai, Bouel, Bolboel,
Boel, Bibiou, Basaethori, Blakmo, Brak, Bampre, Brias, Balbok, etc.; in the Gnostic
Books of Jeu we have a similar run of names: Beoio, Beozaz, Borathoz, Baochazaio,
52
Coptic transcription from Evangelium Veritatis, eds., Michel Malinine, Henri-Charles
Puech, and Gilles Quispel. (Zürich: Rascher Verlag, 1956), 14, 16.
53
Philippe Derchain, Le Papyrus Salt 825: rituel pour la conservation de la vie en Égypte
(Bruxelles: Palais des Académies, 1965), 57-62; 75-78; 83-85. The text dates to the New
Kingdom, c. 1300. B.C.E.
54
Coptic transcription from Nag Hammadi Studies, vol. XV, 296, 298.