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There are many texts of ancient wisdom which are not commonly used or espoused today.
One that I recommend for everyone is Alberto Villoldo’s translation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, called “Yoga, Power and Spirit.” It is a little too long to type here.
I intend to type glimpses into these ancient texts and offer that there may be alternate views to the way things have been presented to us in religion.
Nag Hammadi Library – Sentences of Sextus
These were found manuscripts, stored in leather containers, in Egypt in 1945. The various texts (there are hundreds of fragments) have different dates. They are evidence of early practice of Christianity (Coptic). This one, the “Sentences of Sextus” is found in other collections, and is not the newest or oldest version. But it is the first version which came to me.
I love it for its comparison to Havamal, or “The Sayings of the High One,” in Norse tradition.
- Sentences of Sextus:
Love the Truth, and the lie use like poison.
May the right time precede your words.
Speak when it is not proper to be silent, but speak concerning the things you know only when it is fitting.
The untimely word is evidence of an evil mind.
When it is proper to act, do not use a word.
Do not wish to speak first in the midst of a crowd.
While it is a skill to speak, it is also a skill to be silent.
It is better for you to be defeated while speaking the Truth, than to be victorious through deceit.
He who is victorious through deceit is defeated by the Truth.
Untrue words are the evidence of evil persons.
Do not deceive anyone, especially him who needs advice.
If you speak after many others, you will see more the advantage.
There is no kinsman of the Truth except wisdom.
It is not possible for a believing nature to become fond of lies.
A fearful and slavish nature will not be able to partake in faith.
When you are believing, what it is fitting to say is not more worthy than the hearing.
When you are with believing persons, desire to listen rather than to speak.
The sins of those who are ignorant are the shame of those who have taught them.
A wise man is a doer of good works after God.
May your life confirm your words before those who hear.
What is it not right to do, do not even consider doing it.
What you do not want to happen to you, do not do it yourself, either.
After God, no one is as free as the wise man.
Everything God possesses, the wise man has also.
The wise man shares in the Kingdom of God; an evil man does not want the foreknowledge of God to come to pass.
To make the body of your soul a burden is pride, but to be able to restrain it gently when it is necessary is blessedness.
Do not become guilty of your own death. Do not be angry at him who will take you out of the body and kill you.
If someone brings the wise man out of the body wickedly, he rather does what is good for him, for he has been released from his bonds.
The fear of death grieves man because of the ignorance of the soul.
Someone who says, “I believe,” even if he spends a long time pretending, he will not prevail, but he will fall; as your heart is, so will be your life.
Let not an ungrateful man cause you to cease to do good.
Persuade a senseless brother not to be senseless; if he is mad, protect him.
…to be continued…
Nag Hammadi Library – Sentences of Sextus – Part 2
Strive eagerly to be victorious over every man in prudence; maintain self-sufficiency.
You cannot receive understanding except you know first that you possess nothing.
It is better to serve others than to make others serve you.
Not only do not hold an opinion which does not benefit the needy, but also do not listen to it.
He who gives something without respect commits an outrage.
He whom you server because of honour, you have served for a wage.
If you give to him who will pay you respect, you have given not to man, but you gave for your own pleasure.
Do not provoke the anger of a mob; know then, what is fitting for the prosperous man to do.
Do not give the Word of God to everyone.
For those who are corrupted by glory, it is not assuring to hear about God.
May your pious works precede every word about God.
Be more sparing with a word about God than about a Soul.
He who speaks the Word of God to those for whom it is not lawful, he is the betrayer of God.
It is not possible to know God when you do not worship Him.
A man who does evil to someone will not be able to worship God.
The love of man is the beginning of Godliness.
He who takes care of men while praying for all of them – this is the Truth of God
It is God’s business to save whom he wants; it is the business of the God-loving man to beseech God to save everyone.
He who thinks that no one is in the Presence of God, he is not humble towards God.
He who makes his mind like unto God according to his Power, he is the one who honours God greatly.
God does not need anything, but He rejoices over those who give to the needy.
The faithful do not speak many words, but their works are numerous.
It is a faithful person fond of learning who is the worker of the Truth.
If you do not do evil to anyone, you will not be afraid of anyone.
The tyrant cannot take away prosperity.
What it is right to do, do it willingly.
What it is not right to do, don’t do it in any way.
Promise everything rather than say, “I am wise.”
What you do well, say with your mind that it is God who does it.
Guard yourself from lying; there is he who deceives and there is he who is deceived.
Death will not be able to destroy…
* * *
These are the verses I found compelling in 1985 and copied into my journal.
There are a few more in the Nag Hammadi tract, and I will put a few of them in the next post.
Nag Hammadi Library – Sentences of Sextus – Part 2
Strive eagerly to be victorious over every man in prudence; maintain self-sufficiency.
You cannot receive understanding except you know first that you possess nothing.
It is better to serve others than to make others serve you.
Not only do not hold an opinion which does not benefit the needy, but also do not listen to it.
He who gives something without respect commits an outrage.
He whom you server because of honour, you have served for a wage.
If you give to him who will pay you respect, you have given not to man, but you gave for your own pleasure.
Do not provoke the anger of a mob; know then, what is fitting for the prosperous man to do.
Do not give the Word of God to everyone.
For those who are corrupted by glory, it is not assuring to hear about God.
May your pious works precede every word about God.
Be more sparing with a word about God than about a Soul.
He who speaks the Word of God to those for whom it is not lawful, he is the betrayer of God.
It is not possible to know God when you do not worship Him.
A man who does evil to someone will not be able to worship God.
The love of man is the beginning of Godliness.
He who takes care of men while praying for all of them – this is the Truth of God
It is God’s business to save whom he wants; it is the business of the God-loving man to beseech God to save everyone.
He who thinks that no one is in the Presence of God, he is not humble towards God.
He who makes his mind like unto God according to his Power, he is the one who honours God greatly.
God does not need anything, but He rejoices over those who give to the needy.
The faithful do not speak many words, but their works are numerous.
It is a faithful person fond of learning who is the worker of the Truth.
If you do not do evil to anyone, you will not be afraid of anyone.
The tyrant cannot take away prosperity.
What it is right to do, do it willingly.
What it is not right to do, don’t do it in any way.
Promise everything rather than say, “I am wise.”
What you do well, say with your mind that it is God who does it.
Guard yourself from lying; there is he who deceives and there is he who is deceived.
Death will not be able to destroy…
* * *
These are the verses I found compelling in 1985 and copied into my journal.
There are a few more in the Nag Hammadi tract, and I will put a few of them in the next post.
When I was first studying Nag Hammadi in 1985, I wrote out these Sentences of Sextus in my journal – at least – the ones I could figure out from the fragments. There are a few more. These are very dualistic, which is probably why I wasn’t attracted to them in 1985:
Part Three (out of sequence)
An evil soul flees from GodEverything bad is the enemy of God
Where your thought is, there is your goodness.
Do not seek goodness in flesh.
A godly heart produces a blessed life.
There is again this sentence. The members of the body are a burden to those who do not use them.
If you take on the guardianship of orphans, you will be the father of many children since you are beloved of God.
It is better to die than to darken the soul because of the immoderation of the belly.
Say with your mind that the body is the garment of your soul; keep it, therefore, pure, since it is innocent.
Whatever the soul will do while she is in the body, she has as witnesses when she goes into judgement.
Unclean demons do lay claim to a polluted soul. The evil demons will not be able to lay hold of a soul which is faithful and good in the way of God.
It is not a small danger for us to speak the Truth about God; do not say anything about God or what is taught by god.
Do not speak with a godless person about God; if you (espouse?) impure works, do not speak about God.
The true word about God is the Word of God.
Speak concerning the word about God as if you were saying it in the Presence of God.
If your mind is persuaded first that you have been god-loving, then speak to whomever you wish about God.
Do not wish to speak with a crowd about God.
It is better to dispose of a soul than to discard at random a word about God.
You conceive the body of the god-loving man, but you will not be able to rule over his speech.
If a tyrant threatens you, then, especially, remember God.
It is better for you to be silent about the word of God than to speak recklessly.
He who speaks lies about God is lying to God. A man who does not have anything truthful to say about God is abandoned by God.
A man who is worthy of God, he is God among men, and he is the son of God.
Both the great one exists and he who is next to the great one exists.
It is better for man to be without anything than to have many things while not giving to the needy; so also you, if you pray to God, he will not give to you.
If you, from your whole heart, give your bread to the hungry, the gift is small, but the willingness is great with God.
Know who God is, and know who is the one who thinks in you; a good man is the good work of God.
END
So I was looking at this Sentence of Sextus:
The tyrant cannot take away prosperity.
It fits with Stoicism.
From an article on Ghandi in Aeon
In Discourse, the Stoic Epictetus presents personal freedom as a kind of invulnerability gained by setting your heart, or rather your will (prohairesis), only on what it is in your power to have. Then the tyrant cannot do anything to you. What is in your power does not include your body, its parts, your faculties, your possessions, your reputation, offices, honours, children, brothers, friends, farm, slaves, clothes, house or horses. For thinkers, in case they felt safe, he added ‘your books’.
Epictetus describes the exercises by which he makes his students set aside any consideration that is not under the control of their wills. To a tyrant who threatens: ‘I will put you in chains,’ they are to imagine themselves replying: ‘What did you say, man? Put me in chains? My leg you will put in chains, but my will not even God can conquer.’ The students are to learn to be free by reducing themselves to their wills – that is, to their rightly directed wills.
While I’m not sure how “will” links to “prosperity,” I think that is what the text is getting at. Perhaps it’s a twist in translation.
Stoicism predates the Nag Hammadi by about 600 years, so this kind of thought and training would have been well established by the time the Nag Hammadi community was around.
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