Gender and adrogyny was an important part of Gnosticism and Hermeticism. A recent translation even has the following line “I am he whose image is multiple in Egypt and she who is without an image amongst the Barbarians”. McGuire argues that in taking on these varied roles the speaker transcends the limiting role of woman in ancient societyĪt the same time, the presentation of gender is more fluid. She is not just a mother, but barren not just a wife, but a virgin. The speaker of Thunder takes on female roles, yet undermines them. Whilst the paradoxical statements make her hard to place in some ways, she is portrayed in gendered terms: Motherhood is central to the speaker of Thunder. Yet both kinds of statement are paradoxical predicate sentences. BOOK OF SOPHIA NAG HAMMIDI LIBRARY SERIESThe poem contains two major types of statements: a series of first person proclamations and a series of exhortations in second person. Thunder, Prefect Mind is a speech delivered by a female speaker, possibly the eponymous “Thunder, Perfect Mind”. Although some aretalogies are composed in the second person such as the hymns of Isidorus from the Narmouthis temple dedicated to Isis-Thermouthis (in Medinet Madi, Egypt). The first person statements of “I am” ( ΑΝΟΚ ΤЄ in Coptic, anok te) resemble the “I am” found in the Greek Isis aretalogies ( ἐγώ εἰμι in Greek, egoo aimie). There is also scholarly dispute over whether the poem was a Coptic translation from Greek or a Coptic composition. The text is difficult to date and lacks any clear external references.Ĭodex VI is a relatively unique book containing a lot of texts known from other sources (including three Hermetic texts and Plato’s Republic) however, Thunder, Perfect Mind does not have many clear connections with other texts, even those found at Nag Hammadi. This book (Codex VI) to the middle or second half of the fourth century. Thunder, Perfect Mind survives in only one copy in a codex (Latin for book) which was found at Nag Hammadi. Many scholars have noticed a similarity with the aretalogies to the goddess Isis. Thunder, Perfect Mind is a small poem that was copied in one of the books found at Nag Hammadi.
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