Logion 19: “Whoever will come to know them (Tree of Life) will not taste death.”


“Betz (1963) unconvincingly argues for a Qumran background (the archangel Michael; cf. Shafaat 1981: 263-269, who likewise adduces DSS parallels; and Leaney 1972: 38-61, who says the Paraclete is God himself). Windisch (1968) advances the hardly more plausible hypothesis that the Paraclete is a kind of angel ... in human form’, be it a prophet or teacher. Johnston (1970) unsuccessfully proposes that the parakletos is an active divine power that has become embodied in certain leaders of the apostolic church, such as the fourth evangelist (see the critiques by Brown 1967:126 and 1971: 268-270, for whom the Paraclete is the ‘alter ego of Jesus’, 1967:132, cited in Smalley, 1996:297; cf. Burge 1987). Bultmann (1971: 566-572) views the concept as a Johannine appropriation of his Gnostic source’s figure of ‘helper’. Riesenfeld (1972: 266-274) postulates a sapiential provenance, which is equally unlikely. Boring( 1978:113-123) claims the Paraclete is an angel demythologized as the ‘spirit of prophecy’! Billington (1995: 90-115) appropriately stress the Paraclete’s role in mission. If the disciples are to witness to Jesus, they must understand the significance of his coming; witness to Jesus and the paraclete’s ministry are thus inseparable (15:26-27; 16:8-11;20:21-23). For a helpful discussion of the Paraclete as a part of the fourth Gospel's Lawsuit motif, esp. in 15:26- 16:15, see Lincoln 2000: 110-123, esp. 113-114.” (Kostenburger & Swain 2008, 97)

You belong to a Tree of great Wisdom, Tree of great Sustenance and Religion, and Tree of great Mastery — the mastery that you can never know how great it is. You belong to a Tree that has complete security for you, and you belong to a very great Tree which gives you complete witnessing of the Drama, and which gives you understanding that the Whole is part and parcel of you and you are part and parcel of the Whole.-. This is the Tree of Life that has been described in the Bible."

The Spirit-Paraclete Shri Mataji
Geneva, Switzerland—August 28, 1983


“It is most surprising that in this Tree of Life, that when the Roots give out the Shoots, and the Shoots give out the Branches, and the Branches give out the Leaves, and the Flowers also blossom out of the same Tree, those who know those Roots do not want to know the Shoots; those who know the Shoots do not want to recognize the Flowers. This is typical of human nature."

The Spirit-Paraclete Shri Mataji
London, U.K.—December 2, 1979


“The Spirit says in Revelation: 'To him that overcomes, I will give to him to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God.' (2: 7.) We understand from the previous paragraphs that this was a matter of inner conquest... Revelation says later: 'In the midst of its street, and of the river, on this side and on that side, the tree of life, producing twelve fruits; in each month yielding its fruits; and the leaves of the tree for healing of the nations' 22: 2.) The first part is geometrically impossible since a single tree cannot find itself both in the middle and on both sides at the same time. We have to understand this as a symbol. It actually refers to the three channels: Sushumna (central), through which the Kundalini flows like a river and the side channels (Ida and Pingala.) Kundalini was worshiped as 'water of life' by the Templars and the Gnostics. However, as we are told at the end, the tree of life also serves to cure the nations. Yogis agree that the Kundalini awakening and the activation of the energy system symbolised by the tree of life brings about both the physical healing as well as the spiritual one (supreme liberation, Moksha.)" (Costian 1995, 174)

“The path of the inner channel within the spine (Sushumna nadi) is referred to as the Tree of Life. It is the path of Kundalini, the residual divine Energy within Man. However, there is a gap in this subtle system. Also the path as well as the chakras might be constricted or closed because of the loads resulting from previous karma, spirit possessions, nervous troubles etc. Hence the path has to be cleared first. But, as we will explain later, this cannot be done by the seeker himself because his attention cannot reach his own Sushumna. We understand now the role of the true Master (guru): he is the one to water the seed of life with the vibrations of divine energy that flow like rays, from his being. When the holy vibrations enter into the being of the seeker, they fill the gap with the Sushumna (the Void) and thus form a bridge on the path of Kundalini's ascent. The seed of life will manifest into the Tree of Life; when Kundalini is spontaneously awakened by the vibrations of the guru, She realises that She is being invited by the Divine authority of a highly evolved realised soul. She thus rises, piercing six chakras in the central channel." (Kalbermatten 1979, 25)

Gates — The very narrow Agnya chakra located at the optic chiasma where resides the Universal Savior Shri Jesus Christ.

“The three channels cross at the Agnya which represents the most narrow way for the Kundalini to pass through. It is the 'narrow gate' that Jesus said about: 'Strive with earnestness to enter through the narrow door, for many, I say, will seek to enter and will not be able.' (Luke 13:24.) 'Enter through the narrow gate.' (Matthew 7:13.) Jesus revealed Himself as the Master of the Agnya chakra: 'I am the Door; if any one enter in by Me, he shall be saved' (John 10.9.) He will be saved because he will be able to reach the end of the spiritual ascent, Sahasrara (the Kingdom of Heaven) the synthesis of all chakras, where the individual Spirit joins with the Universal Spirit — God.)" (Costian 1995, 252)

“Today I want to tell you about the Agnya Chakra, about Jesus Christ, who advanced to this center of Agnya Chakra where you see this red mark (bindi on forehead). Behind that, inside the brain on the crossing of the optic chiasma, is this subtle center where this great Deity is placed through His crucifixion. And through His Resurrection He has created this space for us to enter into the Kingdom of God (Sahasrara Chakra) which is placed within us—it is not without."

The Spirit-Paraclete Shri Mataji
The New Age Has Started, Houston, USA—October 6, 1981


“The Sushumna is the central channel for our evolution. It is through this channel that we become Collectively Conscious and all the disparate factors of our being are integrated into one Whole. It makes the connection between our conscious mind and the auto of the autonomous system, the Spirit, which is a reflection of God. Sushumna is the way of Dharma, the straight and narrow path by which we pass through the Gate of the Agnya Chakra to enter into the Kingdom of God in the Sahasrara."

The Spirit-Paraclete Shri Mataji


“We are here to know the Truth, first through our mental understanding and then through our experience, to prove everything you have heard so far. But the minds are very conditioned. Like in India when you talk about Christ to Hindus, saying that Christ is based and placed in the Agnya Chakra, they think that I am trying to spread Christianity because I was born in a Christian family. But when people talk about the Deities on the Chakras, which is a fact, people in the West start thinking they are talking about Hindu philosophy. But one must know they are all related to each other. Christ Himself has said in the Bible, "Those who are not against Us are with Us."

The Spirit-Paraclete Shri Mataji
London, U.K.—November 21, 1979


“You are so respected that Christ is born within your Agnya. But you must respect your Agnya Chakra. Your attention should be in the Centre so that no wobbliness.... So this Agnya Chakra is to be kept very clean, healthy and holy. The attention should be holy. The attention outside is still not very holy, should be detached attention. If you start seeing through your Agnya it should project a Power of Holiness. So that anybody who looks at your eyes should know that serenity is flowing from these eyes, and not lust and greed and aggression. All this we can achieve because we have got Christ within our Agnya. Accept Him there. He is born yet to grow."

The Spirit-Paraclete Shri Mataji
Pune, India—December 24, 1982


“On first awakening Kundalini ascends Sushumna Nadi up to the Agnya Chakra. It covers the lower plate of the main, then descends like melting clouds on the Ida and Pingala Nadis to the Void. It fills this area and then the three combined Powers of Mahakali, Mahasaraswati, and Mahalakshmi re-ascend the Sushumna to open the Lotus Petals of the Sahasrara. The Spirit, residing in the heart, has its seat at the top of the head in the centre. All the Chakras have their seats in the Sahasrara. This is the fontanel area that is pierced by the Kundalini, the point of Yoga at which the attention is united to the Spirit — the Brahmarandhra, the hole into the Brahman."

The Spirit-Paraclete Shri Mataji


“Agnya Chakra is very subtle. The physicians are also unable to notice it. There is a very subtle door in this Chakra. That is why Jesus Christ said, 'I am the Door.' Jesus Christ incarnated on this Earth for facilitating the passage through this Door, and He Himself was the first to pass through it."

The Spirit-Paraclete Shri Mataji
Bombay, India—September 26, 1979


“The subject Shri Kundalini Shakti and Shri Jesus Christ is very attractive and interesting. It is altogether a new subject for the common people because nobody has at any time before, attempted to establish any connection between Jesus Christ and Shri Kundalini Shakti. On the Virata tree of religion, saints of various kinds bloomed as flowers in many countries and languages. It is only the Virata who can know the relation inter-se amongst these beautiful flowers. Wherever they went, these flowers spread the sweet fragrance of religion. But even the people surrounding these saints could not grasp the significance of that fragrance. It is therefore, futile to expect the common people to understand the relation inter-se between a saint and the Adi-Shakti, the primordial Mother.

You would be able to experience or understand my view-point if you could attain the plane from which I am talking to you. Because at present, you do not have the necessary equipment to comprehend whether or not what I am telling you is the truth. In other words, you are not yet equipped to understand what the truth is. Until you are able to understand the meaning of the Self, the physical body would remain imperfect and would be unable to verify the truth. But once the physical instrument is connected with truth You are able to verify the Truth. It follows therefore, that first you have to accept Sahaja Yoga and get Self-realization. After Self realization, the vibrations of 'Chaitanya' begins to flow from your hands. If a particular matter is true, then waves of cool vibrations would start flowing into the palms ; but if the same be untrue, hot vibrations would be felt. In this manner, you are able to know as to whether any particular matter is true or not...

Jesus Christ came to save and liberate the whole mankind. He was not the personal possession of any particular sect. He himself was Aumkar incarnate. He was Pranava and the Truth. The bodies of the other incarnations were made up of earth principle, whereas the body of Jesus was made of the soul principle. That is why He was resurrected after death. And it was only through the resurrection that His disciples could know that He was no other than God Himself. Then they started beating the trumpets, started reciting His name, started delivering lectures on Him. The most important thing is that God incarnated. If the people should recognise Him and secure spiritual development and bliss, this would enlighten the soul and spread happiness, and bliss everywhere. May all of you acquire the Yoga of God. Many many blessings.”

THE MOTHER: Messiah-Paraclete-Ruh-Devi
Shri Kundalini Shakti and Shri Jesus Christ, Bombay India—26 September 1979


"So when we glorify cross, we are glorifying our Agnya, by which we accept the life of dedication and of sacrifice. And if we look forward after the cross we know that it is resurrection. And the resurrection that you are going to actualize in this lifetime.

But now give up all nonsensical ideas about your seekings and useless rumblings. Seeking means, not knowing about anything, but becoming something. For that Christ crucified Himself. He resurrected Himself so that you all could be resurrected. So you have to, today thank Him for giving you the lead of resurrection. And in this life time only you are going to be resurrected and you are going to see with your own eyes your resurrection - as the disciples saw the resurrection of Christ. This is being all promised and this must happen to all of you.

So we should rejoice and be happy that the time has come for a mass resurrection and such a great event we are facing, we are such fortunate people. Give up our small visions and our petty hankerings. Our small, little lives in which we live like frogs. Expand yourself and think that today you are facing the drama of mass resurrection.

Not only that but you are maneuvering it. So rejoice and be happy. That's what Christ did 2000 years back, today we are going to do it. That's why Easter is a special day for all of us. It's really a very special day, because in our lives the death has died and we are resurrected.

May God bless you all!"

THE MOTHER: Messiah-Paraclete-Ruh-Devi
The Meaning of Easter, Dollis Hill Ashram, London, UK—6 April 1980


A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas: From Interpretations to the Interpreted
19
36,17b-25

(1) Jesus says:
“Blessed is he who was before he came into being.
(2) If you become disciples of mine (and)
listen to my words, these stones will serve you.
(3) For you have five trees in Paradise
who do not change during summer (and) winter.
And their leaves do not fall.
(4) Whoever will come to know them
will not taste death.”


The theme of the preceding saying is continued here in the first part: through Jesus, the true and initiated reader discovers the ideal image of the disciple and the human being in general, the very Adam (see log. 15 and 85). This means awareness of his or her own pre-existence, that is, the fact that his/her life is anchored before he/she was born (before he came into being). The source of life is in God's creative power, in which the beginning and the end meet.

The words, mentioned in the second sentence, are all the sayings typical for the Gospel of Thomas 71 Here it is clearly suggested that not all hearers are automatically disciples. Only those who truly listen to the words of Jesus are disciples. These stones will serve you is an allusion to the traditional metaphor of the divine power that can change stones into human beings or into bread, as is mentioned in Luke 3:8 par.; 4:3 (Q), and here it expresses the wonder of spiritual rebirth. The rest of creation exists for the sake of such reborn people.

The five trees from Paradise (the third part) represent a developed image of Paradise with the tree of life (Gen 2:9). According to early Christian apocalyptic expectations, the tree of life will reappear at the end of the ages (Rev 2:7; 22:2). Their leaves do not fall-they are unchanging. In the Manichean Psalm Book 161, 17-29 this motif was further elaborated: the leaves of these trees do not move; they are absolutely quiet, as a true Christian is (see sayings 50:3 and 90 [end]).

The concluding part (sentence four: Whoever will come to know them) has a parallel in Irenaeus (Epideixis 43) and relates to the saying on the trees. To know the trees means, however, to take seriously all the sayings of Jesus. Will not taste death: in the Gospel of Philip we find a saying about those who are nourished by truth and will not die (NHC II/3; 73,22-23).

A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas
Petr Pokorny, T&T Clark; Reprint edition (December 22, 2011) p. 62-3


Tau Malachi, The Gnostic Gospel of St. Thomas
“Jesus said, 'Blessed is he who came into being before he came into being. If you become my disciples and listen to my words, these stones will minister to you. For there are five trees for you in Paradise which remain undisturbed summer and winter and whose leaves do not fall. Whoever becomes acquainted with them will not experience death.'

Blessed is he who came into being before he came into being. The Lord is speaking of himself and of all the enlightened and righteous ones who incarnate to accomplish God's Will on earth and to guide and uplift humanity towards its Divine destiny. They are messengers of the Lord, spiritual teachers and guides, holy souls that have previously awakened to one or another degree and who continue to incarnate in humanity out of love and compassion in order to uplift the holy sparks and enlighten and liberate souls from the power of ignorance. They are, indeed, blessed and a blessing, worthy of all praise and honor. It is a priceless gift to encounter and meet one of these tzaddikim in life, and the wise who encounter them listen to them and follow their teachings, becoming disciples or companions of the master.

To listen means to open and surrender oneself, to practice and live according to the holy teachings, and to establish the conditions necessary to receive initiation. The secret wisdom may be openly spoken to many, but only those who listen and hear will receive initiation and be saved---that is to say, attain a degree of self-realization. One must practice and live according to the Spirit and Truth in order to awaken and set oneself free. The initiate will tell you that there is no other way to live, no other way to eternal life. Every other way is as though being in a deep slumber of strange and fitful dreams or in a living death of which death itself is the lord and fruit.

Now for those who listen and hear, there will be a radical change in consciousness. Upon entering into the mystical path and involving oneself in it through actual spiritual practice and spiritual living, the inner dimensions will open and one will discover God constantly speaking to one's secret and undying soul in every circumstance, situation and event of life, the whole of life being filled with the Divine presence and power. The disciple will discover the kingdom of heaven within and all around. Even in the most ordinary thing, the Holy Spirit will minister to the soul and self. The world is alive and full with the holy Shekinah; the Living Word and Wisdom of God are to be found within everyone and everything. The Spirit of God indwells Creation, as much as transcending it altogether. Realizing this you will truly live and move, and consciously have your being in God, knowing the Spirit of God indwelling you, and even rocks will speak the Word of the Lord to you.

But what if I told you that stones do speak as heavenly angels, all manner of Divine spirits and angels, from spirits of the prophets and sages to great angels? What if I told you that hosts of angels constantly minister to the holy ones, the Divine powers continually coming and going from their presence? Does it sound too fantastic? I will tell you this, what the Lord has in store for you is fantastic. It is unbelievable, awesome, and wonderful! It is incredible, absolutely incredible!

So let me tell you more. If you don't believe me, it won't matter anyway. But if you are blessed to believe me, perhaps it will set you to seeking, so that you might find and know yourself and therefore receive far greater blessings than anyone could ever possibly bestow, blessings straight from the Lord God itself!

Not only can we speak of the Divine powers that serve and minister to the elect, but the tzaddikim become aware of other worlds in the inner dimensions, worlds within worlds and worlds beyond. Each world is as "real" as this material world and those nearer to God are perhaps more real in experience. Not only does the initiate commune with the presence of the Lord and the Divine beings-forces. The initiate enters into other worlds and brings blessings back. Indeed, as St. Paul tells, oftentimes the apostles of God are taken up into the heavens while yet in this life, just as the prophets before them, and they return bearing gifts of the Holy Spirit and a Divine vision or message, whether for themselves or for the people of the book. The holy Master is teaching and initiating his disciples into these mysteries, imparting the secret keys of the mysteries to them.

It must be understood that such holy things are not taught openly but in secret, never in public, only in private, and only to a true and faithful disciple and one who has already had something of the experience and therefore knows already. Only a disciple can receive such precious gifts in Spirit. Only a disciple is involved so deeply in the holy covenant with the master as to share in such mystical experiences. The outsider cannot receive such things, only one who has become an insider and, yet more, a lover of the mystery and the Beloved.

Tau Malachi, The Gnostic Gospel of St. Thomas
Llewellyn Publications (June 8, 2004) pp. 61-3


Richard Valantasis, The Gospel of Jesus
19a Jesus said: Blessed is one who existed before coming into being.

Thomas's sayings sometimes are based on the fact that there are two creation stories in Genesis. The first begins at Genesis 1:1 and ends at 2:3. The second begins at 2:4 and continues indefinitely. The first creation is perfect. God declares it "good" seven separate times. The first creation features the origin of light and of the primordial humanity made in the Image of God. The second creation starts as if the first had never taken place and features the creation of man out of dirt and the creation of woman out of the man 's rib.

Ancient (and present-day) readers sometimes wondered what happened to the first creation. Such a good creation would not just disappear for no reason. Since the first is never said to have ceased to be, then it must coexist along with the second in a condition of perfection unmarred by any fall subsequent to the primordial seventh day.

From Thomas's perspective, the ultimate goal for human beings is to enter into the condition of the first creation---a condition that continues to exist in reality, although the second creation is what virtually everyone ordinarily perceives. (p.21) Thomas calls the first hidden creation "The Kingdom of Heaven.” The human condition of any person can be that of the original Image of God or that of the Adam from the second creation. Accordingly, those who exist before coming into being are humans in the manner of the Image of God, which existed (Genesis 1: 26-27) before humans in the form of Adam came into being (Genesis 2:7). Both continue simultaneously to exist, but the later and inferior form masks the former primordial form.

The Gospel of Thomas

19b If you become my disciples and listen to me, these stones will serve you.
19c In paradise there are five trees that do not change between summer and winter, and their leaves never fall. Anyone who comes to know them will not die.


Since the Kingdom of Heaven is here now upon the earth, everything on earth will serve disciples who recognize that fact. We hear in the Genesis story of the first creation that humans will have dominion over all things on earth (Genesis 1: 28-30). The very stones serve those who recognize their own true nature and the true nature of the world.

The five trees of paradise may allude to the rivers of the four directions, specified in Genesis 2:11-14 along with the center, Eden, from which the rivers flow (Genesis 2:10). These rivers water the trees of paradise (Genesis 2:9). To come to know the trees of paradise, one must return to the condition of the Beginning.”

Stevan Davies & Andrew Harvey, Gospel of Thomas Annotated and Explained
Reviews, Skylights Path (2006) p. 20-22


Richard Valantasis, The Gospel of Jesus
Saying 19 “Jesus said, 'Blessed is [SV: Congratulations to] the one who came into being before coming into being. 2If you become my disciples and pay attention to my sayings, these stones will serve you. 3For there are five trees in Paradise for you; they do not change, summer or winter, and their leaves do not fall. Whoever knows them will not taste death.' "

Sayings have been linked here in the staccato presentation which has been described above (see the commentary on Saying 11). Such a conglomeration draws the reader's attention to the process of communication as much as to its substance, especially since some of the references in the sayings have no obvious connection (the stones that serve and the trees that do not change). The meaning of the saying, then, may reside in the manner of its communication. The sayings present four subjects: a statement about the priority of being, a comment about discipleship, a description of the five trees in Paradise, and a concluding statement about death. The final statement that 'Whoever knows them will not taste death' may refer only to the five unchanging trees in Paradise, or to both the trees and the stones that serve. The ending statement on not tasting death invokes Saying 18 as well as Saying 1 in which the discovery of the interpretations of the sayings confers immortality. The reference in these sayings must then be understood as central and important, because the end result of this understanding equates itself with the goal of the interpretation of all the sayings.

This intertextual frame, however, frustrates modern readers. The association of one saying with the others forces the readers/seekers to find the common element, to search for the perspective with which they all cohere; the sayings provide no such common point of interpretation. The resolution comes only as the readers/seekers tease out the meanings themselves, and construct their own meta-interpretative connections. I propose that the elements of this saying construct a metastructure of a mythology of discipleship. That mythology consists of the pre-existence of the seeker before (embodied?) existence, the ministration of inanimate objects that indicate the superior status of the seeker, the five unchanging trees in Paradise that exist for the benefit of the seeker, and an affirmation that the knowledge of this mythology confers immortality just as the discovery of the interpretation of the sayings does (Saying 1).

The first statement in the saying presents the concept of pre-existent existence in the form of a macarism: 'Blessed is the one who came into being before coming into being.' The macarism presents an anomaly: the blessing is upon the one who existed before existing. The statement articulates two levels of being: the being that was before coming into existence and the being in existence. It speaks of temporal precedence of a person's 'coming to be,' and yet such ontological categories generally do not connote temporal order. Generally in these sayings the distinction among categories of people revolves about their knowledge of the interpretation of the sayings or their understanding of the new way articulated in the sayings as opposed to those who neither interpret nor understand. Those who participate in the new community created from those who find the interpretation of the sayings receive all the benefits and blessings of the sayings. In this saying, however, another element is added to the anthropology: there is a pre-existent existence presented as a theological or philosophical aspect of anthropology. In adding this new element, Jesus refocuses the anthropology that has been presented in these sayings. This new element, the pre-existent existence, begins to construct another way of understanding subjectivity by articulating an ontological pre-existence in a way that suggests a myth of an already existent being entering the mundane world. The language of pre-existence and existence, that is, suggests philosophical speculation on the levels of being developed mythologically.

The saying connects this speculative philosophical myth of pre-existent existence to discipleship in the second statement of the saying. That statement links discipleship and mastery of the sayings with authority over nature. Jesus explains that his disciples, those who engage with these sayings, will receive the ministrations of these stones. These disciples will, as another saying puts it, 'rule over all' (Saying 2) so that even the stones will minister to them. In the hierarchy of being set up in these sayings, humans have higher status than animals and stones, but in relationship to other humans, the true followers of Jesus have clear priority so that they receive the ministrations of those levels of existence that stand below them. Although some scholars have sought to connect this portion of the saying to canonical references to stones (see Menard 1975:106-7; Meyer 1992:77), the connection seems more likely to relate to the question of higher and lower levels of existence. Those who both become disciples and who listen to Jesus' words will find themselves capable of being served by lower forms of life along a hierarchical scale that now includes stones, existent beings and beings that existed before coming into existence.

The statement about the five trees in Paradise seems to explain the meaning of the previous statement by the connector 'for.' The mythology as developed in this saying posits a gradation of being and a system of lower forms serving higher ones. This statement connects these gradations to a 'paradise' or garden in which five unchanging trees stand, so that it forms a sort of parallel to the pre-existent existence in some other realm of living. The 'five trees' exist for the benefit of the disciples, since they are described as 'for you' in Paradise, and they are immutable because they are neither subject to seasonal change nor do they lose their leaves. This statement suggests an alternative world to the cosmic world that has been problematized in other sayings, and constructs a mythological place correlative to the place of preexistence that never changes and that exists for the disciples' benefit. The statement simply posits the existence of this paradise without engaging the seeker in any way: there is no injunction to seek that Paradise, or to yearn for the Paradise, or to find the Paradise with its five trees. Just having knowledge of the trees suffices to confer immortality.

The final statement ('Whoever knows them will not taste death') with its significant intertextual frame can either refer to the saying on Paradise or to all the statements in this saying. The knowledge of the mythology developed here that organizes a hierarchy of beings and posits the existence of a paradise with five unchanging trees confers the same benefit as the discovery of the interpretations of the sayings (Saying 1) and the standing at the beginning and knowing the end (Saying 18) since all of these sayings present the seeker as 'not tast(ing) death.' The immortal status of the seeker may be achieved through a number of different enterprises (interpretative, intellectual, and mythological). "

Richard Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas
Routledge; 1 edition (June 27, 1997) pp. 97-90


Marvin Meyer writes: “Perhaps compare John 8:58. Lactantius, Divine Institutes 4.8 writes, 'For we especially testify that he (that is, Christ) was born twice, first in the spirit and afterwords in the flesh. Whence it is thus said in Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” And also in the same work, "Fortunate is one who existed before being born," which happened to no one else except Christ.' Irenaeus, Proof of the Apostolic Preaching 43, offers the following: 'And again he says, "Fortunate is one who existed before becoming human.”' Gospel of Thomas saying 19 may not be referring to Christ at all in this beatitude. Rather, the sense of the saying could be that anyone who existed before being born should be declared fortunate. Compare the saying of Jesus in the Nag Hammadi Gospel of Philip 64,10-12: 'Fortunate is the one who exists before coming into being. For one who exists has been and will be.'" (The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus, p. 77)


Helmut Koester writes: “For the Gnostic understanding it is crucial to know that one's own origin lies before the beginning of earthly existence. John [8:58] consciously avoids this application of divine origin to all believers and restricts it to Jesus as the revealer.” (Ancient Christian Gospels, p. 118)


Marvin Meyer writes: “The five trees in paradise are mentioned frequently in gnostic texts, ordinarily without explanation or elaboration. In Manichaean Psalm Book 161,17-29, it is said that various features of life and faith are put together in groups of five. This section opens with the statement, 'For [five] are the trees that are in paradise [. . .] in summer and winter.' On the trees in paradise according to Genesis, see Genesis 2:9.” (The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus, pp. 77-78)




THE APOCALYPSE OF THE SPIRIT-PARACLETE
The fulfillment of the promised divine eschatological instruction
“The original meaning of the word ‘apocalypse’, derived from the Greek apokalypsis, is in fact not the cataclysmic end of the world, but an ‘unveiling’, or ‘revelation’, a means whereby one gains insight into the present.” (Kovacs, 2013, 2) An apocalypse (Greek: apokalypsis meaning “an uncovering”) is in religious contexts knowledge or revelation, a disclosure of something hidden, “a vision of heavenly secrets that can make sense of earthly realities.” (Ehrman 2014, 59)
Shri Mataji
Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi (1923-2011) was Christian by birth, Hindu by marriage, and Paraclete by duty.
“The Paraclete will come (15:26; 16:7, 8, 13) as Jesus has come into the world (5:43; 16:28; 18:37)... The Paraclete will take the things of Christ (the things that are mine, ek tou emou) and declare them (16:14-15). Bishop Fison describes the humility of the Spirit, 'The true Holy Spirit of God does not advertise Herself: She effaces Herself and advertises Jesus.' ...
It is by the outgoing activity of the Spirit that the divine life communicates itself in and to the creation. The Spirit is God-in-relations. The Paraclete is the divine self-expression which will be and abide with you, and be in you (14:16-17). The Spirit's work is described in terms of utterance: teach you, didasko (14:26), remind you, hypomimnesko (14:26), testify, martyro (15:26), prove wrong, elencho (16:8), guide into truth, hodego (16:13), speak, laleo (16:13, twice), declare, anangello (16:13, 14, 15). The johannine terms describe verbal actions which intend a response in others who will receive (lambano), see (theoreo), or know (ginosko) the Spirit. Such speech-terms link the Spirit with the divine Word. The Spirit's initiatives imply God's personal engagement with humanity. The Spirit comes to be with others; the teaching Spirit implies a community of learners; forgetful persons need a prompter to remind them; one testifies expecting heed to be paid; one speaks and declares in order to be heard. The articulate Spirit is the correlative of the listening, Spirit-informed community.
The final Paraclete passage closes with a threefold repetition of the verb she will declare (anangello), 16:13-15. The Spirit will declare the things that are to come (v.13), and she will declare what is Christ's (vv. 14, 15). The things of Christ are a message that must be heralded...
The intention of the Spirit of truth is the restoration of an alienated, deceived humanity... The teaching role of the Paraclete tends to be remembered as a major emphasis of the Farewell Discourses, yet only 14:26 says She will teach you all things. (Teaching is, however, implied when 16:13-15 says that the Spirit will guide you into all truth, and will speak and declare.) Franz Mussner remarks that the word used in 14:26, didaskein, "means literally 'teach, instruct,' but in John it nearly always means to reveal.” (Stevick 2011, 292-7)
Stephen E. Witmer, Divine instruction in Early Christianity   
F. B. Meyer, Love to the Utmost Robert Kysar, John, the Maverick Gospel 
Danny Mahar, Aramaic Made EZ Lucy Reid, She Changes Everything
David Fleer, Preaching John's Gospel: The World It Imagines Berard L. Marthaler, The Creed: The Apostolic Faith in Contemporary Theology
George Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament In Spirit and Truth, Benny Thettayil
Jesus and His Own: A Commentary on John 13-17 Marianne Meye Thompson, The God of the Gospel of John
Eric Eve, The Jewish Context of Jesus' Miracles D. R. Sadananda, The Johannine Exegesis of God: an exploration into the Johannine understanding of God
Michael Welker, God the Spirit Georg Strecker, Theology of the New Testament
Tricia Gates Brown, Spirit in the writings of John Michael Welker, The work of the Spirit: pneumatology and Pentecostalism
Robert Kysar, Voyages with John: Charting the Fourth Gospel John F. Moloney, The Gospel of John
Harvey Cox, The Future of Faith Robert Kysar, John
Robert E. Picirilli, The Randall House Bible Commentary George Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament 
“The teaching of the Paraclete, as the continuation of Jesus' teaching, must also be understood as the fulfillment of the promise of eschatological divine instruction.”
Stephen E. Witmer, Divine instruction in Early Christianity

“Jesus therefore predicts that God will later send a human being to Earth to take up the role defined by John .i.e. to be a prophet who hears God's words and repeats his message to man.”
M. Bucaille, The Bible, the Qur'n, and Science

“And when Jesus foreannounced another Comforter, He must have intended a Person as distinct and helpful as He had been.”
F. B. Meyer, Love to the Utmost

“The Paraclete has a twofold function: to communicate Christ to believers and, to put the world on trial.”
Robert Kysar, John The Meverick Gospel

“But She—the Spirit, the Paraclete...—will teach you everything.”
Danny Mahar, Aramaic Made EZ)

“Grammatical nonsense but evidence of the theological desire to defeminize the Divine.”
Lucy Reid, She Changes Everything

“The functions of the Paraclete spelled out in verses 13-15... are all acts of open and bold speaking in the highest degree.”
David Fleer, Preaching John's Gospel

“The reaction of the world to the Paraclete will be much the same as the world's reaction was to Jesus.”
Berard L. Marthaler, The Creed: The Apostolic Faith in Contemporary Theology

Bultmann calls the “coming of the Redeemer an 'eschatological event,' 'the turning-point of the ages.”
G. Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament

“The Paraclete equated with the Holy Spirit, is the only mediator of the word of the exalted Christ.”
Benny Thettayil, In Spirit and Truth

“The divine Paraclete, and no lessor agency, must show the world how wrong it was about him who was in the right.”
Daniel B. Stevick , Jesus and His Own: A Commentary on John 13-17

Stephen Smalley asserts that “The Spirit-Paraclete ... in John's Gospel is understood as personal, indeed, as a person.”
Marianne Thompson, The God of the Gospel of John

“The Messiah will come and the great age of salvation will dawn (for the pious).”
Eric Eve, The Jewish context of Jesus' Miracles

“The remembrance is to relive and re-enact the Christ event, to bring about new eschatological decision in time and space.”
Daniel Rathnakara Sadananda, The Johannine Exegesis of God

“The Spirit acts in such an international situation as the revealer of 'judgment' on the powers that rule the world.”
Michael Welker, God the Spirit

The Paraclete's “Appearance means that sin, righteousness, and judgment will be revealed.”
Georg Strecker, Theology of the New Testament

“While the Spirit-Paraclete is the true broker, the brokers they rely on are impostors.”
T. G. Brown, Spirit in the writings of John

“The pneumatological activity ... of the Paraclete ... may most helpfully be considered in terms of the salvific working of the hidden Spirit.”
Michael Welker, The work of the Spirit

“The pneuma is the peculiar power by which the word becomes the words of eternal life.”
Robert Kysar, Voyages with John

“The gift of peace, therefore, is intimately associated with the gift of the Spirit-Paraclete.”
Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John

“This utopian hope, even when modestly expressed, links Jesus and the prophets to a much wider history of human longing.”
Harvey Cox, The Future of Faith

“Because of the presence of the Paraclete in the life of the believer, the blessings of the end-times—the eschaton—are already present.”
Robert Kysar, John

“They are going, by the Holy Spirit's power, to be part of the greatest miracle of all, bringing men to salvation.”
R. Picirilli, The Randall House Bible Commentary

“The Kingdom of God stands as a comprehensive term for all that the messianic salvation included... is something to be sought here and now (Mt. 6:33) and to be received as children receive a gift (Mk. 10:15 = Lk. 18:16-17).”
G. Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament


“But today is the day I declare that I am the one who has to save the humanity. I declare I am the one who is Adishakti, who is the Mother of all the Mothers, who is the Primordial Mother, the Shakti, the desire of God, who has incarnated on this Earth to give its meaning to itself; to this creation, to human beings and I am sure through My Love and patience and My powers I am going to achieve it.

I was the one who was born again and again. But now in my complete form and complete powers I have come on this Earth not only for salvation of human beings, not only for their emancipation, but for granting them the Kingdom of Heaven, the joy, the bliss that your Father wants to bestow upon you.”

THE MOTHER: Messiah-Paraclete-Ruh
London, UK—December 2, 1979


“I am the one about which Christ has talked... I am the Holy Spirit who has incarnated on this Earth for your realization.”

THE MOTHER: Messiah-Paraclete-Ruh
New York, USA—September 30, 1981


“Tell all the nations and tell all the people all over the Great Message that the Time of Resurrection is here. Now, at this time, and that you are capable of doing it.”

THE MOTHER: Messiah-Paraclete-Ruh
Cowley Manor Seminar, UK—July 31, 1982


Guest: “Hello Mother.”
Shri Mataji: “Yes.”
Guest: “I wanted to know, is the Cool Breeze (Pneuma) that you have spoken about, you feel on the hands the Cool Wind of the Holy Spirit, as spoken about in the Bible?”
Shri Mataji: “Yes. Yes, yes, same thing, same thing. You have done the good job now, I must say.”
Interviewer: “Is it the Holy Spirit?”
Shri Mataji: “Yes, of course, is the Holy Spirit.”
Guest: “Aha... I am feeling it now on my hand through the [not clear]”
Shri Mataji: “It’s good.”
Interviewer: “Did you want to say anything more than that?”
Guest: “No, I just... That’s all I wanted to know because I...”
Shri Mataji: “Because you are thoughtless now. Enjoy yourself.”
Guest: “Thank you.”

THE MOTHER: Messiah-Paraclete-Ruh-Devi
Talkback Radio 2UE, Sydney, Australia—March 31, 1981
(The guest experienced the Cool Breeze [Pneuma/Prana/Chi] of the Spirit through the baptism [second birth by Spirit/Kundalini awakening] given by the Comforter Shri Mataji over the radio. )


Second Guest: “I just want to ask Mother about a quotation from the Bible.”
Interviewer: “Yes, what’s that?”
Guest: “It says, ‘But the comfort of the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in My name would teach you all things.’ I would like to ask Her about that.”
Interviewer: “Could you just repeat the quotation again?”
Guest: “But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things.”
Interviewer: “And that’s from where?”
Guest: “John chapter 14, verse 26.”
Shri Mataji: “I think you should take your realization and then you will know the answer to it. Because, logically if it points out to one person, then you have to reach the conclusion, isn’t it? That’s a logical way of looking at things. But I am not going to say anything or claim anything. It is better you people find out yourself.”
Interviewer: “Does that answer your question?”
Guest: “Is the, is the Comforter on the Earth at the present time? Has the Comforter incarnated? Mataji should be able to tell us this because She said that through these vibrations on Her hands, She ...”
Shri Mataji: “Yes, She is very much here and She’s talking to you now. Can you believe that?”
Guest: “Well, I feel something cool [Pneuma/Prana/Chi] on my hand. Is that some indication of the ...?”
Shri Mataji: “Yes, very much so. So that’s the proof of the thing. You’ve already started feeling it in your hands.”
Guest: “Can I?”
Shri Mataji: “Ask the question, ‘Mother, are you the Comforter?’”
Guest: “Mother, are you the Comforter?”
Shri Mataji: “Ask it thrice.”
Guest: “Mother, are you the Comforter?”
Shri Mataji: “Again.”
Guest: “Mother, are you the Comforter?”
Shri Mataji: “Now, what do you get?”
Guest: “Oh, I feel this kind of cool tingling [Pneuma/Prana/Chi] passing all through my body.”
Shri Mataji: “That’s the answer now.”

THE MOTHER: Messiah-Paraclete-Ruh-Devi
Talkback Radio 2UE, Sydney, Australia—March 31, 1981
(Another guest also experienced the Cool Breeze [Pneuma/Prana/Chi] of the Spirit through the baptism [second birth by Spirit/Kundalini awakening] given by the Comforter Shri Mataji over the radio. )


Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi (1923-2011): Christian by birth, Hindu by marriage and Paraclete by duty.
The Paraclete and the disciples (vv. 25-26): The theme of departure (cf. vv. 1-6; vv. 18-24) returns. There are two "times" in the experience of the disciples: the now as Jesus speaks to them (v. 25) and the future time when the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father in the name of Jesus, will be with them (v. 26). The Paraclete will replace Jesus' physical presence, teaching them all things and recalling for them everything he has said (v. 26). As Jesus is the Sent One of the Father (cf. 4:34; 5:23; 24, 30, 37; 6:38-40; 7:16; 8:16, 18, 26; 12:44-49), so is the Paraclete sent by the Father. The mission and purpose of the former Paraclete, Jesus (cf. 14:13-14), who speaks and teaches "his own" will continue into the mission and purpose of the "other Paraclete" (cf. v. 16) who teaches and brings back the memory of all that Jesus has said. The time of Jesus is intimately linked with the time after Jesus, and the accepted meaning of a departure has been undermined. The inability of the disciples to understand the words and deeds of Jesus will be overcome as they "remember" what he had said (cf. 2:22) and what had been written of him and done to him (cf. 12:16). The "remembering" will be the fruit of the presence of the Paraclete with the disciples in the in-between-time. In v. 16 Jesus focused on the inability of the world to know the Paraclete, but in v. 26 the gift of the Paraclete to "his own" is developed. As Jesus was with the disciples (v. 25), so will the Paraclete be with the disciples in the midst of hostility and rejection (v. 16). As the story has insisted that Jesus' teaching has revealed God to his disciples, so will the Paraclete recall and continue Jesus' revelation of God to the disciples (v. 26).” (Harrington 1998, 412)

“This is the transformation that has worked, of which Christ has talked, Mohammed Sahib has talked, everybody has talked about this particular time when people will get transformed.”

THE MOTHER: Messiah-Paraclete-Ruh
Chistmas Puja, Ganapatipule, India—25 December 1997


“The Resurrection of Christ has to now be collective Resurrection. This is what is Mahayoga. Has to be the collective Resurrection.”

THE MOTHER: Messiah-Paraclete-Ruh
Easter Puja, London, UK—11 April 1982


“Today, Sahaja Yaga has reached the state of Mahayoga, which is en-masse evolution manifested through it. It is this day’s Yuga Dharma. It is the way the Last Judgment is taking place. Announce it to all the seekers of truth, to all the nations of the world, so that nobody misses the blessings of the divine to achieve their meaning, their absolute, their Spirit.”

THE MOTHER: Messiah-Paraclete-Ruh
MAHA AVATAR, ISSUE 1, JUL-SEP 1980


“The main thing that one has to understand is that the time has come for you to get all that is promised in the scriptures, not only in the Bible but all all the scriptures of the world. The time has come today that you have to become a Christian, a Brahmin, a Pir, through your Kundalini awakening only. There is no other way. And that your Last Judgment is also now.”

THE MOTHER: Messiah-Paraclete-Ruh


“You see, the Holy Ghost is the Mother. When they say about the Holy Ghost, She is the Mother... Now, the principle of Mother is in every, every scripture — has to be there. Now, the Mother's character is that She is the one who is the Womb, She is the one who is the Mother Earth, and She is the one who nourishes you. She nourishes us. You know that. And this Feminine thing in every human being resides as this Kundalini.”

THE MOTHER: Messiah-Paraclete-Ruh-Devi
Radio Interview, Santa Cruz, USA—1 October 1983


“But there is a Primordial Mother which was accepted by all the religions; even the Jews had it... In India, this is called as Adi Shakti. In every religion they had this Mother who was the Primordial Mother.”

THE MOTHER: Messiah-Paraclete-Ruh-Devi
TV Interview, Los Angeles, USA—11 October 1993


The Paraclete Shri Mataji (1923-2011)

Total number of Recorded Talks 3058, Public Programs 1178, Pujas 651 and Other (private conversations) 1249

“What are they awaiting but for the Hour to come upon them suddenly? Its Signs have already come. What good will their Reminder be to them when it does arrive?” (Qur'n, 47:18) “As the above verse indicates, God has revealed some of Doomsday's signs in the Qur'n. In Surat az-Zukhruf 43:61, God informs us that 'He [Jesus] is a Sign of the Hour. Have no doubt about it...' Thus we can say, based particularly on Islamic sources but also on the Old Testament and the New Testament, that we are living in the End Times.” Harun Yahya

Good News (An Naba) of Resurrection (Al-Qiyamah): Videos 3474, Audios 1945, Transcripts 3262 and Events 2413

“Concerning what are they disputing?
Concerning the Great News. [5889]
About which they cannot agree.
Verily, they shall soon (come to) know!
Verily, verily they shall soon (come to) know!”

surah 78:1-5 An Naba (The Great News)
5889. Great News: usually understood to mean the News or Message of the Resurrection.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'n
Amana Corporation, 1989


[Moderator]: “Any other questions?”
[Audience]: “Pardon me for asking this question, but, earlier you talked about the Resurrection and you mentioned about the scriptures, where like in the Hindus scriptures they talk about the Kalki Avatar who will come for the Resurrection, and for the Christians, I know they talk about the return of Christ and all the religions talk about this Resurrection and the belief in the coming of the Messiah. So I just want to know since you say you are going to give the resurrection to us, what is your station?”

Shri Mataji: “In Russia?”
[Audience]: “And are you the promised Messiah? Shri Mataji, are you?”
Shri Mataji: “I see now I am not going to tell you anything about myself, to be very frank. Because see Christ said He was the Son of God, and they crucified Him. I don't want to get crucified. You have to find out. When you become the Spirit you will know what I am. I don't want to say anything about myself.”

THE MOTHER: Messiah-Paraclete-Ruh
Toronto, Canada—October 5, 1993

“Jesus then goes on the offensive against the scribes and Pharisees, pronouncing seven woes against them (Matt. 23:1-36). The final woe identifiers them with all those in Israel's history who have murdered and opposed the prophets. From Abel to Zechariah, all the blood of the righteous will come on them as they typologically fulfill this pattern in the murder of Jesus (23:29-36). They are the wicked tenants who think to kill the son and take his inheritance (21:38). They are seed of the serpent, a brood of vipers (23:33). Their house (the temple?) is desolate, and they will not see Jesus again until they bless him as he comes in the name of the Lord (23:37-39). Somehow, through the judgments Jesus announces against them, salvation will apparently come even for the people of Israel. As Olmstead puts it, Matthew "dares to hope for the day when many of Israel's sons and daughters will embrace Israel's Messiah (23:39), and in that hope engages in a continued mission in her.”” Hamilton 2010, 377


“It is the Mother who can awaken the Kundalini, and that the Kundalini is your own Mother. She is the Holy Ghost within you, the Adi Shakti, and She Herself achieves your transformation. By any talk, by any rationality, by anything, it cannot be done.”

THE MOTHER: Messiah-Paraclete-Ruh-Devi


“She is your pure Mother. She is the Mother who is individually with you. Forget your concepts, and forget your identifications. Please try to understand She is your Mother, waiting for ages to give you your real birth. She is the Holy Ghost within you. She has to give you your realization, and She's just waiting and waiting to do it.”

THE MOTHER: Messiah-Paraclete-Ruh
Sydney, Australia—Mar 22 1981


“The Kundalini is your own mother; your individual mother. And She has tape-recorded all your past and your aspirations. Everything! And She rises because She wants to give you your second birth. But She is your individual mother. You don't share Her with anybody else. Yours is a different, somebody else's is different because the tape-recording is different. We say She is the reflection of the Adi Shakti who is called as Holy Ghost in the Bible.”

THE MOTHER: Messiah-Paraclete-Ruh-Devi
Press Conference July 08 1999—London, UK

The Great Goddess is both wholly transcendent and fully immanent: beyond space and time, she is yet embodied within all existent beings; without form as pure, infinite consciousness (cit) ... She is the universal, cosmic energy known as Sakti, and the psychophysical, guiding force designated as the Kundalini (Serpent Power) resident within each individual. She is eternal, without origin or birth, yet she is born in this world in age after age, to support those who seek her assistance. Precisely to provide comfort and guidance to her devotees, she presents herself in the Devi Gita to reveal the truths leading both to worldly happiness and to the supreme spiritual goals: dwelling in her Jeweled Island and mergence into her own perfect being.” (Brown, 1998, 2)





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