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Healing and Salvation in the Secret Revelation of John

This month, we looked at the plan for healing and salvation in the Secret Revelation of John. This ancient book is arguably the most important book in the Nag Hammadi Library. It appears three times in the entire collection and was well-known in antiquity, having spread at least as far as from France to central Egypt, probably farther. It’s the first Christian writing known to include a complete story of creation and salvation. Scholars don’t know exactly when it was written or by whom, but good guesses indicate it was written around the same time some of the later New Testament books were written. Now, when people read only the New Testament without knowing such a book as the Secret Revelation of John, they often ask how Jesus healed. Since it disappeared for over 1600 years, it seems surprising to us to find a full theological basis for healing and salvation. But that is not the only surprise. Its ideas about creation, where evil came from, and how salvation is possible for anyone are thought-provoking. The book is loaded with spiritual gems. Our two-part series will cover first, the main ideas, and second, a closer look at the way demons functioned and were conquered.  Texts used included: Chapter 4 (description of God); Chapter 10 (origin of the evil powers, embodied in Yaldabaoth); Chapter 26 (how the savior saves and heals).