Theos-Talk Archives (March 2004 Message tt00425)

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, samblo@c... wrote:
> Ephraem makes a great to-do about the mystery of their conception, 
which he 
> says he is ashamed to relate. It appears, however, to have been 
nothing more 
> than the conception of the Mother first without her Syzygy or 
Divine Consort, 
> and subsequently with Him;

Mead has some valuable stuff but little insight. You have to 
therefore use him for the materials he quotes and then go beyond him.

Sophia literally means "Wisdom" and id I rememner orrectly the Greek 
name of her metaphorical consort (the other person in hersyzygy) 
means "Virtue". So when Sophia brought forth Achamoth immaculately, 
she produced as Wisdom without Virtue. You can see how all this is 
metaphorical and has several layers of meaning. The story of the 
woman with an issue of blood who was healed by touching the garment 
of Christ is a reference to this idea. She was healed according to 
the story by receiving "vrtue" from J. There is also an allusion to 
the idea of Achamoth as an abortion in the peculiar statement of Paul 
that he was "born out of due time." So all of these statements 
contain hidden meanings. Incidentally, this is what Origen, 
Irenaeus, et al say and not any discovery of my own.

I am not suggesting that anyone believe this as literally true, but 
on one level it is true inasmuch as it shows how far off the literal 
interpretation is. So much for fundamentalists reading bad 
translations and pouding their bibles. So mich for sidewalk 
preachers and their self assurance. The very book they bang does not 
say what they think it says.