Although it may have some relationship to the beliefs expressed in the Gospel of Thomas, scholars are divided as to whether it should be read as a single discourse or as a collection of otherwise unrelated Valentinian sayings.
[5] A single manuscript of the Gospel of Philip, in Coptic (CG II), was found in the Nag Hammadi library, a cache of documents that was secreted in a jar and buried in the Egyptian desert at the end of the 4th century.
[6] Much of the Gospel of Philip is concerned with Gnostic views of the origin and nature of mankind and the sacraments it refers to as baptism, unction and marriage.
It is not always clear whether these are the same literal rituals known in other parts of the early Christian movement and since, or ideal and heavenly realities.
The Gospel emphasizes the sacramental nature of the embrace between man and woman (or ideas represented by these as types) in the "nuptial chamber," which is an archetype of spiritual unity.
[c] Many of the sayings are identifiably related to other texts referred to by scholars as Gnostic, and often appear quite mysterious and enigmatic (these are from the translation by Isenberg 1996, pp.
One saying in particular appears to identify the levels of initiation in Gnosticism, although what exactly the bridal chamber represented in gnostic thought is a matter of debate: The Lord did everything in a mystery, a baptism and a chrism and a eucharist and a redemption and a bridal chamber.One possibility[original research?]
is that the bridal chamber refers symbolically to the relationship of trust and singular devotion that should exist between God (bridegroom) and humankind or believer (bride) – just as the marriage relationship (bedchamber) implies a devotion of husband and wife to each other that is expected to exclude all other parties.
Another interpretation of the Gospel of Philip supported by scholar Marvin W. Meyer, emphasizes Jesus as central focus of the text.
Some quotations from the gospel could be inferred as placing Jesus in a central position: Those who produce the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit...[are] no longer a Christian but [are] Christ.
Furthermore, this text seems to be related to others connected with the Valentinian Christian sect, who worshipped a Christ interpreted through "Gnostic" ideas, and is often linked to what is sometimes thought to be Valentinius' own composition, the Gospel of Truth.
[9]Much of the Gospel of Philip is dedicated to a discussion of marriage as a sacred mystery, and two passages directly refer to Mary Magdalene and her close relationship with Jesus: There were three who always walked with the Lord: Mary, his mother, and her sister, and Magdalene, the one who was called his companion.
3 Maccabees 4:6), but is also used to refer to a "companion" in faith (Philemon 17), a co-worker in proclaiming the Gospel (2 Corinthians 8:23), or a business associate (Luke 5:10).
[11] The Gospel of Philip uses cognates of koinōnos and Coptic equivalents to refer to the literal pairing of men and women in marriage and sexual intercourse, but also metaphorically, referring to a spiritual partnership, and the reunification of the Gnostic Christian with the divine realm.
The other passage, purportedly referring to Jesus kissing Mary Magdalene, is incomplete because of damage to the original manuscript.
Most notably there is a hole in the manuscript after the phrase "and used to kiss her [often] on her...." But the passage appears to describe Jesus kissing Magdalene, apparently described as "barren" and "the mother of the angels" at the beginning of the relevant paragraph and using a parable to explain to the disciples why he loved her more than he loved them: As for Wisdom who is called "the barren", she is the mother [of the] angels.
The Gospel of Philip is a text that reveals some connections with Early Christian writings of the Gnostic traditions.
It is a series of logia or aphoristic utterances, most of them apparently quotations and excerpts of lost writings, without any attempt at a narrative context.
It is dismissed by Catholic author Ian Wilson[17] who argues that it "has no special claim to an early date, and seems to be merely a Mills and Boon-style fantasy of a type not uncommon among Christian apocryphal literature of the 3rd and 4th centuries".