Scripture is Poetry

The Thunder-Perfect Intellect is a book of the Gnostic Scriptures written  in Coptic from . It was copied in 350 C.E. and can be seen live and in person in Cairo. It is written in the voice of a divine female. It is a series of Exhortations and Identity Riddles. You may have seen some recited in a few very small movies, a Foucault introduction, or in something Toni Morrison wrote. Here are the bits I like.

Identity 1: 15-27

For, it is I who am the first: and the last.
It is I who am the revered: and the despised.
It is I who am the harlot: and the holy.
It is I who am the wife: and the virgin
It is I who am the mother: and the daughter
I am the members of my mother.
It is I who am the barren: and who has many children.
It is I who am the one whose marriage is magnificent: and who have not been married.
It is I who am the midwife: and she who does not give birth;
It is I who am consolation: of my own travail.
It is I who am the bride: and the bridegroom.

Exhortations 2: 15-24

Why, O you who hate me, do you love me,
And hate those who love me?
Declare me publicly, O you who deny me:
And deny me, O you who declare me publicly.
Tell lies of me, O you who speak truth of me:
And speak the truth about me, O you who have told lies of me.
Become unacquainted with me, O you who recognize me:
And may those who have not recognized me become acquainted with me!

Identity 2: 26-31

For, it is I who am acquaintance: and lack of acquaintance.
It is I who am reticence: and frankness.
I am shameless: I am ashamed.
I am strong: and I am afraid.
It is I who am war: and peace.

Identity 3: 9-35

It is I who have been hated everywhere:
And who have been loved everywhere.
It is I who am called life:
And whom you have called death.
It is I who am called law:
And whom you have called lawlessness.
It is I whom you have chased:
And it is I whom you have restrained.
It is I who am what you have scattered:
And what you have collected.
It is I before whom you have felt shame:
And with whom you have been shameless.
It is I who do not celebrate festivals:
And it is I whose festivals are numerous.
As for me, I am godless:
And it is I whose god is manifold.
It is I on whom you have thought:
And you have despised me.
I am uneducated:
And people learn from me.

It is I who am the one you have scorned:
And about whom you think.
It is I from whom you have hidden:
And to whom you are manifest.
Yet whenever you hide yourselves,
I, too, shall show myself forth:

Exhortations 4: 3-17

As for those who have [...] from [...] foolishly [...],
Remove me from their understanding out of pain:
And accept unto yourselves out of understanding and pain
And accept me unto yourselves out of disgraceful places and oppression,
And catch me up from good things:
Though in disgrace out of shame, accept me unto yourselves without shame:
And out of shamelessness and shame put my members to shame within you.

Identity 4: 15-16

As for me, I am free of sin:
And the root of sin derives from me.

Exhortations 5: 25-26

Hear me softly:
And learn from me harshly.