The Paraphrase of Shem

Nag Hammadi Edition

The Paraphrase of Shem is one of the strangest and most ancient-feeling texts in the Nag Hammadi library. Shem, son of Noah, receives a cosmic vision in which he is shown the true origin of the universe: three primal principles — Light, Darkness, and Spirit — whose interaction produces all of creation. The text may predate Christianity entirely, representing a Gnostic tradition that was later abso

Codex Digital EditionComing soonEdition currently in preparation

Edition015

FormatDigital PDF

Editorial statusIn review

TraditionGnostic Gospels

Before you read

Context without the mythology.

Codex ISO separates the surviving evidence from later interpretation, so you can encounter the text without being told what to believe about it first.

01 / Historical context

3rd century Gnostic text, possibly predating Christianity. Condemned by Hippolytus of Rome. Buried 390 AD, recovered 1945.

02 / Why it matters

The oldest vision in the Nag Hammadi library. Here, unedited.

From / associated with the text

““I am Shem, the son of Noah. My mind had been dwelling in my body as I sought to know the heaviness of Darkness.””

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Source before story.

We identify the edition, translation and surviving evidence; distinguish documentation from tradition; and state uncertainty rather than turning it into a sales claim.

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Continue the archive

The Paraphrase of Shem

Context without the mythology.

Source before story.

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