This might turn into a series of posts demonstrating how some of the doctrines and symbols previously discussed on this blog are found in the apocrypha. I am well aware that they are not included in our standard works for a reason. Origins are often unknown or questionable. But at least they reflect religious thinking at the time they were written, and if not directly inspired, they may be based on other inspired writings or teachings that have later become lost.
I know little about apocryphal literature myself, but fortunately I have Hugh Nibley to help. I am currently reading "Temple and Cosmos", a collection of works where he demonstrates how our doctrine and temple worship is a restoration of partly lost ancient religious ideas. Several of the topics that Hugh Nibley brings up have also been brought up on this blog before.
In this post, I will focus on the topic discussed in this previous post on the deep sleep of Adam and Abram. This is not even one of the main topics that Hugh Nibley focuses on, but it comes up several times in his quotes from the apocrypha. I have marked the paragraphs that mention this to see how they fit with the thoughts already shared in that previous post and if they can shed any new light on the topic. I simply don't have the possibility to check all of Nibley's sources. Most of them are not available online for free and I don't have those referenced books. So I'm mostly going to quote Nibley, who in turn is quoting or summarizing apocryphal sources. Normally I like to check sources regardless of who brings them up, but I'm going to have to trust Nibley here, and I don't have any problems with that.
As outlined in the linked post, both Adam and Abram (before becoming Abraham) experience a deep sleep. These events seem to be related as they both wake up to a covenant in a sense. Otherwise there are few details in the scriptural accounts, but the apocryphal literature adds more and verifies this connection.
“After the physical Adam was created”, says the new apocryphal Book of John, “a messenger was sent to the head of all creations, Adam, and at his call Adam awoke"
According to the Apocalypse of Adam, Adam was awakened from a deep sleep by three men from on high, who said to him, “Adam arise and hear the teachings of the Savior.” (Apocalypse of Adam 65:26-66:8 in NHLE 257)
These two sources repeat most of what we know from the Bible already, except that there are messengers waking him up. But here is one more detail:
When Adam was created, he was found in a deep sleep, from which he was awakened by a helper, who forthwith began to instruct him. (From the Ginza)
The helper is not to be confused with the help meet for him, Eve. This is a messenger who woke Adam up, after which he gave him instructions. Here we also see the link to Abraham:
The “Adam incident” is repeated in the case of Abraham, who took a trip to heaven, to the stars, end when his spirit came back to his body, he awoke as if from sleep or a daze. After he had first spoken with the Lord, he fell to earth, for his spirit had left his body, which “became as a stone”. “Then the angel who had been sent to me took me by the right hand and said, ‘Abraham, awake and arise! I have been sent to you to strengthen you and bless you in the name of the Creator.’ “ Then the angel instructed him. (Apocalypse of Abraham 10:2-6 in OTP 6:693-94)
In both cases, there is an awakening by a messenger and then instruction. Nibley comments:
And in the Apocalypse of Abraham, Abraham is awakened by the Sent Ones, and their instructions to him and the ordinances exactly parallel those of Adam.
What did these instructions consist of? Here is another paragraph that also mentions the sleep and awakening. It gives us more about the sleep and less about the subsequent events but mentions ordinances after the awakening
Adam, you recall, had lost memory of his former existence. “I have caused a sleep to come over Adam,” says the Abbaton (a significant early writing of the apostles), “and a forgetting. Adam’s sleep was the putting of a veil between him and his former knowledge. It enveloped him like a garment, and , while his memory was shut off by it, his epinoia (intelligence) retained its force. He remained smart, but he forgot everything. In fact, during the episode of the creation, Eve was made (not from a literal rib, according to this source) while Adam was in sort of a drugged stupor, his mind separated by a veil from what was really going on. He is aroused, then, and taught ordinances.
In my previous post that I linked, I speculate about the awakening relating to covenants and more specifically the marriage covenant. Marriage is not mentioned here but Nibley's sources place Adam and Eve together in a set of ordinances. This is very interesting:
The Berlin Papyrus says that at their new birth, Adam and Eve received the seals and the tokens. As Adam stood praying and supplicating, God sent someone who came and gave him a greeting of peace (shalom), embraced him, and preached the gospel to him. The helper came and awakened the Lord of Mysteries, who is Adam. For Adam went though all the ordinances, including baptism, washings, and anointings, says the Mandaean Prayerbook. According to the Ginza, the Lord and two companions taught Adam and Eve all the ordinances and blessed them.
So what does this all mean? In the Old Testament, both Adam and Abraham fall into a deep sleep. Several apocryphal texts describe similar events for both Adam and Abraham, where they sleep, are awakened by one or more messengers, followed by instructions and ordinances. We can only speculate, but at least it should be considered a possibility that these apocryphal texts are describing ancient traditions that contain a fuller account of these events. They imply that the gospel and priesthood ordinances represent an awakening or spiritual rebirth.
I close with a more general comment about sleep from one of Nibley's sources, the Gospel of Truth, a Gnostic work found in the Nag Hammadi codices.
Joy to the man who has discovered himself, awakened, and has helped others to wake up (Gospel of Truth 22:2-12)
In light of the instructions and ordinances after the awakening, I find it interesting that it is connected to the concept of discovering oneself. To be awakened and then to wake up others ties to other previous themes on this blog and is a segue into my next post.