Gospel of Philip

The Gospel of Philip is a preserved in the Nag Hammadi writings Valentinian ( Gnostic ) collection of sayings. From the literary genre wise, it is no gospel. Since it can not originate from the Apostle Philip, it's a pseudepigraphic font ( forgery ). The 127 unconnected sayings strung together treat different themes: reflections on Adam and Paradise, discussions of acts of creation and procreation, considerations about the bride and groom (especially the bridal chamber sacrament ) and the sacraments in general and more. Mary Magdalene here assumes the position of Lieblingsjüngerin which belongs to the canonical Gospels of John.

Author, dating

According to the signature ( epigram, p. 86.19 ) is the Apostle Philip the author, with which the work is to be among the Pseudepigrapha. Because in reality it was written probably in the late 3rd century AD by an unknown author in Greek. Only found in Nag Hammadi version is known to us in the Coptic language.

Alleged mention of the wife of Jesus

Due to the ( incomplete obtained ) verse 55 it has been speculated whether Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. All completions and interpretations of the fragment are speculative. In particular, the well-known in Germany, by Dan Brown in his novel The Da Vinci Code translation specified an ideological construction that lacks a scientific basis. In the New Testament a marriage of Jesus is mentioned nowhere.