Divine Light Appears in the Darkness — Two Great Prayers from the Second Book of Allogenes — a Gnostic Scripture
My view is that the prayers and chant found in ancient texts such as the Gnostic Gospels and the Syriac Fathers are far more interesting than the mythos, giving us a glimpse into the spiritual practices and experiences of these old mystic souls of antiquity. The second prayer from Codex Tchacos Allogenes reminds me of the Light mysticism described in the Syriac writings.
“O Lord God,
you who are above all the great eternal realms,
you who have neither beginning nor end,
bestow upon us a spirit of knowledge
for the revelation of your mysteries,
to come to a knowledge of ourselves:
where we have come from,
where we are going,
and what we should do in order to live.”
“O God,
you who abide in the great eternal realms,
hear my voice,
have compassion on me,
and save me from all evil.
Look down upon me
and hear me
while I am in this desolate place.
Now let your ineffable Light shine upon me
….your Light….”
— Two Great Prayers From Second Allogenes (Codex Tchacos Allogenes)
“Now, while I was saying these things, look, a cloud of Light surrounded me. I was not able to gaze at the Light around it, so brightly it was shining.”
(The Nag Hammadi Scriptures, Marvin Meyer)
“Let him who seeks cease not to seek until he finds: when he finds he will be astonished; and when he is astonished he will wonder, and will reign over the universe!” (Yeshua, Saying Two, Gospel of Thomas, Doresse translation)
“Prayer ceases, and one becomes astonished, is caught up in wonder
at the Light of God….” “The person who has entered the Place of
the Mysteries remains in wonder at them, and this is the true prayer
which opens the Door to the Treasures of God.”
(Evagrius of Egypt, often quoted by the Syriac Fathers, a favorite of theirs apparently)
“Blessed are you, 0 heart that is luminous, the abode of the
Divinity;
Blessed are you, heart that is pure, which beholds the hidden Being.
Happy are you, 0 flesh and blood, the dwelling place of the
Consuming Fire;
Happy are you, mortal body made out of dust, wherein resides the
Fire that sets the worlds alight.
It is truly a matter for wonder and astonishment…” (Martyrius, Syriac Mystic)
“What wonders has your love effected! When someone is still alive he
has left this world: though his bodily condition remains with the
world’s bodily condition, yet his spirit has been raised up towards
you, so that for a period of time he is where he knows not, being
totally raptured and drawn towards you.” (John of Apamea, Syriac Mystic)
Similar references to Light-mysticism can be found in the medieval mystics of Europe: “A Light of utmost splendor glows on the eyes of my soul. Therein haveI seen the inexpressible ordering of all things, and recognized God’s unspeakable glory — that incomprehensible wonder — the tender caress between God and the soul….the unmingled joy of union, the Living Love of Eternity as it now is and evermore shall be.” (Mechthild of Magdeburg, German mystic)
The Syriac Fathers on Prayer and the Spiritual Life, translated from Aramaic-Syriac into English by Professor Sebastian Brock, Cistercian Publications;
