Thunder, Perfect Mind

About this text

A powerful poetic monologue by a female divine figure who speaks in paradoxes: "I am the first and the last. I am the honored one and the scorned one."

Significance

Celebrated as one of the most striking literary texts from antiquity. Deeply enigmatic.

Key excerpts

"I am the first and the last. I am the honored one and the scorned one. I am the whore and the holy one. I am the wife and the virgin."

"I am the silence that is incomprehensible. I am the utterance of my name."

Scripture cross-references

• Revelation 1:17 — "I am the first and the last" — similar formula
• Proverbs 8:1-4 — Wisdom personified as a woman calling out

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This text is one of 16 in the Gnostic Texts (Nag Hammadi & Related) category, and one of 62 across the entire library.