Gospel of Philip

 

 Do not reject the Lamb, for without him you will not be able to find the doorway, and no one can enter the presence of the King stripped bare. SYNOPSIS Analogue 15 seems like an aside, a bracketed analogue containing two aphorisms which are highly metaphoric and tied together by the image of the doorway or entrance.  Entrances are Liminal places, sometimes called “thin places.”  Doorways to temples are an important metaphor often filled with symbolism containing messages for the one who wishes to or cannot enter. These images raise questions regarding who is ready, invited inside, and properly attired?  The lamb image, found throughout the ancient Abrahamic traditions and texts, is important because of the pastoral nature of that culture,  This image is drawn from a multiplicity of references: The sacrificial lamb, Psalm 23 and the shepherd, the parable of the lost sheep which was found, and the story of the lamb being carried on a man’s shoulders in the Gospel of Thomas.  Do not reje