Seek and knock
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ⲁⲥϣⲱⲡⲉ ϭⲉ ⲟⲛ ⲙⲛ̅ⲛ̅ⲥⲁⲛⲁⲓ̈ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ ⲁⲥⲉⲓ̅ ⲉⲑⲏ ⲛ̅ϭⲓⲙⲁⲣⲓϩⲁⲙ ⲁⲥϯⲟⲩⲱϣⲧ̅ ⲉⲛⲟⲩⲉⲣⲏⲧⲉ ⲛ̅ⲓ̅ⲥ̅ ⲡⲉϫⲁⲥ ϫⲉⲡⲁϫⲟⲉⲓⲥ ⲙ̅ⲡⲣ̅ϭⲱⲛⲧ̅ ⲉⲣⲟⲓ̈ ⲉⲓ̈ϣⲓⲛⲉ ⲙ̅ⲙⲟⲕ· ϫⲉⲉⲛϣⲓⲛⲉ ⲛ̅ⲥⲁϩⲱⲃ ⲛⲓⲙ ϩⲛ̅ⲟⲩⲱⲣϫ̅ ⲙⲛ̅ⲟⲩⲁⲥⲫⲁⲗⲓⲁ· ⲁⲕϫⲟⲟⲥ ⲅⲁⲣ ⲉⲣⲟⲛ ⲙ̅ⲡⲓⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓϣ· ϫⲉϣⲓⲛⲉ ⲧⲁⲣⲉⲧⲛ̅ϭⲓⲛⲉ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲧⲱϩⲙ̅ⲧⲁⲣⲟⲩⲟⲩⲱⲛ ⲛⲏⲧⲛ̅ ϫⲉⲟⲩⲟⲛ ⲅⲁⲣ ⲛⲓⲙ ⲉⲧϣⲓⲛⲉ ϥⲛⲁϭⲓⲛⲉ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲟⲩⲟⲛ ⲛⲓⲙ ⲉⲧⲧⲱϩⲙ ⲉϩⲟⲩⲛ· ⲥⲉⲛⲁⲟⲩⲱⲛ ⲛⲁϥ· ⲧⲉⲛⲟⲩ ϭⲉ ⲡⲁϫⲟⲉⲓⲥ ⲛⲓⲙ ⲡⲉϯⲛⲁϭⲛ̅ⲧϥ̅ ⲏ̅ ⲛⲓⲙ ⲡⲉⲧⲛ̅ⲛⲁⲧⲱϩⲙ̅ ⲉⲣⲟϥ· ⲏ̅ ⲛⲓⲙ ⲛ̅ⲧⲟϥ ⲡⲉⲧⲉⲟⲩⲛ̅ϣϭⲟⲙ ⲙ̅ⲙⲟϥ ⲉϫⲱ ⲉⲣⲟⲛ ⲛ̅ⲧⲁⲡⲟⲫⲁⲥⲓⲥ ⲛ̅ⲛ̅ϣⲁϫⲉ ⲉⲧⲛ̅ⲛⲁϣⲛ̅ⲧⲕ̅ ⲉⲣⲟⲟⲩ· ⲏ̅ ⲛⲓⲙ ⲛ̅ⲧⲟϥ ⲡⲉ ⲉⲧⲥⲟⲟⲩⲛ ⲛ̅ⲧϭⲟⲙ ⲛ̅ⲛ̅ϣⲁϫⲉ ⲧⲛ̅ⲛⲁϣⲓⲛⲉ ⲛ̅ⲥⲱⲟⲩ· ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϫⲉϩⲛ̅ⲟⲩ ⲛⲟⲩⲥ ⲁⲕϯⲛⲟⲩⲥ ⲛⲁⲛ ⲛ̅ⲧⲉⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁⲕϯ ⲛⲁⲛ ⲛ̅ⲟⲩⲁⲓⲥⲑⲏⲥⲓⲥ ⲙⲛ̅ⲟⲩⲙⲉⲉⲩⲉ ⲉϥϫⲟⲥⲉ ⲉⲙⲁⲧⲉ·
It came to pass again, after all these things, that Mary came forward; she worshipped at the feet of Jesus and said: My Lord, be not angry with me if I question you, because we question after every thing with surety and certainty. For you said to us aforetime: Seek, that you may find; and knock, that it may be opened to you. For every one who seeks will find, and to every one who knocks within, it will be opened to him. Now therefore, my Lord: who is it whom I shall find, or who is it at whom we shall knock? Or who, rather, is able to speak to us the decision on the words about which we shall question you? Or who, rather, is it who knows the power of the words we shall question after? Because in mind you have given us mind of the Light, and you have given us a sense and a thought exceedingly exalted.
A new movement of the dialogue opens — the run of Mary’s questions that will end, two chapters on, with Jesus lifting every restriction from her. She comes forward, worships at the feet of Jesus, and asks the permission she always asks: be not angry with me if I question you. Then she does something bolder than a question. She quotes Jesus’ own saying back to him — Seek, that you may find; knock, that it may be opened — and turns it into a riddle about himself: if you are the one who commanded the seeking, who is there for me to find? At whom shall we knock? Who but you can give the decision on the words we shall ask about? The premise of the whole exchange is in her last clause: the very mind doing the questioning was his gift.
Mary opens the greatest question-run of the book by quoting the seek-and-knock saying (Matt 7:7, Luke 11:9) back to the one who said it — and the Coptic lets her do something English cannot. The verb is <em>shine</em> (seek, ask, inquire): the same word the narrator uses every time a disciple "questions" Jesus is the word of the logion’s "Seek." Her whole questioning practice, the thing Peter complained about, IS the commanded seeking — she is not begging an indulgence, she is citing an instruction. And the promise’s pair, <em>shine</em>/<em>chine</em> — seek/find — differ by a single letter in Coptic, the promise built into the language like a rhyme.
Then she turns the logion into a riddle about its speaker. Seek — but who is there to find? Knock — but at whose door? Who else could give the <em>apophasis</em>, the decision — the Greek word for a judge’s formal sentence, the last word after which there is no appeal? The argument folds back on itself deliberately: since no one exists who can answer except the one who commanded the asking, the command was always an invitation to come to him. Her closing clause supplies the deepest ground: in mind you gave us mind of the Light — the faculty that frames the question is itself his gift, so the questioning is the gift working as designed. Jesus will say exactly that, two chapters on, when he crowns her: you question finely, without parable. This scene is where that crowning is earned.
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