Without parable
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Ⲍ ⲁⲥϣⲱⲡⲉ ϭⲉ ⲛ̅ⲧⲉⲣⲉ ⲓ̅ⲥ̅ ⲟⲩⲱ ⲉϥϫⲱ ⲛ̅ⲛⲉⲓ̈ϣⲁϫⲉ ⲉⲛⲉϥⲙⲁⲑⲏⲧⲏⲥ· ⲁⲥϥⲟϭⲥ̅ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲛ̅ϭⲓⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ ⲧⲙⲁⲅⲇⲁⲗⲏⲛⲏ ⲡⲉϫⲁⲥ ϫⲉⲡⲁϫⲟⲉⲓⲥ· ⲙ̅ⲡⲣ̅ϭⲱⲛⲧ̅ ⲉⲣⲟⲓ̈ ⲉⲓ̈ϣⲓⲛⲉ ⲙ̅ⲙⲟⲕ· ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϫⲉⲉⲛϣⲓⲛⲉ ⲛ̅ⲥⲁϩⲱⲃ ⲛⲓⲙ ϩⲛ̅ⲟⲩⲱⲣϫ̅· ⲁϥⲟⲩⲱϩⲙ̅ ⲇⲉ ⲛ̅ϭⲓⲓ̅ⲥ̅ ⲡⲉϫⲁϥ ⲙ̅ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ ϫⲉϣⲓⲛⲉ ⲛ̅ⲥⲁⲡⲉⲧⲉⲟⲩⲉϣϣⲓⲛⲉ ⲛ̅ⲥⲱϥ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ϯⲛⲁϭⲟⲗⲡϥ̅ ⲛⲉ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲛ̅ⲟⲩⲡⲁⲣϩⲏⲥⲓⲁ· ⲁϫⲛ̅ⲡⲁⲣⲁⲃⲟⲗⲏ· ⲁⲩⲱ ϩⲱⲃ ⲛⲓⲙ ⲉⲧⲉϣⲓⲛⲉ ⲛ̅ⲥⲱⲟⲩ· ϯⲛⲁϫⲟⲟⲩ ⲛⲉ ϩⲛ̅ⲟⲩⲱⲣϫ̅ ⲙⲛ̅ⲟⲩⲁⲥⲫⲁⲗⲓⲁ· ⲁⲩⲱ ϯⲛⲁϫⲉⲕⲧⲏⲛⲟⲩ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲛ̅ϭⲟⲙ ⲛⲓⲙ· ⲙⲛ̅ⲡⲗⲏⲣⲱⲙⲁ ⲛⲓⲙ· ϫⲓⲛⲡⲥⲁ ⲛϩⲟⲩⲛ ⲛ̅ⲧⲉⲛⲓⲥⲁ ⲛϩⲟⲩⲛ· ϩⲉⲱⲥ ϣⲁⲡⲥⲁ ⲛ̅ⲃⲟⲗ ⲛ̅ⲧⲉⲛⲓⲥⲁ ⲛ̅ⲃⲟⲗ· ϫⲓⲛⲡⲓⲁⲧϣⲁϫⲉ ⲉⲣⲟϥ· ϩⲉⲱⲥ ϣⲁⲡⲕⲁⲕⲉ ⲛ̅ⲛ̅ⲕⲁⲕⲉ· ϫⲉⲉⲩⲉⲙⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲟⲩⲃⲉⲧⲏⲛⲟⲩ ϫⲉⲛⲉ ⲡⲗⲏⲣⲱⲙⲁ ⲉⲧϫⲏⲕ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲛ̅ⲥⲟⲟⲩⲛ̅ ⲛⲓⲙ·
It came to pass, when Jesus had finished speaking these words to his disciples, that Mary Magdalene darted forward and said: My Lord, be not angry with me if I question you, because we question after every thing with surety. And Jesus answered; he said to Mary: Question what you wish to question, and I will reveal it to you with openness, without parable; and every thing that you question after, I will say to you with surety and certainty. And I will perfect you in every power and every fullness, from the interior of the interiors to the exterior of the exteriors, from that Ineffable down to the darkness of the darknesses, so that they will call you "the fullnesses perfected in all knowledge."
The scene sits deep in the dialogue: Jesus has just finished the staggering geography of ch. 84, where each higher region makes the one below count as a speck of dust. Into the silence after it, Mary — named here in full, Mary Magdalene, as the text rarely troubles to do — darts forward. Her opening is an apology with a claim folded inside it: do not be angry with me for questioning; we question you about everything with precision. And Jesus answers by abolishing the last restrictions: ask what you will. I will reveal it with openness, without parable — and I will perfect you in every fullness, from the interior of the interiors to the exterior of the exteriors, from that Ineffable to the darkness of darknesses.
For once the text gives her the full name — Mary <em>the Magdalene</em> — as if to notarize who it is that receives what follows. Her entrance verb is the book’s favorite for her: she <em>darts</em> forward, the leap of someone who cannot wait, immediately hedged by the apology that shadows all her boldness: "be not angry with me if I question you." The reader who has met Peter’s complaint about her talking knows the apology is not neurosis; it is situational awareness. Her defense is the disciples’ collective habit, stated in the vocabulary she was praised with sixty chapters earlier: we question after everything <em>with precision</em>. Asking exactly is what this community does — and she is its best practitioner.
Jesus’ reply removes the last ceiling, and one phrase in it carries a quiet bombshell: I will reveal it with openness, <em>without parable</em>. Mark says of the public Jesus the exact opposite — "without a parable spake he not unto them" (Mark 4:34), parables being the veil that kept the crowd outside while the twelve got the private key. Here the risen Jesus retires the veil itself: no more indirection, <em>parrhēsia</em> end to end. The scope clause maps the whole of the knowable — "from the interior of the interiors to the exterior of the exteriors," from the Ineffable (the book’s name for the unnameable summit, <em>at-shaje</em>, the speech-less) down to the darkness of darknesses — and the promise ends in a conferred name: you will be called "the fullnesses perfected in all knowledge." In ch. 34 that title, <em>plērōma</em>, was Mary’s alone; here it is promised to all of them, plural, and Mary’s question is what unlocked it.
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