In the speech of the Ineffable
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ⲁⲩⲱ ⲡⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲛ̅ⲧⲉⲡⲓⲁⲧϣⲁϫⲉ ⲉⲣⲟϥ ⲉⲧⲙ̅ⲙⲁⲩ ⲟⲩϣⲁϫⲉ ⲟⲛ ⲛ̅ⲟⲩⲱⲧ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲕⲉⲧ ⲉϥϣⲟⲟⲡ ϩⲛ̅ⲧⲁⲥⲡⲉ ⲙ̅ⲡⲓⲁⲧϣⲁϫⲉ ⲉⲣⲟϥ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛ̅ⲧⲟϥ ⲡⲉ ⲧⲟⲓⲕⲟⲛⲟⲙⲓⲁ ⲙ̅ⲡⲃⲱⲗ ⲛ̅ϣⲁϫⲉ ⲛⲓⲙ ⲛ̅ⲧⲁⲓ̈ϫⲟⲟⲩ ⲉⲣⲱⲧⲛ̅· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲡⲉⲧⲛⲁϫⲓ ⲙ̅ⲡϣⲁϫⲉ ⲛ̅ⲟⲩⲱⲧ ⲙ̅ⲡⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲉⲧⲙ̅ⲙⲁⲩ ⲡⲁⲓ̈ ⲉϯⲛⲁϫⲟⲟϥ ⲉⲣⲱⲧⲛ̅ ⲧⲉⲛⲟⲩ ⲙⲛ̅ⲛⲉϥⲧⲩⲡⲟⲥ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ ⲙⲛ̅ⲛⲉϥⲥⲭⲏⲙⲁ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ ⲙⲛ̅ⲑⲉ ⲛ̅ϫⲱⲕ' ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲙ̅ⲡⲉϥⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϫⲉⲛ̅ⲧⲱⲧⲛ̅ ⲛⲉ ⲛ̅ⲧⲉⲗⲓⲟⲥ ⲙ̅ⲡⲁⲛ̅ⲧⲉⲗⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛ̅ⲧⲱⲧⲛ̅ ⲡⲉⲧⲛⲁϫⲱⲕ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲙ̅ⲡⲥⲟⲟⲩⲛ ⲧⲏⲣϥ̅ ⲙ̅ⲡⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲉⲧⲙ̅ⲙⲁⲩ ⲙⲛ̅ⲧⲉϥⲟⲓⲕⲟⲛⲟⲙⲓⲁ ⲧⲏⲣⲥ̅ ⲙⲛ̅ⲡ̇ⲉ̇ϥ̇ϫⲉ ⲛ̅ⲧⲱⲧⲛ̅ ⲡⲉⲛⲧⲁⲩⲧⲁⲛϩⲉⲧ ⲧⲏⲩⲧⲛ̅ ⲉⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲛⲓⲙ:
And that mystery of the Ineffable is itself also one single word, which exists in the speech of the Ineffable, and it is the economy of the solution of all the words which I have spoken to you. And he who will receive the one single word of that mystery, which I will speak to you now, and all its types and all its figures, and the manner of fulfilling its mystery — for you are the perfect, the all-perfect, and you will fulfill the whole knowledge of that mystery with its whole economy, for to you every mystery is entrusted —
The single word is given an address: it exists "in the speech of the Ineffable." The wordless One, it turns out, has a language of its own, and the one word lives inside it. More: that word is "the economy of the solution of all the words I have spoken to you" — the master key that unties everything else. Then the great conditional begins — "he who will receive the one single word of that mystery…" — and before it can reach its verb, Jesus turns to the disciples themselves: you are the perfect, the all-perfect; you will fulfill the whole knowledge of that mystery; to you every mystery is entrusted. The sentence will hang there, mid-breath, into the next passage.
The single word is given an address. It "exists in the speech of the Ineffable" — the Coptic <em>aspe</em> means a language, a tongue — so the One whose name is "without-word" has, after all, a language of its own, and the one word lives there like a native. What that word does is the passage's real claim: it is "the economy of the <em>solution</em> of all the words." The word is <em>bōl</em>, the untying — the same verb this book has used since Mary "loosed" the first repentance in chapter 34. Every discourse Jesus has spoken is a knot; the one word is the administered plan by which every knot comes untied. Language about the highest things is not abolished at the summit; it is redeemed — resolved, the way a chord resolves.
Then the syntax itself enacts the chapter's excitement. "He who will receive the one single word…" — the clause sets out toward its promise and never arrives; Jesus interrupts himself to bless his hearers: you are the perfect, the <em>all</em>-perfect (the Greek stacks to <em>panteleios</em>), to you every mystery is entrusted. The trust-verb is the language of a deposit — a treasure placed in someone's keeping, as Paul tells Timothy to guard "the deposit" (1 Timothy 6:20). The sentence about the future initiate hangs unfinished across the passage break, and the reader waits with it.
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