Codex IX, Text 2 — Nag Hammadi Library
One of the shortest texts in the Nag Hammadi Library — a single page of hymnic prose celebrating Norea, a divine female figure who cries out to the heavenly powers and is received into the Fullness.
The Father of the All,
the Thought of the Light,
the Mind dwelling in the heights
above those below,
the Light dwelling in the heights,
the Voice of Truth,
the upright Mind,
the unconquerable Word,
and the Voice beyond speech,
the incomprehensible Father —
it is Norea who cried out to them.
They heard her.
They received her into her place for all time.
They gave her the Father of Mind,
Adamas, and the other Voice of the Holy Ones,
so that she might rest
in the ineffable Thought,
so that she might inherit the first Mind
which she had received,
and she might rest in the Self-Begotten God,
and she might bring herself forth,
just as she too inherited the living Word,
and she might be joined to all the imperishable ones,
and she might speak in the Mind of the Father.
And she came forth, speaking the words of Life,
and she remained in the presence of the Exalted One,
grasping what she had received
before the world came into being.
She has the great Mind of the Invisible One,
and she gives glory to her Father,
and she dwells within those [...]
within the Fullness,
and she gazes upon the Fullness.
There shall be days when she shall behold the Fullness,
and she shall not be in deficiency.
She has the four holy helpers
who intercede for her before the Father of the All:
Adamas — he who is within all the Adams,
possessing the Thought of Norea,
who speaks of the two names
that work as a single name.
Colophon
Translated from Sahidic Coptic by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. The source text follows the digitisation by Milan Konvicka (Marcion Project, GPL v2), based on the critical editions and manuscript photographs of the Coptic Gnostic Library published by E. J. Brill (Leiden). The Nag Hammadi codices were discovered near Nag Hammadi, Upper Egypt, in December 1945.
The Thought of Norea occupies pages 27–29 of Codex IX. It is one of the shortest texts in the entire collection — a single hymnic passage, sometimes classified as Sethian Gnostic. Norea appears in several Nag Hammadi texts (notably the Hypostasis of the Archons, where she resists the archons and is rescued by the angel Eleleth). Here she is presented not as a character in a narrative but as a principle of divine cognition — a thought that cries out and is answered, inheriting the Fullness.
Scribe: Kavi. Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text — Sahidic Coptic
Sahidic Coptic source text from Milan Konvicka / Marcion Project (GPL v2). Transcription from Nag Hammadi codex photographs and critical editions. Square brackets indicate restored lacunae.
Page 27
27.11 ⲡⲓⲱⲧ ⲙⲡⲧⲏⲣϥ. ⲧⲉⲛⲛⲟⲓⲁ
27.12 ⲙⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛ. ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲥ ⲉⲧⲟⲩ-
27.13 ⲏϩ ϩⲛ ⲛⲉⲧϫⲟⲥⲉ ⲉϩⲣⲁⲓ
27.14 ⲉϫⲛ ⲛⲉⲧⲙⲡⲥⲁ ⲙⲡⲓⲧⲛ
27.15 ⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛ ⲉⲧⲟⲩⲏϩ ϩⲛ
27.16 ⲛⲉⲧϫⲟⲥⲉ: ⲧⲥⲙⲏ ⲛⲧⲉ
27.17 ⲧⲙⲉ ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲥ ⲉⲧⲥⲟⲩⲧⲱⲛ
27.18 ⲡⲗⲟⲅⲟⲥ ⲛⲁⲧϭⲙϭⲱⲙϥ
27.19 ⲁⲩⲱ ⲧⲥⲙⲏ ⲛⲛⲁⲧϣⲁϫⲉ
27.20 ⲉⲣⲟⲥ ⲡⲓⲱⲧ ⲛⲁⲧⲧⲁϩⲟϥ
27.21 ⲛⲱⲣⲉⲁ ⲧⲁⲓ ⲉⲧⲁϣⲕⲁⲕ ⲉ-
27.22 ϩⲣⲁⲓ ⲉⲣⲟⲟⲩ ⲁⲩⲥⲱⲧⲙ
27.23 ⲁⲩϫⲓⲧⲥ ⲉϩⲟⲩⲛ ⲉⲡⲉⲥⲧⲟ-
27.24 ⲡⲟⲥ ⲛⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓϣ ⲛⲓⲙ) ⲁⲩⲧⲁ-
27.25 ⲁϥ ⲛⲁⲥ ⲙⲡⲓⲱⲧ ⲙⲡⲛⲟⲩⲥ
27.26 ⲛⲁⲇⲁⲙⲁ̅ ⲙⲛ ⲧⲕⲉⲥⲙⲏ ⲛ-
27.27 ⲧⲉ ⲛⲧⲉ ⲛⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ
Page 28
28.1 ϫⲉⲕⲁⲁⲥ ⲉⲥⲛⲁⲙⲧⲟⲛ ⲙⲙⲟⲥ
28.2 ϩⲛ ⲧⲉⲡⲓⲛⲛⲟⲓⲁ ⲛⲛⲁⲧϣⲁϫⲉ
28.3 ⲉⲣⲟⲥ: ϫⲉⲕⲁⲁⲥ ⲉⲥⲛⲁⲣⲕⲗⲏ-
28.4 ⲣⲟⲛⲟⲙⲓ ⲙⲡϣⲟⲣⲡ ⲛⲛⲟⲩⲥ
28.5 ⲉⲧⲁⲥϫⲓⲧϥ: ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛⲥⲙⲧⲟⲛ
28.6 ⲙⲙⲟⲥ ϩⲙ ⲡⲁⲩⲧⲟⲅⲉⲛⲏⲥ
28.7 ⲛⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ: ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛⲥϫⲡⲟⲥ
28.8 ⲟⲩⲁⲁⲥ ⲛⲑⲉ ϩⲱⲱϥ ⲟⲛ ⲛⲧⲁⲥⲣ
28.9 ⲕⲗⲏⲣⲟⲛⲟⲙⲓ ⲙⲡⲗⲟⲅⲟⲥ ⲉⲧⲟ-
28.10 ⲛϩ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛⲥϩⲱⲧⲡ ⲁⲛⲁⲧ
28.11 ⲧⲁⲕⲟ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ: ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛⲥϣⲁ-
28.12 ϫⲉ ϩⲙ ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲥ ⲙⲡⲓⲱⲧ: ⲁⲩⲱ
28.13 ⲁⲥⲓ ⲉⲥϣⲁϫⲉ ϩⲛ ⲛϣⲁϫⲉ ⲙ-
28.14 ⲡⲱⲛϩ: ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁⲥϭⲱ ⲙⲡⲉⲙ-
28.15 ⲧⲟ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲙⲡⲉⲧϫⲟⲥⲉ ⲉⲥⲁⲙⲁ-
28.16 ϩⲧⲉ ⲙⲡⲉⲛⲧⲁⲥϫⲓⲧϥ ϩⲁⲑⲏ ⲙϥⲟ-
28.17 ⲟⲩ ⲛⲧⲁⲡⲕⲟⲥⲙⲟⲥ ϣⲱⲡⲉ
28.18 ⲟⲩⲛⲧⲁⲥ ⲙⲙⲁⲩ ⲙⲡⲛⲟϭ ⲛ-
28.19 ⲛⲟⲩⲥ ⲛⲧⲉ ⲡⲁϩⲟⲣⲁⲧⲟⲥ ⲁⲩⲱ
28.20 ⲥt ⲉⲟⲟⲩ ⲙⲡⲉⲥⲉⲓⲱⲧ ⲁⲩⲱ
28.21 ⲉⲥϣⲟⲟⲡ ⲛϩⲣⲁⲓ ϩⲛ ⲛⲉⲧ.
28.22 [.. ⲛϩⲣⲁⲓ ϩⲙ ⲡⲡⲗⲏⲣⲱⲙⲁ
28.23 ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛⲥⲛⲁⲩ ⲁⲡⲡⲗⲏⲣⲱⲙⲁ:
28.24 ⲟⲩⲛ ϩⲉⲛϩⲟⲟⲩ ⲛⲁϣⲱⲡⲉ ⲛⲥ-
28.25 ⲛⲁⲩ ⲁⲡⲡⲗⲏⲣⲱⲙⲁ: ⲁⲩⲱ
28.26 ⲛⲥⲁϣⲱⲡⲉ ⲁⲛ ϩⲙ ⲡϣⲧⲁ:
28.27 ⲟⲩⲛⲧⲁⲥ ⲇⲉ ⲙⲙⲁⲩ ⲙⲡϥⲧⲁⲩ
28.28 ⲛⲃⲟⲏⲑⲟⲥ ⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ) ⲉⲩⲣⲡⲣⲉ
28.29 ⲥⲃⲉⲩⲉ ϩⲁⲣⲟⲥ ϩⲁⲧⲙ ⲡⲓⲱⲧ ⲙ-
28.30 ⲡⲧⲏⲣϥ: ⲁⲇⲁⲙⲁ̅ ⲡⲁⲓ ⲡⲉ
Page 29
29.1 ⲉⲧⲙⲡⲥⲁⲛϩⲟⲩⲛ ⲛⲛⲁⲇⲁⲙⲁⲥ
29.2 ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ: ⲉⲩⲛⲧⲁⲩ ⲙⲙⲁⲩ ⲛ-
29.3 ⲧⲛⲟⲏⲥⲓⲥ ⲛⲛⲟⲣⲉⲁ: ⲉⲥϣⲁϫⲉ
29.4 ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲡⲣⲁⲛ ⲥⲛⲁⲩ ⲉⲩⲣ ϩⲱⲃ
29.5 ⲁⲟⲩⲣⲁⲛ ⲛⲟⲩⲱⲧ:
Source Colophon
Coptic source text from the digitisation by Milan Konvicka (Marcion Project, SourceForge, GPL v2). Based on the critical editions of the Coptic Gnostic Library and photographs of the original manuscripts. The Nag Hammadi codices are housed in the Coptic Museum, Old Cairo, Egypt.
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