Chapter 12
| 1 Ἐκδεχόμεθα οὖν καθ' ὥραν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ἀγάπῃ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ οἴδαμεν τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς ἐπιφανείας τοῦ θεοῦ. | Let us therefore wait hour by hour for the kingdom of God in love and righteousness, since we don’t know the day of God’s appearing. |
|
2 ἐπερωτηθεὶς
γὰρ
αὐτὸς
ὁ
κύριος
ὑπὸ
τινος,
πότε
ἥξει
αὐτοῦ
ἡ
βασιλεία,
εἶπεν·
Ὅταν ἔσται τὰ δύο ἕν, καὶ τὸ ἔξω ὡς τὸ ἔσω, καὶ τὸ ἄρσεν μετὰ τῆς θηλείας οὔτε ἄρσεν οὔτε θῆλυ. |
For after being asked by someone when His kingdom would come, the Lord Himself said,
“When the two will be one, and the outside like the inside, and the male with the female, neither male or female.” {source unknown} |
| 3 τὰ δύο δὲ ἕν ἐστιν, ὅταν λαλῶμεν ἑαυτοῖς ἀλήθειαν καὶ ἐν δυσὶ σώμασιν ἀνυποκρίτως εἴη μία ψυχή, | Now the “two are one,” when we speak truth among ourselves, and there is one soul in two bodies without deception. |
|
4 καὶ
τὸ
ἔξω
ὡς
τὸ
ἔσω,
τοῦτο
λέγει·
τὴν ψυχὴν λέγει τὸ ἔσω, τὸ δὲ ἔξω τὸ σῶμα λέγει· ὃν τρόπον οὖν σου τὸ σῶμα φαίνεται, οὕτως καὶ ἡ ψυχή σου δῆλος ἔστω ἐν τοῖς καλοῖς ἔργοις. |
And by the “outside like the inside” He means this: by “the inside” he means the soul and by “the outside” the body.
Therefore for example: just like your body is visible, so let your soul also be obvious by your good works. |
|
5 καὶ
τὸ
ἄρσεν
μετὰ
τῆς
θηλείας,
οὔτε
ἄρσεν
οὔτε
θῆλυ,
τοῦτο
λέγει·
ἵνα ἀδελφὸς ἰδὼν ἀδελφὴν οὐδὲν φρονῇ περὶ αὐτῆς θηλυκόν, μηδὲ φρονῇ τι περὶ αὐτοῦ ἀρσενικόν. | And by the “male with the female, neither male nor female,” he means this: that when a brother sees a sister, he should not think of her as a female, and that when a sister sees a brother she should not think of him as a male. |
| 6 ταῦτα ὑμῶν ποιούντων, φησίν, ἐλεύσεται ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ πατρός μου. | When you do these things, He says, the kingdom of my father will come. |
Summary
This passage presents one of the most intriguing early Christian eschatological texts.The author cites an unwritten saying (agraphon) of Jesus regarding the coming of the Kingdom of God (famously paralleled in the Gospel of Thomas logion 22 and the Gospel of the Egyptians).
Rather than interpreting this mystically or Gnostically to mean the dissolution of physical nature, the author provides a strictly moral and community-focused exegesis:
1) Unity of spirit and truthfulness within the church ("the two shall be one").
2) Outward integrity, where physical actions match inner spiritual reality ("the outside as the inside").
3) Radical chaste fellowship, free from lust or gender-based objectification ("neither male nor female").
Significant Greek Expressions
καθ̓ ὥραν ("hour by hour"):
Stresses continuous, watchful expectation of Christ’s return. Since the precise time of God's manifestation (ἡμέρα τῆς ἐπιφανείας) is unknown, vigilance must be constant.
τὰ δύο ἕν ("the two [shall be] one"): Interpreted not as metaphysical oneness, but as social and relational transparency: speaking truth (λαλῶμεν... ἀλήθειαν) and having "one soul in two bodies" (ἐν δυσὶ σώμασιν... μία ψυχή), echoing the ideal unity of the early Jerusalem church (cf. Acts 4:32).
ἀνυποκρίτως ("unfeignedly / without hypocrisy"): From ἀνυπόκριτος (sincere, unfeigned). Spiritual unity and love within the body of believers must be genuine, devoid of pretense or deceit.
τὸ ἔξω ὡς τὸ ἔσω ("the outside as the inside"): The author explicitly defines "the inside" (τὸ ἔσω) as the soul (ψυχή) and "the outside" (τὸ ἔξω) as the body (σῶμα). Authentic Christian life requires that inner faith and spiritual health become fully visible (δῆλος) through outward good deeds (καλοῖς ἔργοις).
οὔτε ἄρσεν οὔτε θῆλυ ("neither male nor female"): Directly echoes Paul’s formula in Galatians 3:28. In the author's moral application, this refers to absolute purity of mind and sight within the Christian community—eradicating lustful thoughts (μηδὲν φρονῇ... θηλυκόν / ἀρσενικόν) so that brothers and sisters view each other purely as fellow image-bearers and co-heirs of the Kingdom.


