Even the trope of a
“secret book” is by no means exclusively Gnostic. We encounter the role of
secret books in the Jewish apocalypse 4 Ezra 14. In 4 Ezra 14:6 God says to
Moses, “These words you shall publish openly, and these you shall keep secret,”
which bears a similarity to the opening scene of Ap. Jas. Moreover, 4
Ezra 14:6 is soon followed by an announcement of Ezra’s Enoch-like ascent to
heaven in v. 9: “for you shall be taken up from among humans, and henceforth
you shall live with my Son and with those who are like you, until the times are
ended.” This is congruent with the concluding ascent scene in Ap. Jas.,
also based on the figure of Enoch. (Samuel Zinner, The Apocryphon of James
(NHC I, 2): A Commentary with Complete Facsimiles, Transcription, and
Translation [Luminescence Academic Series 1; Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Luminescence, L.L.C., Publisher, 2024], 8)
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