CODEX ISOIndex of Suppressed Origins
Browse texts
Index/Gnostic Gospels/ISO-015
CODEX ISO EDITION016
CODEX ISODIGITAL EDITION
The Paraphrase of ShemNag Hammadi Edition
Gnostic GospelsISO
Edition available nowDigital reading edition
Gnostic GospelsRecord ISO-015

The Paraphrase of Shem

Nag Hammadi Edition

A revelation delivered by Derdekeas to Shem, structured around Light, Darkness and Spirit and extending through creation, the flood, Sodom, baptismal polemic, crucifixion imagery, the deathless memorial and the last day. This edition prints the complete surviving witness with all page markers and ten source notes.

Codex Digital Edition£1.99Instant PDF · secure checkout · yours to keep
✓ Instant access✓ Secure Stripe checkout✓ Personal copy✓ Re-download access
Edition016
FormatDigital PDF
Editorial statusVerified edition
TraditionGnostic Gospels
Before you read

Context without the mythology.

Codex ISO separates the surviving evidence from later interpretation, so you can encounter the text without being told what to believe about it first.

01 / Historical context

Survives in Coptic as Nag Hammadi Codex VII,1, manuscript pages 1-49. The text begins with its title and ends with a final instruction to Shem; local damage remains visible.

02 / Why it matters

Read the full surviving witness with manuscript evidence and later interpretation kept separate.

From / associated with the text
““[The] paraphrase concerning the unbegotten Spirit, which Derdekeas revealed to me, Shem.””
FREE RESEARCH GUIDE

The Paraphrase of Shem: What Survives, Where It Sits in Codex VII, and How to Read Its Manuscript Evidence

A people-first guide to The Paraphrase of Shem (NHC VII,1): what the lone surviving manuscript witness is, how the tractate is bounded inside Nag Hammadi Codex VII, what kinds of damage/readings you should expect, and what scholars mean (and do not mean) when they describe its theology and structure.

Read the source guide ↗
THE CODEX STANDARD

Source before story.

We identify the edition, translation and surviving evidence; distinguish documentation from tradition; and state uncertainty rather than turning it into a sales claim.

Our editorial standard ↗
Edition questions

About The Paraphrase of Shem.

Concise answers grounded in the source record for this edition.

What is The Paraphrase of Shem?

A revelation delivered by Derdekeas to Shem, structured around Light, Darkness and Spirit and extending through creation, the flood, Sodom, baptismal polemic, crucifixion imagery, the deathless memorial and the last day. This edition prints the complete surviving witness with all page markers and ten source notes.

What survives of The Paraphrase of Shem?

Survives in Coptic as Nag Hammadi Codex VII,1, manuscript pages 1-49. The text begins with its title and ends with a final instruction to Shem; local damage remains visible.

Where can I read The Paraphrase of Shem?

Codex ISO Edition 016 is a source-aware digital PDF edition available on this page for £1.99.

Explore early Christian apocryphaExplore the Nag Hammadi libraryExplore Gnostic texts
Continue the archive

Read next.

CODEX ISODIGITAL EDITION
The Gospel of ThomasCodex ISO Edition 001
Gnostic GospelsISO
Gnostic Gospels

The Gospel of Thomas

Read the complete text with provenance, manuscript context and the major scholarly uncertainties stated clearly.

Open record →
CODEX ISODIGITAL EDITION
The Gospel of PhilipCodex ISO Edition 004
Gnostic FoundationsISO
Gnostic Foundations

The Gospel of Philip

Read the text alongside a source dossier that separates the surviving Coptic witness from later claims about what Philip does - and does not - tell us about early Christianity.

Open record →
CODEX ISODIGITAL EDITION
The Gospel of MaryCodex ISO Edition 002
Early Christian ApocryphaISO
Early Christian Apocrypha

The Gospel of Mary

Read the surviving text with every major lacuna marked, plus manuscript context and the key scholarly uncertainties stated clearly.

Open record →
Codex Digital EditionThe Paraphrase of Shem