Saying 18: Tell Us How Our End Will Be
Asked about the end, Jesus asks whether they have found the beginning: whoever stands at the beginning will know the end and will not taste death.
Commentary
Eschatology is turned inside out. The question “when does it end?” is answered with “where did you begin?” — origin and destiny are the same place, a move repeated in saying 49.
Parallels
Revelation 22:13
Sayings on the same themes
- Saying 105 Saying 105: Whoever Knows the Father and the Mother Whoever knows the father and the mother will be called the child of a prostitute.
- Saying 94 Saying 94: The One Who Knocks Whoever seeks will find; whoever knocks will have it opened for them.
- Saying 67 Saying 67: Knowing All but Lacking Oneself Whoever knows everything but is lacking in themselves lacks everything.
- Saying 50 Saying 50: We Came From the Light If they ask where you are from, say: we came from the light, the place where the light came into being by…
- Saying 59 Saying 59: Look to the Living One While You Live Look to the living one while you are alive, in case you die and then try to see him and cannot.
- Saying 3 Saying 3: The Kingdom Within and Without If your leaders say the kingdom is in the sky the birds will get there first; if in the sea, the fish.…