Pistis Sophia

Amēn, I say unto you: It will be in all the regions in the time a man shooteth an arrow.

One-hundred-and-thirty-and-three years and nine months do they spend in the chastisements of her regions, while she tormenteth them in the fire of her wickedness.

“He said unto Peter: Lo, three times have I baptized this soul, and yet at this third time”

“The third thought on the other hand concerning the word which thou hast aforetime spoken unto us: 'The counterfeiting spirit is hostile to the soul, making it do all sins and all mischiefs, and it transferreth it in the chastisements because of all the . sins which it hath made it commit;”

“And the First Mystery continued again and said unto the disciples: “And Pistis Sophia continued and sang praises unto me, saying: “1. I sing a song unto thee; | through thy commandment hast thou led me down out of the higher æon which is above, and hast led me up to the regions which are below. “2. And again through thy commandment thou hast saved me out of the regions which are below, and through thee hast thou taken there the matter in my light-powers, and I have seen it. 3. And thou hast scattered far from me the emanations of Self-willed which constrained me and were hostile to me, and hast bestowed power on me to loose myself from the bonds of the emanations of Adamas. 4. And thou hast smitten the basilisk”

“On this account, therefore, there existeth no manner to describe it in this world.”

And when Salome had said this, the light-power in Mary Magdalene

“The mystery of the raising of the dead and of the healing of the sick, on the other hand, give unto no one nor give instruction in it, for that mystery belongeth to the rulers, it and all its namings.”

to lead it up out of the chaos and lead it on the way of the midst through all the rulers. And they [sc. the rulers] do not chastize it in their harsh judgments, but the fire of their regions troubleth it partly. And if it shall be brought into the region of Yachthanabas, the pitiless, then will he indeed not be able to chastize it in his evil judgments,

“And then cometh Yaluham, the receiver of Sabaōth, the Adamas, who handeth the souls the cup of forgetfulness, and he bringeth a cup filled with the water of forgetfulness and handeth it to the soul, and it drinketh it and forgetteth all regions and all the regions to which it hath gone. And they cast it down into a body which will spend its time continually troubled in its heart.”

“15. Let them be ever present to the Lord”

and the season cometh that my Father give me commandment to take their light from them.'

“She continued again and uttered the third repentance, saying: 1. O Light of powers, give heed and save me.”

“James came forward, kissed the breast of Jesus and said: “My Lord, thy spirit hath sobered me, and I am ready to proclaim their solution. Concerning them indeed thy power hath prophesied aforetime through David in the thirty-fourth Psalm, saying thus concerning the ninth repentance of Pistis Sophia: “1. Give sentence, O Lord, on them who do me injustice, and fight against them who fight against me. 2. Lay hand on weapon and shield and stand up to help me. 3. Draw forth a sword and conceal it [sic] from my oppressors.”

--'grace' then is the spirit who hath Of the spiritual and material bodies of Jesus. come upon thee, when thou didst receive the baptism from John. 'Grace' then is the godly spirit who hath come upon thee; he hath had mercy on the race of men, hath come down and hath met with the power of Sabaōth, the Good which is in thee and which hath made proclamation concerning the regions of Truth. It hath said again: 'Righteousness and peace kissed each other,'--'righteousness' then is the spirit of the Light, which did come upon thee

And if it hath completed its number of its circuits of the changes, then is it to be led before the Virgin of Light, and the Virgin of Light is to seal it with the seal of the Ineffable and cast it down in whatever month into a righteous body which shall find the mysteries of the Light, so that it may be good, go on high and inherit the Light-kingdom.

but because we question in the gnosis of the Height which thou hast given unto us, and we question moreover in the type of the excellent questioning which thou hast taught us, that we may question therein.

“17. They have surrounded me as water; they have seized upon me the whole day long. 18. My fellows hast thou kept far from me and my acquaintances from my misery.”

“and why the invisibles have arisen. And that mystery knoweth why the fore-fathers have arisen”

on that day then, when the sun had come forth in his going,

she hath not done what is worthy of the mysteries of the Light. Wherefor then cloth she make her body good for nothing? Now, therefore, Peter, perform the mystery which cutteth off the souls from the inheritances of the Light;

For this cause, therefore, give it | unto no one, nor give instruction in it until ye establish the faith in the whole world, in order that, if ye come into cities or into countries, and they do not receive you unto themselves, and do not have faith, and do not hearken unto your words, ye may raise the dead in those regions and heal the lame and the blind and manifold of sicknesses in those regions. And through all such

that there came forth behind him a great light-power shining most exceedingly,

“bubbled up in her and she said to the Saviour: My Lord, give commandment unto me that I discourse with my sister Salome to tell her the solution of the word which she hath spoken.” It came to pass then, when the Saviour had heard Mary say these words, that he called her most exceedingly blessed.”

“and his memory be rooted out from the earth; 16. In that he hath not thought of using mercy and hath persecuted a poor and wretched man and hath persecuted a sorry creature to slay him.”

“Say unto my soul: I am thy salvation. 4. Let them be put to shame and abashed who strive after my soul;”

“And thereafter I said again unto her: 'Hearken that I | may speak with thee about their time, when this which I have said unto thee, will come to pass. It will come to pass when [the] three times are completed.' Pistis Sophia answered”

“Now, therefore, amēn, I say unto you: Every man who will receive that mystery of the Ineffable and accomplish it in all its types and all its figures,--he is a man in the world, but he towereth above all angels and will tower still more above them all.”

“It came to pass then, when this befell among the tyrants who are below these rulers, that they all lost power and fell down to the ground in their æons and became as the dead world-dwellers with no breath in them,”

“And they who receive the five mysteries of the Ineffable, will also abide behind the three mysteries, being also kings. And moreover they who receive the twelfth mystery of the First Mystery, will also again abide behind the five mysteries of the Ineffable, being also kings according to the order of every one of them. And all who receive of the mysteries in all the regions of the space of the Ineffable,”

and that six months they face to the right and accomplish their influences.

“Now, therefore, my Lord, be not wroth with me, but reveal unto me the matter concerning which I shall question thee.”

“This is then the solution of the mystery of the fifth repentance which Pistis Sophia hath uttered, when she was oppressed in the chaos.”

but he holdeth it fast a short time, while the fire of his chastisements troubleth it partly. And again they take pity on it quickly, and lead it up out of those regions of theirs

with the seven heads and cast it out with my hands and hast set me above its matter. Thou hast destroyed it, so that its seed may not raise itself up from now on.

“This is the chastisement of the curser.”

“thus hath thy light-power prophesied thereon aforetime through David in the ninetieth Psalm: “1. Whoso then dwelleth under the help of the Most High, will abide under the shadow of the God of heaven. “2. He will say unto the Lord: Thou art my succour and my place of refuge, my God, in whom I trust. 3. For he will save me out of the snare of the hunters and from mighty word. 4. He will shade thee with his breast, and thou shalt have trust beneath his wings;”

in a word, it is hostile to the soul in every way,'--concerning this word, therefore, thou hast said unto us aforetime: 'The foes of the man are the dwellers in his house,'--that is: The dwellers in the house of the soul are the counterfeiting spirit and the destiny, which are hostile to the soul the whole time, making it commit all sin and all iniquities. Lo this, my Lord, is the third thought.

“2. May they who would take away my light, lack and be in the darkness. May they who would take away my power, turn into chaos and be put to shame.”

“and why the purities have arisen. And that mystery knoweth why the great self-willed hath arisen”

“And moreover if it hath completed the circuits of changes, then is that soul to be led before the seven virgins of the Light who [are set] over the baptisms, and they are to apply them to the soul and seal it with the sign of the kingdom of the Ineffable and lead it into the orders of the Light. This then will ye say when ye perform the mystery.”

It came to pass then, when Jesus had finished speaking these words unto his disciples,

and hath brought the mysteries of the height, | to give them unto the race of men. 'Peace' on the other hand is the power of Sabaōth, the Good, which is in thee,--he who hath baptized and hath forgiven the race of men,--and it hath made them at peace with the sons of the Light. And moreover as thy power hath said through David: 'Truth sprouted forth out of the earth,'--that is the power of Sabaōth, the Good, which sprouted forth out of Mary, thy mother, the dweller on earth. 'Righteousness,' which 'looked down from heaven,' on the other hand is the spirit in the height

“It cometh to pass then after all these times, when the sphere turneth itself and the little Sabaōth, Zeus, cometh to the first of the æons of the sphere, which is called in the world the Ram of Boubastis, that is of Aphroditē; [and] when she [Boubastis] cometh to the seventh house of the sphere, that is to the Balance, then the veils which are between those of the Right and those of the Left,”

“his truth shall surround thee as a shield. “5. Thou wilt not be afraid of terror by night nor of an arrow which flieth by day, 6. Of a thing which slinketh in the darkness, of a mischance and a demon at mid-day. 7. A thousand will fall on |”

“let them fall back and be put to shame who imagine evil against me. “5. Let them be as chaff | before the wind, and let the angel of the Lord pursue after them. 6. Let their way be darkness and slippery, and let the angel of the Lord oppress them. 7. For without cause have they hid a snare for me for their own spoiling, and they have mocked at my soul in vain.”

“Mary continued and said: My Lord, the man who persistently slandereth, if he cometh out of the body, whither shall he get or what is, his chastisement?”

“5. And thou wert with me, giving me power in all this,”

“It came to pass then, when Jesus had heard Philip speak these words, that he said: Well said, Philip, well-beloved. Now, therefore, come, take thy seat and write thy portion of all the discourses which I shall speak, and [of all things which I shall] do, and of all that thou shalt see.” And forthwith Philip sat down and wrote.”

“that Mary Magdalene came forward and said unto Jesus: My Lord,”

“who hath brought all mysteries of the height and given them to the race of men; and they have become righteous and good, and have inherited the Light-kingdom.”

“draw themselves aside, and there looketh from the height out of those of the Right the | great Sabaōth, the Good; and the whole world and the total sphere [become alarmed] before he hath looked forth. And he looketh down on the regions of Paraplēx, so that her regions may be dissolved and perish. And all the souls which are in her chastisements, are carried and cast back [up] into the sphere anew, because they are ruined in the chastisements of Paraplēx.”

It came to pass, when Jesus had heard Mary Magdalene say these words,

For by command of the First Commandment and by command of the First Mystery |

and they do not bring it into the æons, so that the rulers of the æons do not carry it away ravishingly; they bring it on the way of the sun and bring it before the Virgin of Light.

will also be kings and abide before those who receive the mystery of the First Mystery, expanded according to the glory of every one of them, so that those who receive the higher mysteries, will abide in the higher regions, and those who receive the lower mysteries, will abide in the lower regions, being kings in the light of my kingdom.

“3. May they turn quickly to darkness, who press me sore and say: We have become lords over her.”

“He is a man in the world, but he towereth above all archangels and will tower still more above | them all.”

“as they | became in the hour when I took from them their power. It came to pass then thereafter, when I left those æons, that every one of all those who were in the twelve æons, was bound to their order all together, and they accomplished their works as I have established them, so that they spend six months turned to the left and accomplishing their works in their squares and their triangles and in those which are in their aspect, and that further they spend another six months facing to the right and towards their triangles and their squares and those which are in their aspect.”

and said unto me: 'O Light, by what shall I know when the three times will take place, so that I may be glad and rejoice that the time is near for thee to bring me to my region,

“17. He loved cursing,--and it shall come unto him. He desired not blessing,--it shall stay far from him. 18. He clothed himself with cursing as with a vesture, and it entered into his bowels as water, and it was as oil in his bones. 19. May it be for him as a garment in which he shall be wrapped, and as a girdle with which he shall ever be girded.”

and there was no measure to the light conjoined with it.

they will have faith in you, that ye herald the God of the universe, and will have faith in all the words of you.

“The Saviour answered and said unto Mary: I give commandment unto thee, Mary, that thou speak the solution of the word which Salome hath spoken.”

“perform that mystery in order that it may cut off the soul of this woman from the Inheritance of the Light.”

“Amēn, I say unto you: The soul for which ye shall pray, if it indeed is in the dragon of the outer darkness, he will draw his tail out of his mouth and let go that soul.”

“and why his faithful have arisen. And that mystery knoweth why the great triple-powerful hath arisen”

“The fourth thought on the other hand concerning the word which thou hast said: 'If the soul goeth forth out of the body and travelleth on the way with the counterfeiting spirit,”

“4. May rather all those who seek the Light, rejoice and exult, and they who desire thy mystery, say ever: May the mystery be exalted.”

be not wroth with me if I question thee, because I trouble repeatedly.

“and why the great invisible forefather hath arisen. “And that mystery knoweth why the thirteenth æon hath arisen and why the region | of those of the Midst hath arisen. And that mystery knoweth why receivers of the Midst have arisen and why the virgins of the light have arisen. And that mystery knoweth why the ministers of the Midst have arisen”

“Jesus said: A man who persistently slandereth, if his time is completed through the sphere, that he cometh out of the body, then Abiout and Charmōn, the receivers of Ariēl, come, lead his soul out of the body and spend three days going round with it and instructing it concerning the creatures of the world.”

“that he answered and said unto her: Question concerning what thou desirest to question, and I will reveal it unto thee with precision and certainty.”

“For this cause, therefore, have I given unto you that mystery, until ye establish the faith in the whole world.”

“He is a man in the world, but he towereth above all tyrants and will raise himself above them all.”

For it came out of the Light of lights,

“He continued in the discourse and said: The second order is called Ariouth the Æthiopian, a female ruler, who is entirely black, under whom stand fourteen other [arch]demons which rule over a multitude of other demons.”

and moreover rejoice therein that the time is come when thou wilt take the light-power from all them which hate me, because I have had faith in thy light?'

“These alone are the allotment of the kingdom of the first space of the Ineffable. |”

Yew, the Overseer of the Light, had set them facing the left at every time and accomplishing their influences and their deeds.

“and thy light surrounded me in all regions, and through thee hast thou made all the emanations of Self-willed powerless. 6. For thou hast taken the power of their light from them and made straight my way to lead me out of the chaos. 7. And thou hast removed me from the material darknesses and taken from them all my powers, from which the light had been taken.”

“And it came to pass, when Jesus had heard Mary speak these words, that he said: Well said, Mary, inheritress of the Light.”

She proveth it and findeth that it is pure of sins, but letteth them not bring it to the Light, because the sign of the kingdom of the mystery is not with it.

“And when the Saviour had said this, Mary started forward to Salome, embraced her and said unto her: My sister Salome, concerning the word which thou hast spoken: It standeth written in the Law of Moses: 'He who shall abandon his father and his mother, let him die the death,”

And moreover if it is in all the regions of the judgments of the rulers,

Thus then will those who are in the Fate and in the sphere travel.

“20. This is the work of them who slander [me] before the Lord, and speak unlawfully against my soul.”

“8. Let a snare come upon them which they know not, and let the net which they have hid for me, catch them, and let them fall into this snare. 9. But my soul will exult in the Lord and rejoice in its salvation.”

When then the Saviour had said this, he tried [Peter] to see whether he was compassionate and forgiving.

“It came to pass thereafter that Jesus continued again in the discourse and said unto his disciples: Then did Pistis Sophia cry to the Light.”

and if it hath not found the mystery of the undoing of all the bonds and the seals which are bound to the counterfeiting spirit, so that it may cease to haunt or be assigned to it,

“10. All my bones shall say: O Lord, who can be like unto thee?--thou who settest free the wretched from the hand | of him who is stronger than him; and thou savest a wretched and poor [one] from the hands of them who spoil him. 11. Unjust witnesses came forward and have asked me that which I knew not. 12. They have requited me evil for good and childlessness for my soul.”

“And Mary, the mother of Jesus, again came forward, fell down at his feet, kissed them and said: My Lord, my son and my Saviour,”

“It came to pass then, when I came into their region, that they mutinied and fought against the light.”

“When then the Saviour had said this, he continued again in the discourse and said unto Mary: Now, therefore, hearken, Mary, concerning the word on which thou hast questioned me: Who constraineth the man until he sinneth?”

“When then the Saviour had said this, Peter said: My Lord, let her yet this time, that we may give her the higher mysteries; and if she is fit, then hast thou let her inherit the Light-kingdom,”

amēn, I say unto you: The receivers of Melchisedec will with haste snatch it away, whether the dragon let it go or it is in the judgments of the rulers;

--now, therefore, my sister Salome, the Law hath not said this concerning the soul nor concerning the body nor concerning the counterfeiting spirit, for all these are sons | of the rulers and are out of them. But the Law hath said this concerning the power which hath came forth out of the Saviour, and which is the light-man within us to-day.

“8. Thou hast put into them purified light and unto all my limbs, | in which was no light, thou hast given purified light from the Light of the Height. 9. And thou hast made straight the way for them [sc. my limbs], and the light of thy face hath become for me life indestructible. 10. Thou hast led me forth above the chaos,”

“Thereafter they lead it below into Ameute before Ariēl, and he chastizeth it in his chastisements eleven months and twenty-and-one days. Thereafter they lead it into the chaos before. Yaldabaōth and his forty-and-nine demons, and every one of his demons fall upon it another eleven months and twenty-and-one days, scourging it with fiery whips.”