Pistis Sophia

nor had he told them what guard is at every [gate] of the Treasury of the Light;

“I have told you for the first time the names of these five great rulers with which the men of the world are wont to call them.”

“29. I am a poor wretch who is heart-broken too; it is the salvation of thy face which hath taken me unto itself. “30. I will praise the name of God in the ode, and exalt it in the song of thanksgiving. “31. This shall please God better than a young bull which putteth forth horns and hoofs. “32. May the wretched see and make merry; seek ye God, that your souls may live. “33. For God hath heard the wretched and despiseth not the prisoners. “34. Let heaven and earth praise the Lord, the sea and all that is therein. 35. For God will save Zion, and the cities of Judæa will be built up, and they will dwell there and inherit it. 36. The seed of his servants shall possess it, and they who love his name shall dwell therein.”

“I entered into the houses of the sphere, shining most exceedingly, and there was no measure to the light that was about me.”

“Hearken, therefore, my Lord, that I may set forth the word in openness. As thy | power hath prophesied through Solomon: 'A stream came forth and became a great wide flood,'--this is: The light-stream hath spread itself out in the chaos over all the regions of the emanations of Self-willed. And again the word which thy power hath spoken through Solomon: 'It tore away all to itself”

“She came into the midst of the | invisibles, and in their midst sang praises unto me, saying: “1. I will give thanks unto thee, O Light, for thou art a saviour; thou art a deliverer for all time. 2. I will utter this song to the Light, for it hath saved me and saved me out of the hand of the rulers, my foes. 3. And thou hast preserved me in all the regions, thou hast saved me out of the height and the depth of the chaos and out of the æons of the rulers of the sphere.”

“and why slavery hath arisen. And that mystery knoweth why death hath arisen and why life hath arisen.”

“and wherefor they have come forth from the Fatherless. And that mystery knoweth wherefor the Fore-uncontainables of the second Trispiritual have rent themselves asunder”

“Grace' then is the light-power which hath come down through the First Mystery; for the First Mystery hath hearkened unto Pistis Sophia and hath had | mercy on her in all her tribulations.”

And further the receivers of the sun and the receivers of the moon, if they look above and see the configurations of the paths of the æons and the configurations of the Fate and those of the sphere,

“These rulers then of these twelve dungeons are inside the dragon of the outer darkness, each and every one | of them hath a name every hour, and every one of them changeth his face every hour.”

“5. For this cause then will the Light take away their whole light, and also their whole matter will be made naught. And it will take away their light and not suffer them to abide in the thirteenth æon, their dwelling-place, and will not have their name in the region of those who shall live. “6. And the four-and-twenty emanations will see what hath befallen thee, O lion-faced power, and will be afraid and not be disobedient, but give the purification of their light. 7. And they will see thee and will rejoice over thee and say: Lo, an emanation which hath not given the purification of its light, so that it may be saved, but boasted itself in the abundance of the light of its power, because it did not emanate from the power in it, and hath said: I will take away the light from Pistis Sophia, which will now be taken from it.' Now, therefore, let him in whom his power is raised, come forward and proclaim the solution of the eleventh repentance of Pistis Sophia.”

--amēn, I say unto you: That man, if he cometh forth out of the body, will be judged in no region of the rulers, nor can he be chastized in any region at all, nor will the fire touch him, because of the great mystery of the Ineffable which is with him.

“Now, therefore, O Father, father of all fatherhood, let the forgivers of sins come, whose names are these: siphirepsnichieu zenei berimou sochabrichēr euthari na nai (have mercy upon me) dieisbalmērich meunipos chirie entair mouthiour smour peuchēr oouschous minionor isochobortha.”

“and girded me with light.”

“But I have had faith in the Light. 7. I will rejoice and will sing praises that thou hast had mercy upon me and hast heeded and saved me from the oppression in which I was. And thou wilt set free my power out of the chaos. 8. And thou hast not left me in the hand of the lion-faced power; but thou hast led me into a region which is not oppressed.”

“The Saviour answered and said unto Mary: I have said unto you aforetime: 'Be ye as skilful money-changers. Take the good, throw the bad away.”

“These six then by command of the First Mystery the last Helper hath caused to be in the region of those of the Right, for the economy of the ingathering of the upper light out of the æons of the rulers and out of the worlds and all races in them,--of every one of whom I will tell you the employment over which he hath been set in the expansion of the universe. Because, therefore, of the importance of the employment over which they have been set, |”

“and moreover because those mysteries are compassionate and forgive at every time.”

“If on the other hand it is a new soul which they have taken out of the sweat of the rulers and out of the tears of their eyes, or far rather out of the breath of their mouths,”

It came to pass then, when Jesus had finished saying these words unto his disciples, that they rejoiced in great joy and exulted when they heard Jesus say these words.

“And if ye say this, amēn, I say unto you: All who serve in all the orders of the judgments of the rulers, hasten to hand over that soul from one to the other, until they lead it before the Virgin of Light.”

“Say unto them: Renounce blasphemy, that ye may be worthy of the mysteries of the Light and be saved from the great dragon of the outer darkness.”

nor had he told them the region of the Twin-saviour, |

“This is the repentance which Pistis Sophia hath uttered, when she came forth out of the chaos”

“It came to pass then, when Mary had finished speaking these words unto Jesus in the midst of the disciples, that she said unto him: My Lord, this is the solution of the mystery of the repentance of Pistis Sophia.''|”

“And they will hasten quickly and hand him over one to another in turn and lead him from region to region and | from order to order, until they bring him before the Virgin of Light, while all the regions are in fear of the mystery and the sign of the kingdom of the Ineffable which is with him. And if they bring him before the Virgin of Light,”

Hearken now then that I may tell you also their incorruptible names, which are:

And all the rulers and all those who are in that sphere, fell into agitation one against another. And they saw the great light that was about me,

“and led it over the temple,'--that is: It drew all the light-powers out of the emanations of Self-willed, which they had taken from Pistis Sophia, and poured them anew into Pistis Sophia. And again the word thy power hath spoken: 'The dams and buildings could not hold it,'--that is: The emanations of Self-willed could not hold the light-stream within the walls of the darkness of the chaos. And again the word which it hath spoken: It was led over the whole land and filled all,'--that is: When Gabriēl and Michaēl”

“they will be fellow-kings in the first [saviour] of the first Voice of the Treasury of the Light, who will be in the region of the souls of those who have received the first mystery of the First Mystery. And the Virgin of Light and the great guide of the Midst, whom the rulers of the æons are wont to call the Great Yew after the name of a great ruler who is in their region,--he and the Virgin of Light and his twelve ministers, from whom ye have received your shape”

“and wherefor | they have come forth from the Fatherless. And that mystery knoweth wherefor all the Fore-uncontainables of the third Thrice-spiritual have rent themselves asunder”

Truth' on the other hand is the power which hath gone forth out of thee, for that thou hast fulfilled the truth, in order to save her out of the chaos.

then they take from them the light-power; and the | receivers of the sun get it ready and deposit it, until they hand it over to the receivers of Melchisedec, the Light-purifier.

--in a word, if it is one of the new souls or one of such souls, if it is one out of the sweat,

“Then Salome came forward and said: My Lord,”

And moreover every one of these dungeons hath a door opening upwards, so that the dragon of the outer darkness hath twelve dark dungeons, and every dungeon hath a door opening upwards.

“When then Jesus had said this unto his disciples, he answered again and said unto them: It came to pass then, when the lion-faced power had noticed that Pistis Sophia had not been led up altogether out of the chaos,”

It came to pass then, when the First Mystery had finished saying these words,

“Now, therefore, say unto all men who would seek the godhead: 'If north wind cometh, then ye know that there will be cold; if south wind cometh, then ye know that there will be burning and fervent heat.”

“And Mary answered again and said unto Jesus: My Lord, those who shall receive the mysteries of the Ineffable, and have again turned, have transgressed and have ceased in their faith and are moreover come out of the body before they have repented, what will befall such?”

“4. And when I was come out of the Height, I wandered round in regions in which is no light, and I could not return to the thirteenth æon, my dwelling-place. 5. For there was no light in me nor power. My power was utterly weakened (?). 6. And the Light saved me in all my afflictions. I sang praises unto the Light,”

“7. Thou hast brought thy commandment upon me and all things which thou hast decreed. “8. And thy spirit hath withdrawn and abandoned me. And moreover by thy commandment the emanations of my eon have not helped me and have hated me and separated themselves from me, and yet am I not utterly destroyed. “9. And my light is diminished in me, and I have cried up to the light with all the light in me, and I have stretched forth my hands unto thee. “10. Now, therefore, O Light, wilt thou not accomplish thy commandment in the chaos, and will not the deliverers, who come according to thy commandment, arise in the darkness and come and be disciples for thee'? 11. Will they not utter the mystery of thy name in the chaos? 12. Or will they not rather utter thy name in a matter of the chaos, in which thou wilt not [thyself] purify?”

“Hear me, invoking you, forgive the sins of these souls and blot out their iniquities.”

“And Jesus continued again in the discourse and said unto them: Hearken, therefore, now still further, O my disciples, so that I discourse with you concerning the whole gnosis of the mystery of the Ineffable. That mystery of the Ineffable knoweth why unmercifulness hath arisen and why mercifulness hath arisen.”

and lead it | out of the æons of the Fate and lead it up into all the æons [above], it giving to every region its apology and the apology of all the regions and the seals to the tyrants of the king, the Adamas. And it giveth the apology of all the rulers of all the regions of the Left,--whose collective apologies and seals I will one day tell you when I shall tell you the expansion of the universe.

“and wherefor they have come forth from the Fatherless. And that mystery knoweth wherefor the first Thrice-spiritual from below--those who belong to the orders of the One and Only, the Ineffable hath rent itself asunder”

who is the Child of the Child;

“Say unto them: Renounce the doctrines of error, that ye may be worthy of the mysteries of the Light and be saved from all the chastisements of the great dragon of the outer darkness.”

“and was freed from the bonds of the chaos. Now, therefore, who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

“It came to pass then, when Jesus had heard Mary speak these words, that he said unto her: Well said, Mary, blessed one, the fulness, or all-blessed fulness, thou who shalt be sung of as blessed in all generations.”

then the Virgin of Light will see the sign of the mystery of the kingdom of the Ineffable which is with him; the Virgin of Light marvelleth and proveth him,

and they gazed upon my vesture and saw thereon the mystery of their name. And they fell into still greater agitation,

“had led it over the body of Pistis Sophia, they poured into her all the lights which the emanations of Self-willed had taken from her, and the body of her matter shone. “And the word which it hath spoken: 'They who were in the dry sand, drank,'--that is: All in Pistis Sophia whose light had before been taken away, got light. And the word which it hath spoken: 'Their thirst was quieted | and quenched,'--that is: Her powers ceased to lack the light, because their light, which had been taken from them, was given them [again]. And again as thy power hath spoken: 'The draught through the Highest was given them,”

“Ōrimouth correspondeth to Kronos; Mounichounaphōr correspondeth to Arēs; Tarpetanouph correspondeth to Hermēs; Chōsi correspondeth to Aphroditē; Chōnbal correspondeth to Zeus. These are their incorruptible names.”

“and from whom ye have received the power, they all will be kings with the first saviour of the first Voice in the region of the souls of those who will receive the first mystery of the First Mystery in the inheritances of the Light. And the fifteen helpers of the seven virgins of the Light who are in the Midst, they will expand themselves in the regions of the twelve saviours, and the rest of the angels of the Midst, every one of them according to his glory, will rule with me in the inheritances of the Light.”

And the Virgin of Light sealeth it with the sign of the kingdom of the Ineffable and handeth it over unto her receivers,

And 'righteousness' again is the power which hath come forth through the First Mystery, which will guide Pistis Sophia.

And an angel of the height watcheth each of the doors of the dungeons,

And their material refuse they bring to the sphere which is below the æons, and fashion it into [souls of] men,

then the five great rulers of the great Fate take up the sweat of all the rulers of their æons, knead it together withal, portion it and make it into a soul. Or far rather if it is refuse of the purification of the Light, then Melchisedec taketh it up from the rulers. The five great rulers of the great Fate knead the refuse together, portion it and make it into different souls, so that every one of the rulers of the æons, every one of them putteth his portion into the soul.

“concerning this thy light-power prophesied aforetime through David in the fifty-first Psalm, saying: “1. Why doth the mighty [one] boast himself in | his wickedness? “2. Thy tongue hath studied unrighteousness all the day long; as a sharp razor hast thou practised craft. “3. Thou lovedst wickedness more than goodness; thou lovedst to speak unrighteousness more than righteousness. 4. Thou lovedst all words of submerging and a crafty tongue. 5. Wherefor will God bring thee to naught utterly, and will uproot thee”

“Let them be worthy to be reckoned with the kingdom of my father, the father of the Treasury of the Light. I know thy great powers and invoke them: auer bebrō athroni ē oureph e ōne souphen knitousochreōph mauōnbi mneuōr souōni chōcheteōph”

“And the Saviour answered and said unto Mary: Amēn, amēn, I say unto you: All men who shall receive the mysteries of the Ineffable, blessed indeed are the souls which shall receive of those mysteries; but if they turn and transgress and come out of the body before they have repented,”

Now, therefore, say unto them: 'If ye have known the face of the heaven and of the earth from the winds,

| that it came again with all the other material emanations of Self-willed, and they oppressed Pistis Sophia again.

“that Martha came forward and said: “My Lord, thy power hath prophesied aforetime through David concerning these words: 10. The Lord hath become my helper. 11. He hath changed my lamentation into joy; he hath rent my mourning-robe and girded me with joy.”

“and it hearkened unto me, when I was constrained. 7. It guided me in the creation of the æons to lead me up into the thirteenth æon, my dwelling-place. 8. I will give thanks unto thee, O Light, that thou hast saved me, and for thy wondrous works unto the race of men.”

“13. But I have sung praises unto thee, O Light, and my repentance will reach unto thee | in the height. “14. Let thy light come upon me, “15. For they have taken my light, and I am in pain on account of the Light from the time when I was emanated. And when I had looked into the height to the Light, then I looked down below at the light-power in the chaos; I rose up and went down. “16. Thy commandment came upon me, and the terrors, which thou didst decree for me, have brought me into delusion. 17. And they have surrounded me, in numbers as water, they have laid hold on me together all my time. 18. And by thy commandment thou hast not suffered my fellow-emanations to help me, nor hast thou suffered my pair to save me out of my afflictions.”

“And that mystery knoweth why ruin hath arisen”

nor had he told them the regions of the three Amēns, in what regions they are expanded;

“And moreover those receivers lead that soul to the Virgin of Light”

“And when the disciples had heard this, they fell down, adored Jesus and said Blessed are we beyond all men, because thou hast revealed unto us these great wonders.” They continued, besought him and said: “We beseech thee, reveal unto us: What are then these ways?” And Mary drew nigh unto him, fell down, adored his feet and kissed his hands”

“and wherefor it hath come forth from the second Thrice-spiritual. And that mystery knoweth wherefor the third Thrice-spiritual--that is the first Thrice-spiritual from above--hath rent itself asunder”

And I shall rule over them all in the inheritances of the Light.

It came to pass then, when the First Mystery had finished saying these words unto his disciples,

“Jesus continued again in the discourse and said: Pistis Sophia again continued”

and were in great fear, saying: 'How hath the lord of the universe passed through us without our knowing?' |

“Say unto those who teach the doctrines of error and to every one who is instructed by them: Woe unto you, for, if ye do not repent and abandon your error, ye will go into the chastisements of the great dragon and of the outer darkness, which is exceedingly evil, and never will ye be cast [up] into the world, but will be non-existent until the end. |”

“--that is: The light was given unto them through the light-stream, which came forth out of thee, the First Mystery.” “And as thy power hath spoken: 'Blessed are the ministers of that draught,'--this is the word which thou hast spoken: 'Michaēl and Gabriēl, who have ministered, have brought the light-stream into the chaos and also led it forth again. They will give them the mysteries of the Light of the Height, they to whom the light-stream is entrusted.' And again as thy power hath spoken: 'They have refreshed parched lips,'--that is: Gabriēl and Michaēl”

but suffereth them not to bring him to the Light, until he accomplisheth the total citizenship of the light of that mystery, that is the purities of the renunciation of the world and also of the total matter therein. The Virgin of Light sealeth him with a higher seal, which is this [ . . .? ], and letteth him in that month in which he hath come out of the body of matter, light down into a body which will be righteous and find the godhead in truth and the higher mysteries, so that he may inherit them and inherit the Light eternal, which is the gift of the second mystery of the First Mystery of the Ineffable.

chōche eteōph memōch

And 'peace' again is the power which hath gone forth out of thee, so that it should enter into the emanations of Self-willed and take from them the lights which they have taken away from Pistis Sophia, that is, so that thou mayest gather them together into Pistis Sophia and make them at peace with her power.

“--whom Yew, the First Man, the overseer of the Light, the envoy of the First Commandment, hath established as watchers of the dragon, so that the dragon and the rulers of his dungeons which are in him, may not mutiny.”

and fashion it also into souls of reptiles and of cattle and of wild-beasts and of birds, according to the circle of the rulers of that sphere and according to all the configurations of its revolution,

“For this cause they knead it jointly, so that all may [par]take of the soul. And the five great rulers, if they portion it and make it into souls, bring it out of the sweat | of the rulers.”

and drag thee out from thy dwelling-place, and will root out thy root and cast it away from the living.

then know ye exactly, if then any come now unto you and proclaim unto you a godhead, whether their words have harmonized and fitted with all your words which I have spoken unto you through two up to three witnesses, and whether they have harmonized in the setting of the air and of the heavens and of the circuits and of the stars and of the light-givers and of the whole earth and all on it and of all waters and all in them.'

the judgment of those men is sorer than all the judgments, and it is exceedingly violent, even if those souls are new and it is their first time for coming into the world.

“It came to pass then, when they oppressed her, that she cried out in the same repentance, saying: 9. Have mercy upon me, O Light, for they have oppressed me again.”

“And it came to pass when the First Mystery had heard Martha speak these words, that he said: Well said, and finely, Martha.”

and the receivers will cast it into a body which will be righteous and find the mysteries of the Light, so that it will be good and goeth on high and inheriteth the Light-kingdom.

“9. When I failed of my power, thou hast given me power; and when I failed of my light, thou didst fill me with purified light. 10. I was in the darkness and in the shadow of the chaos, bound with the mighty fetters of the chaos, and no light was in me. 11. For I have provoked the commandment of the Light and have transgressed,”

“This then is the fifth repentance which Pistis Sophia hath uttered in the chaos, when all the material emanations of Self-willed had continued and oppressed her.”

“and I have made wroth the commandment of the Light, because I had gone out of my region. 12. And when I | had gone down, I failed of my light and became without light,”

“The third mystery of that Ineffable on the other hand,”

nor had he told them into what region the five Trees are expanded;

and that soul giveth the Virgin of Light the seals and the glory of the songs of praise.