The Pistis Sophia (selections)

CHAPTER 8.

Jesus continued again speaking and said: "Now it happened after this, through the command of the First Mystery, I looked down again upon the world of mankind, I found Mary, who is called my mother according to the material body. I spoke to her in the type of Gabriel , and when she turned to the height towards me, I cast into her the first power which I had received from the Barbelo, which is the body which I wore in the height. And in place of the soul, I cast into her the power which I received from the great Sabaoth, the Good , who is in the place of the right. And the twelve powers of the twelve saviours of the Treasury of the Light, which I received from the twelve servers which are in the Midst, I cast into the sphere of the archons. And the decans of the archons and their ministers thought that they were souls of the archons, and the ministers brought them, they bound them in the bodies of your mothers. And when your times were completed, they bore you into the world without there being souls of the archons in you. And you have received your parts from the power which the last helper (parastates) had breathed into the mixture, this (power) which is mixed with all the invisible ones and all the archons and all the aeons. In a word, it is mixed with the world of destruction, namely the mixture.

This (power) which, from the beginning, I brought out of myself, I cast into the first ordinance. And the first ordinance cast a part of it into the great light. And the great light cast a part of what it received into the five helpers (parastatai), and the last helper (parastates) took a part from what it received and cast it into the mixture. And (the part) has come to be in all who are in the mixture, as I have just said to you." Now Jesus was saying these things to his disciples upon the Mount of Olives. Jesus now continued again in the discourse with his disciples: "Rejoice and be glad , and add joy to your joy, because the times are completed that I should put on my garment which was prepared for me from the beginning, which I left behind in the last mystery until the time of its completion. But the time of its completion is the time when I am commanded by the First Mystery to speak to you from the beginning of the truth to its fulfillment, and from the innermost of the inner (to the outermost of the outer), because the world will be saved by you. Rejoice and be glad because you are blessed beyond all men upon earth, because it is you who will save the whole world.".

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Now when he had said these things to his disciples, he said to them : "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" .

Now it happened when Mariam heard these words as the Saviour was saying them, she stared for one hour into the air and said : "My Lord, command me that I speak openly".

Jesus, the compassionate, answered and said to Mariam : "Mariam, thou blessed one, whom I will complete in all the mysteries of the height, speak openly, thou art she whose heart is more directed to the Kingdom of Heaven than all thy brothers".

CHAPTER 18.

Then Mariam said to the Saviour: "My Lord, the word which thou hast spoken to us : 'Who has ears to hear, let him hear', thou sayest so that we may understand the word which thou hast spoken. Hear now, my Lord, for I will speak openly. The word which thou hast spoken: 'I have taken a third part of the power of the archons of all the aeons, and I have turned their Heimarmene and their sphere over which they rule, so that when the race of mankind call upon them in their mysteries - these which the transgressing angels have taught them for the completion of their evil and iniquitous deeds in the mystery of their magic - from this hour now they should not be able to complete their iniquitous deeds, because thou hast taken their power from them and from their astrologers and from their soothsayers and from those who tell men who are in the world all things which will happen, so that from this hour they will not understand anything which will happen so as to tell it. For thou hast turned their sphere, and thou hast made them spend six months turned to the left, completing their (periods of) influence, and six months looking to the right, completing their (periods of) influence.' Now concerning this word, my Lord, the power within the prophet Isaiah has spoken thus and has related once in a spiritual parable, speaking about the vision of Egypt : 'Where now Egypt, where are thy soothsayers and thy astrologers, and those who call from the earth, and those who call from their bellies? Let them now tell thee, from this hour, the things which the Lord Sabaoth will do.' Now before thou didst come, the power within Isaiah, the prophet, prophesied concerning thee, that thou wouldst take away the power of the archons of the aeons, and that thou wouldst turn their sphere and their Heimarmene, so that from this hour they would know nothing. Concerning this also it has said : 'You will not know what the Lord Sabaoth will do'. That is, none of the archons will know what things thou wilt do from this hour. They (the archons) are Egypt, because they are matter. The power within Isaiah has once prophesied about thee saying : 'You will not know from this hour what the Lord Sabaoth will do' Concerning the power of light which thou hast taken from Sabaoth the Good, who is in the place of the right, and which today is in thy material body, concerning this now, thou hast said to us, my Lord Jesus: 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear, so that thou shouldst know whose heart is directed towards the Kingdom of Heaven.".

CHAPTER 19.

Now it happened when Maria finished saying these words, he said : "Excellent, Maria. Thou art blessed beyond all women upon earth, because thou shalt be the pleroma of all Pleromas and the completion of all completions." But when Maria heard the Saviour saying these words, she rejoiced greatly and she came before Jesus, she prostrated herself in his presence, she worshipped at his feet, she said to him : "My Lord, hear me that I question thee on this word before thou speakest with us of the places to which thou hast gone".

Jesus answered and said to Mariam : "Speak openly and do not fear. I will reveal all things which thou seekest".

CHAPTER 20.

She said : "My Lord, all men who know the mystery of the magic of all the archons of all the aeons, and the magic of the archons of the Heimarmene and those of the sphere, as the transgressing angels have taught them, when they call upon them in their mysteries, that is their evil magic to prevent good things: will they, from this hour, fulfill them or not?" Then Jesus answered and said to Maria : "They will not fulfill them in the manner in which they fulfilled them from the beginning, because I have taken a third part of their power. But they will borrow from those who know the mysteries of the magic of the third aeon. And when they call upon the mysteries of the magic of those who are in the third aeon, they will fulfill them well and certainly because I have not taken power from that place, according to the command of the First Mystery".

CHAPTER 21.

It happened, however, when Jesus finished speaking these words, Maria answered again and said : "My Lord, will the astrologers and the soothsayers not tell men, from this hour, what will happen?" Jesus answered, however, and said to Maria : "When the astrologers find the Heimarmene and the sphere turned to the left, according to their first distribution, then their words concur and they will say what is due to happen. But when they meet the Heimarmene or the sphere turned to the right, they do not speak anything of the truth, because I have turned their (periods of) influence and their quadrangles and their triangles and their figures of eight , since their (periods of) influence remained turned to the left from the beginning, together with their quadrangles and their triangles and their figures of eight. However, I have now caused them to spend six months turned to the left, and six months turned to the right. He who now will find their reckoning from the time when I turned them, placing them to spend six months looking to their left hand parts, and six months looking to their right hand paths, and who will now consult them in this way, will know their (periods of) influence with certainty, and he will predict all things that they will do.

Likewise also the soothsayers, when they call upon the name of the archons, and they meet them looking to the left, everything concerning which they will seek of their decans, they will tell them with certainty. However, when their soothsayers call upon their names as they are looking to the right, they will not hear them, because they look in another form than their first ordinance in which Jeu established them, since their names are other when they are turned to the left than when they are turned to the right. And when they call upon them as they are turned to the right, they will not speak the truth to them, but in confusion they will confuse them, and with threats they will threaten them.

Those now who do not know their paths as they are turned to the right, with their triangles and their quadrangles and all their figures, they will find nothing of truth, but they will be confused in great confusion, and they will be in great error, and they will be deluded in great delusion, because the works which they did in the time when they were turned to the left in their quadrangles, in their triangles and in their figures of eight, these in which they continued as they were turned to the left, I have now turned. And I have caused them to spend six months making all their patterns turned to the right, so that they should be confused in confusion in their whole circuit. And furthermore I have caused them to spend six months turned to the left, doing the works of their (periods of) influence and all their patterns, so that the archons which are in the aeons and in their spheres and in their heavens and in all their places should be confused in confusion, and should wander in error, so that they should not understand their own paths".

CHAPTER 22.

It happened when Jesus finished saying these words, Philip sat writing every word as Jesus said them. Now after this it happened that Philip came forward, he prostrated himself and worshipped at the feet of Jesus, saying : "My Lord, Saviour, give me authority that I speak in thy presence and that I question thee on this discourse before thou speakest with us of the places to which thou hast gone for the sake of thy service".

The compassionate Saviour answered, he said to Philip : "The authority is given to thee to deliver the discourse which thou dost wish".

Then Philip answered and spoke to Jesus: "My Lord, for the sake of what mystery hast thou turned the bondage of the archons and their aeons and their Heimarmene and their sphere and all their places, and in confusion hast thou caused them to be confused in their paths, and to wander in their course? Hast thou now done this for the sake of the salvation of the world or not?".

CHAPTER 23.

Jesus answered, however, and said to Philip and all the disciples together : "I have turned their paths for the salvation of all souls. Truly, truly, I say to you : unless I had turned their paths a multitude of souls would have been destroyed. And they would have spent a long period if the archons of the aeons and the archons of the Heimarmene and the sphere and all their places and all their heavens and all their aeons were not dissolved. And the souls would have spent a great (period of) time outside. And there would have been delay in the completion of the number of perfect souls, which will be accounted among the inheritance of the height, through the mysteries, and will be in the Treasury of Light. Because of this, I have turned their paths so that they are confused and agitated, and give up the power which is in the matter of their world, which they make into souls, so that those that will be saved with all the power are purified quickly and ascend, and those who will not be saved are quickly dissolved".

CHAPTER 24.

It happened now when Jesus finished speaking these words to his disciples, Maria, the beautiful in her speech, came forward. The blessed one prostrated herself at the feet of Jesus and said : "My Lord, suffer me that I speak in thy presence, and be not angry with me because I trouble thee many times, questioning thee". The Saviour answered compassionately, he said to Maria: "Speak the discourse which thou dost wish, and I will reveal it to thee openly"" Maria answered and said to Jesus : "'My Lord, in what manner would the souls be delayed outside or in what form will they be quickly purified?" .

CHAPTER 25.

However Jesus answered and said to Maria : "Excellent, Maria. Thou dost ask well with an excellent question and thou dost seek everything with certainty and with accuracy. Now indeed I will not conceal anything from you from this hour, but I will reveal everything to you with certainty and openly. Hear now, Maria, and give ear, all you disciples.

Before I preached to all the archons of the aeons, and all the archons of the Heimarmene and the sphere, they were all bound with their bonds, in their spheres and their seals, according to the manner in which Jeu, the Overseer of the Light, had bound them from the beginning. And each one of them was continuing in his rank and each one was proceeding according to his course, according to the manner in which Jeu, the Overseer of the Light, had settled it. And when the time came of the number of Melchizedek, the great Paralemptor of Light, he came to the midst of the aeons, and to all the archons which were bound in the sphere and in the Heimarmene, and he took away what is purified of the light from all the archons of the aeons, and from all the archons of the Heimarmene, and from those of the sphere, for he took away that which agitated them.

And he moved the hastener that is over them and made their cycles turn quickly, and he (Melchizedek) took away their power which was in them, and the breath of their mouths, and the tears of their eyes, and the sweat of their bodies. And Melchizedek, the Paralemptor of the Light, purified those powers, he carried their light to the Treasury of the Light. And all their matter was gathered together by the ministers of all the archons. And the ministers of all the archons of the Heimarmene and the ministers of the sphere which are below the aeons took them (the matter) and made them into souls of men and cattle and reptiles and beasts and birds. And they sent them to this world of mankind.

And furthermore the paralemptors of the sun and the paralemptors of the moon when they looked up and they saw the patterns of the paths of the aeons, and the patterns of the Heimarmene and those of the sphere, they took the light-power from them. And the paralemptors of the sun prepared to lay it down until they gave it to the paralemptor of Melchizedek, the purifier of the light. And their material dregs they brought to the sphere which is below the aeons, and they made it into the souls of men and they also made it into (souls of) reptiles and cattle and beasts and birds, according to the cycle of the archons of that sphere, and according to all the patterns of its revolution. And they cast them into this world of mankind, and they became souls in that place, according to what I have just told you.

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CHAPTER 33.

Now it happened, as Jesus said these words to his disciples, he said to them : "This is the song of praise which the Pistis Sophia spoke in the first repentance, as she repented for her sin. And she spoke of all the things which had happened to her. Now at this time, he who has ears to hear, let him hear ." Maria came forward again and said : "My Lord, there are ears to my man of light , and I hear in my light-power, and thy Spirit, which is with me, has made me sober. Hear now, that I may speak concerning the repentance which the Pistis Sophia said, as she spoke of her sin, and all the things which had happened to her. Thy light-power once prophesied about it through David, the prophet, in the 68th Psalm :

1. 'Save me, O God, for the waters have come in to my soul.

2. I have sunk or been immersed by the mire of the abyss, and there was no power. I came to the depths of the sea ; a storm wind overwhelmed me.

3. I have suffered as I cried out. My throat has gone. My eyes have failed as I waited upon God.

4. Those who hate me without cause have become more numerous than the hairs of my head. My enemies that persecute me with violence have become strong. They deprived me of those things which I did not steal.

5. O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hidden from thee.

6. Let not them that wait on thee be ashamed on my account, O Lord, Lord of the powers. Let not those that seek thee be put to shame on my account, O Lord, God of Israel, God of the powers.

7. For I have borne disgrace on thy account; shame has covered my face.

8. I have become a stranger to my brothers, a stranger to the sons of my mother.

9. For the zeal of thy house has eaten me up. The reproaches of those who reproach thee have fallen upon me.

10. I bowed down my soul with fasting; it became a reproach to me.

11. I put sackcloth upon myself; I became a proverb to them.

12. They that sat in the gates talked against me ; and they that drink wine sang against me.

13. But I was praying in my soul to thee, O Lord ; it is the time of thy pleasure, O God ; in the magnitude of thy mercy, hear truly for my salvation.

14. Save me from this mire, that I do not sink in it. Let me be saved from those that hate me and from the depths of the waters.

15. Let not the water flood immerse me. Let not the abyss swallow me up ; let not a pit close its mouth over me.

16. Hear me, O Lord, for beneficent is thy mercy; according to the magnitude of thy compassion look down upon me.

17. Turn not away thy face from thy servant, for I am afflicted.

18. Hear me quickly; give heed to my soul and save it.

19. Save me on account of my enemies; for thou knowest my reproach and my shame and my infamy. All that afflict me are before thee.

20. My heart has looked for reproach and wretchedness ; I have looked for one to be sorrowful with me, I did not find him ; and for one to comfort me, I did not meet him.

21. They gave me gall for my food; they made me drink vinegar for my thirst.

22. Let their table become a snare in their presence; and a stumbling block and a retribution and a disgrace. 23. Do thou bend their backs at all times.

24. Pour out upon them thy wrath, and let the fury of thy wrath take hold of them.

25. Let their dwelling-place be made desolate and let there be no inhabitant in their dwelling-places.

26. For they have persecuted him whom thou hast smitten ; they have added to the pain of their blow .

27. They have added iniquity to their iniquities; let them not come into thy righteousness.

28. Let them be effaced from the book of the living, and let them not be written with the righteous.

29. I am a poor man and also a sorrowful one; the salvation of thy face, O God, is that which has accepted me.

30. I will bless the name of God in song, and raise him up in blessing.

31. It will please God more than a young bull which carries horns and hoofs.

32. Let the poor see and rejoice ; seek God that your souls may live.

33. For the Lord has heard the poor and he has not despised those in fetters .

34. Let the heavens and the earth bless the Lord, the sea and all that are within it. 35. For God will save Zion ; and the cities of Judaea will be built, and (men) will dwell there and inherit it.

36. The seed of his servants will take possession of it, and they that love his name will dwell in it'." .

CHAPTER 34.

Now it happened when Mariam finished saying these words to Jesus in the midst of the disciples, she said to him ; "My Lord, this is the interpretation of the mystery of the repentance of the Pistis Sophia".

It happened now when Jesus heard Mariam saying these words, he said to her : "Excellent, Mariam, thou blessed one, thou Pleroma or thou all-blessed Pleroma, who will be blessed among all generations" .

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CHAPTER 60 Jesus however continued with the discourse. He said to his disciples : '"lt happened when the Pistis Sophia said the thirteenth repentance, moreover at that hour the ordinance was completed of all the afflictions which had been ordained for the Pistis Sophia, because of the completion of the First Mystery , which had been since the beginning. And the time came that she should be saved from the Chaos and brought forth from all the darknesses. For her repentance was received by the First Mystery'. And that Mystery sent me a great light-power from the height, so that I should help the Pistis Sophia and bring her up from the Chaos. But I looked to the aeons of the height , I saw the light-power which the First Mystery had sent to me so that I should save the Sophia from the Chaos. Now it happened, when I saw it coming forth from the aeons and it hastened towards me -- but I was above the Chaos - another light-power also came forth from me, in order to help the Pistis Sophia. And the light-power which came forth from the height through the First Mystery came down upon the light-power which came forth from me. And they met one another and became a great outpouring of light." Now when Jesus had said these things to his disciples he said: "Do you understand the manner in which I am speaking with you?" Mariam sprang up, she said : "My Lord, I understand what thou dost say. Concerning the interpretation of these words, thy light-power once prophesied through David in the 84th Psalm, saying : 10. 'Mercy and truth have met one another, and righteousness and peace have kissed one another.

11. Truth has sprouted from the earth and righteousness has looked forth from heaven.' Now mercy is the light-power which came forth through the First Mystery, for the First Mystery, heard the Pistis Sophia, and had mercy on her in all her afflictions. Truth, on the other hand, is the power which came forth from thee, because thou didst fulfill the truth that thou shouldst save her (the Pistis Sophia) from the Chaos. And furthermore, righteousness is the power which came forth through the First Mystery, which will guide the Pistis Sophia. And again peace is the power which came forth from thee, because it will go into the emanations of the Authades and take away from them the lights which they took from the Pistis Sophia; that is, thou dost gather them within the Sophia and dost make them to be at peace with her power.

Truth, on the other hand, is the power which came forth from thee when thou wast in the lower places of the Chaos.

Concerning this, thy power spoke through David thus: 'Truth has sprouted from the earth', because thou wast in the lower places of the Chaos. Righteousness, on the other hand, which looked forth from heaven, is the power which came forth from the height, through the First Mystery, and which entered into the Sophia.".

CHAPTER 61.

Now it happened when Jesus heard these words, he said: "Excellent, Mariam, thou blessed one who wilt inherit the whole Kingdom of the Light." After these things Mary, the mother of Jesus, also came forward and said: "My Lord and my Saviour, command me also that I answer this discourse." Jesus said: "I will not prevent him whose spirit has become understanding, but I urge him the more to speak the thought which has moved him. Now at this time, Mary, my mother according to the matter, to whom I was entrusted, I command thee that thou also sayest the thought of the discourse." Mary answered, however, and said : "My Lord, concerning the word which thy power prophesied through David : 10. 'Mercy and truth have met one another; righteousness and peace have kissed one another.

11. Truth has sprouted from the earth and righteousness has looked forth from heaven.' Thy power once prophesied in these words about thee.

When thou wast small, before the Spirit came upon thee, while thou wast in a vineyard with Joseph, the Spirit came forth from the height ø, he came to me into my house, he resembled thee. And I did not recognize him and I thought that he was thou. And the Spirit said to me : 'Where is Jesus, my brother, that I meet him ?' And when he said these things to me, I was confused and I thought that he was a phantom to tempt me. But I took him, I bound him to the leg of the bed in my house, until I came out to you in the field, thou and Joseph, and I found you in the vineyard, as Joseph was hedging the vineyard with reeds. Now it happened, when thou didst hear me speaking the word to Joseph, thou didst understand the word and thou didst rejoice. And thou didst say : 'Where is he that I may see him? Or else I await him in this place'. But it happened when Joseph heard thee saying these words, he was agitated and we came up at the same time, we went into the house. We found the Spirit bound to the bed. And we looked at thee with him, we found thee like him. And he that was bound to the bed was released, he embraced thee, he kissed thee. And thou also, thou didst kiss him and you became one.

This now is the discourse and its interpretation. Mercy is the Spirit which came forth from the height, through the First Mystery, because he (the First Mystery) had mercy on the race of men. He sent his Spirit that it should forgive the sins of the whole world so that they (men) should receive mysteries and inherit the Kingdom of the Light. Truth, on the other hand, is the power which was entrusted to me; when it came forth from the Barbelo, it became for thee a material body. And it preached about the place of the truth . Righteousness is thy Spirit which has brought the mysteries forth from the height, to give them to the race of mankind. Peace, on the other hand, is the power which was entrusted to thy material body ,, according to the world, which baptised the race of mankind until they became strangers to sin. And it made them to be at peace with thy Spirit, and they came to be at peace with the emanations of the light. That is, righteousness and peace have kissed one another. And as it was said : 'Truth has sprouted from the earth': truth however is thy material body , which sprouted from me, according to the earth of mankind, and which has preached about the place of the truth. And also as it was said: 'Righteousness (looked forth) from heaven': righteousness is the power which looked forth from the height, which will give the mysteries of the light to the race of mankind. And they will become righteous and good and inherit the Kingdom of the Light." Now it happened when Jesus heard these words which Mary his mother said, he said : "Excellent, well done, Mary. ".

CHAPTER 62.

The other Mary came forward and said : "My Lord, suffer me and be not angry with me, for since the time that thy mother spoke with thee concerning the interpretation of these words, my power has agitated me that I should come forward and also say the interpretation of these words. " Jesus said to her : "I command thee to say their interpretation." Maria said : "My Lord : 'Mercy and truth have met one another'. Now mercy is the Spirit which came down upon thee when thou didst receive baptism from John . Now mercy is the Spirit of Godhood which came forth upon thee, which had mercy upon the race of mankind. It came down, it met the power of Sabaoth the Good which is within thee and which has preached on the places of the truth. But it is said furthermore : 'Righteousness and peace have kissed one another. Now righteousness is the Spirit of the light, which came down upon thee, bringing the mysteries of the height in order to give them to the race of mankind. Peace, on the other hand, is the power of Sabaoth the Good which is within thee. It is this which baptised and forgave the race of mankind and made them to be at peace with the Sons of the Light . And furthermore, as thy power has said through David : 'Truth has sprouted from the earth' : that is, the power of Sabaoth the Good, [as it said : 'It sprouted from the earth'] it is this which sprouted from Mary thy mother, the earth-dweller . On the other hand, righteousness which looked forth from heaven ~ is the Spirit which is in the height, which has brought forth all the mysteries from the height. It gave them to the race of mankind, and they became righteous and good and they inherited the Kingdom of the Light." It happened however when Jesus finished hearing these words which Mariam spoke, he said; "Excellent, Mariam, thou inheritor of the light." Mary, the mother of Jesus, came forward again. She prostrated herself at his feet, she kissed them, and she said : "My Lord and my Son and my Saviour, be not angry with me, but forgive me that I say the interpretation of these words a second time: 'Mercy and truth have met one another'. I am Mary thy mother, and Elisabeth, the mother of John whom I met . Now mercy is the power in me of the Sabaoth which came forth from me , which is thou.

Thou hast had mercy on the whole race of mankind. On the other hand, truth is the power which was in Elisabeth, which is John who came and preached on the true way, which is thou, before whom he preached. And furthermore: 'Mercy and truth have met one another' : that is thou, my Lord, who didst meet John on the day when thou didst receive baptism . But furthermore, thou and John are righteousness and peace, which kissed one another.

'Truth has sprouted from the earth and righteousness has looked forth from heaven': that is the time when thou didst do service to thyself. Thou didst take the type of Gabriel, thou didst look down upon me from heaven , thou didst speak with me; and when thou didst speak with me thou didst sprout from me . That is, the truth which is the power of Sabaoth the Good which is in thy material body - that is the truth which sprouted from the earth. " Now it happened when Jesus heard these words which Mary, his mother, spoke, he said : "Excellent and well done.

This is the interpretation of all the words about which my light-power once prophesied through David the prophet.

These, however, are the names which I will give from the endless one. Write them with a sign so that the sons of God will be manifest from here. This is the name of the immortal one : []; and this is the name of the voice by which the perfect man is moved : [] But these are the interpretations of the names of these mysteries : the first name which is uuu, its interpretation is []; the second which is ppp, its interpretation is []; the third which is [], its interpretation is ooo, the fourth which is [], its interpretation is vvv, the fifth which is ôôô, its interpretation is aaa. That which is on the throne is uuu; this is the interpretation of the second : aaaa,aaaa,aaaa ; this is the interpretation of the whole name .

End of the First Book of Pistis Sophia

Complete text at http://gnosis.org/library/psoph1.htm