pistis.sophia_book_1_part8 Chapter 1

I shall not be afraid; and the Light is my deliverer and I shall not fear.'

“Now, therefore, let him whose power is exalted, speak the solution of the words which Pistis Sophia hath uttered.”

And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished speaking these words unto his disciples,

“that Salome came forward and said: My Lord, my power constraineth me to speak the solution of the words which Pistis Sophia hath uttered.”

“Thy power hath prophesied aforetime through Solomon, saying: 1. I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, for thou art my God.”

“2. Abandon me not, O Lord, for thou art! my hope. “3. Thou hast given me thy vindication for naught, and I am saved through thee. 4. Let them who pursue me, fall down and let them not see me. 5. May a smoke-cloud cover their eyes and an air-mist darken them, and let them not see the day, so that they may not seize me.”

“6. May their resolution be impotent, and may what they concoct come upon them. “7. They have devised a resolution, and it hath not taken effect for them. 8. And they are vanquished, although they be mighty, and what they have wickedly prepared is fallen upon them. 9. My hope is in the Lord,”

“and I shall not be afraid, for thou art my God, my Saviour.'” It came to pass then, when Salome had finished saying these words,”

“that Jesus said unto her: Well said, | Salome; and finely. This is the solution of the words which Pistis Sophia hath uttered.”

“And Jesus continued again in the discourse and said unto his disciples: It came to pass then, when Pistis Sophia had finished saying these words in the chaos,”

that I made the light-power, which I had sent to save her, become a light-wreath on her head, so that from now on the emanations of Self-willed could not have dominion over her. And when it had become a light-wreath round her head, all the evil matters in her were shaken and all were purified in her.

“They perished and remained in the chaos, while the emanations of Self-willed gazed upon them and rejoiced. And the purification of the pure light which was in Pistis Sophia, gave power to the light of my light-power, which had become a wreath round her head. It came to pass then moreover, when it surrounded the pure light in Sophia, and her pure light did not depart from the wreath of the power of the light-flame, so that the emanations of Self-willed should not rob it from it,”

–when then this befell her,

the pure light-power in Sophia began to sing praises.

“And she praised my light-power, which was a wreath round her head, and she sang praises, saying: 1. The Light hath become a wreath round my head; and I shall not depart from it, so that the emanations of Self-willed may not rob it from me. 2. And though all the matters be shaken, |”

“yet shall I not be shaken. 3. And though all my matters perish and remain in the chaos,–those which the emanations of Self-willed see,–yet shall I not perish. 4. For the Light is with me, and I myself am with the Light.”

“These words then Pistis Sophia uttered.”

“Now, therefore, let him who understandeth the thought of these words, come forward and proclaim their solution.” Then Mary, the mother of Jesus, came forward and said: “My son according to the world, my God and Saviour according to the height, bid me proclaim the solution of the words which Pistis Sophia hath uttered.”

“And Jesus answered and said: Thou also, Mary, hast received form which is in Barbēlō, according to matter, and hast received likeness which is in the Virgin of Light, according to light, thou and the other Mary, the blessed one; and on thy account the darkness hath arisen, and moreover out of thee did come forth the material body in which I am, which I have purified and refined,–now, therefore, I bid thee proclaim the solution of the words which Pistis Sophia hath uttered.”

“And Mary, the mother of Jesus, answered and said: My Lord,”

“thy light-power hath prophesied aforetime concerning these words through Solomon in the nineteenth Ode and said: “1. The Lord is on my head as a wreath, and I shall not depart from him. “2. The wreath in truth |117. is woven for me; and it hath caused thy twigs to sprout in me. 3. For it is not like unto a wreath withered that sprouteth not. But thou art alive on my head and thou hast sprouted upon me. 4. Thy fruits are full and perfect, filled with thy salvation.”

It came to pass then, when Jesus had heard his mother Mary say these words,

“that he said unto her: Well said, finely. Amēn, amēn, I say unto thee: They shall proclaim thee blessed from one end of the earth to the other; for the pledge of the First Mystery hath taken up its abode with thee, and through that pledge shall all from the earth and all from the height be saved, and that pledge is the beginning and the end.”

“And Jesus continued again in the discourse and said unto his disciples: It came to pass when Pistis Sophia had uttered the thirteenth repentance,”

–in that hour was fulfilled the commandment of all the tribulations which were de-creed for Pistis Sophia for the fulfilment of the First Mystery, which was from the beginning,

and the time had come to save her out of the chaos and lead her out from all the darknesses.

For her repentance was accepted from her through the First Mystery;

“and that mystery sent me a great light-power out of the height, that I might help Pistis Sophia | and lead her up out of the chaos. So I looked towards the æons into the height and saw that light-power which the First Mystery had sent me, that I might save Pistis Sophia out of the chaos. It came to pass, therefore, when I had seen it, coming forth from the æons and hastening down to me,–I was above the chaos,–that another light-power went forth out of me, that it too might help Pistis Sophia. And the light-power which had come from the height through the First Mystery, came down upon the light-power which had gone out of me; and they met together and became a great stream of light.”

When then Jesus had said this unto his disciples,

“he said: Understand ye in what manner I discourse with you?” Mary started forward again and said: “My Lord, I understand what thou sayest. Concerning the solution of this word thy light-power hath prophesied aforetime through David in the eighty-fourth Psalm, saying: 10. Grace and truth met together, and righteousness and peace kissed each other. 11. Truth sprouted forth out of the earth, and righteousness looked down from heaven.”

“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.”

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.

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

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.

Truth' on the other hand is the power which went forth out of thee, when thou wast in the lower regions of the chaos. For this cause thy power hath said through David 'Truth sprouted out of the earth,' because thou wert in the lower regions of the chaos. 'Righteousness' on the other hand which hath 'looked down from heaven,'

“–it is the power which hath come down from the height through the First Mystery and hath entered into Pistis Sophia.”

It came to pass then, when Jesus had heard these words,

“that he said: Well said, Mary, blessed one, who shalt inherit the whole Light-kingdom.”

“Thereon Mary, the mother of Jesus, also came forward and said: My Lord and my Saviour, give commandment unto me also that I repeat this word.” Jesus said: “Whose spirit is understanding,”

“him I do not prevent, but I urge him on still more to speak the thought which hath moved him. | Now, therefore, Mary, my mother according to matter, thou in whom I have sojourned, I bid thee that thou also speak the thought of the discourse.”

“And Mary answered and said: My Lord, concerning the word which thy power hath prophesied through David: 'Grace and truth met together,”

“righteousness and peace kissed each other. Truth sprouted forth out of the earth, and righteousness looked down from heaven,'–thus hath thy power prophesied this word aforetime about thee. When thou wert little, before the spirit had come upon thee, whilst thou wert in a vineyard with Joseph,”

the spirit came out of the height

and came to me in my house, like unto thee; and I had not known him, but I thought that thou wast he. And the spirit said unto me: Where is Jesus, my brother, that I meet with him?' And when he had said this unto me,

I was at a loss and thought it was a phantom to try me. So I seized him and bound him to the foot of the bed in my house, until I went forth to you,

to thee and Joseph in the field, and I found you on the vineyard, Joseph propping up the vineyard. It came to pass, therefore, when thou didst hear me speak the word unto Joseph, that thou didst understand the word, wert joyful and saidest: 'Where is he, that I may see him; else I await him in this place.' And it came to pass, when Joseph had heard thee say these words, that he was startled. And we went down | together, entered the house and found the spirit bound to the bed. And we looked on thee and him and found thee like unto him. And he who was bound to the bed was unloosed; he took thee in his arms and kissed thee, and thou also didst kiss him. Ye became one.

“This then is the word and its solution.”

Grace' is the spirit which hath come down out of the height through the First Mystery, for it hath had mercy on the race of men and sent its spirit that he should forgive the sins of the whole world, and they should receive the mysteries and inherit the Light-kingdom.

Truth' on the other hand is the power which hath sojourned with me. When it had come forth out of Barbēlō, it became material body for thee, and hath made proclamation concerning the region of Truth.

Righteousness' is thy spirit, who hath brought the mysteries out of the height to give them to the race of men.

Peace' on the other hand is the power which hath sojourned in thy material body according to the world, which hath baptized the race of men, until it should make it stranger unto sin and make it at peace with thy spirit, so that they may be at peace with the emanations of the Light; that is, 'Grace and truth kissed each other.' As it saith: 'Truth sprouted forth out of the earth,'

–'truth' is thy material body | which sprouted forth out of me according to the world of men, and hath made proclamation concerning the region of Truth. And again as it saith: 'Righteousness [looked down] from heaven'

“righteousness' is the power which looked out of the height, which will give the mysteries of the Light to the race of men, so that they will become righteous and good, and inherit the Light-kingdom.”

It came to pass then, when Jesus had heard these words which his mother Mary spake,

“that he said: Well said, finely, Mary.”

“The other Mary came forward and said: My Lord, bear with me and be not wroth with me. Yea, from the moment when thy mother spake with thee concerning the solution of these words, my power disquieted me to come forward and like-wise to speak the solution of these words.”

“Jesus said unto her: I bid thee speak their solution.”

“Mary said: My Lord, 'Grace and truth met together,”

–'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 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

“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.”

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

“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,”

be not wroth with me, but pardon me, that I may once more speak the solution of these words. 'Grace and truth met together,'–it is I, Mary, thy mother, and Elizabeth, mother of John, whom I have met. |

Grace' then is the power of Sabaōth in me,

which went forth out of me, which thou art. Thou hast had mercy on the whole race of men.

Truth' on the other hand is the power in Elizabeth, which is John, who did come and hath made proclamation concerning the way of Truth, which thou art,–who hath made proclamation before thee. And again, 'Grace and truth met together,'–that is thou, my Lord, thou who didst meet John on the day when thou hadst to receive the baptism.

And again thou and John are 'Righteousness and peace kissed each other.'–'Truth hath sprouted forth out of the earth,

and righteousness looked down from heaven,'–this is, during the time when thou didst minister unto thyself,

thou didst have the form of Gabriēl,

“thou didst look down upon me from heaven and speak with me. And when thou hadst spoken with me, thou didst sprout up in me,–that is the 'truth,' that is the power of Sabaōth, the Good, which is in thy material body, that is the 'truth' which 'sprouted up out of the earth.”

“It came to pass then, when Jesus had heard his mother Mary speak these words, that he said: Well said, and finely.”

“This is the solution of all the words concerning which my light-power hath prophesied aforetime through the prophet David.”

​| (Now these are the names which I will give from the Boundless onward. Write them with a sign, that the Sons of God may be revealed from here on.

This is the name of the Immortal: aaa, ōōō; and this is the name of the Voice, for the sake of which the Perfect Man hath set himself in motion: iii. And these are the interpretations of the names of these mysteries: the first [name], which is aaa, its interpretation is fff;

the second, which is mmm or ōōō, its interpretation is aaa; the third, which is ps ps ps,

its interpretation is ooo; the fourth, which is fff, its interpretation is nnn; the fifth, which is ddd, its interpretation is aaa. He on the throne is aaa. This is the interpretation of the second: aaaa, aaaa, aaaa; this is the interpretation of the whole name.)