pistis.sophia_book_3_part2 Chapter 1

“And when the Saviour had said this, John continued again and said: My Lord, bear with me, if I question thee,”

“and be not wroth with me, for I question concerning all things with surety and certainty for knowledge of the manner, how we are to herald it to the men of the world.”

“And the Saviour answered and said unto John: Question concerning all things on which thou questionest, and I will reveal them unto thee, face to face | in openness without similitude, or with surety.”

“And John answered and said: My Lord, if we go forth and herald it and come into a city or a village, and if the men of that city come forth to meet us without our knowing who they are,”

and if they receive us unto themselves in great deceit and great play-acting and bring us into their house, desiring to make trial of the mysteries of the Light-kingdom, and if they play-act with us in submission and we suppose that they long after God, and we give them the mysteries of the Light-kingdom,

“and if we thereafter know that they have not done what is worthy of the mystery, and we know that they have play-acted with us, and have been deceitful against us and that they have also made a show of the mysteries region by region, making trial of us and also of our mysteries,–what is then the thing which will befall such?”

“And the Saviour answered and said unto John: If ye come into a city or a village, where ye enter into the house and they receive you unto themselves, give them a mystery.”

If they are worthy, ye will win their souls and they will inherit the Light-kingdom;

but if they are not worthy but are deceitful against you, and if they also make a show of the mysteries, making trial of you and also of the mysteries, then invoke | the first mystery of the First Mystery which hath mercy on every one,

and say: Thou Mystery, which we have given unto these impious and iniquitous souls who have not done what is worthy of thy mystery but have made a show of us, turn back [then] the mystery unto us and make them for ever strangers to the mystery of thy kingdom.

And shake ye off the dust of your feet as a witness against them, saying: May your souls be as the dust of your house.

And amēn, I say unto you: In that hour all the mysteries which ye have given unto them, will return unto you, and all the words and all the mysteries of the region up to which they have received figures, will be taken from them.

“Concerning such men, therefore, have I aforetime spoken unto you in similitude, saying: 'Where ye enter into a house and are received,”

say unto them: Peace be with you.

And if they are worthy, let your peace come upon them;

and if they are not worthy, let your peace return unto you,'–that is: If those men do what is worthy of the mysteries and in truth long after God, give them the mysteries of the Light-kingdom;

but if they play-act with you and are deceitful against you, without your having known it, | and if ye give them the mysteries of the Light-kingdom,

and again thereafter they make a show of the mysteries and they make also trial of you and also of the mysteries,

“then perform the first mystery of the First Mystery, and it will turn back unto you all the mysteries which ye have given unto them, and it will make them strangers to the mysteries of the Light for ever. And such men will not be led back to the world from this moment onwards;”

but amēn, I say unto you: Their dwelling is in the midst of the jaws of the dragon of the outer darkness.

“And if they still at a time of repentance renounce the whole world and the whole matter therein and all the sins of the world, and they are in entire submission to the mysteries of the Light, no mystery can hearken unto them nor forgive their sins, save this same mystery of the Ineffable, which hath mercy on every one and forgiveth every one his sins.”

It came to pass, when Jesus had finished saying these words unto his disciples, that Mary adored the feet of Jesus and kissed them.

“Mary said: My Lord, bear with me, if I question thee, and be not wroth with me.”

“The Saviour answered and said unto Mary: Question concerning what thou desirest to question, and I will reveal it | unto thee in openness.”

“And Mary answered and said: My Lord, suppose a good and excellent brother whom we have filled with all the mysteries of the Light,”

and that brother hath a brother or kinsman, in a word he hath in general [any] man, and this [man] is a sinner and impious or better he is no sinner, and such an one hath gone out of the body, and the heart of the good brother is grieved and mourneth over him, that he is in judgments and chastisements,

“–now, therefore, my Lord, what are we to do to remove him out of the chastisements and harsh judgments?”

“And the Saviour answered and said unto Mary: Concerning this word, therefore, I have already spoken unto you at another time, but hearken that I may say it again, so that ye may be perfected in all mysteries and be called 'the perfected in every fulness.”

“Now, therefore, all men, sinners or better who are no sinners,”

not only if ye desire that they be taken out of the judgments and violent chastisements, but that they be removed into a righteous body which will find the mysteries of the godhead, so that it goeth on high and inheriteth the Light-kingdom,

–then perform the third mystery of the Ineffable | and say: Carry ye the soul of this and this man of whom we think in our hearts, carry him out of all the chastisements of the rulers and haste ye quickly to lead him before the Virgin of Light; and in every month let the Virgin of Light seal him with a higher seal, and in every month let the Virgin of Light cast him into a body which will be righteous and good, so that it goeth on high and inheriteth the Light-kingdom.

“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.”

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

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.

“Lo, this is it on which ye question me.”

“And Mary answered and said: Now, therefore, my Lord, hast thou then not brought mysteries into the world that man | may not die through the death which is appointed him by the rulers of the Fate,–be it that it is appointed one to die by the sword or die by the waters or through tortures and torturings and acts of violence which are in the law, or through any other evil death,”

hast thou then not brought mysteries into the world that man may not die with them through the rulers of the Fate, but that he may die by a sudden death, so that he endure no sufferings through such kinds of death?

“For they are exceedingly numerous who persecute us because of thee, and numerous those who persecute us because of thy name, in order that, if they torture us, we may speak the mystery and straightway go out of the body without having endured any sufferings at all.”

“The Saviour answered and said unto all his disciples: Concerning this word on which ye question me, I have spoken unto you at another time; but hearken again that I may say it unto you anew:”

Not only ye, but every man who will accomplish that first mystery of the First Mystery of the Ineffable,

–he who, therefore, shall perform that mystery and accomplish it in all its figures and all its types and all its stations, in performing it, he will not come out of the body; but after he hath accomplished that mystery in all its figures | and all its types,

thereafter then at every time when he shall speak the name of that mystery, he will save himself from all that which is appointed him by the rulers of the Fate.

“And in that hour he will come forth out of the body of the matter of the rulers, and his soul will become a great light-stream, so that it soareth on high and penetrateth all the regions of the rulers and all the regions of the Light, until it reacheth the region of its kingdom. Neither giveth it answers nor apologies in any region at all, for it is without tokens.”

“When then Jesus had said this, Mary continued, threw herself at Jesus' feet, kissed them and said: My Lord, still will I question thee. Reveal [it] unto us and hide [it] not from us.” Jesus answered and said unto Mary: “Question on what ye question,”

“and I will reveal [it] unto you in openness without similitude.”

“Mary answered and said: My Lord, hast thou then not brought mysteries into the world because of poverty and riches, and because of weakness and strength, and because of . . . and healthy bodies, in a word because of all such, so that, if we go into the regions of the land, and they do not have faith in us and they hearken not unto our words, and we perform any such mysteries in those regions, they may know truly in truth that we | herald the words [of the God] of the universe?”

“The Saviour answered and said unto Mary in the midst of the disciples: Concerning this mystery on which ye question me, I have given it unto you at another time; but I will repeat it and speak the word unto you: Now, therefore, Mary, not only ye, but every man who shall accomplish the mystery of the raising of the dead,”

–that which healeth the demons and all pains and all sicknesses and the blind and the lame and the maimed and the dumb and the deaf, which I have given unto you aforetime,–he who shall receive [that] mystery and accomplish it,

thereafter then, if he ask for all things, for poverty and riches, for weakness and strength, for . . . and healthy body, and for all healings of the body and for the raising of the dead and for healing the lame and the blind and the deaf and the dumb and all sicknesses and all pains,

“–in a word, he who shall accomplish that mystery and ask for all the things which I have just said, then will they quickly come to pass for him.”

“When then the Saviour had said this, the disciples came forward, cried out all together and said: O Saviour, thou hath made us very exceedingly frenzied because of the great deeds of which thou tellest us; and because thou hast borne up our souls, they have pressed to go forth out of us | unto thee,”

for we issue from thee.

“Now, therefore, because of these great deeds of which thou tellest us, our souls have become frenzied and they have pressed very exceedingly, yearning to go forth out of us on high to the region of thy kingdom.”

“When then the disciples had said this, the Saviour continued again and said unto his disciples: If ye go into cities or kingdoms or countries, proclaim first unto them, saying: Search ever”

and cease not, until ye find the mysteries of the Light which will lead you into the Light-kingdom.

Say unto them: Beware of the doctrines of error. For many will come in my name and say: It is I. And it is not I, and they will lead many astray.

“Now, therefore, unto all men who come unto you and have faith in you and hearken unto your words and do what is worthy of the mysteries of the Light,”

give the mysteries of the Light and hide them not from them. And unto him who is worthy of the higher mysteries, give them, and to him who is worthy of the lower mysteries, give them, and hide not anything from any one.

“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.”

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

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

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

“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?”

“Now, therefore, hearken: Is the babe born, the power is feeble in it, and the soul is feeble in it, and also the counterfeiting spirit is feeble in it; in a word, the three together are feeble, without any one of them sensing anything, whether good or evil, because of the load of forgetfulness which is very heavy.”

Moreover the body also is feeble. And the babe eateth of the delights of the world of the rulers;

and the power draweth into itself from the portion of the power which | is in the delights;

and the soul draweth into itself from the portion of the soul which is in the delights;

and the counterfeiting spirit draweth into itself from the portion of the evil which is in the delights and in its lusts.

And on the other hand the body draweth into itself the matter which senseth not, which is in the delights.

“The destiny on the contrary taketh nothing from the delights, because it is not mingled with them, but it departeth again in the condition in which it cometh into the world. And little by little the power and the soul and the counterfeiting spirit grow, and every one of them senseth according to its nature:”

the power senseth to seek after the light of the height;

the soul on the other hand senseth to seek after the region of righteousness which is mixed, which is the region of the commixture; the counterfeiting spirit on the other hand seeketh after all evils and lusts and all sins;

the body on the contrary senseth nothing unless it taketh up force out of the matter.

“And straightway the three develop sense, every one according to its nature. And the retributive receivers assign the servitors to follow them and be witnesses of all the sins which they commit, with a view to the manner and method how they will chastize them in the judgments.”

“And after this the counterfeiting spirit | contriveth and senseth all sins and the evil which the rulers of the great Fate have commanded for the soul, and it maketh them for the soul.”

“And the inner power stirreth the soul to seek after the region of the Light and the whole god-head;”

and the counterfeiting spirit leadeth away the soul and compelleth it continually to do all its lawless deeds, all its mischiefs and all its sin, and is persistently allotted to the soul and is hostile to it, and making it do all this evil and all these sins.

“And it goadeth on the retributive servitors, so that they are witnesses in all the sins which it will make it do.”

Moreover also if it will rest in the night [or] by day, it stirreth it in dreams or in lusts of the world,

“and maketh it to lust after all the things of the world. In a word, it driveth [?] it into all the things which the rulers have commanded for it and it is hostile to the soul, making it do what pleaseth it not. Now, therefore, Mary, this is in fact the foe of the soul, and this compelleth it until it doeth all sins. Now, therefore, if | the time of that man is completed,”

“first cometh forth the destiny and leadeth the man unto death through the rulers and their bonds with which they are bound through the Fate. And thereafter the retributive receivers come and lead that soul out of the body.”

And thereafter the. retributive receivers spend three days circling round with that soul in all the regions and dispatch it to all the æons of the world. And the counterfeiting spirit and the destiny follow that soul; and the power returneth to the Virgin of Light.

“And after three days the retributive receivers lead down that soul to the Amente of the chaos; and when they bring it down to the chaos, they hand it over to those who chastize.”

And the retributive receivers return unto their own regions according to the economy of the works of the rulers concerning the coming-forth of the souls.

“And the counterfeiting spirit becometh the receiver of the soul, being assigned unto it and transferring it according to the chastisement because of the sins which it hath made it commit, and is in great enmity to the soul.”

“And when the soul hath finished the chastisements in the chaos according to the sins | which it hath committed,”

the counterfeiting spirit leadeth it forth out of the chaos, being assigned unto it and transferring it to every region because of the sins which it hath committed; and it leadeth it forth on the way of the rulers of the midst. And when it reacheth them, [the rulers] question it on the mysteries of the destiny;

and if it hath not found them, they question their destiny. And those rulers chastize that soul according to the sins of which it is guilty.

I will tell you the type of their chastisements at the expansion of the universe.

“When, therefore, the time of the chastisements of that soul in the judgments of the rulers of the midst shall be completed, the counterfeiting spirit leadeth the soul up out of all the regions of the rulers of the midst and bringeth it before the light of the sun according to the commandment of the First Man, Yew,”

and bringeth it before the judge, the Virgin of Light. And she proveth that soul and findeth that it is a sinning soul, and ceaseth her light-power into it for its standing-upright and because of the body and the community of sense,–the type of which I will tell you at the expansion of the universe.

And the Virgin of Light sealeth that soul and handeth it over to one of her receivers | and will have it cast into a body which is suitable to the sins which it hath committed.

“And amēn, I say unto you: They will not discharge that soul from the changes of the body until it hath yielded its last circuit according to its merit.”

“Of all these then will I tell you their type and the type of the bodies into which it will be cast according to the sins of each soul. All this will I tell you when I shall have told you the expansion of the universe.”