Pistis Sophia
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Pistis Sophia

The Gnostic Tradition of Mary Magdalene, Jesus, and His Disciples

G. R. S. Mead

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eBook - ePub

Pistis Sophia

The Gnostic Tradition of Mary Magdalene, Jesus, and His Disciples

G. R. S. Mead

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A document of paramount historical importance, not only in terms of Christianity but also with respect to the development of Western religion. It chronicles the teachings of Jesus, who explains life's mysteries to his disciples and Mary Magdalene. Their discussions take place after Christ's resurrection and include accounts of his ascension into heaven.

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Year
2012
ISBN
9780486122939

[THE FIRST BOOK OF] PISTIS SOPHIA

CHAP. 1.

IT came to pass, when Jesus had risen from the dead, that he passed eleven years discoursing with his disciples, and instructing them only up to the regions of the First Commandment and up to the regions of the First Mystery, that within the Veil, within the First Commandment, which is the four-and-twentieth mystery without and below—those [four-and-twenty] which are in the second space of the First Mystery which is before all mysteries,—the Father in the form of a dove.
And Jesus said to his disciples : “ I am come forth out of that First Mystery, which is the last mystery, that is the four-and-twentieth mystery.” And his disciples have not known nor understood that anything existeth within that mystery; but they thought of that mystery, that it is the head of the universe and the head of all existence ; and they thought it is the completion of all completions, because Jesus had said to them concerning that mystery, that it surroundeth the First Commandment and the five Impressions and the great Light | and the five Helpers and the whole Treasury of the Light.
And moreover Jesus had not told his disciples the total expansion of all the regions of the great Invisible and of the three triple-powers and of the four-and-twenty invisibles, and all their regions and their éons and their orders, how they are extended—those which are the emanations of the great Invisible—and their ungenerated and their self-generated and their generated and their light-givers and their unpaired and their rulers and their authorities and their lords and their archangels and their angels and their decans and their servitors and all the houses of their spheres and all the orders of every one of them.
And Jesus had not told his disciples the total expansion of the emanations of the Treasury, nor their orders, how they are extended ; nor had he told them their saviours, according to the order of every one, how they are ; nor had he told them what guard is at every [gate] of the Treasury of the Light ; nor had he told them the region of the Twin-saviour, who | is the Child of the Child ; nor had he told them the regions of the three Am
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ns, in what regions they are expanded ; nor had he told them into what region the five Trees are expanded; nor as to the seven Am
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ns, that is the seven Voices, what is their region, how they are expanded.
And Jesus had not told his disciples of what type are the five Helpers, nor into what region they are brought ; nor had he told them how the great Light hath expanded itself, nor into what region it hath been brought ; nor had he told them of the five Impressions, nor as to the First Commandment, into what region they have been brought. But he had discoursed with them generally, teaching that they exist, but he had not told them their expansion and the order of their regions, how they are. For this cause they have not known that there were also other regions within that mystery.
And he had not told his disciples : “ I have gone forth out of such and such regions until I entered into that mystery, and until I went forth out of it ” ; but, in teaching them, he said to them : “ I am come forth from that mystery.” For this cause then they thought of that mystery, that it is the completion | of completions, and that it is 4. the head of the universe and that it is the total Fulness. For Jesus had said to his disciples : “ That mystery surroundeth that universe of which I have spoken unto you from the day when I met with you even unto this day.” For this cause then the disciples thought there is nothing within that mystery.

CHAP. 2.

It came to pass then, when the disciples were sitting together on the Mount of Olives, speaking of these words and rejoicing in great joy, and exulting exceedingly and saying one to another : “ Blessed are we before all men who are on the earth, because the Saviour hath revealed this unto us, and we have received the Fulness and the total completion,”—they said this to one another, while Jesus sat a little removed from them.
And it came to pass then, on the fifteenth day of the moon in the month Tybi, which is the day on which the moon is full, on that day then, when the sun had come forth in his going, that there came forth behind him a great light-power shining most exceedingly, and there was no measure to the light conjoined with it. For it came out of the Light of lights, and it came out of the last mystery, which is the four-and-twentieth | mystery, from within without,—those which are in the orders of the second space of the First Mystery. And that light-power came down over Jesus and surrounded him entirely, while he was seated removed from his disciples, and he had shone most exceedingly, and there was no measure for the light which was on him.
And the disciples had not seen Jesus because of the great light in which he was, or which was about him ; for their eyes were darkened because of the great light in which he was. But they saw only the light, which shot forth many light-rays. And the light-rays were not like one another, but the light was of divers kind, and it was of divers type, from below upwards, one [ray] more excellent than the other, ... , in one great immeasurable glory of light ; it stretched from under the earth right up to heaven.—And when the disciples saw that light, they fell into great fear and great agitation. |

CHAP. 3.

It came to pass then, when that light-power had come down over Jesus, that it gradually surrounded him entirely. Then Jesus ascended or soared into the height, shining most exceedingly in an immeasurable light. And the disciples gazed after him and none of them spake, until he had reached unto heaven ; but they all kept in deep silence. This then came to pass on the fifteenth day of the moon, on the day on which it is full in the month Tybi.
It came to pass then, when Jesus had reached the heaven, after three hours, that all the powers of the heaven fell into agitation, and all were set in motion one against the other, they and all their ĂŠons and all their regions and all their orders, and the whole earth was agitated and all they who dwell thereon. And all men who are in the world fell into agitation, and also the disciples, and all thought: Peradventure the world will be rolled up.
And all the powers in the heavens ceased not from their agitation, they and the whole world, and all were moved one against the other, from the third hour of the fifteenth day of the moon of Tybi until the ninth hour of the morrow. And all the angels and their archangels and all the powers of the height, all sang praises to the interiors of the | interiors, so that the whole world heard their voices, without their ceasing till the ninth hour of the morrow.

CHAP. 4.

But the disciples sat together in fear and were in exceedingly great agitation and were afraid because of the great earthquake which took place, and they wept together, saying: “ What will then be ? Peradventure the Saviour will destroy all regions? ” Thus saying, they wept together.
While they then said this and wept together, then, on the ninth hour of the morrow, the heavens opened, and they saw Jesus descend, shining most exceedingly, and there was no measure for his light in which he was. For he shone more [radiantly] than at the hour when he had ascended to the heavens, so that men in the world cannot describe the light which was on him ; and it shot forth light-rays in great abundance, and there was no measure for its rays, and its light was not alike together, but it was of divers kind and of divers type, some [rays] being more excellent than others ... ; and the whole light consisted together. It was of threefold kind, and the one [kind] was more excellent than the other.... The second, that in the midst, was more excellent than the first which was below, and the third, which was above them all, was more excellent than the two which were below. And the first glory, which was placed below them all, was like to the light which had come over Jesus before he had ascender | into the heavens, and was like only itself in its light. And the three light-modes were of divers light-kinds, and they were of divers type, one being more excellent than the other....

CHAP. 5.

And it came to pass then, when the disciples saw this, that they feared exceedingly, and were in agitation. Then Jesus, the compassionate and tender-hearted, when he saw his disciples, that they were in great agitation, spake with them, saying : “ Take courage. It is I, be not afraid.”

CHAP. 6.

It came to pass then, when the disciples had heard this word, that they said : “ Lord, if it be thou, withdraw thy light-glory into thyself that we may be able to stand ; otherwise our eyes are darkened, and we are agitated, and the whole world also is in agitation because of the great light which is about thee.”
Then Jesus drew to himself the glory of his light; and when this was done, all the disciples took courage, stepped forward to Jesus, fell down all together, adored him, rejoicing in great joy, and said unto him : “ Rabbi, whither hast thou gone, or what was thy ministry on which thou hast gone, or wherefor rather were all these confusions and all the earth-quakings which have taken place ? ”
- Then Jesus, the compassionate, said unto them: “ Rejoice and exult from this hour on, for I have gone to the regions out of which I had come forth. From this day on then will I discourse with you in openness, | from the beginning of the Truth unto its completion ; and I will discourse with you face to face without similitude. From this hour on will I not hide anything from you of the [mystery] of the height and of that of the region of Truth. For authority hath been given me through the Ineffable and through the First Mystery of all mysteries to speak with you, from the Beginning right up to the Fulness,. both from within without and from without within. Hearken, therefore, that I may tell you all things.
“ It came to pass, when I sat a little removed from you on the Mount of Olives, that I thought on the order of the ministry for the sake of which I was sent, that it was completed, and that the last mystery, that is the four-and-twentieth mystery from within without,—those which are in the second space of the First Mystery, in the orders of that space,—had not yet sent me my Vesture. It came to pass then, when I had known that the order of the ministry for the sake of which I had come, was completed, and that that mystery had not yet sent me my Vesture, which I had left behind in it, until its time was completed, —thinking then this, I sat on the Mount of Olives a little removed from you.

CHAP. 7.

“ It came to pass, when the sun rose in the east, therea...

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