Pistis Sophia
translated by G. S. R. Mead
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Pistis Sophia
translated by G. S. R. Mead
It came to pass then, when Jesus had heard Mary say these words and knew that the disciples had heard and had begun to let go, that he encouraged them and said unto them: "Grieve
no more, my disciples, concerning the mystery of, the Ineffable, thinking that ye will not understand it. Amēn, I say unto you: That mystery is yours, and every one's who will give ear unto you, so that they renounce this whole world and the whole matter therein and renounce all the evil thoughts therein and renounce all the cares of this æon.
Jesus explaineth that that mystery is really simpler than all mysteries."Now, therefore, I say unto you: |218. For every one who will renounce the whole world and all therein and will submit himself to the godhead, that mystery is far easier than all the mysteries of the Light-kingdom and it is sooner to understand than them all and it is easier [?] than them all. He who reacheth unto the gnosis of that mystery, renounceth this whole world and all the cares therein.
"For this cause have I said to you aforetime: 'All ye who are heavy under your burden, come hither unto me, and I will quicken you. For my burden is easy and my yoke is soft.' Now, therefore, he who will receive that mystery, renounceth the whole world and the cares of all the matter therein. For this cause, therefore, my disciples, grieve not, thinking that ye will not understand that mystery. Amēn, I say unto you: That mystery is far sooner to understand than all mysteries. And amēn, I say unto you: That mystery is yours and every one's who will renounce the whole world and the whole matter therein.
"Now, therefore, hearken, my disciples and my companions and my brethren, that I may urge you on to the gnosis of the mystery of the Ineffable |219. concerning which I discourse with you,
because I have in Booth gotten as far as to tell you the whole gnosis at the expansion of the universe; for the expansion of the universe is its gnosis.
"But now then hearken that I may discourse with you progressively concerning the gnosis of that mystery.
Of the rending asunder and emanation of the powers of the universe."That mystery knoweth wherefor the five Helpers have rent themselves asunder and wherefor they have come forth from the Fatherless [pl.].
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor the great Light of lights hath rent itself asunder and wherefor it hath come forth from the Fatherless.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor the first Commandment hath rent itself asunder and wherefor it hath divided itself into the seven mysteries and wherefor it is named the first Commandment and wherefor it hath come forth from the Fatherless.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor the Great Light of the Impressions of the Light hath rent itself asunder and wherefor it hath set itself up without emanations and wherefor it hath come forth from the Fatherless.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor the First Mystery, that is the four-and-twentieth mystery from without, hath rent itself asunder and wherefor it imitated in itself the twelve mysteries according to the number of the numbering of the Uncontainables |220. and Boundless and wherefor it hath come forth from the Fatherless.
Of those of the second space of the Ineffable."And that mystery knoweth wherefor the twelve Immoveables have rent themselves asunder and wherefor they have set themselves with all
their orders and wherefor they have come forth from the Fatherless.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor the Unwaverables have rent themselves asunder and wherefor they have set themselves up, divided into twelve orders, and wherefor they have come forth from the Fatherless, which belong to the orders of the space of the Ineffable.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor the Incomprehensibles, which pertain to the second space of the Ineffable, have rent themselves asunder and wherefor they have come forth from the Fatherless.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor the twelve Undesignatables have rent themselves asunder and wherefor they have set themselves up after all the orders of the Unindicatables, themselves being uncontainable and boundless, and wherefor they have come forth from the Fatherless.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor these Unindicatables have rent themselves asunder,--[they] who have not indicated themselves nor brought themselves into publicity according to the economy of the One and Only, the Ineffable, and wherefor they have come forth |221. from the Fatherless.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor the Super-deeps have rent themselves asunder and wherefor they have distributed themselves, being a single order, and wherefor they have come forth from the Fatherless.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor the twelve orders of the Unspeakables have rent themselves asunder and wherefor they have
divided themselves, being three portions, and wherefor they have come forth from the Fatherless.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor all the Imperishables, being their twelve orders, have rent themselves asunder and wherefor they have settled themselves, being expanded in a single order, and wherefor they have divided themselves and formed different orders, being uncontainable and boundless, and wherefor they have come forth from the Fatherless.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor the Impassables have rent themselves asunder and wherefor they have set themselves up, being twelve boundless spaces, and have settled themselves, being three orders of spaces, according to the economy of the One and Only, the Ineffable, and wherefor they have come forth from the Fatherless.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor the twelve Uncontainables, which belong to the orders |222. of the One and Only, the Ineffable, have rent themselves asunder and wherefor they have come forth from the Fatherless, until they were brought to the space of the First Mystery, which is the second space.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor the four-and-twenty myriads of Praise-singers have rent themselves asunder and wherefor they have extended themselves outside the veil of the First Mystery, which is the twin-mystery, that which looketh within and without, of the One and Only, the Ineffable, and wherefor they have come forth from the Fatherless.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor all the
[paragraph continues] Uncontainables have rent themselves asunder--[those], which I have just named, which are in the regions of the second space of the Ineffable, which is the space of the First Mystery, and wherefor those Uncontainables and Boundless have come forth from the Fatherless.
Of those of the first space of the Ineffable."And that mystery knoweth wherefor the four-and-twenty mysteries of the first Thrice-spiritual have rent themselves asunder and wherefor they are called the four-and-twenty spaces of the first Thrice-spiritual and wherefor they have come forth from the second Thrice-spiritual.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor the four-and-twenty mysteries of the |223. second Thrice-spiritual have rent themselves asunder and wherefor they have come forth from the third Thrice-spiritual.
"And that mystery knoweth why the four-and-twenty mysteries of the third Thrice-spiritual--that is the four-and-twenty spaces of the third Thrice-spiritual--have rent themselves asunder and wherefor they have come forth from the Fatherless.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor the five Trees of the first Thrice-spiritual have rent themselves asunder and wherefor they have extended themselves, standing one behind the other and moreover bound one to the other with all their orders, and wherefor they have come forth from the Fatherless.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor the five Trees of the second Thrice-spiritual have rent themselves asunder and wherefor they have come forth from the Fatherless.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor the five Trees of the third Thrice-spiritual have rent themselves asunder and wherefor they have come forth from the Fatherless.
"And that mystery knoweth why the Fore-uncontainables of the first Thrice-spiritual have rent themselves asunder 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 and wherefor |224. 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 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 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 wherefor it hath come forth from the twelfth Pro-thrice-spiritual, which is in the last region of the Fatherless.
"And that mystery knoweth wherefor all the regions which are in the space of the Ineffable, and all those in them, have expanded themselves, and wherefor they have come forth from the last Limb of the Ineffable.
"And that mystery knoweth itself, wherefor it hath rent itself asunder to come forth from the Ineffable,--that is from That which ruleth them
all and which expanded them all according to |225. their orders.