The Pistis Sophia - Page 11

"'5. From the voice of my groaning my bones cleaved to my flesh.

"'6. I am become as a pelican in the desert; I am become as a screech-owl in the house.

"'7. I have passed the night watching; I am become as a sparrow alone on the roof.

"'8. My enemies have reviled me all the day long, and they who honour me, have injured me.

"'9. For I have eaten ashes instead of my bread and mixed my drink with tears,

"'10. Because of thy wrath and thy rage; for thou hast lifted me up and cast me down.

"'11. My days have declined as a shadow, and I am dried up as the grass,

"'12. But thou, O Lord, thou endurest for ever, and thy remembrance unto the generation of generation[s].

"'13. Arise and have mercy upon Zion, for the time is come to have mercy upon her; the proper time is come.

"'14. Thy servants have longed for her stones, and will take pity on her land.

"'15. And the nations will have fear of the name of the Lord, and the kings of the earth have fear of thy sovereignty.

"'16. For the Lord will build up Zion and reveal himself in his sovereignty.

"17. He hath regarded the prayer of the humble and hath not despised their supplication.

"'18. This shall be recorded for another generation, and the people who shall be created will praise the Lord.

"'19. Because he hath looked down on his holy height; the Lord hath looked down from the heaven on the earth,

"'20. To hear the sighing |67. of those in chains, to loose the sons of those who are slain,

"'21. To proclaim the name of the Lord in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem.'

"This, my Lord, is the solution of the mystery of the repentance which Pistis Sophia hath uttered."

Jesus commendeth John.It came to pass then, when John had finished speaking these words to Jesus in the midst of his disciples, that he said unto him: "Well said, John, the Virgin, who shalt rule in the kingdom of the Light."

The emanations of Self-willed again squeeze the light out of Sophia.And Jesus continued again in the discourse anti said unto his disciples: "It came to pass again thus: The emanations of Self-willed again oppressed Pistis Sophia in the chaos and desired to take from her her whole light; and not yet was her commandment accomplished, to lead her out of the chaos, and not yet had the command reached me through the First Mystery, to save her out of the chaos. It came to pass then, when all the material emanations of Self-willed oppressed her, that she cried out and uttered the fifth repentance, saying:

The fifth repentance of Sophia."'1. Light of my salvation, I sing praise unto thee in the region of the height and again in the chaos.

"'2. I sing praise unto thee in my hymn with which I sang praise in the height and with which I sang praise unto thee when I was in the chaos. Let it come into thy presence, and give heed, O Light, to my repentance.

"'3. For my power is filled up with |68. darkness, and my light hath gone down into the chaos.

"'4. I am myself become as the rulers of the

chaos, who are gone into the darknesses below; I am become as a material body, which hath no one in the height who will save it.

"'5. I am become also as matters from which their power hath been taken, when they are cast down into the chaos,--[matters] which thou hast not saved, and they are condemned utterly by thy commandment.

"'6. Now, therefore, have they put me into the darkness below,--in darknesses and matters which are dead and in them [is] no power.

"'7. Thou hast brought thy commandment upon me and all things which thou hast decreed.

"'8. And thy spirit hath withdrawn and abandoned me. And moreover by thy commandment the emanations of my eon have not helped me and have hated me and separated themselves from me, and yet am I not utterly destroyed.

"'9. And my light is diminished in me, and I have cried up to the light with all the light in me, and I have stretched forth my hands unto thee.

"'10. Now, therefore, O Light, wilt thou not accomplish thy commandment in the chaos, and will not the deliverers, who come according to thy commandment, arise in the darkness and come and be disciples for thee'?

"'11. Will they not utter the mystery of thy name in the chaos?

"'12. Or will they not rather utter thy name in a matter of the chaos, in which thou wilt not [thyself] purify?

"'13. But I have sung praises unto thee, O Light, and my repentance will reach unto thee |69. in the height.

"'14. Let thy light come upon me,

"'15. For they have taken my light, and I am in pain on account of the Light from the time when I was emanated. And when I had looked into the height to the Light, then I looked down below at the light-power in the chaos; I rose up and went down.

"'16. Thy commandment came upon me, and the terrors, which thou didst decree for me, have brought me into delusion.

"'17. And they have surrounded me, in numbers as water, they have laid hold on me together all my time.

"'18. And by thy commandment thou hast not suffered my fellow-emanations to help me, nor hast thou suffered my pair to save me out of my afflictions.'

"This then is the fifth repentance which Pistis Sophia hath uttered in the chaos, when all the material emanations of Self-willed had continued and oppressed her."

When then Jesus had spoken these words unto his disciples, he said unto them: "Who hath ears to hear, let him hear; and let him whose spirit seetheth up in him, come forward and speak the solution of the thought of the fifth repentance of Pistis Sophia."

Philip the scribe complaineth.And when Jesus had finished saying these words, Philip started forward, held up and laid down the book in his hand,--for he is the scribe of all the discourses which Jesus spake, and of all of that which he did,--Philip then |70. came forward and said unto him: "My Lord, surely then it is not on me alone that thou hast enjoined to take care for the world and write down all

the discourses which we shall speak and [all we shall] do? And thou hast not suffered me to come forward to speak the solution of the mysteries of the repentance of Pistis Sophia. For my spirit hath ofttimes seethed in me and been unloosed and constrained me to come forward and speak the solution of the repentance of Pistis Sophia; and I could not come forward because I am the scribe of all the discourses."

Jesus explaineth that the appointed scribes are Philip and Thomas and Matthew.It came to pass then, when Jesus had heard Philip, that he said unto him: "Hearken, Philip, blessed one, that I may discourse with thee; for it is thou and Thomas and Matthew on whom it is enjoined by the First Mystery to write all the discourses which I shall speak and [all which I shall] do, and all things which ye shall see. But as for thee, the number of the discourses which thou hast to write, is so far not yet completed. When it is then completed, thou art to come forward and proclaim what pleaseth thee. Now, therefore, ye three have to write down all the discourses which I shall speak and [all things which I shall] do and which ye shall see, in order that ye may bear witness to all things of the kingdom of heaven."

When then Jesus had said this, he said unto his disciples: "Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." |71.

Mary interpreteth the words of Jesus concerning the three witnesses.Mary started forward again, stepped into the midst, placed herself by Philip and said unto Jesus: "My Lord, my in-dweller of light hath ears, and I am ready to hear with my power, and I have understood the word which thou hast spoken. Now, therefore, my Lord, hearken that I may discourse in openness, thou who hast

said unto us: 'Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.'

"Concerning the word which thou hast spoken unto Philip: 'It is thou and Thomas and Matthew on whom it hath been enjoined--to you three by the First Mystery, to write all the discourses of the kingdom of the Light and thereto to bear witness '; hearken, therefore, that I may proclaim the solution of this word. This is what thy light-power prophesied aforetime through Moses: 'By two or three witnesses shall every matter be established.' The three witnesses are Philip and Thomas and Matthew."