The Pistis Sophia - Page 16

humbled myself as one in mourning and as one who is sad.

"'15. They have rejoiced over me, and they are put to shame. Scourges have gathered themselves together against me and I knew not; they were cut off and were troubled.

"'16. They have brought me to trial and mocked me with mocking; they have ground |96. their teeth against me.

"'17. O Lord, when wilt thou look upon me? Restore again my soul from their evil works and save my only one from the hands of the lions.

"'18. I will confess to thee, O Lord, in the great assembly, and I will sing praises to thee in the midst of a countless people.

"'19. Let not them who unjustly treat me as a foe, rejoice over me, who hate me without a cause and wink with their eyes.

"'20. For indeed they discourse with me with words of peace, though they plot wrath with craft.

"'21. They opened their chops wide against me and said: Well indeed, our eyes have filled our sight with him.

"'22. Thou hast seen, O Lord. Keep not silence, O Lord, withdraw not thyself from me.

"'23. Arise, O Lord, |97. and give heed to my vindication, give heed to my vengeance, my God and my Lord.

"'24. Judge me, O Lord, according to thy justice; let them not rejoice over me, my God.

"'25. And let them not say: Well done, our soul. Let them not say: We have consumed him.

"'26. Let them be put to shame and be scorned, who rejoice at my mischance. Let

them be clothed with shame and disgrace who speak boastingly against me.

"'27. Let them who desire my justification, exult and rejoice and let them who desire the peace of his slave, say: May the Lord be great and arise.

"'28. My tongue will exult over thy justification and over thy honour all the day long.'" |98.

Jesus commendeth James and promiseth the first place unto the disciples.When James then had said this, Jesus said unto him: "Well said, finely, James. This is the solution of the ninth repentance of Pistis Sophia. Amēn, amēn, I say unto you: Ye shall be the first in the kingdom of heaven before all invisibles and all gods and rulers who are in the thirteenth æon and in the twelfth æon; and not only ye, but also every one who shall accomplish my mysteries."

And when he had said this, he said unto them: "Understand ye in what manner I discourse with you?"

Mary interpreteth the words of Jesus.Mary started forward again and said: "Yea, O Lord, this is what thou didst say unto us aforetime: 'The last shall be first and the first shall be last.' The first then, who were created before us, are the invisibles, for indeed they arose before mankind, they and the gods and the rulers; and the men who shall receive mysteries, will be first into the kingdom of heaven."

Jesus said unto her: "Well said, Mary."

The repentance of Sophia is accepted. Jesus is sent to help her.Jesus continued again and said unto his disciples: "It came to pass then, when Pistis Sophia had proclaimed the ninth repentance, that the lion-faced power oppressed her again, desiring to take away all powers from her. She cried out again to the Light, saying: |99.

"'O Light, in whom I have had faith from the beginning, for whose sake I have endured these great pains, help me.'

"And in that hour her repentance was accepted from her. The First Mystery hearkened unto her, and I was sent off at his command. I came to help her, and led her up out of the chaos, because she had repented, and also because she had had faith in the Light and had endured these great pains and these great perils. She had been deluded through the god-like Self-willed, and had not been deluded through anything else, save through a light-power, because of its resemblance to the Light in which she had had faith. For this cause then was I sent forth at the command of the First Mystery to help her secretly. I did not however yet go to the region of the æons at all; but I passed down through the midst out of them, without any single power knowing it, either those of the interior of the interior or those of the exterior of the exterior, save only the First Mystery.

"It came to pass then, when I came into the chaos to help her, that she saw me, that I was understanding and shone exceedingly and was full of compassion for her. For I was not self-willed as the lion-faced power, which had taken away the light-power from Sophia, and had also oppressed her in order to take away from her the whole light in her. Sophia then saw me, that I shone ten-thousand times more than the lion-faced power, |100. and that I was full of compassion for her. And she knew that I came out of the Height of heights, in whose light she had had faith from the beginning. Pistis Sophia then

took courage and uttered the tenth repentance, saying:

The tenth repentance of Sophia."'1. I have cried unto thee, O Light of lights, in my oppression and thou hast hearkened unto me.

"'2. O Light, save my power from unjust and lawless lips and from crafty traps.

"'3. The light which was being taken from me in crafty snaring, will not be brought unto thee.

"'4. For the traps of Self-willed and the nooses of the merciless [one] are spread out.

"'5. Woe unto me, that my dwelling was far off, and I was in the dwellings of the chaos.

"'6. My power was in regions which are not mine.

"'7. And I entreated those merciless [ones]; and when I entreated them, they fought against me without a cause.'"

When then Jesus had said this unto his disciples, he said unto them: "Now, therefore, let him whom his spirit stirreth, come forward and speak the solution of the tenth repentance of Pistis Sophia."

Peter answered and said: "O Lord, concerning this thy light-power prophesied aforetime through David in the one-hundred-and-nineteenth Psalm; saying:

Peter interpreteth the tenth repentance from Psalm cxix."'1. I cried unto thee, O Lord, in my oppression, and thou hearkenest unto me.

"'2. O Lord, save |101. my soul from unjust lips and from crafty tongues.

"'3. What will be given unto thee or what will be added unto thee with a crafty tongue?

"'4. The arrows of the strong [one] are made sharp with the coal of the desert.

"'5. Woe unto me, that my dwelling is far off, and I dwelt in the tents of Kedar.

"'6. My soul hath dwelt in many regions as a guest.

"'7. I was peaceful with them who hate peace; if I spake unto them, they fought against me without a cause.'

"This is now, therefore, O Lord, the solution of the tenth repentance of Pistis Sophia, which she hath uttered when the material emanations of Self-willed oppressed her, they and his lion-faced power, and when they oppressed her exceedingly."

Jesus commendeth Peter.Jesus said unto him: "Well said, Peter, and finely. This is the solution of the tenth repentance of Pistis Sophia."

Jesus continued again in the discourse and said unto his disciples: "It came to pass then, when this lion-faced power saw me, how I drew nigh unto Pistis Sophia, shining very exceedingly, that it grew still more furious and emanated from itself a multitude of exceedingly violent emanations. When this then befell, Pistis Sophia uttered the eleventh repentance, saying:

"'1. Why hath the mighty power raised itself in evil?

The eleventh repentance of Sophia."'2. Its plotting taketh away the light from me all the time, and as sharp iron have they taken away power |102. from me.

"'3. I chose to descend into the chaos rather than to abide in the thirteenth æon, the region of Righteousness.

"'4. And they desired to lead me craftily, in order to consume my whole light.

"'5. For this cause then will the Light take

away their whole light, and also their whole matter will be made naught. And it will take away their light and not suffer them to abide in the thirteenth æon, their dwelling-place, and will not have their name in the region of those who shall live.