The Pistis Sophia - Page 37

"And amēn, I say unto you: They will know in what manner the world is established, and they will know in what type all those of the height are established, and they will know out of what ground the universe hath arisen."

When then the Saviour had said this, Mary Magdalene started forward and said: "My Lord, bear with me and be not wroth with me, if I question on all things with precision and certainty. Now, therefore, my Lord, is then another the word of the mystery of the Ineffable and another the word of the whole gnosis?"

The Saviour answered and said: "Yea, another is the mystery of the Ineffable and another the word of the whole gnosis."

And Mary answered again and said unto the Saviour: "My Lord, bear with me, if I question thee, and be not wroth with me. Now, therefore, my Lord, unless we live and know the gnosis of the whole word of the Ineffable, shall we not be able to inherit the Light-kingdom?"

Of the distinction between the gnosis of the universe and the mysteries of the Light.And the Saviour answered |233. and said unto Mary: "Surely; for every one who shall receive a mystery of the Light-kingdom, will go and inherit up to the region up to which he hath received mysteries. But he will not know the

gnosis of the universe, wherefor all this hath arisen, unless he knoweth the one and only word of the Ineffable, which is the gnosis of the universe. And again in openness: I am the gnosis of the universe. And moreover it is impossible to know the one and only word of the gnosis, unless a man first receive the mystery of the Ineffable. But all the men who shall receive mysteries in the Light,--every one will go and inherit up to the region up to which he hath received mysteries.

"On this account I have said unto you aforetime: 'He who hath faith in a prophet, will receive a prophet's reward, and he who hath faith in a righteous [man] will receive a righteous [man's] reward,'--that is: Every one will go to the region up to which he hath received mysteries. He who receiveth a lesser mystery, will inherit the lesser mystery, and he who receiveth a higher mystery, will inherit the higher regions. And every one will abide in his region in the light of my kingdom, and every one will have power over the orders which are below him, but he will not have the power to go to the orders which are above him; but he will abide in the region of the Inheritance of the Light |234. of my kingdom, being in a great light immeasurable for the gods and all the invisibles, and he will be in great joy and great jubilation.

"But now, therefore, hearken, that I may discourse with you concerning the grandeur of those who shall receive the mysteries of the First Mystery.

"He, therefore, who shall receive the [first] mystery of that First Mystery, and it shall be

Of the ascension of the souls of those who receive the twelve mysteries of the First Mystery.at the time that he cometh out of the body of the matter of the rulers,--then the retributive receivers come and lead the soul of that man out of the body. And that soul will become a great light-stream in the hands of the retributive receivers; and those receivers will be afraid of the light of that soul. And that soul will go upwards and pass through all the regions of the rulers and all the regions of the emanations of the Light. And it will not give answers nor apologies nor tokens in any single region of the Light nor in any single region of the rulers; but it will pass through all the regions and cross over them all, so that it goeth and ruleth over all the regions of the first saviour.

"In like manner also he who shall receive the second mystery of the First Mystery and the third and fourth, until he shall receive the twelfth mystery of the First Mystery, if it shall be at the time |235. that he cometh out of the body of the matter of the rulers,--then the retributive receivers come and lead the soul of that man out of the body of matter. And those souls will become a great light-stream in the hands of the retributive receivers; and those receivers will be afraid of the light of those souls and will become powerless and fall on their faces. And those souls will straightway soar upwards and cross over all the regions of the rulers and all the regions of the emanations of the Light. They will not give answers nor apologies nor tokens in any single region; but they will pass through all the regions and will cross over them all and rule over all the regions of the twelve saviours, so that they who receive the second mystery of the First

Mystery, will rule over all the regions of the second saviour in the inheritances of the Light.

"In like manner also those who receive the third mystery of the First Mystery and the fourth and fifth and sixth up to the twelfth,--every one will rule over all the regions of the saviour up to whom he hath received the mystery.

"And he who shall receive in sequence the twelfth mystery of the First Mystery, that is the master-mystery concerning which I discourse with you,--|236. and he who, therefore, shall receive those twelve mysteries which belong to the First Mystery, if he goeth forth out of the world, will pass through all the regions of the rulers and all the regions of the Light, being a great light-stream, and he will moreover rule over all the regions of the twelve saviours; but they will not be able to be like unto those who receive the one and only mystery of the Ineffable. But he who shall receive those mysteries will abide in those orders, because they are exalted, and he will abide in the orders of the twelve saviours."

Mary again questioneth Jesus.It came to pass, when Jesus had finished speaking these words unto his disciples, that Mary Magdalene came forward, kissed the feet of Jesus and said unto him: "My Lord, bear with me and be not wroth with me, if I question thee; but have mercy upon us, my Lord, and reveal unto us all things on which we shall question thee. Now, therefore, my Lord, how doth the First Mystery possess twelve mysteries, [and] the Ineffable possess a one and only mystery?"

Of the three mysteries and five mysteries.Jesus answered and said unto her: "Indeed it possesseth a one and only mystery, yet that mystery constituteth three mysteries, although

it is the one and only mystery; but the type of every one of them is different. And moreover it constituteth five mysteries, although it is a one and only [one]; but the type of every one is different. So that these five mysteries are alike with one another in the mystery |237. of the kingdom in the inheritances of the Light; but the type of each of them is different. And their kingdom is higher and more exalted than the whole kingdom of the twelve mysteries together of the First Mystery; but they are not alike in the kingdom [with the one and only mystery] of the First Mystery in the Light-kingdom.

"In like manner also the three mysteries are not [?] alike in the Light-kingdom; but the type of every one of them is different. And they themselves also are not alike in the kingdom with the one and only mystery of the First Mystery in the Light-kingdom; and the type of every one of the three of them, and the type of the configuration of each of them, is different from one another.

Of the first mystery."The first [mystery of the First Mystery],--if thou accomplishest its mystery altogether and standest and accomplishest it finely in all its figures, then dost thou come straightway out of thy body, become a great light-stream and pass through all the regions of the rulers and all the regions of the Light, while all are in fear of that soul, until it cometh to the region of its kingdom.

Of the second mystery."The second mystery of the First Mystery, on the other hand,--|238. if thou accomplishest it finely in all its figures,--the man, therefore, who shall accomplish its mystery, if he speaketh that

mystery over the head of any man who goeth forth out of the body, and he speaketh it into his two ears, if indeed the man who goeth forth out of the body hath received mysteries for the second time and is sharing in the word of truth,--amēn, I say unto you: That man, if he goeth forth out of the body of matter, then will his soul become a great light-stream and pass through all the regions, until it cometh to the kingdom of that mystery.

Of its efficacy for the uninitiated."But if that man hath received no mysteries and is not sharing in the words of truth,--if he who accomplisheth that mystery, speaketh that mystery over the head of a man who cometh forth out of the body and who hath received no mysteries of the Light, and shareth not in the words of truth,--amēn, I say unto you: That man, if he cometh forth out of the body, will be judged in no region of the rulers, nor can he be chastized in any region at all, nor will the fire touch him, because of the great mystery of the Ineffable which is with him.