The Pistis Sophia - Page 9

"'16. Hear me, O Lord, for thy grace is good; according to the fulness of thy compassion look down upon me.

"'17. Turn not thy face away from thy servant, for I am oppressed.

"'18. Hear me quickly, give heed to my soul and deliver it.

"'19. Save me because of my foes, for thou knowest my disgrace, my shame and my dishonour; all my oppressors are before thee.

"'20. My heart awaiteth disgrace and misery; I waited for him who should sorrow with me, but I could not come at him, and for him who should comfort me, and I found him not.

"'21. They gave me gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

"'22. Let their table be unto them for a trap and for a snare and for a retribution and for a stumbling-block.

"'23. Mayest thou bend their backs at all time.

"'24. Pour out thy anger upon them, and let the wrath of thy anger lay hold upon them.

"'25. Let their encampment be desolate, let there be no dweller in their habitations.

"'26. For they persecuted him whom thou hast smitten, and added to the smart of their woundings.

"'27. They added iniquity to their iniquities; let them not come into |55. thy righteousness.

"'28. Let them be wiped out of the book of the living, and let them not be written in among the righteous.

"'29. I am a poor wretch who is heart-broken too; it is the salvation of thy face which hath taken me unto itself.

"'30. I will praise the name of God in the ode, and exalt it in the song of thanksgiving.

"'31. This shall please God better than a young bull which putteth forth horns and hoofs.

"'32. May the wretched see and make merry; seek ye God, that your souls may live.

"'33. For God hath heard the wretched and despiseth not the prisoners.

"'34. Let heaven and earth praise the Lord, the sea and all that is therein.

"'35. For God will save Zion, and the cities of Judæa will be built up, and they will dwell there and inherit it.

"'36. The seed of his servants shall possess it, and they who love his name shall dwell therein.'"

It came to pass then, when Mary had finished speaking these words unto Jesus in the midst of the disciples, that she said unto him: "My Lord, this is the solution of the mystery of the repentance of Pistis Sophia."|56.

It came to pass then, when Jesus had heard Mary speak these words, that he said unto her: "Well said, Mary, blessed one, the fulness, or all-blessed fulness, thou who shalt be sung of as blessed in all generations."

The second repentance of Sophia.Jesus continued again in the discourse and said: "Pistis Sophia again continued and still sang praises in a second repentance, saying thus:

"'1. Light of lights, in whom I have had faith, leave me not in the darkness until the end of my time.

"'2. Help me and save me through thy mysteries; incline thine ear unto me and save me.

"'3. May the power of thy light save me and carry me to the higher æons; for thou wilt save me and lead me into the height of thy æons.

"'4. Save me, O Light, from the hand of this lion-faced power and from the hands of the emanations of god Self-willed.

"'5. For it is thou, O Light, in whose light I have had faith and in whose light I have trusted from the beginning.

"'6. And I have had faith in it from the time when it emanated me, and thou thyself didst make me to emanate; and I have had faith in thy light from the beginning.

"'7. And when I had faith in thee, the rulers of the æons mocked at me, saying: She hath ceased in her mystery. Thou art |57. my saviour and thou art my deliverer and thou art my mystery, O Light.

"'8. My mouth was filled with glorifying, that I may tell of the mystery of thy grandeur at all times.

"'9. Now, therefore, O Light, leave me not in the chaos for the completion of my whole time; forsake me not, O Light.

"'10. For all the emanations of Self-willed have taken from me my whole light-power and have surrounded me. They desired to take away my whole light from me utterly and have set a watch on my power,

"'11. Saying one to another together: The Light hath forsaken her, let us seize her and take away the whole light in her.

"'12. Therefore then, O Light, cease not from me; turn thee, O Light, and save me from the hands of the merciless.

"'13. May they who would take away my power, fall down and become powerless. May they who would take away my light-power from me, be enwrapped in darkness and sink into powerlessness.'

"This then is the second repentance which Pistis Sophia hath uttered, singing praises to the Light."

It came to pass then, when Jesus had finished speaking these words unto his disciples, that he said unto them: "Do ye understand in what manner I discourse with you?"

And Peter started forward and said unto Jesus:

[paragraph continues] Peter complaineth of Mary."My Lord, we will not endure this woman, for she taketh the opportunity from us and hath let none of us speak, but she discourseth many times."

And Jesus answered and said unto his disciples: "Let him in whom the power of his spirit shall seethe, so that he understandeth what I say, |58.come forward and speak. But now, Peter, I see thy power in thee, that it understandeth the solution of the mystery of the repentance which Pistis Sophia hath uttered. Now, therefore, Peter, speak the thought of her repentance in the midst of thy brethren."

Peter interpreteth the second repentance from Psalm lxx.And Peter answered and said unto Jesus "O Lord, give ear that I may speak the thought of her repentance, of which aforetime thy power prophesied through the prophet David, uttering her repentance in the seventieth Psalm:

"'1. O God, my God, I have trusted in thee, let me no more be put to shame for ever.

"'2. Save me in thy righteousness and set me free; incline thine ear unto me and save me.

"'3. Be unto me a strong God and a firm place to save me; for thou art my strength and my refuge.

"'4. My God, save me from the hand of the sinner and from the hand of the transgressor and from the impious [one].

"'5. For thou art my endurance, O Lord, thou art my hope from my youth up.

"'6. I have trusted myself to thee from my mother's womb; thou hast brought me out of my mother's womb. My remembrance is ever in thee.

"'7. I have become as the crazy for many; |59.

thou art my help and my strength, thou art my deliverer, O Lord.

"'8. My mouth was filled with glorifying, that I may praise the glory of thy splendour the whole day long.

"'9. Cast me not away in the time of age; if my soul fades, forsake me not.

"'10. For mine enemies have spoken evil against me and they who lay in wait for my soul, have taken counsel against my soul,

"'11. Saying together: God hath forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is no saviour.

"'12. God, give heed to my help.

"'13. Let them be ashamed and destroyed who calumniate my soul. Let them be enwrapped in shame and disgrace who seek evil against me.'

"This then is the solution of the second repentance which Pistis Sophia hath uttered."

Jesus promiseth to perfect the disciples in all things.The Saviour answered and said unto Peter: "Finely, Peter; this is the solution of her. repentance. Blessed are ye before all men on the earth, because I have revealed unto you these mysteries. Amēn, amēn, I say unto you: |60. I will perfect you in all fulness from the mysteries of the interior to the mysteries of the exterior and fill you with the spirit, so that ye shall be called 'spiritual, perfected in all fulness.' And, amēn, amēn, I say unto you: I will give unto you all the mysteries of all the regions of my Father and of all the regions of the First Mystery, so that he whom ye shall admit on earth, shall be admitted into the Light of the height; and he whom ye shall expel on earth, shall be expelled from the kingdom of my Father in the heaven. But hearken, therefore, and give ear attentively