Part 19

And he fashioned a Place of darkness in his Place, that he should oppress the Sophia with it. And he took multitudes of Rulers of his own, they persecuted the Sophia, for to bring her unto the Chaos of darkness which he fashioned. And for to oppress her in that Place. And for to disturb her the two emanations of the darkness, these which emanated out the Adamas, [159^b] until they took away all her light from her, and until the Adamas took away the light of the Pistis Sophia, and gave it to the two emanations which are cruel, and they took it unto the great Chaos, which is below this which is dark, and they cast it in unto his power of darkness which is chaotic, that perhaps it should be able to come unto this Place: because that it had become dark greatly, because I took away its power of light from it. It happened therefore, they having persecuted the Pistis Sophia, she cried out also, she hymned up unto the Light, since I said to her, Whenever they oppress thee and thou hymnest up unto me I am coming quickly and I (will) help thee. It happened therefore, they having oppressed her, but I, I was [160^a] sitting by you in this place, which is the mountain of the Olives. She praised up unto the Light, saying, O Light of the Lights, I believed thee. Deliver me from these Rulers which are persecuting me, and help me lest-at-anytime they may take away my light from me, as (did) the power of face of lion. Because thy light becometh not with me, with thy effluence of Light, for them to deliver me. Otherwise was angry with me the Adamas, saying to me, Thou, thou restrainedst my power in the Chaos. Now therefore, O Light of the Lights, if I did this (and) I restrained it. If I did nothing of violence to that power. Or if I oppressed it as it oppressed me, then (and, MS) shall take away my light from me, all these [160^b] Rulers who persecute me, and they shall put me out, being empty: and the enemy the Adamas shall persecute my power and seize it, and he shall take away my light from me, and cast it in unto his power of darkness, this which is in the Chaos: and he shall put my power in the Chaos. Now therefore, O Light, seize me in thy anger, and exalt thy power over my enemies, these who rose up against me at last. Speed, vivify me according as thou saidst, I shall help thee.

It happened therefore, the First Mystery having finished saying these words unto the disciples, said he, He who understood these words which I said, let him come forward and utter their explanation. Came forward Iakkobos said he, My Lord, [161^a] concerning this hymn, in which hymned the Pistis Sophia, thy power of light prophesied them once by David in the seventh psalm, O Lord, my God I trusted unto thee; save me from those who persecute me and deliver me, lest-at-anytime he might carry off my soul as a lion, there being not he who redeemeth and he who delivereth. O Lord, my God, if I did this (thing) if there is violence in my hands, if I repaid to those who repaid to me evil (things), may I perish by my enemy, being empty: and may my enemies persecute my soul and seize it: and trample my life down unto the earth and cause my glory to become in the Chaos. Diapsalma. Rise (up), [161^b] O Lord, in thy wrath: be exalted at the last to my enemies: rise up in the commandment which thou orderedst.

It happened therefore, the First Mystery having heard these words, saying them Iakkobos, said he, Well (done), Iakkobos the beloved. But added also the First Mystery, said he to the disciples, It happened therefore, the Pistis Sophia having finished saying the words of this hymn she turned round to see, whether the Adamas turned backward with his Rulers for to go unto their Aeon, and she saw (they saw, MS) them running after her: she turned unto them, said she to them, Why do ye persecute me saying, I have not help for him to deliver me from you. Now therefore a judge of truth is [162^a] the Light and strong (he) is. But he is compassionate until the time which he said to me, I am coming and I (will) help thee, and he (will) not bring his wrath upon you at every hour. And this is the time which he said to me. Now therefore if ye turn not yourselves backward, and cease from persecuting me, the Light will make ready his power, and he will make ready with all his powers, and he made ready in his power for to take away your light which is in you, and ye will become darkness: and his powers he fashioned them, for him to take away your powers from you, and ye (will) perish. But these having said them the Pistis Sophia, she looked unto the Place of the Adamas, she saw the Place of dark [162^b] and of Chaos, this which he fashioned. And also she saw the two emanations of darkness which (are) cruel greatly, these which emanated them out the Adamas, that they should lay hold on the Pistis Sophia, and should cast her down unto the Chaos, which he fashioned, and should oppress her in that place, and should disturb her, until they took away her light from her. It happened therefore, the Pistis Sophia having seen those two emanations of darkness and of the Place of darkness, these which fashioned the Adamas, she feared and she cried up unto the Light saying, O Light, behold, was angry the Adamas, the violent being, he fashioned an emanation of darkness and [163^a] also he emanated out another (from) Chaos, and he fashioned another dark and chaotic and he prepared it. Now therefore, O Light, the Chaos which he fashioned for to cast me unto it, and (to) take away my power of light from me, take away his from him; and the thought which he thought for to take away my light, they will (take) his from him; and the violence which he said for to take away my light from me, take away all his (lights). These are the words which said the Pistis Sophia in her hymn. Now therefore he who is sober in his spirit, let him come forward and utter the explanation of the words (which said) the Pistis Sophia in her hymn.

Came also forward Martha, said she, My Lord, I am sober [163^b] in my spirit, and I understand the words which thou sayest: now therefore command to me that I may utter their explanation in boldness. But answered the First Mystery, said he to Martha, I command to thee Martha for to utter the explanation of the words, these which said the Sophia in her hymn. But answered Martha said she, My Lord, these are the words which thy power of light prophesied once by David in the seventh psalm, God is a judge of truth, strong, compassionate, being not wont to bring his anger day by day: if ye turn not yourselves he will whet his sword, he stretched his bow, he made (it) ready: he made ready in it [164^a] weapons of death, his arrows he fashioned for those whom they will burn. Behold, the violence travailed, he conceived trouble he brought forth unlawfulness, he dug a pit, he excavated it, he will fall down unto the hole which he fashioned, his trouble will turn upon his head and his violence (is) coming upon the middle of his head. But these having said them Martha, said he to her the First Mystery who looketh outwards, Well (done and) fairly, Martha, the happy.

It happened therefore, Jesus having finished saying unto his disciples all the things which happened to the Pistis Sophia, being in the Chaos, and with the manner (in) which she hymned up unto the Light, until he delivered her and brought her up from the Chaos, [164^b] and brought her in unto the twelve Aeon, and with the manner (in) which he delivered her out of all her oppressions, with which oppressed her the Rulers of the Chaoses, because that she lusted to go (close) to the Light.

Added again in the word Jesus, said he to his disciples, It happened therefore after all these (things) I took away the Pistis Sophia, I brought her in unto the thirteenth Aeon, I, shining greatly greatly, there being not measure unto the light which was becoming from me, I came in unto the Place of the twenty-four (fourth, MS) Invisibles, I, shining greatly greatly; and they were disturbed with great disturbance: they looked, they saw the Sophia who was being with me, they recognised her. [165^a] But I, they recognised me not who I (was), but they were thinking of me as of an emanation of the land of the Light. It happened therefore, the Sophia having seen her fellow Invisibles, she rejoiced in great joy, and she was delighted greatly; she wished to show to them the wonders which I did with her below in the land of the mankind, until I delivered her. She came up unto the midst of the Invisibles, she hymned unto me in their midst, saying, I shall manifest to thee, O Light, because thou art a Saviour, and thou art a redeemer at every time: I shall hymn this hymn unto the Light because he delivered me: and he delivered out of the hand of the Rulers [165^b] mine enemies. And thou deliveredst me in all the Places, and thou deliveredst me from the exaltation and the humiliation of the Chaoses, and from the Aeons of the Rulers of the Sphere. And I having come out of the Height, I went astray in Places, there being not light in them. I could not return into the thirteenth Aeon my dwelling, because there is not light in me nor power, my power was defective altogether, and the Light delivered me from all my afflictions. I hymned up unto the Light, he heard me, they having afflicted me. He guided me in the creation of the Aeons, for him to bring me up unto the thirteenth Aeon, my dwelling. I shall manifest to thee, O Light, because thou deliveredst me, and (for) thy wonders in the race of [166^a] the mankind, I having become deficient of my power, thou gavest power to me, and I having become deficient of my light, thou filledst me with light being purified. I became in the darkness with the shadow of the Chaos, being bound in the bonds being cruel of the Chaos, there being not light in me: because I exasperated the precept of the Light, I transgressed, I gave anger to the precept of the Light, because I came out of my Place: and I having come down, I was deficient of my power, and I became lightless, and there was not any to help me: and in their afflicting me I hymned up unto the Light, and he delivered me out of all my afflictions: and also he burst all my bonds: he brought me up from the darkness with the oppression of the Chaos. I shall manifest [166^b] to thee, O Light, because thou deliveredst me, and thy wonders happened in the race of the mankind. And thou brokest-in-pieces the gates which (are) high of the darkness, and with the bars which (are) cruel of the Chaos, and thou madest me go down from the Place, from which I transgressed: and also they took away my power because I transgressed, and I ceased from the mysteries, I came down in the gates of the Chaos: and they having afflicted me, I hymned up unto the Light, he delivered me out of all my afflictions. Thou dispatchedst thine effluence, it gave power to me, and it delivered me out of all my oppressions. I shall manifest to thee, O Light, because thou deliveredst me, and (for) thy wonders in [167^a] the race of the mankind. This therefore is the hymn which said the Pistis Sophia, being in the midst of the twenty-four Invisibles, wishing, for them all to know all the wonders which I did with her, and wishing for them to know that I went unto the World of the mankind. I gave to them the mysteries of the Height. Now therefore he who is exalted in his understanding, let him come forward, and say the explanation of the hymn which said the Pistis Sophia. It happened therefore, Jesus having finished saying these words, came forward Philippos, said he, Jesus My Lord, exalted is my understanding and I understand the explanation of the hymn which said the Sophia: prophesied [167^b] also about it once David the prophet, saying in the hundred and sixth psalm, Manifest to the Lord that he is kind, because unto age is his mercy, let those whom the Lord redeemed say, This is he, he redeemed them out of the hand of their enemies: he gathered them in from their countries, out of the east with the west with the north with the sea. They went astray in the wilderness in a place in which there is not water; they found not the road to the city of their dwelling. Being hungry being thirsty their soul failed in them. He delivered them out of their necessity. They cried up unto the Lord, he heard them being distressed: he guided them unto a road, being straight [168^a] for them to go up unto the Place of their dwelling, Let them manifest to the Lord in his mercies, and his wonders among the sons of the men: because he satisfied a soul, being hungry, a soul being hungry he filled it with good. Those who sit in the darkness with the shadow of the death, those who are bound in a poverty with the iron; because he exasperated the word of God, they irritated the counsel of him who is exalted: their heart was humbled in their tribulations; they became weak and there was not he who helped them. They cried up unto the Lord in their being distressed; he delivered them out of their necessity, he brought them out of the darkness with the shadow of the death, and he burst their bonds. Let them manifest to the Lord in his mercies, and his wonders for the sons [168^b] of the men: because he broke gates of brass, he shattered bars of iron: he received them unto him in the road of their unlawfulness; for they were humiliated because of their unlawfulness: their heart abhorred every (kind) of meat, they approached unto the gates of the death. They cried up unto the Lord in their being distressed, he delivered them out of their necessity: he sent his word, he healed them, and he saved them out of their tribulation. Let them manifest to the Lord in his mercy and his wonders among the sons of the men. This therefore, my Lord is the explanation of the hymn which said the Sophia. Hear therefore, my Lord that I may say it plainly. The word indeed which said David, Manifest [169^a] to the Lord because he is kind, because an eternal is his mercy. That is the word which said the Sophia, I shall manifest to thee, O Light, because thou art a Saviour, and thou art a redeemer at every time. And the word which said David, Let those whom the Lord redeemed say this, He redeemed them out of the hand of their enemies. That is the word which said the Sophia, I shall say this hymn unto the Light, He delivered me; and he delivered me out of the hand of the Rulers mine enemies, with the rest also of the psalm. This therefore, my Lord is the explanation of the hymn which said the Sophia in the midst of the twenty-four Invisibles, wishing for them to know [169^b] all the wonders which I did with her, and she wished for them to know, that thou gavest thy mysteries of the race of the mankind.

It happened therefore, Jesus having heard these words, saying them Philippos, said he, Well (done), O happy Philippos, this is the explanation of the hymn which said the Sophia. It happened therefore also after all these (things) came forward Mariham, she worshipped at the feet of Jesus, said she, My Lord, be not angry with me seeking from thee, because we are seeking after every thing in an exactness with a certainty, for thou saidst unto us once, Seek that ye may find and knock that they may open to you. For every one who seeketh will find, and every one who knocketh [170^a] in, they will open to him. Now therefore, my Lord, who is he whom I shall find, or who is he unto (whom) we shall knock, or who, rather, is he for whom it is possible to say unto us the answer to the words about which we shall seek (from) thee, or who, rather, is he who knoweth the power of the words after which we shall seek, because that in a mind thou gavest mind to us of the Light, and thou gavest to us perception with a thought being exalted greatly? Concerning this therefore there is not anyone becoming in the World of the mankind, nor becoming in the Height of the Aeons, for whom it is possible to say unto us the answer to the words which we seek after, except thee alone, this who knoweth the Universe and who is complete in the Universe. [170^b] Because that I was not seeking after the manner (in) which seek the men of the World; but we are seeking indeed in the knowledge of the Height, this which thou gavest to us, and we are seeking also in the type of the search which is preferable, this which thou taughtest us for to seek in it.