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Pistis Sophia · 4 of 160 · tr. George Horner

Document FIRST-d

It happened while I am sitting being distant from you [9 ] a little upon the mountain of the Olives, thinking of the arrangement of the service concerning which they sent me, that it was finished: and the Last mystery dispatched not to me my vesture, namely the twenty-fourth mystery (reckoning) from within even to without, these which become in the second Space of the First Mystery in the array of that Space. It happened therefore, I having known that was finished the arrangement of the service, concerning which I came, and not yet that Mystery dispatched to me my vesture this which I left in it, until was finished his time. These (things) therefore thinking, sitting [10 ] upon the mountain of the Olives distant from you a little, it happened as the sun came up in the Places of rising, afterward therefore through the First Mystery, this which was becoming from at first, this because of whom the Universe became, this out of which I also came now, not at the time before they crucified me, but now. It happened by the commandment of that Mystery, he dispatched to me my vesture of light, this which he gave for me from (at) first, this which I left in the Last mystery, namely the twenty-fourth mystery (reckoning) from within out, these which become in the arrays of the second Space of the First [10 ] Mystery. That vesture of light therefore, that which I, I left in the Last mystery, until finished the time for me to put it on, and to begin for me to speak with the race of mankind, and reveal to them all from the beginning of the Truth even unto its end, and speak with them from the inward part of the inward parts even unto the outward part of the outward parts, and from the outward part of the outward parts even unto the inward part of the inward parts. Rejoice therefore with gladness and make more joy, because ye are those to whom they gave it for me to speak with you at first from the beginning of the Truth [11 ] even unto its end. Because of this indeed I chose you from at first through the First Mystery. Rejoice therefore and be glad, because having come, coming out unto 6 the World from at first I brought twelve powers with me according as I said unto you from at first, which I received from the twelve Saviours of the Treasury of Light, according to the commandment of the First Mystery. These therefore I cast unto the womb of your mother, from when I come unto the World, these which (are) in your body to-day, for they gave these powers unto you beyond all the World, because ye are those who will save all the World; and that ye should [11 ] prevail to endure the threat of the Rulers of the World with the toils of the World with their dangers and with their persecutions, all which will bring upon you the Rulers of the Height. For I said to you many times that the power which becometh within you, this which I brought out of the twelve Saviours, these who become in the Treasury of the Light. Because of this indeed I said to you from at first that ye are not (such as are) out of the World, this I also, I am not out of it, for every man who (is) in the World received soul out of the Rulers of the Aeons, but the power which becometh [12 ] in you is (something) from me. But ye, your souls are numbered unto the Height. I brought twelve powers of 12 Saviours to the Treasury of the Light, which I took out of the part of my power, that which I took at first.
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Themes
Aeonscosmology

Divine archetypal beings or eternal attributes dwelling within the Pleroma, often arranged in male-female syzygies.

The text references 'Twelve Saviours of the Treasury of Light' and 'Rulers of the Aeons' as governing powers.

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Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

Divine beings are described with human-like attributes such as a 'mother', 'womb', and 'Rulers'.

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Apocatastasiscosmology

The doctrine of the periodic restoration or recurrence of all things to their original state after vast cycles.

The promise of saving all the world implies a final restoration or renewal.

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Birth Of Word In Soulanthropology

Eckhart's signature doctrine that the Father eternally begets the Son in the ground of the soul; the human interior as the actual site of the divine generative act, distinct from inner_light's static indwelling.

The text states that the power becometh within the recipient from the Twelve Saviours.

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Body As Obstacleanthropology

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

The recipient's body is described as containing powers that will endure persecutions.

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Correspondencecosmology

The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.

The passage describes a mapping between inner parts and outer parts of existence.

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Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

The text contrasts the 'World' with the 'Height' and mentions threats from Rulers of the World.

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Divine Hiddennesstheology

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

The vesture is described as being left in the Last mystery until finished time allows its use.

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Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

Light is central to the narrative, with a 'vesture of light' given from the beginning and used for revelation.

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Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

The text describes a commandment and dispatch of the vesture by the Mystery to fulfill an arrangement.

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Emanation Hierarchycosmology

A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.

The text outlines a structured flow from the First Mystery through Spaces to the Second Space.

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Eschatological Judgmentsoteriology

Final, collective cosmic judgment as an event in which the wicked are sentenced and the cosmos restored; distinct from psychopomp_journey (individual passage at death) and emphasising verdict where Zoroastrian frashokereti emphasises restoration.

The mention of Rulers of the Height and threats implies a final cosmic order.

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Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

Salvation is linked to revealing Truth from beginning to end through direct revelation.

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Hidden Sayingssoteriology

Esoteric teachings reserved for those ready to receive them; outer meaning conceals an inner liberating truth.

The text mentions a 'Last mystery' that holds the vesture until finished time allows its use.

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Inner Lightanthropology

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

The vesture of light is described as being left within the recipient's body until time allows its use.

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Kingdom Withinanthropology

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

The revelation is to be made from the inward part of the inward parts even unto the outward part of the outward parts.

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Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

God is depicted as active and dynamic, dispatching powers and speaking to humanity.

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Meditationpraxis

Disciplined inward attention — sitting, focused, or open-awareness practice — as a stand-alone term that umbrellas active_contemplation, inner_silence, and dhyana-style sitting.

The narrator describes sitting on the mountain of the Olives while thinking about the arrangement of service.

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Numerical Mysticismtheology

Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality.

The passage repeatedly specifies exact numbers such as 'twelve powers', 'twenty-fourth mystery', and 'first' versus 'second'.

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Pneumatic Electsoteriology

A spiritual elite who possess the divine spark and are predestined for salvation, contrasted with psychic (faithful) and hylic (material) persons.

The text explicitly identifies a chosen group of twelve powers destined to save all the world.

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Ritual Puritypraxis

The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine.

The vesture of light implies a state of sanctity required for revelation.

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Separation From Sourcesoteriology

The felt condition of exile from one's divine origin — Rumi's reed flute torn from its bed, Plotinus's 'we have forgotten,' the Gnostic forgetfulness; the affective wound that complements return_to_source and gives the return its motive.

The narrator describes being distant from the group on the mountain and having the vesture withheld until finished time.

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Theosis Deificationsoteriology

The doctrine — central to Eastern Orthodox and Maximian theology — that the human person is progressively transformed into a partaker of the divine nature by grace, not merely justified or united in passing ecstasy.

The recipient is promised to prevail in enduring threats and save all the world through divine powers.

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Related passages · 12 parallels
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