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Pistis Sophia · 21 of 160 · tr. George Horner

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Now therefore let all the gates rejoice. Seek ye all after the Light, that may live the power of your soul which is in you: because the Light heard the (things of) matter and it would not leave any matter which it did not purge. Let the souls with the (things of) matter bless the Lord of all Aeons, with the matter, with all those who are in them: because God will deliver their souls out of every matter, and they will prepare a city in the Light: and all the souls who will be delivered will dwell in that city, and 27 inherit it: and the souls of [49 ] those who will receive mystery will be in that Place, and those who receive mystery in his name will become in it. It happened therefore, while Jesus is saying these words unto his disciples, said he to them, This is the hymn which said the Pistis Sophia in her first repentance, repenting because of her sin, and saying everything which happened to her. Now therefore he who hath ear to hear let him hear. Came forward again Maria, said she, My Lord, my companion of light hath ear, and I hear in my power of light, and was wakeful in me thy spirit which (is) with me, hear, therefore, that I may speak concerning the repentance which said the Pistis Sophia, saying her sin with all the (things) which happened to her. Thy power [50 ] of Light prophesied about her once through David the prophet in the sixty-eighth psalm. O God, save me because waters came in unto my soul. I sank, or I was drowned, in the mire of the abyss and there was not strength (left): I came unto the depths of the sea. A whirlwind it is which drowned me. I toiled, crying out, my throat is that which flew away, mine eyes fail while I trust unto God: were multiplied more than the hairs of my head those who hate me without cause: prevailed my enemies, those who pursued me in violence: the (things) which I did not rob, they required them of me: O God thou knewest my foolishness and [50 ] my sins they hid them not from thee: let them not be ashamed because of me, those who wait for thee, O Lord. O Lord of the powers cause them not to be disgraced because of me, those who seek for thee, O Lord the god of Israel, O God of the powers! For because of thee I took up unto me reproach, the shame covered over my face, I was alien unto my brothers, strange unto the sons of my mother: because the zeal of thy house is that which ate me; the reproaches of those who reproached thee they fell upon me; I bowed my soul in fasting, it became for me unto reproach; I put a sackcloth upon me, I became to them for proverb. They lifted up their voice upon me, those who sit [51 ] in the gates; and were singing at me, those who drink the wine. But I was praying in my soul up unto thee, O Lord; the time of thy will it is, O God. In the multitude of thy mercy listen unto my salvation in truth. Save me from this mire, that I should not sink in it, (that) I should be saved from those who hate me, and out of the depth of the waters. Let not a flood of water drown me, let not the pit swallow me (down), let not a well take hold with mouth upon me. Hear me, O Lord, because kind is thy mercy. 28 According to the multitude of thy compassion look upon me. Turn not thy face away from thy servant because I am afflicted. Hear me quickly, [51 ] take heed unto my soul and redeem it.
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Themes
Aeonscosmology

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

The passage explicitly references 'Lord of all Aeons' and the 'Pistis Sophia' as a divine entity dwelling within the realm.

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Anthropomorphismtheology

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

The divine is addressed with human attributes such as having a 'power of Light', being 'wakeful', and possessing a 'spirit'.

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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 Pistis Sophia prophesied through David the prophet in the sixty-eighth psalm, indicating a divine generative act within the human or cosmic sphere.

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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 text describes sinking in the mire of the abyss and being drowned by waters, implying the material body is a hindrance to spiritual life.

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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 establishes a clear opposition between the Light and Matter, stating that Light heard of matter but would not leave any unpurged.

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Divine Lighttheology

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

Light is repeatedly invoked as a central theme for life, purification, and the destination of souls in the Pistis Sophia.

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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.

God is described as actively delivering souls from matter and preparing a city in the Light according to His will.

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Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

The text describes the soul's descent into the abyss and waters, implying a journey through death that requires divine intervention.

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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 hearing the hymn and possessing the power of light rather than external rituals.

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Hidden Sayingssoteriology

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

The text warns that those who have ear to hear must hear, implying esoteric knowledge reserved for the initiated.

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Inner Lightanthropology

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

The passage emphasizes that the power of the soul is within the individual and that seeking the Light allows them to live this internal power.

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Kingdom Withinanthropology

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

The text states that the power of the soul is in the individual, suggesting the divine realm is accessible internally without external mediation.

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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 an active agent who hears, delivers souls, and saves from drowning waters.

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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 speaker mentions being wakeful in the spirit which is with them during prayer.

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Prayerpraxis

Direct address to the divine, whether petitionary, contemplative, or liturgical; speech and silence offered upward.

The passage includes a detailed prayer addressed directly to God for salvation from drowning and shame.

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Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

The text describes the soul being delivered from matter and preparing a city in the Light, indicating a reversal of entrapment.

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Ritual Puritypraxis

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

The Light is described as purging matter, implying a requirement for spiritual cleanliness to access divine life.

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Sacred Namestheology

Divine names or formulas that carry ontological power, used in prayer, liturgy, or magical practice.

The text mentions that those who receive mystery in God's name will become in the Place.

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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 speaker describes sinking in the mire of the abyss and being alien unto brothers due to the zeal of God's house.

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Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

The movement from sinking in matter toward living in the Light implies an upward journey of purification.

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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.

Salvation involves becoming in the Place and receiving mystery in God's name, suggesting a transformation into divine status.

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Related passages · 13 parallels
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Shared concept: Separation From Source — 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. (derived)