Pistis Sophia · 25 of 160 · tr. George Horner

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This therefore is the explanation of the third repentance which said the Pistis Sophia hymning unto the Height.

It happened therefore, Jesus having heard Martha saying these words, said he, Well done, Martha, and fairly (said).

Added also [59 ] Jesus in the word, said he to his disciples, Added also the Pistis Sophia saying in the fourth Repentance, before that afflicted her the second time, for to take away all her 32 other light which is in her, even the power of face of lion with all the material emanations which (are) with her, these which the Self-willed sent unto the Chaos.

She said therefore this repentance thus, O Light unto which I trusted, hear my repentance and let my shout come in unto thy abode.

Turn not thy image of light away from me, but take heed unto me, whenever they should afflict me.

Hasten, deliver me at the time when I shall cry up unto thee.

[59 ] Because my time failed as a breath, and I became matter.

They took away my light from me.

And my power dried up.

I forgot my mystery this which I was wont to do at first.

From the shout of the fear with the power of the Self-willed my power failed in me—I became as a mere demon, dwelling in matter in which there is not light.

And I became as a counterfeit spirit, being in a material body in which there is not power of light.

And I became as a dekan, being over the air, alone.

Afflicted me greatly the emanations of the Self-willed, and had said in him(self) my partner.

Instead of the light which is in her, they filled her with Chaos.

I swallowed (down) the sweat [60 ] of my own matter and with the anguish of the tears of the matter (deleted in MS.

) of mine eyes, lest they should take away these also, those who afflict me.

All these (things), O Light, happened to me through thy precept and with thy commandment.

And thy precept is for me to become in these (things): thy precept brought me down, and I came down as a power of the Chaos.

And my power was benumbed in me.

But thou O Lord art Light unto age, and thou art wont to visit those who are afflicted at every time.

Now therefore, O Light, arise and seek after my power with the soul which is in me.

Completed was thy precept which thou orderedst unto me in my afflictions.

My time became for thee to seek after my power with my soul.

And this is the [60 ] time which thou orderedst to seek after me, because thy redeemers sought after the power which is in my soul: because completed was the number, and (the time) for them to deliver her matter also.

And then at that time all the Rulers of the material Aeons they will fear thy Light, and all the emanations of the thirteenth material Aeon they will fear the mystery of thy light, to cause the others to put on the purification of their light.

Because the Lord will seek after the power of your soul: he manifested his mystery, that he should look at the repentance of those who become in the Places below, and he did not forsake their repentance.

This therefore is that mystery [61 ] this which became type for the race which they are about to beget, and the race which 33 they are about to beget will hymn unto the Height: because the Light looked out the Height of his Light, he will look over all the matter to hear the groan of those who are bound, to let loose the power of the souls, those whose power they bound, for him to put his name in the soul and his mystery in the power.

Themes

◆Aeonscosmology

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

References to 'material Aeons' and the 'thirteenth material Aeon' indicate divine archetypal beings dwelling within the Pleroma.

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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 'Lord', 'Light', and 'Lord art Light'.

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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 explicitly describes the soul's entrapment in a material body lacking light and power.

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◆Cosmic Dualismtheology

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

A clear opposition is drawn between 'Light' and 'Chaos', as well as 'spirit' and 'matter'.

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◆Divine Lighttheology

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

The passage centers on the deity as 'Light' who must be sought after and whose presence is essential for salvation.

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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.

References to emanations flowing from the Self-willed and material Aeons imply a structured descent of divine power.

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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 text mentions 'Rulers' fearing the Lord's Light at the end of time.

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◆Fall Of Sophiacosmology

The Gnostic myth of Wisdom's prolapse from the Pleroma — her unilateral desire or error producing the Demiurge and the entrapment of divine sparks in matter.

The narrative describes Sophia's prolapse from her original state into matter through affliction and loss of light.

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◆Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

The passage functions as a hymn or prayer for the afflicted seeking liberation from bondage.

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◆Hidden Sayingssoteriology

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

The text is framed as an esoteric hymn containing a 'mystery' reserved for those ready to receive it.

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◆Inner Lightanthropology

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

The speaker identifies with the 'Light which is in her' and seeks to recover her own power of light.

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◆Kingdom Withinanthropology

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

The plea is for the Lord to seek after the power of the soul which is in her.

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◆Living Godtheology

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

The deity is portrayed as active and responsive, capable of hearing repentance and seeking after the soul.

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◆Numerical Mysticismtheology

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

The text mentions 'number' as a completed condition for redemption.

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◆Prayerpraxis

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

The passage is structured as a direct hymning and petitionary address to the Light.

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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 plea is for the Lord to seek after the power of the soul to return it to its divine origin.

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◆Ritual Puritypraxis

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

The text mentions 'purification of their light' as a goal for the aeons.

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◆Self Knowledgesoteriology

The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.

The speaker identifies her own power and seeks to recover it through repentance.

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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 text vividly describes the soul's current state as 'afflicted', 'matter', and lacking light.

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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 Lord seeks after the power of the soul to bring it back from the material realm.

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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 goal is for the Lord to put his name in the soul and his mystery in the power.

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◆Tripartite Soulanthropology

Division of the human being into three principles: spirit (pneuma), soul (psyche), and body/matter (hyle or soma).

The text distinguishes between the 'soul which is in me' and the 'power of the Self-willed'.

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Related passages · 3 parallels

◆jewish_mysticism|The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation)|Page 3 (part 9)

“The Apocalyptist prophesies further of the repentance of the Gentiles (chapter l.), an universalistic note of significance, and speaks of the Resurrection of the dead in a notable passage: And In those days shall the earth also give back th…”

Both passages discuss themes of repentance, divine intervention, and the redemption of souls. They share a mystical tone and focus on the interaction between divine beings and those in distress, highlighting the concept of salvation and the restoration of light or glory.

◆jewish_mysticism|The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation)|Chapter XXXVIII

“XXXVII-XLIV. The First Parable . XXXVIII. The Coming Judgement of the Wicked . CHAPTER XXXVIII 1. The First Parable. When the congregation of the righteous shall appear, And sinners shall be judged for their sins, And shall be driven from t…”

Both passages discuss the theme of divine judgment and the redemption of the afflicted. They share a conceptual parallel in the idea of a higher power intervening to save those who are suffering and to judge the wicked, though they come from different mystical traditions.

◆jewish_mysticism|The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation)|Chapter LVIII

“LVIII-LXXI. The Third Parable . LVIII. The Blessedness of the Saints . CHAPTER LVIII. 1. And I began to speak the third Parable concerning the righteous and elect. p. 75 2. Blessed are ye, ye righteous and elect, For glorious shall be your…”

Both passages discuss the theme of light and redemption, with the Pistis Sophia passage describing a mystical repentance and the Book of Enoch passage describing the blessedness of the righteous. Both emphasize the role of light in the spiritual journey and the ultimate deliverance from darkness.