It happened therefore, the angels having gone down unto the Chaos, they with the effluence of Light, and also all the emanations of the Self-willed [127 ] with the emanation of the Adamas, they saw the effluence of Light enlightening greatly greatly, there being not measure unto the light which becometh from it, they feared and they let go of the Pistis Sophia: and the great effluence of Light surrounded the Pistis Sophia on every side of her on left of her and on right of her, and on every side of her, and it became a crown of light unto her head.
It happened therefore, the effluence of Light having surrounded the Pistis Sophia, she was confident of heart greatly greatly, and it ceased not surrounding her on every side of her; and she feared not the emanations of the Self-willed, these which become in the Chaos, nor also she feared the other new [128 ] power of the Self-willed, this which he cast down unto the Chaos as an arrow flying; nor also she trembled at the demonic power of the Adamas, this which came out of the Aeons.
And also by my command, I, the First Mystery who looked outward, enlightened greatly greatly my effluence of Light, this which surrounded the Pistis Sophia on every side of her.
And the Pistis Sophia remained in the midst of the light, there being a great light on left of her and on right of her and on every side of her, and being also a crown unto her head: and all the emanations of the Self-willed changed not also their face, nor were they able to support the rush of the great [128 ] light of the effluence, this which became a crown unto her head.
And all the emanations of the Self-willed, a multitude among them fell on right of her, because that she is enlightening greatly 70 greatly; and other multitudes fell on left of her, and they were not able to approach unto the Pistis Sophia at all, from the great light.
Nevertheless they fell all upon one another (or they came all who are close to one another).
And they were not able to do anything of evil to the Pistis Sophia, because that she was trusting unto the light.
And through the command of my Father the First Mystery, who looked inward, I also, I came down unto the Chaos enlightening greatly greatly.
[129 ] I came up to the power of face of lion, this (power) which was enlightening greatly, and I took away all its light which (is) in it, and I held down all the emanations of the Self-willed for them not to go unto their Place from this hour, which (is) the thirteenth Aeon.
And I took away the power from all the emanations of the Self-willed: and they fell all in the Chaos being powerless.
And I brought out the Pistis Sophia, being on (the) right of Gabriel with Mikhael.
And the great effluence of Light, it went also in unto them; and filled her sight with her enemies the Pistis Sophia, because I took away their power of light from them, and I brought the Pistis Sophia out of the Chaos, she having trampled [129 ] upon the emanation of the Self-willed the face of serpent, and also she was trampling upon the emanation of face of basilisk having seven heads.
And she is trampling upon the power of face of lion, with the face of dragon.
I caused the Pistis Sophia to remain standing upon the emanation of the Self-willed, this which became of face of basilisk of serpent having seven heads, but it was being strong(er) than all of them in its evils.
Themes
◆Aeonscosmology
Divine archetypal beings or eternal attributes dwelling within the Pleroma, often arranged in male-female syzygies.
The text explicitly mentions Aeons and their emanations as sources of demonic power.
Narratives or doctrines of cosmic origin — how heaven, earth, and the primordial deities first came into being. The Kojiki's deities born alone on the Plain of High Heaven, Voluspo's Ginnungagap, Genesis's tohu wa-bohu, the Timaeus's Demiurge fashioning the Receptacle, the Hesiodic Theogony, the Kalevala's egg-cosmogony, Egyptian Nun-and-Atum. Distinct from emanation_hierarchy (structural-ontological cascade), letters_of_creation (mechanism of creation), and apocatastasis/frashokereti (end-state restoration); cosmogony is temporally-narrative beginning.
The narrative describes the descent of angels into Chaos and the subsequent illumination that brings order to the fallen powers.
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 references emanations of the Self-willed and Adamas flowing from a higher source into the Chaos.
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 Pistis Sophia is depicted as having been cast down into the Chaos by the Self-willed before being rescued by divine light.
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 Pistis Sophia is initially cast down into the Chaos and feared the emanations of the Self-willed.