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Pistis Sophia · 96 of 160 · tr. George Horner

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He who also receiveth out of the three mysteries of the Ineffable, whenever also he should come out of body he will inherit unto the kingdom of that mystery, and those three mysteries are equal with one another, they are in the kingdom and they are more excellent and they are higher than the five Mysteries of the Ineffable in the kingdom. But they are not equal with the one (only) mystery of the Ineffable. He who receiveth also the one (only) mystery of the Ineffable will inherit the Place of the whole kingdom, according as I finished saying unto you all his glory another time. And every one who will receive the mystery, which is in the Space of the Universe of the Ineffable with all the other mysteries, which are joined in the members of the Ineffable [224 ], these concerning which I did not yet speak with you with their distribution with the manner in which they stand, and with the type of each as it is, and because of what they called him, The Ineffable, or because of what he stood being distributed with all his members, and how many members there are becoming in him, with all his arrangements, these which I shall not say unto you now, but whenever I should be about (to say) unto you the Distribution of the Universe, I shall say unto you all one after another, indeed his distributions with his form of words (speaking of himself) as he is with the joining of all his members, belonging to the arrangement of the only one God of the truth, inaccessible. The Place therefore unto which each will receive mystery in the Space of the Ineffable, he will inherit unto [224 ] the Place which he received. And those of the whole Place of the Space of the Ineffable are not wont to give answer at every Place, nor are they wont to give defence nor are they wont to give symbol for ones without symbol are they; and they have not Receiver, but they are wont to pass through all the Places, until they go unto the Place of the kingdom of the mystery which they received. Likewise also those who will receive mystery in the second Space have not answer nor defence, for ones without symbol they are in that World, 122 that is the Space of the first mystery of the First Mystery: and those of the third Space also which is the outside, namely, the third Space also from the outside, each Place hath in that Space its Receivers with its answer [225 ] with its defence with its symbol, these which I shall say unto you in the time (in) which I shall say unto you that mystery, namely, whenever I should finish saying unto you the Distribution of the Universe. Nevertheless in the dissolution of the Universe, namely, whenever should be completed the number of the perfect souls, and (should) be completed the mystery this (through) which the Universe entirely became, I shall spend (a) thousand years according to the years of the Light reigning over all the emanations of the Light with all the number of the perfect souls, these which received all the mysteries. It happened, Jesus having finished saying these words unto his disciples, came forward Maria the Magdalene, said she, My Lord, how many years in the years of this World is a year of the Light? Answered Jesus, said he to Maria [225 ], A day of the light is ten hundred years of the World, so that thirty-six ten thousand years with another half ten thousand years of the World is (only) one year of the Light. I shall spend therefore ten hundred years of the Light, reigning in the midst of the last Helper, reigning over all the emanations of the Light and over all the number of the perfect souls, these which received the mysteries of the Light.
Themes
Apophatic Theologytheology

Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.

The text repeatedly emphasizes the ineffability of the divine ('Ineffable', 'not wont to give answer'), transcending categories.

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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 passage states that one must come out of body to inherit the kingdom.

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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 distinction is drawn between the ineffable realm and the material world with its years.

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Divine Hiddennesstheology

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

The text describes the Ineffable as inaccessible and not wont to give answer at every place.

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Divine Lighttheology

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

The passage centrally discusses the Light reigning over emanations and the conversion of years into Light-years.

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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.

Mysteries are arranged in a hierarchy from the Ineffable to the Universe and back through Spaces.

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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 passage outlines a specific timeline for the dissolution of the Universe and the inheritance of the kingdom based on mystery reception.

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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 conditioned upon receiving specific mysteries rather than faith or ritual.

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Hidden Sayingssoteriology

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

The text notes that certain distributions and symbols will be revealed only at a later time.

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Infinite Cosmoscosmology

The doctrine of the universe as boundless and without center or circumference, populated by innumerable worlds — Bruno's rejection of the closed Aristotelian sphere; the divine and the cosmos as ontologically infinite.

The reference to the Space of the Universe suggests an expansive cosmic structure beyond finite limits.

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Kingdom Of Light

The text explicitly links the Light with the Kingdom and mentions a Place of the kingdom of the mystery.

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Living Godtheology

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

Jesus is depicted as actively speaking and answering questions about cosmic timelines.

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Numerical Mysticismtheology

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

The text specifies exact numbers such as 'thousand years' and 'ten thousand years' in relation to Light-years.

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Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

The statement that a day of the light is ten hundred years of the World presents a temporal paradox.

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Psychopomp Journeycosmology

Guided passage of the soul through afterlife realms.

The text describes souls passing through Places until they reach the Place of the kingdom.

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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 passage describes a journey from the material world to inherit the Place of the kingdom.

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Ritual Puritypraxis

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

Coming out of body implies a state of spiritual readiness for divine inheritance.

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Sacred Namestheology

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

The text references the 'Ineffable' and mentions the distribution of mysteries with specific form of words.

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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 passage describes souls passing through Places to reach the Place of the kingdom.

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Related passages · 5 parallels
buddhism|Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter)|Section 1r
This probably refers to the auspicious signs discovered in S âkyamuni at his birth, which left it open whether he should become a king or a Buddha.] A Buddha is to be seen (known) from the Law; for the Lords (Buddhas) have the Law-body; And…”
Both passages discuss the nature of ultimate reality and the attainment of higher states of being through mystical knowledge or enlightenment. They emphasize the ineffable and transcendent aspects of these states, which cannot be fully comprehended through ordinary means.
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 1, Section 1e
These mysteries we learn from the Divine Scriptures, and thou wilt find that in well-nigh all the utterances of the Sacred Writers the Divine Names refer in a Symbolical Revelation 72 72 ἐκφαντορικῶς καὶ ὑμνητικῶς. to Its beneficent Emanat…”
Both passages discuss the ineffable nature of the divine and the concept of divine emanations or mysteries. They also touch on the idea of unity and trinity in the divine nature, though expressed in different theological contexts.
christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 10 (part 15)
"The Spirit of Christ in His children is not bound to a certain form, so that He could say nothing but what is found in the writings of the apostles; but as the Spirit was free in the apostles, and as they did not all use the same expressio…”
Both passages discuss the concept of mysteries or divine insights that are received and inherited. They also touch on the idea of different levels or spaces within the divine realm, and the importance of these mysteries in the spiritual journey or the afterlife.
jewish_mysticism|The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation)|Chapter LXXXI
LXXXI. The Heavenly Tablets and the Mission of Enoch . CHAPTER LXXXI. 1. And he said unto me: 'Observe, Enoch, these heavenly tablets, And read what is written thereon, And mark every individual fact.' p. 108 2 And I observed the heavenly t…”
Both passages discuss mystical revelations and the inheritance of divine knowledge or mysteries. They share themes of divine realms, the fate of souls, and the transmission of esoteric wisdom, though they come from different religious traditions.
western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic I: The Doctrine (Éliphas Lévi)|3. The Triangle Of Solomond
Matthew, and in several Hebrew copies, as follows: “The sacred word MALKUTH substituted for KETHER, which is its kabalistic correspondent, and the equipoise of GEBURAH and CHESED, repeating itself in the circles of heavens called eons by th…”
Both passages discuss mystical hierarchies and the distribution of divine mysteries or principles. They share a conceptual framework of layered spiritual realms and the attainment of higher knowledge or states of being, though expressed in different traditions and terminology.