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Pistis Sophia · 98 of 160 · tr. George Horner

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Now therefore whenever I should finish distributing to you the Distribution of the Universe, I shall give to you and I shall say unto you the great mysteries of the three lots of my kingdom, namely, the heads of the mysteries which I shall give to you, and which I shall say unto you in all their figures with all their types with all their tickets (pebble, MS ) with the seals of the last [228 ] Space, namely, the first Space (reckoning) from without. And I shall say unto you 124 the answers with the defences with the symbols of that Space. (As for) the second Space however (reckoning) inwards they have not answer nor defence nor symbol nor ticket nor seal, but only types are they with figures, those which they have. All these having finished saying them the Saviour unto his disciples, came forward Andreas, said he, My Lord, Be not angry with me, but have pity upon me, and reveal to me the mystery of the word of which I seek (from) thee: otherwise it became hard for me and I understood it not. Answered the Saviour, said he to him, Seek after that which thou [228 ] wishedst, and I shall reveal it to thee face to face without parable. But answered Andreas, said he, My Lord I am wondering and I am marvelling greatly, that the men who are in the World, who are in the body of this matter, how, whenever they should come out of this World, they will pass over these firmaments, with all these Rulers, with all the Lords, with all the Gods, with all these great Invisibles, with all those of the Place of those of the Middle, and with those of the whole Place of those of (the) Right (hand) with all the great emanations of the Light and all make their entrance and inherit the kingdom of the Light. This thing therefore, my Lord, is difficult for me. These therefore having said them Andreas, this spirit of the Saviour moved in him he cried out, [229 ] said he, How long am I to bear with you, how long am I to suffer you, if thus far also ye understood not, and ye are without knowledge. Then ye know not, ye, and ye understand not that ye with all the Angels with all the Archangels, with the Gods, with the Lords, with all the Rulers, with all the great Invisibles, with all those of the Middle, with those of the whole Place of those of (the) Right (hand), and with all the great emanations of the Light, with all their glory, ye all one with another are out of the same lump with the same matter, with the same substance, and ye are out of the same Confusion all of you: and by the command of the First Mystery was the Confusion compelled (to be) until should be [229 ] purified all the great emanations of the Light with all their glory, and until they should be purified from the Confusion. And they were not purified through their own selves, but they were purified under compulsion according to the arrangement of the one only, the Ineffable. And they, they did not suffer at all, and they did not transfer them from the Places, nor did they despoil them at all, nor did they melt them down into bodies, various, nor did they become in any affliction. Yea, verily therefore ye are the dregs of the Treasury, and ye are the dregs of the Place of those of (the) Right (hand), 125 and ye are the dregs of the Place of those of the Middle, and ye are the dregs of all the Invisibles, with all the Rulers, in one word [230 ], ye are the dregs of all these.
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Themes
Anthropomorphismtheology

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

The divine is addressed as 'Lord' and 'Saviour', and the text references 'body of this matter'.

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Apophatic Theologytheology

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

The First Mystery is described as 'Ineffable' and beyond knowledge.

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Archonscosmology

Malevolent planetary rulers or demiurgic powers that govern the material world and obstruct the soul's ascent.

Mentions of Rulers, Lords, and Invisibles govern the material world and obstruct understanding.

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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 phrase 'men who are in the body of this matter' implies a limitation of spiritual knowledge.

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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 purified Light and the 'Confusion' of matter.

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Divine Hiddennesstheology

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

The text emphasizes that the mysteries are revealed only to those ready and not to all.

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Divine Lighttheology

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

The passage repeatedly references 'Light' and its emanations as a central theme of purification and inheritance.

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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 of the Light' suggest a structured flow from a higher source.

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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 describes a purification process where entities are purified under compulsion according to divine arrangement.

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Evil As Privationtheology

Augustinian and Plotinian doctrine that evil has no positive being of its own but is a lack, distortion, or absence of the good — denying ontological dualism while preserving moral seriousness.

Confusion is described as something that must be compelled until purified rather than a positive evil entity.

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Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

The passage discusses the passage of souls through firmaments and realms after death.

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Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

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

The text centers on revealing mysteries directly to those who seek them without parable or parable.

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Hidden Sayingssoteriology

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

Mysteries are described as being reserved for those ready to receive them and revealed face to face.

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Living Godtheology

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

The Saviour is portrayed as an active, responsive reality who reveals mysteries to those who seek.

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Numerical Mysticismtheology

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

Specific numbers like '124' and '125' are used in the context of revelation.

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Paradox As Teachingethics

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

The text uses apparent contradiction to reveal deeper truths about divine unity and purification.

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Prayerpraxis

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

Andreas directly addresses the Saviour with a petition for pity and revelation.

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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 purification of emanations implies a movement back to their original state.

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Ritual Puritypraxis

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

Purification from Confusion is described as a necessary condition for inheritance of the Light.

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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 describes beings being out of the same lump with the same matter until purified.

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Spiritual Ascentpraxis

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

Andreas seeks to pass over firmaments and inherit the kingdom of the Light.

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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 to inherit the kingdom of the Light, implying a transformation into a divine state.

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Unity Of Beingtheology

The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.

All beings are described as being out of the same lump with the same matter and substance.

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Related passages · 7 parallels
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Shared concept: Cosmic Dualism — Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality. (derived)
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Shared concept: Funerary Navigation — Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death. (derived)
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Shared concept: Eschatological Judgment — 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. (derived)
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