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Pistis Sophia · 119 of 160 · tr. George Horner

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Concerning this word therefore my Lord, which thou saidst unto us once, (Become) being reconciled with thine enemy while thou art on the road with him, lest-haply thine enemy should give thee to the judge, and the judge should give thee to the officer and the officer should cast thee unto the prison, and thou shalt not come out of that place, having not given the last smallest coin (lypton, MS ), namely, the word (said) plainly, Every soul which cometh out of the body, and walketh on the road with the counterfeit spirit, and findeth not the mystery of the loosening of all the seals, with all the bonds, and (yet) is loosened from the counterfeit spirit, which is bound unto her; then that soul having [269 ] not received mystery of (in, MS ) the Light, having not found the mysteries of the loosening of the counterfeit spirit, which is bound unto her. She therefore finding it not, is wont the counterfeit spirit, it 149 is wont to take that soul (close) to the Virgin of the Light; and is wont the Virgin of the Light, and that judge, she is wont to deliver that soul unto one of her Receivers, and is wont her Receiver, he is wont to cast her unto the Sphere of Aeons, and she is not wont to come out of the changes of the body, having not given the last Cycle which is reckoned unto her. This therefore my Lord, is the fourth meaning. It happened therefore, Jesus having heard these words, saying them Maria, said he, Well (done) O happy Maria, the spiritual. These are the explanations of the words which I said. Answered Maria, said she, My Lord, yet I seek from thee [270 ] because that from now I am about to begin to seek thee of everything in an exactness. Because of this therefore My Lord, be long suffering with us, and reveal to us everything, about which we shall seek thee, concerning the manner also in which my brothers will preach to the race of all the mankind. But these she having said them to the Saviour, answered also the Saviour, said he to her becoming in a great mercy in unto her, Amen I say to you, Not only shall I reveal to you every thing ye will seek after, but from now also I shall reveal to you these other (things) which ye understood not to seek after them; these mounted not upon the heart of the men, these which knew not all the Gods also who (are) among the men. Now therefore, thou Maria, seek after that which thou art seeking after, [270 ] and I shall reveal it to thee face to face, without parable. But answered Maria, said she, My Lord, then in what type are wont the baptisms to forgive sin? I heard thee saying, Are wont the Contentious Ministers, they are wont to follow after the soul, being witness unto her of every sin which she did, that they should convict her in the judgments. Now therefore, My Lord, are wont the mysteries of the baptisms, are they wont to blot out the sins, which are with the Contentious Ministers, because they indeed are wont to make their forgetfulness? Now therefore My Lord, say unto us the type (by) which they are wont to forgive sin, but we wish to know them in an exactness. But answered the Saviour, said he to Maria, Fairly indeed thou saidst, the Ministers however at least they are not (those) who are wont to bear witness of every sin, but [271 ] they are wont to remain also among the judgments holding on to the souls, convicting all the souls of the sinners, these who received not mystery, and they are wont to hold them down in the Chaoses punishing them.
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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 mentions the 'Sphere of Aeons' as a destination for souls who fail to find liberation.

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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 repeatedly describes the body's changes and imprisonment as a state from which one cannot escape without divine mystery.

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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 passage establishes a clear opposition between the 'spiritual' and 'counterfeit spirit', as well as the 'Virgin of the Light' versus the 'judge'.

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Divine Lighttheology

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

The text repeatedly references the 'Virgin of the Light' and the 'mystery of the loosening of all the seals' as central to liberation.

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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 describes a process where souls are delivered to Receivers and cast into the Sphere of Aeons for punishment.

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Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

The text outlines the path of the soul after death, including judgment, imprisonment, and potential release.

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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 contingent upon finding the 'mystery' and receiving the 'Light' rather than through external rituals like baptism.

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Hidden Sayingssoteriology

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

The text distinguishes between words understood by the disciples and those that were not sought after by the faithful.

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Inner Lightanthropology

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

The Virgin of the Light is associated with the soul's receptivity to mystery and illumination.

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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 an active, responsive reality who reveals mysteries and speaks directly to Maria.

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Paradox As Teachingethics

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

The instruction to reconcile with an enemy while on the road uses apparent contradiction to convey spiritual insight.

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Psychopomp Journeycosmology

Guided passage of the soul through afterlife realms.

The passage describes the soul's movement through realms like the Sphere of Aeons and the Chaoses under divine judgment.

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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 goal is for the soul to find the mystery and be loosened from the counterfeit spirit to return to the Virgin of the Light.

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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 discusses the 'mysteries of the baptisms' that forgive sin, implying a cleansing function similar to ritual purity.

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Sacred Namestheology

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

The passage emphasizes the power of the 'word' (lypton) as the last smallest coin that determines liberation or imprisonment.

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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 soul is described as finding it not and being bound to the counterfeit spirit until it receives the mystery of the 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 journey from the prison to the Sphere of Aeons implies a movement upward toward divine realms.

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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 Virgin of the Light is associated with the revelation of the mysteries that transform the soul's state.

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