Answered Maria, said she, My Lord, then every man who will receive the mystery of the Ineffable, and they transgress, they cease from their faith, and also after these yet living, they turned, they repented, will they forgive to them [277 ] how many times?
Answered the Saviour, said he to Maria, Amen amen I say to you, Every man who will receive the mysteries of the Ineffable, not only whenever he should transgress once and also turn and repent will they forgive to him, but whenever he should transgress at every time, and, also, yet living and turn and repent, not becoming in an hypocrisy, and also should turn and repent, and he should pray in his mysteries (after) his mysteries, they will forgive to him at every time?
Because that he received out of the free-gift of 154 the mysteries of the Ineffable.
And also because that merciful are all those mysteries and forgiving are they at every time.
Answered also Maria, said she to Jesus, My Lord, then those who receive the mysteries of the Ineffable, and also they turned (away) they transgressed, they ceased from their faith, and also they came [277 ] out of (the) body having not repented, what also is that which will happen to these of this kind?
But answered the Saviour, said he to Maria, Amen amen I say to you, Every man who will receive from the mysteries of the Ineffable, happy (ones) are they however at least, the souls which will receive from those mysteries, but whenever they turn (away) and transgress and come out of (the) body having not repented, those men, their judgment is worse than every judgment, and great is greatly greatly: even if those souls are new (ones), and it being their first time of coming unto the World; and they will not return unto the changes of the bodily World from this hour.
And they are not wont to be able to do any work; but they are wont to cast them unto outside unto the Darkness which is outer, and they will be consumed and will be without existence unto age.
But these having said them the Saviour [278 ], said he to his disciples, Understand ye in what manner I am speaking with you?
Answered Maria, said she, Yea, my Lord.
I carried off the words which thou saidst.
Now therefore, my Lord, this is the word which thou saidst, Those who will receive the mysteries of the Ineffable happy (ones) however at least are those souls; but whenever they should turn (away) and transgress and cease from their faith, and they should come out of body having not repented, they are not wont to be profitable any longer from this hour to return them unto the changes of the body, nor (for) any work, but they are wont to cast them unto the outside unto the Darkness which is outer, they will consume them in that Place, and they will be without existence unto age.
Because of the word which thou saidst unto us once saying, Good is the salt, whenever the salt insipid becometh in what are they about to salt it?
[278 ] It is not wont to be profitable unto dunghill nor unto the land, but they are wont to cast it out, namely, happy is every soul who will receive from the mysteries of the Ineffable, but whenever they should transgress once, they are not able to be profitable for return unto the body from this hour, nor unto any work, but they are wont to cast them unto the Darkness which is outer, and they will consume away in that place.
But these she having said them to the Saviour, said he, Well (done) the pure spiritual Maria, this is the explanation of the word.
Themes
◆Apophatic Theologytheology
Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.
The text emphasizes the 'Ineffable' nature of the mysteries, suggesting they transcend ordinary language or concepts.
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 centrally describes a final judgment where souls are sentenced to consume in Darkness or remain without existence.
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.
Transgressors are described as having ceased from their faith and come out of the body.
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.
Souls who receive the mysteries are described as 'happy ones' in a state of divine connection.
Iamblichean ritual practice that engages the gods directly through consecrated material symbols and actions, on the premise that divine power descends into properly prepared matter — distinct from philosophical contemplation alone.
The practice of praying in one's mysteries is presented as a ritual engagement with the divine power.