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Pistis Sophia · 143 of 160 · tr. George Horner

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Now therefore say unto them, If ye knew the face of the heaven with the earth out of the winds, Whenever some therefore now should come up (close) to you and preach to you a Godhead, and ye know in an exactness that their words agreed and suited (to) all your words, these which I said unto you by witnessings two up to three, and they have agreed in the constitution of the air with the heavens with the cycles with the stars (aster) with the planet (phoster) with all the earth with all which are in it with all the waters also with all which are in them, say unto them, Those who come [315 ] unto you and their words suit and agree in all the knowledge which I said unto you, then receive them (as) belonging unto us. These are the (things) which ye will say unto the men to whom ye preach, that they should keep them(selves) from the teachings of error. Now therefore because of the sinners I despoiled my(self) I came unto the World, 178 that I should deliver them, because that the righteous (ones) indeed, these who did not do any of evil ever, and these who did not do sin at all, it is necessary for them to find the mysteries, these which (are) in the Book of Ieou, these which I caused Enokh to write in the paradisos, while speaking with him out of the Tree of the Knowledge and out of the Tree of the life. And I caused him to put them in the rock of Ararad. And I put Kalapatauroth, the Ruler who (is) over Ghemmout, this (one) upon whom are the feet [316 ] of Ieou, and he it is who goeth round all the Aeons with the Destinies. That Ruler I put him being vigilant unto the Books of Ieou because of the Flood, and that no Ruler should envy them and should destroy them. These which I shall give to you whenever I finish saying unto you the Distribution of the Universe. These therefore having said them the Saviour, answered Maria, said she, My Lord, then who therefore also is the man who is upon the World, who sinned not at all, this (one) being sound from unlawfulness? For whenever he should be sound from one he will not be able to be sound from another, that he should find the mysteries which are in the Books of Ieou. For I say that there is not man upon the World who will be able to be sound from sin. For whenever he should be able to be sound from one he would not be able to be sound from another. Answered the Saviour, said he to Maria, I [316 ] say to you that they will find one in thousand, two in ten thousand because of the completion of the mystery of the First Mystery, these which I shall say whenever I should finish Distributing to you the Universe. Because of this therefore I despoiled my(self) I brought the mysteries unto the World, because they become all under the sin, and they all come short of the free-gift of the mysteries. Answered Maria, said she to the Saviour, My Lord, before that thou camest unto the Place of the Rulers, and before that thou camest into the World did no soul go unto the Light? Answered the Saviour said he to Maria, Amen amen I say unto you, Before that I came unto the world not any soul went in unto the Light. And now therefore I having come, I opened the gates of the Light, and I opened the roads which take in unto the Light. And now therefore [317 ] he who will do that which is worthy of the mysteries, let him receive the mysteries and go unto the Light.
Themes
Aeonscosmology

Divine archetypal beings or eternal attributes dwelling within the Pleroma, often arranged in male-female syzygies.

Kalapatauroth is described as a Ruler who goeth round all the Aeons with the Destinies.

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Anthropomorphismtheology

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

The divine is addressed using human pronouns like 'My Lord' and 'I'.

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Apophatic Theologytheology

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

The text emphasizes that the righteous will find the mysteries through knowledge rather than direct revelation.

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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 states that all come short of the free-gift of the mysteries due to sin.

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Correspondencecosmology

The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.

The text asserts that words agree in the constitution of the air with the heavens with the cycles with the stars.

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Cosmic Consciousnessanthropology

A state of awareness transcending ordinary human consciousness, often involving unity with the universe or higher dimensions.

The passage describes a state where one can know the face of heaven and earth out of the winds.

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Divine Hiddennesstheology

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

The mysteries are described as being hidden within books and rocks until revealed.

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Divine Lighttheology

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

The text explicitly mentions opening the gates of the Light and roads that take in unto the Light.

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Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

The Ruler Kalapatauroth is placed to guard the Books of Ieou against envy and destruction.

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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 the Tree of Knowledge and Tree of Life imply a structured divine order.

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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 final state where souls will find mysteries based on their sinfulness.

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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.

Sin is described as a condition that makes all come short of the free-gift of the mysteries.

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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 and finding mysteries are explicitly linked to knowing the face of heaven and earth.

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Hidden Sayingssoteriology

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

The text refers to 'mysteries' and 'Books of Ieou' that contain knowledge reserved for those ready to receive them.

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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 mention of cycles with the stars and planet suggests an expansive cosmic structure.

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Kingdom Withinanthropology

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

The text states that one will find the mysteries which are in the Book of Ieou within their own knowledge.

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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 depicted as an active agent who despoiled himself to bring mysteries unto the World.

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Numerical Mysticismtheology

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

The text mentions cycles and specific numbers like 'thousand' and 'ten thousand'.

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Pneumatic Electsoteriology

A spiritual elite who possess the divine spark and are predestined for salvation, contrasted with psychic (faithful) and hylic (material) persons.

A distinction is made between righteous ones who find mysteries and sinners who do not.

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Prayerpraxis

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

Maria directly addresses the Lord in a dialogue format.

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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 to find the mysteries and go unto the Light after being despoiled by sin.

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Ritual Puritypraxis

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

The instruction is to keep oneself from the teachings of error and find soundness from sin.

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Sacred Namestheology

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

The Book of Ieou is treated as a sacred text containing mystical knowledge.

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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 Saviour despoiled himself to bring mysteries unto the World because they all come short of the free-gift.

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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 text describes opening roads that take in unto the Light as a path for those worthy.

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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.

Finding the mysteries implies participation in divine knowledge and light.

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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.

The text states that all things are connected through cycles with the stars and planet.

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Related passages · 2 parallels
jewish_mysticism|The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation)|Chapter CIV
CIV. Assurances given to the Righteous: Admonitions to Sinners and the Falsifiers of the Words of Uprightness . CHAPTER CIV. 1. I swear unto you, that in heaven the angels remember you for good before the glory of the Great One: and your na…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of righteousness and the recording of deeds, with assurances given to the righteous and warnings to the sinners. They also share a focus on divine mysteries and the role of sacred texts in revealing these mysteries.
sufism|The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi)|STORY XVa
Counsels of Reserve given by the Prophet to his Freedman Zaid. At dawn the Prophet said to Zaid, "How is it with thee this morning, O pure disciple?" He replied, "Thy faithful slave am I." Again he said, "If the garden of faith has bloomed…”
Both passages discuss the revelation of divine mysteries and the role of a spiritual guide in conveying these truths. They also emphasize the importance of faith and the difficulty of attaining spiritual knowledge, though they come from different religious traditions.