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Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth · 16 of 32 · tr. G.R.S. Mead

Section 16

When Messiah said this, Yahyā cries aloud; tears come to him without ceasing, and he speaks: "[God] forbid that the high King of Light should look for lot in deceivers. The soul is not like the blood, that it should become heated in the body and come to a stop, The soul is not like the dew, that it should fall on the fruit and be lost. The soul is not like the wind, that it should fare to the mountains and come to a stop. Firmly developed has the soul been brought into the vain body. If the soul has kept herself perfect, she ascends in a garment of glory. "Ṣauriēl's knife consists of three flames. 2 When he (Ṣ) drives her (the soul) to hasten, so as to bear her away, he lets loose the three flames against her. One he lets loose against her in the evening, the other at cock-crow; the third lets he loose 'gainst her at the coming-forth of the rays. If the fire begins to be fierce, the soul slips out of the feet and the knees. Out of the feet and the knees slips she, and draws nigh to the hips. Thereon leaves she the hips, reaches the heart, and seeks to keep there her ground. Then falls she into the breast, and it squeezes ... ... The eyes, the face and the lips of the man twitch, and the tongue twists hither and thither. "Then Ṣauriēl sits on the eyebrows; [he sits] and speaks to her: 'Go hence, O Soul! Why dost thou still watch over the body?'—Then says she to him: 'Thou wilt hale me, Ṣauriēl, out of the body. First show me my vesture [and clothe me therewith]; then hale me out and hence bring me.'—'First bring me p. 61 thy works and thy wage,' makes he answer to her; 'then will I show thee thy vesture and clothe thee.'—'I knew not, O Ṣauriēl,' says she to him, 'that my time is come, and they then send quickly for me, for doing good works, so that thou mayest bring me my vesture and clothe me therewith.'—Natheless he made answer unto her: 'Has no one yet died before thee and have they not yet carried forth anyone to the graveyard?'—Thereon she says to him: 'Through the power of him who has died before me, and through the power of him whom they have carried forth to the graveyard 1 . . .   . . . .
Themes
◆Anthropomorphismtheology

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

The divine figure Ṣauriēl is depicted as a personal agent who sits on eyebrows and speaks directly to the soul.

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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 explicitly describes the 'vain body' as a prison that must be left behind for the soul's ascent.

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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 opposition is drawn between the 'high King of Light' and 'deceivers' or the material world.

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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 'King of Light' and the soul's ascent in a 'garment of glory'.

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◆Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

The passage describes the soul's movement through specific anatomical locations toward the heart and breast during death.

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◆Living Godtheology

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

God is portrayed as an active agent who looks for lot and speaks directly to the soul.

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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 central narrative describes the soul's ascent from the body to the heart and ultimately to her divine ground.

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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 the soul's current state as being trapped in a 'vain body' and seeking to return to her divine ground.

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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 details the staged journey of the soul moving upward from feet to heart toward a higher state of being.

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Related passages · 10 parallels
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 25 (part 2)
“Saith Osiris Ani: "Hail, thou god Annitu! Hail, O Runner, (2) dwelling in thy hall! O thou great god, grant thou " that my soul may come unto me from wheresoever it may be. If it would tarry, then bring thou unto me (3) my soul from wher…”
Both passages deal with the soul's journey after death and the desire for the soul to reunite with the body or be properly clothed for its journey. They share a common theme of the soul's transcendence and the need for divine intervention or preparation.
◆gnosticism|Gospel of Philip|Section 1c
“And Jesus said, “Whoever will not eat my flesh and drink my blood has no life within him.” What does he mean? His flesh is the word and blood the holy spirit. Who has received these has food and drink and clothing. I condemn those who sa…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul or spirit in relation to the body and its transformation or ascension. They share a mystical perspective on the union of divine elements within the human form and the process of spiritual elevation.
◆gnosticism|Gospel of Thomas|Logion 112
“Jesus said, "Woe to the flesh that depends on the soul; woe to the soul that depends on the flesh."…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the soul and the body, emphasizing the soul's independence from the flesh. They share a mystical perspective on the soul's journey and its separation from the physical body.
◆gnosticism|Pistis Sophia|Document THIRDk
“Answered Maria, said she, Now therefore, my Lord, then thou didst not bring Mysteries indeed unto the World, that the man should not die by the death which is reckoned unto him by the Rulers of the Destiny: because if it is being reckoned u…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul's departure from the body and the role of mystical practices or knowledge in facilitating this transition. They share a common theme of the soul's ascent and the avoidance of suffering or tribulation during the process.
◆gnosticism|Pistis Sophia|Document THIRDo
“Added also Jesus in the word, said he, If also a soul is which is not wont to hearken unto the counterfeit spirit (in) all his works, and this (soul) became good, she received the mysteries of the Light, these which (are) in the second Spac…”
Both passages describe the soul's journey after death and the process of liberation from bodily constraints through mystical knowledge or rituals. They share the theme of the soul's ascent and the role of specific mysteries or vestments in facilitating this journey.
◆gnosticism|Pistis Sophia|Document THIRDp
“And whenever the soul, whenever she should say the mystery of the loosening of the seals, and immediately is wont to be loosened the counterfeit spirit; and it is wont to cease coming in against the soul, and it ceaseth from allotting the s…”
Both passages describe the soul's journey after death and its interaction with various spiritual entities. They share themes of the soul's liberation, the presence of adversarial forces, and the soul's ascent to a higher realm, indicating a genuine conceptual parallel.
◆gnosticism|Pistis Sophia|Document THIRDr
“And that of the God to the God, namely, whenever the soul should receive mystery she is wont to give the defence to all the Rulers with the Place of the King, the Adamas. And the soul is wont to give the honour with the glory to those of a…”
Both passages discuss the journey of the soul after death and the challenges it faces. They share themes of the soul's interaction with divine and demonic forces, the need for mysteries or virtues to aid the soul, and the ultimate judgment or liberation of the soul.
◆gnosticism|Pistis Sophia|Document THIRDƒ
“Answered the Saviour, said he to Maria, Whenever the light of the sun is out, it is wont to cover with darkness the dragon: but if the sun should be down from the World, is wont the darkness to remain as curtain for the sun; and is wont the…”
Both passages discuss the soul's journey and the challenges it faces, including the role of divine or demonic forces in this process. They share themes of the soul's purity, the body as a temporary vessel, and the soul's ascent or descent based on its actions.
◆gnosticism|Pistis Sophia|Document FIFTHe
“Then she is wont to take away that righteous soul and deliver her up to her Receivers and cast her unto the Aeons of the Sphere, that the Ministers of the Sphere may take her out unto water being underneath the Sphere, that it may become a…”
Both passages describe the journey of the soul after death and the role of divine entities in this process. They share themes of purification, judgment, and the soul's ultimate fate based on its actions in life.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Fourth Dialoguec
“Whence he says, "Come not back to me till thou art mine," and not unworthily may I say with that other— Thou has left me, oh, my heart, And thou, light of my eyes, art no more with me. Here he describes the death of the soul, which by the…”
Both passages explore the mystical concept of the soul's journey and its longing for the divine. They describe the soul's suffering and its progression towards the infinite or the divine, highlighting the soul's struggle and its ultimate aspiration.