Pistis Sophia: The Second Book

Pistis Sophia: The Second Book

continued

Section 34: John questioneth Jesus

1 It came to pass, therefore, when Jesus had finished speaking these words unto his disciples, that John came forward and said: "Master, if a man is a sinner, a transgressor, steeped in every iniquity, but hath left all this for the sake of the kingdom of the heavens, and hath renounced the whole world and all the matter therein, and we should give him the first of the mysteries of light which are in the first space from the exterior, and if a short time after he have received the mysteries, he should return to his transgression, and yet once again should repent and cease from all sin, and should renounce the whole world and all the matter therein, and if he should come [unto us], and be in great contrition, and if we should know really in truth that God willeth that we should give unto him the second mystery of the first space from the exterior; should he moreover in like manner turn again and transgress, and be in the sins of the world, and yet once more again repent and cease from the sins of the world, and again renounce the whole world and all the matter therein, and be in great contrition, and we should know it with certainty, and he is not a hypocrite, and we should again give him the mysteries of the first [space]; should he further, moreover, in like manner, turn again, and commit sin, and plunge into every type [of sin], wilt thou or not that we remit [his transgressions] unto seven times, and give him the mysteries which are in the first space from the exterior unto seven times?"

2 The saviour answered again and said unto John: "Remit ye his sin not only unto seven times, but amen, I say unto you, remit ye it unto him many times seven times, and each time give ye him the mysteries from the beginning, [the mysteries] which are in the first space from the exterior; perchance ye will win the soul of that brother, so that he may inherit the kingdom of light. "For this cause, when ye questioned me afore-time, saying, 'If our brother sin against us, wilt thou that we forgive him unto seven times?' I answered and said unto you, 'Not only unto seven times, but unto seventy times seven.' "Now, therefore, remit ye his sin many times, and every time give unto him the external mysteries, those which are in the first space; perchance ye shall win the soul of that brother, so that he may inherit the kingdom of light.

3 "Amen, I say unto you, he who shall give life unto a single soul, and shall save it, in addition to his own proper light in the kingdom of light, he shall further receive an additional glory for the soul which he shall have saved, so that he who shall save a host of souls, in addition to his own proper glory in the glory, he shall receive a host of additional glories for the souls which he shall have saved." When, therefore, the saviour had spoken these words, John came forward and said: "Master, bear with me if I question thee, for I will begin from this hour to question thee on every matter, concerning the way in which we are to preach to human kind. "If, then, such a brother, after I shall have given him one of the mysteries of the beginning, which are in the first space from the exterior, after I have given him a number of mysteries—[if, I say, such a brother] hath not become worthy of the kingdom of the heavens, wilt thou that we pass him on to the mysteries of the second space? Perchance we shall win the soul of that brother, he might repent, and be in contrition, and inherit the kingdom of the heavens; wilt thou or not that we pass him on to the mysteries which are in the second space?"

4 The saviour answered and said unto John: "If that brother is not a hypocrite, but longeth for God in truth, if ye shall have given him many times the mysteries of the beginning, and yet because of the necessity of the elements of the fate, he hath not proved worthy of the mysteries of the kingdom of light, [nevertheless] continue to remit his transgressions, pass him on, and give unto him the first mystery of the second space. Perchance ye shall win the soul of that brother. "[Even then] if he be not worthy of the mysteries of light, if he commit transgression and any kind of sin, and then again should repent and be in great contrition, and renounce the whole world, and cease from all the sins of the world, and ye know with certainty that he is not a hypocrite, [then] turn ye [to him] again, and remit his sin, pass him on, give unto him the second mystery of the second space of the first mystery. Perchance, indeed, ye shall win the soul of that brother, that he may inherit the kingdom of the heavens.

5 "Yet again, if he show himself not worthy of the mysteries, but commit transgression and any kind of sin, and yet again repent and be in great contrition, and renounce the whole world and all the matter therein; and cease from the sin of the world, and ye know truly that he is not a hypocrite, but longeth for the truth, turn ye again [unto him], remit his sin and accept his repentance, for the first mystery is compassionate and merciful-minded; yet again pass him on, and give him, one after another, the three mysteries of the second space of the first mystery. "[But] if that man [again] transgresseth, and is in any kind of sin, ye shall not remit his sin again from that hour, nor any more accept his repentance; let him be for you as a stumbling-block and transgressor. "For, amen, I say unto you, those three mysteries shall witness against his last repentance, and there is no more repentance for him from that hour. Amen, I say unto you, the soul of that man shall have no more probation for the world of the height henceforth from that hour, but it shall dwell in the habitations of the dragon of outer darkness.

6 "It is because of the souls of men of this kind that I spake unto you aforetime in parable, saying unto you, 'If thy brother sin against thee, reprove him alone; if he hearken unto thee, thou shalt have won thy brother; if he hearken not unto thee, take with thee another [brother]; if he still will not hear thee or that other [brother], bring him before the assembly; if he hearken not unto the rest [of the brethren], let him be for you as a transgressor and a stumbling-block.' "If he prove not worthy in the first mystery, give him the second; and if he prove unworthy in the second, give him the three, one after the other—that is to say, the 'assembly'—and if he prove unworthy in the third mystery, let him be for you as a stumbling-block and a transgressor.

Section 35: A former saying explained

1 "And the word which I spake to you afore-time, 'By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established,' signifieth that these three mysteries shall witness against his last repentance. Amen, I say unto you, [even] should that man repent, there is no mystery which can remit his sins and accept his repentance, there is not the least possibility of any mystery at all listening unto him, save only the first mystery of the first mystery and the mysteries of that ineffable. They alone will accept the repentance of that man and will remit his sins, for those mysteries are compassionate and merciful-minded, and grant remission at any time." When the saviour had said these words, John continued [his questioning], and said to the saviour: "Master, if a brother, who is a very great sinner, hath renounced the whole world and all the matter therein, all its sins and all its interests, and we shall prove him, and know that he is not a deceiver and a hypocrite, but that he hath a real desire to be in the truth, and we should know that he is worthy of the mysteries of the second space or [even] the third, wilt thou or not that we give him of the [mysteries] of the second space and even of the third, before he have received any mystery at all of the inheritance of light; wilt thou that we give them unto him or no?"

2 And the saviour answered and said unto John in the midst of the disciples: "If ye know with certainty that that man hath renounced the whole world, all its interests, all its associations, and all its sins, if ye know of a certainty that he is not a deceiver or a hypocrite, or merely curious to know what kind of things the rites of the mysteries are, but that he desireth God in truth, ye shall not hide [the mystery] from this man, but ye shall give him the mysteries of the second space and [even] of the third; after ye have proved him to find out of what mystery he is worthy, then give him that mystery and hide it not from him, for should ye hide it from him, ye will be subject to a great judgment. "[Even] if, after ye have once given him [of the mysteries] of the second space or of the third, he should return again to his transgression, [nevertheless] ye shall again give them unto him a second time, and also a third time; but if he still transgress, ye shall no longer give him them, for then these mysteries shall be witnesses against him in his last repentance. Amen, I say unto you, he who shall give the mysteries again unto such a man in the second or in the third space, is subject to a great judgment. But let that man be for you as a transgressor and a stumbling-block.

3 "Amen, I say unto you, for the soul of that man there is no salvation in the world from that hour; his habitation shall be in the midst of the jaws of the dragon of outer darkness, the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, and in the dissolution of the world, his soul shall be frozen up, and shall be lost in the pitiless ice and inexorable fire, and shall cease to exist for the eternity. "Even should he again repent and renounce the whole world, all its interests, and all its sins, and be in severe penitential discipline and great contrition, [nevertheless] no mystery shall accept his repentance, none shall give ear unto him to accept his repentance, and grant him the remission of his sins, save only the mystery of the first mystery and the mystery of that ineffable. These alone will accept repentance from such a man, and grant him the remission of his sins, for these mysteries are compassionate and merciful-minded, and grant remission of sins at any time."

Section 36: John continueth his questioning

1 When the saviour had said these words, John continued [his questioning] further, and said unto him: "Master, bear with me, for I question thee on every matter with earnestness and confidence, as to the manner in which we are to preach to the men of the world." The saviour answered and said unto John: "Ask concerning every matter as thou wilt, and I will reveal it unto thee, face to face, with freedom, and without parable, and with certainty." And John answered and said: "Master, when we go forth to preach, and enter into a city or a town, and the people of that city come to meet us, and we know not who they are, if they employ great deception and hypocrisy, and receive us, and take us into their houses, wishing to make trial of the mysteries of light; if they are hypocrites with us in their submission, and we think that they love God, and we should give them the mysteries of the kingdom of light, and afterwards we should discover that they have not acted in a manner worthy of the mysteries, and we should find out that they have been hypocrites with us, and have deceived us and have afterwards made a [mere] mock of the mysteries of the several regions, mimicking us and [making forgeries of] our mysteries also, what, then, will happen to people of this kind?"

2 The saviour answered and said unto John: "When ye shall have entered into a city or a town, unto the house into which ye shall enter and in which ye shall be received, give ye one of the mysteries; if they be worthy of it, ye shall surely win their souls and they shall inherit the kingdom of light; but if they be not worthy of it, but have deceived you, and have made a [mere] mock of the mysteries, mimicking you and the mysteries, [then] shall ye appeal to the first mystery of the first mystery who hath compassion on all the world, saying, 'The mystery which we have given unto these impious and iniquitous souls, they have not performed in a manner worthy of thy mystery, but they have [merely] copied [what we did]; give back [therefore] that mystery unto us, and make them for ever strangers to the mystery of thy kingdom.' Shake ye off the dust of your feet as a testimony against them, and say unto them, 'May your souls be as the very dust of your house.' Amen, I say unto you, in that hour all the mysteries which ye have given unto them shall return unto you; every word and every mystery of which they shall have received the form shall be taken from them.

3 "Concerning people of this kind, verily, have I aforetime spoken unto you in parable, explained. saying, 'Into whatsoever house ye enter, and ye shall be received, say unto them, Peace be with you," and if they are worthy, your peace shall rest upon them, and if they are not worthy, it shall return unto you again'—that is to say, if these people act in a manner worthy of the mysteries of the kingdom of light; but if they behave hypocritically and with deception towards you, without your being aware thereof, and ye give unto them the mysteries of the kingdom of light, and afterwards they make a mock of the mysteries, and mimic you and my mysteries, [then] ye shall celebrate the first mystery of the first mystery, and he will give back unto you every mystery that ye shall have given unto them, and will make them strangers to the mysteries of light for ever.

4 "Men of this kind shall have no more probation given them in this world from that hour; but, amen, I say unto you, their habitation shall be in the midst of the jaws of the dragon of outer darkness. And should they even have again a time of repentance, and should they renounce the whole world, and all the matter therein, and all the sins of the world, and should then make entire submission to the mysteries of the light, no mystery will give ear unto them or grant them remission of their sins, save only the one and only mystery of that ineffable, who hath compassion on the whole world and granteth the remission of the sins of the whole world."

Section 37: Mary again questioneth Jesus

1 It came to pass, when Jesus had finished speaking these words unto his disciples, that Mary worshipped the feet of Jesus, and kissed them and said unto him: "Master, bear with me, if I question thee, and be not wroth with me." The saviour answered and said unto Mary: "Ask what thou wilt, and I will reveal it unto thee with freedom." And Mary said: "Master, well then, supposing that a brother is good and righteous, and we have perfected him with all the mysteries of light, and that this brother hath a brother or a kinsman or some connection or other, and the latter is a sinner and impious—or even if he be not a sinner—and on this person's passing from the body, the heart of the good brother grieves and mourns over him, in that [his friend] is in the judgments and torments; now, then, O Master, what shall we do to carry him out of the harsh torments and judgments?"

2 The saviour answered and said unto Mary: "I have already spoken unto you on this subject on another occasion, but hearken while I tell you again, that ye may be perfected in every perfection. "Now, therefore, with regard to all who commit sin, or those who do not commit sin, if ye will not only that they be taken back out of the harsh judgments and torments, but also that they should be carried into a righteous body, which shall find the mysteries of the godhead, so as to enter into the height and inherit the kingdom of light—[then] celebrate the third mystery of that ineffable, saying, 'Set ye free the soul of the man of whom we think in our hearts, set ye it free from all the torments of the rulers; haste ye speedily to bring him unto the virgin of light; in this very month let the virgin of light seal him with an excellent seal, in this very month let the virgin of light cast him into a body that shall be righteous and good, that he may enter into the height, and inherit the kingdom of light.'

3 "And if ye say these words, amen, I say unto you, all those that are in service in all the orders of the judgments of the rulers, will set to work to pass that soul from one to the other, until they bring it unto the virgin of light. And the virgin of light shall seal it with the sign of the kingdom of that ineffable, and give it unto her receivers, and the receivers will cast it into a righteous body, and it will find the mysteries of light, and become good, and enter into the height and inherit the kingdom of light. This is the matter on which ye have questioned me." Mary continued and said: "Now, then, O Master, hast thou not brought the mysteries into the world that men may not be distressed by the death that shall come upon them from the rulers of the fate? For if it befalleth any one to die by the sword, or die by water, by tortures and questioning and the violence of the law, or by any other evil death, surely hast thou not brought the mysteries into the world that men may not thus die at the hands of the rulers of the fate, but may die by a sudden death, and not be tortured by such kinds of death? For they are in exceeding great number who persecute us because of thee, and multitudes pursue us because of thy name, so that if we be submitted to the torture, we shall utter the mystery, that we may immediately depart from the body without suffering any pain."

Section 38: How an initiate can escape from the death of the body without pain

1 The saviour answered and said unto his disciples: "Concerning the matter on which ye question me, I have spoken unto you on another occasion; but hearken once more that I may tell it you again. Not only ye, but all men who shall accomplish that first mystery of the first mystery of that ineffable; [only] while a man is [still] engaged in completing that mystery in all its configurations and all its types and all its states, he shall not depart from the body [under such circumstances]; but after the perfect accomplishment of that mystery in all its configurations and all its types, [then] after this at any moment when he shall name that mystery, he shall be saved from all that might have befallen him at the hands of the rulers of the fate. In that moment he shall depart from the body of the matter of the rulers, and his soul shall become a great light-stream, it shall soar into the height, and shall pass through all the regions of the rulers and all the regions of the light, until it come into the region of its kingdom, without presenting explanation or apology in any region, for it is free of [all] symbol."

2 And when Jesus had spoken these words, Mary again hastened to cast herself at Jesus' feet, and kissed them, saying: "Master, I will question thee [yet] again; reveal it unto us and hide nothing from us." Jesus answered and said unto Mary: "Ask on whatever matter thou wilt, and I will reveal it unto thee with freedom, without parable." Mary answered and said: "Well, then, O Master, hast thou not [also] brought the mysteries into the world because of poverty and riches, of weakness and strength, of sickness and health, in a word because of all things of this kind, so that when we come into the regions of a country, and they do not believe in us or give ear to our words, we should perform these mysteries in those regions, in order that they may know truly that we preach the words of the perfection?" The saviour answered and said unto Mary in the midst of the disciples: "The mystery on which ye question me, [behold] I gave it unto you on another occasion; but I will answer again and explain unto you the matter.

3 "Now, therefore, O Mary, not only ye, but all men who shall achieve the mystery of the resurrection of the dead which healeth from demonial possessions, and sufferings and every disease, [which also healeth] the blind, the lame, the halt, the dumb, and the deaf, [the mystery] which I gave unto you aforetime—whosoever shall receive of these mysteries and achieve them, if he ask for anything whatever hereafter, poverty or riches, weakness or strength, disease or health, or the whole healing of the body, and the resurrection of the dead, the power of healing the lame, the blind, the deaf and the dumb, of every disease and every suffering—in a word, whosoever shall achieve this mystery, if he ask any of the things which I have just told unto you, they shall at once be granted unto him." When, therefore, the saviour had said these words, the disciples came forward and cried out all together, saying: "O saviour, thou excitest us with exceeding great frenzy because of the transcendent height which thou hast revealed unto us; and thou exaltest our souls, and they have become paths on which we travel to come unto thee, for they came forth from thee. Now, therefore, because of the transcendent heights which thou hast revealed unto us, our souls have become frenzied, and they travail mightily yearning to go forth from us into the height to the region of thy kingdom."

Section 39: How the disciples shall preach

1 And when the disciples had said these words, the saviour again continued his conversation, and said unto his disciples: "If ye enter into cities, or principalities, or countries, preach ye first unto them, saying: 'Seek ye ever, and cease not, until ye have found the mysteries of the light, which will bring you unto the kingdom of light.' Say unto them, 'Beware of the doctrines of error,' for many shall come in my name, saying, 'It is I,' and it shall not be so, and they shall lead astray many. "Now, therefore, to every one that cometh unto you, and shall believe in you, and hearken unto my words, and act worthily of the mysteries of light, unto him shall ye give the mysteries of light, and hide them not from him. Unto him that is worthy of the higher mystery, give ye thereof, and to him that is worthy of the lower mystery, give ye thereof, and hide nothing from him.

2 "But as to the mystery of the resurrection of the dead, and of the healing of disease, give it unto none and teach it not, for that mystery pertaineth to the rulers, it and all its namings. For this cause, therefore, give it unto none, and teach it not until ye have established the faith in the whole world, in order that, when you enter into cities or countries, and they do not receive you, nor believe on you, nor give ear unto your words, ye may then raise the dead in those regions, and heal the lame, the blind, and all kinds of diseases in those regions, and by all such means, they will believe on you, that ye preach the God of the perfection, and will have faith in all your words. For this cause have I given unto you this mystery, until ye shall have established the faith in the whole world."

3 And when the saviour had spoken these words he continued further in his conversation, and said unto Mary: "Now, therefore, give ear, O Mary. Concerning the word on which thou hast questioned me, to wit, 'Who constraineth a man to sin?'—now, therefore, [will I tell it thee]. When the babe cometh into the world, the power is feeble in it, the soul also is feeble in it, and the counterfeit of the spirit is also feeble in it; in a word, the three are all of them feeble. None of them hath sense enough for any work, whether good or evil, because of the exceeding great weight of oblivion; and the body too is feeble. And the babe eateth of the delights of the world of the rulers, and the power absorbeth from the portion of the power which is in the delights, and the soul absorbeth from the portion of the soul which is in the delights, and the counterfeit of the spirit absorbeth from the portion of the evil which is in the delights and their desires, and the body also absorbeth the unperceptive matter which is in the delights. As to the destiny, it taketh nothing from the delights, for it is not mingled with them, but it continueth of the same quality with which it came into the world.

4 "And little by little the power, the soul and the counterfeit of the spirit develop, and each of them senseth according to its nature. The power senseth after the light of the height; the soul also senseth after the region of mixed righteousness, which is the region of the mixture; the counterfeit of the spirit seeketh after all vices, and desires, and sins; but the body hath no power of sensing unless it be an impulse to gain strength from matter. "And so forthwith the three develop sensation, each according to its nature. And the receivers of wrath also give order unto their workmen to follow them, and be witness to all the sins that they commit, with a view to the manner in which they shall punish them in the judgments.

Section 40: Of the counterfeit of the spirit

1 "Thereupon the counterfeit of the spirit deviseth and senseth after all the sins and evils which the rulers of the fate have decreed against that soul, and it bringeth them into operation against that soul. "And so the power within impelleth the soul to seek after the region of light and the whole godhead; whereas the counterfeit of the spirit draggeth down the soul and persistently constraineth it to commit every kind of iniquity and mischief and sin, and persisteth as something foreign to the soul, and is its enemy, and maketh it commit all these sins and evils. "It spurreth on the workmen of wrath, moreover, to bear witness to all the sins which it will constrain the soul to commit. And even when [the soul] sleepeth by night or by day, it plagueth it in dreams with the desires of the world, and causeth it to long after all the things of this world. In a word, it bindeth it to all the actions which the rulers have decreed for it, and is the enemy of the soul, causing it to do what it would not.

2 "Now, therefore, Mary, this thing is the enemy of the soul; this is the one that constraineth it to commit all kinds of sin. "Now, therefore, when the life period of that man is fulfilled, first there cometh the destiny, and leadeth that man to his death, by means of the rulers and the bonds in which they have been bound by the fate. Next come the receivers of wrath, to lead that soul out of the body. "And for three days the receivers of wrath travel round with that soul through all the regions, taking it through all the aeons of the world, and the counterfeit of the spirit and destiny accompany that soul, but the power withdraws itself to the virgin of light. "And after three days, the receivers of wrath take that soul down into the depth of the hell of chaos, and when they have brought it to the depth of chaos, they hand it over to them that administer punishment, and the receivers return unto their own regions according to the regulation of the operations of the rulers concerning the going forth of the souls.

3 "And the counterfeit of the spirit becometh the receiver of that soul, and haunteth it, rebuking it in every punishment because of the sins which it hath caused it to commit; it is in exceeding great enmity to that soul. "And when the soul hath endured the punishments in chaos according to the sins which it hath committed, the counterfeit of the spirit leadeth it forth from chaos, and haunteth it, confronting it in every region with the sins which it hath committed, and it bringeth it forth into the way of the rulers of the midst. And when it hath come unto them, [the rulers] confront it with the mysteries of the destiny, and if it have not discovered them, then they examine their destiny. And [then] these rulers punish that soul according to the sins of which it is guilty. I will tell you the type of their punishments in explaining the emanation of the pleroma.

4 "When, then, it cometh to pass that the period of torment of that soul in the judgments of the rulers of the midst is fulfilled, the counterfeit of the spirit leadeth the soul out of all the regions of the rulers of the midst, and bringeth it into the light of the sun, according to the commandment of the first man Ieou, and taketh it before the judge, that is to say, the virgin of light. And she proveth that soul; she findeth that it is a sinning soul, and casteth into it her light-power, to unite it with a body and common sensory. And I will tell you the type of all this in explaining the emanation of the pleroma. And the virgin of light sealeth that soul, and handeth it over to one of her receivers, and will have it carried into a body, which is the record of the sins which it hath committed.

5 "Amen, I say unto you, she will not suffer that soul to escape from transmigrations into bodies until it hath given signs of [being in] its last cycle according to its record of demerit. And concerning all this I will tell you the types and also the types of bodies into which souls shall be cast according to their sins; all this will I tell you when I come to explain to you the emanation of the pleroma."

Section 41: Of the glorious ascension after death of the righteous soul that hath received the mysteries

1 And Jesus continued further in his conversation and said: "But [in the case of] a soul which hath not hearkened unto the counterfeit of the spirit in all its works, but hath become righteous, and hath received the mysteries of the light which are in the second space, or even those which are in the third space towards the interior; when the time of that soul is come for its passing from the body, then the spiritual counterfeit followeth after that soul, and also the destiny. They follow after it in the way whereby it shall pass into the height. "And before it getteth far into the height, it uttereth the mystery of the breaking of the seals and all the bonds of the counterfeit of the spirit whereby the rulers bind it to the soul; and when [the mystery] is uttered, the bonds of the counterfeit of the spirit are broken, so that it ceaseth to shackle that soul, and letteth the soul go, according to the injunctions which the rulers of the great fate have given unto it, saying, 'Let not that soul go until it hath told thee the mystery of the breaking of all the seals wherewith thou hast been bound to it.'

2 "It shall come to pass, therefore, when a soul hath uttered the mystery of the breaking of the seals and all the bonds of the counterfeit of the spirit, that the latter shall [at once] cease to impede that soul, and shall cease to be bound to it. "[So then] it uttereth the mystery and causeth the destiny to depart to its own region with the rulers who are in the way of the midst; and uttering the mystery, it dismisseth the counterfeit of the spirit unto the rulers of the fate, in the region in which it was bound to it. "And forthwith that soul becometh a mighty light-stream, exceedingly radiant, and the receivers of wrath, who have led it forth from the body, are terror-stricken before the light of that soul, and fall down upon their faces. Forthwith that soul becometh a mighty light-stream, it becometh entirely wings of light, and passeth through all the regions of the rulers and all the orders of light, until it arriveth at the region of its kingdom, of which it hath received the mystery.

3 "[Again in the case of] a soul which hath received the mystery in the first space towards the exterior, and after receiving the mysteries and perfecting them, it then turneth back and committeth sin once more even after the perfecting of the mysteries; when the time hath come for that soul to depart, the receivers of wrath come to lead that soul out of the body. "Then the destiny and the counterfeit of the spirit pursue after that soul, for the counterfeit of the spirit, being bound to it by the bonds of the rulers, followeth after that soul as it travelleth on the ways of the counterfeit of the spirit. "It uttereth the mystery of the breaking of all the bonds and all the seals with which the rulers have bound the counterfeit of the spirit to the soul; and when the soul hath uttered the mystery of the breaking of the seals, forthwith the bonds of the seals are broken, which bind the counterfeit of the spirit to the soul within; and when the soul hath uttered the mystery of the breaking of the seals, then, forthwith, the counterfeit of the spirit is unbound and ceaseth to war against the soul. In that hour [then], the soul uttereth a mystery, which shall dominate the counterfeit of the spirit and the destiny, and suffer them [simply] to follow after it, so that they have no strength, while it hath all its strength.

4 "And in that hour the receivers of that soul and of the mysteries it hath received, come and wrest that soul from the receivers of wrath, and those receivers go back to the operations of the rulers according to the regulation of the leading forth of souls. "But the receivers of that soul, who pertain to the light, become wings of light for that soul, and will be a vesture of light for it; they will not lead it into chaos, for it is not lawful to bring into chaos a soul that hath received the mysteries; but they will set it in the way of the rulers of the midst, and when it hath come unto the rulers of the midst the rulers advance to meet that soul, in mighty fear and terrible burning, in many forms, in a word, in mighty terror to which there is no measure.

5 "And in that hour the soul uttereth the mystery of their apology, and they are stricken with exceeding great fear, and fall on their faces, in terror of the mystery which it hath uttered and of their apology. And that soul dismisseth their destiny, saying unto them, 'Take ye unto yourselves your destiny; I will not set foot in your region henceforth from this hour. I will be a stranger unto you for all time, for I go unto the region of my inheritance.' "When the soul hath finished speaking these words, the receivers of light will fly up with it into the height, and bring it into the æons of the fate, where it will pronounce the apology of that region and present its seals, all of which I will explain to you in the emanation of the pleroma. And it will present the counterfeit of the spirit to the rulers, and pronounce for them the mystery of the bonds whereby they have bound it to it, saying unto them, 'Take ye unto yourselves your counterfeit of the spirit; I will not set foot in your region henceforth from this hour; I will be a stranger unto you for all time.' And it will present unto each his seal and his apology.

6 "And when the soul hath finished speaking these words, the receivers of light will fly with it into the height, and take it out of the æons of the fate, and carry it up into the rest of the æons. It will present the apology of every region—the apology of all the regions and seals and tyrants of king Adamas. It will present the apology of all the rulers of all the regions of the left, of whom I will tell you all the apologies and seals when I shall explain the emanation of the pleroma.

Section 42: Of the ascension of that soul into the inheritance

1 "And then the receivers will bring that soul unto the virgin of light, and then that soul presenteth unto the virgin of light the seals and the glory of its songs; and the virgin of light and also the seven virgins of light all examine that soul, that they may all find their signs in it, their seals, their baptisms and chrisms. And the virgin of light sealeth that soul, and the receivers of light baptise that soul to give it the spiritual chrism. And each of the virgins of light sealeth it with her seal. "And then the receivers of light mount up unto the great Sabaôth, the good, who is beside the gate of life in the region of them of the right, whom they call father; and that soul offereth unto him the glory of its songs, and also his seals and his apologies. And the great Sabaôth sealeth it with his seals, and the soul presenteth its gnosis and the glory of its songs and the seals to every region of them that are on the right. And all seal it with their seals; and then Melchisedec, the great receiver of light, who inhabiteth the region of them of the right, sealeth that soul, and all the receivers of Melchisedec seal that soul, and [Melchisedec] bringeth it into the treasure of light.

2 "And it presenteth the glory and worship and honour of its songs, with all the seals of all the region of the light; and all they of the region of the treasure of light seal it with their seals, and it cometh unto the region of the inheritance." When, then, the saviour had spoken these things unto his disciples, he said unto them: "Understand ye how I speak unto you?" And Mary came forward again and said: "Yea, Master, I understand how thou speakest unto me, and I comprehend all these things. Now, therefore, concerning the words which thou hast said unto us, my mind hath had four intuitions; my indweller of light impelleth me, and blissfully seetheth within me, longing to come forth from me and enter into thee. Now, therefore, O Master, hearken while I tell thee the four intuitions which have come unto me. "The first intuition hath come unto me concerning the word which thou hast spoken, 'Now, therefore, the soul presenteth the apology and seal unto all the rulers who are in the region of king Adamas, and it presenteth the apology and honour and glory of all their seals and of the songs of the region of the light'—concerning this word, thou didst speak unto us aforetime, when that piece of money was brought unto thee, thou didst see that it was of silver and brass, and didst ask, 'Whose is this image?' and they answered,

3 'It is the king's.' And when thou didst see that it was of silver and brass, thou saidst, 'Render unto the king that which is the king's, and unto God that which is God's'; that is to say, when the soul hath received the mystery, it presenteth an apology to all the rulers and to the region of king Adamas, it offereth also honour and glory to all them of the region of the light. And the word, 'It shineth,' when thou didst see that it was of silver and brass, this is the type of the man in whom is both the light-power, that is to say refined silver, and also the counterfeit of the spirit, that is to say the brass of matter. This, O Master, is the first intuition. 4 "The second intuition is concerning what thou hast just said unto us about the soul which hath received the mysteries, to wit, 'When it hath come into the region of the rulers of the way of the midst, then they advance to meet it in exceeding great terror, and the soul presenteth the mystery of fear unto them, and they are in terror before it; it dismisseth the destiny to its own region and dismisseth the counterfeit of the spirit to its own region, and it presenteth their apology and seals to each of the rulers who are in the ways, and proffereth the honour and glory and worship of the seals, and its songs to all them of the region of light'—concerning this word, O Master, thou didst say unto us aforetime by the mouth of Paul, our brother, 'Give revenue to whom revenue [is due], fear to whom fear, tribute to whom tribute, honour to whom honour, worship to whom worship; leave no account unpaid'; that is to say, the soul that hath received the mysteries giveth apology in every region. This, O Master, is the second intuition.

5 "The third intuition is concerning the word which thou hast just now spoken unto us, 'The counterfeit of the spirit is the enemy of the soul, and constraineth it to commit every kind of sin and mischief, and rebuketh it in the one's own torments because of all the sins which house. it hath caused it to commit; in a word, it is the foe of the soul in every way'—concerning this word, therefore, thou hast spoken unto us afore-time, saying, 'The foes of a man are the dwellers in his own house'; that is to say, the dwellers in the house of the soul are the counterfeit of the spirit and the destiny, who are ever the foes of the soul, and cause it to commit every kind of sin and iniquity. This, O Master, is the third intuition. 6 "The fourth intuition is concerning the word which thou hast said, 'When the soul hath come forth from the body and goeth on its way with the counterfeit of the spirit, if it hath not found the mystery of the breaking of all the bonds and the seals which are bound to the counterfeit of the spirit, so that it may cease to haunt it— if, then, it hath not found it, the counterfeit of the spirit bringeth the soul before the virgin of light who is the judge, and the virgin of light examineth the soul, to see if it hath sinned and to find out also if it hath with it the mysteries of light. [The virgin of light then] handeth it over to one of her receivers, and her receiver leadeth it forth and casteth it into a body, and it is not set free from transmigration into bodies before it hath given [signs of being in] its last cycle'—concerning this word, then, O Master, thou hast said unto us aforetime, 'Agree with thine enemy whilst thou art in the way with him, lest at any time thine enemy deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison; thou shalt not come out thence till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.'

7 "Manifestly is thy word concerning this. Every soul which shall come forth from the body, and shall go on its way with the counterfeit of the spirit, and which hath not found the mystery of breaking all the seals and all the bonds, that it may be set free from the counterfeit of the spirit which is bound unto it; well, then, that soul which hath not received the mystery of light, and hath not found the mystery of detaching the counterfeit of the spirit which is bound to it within—if, then, that soul hath not found it, the counterfeit of the spirit bringeth that soul unto the virgin of light, and the virgin of light, the judge, handeth over that soul to one of her receivers, and her receiver casteth it into the spheres of the æons, and it is not set free from transmigrations into bodies, until it giveth signs of being in its last cycle. This, then, O Master, is the fourth intuition."

8 It came to pass, when Jesus had heard the words which Mary had spoken, that he said: "Well said, Mary, most blessed and spiritual. These are the interpretations of the words which I have spoken."

Section 43: Mary continueth to question Jesus

1 And Mary answered and said: "Yet again, O Master, do I question thee, for henceforth from this hour I will begin to question thee on every matter with precision. Wherefore, then, O Master, be patient with us, reveal every matter on which we question thee as concerning the manner in which my brethren shall preach to the whole race of human kind." This she said to the saviour. And the saviour answered, in great compassion unto her, and said: "Amen, amen, I say unto you, not only will I reveal unto you every matter on which ye shall question me, but henceforth I will reveal unto you other matters of which ye think not to question me, matters which have not yet dawned upon the heart of man, of which even all the rest of the gods who are among men are ignorant. Now, therefore, O Mary, ask what thou wilt, and I will reveal it face to face, without parable."

2 Mary answered and said: "Well, then, O Master, of what type are the baptisms which remit sins? I have heard thee say, 'The workmen of wrath follow the soul, bearing witness to all its sins, that they may rebuke it in the judgments.' Now, therefore, O Master, do the mysteries of the baptisms cause the sins which are in the hands of the workmen of wrath to disappear so that they forget them? Now, therefore, O Master, tell unto us the types of the remission of sins; nay, we would know them with precision." The saviour answered and said unto Mary: Of the "Well hast thou spoken. Assuredly workmen of the workmen [of wrath] are those who wrath. bear witness of all sins; they are ever in the judgments, seizing the souls, rebuking every soul that sinneth and hath received no mystery; they keep them in chaos and chastise them; but these receivers of wrath cannot go beyond chaos, so as to enter into the orders which are higher than chaos, to rebuke the souls which leave those regions. Now, therefore, it is not lawful to do violence unto the souls which have received the mysteries, or to bring them into chaos so that the workmen of wrath may rebuke them. The workmen of wrath rebuke [only] the souls of sinners; they seize upon those which have not received the mysteries and which have been brought into chaos. But as for the souls which have received the mysteries, they have no need of rebuking them, for they do not go into their regions, and even if they should go into their regions, they would not be able to keep them there; least of all have they the power of taking them into chaos.

3 "[But] hearken again that I may tell you the word in truth, of what type is the mystery of baptism which remitteth sins. Now, therefore, when souls have committed sin while still in the world, yea, verily, the workmen of wrath come to bear witness of every sin which a soul hath committed, lest souls should escape from the region of chaos, and in order that they may rebuke the soul in the judgments which are within chaos; and the counterfeit of the spirit beareth witness to every sin which the soul hath committed, that it also may rebuke it in the judgments which are without chaos; not only doth it bear witness concerning the sins of the souls, but it sealeth every sin that it may be stamped on the soul, so that all the rulers of the torments of sinners may know that it is the soul of a sinner, and may be informed of the number of sins which it hath committed, by the number of seals which the counterfeit of the spirit hath stamped upon it, so that they may chastise it according to the number of sins which it hath committed. This is the fashion in which they treat the soul of the sinner.

Section 44: How the baptisms purify sins

1 "Now, therefore, when a man receiveth the mysteries of the baptisms, those mysteries become a mighty fire, exceedingly fierce, wise, which burneth up sins; they enter into the soul occultly and devour all the sins which the spiritual counterfeit hath implanted in it. "And when [the fire] hath purified all the sins which the counterfeit of the spirit hath implanted in the soul, [the mysteries] enter into the body occultly, that [the fire] may secretly pursue after the pursuers and cut them off with the body. They chase after the counterfeit of the spirit and the destiny, to separate them from the power and the soul, and place them with the body, so that the spiritual counterfeit, the destiny and the body may be separated into one group, and the soul and power into another. And the mystery of baptism remaineth between the two, and separateth the one from the other, in order that it may cleanse them and make them pure, that [the soul and power] may not be fouled in matter.

2 "Now, therefore, O Mary, this is the way in which the mysteries of the baptisms remit sins and every iniquity." And when the saviour had spoken these words he said unto his disciples: "Understand ye how I speak unto you?" And Mary came forward and said: "Yea, O Master, in truth I understand thoroughly all that thou hast said. As to the word, therefore, concerning the remission of sins, thou didst speak unto us in parable aforetime, saying, 'I am come to cast fire on the earth, and how can I not will that it should burn?' nay, thou didst explain it openly, saying, 'I have a baptism with which to baptise, and how shall I endure until it be perfected? Think ye that I have come to bring union on the earth? Nay, but I am come to bring separation; for, from this hour, five shall be in one house, three shall be separated against two, and two against three.' This, my Master, is the word which thou didst speak openly.

3 "And the word which thou spakest, 'I am come to cast fire on the earth, and how can I not will that it should burn?' that is to say, O Master, that thou hast brought the mysteries of the baptisms into the world, and how canst thou not will that it should burn up all the sins of the soul, and purify them? And afterwards thou didst explain it openly saying, 'I have a baptism with which to baptise, and how shall I endure until it be perfected?'—that is to say, thou shalt not remain in the world until the baptisms are perfected and have made the souls perfect. "And again the word which thou didst speak unto us aforetime, 'Think ye that I am come to bring union on the earth? Nay, but I am come to bring separation; for, from this hour, five shall be in one house, three shall be separated against two, and two against three'; that is to say, that the mystery of the baptisms which thou hast brought into the world, hath brought about a division in the body of the world, for it hath separated the counterfeit of the spirit, the body and the destiny into one group, and the soul with the power it hath separated into another; that is to say, that three shall be against two and two against three."

4 When Mary had spoken these words, the saviour said: " Well said, O Mary, the spiritual one of pure light, that is the interpretation of the word."

Section 45: Mary further questioneth Jesus

1 And Mary answered again and said: " Master, I will continue further to question thee; now, therefore, O Master, bear with me if I question thee. We now know openly the type according to which the baptisms remit sins. Now, also, as to the mystery of those three spaces, the mysteries of that first mystery, and the mysteries of that ineffable, according to what type do they remit sins? Do they grant remission after the type of the baptisms or not?" The saviour answered and said: " Nay rather, all the mysteries of the three spaces remit to the soul, in every region of the rulers, all the sins which hath committed from the beginning. All these they remit, and also they remit unto it the sins which it shall hereafter commit until the time when every one of these mysteries shall be in its complete possession. I will tell you the time when each of the mysteries shall be in its complete possession when I treat of the emanation of the pleroma.

2 "The mystery also of that first mystery and the mystery of that ineffable remit unto the soul, in every region, all the sins and every iniquity, which the soul shall have committed; and not only shall all be remitted unto it, but no sin shall be imputed unto it from that hour until the [end of] the æon of the æons, because of the boon of that great mystery and its exceeding great glory." When, then, the saviour had spoken these words, he said unto his disciples: "Understand ye how I speak unto you?" And Mary answered and said: "Yea, Master, already have I seized on all the words which thou hast spoken. Now, therefore, my Master, as to the word which thou hast said, 'All the mysteries of the three spaces remit sins, they cover their transgressions'; David, the prophet, hath prophesied aforetime concerning this word, saying, 'Blessed are they whose sins have been pardoned, and whose iniquities have been covered.' Thus, then, he prophesied aforetime concerning this word.

3 "And the word which thou hast spoken, 'As to the mystery of that first mystery and the mystery of that ineffable, every one who shall receive those mysteries, not only shall the sins which he hath committed from the beginning, be remitted, but also they shall not be imputed to him henceforth from that hour for ever'; concerning this word David prophesied aforetime, saying, 'Blessed are they to whom the lord shall not impute their sins,'—that is to say, their sins shall not be imputed from that hour to them who shall have received the mysteries of the first mystery, and to them that shall have received the mystery of that ineffable." He said: "Well said, Mary, thou spiritual one of pure light. That is the interpretation of the word." And Mary continued further and said: "Well, then, O Master, if a man receiveth the mystery in the mysteries of the first mystery, and turneth back once more, and committeth sin, and then turneth again and repenteth, and offereth prayers unto that mystery whatsoever [he have received], shall his sin be remitted or not?"

4 The saviour answered and said unto Mary: "Amen, amen, I say unto you, who-soever shall receive the mysteries of the first mystery, and then shall turn back and transgress twelve times [even], and then should again repent twelve times, offering prayer in the mystery of the first mystery, he shall be forgiven. "But if he should transgress after twelve times, should he turn back and transgress, it shall not be remitted unto him for ever, so that he may turn again unto his mystery, whatever it be. For him there is no means of repentance unless he have received the mysteries of that ineffable, which hath compassion at all times and remitteth sins for ever and ever."

Section 46: Of such initiated who die without repentance

1 Mary continued further and said: "If even they who have received the mysteries of the first mystery turn back and commit sin, and if they pass out of the body without repentance, shall they inherit the kingdom or not?" The saviour answered and said unto Mary: "Amen, amen, I say unto you, every one that shall have received the mysteries in the first mystery, and shall have transgressed for the first, second or third time, if he pass out of the body without repentance, his judgment is more severe than every other; for his dwelling is in the midst of the jaws of the dragon of the outer darkness, and last of all he shall be frozen up in the torments and shall be lost for ever, in that he hath received the boon of the first mystery and hath not continued therein." Mary answered and said: "Well, then, O Master, if a man shall receive the mystery in the mystery of that ineffable, and shall transgress and fall away in his faith, and afterwards, during his life, shall turn and repent, how many times will his sin be remitted?"

2 The saviour answered and said unto Mary: "Amen, amen, I say unto you, every one who shall receive the mysteries of that ineffable, not only if he transgress once and turn again and repent, shall his sin be remitted, but also if he transgress any number of times, and then, while still in life, turn again and repent, and should he not be a hypocrite, but turn again and repent and offer prayers in each of his mysteries, it shall be forgiven him every time, in that he hath received the boon of the mysteries of that ineffable, and in that those mysteries are compassionate and ever give pardon." And Mary answered again and said unto Jesus: "Well, then, O Master, as to those that receive the mysteries of that ineffable, and again turn back and commit sin, and fall away in their faith, and who also pass from the body without repentance, what will happen to men of that kind?"

3 The saviour answered and said unto Mary: "Amen, amen, I say unto you, all men who shall receive the mysteries of that ineffable, blessed indeed are the souls that shall receive those mysteries, but if they turn back and sin, if they pass out of the body without repentance, for such men their judgment is worse than any, other, nay is the severest of all; even should such souls be new and it should be their first coming into the world, they shall not pass back into the transmigration of the world of bodies from that time forth, and shall have no further field for action, but they shall be cast forth without into the outer darkness, and they shall perish and be non-existent for the eternity." And when the saviour had said these things, he said unto his disciples: "Understand ye how I speak unto you?" Mary answered and said: "Yea, Master, I have seized upon the words which thou hast said. Now, therefore, O Master, this is the word which thou hast said, 'They who shall receive the mysteries of that ineffable, blessed indeed are those souls; but if they turn back and sin, and if they fall away in their faith, and pass out of the body without repentance, from that moment, they are no more fit to pass back into the transmigrations of body, nor for anything else; but they shall be cast forth without into the outer darkness, they shall perish in that region, and be non-existent for the eternity.'

4 "Concerning this word thou hast spoken unto us aforetime, saying, 'Salt is good; but if the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is fit neither for the dunghill nor for the earth; they cast it away'; that is to say, the soul that shall receive the mysteries of that ineffable, is [indeed] blessed, but should it once transgress [without repentance], it is no longer fit to come back into the body henceforth from that hour, nor [is it fit] for anything else, but it is cast out into the outer darkness, that it may perish there." And when she had spoken these words, the saviour said: "Well said, Mary, thou spiritual one of pure light; that is the interpretation of the saying."

Section 47: Of the absolute compassion of the absolute mystery

1 And Mary continued and said: "Again, O Master, as to them that shall have received the mysteries of the first mystery and the mystery of that ineffable, and who have not yet transgressed, whose faith in the mysteries is true without hypocrisy, but who by the necessity of fate shall come to sin again, and shall again turn and make repentance, and offer prayer anew in all the mysteries [they have received], how often shall it be remitted unto them?" The saviour answered and said unto Mary in the midst of his disciples: "All those who shall have received the mysteries of the ineffable and also the mysteries of the first mystery, should they by the necessity of the fate sin no matter how many times, but, while still in life, should turn and repent, and should continue each in his several mysteries, it shall be remitted unto them no matter how many times, for those mysteries are compassionate and ever give pardon. For those mysteries shall not only remit the sins which they shall have committed from the beginning, but they shall not impute [sin] to them henceforth from that hour, [for] I have said unto you that they ever receive repentance, and that they give remission for sins that are committed again and again.

2 "If, also, they who shall have received the mystery of that ineffable and the mysteries of the first mystery, turn back and commit sin, and if they pass out of the body without repentance, [then] they too shall be like those that have transgressed and have not repented. Their habitation also shall be in the midst of the jaws of the dragon of outer darkness, they shall perish, they shall be non-existent for ever. For this cause have I said unto you that every man who shall receive the mysteries, and who shall not know the time of his passing from the body, he shall receive guidance that he may not sin, and that he may inherit the kingdom of light for ever." When, then, the saviour had thus spoken unto his disciples, he said unto them: "Understand ye how I speak unto you?" Mary answered and said: "Yea, Master, accurately and thoroughly have I seized every word which thou hast uttered. Concerning this saying, then, thou hast spoken unto us aforetime, 'If the master of the house should know at what hour the thief will come in the night to break into the house, he would keep awake and not suffer the fellow to break into his house.'"

3 And when Mary had said these things the saviour said: "Well said, O Mary, thou spiritual one; that is the word." The saviour then continued and said unto his disciples: "Now, therefore, preach ye unto every man who shall receive the mysteries in the light, and speak unto them, saying, 'Beware of falling back into sin, lest ye be cast from one into another, and pass from your body without repentance, and be strangers to the kingdom of light for ever.'" And when the saviour had said these words Mary answered and said: "Master, great is the compassion of those mysteries which ever remit sins." The saviour answered and said unto Mary in the midst of the disciples: "If even a king of to-day, a man of the world, granteth boons unto them who are like unto him, if he moreover granteth pardon unto murderers, and them that are guilty of intercourse with males, and other horrible and capital crimes; if, I say, it is in the power even of one who is a man of the world to act thus, much more then have that ineffable and that first mystery, who are the lords of the whole pleroma, power over everything to do as they will, and grant remission of sin unto every one who shall have received the mystery.

Section 48: If even men on earth are compassionate, how much more then the highest mystery

1 "Again, if even a king of to-day investeth a soldier with the royal mantle, and sendeth him to foreign regions, and the soldier there committeth murders and other grave offences, worthy of death, and yet they are not brought home to him, because he weareth the royal mantle, how much more, then, [is it the case with] them who are mantled in the mysteries of the vestures of that ineffable and those of the first mystery, that are lords over all them of the height and all them of the depth?" After this Jesus saw a woman, who drew near to make repentance; he had baptised her already three times, and yet she was not worthy of the baptisms. And the saviour desired to try Peter, to see if he were compassionate and would grant remission, as he had given commandment unto them; he said unto Peter; "Lo, thrice have I baptised this soul, and yet after three times is she not worthy of the mysteries of light; therefore hath she rendered her body unfit for baptism. Now, therefore, Peter, do thou perform the mystery which cutteth off souls from the inheritance of light; celebrate the mystery which cutteth off this woman from the inheritance of light."

2 When, therefore, the saviour had said these words, he tried Peter to see whether he were compassionate and would grant remission. And when the saviour had spoken these words, Peter answered and said: "Master, pardon her yet once again this time, so that we may give unto her the higher mysteries; and, if she prove herself fit [for receiving them], thou wilt have her inherit the kingdom of light, but if she prove unfit, thou wilt cut her off from the kingdom of light." When, therefore, Peter had thus spoken, the saviour knew that Peter was compassionate like unto himself and would give pardon. And when all this was done, the saviour said unto his disciples: "Have ye understood all these words and also the type of this woman?" And Mary answered and said: "O Master, I have understood the mysteries of the words which have been spoken concerning this woman. Of the things, therefore, which have been done unto her thou didst speak unto us aforetime in parable, saying, 'A certain man had a fig-tree in his garden, and came to find if there were any fruit thereon, and found none. He said to the gardener, Lo three years that I come to find fruit on this fig-tree, and I find none thereon; therefore cut it down, for it wasteth the soil." But he answered and said unto him, "Master, let it remain one more year, until I dig about it, and manure it; and if it bear fruit next year, thou shalt let it remain, but if thou [still] find none thereon, thou shalt cut it down."' This, O Master, is the interpretation of the saying."

3 The saviour answered and said unto Mary: "Well said, thou spiritual one; that is [the interpretation of] the saying." And Mary continued and said unto the saviour: "Again, Master, as to the man, who hath received the mysteries, and hath not acted in a manner worthy of them, but hath turned back and sinned, and then again hath repented in great contrition, is it lawful for my brethren to give him once more the mystery which he hath received; and if not, may they give him one of the lower mysteries?" The saviour answered and said unto Mary: "Amen, amen, I say unto you, neither the mystery which he hath received, nor any lower mystery can grant the remission of his sins; it must be the mysteries higher than those which he hath received, which can give ear unto him and grant the remission of his sins. Now, therefore, O Mary, let thy brethren give him a higher mystery than that which he hath received, and his repentance shall be heard and his sins be forgiven him. The mystery which he may receive a second time or any number of times, will not grant him the remission of his sin, but only a higher mystery to the one he hath [previously] received will grant him remission. But if he have [already] received the three mysteries in the two spaces or in the third, and [then] turneth back and transgresseth, no mystery can give ear unto him to help him in his repentance, neither mysteries higher nor lower than the one he hath received, save only the mystery of the first mystery and the mystery of that ineffable. It is these that shall give ear unto him and receive his repentance".

Section 49: There is no limit to the number of mysteries the faithful may receive

1 And Mary answered and said: "Again, O Master, as to the man who hath received the mysteries twice or thrice in the two spaces and in the third, and hath not transgressed, but continueth in his faith truly and without hypocrisy, [what of him]?" The saviour answered and said unto Mary: "Every one who hath received the mysteries in the two spaces or in the third, and who hath not transgressed, but remaineth in his faith without hypocrisy, it is lawful for such to receive the mysteries in any [of the rest of the] spaces they will, from the first to the last, for they have not transgressed." And Mary continued and said: "Again, Master, [as to] the man who hath known the godhead and hath received one of the mysteries of light, and [then] hath turned back and transgressed and done iniquity, and hath not turned again and repented, and also [as to] the man who hath not found the godhead, and hath not known it, and who is a sinner, and still an impious person; both of these men come to pass out of the body, which of the two, [then,] will suffer most in the judgments?"

2 The saviour answered again and said unto Mary: "Amen, amen, I say unto thee, the man who hath known the godhead, who hath received the mysteries of light, who hath sinned without turning again and repenting, he shall suffer in torments of the judgments, in pains and judgments far more numerous and far more terrible than the impious and sinning man who hath not known the godhead. Now, therefore, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear." When the saviour had spoken these words, Mary came forward and said: "Master, my indweller of light hath ears and I have understood every word which thou hast spoken. Concerning this saying thou didst speak unto us aforetime in parable, saying, 'The servant who knoweth the will of his master, and yet hath not made ready nor done the will of his master, shall receive many stripes, but he who hath not known and hath not done [the will of his master], shall receive but few. For to whom more hath been entrusted, of him more shall be asked, and to whom many things have been committed, of him many shall be required.' That is to say, O Master, he who knoweth the godhead and hath found all the mysteries of the light, and [then] hath transgressed, he shall be punished with greater chastisements than him who hath not known the godhead. This, O Master, is the interpretation of the word."

3 And Mary continued further and said unto the saviour: "Master, if the faith and mysteries become generally known, now, therefore, if souls return to [birth in] the world for many cycles, and are indifferent so that they do not receive the mysteries, in the belief that when they return to the world in another cycle, they will receive them, shall they not, then, suffer misery in order that they may be brought to receive the mysteries?" The saviour answered and said unto his disciples: "Preach ye unto the whole world, saying unto men, 'Strive together that ye may receive the mysteries of light in this time of stress, and enter into the kingdom of light. Put not off from day to day, and from cycle to cycle, in the belief that ye will succeed in obtaining the mysteries when ye return to the world in another cycle.' "Such men know not when the number of perfect souls shall [be filled up]; for when the number of perfect souls shall be completed, I will then shut the gates of the light, and from that time none will be able to come in thereby, nor will any go forth thereafter, for the number of perfect souls shall be [completed], and the mystery of the first mystery is perfected—[the mystery] whereby all hath come into existence, and I am that mystery.

Section 50: They who procrastinate are excluded from the light

1 "From that hour no one shall any more enter into the light, and none shall come forth, in that the time of the number of perfect souls shall be fulfilled, [only just] before I set fire to the world, that it may purify the æons, and veils, the firmaments and the whole world, and also all the matters that are still in it, the race of human kind being still upon it. "At that time, then, the faith will show itself forth more and more, and also the mysteries in those days. And many souls shall pass through the cycles of transmigrations of body and come back into the world in those days; and among them shall be some who are now alive and hear me teach concerning the consummation of the number of perfect souls, [and in those days] they shall find the mysteries of light, and shall receive them. They shall mount up to the gates of the light, and shall find that the number of perfect souls is complete, which is the consummation of the first mystery and the gnosis of the pleroma; they will find that I have shut the gates of the light, and that from that hour no one can come in or go forth thereby.

2 "These souls then will cry within through the gates of the light, saying, 'Master, open unto us.' And I will answer unto them, saying, 'I know not whence ye are.' And they will say unto me, 'We have received the mysteries, and we have fulfilled all thy doctrine; thou didst teach us on the high ways.' And I will answer unto them saying, 'I know not who ye are, ye who have practised iniquity and evil even unto this day. Wherefore go [hence] into the outer darkness.' Forthwith they will depart to the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. "For this cause, therefore, preach ye to the whole world, saying, 'Strive ye together; renounce the whole world and all the matter therein; receive the mysteries of light before the number of perfect souls is completed, that ye may not be left before the gates of the light and sent away into the outer darkness.'

3 "Now, therefore, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear." When the saviour had said these words, Mary came forward again and said: "O Master, not only hath my indweller of light ears, but my soul also hath heard and understood all the words which thou hast spoken. Now, therefore, O Master, concerning the words which thou hast spoken, to wit, 'Preach ye to the men of the world and say unto them, Strive ye together, receive ye the mysteries of the light, in this time of stress, that ye may inherit the kingdom of light,... And Mary continued further and said unto Jesus: "Again, Master, of what type is the outer darkness? How many regions of punishment are there therein?" And Jesus answered and said unto Mary: "The outer darkness is a huge dragon, with its tail in its mouth; it is outside the world and surroundeth it completely. There are many regions of punishment therein, for there are in it twelve [main] dungeons of horrible torment.

4 "In each dungeon there is a ruler; and the faces of the rulers are all different from one another. "The first ruler, in the first dungeon, is crocodile-faced, and it hath its tail in its mouth. From the jaws of this dragon there come forth cold of every kind and freezing, and all diseases of every kind: it is called by its authentic name, in its region, Enchthonin. "And the ruler in the second dungeon; its authentic face is a cat's: it is called, in its region, Charachar. "And the ruler in the third dungeon; its authentic face is a dog's: it is called, in its region, Acharôch. "And the ruler in the fourth dungeon; its authentic face is a serpent's: it is called, in its region, Achrôchar. "And the ruler in the fifth dungeon; its authentic face is a black bull's: it is called, in its region, Marchour. "And the ruler in the sixth dungeon; its authentic face is a boar's: it is called, in its region, Lamchamôr.

5 "And the ruler in the seventh dungeon; its authentic face is a bear's: it is called, in its region, by its authentic name, Louchar. "And the ruler in the eighth dungeon; its authentic face is a vulture's: it is called, in its region, Laraôch. "And the ruler in the ninth dungeon; its authentic face is a basilisk's: it is called, in its region, Archeôch. "And in the tenth dungeon are many rulers; each of them, in its authentic face, hath seven dragons' heads: and that which is above them all, in their region, is called, Xarmarôch. "And in the eleventh dungeon, in this region also, are many rulers; each of them, with authentic faces, hath seven cats' heads: and the great one that is over them, is called, in their region, Rhôchar. "And in the twelfth dungeon there are also many rulers exceedingly numerous, each of them in its authentic face, hath seven dogs' heads: and the great one that is over them, is called in their region, Chrémaôr.

6 "These rulers, then, of these twelve dungeons, which are in the inside of the dragon of outer darkness, each hath a name for every hour, and each of them changeth its face every hour.

Section 51: Of the doors of the dungeons

1 "And each of these dungeons hath a door of the doors of the dungeons. which openeth to the height, so that the dragon of outer darkness containeth twelve dungeons of darkness, each of which hath a door that openeth to the height; and an angel of the height watcheth at each of the doors of the dungeons. "These Ieou, the first man, the overseer of the angels that watch at the doors. the light, the ancient of the first statute, hath set to watch over the dragon, lest the dragon and its rulers should turn the dungeons that are in it upside down." And when the saviour had thus spoken, Mary Magdalene answered and said: "Master, are the souls, then, that are brought into that region, led into it by these twelve doors, by each according to the judgment they have merited?" 2 The saviour answered and said unto Mary: "No soul is brought into the dragon by these doors; but the souls of blasphemers, and of them that remain in the doctrines of error, and of those who teach such doctrines, and also of them that have intercourse with males, of the polluted and impious, atheists, murderers, adulterers, sorcerers, all souls, then, of this kind, if they have not repented while still in life, and have remained persistently in their sin, and all the other souls which have remained without [the light-world], that is to say, who have exhausted the number of the cycles apportioned to them in the sphere without repenting—they take hold of those souls, in their last cycle, them and all the souls which I have just enumerated for you, and carry them through the opening in the tail of the dragon into the dungeons of the outer darkness. And when they have finished bringing those souls into the outer darkness by the opening in its tail, it putteth back its tail again into its mouth and shutteth them in. This is the way in which souls are brought into the outer darkness.

3 "And the dragon of the outer darkness hath twelve authentic names which are written on its doors, a name for the door of every dungeon; and these twelve names are all different from one another, but all twelve are contained one in the other, so that he who uttereth one name will utter all. And these will I tell you, when I explain the 4 robores emanation of the pleroma. This, then, is the way in which is the outer darkness, which is also the dragon." When the saviour had spoken these things, Mary answered and said unto the saviour: "Master, are the torments of this dragon terrible beyond the punishment of all the judgments?" The saviour answered and said unto Mary: "Not only are they more painful than all the chastisements of the judgments, but every soul that shall be carried into that region shall be imprisoned in relentless ice, in the hail and scorching fire which are therein. And in the dissolution of the world, that is to say in the ascension of the pleroma, these souls shall perish in the relentless ice and scorching fire, and shall be non-existent for the eternity."

4 Mary answered and said: "Woe for the souls of sinners! Now, therefore, O Master, whether is the fire in the world of human kind or the fire in Amenti the fiercer?" The saviour answered and said unto Mary: "Amen, I say unto thee, the fire in Amenti scorcheth far more than the fire among men, nine times more. "And the fire which is in the punishments of the great chaos is nine times fiercer than the fire in Amenti. "And the fire which is in the judgments of the rulers who are in the way of the midst, is nine times fiercer than the fire of the punishments which are in the great chaos. "And the fire which is in the dragon of outer darkness, and all the torments which it containeth, are fiercer far than the fire which is in the chastisements and judgments of the rulers who are in the way of the midst—this fire is fiercer than they seventy times."

Section 52: The disciples bewail the fate of sinners

1 And when the saviour had said this unto Mary, she smote her breast, she cried out aloud, with tears, and all the disciples with her, saying: "Woe for the sinners, for their torments are exceedingly great." And Mary came forward, she threw herself at the feet of Jesus and worshipped them, saying: "Master, bear with me if I question thee, and be not wroth with me for troubling thee many times, for from this moment I will question thee on every matter with precision." The saviour answered and said unto Mary: "Ask on every matter that thou wilt, and I will reveal it unto thee in openness without parable." Mary answered and said: "Again, O Master, [supposing] a righteous man, who hath accomplished all the mysteries, and he hath a kinsman, in a word some [dear] one, and this one is impious, and hath committed sins which deserve the outer darkness, and hath not repented, or if he have exhausted the number of the cycles of transmigration into body, and hath not done one useful action, and hath passed from the body, and if we know for certain that he hath deserved the outer darkness, what, then, shall we do to save him from the torments of the dragon of outer darkness, and have him carried into a righteous body which shall find the mysteries of the kingdom of light, that he may continue righteous and enter into the height and inherit the kingdom of light?"

2 The saviour answered and said unto Mary: "[In the case of] a sinner who hath deserved the outer darkness, or again of one who hath committed sin deserving any of the punishments of the rest of the punishments, and hath not repented, or [in the case of] a sinner who hath exhausted the number of cycles in the transmigration into body, and hath not repented—in the case of such men whom I have mentioned, when they pass out of the body, they are taken into the outer darkness; now, therefore, if you will have them taken out of the torments of the outer darkness and every judgment, and have them brought into a righteous body which shall find the mysteries of the light, that they may enter into the height and inherit the kingdom of light, celebrate the one and only mystery of that ineffable which ever remitteth sins, and when ye have finished the celebration of that mystery, say, 'May the soul of such or such a man of whom I think in my heart'—if it be in the region of the torments of the dungeons of outer darkness or in the other torments of the dragons— 'be taken out of these [torments]'—or if it have exhausted the number of its cycles of transmigrations, 'may it be brought unto the virgin of light,' that the virgin of light may seal it with the seal of the ineffable, and no matter what month it be, pour it into a righteous body, which shall find the mysteries of light, that it may become good, and enter into the height, and inherit the kingdom of light.

3 "And if it have exhausted the cycles of transmigration, that soul shall be brought unto the seven virgins of light who preside over baptism, that they may baptise that soul, and seal it with the sign of the kingdom of that ineffable, and bring it into the orders of the light. This then will ye say when ye have celebrated the mystery. "Amen, I say unto you, if the soul for which ye shall pray, is in the dragon of outer darkness, [the dragon] shall take its tail out of its jaws and let that soul escape; and if it be in any region whatever of the judgments of the rulers, amen, I say unto you, the receivers of Melchisedec shall speedily take charge of it, whether the dragon have let it escape, or it be in the judgment of the rulers, in a word, the receivers of Melchisedec shall take charge of it, no matter in what region it be, and will bring it into the region of the midst unto the virgin of light, and the virgin of light will examine it to see if the sign of the kingdom of that ineffable is in that soul.

4 "And if it hath not yet completed the number of the cycles of changes of soul or of embodiments, the virgin of light will seal it with an excellent seal and will have it poured in that very month into a righteous body which shall find the mysteries of light, and it shall become good, that it may enter into the height into the kingdom of light. "And if that soul hath exhausted the number of the cycles, the virgin of light will test it, but will not suffer it to be chastised, although it have completed the number of its cycles, but will hand it over to the seven virgins of light, and the seven virgins of light will examine that soul, and will baptise it in their baptisms, they will give it the spiritual chrism, and will bring it into the treasure of light, to set it in the last order of the light, until the ascension of the whole number of perfect souls. And when they shall be about to draw aside the veils of the region of them of the right, they shall cleanse that soul anew and will purify it, they will make it pure so as to set it in the orders of the first saviour in the treasure of light."

Section 53: Of the light-streams

1 It came to pass when the saviour had finished speaking these words unto his disciples, that Mary answered and said unto Jesus: "Master, I have heard thee say, 'He who shall receive the mysteries of that ineffable or who shall receive the mysteries of the first mysteries, they will become flames of light, or streams of light, that they may pass through all the regions until they come into the region of the inheritance.'" The saviour answered and said unto Mary: "When they shall have received the mystery during their lifetime, and have passed from the body, they will become flames of light and streams of light, that they may pass through every region until they enter the region of the inheritance. "But if they be sinners who have passed from the body without repentance, and if ye celebrate the mystery of that ineffable for them, to have them taken out of every punishment, and poured into a righteous body which shall be good, and shall inherit the kingdom of light, or even be set in the last order of the light, [still] they will not be able [of themselves] to pass through the regions, for they have not celebrated the mystery themselves; but the receivers of Melchisedec shall come to find them, and shall bring them unto the virgin of light, and the workmen of the judge-rulers shall make exceeding great haste to hand them from one to the other in turn, until they bring them unto the virgin of light."

2 And Mary continued further and said unto the saviour: "Again, Master, in the case of a man who hath received the mysteries of light, which are in the first space towards the exterior, and when the period for which those mysteries are efficacious is at an end, that man proceedeth to receive the mysteries which are in all the mysteries within the mysteries which he hath already received, and yet that man is negligent, and hath not uttered the prayer which removeth the evil of the delights which he hath eaten and drunk, and so by the evil of the delights he is bound to the wheel of the fate of the rulers, and by the necessity of the elements he hath again transgressed, after the period for which the mysteries were efficacious for him is at an end, in that he hath neglected to utter the prayer which removeth the evil of souls and purifieth them; [supposing] such a man passeth out of the body without again repenting, and without again receiving the mysteries in the mysteries which are within the mysteries which he hath previously received, [the mysteries] which are received again when a man repenteth in order that his sins may be remitted; when [then] such a man passeth out of the body, and we know for certain that he hath been cast into the belly of the dragon of outer darkness because of the sins he hath committed, and he hath no help in the world, nor any one who in compassion may celebrate the mystery of that ineffable, to have him taken out of the belly of the dragon of outer darkness, and bring him unto the kingdom of light—now, then, O Master, what shall he do to be saved from the torments of the dragon of outer darkness? Abandon him not, O Master, for he hath endured pains in the persecutions, and because of the godhead in which he hath been.

3 "Now, therefore, O saviour, have pity upon me, that none of our kin may be of such a kind; and have mercy upon all the souls who shall be of this kind, for thou art the key that openeth the pleroma and shutteth the pleroma, and thy mystery containeth all. Have mercy upon such souls, O Master, for [even though] it were only for one day, they pronounced the mysteries, and really believed them and were not hypocrites. Yea, Master, grant them a boon in thy goodness, and give them rest in thy mercy." And when Mary had said these things, the saviour proclaimed her many many times blessed, because of the words which she had spoken; and the saviour was in great compassion, and said unto Mary: "Unto all who shall be of the type of which thou hast spoken, unto them while still in life, give ye the mystery of one of the twelve names of the dungeons of the dragon of outer darkness, which I will give unto you when I shall come to explain unto you the emanation of the pleroma from the interior to the exterior, and from the exterior to the interior.