Seeing that everybody, gods of the world and mankind, says that
nothing existed prior to chaos, I, in distinction to them, shall
demonstrate that they are all mistaken, because they are not acquainted
with the origin of chaos, nor with its root. Here is the demonstration.
How well it suits all men, on the subject of chaos, to say that
it is a kind of darkness! But in fact it comes from a shadow,
which has been called by the name 'darkness'. And the shadow comes
from a product that has existed since the beginning. It is, moreover,
clear that it existed before chaos came into being, and that the
latter is posterior to the first product. Let us therefore concern
ourselves with the facts of the matter; and furthermore, with
the first product, from which chaos was projected. And in this
way the truth will be clearly demonstrated.
After the natural structure of the immortal beings had completely
developed out of the infinite, a likeness then emanated from Pistis
(Faith); it is called Sophia (Wisdom). It exercised volition and
became a product resembling the primeval light. And immediately
her will manifested itself as a likeness of heaven, having an
unimaginable magnitude; it was between the immortal beings and
those things that came into being after them, like [...]: she
(Sophia) functioned as a veil dividing mankind from the things
above.
Now the eternal realm (aeon) of truth has no shadow outside it,
for the limitless light is everywhere within it. But its exterior
is shadow, which has been called by the name 'darkness'. From
it, there appeared a force, presiding over the darkness. And the
forces that came into being subsequent to them called the shadow
'the limitless chaos'. From it, every kind of divinity sprouted
up [...] together with the entire place, so that also, shadow
is posterior to the first product. It was <in> the abyss
that it (shadow) appeared, deriving from the aforementioned Pistis.
Then shadow perceived there was something mightier than it, and
felt envy; and when it had become pregnant of its own accord,
suddenly it engendered jealousy. Since that day, the principle
of jealousy amongst all the eternal realms and their worlds has
been apparent. Now as for that jealousy, it was found to be an
abortion without any spirit in it. Like a shadow, it came into
existence in a vast watery substance. Then the bile that had come
into being out of the shadow was thrown into a part of chaos.
Since that day, a watery substance has been apparent. And what
sank within it flowed away, being visible in chaos: as with a
woman giving birth to a child - all her superfluities flow out;
just so, matter came into being out of shadow, and was projected
apart. And it did not depart from chaos; rather, matter was in
chaos, being in a part of it.
And when these things had come to pass, then Pistis came and
appeared over the matter of chaos, which had been expelled like
an aborted fetus - since there was no spirit in it. For all of
it (chaos) was limitless darkness and bottomless water. Now when
Pistis saw what had resulted from her defect, she became disturbed.
And the disturbance appeared, as a fearful product; it rushed
to her in the chaos. She turned to it and blew into its face in
the abyss, which is below all the heavens.
And when Pistis Sophia desired to cause the thing that had no
spirit to be formed into a likeness and to rule over matter and
over all her forces, there appeared for the first time a ruler,
out of the waters, lion-like in appearance, androgynous, having
great authority within him, and ignorant of whence he had come
into being. Now when Pistis Sophia saw him moving about in the
depth of the waters, she said to him, "Child, pass through
to here," whose equivalent is 'yalda baoth'.
Since that day, there appeared the principle of verbal expression,
which reached the gods and the angels and mankind. And what came
into being as a result of verbal expression, the gods and the
angels and mankind finished. Now as for the ruler Yaltabaoth,
he is ignorant of the force of Pistis: he did not see her face,
rather he saw in the water the likeness that spoke with him. And
because of that voice, he called himself 'Yaldabaoth'. But 'Ariael'
is what the perfect call him, for he was like a lion. Now when
he had come to have authority over matter, Pistis Sophia withdrew
up to her light.
When the ruler saw his magnitude - and it was only himself that
he saw: he saw nothing else, except for water and darkness - then
he supposed that it was he alone who existed. His [...] was completed
by verbal expression: it appeared as a spirit moving to and fro
upon the waters. And when that spirit appeared, the ruler set
apart the watery substance. And what was dry was divided into
another place. And from matter, he made for himself an abode,
and he called it 'heaven'. And from matter, the ruler made a footstool,
and he called it 'earth'.
Next, the ruler had a thought - consistent with his nature -
and by means of verbal expression he created an androgyne. He
opened his mouth and cooed to him. When his eyes had been opened,
he looked at his father, and he said to him, "Eee!"
Then his father called him Eee-a-o ('Yao'). Next he created the
second son. He cooed to him. And he opened his eyes and said to
his father, "Eh!" His father called him 'Eloai'. Next,
he created the third son. He cooed to him. And he opened his eyes
and said to his father, "Asss!" His father called him
'Astaphaios'. These are the three sons of their father.
Seven appeared in chaos, androgynous. They have their masculine
names and their feminine names. The feminine name is Pronoia (Forethought)
Sambathas, which is 'week'.
And his son is called Yao: his feminine name is Lordship.
Sabaoth: his feminine name is Deity.
Adonaios: his feminine name is Kingship.
Elaios: his feminine name is Jealousy.
Oraios: his feminine name is Wealth.
And Astaphaios: his feminine name is Sophia (Wisdom).
These are the seven forces of the seven heavens of chaos. And
they were born androgynous, consistent with the immortal pattern
that existed before them, according to the wish of Pistis: so
that the likeness of what had existed since the beginning might
reign to the end. You will find the effect of these names and
the force of the male entities in the Archangelic (Book) of
the Prophet Moses, and the names of the female entities in
the first Book of Noraia.
Now the prime parent Yaldabaoth, since he possessed great authorities,
created heavens for each of his offspring through verbal expression
- created them beautiful, as dwelling places - and in each heaven
he created great glories, seven times excellent. Thrones and mansions
and temples, and also chariots and virgin spirits up to an invisible
one and their glories, each one has these in his heaven; mighty
armies of gods and lords and angels and archangels - countless
myriads - so that they might serve. The account of these matters
you will find in a precise manner in the first Account of Oraia.
And they were completed from this heaven to as far up as the
sixth heaven, namely that of Sophia. The heaven and his earth
were destroyed by the troublemaker that was below them all. And
the six heavens shook violently; for the forces of chaos knew
who it was that had destroyed the heaven that was below them.
And when Pistis knew about the breakage resulting from the disturbance,
she sent forth her breath and bound him and cast him down into
Tartaros. Since that day, the heaven, along with its earth, has
consolidated itself through Sophia the daughter of Yaldabaoth,
she who is below them all.
Now when the heavens had consolidated themselves along with their
forces and all their administration, the prime parent became insolent.
And he was honored by all the army of angels. And all the gods
and their angels gave blessing and honor to him. And for his part,
he was delighted and continually boasted, saying to them, "I
have no need of anyone." He said, "It is I who am God,
and there is no other one that exists apart from me." And
when he said this, he sinned against all the immortal beings who
give answer. And they laid it to his charge.
Then when Pistis saw the impiety of the chief ruler, she was
filled with anger. She was invisible. She said, "You are
mistaken, Samael," (that is, "blind god"). "There
is an immortal man of light who has been in existence before you,
and who will appear among your modelled forms; he will trample
you to scorn, just as potter's clay is pounded. And you will descend
to your mother, the abyss, along with those that belong to you.
For at the consummation of your (pl.) works, the entire defect
that has become visible out of the truth will be abolished, and
it will cease to be, and will be like what has never been."
Saying this, Pistis revealed her likeness of her greatness in
the waters. And so doing, she withdrew up to her light.
Now when Sabaoth, the son of Yaldabaoth, heard the voice of Pistis,
he sang praises to her, and he condemned the father [...] at the
word of Pistis; and he praised her because she had instructed
them about the immortal man and his light. Then Pistis Sophia
stretched out her finger and poured upon him some light from her
light, to be a condemnation of his father. Then when Sabaoth was
illumined, he received great authority against all the forces
of chaos. Since that day he has been called "Lord of the
Forces".
He hated his father, the darkness, and his mother, the abyss,
and loathed his sister, the thought of the prime parent, which
moved to and fro upon the waters. And because of his light, all
the authorities of chaos were jealous of him. And when they had
become disturbed, they made a great war in the seven heavens.
Then when Pistis Sophia had seen the war, she dispatched seven
archangels to Sabaoth from her light. They snatched him up to
the seventh heaven. They stood before him as attendants. Furthermore,
she sent him three more archangels, and established the kingdom
for him over everyone, so that he might dwell above the twelve
gods of chaos.
Now when Sabaoth had taken up the place of repose in return for
his repentance, Pistis also gave him her daughter Zoe (Life),
together with great authority, so that she might instruct him
about all things that exist in the eighth heaven. And as he had
authority, he made himself first of all a mansion. It is huge,
magnificent, seven times as great as all those that exist in the
seven heavens.
And before his mansion he created a throne, which was huge and
was upon a four-faced chariot called "Cherubin". Now
the Cherubin has eight shapes per each of the four corners, lion
forms and calf forms and human forms and eagle forms, so that
all the forms amount to sixty-four forms - and seven archangels
that stand before it; he is the eighth, and has authority. All
the forms amount to seventy-two. Furthermore, from this chariot
the seventy-two gods took shape; they took shape so that they
might rule over the seventy-two languages of the peoples. And
by that throne he created other, serpent-like angels, called "Seraphin",
which praise him at all times.
Thereafter he created a congregation of angels, thousands and
myriads, numberless, which resembled the congregation in the eighth
heaven; and a firstborn called
Israel - which is, "the man that sees God"; and another
being, called Jesus Christ, who resembles the savior above in
the eighth heaven, and who sits at his right upon a revered throne.
And at his left, there sits the virgin of the holy spirit, upon
a throne and glorifying him. And the seven virgins stand before
her, [...] possessing thirty harps, and psalteries and trumpets,
glorifying him. And all the armies of the angels glorify him,
and they bless him. Now where he sits is upon a throne of light
<within a> great cloud that covers him. And there was no
one with him in the cloud except Sophia <the daughter of>
Pistis, instructing him about all the things that exist in the
eighth heaven, so that the likenesses of those things might be
created, in order that his reign might endure until the consummation
of the heavens of chaos and their forces.
Now Pistis Sophia set him apart from the darkness and summoned
him to her right, and the prime parent she put at her left. Since
that day, right has been called justice, and left called wickedness.
Now because of this, they all received a realm in the congregation
of justice and wickedness, [...] stand [...] upon a creature [...]
all.
Thus, when the prime parent of chaos saw his son Sabaoth and
the glory that he was in, and perceived that he was greatest of
all the authorities of chaos, he envied him. And having become
wrathful, he engendered Death out of his death: and he (viz.,
Death) was established over the sixth heaven, <for> Sabaoth
had been snatched up from there. And thus the number of the six
authorities of chaos was achieved. Then Death, being androgynous,
mingled with his (own) nature and begot seven androgynous offspring.
These are the names of the male ones: Jealousy, Wrath, Tears,
Sighing, Suffering, Lamentation, Bitter Weeping. And these are
the names of the female ones: Wrath, Pain, Lust, Sighing, Curse,
Bitterness, Quarrelsomeness. They had intercourse with one another,
and each one begot seven, so that they amount to forty-nine androgynous
demons. Their names and their effects you will find in the Book
of Solomon.
And in the presence of these, Zoe, who was with Sabaoth, created
seven good androgynous forces. These are the names of the male
ones: the Unenvious, the Blessed, the Joyful, the True, the Unbegrudging,
the Beloved, the Trustworthy. Also, as regards the female ones,
these are their names: Peace, Gladness, Rejoicing, Blessedness,
Truth, Love, Faith (Pistis). And from these are many good and
innocent spirits. Their influences and their effects you will
find in the Configurations of the Fate of Heaven That Is Beneath
the Twelve.
And having seen the likeness of Pistis in the waters, the prime
parent grieved very much, especially when he heard her voice,
like the first voice that had called to him out of the waters.
And when he knew that it was she who had given a name to him,
he sighed. He was ashamed on account of his transgression. And
when he had come to know in truth that an immortal man of light
had been existing before him, he was greatly disturbed; for he
had previously said to all the gods and their angels, "It
is I who am god. No other one exists apart from me." For
he had been afraid they might know that another had been in existence
before him, and might condemn him. But he, being devoid of understanding,
scoffed at the condemnation and acted recklessly. He said, "If
anything has existed before me, let it appear, so that we may
see its light."
And immediately, behold! Light came out of the eighth heaven
above and passed through all of the heavens of the earth. When
the prime parent saw that the light was beautiful as it radiated,
he was amazed. And he was greatly ashamed. As that light appeared,
a human likeness appeared within it, very wonderful. And no one
saw it except for the prime parent and Pronoia, who was with him.
Yet its light appeared to all the forces of the heavens. Because
of this they were all troubled by it.
Then when Pronoia saw that emissary, she became enamored of him.
But he hated her because she was on the darkness. But she desired
to embrace him, and she was not able to. When she was unable to
assuage her love, she poured out her light upon the earth. Since
that day, that emissary has been called "Adam of Light,"
whose rendering is "the luminous man of blood," and
the earth spread over him, holy Adaman, whose rendering is "the
Holy Land of Adamantine." Since that day, all the authorities
have honored the blood of the virgin. And the earth was purified
on account of the blood of the virgin. But most of all, the water
was purified through the likeness of Pistis Sophia, who had appeared
to the prime parent in the waters. Justly, then, it has been said:
"through the waters." The holy water, since it vivifies
the all, purifies it.
Out of that first blood Eros appeared, being androgynous. His
masculinity is Himireris, being fire from the light. His femininity
that is with him - a soul of blood - is from the stuff of Pronoia.
He is very lovely in his beauty, having a charm beyond all the
creatures of chaos. Then all the gods and their angels, when they
beheld Eros, became enamored of him. And appearing in all of them,
he set them afire: just as from a single lamp many lamps are lit,
and one and the same light is there, but the lamp is not diminished.
And in this way, Eros became dispersed in all the created beings
of chaos, and was not diminished. Just as from the midpoint of
light and darkness Eros appeared and at the midpoint of the angels
and mankind the sexual union of Eros was consummated, so out of
the earth the primal pleasure blossomed. The woman followed earth.
And marriage followed woman. Birth followed marriage. Dissolution
followed birth.
After that Eros, the grapevine sprouted up out of that blood,
which had been shed over the earth. Because of this, those who
drink of it conceive the desire of sexual union. After the grapevine,
a fig tree and a pomegranate tree sprouted up from the earth,
together with the rest of the trees, all species, having with
them their seed from the seed of the authorities and their angels.
Then Justice created Paradise, being beautiful and being outside
the orbit of the moon and the orbit of the sun in the Land of
Wantonness, in the East in the midst of the stones. And desire
is in the midst of the beautiful, appetizing trees. And the tree
of eternal life is as it appeared by God's will, to the north
of Paradise, so that it might make eternal the souls of the pure,
who shall come forth from the modelled forms of poverty at the
consummation of the age. Now the color of the tree of life is
like the sun. And its branches are beautiful. Its leaves are like
those of the cypress. Its fruit is like a bunch of grapes when
it is white. Its height goes as far as heaven. And next to it
(is) the tree of knowledge (gnosis), having the strength
of God. Its glory is like the moon when fully radiant. And its
branches are beautiful. Its leaves are like fig leaves. Its fruit
is like a good appetizing date. And this tree is to the north
of Paradise, so that it might arouse the souls from the torpor
of the demons, in order that they might approach the tree of life
and eat of its fruit, and so condemn the authorities and their
angels. The effect of this tree is described in the Sacred
Book, to wit: "It is you who are the tree of knowledge,
which is in Paradise, from which the first man ate and which opened
his mind; and he loved his female counterpart and condemned the
other, alien likenesses and loathed them."
Now after it, the olive tree sprouted up, which was to purify
the kings and the high priests of righteousness, who were to appear
in the last days, since the olive tree appeared out of the light
of the first Adam for the sake of the unguent that they were to
receive.
And the first soul (psyche) loved Eros, who was with her,
and poured her blood upon him and upon the earth. And out of that
blood the rose first sprouted up, out of the earth, out of the
thorn bush, to be a source of joy for the light that was to appear
in the bush. Moreover, after this the beautiful, good-smelling
flowers sprouted up from the earth, different kinds, from every
single virgin of the daughters of Pronoia. And they, when they
had become enamored of Eros, poured out their blood upon him and
upon the earth. After these, every plant sprouted up from the
earth, different kinds, containing the seed of the authorities
and their angels. After these, the authorities created out of
the waters all species of beast, and the reptiles and birds -
different kinds - containing the seed of the authorities and their
angels.
But before all these, when he had appeared on the first the first
day, he remained upon the earth, something like two days, and
left the lower Pronoia in heaven, and ascended towards his light.
And immediately darkness covered all the universe. Now when she
wished, the Sophia who was in the lower heaven received authority
from Pistis, and fashioned great luminous bodies and all the stars.
And she put them in the sky to shine upon the earth and to render
temporal signs and seasons and years and months and days and nights
and moments and so forth. And in this way the entire region upon
the sky was adorned.
Now when Adam of Light conceived the wish to enter his light
- i.e., the eighth heaven - he was unable to do so because of
the poverty that had mingled with his light. Then he created for
himself a vast eternal realm. And within that eternal realm he
created six eternal realms and their adornments, six in number,
that were seven times better than the heavens of chaos and their
adornments. Now all these eternal realms and their adornments
exist within the infinity that is between the eighth heaven and
the chaos below it, being counted with the universe that belongs
to poverty. If you want to know the arrangement of these, you
will find it written in the Seventh Universe of the Prophet
Hieralias.
And before Adam of Light had withdrawn in the chaos, the authorities
saw him and laughed at the prime parent because he had lied when
he said, "It is I who am God. No one exists before me."
When they came to him, they said, "Is this not the god who
ruined our work?" He answered and said, "Yes. If you
do not want him to be able to ruin our work, come let us create
a man out of earth, according to the image of our body and according
to the likeness of this being, to serve us; so that when he sees
his likeness, he might become enamored of it. No longer will he
ruin our work; rather,we shall make those who are born out of
the light our servants for all the duration of this eternal realm."
Now all of this came to pass according to the forethought of Pistis,
in order that man should appear after his likeness, and should
condemn them because of their modelled form. And their modelled
form became an enclosure of the light.
Then the authorities received the knowledge (gnosis) necessary
to create man. Sophia Zoe - she who is with Sabaoth - had anticipated
them. And she laughed at their decision. For they are blind: against
their own interests they ignorantly created him. And they do not
realize what they are about to do. The reason she anticipated
them and made her own man first, was in order that he might instruct
their modelled form how to despise them, and thus to escape from
them.
Now the production of the instructor came about as follows. When
Sophia let fall a droplet of light, it flowed onto the water,
and immediately a human being appeared, being androgynous. That
droplet she molded first as a female body. Afterwards, using the
body she molded it in the likeness of the mother, which had appeared.
And he finished it in twelve months. An androgynous human being
was produced, whom the Greeks call Hermaphrodites; and whose mother
the Hebrews call Eve of Life (Zoe), namely, the female instructor
of life. Her offspring is the creature that is lord. Afterwards,
the authorities called it "Beast", so that it might
lead astray their modelled creatures. The interpretation of "the
beast" is "the instructor". For it was found to
be the wisest of all beings.
Now, Eve is the first virgin, the one who without a husband bore
her first offspring. It is she who served as her own midwife.
For this reason she is held to have said:
- It is I who am the part of my mother; and it is I who am the
mother.
- It is I who am the wife; it is I who am the virgin.
- It is I who am pregnant; it is I who am the midwife.
- It is I who am the one that comforts pains of travail.
- It is my husband who bore me; and it is I who am his mother.
- And it is he who is my father and my lord.
- It is he who is my force; What he desires, he says with reason.
- I am in the process of becoming; yet I have borne a man as
lord.
Now these through the will <...> The souls that were going
to enter the modelled forms of the authorities were manifested
to Sabaoth and his Christ. And regarding these, the holy voice
said, "Multiply and improve! Be lord over all creatures."
And it is they who were taken captive, according to their destinies,
by the prime parent. And thus they were shut into the prisons
of the modelled forms until the consummation of the age.
And at that time, the prime parent then rendered an opinion concerning
man to those who were with him. Then each of them cast his sperm
into the midst of the navel of the earth. Since that day, the
seven rulers have fashioned man with his body resembling their
body, but his likeness resembling the man that had appeared to
them. His modelling took place by parts, one at a time. And their
leader fashioned the brain and the nervous system. Afterwards,
he appeared as prior to him. He became a soul-endowed man. And
he was called Adam, that is, "father", according to
the name of the one that existed before him.
And when they had finished Adam, he abandoned him as an inanimate
vessel, since he had taken form like an abortion, in that no spirit
was in him. Regarding this thing, when the chief ruler remembered
the saying of Pistis, he was afraid lest the true man enter his
modelled form and become its lord. For this reason he left his
modelled form forty days without soul, and he withdrew and abandoned
it. Now on the fortieth day, Sophia Zoe sent her breath into Adam,
who had no soul. He began to move upon the ground. And he could
not stand up.
Then, when the seven rulers came, they saw him and were greatly
disturbed. They went up to him and seized him. And he (viz., the
chief ruler) said to the breath within him, "Who are you?
And whence did you come hither?" It answered and said, "I
have come from the force of the man for the destruction of your
work." When they heard, they glorified him, since he gave
them respite from the fear and the anxiety in which they found
themselves. Then they called that day "Rest", in as
much as they had rested from toil. And when they saw that Adam
could stand up, they were glad, and they took him and put him
in Paradise. And they withdrew up to their heavens.
After the day of rest, Sophia sent her daughter Zoe, being called
Eve, as an instructor, in order that she might make Adam, who
had no soul, arise, so that those whom he should engender might
become containers of light. When Eve saw her male counterpart
prostrate, she had pity upon him, and she said, "Adam! Become
alive! Arise upon the earth!" Immediately her word became
accomplished fact. For Adam, having arisen, suddenly opened his
eyes. When he saw her, he said, "You shall be called 'Mother
of the Living'. For it is you who have given me life."
Then the authorities were informed that their modelled form was
alive and had arisen, and they were greatly troubled. They sent
seven archangels to see what had happened. They came to Adam.
When they saw Eve talking to him, they said to one another, "What
sort of thing is this luminous woman? For she resembles that likeness
which appeared to us in the light. Now come, let us lay hold of
her and cast her seed into her, so that when she becomes soiled
she may not be able to ascend into her light. Rather, those whom
she bears will be under our charge. But let us not tell Adam,
for he is not one of us. Rather let us bring a deep sleep over
him. And let us instruct him in his sleep to the effect that she
came from his rib, in order that his wife may obey, and he may
be lord over her."
Then Eve, being a force, laughed at their decision. She put mist
into their eyes and secretly left her likeness with Adam. She
entered the tree of knowledge and remained there. And they pursued
her, and she revealed to them that she had gone into the tree
and become a tree. Then, entering a great state of fear, the blind
creatures fled.
Afterwards, when they had recovered from the daze, they came
to Adam; and seeing the likeness of this woman with him, they
were greatly disturbed, thinking it was she that was the true
Eve. And they acted rashly; they came up to her and seized her
and cast their seed upon her. They did so wickedly, defiling not
only in natural ways but also in foul ways, defiling first the
seal of her voice - that had spoken with them, saying, "What
is it that exists before you?" - intending to defile those
who might say at the consummation (of the age) that they had been
born of the true man through verbal expression. And they erred,
not knowing that it was their own body that they had defiled:
it was the likeness that the authorities and their angels defiled
in every way.
First she was pregnant with Abel, by the first ruler. And it
was by the seven authorities and their angels that she bore the
other offspring. And all this came to pass according to the forethought
of the prime parent, so that the first mother might bear within
her every seed, being mixed and being fitted to the fate of the
universe and its configurations, and to Justice. A prearranged
plan came into effect regarding Eve, so that the modelled forms
of the authorities might become enclosures of the light, whereupon
it would condemn them through their modelled forms.
Now the first Adam, (Adam) of Light, is spirit-endowed and appeared
on the first day. The second Adam is soul-endowed and appeared
on the sixth day, which is called Aphrodite. The third Adam is
a creature of the earth, that is, the man of the law, and he appeared
on the eighth day [...] the tranquility of poverty, which is called
"The Day of the Sun" (Sunday). And the progeny of the
earthly Adam became numerous and was completed, and produced within
itself every kind of scientific information of the soul-endowed
Adam. But all were in ignorance.
Next, let me say that once the rulers had seen him and the female
creature who was with him erring ignorantly like beasts, they
were very glad. When they learned that the immortal man was not
going to neglect them, rather that they would even have to fear
the female creature that had turned into a tree, they were disturbed,
and said, "Perhaps this is the true man - this being who
has brought a fog upon us and has taught us that she who was soiled
is like him - and so we shall be conquered!"
Then the seven of them together laid plans. They came up to Adam
and Eve timidly: they said to him, "The fruit of all the
trees created for you in Paradise shall be eaten; but as for the
tree of knowledge, control yourselves and do not eat from it.
If you eat, you will die." Having imparted great fear to
them, they withdrew up to their authorities.
Then came the wisest of all creatures, who was called Beast.
And when he saw the likeness of their mother Eve he said to her,
"What did God say to you? Was it 'Do not eat from the tree
of knowledge'?" She said, "He said not only, 'Do not
eat from it', but, 'Do not touch it, lest you die.'" He said
to her, "Do not be afraid. In death you shall not die. For
he knows that when you eat from it, your intellect will become
sober and you will come to be like gods, recognizing the difference
that obtains between evil men and good ones. Indeed, it was in
jealousy that he said this to you, so that you would not eat from
it."
Now Eve had confidence in the words of the instructor. She gazed
at the tree and saw that it was beautiful and appetizing, and
liked it; she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she gave
some also to her husband, and he too ate it. Then their intellect
became open. For when they had eaten, the light of knowledge had
shone upon them. When they clothed themselves with shame, they
knew that they were naked of knowledge. When they became sober,
they saw that they were naked and became enamored of one another.
When they saw that the ones who had modelled them had the form
of beasts, they loathed them: they were very aware.
Then when the rulers knew that they had broken their commandments,
they entered Paradise and came to Adam and Eve with earthquake
and great threatening, to see the effect of the aid. Then Adam
and Eve trembled greatly and hid under the trees in Paradise.
Then the rulers did not know where they were and said, "Adam,
where are you?" He said, "I am here, for through fear
of you I hid, being ashamed." And they said to him ignorantly,
"Who told you about the shame with which you clothed yourself?
- unless you have eaten from that tree!" He said, "The
woman whom you gave me - it is she that gave to me and I ate."
Then they said to the latter, "What is this that you have
done?" She answered and said, "It is the instructor
who urged me on, and I ate."
Then the rulers came up to the instructor. Their eyes became
misty because of him, and they could not do anything to him. They
cursed him, since they were powerless. Afterwards, they came up
to the woman and cursed her and her offspring. After the woman,
they cursed Adam, and the land because of him, and the crops;
and all things they had created, they cursed. They have no blessing.
Good cannot result from evil.
From that day, the authorities knew that truly there was something
mightier than they: they recognized only that their commandments
had not been kept. Great jealousy was brought into the world solely
because of the immortal man. Now when the rulers saw that their
Adam had entered into an alien state of knowledge, they desired
to test him, and they gathered together all the domestic animals
and the wild beasts of the earth and the birds of heaven and brought
them to Adam to see what he would call them. When he saw them,
he gave names to their creatures.
They became troubled because Adam had recovered from all the
trials. They assembled and laid plans, and they said, "Behold
Adam! He has come to be like one of us, so that he knows the difference
between the light and the darkness. Now perhaps he will be deceived,
as in the case of the Tree of Knowledge, and also will come to
the Tree of Life and eat from it, and become immortal, and become
lord, and despise us and disdain us and all our glory! Then he
will denounce us along with our universe. Come, let us expel him
from Paradise, down to the land from which he was taken, so that
henceforth he might not be able to recognize anything better than
we can." And so they expelled Adam from Paradise, along with
his wife. And this deed that they had done was not enough for
them. Rather, they were afraid. They went in to the Tree of Life
and surrounded it with great fearful things, fiery living creatures
called "Cheroubin", and they put a flaming sword in
their midst, fearfully twirling at all times, so that no earthly
being might ever enter that place.
Thereupon, since the rulers were envious of Adam they wanted
to diminish their (viz., Adam's and Eve's) lifespans. They could
not (, however,) because of fate, which had been fixed since the
beginning. For to each had been allotted a lifespan of 1,000 years,
according to the course of the luminous bodies. But although the
rulers could not do this, each of the evildoers took away ten
years. And all this lifespan (which remained) amounted to 930
years: and these are in pain and weakness and evil distraction.
And so life has turned out to be, from that day until the consummation
of the age.
Thus when Sophia Zoe saw that the rulers of the darkness had
laid a curse upon her counterparts, she was indignant. And coming
out of the first heaven with full power, she chased those rulers
out of their heavens, and cast them down into the sinful world,
so that there they should dwell, in the form of evil spirits (demons)
upon the earth.
[...], so that in their world it might pass the thousand years
in Paradise - a soul-endowed living creature called "phoenix".
It kills itself and brings itself to life as a witness to the
judgment against them, for they did wrong to Adam and his generation,
unto the consummation of the age. There are [...] three men, and
also his posterities, unto the consummation of the world: the
spirit-endowed of eternity, and the soul-endowed, and the earthly.
Likewise, the three phoenixes <in> Paradise - the first
is immortal; the second lives 1,000 years; as for the third, it
is written in the Sacred Book that it is consumed. So,
too, there are three baptisms - the first is the spiritual, the
second is by fire, the third is by water. Just as the phoenix
appears as a witness concerning the angels, so the case of the
water hydri in Egypt, which has been a witness to those going
down into the baptism of a true man. The two bulls in Egypt possess
a mystery, the sun and the moon, being a witness to Sabaoth: namely,
that over them Sophia received the universe; from the day that
she made the sun and the moon, she put a seal upon her heaven,
unto eternity.
And the worm that has been born out of the phoenix is a human
being as well. It is written (Ps 91:13 LXX) concerning it, "the
just man will blossom like a phoenix". And the phoenix first
appears in a living state, and dies, and rises again, being a
sign of what has become apparent at the consummation of the age.
It was only in Egypt that these great signs appeared - nowhere
else - as an indication that it is like God's Paradise.
Let us return to the aforementioned rulers, so that we may offer
some explanation of them. Now, when the seven rulers were cast
down from their heavens onto the earth, they made for themselves
angels, numerous, demonic, to serve them. And the latter instructed
mankind in many kinds of error and magic and potions and worship
of idols and spilling of blood and altars and temples and sacrifices
and libations to all the spirits of the earth, having their coworker
fate, who came into existence by the concord between the gods
of injustice and justice.
And thus when the world had come into being, it distractedly
erred at all times. For all men upon earth worshiped the spirits
(demons) from the creation to the consummation - both the angels
of righteousness and the men of unrighteousness. Thus did the
world come to exist in distraction, in ignorance, and in a stupor.
They all erred, until the appearance of the true man.
Let this suffice so far as the matter goes. Now we shall proceed
to consideration of our world, so that we may accurately finish
the description of its structure and management. Then it will
become obvious how belief in the unseen realm, which has been
apparent from creation down to the consummation of the age, was
discovered.
I come, therefore, to the main points regarding the immortal
man: I shall speak of all the beings that belong to him, explaining
how they happen to be here.
When a multitude of human beings had come into existence, through
the parentage of the Adam who had been fashioned, and out of matter,
and when the world had already become full, the rulers were master
over it - that is, they kept it restrained by ignorance. For what
reason? For the following: since the immortal father knows that
a deficiency of truth came into being amongst the eternal realms
and their universe, when he wished to bring to naught the rulers
of perdition through the creatures they had modelled, he sent
your likenesses down into the world of perdition, namely, the
blessed little innocent spirits. They are not alien to knowledge.
For all knowledge is vested in one angel who appeared before them;
he is not without power in the company of the father. And <he>
gave them knowledge. Whenever they appear in the world of perdition,
immediately and first of all they reveal the pattern of imperishability
as a condemnation of the rulers and their forces. Thus when the
blessed beings appeared in forms modelled by authorities, they
were envied. And out of envy the authorities mixed their seed
with them, in hopes of polluting them. They could not. Then when
the blessed beings appeared in luminous form, they appeared in
various ways. And each one of them, starting out in his land,
revealed his (kind of) knowledge to the visible church constituted
of the modelled forms of perdition. It (viz., the church) was
found to contain all kinds of seed, because of the seed of the
authorities that had mixed with it.
Then the Savior created [...] of them all - and the spirits of
these are manifestly superior, being blessed and varying in election
- and also (he created) many other beings, which have no king
and are superior to everyone that was before them. Consequently,
four races exist. There are three that belong to the kings of
the eighth heaven. But the fourth race is kingless and perfect,
being the highest of all. For these shall enter the holy place
of their father. And they will gain rest in repose and eternal,
unspeakable glory and unending joy. Moreover, they are kings within
the mortal domain, in that they are immortal. They will condemn
the gods of chaos and their forces.
Now the Word that is superior to all beings was sent for this
purpose alone: that he might proclaim the unknown. He said, "There
is nothing hidden that is not apparent, and what has not been
recognized will be recognized." And these were sent to make
known what is hidden, and the seven authorities of chaos and their
impiety. And thus they were condemned to death.
So when all the perfect appeared in the forms modelled by the
rulers, and when they revealed the incomparable truth, they put
to shame all the wisdom of the gods. And their fate was found
to be a condemnation. And their force dried up. Their lordship
was dissolved. Their forethought became emptiness, along with
their glory.
Before the consummation of the age, the whole place will shake
with great thundering. Then the rulers will be sad, [...] their
death. The angels will mourn for their mankind, and the demons
will weep over their seasons, and their mankind will wail and
scream at their death. Then the age will begin, and they will
be disturbed. Their kings will be intoxicated with the fiery sword,
and they will wage war against one another, so that the earth
is intoxicated with bloodshed. And the seas will be disturbed
by those wars. Then the sun will become dark, and the moon will
cause its light to cease. The stars of the sky will cancel their
circuits. And a great clap of thunder will come out of a great
force that is above all the forces of chaos, where the firmament
of the woman is situated. Having created the first product, she
will put away the wise fire of intelligence and clothe herself
with witless wrath. Then she will pursue the gods of chaos, whom
she created along with the prime parent. She will cast them down
into the abyss. They will be obliterated because of their wickedness.
For they will come to be like volcanoes and consume one another
until they perish at the hand of the prime parent. When he has
destroyed them, he will turn against himself and destroy himself
until he ceases to exist.
And their heavens will fall one upon the next and their forces
will be consumed by fire. Their eternal realms, too, will be overturned.
And his heaven will fall and break in two. His [...] will fall
down upon the [...] support them; they will fall into the abyss,
and the abyss will be overturned.
The light will [...] the darkness and obliterate it: it will
be like something that has never been. And the product to which
the darkness had been posterior will dissolve. And the deficiency
will be plucked out by the root (and thrown) down into the darkness.
And the light will withdraw up to its root. And the glory of the
unbegotten will appear. And it will fill all the eternal realm.
When the prophecy and the account of those that are king becomes
known and is fulfilled by those who are called perfect, those
who - in contrast - have not become perfect in the unbegotten
father will receive their glory in their realms and in the kingdoms
of the immortals: but they will never enter the kingless realm.
For everyone must go to the place from which he has come. Indeed,
by his acts and his knowledge, each person will make his (own)
nature known.
