Jesus bringeth Sophia again to the thirteenth æon.
It came to pass then, when Jesus had finished telling his disciples all the adventures which had befallen Pistis Sophia when she was in the chaos, and the way (176) she had sung praises to the Light, that it should save her and lead her out of the chaos, and lead her into the twelve æons, and also the way it had saved her out of all her afflictions with which the rulers of the chaos had constrained her, because she longed to go to the Light, that Jesus continued again in the discourse and said unto his disciples: "It came to pass then after all this, that I took Pistis Sophia and led her into the thirteenth æon, shining most exceedingly, there being no measure for the light which was about me. I entered into the region of the four-and-twenty invisibles, shining most exceedingly. And they fell into great commotion; they looked and saw Sophia, who was with me. Her they knew, but me they knew not, who I was, but held me for some sort of emanation of the Light-land.
[ p. 149 ]
“It came to pass then, when Pistis Sophia saw her fellows, the invisibles, that she rejoiced in great joy and exulted exceedingly and desired to proclaim the wonders which I had wrought on her below in the earth of mankind, until I saved her. She came into the midst of the (177) invisibles, and in their midst sang praises unto me, saying:
Sophia singeth the praises of the Light to her fellow-invisibles.
“‘1. I will give thanks unto thee, O Light, for thou art a saviour; thou art a deliverer for all time.
“‘2. I will utter this song to the Light, for it hath saved me and saved me out of the hand of the rulers, my foes.
“‘3. And thou hast preserved me in all the regions, thou hast saved me out of the height and the depth of the chaos and out of the æons of the rulers of the sphere.
“‘4. And when I was come out of the Height, I wandered round in regions in which is no light, and I could not return to the thirteenth æon, my dwelling-place.
“‘5. For there was no light in me nor power. My power was utterly weakened (?).
“‘6. And the Light saved me in all my afflictions. I sang praises unto the Light, and it hearkened unto me, when I was constrained.
“‘7. It guided me in the creation of the æons to lead me up into the thirteenth æon, my dwelling-place.
“‘8. I will give thanks unto thee, O Light, that thou hast saved me, and for thy wondrous works unto the race of men.
“‘9. When I failed of my power, thou hast given me power; and when I failed of my light, thou didst fill me with purified light.
[ p. 150 ]
“‘10. I was in the darkness and in the shadow of the chaos, bound with the mighty fetters of the chaos, and no light was in me.
“‘11. For I have provoked the commandment of the Light and have transgressed, and I have made wroth the commandment of the Light, because I had gone out of my region.
“‘12. And when I (178) had gone down, I failed of my light and became without light, and no one had helped me.
“‘13. And in my affliction I sang praises unto the Light, and it saved me out of my afflictions.
“‘14. And it hath also broken asunder all my bonds and led me up out of the darkness and the affliction of the chaos.
“‘15. I will give thanks unto thee, O Light, that thou hast saved me and that thy wondrous works have been wrought in the race of men.
“‘16. And thou hast shattered the upper gates of the darkness and the mighty bolts of the chaos.
“‘17. And thou didst let me depart out of the region in which I had transgressed, and my light was taken, because I have transgressed.
“‘18. And I ceased from my mysteries and went down to the gates of the chaos.
“‘19. And when I was constrained, I sang praises to the Light. It saved me out of all my afflictions.
“‘20. Thou sentest thy stream; it gave me power and saved me out of all my afflictions.
“‘21. I will give thanks unto thee, O Light, that thou hast saved me, and for thy wondrous works in the race of men.’
“This then is the song which Pistis Sophia [ p. 151 ] hath uttered in the midst of the four-and-twenty invisibles, desiring that they should know all the wondrous works which I had done for her, and desiring that they should know that I have gone to the world of men and have given them the mysteries of the Height. Now, therefore, who is exalted in his thought, let him come forward and say the solution of the song which Pistis Sophia hath uttered.”
It came to pass then, when Jesus (179) had finished saying these words, that Philip came forward and said: "Jesus, my Lord, my thought is exalted, and I have understood the solution of the song which Pistis Sophia hath uttered. The prophet David hath prophesied concerning it aforetime in the one-hundred-and-sixth Psalm, saying:
Philip interpreteth the song from Psalm cvi.
“‘1. Give ye thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his grace is eternal.
“‘2. Let the delivered of the Lord say this, for it is he who hath delivered them out of the hand of their foes.
“‘3. He hath gathered them together out of their lands, from the east and from the west and from the north and from the sea.
“‘4. They wandered round in the desert, in a waterless country; they found not the way to the city of their dwelling-place.
“‘5. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
“‘6. He saved them out of their necessities. They cried unto the Lord and he hearkened unto them in their affliction.
“‘7. He led them on a straight way, that they might go to the region of their dwelling-place.
“‘8. Let them give thanks unto the Lord for [ p. 152 ] his graciousness and his wondrous works unto the children of men.
“‘9. For he hath satisfied a hungering soul; he hath filled a hungering soul with good things,
“‘10. Them who sat in darkness and the shadow of death, who were fettered in misery and iron.
“‘11. For (180) they had provoked the word of God and made wroth the determination of the Most High.
“‘12. Their heart was humbled in their miseries; they become weak and no one helped them.
“‘13. They cried unto the Lord in their affliction; he saved them out of their necessities.
“‘14. And he led them out of the darkness and the shadow of death and brake their bonds asunder.
“‘15. Let them give thanks unto the Lord for his graciousness and his wondrous works unto the children of men.
“‘16. For he hath shattered the gates of brass and burst the bolts of iron asunder.
“‘17. He hath taken them unto himself out of the way of their iniquity. For they were brought low because of their iniquities.
“‘18. Their heart abhorred all manner of meat and they were near unto the gates of death.
“‘19. They cried unto the Lord in their affliction and he saved them out of their necessities.
“‘20. He sent his word and healed them and freed them from their miseries.
“‘21. Let them give thanks unto the Lord for [ p. 153 ] his graciousness and his wondrous works unto the children of men.’
“This then, my Lord, is the solution of the song which Pistis Sophia hath uttered. Hearken, therefore, my Lord, that I may say it clearly. The word in Booth which David hath spoken: ‘Give ye thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his grace is eternal,’—it is the word which Pistis Sophia hath spoken: ‘I will give thanks unto thee, O Light, for thou art a saviour and thou art a deliverer for all time.’
“And the word which hath David spoken: (181) ‘Let the delivered of the Lord say this, for he hath delivered them out of the hand of their foes,’—it is the word which Pistis Sophia hath spoken: ‘I will utter this song to the Light, for it hath saved me and saved me out of the hand of the rulers, my foes.’ And the rest of the Psalm.
“This then, my Lord, is the solution of the song which Pistis Sophia hath uttered in the midst of the four-and-twenty invisibles, desiring that they should know all the wondrous works which thou hast done for her, and desiring that they should know that thou hast given thy mysteries to the race of men.”
It came to pass then, when Jesus had heard Philip say these words, that he said: “Well said, blessed Philip. This is the solution of the song which Pistis Sophia hath uttered.”
[END OF THE STORY OF PISTIS SOPHIA]
Mary questioneth Jesus.
It came to pass then again, after all this, that Mary came forward, adored the feet of Jesus and said: “My Lord, be not wroth with me, if I [ p. 154 ] question thee, because we question concerning everything with precision and certainty. For thou hast said unto us aforetime: ‘Seek that ye may find, and knock that it may be opened unto you. For every one who seeketh shall find, and to every one who knocketh it shall be opened.’ Now, therefore, my Lord, who is it whom I shall seek, or who is it at whom we shall knock? Or (182) who rather is able to give us the decision upon the words concerning which we shall question thee? Or who rather knoweth the power of the words concerning which we shall question? Because thou in the mind hast given us mind of the Light and hast given us sense and an exceedingly exalted thought; for which cause, therefore, no one existeth in the world of men nor any one in the height of the æons, who can give the decision on the words concerning which we question, save thee alone, who knoweth [sic] the universe, who is perfected in the universe; because we do not question in the manner in which the men of the world question, but because we question in the gnosis of the Height which thou hast given unto us, and we question moreover in the type of the excellent questioning which thou hast taught us, that we may question therein. Now, therefore, my Lord, be not wroth with me, but reveal unto me the matter concerning which I shall question thee.”
It came to pass, when Jesus had heard Mary Magdalene say these words, that he answered and said unto her: “Question concerning what thou desirest to question, and I will reveal it unto thee with precision and certainty. Amēn, amēn, I say unto you: Rejoice in great joy and exult [ p. 155 ] most exceedingly. If ye question concerning all with precision, then shall I exult most exceedingly, because ye question concerning all with precision and question in the manner in which it beseemeth to question. Now, therefore, question concerning what thou wouldst question, (183) and I will reveal it unto thee with joy.”
It came to pass then, when Mary had heard the Saviour say these words, that she rejoiced in great joy and exulted most exceedingly and said unto Jesus: “My Lord and Saviour, of what manner then are the four-and-twenty invisibles and of what type, or rather of what quality are they, or of what quality is then their light?”
Of the glory of the four-and-twenty invisibles.
And Jesus answered and said unto Mary: "What is there in this world which is like unto them, or rather what region is there in this world which is comparable to them? Now, therefore, to what am I to liken them, or rather what am I to say concerning them? For nothing existeth in this world to which I shall be able to liken them, and no form existeth in it which is able to be like them. Now, therefore, nothing existeth in this world which is of the quality of the heaven. [But] amēn, I say unto you: Every one of the invisibles is nine times greater than the heaven and the sphere above it and the twelve æons all together, as I have already said unto you at another time. And no light existeth in this world which is more excellent than the light of the sun. Amēn, amēn, I say unto you: The four-and-twenty invisibles shine ten-thousand times more than the light of the sun which is in this world, as I have already**(184)** said unto you at another time. For the light [ p. 156 ] of the sun in its shape in truth is not in this world, for its light pierceth through many veils and regions. But the light of the sun in its shape in truth, which is in the region of the Virgin of Light, shineth ten-thousand times more than the four-and-twenty invisibles and the great invisible forefather and also the great triple-powered god, as I have already said unto you at another time.
“Now, therefore, Mary, there is no form in this world, nor any light, nor any shape, which is comparable to the four-and-twenty invisibles, so that I may liken it to them. But yet a little while and I will lead thee and thy brethren and fellow-disciples into all the regions of the Height and will lead you into the three spaces of the First Mystery, save only the regions of the space of the Ineffable, and ye shall see all their shapes in truth without similitude.
“And if I lead you into the height and ye shall see the glory of them of the height, then will ye be in very great amazement.
Of the glory of the Fate.
“And if I lead you into the region of the rulers of the Fate, then will ye see the glory in which they are, and because of their overtowering great glory ye will deem this world before you as darkness of darknesses, and (185) ye will look at the whole world of men, how it will have the condition of a speck of dust for you because of the great distance it is far distant from it, and because of the great condition it is considerably greater than it.
Of the glory of the twelve æons.
“And if I lead you into the twelve æons, then will ye see the glory in which they are; and because of the great glory the region of the rulers of the Fate will count for you as the darkness [ p. 157 ] of darknesses, and it will have for you the condition of a speck of dust because of the great distance it is far distant from it and because of the great condition it is considerably greater than them, as I have already said unto you at another time.
Of the glory of the thirteenth æon.
“And if I lead you moreover into the thirteenth æon, then will ye see the glory in which they are; the twelve æons will count for you as the darkness of darknesses, and ye shall look at the twelve æons, how it [sc. their region] will have for you the likeness of a speck of dust because of the great distance it is far distant from it, and because of the great condition it is considerably greater than the former.
Of the glory of the Midst.
“And if I lead you into the region of those of the Midst, then will ye see the glory in which they are; the thirteen æons will count for you as the darkness of darknesses. And again ye will look at the twelve æons (186) and upon the whole Fate and the whole ordering and all the spheres and all the others in which they are; they will have for you the condition of a speck of dust because of the great distance it [sc. their region] is distant from it and because of the great condition it is considerably greater than the former.
Of the glory of the Right.
“And if I lead you into the region of those of the Right, then will ye see the glory in which they are; the region of those of the Midst will count for you as the night which is in the world of men. And if ye look at the Midst, it will have for you the condition of a speck of dust because of the great distance the region of those of the Right is considerably distant from it.
Of the glory of the Treasury.
“And if I lead you into the Light-land, that [ p. 158 ] is into the Treasury of the Light, and ye see the glory in which they are, then will the region of those of the Right count for you as the light at mid-day in the world of men, when the sun is not out; and if ye look at the region of those of the Right, it will have for you the condition of a speck of dust because of the great distance the Treasury of the Light is distant from it.
Of the glory of the Inheritance.
“And if I lead you into the region of those who have received the inheritances and have received the mysteries of the Light, and ye see the glory of the Light in which they are, then the Light-land will count for you as the light of the sun which is in the world of men. And if ye look upon the Light-land, (187) then will it count for you as a speck of dust because of the great distance the Light-land is distant from it, and because of the greatness [by which] it is considerably greater than the former.”
It came to pass then, when Jesus had finished speaking these words unto his disciples, that Mary Magdalene started forward and said: “My Lord, be not wroth with me if I question thee, because we question thee concerning all with precision.”
And Jesus answered and said unto Mary: “Question concerning what thou desirest to question, and I will reveal it unto thee in openness without similitude, and all concerning which thou questionest, I will say unto thee with precision and certainty. I will perfect you in all power and all fulnesses, from the interior of the interiors to the exterior of the exteriors, from that Ineffable to the darkness of darknesses, so that ye shall be called ‘the fulnesses perfected [ p. 159 ] in all gnoses.’ Now, therefore, Mary, question concerning what thou mayest question, and I will reveal it to thee with great joy and great exultation.”
Mary again questioneth Jesus.
It came to pass then, when Mary had heard the Saviour say these words, that she rejoiced in exceedingly great joy and exulted, and said: “My Lord, will then the men of the world who have received the mysteries of the Light, (188) be superior to the emanations of the Treasury in thy kingdom? For I have heard thee say: If I lead you into the region of those who have received the mysteries of the Light, then will the region of the [emanations of the] Light-land count for you as a speck of dust because of the great distance in which it is distant from it, and because of the great light in which it is,'—that is the Light-land is the Treasury, the region of the emanations,—will therefore then, my Lord, the men who have received the mysteries, be superior to the Light-land and superior to those [emanations] in the kingdom of the Light?”
And Jesus answered and said unto Mary: "Finely indeed dost thou question concerning all with precision and certainty. But hearken, Mary, that I may speak with thee about the consummation of the æon and the ascension of the universe. It will not yet take place; but I have said unto you: ‘If I lead you into the region of the inheritances of those who shall receive the mystery of the Light, (189) then will the Treasury of the Light, the region of the emanations, count for you as a speck of dust only and as the light of the sun by day.’
Of the twelve saviours and their regions in the Inheritance.
“I have therefore said: ‘This will take place [ p. 160 ] at the time of the consummation [and] of the ascension of the universe.’ The twelve saviours of the Treasury and the twelve orders of every one of them, which are the emanations of the seven Voices and of the five Trees, they will be with me in the region of the inheritances of the Light; being kings with me in my kingdom, and every one of them being king over his emanations, and moreover every one of them being king according to his glory, the great according to his greatness and the little according to his littleness.
“And the saviour of the emanations of the first Voice will be in the region of the souls of those who have received the first mystery of the First Mystery in my kingdom.
“And the saviour of the emanations of the second Voice will be in the region of the souls of those who have received the second mystery of the First Mystery.
“In like manner also will the saviour of the emanations of the third Voice be in the region of the souls of those who have received the third mystery of the First Mystery in the E inheritances of the Light.
“And the saviour of the emanations of the fourth Voice of the Treasury of the Light will be in the region of the souls of those who have received the fourth mystery of the First Mystery in the inheritances of the Light.
“And the fifth saviour of the fifth Voice of the Treasury of the Light will be in the region of the souls of those who have received the fifth mystery of the First Mystery in the inheritances of the Light.
[ p. 161 ]
“And the sixth saviour of the emanations of the sixth Voice of the Treasury of the Light will be in the region of the souls of those who have received the sixth mystery of the First Mystery.
“And the seventh saviour of the emanations of the seventh Voice of the Treasury of the Light will be in the region of the souls of those who have received the seventh mystery of the First Mystery in the Treasury [sic] of the Light.
“And the eighth saviour, that is the saviour of the emanations of the first Tree of the Treasury of the Light, will be in the region of the souls of those who have received the I eighth mystery of the First Mystery in the inheritances of the Light.
“And the ninth saviour, that is the saviour of the emanations of the second Tree of the Treasury of the Light, will be in the region of the souls of those who have received the ninth mystery of the First Mystery in the inheritances of the Light.
“And the tenth saviour, that is the saviour of the emanations of the third Tree of the Treasury of the Light, will be in the region of the souls of those who have received the tenth mystery of the First Mystery in the inheritances of the Light.
“In like manner also the eleventh saviour, that is the saviour of the fourth Tree of the Treasury of the Light, will be in the region of the souls of those who have received the eleventh mystery of the First Mystery in the inheritances of the Light.
“And the twelfth saviour, that is the saviour of the emanations of the fifth Tree of the Treasury of the Light, will be in the region of the souls of those who have received the twelfth mystery of the First Mystery in the inheritances of the Light.
[ p. 162 ]
Of the ascension of those of the Treasury into the Inheritance.
“And the seven (192) Amēns and the five Trees and the three Amēns will be on my right, being kings in the inheritances of the Light. And the Twin-saviours, that is the Child of the Child, and the nine guards will bide also at my left, being kings in the inheritances of the Light.
Of their respective ranks in the kingdom.
“And every one of the saviours will rule over the orders of his emanations in the inheritances of the Light as they did also in the Treasury of the Light.
“And the nine guards of the Treasury of the Light will be superior to the saviours in the inheritances of the Light. And the Twin-saviours will be superior to the nine guards in the kingdom. And the three Amēns will be superior to the Twin-saviours in the kingdom. And the five Trees will be superior to the three Amēns in the inheritances of the Light.
Of the powers of the Right, and their emanation and ascension.
“And Yew and the guard of the veil of the Great Light, and the receiver of Light and the two great guides and the great Sabaōth, the Good, will be kings in the first saviour of the first Voice of the Treasury of the Light, [the saviour] who will be in (193) the region of those who have received the first mystery of the First Mystery. For in sooth Yew and the guard of the region of those of the Right and Melchisedec, the great receiver of the Light, and the two great guides have come forth out of the purified and utterly pure light of the first Tree up to the fifth.
“Yew in sooth is the overseer of the Light, who hath come forth first out of the pure light of the first Tree; on the other hand the guard of the veil of those of the Right hath come forth out of the second Tree; and the two guides again [ p. 163 ] have come forth out of the pure and utterly purified light of the third and fourth Trees of the Treasury of the Light; Melchisedec again hath come forth out of the fifth Tree; on the other hand Sabaōth, the Good, whom I have called my father, hath come forth out of Yew, the overseer of the Light.
“These six then by command of the First Mystery the last Helper hath caused to be in the region of those of the Right, for the economy of the ingathering of the upper light out of the æons of the rulers and out of the worlds and all races in them,—of every one of whom I will tell you the employment over which he hath been set in the expansion of the universe. Because, therefore, of the importance of the employment over which they have been set, (194) they will be fellow-kings in the first [saviour] of the first Voice of the Treasury of the Light, who will be in the region of the souls of those who have received the first mystery of the First Mystery.
Of the powers of the Midst and their ascension.
“And the Virgin of Light and the great guide of the Midst, whom the rulers of the æons are wont to call the Great Yew after the name of a great ruler who is in their region,—he and the Virgin of Light and his twelve ministers, from whom ye have received your shape and from whom ye have received the power, they all will be kings with the first saviour of the first Voice in the region of the souls of those who will receive the first mystery of the First Mystery in the inheritances of the Light.
“And the fifteen helpers of the seven virgins of the Light who are in the Midst, they will expand themselves in the regions of the twelve saviours, [ p. 164 ] and the rest of the angels of the Midst, every one of them according to his glory, will rule with me in the inheritances of the Light. And I shall rule over them all in the inheritances of the Light.
But this shall not take place till the consummation of the æon.
“All this then which I have said unto you, will not take place at this time, but it will take place at the consummation of the æon, that is at the ascension of the universe; that is at the dissolution of the universe and at the total ascension of the numbering (195) of the perfect souls of the inheritances of the Light.
“Before the consummation, therefore, this which I have said unto you, will not take place, but every one will be in his own region, into which he hath been set from the beginning, until the numbering of the ingathering of the perfect souls is completed.
“The seven Voices and the five Trees and the three Amēns and the Twin-saviours and the nine guards and the twelve saviours and those of the region of the Right and those of the region of the Midst, every one will abide in the region in which they have been set, until the numbering of the perfect souls of the inheritances of the Light shall be raised up all together.
“And also all the rulers who have repented, they also will abide in the region into which they have been set, until the numbering of the souls of the Light shall be raised up all together.
Of the ascension of the souls of the perfect.
“[The souls] will all come, every one at the time when he will receive the mysteries; and all the rulers who have repented, will pass through and come into the region of the Midst. And those of the Midst will baptize them and give unto them the spiritual unction and seal them with the [ p. 165 ] seals of their mysteries. And they will pass through those of all the regions of the Midst, and they will pass through the region of the Right and the interior of the region of the nine guards and the interior of the region of the Twin-saviours and the interior of the region of the three (196) Amens and of the twelve saviours and the interior of the five Trees and of the seven Voices. Every one giveth unto them his seal of his mystery, and they pass into the interior of them all and go to the region of the inheritances of the Light; and every one bideth in the region up to which he hath received mysteries in the inheritances of the Light.
Of the rank of the souls of the perfect.
“In a word, all the souls of men who shall receive the mysteries of the Light, will precede all the rulers who have repented, and they will precede all those of the region of the Midst and those of the whole region of the Right, and they will precede those of the whole region of the Treasury of the Light. In a word, they will precede all those of the region [of the Treasury], and they will precede all those of the regions of the first Commandment, and they will pass into the interior of them all and go into the Inheritance of the Light up to the region of their mystery; and every one abideth in the region up to which he hath received mysteries. And those of the region of the Midst and of the Right and those of the whole region of the Treasury, every one abideth in the region of the order into which he hath been set from the beginning on, until the universe shall be raised up. And every one of them accomplisheth his economy to which he hath been set, in respect of the ingathering of the souls who [ p. 166 ] have received the mysteries, in respect of this economy, so that they may seal (197) all the souls who will receive the mysteries and who will pass through their interior towards the Inheritance of the Light.
“Now, therefore, Mary, this is the word concerning which thou dost question me with precision and certainty. For the rest now then, who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
“It came to pass then, when Jesus had finished speaking these words, that Mary Magdalene started forward and said:
Mary interpreteth the discourse from the scriptures.
“My Lord, my indweller of light hath ears and I comprehend every word which thou sayest. Now, therefore, my Lord, on account of the word which thou hast spoken: ‘All the souls of the race of men who shall receive the mysteries of the Light, will go into the Inheritance of the Light before all the rulers who will repent, and before those of the whole region of the Right and before the whole region of the Treasury of the Light,’—on account of this word, my Lord, thou hast said unto us aforetime: ‘The first will be last and the last will be first,’—that is, the ‘last’ are the whole race of men which will enter into the Light-kingdom sooner than all those of the region of the Height, who are the first.’ On this account, therefore, my Lord, hast thou said unto us: ‘Who hath ears to hear, let him hear,’—that is thou desirest to know whether we (198) comprehend every word which thou speakest. This, therefore, is the word, my Lord.”
It came to pass then, when Mary had finished saying these words, that the Saviour was greatly astonished at the definitions of the words which [ p. 167 ] she spake, for she had become pure spirit utterly. Jesus answered again and said unto her: “Well said, spiritual and pure Mary. This is the solution of the word.”
It came to pass then again after all these words, that Jesus continued in the discourse and said unto his disciples: "Hearken, that I may discourse with you concerning the glory of those of the Height, how they are, according to the manner in which I discoursed with you unto this day.
Of the last Helper.
“Now, therefore, if I lead you into the region of the last Helper, who surroundeth the Treasury of the Light, and if I lead you into the region of that last Helper and ye see the glory in which he is, then will the region of the Inheritance of the Light count for you only for the size of a city of the world, because of the greatness in which the last Helper is, and because of the great light in which he is.
That the regions beyond the Helpers are indescribable.
“And thereafter I will discourse with you also concerning the glory of the Helper who is above the little Helper. But I shall not be able to discourse with you concerning the regions of those who are above all Helpers; (199) for there existeth no type in this world, to describe them, for there existeth in this world no likeness which is like unto them, that I may compare them therewith, nor greatness nor light which is like unto them, not only in this world, but they also have no likeness with those of the Height of Righteousness from their region upwards. On this account, therefore, there existeth in fact no manner of describing them in this world because of the great glory of those of the Height and because of the [ p. 168 ] great immeasurable greatness. On this account, therefore, there existeth no manner to describe it in this world.”
It came to pass then, when Jesus had finished speaking these words unto his disciples, that Mary Magdalene came forward and said unto Jesus: “My Lord, be not wroth with me if I question thee, because I trouble repeatedly. Now, therefore, my Lord, be not wroth with me if I question thee concerning all with precision and certainty. For my brethren will herald it among the race of men, so that they may hear and repent and be saved from the violent judgments of the evil rulers and go to the Height and inherit the Light-kingdom; because, my Lord, we are compassionate not only towards ourselves, but compassionate towards the whole race of men, so that they may be saved from all the violent judgments. Now, therefore, my Lord, on this account we question concerning all with certainty; for my brethren herald it to the whole race of men, (200) in order that they may escape the violent rulers of the darkness and be saved out of the hands of the violent receivers of the outer-most darkness.”
It came to pass, when Jesus had heard Mary say these words, that the Saviour answered in great compassion towards her and said unto her: “Question concerning what thou desirest to question, and I will reveal it unto thee with precision and certainty and without similitude.”
Mary further questioneth Jesus.
It came to pass then, when Mary had heard the Saviour say these words, that she rejoiced with great joy and exulted exceedingly and said unto Jesus: “My Lord, by how much [ p. 169 ] greatness then is the second Helper greater than the first Helper? By how much distance is he distant from him, or rather how many times more does he shine than the latter?”
Of the second Helper.
Jesus answered and said unto Mary in the midst of the disciples: "Amēn, amēn, I say unto you: The second Helper is distant from the first Helper in great immeasurable distance in regard to the height above and the depth below and the length and the breadth. For he is exceedingly distant from him in great immeasurable distance through the angels and all the archangels and through the gods and all the invisibles. And he is very considerably greater than the latter in an incalculable measure (201) through the angels and archangels and through the gods and all the invisibles. And he shineth more than the latter in an utterly immeasurable measure, there being no measure for the light in which he is, and no measure for him through angels and archangels and through the gods and all the invisibles, as I have already said unto you at another time.
Of the third, fourth, and fifth Helpers.
“In like manner also the third Helper and fourth and fifth Helper,—one is greater than the other . . . and shineth more than the latter and is distant from him in a great immeasurable distance through the angels and archangels and the gods and all the invisibles, as I have already said unto you at another time. And I will tell unto you also the type of every one [of them] at their expansion.”
Mary again questioneth Jesus.
It came to pass then, when Jesus had finished saying these words unto his disciples, that Mary Magdalene came forward again, continued and said unto Jesus: “My Lord, in what type will [ p. 170 ] be those who have received the mystery of the Light, in the midst of the last Helper?”
Of those who receive the mystery in the last Helper.
And Jesus answered and said unto Mary in the midst of the disciples: “They who have received the mystery of the Light, if they come out of the body of the matter of the rulers, then will every one be in his order according to the mystery which he hath received. Those who have received the higher mysteries, will abide in the higher order; those who have received the lower mysteries will be in the lower orders. In a word, up to what region every one hath received mysteries, there will he abide in his order in the Inheritance of the Light. For which cause I have said unto you aforetime: ‘Where your heart is, there will your treasure be,’—that is up to what region every one hath received mysteries, there shall he be.”
It came to pass, when Jesus had finished saying these words unto his disciples, that John came forward and said unto Jesus: “My Lord and my Saviour, give me also commandment that I discourse before thee, and be not wroth with me if I question concerning all with precision and certainty; for thou, my Lord, hast promised me in a promise to make revelation unto us of all concerning which I shall question thee. Now, therefore, my Lord, hide nothing from us at all in the matter on which we shall question thee.”
And Jesus answered in great compassion and said unto John: “To thee also, blessed John, and beloved, I give commandment to speak the word which pleaseth thee, and I will reveal it unto thee face to face without similitude, and I [ p. 171 ] will say unto thee (203) all on which thou wilt question me with precision and certainty.”
John questioneth Jesus.
And John answered and said unto Jesus: “My Lord, will then every one abide in the region up to which he hath received the mysteries, and hath he no power to go. into other orders which are above him; and hath he no power to go into the orders which are below him?”