Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament (79 page)

forethought of the All]—her light [shines

not [partake] in the aeons nor in time.

like his] light—the [perfect] power which

For he who partakes in [an aeon] was

is [the] image of the invisible, virginal

prepared beforehand. Time [was not] ap

Spirit who is perfect. [The first power],

portioned to him, [since] he does not rethe glory of Barbelo, the perfect glory in ceive anything from another, [for it would

the aeons, the glory of the revelation, she

be received] on loan. For he who preglorified the virginal Spirit and it was she cedes someone does not [lack] that he

who praised him, because thanks to him

may receive from [him]. For [rather] it is

she had come forth. This is the first

the latter that looks expectantly at him in

thought, his image; she became the

his light.

womb of everything, for it is she who is

“For the [perfection] is majestic. He is

prior to them all, the Mother-Father, the

pure, immeasurable [mind]. He is an

first man, the holy Spirit, the thrice-male,

aeon-giving aeon. He is [life]-giving life.

the thrice-powerful, the thrice-named an

He is a blessedness-giving blessed one.

drogynous one, and the eternal aeon

He is knowledge-giving knowledge. [He

among the invisible ones, and the first to

is] goodness-giving goodness. [He is]

come forth.

mercy and redemption-[giving mercy].

“�She� requested from the invisible,

He is grace-giving grace, [not] because

virginal Spirit—that is Barbelo—to give

he possesses it, but because he gives [the]

her foreknowledge. And the Spirit conimmeasurable, incomprehensible [light].

sented. And when he had [consented],

“[How am I to speak] with you about

the foreknowledge came forth, and it

him? His [aeon] is indestructible, at rest

stood by the forethought; it originates

and existing in [silence, reposing] (and)

from the thought of the invisible, virginal

being prior [to everything. For he] is the

Spirit. It glorified him [and] his perfect

head of [all] the aeons, [and] it is he who

power, Barbelo, for it was for her sake

gives them strength in his goodness. For

that it had come into being.

[we know] not [the ineffable things, and

“And she requested again to grant her

we] do not understand what [is immeas[indestructibility], and he consented.

urable], except for him who came forth

When he had [consented], indestructibil[from] him, namely (from) [the] Father.

ity [came] forth, and it stood by the

For it is he who [told] it to us [alone].

thought and the foreknowledge. It glori

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NON-CANONICAL APOCALYPSES AND REVELATORY TREATISES

fied the invisible One and Barbelo, the

the holy Spirit and the perfect foreone for whose sake they had come into thought for whose sake it had come forth.

being.

“And it requested to give it a fellow

“And Barbelo requested to grant her

worker, which is the mind, and he coneternal life. And the invisible Spirit consented [gladly]. And when the invisible sented. And when he had consented, eter

Spirit had consented, the mind came

nal life came forth, and [they attended]

forth, and it attended Christ glorifying

and glorified the invisible [Spirit] and

him and Barbelo. And all these came into

Barbelo, the one for whose sake they had

being in silence.

come into being.

“And the mind wanted to perform a

“And she requested again to grant her

deed through the word of the invisible

truth. And the invisible Spirit consented.

Spirit. And his will became a deed and it

And [when he had] consented truth came

appeared with the mind; and the light

forth, and they attended and glorified the

glorified it. And the word followed the

invisible, excellent Spirit and his Bar-

will. For because of the word, Christ the

belo, the one for whose sake they had

divine Autogenes created everything.

come into being.

And the eternal life �and� his will and

“This is the pentad of the aeons of the

the mind and the foreknowledge attended

Father, which is the first man, the image

and glorified the invisible Spirit and Bar-

of the invisible Spirit; it is the forebelo, for whose sake they had come into thought, which is Barbelo, and the

being.

thought, and the foreknowledge, and the

“And the holy Spirit completed the diindestructibility, and the eternal life, and vine Autogenes, his son, together with

the truth. This is the androgynous pentad

Barbelo, that he may attend the mighty

of the aeons, which is the decad of the

and invisible, virginal Spirit as the divine

aeons, which is the Father.

Autogenes, the Christ whom he had hon

“And he looked at Barbelo with the

ored with a mighty voice. He came forth

pure light which surrounds the invisible

through the forethought. And the invisi

Spirit and (with) his spark, and she conble, virginal Spirit placed the divine Auceived from him. He begot a spark of togenes of truth over everything. And he

light with a light resembling blessedness.

subjected to him every authority, and the

But it does not equal his greatness. This

truth which is in him, that he may know

was an only-begotten child of the

the All which had been called with a

Mother-Father which had come forth; it

name exalted above every name. For that

is the only offspring, the only-begotten

name will be mentioned to those who are

one of the Father, the pure Light.

worthy of it.

“And the invisible, virginal Spirit re

“For from the light, which is the

joiced over the light which came forth,

Christ, and the indestructibility, through

that which was brought forth first by the

the gift of the Spirit the four lights (apfirst power of his forethought which is peared) from the divine Autogenes. He

Barbelo. And he anointed it with his

expected that they might attend him. And

goodness until it became perfect, not

the three (are) will, thought, and life. And

lacking in any goodness, because he had

the four powers (are) understanding,

anointed it with the goodness of the ingrace, perception, and prudence. And visible Spirit. And it attended him as he

grace belongs to the lightaeon Armozel,

poured upon it. And immediately when

which is the first angel. And there are

it had received from the Spirit, it glorified

three other aeons with this aeon: grace,

THE SECRET BOOK OF JOHN

301

truth, and form. And the second light (is)

not repent at once, but who persisted for

Oriel, who has been placed over the seca while and repented afterwards; they are ond aeon. And there are three other aeons

by the fourth light Eleleth. These are

with him: conception, perception, and

creatures which glorify the invisible

memory. And the third light is Daveithai,

Spirit.

who has been placed over the third aeon.

“And the Sophia of the Epinoia, being

And there are three other aeons with him:

an aeon, conceived a thought from herself

understanding, love, and idea. And the

and the conception of the invisible Spirit

fourth aeon was placed over the fourth

and foreknowledge. She wanted to bring

light Eleleth. And there are three other

forth a likeness out of herself without the

aeons with him: perfection, peace, and

consent of the Spirit—he had not ap-

wisdom. These are the four lights which

proved—and without her consort, and

attend the divine Autogenes, (and) these

without his consideration. And though

are the twelve aeons which attend the son

the person of her maleness had not apof the mighty one, the Autogenes, the proved, and she had not found her agree

Christ, through the will and the gift of

ment, and she had thought without the

the invisible Spirit. And the twelve aeons

consent of the Spirit and the knowledge

belong to the son of the Autogenes. And

of her agreement, (yet) she brought forth.

all things were established by the will of

And because of the invincible power

the holy Spirit through the Autogenes.

which is in her, her thought did not re

“And from the foreknowledge of the

main idle and something came out of her

perfect mind, through the revelation of

which was imperfect and different from

the will of the invisible Spirit and the will

her appearance, because she had created

of the Autogenes, �the� perfect Man

it without her consort. And it was dissim

(appeared), the first revelation, and the

ilar to the likeness of its mother for it has

truth. It is he whom the virginal Spirit

another form.

called Pigera-Adamas, and he placed him

“And when she saw (the consequences

over the first aeon with the mighty one,

of) her desire, it changed into a form of

the Autogenes, the Christ, by the first

a lion-faced serpent. And its eyes were

light Armozel; and with him are his powlike lightening fires which flash. She cast ers. And the invisible one gave him a

it away from her, outside that place, that

spiritual, invincible power. And he spoke

no one of the immortal ones might see it,

and glorified and praised the invisible

for she had created it in ignorance. And

Spirit, saying, ‘It is for your sake that

she surrounded it with a luminous cloud,

everything has come into being and

and she placed a throne in the middle of

everything will return to you. I shall

the cloud that no one might see it except

praise and glorify you and the Autogenes

the holy Spirit who is called the mother

and the aeons, the three: the Father, the

of the living. And she called his name

Mother, and the Son, the perfect power.’

Yaltabaoth.

“And he placed his son Seth over the

“This is the first archon who took a

second aeon in the presence of the second

great power from his mother. And he

light Oriel. And in the third aeon the seed

removed himself from her and moved

of Seth was placed over the third light

away from the places in which he was

Daveithai. And the souls of the saints

born. He became strong and created for

were placed (there). And in the fourth

himself other aeons with a flame of luaeon the souls were placed of those who minous fire which (still) exists now. And

do not know the Pleroma and who did

he joined with his arrogance which is in

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NON-CANONICAL APOCALYPSES AND REVELATORY TREATISES

him and begot authorities for himself.

the sixth is Adonin, he had a monkey’s

The name of the first one is Athoth,

face; the seventh is Sabbede, he has a

whom the generations call [the reaper].

shining fire-face. This is the sevenness of

The second one is Harmas, who [is the

the week.

eye] of envy. The third one is Kalila-

“But Yaltabaoth had a multitude of

Oumbri. The fourth one is Yabel. The

faces more than all of them so that he

fifth one is Adonaiou, who is called Sabcould put a face before all of them, acaoth. The sixth one is Cain, whom the cording to his desire, when he is in the

generations of men call the sun. The sevmidst of seraphs. He shared his fire with enth is Abel. The eighth is Abrisene. The

them; therefore he became lord over

ninth is Yobel. The tenth is Armoupieel.

them. Because of the power of the glory

The eleventh is Melceir-Ardonein. The

he possessed of his mother’s light, he

twelth is Belias, it is he who is over the

called himself God. And he did not obey

depth of Hades. And he placed seven

the place from which he came. And he

kings—each corresponding to the firmaunited the seven powers in his thought ments of heaven—over the seven heavwith the authorities which were with him.

ens, and five over the depth of the abyss,

And when he spoke it happened. And he

that they may reign. And he shared his

named each power beginning with the

fire with them, but he did not send forth

highest: the first is goodness with the first

from the power of the light which he had