Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament (84 page)

316

THE FIRST THOUGHT IN THREE FORMS

317

am invisible within the Thought of the

of the Father and through me proceeded

Invisible One. I am revealed in the

[the] Voice, that is, the knowledge of the

immeasurable, ineffable (things). I am

everlasting things. I exist as Thought for

incomprehensible, dwelling in the inthe [All]—being joined to the unknowacomprehensible, I move in every creable and incomprehensible Thought—I reture.

vealed myself—yes, I—among all those

I am the life of my Epinoia that dwells

who recognize me. For it is I who am

within every Power and every eternal

joined with everyone by virtue of the hidmovement and (in) invisible Lights and den Thought and an exalted �Voice�,

within the Archons and Angels and Deeven a Voice from the invisible Thought.

mons and every soul dwelling in [Tarta

And it is immeasurable, since it dwells

ros] and (in) every material soul. I dwell

in the Immeasurable One. It is a mystery;

in those who came to be. I move in everyit is [unrestrainable] by [the Incompreone and I delve into them all. I walk hensible One]. It is invisible [to all those

uprightly, and those who sleep I [awakwho are] visible in the All. [It is a Light]

en]. And I am the sight of those who

dwelling in Light.

dwell in sleep.

It is we [also who] alone [have sepa

I am the Invisible One within the All.

rated] [from the] visible [world] since we

It is I who counsel those who are hidden,

[are saved by the] hidden [wisdom by

since I know the All that exists in it. I am

means of the] ineffable, immeasurable

numberless beyond everyone. I am im[Voice]. And he who is hidden within us measurable, ineffable, yet whenever I

pays the tributes of his fruit to the Water

[wish, I shall] reveal myself of my own

of Life.

accord. I [am the head of] the All. I exist

Then the Son who is perfect in every

before the [All, and] I am the All, since

respect—that is, the Word who originated

I [exist in] everyone.

through that Voice; who proceeded from

I am a Voice [speaking softly]. I exist

the height; who has within him the Name;

[from the first. I dwell] within the Silence

who is a Light—he (the Son) revealed

[that surrounds every one] of them. And

the everlasting things and all the un[it is] the [hidden Voice] that [dwells knowns were known. And those things

within] me, [within the] incomprehensidifficult to interpret and secret, he reble, immeasurable [Thought, within the]

vealed, and as for those who dwell in

immeasurable Silence.

Silence with the First Thought, he

I [descended to the] midst of the unpreached to them. And he revealed himderworld and I shone [down upon the]

self to those who dwell in darkness, and

darkness. It is I who poured forth the

he showed himself to those who dwell in

[water]. It is I who am hidden within

the abyss, and to those who dwell in the

[radiant] waters. I am the one who gradhidden treasuries he told ineffable mysually put forth the All by my Thought. It teries, and he taught unrepeatable docis I who am laden with the Voice. It is trines to all those who became Sons of

through me that Gnosis comes forth. [I]

the Light.

dwell in the ineffable and unknowable

Now the Voice that originated from my

ones. I am perception and knowledge,

Thought exists as three permanences: the

uttering a Voice by means of thought. [I]

Father, the Mother, the Son. Existing peram the real Voice. I cry out in everyone, ceptibly as Speech, it (Voice) has within

and they recognize it (the voice], since a

it a Word endowed with every �glory�,

seed indwells [them]. I am the Thought

and it has three masculinities, three

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NON-CANONICAL APOCALYPSES AND REVELATORY TREATISES

powers, and three names. They exist in

[he] established [them. The] first Aeon,

the manner of Three ▫ ▫ ▫—which are

he established [over the first]: Armedon,

quadrangles—secretly within a silence of

Nousa[nios, Armozel; the] second he esthe Ineffable One.

tablished [over the second Aeon]:

[It is he] alone who came to be, that

Phaionios, Ainios, Oroiael; the third over

[is, the Christ. And] as for me I anointed

the third Aeon: Mellephaneus, Loios,

him as the glory [of the] Invisible [Spirit]

Daveithai; the fourth over the fourth:

with [goodness]. Now [the Three] I es

Mousanios, Amethes, Eleleth. Now those

tablished [alone in] eternal [glory] over

Aeons were begotten by the God who

[the Aeons in the] Living [Water], that

was begotten—the Christ—and these

[is, the glory that surrounds him] who

Aeons received as well as gave glory.

first came forth to the Light of those

They were the first to appear, exalted in

exalted Aeons, and it is in glorious Light

their thought, and each Aeon gave myrthat he firmly perseveres. And [he] stood iads of glories within great untraceable

in his own Light that surrounds him, that

lights and they all together blessed the

is, the Eye of the Light that gloriously

Perfect Son, the God who was begotten.

shines on me. He perpetuated the Father

Then there came forth a word from the

of all �the� Aeons, who am I, the

great Light Eleleth and said, “I am King!

Thought of the Father, Protennoia, that

Who belongs to Chaos and who belongs

is, Barbelo, the [perfect] Glory and the

to the underworld?” And at that instant

[immeasurable] Invisible One who is hidhis Light appeared radiant, endowed with den. I am the Image of the Invisible Spirit

the Epinoia. The Powers of the Powers

and it is through me that the All took

did not entreat him and likewise immeshape, and (I am) the Mother (as well as) diately there appeared the great Demon

the Light which she appointed as Virgin,

who rules over the lowest part of the

she who is called Meirothea, the incomunderworld and Chaos. He has neither prehensible Womb, the unrestrainable

form nor perfection, but on the contrary

and immeasurable Voice.

possesses the form of the glory of those

Then the Perfect Son revealed himself

begotten in the darkness. Now he is

to his Aeons who originated through him,

called “Saklas,” that is, “Samael,” “Yaland he revealed them and glorified them tabaoth,” he who had taken power; who

and gave them thrones and stood in the

had snatched it away from the innocent

glory with which he glorified himself.

one (Sophia); who had earlier over

They blessed the Perfect Son, the Christ,

powered her who is the Light’s Epinoia

the only-begotten God. And they gave

(Sophia) who had descended, her from

glory, saying, “He is! He is! The Son of

whom he (Yaltabaoth) had come forth

God! The Son of God! It is he who is!

originally.

The Aeon of Aeons beholding the Aeons

Now when the Epinoia of the [Light]

which he begot! For you have begotten

realized that [he (Yaltabaoth)] had

by your own desire! Therefore [we] globegged him (the Light), for another [orrify you: ma mo¯ o¯ o¯ o¯ eia ei on ei! The der, even though he was lower] than she,

[Aeon] of [Aeons! The] Aeon which he

she said, “Grant [me another order so

gave!”

that] you may become for me [a dwelling

Then, moreover, the [God who was

place lest I dwell] in disorder [forever.”

begotten] gave them (the Aeons) a power

And the order of the] entire house of

of [life, on which they might rely] and

glory [was agreed] upon her word. A

THE FIRST THOUGHT IN THREE FORMS

319

blessing was brought for her and the

Enemy, indeed all these I explained to

higher order released it to her.

those who are mine, who are the Sons of

And the great Demon began to produce

the light, in order that they might nullify

aeons in the likeness of the real Aeons,

them all and be saved from all those

except that he produced them out of his

bonds and enter into the place where they

own power.

were at first.

Then I too revealed by Voice secretly,

I am the first one who descended on

saying, “Cease! Desist, (you) who tread

account of my portion which remains,

on matter; for behold I am coming down

that is, the Spirit that (now) dwells in the

to the world of mortals for the sake of my

soul, (but) which originated from the Waportion that was in that place from the ter of Life and out of the immersion of

time when the innocent Sophia was conthe mysteries, and I spoke, I together with quered, she who descended, so that I

the Archons and Authorities. For I had

might thwart their aim which the one regone down below their language and I vealed by her appoints.” And all were disspoke my mysteries to my own—a hidturbed, each one who dwells in the house den mystery—and the bonds and eternal

of the ignorant light, and the abyss tremoblivion were nullified. And I bore fruit bled. And the Archigenetor of ignorance

in them, that is, the Thought of the unreigned over Chaos and the underworld changing Aeon, and my house, and their

and produced a man in my likeness. But

[Father]. And I went down [to those who

he neither knew that that one would bewere mine] from the first and I [reached come for him a sentence of dissolution

them and broke] the first strands that [ennor does he recognize the power in him.

slaved them. Then] everyone [of those]

But now I have come down and

within me shone, and I prepared [a patreached down to Chaos. And I was [with]

tern] for those ineffable Lights that are

my own who were in that place. [I am

within me. Amen.

hidden] within them, empowering [them

and] giving them shape. And [from the

I am the Voice that appeared through my

first day] until the day [when I will grant

Thought, for I am “He who is syzygetic,”

mighty power] to those who [are mine, I

since I am called “the Thought of the

will reveal myself to] those who have

Invisible One.” Since I am called “the

[heard my mysteries], that is, the [Sons]

unchanging Speech,” I am called “She

of [the] Light.

who is syzygetic.”

I am their Father and I shall tell you a

I am a single one (fem.) since I am

mystery, ineffable and indivulgeable by

undefiled. I am the Mother [of] the Voice,

[any] mouth: Every bond I loosed from

speaking in many ways, completing the

you, and the chains of the Demons of the

All. It is in me that knowledge dwells,

underworld, I broke, these things which

the knowledge of �things� everlasting.

are bound on my members, restraining

It is I [who] speak within every creature

them. And the high walls of darkness I

and I was known by the All. It is I who

overthrew, and the secure gates of those

lift up the Speech of the Voice to the ears

pitiless ones I broke, and I smashed their

of those who have known me, that is, the

bars. And the evil Force and the one who

Sons of the Light.

beats you, and the one who hinders you,

Now I have come the second time in

and the Tyrant, and the Adversary, and

the likeness of a female and have spoken

the one who is King, and the present

with them. And I shall tell them of the

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NON-CANONICAL APOCALYPSES AND REVELATORY TREATISES

coming end of the Aeon and teach them

too are at a loss about it since we did not

of the beginning of the Aeon to come,

know what was responsible for it. But

the one without change, the one in which

arise, let us go up to the Archigenetor

our appearance will be changed. We shall

and ask him.” And the Powers all gathbe purified within those Aeons from ered and went up to the Archigenetor.

which I revealed myself in the Thought

[They said to] him, “Where is your boastof the likeness of my masculinity. I seting in which [you boast]? Did we not tled among those who are worthy in the

[hear you say], ‘I am God [and I am]

Thought of my changeless Aeon.

your Father and it is I who [begot] you

For I shall tell you a mystery [of] this

and there is no [other] beside me’? Now