Excerpt from Pistis Sophia

When Jesus was speaking to his disciples, Mary Magdalene came forward and said , “Master, I have heard thee say that Pistis Sophia was one of the aeons and that she was also below the thirteen aeons. How was she not in their region?”

Jesus answered, “When Pistis Sophia was in the thirteenth aeon by order of the First Mystery, she gazed into the height, she saw the light of the Treasury of Light, and she desired to go into that region, but she could not. She then ceased to sing the mystery of the thirteenth aeon, and began to sing a song to the light of the height. When she began to sing her song to the region of the height, the rulers who are in the twelve aeons above the thirteenth, rebelled against her. This was because she had ceased to honor their mysteries by desiring to go into the height and be above them all. For this cause, they were enraged against her. And the great triple power Arrogant, who is in the thirteenth aeon, and who is the disobedient one, also became enraged against Pistis Sophia, because she had thought to go towards the light which was above him. So he emanated from himself a great power; and a host of other material emanations, very violent; he sent them into the lower regions below the thirteenth aeon, into the chaos, so that they might lie in wait for Pistis Sophia, and take away the power that was in her.”

“By commandment of the First Mystery, this great Arrogant power pursued Sophia through the whole of the thirteenth aeon. This caused her to gaze into the chaos of the lower parts, in order that she might there see the light power of Arrogant. Sophia gazed below and she saw the light-power of Arrogant, and she knew not that it belonged to Arrogant, but thought that it came from the Light in the height, which came from the Treasury of Light. Thus pondering, she went forth from her own region into the chaos. Arrogant surrounded her, and devoured all the light-powers that were in Sophia with all the material emanations of the God of Self Will. So Arrogant became a ruler of the light in chaos, of which one half is fire and the other darkness.”

“Sophia was exceedingly weakened. She cried on high to the light of lights, ‘All these things have been done unto me, light, by thy commandment that hath brought me below. This hath befallen me, O Light, because I have been zealous for thy abode; and the wrath of Self Will is come upon me. Now, therefore, Light, arise, seek my power and the soul which is in me. Thy commandment is accomplished. My time is come. This is the time which thou didst decree that thou wouldst visit me. I have become as a material body. Help me.’”

Jesus said, “In that hour her repentance was accepted . The First Mystery hearkened unto her, and I was sent off at his command. I came to help her, and led her up out of the chaos, because she had repented, and also because she had had faith in the Light and had endured these great pains. She had been deluded through the god-like Self-willed, because of its resemblance to the Light in which she had had faith. I was sent forth at the command of the First Mystery to help her secretly. I did not go to the region of the aeons at all; but I passed down through the midst out of them, without any single power knowing it. Sophia then saw me when I came into the chaos to help her. She saw that I was understanding and was full of compassion for her, for I was not self-willed as Arrogant, The time was fulfilled that she should be led out of chaos”.

Mary Magdalene started forward and said: “Grace and truth met together, and righteousness and peace kissed each other. Truth sprouted forth out of the earth, and righteousness looked down from heaven. ‘Grace’ then is the light-power which hath come down through the First Mystery; for the First Mystery hath hearkened unto Pistis Sophia and hath had mercy on her in all her tribulations”.