Apocryphal books (New Testament); Christian heresies -- History -- Early church, ca. 30-600; Gnosticism
It happened therefore when Iohannes had uttered these words, said he to
him, the First Mystery which looked outward, Well (done), Iohannes the
brother, the beloved. Added the First Mystery saying, It happened
therefore, the power which came out of the Height, which is I, whom my
Father dispatched, for me to deliver the Pistis Sophia from the Chaos. I
therefore with the power also which came out of me, and the soul which I
took from Sabaoth the good, they came close to one another [117^b], they
became one effluence of light which enlighteneth greatly greatly; I
called unto Gabriel down out of the Aeons, and with Mikhael through the
command of my Father the First Mystery who looked inward: I gave to them
the effluence of light, I caused them to go down unto the Chaos for to
help the Pistis Sophia, and (to) take away the powers of light, these
which the emanations of the Self-willed took away from her, (to) take
them away from them, and (to) give them to the Pistis Sophia. And
immediately they took the effluence of light down unto the Chaos, it
enlightened greatly greatly in all the Chaos. And it widened out in all
their Places: and having seen the great [118^a] light of that effluence,
the emanations of the Self-willed they feared one upon another, and that
effluence drew out of them all powers of light, these which they took
away from the Pistis Sophia. And were not able to dare the emanations of
the Self-willed to lay hold on that effluence of Light in the Chaos of
darkness, nor were they able to lay hold on her by art of the
Self-willed, this who laid hold on the emanations. And Gabriel with
Mikhael brought the effluence of Light upon the body of the matter of
the Pistis Sophia, and they cast in unto it all her lights which they
took away from her, and received all the light the body of her matter,
[118^b] and again received light all her powers which (are) in her,
these whose light they took away, and they ceased being diminished of
light, because they took up their light which they took away from them,
because that they gave the light to them through me. And Mikhael with
Gabriel, these who ministered to me, these who took the effluence of
light unto the Chaos, they will give to them the mysteries of the light:
they are those who were entrusted with the effluence of Light, this
which I gave to them, I took it unto the Chaos. And Gabriel (Mikhael
added in margin without ‘with’) did not take away for themselves any
from the lights of the Pistis Sophia, these which they took away from
the emanations of the Self-willed. It happened therefore, the effluence
of Light, it [119^a] having cast in unto the Pistis Sophia all her
powers of light, these which it took from the emanations of the
Self-willed, she became light all (over), and the other powers of light,
those which become in the Pistis Sophia, these which the emanations of
the Self-willed did not take away, they were cheerful again, and they
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