Apocryphal books (New Testament); Christian heresies -- History -- Early church, ca. 30-600; Gnosticism
mystery of the word of which I seek (from) thee: otherwise it became
hard for me and I understood it not.
Answered the Saviour, said he to him, Seek after that which thou [228^b]
wishedst, and I shall reveal it to thee face to face without parable.
But answered Andreas, said he, My Lord I am wondering and I am
marvelling greatly, that the men who are in the World, who are in the
body of this matter, how, whenever they should come out of this World,
they will pass over these firmaments, with all these Rulers, with all
the Lords, with all the Gods, with all these great Invisibles, with all
those of the Place of those of the Middle, and with those of the whole
Place of those of (the) Right (hand) with all the great emanations of
the Light and all make their entrance and inherit the kingdom of the
Light. This thing therefore, my Lord, is difficult for me. These
therefore having said them Andreas, this spirit of the Saviour moved in
him he cried out, [229^a] said he, How long am I to bear with you, how
long am I to suffer you, if thus far also ye understood not, and ye are
without knowledge. Then ye know not, ye, and ye understand not that ye
with all the Angels with all the Archangels, with the Gods, with the
Lords, with all the Rulers, with all the great Invisibles, with all
those of the Middle, with those of the whole Place of those of (the)
Right (hand), and with all the great emanations of the Light, with all
their glory, ye all one with another are out of the same lump with the
same matter, with the same substance, and ye are out of the same
Confusion all of you: and by the command of the First Mystery was the
Confusion compelled (to be) until should be [229^b] purified all the
great emanations of the Light with all their glory, and until they
should be purified from the Confusion. And they were not purified
through their own selves, but they were purified under compulsion
according to the arrangement of the one only, the Ineffable. And they,
they did not suffer at all, and they did not transfer them from the
Places, nor did they despoil them at all, nor did they melt them down
into bodies, various, nor did they become in any affliction. Yea, verily
therefore ye are the dregs of the Treasury, and ye are the dregs of the
Place of those of (the) Right (hand), and ye are the dregs of the Place
of those of the Middle, and ye are the dregs of all the Invisibles, with
all the Rulers, in one word [230^a], ye are the dregs of all these. And
ye became in great tribulations with great afflictions in the change in
bodies various of the World. And after all these tribulations through
your own selves ye agonised and ye fought having renounced all the World
with all the matter which is in it: and ye did not cease from seeking,
even until ye found all the mysteries of the kingdom of the Light, these
which purified you, they made you pure light, purified greatly; and ye
became light purified. Because of this therefore I said unto you once,
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