Passages similar to: Stromata (Miscellanies) — Chapter VIII: The Vagaries of Basilides and Valentinus as to Fear Being the Cause of Things.
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Christian Mysticism
Stromata (Miscellanies)
Chapter VIII: The Vagaries of Basilides and Valentinus as to Fear Being the Cause of Things. (5)
To these, then, and certain others, especially the Marcionites, the Scripture cries, though they listen not, "He that heareth Me shall rest with confidence in peace, and shall be tranquil, fearless of all evil."
And they shall seek the light and find righteousness with the Lord of Spirits: There shall be peace to the righteous in the name of the Eternal Lord.
(58) And they shall seek the light and find righteousness with the Lord of Spirits: There shall be peace to the righteous in the name of the Eternal Lord.
Many say they have no peace nor rest, but so many crosses and trials, afflictions and sorrows, that they know not how they shall ever get through...
(12) Many say they have no peace nor rest, but so many crosses and trials, afflictions and sorrows, that they know not how they shall ever get through them. Now he who in truth will perceive and take note, perceiveth clearly, that true peace and rest lie not in outward things; for if it were so, the Evil Spirit also would have peace when things go according to his will, which is nowise the case; for the prophet declareth, “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.”13 And therefore we must consider and see what is that peace which Christ left to His disciples at the last, when He said: “My peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you.”14 We may perceive that in these words Christ did not mean a bodily and outward peace; for His beloved disciples, with all His friends and followers, have ever suffered, from the beginning, great affliction, persecution, nay, often martyrdom, as Christ Himself said: “In this world ye shall have tribulation.”15 But Christ meant that true, inward peace of the heart, which beginneth here, and endureth for ever hereafter. Therefore He said: “Not as the world giveth,” for the world is false, and deceiveth in her gifts.
And all their days they will complete and live in peace and in joy, And there will be no Satan nor any' evil destroyer ; For all their days will be da...
(23) And all their days they will complete and live in peace and in joy, And there will be no Satan nor any' evil destroyer ; For all their days will be days of blessing and healing,*
Chapter 18: Of the promised Seed of the Woman, and Treader upon the Serpent. And of Adam 's and Eve 's going forth out of Paradise, or the Garden in Eden. Also of the Curse of God, how he cursed the Earth for the Sin of Man. (74)
The Spirit of their Souls is in the Stillness, in the still Habitation before God. It does not let thy rough Sins come into it to sleep upon them,...
(74) The Spirit of their Souls is in the Stillness, in the still Habitation before God. It does not let thy rough Sins come into it to sleep upon them, but its Imagination and whole Will stands directly bent into the Heart of God, and the Spirit of the first Principle of its original Source says, Lord, when avengest thou our Blood? And the Meekness of Jesus Christ says; Rest in the Stillness, till thy Brethren also come to thee, who shall be slain in Babel for the Witness of Jesus.
Then shall they rejoice with joy and be glad, And into the holy place shall they enter; And its fragrance shall be in their bones, And they shall...
(25) Then shall they rejoice with joy and be glad, And into the holy place shall they enter; And its fragrance shall be in their bones, And they shall live a long life on earth, Such as thy fathers lived: And in their days shall no ⌈⌈sorrow or⌉⌉ plague Or torment or calamity touch them.'
Through these our deeds (of sacrifice and zeal ), they are terrified among whom there was (once) destruction, and for many (at the time) when the...
(8) Through these our deeds (of sacrifice and zeal ), they are terrified among whom there was (once) destruction, and for many (at the time) when the oppressor of Thy holy vows was as the stronger oppressing the weaker . They who have not thought (in consonance) with Thy Righteous Order, from these Thy Good Mind abideth afar.
Wherefore fear not, ye that have suffered; For healing shall be your portion, And a bright light shall enlighten you, And the voice of rest ye shall...
(97) Wherefore fear not, ye that have suffered; For healing shall be your portion, And a bright light shall enlighten you, And the voice of rest ye shall hear from heaven.
And will protect the elect, And mercy shall be upon them. And they shall all belong to God, And they shall be prospered, And they shall ⌈all⌉ be bless...
(1) But with the righteous He will make peace. And will protect the elect, And mercy shall be upon them. And they shall all belong to God, And they shall be prospered, And they shall ⌈all⌉ be blessed. ⌈And He will help them all⌉, And light shall appear unto them, ⌈And He will make peace with them⌉.
(48) And on the day of their affliction there shall be rest on the earth, And before them they shall fall and not rise again: And there shall be no one to take them with his hands and raise them: For they have denied the Lord of Spirits and His Anointed. The name of the Lord of Spirits be blessed.
The murder of †their† beloved ones shall †they† see, and over the destruction of †their† children shall †they† lament, and shall make supplication...
(12) The murder of †their† beloved ones shall †they† see, and over the destruction of †their† children shall †they† lament, and shall make supplication unto eternity, but mercy and peace shall ye not attain."'
And when thou sittest on the throne of the honour of thy righteousness, There will be great peace for all the seed of the sons of the beloved, And ble...
(31) And when thou sittest on the throne of the honour of thy righteousness, There will be great peace for all the seed of the sons of the beloved, And blessed will he be that blesseth thee ; And all that hate thee and afflict thee and curse thee Shall be rooted out and destroyed from the earth and accursed."
And the spirits of you who have died in righteousness shall live and rejoice, And their spirits shall not perish, nor their memorial from before the f...
(104) And the spirits of you who have died in righteousness shall live and rejoice, And their spirits shall not perish, nor their memorial from before the face of the Great One Unto all the generations of the world: wherefore no longer fear their contumely.
Chapter 15: A short proof against their error that say that there is no perfecter cause to be meeked under, than is the knowledge of a man’s own wretchedness (1)
And this I say in confusion of their error, that say that there is no perfecter cause of meekness than is that which is raised of the remembrance of o...
(1) AND trust steadfastly that there is such a perfect meekness as I speak of, and that it may be come to through grace in this life. And this I say in confusion of their error, that say that there is no perfecter cause of meekness than is that which is raised of the remembrance of our wretchedness and our before‑done sins.
Chapter 67 (James interpreteth the narrative from Psalm xc)
Whoso then dwelleth under the help of the Most High, will abide under the shadow of the God of heaven. "'2. He will say unto the Lord: Thou art my suc...
(1) And when the First Mystery said this unto his disciples, he answered and said: "Understand ye in what manner I discourse with you?" James came forward and said: "My Lord, concerning then the solution of the words which thou hast said, thus hath thy light-power prophesied thereon aforetime through David in the ninetieth Psalm: "'1. Whoso then dwelleth under the help of the Most High, will abide under the shadow of the God of heaven. "'2. He will say unto the Lord: Thou art my succour and my place of refuge, my God, in whom I trust. "'3. For he will save me out of the snare of the hunters and from mighty word. "'4. He will shade thee with his breast, and thou shalt have trust beneath his wings; his truth shall surround thee as a shield. "'5. Thou wilt not be afraid of terror by night nor of an arrow which flieth by day, "'6. Of a thing which slinketh in the darkness, of a mischance and a demon at mid-day. "'7. A thousand will fall on thy left, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but they shall not come nigh thee. "'8. Nay rather with thine eyes wilt thou behold, thou wilt see the requital of the sinners. "'9. For thou, O Lord, art my hope. Thou hast established the Most High for thyself as refuge. "'10. Harm will not come nigh unto thee; scourge will not come nigh thy dwelling. "'11. For he will give commandment to his angels on thy behalf that they guard thee on all thy ways, "'12. And bear thee on their hands, that thou mayest never strike with thy foot against a stone. "'13. Thou wilt stride over the serpent and basilisk and tread on lion and dragon. "'14. Because he hath trusted in me, I will save him; I will overshadow him, because he hath known my name. "'15. He will cry unto me and I shall hearken unto him; I am at his side in his tribulation and will save him and honour him, "'16. And increase him with many days and show him my salvation.' "This, my Lord, is the solution of the words which thou hast said. Hearken therefore, that I may say it in openness. "The word then which thy power hath spoken through David: 'Whoso then dwelleth under the help of the Most High, will abide under the shadow of the God of heaven,'--that is: When Sophia had trusted in the Light, she abode under the light of the light-stream, which through thee came out of the Height. "And the word which thy power hath spoken through David: 'I will say unto the Lord: Thou art my succour and my refuge, my God, in whom I trust,'--it is the word with which Pistis Sophia hath sung praises: 'Thou art my succour, and I come unto thee.' "And again the word which thy power hath spoken: 'My God, in whom I trust, thou wilt save me out of the snare of the hunters and from mighty word,'--it is what Pistis Sophia hath said: 'O Light, I have faith in thee, for thou wilt save me from the emanations of Self-willed and from those of Adamas, the Tyrant, and thou wilt save me also from all their mighty threats.' "And again the word which thy power hath spoken through David: 'He will shade thee with his breast, and thou wilt have trust beneath his wings,'--that is: Pistis Sophia hath been in the light of the light-stream, which hath come from thee, and hath continued in firm trust in the light, that on her left and that on her right, which are the wings of the light-stream. "And the word which thy light-power hath prophesied through David: 'Truth will surround thee as a shield,'--it is the light of the light-stream which hath surrounded Pistis Sophia on all her sides as a shield. "And the word which thy power hath spoken: 'He will not be afraid of terror by night,'--that is: Pistis Sophia hath not been afraid of the terrors and alarms into which she had been planted in the chaos, which is the 'night.' "And the word which thy power hath spoken: He will not be afraid of an arrow which flieth by day,'--that is: Pistis Sophia hath not been afraid of the power which Self-willed hath sent last of all out of the height, and which hath come into the chaos as it were a flying arrow. Thy light-power therefore hath said: 'Thou wilt not be afraid of an arrow which flieth by day,' for that power hath come out of the thirteenth æon, it being that which is lord over the twelve æons, and which giveth light unto all the æons; wherefor hath he [David] said 'day.' "And again the word which thy power hath spoken: 'He will not be afraid of a thing which slinketh in the darkness,'--that is: Sophia hath not been afraid of the lion-faced emanation, which caused fear for Pistis Sophia in the chaos, which is the 'darkness.' "And the word which thy power hath spoken: 'He will not be afraid of a mischance and of a demon at mid-day,'--that is: Pistis Sophia hath not been afraid of the demon emanation of Tyrant Adamas, which hath cast Pistis Sophia to the ground in a great mischance, and which hath come forth out of Adamas out of the twelfth æon; wherefor then hath thy power said: 'He will not be afraid of the demon mischance at mid-day,'--'mid-day,' because it hath come out of the twelve æons, which is 'mid-day'; and again ['night,' because] it hath come out of the chaos, which is the 'night,' and because it hath come out of the twelfth æon which is in the midst between both; therefore hath thy light-power said 'mid-day,' because the twelve æons lie in the midst between the thirteenth æon and the chaos. "And again the word which thy light-power hath spoken through David: 'A thousand will fall on his left, and ten thousand at his right hand, but they shall not come nigh him,'--that is: When the emanations of Self-willed, which are exceedingly numerous, could not bear the great light of the light-stream, many of them fell on the left hand of Pistis Sophia and many at her right, and they could not come nigh her, to do her [harm]. "And the word which thy light-power hath spoken through David: 'Nay rather with thine eyes wilt thou behold, and wilt see the requital of the sinners, for thou, O Lord, art my hope,'--that is the word: Pistis Sophia hath with her eyes beheld her foes, that is the emanations of Self-willed, who all have fallen one on another; not only hath she with her eyes beheld this, but thou also thyself, my Lord, the First Mystery, hast taken the light-power which is in the lion-faced power, and hast moreover taken the power of all the emanations of Self-willed and moreover thou hast imprisoned them in that chaos, [so that] from henceforth they have not gone forth to their own region. Therefore then hath Pistis Sophia with her eyes beheld her foes, that is the emanations of Self-willed, in all which David hath prophesied concerning Pistis Sophia, saying: 'Nay rather with thine eyes wilt thou behold, and thou wilt see the requital of the sinners.' Not only hath she with her eyes beheld, how they fall one on another in the chaos, but she hath also seen the requital with which it was requited them. Just as the emanations of Self-willed have thought to take away the light of Sophia from her, so hast thou requited them and repaid them in full, and hast taken the light-power in them instead of the lights of Sophia, who hath had faith in the Light of the Height. "And as thy light-power hath spoken through David: 'Thou hast established the Most High for thyself as refuge; harm will not come nigh unto thee, scourge will not come nigh thy dwelling,'--that is: When Pistis Sophia had had faith in the Light and was afflicted, she sang praises unto it, and the emanations of Self-willed could not inflict on her any harm, nor could they [injure] her, nor could they at all come nigh her. "And the word which thy light-power hath spoken through David: 'He will give commandment to his angels on thy behalf, that they guard thee on all thy ways and bear thee on their hands, that thou mayest never strike with thy foot against a stone,'--it is again thy word: Thou hast given commandment to Gabriēl and Michaēl, that they guide Pistis Sophia in all the regions of the chaos, until they lead her forth and that they uplift her on their hands, so that her feet do not touch the darkness beneath, and [that] on the other hand they of the lower darkness do not seize hold of her. "And the word which thy light-power hath spoken through David: 'Thou wilt tread on serpent and basilisk and tread on lion and dragon; because he hath trusted in me, I will save him and I will overshadow him, because he hath known my name,'--that is the word: When Pistis Sophia was on the point of coming forth out of the chaos, she trod on the emanations of Self-willed, and she trod on the serpent-faced ones and on the basilisk-faced ones, which have seven heads; and she trod on the lion-faced power and on the dragon-faced one. Because she had had faith in the Light, is she saved from all of them. "This, my Lord, is the solution of the words which thou hast spoken."
But if he says, that those are inimical to peace, and good things of peace, who rejoice in strife and anger and changes and disturbances, even these a...
(5) But if, in affirming the diversity as a falling from peace, he insists that peace is not beloved by all, verily there is no existing being which has entirely fallen from every kind of union; for, the altogether unstable and infinite, and unestablished, and without limit, is neither an actual thing, nor in things actual. But if he says, that those are inimical to peace, and good things of peace, who rejoice in strife and anger and changes and disturbances, even these are controlled by obscure images of a peaceful aspiration; being vexed by tumultuous passions, and ignorantly aspiring to calm them, they imagine that they will pacify themselves by the gratification of things which ever elude them, and they are disturbed by the non-attainment of the pleasures which overpowered them. What would any one say of the peaceful stream of love towards man in Christ, according to which we have learned no longer to wage war, either with ourselves, or each other, or with angels, but that with them, according to our power, we should also be fellow-workers in Divine things, after the purpose of Jesus, Who worketh all in all, and forms a peace unutterable and pre-determined from Eternity, and reconciles us to Himself, in Spirit, and through Himself and in Himself to the Father; concerning which supernatural gifts it is sufficiently spoken in the Theological Outlines, whilst the Oracles of the sacred inspiration furnish us with additional testimony.