(24) In The Greek Gospel of Nicodemus it is declared that when Jesus was brought into the presence of Pilate the standards borne by the Roman guards bowed their tops in homage to him in spite of every effort made by the soldiers to prevent it. In The Letters of Pilate the statement also appears that Cæsar, being wroth at Pilate for executing a just man, ordered him to be decapitated. Praying for forgiveness, Pilate was visited by an angel of the Lord, who reassured the Roman governor by promising him that all Christendom should remember his name and that when Christ came the second time to judge His people he (Pilate) should come before Him as His witness.

(3) "'1. I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, for thou art my God. "'2. Abandon me not, O Lord, for thou art! my hope. "'3. Thou hast given me thy vindication for naught, and I am saved through thee. "'4. Let them who pursue me, fall down and let them not see me. "'5. May a smoke-cloud cover their eyes and an air-mist darken them, and let them not see the day, so that they may not seize me. "'6. May their resolution be impotent, and may what they concoct come upon them. "'7. They have devised a resolution, and it hath not taken effect for them. "'8. And they are vanquished, although they be mighty, and what they have wickedly pre-pared is fallen upon them. "'9. My hope is in the Lord, and I shall not be afraid, for thou art my God, my Saviour.'" It came to pass then, when Salome had finished saying these words, that Jesus said unto her: "Well said, Salome; and finely. This is the solution of the words which Pistis Sophia hath uttered."

[It] was [necessary for Jesus] to go down into the water [in order to perfect] and purify it. [So also] those who are [baptized] in his name [are perfected]. For he said, “[Thus] shall we perfect all righteousness.”

(7) And I, entering and ascertaining who cometh forth through that gate of the Inviolate one, I purify myself at that great stream where my ills are made to cease, and that which is wrong in me is pardoned and the spots which were on my body upon earth are effaced

(5) To cure him of the fever of his pride. Counsel he asked of me, and I was silent, Because his words appeared inebriate. And then he said: 'Be not thy heart afraid; Henceforth I thee absolve; and thou instruct me How to raze Palestrina to the ground. Heaven have I power to lock and to unlock, As thou dost know; therefore the keys are two, The which my predecessor held not dear.' Then urged me on his weighty arguments There, where my silence was the worst advice; And said I: 'Father, since thou washest me Of that sin into which I now must fall, The promise long with the fulfilment short Will make thee triumph in thy lofty seat.' Francis came afterward, when I was dead, For me; but one of the black Cherubim Said to him: 'Take him not; do me no wrong; He must come down among my servitors, Because he gave the fraudulent advice From which time forth I have been at his hair; For who repents not cannot be absolved, Nor can one both repent and will at once, Because of the contradiction which consents not.'

(6) For the Son of Man clothed himself with their first-fruits; he went down to Hades and performed many mighty works. He raised the dead therein; and the world-rulers of darkness became envious of him, for they did not find sin in him. But he also destroyed their works from among men, so that the lame, the blind, the paralytic, the dumb, (and) the demon-possessed were granted healing. And he walked upon the waters of the sea. For this reason he destroyed his flesh from [...] which he [...]. And he became [...] salvation [...] his death ... ... (4 lines unrecoverable) ... everyone [...] how many they are! They are blind guides, like the disciples. They boarded the ship; at about thirty stadies, they saw Jesus walking on the sea. These are empty martyrs, since they bear witness only to themselves. And yet they are sick, and they are not able to raise themselves.

(1) It came to pass then, when Jesus had spoken these words unto his disciples, that he said unto them: "This is the song of praise which Pistis Sophia uttered in her first repentance, repenting of her sin, and reciting all which had befallen her. Now, therefore: 'Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.'" Mary again came forward and said: "My Lord, my indweller of light hath ears, and I hear with my light-power, and thy spirit which is with me, hath sobered me. Hearken then that I may speak concerning the repentance which Pistis Sophia hath uttered, speaking of her sin and all that befell her. Thy light-power hath prophesied thereof aforetime through the prophet David in the sixty-eighth Psalm: "'1. Save me, O God, for the waters are come in even unto my soul. "'2. I sank, or am submerged, in the slime of the abyss, and power was not. I have gone-down into the depths of the sea; a tempest hath submerged me. "'3. I have kept on crying; my throat is gone, my eyes faded, waiting patiently for God. "'4. They who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; mighty are my foes, who violently pursued me. They required of me that which I took not from them. "'5. God, thou hast known my foolishness, and my faults are not hid from thee. "'6. Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord, Lord of powers, be ashamed for my sake; let not those who seek thee be ashamed for my sake, O Lord, God of Israel, God of powers. "'7. For thy sake have I endured shame; shame hath covered my face. "'8. I am become a stranger to my brethren, a stranger unto the sons of my mother. "'9. For the zeal of thy house hath consumed me; the revilings of them that revile thee have fallen upon me. "'10. I bowed my soul with fasting, and it was turned to my reproach. "'11. I put on sackcloth; I became unto them a bye-word. "'12. They who sit at the gates, chattered at me; and they who drink wine, harped about me. "'13. But I prayed with my soul unto thee, O Lord; the time of thy well-liking is [now], O God. In the fulness of thy grace give ear unto my salvation in truth. "'14. Save me out of this slime, that I sink not therein; let me be saved from them that hate me, and from the deep of waters. "'15. Let not a water-flood submerge me, let not the deep swallow me, let not a well close its mouth above me. "'16. Hear me, O Lord, for thy grace is good; according to the fulness of thy compassion look down upon me. "'17. Turn not thy face away from thy servant, for I am oppressed. "'18. Hear me quickly, give heed to my soul and deliver it. "'19. Save me because of my foes, for thou knowest my disgrace, my shame and my dishonour; all my oppressors are before thee. "'20. My heart awaiteth disgrace and misery; I waited for him who should sorrow with me, but I could not come at him, and for him who should comfort me, and I found him not. "'21. They gave me gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. "'22. Let their table be unto them for a trap and for a snare and for a retribution and for a stumbling-block. "'23. Mayest thou bend their backs at all time. "'24. Pour out thy anger upon them, and let the wrath of thy anger lay hold upon them. "'25. Let their encampment be desolate, let there be no dweller in their habitations. "'26. For they persecuted him whom thou hast smitten, and added to the smart of their woundings. "'27. They added iniquity to their iniquities; let them not come into thy righteousness. "'28. Let them be wiped out of the book of the living, and let them not be written in among the righteous. "'29. I am a poor wretch who is heart-broken too; it is the salvation of thy face which hath taken me unto itself. "'30. I will praise the name of God in the ode, and exalt it in the song of thanksgiving. "'31. This shall please God better than a young bull which putteth forth horns and hoofs. "'32. May the wretched see and make merry; seek ye God, that your souls may live. "'33. For God hath heard the wretched and despiseth not the prisoners. "'34. Let heaven and earth praise the Lord, the sea and all that is therein. "'35. For God will save Zion, and the cities of Judæa will be built up, and they will dwell there and inherit it. "'36. The seed of his servants shall possess it, and they who love his name shall dwell therein.'"

(10) And he prayed before the Lord his God, and said : " God of the spirits of all flesh, who hast shown mercy unto me, And hast saved me and my sons from the waters of the flood, And hast not caused me to perish as Thou didst the sons of perdition ; * For Thy grace hath been great towards me, And great hath been Thy mercy to my soul ; Let Thy grace be lift up upon my sons, And let not wicked spirits rule over them Lest they should destroy them from the earth.

(24) And the servants of Isaac digged another well and did not find water, and they went and told Isaac that they had not found water, and Isaac said : " I have sworn this day to the Philistines and this thing hath been announced to us."

(16) If, then, in the deluge all sinful flesh perished, punishment having been inflicted on them for correction, we must first believe that the will of God, which is disciplinary and beneficent, saves those who turn to Him. Then, too, the more subtle substance, the soul, could never receive any injury from the grosser element of water, its subtle and simple nature rendering it impalpable, called as it is incorporeal. But whatever is gross, made so in consequence of sin, this is cast away along with the carnal spirit which lusts against the soul.

(3) "O Shem, they are deceived by manifold demons, thinking that through baptism with the uncleanness of water, which is dark, feeble, idle, and disturbing, the water will take away sins. And they do not know that from the water to the water there is bondage, error, unchastity, envy, murder, adultery, false witness, heresies, robberies, lusts, babblings, wrath, bitterness. . . . Therefore, there are many deaths that burden their thoughts. For I foretell it to those who have understanding. They will refrain from the impure baptism. And those who have understanding from the light of the spirit will not have dealings with the impure rubbing. And their heart will not grow faint, nor will they curse, nor will they give honor to the water. Where the curse is, there is the deficiency. And the blindness is where the honor is. For if they mix with the evil ones, they become empty in the dark water. Where the water has been mentioned, there is nature, and the oath, and the lie, and the loss. For only in the unconceived spirit, where the exalted light rested, has the water not been mentioned, nor can it be mentioned.

(1) When then Jesus had said this unto his disciples, he answered again and said unto them: "It came to pass then, when the lion-faced power had noticed that Pistis Sophia had not been led up altogether out of the chaos, that it came again with all the other material emanations of Self-willed, and they oppressed Pistis Sophia again. It came to pass then, when they oppressed her, that she cried out in the same repentance, saying:

(2) "'1. Why doth the mighty [one] boast himself in his wickedness? "'2. Thy tongue hath studied unrighteousness all the day long; as a sharp razor hast thou practised craft. "'3. Thou lovedst wickedness more than goodness; thou lovedst to speak unrighteousness more than righteousness. "'4. Thou lovedst all words of submerging and a crafty tongue. "'5. Wherefor will God bring thee to naught utterly, and will uproot thee and drag thee out from thy dwelling-place, and will root out thy root and cast it away from the living. (Selah.) "'6. The righteous will see and be afraid, and they will mock at him and say: "'7. Lo, a man who made not God for his helper, but trusted to his great riches and was mighty in his vanity. "'8. But I am as a fruit-bearing olive-tree in the house of God. I have trusted in the grace of God from all eternity. "'9. And I will confess unto thee, for thou hast dealt faithfully with me; and I will wait on thy name, for it is auspicious in the presence of thy holy [ones].' "This then is now, therefore, my Lord, the solution of the eleventh repentance of Pistis Sophia. While thy light-power hath roused me, I have spoken it according to thy desire."

(7) For the earth will not be clean from the blood which hath been shed upon it ; for (only) through the blood of him that shed it * will the earth be purified throughout all its genera- tions.

(1) It came to pass, when Jesus had finished saying these words unto his disciples, that he said unto them: "Who is sober among you, let him proclaim their solution." James came forward, kissed the breast of Jesus and said: "My Lord, thy spirit hath sobered me, and I am ready to proclaim their solution. Concerning them indeed thy power hath prophesied aforetime through David in the thirty-fourth Psalm, saying thus concerning the ninth repentance of Pistis Sophia: "'1. Give sentence, O Lord, on them who do me injustice, and fight against them who fight against me. "'2. Lay hand on weapon and shield and stand up to help me. "'3. Draw forth a sword and conceal it [ sic ] from my oppressors. Say unto my soul: I am thy salvation. "'4. Let them be put to shame and abashed who strive after my soul; let them fall back and be put to shame who imagine evil against me. "'5. Let them be as chaff before the wind, and let the angel of the Lord pursue after them. "'6. Let their way be darkness and slippery, and let the angel of the Lord oppress them. "'7. For without cause have they hid a snare for me for their own spoiling, and they have mocked at my soul in vain. "'8. Let a snare come upon them which they know not, and let the net which they have hid for me, catch them, and let them fall into this snare. "'9. But my soul will exult in the Lord and rejoice in its salvation. "'10. All my bones shall say: O Lord, who can be like unto thee?--thou who settest free the wretched from the hand of him who is stronger than him; and thou savest a wretched and poor [one] from the hands of them who spoil him. "11. Unjust witnesses came forward and have asked me that which I knew not. "'12. They have requited me evil for good and childlessness for my soul. "13. But when they molested me, I clothed me in a sack and humbled my soul with fasting, and my prayer will return into my breast. "'14. I was pleasing unto thee, as unto my neighbour and as unto my brother; and I humbled myself as one in mourning and as one who is sad. "'15. They have rejoiced over me, and they are put to shame. Scourges have gathered themselves together against me and I knew not; they were cut off and were troubled. "'16. They have brought me to trial and mocked me with mocking; they have ground their teeth against me. "'17. O Lord, when wilt thou look upon me? Restore again my soul from their evil works and save my only one from the hands of the lions. "'18. I will confess to thee, O Lord, in the great assembly, and I will sing praises to thee in the midst of a countless people. "'19. Let not them who unjustly treat me as a foe, rejoice over me, who hate me without a cause and wink with their eyes. "'20. For indeed they discourse with me with words of peace, though they plot wrath with craft. "'21. They opened their chops wide against me and said: Well indeed, our eyes have filled our sight with him. "'22. Thou hast seen, O Lord. Keep not silence, O Lord, withdraw not thyself from me. "'23. Arise, O Lord, and give heed to my vindication, give heed to my vengeance, my God and my Lord. "'24. Judge me, O Lord, according to thy justice; let them not rejoice over me, my God. "'25. And let them not say: Well done, our soul. Let them not say: We have consumed him. "'26. Let them be put to shame and be scorned, who rejoice at my mischance. Let them be clothed with shame and disgrace who speak boastingly against me. "'27. Let them who desire my justification, exult and rejoice and let them who desire the peace of his slave, say: May the Lord be great and arise. "'28. My tongue will exult over thy justification and over thy honour all the day long.'"

(74) He said, "O Lord, there are many around the drinking trough, but there is nothing in the cistern."

(1) It came to pass then, before Jesus had finished speaking, that Martha came forward, fell down at his feet, kissed them, cried aloud and wept with lamentation and in humbleness, saying: "My Lord, have mercy upon me and have compassion with me, and let me speak the solution of the repentance which Pistis Sophia hath uttered." And Jesus gave his hand unto Martha and said unto her: "Blessed is every one who humbleth himself, for on him they shall have mercy. Now, therefore, Martha, art thou blessed. But proclaim then the solution of the thought of the repentance of Pistis Sophia."

(4) Unarmed he goes, and only with the lance That Judas jousted with; and that he thrusts So that he makes the paunch of Florence burst. He thence not land, but sin and infamy, Shall gain, so much more grievous to himself As the more light such damage he accounts. The other, now gone forth, ta'en in his ship, See I his daughter sell, and chaffer for her As corsairs do with other female slaves. What more, O Avarice, canst thou do to us, Since thou my blood so to thyself hast drawn, It careth not for its own proper flesh? That less may seem the future ill and past, I see the flower-de-luce Alagna enter, And Christ in his own Vicar captive made. I see him yet another time derided; I see renewed the vinegar and gall, And between living thieves I see him slain. I see the modern Pilate so relentless, This does not sate him, but without decretal He to the temple bears his sordid sails! When, O my Lord! shall I be joyful made By looking on the vengeance which, concealed, Makes sweet thine anger in thy secrecy?

(36) And now when this earnest Business was taken in Hand, that the Saviour of the World hung on the Cross, as a Curse, and wrestled with Earth and Hell, he said, / thirst. O that great Thirst! The fierce wrathful Kingdom was weary, as also the Kingdom of this World, they desired Strength; and the Kingdom of Heaven thirsted after our Souls; it was a Thirst of all the three Principles.

(2) And wouldst thou think how at each tremulous motion Trembles within a mirror your own image; That which seems hard would mellow seem to thee. But that thou mayst content thee in thy wish Lo Statius here; and him I call and pray He now will be the healer of thy wounds." "If I unfold to him the eternal vengeance," Responded Statius, "where thou present art, Be my excuse that I can naught deny thee." Then he began: "Son, if these words of mine Thy mind doth contemplate and doth receive, They'll be thy light unto the How thou sayest. The perfect blood, which never is drunk up Into the thirsty veins, and which remaineth Like food that from the table thou removest, Takes in the heart for all the human members Virtue informative, as being that Which to be changed to them goes through the veins Again digest, descends it where 'tis better Silent to be than say; and then drops thence Upon another's blood in natural vase. There one together with the other mingles, One to be passive meant, the other active By reason of the perfect place it springs from;