They said to him: But what is ו? He said: The world was sealed with six directions. They said: Is ו not a single letter? He replied: It is written (Psalm 104:2), "He wraps Himself in light as a garment..."
His disciples said to Him, "Show us the place where You are, since it is necessary for us to seek it." He said to them, "Whoever has ears, let him...
(24) His disciples said to Him, "Show us the place where You are, since it is necessary for us to seek it." He said to them, "Whoever has ears, let him hear. There is light within a man of light, and he (or "it") lights up the whole world. If he (or "it") does not shine, he (or "it") is darkness."
Chapter X: The Opinion of the Apostles on Veiling the Mysteries of the Faith. (5)
Similarly David sings: "For, lo, Thou hast loved truth; the obscure and hidden things of wisdom hast Thou showed me." "Day utters speech to day"...
(5) Similarly David sings: "For, lo, Thou hast loved truth; the obscure and hidden things of wisdom hast Thou showed me." "Day utters speech to day" (what is clearly written), "and night to night proclaims knowledge" (which is hidden in a mystic veil); "and there are no words or utterances whose voices shall not be heard" by God, who said, "Shall one do what is secret, and I shall not see him?"
Therefore his thought gazed directly up at the exalted light. And he called out and said, 'Lord, have mercy on me, for my light and my effort went ast...
(1) "The light was astonished, the one that was in the middle region and that was beginning and end. Therefore his thought gazed directly up at the exalted light. And he called out and said, 'Lord, have mercy on me, for my light and my effort went astray. For if your goodness does not establish me, I do not know where I am.' And when the majesty had heard him, he had mercy on him.
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."
And I put on this of which the majesty and the unconceived spirit made me worthy. And the threefold unity of my garment appeared in the cloud, by the ...
(2) "And the word took me to himself, from the spirit, in the first cloud of the hymen of nature. And I put on this of which the majesty and the unconceived spirit made me worthy. And the threefold unity of my garment appeared in the cloud, by the will of the majesty, in a single form. And my likeness was covered with the light of my garment. And the cloud was disturbed, and it was not able to tolerate my likeness. It shed the first power, which it had taken from the spirit—that which shone on him from the beginning, before I appeared in the word to the spirit. The cloud would not have been able to tolerate both of them. And the light that came forth from the cloud passed through silence until it came into the middle region. And by the will of the majesty, the light mixed with him, that is, the spirit that exists in silence, which had been separated from the spirit of light. It was separated from the light by the cloud of silence. The cloud was disturbed. It was he who gave rest to the flame of fire. He humbled the dark womb that she might not reveal other seed from the darkness. He kept them back in the middle region of nature in their position, which was in the cloud. They were troubled because they did not know where they were. For still they do not possess the universal understanding of the spirit.
With my will I honored my garment, which has three forms in the cloud of the hymen. And the light that was in silence, the one from the rejoicing powe...
(2) "And I appeared in the cloud of the hymen, in silence, without my holy garment. With my will I honored my garment, which has three forms in the cloud of the hymen. And the light that was in silence, the one from the rejoicing power, contained me. I wore it. And its two parts appeared in a single form. Its other parts did not appear on account of the fire. I became unable to speak in the cloud of the hymen, for its fire was frightful, lifting itself up without diminishing. And so that my greatness and the word might appear, I placed likewise my other garment in the cloud of silence. I went into the middle region and put on the light that was in it, that was sunk in forgetfulness and that was separated from the spirit of astonishment, for he had cast off the burden. At my wish, nothing mortal appeared to him, but they were all immortal things that the spirit granted to him. And he said in the mind of the light, 'AI EIS AI OU PHAR DOU IA EI OU, I have come in great rest in order that he may give rest to my light in his root, and may bring it out of harmful nature.'
"For I said these things to you, Shem, that you might know that my likeness, the son of the majesty, is from my infinite thought, since I am for him...
(1) "For I said these things to you, Shem, that you might know that my likeness, the son of the majesty, is from my infinite thought, since I am for him a universal likeness that does not lie, and I am above every truth and am the origin of the word. His appearance is in my beautiful garment of light, which is the voice of the immeasurable thought. We are that single, sole light that came into being. He appeared in another root in order that the power of the spirit might be raised from feeble nature. For by the will of the great light I came forth from the exalted spirit down to the cloud of the hymen without my universal garment.
Chapter 141 (Jesus and his disciples ascend higher)
When then Jesus said this, he chanted a song of praise in the great name. The regions of the ways of the midst hid themselves, and Jesus and his...
(3) When then Jesus said this, he chanted a song of praise in the great name. The regions of the ways of the midst hid themselves, and Jesus and his disciples remained in an air of exceedingly strong light.
And the things that you lack, according to my will, will appear to you at that place upon the earth, that you may reveal them as they are. Do not let ...
(2) "See, O Shem, how all the things I have said to you have been fulfilled. . . . And the things that you lack, according to my will, will appear to you at that place upon the earth, that you may reveal them as they are. Do not let your thought have dealings with the body. For I have said these things to you, through the voice of the fire, for I entered through the midst of the clouds. And I spoke according to the language of each one. This is my language that I spoke to you. And it will be taken from you. And you will speak with the voice of the world upon the earth. And it will appear to you with that appearance and voice, and all that I have said to you. Henceforth proceed with faith to shine in the depths of the world."
He answered: "When the P's which have remained Still on thy face almost obliterate Shall wholly, as the first is, be erased, Thy feet will be so...
(6) He answered: "When the P's which have remained Still on thy face almost obliterate Shall wholly, as the first is, be erased, Thy feet will be so vanquished by good will, That not alone they shall not feel fatigue, But urging up will be to them delight." Then did I even as they do who are going With something on the head to them unknown, Unless the signs of others make them doubt, Wherefore the hand to ascertain is helpful, And seeks and finds, and doth fulfill the office Which cannot be accomplished by the sight; And with the fingers of the right hand spread I found but six the letters, that had carved Upon my temples he who bore the keys; Upon beholding which my Leader smiled.
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. (1)
The Spirit of God is not in such a one, but he is a Thief and a Murderer, and he uses his Pen for nothing else but his own Pride. If he had Power, the...
(1) with the Mysteries, to write one Thing, and confess another with the Mouth, to please the Ear, as is used now-a-days, where they cover themselves continually with a strange Cloak, whereas all is nothing else but mere Hypocrisy, Appearance, and [Juggling] or fighting with a Shadow. The Spirit of God is not in such a one, but he is a Thief and a Murderer, and he uses his Pen for nothing else but his own Pride. If he had Power, then he would himself cast all away, though he should [under a strange Cover] acknowledge it but with half a Mouth: He is to speak freely out of the Abyss of his Heart, and to write without a Cover; for Christ has done away his Covering [or Vail,] and his loving Countenance appears to the whole World, for a Witness to all People.
When then they had seen the vesture of light which was about me, they and their unpaired, then every one of them saw the mystery of his name, that it ...
(1) And Jesus continued again in his discourse and said unto his disciples: "Hearken concerning the things which befell me among the rulers of the twelve æons and all their rulers and their lords and their authorities and their angels and their archangels. When then they had seen the vesture of light which was about me, they and their unpaired, then every one of them saw the mystery of his name, that it was on my vesture of light, which was about me. They fell down all together, adored the vesture of light which was about me, and cried out all together, saying: 'How hath the lord of the universe passed through us without our knowing it?' And they all sang praises together to the interiors of the interiors. And all their triple-powers and their great forefathers and their ungenerated and their self-generated and their generated and their gods and their light-sparks and their light-bearers--in a word all their great ones--saw the tyrants of their region, that their power was diminished in them. And they were in weakness and themselves fell into great and immeasurable fear. And they gazed on the mystery of their name on my vesture, and they had set out to come and adore the mystery of their name which was on my vesture, and they could not because of the great light which was about me; but they adored a little removed from me, and they adored the light of my vesture and all cried out together, singing praises to the interiors of the interiors.
But they saw only the light, which shot forth many light-rays. And the light-rays were not like one another, but the light was of divers kind, and it ...
(3) And the disciples had not seen Jesus because of the great light in which he was, or which was about him; for their eyes were darkened because of the great light in which he was. But they saw only the light, which shot forth many light-rays. And the light-rays were not like one another, but the light was of divers kind, and it was of divers type, from below upwards, one [ray] more excellent than the other, . . ., in one great immeasurable glory of light; it stretched from under the earth right up to heaven.--And when the disciples saw that light, they fell into great fear and great agitation.
The right path before Thee prosper it in the hands of Thy servant thathe may fulfil (it) and that I may not walk in the deceitfulness of my heart, O m...
(12) And he said, " Shall I return unto Ur of the Chal- dees who seek my face that I may return to them, or am I to remain here in this place? The right path before Thee prosper it in the hands of Thy servant thathe may fulfil (it) and that I may not walk in the deceitfulness of my heart, O my God."
Chapter 25: Of the whole Body of the Stars and of their Birth or Geniture; that is, the whole Astrology, or the whole Body of this World. (53)
While he yet sticketh in the old man of wrath and death, and sitteth also in his heaven, he seeth through both; in such a manner also he seeth the...
(53) While he yet sticketh in the old man of wrath and death, and sitteth also in his heaven, he seeth through both; in such a manner also he seeth the stars and elements. For in God there is no place of hindrance; for the eye of the LORD beholdeth all.
He selected three consonants (I, H, V) from the simple ones--a secret belonging to the three mothers, or first elements; א מ ש (A, M, Sh), air, water,...
(36) 5th. He selected three consonants (I, H, V) from the simple ones--a secret belonging to the three mothers, or first elements; א מ ש (A, M, Sh), air, water, fire (ether). He sealed them with His spirit and fashioned them into a Great Name and with this sealed the universe in six directions. He turned towards the above and sealed the height with י ה ו (I, H, V).
When he shines, everything shines after him; by his light all this is lighted.'...
(15) 'The sun does not shine there, nor the moon and the stars, nor these lightnings, and much less this fire. When he shines, everything shines after him; by his light all this is lighted.'
Chapter 11 (The powers of the firmament are amazed and fall down and adore him)
And they gazed at the radiant vesture of light with which I was clad, and they saw the mystery which contains their names, and they feared most exceed...
(3) "And all rulers and all authorities and all angels therein were thrown all together into agitation because of the great light which was on me. And they gazed at the radiant vesture of light with which I was clad, and they saw the mystery which contains their names, and they feared most exceedingly. And all their bonds with which they were bound, were unloosed and every one left his order, and they all fell down before me, adored and said: 'How hath the lord of the universe passed through us without our knowing?' And they all sang praises together to the interiors of the interiors; but me they saw not, but they saw only the light. And they were in great fear and were exceedingly agitated and sang praises to the interiors of the interiors.