Read Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament Online
Authors: [edited by] Bart D. Ehrman
Tags: #Biblical Reference, #Bible Study Guides, #Bibles, #Other Translations, #Apocryphal books (New Testament), #New Testament, #Christianity, #Religion, #Biblical Commentary, #Biblical Studies, #General, #History
316
THE FIRST THOUGHT IN THREE FORMS
317
am invisible within the Thought of the
of the Father and through me proceeded
Invisible One. I am revealed in the
[the] Voice, that is, the knowledge of the
immeasurable, ineffable (things). I am
everlasting things. I exist as Thought for
incomprehensible, dwelling in the inthe [All]—being joined to the unknowacomprehensible, I move in every creable and incomprehensible Thought—I reture.
vealed myself—yes, I—among all those
I am the life of my Epinoia that dwells
who recognize me. For it is I who am
within every Power and every eternal
joined with everyone by virtue of the hidmovement and (in) invisible Lights and den Thought and an exalted �Voice�,
within the Archons and Angels and Deeven a Voice from the invisible Thought.
mons and every soul dwelling in [Tarta
And it is immeasurable, since it dwells
ros] and (in) every material soul. I dwell
in the Immeasurable One. It is a mystery;
in those who came to be. I move in everyit is [unrestrainable] by [the Incompreone and I delve into them all. I walk hensible One]. It is invisible [to all those
uprightly, and those who sleep I [awakwho are] visible in the All. [It is a Light]
en]. And I am the sight of those who
dwelling in Light.
dwell in sleep.
It is we [also who] alone [have sepa
I am the Invisible One within the All.
rated] [from the] visible [world] since we
It is I who counsel those who are hidden,
[are saved by the] hidden [wisdom by
since I know the All that exists in it. I am
means of the] ineffable, immeasurable
numberless beyond everyone. I am im[Voice]. And he who is hidden within us measurable, ineffable, yet whenever I
pays the tributes of his fruit to the Water
[wish, I shall] reveal myself of my own
of Life.
accord. I [am the head of] the All. I exist
Then the Son who is perfect in every
before the [All, and] I am the All, since
respect—that is, the Word who originated
I [exist in] everyone.
through that Voice; who proceeded from
I am a Voice [speaking softly]. I exist
the height; who has within him the Name;
[from the first. I dwell] within the Silence
who is a Light—he (the Son) revealed
[that surrounds every one] of them. And
the everlasting things and all the un[it is] the [hidden Voice] that [dwells knowns were known. And those things
within] me, [within the] incomprehensidifficult to interpret and secret, he reble, immeasurable [Thought, within the]
vealed, and as for those who dwell in
immeasurable Silence.
Silence with the First Thought, he
I [descended to the] midst of the unpreached to them. And he revealed himderworld and I shone [down upon the]
self to those who dwell in darkness, and
darkness. It is I who poured forth the
he showed himself to those who dwell in
[water]. It is I who am hidden within
the abyss, and to those who dwell in the
[radiant] waters. I am the one who gradhidden treasuries he told ineffable mysually put forth the All by my Thought. It teries, and he taught unrepeatable docis I who am laden with the Voice. It is trines to all those who became Sons of
through me that Gnosis comes forth. [I]
the Light.
dwell in the ineffable and unknowable
Now the Voice that originated from my
ones. I am perception and knowledge,
Thought exists as three permanences: the
uttering a Voice by means of thought. [I]
Father, the Mother, the Son. Existing peram the real Voice. I cry out in everyone, ceptibly as Speech, it (Voice) has within
and they recognize it (the voice], since a
it a Word endowed with every �glory�,
seed indwells [them]. I am the Thought
and it has three masculinities, three
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NON-CANONICAL APOCALYPSES AND REVELATORY TREATISES
powers, and three names. They exist in
[he] established [them. The] first Aeon,
the manner of Three ▫ ▫ ▫—which are
he established [over the first]: Armedon,
quadrangles—secretly within a silence of
Nousa[nios, Armozel; the] second he esthe Ineffable One.
tablished [over the second Aeon]:
[It is he] alone who came to be, that
Phaionios, Ainios, Oroiael; the third over
[is, the Christ. And] as for me I anointed
the third Aeon: Mellephaneus, Loios,
him as the glory [of the] Invisible [Spirit]
Daveithai; the fourth over the fourth:
with [goodness]. Now [the Three] I es
Mousanios, Amethes, Eleleth. Now those
tablished [alone in] eternal [glory] over
Aeons were begotten by the God who
[the Aeons in the] Living [Water], that
was begotten—the Christ—and these
[is, the glory that surrounds him] who
Aeons received as well as gave glory.
first came forth to the Light of those
They were the first to appear, exalted in
exalted Aeons, and it is in glorious Light
their thought, and each Aeon gave myrthat he firmly perseveres. And [he] stood iads of glories within great untraceable
in his own Light that surrounds him, that
lights and they all together blessed the
is, the Eye of the Light that gloriously
Perfect Son, the God who was begotten.
shines on me. He perpetuated the Father
Then there came forth a word from the
of all �the� Aeons, who am I, the
great Light Eleleth and said, “I am King!
Thought of the Father, Protennoia, that
Who belongs to Chaos and who belongs
is, Barbelo, the [perfect] Glory and the
to the underworld?” And at that instant
[immeasurable] Invisible One who is hidhis Light appeared radiant, endowed with den. I am the Image of the Invisible Spirit
the Epinoia. The Powers of the Powers
and it is through me that the All took
did not entreat him and likewise immeshape, and (I am) the Mother (as well as) diately there appeared the great Demon
the Light which she appointed as Virgin,
who rules over the lowest part of the
she who is called Meirothea, the incomunderworld and Chaos. He has neither prehensible Womb, the unrestrainable
form nor perfection, but on the contrary
and immeasurable Voice.
possesses the form of the glory of those
Then the Perfect Son revealed himself
begotten in the darkness. Now he is
to his Aeons who originated through him,
called “Saklas,” that is, “Samael,” “Yaland he revealed them and glorified them tabaoth,” he who had taken power; who
and gave them thrones and stood in the
had snatched it away from the innocent
glory with which he glorified himself.
one (Sophia); who had earlier over
They blessed the Perfect Son, the Christ,
powered her who is the Light’s Epinoia
the only-begotten God. And they gave
(Sophia) who had descended, her from
glory, saying, “He is! He is! The Son of
whom he (Yaltabaoth) had come forth
God! The Son of God! It is he who is!
originally.
The Aeon of Aeons beholding the Aeons
Now when the Epinoia of the [Light]
which he begot! For you have begotten
realized that [he (Yaltabaoth)] had
by your own desire! Therefore [we] globegged him (the Light), for another [orrify you: ma mo¯ o¯ o¯ o¯ eia ei on ei! The der, even though he was lower] than she,
[Aeon] of [Aeons! The] Aeon which he
she said, “Grant [me another order so
gave!”
that] you may become for me [a dwelling
Then, moreover, the [God who was
place lest I dwell] in disorder [forever.”
begotten] gave them (the Aeons) a power
And the order of the] entire house of
of [life, on which they might rely] and
glory [was agreed] upon her word. A
THE FIRST THOUGHT IN THREE FORMS
319
blessing was brought for her and the
Enemy, indeed all these I explained to
higher order released it to her.
those who are mine, who are the Sons of
And the great Demon began to produce
the light, in order that they might nullify
aeons in the likeness of the real Aeons,
them all and be saved from all those
except that he produced them out of his
bonds and enter into the place where they
own power.
were at first.
Then I too revealed by Voice secretly,
I am the first one who descended on
saying, “Cease! Desist, (you) who tread
account of my portion which remains,
on matter; for behold I am coming down
that is, the Spirit that (now) dwells in the
to the world of mortals for the sake of my
soul, (but) which originated from the Waportion that was in that place from the ter of Life and out of the immersion of
time when the innocent Sophia was conthe mysteries, and I spoke, I together with quered, she who descended, so that I
the Archons and Authorities. For I had
might thwart their aim which the one regone down below their language and I vealed by her appoints.” And all were disspoke my mysteries to my own—a hidturbed, each one who dwells in the house den mystery—and the bonds and eternal
of the ignorant light, and the abyss tremoblivion were nullified. And I bore fruit bled. And the Archigenetor of ignorance
in them, that is, the Thought of the unreigned over Chaos and the underworld changing Aeon, and my house, and their
and produced a man in my likeness. But
[Father]. And I went down [to those who
he neither knew that that one would bewere mine] from the first and I [reached come for him a sentence of dissolution
them and broke] the first strands that [ennor does he recognize the power in him.
slaved them. Then] everyone [of those]
But now I have come down and
within me shone, and I prepared [a patreached down to Chaos. And I was [with]
tern] for those ineffable Lights that are
my own who were in that place. [I am
within me. Amen.
hidden] within them, empowering [them
and] giving them shape. And [from the
I am the Voice that appeared through my
first day] until the day [when I will grant
Thought, for I am “He who is syzygetic,”
mighty power] to those who [are mine, I
since I am called “the Thought of the
will reveal myself to] those who have
Invisible One.” Since I am called “the
[heard my mysteries], that is, the [Sons]
unchanging Speech,” I am called “She
of [the] Light.
who is syzygetic.”
I am their Father and I shall tell you a
I am a single one (fem.) since I am
mystery, ineffable and indivulgeable by
undefiled. I am the Mother [of] the Voice,
[any] mouth: Every bond I loosed from
speaking in many ways, completing the
you, and the chains of the Demons of the
All. It is in me that knowledge dwells,
underworld, I broke, these things which
the knowledge of �things� everlasting.
are bound on my members, restraining
It is I [who] speak within every creature
them. And the high walls of darkness I
and I was known by the All. It is I who
overthrew, and the secure gates of those
lift up the Speech of the Voice to the ears
pitiless ones I broke, and I smashed their
of those who have known me, that is, the
bars. And the evil Force and the one who
Sons of the Light.
beats you, and the one who hinders you,
Now I have come the second time in
and the Tyrant, and the Adversary, and
the likeness of a female and have spoken
the one who is King, and the present
with them. And I shall tell them of the
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NON-CANONICAL APOCALYPSES AND REVELATORY TREATISES
coming end of the Aeon and teach them
too are at a loss about it since we did not
of the beginning of the Aeon to come,
know what was responsible for it. But
the one without change, the one in which
arise, let us go up to the Archigenetor
our appearance will be changed. We shall
and ask him.” And the Powers all gathbe purified within those Aeons from ered and went up to the Archigenetor.
which I revealed myself in the Thought
[They said to] him, “Where is your boastof the likeness of my masculinity. I seting in which [you boast]? Did we not tled among those who are worthy in the
[hear you say], ‘I am God [and I am]
Thought of my changeless Aeon.
your Father and it is I who [begot] you
For I shall tell you a mystery [of] this
and there is no [other] beside me’? Now