Few Understand the Divine
1Eugnostos, the Blessed, to his own. Rejoice because of this: You know that all born since the foundation of the world until now are (but) dust. Although they have inquired into God, about his being and likeness, they have failed to find him. The wisest of them have guessed about the truth since the world was put in order. And the guessing has not attained to the truth. For the [cosmic] order is described with three opinions by all the philosophers. Consequently, they are not in agreement, because some of them claim the world was self-guided. Others attribute it to providence, yet others to destiny. It is, however, none of those. To repeat, none of the three propositions I have just listed is true. This is because whatever living thing originates from itself is void, (for) it made itself. Providence is (a) senseless (idea); destiny is an unintelligent (idea). So whoever can break free of the three propositions I have just listed, and with a different proposition arrive at confessing the God of truth, and agree on every point about him, will be an immortal living among mortals.
He Who Is
2He Who Is is inexpressible: No power knew him, no authority, nothing contingent, not anything created since the foundation of the world. He alone knows himself, because he is immortal and eternal, without birth, because everyone who is born will perish. He is unbegotten, without a beginning, because everyone with a beginning will come to an end. No one controls him. He is without a name, because whoever bears a name is the creation of someone else. He cannot be named. He is without a human form, because whoever has a human form is the creation of someone else. He possesses his own likeness, not resembling the likeness we have received and seen, but a peculiar likeness that transcends all, being better than the totalities. It looks from every direction (simultaneously) and sees itself from itself. He is infinite; he cannot be comprehended. He is forever imperishable, nothing resembling him. He is the good that never changes. He is without fault. He is everlasting. He is blessed. He cannot be known, but he knows himself. He is beyond measure. He cannot be traced out. He is perfect, without imperfection. His blessedness is imperishable. He is called Father of the World.
The Everlasting Totality
3Before any of the visible majesty and authorities existing in him became visible, he embraced the totalities of the totalities. And nothing embraces him, because he is entirely mind, thought and reflection, consideration, reasoning, and power. They all are equivalent powers, being the sources of the totalities. And their entire race, [from first] to last, abides in the foreknowledge of the Unbegotten, because they had not yet attained to visibility. Among the imperishable aeons there are differences. Therefore, let us think (of it) in this way: Everything that originated from what is perishable will perish, because it originated from what is perishable. Whatever originated from what is imperishable will not perish, but will be imperishable, because it originated from what is imperishable. Consequently, many erred — that is, they died — because they were unaware of this difference.
The Prime Mover
4This much, though, suffices, because no one can argue with the substance of the claims I have just spoken about God, the blessed, the imperishable, the true. Now, should anyone want to trust in the discourse I write, let them begin from the concealed and proceed to the end of the visible, and this thought will teach them how faith in things invisible is to be found in what is visible. That is an epistemological rule. The Lord of the World is not, strictly speaking, called Father, but Forefather. This is because the Father is the originative principle of what is visible. For he is the Forefather without origin. He beholds himself within himself, as in a mirror, having appeared in his likeness as Self-Father, which means Self-Begetter, and as reflection, because he reflected the unbegotten first existent. He is as old as the one who was before him, but he does not equal him in power. Afterward he revealed many reflecting, self-begotten ones, of equal age (and) power, subsisting in glory, even without number. They are called the generation above which there is no kingdom among the existing kingdoms. And the entire multitude of the place above which there is no kingdom is called the children of the unbegotten Father. The Unknowable [is] always [full] of what is imperishable [and] of unspeakable joy. All of them repose in him, rejoicing forever in unspeakable joy over the glory that never changes and the immeasurable rejoicing never heard or known among all the aeons and their worlds. This much, though, should suffice, otherwise we would go on forever.
Sophia and the Immortal Human
5Here is another epistemological rule from (the) [Self-]begotten: The first to appear in infinity before the world is the Self-grown, Self-made Father, and is full of radiant, unspeakable light. In the beginning, he chose his likeness to become a great power. Immediately, the originative principle of that light manifested as the immortal androgynous human. Its male name is [Begotten], Perfect [Mind], and its female name, All-wise Mother Sophia. It is further said she looks like her brother and her consort. She is unchallenged truth, because here below, error, which exists together with truth, challenges it. Through the immortal human appeared the first pair of appellations, i.e., divinity and kingdom, because the Father, called Self-Father Human, revealed this. He created a mighty aeon for his own majesty, granting him great authority, and he ruled over all realms of creation. He created myriads of countless gods and archangels and angels for his service. Through that human came divinity [and kingdom]. He, therefore, was called God of gods, King of kings. The Primal Human is faith for those to come afterward. Within him he has a mind proper to him, just as he has thought, reflection and contemplation, reason and power. All these attributes are perfect and immortal. As to what is imperishable, they are in fact equal. As to power, there exists a difference, similar to the difference between father and son, and son and thought, and thought and what remains (thereafter).
The Cosmic Order
6As I stated earlier, among created things, first comes the monad. The dyad follows it, and then the triad, up to the tenths. The tenths rule over the hundredths; the hundredths rule over the thousandths; the thousand[th]s rule over the ten thousand[th]s. This is the pattern found [among the] immortals. The Primal Human resembles this: His monad [...]
The Holy Host of Angels
7He created count[less] myriads of angels for his service. The entire multitude of those angels is called Assembly of the Holy Ones, the Lights without Shadow. When these greet one other, their embraces become angels like themselves. First Begetter-Father is called Adam of Light, and the kingdom of the Son of Man is full of unspeakable joy and constant rejoicing, always rejoicing in unspeakable joy over their glory that never perishes, which has never been heard nor has it been revealed to any of the aeons or their worlds that came to exist.
The Consort of the Savior
8Then the Son of Man consorted with his companion Sophia, and manifested a great androgynous light.
[Its] masculine name is [called] Savior, All-Begetter.
Its feminine name is called Sophia, All-Conceiver.
Some call her Pistis.
Then the Savior consorted with his companion, Pistis Sophia, and manifested six androgynous spiritual entities of the type of those who came before them.
These are their male names:
1st Unbegotten
2nd Self-begotten
3rd Begetter
4th First Begetter
5th All-Begetter
6th Chief-Begetter.
Also these are the names of the females:
1st All-wise Sophia
2nd All-Mother Sophia
3rd All-Conceiver Sophia
4th First-Conceiver Sophia
5th Love Sophia
6th Pistis Sophia
[From the] consorting of those I just listed, thoughts appeared in the existing aeons.
From thoughts, reflections; from reflections, contemplations; from contemplations, reasonings; from reasonings, wills; from wills, words.
The 360 Powers
9Then the twelve powers I just discussed consorted with one other. [Six] males, [six] females were manifested, producing seventy-two powers. Each of the seventy-two manifested five spiritual entities. They comprise the three hundred sixty powers. When all of them are united, this produces the will. Consequently, our aeon became the same type as Immortal Human. Time became the same type as First Begetter, his son. [The year] became the same type as [the Savior]. [The] twelve months became the same type as the twelve powers. The three hundred sixty days of the year became the same type as the three hundred sixty powers who manifested from the Savior. Their countless hours and moments became the same type as the angels who originated from (the three hundred sixty powers). And when those I have discussed became manifest, their father All-Begetter soon created twelve aeons for the service of the twelve angels. In each aeon, moreover, there came to be six (heavens), so that there are seventy-two heavens belonging to the seventy-two powers that were manifested from him. And in each of the heavens there came to be five firmaments, producing three hundred sixty [firmaments] belonging to the three hundred sixty powers that were manifested from them. When the firmaments were completed, they were called the three hundred sixty heavens, congruent with the name of the heavens that came before them. And they are all perfect and good. And thus the defect of femaleness was manifested.
The Aeons Assemble
10Now the first aeon is Immortal Human. The second aeon is the Son of Man, who is called First-Begetter, who is called Savior. Encompassing these is the aeon above which there is no kingdom, that of the eternal, infinite God, the aeon of the aeons of the immortals who abide within it, which is above the Ogdoad that manifested in chaos. Now Immortal Human revealed aeons and powers and kingdoms, granting authority to all who [manifested from] him to realize [their every desire] until the days over chaos. This was because they consorted with one other, revealing every magnificence, even from spirit, countless multitudes of glorious lights. In the beginning these received names: the first, the middle, [and] the perfect completed. These are the first three aeons. The first was called Unity and Repose. Because each has its name, the [third] aeon was called Assembly on account of the great multitude that appeared in the one who is many. And so, when the multitude gathers together and forms a unity, they are called Assembly, on account of the Assembly that transcends heaven. The Assembly of the [Ogdoad was] therefore manifested as [androgynous], being named partly male and partly female. The male was called Assembly, the female, Life, to show that in all the aeons life came from a female.
The Names of the Aeons
11Each name was received from its origin. From the concord with its thought, the powers were manifested who are called gods. The gods, moreover, from their contemplations revealed divine gods; and the gods from their contemplations revealed lords; and the lords of the lords from their speeches revealed lords; and the lords from their powers revealed archangels; the archangels (in turn) revealed angels. From [them] manifested the likeness with structure [and form] for the naming of [all] the aeons [and] their worlds. All the immortals, without exception, whom I have just explained, possess authority from the power of Immortal Human and Sophia, his consort, who was called Silence. She was named Silence because by meditating without speech she perfected her own proper majesty. Because the imperishable ones possessed authority, each supplied great kingdoms in all the immortal heavens and their firmaments, thrones, (and) temples, for their own proper majesty.
The Aeons Complete and Coming Clarity
12In fact, some in dwellings and in chariots, abiding in unspeakable glory and unable to be sent into any created thing, supplied for themselves countless myriads of hosts of angels, for their service and glory, even virgin spirits, the unspeakable lights.
They experience neither sickness nor weakness.
They only have to will and it immediately comes to be.
In this way the aeons with their heavens and firmaments were completed for the glory of Immortal Human and Sophia, his consort.
The region that [contained the pattern of] all the aeons and their worlds, and those that came into being afterward, that region supplied the types, their likenesses in the heavens of chaos and their worlds.
And all natures from the Immortal One, from the Unbegotten One, to the revelation of chaos, dwell in the light that shines without shadow and unspeakable joy and ineffable rejoicing.
Forever they delight themselves over their unchanging glory and the repose beyond measure that cannot be described or grasped by any among all the aeons and their powers that came to exist.
This much, however, is sufficient.
Everything I have just told you, I expressed in a way you could accept, until the one who has no need to be taught appears among you.
And he will speak all these things to you with joy and with clear knowledge.
Eugnostos the Blessed