Greco-Christian stream·Pistis Sophia·First Book — Post-Resurrection Discourses·Chapter 57
The thirteenth repentance of Sophia
O Light of lights · Pistis Sophia said
Source context
- Theme
- post-resurrection transmission of gnosis from the risen Christ to the disciples
- Soul-faculty
- Consciousness Soul
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Valentinian GnosticismValentinus and his school similarly structured saving knowledge as a post-resurrection revelatory dialogue in which the Pleroma's structure is disclosed to elect disciples, providing cross-tradition congruence with this chapter's transmission framework.
- Hermetic tradition (Corpus Hermeticum)The Hermetic dialogues between Nous/Poimandres and the initiate present cross-tradition congruence with post-resurrection gnostic discourse: divine knowledge is conveyed directly from a transcendent teacher to a receptive human vessel.
Chapter 57
CHAPTER 57
And Jesus continued again in the discourse and said unto his disciples: "It came to pass
again thereafter that Pistis Sophia cried unto me, saying:
"O Light of lights, I have transgressed in the twelve æons, and have descended from them; wherefor have I uttered the twelve repentances, [one] for each æon. Now, therefore, O Light of lights, forgive me my transgression, for it is exceedingly great, because I have abandoned the regions of the height and have come to dwell in the regions of the chaos.'
"When then Pistis Sophia had said this, she continued again in the thirteenth repentance, saying:
The thirteenth repentance of Sophia."'1. Hearken unto me singing praises unto thee, O Light of lights. Hearken unto me uttering the repentance for the thirteenth æon, the region out of which I have come down, in order that the thirteenth repentance of the thirteenth æon may be accomplished,--those [æons] |111. which I have overstepped and out of which I have come down.
"'2. Now, therefore, O Light of lights, hearken unto me singing praises unto thee in the thirteenth æon, my region out of which I have come down.
"'3. Save me, O Light, in thy great mystery and forgive my transgression in thy forgiveness.
"'4. And give unto me the baptism and forgive my sins and purify me from my transgression.
"'5. And my transgression is the lion-faced power, which will never be hidden from thee; for because of it have I gone down.
"'6. And I alone among the invisibles, in whose regions I was, have transgressed, and have gone down into the chaos. Moreover I have
transgressed, that thy commandment may be accomplished.'
"This then Pistis Sophia said. Now, therefore, let him whom his spirit urgeth to understand her words, come forward and proclaim her thought."
Martha came forward and said: "My Lord, my spirit urgeth me to proclaim the solution of that which Pistis Sophia hath spoken; thy power hath prophesied aforetime concerning it through David in the fiftieth Psalm, saying thus:
Martha interpreteth the thirteenth repentance from Psalm l."'1. Be gracious unto me, O God, according to thy |112. great grace; according to the fulness of thy mercy blot out my sin.
"'2. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.
"'3. And may my sin be ever present to thee,
"'4. That thou mayest be justified in thy words and prevail when thou judgest me.'
"This is then the solution of the words which Pistis Sophia hath uttered."
Jesus said unto her: "Well said, finely, Martha, blessed [one]."