Jesus said: ** If the time of such an one is completed through the sphere, the receivers of Adonis come after him, and lead his soul out of the hodj, and they spend three days circling round with it and instructing it concerning the creatures of the world.
*' Thereafter they lead it down into the Amente before Ariel, and he taketh vengeance on it in his chastisements three months, eight days and two hours.
*' Thereafter they lead it into the chaos before Yaldabaoth and his forty-and-nine demons, and every one of his demons taketh vengeance on it another three months, eight days and two hours.
SIXTH BOOK 319 ** Thereafter they lead it on to the way of the midst, and every one of the rulers of the way of the midst taketh vengeance on it through his dark smoke and his wicked fire another three months, eight days and two hours.
** Thereafter they lead it up unto the Virgin of Light, who judgeth the righteous and the sinners, that she may judge it. And when the sphere turneth itself, she handeth it over to her receivers, that they may cast it into the eeons of the sphere. And they lead it forth into a water which is below the sphere; | and it becometh a seething 384. fire and eateth into it until it purifieth it utterly.
** Thereafter cometh Yaluham, the receiver of Sabaoth, the Adamas, bringeth the cup of forget- fulness and handeth it unto the soul; and it drinketh it and forgetteth all things and all the regions to which it had gone. And they cast it into a lame, halt and blind body.
*' This is the chastisement of the thief."
Andrew answered and said: *' An arrogant, overweening man, when he cometh out of the body, what will happen to him? " Jesus said: *' If the time of such an one isofthechas- completed through the sphere, the receivers of theTrrogant. Ariel come after him and lead out his soul [out of the body] and spend three days travelling round in the world [with it] and instructing it concerning the creatures of the world.
*' Thereafter they lead it down into the Amente before Ariel; and he taketh vengeance on it with his chastisements twenty months.
*' Thereafter they lead it into the chaos before Yaldabaoth and his forty-and-nine demons; and 320 PISTIS SOPHIA he and his demons, one by one, take vengeance on it another twenty months.
** Thereafter they carry it on to the way of the midst; and every one of the rulers of the way of the midst taketh vengeance on it another twenty months.
** And thereafter they lead it unto the Virgin of Light, that she may judge it. And when the sphere turneth itself, she handeth it over to her receivers, that they may cast it into the aeons of the sphere. And the servitors of the sphere | 385. lead it into a water which is below the sphere; and it becometh a seething fire and eateth into it until it purifieth it.
*' And Yaluham, the receiver of Sabaoth, the Adamas, cometh and bringeth the cup with the water of forgetfulness and handeth it to the soul; and it drinketh and forgetteth all things and all the regions to which it had gone. And they cast it up into a lame and deformed body, so that all despise it persistently.
** This is the chastisement of the arrogant and overweening man."
Thomas said: '' A persistent blasphemer, what is his chastisement? " ofthechas- Jcsus Said: ** If the time of such an one is the bias* ° completed through the sphere, the receivers of phemer. Yaldabaoth come after him and bind him by his tongue to a great demon with a horse's face; they spend three days travelling round with him in the world, and take vengeance on him.
*' Thereafter they lead him into the region of the cold and of the snow, and take vengeance on him there eleven years.
" Thereafter they lead him down into the SIXTH BOOK 321 chaos before Yaldabaoth and his forty-and-nine demons, and every one of his demons taketh vengeance on him another eleven years.
" Thereafter they lead him into the outer darkness until the day when the great ruler with the dragon's face | who encircleth the dark- 386. ness, shall be judged. And that soul becometh frozen up [?] and destroyed and dissolved.
*' This is the judgment of the blasphemer."
Bartholomew said: " A man who hath inter- chap. 147. course with a male, what is his vengeance? " Jesus said: "The measure of the man who Of the chashath mtercourse with males and ot the man him who with whom he lieth, is the same as that of the ^^*^ ^^*^^: ' course with blasphemer. males.
*' When then the time is completed through the sphere, the receivers of Yaldabaoth come after their soul, and he with his forty-and-nine demons taketh vengeance on it eleven years.
" Thereafter they carry it to the fire-rivers and seething pitch-seas, which are full of demons with pigs' faces. They eat into them and take vengeance on [?] them in the fire-rivers another eleven years.
** Thereafter they carry them into the outer darkness until the day of judgment when the great darkness is judged; and then they will be dissolved and destroyed."
Thomas said: " We have heard that there are some on the earth who take the male seed and the female monthly blood, and make it into a lentil porridge and eat it, | saying: ' We have 387.
faith in Esau and Jacob.' Is this then seemly or not? " Jesus was wroth with the world in that hour 21 322 PISTIS SOPHIA Of the chas- tisement of a foul act of sorcery.
Of the after- death state of the righteous man who hath not been ini- tiated.
388.
and said unto Thomas: ** Amen, I say: This sin is more heinous than all sins and iniquities. Such men will straightway be taken into the outer darkness and not be cast back anew into the sphere, but they shall perish, be destroyed in the outer darkness in a region where there is neither pity nor light, but howling and grinding of teeth. And all the souls which shall be brought into the outer darkness, will not be cast back anew, but will be destroyed and dissolved."
John answered [and said]: *' A man who hath committed no sin, but done good persistently, but hath not found the mysteries to pass through the rulers, when he cometh out of the body, what will happen unto him? " Jesus said: *' If the time of such an one is completed through the sphere, the receivers of Bainchoooch, who is one of the triple-powered gods, come after his soul and lead his soul with joy and exultation and spend three days circling round with it and instructing it concerning the creations of the world with joy and exultation.
'* Thereafter they lead it down into the Amente and instruct it concerning the instruments of chastisement in the Amente; but they will not take vengeance on it therewith. But they will only instruct it concerning them, and the smoke of the flame of the chastisements | catcheth it only a little.
** Thereafter they carry it up unto the way of the midst and instruct it concerning the chastise- ments of the ways of the midst, the smoke from the flame catching it a little.
*' Thereafter they lead it unto the Virgin of Light, and she judgeth it and depositeth it with SIXTH BOOK 323 the little Sabaoth, the Good, him of the IVIidst, until the sphere turneth itself, and Zeus and Aphrodite come in face of the Virgin of Light, while Kronos and Ares come behind her.
** At that hour she taketh that righteous soul and handeth it over to her receivers, that they may cast it into the aeons of the sphere. And the servitors of the sphere lead it forth into a water which is below the sphere; and a seething fire ariseth and eateth into it until it purifieth it utterly.
" Thereafter cometh Yaluham, the receiver of Saba5th, the Adamas, who giveth the cup of forgetfulness unto the souls, and he bringeth the water of forgetfulness and handeth it to the soul; [and it drinketh it] and forgetteth all things and all the regions to which it had gone.
*' Thereafter there cometh a receiver of the little Of the cup Sabaoth, the Good, him of the Midst. He himself ^ "^ ^^' bringeth a cup filled with thoughts and wisdom, and soberness is in it; [and] he handeth it to the soul. And they cast it into a body which can neither sleep nor forget because of the cup of soberness which hath been handed unto it; but | it will whip its heart persistently to question about 389. the mysteries of the Light until it find them, through the decision of the Virgin of Light, and inherit the Light for ever."
Mary said: *' A man who hath committed all chap. 148. sins and all iniquities and hath not found the mysteries of the Light, will he receive the chastise- ments for them all at once? " Jesus answered: "Yea, he will receive it; a sinner if he hath committed three sins, he will receive eachTepar^'^ chastisement for three." ate sin.
324 PISTIS SOPHIA John said: "A man who hath committed all sins and all iniquities, but at last hath found the mysteries of the Light, is it possible for him to be saved? " Even the Jesus Said: ** Such a man who hath committed Inners, if all sins and all iniquities, and he findeth the mysshau inherit ^^^^^^ c>f the Light, and performeth and fulfilleth the kingdom, them and ceaseth not nor doeth sins, will inherit the Treasury of the Light."
Of the time Jcsus Said unto his disciples: '* When the sphere for thebirth tumcth itself, and Kronos and Ares come behind sMfi^ncTth^e ^^^ Virgin of Light and Zeus and Aphrodite mysteries. come in face of the Virgin, they being in their own seons, then the veils of the Virgin draw themselves aside and she falleth into joy in that hour when she seeth these two light-stars before her. And all the souls which she shall cast at that hour into the circuit of the aeons of the sphere, that they | 390. may come into the world, will be righteous and good and find at this time the mysteries of the Light; she sendeth them anew that they may find the mysteries of the Light.
" If on the other hand Ares and Kronos come in face of the Virgin and Zeus and Aphrodite behind her, so that she seeth them not, then all the souls which she shall cast in that hour into the creatures of the sphere, will be wicked and wrath- ful and do not find the mysteries of the Light." Thcdis- When then Jesus said this unto his disciples seec^h Jesus 11^ ^be midst of the Amente, the disciples cried mercy upon ^^^ wcpt, [saying]: '* Woe, woe unto sinners, them. on whom the negligence and the forgetfulness of the rulers lie until they come out of the body and are led to these chastisements! Have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us, son of the Holy SIXTH BOOK 325 [One], and have compassion with us, that we may be saved from these chastisements and these judgments which are prepared for the sinners; for we also have sinned, our Lord and our Light."
[A LATER POSTSCRIPT] • ••••• ...the righteous [man]. They went forth three The pro- by three to the four zones of heaven and they ouhe ^^^ proclaimed the goodness of the kingdom in the ^i'^^*^®^* whole world, the Christ inworking with them through the words of confirmation and the signs and the wonders which followed them. And thus was known the kingdom of God on the whole earth and in the whole world of Israel as a witness for all the nations which are from the rising unto the setting [of the sun].
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THE END.
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