ACT II: SOPHIA CHOICE AND THE BIRTH OF THE ARCHONS
PROLOGUE—BEFORE THE BEGINNING
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Since everyone—the gods of the world and people—says that nothing existed prior to chaos, I shall demonstrate that they all are mistaken, since they do not know the origin of chaos and its root. Here is the demonstration.
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How agreeable it is to all people to say that chaos is darkness! But actually chaos comes from a shadow that has been called darkness. The shadow comes from something existing from the beginning. So it is obvious that something in the beginning existed before chaos came into being, and that chaos came after what was in the beginning.
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Now let us consider the facts of the matter, and in particular what was in the beginning, from which chaos came. In this way the truth will be clearly demonstrated.
SCENE ONE—THE FOUR LUMINARIES (From Secret Book of John)
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The child (or Christ) of the Virgin Spirit and Forethought, Barbelo, asked to be given Mind as a companion to work with, and the Spirit consented. When the Invisible Spirit consented, Mind appeared and stood by the anointed, and glorified the spirit and Barbelo.
All these beings came into existence in silence.
Mind wished to create something by means of the Word of the invisible spirit. Its Will became a reality and appeared, with Mind and the light, glorifying it. Word followed Will. For the anointed, the self-conceived god (or Christ), created everything by the Word. Life Eternal, Will, Mind, and Foreknowledge stood together and glorified the Invisible Spirit (or the Father) and Barbelo (Forethought, the Mother), for because of her they had come into being.
The Holy Spirit brought the self-conceived divine child of itself and Barbelo to perfection, so that the child might stand before the great, invisible virgin spirit as the self-conceived god, the anointed, who honored the Spirit with loud acclaim.
The child came forth through Forethought. The Invisible Virgin Spirit set the true, self-conceived god over everything, and caused all authority and the truth within to be subject to it, so that the child might understand everything, the one called by a name greater than every name, for that name will be told to those who are worthy of it.
Now, from the light, which is the anointed (or Christ), and from incorruptibility, by the grace of the Spirit, the Four Luminaries that derive from the self-conceived god gazed out in order to stand before it.
The three beings are:
Will, Thought, and Life.
The Four Powers are:
Understanding,
Grace,
Perception,
Thoughtfulness.
Grace dwells in the eternal realm of the luminary Harmozel, who is the first angel. There are three other realms with this eternal realm, they are:
Grace,
Truth,
Form.
The second luminary is Oroiael, who has been appointed over the second eternal realm. There are three other realms with it:
Afterthought,
Perception,
Memory.
The third luminary is Daveithai, who has been appointed over the third eternal realm. There are three other realms with it:
Understanding,
Love,
Idea.
The fourth eternal realm has been set up for the fourth luminary, Eleleth. There are three other realms with it:
Perfection,
Peace,
Sophia or Wisdom.
These are the four luminaries that stand before the self-conceived god; these are the twelve eternal realms that stand before the child of the great self-conceived, the anointed, by the will and grace of the invisible spirit. The twelve realms belong to the child of the self-conceived one, and everything was established by the will of the Holy Spirit through the self-conceived (Christ the anointed) one.
These are the four Lights which stand before the divine Autogenetor, the twelve Aeons which are placed beside the Child, the great Autogenetor Christ, through the approval of the divine invisible Spirit. The twelve Aeons belong to the Son of Autogenetos.
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SCENE TWO—PIGERADAMAS AND SETH
Now, from the Foreknowledge of the perfect Mind, through the expressed Will of the Invisible Spirit and the Will of the self-conceived one, came the Perfect Human, the first revelation, the truth. The Virgin Spirit named the human Pigeradamas (or Adamas) and appointed Pigeradamas to the first eternal realm with the great self-conceived,(Christ) the anointed, by the first luminary, Harmozel. Its powers dwell with it. The invisible one gave Pigeradamas an unconquerable power of mind.
Pigeradamas spoke and glorified and praised the invisible spirit by saying,
“Because of you everything has come into being, and to you everything will return. I shall praise and glorify you, and the self-conceived, and the eternal realms, the three—father, mother, child, the perfect power.”
Pigeradamas appointed his son Seth to the second eternal realm, before the second luminary, Oroiael.
In the third eternal realm were stationed the offspring of Seth, with the third luminary, Daveithai. The souls of the saints were stationed there.
In the fourth eternal realm were stationed the souls of those who were ignorant of the fullness. They did not repent immediately but held out for a while and repented later. They came to be with the fourth luminary, Eleleth, and they are creatures that glorify the invisible spirit.
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SCENE THREE—THE FALL OF SOPHIA
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Now, Sophia, who is the Wisdom of Afterthought and who constitutes an eternal realm or Aeon, conceived of a thought from herself, with the conception of the Invisible Spirit and Foreknowledge.
She wanted to bring forth something like herself, without the consent of the Spirit, who had not given approval, without her partner and without his consideration.
She freely willed the likeness to appear from within herself. And because of the invincible power within her, her thought was not an idle thought
She freely willed the likeness to appear from within herself although the Spirit had not agreed with her nor had It consented nor had her partner approved, the male Virginal Spirit. But she did not find her concord. The male did not give approval. She did not find her partner, and she considered this without the spirit’s consent and without the knowledge of her partner. As she was about to acquiesce without the approval of the Spirit or the understanding of her own concord, she swelled out—she was complete and she gave birth.
Because of the audacity within her, her thought was not idle and her product came forth imperfect, for it was not patterned in her form for she had made it without her partner, and it was not patterned in the likeness of the Mother. Something came out of her that was imperfect and different in appearance from her, for she had produced it without her partner. It did not resemble its mother and was misshapen. It did not resemble the likeness of the Mother, for he had another form.
She saw that he had become modeled after a different likeness. As Sophia looked upon what her desire had produced, it changed into the figure of a serpent with the face of a lion. Its eyes were shining with fire. Its eyes were like flashing bolts of lightening.
She quickly cast It away from her outside the realm so that none of the immortals might see It, because she had given birth to him in ignorance.
She surrounded It with a bright cloud and placed a throne in the middle of the cloud so that no one might see him except the holy Spirit who is called the Mother of all the living. And she named him Yaldabaoth (which means blind thought). He is the Chief Ruler (or Archon), the one who stole a great power from the Mother.
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SCENE FOUR—BIRTH OF SOPHIA AND THE FORCES OF DARKNESS (FROM ON THE ORIGIN OF THE WORLD)
After the nature of the immortals was completed out of the infinite one, then a likeness called Sophia flowed out of Pistis (meaning Faith), with the wish that something should come into being like the light that first existed. Immediately her wish appeared as a heavenly likeness with an incomprehensible greatness. This being came to be between the immortals and what came after them, like what is above, and Sophia served as a veil separating humanity from the things above.
Now, the Aeon of truth has no shadow within it because the immeasurable light is everywhere within it. Outside it, however, is a shadow, and this shadow has been called darkness. From the shadows appeared a power set over the darkness. And the powers that came into being afterward called the shadow the limitless chaos. From it every kind of deity was brought forth, one after another, along with the whole world. So the shadow came after what was in the beginning then it became visible. The abyss also came from Pistis (Wisdom/Faith), whom we have mentioned.
The shadow perceived that there was one stronger than it. It was jealous, and when it became self-impregnated, it immediately bore envy. Since that day the principle of envy has appeared in all of the aeons and their worlds. But envy was found to be an aborted fetus without any spirit in it. It came into being as a shadow in an expanse of great watery substance.
Then the bitter wrath that came into being from the shadow and was cast into a region of chaos.
Since that day a watery substance has been visible. What lurked in the shadow flowed forth and appeared in chaos. Just as all the afterbirth of a woman who gives birth to a baby flows out, likewise the matter that came into being from the shadow was cast aside. Matter did not come out of chaos, but it was in chaos, existing in a part of it.
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SCENE FIVE—YALDABAOTH ESTABLISHES HIS RULE
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Now, after these things happened, Pistis (Wisdom and Faith) came and appeared over the matter of chaos, which was cast off like an aborted fetus, since there was no spirit in it. For all of that is a boundless darkness and water of unfathomable depth. And when Pistis saw what came into being from her deficiency, she was disturbed. And the disturbance appeared as something frightful, and it fled to her in the chaos. She turned to it and blew into its face in the abyss, which is beneath all of the heavens.
Now, when Pistis Sophia wanted to cause the thing that had no spirit to be formed into a likeness and rule over matter and over all its powers, for the first time an archon appeared out of the waters, lionlike in appearance, androgynous, with great authority within himself but ignorant of whence he came into being.
When Pistis Sophia saw him moving in the depth of the waters, she said to him, “Child, pass through to here,” which is interpreted as “Yaldabaoth.” Since that day, the first principle of the Word that referred to the gods and angels and people has appeared. And the gods and angels and people constitute that which came into being by means of the word.
Moreover, the ruler Yaldabaoth is ignorant of the power of Pistis. He did not see her face, but he saw in the water the likeness that spoke with him. And from that voice he called himself Yaldabaoth. But the perfect ones call him Ariael because he was like a lion.
After Yaldabaoth assumed authority over matter, Pistis Sophia withdrew up to her light.
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SCENE SIX—YALDABAOTH CREATES HEAVEN AND EARTH AND BEARS THREE SONS
When the archon saw his greatness, he saw only himself; he saw nothing else, except water and darkness. Then he thought that he alone existed. His thought was made complete by means of the Word, and it appeared as a spirit moving to and fro over the waters. And when that spirit appeared, the Archon separated the watery substance to one region and the dry substance to another region. From matter he created a dwelling place for himself and called it heaven. And from matter the ruler created a footstool and called it earth.
Afterward the archon thought, according to his nature, and he created an androgynous being by means of the word. He opened his mouth and cooed to him. When his eyes were opened, he saw his father and said to him, “Eee.” So his father called him Yao. Again he created the second son and cooed to him. He opened his eyes and said to his father, “Eh.” So his father called him Eloai. Again he created the third son and cooed to him. He opened his eyes and said to his father, “Asss.” So his father called him Astaphaios. These are the three sons of their father.
SCENE SEVEN—YALDABAOTH’S WORLD ORDER (Secret Book of John)
Yaldabaoth is the first archon, who took great power from his mother. Then he left her and moved away from the place where he was born. He took control and created for himself other realms with luminous fire, which still exists. He mated with the mindlessness in him and produced authorities for himself:
The name of the first is Athoth, whom generations call the reaper.
The second is Harmas, who is the jealous eye.
The third is Kalila-Oumbri.
The fourth is Yabel.
The fifth is Adonaios, who is called Sabaoth.
The sixth is Cain, whom generations of people call the sun.
The seventh is Abel.
The eighth is Abrisene.
The ninth is Yobel. The tenth is Armoupieel.
The eleventh is Melcheir-Adonein.
The twelfth is Belias, who is over the depth of the underworld.
Yaldabaoth stationed seven kings, one for each sphere of heaven, to reign over the seven heavens, and five to reign over the depth of the abyss. He shared his fire with them, but he did not give away any of the power of the light that he had taken from his mother. For he is ignorant darkness.
When light mixed with darkness, it made the darkness shine. When darkness mixed with light, it dimmed the light and became neither light nor darkness, but rather gloom.
This gloomy ruler has three names: the first name is Yaldabaoth (Blind thought or mindlessness), the second is Sakla (fool), the third is Samael (Blind).
He is wicked in his mindlessness that is in him. He said, I am god and there is no other god but me, since he did not know where his own strength had come from.
The rulers created seven powers for themselves, and the powers created six angels apiece, until there were 365 angels. These are the names and the corresponding appearances:
The first is Athoth and has the face of sheep.
The second is Eloaios and has the face of a donkey.
The third is Astaphaios and has the face of a hyena.
The fourth is Yao and has the face of a snake with seven heads.
The fifth is Sabaoth and has the face of a snake.
The sixth is Adonin and has the face of an ape.
The seventh is Sabbataios and has a face of flaming fire.
This is the sevenfold nature of the week.
Yaldabaoth has many faces, more than all of these, so that he could show whatever face he wanted when he was among the seraphim. He shared his fire with them and lorded it over them because of the glorious power he had from his mother’s light. That is why he called himself god and defied the place from which he came.
In his thought he united the seven powers with the authorities that were with him. When he spoke, it was done. He named each of the powers, beginning with the highest:
First is goodness (or Christlike), with the first power, Athoth.
Second is forethought, with the second power, Eloaios.
Third is divinity, with the third power, Astaphaios.
Fourth is lordship, with the fourth power, Yao.
Fifth is kingdom, with the fifth power, Sabaoth.
Sixth is jealousy, with the sixth power, Adonin.
Seventh is understanding, with the seventh power, Sabbataios.
Each has a sphere in its own realm.
They were named after the glory above for the destruction of the powers. While the names given them by their maker were powerful, the names given them after the glory above would bring about their destruction and loss of power. That is why they have two names.
Yaldabaoth organized everything after the pattern of the first realms that had come into being, so that he might create everything in an incorruptible form. Not that he had seen the incorruptible ones. Rather, the power that is in him, that he had taken from his mother, produced in him the pattern for the world order.
When he saw creation surrounding him, and the throng of angels around him who had come forth from him, he said to them, I am a jealous god and there is no other god beside me.
But by announcing this, he suggested to the angels with him that there is another god. For if there were no other god, of whom would he be jealous?
Because of the reality of the authorities, inspired by the spirit of the father of truth, the great messenger referring to the authorities of the darkness told us that “our contest is not against flesh and blood, rather, the authorities of the universe and the spirits of wickedness.” I have sent you this because you inquire about the reality of the authorities.
THE SEVEN HEAVENS OF CHAOS
Seven appeared in chaos as androgynous beings. They have their masculine name and their feminine name. The feminine name of Yaldabaoth is forethought Sambathas, which is the week. His son is called Yao, and his feminine name is lordship. Sabaoth’s feminine name is divinity. Adonaios’s feminine name is kingship. Eloaios’s feminine name is envy. Oraios’s feminine name is wealth. Astaphaios’s feminine name is Sophia. These are the seven powers of the seven heavens of chaos. And they came into being as androgynous beings according to the immortal pattern that existed before them and in accord with the will of Pistis, so that the likeness of what existed from the first might rule until the end.
You will find the function of these names and the power of the males in the Archangelic Book of Moses the Prophet. But the feminine names are in the First Book of Noraia.
Now since the chief creator Yaldabaoth had great authority, he created for each of his sons, by means of the word, beautiful heavens as dwelling places, and for each heaven great glories, seven times exquisite. Each one has within his heaven thrones, dwelling places, and temples, as well as chariots and spiritual virgins and their glories, looking up to an invisible realm, and also armies of divine, lordly, angelic, and archangelic powers, myriads without number, in order to serve.
The report concerning these you will find accurately in the First Account of Noraia.
Now, they were completed in this way up to the sixth heaven, the one belonging to Sophia. And the heaven and its earth were disrupted by the troublemaker, who was beneath all of them. The six heavens trembled, for the powers of chaos knew who it was who disturbed the heaven beneath them. And when Pistis knew of the harm caused by the troublemaker, she blew her breath, and she bound him and cast him down to Tartaros (Hades).
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SCENE EIGHT—YALDABAOTH BOASTS HE IS GOD
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SAMAEL’S SIN
Because of the reality of the authorities, inspired by the spirit of the father of truth, the great messenger referring to the authorities of the darkness told us that “our contest is not against flesh and blood, rather, the authorities of the universe and the spirits of wickedness.” I have sent you this because you inquire about the reality of the authorities.
Their chief is blind. Because of his power and his ignorance and his arrogance he said, with his power, “I am god; there is no other but me.”
When he said this, he sinned against all. This speech rose up to incorruptibility. Then there was a voice that came forth from incorruptibility, saying, “You are wrong, Samael,” that is, god of the blind.
His thoughts became blind. And having expelled his power—that is, the blasphemy he had spoken—he pursued it down to chaos and the abyss, his mother, at the instigation of Pistis Sophia. She established each of his offspring in conformity with its power, after the pattern of the realms that are above, for by starting from the invisible world the visible world was invented.
As incorruptibility looked down into the region of the waters, her image appeared in the waters, and the authorities of the darkness became enamored of her. But they could not lay hold of that image which had appeared to them in the waters, because of their weakness, since beings that merely have soul cannot lay hold of those that have spirit. For they were from below, while it was from above.
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Since that day, the heaven has been consolidated along with its earth by means of Sophia, the daughter of Yaldabaoth, who is beneath them all. After the heavens and their powers and all of their government set themselves aright, the chief creator exalted himself and was glorified by the whole army of angels. And all the gods and their angels gave him praise and glory.
And he rejoiced in his heart, and he boasted continually, saying to them, “I do not need anything. I am god and there is no other god but me.” But when he said these things, he sinned against all of the immortal imperishable ones, and they kept their eyes on him.
Moreover, when Pistis saw the impiety of the chief ruler, she was angry. Without being seen, she said, “You’re wrong, Samael,” that is, “blind god.” “An enlightened, immortal human exists before you and will appear within your fashioned bodies. The human will trample upon you as potter’s clay is trampled. And you will go with those who are yours down to your mother, the abyss. For in the consummation of your works, all of the deficiency that appeared in the truth will be dissolved. It will cease, and it will be like something that never existed.”
After Pistis said these things, she revealed the likeness of her greatness in the waters. And so she withdrew up to her light.
SCENE NINE—SOPHIA REPENTS
Then the mother began to move around. She realized that she was lacking something when the brightness of her light diminished. She grew dim because her partner had not collaborated with her.
What does it mean that she moved around?
When she recognized the wickedness that had occurred and the robbery her son had committed, she repented. When she became forgetful in the darkness of ignorance, she began to be ashamed. She did not dare to return, but she was agitated. This agitation is the moving around.
The arrogant one took power from his mother. He was ignorant, for he thought no one existed except his mother alone. When he saw the throng of angels he had created, he exalted himself over them.
When the mother realized that the trappings of darkness had come into being imperfectly, she understood that her partner had not collaborated with her. She repented with many tears. The whole realm of fullness heard her prayer of repentance and offered praise on her behalf to the invisible virgin spirit, and the spirit consented. When the invisible spirit consented, the holy spirit poured upon her some of the fullness of all. For her partner did not come to her on his own, but he came to her through the realm of fullness, so that he might restore what she lacked. She was taken up not to her own eternal realm, but to a position above her son. She was to remain in the ninth heaven until she restored what was lacking in herself.
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END OF ACT II
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