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the Apocryphon of John 2 Now it happened one day when John the brother of James, the sons of Zebedee, was going up to the temple, a Pharisee named Arimanios approached him. And he said to him, "Where is your teacher, the one whom you used to follow?" He said to him, "He returned to the place from which he came." The Pharisee said to me, "This Nazorene deceived you (pl.) with error. [He filled [your (pl.) ears with lies], and he shut [your hearts]. He turned you (pl.) [from] the traditions of your fathers." When I heard these things, I turned from the temple to the mountain which was a place of desert. And I grieved greatly in my heart, saying, "How was the Savior appointed? Why was he sent into the world by his father who sent him? Who is his father? And of what sort is that aeon to which we will go? He told us that the aeon is modeled on that indestructible aeon, but he did not teach us about what sort the latter is." 3 Just then, while I was thinking these things, the heavens opened, and the whole creation below the heaven was illuminated with light [below] heaven. And the [whole] world [quak]ed. I was afraid an[d I watch]ed. And behold a child [appeared to] me. Then [he changed himself] into the form of an old man [who had flight existing within him. [Although I was watch]ing him, I did not [understand this wonder, whether it is a [likeness] having numerous forms [in the flight—for its forms [appea]red through each oth[er—or] if it is one [likeness th]at has three aspects. [He sa]id [to me], "John, wh[y] are you doubting and [fearful]? For you are not a stranger [to this like]ness. Do not be faint[hearted]! I am the one who dwells with [you (pl.) al]ways. I am the [Father.] I am the Mother. [I] am [the S] on. I am the one who exists for ever, undefil[ed and un]mixed. N[ow I have come] to instruct you [about what] exists and what [has come] into being and what mu[st] come into being, so that you will [understand] the things which are invisible a[nd those which] are visible, and to t[each you] about the perfe[ct Human]. Now then lift up your [face to] me and listen. [Receive the things that I] will tell you toda[y so that] you yourself will tell the[m to your fel]low spirits who are [from] the im[mov]able generation [of the] perfect Human." 4 And [I asked] to know. He said to me, "[The Unit]y is a monarchy [with nothing] ruling over it. [It is] the Gold and] Father of the All, the [h]oly, the invisible, [who ex]ists over the All, the one who [. . .] incorruption, [existing as] pure light, into which it is not possible for any light of the eye to gaze. It is the Spirit. It is not appropriate to think about It as god or that It is something similar. For It surpasses divinity. It is a dominion having nothing to rule over It. For there is nothing existing before It nor does It have need of them. It does not need life. For It is eternal. It does not need anything. For It cannot be made perfect as though It were deficient and only required perfecting. Rather It is always totally perfect. It is light. It cannot be limited because there is nothing before It to limit It. It is inscrutable for there is no one before It to scrutinize It. It is immeasurable because there is no other to measure It as though (anything) exists before It. It is invisible because there is no one to see It. (It is) an eternity existing forever. (It is) ineffable because no one has comprehended It in order to speak about It. (It is) the one whose name cannot be spoken because no one exists before It to name It. It is the immeasurable light, the pure one who is holy and unpolluted, the ineffable one who is incorruptibly perfect. It is neither perfection nor blessedness nor divinity, but It is a thing far superior to these. It is not boundless nor is It limited, but It is a thing far superior to these. For It is neither corporeal nor incorporeal. It is neither large nor small. It is not a quantity. It is not a creature. Neither is it possible for anyone to know It. It is not something pertaining to the All which exists, rather It is a thing which is better than these—not as being superior (to others as though It is comparable to them) but as that which belongs to Itself. It does not participate in an aeon (as a constitutive part of it). Time does not exist with regard to It. For whoever participates in an aeon would have to have had it prepared for It by others. And time was not delimited for It since It does not receive from another who sets limits. And It does not need (anything). Nothing from the All exists before It. All It asks for is Itself alone within the perfect light. It will contemplate the unmixed light, the immeasurable vastness. (It is) the eternity who gives eternalness, the light who gives light, the life who gives life, the blessed one who gives blessedness, the understanding which gives understanding, the ever good one who gives good, the one who does good-not such that It possesses but such that It gives—the mercy which gives mercy, the grace which gives grace. 5 What shall I say to you about the immeasurable light? What is incomprehensible (can only be expressed as) the likeness of the light. In this manner, I will speak to you as far as I will be able to know It—for who could know It infinitely? His aeon is indestructible, being in a state of tranquility, at rest in silence. (It is) the one that exists before the All, for It is the head of all the aeons {(It is) the head of all the aeons because its goodness provides for all the aeons} —if another thing does exist with It. For none of those among us understood the things which belong to the immeasurable one except the one who appeared in It. It is he who told these things to us. (It is) the one who knows Itself alone in the light-water that surrounds It, which is the spring of living water, the light which is full of purity. The spring of the Spirit flowed from the living water of the light and it abundantly supplied all the aeons and the worlds. {and the spring of the Spirit from which the [living] water flows. It abundantly supplied all the aeons and their worlds.} In every way It perceived Its own image, seeing It in the pure light-water which surrounds It. And Its thinking become a thing. She appeared. She stood in Its presence in the brilliance of the light; she is the power which is before the All. It is she who appeared, she who is the perfect Pronoia of the All, the light, the likeness of the light, the image of the Invisible, she who is the perfect power, Barbelo, the perfect aeon of the glory. She glorifies It because she appeared through It and she perceived It. {the glory who glorifies It because she appeared through] It. And she glorified [It].} She is the primal Thought (Protennoia), Its image. She became a primal Human, which is the virginal Spirit, the triple male, the one belonging to the triple power, the triple na[med], the triple begotten one, the androgynous aeon which does not grow old, who came from Its Pronoia. {[the triple male, the triple] hymned, the [triple named, the tri]ple po[wer, the] androgynous aeon which does not grow o]ld, [which ca]me forth fr[om Its Pronoia].} 6 And Barbelo requested It to give to him Foreknowledge. It assented. When It had assented, Foreknowledge appeared. He stood with Thought, who is Pronoia. She glorified the Invisible one and the perfect power, Barbelo, for they came into being through her. Again, this power requested (It) to give her Incorruption. And It assented. When It had assented, Incorruption appeared and she stood with Thought and Foreknowledge, glorifying the Invisible one and Barbelo since she had come into being because of her. {They glorified the invisible Spirit and Barbelon for they had come into being because of her.} She requested (It) to give her Eternal Life. It assented. When It had assented, Eternal Life appeared. And they stood {And he stood}, glorifying It and Barbelo for they had come into being because of her from the revelation of the invisible Spirit. This is the pentad of the Aeons of the Father, who is the primal Human, the image of the Invisible one, namely: Barbelo, Thought, Foreknowledge, Incorruptibility, and Eternal Life. This is the androgynous pentad which is the decad of the Aeons, the Father from the unbegotten Father. {This is the androgynous pentad which is the decad of the Aeons of the Father.} 7 Barbelo gazed intently into It, the pure light. She turned herself toward It. She gave birth to a spark of blessed light, but it was not equal to her in greatness. {She gave birth to a spark of light resembling the blessed light } This is the Only-begotten who appeared from the Father, the divine Autogenes, the first-born son of the All of the Spirit of pure light. The invisible Spirit rejoiced over the light which had come into being, the one who was the first to appear from the primal power, which is Its Pronoia, Barbelo. And It anointed him with Its goodness/ Christhood so that he became perfect. There was no lack of good/ Christ within him because he was anointed in the invisible Spirit's goodness/Christhood which It poured out for him. And he received the anointing through the virgi[nal Spirit. He stood in [Its pre]sence, glorying the invisible Spirit and the perfect Pronoi[a], from whom he had appeared. {He stood in Its presence, glorying the invisible Spirit and the one because of whom he had appeared.} And he asked to be given one single thing, Mind. {And he asked to be given a fellow worker, Mind.} The invisible Spirit assented. Mind appeared. He stood with Christ, glorifying him and Barbelo, for all these had come into being in silence and thought. The invisible Spirit willed to perform a work. {The invisible Spirit willed to perform a work through the Word.} Its will became a work. He appeared. He stood with Mind and Light, glorifying It. The Word followed the Will. For through the Word, Christ created everything. The divine Autogenes, Eternal Life and Will, Mind and Foreknowledge stood, glorifying the invisible Spirit and Barbelo since they had come into being through her. Through the Spirit, he perfected the divine eternal Autogenes, the son of Barbelo, so that he stood before the eternal virginal invisible Spirit. {The great invisible Spirit perfected the divine Autogenes, the son of Barbelon} It was the divine Autogenes Christ that It honored with great honor, namely he who had come into being from Its primal Ennoia. That one is the one whom the invisible Spirit appointed as god over the All, the true god. It gave to him all authority and It caused the truth which is in It to be subject to him in order that he might know the All. (He is) that one whose name they will speak among those who are worthy of it. 8 For from the light, which is the Christ, and Immortality, through the divine [Spirit], {For from the light, which is the Christ, and immortality, through the gift of the invisible Spirit} the four great Lights appeared from the divine Autogenes so that they might stand before him. The three (are): Will [and] Thought and Life. And the four are: Grace, Understanding, Perception, and Prudence. Grace (belongs to) the primal Light Harmozel {Armozel}, who is the angel of light in the primal Aeon; with him are three Aeons: Grace, Truth, Form. The second Light Oroiael is the one he placed over the second Aeon; with him are three Aeons: Pronoia, Perception, Memory The third Light Daveithe is the one he placed over the third Aeon; with him are three Aeons: Understanding, Lov[e, Likeness]. The fourth Light Eleleth is the one he placed over the fourth Aeon; with him are three Aeons: Perfection, Peace, Wisdom. 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. {These are the four Lights which stand before the divine Autogenes, the twelve Aeons which stand before the Child through the gift and approval of the great Autogenetor Christ, through the gift and the approval of the invisible Spirit.} The twelve Aeons belong to the Son of Autogenetos. 9 All things were firmly founded through the will of the holy Spirit, through Autogenes. And from the first Understanding and the perfect Mind, through God, through the approval of the great invisible Spirit and the approval of Autogenes, It named the true perfect Human, the primal revelation, Adam. {From the first Understanding and the perfect Mind through the gift and the approval of the great invisible Spirit in the presence of Autogenes, the perfect, true, holy Human, the first who appeared—he was called Adamas.} It set him over the primal Aeon beside the great divine Autogenetor Christ, being the primal Aeon of Harmozel and Its powers with him. And the invisible Spirit gave him an unconquerable intellectual power. {And the Invisible one gave him an unconquerable intellectual power.} He said, 'I glorify and I praise the invisible Spirit for it is because of you that all things came into being and all things (are) in you. And I praise you and Autogenes and the three Aeons: the Father and the Mother and the Child, the perfect power.' {"I praise you and Autogenes and the aeon the triad: the Father and the Mother and the Child, the perfect power."} And It placed his Child Seth over the second Light Oroiael. {And his son Seth was placed in the second aeon with the second light Oroiael.} And in the third Aeon was placed the seed of Seth, the souls of the saints who dwell forever in the third Light Daveithe. {And in the third Aeon was placed the seed of Seth, the souls of the saints who dwell in the aeon with the third Light Daveithe.} And in the fourth Aeon were placed the souls who did understand their perfection yet they did not repent immediately but they persisted a while. In the end, however, they repented. They will remain in the fourth Light Eleleth, the one who yoked them to himself, glorifying the invisible Spirit. {having been gathered to that place, glorifying the invisible Spirit}. 10 Our fellow sister, Sophia, being an Aeon, thought a thought from within herself and in the thought of the Spirit and the Foreknowledge. 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. {She freely willed the likeness to appear from within herself. 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.} But she did not find her concord. 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}. Because of the audacity within her, her thought was not able to be idle and her product came forth, being imperfect, ugly in his appearance, because she had made it without her partner {and her product came forth, being imperfect, not being formed in her form, for she had made him without her partner}. And he did not resemble the likeness of the Mother, for he had another form. As she deliberated, she saw that he had become modeled after a different likeness, "having the face of a serpent and the face of a lion. His eyes were shining with fire. She cast him away from her outside of those places so that none of the immortals might see him, because she had given birth to him in ignorance. She united a luminous cloud with him. She placed a throne in the midst of the cloud so that no one might see him except the holy Spirit who is called Life, the mother of everyone {except the holy Spirit who is called the Mother of all the living}. And she named him Yaldabaoth. He is the Chief Ruler, the one who attained a great power from the Mother. 11 He removed himself from her. He abandoned the place in which he had been born. {He moved from place to place away from the place in which he had been born.} He seized another place. He created for himself an aeon, which blazes with a shining fire, in which he now dwells. {He created for himself an aeon of fiery, luminous flame, in which he now dwells.} And he copulated with Madness, who is in him {He copulated with Ignorance, who is in him}. He begat authorities who are under him, the twelve angels, each one of them to his own aeon following the model of the immortal Aeons. And he created for each one of them seven angels each and for the angels three powers-these are all under him, 360 angelic beings with his third power, following the likeness of the primal model which is prior to him.
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