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Pistis Sophia, by G.R.S. Mead, [1921], at sacred-texts.com
It came to pass then, when Jesus had heard Martha speak these words, that he said unto her: "Well said, Martha, and finely."
And Jesus continued again in the discourse and said unto his disciples: "Pistis Sophia again continued in the fourth repentance, reciting it before she was oppressed a second time, in order that the lion-faced power and |63. all the material emanations with it, which Self-willed
had sent into the chaos, might not take away her total light in her. She uttered then this repentance as follows:
The fourth repentance of Sophia."'1. O Light, in whom I have trusted, give ear to my repentance, and let my voice reach unto thy dwelling-place.
"'2. Turn not away thy light-image from me, but have heed unto me, if they oppress me; and save me quickly at the time when I shall cry unto thee.
"'3. For my time is vanished like a breath and I am become matter.
"'4. They have taken my light from me, and my power is dried up. I have forgotten my mystery which heretofore I was wont to accomplish.
"'5. Because of the voice of the fear and the power of Self-willed my power is vanished.
"'6. I am become as a demon apart, who dwelleth in matter and light is not in him, and I am become as a counterfeiting spirit, which is in a material body and light-power is not in it.
"'7. And I am become as a decan who is alone in the air.
"'8. The emanations of Self-willed have sore oppressed me, and my pair hath said unto himself:
"'9. Instead of with light which was in her, they have filled her with chaos. I have devoured the sweat of my own matter and the anguish of the tears from the matter of my eyes, so that they who oppress me may not take the rest.
"'10. All this hath befallen me, O Light, by thy |64. commandment and thy command, and it is thy commandment that I am here.
"'11. Thy commandment hath brought me down, and I am descended as a power of the chaos, and my power is numbed in me.
"'12. But thou, O Lord, art Light eternal, and dost visit them who are for ever oppressed.
"'13. Now, therefore, O Light, arise and seek my power and the soul in me. Thy commandment is accomplished, which thou didst decree for me in my afflictions. My time is come, that thou shouldst seek my power and my soul, and this is the time which thou didst decree to seek me.
"'14. For thy saviours have sought the power which is in my soul, because the number is completed, and in order that also its matter may be saved.
"'15. And then at that time shall all the rulers of the material æons be in fear of thy light, and all the emanations of the thirteenth material æon shall be in fear of the mystery of thy light, so that the others may put on the purification of their light.
"'16. For the Lord will seek the power of your soul. He hath revealed his mystery,
"'17. So that he may regard the repentance of them who are in the regions below; and he hath not disregarded their repentance.
"'18. This is then that mystery which is become the type in respect of the race which shall be born; and the race which shall be born will sing praises to the height.
"'19. For the Light hath looked down from the height of its light. It will look down on |65. the total matter,
"'20. To hear the sighing of those in chains,
to loose the power of the souls whose power is bound,--
"'21. So that it may lay its name in the soul and its mystery in the power.'"