Transcription
[Music]
The Secret Book of John
Narrated by Matthew Schmitz
The Teaching of the Savior
The teaching of the Savior and the revelation of the mysteries and the things hidden in silence, things he taught his disciple John. The Revealer appears to John one day when John, the brother of James, who are the sons of Zebedee, went up to the temple. It happened that a Pharisee named Aramanios came up to him and said to him, "Where is your teacher whom you followed?" I said to him, "He has returned to the place he came from." The Pharisee said to me, "This Nazarene really has deceived you, filled your ears with lies, closed your minds, and turned you from the traditions of your ancestors."
When I, John, heard this, I turned away from the temple and went to a mountainous and barren place. I was distressed within and I asked, "How was the Savior chosen? Why was he sent into the world by his Father? Who is his Father? Who sent him? To what kind of eternal realm shall we go? And why did he tell us when he spoke that this eternal realm to which we shall go is modeled after the incorruptible realm, but he did not teach us what kind of aeon that one is?"
At the moment I was thinking about this, look, the heavens opened and all creation under heaven lit up, and the world shook. I was afraid. And look, I saw within the light someone standing by me. As I was looking, it seemed to be an elderly person. Again, it changed its appearance to be a youth. Not that there were several figures before me, rather there was a figure with several forms within the light. These forms were visible through each other, and the figure had three forms.
The figure said to me, "John, John, why are you doubting? Why are you afraid? Aren't you familiar with this figure? Then do not be faint-hearted. I am always with you. I am the Father. I am the Mother. I am the Child. I am the incorruptible and the undefiled one. Now I have come to teach you what is, what was, and what is going to come, that you may understand what is invisible and what is visible, and to teach you about the unshakable generation of the perfect human. So now lift up your head that you may hear the things I shall tell you today, and that you may relate them to your spiritual friends who are from the unshakable generation of the perfect human."
The one I asked if I might understand this, and it said to me, "The One is a sovereign that has nothing over it. It is God and Parent, Father of the All, the invisible one that is over the All, that is incorruptible, that is pure light at which no eye can gaze. The One is the invisible spirit. We should not think of it as a god or like a god, for it is greater than a god because it has nothing over it and no lord above it. It does not exist within anything inferior to it, since everything exists within it, for it is established itself. It is eternal, since it does not need anything, for it is absolutely complete. It has never lacked anything in order to be completed by it. Rather, it is always absolutely complete in light.
The One is illimitable, since there is nothing before it to limit it. Unfathomable, since there is nothing before it to fathom it. Immeasurable, since there was nothing before it to measure it. Invisible, since nothing has seen it. Eternal, since it exists eternally. Unutterable, since nothing could comprehend it to utter it. Unnameable, since there is nothing before it to give it a name. The One is the immeasurable light, pure, holy, immaculate. It is unutterable and is perfect in incorruptibility. Not that it is just perfection or blessedness or divinity; it is much greater. The One is not corporeal and is not incorporeal. The One is not large and it is not small. It is impossible to say how much is it, what kind is it, for no one can understand it. The One is not among the things that exist, but it is much greater. Not that it is greater, rather as it is in itself, it is not a part of the aeons or time, for whatever is part of a realm was once prepared by another. Time was not allotted to it, since it receives nothing from anyone. What would be received would be on loan. The One who is first does not need to receive anything from another. It beholds itself in its light. The One is majestic and has an immeasurable purity. The One is a realm that gives a realm life, that gives life, a blessed one that gives blessedness, knowledge that gives knowledge, a good one that gives goodness, mercy that gives mercy, and redemption, grace that gives grace. Not that the One possesses this, rather the One gives immeasurable and incomprehensible light. What shall I tell you about it? Its eternal realm is incorruptible, at peace, dwelling in silence, at rest before everything. It is the head of all realms, and it is the one who sustains them through its goodness. We would not know what is ineffable, we would not understand what is immeasurable or not, for the One who has come from the Father. This is the one who has told these things to us alone."
Barbelo appears. This Father is the one who beholds himself in the light surrounding him, which is the spring of living water and provides all the realms. He reflects on his image everywhere, sees it in the spring of the spirit, and becomes enamored of his luminous water, for his image is in the spring of pure luminous water surrounding him. His thought became a reality, and she who appeared in his presence in shining light came forth. She is the first power who preceded everything and came forth from his mind as the forethought of the All. Her light shines like the Father's light. She, the perfect power, is the image of the perfect and invisible virgin spirit. She, the first power, the glory of Barbelo, the perfect glory among the aeons, the glory of revelation. She glorified and praised the virgin spirit. Or because of the spirit she had come forth, she is the first thought, the image of the spirit. She became the universal womb, for she precedes everything. The Mother-Father, the first human, the Holy Spirit, the triple male, the triple power, the androgynous one with three names, the aeon among the invisible beings, the first to come forth. Barbelo asked the invisible virgin spirit to give her foreknowledge, and the spirit consented. When the spirit consented, foreknowledge appeared and stood by forethought. This is the one who came from the thought of the invisible virgin spirit. Foreknowledge glorified the spirit and the spirit's perfect power, Barbelo, for because of her foreknowledge had come into being. She asked again to be given incorruptibility, and the spirit consented. When the spirit consented, incorruptibility appeared and stood by thought and foreknowledge. Incorruptibility glorified the invisible one and Barbelo, for because of her they had come into being. Barbelo asked to be given life eternal, and the invisible spirit consented. When the spirit consented, life eternal appeared, and they stood together and glorified the invisible spirit and Barbelo, for because of her they had come into being. She asked again to be given truth, and the invisible spirit consented. Truth appeared, and they stood together and glorified the good invisible spirit and its Barbelo, for because of her they had come into being.
These are the five aeons of the Father. They are the first human, the image of the invisible spirit, that is forethought, which is Barbelo, and thought, along with foreknowledge, incorruptibility, life eternal, and truth. These are the five androgynous aeons, which are the ten aeons, which is the Father.
Barbelo conceives. The Father gazed into Barbelo with the pure light surrounding the invisible spirit and his radiance. Barbelo conceived from him, and he produced a spark of light similar to the blessed light, but not as great. This was the only child of the Mother-Father that had come forth, the only offspring, the only child of the Father, the pure light. The invisible virgin spirit rejoiced over the light that was produced, that came forth from the first power of the spirit's forethought, who was Barbelo. The spirit anointed it with his own goodness until it was perfect, with no lack of goodness, since it was anointed with the goodness of the invisible spirit. The child stood in the presence of the spirit as the spirit anointed the child. As soon as the child received this from the spirit, it glorified the Holy Spirit in perfect forethought, because of her it had come forth. The child 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 in Barbelo. All these beings came into existence in silence.
Mind wished to create something by means of the world 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 divine self-generated, created everything by the word. Life eternal, will, mind, and foreknowledge stood together and glorified the invisible spirit and Barbelo, for because of her they had come into being. The Holy Spirit brought the divine self-generated child of himself and Barbelo to perfection, so that the child might stand before the great invisible virgin spirit as the divine self-generated, the anointed, who honored the spirit with loud acclaim. The child came forth through forethought. The invisible virgin spirit set the true divine self-generated 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.
The Four Luminaries
Now from the light which is the anointed, and from incorruptibility by the grace of the spirit, the four luminaries that derive from the divine self-generated gazed out in order to stand before it. The three beings are will, thought, life. The four powers are understanding, grace, perception, thoughtfulness. Grace dwells in the eternal realm of the luminary Harmosal, who is the first angel. There are three other aeons with this eternal realm: grace, truth, form. The second luminary is Auriel, who has been appointed over the second eternal realm. There are three other aeons with it: insight, perception, memory. The third luminary is Deviathai, who has been appointed over the third eternal realm. There are three other aeons with it: understanding, love, idea. The fourth eternal realm has been set up for the fourth luminary, Illith. There are three other aeons with it: perfection, peace, Sophia. These are the four luminaries that stand before the divine self-generated. These are the twelve aeons that stand before the child of the great one, the self-generated, the anointed, by the will and grace of the invisible spirit. The twelve aeons belonged to the child, the self-generated, and everything was established by the will of the Holy Spirit through the self-generated.
Piguetamas and Seth
From the foreknowledge of the perfect mind, through the expressed will of the invisible spirit and the will of the self-generated, came the perfect human, the first revelation, the truth. The virgin spirit named the human Pigeradamus and appointed him to the first eternal realm with the great self-generated, the anointed, by the first luminary Harmosal. Its powers dwell with it. The invisible one gave him an invincible power of mind. Pagaridamus 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, the self-generated, the eternal realms, the three, Father-Mother-Child, perfect power." He appointed his son Seth to the second eternal realm before the second luminary Auriel. In the third eternal realm were stationed the offspring of Seth, with the third luminary Deviathai. 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 Illeleth. These are creatures that glorify the invisible spirit.
The Fall of Sophia
Now Sophia, who is the wisdom of insight and who constitutes an 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. 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. Nonetheless, she gave birth, and because of the invincible power within her, her thought was not an idle thought. Something came out of her that was imperfect and different in appearance from her, or she had produced it without her partner. It did not resemble its mother and was misshapen.
When Sophia saw what her desire had produced, it changed into the figure of a snake with the face of a lion. Its eyes were like flashing bolts of lightning. She casted away from her outside that realm so that none of the immortals would see it. She had produced it ignorantly. She surrounded it with a bright cloud and put a throne in the middle of the cloud so that no one would see it except the Holy Spirit, who was called the Mother of the Living. She named her offspring Yaldabaoth.
Yaldabaoth's World Order
This is the first ruler, the 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 aeons 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 Hamas, who is the jealous eye. The third is Kalila Umbri. The fourth is Yabel. The fifth is Adonaius, who is called Sebeoth. The sixth is Cain, whom generations of people call the Sun. The seventh is Abel. The eighth is Everseen. The ninth is Yobel. The tenth is Amupiel. The eleventh is Melkier Adonain. The twelfth is Bilais, who was 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 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 it became neither light nor darkness, but rather gloom. This gloomy Archon has three names: the first name is Yaldabaoth, the second is Sakla, the third is Samayal. He is wicked in the mindlessness within him. He said, "I am God, and there is no other God beside me," since he did not know from where his own strength had come.
The rulers each created seven powers for themselves, and the powers each created six angels until there were 365 angels. These are the names and the corresponding physiques: The first is Aethoth, and has the face of a sheep. The second is Eloheos, and has the face of a donkey. The third is Estefaos, and has the face of a hyena. The fourth is Yao, and has the face of a snake with seven heads. The fifth is, and has the face of a snake. The sixth is Adon, and has the face of an ape. The seventh is Sabateos, and has a face of flaming fire. This is the seven-fold nature of the weak. Yeldebaoth 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, with the first power Ethoth. Second is forethought, with the second power Elo eos. Third is divinity, with the third power Esta feos. Fourth is lordship, with the fourth power Yao. Fifth is kingdom, with the fifth power Sebeoth. Sixth is jealousy, with the sixth power Adonin. Seventh is understanding, with the seventh power Saboteus. Each has a sphere in its own realm. They were named after the glory above for the destruction of the powers. Although 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.
Aldabaoth organized everything after the pattern of the first aeons that had come into being, so that he might create everything in an incorruptible form. Not that he had seen the incorruptable 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 creations surrounding him and the throng of angels around him that 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, or if there were no other God, of whom would he be jealous?
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. I said, "Lord, what does it mean that she moved around?" The Lord laughed and said, "Do not suppose that it is as Moses said above the waters, no. When she recognized the wickedness that had taken place 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 instead to a position above her son. She was to remain in the ninth heaven until she restored what was lacking in herself.
The Human Appears
A voice called from the exalted heavenly realm, "Humanity exists." And the child of humanity, the first ruler Yaldabaoth, heard the voice and thought it had come from his mother. He did not realize its source: the Holy, perfect Mother-Father, the complete forethought, the image of the invisible one, being the Father of the All, through whom everything came into being, the first human. This is the one who showed them and appeared in human shape. The entire realm of the first ruler quaked, and the foundations of the abyss shook. The bottom side of the waters above the material world was lit up by this image that had appeared. When all the authorities and the first ruler stared at this appearance, they saw the whole bottom side as it was lit up, and through the light, they saw the shape of the image in the water.
The Creation of Adam
Yaldabayath said to the authorities with him, "Come, let's create a human being after the image of God and with a likeness to ourselves, so that this human image may give us light." They created through their respective powers according to the features that were given. Each of the authorities contributed a physical feature corresponding to the figure of the image they had seen. They created a being like the perfect first human and said, "Let's call it Adam, that its name may give us power of light."
The powers began to create: The first one, goodness, created a soul of bone. The second, Orthot, created a soul of sinew. The third, divinity, created a soul of flesh. The fourth, lordship, created a soul of marrow. The fifth, kingdom, created a soul of blood. The sixth, jealousy, created a soul of skin. Seventh, understanding, created a soul of hair.
The throng of angels stood by and received these seven physical substances from the authorities in order to create a network of limbs and trunk with all the parts properly arranged. The first one, who is Raphael, began by creating the head. Abroad created the skull. Meniguestrowith created the brain. Esther Ekme, the right eye. Taspamoka, the left eye. Euronumos, the right ear. Biswam, the left ear. Akiorim, the nose. Banan, the lips. Efrom, the teeth. Ibikan, the molars. Basilia, the tonsils. Adame, the uvula. Dibban, the neck. Amen, the vertebrae. Dirko, the throat. The right shoulder and the left shoulder, Mania. The right elbow, the left elbow. The right underarm, You, and then the left underarm, Crews. The right hand, Value a, the left hand. The fingers of the right hand, Barbell, the fingers of the left hand, Crema. The fingernails, Astrops. The right breast, Bear off, the left breast, Balm. The right shoulder joint, Arrowrem, the left shoulder joint, Here. The belly, The thou. The navel, Senophim. The abdomen, Era katha pi. The right ribs, Zebado, the left ribs, Borias. The right hip, the mouth, the left hip, Ebb and Lenarchy. The marrow, Know men and Noren. The bones, Gesoul. The stomach, Aggro mauma. The heart, Bano. The lungs, Sostrapal. The liver, And a simalar. The spleen, The pithro. The intestines, Biblo. The kidneys, The sinews, The freyo. The backbone, The deposit, Binibarin. The arteries, The toymensophy. The breaths in all the limbs, Anthulia. All the flesh, Bedoui. The right thigh, Nebras, the left thigh, Serem. The muscles of the right leg, Asakus, the muscle of the left, Ormayoth. The right leg, Eminem, the left leg, Knucks. The right shin, Tupelon, the left shin, Achiel. The right ankle, Neem, the left ankle, Plyothrome. The right foot, Boa bell, its toes, Truck hound. The left foot, its toes, Me am i. The toenails, Lubernium.
Those who are appointed over all these are seven in number: Athoth, Abel. Those who activate the limbs are part by part: The head, Dio limoudraza. The neck, Yamahax. The right shoulder, The cube, the left shoulder, Our tongue. The right hand, Our diddy, the left one, Barbado. The fingers of the right hand, Lamp no, the fingers of the left hand, Like. The right breast, Barbar, the left breast, I may. The chest piece, Andropitus. The right shoulder, the right shoulder joint, Koid, the left shoulder joint, Odior. The right ribs, Asphyxics, the left ribs, Sanuk chaota. The abdomen, A roof. The womb, Sabello. The right thigh, Chacharb, the left thigh, Catheon. All the genitals, Bethanath. The right leg, Chalks, the left leg, Charcha. The right shin, Aurora, the left shin, The right ankle, Aeol, the left ankle, Tirana. The right foot, Bastan, its toes, Archentecta. Seven have been empowered over all these: Michael, Uriel, Asminatus, Sephistoel, Amurium, Britrum, Amyorps. Those who are over the senses are Archendecta. The one who is over perception is Diatharbethus. The one who is over imagination is Uma. The one who is over arrangement is. The one who is over all impulse to action is. The source of the demons that are in the entire body is divided into four: heat, cold, wetness, dryness. And the mother of them all is matter. The one who is lured over heat is Flak sofa. The one who is lured over cold is Aurora with us. The one who is lord over what is dry is Aramaco. The one who is lord over wetness is Athuro. The mother of all these, Anathokras, stands in the midst of them, for she is unlimited and mingles with them all. She is matter, and by her they are nourished. The four principal demons are: Effementi, the demon of pleasure. Yoko, the demon of desire. Nenentofni, the demon of grief. Blauman, the demon of fear. The mother of them all is Esthesis. From the four demons have come passions: From grief come jealousy, envy, pain, trouble, distress, hard-heartedness, anxiety, sorrow, and others. From pleasure comes an abundance of evil, vain conceit, and the like. From desire come anger, wrath, bitterness, intense lust, greed, and the like. From fear come terror, servility, anguish, and shame. All these are like virtues and vices. The insight into their true nature is Onaro, who is head of the material soul, and it dwells with Ethicist Ziak Epitol.
This is the number of angels in all. They number 365. They all worked together until limb by limb, the physical and material body was completed. Now there are others over the remaining passions, and I have not told you about them. If you want to know about them, the information is recorded in the Book of Zoroaster.
Adam Receives Spirit and Life
All the angels and demons worked together until they fashioned the psychical body, but for a long time their creation did not stir or move at all. When the Mother wanted to take back the power she had relinquished to the first ruler, she prayed to the most merciful Mother-Father of the All. With a sacred command, the Mother-Father sent five luminaries down upon the place of the angels of the first ruler. They advised him so that they might recover the Mother's power. They said to Yaldabaoth, "Breathe some of your spirit into the face of Adam, and the body will arise." He breathed his spirit into Adam. The spirit is the power of his Mother, but he did not realize this because he lives in ignorance. The Mother's power went out of Yaldabaoth into the physical body that had been made to be like the one who is from the beginning. The body moved and became powerful, and it was enlightened at once. The rest of the powers became jealous. Although Adam came into being through all of them, and they gave their power to this human, Adam was more intelligent than the creators and the first ruler. When they realized that Adam was enlightened and could think more clearly than they, and was stripped of evil, they took and threw Adam into the lowest part of the whole material realm.
The blessed, benevolent, merciful Mother-Father had compassion for the Mother's power that had been removed from the first ruler. The Archons might be able to overpower the psychical, perceptible body once again. So with its benevolent and most merciful spirit, the Mother-Father sent a helper to Adam: Enlightened Insight, who is from the Mother-Father and who was called Life. She helped the whole creature, laboring with it, restoring it to its fullness, teaching it about the descent of the seed, teaching it about the way of ascent, which is the way of descent. Enlightened Insight was hidden within Adam so that the Archons might not recognize her, but that Insight might be able to restore what the Mother lacked.
The Imprisonment of Humanity
The human being Adam was revealed through the bright shadow within, and Adam's ability to think was greater than that of all the creators. When they looked up, they saw that Adam's ability to think was greater, and they devised a plan with the whole throng of Archons and angels. They took fire, earth, and water, and combined them with the four fiery winds. They brought them together and made a great commotion. The rulers brought Adam into the shadow of death so that they might produce a figure again from earth, water, fire, and the spirit that comes from matter, that is from the ignorance of darkness and desire, and their own phony spirit. This figure is the cave for remodeling the body that these criminals put on the human: the fetter of forgetfulness. Adam became a mortal person, the first to descend and the first to become estranged. Enlightened Insight within Adam, however, was rejuvenating Adam's mind.
The Archons took Adam and put Adam in Paradise. They said, "Eat," meaning, "Do so in a leisurely manner," but in fact, their pleasure is bitter, and their beauty is perverse. Their pleasure is a trap, their trees are a sacrilege, their fruit is deadly poison, and their promise is death. They put their tree of life in the middle of Paradise. "I shall teach you what the secret of their life is, the plan they devise together, the nature of their spirit. The root of their tree is bitter, its branches are death, its shadow is hatred, a trap is in its leaves, its blossom is bad ointment, its fruit is death. Desire is its seed, and it blossoms in darkness. The dwelling place of those who taste of it is the underworld, and darkness is their resting place."
But the Archons lingered in front of what they call the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is Enlightened Insight, so that Adam might not behold its fullness and recognize his shameful nakedness. But I was the one who induced them to eat. I said to the Savior, "Lord, was it not the serpent that instructed Adam to eat?" The Savior laughed and said, "The serpent instructed them to eat of the wickedness of sexual desire and destruction so that Adam might be of use to the servant." The first ruler knew Adam was disobedient to him because of Enlightened Insight within Adam, which made Adam stronger of mind than he. He wanted to recover the power that he himself had passed on to Adam, so he brought deep sleep upon Adam. I said to the Savior, "What is this deep sleep?" The Savior said, "It is not as Moses wrote and you heard. He said in his first book, 'He put Adam to sleep.' Rather, this deep sleep was a loss of sense. Thus, the first ruler said through the prophet, 'I shall make their minds sluggish, that they may neither understand nor discern.'"
The Creation of Eve
Enlightened Insight hid herself within Adam. The first ruler wanted to take her from Adam's side, but Enlightened Insight cannot be apprehended. Although darkness pursued her, it did not apprehend her. The first ruler removed part of Adam's power and created another figure in the form of a female, like the image of Insight that had appeared to him. He put the part he had taken from the power of the human being into the female creature. It did not happen, however, the way Moses said: Adam's rib. Adam saw the woman beside him at once. Enlightened Insight appeared and removed the veil that covered his mind. He sobered up from the drunkenness of darkness. He recognized his counterpart and said, "This is now bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh. For this reason, a man will leave his father and his mother and will join himself to his wife, and the two of them will become one flesh." For his partner will be sent to him, and he will leave his father and his mother. Our sister Sophia is the one who descended in an innocent manner to restore what she lacked. For this reason, she was called Life, that is, the Mother of the Living, by the forethought of the sovereignty of heaven, and by the insight that appeared to Adam through her have the living tasted perfect knowledge. As for me, I appeared in the form of an eagle upon the Tree of Knowledge, which is the insight of the pure enlightened forethought, that I might teach the human beings and awaken them from the depth of sleep, for the two of them were fallen and realized that they were naked. Insight appeared to them as light and awakened their minds.
Yaldabaoth Defiles Eve
When the Elderbeoth realized that the humans had withdrawn from him, he cursed his earth. He found the woman as she was preparing herself for her husband. He was master over her, and he did not know the mystery that had come into being through the sacred plan. The two of them were afraid to denounce Yaldabaoth. He displayed his angels, the ignorance within him, and he threw the humans out of Paradise and cloaked them in thick darkness. The first ruler saw the young woman standing next to Adam and noticed that Enlightened Insight of Life had appeared in her. Yet Yaldabaoth was full of ignorance. So when the forethought of the All realized this, she dispatched emissaries, and they stole life out of Eve. The first ruler defiled Eve and produced in her two sons: a first and a second, Elohim and Yahweh. Elohim has the face of a bear; Yahweh has the face of a cat. One is just, the other is unjust. He placed Yahweh over fire and wind; he placed Elohim over water and earth. He called them by the names Cain and Abel with a view to deceive. To this day, sexual intercourse has persisted because of the first ruler. He planted sexual desire within the woman who belongs to Adam. Through intercourse, the first ruler produced duplicate bodies, and he blew some of his false spirit into them. He placed these two rulers over the elements so that they might rule over the cave. When Adam came to know the counterpart of his own foreknowledge, he produced a son like the child of humanity. He called him Seth, after the manner of the generation in the eternal realms. Similarly, the Mother sent down her spirit, which is like her and is a copy of what is in the realm of fullness, for she was going to prepare a dwelling place for the eternal realms that would come down. The human beings were made to drink water of forgetfulness by the first ruler so that they might not know where they had come from. For a time, the seed remained and helped, so that when the spirit descends from the holy realms, it may raise up the seed and heal what it lacks, that the entire realm of fullness may be holy and lack nothing.
On Human Destiny
I said to the Savior, "Lord, will all the souls then be led safely into pure light?" He answered and said to me, "These are great matters that have arisen in your mind, and it is difficult to explain them to anyone except those of the unshakable generation. Those upon whom the spirit of life will descend and whom the spirit will empower will be saved and will become perfect and worthy of greatness and will be cleansed thereof all evil and the anxieties of wickedness, since they are no longer anxious for anything except the incorruptible alone and concerned with that. From this moment on, without anger, jealousy, envy, desire, or greed for anything, they are affected by nothing but being in the flesh alone, and they wear the flesh as they look forward to a time when they will be met by those who receive them. Such people are worthy of the incorruptible eternal life and calling. They endure everything and bear everything so as to finish the contest and receive eternal life."
I said to him, "Lord, will the souls of people be rejected who have not done these things, but upon whom the power and the spirit of life have descended?" He answered and said to me, "If the spirit descends upon them, by all means, they will be saved and transformed. Power will descend upon every person, for without it, no one could stand after birth. If the spirit of life grows and power comes and strengthens that soul, no one will be able to lead it astray with evil actions. But people upon whom the false spirit descends are misled by it and go astray."
I said, "Lord, where will their souls go when they leave their flesh?" He laughed and said to me, "The soul in which there is more power than the contemptible spirit is strong. She escapes from evil, and through the intervention of the incorruptible one, she is saved and taken up to eternal rest."
I said, "Lord, where will the souls go of people who have not known to whom they belong?" He said to me, "The contemptible spirit has grown stronger in such people. While they were going astray, this spirit lays a heavy burden on the soul, leads her into evil deeds, and hurls her down into forgetfulness. After the soul leaves the body, she is handed over to the authorities who have come into being through the Archon. They bind her with chains and throw her into prison. They go around with her until she awakens from forgetfulness and acquires knowledge. This is how she attains perfection and is saved."
I said, "Lord, how can the soul become younger and return into its mother's womb or into the human?" He was glad when I asked him about this and he said to me, "You are truly blessed, for you have understood. This soul will be made to follow another soul in whom the spirit of life dwells, and she is saved through that one. Then she will not be thrust into flesh again."
I said, "Lord, where will the souls go of people who had knowledge but turned away?" He said to me, "They will be taken to the place where the angels of misery go, where there is no repentance. They will be kept there until the day when those who have blasphemed against the spirit will be tortured and punished eternally."
I said, "Lord, where did the contemptible spirit come from?" He said to me, "The Mother-Father is great in mercy. The Holy Spirit, who in every way is compassionate, who sympathizes with you, the insight of enlightened forethought. This one raised up the offspring of the perfect generation and their thought and the eternal light of the human."
When the first ruler realized that these people were exalted above him and could think better than he, he wanted to grasp their thought. He did not know that they surpassed him in thought and that he would be unable to grasp them. He devised a plan with his authorities, who are his powers. Together they fornicated with Sophia, and through them was produced bitter fate. The final, fickle bondage. Fate is like this because the powers are fickle. To the present day, fate is tougher and stronger than what gods, angels, demons, and all the generations have encountered. For from fate have come all iniquity and injustice and blasphemy, the bondage of forgetfulness and ignorance, and all burdensome orders, weighty sins, and great fears. Thus, all of creation has been blinded so that none might know the God that is over them all. Because of the bondage of forgetfulness, their sins have been hidden. They have been bound with dimensions, times, and seasons, and fate is master of all.
The first ruler regretted everything that had happened through him. Once again, he made a plan to bring a flood upon the human creation. The enlightened majesty of forethought, however, warned Noah. Noah announced this to all the offspring, the human children, but those who were strangers to him did not listen to him. It did not happen the way Moses said they hid in an ark; rather, they hid in a particular place. Not only Noah, but also many other people from the unshakable generation. They entered that place and hid in a bright cloud. Noah knew about his supremacy. With him was the enlightened one who had enlightened them, since the first ruler had brought darkness upon the whole earth.
The first ruler plotted with his powers. He sent his angels to the human daughters so that they might take some of them and raise offspring for their pleasure. At first, they were unsuccessful. When they had proven unsuccessful, they met again and devised another plan. They created a contemptible spirit similar to the spirit that had descended in order to adulterate souls. Through the spirit, the angels changed their appearance to look like the partners of these women and filled the women with the spirit of darkness that they had concocted and with evil. They brought gold, silver, gifts, copper, iron, metal, and all sorts of things. They brought great anxieties to the people who followed them, leading them astray with many deceptions. These people grew old without experiencing pleasure and died without finding truth or knowing the God of truth. In this way, all creation was forever enslaved from the beginning of the world until the present day. The angels took women, and from the darkness, they produced children similar to their spirit. They closed their minds and became stubborn through the stubbornness of the contemptible spirit until the present day.
Hymn of the Savior
Now I, the perfect forethought of the All, transformed myself into my offspring. I existed first and went down every path. I am the abundance of light. I am the remembrance of fullness. I traveled in the realm of great darkness and continued until I entered the midst of the prison. The foundations of chaos shook, and I hid from them because of their evil, and they did not recognize me. Again, I returned a second time and went on. I had come from the inhabitants of light, I, the remembrance of forethought. I entered the midst of darkness and the bowels of the underworld, turning to my task. The foundations of chaos shook as though to fall upon those who dwell in chaos and destroy them. Again, I hurried back to the root of my light so they might not be destroyed before their time. Again, a third time I went forth. I am the light dwelling in light. I am the remembrance of forethought, so that I might enter the midst of darkness and the bowels of the underworld. I brightened my face with light from the consummation of their realm and entered the midst of their prison, which is the prison of the body. I said, "Let whoever hears arise from deep sleep." A person wept and shed tears, bitter tears. The person wiped away and said, "Who is calling my name? From where has my hope come as I dwell in the bondage of prison?" I said, "I am the forethought of pure light. I am the thought of the virgin spirit who raises you to a place of honor. Arise, remember that you have heard, and trace your root, which is I. The compassionate guard yourself against the angels of misery, the demons of chaos, and all who entrap you, and beware of deep sleep and the trap in the bowels of the underworld." I raised and sealed the person in luminous water with five seals, that death might not prevail over the person. From that moment on.
Conclusion
Look now, I shall ascend to the perfect realm. I have finished everything for you. In your hearing, I have told you everything for you to record and communicate secretly to your spiritual friends. This is the mystery of the unshakable generation. The Savior communicated this to John for him to record and safeguard. He said to him, "Cursed be anyone who will trade these things for a gift, for food, drink, clothes, or anything like this. These things were communicated to him in a mystery." And at once, the Savior disappeared. Then John went to the other disciples and reported what the Savior had told him.
Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Secret Book According to John. You.