Eugnostos the Blessed
Translated by Douglas M. Parrott (combining III,3 and V,1)
Eugnostos, the Blessed, to those who are his.
Rejoice in this, that you know. Greetings! I want you to know
that all men born from the foundation of the world until now are dust.
While they have inquired about God, who he is and what he is like, they
have not found him. The wisest among them have speculated about the truth
from the ordering of the world. And the speculation has not reached the
truth. For the ordering is spoken of in three (different) opinions by all
the philosophers; hence they do not agree. For some of them say about the
world that it was directed by itself. Others, that it is providence (that
directs it). Others, that it is fate. But it is none of these. Again, of
three voices that I have just mentioned, none is true. For whatever is
from itself is an empty life; it is self-made. Providence is foolish. Fate
is an undiscerning thing.
Whoever, then, is able to get free of these three voices I
have just mentioned and come by means of another voice to confess the God
of truth and agree in everything concerning him, he is immortal dwelling
in the midst of mortal men.
He-Who-Is is ineffable. No principle knew him, no authority,
no subjection, nor any creature from the foundation of the world, except
he alone. For he is immortal and eternal, having no birth; for everyone
who has birth will perish. He is unbegotten, having no beginning; for everyone
who has a beginning has an end. No one rules over him. He has no name;
for whoever has a name is the creation of another. He is unnameable. He
has no human form; for whoever has human form is the creation of another.
He has his own semblance - not like the semblance we have received and
seen, but a strange semblance that surpasses all things and is better than
the totalities. It looks to every side and sees itself from itself. He
is infinite; he is incomprehensible. He is ever imperishable (and) has
no likeness (to anything). He is unchanging good. He is faultless. He is
everlasting. He is blessed. He is unknowable, while he (nonetheless) knows
himself. He is immeasurable. He is untraceable. He is perfect, having no
defect. He is imperishably blessed. He is called 'Father of the Universe'.
Before anything is visible among those that are visible, the
majesty and the authorities that are in him, he embraces the totalities
of the totalities, and nothing embraces him. For he is all mind, thought
and reflecting, considering, rationality and power. They all are equal
powers. They are the sources of the totalities. And their whole race <from
first> to last is in the foreknowledge of the Unbegotten, for they had
not yet come to visibility.
Now a difference existed among the imperishable aeons. Let
us, then, consider (it) this way: Everything that came from the perishable
will perish, since it came from the perishable. Whatever came from imperishableness
will not perish but will become imperishable, since it came from imperishableness.
So, many men went astray because they had not known this difference; that
is, they died.
But this much is enough, since it is impossible for anyone
to dispute the nature of the words I have just spoken about the blessed,
imperishable, true God. Now, if anyone wants to believe the words set down
(here), let him go from what is hidden to the end of what is visible, and
this Thought will instruct him how faith in those things that are not visible
was found in what is visible. This is a principle of knowledge.
The Lord of the Universe is not rightly called 'Father' but
'Forefather'. For the Father is the beginning (or principle) of
what is visible. For he (the Lord) is the beginningless Forefather. He
sees himself within himself, like a mirror, having appeared in his likeness
as Self-Father, that is, Self-Begetter, and as Confronter, since he confronted
Unbegotten First Existent. He is indeed of equal age with the one who is
before him, but he is not equal to him in power.
Afterward he revealed many confronting, self-begotten ones,
equal in age (and) power, being in glory and without number, who are called
'The Generation over Whom There Is No Kingdom among the Kingdoms That Exist'.
And the whole multitude of the place over which there is no kingdom is
called 'Sons of Unbegotten Father.'
Now the Unknowable is ever full of imperishableness and ineffable
joy. They are all at rest in him, ever rejoicing in ineffable joy, over
the unchanging glory and the measureless jubilation that was never heard
or known among all the aeons and their worlds. But this much is enough,
lest we go on endlessly. This is another principle of knowledge from <Self->begotten.
The First who appeared before the universe in infinity is Self-grown,
Self-constructed Father, and is full of shining, ineffable light. In the
beginning, he decided to have his likeness become a great power. Immediately,
the principle (or beginning) of that Light appeared as Immortal
Androgynous Man. His male name is 'Begotten, Perfect Mind'. And his female
name is 'All-wise Begettress Sophia'. It is also said that she resembles
her brother and her consort. She is uncontested truth; for here below,
error, which exists with truth, contests it.
Through Immortal Man appeared the first designation, namely,
divinity and kingdom, for the Father, who is called 'Self-Father Man' revealed
this. He created a great aeon for his own majesty. He gave him great authority,
and he ruled over all creations. He created gods and archangels and angels,
myriads without number for retinue.
Now through that Man originated divinity and kingdom. Therefore
he was called 'God of gods', 'King of kings'.
First Man is 'Faith' ('pistis') for those who will come afterward.
He has, within, a unique mind and thought - just as he is it (thought)
- reflecting and considering, rationality and power. All the attributes
that exist are perfect and immortal. In respect to imperishableness, they
are indeed equal. (But) in respect to power, there is a difference, like
the difference between father and son, and son and thought, and the thought
and the remainder.
As I said earlier, among the things that were created the monad
is first, the dyad follows it, and the triad, up to the tenths. Now the
tenths rule the hundredths; the hundredths rule the thousandths; the thousands
rule the ten thousands. This is the pattern <among the> immortals. First
Man is like this: His monad [...].
Again it is this pattern that exists among the immortals: the
monad and the thought are those things that belong to Immortal Man. The
thinkings are for <the> decads, and the hundreds are the teachings,
and the thousands are the counsels, and the ten thousands are the powers.
Now those who come from the [...] exist with their [...] in every aeon
[...].
[...] In the beginning, thought and thinkings appeared from
mind, then teachings from thinkings, counsels from teachings, and power
from counsels. And after all the attributes, all that was revealed appeared
from his powers. And from what was created, what was fashioned appeared.
And what was formed appeared from what was fashioned. What was named appeared
from what was formed, while the difference among begotten things appeared
from what was named, from beginning to end, by power of all the aeons.
Now Immortal Man is full of every imperishable glory and ineffable joy.
His whole kingdom rejoices in everlasting rejoicing, those who never have
been heard of or known in any aeon that came after them and its worlds.
Afterward another principle came from Immortal Man, who is
called 'Self-perfected Begetter.' When he received the consent of his consort,
Great Sophia, he revealed that first-begotten androgyne, who is called,
'First-begotten Son of God'. His female aspect is 'First-begotten Sophia,
Mother of the Universe,' whom some call 'Love'. Now, First-begotten, since
he has his authority from his father, created angels, myriads without number,
for retinue. The whole multitude of those angels are called 'Assembly of
the Holy Ones, the Shadowless Lights.' Now when these greet each other,
their embraces become like angels like themselves.
First Begetter Father is called 'Adam of the Light.' And the
kingdom of Son of Man is full of ineffable joy and unchanging jubilation,
ever rejoicing in ineffable joy over their imperishable glory, which has
never been heard nor has it been revealed to all the aeons that came to
be and their worlds.
Then Son of Man consented with Sophia, his consort, and revealed
a great androgynous Light. His masculine name is designated 'Savior, Begetter
of All things'. His feminine name is designated 'Sophia, All-Begettress'.
Some call her 'Pistis' (faith).
Then Savior consented with his consort, Pistis Sophia, and
revealed six androgynous spiritual beings who are the type of those who
preceded them. Their male names are these: first, 'Unbegotten'; second,
'Self-begotten'; third, 'Begetter'; fourth, 'First begetter'; fifth, 'All-begetter';
sixth, 'Arch-begetter'. Also the names of the females are these; first,
'All-wise Sophia'; second, 'All-Mother Sophia'; third, 'All-Begettress
Sophia'; fourth, 'First Begettress Sophia'; fifth, 'Love Sophia'; sixth,
'Pistis Sophia'.
From the consenting of those I have just mentioned, thoughts
appeared in the aeons that exist. From thoughts, reflectings; from reflectings,
considerings; from considerings, rationalities, from rationalities, wills,
from wills, words.
Then the twelve powers, whom I have just discussed, consented
with each other. <Six> males (and) females (each) were revealed, so
that there are seventy-two powers. Each one of the seventy-two revealed
five spiritual (powers), which (together) are the three hundred and sixty
powers. The union of them all is the will.
Therefore our aeon came to be as the type of Immortal Man.
Time came to be as the type of First Begetter, his son. The year came to
be as the type of Savior. The twelve months came to be as the type of the
twelve powers. The three hundred and sixty days of the year came to be
as the three hundred and sixty powers who appeared from Savior. Their hours
and moments came to be as the type of the angels who came from them (the
powers), who are without number.
And when those whom I have discussed appeared, All-Begetter,
their father, very soon created twelve aeons for retinue for the twelve
angels. And in each aeon there were six (heavens), so there are seventy-two
heavens of the seventy-two powers who appeared from him. And in each of
the heavens there were five firmaments, so there are (altogether) three
hundred sixty firmaments of the three hundred sixty powers that appeared
from them. When the firmaments were complete, they were called 'The Three
Hundred Sixty Heavens', according to the name of the heavens that were
before them. And all these are perfect and good. And in this way the defect
of femaleness appeared.
The first aeon, then, is that of Immortal Man. The second aeon
is that of Son of Man, who is called 'First Begetter' ("who is called 'Savior'"
added in Codex V). That which embraces these is the aeon over which there
is no kingdom, (the aeon) of the Eternal Infinite God, the aeon of the
aeon of the immortals who are in it, (the aeon) above the Eighth that appeared
in chaos.
Now Immortal Man revealed aeons and powers and kingdoms and
gave authority to everyone who appeared from him, to make whatever they
desire until the days that are above chaos. For these consented with each
other and revealed every magnificence, even from spirit, multitudinous
lights that are glorious and without number. These received names in the
beginning, that is, the first, the middle, the perfect; that is, the first
aeon and the second and the third. The first was called 'Unity and Rest'.
Since each one has its (own) name, the <third> aeon was designated 'Assembly',
from the great multitude that appeared in the multitudinous one. Therefore,
when the multitude gathers and comes to a unity, they are called 'Assembly',
from the Assembly that surpassed heaven. Therefore, the Assembly of the
Eighth was revealed as androgynous and was named partly as male and partly
as female. The male was called 'Assembly', the female, 'Life', that it
might be shown that from a female came the life in all the aeons. Every
name was received, starting from the beginning.
From his concurrence with his thought, the powers appeared
who where called 'gods'; and the gods from their considerings revealed
divine gods; and the gods from their considerings revealed lords; and the
lords of the lords from their words revealed lords; and the lords from
their powers revealed archangels; the archangels revealed angels; from
<them,> the semblance appeared, with structure and form for naming all
the aeons and their worlds.
All the immortals, whom I have just described, have authority
- all of them - from the power of Immortal Man and Sophia, his consort,
who was called 'Silence', who was named 'Silence' because by reflecting
without speech she perfected her own majesty. Since the imperishabilities
had the authority, each provided great kingdoms in all the immortal heavens
and their firmaments, thrones (and) temples, for their own majesty.
Some, Indeed, (who are) in dwellings and in chariots, being
in ineffable glory and not able to be sent into any creature, provided
for themselves hosts of angels, myriads without number for retinue and
glory, even virgin spirits, the ineffable lights. They have no sickness
nor weakness, but it is only will: it comes to be in an instant. Thus were
completed the aeons with their heavens and firmaments for the glory of
Immortal Man and Sophia, his consort: the area which <contained the
pattern of> every aeon and their worlds and those that came afterward,
in order to provide the types from there, their likenesses in the heavens
of chaos and their worlds.
And all natures from the Immortal One, from Unbegotten to the
revelation of chaos, are in the light that shines without shadow and (in)
ineffable joy and unutterable jubilation. They ever delight themselves
on account of their glory that does not change, and the rest that is not
measured, which cannot be described or conceived among all the aeons that
came to be and their powers. But this much is enough. All I have just said
to you, I said in the way that you might accept, until the one who need
not be taught appears among you, and he will speak all these things to
you joyously and in pure knowledge.
Eugnostos the Blessed
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