Pistis Sophia 30.2 · 30.2

She gazed into the height and yearned

ⲁⲥϭⲱϣⲧ̅ ⲉⲡϫⲓⲥⲉ ⲛ̅ϭⲓⲧⲡⲓⲥⲧⲓⲥ ⲥⲟⲫⲓⲁ ⲁⲥⲛⲁⲩ ⲉⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛ ⲙ̅ⲡⲕⲁⲧⲁⲡⲉⲧⲁⲥⲙⲁ ⲙ̅ⲡⲉⲑⲏⲥⲁⲩⲣⲟⲥ ⲙ̅ⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁⲥⲉⲡⲓⲑⲩⲙⲓ ⲉⲃⲱⲕ ⲉⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲉⲧⲙ̅ⲙⲁⲩ. ⲁⲩⲱ ⲙ̅ⲡⲥ̅ϭⲙ̅ϭⲟⲙ ⲉⲃⲱⲕ ⲉⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲉⲧⲙ̅ⲙⲁⲩ. ⲁⲥⲗⲟ ⲇⲉ ⲉⲥⲉⲓⲣⲉ ⲙ̅ⲡⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲙ̅ⲡⲙⲉϩⲙ̅ⲛ̅ⲧ̅ϣⲟⲙⲧⲉ ⲛ̅ⲁⲓⲱⲛ· ⲁⲗⲗⲁ ⲛⲉⲥϩⲩⲙⲛⲉⲩⲉ ⲡⲉ ⲉⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛ ⲙ̅ⲡϫⲓⲥⲉ ⲡⲉⲛⲧⲁⲥⲛⲁⲩ ⲉⲣⲟϥ ϩⲙ̅ⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛ ⲙ̅ⲡⲕⲁⲧⲁⲡⲉⲧⲁⲥⲙⲁ ⲙ̅ⲡⲉⲑⲏⲥⲁⲩⲣⲟⲥ ⲙ̅ⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛ. ⲁⲥϣⲱⲡⲉ ϭⲉ ⲉⲥϩⲩⲙⲛⲉⲩⲉ ⲉⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲙ̅ⲡϫⲓⲥⲉ. ⲁⲛⲁⲣⲭⲱⲛ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ ⲉⲧϣⲟⲟⲡ ϩⲙ̅ⲡⲙ̅ⲛ̅ⲧ̅ⲥⲛⲟⲟⲩⲥ ⲛ̅ⲁⲓⲱⲛ ⲁⲩⲙⲉⲥⲧⲱⲥ ⲛⲁⲓ̈ ⲉⲧⲙ̅ⲡⲉⲥⲏⲧ. ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϫⲉⲁⲥⲗⲟ ϩⲛ̅ⲛⲉⲩⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ. ⲁⲩⲱ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϫⲉⲁⲥⲟⲩⲉϣⲃⲱⲕ ⲉⲡϫⲓⲥⲉ ⲛ̅ⲥⲣ̅ ϩⲓϫⲱⲟⲩ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ·

Pistis Sophia gazed into the height. She saw the light of the veil of the Treasury of the Light, and she longed to go to that region — and she could not go to that region. She ceased performing the mystery of the thirteenth aeon, but would sing praises to the light of the height which she had seen in the light of the veil of the Treasury of the Light. And it came to pass, as she sang praises to the region of the height, that all the rulers in the twelve aeons, they who are below, hated her, because she had ceased from their mysteries, and because she wished to go to the height and be above them all.

Word by word

ⲁⲥϭⲱϣⲧ̅aschōshtshe gazedⲉⲡϫⲓⲥⲉepjiseinto the heightⲛ̅ϭⲓⲧⲡⲓⲥⲧⲓⲥnchitpistisPistisⲥⲟⲫⲓⲁsophiaSophiaⲁⲥⲛⲁⲩasnaushe sawⲉⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛepouoeinthe lightⲙ̅ⲡⲕⲁⲧⲁⲡⲉⲧⲁⲥⲙⲁmpkatapetasmaof the veilⲙ̅ⲡⲉⲑⲏⲥⲁⲩⲣⲟⲥmpethēsaurosof the Treasuryⲙ̅ⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛmpouoeinof the Light·ⲁⲩⲱauōandⲁⲥⲉⲡⲓⲑⲩⲙⲓasepithumiand she longedⲉⲃⲱⲕebōkto goⲉⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥeptoposto the regionⲉⲧⲙ̅ⲙⲁⲩetmmauthat.ⲁⲩⲱauōandⲙ̅ⲡⲥ̅ϭⲙ̅ϭⲟⲙmpschmchomand she could notⲉⲃⲱⲕebōkgoⲉⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥeptoposto the regionⲉⲧⲙ̅ⲙⲁⲩetmmauthat.ⲁⲥⲗⲟasloshe ceasedⲇⲉdebut, now (Greek δέ, the gentle pivot)ⲉⲥⲉⲓⲣⲉeseireperformingⲙ̅ⲡⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛmpmustērionthe mysteryⲙ̅ⲡⲙⲉϩⲙ̅ⲛ̅ⲧ̅ϣⲟⲙⲧⲉmpmehmntshomteof the thirteenthⲛ̅ⲁⲓⲱⲛnaiōnaeon·ⲁⲗⲗⲁallabut (Greek ἀλλά, the strong but)ⲛⲉⲥϩⲩⲙⲛⲉⲩⲉneshumneuebut she would sing praisesⲡⲉpeheaven, skyⲉⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛepouoeinto the lightⲙ̅ⲡϫⲓⲥⲉmpjiseof the heightⲡⲉⲛⲧⲁⲥⲛⲁⲩpentasnauwhich she had seenⲉⲣⲟϥerofhe, himϩⲙ̅ⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛhmpouoeinin the lightⲙ̅ⲡⲕⲁⲧⲁⲡⲉⲧⲁⲥⲙⲁmpkatapetasmaof the veilⲙ̅ⲡⲉⲑⲏⲥⲁⲩⲣⲟⲥmpethēsaurosof the Treasuryⲙ̅ⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛmpouoeinof the Light.ⲁⲥϣⲱⲡⲉasshōpeit came to passϭⲉchethen / therefore (moves the story along)ⲉⲥϩⲩⲙⲛⲉⲩⲉeshumneueas she sang praisesⲉⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥeptoposto the regionⲙ̅ⲡϫⲓⲥⲉmpjiseof the height.ⲁⲛⲁⲣⲭⲱⲛanarkhōnthe rulersⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩtērouallⲉⲧϣⲟⲟⲡetshoopwho areϩⲙ̅ⲡⲙ̅ⲛ̅ⲧ̅ⲥⲛⲟⲟⲩⲥhmpmntsnoousin the twelveⲛ̅ⲁⲓⲱⲛnaiōnaeonsⲁⲩⲙⲉⲥⲧⲱⲥaumestōshated herⲛⲁⲓ̈naitheyⲉⲧⲙ̅ⲡⲉⲥⲏⲧetmpesētwho are below.ⲉⲃⲟⲗebolout, forth, awayϫⲉⲁⲥⲗⲟjeaslobecause she had ceasedϩⲛ̅ⲛⲉⲩⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛhnneumustērionfrom their mysteries.ⲁⲩⲱauōandⲉⲃⲟⲗebolout, forth, awayϫⲉⲁⲥⲟⲩⲉϣⲃⲱⲕjeasoueshbōkand because she wished to goⲉⲡϫⲓⲥⲉepjiseto the heightⲛ̅ⲥⲣ̅nsrand to beϩⲓϫⲱⲟⲩhijōouabove themⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩtērouall·

The setting

The fall begins with a look. By the First Mystery’s command, Sophia gazes into the height, sees the light of the Treasury’s veil, and longs to reach it — and cannot. She stops performing the mystery of her own aeon and keeps singing toward the higher light instead; the rulers of the twelve aeons below begin to hate her for it.

A note on this passage

The fall of Sophia begins with the most defensible act in the book: she looked up. She gazed — chōsht — into the height, saw the light through the Treasury’s veil, and "longed to go to that region". The verb is epithymei, Greek epithymia-desire, the New Testament’s standard word for craving — but the object of the craving is the true light itself. The text then gives the two-beat tragedy of every mystic: she longed, "and she could not". What she does with that gap is the actual transgression, such as it is: she stops performing the mystery of her own station — lo, she ceased — and pours everything into praising a place she cannot reach. She abandons her assigned liturgy for an unassigned love.

And notice who convicts her: not the height, but the neighbours below. The rulers of the twelve aeons hate her — moste, the flat Coptic verb of hatred — and the text gives their two charges in their own voice: she stopped doing their mysteries, and she wanted to be "above them all". The second charge is the rulers’ own reading of her motive; the narrative has shown us only yearning toward the light, not ambition over them. That gap between what she did and what the powers below decide she meant is the book’s first taste of slander — diabole is coming — and it sets the pattern of the whole myth: Sophia’s fall is prosecuted from below by beings who experience someone else’s upward longing as an insult to themselves.

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