The lion-faced power, set as a lure
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ⲁϥⲟⲩⲱϩ ϩⲱⲱϥ ⲛ̅ⲥⲁⲛ̅ⲁⲣⲭⲱⲛ ⲙ̅ⲡⲙ̅ⲛ̅ⲧ̅ⲥⲛⲟⲟⲩⲥ ⲛ̅ⲁⲓⲱⲛ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁϥϭⲱⲛⲧ̅ ϩⲱⲱϥ ⲧⲡⲓⲥⲧⲓⲥ ⲥⲟⲫⲓⲁ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁϥⲙⲉⲥⲧⲱⲥ ⲉⲙⲁⲧⲉ· ϫⲉⲁⲥⲙⲉⲉⲩⲉ ⲉⲃⲱⲕ ⲉⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛ ⲡⲁⲓ̈ ⲉⲧϫⲟⲥⲉ ⲉⲣⲟϥ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁϥⲡⲣⲟⲃⲁⲗⲉ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲛ̅ϩⲏⲧϥ̅. ⲛ̅ⲟⲩⲛⲟϭ ⲛ̅ϭⲟⲙ ⲛ̅ϩⲟ ⲙ̅ⲙⲟⲩⲓ̈. ⲁⲩⲱ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲛ̅ⲧⲉϥϩⲩⲗⲏ ⲉⲧⲛ̅ϩⲏⲧϥ̅. ⲁϥⲡⲣⲟⲃⲁⲗⲉ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲛ̅ⲕⲉⲙⲏⲏϣⲉ ⲙ̅ⲡⲣⲟⲃⲟⲗⲏ ⲛ̅ϩⲩⲗⲓⲕⲏ ⲉⲩⲛⲁϣⲧ̅ ⲉⲙⲁⲧⲉ. ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁϥϫⲟⲟⲩⲥⲟⲩ ⲉⲛⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲙ̅ⲡⲉⲥⲏⲧ. ⲉⲙ̅ⲙⲉⲣⲟⲥ ⲙ̅ⲡⲉⲭⲁⲟⲥ· ϫⲉⲉⲩⲉϭⲱⲣϭ̅ ⲉⲧⲡⲓⲥⲧⲓⲥ ⲥⲟⲫⲓⲁ ⲙ̅ⲙⲁⲩ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛ̅ⲥⲉϥⲓⲧⲉⲥϭⲟⲙ ⲛ̅ϩⲏⲧⲥ̅· ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϫⲉⲁⲥⲙⲉⲉⲩⲉ ⲉⲃⲱⲕ ⲉⲡϫⲓⲥⲉ· ⲡⲁⲓ̈ ⲉⲧϩⲓϫⲱⲟⲩ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ· ⲁⲩⲱ ϫⲉⲁⲥⲗⲟ ⲟⲛ ⲉⲥⲉⲓⲣⲉ ⲙ̅ⲡⲉⲩⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ· ⲁⲗⲗⲁ ⲁⲥϭⲱ ⲉⲥⲣ̅ϩⲏⲃⲉ ⲉⲥϣⲓⲛⲉ ⲛ̅ⲥⲁⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛ ⲉⲛⲧⲁⲥⲛⲁⲩ ⲉⲣⲟϥ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁⲩⲙⲉⲥⲧⲱⲥ ⲛ̅ϭⲓⲛ̅ⲁⲣⲭⲱⲛ ⲉⲧⲁϩⲉ ⲏ̅ ⲉⲧϭⲉⲉⲧ ⲉⲉⲡⲓⲣⲓ ⲉⲩⲉⲓⲣⲉ ⲙ̅ⲙⲟϥ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲟⲛ ⲁⲙⲉⲥⲧⲱⲥ ⲛ̅ϭⲓⲛⲉⲫⲩⲗⲁⲝ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ· ⲉⲧϩⲓⲣⲛ̅ ⲙ̅ⲡⲩⲗⲏ ⲛ̅ⲛⲁⲓⲱⲛ· ⲁⲥϣⲱⲡⲉ ϭⲉ ⲙⲛ̅ⲛ̅ⲥⲁⲛⲁⲓ̈ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲓⲧⲙ̅ⲡⲧⲱϣ ⲙ̅ⲡϣⲟⲣⲡ̅ ⲛ̅ⲧⲱϣ. ⲁⲡⲓⲛⲟϭ ⲛ̅ⲁⲩⲑⲁⲧⲏⲥ ⲛ̅ⲧⲣⲓⲇⲩⲛⲁⲙⲟⲥ ⲉⲟⲩⲁ ⲡⲉ ϩⲙ̅ϣⲟⲙⲛ̅ⲧ ⲛ̅ⲧⲣⲓⲇⲩⲛⲁⲙⲟⲥ.
He joined himself to the rulers of the twelve aeons, and was likewise enraged at Pistis Sophia and hated her exceedingly, because she had thought of going to the light higher than him. And he emanated out of himself a great power with the face of a lion, and out of the matter within him he emanated a host of other material emanations, very violent ones, and sent them into the regions below, to the parts of the chaos, that they might lie in wait there for Pistis Sophia and take her power out of her — because she had thought of going to the height above them all, and because she had ceased performing their mystery and remained mourning, seeking after the light she had seen. And the rulers who abide, or who persist, performing the mystery, hated her, and all the guards at the gates of the aeons hated her also. It came to pass then, after these things, by the command of the First Commandment, that the great triple-powered Self-willed one, who is one of the three triple-powers,
The trap is built. The Self-willed one joins the rulers of the twelve aeons in their rage, emanates out of himself a great lion-faced power and a host of violent material emanations, and sends them down into the chaos — to lie in wait for Pistis Sophia and strip her power, because she yearned toward the height. Then, by command of the First Commandment, the pursuit begins.
Here the book builds its trap, and the materials are worth inventorying. Out of himself the Self-willed one emanates "a great power with the face of a lion" — <em>ho m-moui</em>, lion-face — and out of his <em>hylē</em>, the matter in him, a host of "very violent material emanations". The lure is made of light and the muscle is made of matter, and both come out of the same hoarder: the light he withheld from the purification in the last passage is exactly the stock he now mints his decoy from. Then the placement — <em>chōrch</em>, to lie in ambush, the hunter’s verb — down in the parts of the chaos, below everything, where a being looking <em>up</em> would never think to guard herself.
That is the trap’s one genuine insight: it is baited with the only thing Sophia wants. A lion-faced <em>light</em>-power — the counterfeit is of the thing she was praising, set where a glimpse of it will read as the height reflected below. The charge-list against her is repeated once more, and the narrator quietly lets its injustice show: she "remained mourning, seeking after the light which she had seen". Mourning and seeking — that is the whole crime the twelve aeons’ rulers and every gate-guard now hate her for. And over it all, twice in this chapter, the clause returns: "by the command of the First Commandment". The ambush is real, the malice is real, and the frame is still held from above — the book insists on both, and its readers are meant to feel the strain.
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