The higher Light
Read the full text in our reader
Ⲍ ⲁⲥϣⲱⲡⲉ ϭⲉ ⲛ̅ⲧⲉⲣⲉⲡⲓϣⲟⲣⲡ̅ ⲙ̅ⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲥⲱⲧⲙ̅ ⲉⲛⲉⲓ̈ϣⲁϫⲉ ⲉϥϫⲱ ⲙ̅ⲙⲟⲟⲩ ⲛ̅ϭⲓⲙⲁⲑⲁⲓⲟⲥ ⲡⲉϫⲁϥ ϫⲉⲉⲩⲅⲉ ⲙⲁⲑⲁⲓⲟⲥ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲕⲁⲗⲱⲥ ⲡⲙⲉⲣⲓⲧ ⲡⲁⲓ̈ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲃⲱⲗ ⲙ̅ⲫⲩⲙⲛⲟⲥ ⲉⲛⲧⲁⲥϫⲟⲟϥ ⲛ̅ϭⲓⲧⲡⲓⲥⲧⲓⲥ ⲥⲟⲫⲓⲁ· ⲁϥⲟⲩⲱϩ ⲇⲉ ⲟⲛ ⲉⲧⲟⲟⲧϥ̅ ⲛ̅ϭⲓⲡⲓϣⲟⲣⲡ̅ ⲙ̅ⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲡⲉϫⲁϥ ϫⲉⲁⲥⲟⲩⲱϩ ⲇⲉ ⲟⲛ ⲉⲧⲟⲟⲧⲥ̅ ⲛ̅ϭⲓⲧⲥⲟⲫⲓⲁ ϩⲙ̅ⲡⲉⲓ̈ϩⲩⲙⲛⲟⲥ· ⲡⲉϫⲁⲥ ϫⲉϯⲛⲁϫⲟⲟⲥ ϫⲉⲛ̅ⲧⲟⲕ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛ ⲡⲉⲧϫⲟⲥⲉ ϫⲉⲁⲕⲛⲟⲩϩⲙ̅ ⲙ̅ⲙⲟⲓ̈· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁⲕⲛⲧ̅ ⲉⲣⲁⲧⲕ̅ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲙ̅ⲡⲕ̅ⲧⲣⲉⲩϥⲓⲡⲁⲟⲩⲟⲓ̈ⲛ ⲛ̅ϭⲓⲛⲉⲡⲣⲟⲃⲟⲗⲟⲟⲩⲉ ⲙ̅ⲡⲁⲩⲑⲁⲇⲏⲥ ⲛⲁⲓ̈ ⲉⲧⲟ ⲛ̅ϫⲁϫⲉ ⲉⲣⲟⲓ̈ ⲡⲟⲩⲟⲓ̈ⲛ ⲛ̅ⲧⲉⲛⲓⲟⲩⲟⲓ̈ⲛ· ⲁⲓ̈ϩⲩⲙⲛⲉⲩⲉ ⲉϩⲣⲁⲓ̈ ⲟⲩⲃⲏⲕ. ⲁⲕⲛⲁϩⲙⲉⲧ ⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛ ⲁⲕⲛ̅ⲧⲁϭⲟⲙ ⲉϩⲣⲁⲓ̈ ϩⲙ̅ⲡⲉⲭⲁⲟⲥ· ⲁⲕⲛⲁϩⲙⲉⲧ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲓⲧⲛ̅ⲛⲉⲧⲃⲏⲕ ⲉⲡⲉⲥⲏⲧ ⲉⲡⲕⲁⲕⲉ·
It came to pass, when the First Mystery had heard Matthew speak these words, that he said: Well done, Matthew, and finely, beloved. This is the solution of the hymn which Pistis Sophia uttered. And the First Mystery continued again and said: Sophia continued again in this hymn; she said: I will declare it: You are the higher Light, for you have saved me, and led me to you, and you did not let the emanations of the Self-willed, those which are hostile to me, take my light. O Light of lights, I have sung praises up to you; you have saved me. O Light, you have led up my power out of the chaos; you have saved me from those gone down into the darkness.
Matthew has just finished solving the Ode of Solomon he quoted, and the First Mystery — the voice Jesus speaks with through this whole stretch of the book — gives him the commendation formula the disciples each earn in turn: well done, and finely, beloved. Then the frame moves forward. The First Mystery himself recites the next song of Pistis Sophia — no longer a repentance out of the depth but a thanksgiving sung on the way up: you are the higher Light; you saved me; you led me to you; you did not let the emanations of the Self-willed take my light. O Light of lights, I sing praises up to you. You led my power up out of the chaos; you saved me from those gone down into the darkness.
The commendation of Matthew closes the Odes arc — each of the three appointed scribes has now quoted an Ode of Solomon and earned his "well done" — and the book turns back to Sophia. But notice who is singing. The First Mystery recites her thanksgiving himself, in the first person, in her voice: "you have saved ME, you have led ME to you." The rescuer performs the song of the rescued, the way a cantor carries a congregation's words. In this book quotation is never neutral; whoever repeats a text takes its place for the length of the singing, and here the highest power in the room stands, for a moment, where Sophia stood.
The song itself marks how far the story has come. Her thirteen repentances began in the mire and pleaded upward; this song is sung looking back — <em>saved</em>, <em>led</em>, <em>brought up out of the chaos</em> are all completed past tenses. The lead-verb is the plain Coptic <em>eine</em>, bring or carry: rescue in this book is not a verdict but a transport, light physically carried up out of the place that swallowed it. And the address "Light of lights" builds the superlative the way the Hebrew scriptures build "Song of Songs" and "Holy of holies" — a genitive stacked on its own plural. When Mary rises to solve the song, two passages on, she will match it verse for verse with a psalm of David that has exactly this shape of looking back — which is the book's standing claim: the psalms are the copies, and songs like this one are what they were copies of.
Read the full commentary — and tap any word for its dictionary entry — in the interlinear reader.
Open Pistis Sophia 72.1 in the full reader
Always open passages in the reader
You are reading a page of the Pistis Sophia — the whole book is free in our interlinear reader.
The Great Library Project presses the classics in their original languages, glossed word by word — free to read, always. Browse the whole library.
Also on our shelves:
Pistis Sophia 72.1 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/pistissophia/72.1/