The mystery which is in them all
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ⲁⲩⲱ ϯⲛⲁϭⲱⲗⲡ̅ ⲛⲏⲧⲛ̅ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲛ̅ⲛⲉⲩⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ ⲉⲧⲁⲣϫⲓ ⲉϩⲣⲁⲓ̈ ϫⲱⲟⲩ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ ⲙⲛ̅ⲛⲉⲩⲡⲣⲟⲧⲣⲓⲡⲛⲉⲩⲙⲁⲧⲟⲥ ⲙⲛ̅ⲛⲉⲩϩⲩⲡⲉⲣⲧⲣⲓⲡⲛⲉⲩⲙⲁⲧⲟⲥ· ⲡⲁⲓ̈ ⲉⲧⲁⲣϫⲓⲉϫⲛ̅ⲛⲉⲩⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲙⲛ̅ⲛⲉⲩⲧⲁⲝⲓⲥ· ⲧⲉⲛⲟⲩ ϭⲉ ⲟⲩⲛ ⲡⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲙ̅ⲡⲓⲁⲧϣⲁϫⲉ ⲉⲣⲟϥ· ⲛ̅ⲧⲟϥ ⲡⲉⲧⲥⲟⲟⲩⲛ ϫⲉⲉⲧⲃⲉⲟⲩ ⲁⲛⲁⲓ̈ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ ϣⲱⲡⲉ ⲛ̅ⲛⲉⲛⲧⲁⲓ̈ϫⲟⲟⲩ ⲁⲩⲱ ϩⲛ̅ⲟⲩⲡⲁⲣϩⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̅ⲧⲁⲛⲁⲓ̈ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ ϣⲱⲡⲉ ⲉⲧⲃⲏⲏⲧϥ̅· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛ̅ⲧⲟϥ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲉⲧϩⲛ̅ⲛⲁⲓ̈ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛ̅ⲧⲟϥ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲉⲩⲉⲓ̅ⲃⲟⲗ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛⲧⲟϥ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲉⲩⲱⲗ' ⲉϩⲣⲁⲓ̈ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛ̅ⲧⲟϥ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲉⲩⲧⲁϩⲟ ⲉⲣⲁⲧϥ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲡⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲙ̅ⲡⲓⲁⲧϣⲁϫⲉ ⲉⲣⲟϥ ⲛ̅ⲧⲟϥ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲉⲧϩⲛ̅ⲛⲁⲓ̈ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ ⲛ̅ⲧⲁⲓ̈ϫⲟⲟⲩ ⲉⲣⲱⲧⲛ̅· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲙⲛ̅ⲛⲉϯⲛⲁϫⲟⲟⲩ ⲉⲣⲱⲧⲛ̅ ϩⲣⲁⲓ̈ ϩⲙ̅ⲡⲥⲱⲣ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲙ̅ⲡⲧⲏⲣϥ̅·
And I will reveal to you all their mysteries, which rule over them all, and their Pro-thrice-spirituals and their Super-thrice-spirituals, those which rule over their mysteries and their orders. Now therefore the mystery of the Ineffable — it is what knows why all these have arisen, of which I have spoken in openness, and through which all these have arisen. And it is the mystery which is in them all; and it is the going-out of them all, and it is the going-up of them all, and it is the setting-up of them all. And the mystery of the Ineffable is the mystery which is in all these of which I have spoken to you and which I will speak to you at the unfolding of the All.
The promised syllabus continues upward. Above the mysteries stand further mysteries that rule over them; above the thrice-spiritual powers stand ranks the text can only name by stacking prefixes — the Pro-thrice-spirituals and the Super-thrice-spirituals. Then, at the top of the whole administrative pyramid, the language changes register entirely. The mystery of the Ineffable is not one more rung. It is the one that knows why all these things came to be; it is in them all; and it is, itself, their going-out and their going-up and their setting-up — the motion of everything, not a station above anything.
The pyramid keeps growing rungs. The mysteries have mysteries that rule over them; the thrice-spiritual powers have superiors whose names the text can only build by stacking prefixes — the <em>Pro</em>-thrice-spirituals and the <em>Super</em>-thrice-spirituals, ranks beyond the last rank, like a bureaucracy that keeps inventing a new grade above the top grade. The reader who has climbed the ladder of chapter 84 knows this game: every summit turns out to have someone above it. That is exactly the expectation this passage is built to break.
Because the mystery of the Ineffable does not sit on the pyramid at all. Three things are said of it, and none of them is a location. It <em>knows</em> — the text quietly puts the knowing inside the mystery rather than inside any knower: it "knows why all these have arisen," as if the reason for the universe were stored in the thing itself, waiting to be received rather than deduced. It is <em>in</em> them all — not above. And then the boldest step: it "is the going-out of them all, the going-up of them all, the setting-up of them all" — not the cause of the motion but the motion itself, emanation and ascent and establishment as three names for one act. The ranks were nouns; the highest mystery is a verb.
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