[616]. Op. cit. c. 20.
[617]. Op. cit. c. 25.
[618]. Tertullian, de Carne Christi, c. 9. Irenaeus, Bk II. c. 7, § 1, p. 270, Harvey, seems to have known both of Barbelo and of the Virgin of Light, since he speaks of corpora sursum ... spiritalia et lucida, “spiritual and translucent bodies on high” casting a shadow below in quam Matrem suam descendisse dicunt “into which they allege their Mother descended.”
[619]. ⲞⲨ ⲘⲈⲢⲞⲤ ⲎⲦⲈ Ⲏ ⲦⲈⲨⲬⲞⲤ Ⲙ ⲎⲤⲰⲦⲎⲢ, or (in Greek) Μέρος τευχῶν Σωτῆρος.
[620]. “This I say to you in paradigm, and likeness and similitude, but not in truth of shape, nor have I revealed the word in truth,” p. 253, Copt. So in the next page (p. 254, Copt.), Jesus says of the perfect initiate that “He also has found the words of the Mysteries, those which I have written to you according to similitude—the same are the members of the Ineffable One.” From His mention of “writing,” one would imagine that the reference here is to documents such as the Bruce Papyrus which gives the pictures of “seals” together with cryptographically written words.
[621]. p. 357, Copt. This opening sentence could not have been written by one of the Valentinians of Hadrian’s time, who, as has been said above, “did not choose to call Jesus, Lord,” Irenaeus, Bk I. c. 1, I. p. 12, Harvey.
[622]. In the address of Jesus beginning “O my Father, Father of every Fatherhood, boundless light” with which this part of the Μ. τ. σ. opens, we can, with a little good will, identify nearly every word of the “galimatias” which at first sight seems mere gibberish. Thus, the whole invocation reads: αεηιουω, ϊαω, αωϊ, οϊαψινωθερ, θερ[ι]νοψ, νωψιθερ, ζαγουρη, παγουρη, νεθμομαωθ, νεψιομαωθ, μαραχαχθα, θωβαρραβαυ, θαρναχαχαν, ζοροκοθορα Ιεου Σαβαωθ. The seven vowels to which many mystical interpretations have been assigned, and which have even been taken for a primitive system of musical notation (C. E. Ruelle, “Le Chant des Sept Voyelles Grecques,” Rev. des Ét. Grecques, Paris, 1889, t. II. p. 43, and pp. 393-395), probably express the sound to Greek ears of the Jewish pronunciation of Yahweh or Jehovah. The word Iao we have before met with many times both as a name of Dionysos and otherwise, and is here written anagrammatically from the difficulty which the Greeks found in dealing with Semitic languages written the reverse way to their own. The word ψινωθερ which follows and is also written as an anagram is evidently an attempt to transcribe in Greek letters the Egyptian words P, Shai, neter (P = Def. article, Shai = the Egyptian God of Fate whose name Revillout, Rev. Égyptol. Paris, 1892, pp. 29-38, thinks means “The Highest,” and neter or nuter the determinative for “god”), the whole reading “Most High God.” The words ζαγουρη παγουρη (better, πατουρη) are from the Hebrew roots סגר פטר and seem to be the “he that openeth and no man shutteth; and shutteth and no man openeth” of Rev. iii. 7. Νεθμομαωθ, which is often found in the Magic Papyri, is reminiscent of the Egyptian neb maat “Lord of Truth,” the following νεψιομαωθ being probably a variant by a scribe who was uncertain of the orthography. Μαραχαχθα I can make nothing of, although as the phrase νεφθομαωθ μαραχαχθα appears in the Magic Papyrus of Leyden generally called W (Leemans, Papyri Graeci, etc. t. II. p. 154) in a spell there said to be written by “Thphe the Hierogrammateus” for “Ochus the king,” it is evidently intended for Egyptian. In the same spell appear the words θαρνμαχαχ ζοροκοθορα and θωβαρραβαυ which are evidently the same as those in the Μ. τ. σ., and of which I will only say that, while Mr King supposes ζοροκοθορα to mean “light-gatherer,” θωβαρραβαυ is in the leaden tabula devotionis of Carthage (Molinier, “Imprecation gravée sur plomb,” Mem. de la Soc. Nat. des Antiquaires de France, série VI. t. VIII. Paris, 1897, pp. 212-216) described as τον θεὸν του τῆς παλινγενεσιας “the god of rebirth.” The concluding words are of course merely “Yahweh of Hosts.”
[623]. The description of the moon-chariot drawn by two white oxen is found in Claudian’s Proserpine. According to Cumont (Textes et Monuments relatifs aux Mystères de Mithra, t. I. p. 126 and note) it was not until Hadrian’s time that this conception, which seems to have been Persian in origin, became fixed in the West.
[624]. This “Middle Way” has nothing to do with the τόπος or “place” of the middle, where are set in the Pistis Sophia proper the powers who preside over incarnation. It is below the visible sphere (p. 364, Copt.) and is met with in Rabbinic lore. See Kohler, op. cit. p. 587.
[625]. This division of the Twelve Aeons into two halves seems at first sight inconsistent with the description in the Pistis Sophia proper which always speaks of them as Twelve. Yet it is plain that the author of the Pistis Sophia knew the legend here given, as he makes John the Divine speak (p. 12, Copt.) of “the rulers who belong to the Aeon of Jabraoth” and had made peace with the mysteries of the light. These “rulers who repented” are again mentioned on p. 195, Copt. In the other part of the Μέρος τευχῶν Σωτῆρος (p. 356, Copt.), it is also said that the souls of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are to be placed in “the Place of Jabraoth and of all the rulers who repented” until Jesus can take them with Him to the light. So the Papyrus Bruce (Amélineau, p. 239).