disciples, worshipped Maria unto the feet of Jesus, she kissed them said
she, Maria, My Lord suffer me seeking from thee, and be not angry with
me. Answered the Saviour, said he to Maria, Seek after that which thou
wishest to seek after, and I shall reveal it to thee boldly. But
answered Mariham, said she, My Lord, [252^b] then if a brother good
(agathos) and who is good (coptic word), we having filled him with all
mysteries of the Light, and that brother having a brother or a kinsman,
in one word, being a man anyhow, and this (one) being a sinner and being
impious, or otherwise, he being not a sinner, and this one of this kind
came out of the body, and the heart of the brother good, being pained
and being grieved for him because he becometh in judgments with
punishments. Now therefore, my Lord, what is that which we shall do
until they remove him out of the punishments with the judgments which
(are) cruel? But answered the Saviour, said he to Maria, Because of this
word therefore I said unto you at another time, but hear therefore that
I may say in answer that ye may become, [253^a] (that) ye should fulfil
every mystery, that they should call of [against] you, Those who are
completed with every mystery. Now therefore every man sinner, or
otherwise being not sinners, not only that whenever ye should wish for
them to take them from the judgments with the punishments which (are)
cruel, but (also) for them to remove them unto a righteous body, this
which will find the mysteries of the Godhead, and go unto the Height and
inherit the kingdom of the Light, do the third mystery of the Ineffable
and say ye, Take away the soul of these manhoods, this (man) which we
think of in our heart, take him out of every punishment of the Rulers,
and hasten quickly, and take it (close) to the Virgin of the Light: and
in the same month, the Virgin of the Light (will) seal [253^b] him with
a seal more excellent, and in the same month, let the Virgin of the
Light cast him unto a body about to become righteous and become good,
and he (will) go unto the Height and inherit the kingdom of the Light.
But these whenever ye should say them, Amen I say unto you, They are
wont to hasten all those who work in all the array of the judgments of
the Rulers, and give that soul unto hands of one another, even until
they take it up to the Virgin of the Light, and the Virgin of the Light
is wont to seal it with a sign of the kingdom of the Ineffable, and is
wont to give it to her Receivers, and the Receivers to cast it unto a
body being about to be righteous, and he being about to find the
mysteries of the Light and become good, and go unto the Height [254^a]
and inherit the kingdom of the Light. Behold, this is (that) which ye
ask me of. Answered Maria, said she, Now therefore, my Lord, then thou
didst not bring Mysteries indeed unto the World, that the man should not
die by the death which is reckoned unto him by the Rulers of the
Destiny: because if it is being reckoned unto one for to die by the
sword, or for to die by the waters or in torture with torment with
violence which (are) in the laws, or by other evil deaths, then thou
didst not bring mystery unto the world, that the man should not die
among them by the Rulers of the Destiny, but that he should die in a
death sudden, that he should not suffer any tribulation by these deaths
of this kind: because that, we, very many are those who are pursuing us
[254^b] because of thee, and we, many are those who persecute us because
of thy name, that whenever they should torment us we should say the
mysteries and come out of the body immediately having not suffered any
tribulation. Answered the Saviour, said he to all his disciples, Because
of this word which ye ask me of, I said to you at another time: but hear
also that I may say unto you at another time: not only ye but every man
who will complete the first mystery (of the First Mystery of the
Ineffable, he who will do therefore that Mystery, M), and (will)
complete it (in) its figures with all its types with its positions,
doing indeed it and coming not out of body, but after completing that
mystery with its figure with all its type, afterwards therefore, every
time at which he will name that mystery, [255^a] he will be delivered
from all those which are reckoned unto him by the Rulers of the Destiny,
and at that hour he cometh out of the body of the matter of the Rulers,
and his soul will become a great effluence of Light, and (will) fly unto
the Height, and (will) pass through every Place of the Rulers with every
Place of the Light, until it should go unto the Place of its Kingdom:
neither is it wont to give answer nor defence in any Place, for it is
one without symbol.
These therefore having said them Jesus, added Maria, she prostrated at
the feet of Jesus, she kissed them, said she, My Lord, yet I shall seek
from thee, Reveal to us and hide not from us. Answered Jesus, said he to
Maria, Seek after that which ye seek after, [255^b] and I shall reveal
to you in boldness without parable. Answered Maria, said she, My Lord,
then thou didst not bring mystery unto the world because of the poverty
with the riches and because of the weakness with the strength, and
because of the diseased with the bodies which are sound, in one word,
because of all these kinds, that whenever we should go in the places of
the country, and they should not believe us, and they should not hearken
unto our words, and we should do a mystery of this kind in those places,
that they should know truth truly that we are preaching the words of
(the Lord of) the Universe? Answered the Saviour, said he to Maria in
the midst of the disciples, Concerning this mystery of which ye seek
from me, I gave [256^a] it to you at another time, but I shall repeat
also and say unto you the word. Now therefore Maria, not only ye but
every man who will complete the mystery of the raising of the dead, this
is wont to cure the demons with every pain, with every sickness, and
with the blind, and with the lame, with the maimed, with the dumb, with
the deaf, this I gave to you once. He who taketh up a mystery and
completeth it, afterwards therefore whenever he should ask any (every)
thing, poverty and riches, weakness and strength, disease and sound
body, with every healing of the body, and with the raising of the dead,
and to cure the lame with the blind with the deaf with the dumb, with
every sickness with every pain, in one word, he who will complete that
mystery and ask (every) thing which I said, it will [256^b] happen to
him instantly.