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SCRIPTURES
Chapter 1
The birth of Yaldabaoth – Birth of Jehovah-Yahweh – The Elohim gather, Ahman speaks
– The Mother of All responds – Yaldabaoth envies the light – “I will destroy what
I have not created” – The great Chasm – Shaemdiel meets Yaldabaoth – Yaldabaoth troubles
the kingdom of Heaven – Finding the world of the First Creation – Yaldabaoth destroys
a sun – Destruction of two galaxies – The World of the First Power – Jehovah-Yahweh:
“I alone am god”
1 These are the things I dreamed in a dream, and saw in a vision clearly; for as I slept I beheld, by the power of God, the beginning of sorrow and the coming forth of affliction unto the children of men.
2 For I beheld the great Abyss from whose depths the matter of all created things are made to spring up, having neither shape nor form.
3 And that which was of the Abyss, being ever dark and brooding, took thought in itself, saying: “Surely I will draw from my own depths one to rule the darkness.”
4 Thus did there leap forth out of the Depth, Yaldabaoth who would stand forever above all the Demiurge, being called the Chief Demiurgos.
5 And knowing not the power which brought him forth, he beheld, as though alone, the great Depth and the Abyss, and seeing the unformed matter springing up out of the Deep, he boasted within himself, saying:
6 “Behold, how great and mighty I am become, for what power can stay my hand seeing that I am the destroyer and shatterer of worlds?”
7 So spoke Yaldabaoth as he beheld the great darkness of the Abyss, and gazing into the eternal Depth of things unknown, he beheld the shadow of his own likeness; and taking thought within, he caused to leap from out of his bosom an image like unto himself.
8 And he spoke unto the Deep, saying: “I have brought out of my soul a son like unto me, his name shall I call Jehovah-Yahweh.” Which in the language of the Demiurge means: Great Pretender and Blasphemer.
9 But in the kingdom of God did the Elohim gather round about the throne of the great Father and Mother of All, and Ahman spoke unto the hosts of Heaven, saying:
10 “Consider, you Lords and Gods of Elohim, and know this thing for yourselves, for the shadow of great tribulation do I perceive.
11 For there has leaped forth out of the Abyss some dark and terrible thing, even the Father of Evil has obscurity and dimness brought out of the womb of matter unformed.”
12 And the hosts of Heaven, when they heard this, grew silent; and there rose to stand before the council, the great Mother of All, and she spoke, saying:
13 “Give not your soul to trouble because of this thing, neither let perplexities rise within you. For there is nothing which, once revealed, is able to hide away its heart from before us.”
14 Now Yaldabaoth, being Chief Demiurgos, espied beyond the darkness a great and shining light, which light emanated from the worlds of Olaha Shinehah.
15 And Yaldabaoth envied the light from afar, and reaching out beyond the regions of chaos and darkness, he moved over the worlds of the lesser light.
16 And when he beheld the beauty of worlds made telestial and terrestrial, he was filled with great wrath and he swore against the lesser light, saying:
17 “I will destroy what I have not created; I will make as darkness the light which comes from another.”
18 But notwithstanding these boastings, Yaldabaoth could not make desolate the creations of God, neither could he diminish the light of his glory.
19 Now when Yaldabaoth beheld that the worlds of Olaha Shinehah continued as before, he spoke within himself, saying: “What power is this that can set at naught the desires of my soul?”
20 And seeing that the worlds of the lesser light were bounded on every side by a chasm, deep and wide, he lifted his eyes beyond the depths thereof;
21 And he perceived in his soul a great and mighty light shining in the distant far away, even the light of the Kokobeam did he discern and the worlds of Kolob did he see moving in their majesty round about in the kingdom of God.
22 Thus did Yaldabaoth first perceive the wonders which God had made, and seeing that he had not the power to steal away the greatest glory of all;
23 And seeing also that he had not the means to cast himself beyond the Chasm, deep and wide, he spoke, saying:
24 “I shall find a way across the Chasm and I shall cause the kingdom of God to grow weak and feeble that I might take the glory of Heaven unto myself.”
25 So it came about that there sat beside the Chasm which divided the lesser light from the greater, a dark and brooding presence, even Yaldabaoth, Father of Chaos, Lord of Darkness.
26 Now on a certain day as he lay brooding, Yaldabaoth saw moving out across the Chasm a personage of great glory, possessing exquisite beauty; even the Arch-Angel Shaemdiel who was Son of the Morning Light, being Chief Archon after the Order of Kolob.
27 And Yaldabaoth was filled with wonder and he marveled at the beauty and comeliness of Shaemdiel; and as he marveled, envy made his heart to conspire within him, for he would find some means whereby he might seduce the Son of the Morning.
28 Thus was there caused to emanate from out of the soul of Yaldabaoth, the deep and rumbling voice of Chaos; and the terrible sound thereof did reach out into the Chasm and touch the heart of Shaemdiel.
29 And he, perceiving the distant roar of something dreadful, looked out towards the sound thereof, and Shaemdiel saw the brooding darkness of Yaldabaoth hovering between the lesser and the greater Light; having neither shape nor form, being filled with all manner of cunning and deceit.
30 And drawing near unto the Lord of Darkness, Shaemdiel paused to gaze upon him, for its likeness had he never seen before.
31 And Yaldabaoth spoke cleverly unto him, saying: “Father of light, bright and glorious, greetings from me to thee. Come yet closer still that I might see more clearly the beauty of which you are made.”
32 Now when Shaemdiel heard these words he was most pleased and, drawing closer still, he spoke to Yaldabaoth, saying: “You speak well the gracious word, yet tell me truly: What manner of being are you and from whence do you come?”
33 Yaldabaoth answered him, saying: “How is it that you know not of me, seeing that all created things are first come through me?
34 For behold, I alone am Chief Demiurgos of matter unformed. Father of Chaos am I; for by my own power have I brought me forth out of the Abyss whose Depth I alone perceive.
35 I am he whose name is unspeakable, whose countenance unknowable, whose power is greater than any other; for Darkness and Depth have I created, and the glory of all lesser things have I weighed in the hand.
36 Behold, I am the lover of great and mighty things, and when I beheld, from afar, the beauty and glory and power of the lesser and greater Light, I drew ever closer that I might perceive the depths of their majesty.
37 But alas, what pity that the greater Light should prove less in dominion than the worlds of Olaha Shinehah.”
38 These then are the words which Yaldabaoth spoke cunningly unto Shaemdiel, and when the Son of the Morning heard this, his heart was troubled and he spoke, saying:
39 “What mean you by these things: For how can the dominion and power of the greater Light prove less than the lesser?”
40 And Yaldabaoth moving ever closer, little by little, drew nearer still, and he breathed upon Shaemdiel, saying:
41 “Have you not seen for yourself how that there is given unto the Olaha Shinehah millions upon millions of stars, which stars do shine brightly across the face of the Deep; and how that unto each of these there is given a world of glory?
42 Come then and weigh in your hand the worlds of the lesser light; are they not greater in number than the worlds of the greater Light?
43 Of a truth is it seen that the worlds of the greater Light are made more glorious than any other, for there is nothing throughout the immensity of space which can prove equal to them, yet in their dominion only have they proved to be less than any other.”
44 Now when Shaemdiel heard this, he drew himself away from the Lord of Darkness; and when he had considered deeply all his words, he went again unto the kingdom of God greatly troubled.
45 But in Heaven did the Father of All speak unto the Lords and Gods of Elohim, saying: “Behold, the kingdom of my glory has Darkness touched; against the greater Light has Chaos set forth the hand to trouble.”
46 And seeing that Shaemdiel had turned again unto the worlds of Kolob, Yaldabaoth brooded darkly within himself, saying:
47 “The seed of dimness have I cast across the Chasm, the shadow of my power have I sent forth unto the greater Light, that I might distress the kingdom of God.”
48 Now Yaldabaoth moved out away from the kingdoms and glories of Heaven, and flung the restless presence forever and anon across the face of the Deep; and piercing the boundaries of space and time, he discovered the worlds of the First Creation.
49 And seeing therein that the beauty of countless galaxies was like unto that of the Olaha Shinehah, notwithstanding they possessed neither power nor glory like unto the first, he thought to prove his might against them.
50 And seeing a sun nearby, he reached out to breathe upon it, and behold, it did burst asunder amidst fire and heat; and all the worlds which moved round about the sun were likewise shattered.
51 When, therefore, Yaldabaoth beheld again the matter unformed, he delighted within himself, saying: “Now has the day of my power come alive within me.”
52 And Yaldabaoth beheld two galaxies which lay near one unto the other, and passing quickly with a mighty rush between them, he caused that each should fall in upon the other; and in a moment was there caused to perish countless worlds beyond number.
53 How greatly then did Yaldabaoth boast within himself; and being filled with satisfaction, he moved out into the cosmos of the lower worlds;
54 And discerning for himself a world of perfect beauty, Yaldabaoth moved over the face of the waters, and he saw that it was good and filled with a multitude of life.
55 And he exclaimed within himself, saying: “I have discovered for myself the world of the First Power; now shall I make as nothing the designs of God, that I might take to myself the greatest power of all.”
56 Now Yaldabaoth brought out of the darkness Jehovah-Yahweh, and set him to rule the earth, saying:
57 “Go you down unto the earth and make subject unto yourself the seed of God and subdue it altogether, that you may have dominion and power over all living things.”
58 So Jehovah-Yahweh took hold over all the earth, saying: “I alone am god, and beside me there is no other.”
59 And the land trembled greatly and the waters heaved all about in great distress, and the mountains fell into valleys, and the low places did cast themselves up into a heap, and the winds blew fiercely all around.
60 And storm and tempest raged against all the living, and the earth in sorrow groaned for deliverance; for in the day that Jehovah-Yahweh ruled did flesh begin to consume flesh, and all peace did flee far away.
ENLIGHTENMENT 1
