The Hypostasis of the Archons

II 86, 20-97, 23

On account of the reality (hypostasis) of the authorities (eksousiai), (inspired) by the spirit ^| of the father of truth, the great ^| apostle - referring to the "authorities of the darkness" (Col 1:13) - told us ^| that "our contest is not against flesh and ^| [blood]; rather, the authorities of the universe ²⁵ and the spirits of wickedness" (Ep 6:12). ^| [I have] sent (you) this because you (sg.) inquire about the reality ^| [of the] authorities.

Their chief is blind; ^| because of his power and his ignorance ^| [and his] arrogance he said, with his ³⁰ [power], "It is I who am God; there is none ^| [apart from me]."

When he said this, he sinned against ^| [the entirety]. And this speech got up 87 to incorruptibility; then there was a voice that came ^| forth from incorruptibility, saying, ^| "You are mistaken, Samael" - which is, "god ^| of the blind."

His thoughts became blind. And, having expelled ⁵ his power - that is, the blasphemy he had spoken - ^| he pursued it down to chaos and ^| the abyss, his mother, at the instigation of Pistis ^| Sophia (Faith Wisdom). And she established each of his offspring ^| in conformity with its power - after the pattern ¹⁰ of the realms that are above, for by starting from the ^| invisible world the visible world was invented.

As incorruptibility ^| looked down into the region of the waters, ^| her image appeared in the waters; ^| and the authorities of the darkness became enamored of her. ¹⁵ But they could not lay hold of that image, ^| which had appeared to them in the waters, ^| because of their weakness - since beings that merely possess a soul ^| cannot lay hold of those that possess a spirit - for ^| they were from below, while it was from ²⁰ above.

This is the reason why "incorruptibility ^| looked down into the region (etc.)": ^| so that, by the father's will, she ^| might bring the entirety into union with the light. The rulers archontes laid ^| plans and said, "Come, ²⁵ let us create a man that will be soil from ^| the earth." They modeled their ^| creature as one wholly of the earth.

Now the rulers ... ^| body ... they have ... female ... is ... ^| with the face of a beast. They had taken [some soil] ³⁰ from the earth and modeled their [man], ^| after their body and [after the image] ^| of God that had appeared [to them] ^| in the waters.

They said, "[Come, let] us ^| lay hold of it by means of the form that we have modeled, [so that] ³⁵ it may see its male counterpart [...], 88 and we may seize it with the form that we have modeled" - not ^| understanding the force of God, because of ^| their powerlessness. And he breathed into ^| his face; and the man came to have a soul (and remained) ⁵ upon the ground many days. But they could not ^| make him arise because of their powerlessness. ^| Like storm winds they persisted (in blowing), that they might ^| try to capture that image, which had appeared ^| to them in the waters. And they did not know ¹⁰ the identity of its power.

Now all these (events) came ^| to pass by the will of the father of the entirety. Afterwards, ^| the spirit saw the soul-endowed man ^| upon the ground. And the spirit came forth from ^|the Adamantine Land; it descended and came to dwell within ¹⁵ him, and that man became a living soul. ^|

It called his name Adam, since he ^| was found moving upon the ground. A voice ^| came forth from incorruptibility for the assistance of Adam; ^| and the rulers gathered together ²⁰ all the animals of the earth and all the ^| birds of heaven and brought them in to Adam ^| to see what Adam would call them, ^| that he might give a name to each of the birds ^| and all the beasts.

They took Adam ²⁵ [and] put him the garden, that he might cultivate ^| [it] and keep watch over it. And the rulers issued a command ^| to him, saying, "From [every] tree ^| in the garden shall you (sg.) eat; ^| yet [from] the tree of recognizing good ³⁰ and evil do not eat, nor ^| [touch] it; for the day you (pl.) eat ^| [from] it, with death you (pl.) are going to die."

They ^| [...] this. They do not understand what ^| [they have said] to him; rather, by the father's will, 89 they said this in such a way that he ^| might (in fact) eat, and that Adam might <not> regard them as would a man of an exclusively ^| material nature.

The rulers took counsel ^| with one another and said, "Come, let us cause ⁵ a deep sleep to fall upon Adam." And he slept. ^| - Now the deep sleep that they ^| "caused to fall upon him, and he slept" is Ignorance. - They opened ^| his side like a living woman. ^| And they built up his side with some flesh ¹⁰ in place of her, and Adam came to be endowed ^| only with soul.

And the spirit-endowed woman ^| came to him and spoke with him, saying, ^| "Arise, Adam." And when he saw her, ^| he said, "It is you who have given me life; ¹⁵ you will be called 'Mother of the living.' ^| - For it is she who is my mother. It is she who is the physician, ^| and the woman, and she who has given birth."

Then the ^| authorities came up to their Adam. ^| And when they saw his female counterpart speaking with him, ²⁰ they became agitated with great agitation; ^| and they became enamored of her. They said to one another, ^| "Come, let us sow our seed ^| in her," and they pursued her. And ^| she laughed at them for their witlessness ²⁵ and their blindness; and in their clutches she became a tree, ^| and left before them her shadowy reflection resembling herself; ^| and they defiled [it] foully. - And they defiled the stamp of ^| her voice, so that ³⁰ by the form they had modeled, together with [their] (own) image, they made themselves liable to condemnation. ^|

Then the female spiritual principle came [in] ^| the snake, the instructor; and it taught [them], ^| saying, "What did he [say to] ^| you (pl.)? Was it, 'From every tree in the garden ³⁵ shall you (sg.) eat; yet - from [the tree] 90 of recognizing evil and good ^| do not eat'?"
The carnal woman said, ^| "Not only did he say 'Do not eat', but even ^| 'Do not touch it; for the day you (pl.) eat from it, with death you (pl.) are going to die.'" ^|

And the snake, the instructor, said, "With death ^| you (pl.) shall not die; for it was out of jealousy ^| that he said this to you (pl.). Rather your (pl.) eyes ^| shall open and you (pl.) shall come to be like gods, recognizing ¹⁰ evil and good." ^| And the female instructing principle was taken away from the snake, ^| and she left it behind, merely a thing of the earth. ^|

And the carnal woman took from the tree ^| and ate; and she gave to her husband as well as herself; and ¹⁵ these beings that possessed only a soul, ate. And their imperfection ^| became apparent in their lack of acquaintance; and ^| they recognized that they were naked of the spiritual element, ^| and took fig leaves and bound them ^| upon their loins.

Then the chief ruler came; ²⁰ and he said, "Adam! Where are you?" - for he did not ^| understand what had happened.

And Adam ^| said, "I heard your voice and was ^| afraid because I was naked; and I hid." ^|

The ruler said, "Why did you (sg.) hide, unless it is ²⁵ because you (sg.) have eaten from the tree ^| from which alone I commanded you (sg.) not to eat? ^| And you (sg.) have eaten!" ^|

Adam said, "The woman that you gave me, ^| [she gave] to me and I ate." And the arrogant ³⁰ ruler cursed the woman.

The woman ^| said, "It was the snake that led me astray and I ate." ^| [They turned] to the snake and cursed its shadowy reflection, ^| [...] powerless, not comprehending ^| [that] it was a form they themselves had modeled. From that day, 91 the snake came to be under the curse of the authorities; ^| until the all-powerful man was to come, ^| that curse fell upon the snake.

They turned ^| to their Adam and took him and expelled him from the garden ⁵ along with his wife; for they have no ^| blessing, since they too are ^| beneath the curse.

Moreover, they threw mankind ^| into great distraction and into a life ^| of toil, so that their mankind might be ¹⁰ occupied by worldly affairs, and might not have the opportunity ^| of being devoted to the Holy Spirit.

Now afterwards, ^| she bore Cain, their son; and Cain ^| cultivated the land. Thereupon he knew his ^| wife; again becoming pregnant, she bore Abel; and Abel ¹⁵ was a herdsman of sheep. Now Cain brought ^| in from the crops of his field, but ^| Abel brought in an offering (from) among ^| his lambs. God looked upon the ^| votive offerings of Abel; but he did not accept the votive offerings ²⁰ of Cain. And carnal Cain ^| pursued Abel, his brother.

And God ^| said to Cain, "Where is Abel, your brother?" ^|

He answered saying, "Am I, then, ^| my brother's keeper?"

God said to ²⁵ Cain, "Listen! The voice of your brother's blood ^| is crying up to me! You have sinned with ^| your mouth. It will return to you: anyone who ^| kills Cain will let loose seven ^| vengeances, and you will exist groaning and ³⁰ trembling upon the earth."

And Adam [knew] ^| his female counterpart Eve, and she became pregnant, and bore [Seth] ^| to Adam. And she said, "I have borne [another] ^| man through God, in place [of Abel]." ^|

Again Eve became pregnant, and she bore [Norea]. ³⁵ And she said, "He has begotten on [me a] virgin 92 as an assistance [for] many generations ^| of mankind." She is the virgin whom the ^| forces did not defile.

Then mankind began ^| to multiply and improve.

The rulers took counsel ⁵ with one another and said, "Come, let ^| us cause a deluge with our ^| hands and obliterate all flesh, from man ^| to beast."

But when the ruler of the forces ^| came to know of their decision, he said to Noah, ¹⁰ "Make yourself an ark from some wood ^| that does not rot and hide in it - you ^| and your children and the beasts and ^| the birds of heaven from small to large - and set it ^| upon Mount Sir."

Then Orea came ¹⁵ to him, wanting to board the ark. ^| And when he would not let her, she blew upon the ^| ark and caused it to be consumed by fire. Again he ^| made the ark, for a second time.

The rulers went to meet her ^| intending to lead her astray. ²⁰ Their supreme chief said to her, "Your mother ^| Eve came to us."

But Norea turned to ^| them and said to them, quot;It is you who are the rulers of ^| the darkness; you are accursed. And you did not know ^| my mother; instead it was your female ²⁵ counterpart that you knew. For I am not your descendant; ^| rather it is from the world above that I am come." ^|

The arrogant ruler turned, with all his might, ^| [and] his countenance came to be like (a) black ^| [...]; he said to her presumptuously, ³⁰ "You must render service to us, ^| [as did] also your mother Eve; for I have been given (?) ^|[...]."

But Norea turned, with the might of ^| [...]; and in a loud voice, [she] cried out ^| [up to] the holy one, the God of the entirety, 93 "Rescue me from the rulers of unrighteousness ^| and save me from their clutches - forthwith!"

The <great> angel ^| came down from the heavens ^| and said to her, "Why are you crying up ⁵ to God? Why do you act so boldly towards the ^| Holy Spirit?"

Norea said, "Who are you?" ^|

The rulers of unrighteousness had withdrawn from ^| her. He said, "It is I who am Eleleth, ^| sagacity, the great angel who stands ¹⁰ in the presence of the Holy Spirit. ^| I have been sent to speak with you and ^| save you from the grasp of the lawless. And I ^| shall teach you about your root."

- Now as for that angel, ^| I cannot speak of his power: his appearance is like ¹⁵ fine gold and his raiment is like snow. ^| No, truly, my mouth cannot bear ^| to speak of his power and the appearance of his face! ^|

Eleleth, the great angel, spoke to me. ^| "It is I," he said, "who am understanding. ²⁰ I am one of the four light-givers, ^| who stand in the presence of the great ^| invisible spirit. Do you think ^| these rulers have any power over you (sg.)? None ^| of them can prevail against the root ²⁵ of truth; for on its account he appeared ^| in the final ages; and ^| these authorities will be restrained. And these authorities ^| cannot defile you and that generation; ^| for your (pl.) abode is in incorruptibility, ³⁰ where the virgin spirit dwells, ^| who is superior to the authorities of chaos ^| and to their universe."

But I said, ^| "Sir, teach me about the [faculty of] these authorities - [how] did they come into being, ³⁵ and by what kind of genesis, [and] of 94 what material, and who ^| created them and their force?"

A veil exists between the world above ¹⁰ and the realms that are below; and ^| shadow came into being beneath the veil; ^| and that shadow became matter; ^| and that shadow was projected ^| apart. And what she had created became ¹⁵ a product in the matter, like an aborted fetus. ^| And it assumed a plastic form molded out of shadow, and became ^| an arrogant beast resembling a lion." ^| It was androgynous, as I have already said, ^| because it was from matter that it derived.

Opening his ²⁰ eyes, he saw a vast quantity of matter without limit; ^| and he became arrogant, saying, "It is I who am God, and there ^| is none other apart from me".

When he said ^| this, he sinned against the entirety. ^| And a voice came forth from above the realm of absolute power, ²⁵ saying, "You are mistaken, Samael" ^| - ^| which is, 'god of the blind'.

"This ruler, by being androgynous, ³⁵ made himself a vast realm, 95 an extent without limit. And he contemplated ^| creating offspring for himself, and created ^| for himself seven offspring, androgynous just like ^| their parent.

And he said to his offspring, ⁵ "It is I who am god of the entirety."

Now when his offspring ^| Sabaoth saw the force of that angel, ¹⁵ he repented and ^| condemned his father and his ^| mother, matter.

Now when these (events) had come to pass, he made ^| himself a huge four-faced chariot of cherubim, ^| and infinitely many angels ^| to act as ministers, ³⁰ and also harps and ^| lyres.

And Sophia took her daughter ^| Zoe and had her sit upon his right to teach him about the things that exist ^| in the eighth (heaven); and the angel [of] wrath ³⁵ she placed upon his left. [Since] that day, [his right] has been called 96 life; and the left has come to represent ^| the unrighteousness of the realm of absolute power ^| above. It was before your (sg.) time that they came into being (text corrupt?).

Now when ^| Yaldabaoth saw him in this ⁵ great splendor and at this height, he envied him; ^| and the envy became an androgynous product. ^| and this was the origin of ^| envy. And envy engendered death; and death ^| engendered his offspring and gave each ¹⁰ of them charge of its heaven; and all the heavens ^| of chaos became full of their multitudes.

But it was ^| by the will of the father of the entirety that they all came into being - ^| after the pattern of all the things above - ^| so that the sum of chaos might be attained. ¹⁵

"There, I have taught you (sg.) about the pattern ^| of the rulers; and the matter in which it was expressed; ^| and their parent; and their universe."

But I ^| said, "Sir, am I also ^| from their matter?"

"You, together with your offspring, are from ²⁰ the primeval father; ^| from above, out of the imperishable light, ^| their souls are come. Thus the authorities ^| cannot approach them because of ^| the spirit of truth present within them; ²⁵ and all who have become acquainted with this way ^| exist deathless in the midst ^| of dying mankind. Still, that sown element (sperma) ^| will not become known now.

Instead, ^| after three generations it will come to be known, ³⁰ and it has freed them from the bondage of the ^| authorities' error."

Then I said, ^| "Sir, how much longer?"

He said ^| to me, "Until the moment when the true man, ^| within a modeled form, reveals the existence of (?) ³⁵ [the spirit of] truth, which the father has sent. 97

Then he will teach them about ^| everything, and he will anoint them with the ^| unction of life eternal, ^| given him from the undominated generation. ⁵

Then they will be freed of ^| blind thought, and they will trample under foot ^| death, which is of the authorities, and they will ascend ^| into the limitless light ^| where this sown element belongs. ¹⁰

Then the authorities will relinquish their ^| ages, and their angels will weep ^| over their destruction, and their demons ^| will lament their death.

Then all the children ^| of the light will be truly acquainted with the truth ¹⁵ and their root, and the father ^| of the entirety and the Holy Spirit. They will all say ^| with a single voice, ^| 'The father's truth is just, and the son ^| presides over the entirety", and from everyone ²⁰ unto the ages of ages, 'Holy - holy - holy! Amen!'"

The Reality ^|
Of the Rulers

The Hypostasis of the Archons

Translated by Bentley Layton
Selection made from James M. Robinson, ed., The Nag Hammadi Library, revised edition.
HarperCollins, San Francisco, 1990.