Chapter 3

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And after the soul hath answered the first power, said Mary, she ascendeth and cometh unto the second power. And the second power is Desire.

And Desire saith unto her: I beheld thee not descending; but now I behold thee ascending. Wherefore liest thou, since thou belongest unto me?

And the soul answereth, and saith: I beheld thee. Thou hast not beheld me; thou hast not known me. Thou tookest me for a garment; thou hast not recognized me.

And when she had said these things, she went forth, rejoicing greatly.

And she came unto the third power, even Ignorance. And Ignorance questioned the soul, saying: Whither goest thou? In wickedness wast thou bound. Indeed, thou wast bound. Judge not, therefore.

And the soul said: Wherefore dost thou judge me, when I have not judged? I was bound, but I myself bound nothing. I was not recognized; but I myself have known that the All is being dissolved — both the things which are earthly and those which are heavenly.

And when the soul had brought the third power to nought, she went upward. And she beheld the fourth power, which had seven forms.

The first form is Darkness. The second is Desire. The third is Ignorance. The fourth is the Excitement of Death. The fifth is the Kingdom of the Flesh. The sixth is the Foolish Wisdom of the Flesh. The seventh is the Wrathful Wisdom.

These are the seven powers of Wrath. They question the soul: Whence comest thou, slayer of men? Whither goest thou, conqueror of space?

The soul answereth, and saith: That which bound me hath been slain; and that which surrounded me hath been overcome; and my desire is finished; and Ignorance hath died.

In an aeon was I loosed from a world, and in a type from a type that is above. From this hour shall I attain the rest of the time, of the season, of the aeon, in silence.

When Mary had said these things, she was silent — for it was even so far as the Saviour had spoken with her.

But Andrew answered, and said unto the brethren: Speak, what ye have to say in regard to that which she hath said. For I, for my part, do not believe that the Saviour said this. Surely these doctrines are of strange opinions.

And Peter answered, and spake concerning these same things. And he asked them concerning the Saviour: Did He, then, speak privately with a woman, in preference to us, and not openly? Are we to turn about, and all hearken unto her? Hath He preferred her over us?

Then Mary wept, and said unto Peter: My brother Peter, what dost thou suppose? Dost thou suppose that I have devised this in mine heart, of myself, or that I am uttering a falsehood concerning the Saviour?