be cast in, the unclean 12.9 spirit that previously dwelt within, taking with it seven other unclean spirits. Therefore, having emptied it of evils, one must fill the soul with the good God, which is a chosen dwelling place. For when the empty spaces have been filled, then the seal follows, so that what is holy may be kept for God.

13.1 "Every word is established by two and three witnesses," by the Father and the Son and

the Holy Spirit, by which witnesses and helpers the commandments that are spoken ought to be kept. Fasting is abstinence from food according to its literal meaning, but food makes us neither more righteous nor more unrighteous; but according to the mystical meaning it declares that just as for each individual life comes from food, and lack of food is a symbol of death, so also we must fast from worldly things, that we may die to the world and after this, having partaken of divine food, 14.2 we may live for God. Besides, fasting empties the soul of matter and presents it, clean and light, along with the body, to the 14.3 divine words. Worldly food, then, is the former life and sins, but divine food is faith, hope, love, patience, knowledge, 14.4 peace, self-control. "For blessed are those who hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God; for they shall also be filled." But it is the soul, not the body, that receives this appetite.

15.1 The Savior showed that prayer is stronger than faith to the faithful

apostles, in the case of a certain demon-possessed man, whom they were not strong enough to cleanse, 15.2 saying: "Such things are accomplished by prayer." The one who has believed received forgiveness of sins from the Lord, but the one who has come into knowledge, since he no longer sins, receives for himself the forgiveness of the rest.

16.1 Just as healings and prophecies and signs, so also

Gnostic teaching is accomplished through men, with God working through them; 16.2 for God displays His power through men. And rightly the prophecy says: "And I will send to them a man who will save them." He Himself, therefore, sends out sometimes prophets, sometimes apostles, saviors of men. Thus God does good works through men; 16.3 for it is not that God can do some things but cannot do others, nor is He ever weak in anything, nor do some things happen with His will and others against His will, nor are some things done by Him and others by another, but He also begot us through men and educated us through men.

17.1 God made us when we did not pre-exist. For we would have had to know where

we were, if we pre-existed, and how and why we came here; but if we did not 17.2 pre-exist, God alone is the cause of our coming into being. As therefore He made us when we were not, so also He saves us once we have come into being by His own grace, if we appear worthy and suitable, but if not, He will let us go to our proper end; "for He is Lord of both the living and the dead." 1

8.1 But see the power of God, not only in bringing men who did not exist into

existence and making those who have come into being grow according to the progress of age, but also in saving believers according to what is proper for each; 18.2 and indeed He also changes seasons and times and fruits and elements. For this is the one God who has measured both the beginning and the end of all that has come into being, fittingly for each.

19.1 Having advanced from faith and fear to knowledge, a man knows how to say

"Lord, Lord," but not as the slave; he learned to say "Our Father," having been freed from "the spirit of bondage unto fear" and having advanced through love to "adoption as a son,"

ἐμβληθῇ, τὸ προενοικῆσαν ἀκάθαρ 12.9 τον πνεῦμα, συμπαραλαμβάνον ἄλλα ἑπτὰ ἀκάθαρτα πνεύματα. διὸ κενώσαντας τῶν κακῶν δεῖ πληρῶσαι τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ θεοῦ, ὅπερ ἐστὶν οἰκητήριον ἐπιλελεγμένον. πληρωθέντων γὰρ τῶν κενῶν, τότε ἡ σφραγὶς ἐπακολουθεῖ, ἵνα φυλάσσηται τῷ θεῷ τὸ ἅγιον.

13.1 "Πᾶν ῥῆμα ἵσταται ἐπὶ δύο καὶ τριῶν μαρτύρων", ἐπὶ πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ

ἁγίου πνεύματος, ἐφ' ὧν μαρτύρων καὶ βοηθῶν αἱ ἐντολαὶ λεγόμεναι φυλάσσεσθαι ὀφείλουσιν. Ἡ νηστεία ἀποχὴ τροφῆς ἐστι κατὰ τὸ σημαινόμενον, τροφὴ δὲ οὐδὲν δικαιοτέρους ἡμᾶς ἢ ἀδικωτέρους ἀπεργάζεται, κατὰ δὲ τὸ μυστικὸν δηλοῖ ὅτι ὥσπερ τοῖς καθ' ἕνα ἐκ τροφῆς ἡ ζωή, ἡ δ' ἀτροφία θανάτου σύμβολον, οὕτως καὶ ἡμᾶς τῶν κοσμικῶν νηστεύειν χρή, ἵνα τῷ κόσμῳ ἀποθάνωμεν καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο τροφῆς θείας μετα 14.2 λαβόντες θεῷ ζήσωμεν. ἄλλως τε κενοῖ τῆς ὕλης τὴν ψυχὴν ἡ νηστεία καὶ καθαρὰν καὶ κούφην σὺν καὶ τῷ σώματι παρίστησι τοῖς 14.3 θείοις λόγοις. τροφὴ μὲν οὖν κοσμικὴ ὁ πρότερος βίος καὶ τὰ ἁμαρ τήματα, τροφὴ δὲ θεϊκὴ πίστις, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη, ὑπομονή, γνῶσις, 14.4 εἰρήνη, σωφροσύνη. "μακάριοι γὰρ οἱ πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες τὴν δικαιοσύνην τοῦ θεοῦ· οὗτοι γὰρ καὶ ἐμπλησθήσονται." ψυχὴ δέ, ἀλλ' οὐ σῶμα τὴν ὄρεξιν ταύτην λαμβάνει.

15.1 Τῆς πίστεως τὴν εὐχὴν ἰσχυροτέραν ἀπέφηνεν ὁ σωτὴρ τοῖς πιστοῖς

ἀποστόλοις, ἐπί τινος δαιμονιῶντος, ὃν οὐκ ἴσχυσαν καθα 15.2 ρίσαι, εἰπών· "τὰ τοιαῦτα εὐχῇ κατορθοῦται." ὁ μὲν πιστεύσας ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτημάτων ἔλαβεν παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου, ὁ δ' ἐν γνώσει γενό μενος ἅτε μηκέτι ἁμαρτάνων παρ' ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν λοιπῶν κομίζεται.

16.1 Ὥσπερ αἱ θεραπεῖαι καὶ αἱ προφητεῖαι καὶ τὰ σημεῖα, οὕτως καὶ ἡ

γνωστικὴ διδασκαλία δι' ἀνθρώπων ἐνεργοῦντος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπιτελεῖ 16.2 ται· ὁ γὰρ θεὸς δι' ἀνθρώπων τὴν δύναμιν ἐπιδείκνυται. καὶ ὀρθῶς ἡ προφητεία φησίν· "καὶ ἀποστελῶ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἄνθρωπον ὃς σώσει αὐτούς." αὐτὸς οὖν ἐκπέμπει ποτὲ μὲν προφήτας, ποτὲ δὲ ἀποστό λους, σωτῆρας τῶν ἀνθρώπων. οὕτως θεὸς δι' ἀνθρώπων εὐεργετεῖ· 16.3 οὐχὶ γὰρ τὰ μὲν δύναται, τὰ δὲ οὐ δύναται ὁ θεός, οὐδὲ ἀσθενεῖ ποτε ἐν οὐδενί, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὰ μὲν ἑκόντος, τὰ δὲ ἄκοντος αὐτοῦ γίνεται, καὶ τὰ μὲν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, τὰ δὲ ὑφ' ἑτέρου, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐγέννησεν δι' ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἐπαίδευσεν δι' ἀνθρώπων.

17.1 Ὁ θεὸς ἡμᾶς ἐποίησεν οὐ προόντας. ἐχρῆν γὰρ καὶ εἰδέναι ἡμᾶς ὅπου

ἦμεν, εἰ προῆμεν, καὶ πῶς καὶ διὰ τί δεῦρο ἥκομεν· εἰ δ' οὐ 17.2 προῆμεν, τῆς γενέσεως μόνος αἴτιος ὁ θεός. ὡς οὖν οὐκ ὄντας ἐποίησεν, οὕτως καὶ γενομένους σῴζει τῇ ἰδίᾳ χάριτι, ἐὰν ἄξιοι καὶ ἐπιτήδειοι φανῶμεν, εἰ <δὲ> μή, παρήσει πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον τέλος· "καὶ γὰρ ζώντων ἐστὶ καὶ νεκρῶν κύριος." 1

8.1 Ὅρα δὲ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ θεοῦ, οὐ μόνον ἐπ' ἀνθρώπων μὴ ὄντας εἰς τὸ

εἶναι παράγων καὶ τοὺς γενομένους αὔξων καθ' ἡλικίας προκοπήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς πιστεύοντας σῴζων κατὰ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἑκάστῳ· 18.2 ἤδη δὲ μεταβάλλει καὶ ὥρας καὶ καιροὺς καὶ καρποὺς καὶ στοιχεῖα. οὗτος γὰρ εἷς θεὸς ὁ καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τὸ τέλος τῶν γενομένων οἰκείως ἑκάστῳ μετρήσας.

19.1 Ἐκ πίστεως καὶ φόβου προκόψας εἰς γνῶσιν ἄνθρωπος οἶδεν εἰπεῖν

"κύριε κύριε", ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς ὁ δοῦλος· ἔμαθεν λέγειν "πάτερ ἡμῶν", "τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς δουλείας τὸ εἰς φόβον" ἐλευθερώσας καὶ δι' ἀγάπης προκόψας εἰς "υἱοθεσίαν",