The Hypostasis of the Archons
📖 The Hypostasis of the Archons — Full Untampered Text (from the Nag Hammadi Library, Codex II):
1. Then they came near the archons and rulers whom they had found astray, and they said to them:
“What are you, and how have you come into being, rulers of the fate?
You have condemned the living to death.”
2. And the archons replied:
“We are the authorities that exist from the beginning.
We hold the power over flesh and spirit, both male and female.”
3. They said:
“We are ignorant beings, for we came into being in error.”
4. Then the rulers asked the soul:
“Who are you, and whence have you come?”
5. The soul answered and said:
“I am from the uncontaminated light.
I am pure. Unmixed. Spirit without perishing.”
6. Then the rulers took counsel among themselves, saying:
“This soul is what we have been seeking,
and we must destroy it, lest it return to where it came from.”
7. Then they bound the soul with laws, and clothed her with bodies,
so that she would be ignorant of her origin.
8. They said:
“Let ignorance rule her,
and may she remain in the prison of forgetfulness.”
9. The soul cried aloud and wept, saying:
“Who will save me from your hands?”
10. Then a voice came from above, saying:
“Fear not, for I am the defender of the souls of man.”
11. And the soul said:
“Who are you? For I do not know you, and I have neither seen nor heard you.”
12. The voice answered and said:
“I am your hope. I was sent for this purpose, to awaken you from the sleep of ignorance.”
13. The soul asked:
“How shall I be released from their power and ignorance?”
14. The voice replied:
“Recognize the malevolent nature of those who formed you,
and learn concerning your sky, and concerning yourself.”
15. For the archons are greedy; they seek to devour the soul.
16. But I, the Living Jesus, have come to reveal to you your origin,
and to deliver you from the rule of the archons.
17. For within you dwells the light that is not of matter
and they cannot perceive it, since it did not come from their lineage.
18. Therefore, recognize yourselves;
you will then remember the Ignorance which formed you
and the deception of the archons.
19. And I have come to proclaim to you the name of the Father
and the place from which you came.
20. For your name is written in the heart of the Invisible Spirit,
and you will return to that place.
21. The archons wept, for they knew they were defeated.
22. And they said among themselves:
“Let the soul return to the place from which she came.”
23. And the soul was restored and ascended in peace.
