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The Secret Book of John
Samuel Zinner, edited by Mark M. Mattison; Other Gospels · Translated text
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Chapter 12 — Berlin Codex
1. I, however, said: “Christ, what is ‘she moved back and forth’?” He, however, grinned, and said: “Are you thinking that it agrees with what Moses said, ‘above the waters’? No!
2. Instead, when she witnessed the evil and rebellion that would be perpetrated by her son, she repented, and moving about inside the darkness of ignorance, she began to feel shame, and she dared not to return, but she was moving about.
3. Her moving about, however, is what ‘to go back and forth’ means. When, now, ⟦page 46⟧ the proud one procured a power [from] the mother, he was ignorant of much that surpassed his mother, because he was saying of his mother that she was the only one who existed.
4. He saw the large host, the angels he had created. He ‹lifted up› himself above them.
5. When, however, the mother realized that the murky abortion was imperfect, because her companion had not agreed together with her,
6. she repented and wept copiously, and he hearkened to the prayer of her repentance, and the brothers petitioned for her sake.
7. The holy unseen Spirit granted his agreement. When ⟦page 47⟧ the unseen Spirit had agreed, he poured out onto her a Spirit from the Perfection. Her companion descended to her to rectify her deficiencies. He decided through Providence to rectify her deficiencies, and not only to her own aeon was she restored, but on account of the great ignorance that had originated from her, she will dwell in the Ninth until she has rectified her deficiency.
8. A voice came to her: ‘The Man exists and the Son of Man,’ but the chief archon, Yaldabaoth, overheard. He assumed that the voice did not originate [from on high].
9. [He taught] them concerning himself, ⟦page 48⟧ that is, the sacred and perfect Father, the Primal Man, in human form. The blessed one made manifest his appearance to them.