Pistis Sophia — The Thirteen Repentances (G.R.S. Mead Translation, 1921)

A complete reading of the heart of the Pistis Sophia — Sophia's thirteen repentances and the disciples' interpretations of each. Translated by G.R.S. Mead in 1921 from the Coptic of the Askew Codex (discovered 1773, preserved at the British Museum). Sophia, the divine feminine principle of Gnostic cosmology, has fallen out of the Pleroma and into the chaos. From there, she cries out to the Light in thirteen successive repentances. After each one, a disciple — Mary Magdalene, Peter, Martha, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Matthew, James, Salome, others — steps forward to interpret her prayer by linking it to a specific Psalm. This is one of the longest and most striking sustained passages in surviving Gnostic literature. The pattern is the point: thirteen repentances, thirteen recognitions, thirteen returns to what she actually was beneath the layers of forgetting and oppression that pulled her down. ────────── CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction 9:02 Repentance 1 — interpreted by Mary Magdalene from Psalm 68 21:30 Repentance 2 — interpreted by Peter from Psalm 70 27:39 Repentance 3 — interpreted by Martha from Psalm 69 31:06 Repentance 4 38:43 Repentance 5 — interpreted by Philip from Psalm 87 48:47 Repentance 6 — interpreted by Andrew from Psalm 129 54:32 Repentance 7 — interpreted by Thomas from Psalm 24 1:03:57 Repentance 8 — interpreted by Matthew from Psalm 30 1:11:43 Repentance 9 — interpreted by James from Psalm 34 1:24:24 Repentance 10 — interpreted by Peter from Psalm 119 1:27:13 Repentance 11 — interpreted by Salome 1:31:47 Repentance 12 — interpreted by Andrew from Psalm 108 1:39:45 Repentance 13 — interpreted by Martha from Psalm 50 1:51:51 Closing ────────── TRANSLATION CREDIT G.R.S. Mead, Pistis Sophia: A Gnostic Gospel (J.M. Watkins, London, 1921). Translated from Schwartze's Latin version of the Coptic Askew Codex and checked against Amélineau's French version. Public domain. The Pistis Sophia is generally dated to the late 3rd or early 4th century CE. The Askew Codex containing it was acquired by Anthony Askew in the late 18th century and is now held at the British Museum (MS. Add. 5114). ────────── ABOUT THIS CHANNEL Our Hidden Archive publishes complete readings of suppressed and forgotten texts and the real history behind them — full primary sources, no interpretive overlay, drawn from the work of scholars who have made these texts accessible. Companion videos on this channel: — The Gospel of Thomas (complete, 114 sayings) — The Real History of Gnostic Suppression — Gnostic Practices: A Compendium of Meditations from the Primary Sources If this reached you, like and subscribe for more suppressed texts.