Editing Gnostic Text/The Secret Book of John (section)

==The Creation of Adam==

A voice bellowed from the sublime realms, “Man exists, and the Son of Man.”

Yaldabaoth, the first ruler, heard these words and thought that they had come from his mother, for he did not know their true source.

The holy Mother-Father, perfect Forethought, the image of the Invisible Spirit, the mother of the Fullness, the one in whom the Fullness had come into being, the first human, appeared to the rulers in the image of a human. Tremors rumbled through the realm of the first ruler and rocked the foundations of the abyss. The waters that lie above the material world were lit up by the glowing image, and by this light the rulers saw the image. They were speechless.

Yaldabaoth said to the rulers, “Come, let us make a man after this heavenly image, but also in our own image, so that this man may bring us light.”

They created with their own powers, in accordance with their own characters. Each of the powers contributed something to the man that corresponded to a part of the image they had seen, the image of the perfect first human. And they said, “Let us name him Adam, so that his name will be a shining power for us.”

So the powers began:
The first, Goodness, gave him a soul of bone.
The second, Forethought, gave him a soul of sinew.
The third, Divinity, gave him a soul of muscle.
The fourth, Lordship, gave him a soul of marrow.
The fifth, Kingship, gave him a soul of blood.
The sixth, Zeal, gave him a soul of skin.
And the seventh, Understanding, gave him a soul of hair.

The multitude of the rulers received these seven substances from the seven rulers who had created them. Now it was their turn to use these substances to create all the particular parts of the body, and in the proper arrangement.

The first of these rulers, Raphao, began by creating the crown of his head.
Then Abron created his skull,
Meniggesstroeth created his brain,
Asterechme created his right eye,
Thaspomocha created his left eye,
Yeronumos created his right ear,
Bissoum created his left ear,
Akioreim created his nose,
Banen-Ephroum created his lips,
Amen created his teeth,
Ibikan created his molars,
Basiliademe created his tonsils,
Achcha created his uvula,
Adaban created his neck,
Chaaman created his vertebrae,
Dearcho created his throat,
Tebar the right shoulder,
[Text missing] created his left shoulder,
Mniarchon created his right elbow,
[Text missing] created his left elbow,
Abitrion created his right armpit,
Euanthen created his left armpit,
Krus created his right hand,
Beluai created his left hand,
Treneu created the fingers of his right hand,
Balbel created the fingers of his left hand,
Krima created his fingernails,
Astrops created his right nipple,
Barroph created his left nipple,
Baoum created his right shoulder joint,
Ararim created his left shoulder joint,
Arekh created his body cavity,
Phthaue created his navel,
Senaphim created his abdomen,
Arachethopi created his right ribs,
Zabedo created his left ribs,
Barias created his right hip,
Phnouth created his left hip,
Abenlenarchei created his marrow,
Chnoumeninorin created his bones,
Gesole created his stomach,
Agromauma created his heart,
Bano created his lungs,
Sostrapal created his liver,
Anesimalar created his spleen,
Thopithro created his intestines,
Biblo created his kidneys,
Roeror created his sinews,
Taphreo created his vertebrae,
Ipouspoboba created his veins,
Bineborin created his arteries,
Aatoimenpsephei created the air in his limbs,
Entholleia created all his flesh,
Bedouk created his right buttock,
Arabeei created his left buttock,
[Text missing] created his penis,
Eilo created his testicles,
Sorma created his genitals,
Gormakaiochlabar created his right thigh,
Nebrith created his left thigh,
Pserem created the muscles of his right leg,
Asaklas created the muscles of his left leg,
Ormaoth created his right leg,
Emenun created his left leg,
Knux created his right shin,
Tupelon created his left shin,
Achiel created his right ankle,
Phneme created his left ankle,
Phiouthrom created his right foot,
Boabel created his toes,
Trachoun created his left foot,
Phikna created his toes,
Miamai created his toenails,
And Labernioum created his [text missing].

Seven were appointed to rule over all these parts: Athoth, Armas, Kalila, Yabel, Sabaoth, Cain, and Abel.

And those who enable the limbs to move and function, along with their particular parts, are:

Diolimodraza, who moves the head;
Yammeax moves the neck,
Yakouib moves the right shoulder,
Ouerton moves the left shoulder,
Oudidi moves the right hand,
Arbao moves the left hand,
Lampno moves the fingers of the right hand,
Leekaphar moves the fingers of the left hand,
Barbar moves the right breast,
Imae moves the left breast,
Pisandraptes moves the chest,
Koade moves the right shoulder joint,
Odeor moves the left shoulder joint,
Asphixix moves the right ribs,
Sunogchouta moves the left ribs,
Arouph moves the body cavity,
Sabalo moves the abdomen,
Charcharb moves the right thigh,
Chthaon moves the left thigh,
Bathinoth moves the genitals,
Choux moves the right leg,
Charcha moves the left leg,
Aroer moves the right shin,
Toechtha moves the left shin,
Aol moves the right ankle,
Charaner moves the left ankle,
Bastan moves the right foot,
Archentechtha moves the toes of the right foot,
Marephnounth moves the left foot,
And Abrana moves the toes of the left foot.

Seven were appointed to rule over all of these parts: Michael, Uriel, Asmenedas, Saphasatoel, Aarmouriam, Richram, and Amiorps.

Archendekta has power over the senses,
Deitharbathas has power over perception,
Oummaa has power over imagination,
Aachiaram has power over reflection,
And Riaramnacho has power over impulse.

All the demons in all the body have four sources: heat, cold, wetness, and dryness. Matter is the mother of all of them.

Phloxopha rules over heat,
Oroorrothos rules over cold,
Erimacho rules over dryness,
And Athuro rules over wetness.

Onorthochras is the mother of them all and stands in their midst. She is unlimited and is within all of them. She is matter, and they receive their nourishment from her.

There are four main demons:
Ephememphi is the demon of pleasure,
Yoko is the demon of desire,
Nenentophni is the demon of grief,
And Blaomen is the demon of fear.
Esthesis-Ouch-Epi-Ptoe is their mother.

Passions come from these four demons.

The passions that come from grief are envy, zealotry, pain, distress, anxiety, acrimony, contention, and anguish.

The passions that come from pleasure are a great many: boastful arrogance and the like.

The passions that come from desire are anger, enmity, bitterness, lust, avarice, and the like.

The passions that come from fear are terror, subservience, agony, and shame.

The nature of these vices is exemplified by Anaro, who rules over the material soul, and who nests with Esthesis-Z-Ouch-Epi-Ptoe.

These are the angels of the first ruler. In total, there are 365 of them. They labored together until at last, piece by piece, they had created the first human body.

But the first ruler has other angels, too, ones I have not mentioned to you today. These control the rest of the passions. If you wish to learn about them as well, consult the Book of Zoroaster, which has much to teach about these matters.