128 LITERATURE OF GNOSTIC WISDOM
ELOHIM'S ASCENT
The necessity of evil has this circumstance:
when Elohim and Edem in mutual love made the cosmos,
Elohim chose to rise to the highest part of heaven
to see if their creation lacked any elements.
He took his angels with him and rose, as was his nature,
and he abandoned Edem below,
who being earth declined to follow her husband upward.
When Elohim reached the upper border of heaven,
he saw a light stronger than the sun he created,
and he said, "Open the gates for me to enter
and to acknowledge the lord.^19
I had thought I was the lord!"
He heard a voice out of the light, saying,
"This is the lord's gate. The just pass through it."^20
The gate was immediately opened,
and the father, without his angels, went into the Good
and saw what eye has not seen or ear heard
and what has not arisen in the human heart.
The Good said to him, "Sit down at my right hand."^21
The father said to the Good,
"Let me destroy the cosmos I made.
My spirit is imprisoned among people.
I want to take it back."^22
Then the Good told him, "Nothing which comes
from me can be evil. In your companion love
you and Edem made the world. Let Edem keep the creation
as long as she wishes, but you must stay with me."EDEM'S RESPONSE
Then Edem knew she was abandoned by Elohim
and sorrowfully began to gather angels around her- Psalm 118:19.
- Psalm 118:20.
- Psalm 110:1.
- Genesis 6:7.