PISTIS SOPHIA. - It is the title given by Schwartz to a Gnostic writing of the 3rd century in the Coptic language, contained in the Codex Askewianus of the British Museum.

The text consists of four books. The first three, forming a unit, deal with the P. S., that is, with the faith that seeks Wisdom. The work is attributed to the Savior, that is, to Jesus himself. The P. S. is an aeons, fallen from heaven into matter, which is restored to its first heavenly dwelling by Jesus. The writing contains many references to apocryphal works, among which are also 5 odes of Solomon (v.), furthermore apocryphal Gospels and probably also an Apocryphal Apocalypse (v. L. H. Puech, in Coptic studies in honor of W. E. Crum, Boston 1950, p. 122). The fourth book is an independent work, which deals especially with penance. It is probably older than the P. S. To place the P. S. within its Gnostic milieu will perhaps be possible after the publication of the Gnostic codices in the Coptic language, discovered in 1946 in the region of Nag-Hammadi.

Bibliography6 works

BIBL.: ed.: C. Schmidt, Koptisch-gnost. Schriften, Leipzig 1905. Ed. of the Coptic text, Copenhagen 1925. New German trans., Leipzig 1925. Monographs: K. R. Köstlin, Das gnost. System des Buches P. S., in Theol. Jahrb., 13 (1854), p. 1 ff., 137 ff.; A. Harnack, Über das gnost. Buch P. S. (Texte und Untersuch. zur Gesch. der altsch. Liter., 7, 11), Leipzig 1891, p. 1 ff. See also the articles by C. Schmidt, in Zeitschr. für neutestam. Wissenschaft., 24 (1925), p. 218 ff.; F. C. Burkitt, in The Journal of theol. studies, 23 (1922), p. 271 ff.; 26 (1925), p. 391 ff. and by R. P. Casey, ibid., 27 (1926), p. 374 ff. On the astrological doctrines, v. W. Gundel in Fr. Boll, Sternglaube und Sterndeutung, 4th ed. Berlin 1931, p. 187 ff. and Gundel, Paranatellon, in Pauly-Wissowa, XX, II, coll. 1913-21. On the new Gnostic texts in the Coptic language, v. T. Mina, in Vigiliae christianae, 2 (1948), p. 129 ff.; 3 (1949), p. 129 ff.; J. Doresse, ibid., p. 137 ff.

Erik Peterson

@incollection{ec9_pistis_sophia, author = {Peterson, Erik}, title = {Pistis Sophia}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {IX}, pages = {1574--1575}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1952}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/pistis-sophia} }

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