Martha, sister of Mary (of Bethany) and Lazarus, is a well known secondary character in the Gospels of Luke and John. But has she appeared elsewhere in non-canonical sources? There are some Latin medieval tales (particular of the “Golden Legend” lore) but there are much earlier stories, those being from the Gnostic tradition! I have collected references to this famous myrrh-bearer and provided them below. There are some passages from various Church fathers that refer to Martha as a leader of various groups, but unfortunately no writings exist from those traditions. Hopefully one day something will come out that supports these claims.
While there is mention of Martha in The Gospel of Bartholomew and First Apocalypse of James, it’s the massive Pistis Sophia that supplies the material I have presented. I used the G.S.R. Mead translation for these quotes, but did slightly clean up the wording to make it an easier read for the modern reader.
Chapter 37:
She (Sophia) continued again and uttered the third repentance, saying:
“O Light of powers, give heed and save me. May they who would take away my light, lack and be in the darkness. May they who would take away my power, turn into chaos and be put to shame. May they turn quickly to darkness, who press me sore and say: We have become lords over her. May rather all those who seek the Light, rejoice and exult, and they who desire thy mystery, say ever: May the mystery be exalted. Save me then now, O Light, for I lacked my light, which they have taken away, and I needed my power, which they have taken from me. Thou then, O Light, thou art my savior, and thou art my deliverer, O Light. Save me quickly out of this chaos.”
Chapter 38:
And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished speaking these words unto his disciples, saying: “This is the third repentance of Pistis Sophia,” that he said unto them: “Let him in whom a sensitive spirit has arisen, come forward and speak the thought of the repentance which Pistis Sophia had uttered.”
Martha asked and received permission to speak. It came to pass then, before Jesus had finished speaking, that Martha came forward, fell down at his feet, kissed them, cried aloud and wept with lamentation and in humbleness, saying: “My Lord, have mercy upon me and have compassion with me, and let me speak the solution of the repentance which Pistis Sophia had uttered.”
And Jesus gave his hand unto Martha and said unto her: “Blessed is every one who humbled himself, for on him they shall have mercy. Now, therefore, Martha, are thou blessed. But proclaim then the solution of the thought of the repentance of Pistis Sophia.”
And Martha answered and said unto Jesus in the midst of the disciples: “Concerning the repentance which Pistis Sophia had uttered, O my Lord Jesus, of it thy light-power in David prophesied aforetime in the sixty-ninth Psalm, saying:
‘O Lord God, give heed to my help. Let them be put to shame and con-founded who seek after my soul. May they turn straightway and be put to shame, who say unto me: Ha, ha. May all who seek thee, be joyful and exult because of thee, and they who love thy salvation, say ever: May God be exalted. But I am wretched, I am poor; O Lord, help me. Thou are my helper and defense; O Lord, delay not.’
This then is the solution of the third repentance which Pistis Sophia hath uttered, singing praises to the height.”
Chapter 39:
It came to pass then, when Jesus had heard Martha speak these words, that he said unto her: “Well said, Martha, and finely.”
Chapter 57:
And Jesus continued again in the discourse and said unto his disciples: “It came to pass again thereafter that Pistis Sophia cried unto me, saying:
‘O Light of lights, I have transgressed in the twelve aeons, and have descended from them; wherefore have I uttered the twelve repentances, one for each aeon. Now, therefore, O Light of lights, forgive me my transgression, for it is exceedingly great, because I have abandoned the regions of the height and have come to dwell in the regions of the chaos.’
When then Pistis Sophia had said this, she continued again in the thirteenth repentance, saying:
“Hearken unto me singing praises unto thee, O Light of lights. Hearken unto me uttering the repentance for the thirteenth aeon, the region out of which I have come down, in order that the thirteenth repentance of the thirteenth aeon may be accomplished,–those aeons which I have overstepped and out of which I have come down. Now, therefore, O Light of lights, hearken unto me singing praises unto thee in the thirteenth aeon, my region out of which I have come down. Save me, O Light, in thy great mystery and forgive my transgression in thy forgiveness. And give unto me the baptism and forgive my sins and purify me from my transgression. And my transgression is the lion-faced power, which will never be hidden from thee; for because of it have I gone down. And I alone among the invisibles, in whose regions I was, have transgressed, and have gone down into the chaos. Moreover I have transgressed, that thy commandment may be accomplished.’
This then Pistis Sophia said. Now, therefore, let him whom his spirit urges to understand her words, come forward and proclaim her thought.”
Martha came forward and said: “My Lord, my spirit urges me to proclaim the solution of that which Pistis Sophia hath spoken; thy power hath prophesied aforetime concerning it through David in the fiftieth Psalm, saying thus: ‘Be gracious unto me, O God, according to thy great grace; according to the fulness of thy mercy blot out my sin. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. And may my sin be ever present to thee, That thou may be justified in thy words and prevail when thou judges me.’
This is then the solution of the words which Pistis Sophia hath uttered.”
Jesus said unto her: “Well said, finely, Martha, blessed one.”
Chapter 73
And when Mary had said this, the First Mystery said unto her, “Well said, finely, Mary, blessed one.”
And he continued again in the discourse and said unto the disciples: “Sophia again continued in this song and said: ‘The Light had become my savior. And it had changed my darkness into light, and it has rent the chaos which surrounded me and girded me with light.’
It came to pass then, when the First Mystery had finished saying these words, that Martha came forward and said: “My Lord, thy power has prophesied aforetime through David concerning these words: ‘The Lord had become my helper. He had changed my lamentation into joy; he had rent my mourning-robe and girded me with joy.'”
And it came to pass when the First Mystery had heard Martha speak these words, that he said: “Well said, and finely, Martha.”
Chapter 79
“And when Pistis Sophia had said this, she looked at the region of Adamas and saw the dark and chaotic region which he had made, and saw also the two dark exceedingly violent emanations which Adamas had emanated, in order that they might seize Pistis Sophia and cast her down into the chaos which he had made, and constrain and harass her in that region, until they should take her light from her. It came to pass then, when Pistis Sophia had seen those two dark emanations and the dark region which Adamas had made, that she feared and cried unto the Light, saying: ‘O Light, lo! Adamas, the doer of violence, is wrathful; he had made a dark emanation, And he had also emanated another chaos and had made another dark and chaotic one and made it ready. Now, therefore, O Light, the chaos which he had made, in order to cast me down therein and take from me my light-power, take then from him his own. And the plan which he had devised, to take my light,–they are to take his own from him; and the injustice which he had spoken, to take my lights from me,–take then all of his.’
These are the words which Pistis Sophia had uttered in her song. Now, therefore, who is sober in spirit, let him come forward and set forth the solution of the words which Pistis Sophia had uttered in her song.”
Chapter 80
Martha again came forward and said: “My Lord, I am sober in my spirit and understand the words which thou has said. Now, therefore, give me commandment to set forth their solution in openness.”
And the First Mystery answered and said unto Martha: “I give thee commandment, Martha, to set forth the solution of the words which Pistis Sophia had uttered in her song.”
And Martha answered and said: “My Lord, these are the words which thy light-power hath prophesied aforetime through David in the seventh Psalm, saying: ‘God is a righteous vindicator and strong and long-suffering, who brings not on his wrath every day. If ye turn not, he will whet his sword; he had bent his bow and made it ready. And he had made ready for him instruments of death; he had made his arrows for those who will be burnt up. Behold, injustice had been in labor, had conceived wrong and brought forth iniquity. It had dug a pit and hollowed it out. It will fall into the hole which it had made. Its wrong will return on its own head, and its injustice will come down on its pate.'”
When Martha had said this, the First Mystery which looked without, said unto her: “Well said, finely, Martha, blessed one.”
Those are the various quotes of Martha in the Pistis Sophia. As you can see, she is just applying various Psalms to the Repentance of Sophia stoy line. If I find more Martha quotes elsewhere, I will be sure to update this page. I may put up some of those medieval tales as well. One of which sounds pretty interesting, so we shall see….
Featured artwork was made via Midjourney.
-bP
Culmination of Wisdom 