Tripartite Tractate 25

1Humans came to be divided into three natural categories: the spiritual, the soulish, and the material. These correspond to the Word’s threefold inclination, from which the material, the soulish, and the spiritual were produced. Each of the three natural categories is known by its fruit. They were not known at first, however, but only when the Savior came, shone upon the saints, and revealed which category each one belonged to.

2The spiritual category is like light from light and spirit from spirit. When its head appeared, it immediately hurried toward its proper category. Suddenly it grew a body for its head and immediately received knowledge through the revelation.

3The soulish category, by contrast, is like light from fire. It was hesitant to recognize [] the one who appeared to it and even more hesitant to hurry toward him through faith. Instead, although a voice instructed it, <it> was satisfied, because it was not far from the hope of the promise. It received, as it were, assurance of the things to come in the form of a pledge.

4The material category, by contrast, is alien in every way, because it resembles darkness and rejects the light that shines, since its manifestation extinguishes it. Because it did not welcome his <coming>, it is <immoderate> and full of spite toward the revelation of the Lord.

5The spiritual category will receive complete salvation in every respect. The material category will be destroyed in every respect, as happens to an adversary. Because of its middle position, both in the way it was produced and in its nature, the soulish category is duality, corresponding to its inclination toward both good and evil. What has been determined for it is ambiguous <…> and its complete escape <from> what is good.

6Those whom the Word produced according to the preexistent pattern in his thought, when he remembered the Exalted One and prayed for salvation, received salvation immediately. [Because] of the saving thought, they were saved completely by what it produced. The same applies to [the ones] whom these produced in their turn, [] whether angels or humans. Because they acknowledge that one exists who is more exalted than they are, and because they pray and seek after him, they too will receive the same salvation received by those who were produced, since they come from the good inclination. They were assigned the service of proclaiming the Savior’s future coming and his revelation after he had come. Whether angels or humans, when he appointed them to this service, they truly received the nature of their being.

7By contrast, those who came from the thought of lust for control, who came into being through the blow struck by his opponents, were produced by that thought. Since they are mixed, they will receive an ambiguous end. Those who cast off the lust for control that was granted to them only for a time and for particular periods, who glorify the Lord of glory, and who renounce their anger, will receive the reward for their humility, which is unending existence.

8By contrast, those who are arrogant because of their lust for ambition, who love passing glory, and who forget that authority was delegated to them only for particular periods and times—and who therefore did not confess that the Son of God [] is the Lord of all and Savior, and did not renounce their anger or stop imitating the evil ones—will suffer retribution for their ignorance and foolish passion, together with those who have gone astray and wandered away.

9Even more evil are those who committed improper acts against the Lord, as the powers of the left did against him, even putting him to death. They said to themselves, “We will become masters of the Totality if the one proclaimed king of the Totality is killed.” They worked toward this end—the humans and angels who do not belong to the good inclination of those on the right, but come from the mixture. They chose self-glory, even though it is only passing glory and lust, while the way to eternal repose is through humility (that results in) salvation, being of those who are to be saved, those on the right.

10After they praise the Lord, consider what is pleasing to the Church, and sing the hymn of the humble together with her as fully as possible, doing what pleases her, they will share in her sufferings and anguish like those who consider what is good for the Church. They will receive a share in her hope. This applies [] to humans and angels.

11The path of those belonging to the order of the left leads to destruction, because they not only rejected the Lord and devised an evil plot against him, but also directed their hatred, envy, and jealousy against the Church. This is the reason for the condemnation of those who have troubled the Church, even inciting themselves to create <trials> for the Church.