Tripartite Tractate 9

1The whole system of the aeons has a love and longing to discover the Father perfectly and completely, and this is their unrestricted unity. Although the Father reveals himself eternally, he did not desire that they know him automatically. Instead, he allows himself to be grasped through searching, while reserving his unsearchable primal essence to himself. The Father gave the aeons basic desires because they form places along the path that leads to him, like a school that trains conduct. He has given them:

2faith in him and prayer to the one they do not see,

3and a strong hope in the one they do not grasp,

4and a fruitful love that looks toward what it does not see,

5and a worthy understanding of the eternal mind,

6and a blessing of wealth and freedom,

7and an understanding that longs to glorify the Father for <his> thought.

8[] By his will, the exalted Father is known through the Spirit that breathes within the Totalities. He even gives them the idea of searching for the unknown one, as when a pleasant aroma makes someone search for its source, because the Father’s aroma surpasses natural aromas. His sweetness gives the aeons indescribable pleasure and produces in them the idea of joining with him, who desires them to know him in a unified way, and of helping one another in the Spirit planted within them. Although a great weight presses down on them, they are renewed in an indescribable way. They cannot be separated from that in which they have been placed in a way they cannot grasp. They will not speak but will remain silent concerning the Father’s glory, concerning the one who can speak. Nevertheless, they will receive a form from him.

9Although speech cannot describe him, he revealed [himself.] They possess <him>, concealed within a thought. This is why the aeons remain silent about how the Father exists in his form, his essence, and his greatness, [] while the aeons are worthy to know through his Spirit that he cannot be named or comprehended. Through his spirit—the trace of seeking him—he gives them the ability to grasp him and speak about him. Each aeon is a name, <that is>, each one is a quality and power of the Father, because he exists in many names that are mixed together and are in harmony with one another. He can be spoken of because of the riches of speech. In the same way, although the Father is a single name because of his unity, he possesses countless qualities and names.