Pistis Sophia

Indeed, when I pledged that I would undertake the task of publishing this work, which was described and translated into Latin as accurately as possible by Mauritius Schwartzius original: "Mauritio Schwartzio", I had not yet fully grasped the difficulties that impede such an undertaking. For I knew, taught by experience, with what diligence he had conducted himself in all matters, and, if I may say so, with what akribeia precision/meticulousness. Therefore, when I inspected the book transcribed and translated by him, at first glance I thought that, aside from separating the words, I would only have to perform the role of a so-called corrector. But when I examined the matter more closely, I noticed that he himself had hesitated in not a few places, had omitted some things in the version, and had translated other things—though not many—in such a way that I could easily conjecture that, before he was to release the book to the public, he would have read it over again and again and subjected everything to fresh scrutiny. Nevertheless, my understanding of all this could not move me to fail to keep my promises and not bring Schwartzius’s book to completion. Rather, with the greatest desire, I seized the task entrusted to me by the widow as a duty owed to the hands of a friend, or a sacrifice to be offered to the same, hoping that with God’s help I would overcome those difficulties, and that if I am unequal to this certainly very grave work, learned men will kindly indulge and forgive me. And indeed, if it is owed to anyone, I certainly must appeal to the benevolence of the readers. For, although I proceeded with all due religious care in investigating the things no less than the words, I gladly admit that I remain doubtful in many respects. For the subject matter of the book, which is the nature of Gnostic books, is so arduous and so abstruse that, as I read through everything again, I often felt as if I were struggling through a dense thicket.