The Pistis Sophia is a Gnostic writing preserved in a fourth-century Coptic manuscript called Codex Askewanus. It is one of the most important surviving Gnostic texts. The book has four parts and is named after its central figure, Sophia (which means “wisdom”). However, only the first half focuses on her story.
The Pistis Sophia describes how Jesus, during the first 11 years after his resurrection, returned to teach his disciples the highest mystery of all: the Treasury of the Light. Jesus went back to the Mount of Olives, where he went up through the aeons (spiritual realms). On his journey, he reached the thirteenth aeon and found Sophia. She was grieving because she had seen the true Light but had been deceived by Authades (the “self-willed one”), who showed her a false light. This caused her to fall into the hands of the powers of matter. Despite this, she kept her hope and faith. After she prayed 12 times, Jesus rescued her from Authades and from chaos. He restored her to the lower part of the thirteenth aeon.
The story is told in the form of a dialogue in which Jesus answers his disciples' questions. The work reflects the Gnostic belief that salvation comes through secret knowledge that brings enlightenment and freedom from the material world.
See also Apocrypha.