Christian Apocrypha and Early Christian Literature

(Ron) #1

at Golgotha at noon on the sixth day of the week a cloud came and took her into the third heaven.
The Son appeared and said that he would show her a great mystery. 'Look upon the earth
beneath.' (Here we have ch. 13 of Paul, and from this point we continue with the text of Paul
sometimes amplified with quotations from the Bible.)
At Paul 31 we have the addition - doubtless correct- that the souls who were neither hot nor cold
sit beside the river of fire. There are several variations and additions to the list of torments not
worth specifying, but the section which corresponds to Paul 40 must be quoted (unpleasant as the
topic is) on account of its affinity with Peter.
Women are seen, bitten by serpents, dogs, lions, and leopards of fire. They are nuns who violated
the rule and slew their children.
Often they caused their death before they were born. They shed their blood on the ground, or
killed them when born, or their fathers gave poison to the mothers. 'But these children cry out
before the throne of my Father, and say: Lord, they have not suffered us to grow up to do good or
evil: the half of us they gave to the dogs and cast the other half to the swine. And when we heard
the words of these children, I and my Father and the Comforter were grieved, and I commanded
Temliaqos to set them in a beautiful abode. But for their fathers and mothers this is their torment
for ever.'
The Virgin says: If they repent wilt thou not forgive them? Yes, if they do so from their heart.
But as for their pastors who did not admonish them, their part shall be with Eli and Fola. Eli did
not reprove his sons, Fola sold his daughters for an ox.
I do not know who Fola was.
The Apocalypse ends with ch. 44 of Paul. There is no trace in it of Paul 1 - 12 or 45 - 51.

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