The Contendings of the Apostles, Part 2

The Contendings of the Apostles, Part 2

continued

The Acts of Saint Peter

1 The noble and excellent disciple Clement relateth unto us the history of his master Peter, the chief of the Apostles, and how our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto him. May his prayer and his blessing be with our King John, and with the Queen Sabla Wangel.

Chapter I.

2 Concerning The Manifestation OF AND HOW OUR LORD ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN, AND HOW HE BLESSED THE APOSTLES, AND MADE KNOWN UNTO THEM CONCERNING THE ANGELS WHO SING PRAISES BEFORE HIM, AND THE SIMILITUDE OF THEIR FORMS, AND THEIR ORDERS, AND THEIR ORDINANCES AND WHATSOEVER APPERTAINETH THERETO. Clement saith:—Thus spake my father Peter:—Hearken, O my son Clement, unto what I shall declare unto thee, Our Lord Jesus Christ was on the Mount of Olives, and I [was with Him] after He had spoken unto me and commanded me [concerning] all the Law. And again He said unto me, "O Peter, go thou unto thy brethren, and call them unto Me here." So I went down from the Mount of Olives, and I left our Lord standing there; and I cried out to my brethren, that is to say, to James, and John, and Andrew, and they cried out to the rest of the Twelve Apostles and to the Seventy-two Disciples, and we all came into the mountain, and we stood upon it facing towards the east, with Jerusalem [lying] below [us].

3 Then a white and shining cloud, which was like unto a flame of fire, surrounded us, and all the people of Jerusalem saw the splendour thereof and were dismayed. And we were standing in the midst of the cloud, and we saw the doors of heaven opened, and the angels of light ascending and descending upon a ladder of light. And we saw our Lord standing at the foot of the ladder, and He was wishing to ascend unto His throne of radiant glory, and He stretched out His holy right hand, and blessed us, and He breathed into our faces, and said unto us, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit;" and when He had thus spoken unto us, our bodies and our hearts burned with the light of the Holy Spirit. And again, we saw a chariot of light descend from heaven upon the wings of the Cherubim, and with it there were thousands and tens of thousands of thousands of angels, and the Seraphim, each of whom had six wings; and they all in their various grades were singing praises, and crying out joyfully, and were ascribing holiness and thanks [unto Him] to the strains of beautiful music, and with clear and

4 GG* sweet voices. Now all we Apostles, and the company of the [Seventy-two] Disciples [rejoiced], even as [we rejoiced] at the time of the Resurrection. And we heard the sounds of trumpets and of horns, and the angels in their various companies cried out with loud cries of glory and with praisings and glorifyings. And certain companies of the angels ascribed glory unto God, and said, "Blessed 'be God Who is from the beginning, and Who shall endure for ever! Amen." And others of them said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, God of Hosts. All the heavens, and 'all the earth are filled with His glory. Hosanna in the heights. Blessed be He Who hath come, and blessed be He Who shall come in the Name of God." And others of them said, "Blessed be the Name of God from 'this time forth, and for ever and ever! Amen." And some of them said, "Holy art Thou, O God. Holy 'art Thou, O Mighty One. Holy art Thou, O Living One, Who diest not, have mercy upon us." And some of them said, "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, 'and to the Holy Spirit, now, henceforth, and for ever and ever! Amen."

5 And again we heard above a great and awful voice which was like unto thunder, and it said, "Open ye the 'gates, O princes, and let the doors which were from the Creation be opened, and the King of glory and honour shall come in." And again we heard the voices of the celestial companies who were standing by the throne, saying, "Who is this king of glory and honour?" And the voice, which we had heard before, answered and said unto them, "It is God, the Strong and Mighty." And again we heard the voices of the Principalities, and of the Dominions, and of the Powers among the angels, saying, "Open ye the doors, O princes, and let the gates which were from the Creation be opened, and the King of praise and glory shall come in." And we heard other voices from the lords of the Thrones, and [from] the Lords, saying, "Who is this king of glory and praise?" And they answered them, saying, "He is the King of glory, the Mighty One for ever and for ever." And again we saw the angels waving fans of light, and some of them bore vessels wherefrom there went out scents which for sweetness exceeded those of all the flowers in the world. And some of them smote these angels' wings together, and there went forth from their mouths praises, and cries of joy, and thanksgivings which were like unto a flame of fire; and some of them sang hymns of glory with such sweetness that [all] hearts were ravished.

6 And when we saw all this we all wept with a sore weeping, and we made lamentation, and said, "O our Lord and God, forgive us, for we have believed in Thee; leave us not orphans." And the head of me, Peter, was bowed down to the earth through fear of what I had seen, and my heart was moved. Then my Lord and God looked at me, and He said unto me, "O Peter, be not sorrowful;" and He stretched out His right hand to me, and said unto me, "Rise up, be strong, and make thy brethren to be strong, and keep [in your hearts] what ye have seen." And we all rose up from the ground, and stood upon our feet, and my Lord and God gave unto me a book [studded with] precious stones and pearls, and in it was written the rest of the knowledge which my Lord wished to declare unto me with His lips;

7 now the book was written by His holy and mighty hand, and there went forth therefrom a light of beauty, the splendour of which exceeded that of the brilliance of the sun when shining. And moreover, He gave me also seven books [studded with] the stone El-maklīṭōs, which had been written by His own hands. And again He said unto me, "O Peter, behold, there are written in this book the mysteries which thou didst desire to know, and thou shalt not reveal them except unto those who are in the right faith, even as water is in iron." Now my brethren did not know that my God had given unto me this book. And my Lord and God said unto me, "Know, O Peter, that I never gave this book unto any man before, and I shall never again give what I have now given unto thee to anyone except MARY, My mother, by whom I became incarnate. Know, O Peter, that I will help thee by means of another Apostle, who shall be with thee, and who shall help thee in all the cities whereunto thou shalt journey and shalt preach the preaching of the Gospel therein, and the people of which thou shalt teach. Do thou everything which I have commanded thee, and preach in My Name in all the world." And when I had received into my hand the eight books which our Lord had written with His own hand, wherein were written the mysteries which the tongues of the children of men are neither able to utter, nor to understand with their hearts, except those whose [ hearts are arrayed in the strength of the gracious gift of baptism [I rejoiced. And I,] Peter, saw the race of the angels, and their apparel, and their appearance, and their names. And I saw, moreover, a gathering together of the armies of the angels with flaming chariots of fire, and they were mounted upon horses of light; and when the children of men looked upon them, their eyes were carried away by the sight thereof. And I heard a voice which said, "O Peter, this book is not meet for anyone of the Apostles except thyself alone. And I saw the angels [in] their assemblies bowing down in homage before my Lord and God. Certain of them had their loins girt about with broad girdles of light, and certain of them had girded themselves with bands of light, without fringes, over their apparel; and certain of them wore over their left shoulders long, narrow scarves, with fringes; and in three [places in each scarf, that is, in the middle, and where it touched the shoulders, and in the part which hung down over the back were written the words, "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, One God.

8 And certain of the angels wore upon their shoulders a broad scarf, which in breadth was as wide as a kerchief, and upon each were written at the four corners, and in the middle, [the words], "We are the good shepherds, and we believe in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And some of the angels had round their shoulders girdles, each of which was of the width of two fingers, and at nine places in each one of them was written, "Serve ye God with fear," and the faces of all of them were like unto fire and unto the lightning which flasheth and is gone. And the heavens, and the earth, and the air were filled with the angels, and with the multitudes thereof. And, moreover, great numbers of the people of Jerusalem at that time saw things which I was seeing, and there were with them many of the Jews who had transgressed against righteousness, and who did not believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. And they stood at that time at the place where they could readily see these things, and fear and dismay came upon them all, and they glorified God. Then some of them who were doubtful concerning what they had seen wished to go up into the Mount of Olives, and there came upon them tongues of fire and burned up many of them.

Chapter Ii. — How Peter Saw a Mighty Similitude of the Lady of Us All, Mary, the Spotless Woman, and her Honourable Glory.

9 And again, I saw a cloud in the form of a bow which appeared among the clouds, and upon it was a tabernacle of light, and in the innermost part thereof sat the holy Virgin MARY, who gave birth to our Lord in the flesh. And angels surrounded her, and in their hands were swords and spears of fire, and they said, "Blessed art thou, O fair vine-branch, wherefrom sprang the grape-clusters of salvation. Blessed art thou, O chamber, whose womb bore God, the Lord of Lords; and when I had seen this, my body burned with fire, and my bowels were greatly moved, and my heart was dismayed. And as I looked upon that tabernacle and upon her who was therein, I saw that all the archangels, and martyrs, and saints were saluting her, and saying unto her, "Rejoice, O Mother of the Light, O Mother of mercy! Rejoice, O Throne of salvation, whereon sat the God of Gods and the Lord of Lords. And the Virgin Mary went and stood before the throne of God, the Lord of Hosts, and all the hosts said unto her, "Rejoice, O Lady of all living beings. And when the angels and those who were with them had finished saluting the Virgin our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, my God, appeared unto her, and all the spiritual beings, and all the beings of light bowed down in homage before Him.

10 Then the Mother of the Light entered into the tabernacle of light wherein our Lord sat upon His throne of glory, and she sat down with Him for a space of three hours, and none knew what He said unto her except herself, and then she came forth from His tabernacle of light. And when she came forth the earth quaked, and I saw the angels crying out in their companies, and frequent shouts of joy went out from the mouths of them all, and much praise, and the whole [universe] was filled with their glorifyings; and I heard voices in the earth, the like of which I had never heard before. And again, I saw a cloud over the Mount of Olives, and I heard the voice of my Lord and God, saying thereunto, "Stand still [in] thy place, O Mount, that thou mayest be a witness for me to My ascent from thee into the heavens; and know, O mountain, that no one shall ascend from thee except Myself into heaven until My second coming. And after this my Lord and God took me by the hand, and raised me up from my knees, and I stood up in great power; and He said unto me, "Awake, O Peter, and look upon these mysteries, for thou wast the first to become a witness that I am the Son of the Living God,' Who was, and Who is; and thy heart shall then become the means of ascent unto heaven.

11 And now, behold, thy soul and thy heart are strong in thy body, and thy brethren are with thee; be thou a witness to that which thou hast seen, and be strong to conceal everything. And again I saw the Cherubim come, and with them were chariots of light, and when I had seen the angels I was dismayed. Then our Lord ascended upon a chariot of the Cherubim, and the clouds bore Him away, and I heard the sound of trumpets sounding. And I saw the keys of light laid out, and censers filled with incense, not that which is of the earth, but that which is of heaven; and I heard on all sides hymns of praise and psalms. And I heard those who were singing hymns of praise saying, "This is our God, and there is no other god; the Lord God hath gone up to the sound of the trump, the Lord God hath gone up with a shout of joy, the Lord God hath gone up with tens of thousands of thousands. [of angels], the Lord God hath gone up with [His] hosts [and among His] armies. And I Peter and my brethren the disciples watched the chariot whereon Christ our God had mounted until it entered into the first heaven, and then I saw the gates of heaven close.

12 And as for us, we remained upon the Mount of Olives until the time of evening, and we prayed on the spot wherefrom we saw our Lord ascend into heaven, and we also prayed upon the place where the chariot [rested], and upon the place whereon [stood] the tabernacle in which we had seen our Lord. Then we the Apostles came down from the holy mountain, and entered into the city of Jerusalem, and we came unto our Lady MARY and entered into her house, and saluted her; and we made known to her concerning the Ascension of her beloved Son, Who is our Lord and God Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who hath existed [for ever]. And every day we the Apostles used to go up into the Mount of Olives at morn and at eve [and pray there. Now three days after the Ascension of our Lord into heaven, James, whom our Lord called His "brother in the flesh", consecrated the Offering, and we all drew nigh to partake thereof; and when ten days had passed after the Ascension of our Lord, we all assembled in the holy fortress of Zion, and we stood up to say the prayer of sanctification, and we made supplication unto God and besought Him with humility, and James also entreated Him concerning the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Offering.

13 And as we were [standing] thus, we saw tongues of fire coming down from heaven, and they rested upon each and every one of us, and we spake in the tongues of [all] countries, each man in the tongue of the country to which the lot had fallen to him to go; and straightway I Peter stood up among those who were assembled. Then the Hebrews who saw us looked carefully at us whilst we were speaking the tongues of the various countries, and they said concerning us, "Behold, these men are mad. Others also said concerning us, "They have drunk new wine, and are drunk; and they disputed among themselves, but I had no knowledge of what they spoke or said. And I Peter spake from the Prophets, and the others spake concerning the descent of the Holy Spirit upon us, even according to the power which the Holy Spirit gave unto us before the angel of the Lord, who was with us at that time; and there was perturbation, and dismay, and great fear over Jerusalem, and over all Judaca. Then many of the men who were in Jerusalem spake with us in divers tongues, and we also conversed with them in these tongues, and they marvelled thereat, and these folk said unto the Jews who were in Jerusalem, "O foolish men, these men are not drunk, neither are they mad, but unto them hath been given the grace of God.

14 And behold, we have seen the miracles of the tongues of fire which came down upon them from heaven when they were gathered together in the fortress of Zion. Now we have known them before this day, and we know that not one among them was able to speak any tongue except the tongue of the Hebrews, and behold, we have this day seen them speaking in the tongues of the Greeks, and Romans, and Syrians, and Palestinians, and in the tongues of all countries. And the people, who saw the miracles [of the tongues] which came upon us that day, were more in number than seven hundred men, and they belonged to all nations and peoples; and the men of the Hebrews were more in number than five hundred. And they wished to fight among themselves in Jerusalem, and angry strife rose up concerning us, but, by the mercy of God, God shewed them a vision of the night, and by these means He pacified them and restrained them from fighting and tumult.

15 And after this the angel of the Lord came and said unto me, "Rise up, O Peter, and get thee up by thyself into the Mount of Olives, and acquaint thyself with what is written in the books which I have given unto thee, and understand what is therein. So I went up into the Mount of Olives on the second day of the week, on the day following the festival of the fifty days (Pentecost), and [a cloud] covered me up, and I saw the angel who had appeared unto me in my dream; and he said unto me, "O Peter, lift up thine eyes towards the heavens, and understand that which thou shalt see. And I lifted up mine eyes to the heavens, and I saw a flash of light which carried away the sight, and it distilled dew whereof the smell was like unto the odour of sweet and precious musk. And that dew was dropping down upon those who were dwelling in the graves, and I saw those souls rejoicing and making glad, and they spake, saying, "Blessed are we and the Apostles also, for our God hath delivered us by His strong right hand, and by His mighty arm. Blessed are we because our God hath delivered us from the hand of Satan, the accursed one. Then straightway that angel said unto me, "I am he who appeared unto Mary Magdalene at the grave of Him Who giveth life, and there were with her many Hebrews, both men and women;

16 and there was with me my companion Uriël the angel, and we were together guarding the grave. And we closed the place of burial, and we were those who rolled away the stone which was laid upon the doors of the grave, and we were those who told Joseph, the carpenter, to depart into the land of Egypt, and we also commanded him to return from the land of Egypt unto the land of Galilee. And moreover, this angel said unto me, "O Peter, reveal the contents of this book which was given unto thee at the time of the Ascension of our Lord and God into the heavens above, and unto the place where His habitation hath been continually; and I uncovered the eight books which were before me, and the city of Jerusalem became bright with the light of the same. 17 Now as I stood reading the book, behold, there came unto me a voice from heaven which said, "O Peter, read and understand, for thou art the storehouse of My mysteries, and thou art the rock whereon I will build My church; keep thou then the mysteries which are written in these eight books which I Myself have given unto thee, for this [service] is meet for thee. First of all preach the Gospel in Jerusalem, and on the sea shore, and in all cities, for I will reveal unto thee many miracles, and I will make thee to perceive what shall come through the Law and the Judgment upon My people who believe in me. And I will give them ordinances out of the Law which I shall command them to keep, and which they shall not withdraw from, either to the right hand or to the left. And know that in these books which I have written for thee with Mine own hand [it is declared] in what manner it is meet that their faith in Me should be, and what is seemly for every man whatsoever among the people, and therein are they ordered to turn away from the service of idols unto the service of Me. And, O Peter, go thou unto the city of Antioch, and preach therein the preaching of the Holy Gospel, for from this time forth I will send thee whithersoever I please. And seal thou the eight books which I have given unto thee, and hide their fastenings, and let no man whatsoever B..15a see them except him that hath been chosen and him that shall be of advantage unto the service of the holy things which are Mine; for the cloud which covered Me over shall not leave thee until the day of My second coming."

18 And after He had said these things unto me, I Peter came down from the Mount of Olives unto Jerusalem, and I hid the eight books according as my Lord had commanded me, and I made known to my brethren how my God had revealed unto me the names of these two angels whom I had seen upon the earth; then we all ascribed praise unto God Who had bestowed upon us the gift of His mercy. And we preached the preaching of the Gospel in the city, and we departed to the sea-coast, and we called the people into the true faith. Now the first city into which we entered on the sea-coast was called Joppa, and we also arrived at 'Îmâhûs (Emmaus), and at Lydda, and we laid a ban upon those who believed that they might not eat of B..15a. food which [was declared to be] unclean in the Law. And I gave them commandments concerning circumcision according to the Law of Moses, and God appeared unto me in the form of the angel Uriël, and commanded me to do away the old Law, and to bring in the new. And after these things, when I was praying one day in the city of Joppa, a cloud of light enveloped me, and there descended upon me a sheet which stretched from heaven to earth;

19 and in it there were similitudes of every kind of four-footed beasts which are eaten for food, and every kind of bird, and in that sheet there was a beast in the form of a pig. And a voice cried out unto me from heaven, and said unto me, "Rise, Peter, kill, and eat; and I saw a finger pointing from heaven to the beast which was in the form of a pig. Then I said unto Him, "Lord, I cannot kill and eat that which is unclean; and again a voice cried unto me, saying, "That which God hath cleansed man shall not pronounce unclean. Now I heard the voice three times, and each time it called me the finger pointed to the beast which was in the form of a pig; and then the sheet went up and was received into heaven. And I sat down in a state of amazement, and I marvelled at what I had seen, and I made known unto my brethren what I had seen and heard. And I made [the people] to hear the faith according to what was written in the first of these eight books which our Lord had given unto me, and I baptized all the people who believed and who had turned away from the service of idols; and I wished to strengthen them in the true faith through the Law in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

20 Then I commanded them to fast, and to pray, and to sell their fields and estates, and their goods, and to bring their possessions into the house of the community, and I Peter received their riches and divided them among the poor and needy of the children of the faith who had been baptized. And I also entered into the two cities of Tyre and Sidon, and preached therein, and through me many people believed in the preaching of the Holy Gospel, which is the Gospel of the kingdom of God, to Whom be glory for ever and ever! Amen.

Chapter Iii.

21 Of The Coming OF CLEMENT INTO THE FAITH OF CHRIST, AND HOW PETER CHOSE HIM TO BE HIS DISCIPLE, ALONG WITH HIS BRETHREN, AND HOW THEY CAME UPON THEIR FATHER AND THEIR MOTHER AFTER THEY HAD LOST ALL HOPE OF THEM; TOGETHER WITH THE MIRACLES AND THE STORIES WHICH SHOULD HERE FOLLOW. Saith Clement: — Now when my master Peter, the lord of the keys of the treasures of the heavens and the earth, passed to the sea shore, now there were with him also Andrew, and John, and Philip, and certain others of the Seventy-[two] Disciples, I Clement was standing on the sea shore, and was weeping because there had reached me news of the loss of my mother and my brother; and the brethren said unto my master, Peter, "It is meet that we should know and become 'acquainted with the story of this young man.' Then my master Peter came, and said unto me, 'Why weepest thou, O young man? Whence comest thou? And who are thy father and mother?' Now he spake unto me in the tongue of the Romans. And I said unto him, 'Who art thou, O aged one? For since the time when I arrived here from my city I have not seen anyone

22 Hh who could speak the language of its people except thyself. Behold, I have been standing in this place for three days, but no man hath enquired of me concerning my history except thyself, and none passed near me who knew my speech, or whose tongue was known by me. Then my master said unto me, "I am Peter, the chief of the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ; and straightway he related unto me the preaching of the Holy Gospel, and I believed through him, and he baptized me in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Then he anointed me with the oil of Mêrôn the holy, which my Lord and God Jesus Christ had given unto him, for he kept it laid up by him, and he taught me the way in which it is meet for those who believe on our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, to keep the Law. And he revealed unto me the mysteries which have been before mentioned, and I wrote them down from his mouth, and laid them up by me; and he gave me the books which were written by the hand of my Lord Christ, and he set me over all His disciples. Now there were with him my brethren in the flesh, that is to say, Kûstôs (Caustus) and Constantinus, but I did not know them;

23 and he made me the steward of the mysteries, even as my Lord Christ, the Son of the Living God, had made him the steward of His mysteries. And I became unto him a scribe in Greek and Roman tongues, and my Lord and God Jesus Christ did not reveal unto him my history, nor whence I came, and he did not make enquiries of me concerning my work and handicraft until many days after, when he was going to the city of Laodicea. Now this took place after our Lord had chosen Saul, whose name was Paul, to be an Apostle. And this Paul was journeying to Damascus and wished to lay waste the churches of God which were therein, and to drive the believers out of the city. And our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto him on the road, and blinded his eyes and those of all his followers, and Paul said unto Him, "Lord, Who art Thou? Reveal Thyself to me. Then our Lord said unto him, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me, and why shewest thou thyself to be Mine enemy? It is harmful for thee to kick against sharp nails. And Paul said unto Him, "Who art Thou, O Lord, so that I may believe in Thee? And our Lord said unto him, "Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who is called the Nazarene. He it is Who is speaking with thee, and Who hath blinded thine eyes, and He it is Whom thou persecutest;

24 and straightway Paul believed in our Lord, and turned away from the work he was doing; and he was injured in the back, and his eyes were made blind. Then God commanded him to go to the city of Damascus, and he came to Ananias, who was one of the disciples therein, that he might open his eyes for him, and that he might baptize him; and immediately he came to him he was baptized by his hands, and straightway he preached the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ unto all the Jews and Gentiles in the cities and in the regions round about. 25 How clement met with his father, and his mother, and his brethren. Clement saith:—And we went with our master Peter unto the city of 'Azâton (Ashdod), on the borders of Laodicea, and he saw a woman sitting by the gates of the city, asking for alms; and my

26 HH* master Peter said unto her, "O woman, why askest thou for alms? For I see strength in thee, and thou art able to work and to keep thyself alive. And the woman said unto him, "O noble aged one, if thou didst but know what hath happened unto me in the matter of trial thou wouldst certainly wish me to die; and the woman's tears were flowing freely down upon her cheeks. Then my master Peter said unto her, "What is thine affair, O woman? And she said unto him, "O noble aged one, I am a woman from the city of Rome, and am of the daughters of kings; [my husband's] name is Justinus, and to him I have borne three children, whose names are Kōsṭōs (Caustus), Constantinus, and Clement. And I had a dream, and my heart was greatly disturbed thereby, and in consequence I took two of my children and we embarked on a ship and put out to sea, wishing to go to the city of Atēnā, or to the city of Bērūt, for I wished my children to be educated in one of these two cities. Now the eldest of my children [is called] Kōsṭōs (Caustus), and the next in matter of age is Constantinus; and I took these two of my children with me and we embarked in a ship, and I left the youngest child, whose name was Clement, with his father.

27 And the ship wherein we were was wrecked, and the waves cast me up on one of the ship's planks on this coast, where I have been for two years; and I have no knowledge whatsoever of the fate of my children. For this reason I am smitten with sorrow, and I sit here by the gates of the city, and ask the people questions about my children that, peradventure, I may obtain some news of them. And my master Peter sent my brethren away to the city of Laodicea for some thing which was needed, and they dwelt in their places (literally roads) by the gates of 'Azāṭōn (Ashdod); and they rested their backs against the walls of the gates of the city and conversed among themselves. 28 What happened to the woman who asked for alms. Now the woman listened unto what they were saying, and one talked to the other. And one said, "O my brother, we have been disciples of this holy father for many years, and we neither have information concerning nor know the cities wherein we were born. And Caustus said unto him, "O my brother, I am of the men of Rome, and belong to a noble family, and the name of my father was Justinus, and that of my mother was Maṭrādōrā; I had two brethren, one of whom was called Constantinus, and the name of the other, the youngest, was Clement. And my mother saw a vision by reason of which she went forth from Rome, taking me and my brother Constantinus with her, and leaving my youngest brother with his father; and she embarked in a ship, and put out to sea. Then there rose up against us a mighty storm wind, and the ship was broken in pieces (or wrecked); but I escaped and reached a piece of land, but I have never heard my tidings of my mother and brother up to this hour. Then his companion said unto him, "The same thing also happened unto me, for I also am of the men of Rome, and the ship wherein I sailed was broken to pieces in the sea.

29 And when the woman heard their words she went to them, and fell down upon them, and she cried out with a loud cry, and wept, saying, "By the Living God Whom ye worship, thou and thou, ye are my children, and I am your mother Matṛádōrā; and she told them her history and [gave them] the proofs whereby they might know her, and they then knew of a certainty that she was their mother. Now I Clement was at that time in the city of Laodicea. And Matṛádōrā our mother went to my master Peter, and said unto him, "O aged one, by the Living God Whom thou wor-shippest, these two disciples of thine are my children, and I am their mother; and she told him all her his-tory. Then my master Peter prayed for her, and said, "I will beseech and pray my Lord Christ, Who hath made me to meet with these thy two sons, that He will also make thee to meet with their father and with their

30 "young brother." And I, Clement, came from the city of Laodicea, and the Holy Spirit told my master Peter to enquire of me concerning my history and my city, and he said unto me, "O my son Clement, behold thou hast been with me in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ for many years, but I have never made enquiries of thee either concerning thy city or thy history. And behold, the Holy Spirit hath commanded me to ask thee about thy city; and for the sake of our Lord and God Jesus Christ thou shalt hide nothing of thine history from me, but thou shalt make me to know all thine affairs;" and I informed him rightly and truly concerning everything which related unto me. Now my brethren had departed unto a certain city for some need-ful purpose. And when my mother heard my history, she threw herself upon me, and said, "By the Living God Whom thou worshippest, thou art my son, and I am thy mother." And to my master Peter she also said, "O holy master, this is my youngest son Clement whom I mentioned unto thee." Then my master Peter went into the city and brought out my brethren, and they saw me talking with my mother and this was hard for them [to understand], for from the time when I became a disciple of my master Peter, like them I had never held converse with a woman. And they said unto my master Peter, "Seest thou not Clement? Rebuke him, so that he may not speak with our mother." And as we were talking together our mother embraced us, and she wept with a sore and bitter weeping; and my master Peter wept with her, and his heart burned because of our weeping. Thus we came to know each other again.

31 And we said unto our master Peter, "We know that our Lord Christ will hearken unto thy petition, and that He will grant unto thee everything which thou shalt ask from Him; entreat Him now to make known [unto us] the history of our father, and whether he be alive or dead." Then our master Peter said unto us, "I will ask our Lord Christ to shew me that which we wish (literally think), and that ye may see your father alive. And if he be dead I will make supplication unto our Lord to raise him up out of his grave, so that he may be able to see and to talk with you before me." Then my master Peter raised himself up and stood upon his feet, and he turned his face towards the East, and prayed, saying, "O my Lord and God, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who didst come down from heaven the abode of Thy holiness, and didst take upon Thyself flesh from the Virgin MARY, the chosen one, that Thou mightest deliver the old Adam by thine Incarnation, Thou hast given us power over all [Thy] works; and Thou hast given unto me the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and hast appointed me to loose, and to bind, and to remit sins; and hast said unto us that if we believe in Thee we shall do works which shall be greater than those which Thou didst perform before the Jews; Thou didst raise up Lazarus from the dead out of the grave after four days; and Thou didst raise up the daughter of Jairus the prefect; hearken Thou unto my petition, according to the covenant which Thou didst make with me, and shew mercy upon these my disciples, and upon their mother, and

32 "make them to see their father alive. Now at that time we were in Laodicea on the sea shore, by the Green River. And when my master Peter had made an end of his prayer we saw a cloud of light coming, and it arrived bearing upon it our father. And there went forth from the cloud a voice, which said, "Get thee forth to thy sons; and we saw going forth from the river where we were an old man of shining appearance, and his apparel was glorious, and the hair of his head and beard was white like snow, and shining like wool. And my master Peter said unto him, "O aged one, art thou one of our race, or of another? For my master Peter thought that he might be an unclean soul. Then the aged man said unto him in the Roman tongue, "I am a man like unto thyself, O aged one. And my master Peter said unto him, "Tell me thy history, and from whence thou comest; and he told him everything. Now as soon as I Clement and my brethren heard his voice we said unto my master Peter, "This is our father, in very truth. Behold, our Lord Jesus Christ hath re-B..19a. ceived thy petition and hath brought him unto us; and [our] master Peter said unto us, "Yea, in truth, this is your father. Then he said unto that aged man, "Are these thy sons? And our father fell upon [our necks], and we embraced each other and wept.

33 And our master Peter said unto him, "I would that thou didst tell us thy history, and by what means thou hast come hither. Then the aged one, that is to say, our father, said unto him, "It is two and twenty years since I lost my sons and their mother, and each and every day I used to go forth from my house outside the city, and sit down upon the sea shore, and make enquiries of the sailors, and boatmen, and strangers, for news of them, but I never found any one who could bring me tidings of them. And this day, when I was standing upon the sea shore according to my daily wont, behold, a moist wind blew, and I saw a cloud whereon was standing a young Man Whose face was seven times brighter than B..19a. the light of the sun, and He said, 'O cloud, bear this aged man away and set him down by Peter, the chief of My disciples;' and straightway the wind bore me away upon the cloud, and many who were looking at me marvelled. And I sat upon the cloud, being in a state of sleep, until I stood by the side of this river, and [a voice] said unto me, 'Get thee forth to thy sons.' The space of time which hath passed since I came out from Rome is only a moment, and during this time I did not know into what city I was coming.

34 Then my master Peter said unto him, "I am the least of the disciples of Christ; the young Man Whom thou didst see upon the cloud was our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And Peter taught him the faith, and the aged man believed. Now there was no water in that place, but my master Peter smote with his staff the dry [bed] of the river wherein was no water, and straightway water welled up therefrom; and it became in that place a pool of water which floweth until this day, and is named the "Fountain of Simon Peter". And he baptized the aged man therein in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; and he made the sign of the cross over him, and anointed him with the holy oil of Mérón, which our Lord and God Jesus Christ had given unto him, and he gave a pledge of his faith by [his] baptism.

35 And we departed from that place and came into Laodicea, where we dwelt for two years preaching the tidings of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and through us there believed multitudes of men whose number could not be counted. And we returned again to Jerusalem and met there with all the disciples, and my master Peter commanded my father and my mother to dwell in Jerusalem.

Chapter Iv.

36 Concerning The Preaching OF PETER AND JOHN IN THE CITY OF ANTIOCH; AND THEIR CALLING OF MEN TO THE TRUE FAITH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THE MIRACLES WHICH THEY WROUGHT THEREIN; OF THE COMING OF SAINT PAUL UNTO THEM, AND THE MATTERS WHICH FOLLOWED THEREUPON. 37 Clement saith:—[I speak] according as my glorious master Peter spake unto me. Now at the time of my return from Laodicea, as I was sleeping in the Fortress of Zion, there appeared unto me the angel who had often appeared unto me, and he said unto me, "Rise up, and go unto the city of Antioch, and take with thee the beloved John, so that ye may preach therein the preaching of the Gospel, and may call people unto the true faith. And I said unto the angel, "I am an infirm old man, and the road to Antioch is exceedingly long; why didst thou not give me this command when I was in Laodicea, where the road would have been shorter for me? And the angel was hidden from me, and sleep fell heavily upon John, but when we awoke we found ourselves outside [the city of Antioch], under the sky. Then I said unto John, "My beloved, were we not sleeping in the Fortress of Zion, wherein we dwelt? And he said unto me, "Yea. And I said unto him, "Where are we now? Behold, we are sitting outside [the city] without an abode. Have we come hither of our own accord, or hath some wile of Satan [brought us hither], for his wiles are many, or is what I am telling thee now a dream?

38 Now whilst Peter was thus conversing with John, behold, two wood cutters came out of the city and they were talking together in the Greek language, and I said unto my brother John, "Thou knowest the language of these men, inasmuch as the knowledge thereof was given unto thee by the Holy Ghost. Go then, and enquire of these wood cutters concerning this country, and ask them what this city is; so John went unto these men, and he returned, weeping tears and filled with wrath. And I said unto him, "O beloved one, what hath happened unto thee, and why weepest thou? Then John said unto me, "I enquired of these men concerning this city, and they said unto me, 'Canst thou not see the walls of Antioch before thee?'" Now the wood cutters had doubts concerning John. "And I told them concerning Christ, the Son of God, [and I said unto them], Is what ye say unto me true? Then they rose up against me, and were filled with wrath against me, and said, 'Who is Christ, the Son of God? And who art thou? And whence comest thou?' Then they debated the matter one with the other, and said, Surely this is one of the disciples of Him Who was 'crucified in Jerusalem, Whose blood shall judge us.' And the woodcutters, who were well versed in the knowledge of [heathen] gods, said, 'Since this young man hath no love for his life, let us slay him;

39 but perhaps [it is better that] he should die by the hands of others;' and I did not believe that I should escape from their evil deeds. This was my discourse with them. Now if the wickedness of such debased and inferior men as these be so great, what can we possibly do before the princes and governors of this city if we enter therein and preach in the Name of our Lord and God Jesus Christ? And how can we teach them the right faith? Then I Peter said unto him, "O beloved, be not dismayed at the words of these men, and be not sorrow-stricken, for He Who hath brought us in a single night from Jerusalem to this city, a distance of twenty days' journey on horses, will prosper our work according to the covenant which He made with us." 40 And after a season we rose up, and came into the city, and we preached therein in the name of our God, and we told them the story of the Gospel, that peradventure they might believe in the kingdom of heaven. Then the people of the city gathered themselves together against us, and scourged us with many stripes, and they haled us before the priests of idols, and told them our story; and the priests ordered them to shave off one half of the hair of our heads, and they derided us and cast us into prison until the magistrates could take counsel concerning us. Then they carried us to the guard-house which was in the walls of the city, and imprisoned us, and shut the doors upon us, and set a seal upon them. And it came to pass that when they had departed and left us alone, we rose up in prayer, and besought help from our Lord Jesus Christ. Now when the night had come a shining cloud overshadowed us, and we saw our Lord and Redeemer [sitting] upon it, and the Cherubim and the Seraphim were surrounding Him and glorifying Him. And He held converse with us, and said unto us, "O Peter and John, be not dismayed, and fear ye not, and be not sorrowful, for I will be with you even unto the end of the world.

41 It is not meet for you to marvel at these men because they have shaved the middle of your heads, for they wish to make a mock of you, and to disgrace you thereby, for they do not know of the hair of glory and of the splendour which shall be yours. And I tell you of a surety that no man shall have the power to enter into the service of My holy things, or to make the Offering of My Body upon the altar of My church unless the crown (literally middle) of his head be shaved, even as is yours at this present. And it is not meet for a man to be appointed to the priesthood except he be [shaved] in this wise; and to the priest the crown of whose head is not shaved, the priesthood shall not be seemly, for he shall have no portion with Me, and he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. To the priest who shall die with this crown upon his head I will grant the forgiveness of his sins. And He also said unto me, "Peter, on the morrow I will send unto thee Saul, whom I have named in baptism Paul, that he may help thee in everything which thou wouldst do; and after our Lord had spoken these things unto me He was hidden from my sight.

42 And it came to pass that when the morning was come I saw in the courtyard of the gates a man journeying along, and I said unto John my beloved, "Come, and look at this man who is passing by; surely it must be Paul himself. Call him that he may come unto us. And John called him, and he came, and behold, it was Paul himself. Now when Paul had come unto us, and had seen how they had shaved the crown of John's head, he said unto him, "What is this which they have done unto thee in this city? And John said unto him, "Marvel not concerning me, for the chief of the Apostles hath also been treated in the same manner. Then Paul opened the gates of the prison-house, and entered in to us, and he embraced me, and was blessed by me. And he said unto me, "Be not sorrowful, O my father, I swear [unto thee] by the light which appeared unto me on the road to Damascus that my Lord hath sent me unto thee that I may preach in His Name, and I cannot transgress His command. Thus Paul made our souls happy at that time, and he gave courage unto our hearts, and he left us and departed; and he found the magistrates of Antioch, and he held converse with them concerning what he desired, and he entered into their temples.

43 And the magistrates sent men unto us who brought us to them in the temple of their gods where they were gathered together; and we entered into the foul place, and we found our brother and companion worshipping idols, and he was offering incense to them, and bowing down before them; and our hearts were rent asunder for him, and sorrow was heaped upon us when we saw him bowing down. And when he had made an end of his bowings, he said unto me, "O aged one, Whom dost thou worship? And I said unto him, "I worship Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who hath wrought miracles and hath raised the dead. Then he said unto me, "What miracle canst thou work whereby we may know the might of thy belief? And I siad unto him, "I, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, am able to do whatsoever He used to do. Then Paul said unto those who were gathered together in the temple, "O ye magistrates, behold, ye have heard what these men say, that they can work miracles in the name of this God Who calleth us unto belief in Him. Do ye B. desire that they should make manifest miracles wrought through Him? And they said unto him, "Are these men able to open the eyes of those who have been blind from their mother's wombs? And Peter and John said unto them, "Yea, we can do [this].

44 Then Paul said unto those who were gathered together there, "If these men can work this miracle, and make it manifest before us, I also can do likewise by the might of the gods; and straightway they brought in before them two blind people. 45 And immediately the men of the city were gathered together according to their various sorts and conditions, so that they might see a wonderful thing. And Peter said unto John, "O my beloved one, first of all pray and make supplication unto our Lord that He will open the eyes of this blind man. Then John said unto me, "Unto thee hath been given the greater power, and thou art our chief and our head, and on this occasion it is meet for thee to hasten to fulfil this work. And I Peter turned towards the East, and my heart was sorely dismayed by reason of the falling away [and] behaviour of B. Paul, and by reason of the prayer and supplication which he continued to make in the house of idols. And I prayed and made supplication unto my Lord and God, and He helped me, and I drew nigh unto the blind man, and said, "In the Name of the Son of the Living God, Who hath existed [from eternity], Who was incarnate of the Virgin MARY, and Whom the Jews crucified, let the eyes of this blind man be opened, and let him see the world clearly; and straightway the blind man received his sight, and he glorified God, and the people marvelled because of what they had seen. Then Paul said unto them, "Marvel ye not at what ye have seen, for this aged man possesseth [the gift of] sorcery whereby he openeth the eyes [of the blind];

46 but now, I by the might of the gods will do something which is better than that which he hath done. So Paul rose up and prayed, and the people thought that he was praying to their idols, but he was praying and making supplication secretly in his heart unto our Lord Christ that He would help him and would accept his petition. Then he drew nigh unto the second blind man, and he laid his hand upon his eyes, and they became opened, and he saw the world clearly; and he gave glory unto God because He had wrought this thing for him. Now the infidels rejoiced and imagined that their gods had done this thing like unto the disciples of Christ, and they paid great honours unto them, and they magnified their gods exceedingly. 47 And I Peter held converse with my brother John secretly, for we were marvelling at the act of Paul, and wondering whether Simon the magician (having heard the rumour of us) had appeared unto us in the form of Paul, and had wrought this wonderful thing by the might of his magic, that he might be an adversary unto us. And whilst we were meditating the things in our heart, behold, Paul called us into the temple before the magistrates who were filled with wonder, for their hearts were strengthened, and their souls rejoiced because of what Paul had done. And Paul said unto us, "Behold, we have seen what ye have done, and ye have seen what our gods have done, and [how] they have revealed their power among us. Have ye any other miracles which ye can work? Then we said unto Paul, "Whatsoever miracles thou wishest, that is to say, the healing of the sick and suffering, the straightening of the limbs of the paralysed, the cleansing of the lepers, the casting out of devils, the making the deaf to hear, the loosing of the tongues of the dumb, and the raising up of the dead, by the might of our Lord Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who hath existed [from eternity], all these things we can do. And Paul said unto us, "To-morrow then shall these things be; and they took us back to the prison-house, and informed the Emperor of our story and of what had taken place through us and through Paul.

48 Then the Emperor sent messengers unto Paul and unto the priests of the idols, and they brought them unto him, and he enquired of them concerning what had happened; and they informed him of what we had done, and what Paul had done. And the Emperor answered [and spake unto] Paul alone, and enquired of him what district he came from, and what his name was, and what his country was. Then Paul said unto him, "I am Saul, from the city of Tarsus, and my business is well-known and standeth revealed, for from my youth up until this present I have made myself an adversary unto these men. And behold, they say that they are able to raise the dead; but the dead, O Emperor, no one can raise except the Creator, and neither I nor any other man among the magicians and sorcerers hath the power to raise the dead. Thou knowest well, O Emperor, that which I myself did when I opened the eyes of a blind man by a mystery, and that I afterwards made known unto thee the mystery [whereby I did it]. And the Emperor said unto him, "I have a son who died three months ago, and his body hath now perished and fallen into decay; will these men be able to raise up my son? Then Paul said unto the Emperor, "Bring them quickly, and enquire of them concerning this thing, so that thou mayest know what they will say; so the Emperor sent messengers unto them.

49 And he asked them concerning his son who was dead, if they could raise him up, and they said unto him, "We will raise up thy son, even though he hath been lying in the grave for a year. Now the wife of the Emperor heard the words as she was sitting inside the palace, and she cried out straightway, saying, "[ my son Faustinus were to rise from the dead, and I could see him alive [again], I, and all those who are in my royal palace with me, would believe in the God of these men. But, O Emperor, do not hearken unto these words, for the thing is impossible, and we have never heard of such a thing taking place, except through the Creator of the heavens and the earth. But if these men are in truth His disciples, and if they are able to raise up my son who died three months ago, and whose body hath fallen into decay, no doubt shall exist in our hearts any

50 11\* longer, and we will not listen unto a vain word [concerning them]." And after this Peter said, "If we see this sign and wonder I also will believe;" and after him all the men agreed together that they would be of like mind, and they went to their houses. 51 And it came to pass on the morrow that the Emperor sat upon his throne, and the doors were opened round about the tribunal, and all the people entered therein according to their rank and condition; then they brought us also thither, and we entered in and looked upon that great assembly. And the Emperor said unto us, "Are ye able to do what ye say? Now my son hath been dead three months, and [his body] hath become corruption. And we said, "Yea, we are able, and if thou wilt believe on our Lord and God thou shalt see His power in greater things than this. Then the Emperor commanded them to dig up the grave wherein the young man had been buried, and to bring out his coffin in the state in which it was; and they did so. And the Empress, the mother of him that was dead, brought forth lamps, and flowers, and incense according to what was meet for kings, and she and all her kinsfolk waited anxiously to see what God would do by our hands. Then we turned our faces towards the East, and we stood up and prayed, and made supplication unto our Lord and God, and we said, "O Lord, let not the hand of Thy mighty power be far from us.

52 Cast Thou not us away, and remember the covenant of truth which Thou didst make with us, and raise up this dead man, that the people may know that Thou art God the Creator, and the Vivifier of the dead; and we rose up from our worship. Then I Peter drew nigh unto the dead man, and I made the sign of the Cross over him, and I cried out with a voice which those who were gathered together near me might hear, saying, "O dead man, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ the Nazarene, Whom the Jews crucified in Jerusalem, rise up! And straightway the young man rose up from his coffin, and he was trembling by reason of his death swathings, and he was wiping his face. Then his mother, who had been hidden within the palace, went forth, and cried out, and said, "O Peter, I believe in thy Lord and God; and she threw herself upon her son and embraced him, and the Emperor also came and embraced his son, and kissed him; and all the people lifted up their voices and believed in Christ, and the Emperor commanded that we should dwell in his palace.

53 Now Paul was with the Emperor, and there was great joy and gladness in the royal palace, and in the city, and all the people of Antioch rejoiced. Then was the Emperor afraid because of what he had seen, and he came to us, and bowed down unto us, and was blessed by us. And the Emperor said unto Paul (Peter?), "My son hath told me everything which happened unto him, and how these men stood before the throne of God, and how God hearkened unto their intercession on his behalf, and he also told me that there was with them another man whose petition was bold (or strong), whose head was bald and shining, whose hair was red, and whose appearance was like unto that of Paul. Now I have meditated upon these things with many thoughts; tell me then concerning your own work [in this matter] 54 "and hide ye nothing from me." And I Peter said unto him, "Ask Paul thyself, O Emperor, according as thou desirest." Then he baptized him straightway, and when he had been baptized [he said unto him], "Thou shalt be anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit, and thy name shall be written in the Book of Life. And I will reveal unto thee the mysteries of the faith whereby thy soul and thy heart shall be made to rejoice." Then he B. turned unto Paul, and said unto him, "Make me to know the hidden things of thy work." And Paul said unto him, "If thou wilt be baptized, and thy faith be true, I will make thee to know that which will strengthen thy faith, and make thy heart to rejoice." And on the morrow, in the early morning, I Peter smote with my staff [the ground] inside the palace, and a fountain of water sprang up; (now this water floweth until this very hour behind the sanctuary which is in the church at Antioch), and I baptized the Emperor and all the people of his kingdom. Then all the men of Antioch hastened to go down into the water that they too might be baptized, and we sealed them with the divine oil of Mérón, until they had all been sealed.

55 And the doors of the palace were closed, and the Emperor sat upon his throne, and cried out unto us, and said unto us, "Behold, I and all the men of my kingdom and my city have accepted the faith, and I now command them to bring hither the remainder [of the people], both from my country of Antioch and from the seven 1 The text of this passage is corrupt, and several lines seem to have been omitted. "cities, and that ye baptize them by your hands. As for me, teach ye me your commandments which shall be meet for [me to observe], that I and those who are in my following may act according to your religion." Then we said unto him, "The commandment which we would declare unto thee is, 'Be not an enemy unto our Lord Jesus Christ.'" And he said unto us, "If I become a servant of my Lord Christ, who shall be an adversary unto him?" And we said unto him, "Break in pieces thy idols, and root them up from their foundations, and lay waste their temples, and build churches unto our Lord;" and he did all these things even as we had commanded him. Then he called Paul by himself, and he made known unto him all his affairs, and his faith was increased, and he began to build the church which is known as Kuesyân(?) in the name of his son, whom Christ raised from the dead, and he called it after the name of me, Peter. And he built another church by the city wall, towards the East, and he called it after the name of Saint Paul, and he turned the great heathen temple which the ancients had built in the name of the planet Mars into a church, which was dedicated in the name of Saint John our companion.

56 And after these things we separated, and Paul went unto the city of Tarsus, and preached therein; now it was larger than [all] other cities. And the believing men who were in Laodicea sent messengers unto me, saying, "The waters of the river of Kêsârôs have risen to an exceedingly great height, and they have drowned many men, and covered their fields, and swept away their cattle. Now they sent this message unto me and asked me to entreat God to turn back the waters of the flood from overflowing its boundaries. So I sent unto them John the beloved, and I commanded him to bind the waters of the flood by the word of God until they should return to their place and cease to overwhelm any man. And straightway John set out on his journey, and on the road he heard the story of how the waters of the flood had drowned the men of the city, and caused them to perish.

57 And as he continued on his way he soon came to a place where young lambs were pasturing, and he said unto one of the lambs, "Go thou to the river Kêsârôs, and say unto it, 'John, the disciple of Christ, hath sent me unto thee, and he telleth thee that thou art bound by the word of God, and that thou shalt never again pass over thy boundary until the day of the Resurrection.'" And the lamb went to the river, and spake unto it according as it had been sent to speak by John the beloved; and the flood went back to its [natural] limit. Then all the men cried out by reason of this miracle, and large numbers of the unbelievers who were in Laodicea believed in Christ on that day, and they were in number eighteen thousand men. And John baptized them, and appointed over them priests to teach them, and they built many churches; and after these things John went to the city of Ephesus, and I departed to the city of Rome.

Chapter V.

58 How Peter Preached IN THE CITY OF ROME AND CALLED MEN UNTO THE FAITH OF CHRIST, AND HOW MIRACLES WERE WROUGHT [BY HIM THERE], AND OF THE COMING OF PAUL, AND BARNABAS, AND TIMOTHY, AND TITUS, AND OF MYSELF, CLEMENT, AND OF THE MATTERS WHICH APPERTAIN THERETO. 59 And after these days my master Peter called me Clement, and commanded me and my brethren to go to the city of Rome before him, for thither had our Lord Jesus Christ commanded him to go; and we had to go before him to the country of 'Aténá (Asia Minor), and [my] master Peter embraced the brethren who were living in the city of Jerusalem. Then we departed to the border of the city of Joppa, and we embarked in a ship and sailed over the sea until [we arrived at] the Island of Cyprus, where we dwelt for three and twenty days, for thus had the Lord told me to do. And after three and twenty days whilst I was still dwelling in the Island of Cyprus, the angel of God appeared unto me, and said unto me, "O Peter, let not thy sojourning upon this Island be [too] pleasant unto thee, but rise up, and go to the city of Rome; so I departed thereunto. And the country was folded up before me like a folded paper, until I arrived at the city of Rome and entered therein. Now I had had no food to eat for some days, and when I had come into the city, and had seen its splendour and the great riches of the people I was dismayed. Now I saw a little hill near the gates of the house of one of the rich nobles of the city, and I sat down thereupon.

60 And that man [was a doer of] good works, and he gave away many gifts to the poor, and he was of a generous nature, and was one who loved the poor stranger. Now the daughter of that man saw that I was poor and wretched, and she said unto her noble and aged father, "O my father, behold, I see on the hill near the gates of our house a poor man who is not like unto the poor folk of our city, and I have never seen misery which is like unto his. And he said unto her, "O my daughter, take thou a golden pitcher and fill it with water, and take a gold basin, and a napkin of fine linen, and go forth to that man by thyself, and keep 61 "thou thine handmaidens from drawing nigh unto him, and wash his feet with thine hand, and inform me what he shall say unto thee, and what he seeketh. Surely he is either a messenger of one of the gods, or a disciple of the God of heaven Who is in the country of Judaea and in the city of Jerusalem. I have heard from the kinsfolk of Nero the Emperor, and from Pilate, who was the governor of the country of Judaea, that that God commanded His disciples to hate gold, and to be humble, and to wear rags, and that they all should make manifest divine might, for their God hath given unto them the power to work miracles and wonders. And I think that if thou wilt go nigh unto him, and will wash his hands and his feet, and wilt not reject his poverty, he will heal thee of the disease which is in thee." And that young woman came unto me with her face covered, and nothing thereof could be seen except her eyes, and she was carrying a pitcher and basin upon her shoulders, and she came up to me and found me in grief and tears. Then she said unto me, "O aged man, weep not. Behold thou hast found that which thou wast seeking. Put away from thee thy grief and sorrow, and wash thy face, and thy hands, and thy feet in this water, and come into the house of thine handmaiden, that thou mayest eat of our food and give us thy blessing. And she drew nigh and poured out water into my hands, but she hid her own hands in her sleeves, and the Holy Spirit told me that she had leprosy upon them. And I said unto her, "O daughter, why dost thou hide thine hands from me? for I am a poor, and very old man. And she said unto me, "Because of the honourableness of thine estate; but my history is a long one, and I have great sickness upon me. Then I said unto her, "Tell me thine history. And she said unto me in grief and sorrow, "By the truth of the gods I will hide nothing whatsoever of my history from thee. Now I was once invited to a gathering together of the nobles of this city, and I went there together with all the [other] virgins, and the evil eye fell upon me, and sickness laid hold upon me.

62 And as she was speaking unto me the tears were flowing down from her eyes upon her cheeks like rain by reason of her burning heart, and [her] great sorrow. Then I took a handful of the water and sprinkled it upon her in the Name of Christ, my God, and straightway the maiden was cleansed from her leprosy, and she ran quickly to her father and informed him concerning her healing by my hand, and she shewed him her flesh, and he saw that she was cleansed from her leprosy. And her father rose up quickly from his bed with joy and gladness, and he came unto me, and commanded his servants to carry me away and to set me in his house, and he said, "Behold, this day hath come unto me the grace of God, and life hath entered into my house. Then he bowed down before me, and said unto me, "O aged noble one, thy coming unto us is good," and he made me to be seated, and he sat down by my side, and he asked me, saying, "Tell me thy story. Whence art thou, O aged one? And where hast thou come from? For through thee we have seen the light, and our hearts rejoice." And I said unto him, "I am a servant of the servants of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who hath existed [from eternity] and Whom the Jews crucified in Jerusalem, and He it is Who hath sent me to this city to call the people [thereof] to His service, and to baptize with water and with the [Holy] Spirit those of them who believe, and to anoint them with the holy oil of Mérón in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." And the old man said unto me, "I and all my people will believe in thy God from this time forward." Then straightway I smote the ground in the house wherein we were with my staff, and a great fountain of water sprang up therefrom, and I baptized the old man and all his people; and I received him from the baptism, and I anointed him with the holy oil of Mérón. And all the people of Rome heard of the fame of me, and the paralytics, and the sick, and the blind came unto me, and I healed them; and they believed, and I baptized them together with many [other] folk. Then I built a church in the house of that aged man, whose name was 'Eufrikôs, and my deeds were heard of in all countries (or cities), and men knew that I was Peter, the Chief of the disciples of our Lord Christ.

63 And Paul came unto me from the city of 'Atênâ, and Timothy was with him, together with Titus and Barnabas, his disciples, and Clement and his brethren, my disciples; and we preached the faith in all the city of Rome, until the report of us was heard by the Emperor. And it came to pass that when Simon Magus, who was dwelling on the sea shore, heard the report of us, he came unto us to the city of Rome, that he might lead men astray by his enchantments; but he knew not that the power of God would overcome his might and wickedness, even as it overcame the wickedness of Jannes and Jambres, the magicians of Pharaoh in Egypt in the days of Moses the prophet. Now, I was not grieved by reason of his coming to the city of Rome, because my faith was in Christ, my God. And when I Clement met my master Peter, he appointed me to be the Archbishop of the city of Rome, and he made me chief of the congregation; and he appointed Awdayôs (Euodios), the son of Lendayôs (Lendaios), to be the Archbishop of the city of Antioch; and Paul appointed Mark, the son of Aresṭô, to be the Archbishop of the city of Alexandria; and he appointed Thomas over India; and he appointed Philip to be the preacher in the country of Nôbâ (Nubia), and after he had taught the people of that country he commanded him to return, and to go to the country of Manṭēṭ and [the land of] the Two Rivers (Mesopotamia); and he appointed Thaddeus over the city of Rōḥa (Edessa), and the Island of Syria, and sent him unto Awkāryēs (Abgar), the king of Syria; and he appointed John the beloved over the city of Ephesus. And my master Peter, and Paul, and the rest of the disciples tarried for a few days in the city of Rome.

Chapter Vi.

64 How satan told peter what he would do against the believers, and the priests, and the servants of god, and how he would lead them astray in the last days. 65 Now at that time my master Peter departed from this place to the city whereunto Philip had gone, and it was a well-known city, and the name thereof was Kartāgōn (Carthage); and Satan appeared unto him on the road, and strove diligently to do battle with him, but my master Peter blew in his face, and spat upon him, and Satan fled from before him, crying out, and saying, "O Son of the Virgin, why hast Thou taken away from me the position which thou didst give me? Behold, my kingdom is ruined, and my sovereignty, that is to say, the worship of idols, is destroyed, and the idols which were the habitations of myself and of my hosts have perished. Worship is now paid unto Thee alone, and I have no pretext against Thy flock; but I will corrupt all those whom Peter and his companions, the Apostles, teach through the love of gold and silver, and by reason of that desire they shall return unto me. And I will make the worship of idols to reign again, and I will also make him that attaineth unto the head of the priesthood among them to turn aside from the priesthood, and to take gifts and bribes, so that there shall not be the reward of a priest unto any one of them; and I will make the priests to transgress the Law of God, and I will make them to be remote from His commandments. Hearken, moreover, and I will tell thee, O Peter.

66 I will cause schisms to be among them, and they shall attribute to Christ various natures, which the hearts [of men] cannot understand, and thereby will I make them to blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, even as I myself have blasphemed against Him. And I will go unto the recluses and solitary monks who live in caves and in desert places, and I will lead them astray by means of the vain dreams (or visions) which I will make them to see; and I will make my soldiers to have dominion over them through Ba'ël Zébûl (Beelzebub), who shall lead them astray, and they shall perform their desires, and like heathen priests they shall make manifest unto men vain miracles. And I will send my soldiers to the churches, so that they may strip from the mouths of the priests the spiritual prayer whereby they make supplication that the Holy Spirit may descend upon the Offering. And I will make them to possess the desire to have intercourse with those who received them after Christian baptism, and I will plant in their hearts the lust of Sodom so that they may perform it, and may choose it rather than lawful intercourse with women. And especially shall their power spring from mine when they mingle tares with the wheat, for my commandment is [to sow] tares, and they shall perform it. And I will make them to cry out against the believers, and to slay them, and to pour out their blood, and to carry them away into captivity;

67 and I will make their blood and their children, which are the children of the tares, to be acceptable offerings, and I will not delay in performing this thing. I swear by the light wherein [Jesus Christ] covered Himself on Mount Tabor, and on the Mount of Olives, and in Galilee, and I swear by the might of thy God, O Peter, with Whom I take counsel, and know ye that He is my King and my God, and that when He was baptized in the river Jordan it was He Who removed me from my place of abode. And I swear unto thee by the time when my Lord and King received power over death, and cast it into Tartarus, that is to say, the depths of Sheol, for ever, and shut in its face the bolts of brass and iron, that I will cause tribulation to come upon the Christians. And I will fight against them with all my power, and I will never let them alone until the advent of Him that calleth Himself Christ. And with him whom I shall choose and help I will be in everything which he desireth [to do], and I will give him dominion over those who have believed through thee, and through thy companions the Apostles. Hearken, O Peter, for I will wipe out all those who follow after the Lord Christ, and I will destroy them on sea and on dry land. And know this, O Peter, and understand well, that he (i.

68 e., Anti-Christ) shall come, and shall mingle temptation with the kingdom of Christ, and he shall be at that time the means of ascent for the tares who shall come from the south, and the period of their days shall be according to the days of [his appearance]." 69 And it came to pass that when I Peter heard these words from Satan I made the sign of the cross over my face, and I rebuked him, saying, "He Who abased Himself, and took upon Himself the flesh of man, and appeared among men like one of themselves, shall blot thee out, O Satan, and He shall not give thee dominion over His servants." And when I had said these words unto him he fled from before me, and I saw that he became like a flame of fire; and I heard his voice, saying, "O Son of the Virgin, Thou Son of the Father, Thou Word of light, Thou strength of 'Adônâya (i. e.,), from the days of times long past whensoever Thou didst wish Thou didst reveal Thy power unto me." And having said these words he hid himself from me. And again, I Peter and Paul the zealous one went unto the city of Philippi, and we preached therein the preaching of the Gospel of Christ; and Timothy, the disciple of Paul, was there. And here also the rumour of us reached Simon Magus, and he followed us hither, and he corrupted the counsel of men, and made them to be remote from the faith. So we left this place and went to Kartâgonâ (Carthage), and when we had entered therein Paul left me and went to the city of Wârikôn, the country

70 Kk of Darkness, and between it and the country of the 'Akrâd' is a sea (or lake), the name of which is Guôr-gnôr, and the breadth of which is three hundred stadia; now Paul came unto this place that he might call the inhabitants thereof to the true faith, and he dwelt there for one year and eight months, and [then] he made an end of his preaching therein.

Chapter Vii.

71 . HOW PETER RETURNED TO THE CITY OF ROME AND MADE AN END OF SIMON MAGUS, AND REVEALED THE FAITH OF CHRIST UNTO THE PEOPLE [THEREOF], AND HOW THEY WERE BAPTIZED, AND BUILT CHURCHES, AND HOW THE DISCIPLES WERE GATHERED TOGETHER UNTO PETER, AND HOW THEY APPOINTED A LAW AND A CANON SUITABLE TO THE BELIEVERS, AND HOW THEY SEALED THEM WITH THEIR SEALINGS, AND EXCOMMUNICATED ALL THE TRANSGRESSORS, AND OF THE MIRACLES AND STORIES WHICH APPERTAIN THEREUNTO. [My] master Peter said:—After these things a cloud carried me Peter, and brought me back unto the city of Kartâgnâ (Carthage), and I found myself with the brethren and the disciples who were there, and I made known unto them the things which I had seen after [I left them]. 72 And after this we dwelt in Kartâgnâ (Carthage) a few days, and then we went unto the city of Philippi, and from thence we went to the city of Rome, and we did as we had done formerly, and called the people thereof unto the true faith, and the numbers of those who believed were added unto daily. Then envy laid hold upon Simon Magus, and he came unto us that he might dispute with us, and he was working many mighty deeds by means of his magic, and he strengthened [the hold of] his error over men, and he increased his wickedness, and his sorcery, and his crafty fraud whereby he led men astray; and he made manifest to the people mighty works whereat they marvelled. Now one day he brought an ox and spake some words into its ear, and straightway the ox died, and then they took Simon Magus and myself into the presence of the Emperor of Rome, and we entered therein with the disciples. Then Simon Magus said unto me in the presence of the king, "If thou art a worker of wonders and miracles, raise up this ox which hath died; and I said unto him, "Let him that hath killed him raise him up. And the Emperor said unto me, "Behold, Simon hath already wrought a great miracle, for he hath slain this ox with his word; and ye must raise him up by your words; then Simon Magus left us, and went into his own house.

73 And Paul said unto me, "Why do we stand idle? And I Peter received help by the Holy Ghost, and I made the sign of the cross over the ox, and I said unto him, "In the Name of Jesus the Nazarene, Whom the Jews crucified in Jerusalem, rise up, O ox, from the dead; then straightway the ox rose and stood up alive, even as he had been formerly. And when the people saw how he had come to life [again], they marvelled and glorified the Creator. Then I said unto the ox, "Go thou unto Simon Magus, and say unto him, Peter, the disciple of Christ, the Son of the Virgin, calleth thee; so the ox went away quickly, and many men followed after him until he came to the house of Simon Magus, and he told him correctly (literally, with a straight tongue) what I said unto him, and on that day many men believed; and Simon Magus came with his ox unto the palace of the Emperor, who was sitting upon his throne. Then the

74 Emperor said unto Simon, "Dost thou not see what the disciple of Him that was crucified hath done? And Simon said unto the Emperor, "Marvel not at this thing, for, behold, I will work miracles which are infinitely greater than those which these disciples have wrought. Then the men who were there said unto him, "What miracles art thou able to work? And Simon said, "I can work miracles the like of which neither these nor any other men can work. And they said unto him, "What wilt thou do? And he said unto them, "I will ascend into heaven before your faces. And they said unto him, "Do what thou sayest thou canst do, that we may see what thou wilt do. Then, whilst I was looking at him, the unclean spirits were gathered together unto him, and he commanded them to bear him away up to the place where he would be hidden from the eyes of men, and they carried him away up until he was [out of sight] in the air. And he cried out unto me, and said unto me, "O Peter, is the height to which I have ascended sufficient for thee, or wouldst thou have me rise higher? Then I said unto him, "Yea, I wish thee to rise much higher than this; so he mounted up higher until he was nigh to disappear from the eyes of men into the air.

75 And Paul said unto me, "Why do we stand here idle, O noble master, and do not destroy the work of this magician, and do away his crafty fraud? Then straightway I raised myself up towards heaven, and I said, "O ye unclean spirits, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who hath existed [from eternity], I bid you to let Simon Magus drop out of your hands so that he may fall to the earth; and make ye yourselves to be remote from him. Then straightway Simon Magus fell to the earth, and he was so much broken that not one whole bone was left in his body; and his brains were dashed out from his head, and all his bowels were scattered abroad, and he became like unto the dung which is cast forth into the streets. And all the people lifted up their voices, and glorified our Lord Christ, and on that day we baptized men in such multitudes that their number could not be counted, and Paul, and Clement, and the other disciples who were there received them from [their] baptism. Now we were baptizing men from that day until the close of the thirty-third day.

76 And my master Peter, and Paul the Apostle, and Barnabas, and Timothy, and Titus his disciple, and Thomas the Elder, and Agabus, one of the Seventy-two disciples, and Protheus, and Dionysius, one of the sons of the heathen high-priests, all came unto me Clement, in Rome, and we made ready the Offering, and we all partook thereof. And to large numbers of the people who had believed through us we taught the faith, and the Law of the Christ, and the ordinances thereof; and the number of those who received baptism in Rome [from that time] until the day wherein the disciples were gathered together in my house, was ten thousand, two hundred, and thirteen, both men and women, without reckoning children. And I built a church in my house, and all the faithful, the numbers of whom were added to each day by the help of the might of God, used to come unto us.

77 And my master Peter commanded me to write an account of everything which I had heard and seen in connexion with him, and to lay it up in the treasury of books in Rome, and after [I had done so] my master Peter and Paul sealed that which I had written with their seals, and I also [sealed it] with my seal. And I cursed everyone who should reveal these mysteries to the Gentiles, and we cursed every one who should transgress our command, and we bound them by the power which our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, our God, had given unto us. And we said, "Whosoever shall reveal these mysteries, or even one jot of them to any strange people, or to any nation of the Gentiles, shall be bound by the voice (or word) of God; and this ex-communication did my master Peter, and the Apostle Paul, and the disciples pronounce over every man who should transgress the commandments of our Lord Christ, and their own behests. Then my master Peter said, With my own mouth I say, As God liveth, no man whatsoever shall have the power to reveal [these mysteries], whether he be a righteous man, or anyone like unto him, except the priests of the house of the sanctuary who are pure, and who are righteous in the Law of God;

78 and whosoever shall transgress my commandment let him be excommunicated and accursed, and let the wrath of God descend upon him, and I myself will enquire before our Lord Jesus Christ concerning the transgression of my commandment. And straightway the Cherubim, and the Seraphim, and the Princes, and the Thrones, and the Lords, and the Dominions, and the Powers, and the Angels, and all the company of the Archangels, spake saying, "Amen. So be it! Then my master Peter added unto the seal of these mysteries the seal of the pure Mother of the Light, and Paul also said, "I will excommunicate him that shall transgress the commandment of Peter, my prince and my master, even though he be one of the angels of heaven. And Paul, the chosen one, also said, "I, and all my brethren the disciples, say, If there shall be among the believers any man in doubt concerning what is written in this book, and he shall say, This is not from God, and God did not give it unto Peter, the chosen one, then shall he be excommunicated and accursed, both in heaven and upon earth. And Luke the Evangelist, and all the disciples who were with him also spake according to these words; and Timothy and Titus also added their seals to the sealings of the books. Now the number of the books wherein were written the mysteries, and the Law, and the commandments which my master Peter revealed unto me Clement, were eight books;

79 and the books which had been given unto my master Peter did he give unto me, and I copied them according to his commandment, and I laid them in the Cave of the Treasures of Rome, which I have called the "Cave of Life". And I added unto the things which were revealed unto us some of the doctrines of the Hebrews, which the Emperors Vespasian and Titus had collected; and also the mysteries which Paul had revealed unto his disciples Protheus and Dionysius; and the mysteries which John the beloved had revealed, together with those which our Lord Jesus Christ, and our Lady, the mother of the Light, had revealed unto him, in the first of the eight books. In this book was written the history of the tribe, and families, and kinsfolk of our Lady, the mother of the Light, and the history of the kings of the earth, and the tares, that is to say the heathen rulers(?), and the number of their kings, and the history of the end of the world, and of the constitution of the world which is to come, and the similitude of the city of the heavenly Jerusalem which my master Peter saw, and he described it unto me with his holy mouth, according to what he had seen and heard concerning it.

80 And after all these mysteries had been revealed unto me, the disciples came together in the great and holy city of Jerusalem, wherefrom the grace of God and the Holy Spirit are not remote, [and they stayed there] until the day of the Resurrection, that is to say, the day of days, the first day of the week, and there the beloved John preached the preaching of the Gospel. And when my master Peter had committed his faith to his book, and had sealed it with his seal, all the disciples who were in Rome also did likewise. Then there arrived also the books of the disciples who were afar off in which were written their faiths, and my master Peter read them and found them to be right, and perfect, and found that the disciples were agreed as to the right faith, and that they had neither added thereto aught nor taken anything therefrom, for the help of the Holy Spirit was with them, and had made them all to be of one right faith, and not of faiths which were different; and they wrote the books of their faith and the books of mysteries, even as He had sealed them.

81 Then they set thereto as their chief seal the seal of my master Peter, and after it the seal of our Lady, the mother of the Light, and after it the seal of Paul the Apostle, for he was the eye of all the books, and [after it] the seal of John the beloved, unto whom our Lady the Virgin, the mother of the Light, had been committed by the word of God, and at the end of the seals followed the seal of me, Clement the sinner. And they added curses upon any man whatsoever who should reveal any of these mysteries, except such as had been appointed to be archbishops, and were holy men, and to whom such matters were seemly. Then I Clement spake thus:—"I believe that God Almighty chose my master Peter before the world was created, and I also believe that the Father revealed unto him the mysteries of His Son, and that He also informed him alone of all the disciples concerning them, and that on the Day of Judgment power will be given unto him from God to judge all men. And I said, "Woe be unto those who trangress His faith and His commandments, or who take bribes as a reward of priestly office, for their sin shall rank with [that of] Simon Magus, [and He shall judge them] even as my master Peter judged him.

82 Now I Clement called that ark (or chest) wherein I had placed the mysteries, "The Ark of the Covenant", and I rolled all the books up in the napkin wherewith my Lord and God, Jesus Christ, girded Himself about when He washed the feet of His disciples, and I covered them over with the face-cloth which was upon His head when He was in the grave. And I, and many of the disciples, placed what remained of His burial wrappings therein; and the garment which had been woven without seam, and which was that in which our Lord was arrayed on the day of His crucifixion, and for which the soldiers cast lots; and the crown of thorns which the Jews plaited for our Lord; and the apparel and tunic of purple in which they dressed Him; and the sponge, and the vinegar, and the wormwood; and the spear wherewith our Lord was pierced; and the rope wherewith they bound Him upon the wood; and the rods wherewith they scourged Him—all these, I say, we laid up in the "Ark of the Covenant", wherein we had placed the books of mysteries, where they shall be preserved until the time of the second Coming of our Lord Christ.

83 Now I did nothing whatever of these things by my own will, but I acted according to the command of my master Peter, for he told me that God had commanded him to lay up all these most holy and most precious possessions in the holy city of Rome, and that no enemy should ever have dominion over it, and that no evil should ever enter therein, and that the faith of the people [thereof] is the right faith. And he said unto me, "Every Christian whose faith shall not be like unto the faith of the men of Rome at the time when the disciples were gathered together therein shall be remote from God, and he shall have no portion with me. And my master Peter informed me that our Lord had made this city to be the habitation of the angels, and that hymns of consecration should never cease therefrom, and that no heathen rulers should enter therein; for this city was intended to be the abode of the saints, and the habitation of the bodies of the holy fathers, and neither wrath nor sword shall have dominion over it. And God shall make all men desire to go thither, and He shall deliver it from those who are its enemies, and who seek to harm it, and they shall not be able [to conquer] it.

Chapter Viii.

84 How Clement Asked PETER CONCERNING THE RE-MAINDER OF THE MYSTERIES, AND HOW PETER REVEALED UNTO HIM THE REMAINING MATTERS OF THE ORDINANCES OF THE MYSTERY, AND THE LAW, AND THE COMMAND-MENTS, WHICH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST HAD GIVEN UNTO HIM, AND CONCERNING OTHER DIVINE HISTORIES. 85 And it came to pass that when I had heard these things from my master Peter, concerning these mysteries, their honour was greatly added to in my sight, and I asked him to inform me concerning the history of the bodies of the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the story of the Tables of the Law which Moses, the chosen one, received from the hand of God, (Whose Names are holy! and broke in pieces. Then my master Peter said unto me, "Know, O my son, that a certain pure woman shall rule in the last days over the Christian people; and all the bodies of the believing Patriarchs shall be translated unto the holy city of Rome, and the holy tables of Moses which were among the treasures laid up shall be sought for, and people shall bring them into the city of Rome. And he also said unto me, "Know, O my son, that I have to drink the cup which my Lord Christ drank in the flesh, through the assumption of the human form which He received from my Lady MARY, the pure woman, the mother of the Light. It is for me to be crucified, even as my Lord was crucified, and they shall pierce my hands and my feet with nails. Thou knowest, O my son, that my Lord and God commanded me to protect the churches and the pasture of His sheep, and to feed them in purity;

86 behold, now, I commit them unto thee, for behold, I have to set out upon my way. And Paul the Apostle they will also slay with the sword, but John the beloved shall not taste death except at the time of the second Coming of our Lord to judge [the world], for my Lord and my God made this known unto me, and said unto me, 'No man shall be able to bury the body of John in the earth, for he is the steward of the mysteries of God,' and there shall be given unto him only even what hath been given unto me, with the exception of the keys of the kingdom of heaven; for our Lord gave them unto me alone, and I shall return them unto Him on the day of His second Coming when He shall judge the living and the dead, and shall reward every man according to his work. And know, O my son, that I am the keeper of the gates of the kingdom of heaven, and to me it hath been given to make intercession for all believers; and I have power to loose their transgressions, and of the race of men no man except myself hath been chosen for this work, and this power hath never been given unto any prophet, or unto any servant, or unto any angel, or unto any one of the chosen servants of God.

87 And from the time when God created the world until the end thereof no such power hath ever been given unto any except unto us, who are the Twelve holy Apostles. For we all have seen with our eyes the glory of His Divinity, and we have touched mighty things with our hands, and after this we had understanding in our hearts, and we believed in Him without doubt. And this power was not given unto any others except us, for we had full understanding of God, and perfect knowledge of Him. Verily I say unto thee, O my son Clement, that I saw the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with mine own eyes sitting with the Father upon the throne of the Cherubim, and I am a true witness that our Lord Jesus Christ, Who took upon Himself the estate of man from MARY the Virgin, is the Son of the Living God, Who hath existed [from eternity], and that it was He Who shewed me the glory of His Godhead on Mount Tabor, and on the Mount of Olives, and on the sea. And I saw this same God when He laid hold upon me with His right hand as He was walking on the waves of the sea; and I saw that this same God was He Who delivered me by His mighty power from the waves of the sea; and I have seen [His] great wonders.

88 Now if I were to sit down for a whole year and declare His wonders which I have seen, I should not be able to recount [them all], and if I were to attempt to write them, all the books in the world would not contain them. Unto Him then, be glory for ever, and ever, and ever. Amen, and Amen.