Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament (24 page)

God whom you saw, when he showed me

the woman was lying, he grasped his feet

to you in a vision! What is the matter,

again, and said, “See, Lord, the lost

Lycomedes? Wake up and open also your

beauty, see the youth, see the much talked

soul! Cast from you heavy sleep! Call on

of bloom of my unhappy wife, the adthe Lord, beseech him for your wife, and miration of all Ephesus! Woe to me, unhe will support her.” But he fell to the happy man! I was envied, humbled, the

ground and wept dejectedly. And John

enemy’s eye was fixed on me. I never

said with tears, “Woe to the treachery of

wronged anyone, although I could harm

the vision, woe to the new temptation

many. I envisaged this situation and I was

prepared for me, woe to the new craft of

always anxious to experience no sorrow

him who devises cunnings against me!

THE ACTS OF JOHN

95

Did the voice from heaven, which came

And he went, touched her face,

23

to me by the way, intend this for me,

and said, “Cleopatra, he whom

predicting to me what should here take

every ruler fears, and every creature,

place? Will it deliver me up to such a

power, abyss, and darkness and unsmilgreat multitude of citizens, for the sake ing death and the heights of heaven and

of Lycomedes? The man lies here lifethe caverns of the lower world and the less, and I know that I shall not leave this

resurrection of the dead and the sight of

house alive. Why do you delay, Lord?

the blind and the whole power of the ruler

Why have you deprived us of your graof the world, and the pride of its prince, cious promise? I beseech you, Lord, let

says, ‘Rise and become not a pretext for

him not rejoice who delights in the sormany who will not believe, and an afflicrow of others. Let him not dance who tion for souls who hope and could be

always laughs at us! But let your holy

saved.’ ” And Cleopatra cried out at once,

name and your compassion come

“I will rise, master, save your handquickly! Waken the bodies of the two, maiden!” When she had risen after the

who are against me!”

seven days, the whole city of Ephesus

was stirred by the miraculous sight. . . .

While John was crying, the city

22 of Ephesus ran to the house of

. . . After two days the birthday

Lycomedes, supposing him dead. And

38 of the idol’s temple was celewhen John saw the great multitude, he brated. While everybody was dressed in

prayed to the Lord, “Now the time of

white garments, John wore black and

refreshing and confidence has come with

went to the temple. They laid hold of him

you, O Christ; now is the time for us

and tried to kill him. But John said,

weary ones to have help from you, phy

“Men, you are mad to lay hold of me, the

sician, who heal freely. Keep my entrance

servant of the only God.” And climbing

here free from derision! I beseech you,

on to the platform he spoke to them:

Jesus, help such a great multitude to come

to the Lord of the universe. Behold the

“Men of Ephesus, you are in

affliction, behold those who lie here!

39 danger of behaving like the sea.

Even those who came here, make holy

Every discharging river and every precipinstruments for your service, after they itating spring, downpours and incessant

have seen your gift. For you have said

waves and torrents rushing from the rock,

yourself, O Christ, ‘Ask and it shall be

are permeated by the bitter salt which is

given you.’2 We therefore beseech you,

in the sea. Thus to this day you are un

O King, not for gold, not for silver, not

changeably hostile to true piety, and you

for riches, not for possession, nor for any

perish in your old idolatry. How many

transient, earthly goods, but for two souls

miraculous deeds did you see me perthrough whom you will convert those form, how many cures! And still you are

present to your way, to your knowledge,

hardened in the heart and cannot see

to your confidence, and to your infallible

clearly. What now, men of Ephesus? I

promise. For many of them shall be

have ventured now to come up to this

saved, after they have known your power

idol’s temple, to convince you that you

through the resurrection of the departed.

Give us, therefore, hope in you! I will go

to Cleopatra and say, ‘Arise, in the name

of Jesus Christ.’ ”

2Matt 7:7.

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NON-CANONICAL ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

are wholly without God and dead to hucompassion for us; for you alone are man reasoning. Behold, here I stand. You

God; now we have become converted,

all assert that Artemis is powerful. Pray

since we saw your miraculous deeds.

to her, that I alone die! Or if you cannot

Have mercy upon us, God, according

accomplish this, I alone will call upon

to your will, and deliver us from our

my God to kill you all because of your

great error.” And some of them lay on

unbelief.”

their faces and cried; others bent their

knees and prayed; others rent their gar

Since they already knew him

40

ments and lamented; still others tried to

and had seen the dead raised,

escape.

they cried aloud, “Do not treat us so and

kill us, we beseech you, John; we know

And John stretched out his

43

indeed that you can do it.” And John

hands and prayed with uplifted

answered them, “If you do not wish to

soul to the Lord, “Glory be to you, my

die, let me convince you of your idolatry.

Jesus, the only God of truth, who procure

Any why? So that you may desist from

your servants in manifold ways!” And

your old error. Be now converted by my

after these words he said to the people,

God or I will die at the hands of your

“Rise up from the ground, people of Ephgoddess. For I will pray in your presence esus, pray to my God, and know how his

to my God, and ask him to have mercy

invisible power was made manifest and

upon you.”

his miraculous deeds took place before

your eyes! Artemis herself should have

After these words he prayed,

41

helped. Her servant should have received

“God, who are God above all

help from her and not have died. Where

so-called gods, who to this day have been

is the power of the deity? Where are the

despised at Ephesus, you induced me to

sacrifices? Where the birthday? Where

come to this place, which I never had in

the festivals? Where the garlands? Where

view. You have abrogated every form of

the great enchantment and the poison alworship through conversion to you. In lied to it?”

your name every idol, every demon, and

every unclean spirit is banished. May the

And the people rose up from

44

deity of this place, which has deceived

the ground and made haste to

so many, now also give way to your

destroy the remainder of the temple, cryname, and thus show your mercy on this ing, “We know that the God of John is

place! For they walk in error.”

the only one, and henceforth we worship

him, since we have obtained mercy from

And with these words of John

42

him.” And as John came down, many of

the altar of Artemis suddenly

the people touched him, saying, “Help

split into many parts, and the oblations

us, John, help us who die in vain! You

put up in the temple suddenly fell to the

see our intention; you see how the mulground, and its glory broke, and so did titude following you cleaves to hope in

more than seven of the idols. And half of

your God. We have seen the way in which

the temple fell down, so that when the

we have gone astray when we were lost.

roof came down, the priest also was

We have seen that our gods were erected

killed at one stroke. And the people of

in vain. We have seen their great and

the Ephesians cried, “There is only one

disgraceful derision. But give us, we be

God, that of John, only one God who has

seech you, help without hindrance, when

THE ACTS OF JOHN

97

we have come to your house! Receive us,

turned after this long time, they met in

who are desperate!”

the house of Andronicus, where he was

also staying, grasped his feet, put his

. . . On the first day we came to

60

hands to their faces, and kissed them bea lonely inn, and when we were cause they had touched his clothes.

trying to find a bed for John we experienced a strange event. There was one And while great love and end63

bedstead with covers over which we

less joy prevailed among the

spread our cloaks which we had brought

brethren, one, a servant of Satan, coveted

and requested him to lie down and to

Drusiana, although he saw and knew that

rest, whilst we slept on the floor. He had

she was the wife of Andronicus. Very

hardly lain down, when he was molested

many people remonstrated with him, “It

by bugs. But as they became more and

is impossible for you to obtain this

more troublesome, and as it was midnight

woman, especially since she has sepaalready, we all heard him say to them, “I rated even from her husband out of piety.

say to you, you bugs, be considerate;

Or do you alone not know that Andronleave your home for this night and go to icus, who was not the godly man he now

rest in a place which is far away from the

is, had locked her up in a tomb, saying,

servants of God!” And while we laughed

‘Either I’ll have you as a wife, as I had

and talked, John fell asleep. And we conyou before, or you must die?’ And she versed quietly, and thanks to him we repreferred to die rather than to commit the mained undisturbed.

repugnant act. Now, if out of piety she

withheld her consent to sexual inter61 When it was day, I rose first, course with her husband and master, but and with me Verus and Andronpersuaded him to become like-minded, icus. And in the door of the room which

should she consent to you, who wish to

we had taken was a mass of bugs. And

commit adultery with her? Desist from

having called all the brethren, we went

your passion, which gives you no rest!

outside to have a full view of them. John

Desist from your scheme, which you canwas still asleep. When he woke up we not accomplish!”

showed him what we had seen. And sitting up in bed and seeing them, he said, 64

“Since you have been wise to heed my

Though his intimate friends remonstrated with him, they warning, go back to your place!” When

could not persuade him. He was even so

he had spoken and had risen from the

impudent as to send word to her. When

bed, the bugs hastened from the door to

Drusiana heard of his disgraceful passion

the bed, ran up the legs into the joints

and shameless demands, she became very

and disappeared. And John said again,

despondent, and after two days she was

“This creature heard the voice of a man

feverish. She said, “Oh, if I only had not

and kept quiet and was obedient. We,

come back to my native city where I have

however, hear God’s voice, and yet irrebecome a stumbling-block to a man who sponsibly transgress his commandments.

believes not in the worship of God! For

And how long will this go on?”

if he were filled with God’s word, he

would not fall into such a passion.

62 After this we came to Ephesus. Therefore, O Lord, since I have become And when the brethren who

accessory to a blow which struck an iglived there had learned that John had renorant soul, deliver me from this prison
98

NON-CANONICAL ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

and take me soon to you!” And without

and which can only be decided as having

being understood by anyone Drusiana debeen the true one when it remains the parted this life in the presence of John,

same to the end of life. For there are

not rejoicing but sorrowing over the

many obstacles which cause unrest to

physical trouble of that man.

human reasoning: cares, children, parents, glory, poverty, flattery, youth, 65 And Andronicus was sad and beauty, boasting, desire for riches, anger, carried a hidden sorrow in his