1. These are the precious and valuable words of our Lord Jesus, the Christ--which he told to his disciples and his holy apostles on the Mount of Olives; at which time he spoke about the creation of the heaven and the earth and about the (manner and) way in which he enthroned Michael, the Archangel, on the twelfth of Hathor. Which (words) he passed on to Saint John, the evangelist and the beloved of God. In the peace of God, Amen!
2. Now this happened when the good Savior had taken his seat on the Mount of Olives, he and his disciples and holy apostles. He sat in one spot for many days, during which he instructed them on the creation of the heaven and the earth and the creation of the Eons of Light, because he concelaed nothing from them when they asked him about everything.
After eight days the disiples of John [the Baptist came to him. They reported to him and said: "Our Lord, see that the birthday of Herod the king was yesterday. He gave a banquet to his officers and his minsters. But it happened while they were drinking that they became frunk. The daugher of Herodias danced in the midst of the assembly. Herod swore to her, 'Whatever you wish, ask for it, as much as half my kingdom.' But she said, 'Let me ask my mother.'
"The devil hurried to her and spoke to her, saying, 'Tell your daughter that she should ask for the head of John the Baptist, who is in prison. For he is the one who tried to separate Herod from you, because he said, "It is not permitted to you to take the wife of your brother and to defile his bed." Unless you exploit this opportunity and resolve quickly to kill him, he will separate King Herod from you.' Once the devil had said this to her mother, he hurried away from her.
"At this moment the mother sent her young daugher, and she danced in the middle of the assembly. He [the devil filled her with brilliance and noble grace. The king spoke to the young daughter: 'What is your wish?' That vicious girl answered, 'King, I want you now to bring me in this place the head of John the Baptist on a platter, so that all your officers will see it.'
"The king was very troubled. but because of his oath and because of those who sat at table with him, he commanded that it be given to her. He immediately sent three prison guards to get the head of Joh, lay it on a platter, and bring it into the midst of the assembly. Then the king commanded it to be given to her and she gave it to her mother. But we took his body and buried it, although they would not give us his head.
"Now we have come to you, O Lord, to tell you everything and to report the fate of the body of our father Joh. Because of his head, however, that they separated from his body. . ." [lacuna]
When the savior heard this, he was very troubled and wept with his disciples. The savior said, "Go and immediately bring his body here; for see that I have sent ten thousand angels to guard it and the spot where he is laid. And a great power and a great wonder will happen at that place. And see, I have sent hordes of angels to obtain his head from that evildoer." And so they flew off, in answer to the bidding of our savior Jesus the Christ. He spent many days on the Mount of Olives, sad because of John the Baptist.
3. Peter answered and said, "My Lord, there is a brief word in my heart which I wish to speak with you. If I may speak with you now, many others will surge forth in my mouth because of the great joy you have created in me; and I remember no more the word that I wanted to say. [?] But with a praising heart and joyful tongue and a pure soul will I now ask you: O Jesus, my powere, Jesus the Savior, Jesus my life, Jesus light of my eyes, jesus bread of life that has come from heaven to give everyone life, Jesus the good aroma for those who have been destroyed in their sins, hear us?"
The son of Light answered and said, "My beloved Peter and beloved of my father, ask everything that you wish and nothing in the creation of heaven and earth will be ocncealed from you."
Peter answered and said, "I would like to know, my lord, what are these great sufferings which take root in the world, and these miseries and this evildoing and these deceptions and the cursing and the strife and the false-swearing and every manner of sin? Do these all happen because of humanity--or because of Mastema, the one of whom you said, 'I cast him out of heaven and he fell on the earth.' [Isa 14 / Ezek28]
"Or for what reason have you created him, knowing that all of this would happen on his account? For I have heard that he was a sinner from the beginning [John 8:44] and that he it is who caused our father Adam to be cast out of paradise. And who rules in his place from the ground up [?]? For the whole world trembles in fear before the enemy Mastema.
Jesus said, "My chosen one, Peter! Hear what I have to say to you: First we created heaven and after that the angles. The father prepared the Aeons. We created seven archangels, to allow them to sing us perpetual hymns, me and my father the Holy Spirit.
"The first whom we created we named Saklataboth, which means 'the one who disturbs the heaven and earth.' We established him in command of all the armies which we created, and they all obey him. Seven Cherubim are with him and sing hymns with him in honor of the holy Trinity, which is perfect--I, my father, and the Holy Spirit--while the angels call him: 'the first-born of the hands of God.'
"Then we created the second angel. We named him Michael; after him, Gabriel, after him Raphael and the remainder. And after my Father with me is the Holy Spirit. This one himself [i.e. Saklataboth] it is in whom great pride existed.
"My father looked upon the whole which we had created. He saw that there was no one to offer us praise. My father said to me: 'Let us make man in our image and our likeness, and put him in the world which we have created.' And we created man and blew into his face a breath of life. Man became a living soul.
"My father said to me, 'Because of htis man whom we have created, there will be a great disturbance and confusion, and he will suffer destruction.'
"I said to my father, 'I will be the one who will stand surety for him.'
"My father said to me, 'When I know that he has despised my spirit, the same one I have put into his mouth and his nose, I will send my powers to seize him, so that his body will dissolve and turn to earth in its own manner, and I will prepare rivers of fire in which to cast and melt his soul, so that the lifespan which they passed as sinners in the world they will again pass in fire, until they have been purified.'
"MI said to my father, 'I will stand surety for him, will lift him with my hand. I will be the one who will convert him to the knowledge of you. When I know that he is disobedient and is lost, I will descend according to your will and give my blood for him, to redeem him and his children.'
"When my father heard this guarantee from my mouth, then he graseped him and immediately blessed him. At the same moment small fruit grew all over his body, which are the hair of his head and his beard, in the manner of fragrant Hennabuschen [?] and the rest of the members of his body. My father blessed him and said, 'Take of this blessing, that it become a blessing for everyone who comes into the world.'
"Then we planted a garden in Eden in the lands where the sun rises. We put in it the man whom we had created and said to him, 'Work in it, watch over it.' We gave him a commandment that he could eat of every tree in the garden except the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, for 'on the day that you eat of it, you will die the death [Gen 2: 17].'
"After this my father said to me, 'It is not good for the man to remain alone. Rather let us create for him a helper who is like him' [Gen 2:18] Immediately we cast a slumber upon him. He slept . We took one of his ribs and filled its place with flesh [Gen 2:21]. We formed the rib which we had taken and made of a woman. [Gen 2:22]
My father said to him, 'You shall be called "Adam," because I have created you after my image and my likeness, along with my son and the Holy Spirit.'
"Now when Adam saw the woman, he was filled with prophetic spirit and said, 'This is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. This one will be called "woman," for she has been taken from man. [Gen 2:23] Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, so that the two become a single flesh [Gen 2:24]. And Adam called her name "Zoe" which means "the mother of all living." [Gen 3:20]
Now they were both in the middle of the garden and the angels were together with them, stunned by the humans' beauty and splendor.
"After this my father called Adam and said, 'Adam, Adam.' Adam answered and said, 'Bless me, my Lord,' On the first day on which Adam made his prayer, not a single angel remained in heaven or on earth, but they all came and cried out, 'Amen, Amen.'
"My father said to the angels and all the archangels and the cherubim and the seraphim and the twenty-four presbyters (or elders
priests Rev 4:4] and the whole angelic host: 'Come worship Adam, who is my image and my likeness.'
"All answered and said: 'We will worship him, our Lord and our King.' Immediately the heaven rained forth a lovely fragrance upon the body of Adam. They worshipped him and said, 'Blessed are we to be worthy to see you, O image of our king, Amen.'
"It happened, while they were all worshipping, that we came to the first angel whom we had created. My father said to him, 'Come, worship the first man, whom we have created after my image and my likeness, the work of my hands.' "The firstborn answered, 'I will not worship, for he is a man and I am earlier than he, and I am greater than every angel.' When the firstborn said, 'I will not worship him,' he immediately seduced many other angels and kept them from worshipping Adam.
"My father said to him, 'Come worship my image and my likeness.'
"But he answered, 'I will not worship him, and these other angels will I keep from worshipping him.'
"My father said to him, 'What is the reason which prevents you from worshipping him?'
"The firstborn said to him, 'I will never worship him who is less than I.'
"My father answered, 'Come, worship him. Do not bring destruction upon yourself, so that your evildoing shall descend upon your head.' "He answered, 'I will not worship.'
"My father said to him, 'This evil is today fulfilled inyou, O evil Mastema. See my witness is fulfilled in you, which will abide for eternity and become law for all future generations. It will be said, "Every statement stands through two or three witnesses." [cf. Deut 17:6, 19:15] See, the first testimony has happened.' My father said, 'Because you have been unreasonable and disobedient, no more shall you be called "Firstborn" but "Saklam", the one who strives with the Lord.' "My father commanded a Cherub, who lifted him up on his wing and cast him below onto the earth [Ezek 28:16-17] At this moment he snorted out of his nose. My father lost his grip while on his throne and the angelic host wept.'
The Savior said to Peter, "My chosen and beloved Peter, the father forgives everyone his sins, even those who snort out of their nose. For my father said into his face, 'Your breath, which you have given me, I do not need.' The Accuser was then cast down upon the earth, and the heavens rejoiced. The earth wept and moaned."
"The Savior said to the apostles, "Whatever you have asked me, O my holy adherents, I will conceal nothing from you."'
. . . . .
6. The Apostles answered and said to the Savior, "Our Lord, reveal to us the truth: whom have you established in his place, to sit on his throne and stand in the place of the Accuser who was cast down? And please inform us, how many angels are there in heave? And tell us: who is the greatest of them all, the one whom you have enthroned in the rank of the Firstborn?"
The Savior answered and said, "O my chosen apostles, you are blessed, for you seek every kind of knowledge. It happened that when we cast the devil from heaven, my father commanded on the twelth of Hathor at the hour of sunrise for the angels to assemble in his presence and stand before his throne on both sides.
"At that m oment he took a great, strong angel named Michael. He nthroned him on the throne in place of the Firstborn. And the entire splendor which had been taken from Mastema was given to Michael: the diadem of the light of joy was placed on Michael's head. The staff of righteousness was given to Michael. The shoes of peace were placed on his feet. He was invested on the evening of the twelfth of Hathor. He was established above the heavenly world of light and above the earthly world on the twelfth of Hathor."