"When he had made his prayer, he presently found the boat he was in
movable and unbound; whereas all the rest remained still fast; and
taking that for an assurance of leave to approach, he caused the boat to
be softly and with silence rowed towards the pillar; but ere he came
near it, the pillar and cross of light broke up, and cast itself abroad,
as it were into a firmament of many stars, which also vanished soon
after; and there was nothing left to be seen but a small ark, or chest
of cedar, dry and not wet at all with water, though it swam; and in the
fore-end of it, which was towards him, grew a small green branch of
palm; and when the wise man had taken it with all reverence into his
boat, it opened of itself, and there were found in it a book and a
letter, both written in fine parchment, and wrapped in sindons of linen.
The book contained all the canonical books of the Old and New Testament,
according as you have them (for we know well what the churches with you
receive), and the Apocalypse itself; and some other books of the New
Testament, which were not at that time written, were nevertheless in the
book. And for the letter, it was in these words:
"'I Bartholomew, a servant of the Highest, and apostle of Jesus Christ,
was warned by an angel that appeared to me in a vision of glory, that I
should commit this ark to the floods of the sea. Therefore I do testify
and declare unto that people where God shall ordain this ark to come to
land, that in the same day is come unto them salvation and peace, and
goodwill from the Father, and from the Lord Jesus.'
"There was also in both these writings, as well the book as the letter,
wrought a great miracle, conform to that of the apostles, in the
original gift of tongues. For there being at that time, in this land,
Hebrews, Persians, and Indians, besides the natives, every one read upon
the book and letter, as if they had been written in his own language.
And thus was this land saved from infidelity (as the remain of the old
world was from water) by an ark, through the apostolical and miraculous
evangelism of St. Bartholomew." And here he paused, and a messenger
came, and called him forth from us. So this was all that passed in that
conference.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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