Jonathan made no answer to this at first; but presently he sighed and said, “Truly we have need of a discerning spirit; and we should pray unto the All‐seeing (blessed is He) that we may not make defiled the pure, nor make pure the defiled, and that we may not bind the loosed nor loose the bound.” No one spake further about this matter. But Nathanael sat musing, while I conversed with Jonathan concerning his return to Sepphoris and concerning certain messages which I desired that he should deliver to my mother. Presently we bade farewell to Jonathan and departed. But as we passed through the street together, Nathanael still mused, and, as it seemed to me, was repeating to himself the words of Jonathan, “That we may not bind the loosed nor loose the bound.” Then he turned to me and said, “Joseph, is there not a certain saying touching the destroying of the Evil Nature?” “Yes, of a truth is there,” replied I; “for it is said that it shall come to pass, in the time to come, that the Holy One will bring the Evil Nature, and slay him in the presence of the righteous and in the presence of the wicked.” Then Nathanael smote his hands together for joy, and lifted up his voice and said “Perchance, therefore, in the day of the Redemption of Sion, the Evil Nature shall be utterly destroyed, and we shall no longer pray according to the prayer of Jonathan the son of Ezra, that we may not loose the bound; for all shall be loosed.” While he spake thus, somewhat loudly, behold, a certain Barachiah the son of Zadok heard the last words of Nathanael; and he cried after us and mocked at us and our Nazarene prophet, for so he called Jesus. Now this man was a beggar, crook‐backed and lame, and of a malignant disposition, one that took pleasure in slander and mischief: and oftentimes he had thrust himself in the path of Jesus and had besought Jesus to heal him of his deformity. But Jesus would not. So this man called after us, mocking us and imitating the voice of Jesus and saying, “Go in peace, go in peace.”