The Lost and Hostile Gospels: An Essay on the Toledoth Jeschu, and the Petrine and Pauline Gospels of the First Three Centuries of Which Fragments RemainBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
The Lost and Hostile Gospels: An Essay on the Toledoth Jeschu, and the Petrine and Pauline Gospels of the First Three Centuries of Which Fragments Remain
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Apocryphal Gospels
“And the people of Ai believed what was said, and swore to avenge
on the children of Israel the crime they had committed in hanging
Jeschu. Now when Judas saw that the people of Ai threatened great
things, he wrote a letter unto them, saying, There is no peace to
the ungodly, saith the Lord; therefore do the people take counsel
together, and the Gentiles imagine a vain thing. Come to Jerusalem
and see your false prophet! For, lo! he is dead and buried in a
conduit.
“Now when they heard this, the men of Ai went to Jerusalem and saw
Jeschu lying where had been said. But, nevertheless, when they
returned to Ai, they said that all Judas had written was false.
For, lo! said they, when we came to Jerusalem we found that all
believed in Jeschu, and had risen and had expelled the King out of
the city because he believed not; and many of the elders have they
slain. Then the men of Ai believed these words of the messengers,
and they proclaimed war against Israel.
“Now when the King and the elders saw that the men of Ai were
about to encamp against them, and that the numbers of these
worthless men grow—they were the brethren and kinsmen of
Jeschu—they took counsel what they should do in such sore straits
as they were in.
“And Judas said, Lo! Jeschu has an uncle Simon, son of Kalpus, who
is now alive, and he is an honourable old man. Give him the
incommunicable Name, and let him work wonders in Ai, and tell the
people that he does them in the name of Jesus. And they will
believe Simon, because he is the uncle of Jeschu. But Simon must
make them believe that Jeschu committed to him all power to teach
them not to ill‐treat the Israelites, and he has reserved them for
his own vengeance.
“This counsel pleased the King and the elders, and they went to
Simon and told him the matter.
“Then went Simon, when he had learned the Name, and drew nigh to
Ai, and he raised a cloud and thunder and lightning. And he seated
himself on the cloud, and as the thunder rolled he cried, Ye men
of Ai, gather yourselves together at the tower of Ai, and there
will I give you commandments from Jeschu.
“But when the people of Ai heard this voice, they were sore
afraid, and they assembled on all sides about the tower. And lo!
Simon was borne thither on the cloud; and he stepped upon the
tower. And the men of Ai fell on their faces before him.(134) Then
Simon said, I am Simon Ben Kalpus, uncle of Jeschu. Jeschu came
and sent me unto you to teach you his law, for Jesus is the Son of
God. And lo! I will give you the law of Jesus, which is a new
commandment.
“Then he wrought before them signs and wonders, and he said to the
people of Ai, Swear to me to obey all that I tell you. And they
swore to him. Then said Simon, Go to your own homes. And all the
people of Ai returned to their dwellings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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