The Book of the Resurrection of Christ (Paris Fragments) 5

1Seraphim of the Father, come ye and rejoice over the forgiveness which Adam hath obtained, for he shall be brought back to his former state. Then the Father commanded Michael to bring Adam, and his wife, and his children, and to set them in the presence of God.

2Believe ye me, O my brethren the Apostles, I Bartholomew have never seen the figure of a man, from the time when I was born into this world, which was like unto the figure of Adam, if it were not that of the Saviour. He was girded about with a tunic of pearls, and rays of light shot out from his face as they do from the sun when he is about to rise. Characters in writing [and] symbols were inscribed upon his forehead, which no man was able to read; among them was the Name of the Father, and the Name of the Son, and the Name of the Holy Spirit. And Eve herself was adorned with adornments of every kind of the Holy Spirit, and the spirits who were virgins sang hymns to her, and they called her 'Life', the mother of all living. Then the Good Father answered and said unto Adam, 'Since thou didst transgress the commandment which I gave unto thee, and didst not keep it, behold, My Son Himself hath come forth on thy behalf to bring thee back. Mary is she who gave birth to My Son, and Eve too shall become even as she is, a mother in My kingdom.'

See also: Genesis 3:20

3Then the Saviour answered and said unto Michael, 'Gather thou together all the angelic [hosts] so that they may worship Me this day, for I have made peace between Myself and My image.' And Adam, seeing the great gift which had come to him, rejoiced and was glad, and he blessed God, saying, 'Come, O all ye angelic [hosts], and rejoice with me, for He Who created me hath pardoned my sins.' And straightway all the angelic [hosts] cried out to Jesus, the Son of the Living God, 'Thou hast shewn mercy unto Adam Thy creature.'

4Then all the righteous came, from the time of Abraham, the friend (or, companion) of God, and Isaac the sinless one, and Jacob the righteous, and Job the man of patience, and Moses the chief prophet, and all the righteous who have performed the will of God.

5Now I Bartholomew passed many days without eating or drinking, and the glory of the things which I had seen served me for food. Behold, O my brethren the Apostles, I have told you concerning the things which I saw with my eyes, rejoice ye with me concerning the gift which God hath graciously bestowed upon Adam and his children. And they all answered, '[It is] seemly [so to do], O our beloved brother; people call thee Bartholomew, the Apostle of the Mysteries of God.' Bartholomew answered, 'Forgive me, I am the least among you, and I am poor in respect of my house. When the people of my city see me they are wont to say, "Is not this Bartholomew the gardener? Is not this the man who liveth in the garden of Hierokrates, the governor of our city, and who selleth the garden produce which we buy? Whence hath he acquired this magnificence? for [the knowledge of] his poverty is spread wide among us." Nevertheless I perform the mighty works of God.'

6At the time when the Saviour brought us on the Mount of Olives He spake unto us in a language which we knew not, and at that very time He revealed it unto us, saying, 'Anetharath.' And straightway the heavens opened, one after the other, and the interior shone brightly like unto snow, and the Saviour passed onwards into the heavens whilst we followed Him with our gaze. Then the Saviour cast Himself down before His Good Father, saying, 'My Father, shew Thy mercy to My brethren the Apostles, and bless Thou them with an everlasting blessing.' Then the Father (with the Son, and with the Holy Spirit) stretched out His hand over the head of Peter, and consecrated him Archbishop of the whole world. And He blessed him, saying, 'Thou shalt be the chief and head in My kingdom, and thou shalt be the chief and head over the whole world likewise, for I and My beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit have laid Our hands on thy head. Whomsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; whomsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven; nothing shall be exalted above thee and thy throne; and the hand of him that is ordained by any authority save thine shall be repulsed. Thy breath shall be filled with the breath of the Holy Spirit, so that every man whom thou shalt baptize shall receive a portion of the Holy Spirit.' And all the hosts of the heavens answered, 'Amen. Hallelujah.'

See also: Matthew 16:19

7And He blessed Andrew, saying, 'Thou shalt be a pillar of light in the Jerusalem of heaven. And thou, James, in every town and village wherein thou shalt come, thou shalt see Me and My Son before thou shalt enter into them. And John, My beloved, and the beloved of My Son, thou shalt be blessed in My kingdom. And thou, Philip, in every city and in every village into which thou shalt come, the Cross of My Son shall go before thee continually, until all the people thereof shall have believed on thee. And thou, Bartholomew, My son, thy soul shall be a sojourner in the Mysteries of My Son. And thou, O Matthew, thy might shall increase to such a degree that thy shadow shall raise the dead. And thou, O James, the son of Alphaeus, no power whatsoever of the Devil shall have dominion over thy body, or over thy preaching in any place, nay, on the contrary, that which is planted by thee, whatever it may be, shall never be rooted up. And thou, Simon Zelotes, no power of the Adversary shall be able to force a way into any place wherein thou hast stablished firmly the word of My Son. And thou, O My blessed Mathias, the sweet odour of thee shall go through the world, for thou wast a rich man according to the things of this world, and yet thou didst forsake everything and follow Me.' And when all the hosts of heaven saw these blessings which the Father pronounced on the Apostles, they answered, 'Amen.' And now, O my brethren the Apostles, forgive me—Bartholomew.

8Then all the Apostles rose up and embraced (or, saluted) Bartholomew. Now when the Apostles had said these things, they rose up and offered the Offering, and the Holy Virgin was present with them at that time. When Jesus had spoken with them, saying, 'Come ye into Galilee, I will give you My peace at that time,' and when they had received the Body and the Blood of the Son of God, the sweet perfume of their sacrifice ascended unto the seventh heaven. And the Father answered and said unto His beloved Son, 'My Only-begotten Son, arise, get Thee down into the world to Thy companions the Apostles, and comfort Thou them, and give them strength lest their heart become afflicted, and they fall into despair, and they cease to preach [the Gospel] in the whole world in Thy Name, and in My Name, and in the Name of the Holy Spirit. Arise, O My beloved Son, and get Thee to Thy brethren and Thy Apostles, and bestow upon them joy, lest they say, "Our Saviour hath risen from the dead, and hath departed into the heavens in the glory of His Father. He hath left us in the cities, and in the villages, and hath not given us joy in the place of the sufferings which we have endured in the world."' Then the Son of God rose up and came down into the world, and found His disciples, and Mary the Virgin, for they were gathered together. And He appeared unto them, and said unto them, 'Hail, My Apostles, who have been chosen above all the world. Hail, My brethren and My companions, the peace of My Father be unto you, the peace which is Mine I give unto you.' And He breathed in their faces, and said unto them, 'Receive unto you the Holy Spirit. Those whose sins ye remit to them, their sins shall be remitted to them; and those whose sins ye retain, their sins shall be retained to them.' And He shewed us His feet …