The guy, in tears, threw himself at Tom’s feet. “I was trying to do something good, but it backfired on me. I had a huge crush on a gorgeous lady who lives in a motel just outside of town, and she loved me, too. Then I heard about you, and how the God you teach about is the Living God, and believed, and was sealed. Of course, you also said that anybody who has sex– especially adulterous sex– won’t have life with the God you’re talking about. So, I talked to my love about this, and begged her to join with me in chastity and purity, but she wouldn’t. When she refused, I couldn’t deal with the idea that she’d end up with someone else, and like it’s said, if I can’t have her, I don’t want anybody to have her. In a fit of insane rage, I ran her through with my sword.”

When Tom head this, he replied, “Lust, you insanity that ruins us and makes us do shameful things! Lust, how could you make this man do this? Lust, you’re the work of the Archon, and turn against your own!” He asked for a bowl of water, and when someone brought it, he prayed over it:

“Come, waters of the living waters sent our way,
The true from the Truth,
The repose from the Repose,
The power of salvation from the Power over all things,
That conquers all things.
Come and live in this water,
So that they’re filled with the Holy Spirit.”

He turned to the young man. “Come here and wash your hands in this water.” When the guy put his hands in the basin, they were instantly restored to wholeness! “Do you believe that the Lord Jesus Christ did this, as he can do anything?”

The young man replied, “Even though I’m totally worthless, I believe. But, doesn’t it matter that I did this thinking I was doing good? I tried to get her to follow your teachings and keep herself chaste, but she wouldn’t do it.”

Tom answered, “Come on, let’s go find this motel where this happened.” The young man led him there, and when they got there they found her body, lying in a pool of blood. When he saw how young and beautiful she was, Tom was even more upset. He had her brought into the middle of the motel, and they brought her out into the courtyard and laid her on a bed. Tom put his hands on her, and said a prayer:

Jesus, who always shows yourself to us,
Because you want us to always bee on the lookout for you,
And because you’ve taught us how to pray for what we need;
We can’t see you with our physical eyes,
But we can always see with our soul’s eyes,
and can see you in the works you do,
and the acts you do–
You’ve told us to ask and it will be given,
seek and we’ll find it,
knock and it’ll be opened.
Knowing that we’re imperfect, we’d like to ask you,
not for money or stuff or anything worldly.
Instead, we’d like to ask you in your holy name
to bring this woman back to life,
by your power and glory and because we believe in you.

Then he made the sign of the cross over the young guy, and told him to contemplate the Lord, and told him, “Go on and take her hands, and then tell her, ‘I killed you with these hands, and now with these same hands I’m gonna raise you up.’”

The young guy went over to her and said, “I believe in you, Jesus Christ.” Then he looked over to Tom, and said, “You pray for me, too, so the Lord helps me.” He took her hands, and said, “Come on, Lord Jesus, bring her back to life and strengthen my faith in you.”

As soon as he’d finished talking, she sat right up!

She looked around all boggled at the huge crowd around her, and hopped off the bed, falling at Tom’s feet, saying, “Hey, Lord, where’s that other guy who was with you a second ago, who didn’t leave me behind in that dark and scary place, but sent me over to you, saying ‘Take this lady and make sure she gets saved so she eventually comes home’?”

Tom asked her, “Can you tell us about where you were?”

She answered, “An ugly man in rotten clothes whose face was all black like soot led me to a nasty smelling place where there were all these holes in the floor, and he made me look inside each hole. The first hole was filled with fire, and these souls were hanging from burning wheels that banged into each other. They were all screaming and crying, and nobody could save them. The dark man told me, ‘These are your people, and when they die, they’re doomed to torture and trouble, and when they’re annihilated they get replaced immediately. These are the ones who’ve mixed up the intercourse of male and female.’ I looked down, and saw a pile of babies, and the babies were fighting with each other. He said, ‘These are their children, and they’re here as proof of their wickedness.’

“Then he walked me over to the next hole, which was filled with bubbling mud and maggots, and souls were in there, moaning. He told me, ‘These are the souls of adulterers.’

“He showed me another hole where souls were all hanging up in weird positions by their tongues, hair, hands, feet, and smoked with charcoal and lava. ‘The ones hanging by their tongues are liars who never apologized for lying. The ones hanging by the hair are the show-offs who walked around like they owned the place. The ones hanging up by their hands are the thieves and the greedy bastards who never gave anything to those in need. The ones hanging up by their feet are those that ran away from the good works they could’ve done. As you can see, each soul’s punishment fits its crime.’

“Finally he took me to a deep, dark cave that smelled worse than anything, and all these souls were crammed inside, trying to get a breath of fresh air, but demons wouldn’t let them. ‘This is where the souls are taken between punishments,’ the dark guy told me. ‘Some of them finish their tortures and are kept here to make room for others. Some of them are taken along to different tortures when they’re done with the first ones. Some are totally consumed.’

“Then the demons yelled up at us, ‘Send that one down here, sp we can keep her here until it’s time for her torture!’ But he replied, ‘I can’t do that, because of the one who gave her to me. I was told not to leave her here, but to keep her with me until I get further orders.’ He took me through another place where a bunch of guys were being tortured, until a man showed up who looked just like you and brought me to you. He said, ‘Take this woman, because she’s one of my lost sheep.’ Then you took me, and now I’m here, and I really hope you’ll help me so I don’t get sent to those horrifying places I saw.”

Tom turned away, and said to everybody there, “You heard what she said about these tortures! These aren’t the only ones, either– some are far worse. If you don’t follow God and stop doing the ignorant things you used to do without gnosis, you’re gonna end up where she was. You’d better believe in Jesus Christ, so he cleans up your blemishes and gets rid of your desires, and fixes all of your mistakes that cling to you like stickerbushes. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll throw away the old you, and become new, and give up how you used to walk and talk. If you steal, you’d better stop stealing, but work for your living. If yuo’re a cheater, stop cheating on your spouse or you’re gonna be tortured– adultery is the worst thing you can do. Stop with your greed, and always tell the truth, and don’t get drunk all the time or spread gossip about people, and don’t do bad things to people who do bad things to you, because these are all pretty foreign to the God I’m talking about. Instead, you’d better believe, and be humble and holy, and hope, because these things make God happy, and he’ll give you the gifts that only he can give.”

All those people there believed at that moment, and pledged their souls to the living God and Jesus Christ, celebrating the powerful works of the Highest and being able to serve him. They forked over lots of cash for needy widows, because Tom had set up places for them in a few different cities and sent them food, clothes and other necessities.

Tom never stopped talking in public about Jesus Christ, how he was told about in the scriptures, came to the world, was crucified and raised up three days later. He explained very clearly how Jesus’s coming was foretold in the prophets, and how the world needed him, and how he’d do everything that he needed to do. People were talking about him everywhere, and started bringing their sick and wounded and possessed to him, and putting them in his path. But that Tom healed all those people, so that they all said:

Yours is the Glory, Jesus,
Who healed us through the working of your messenger Tom.
Now we’re healthy, and celebrating,
And ask that you take us into your fold,
So we can be your sheep.
Accept us, Lord, and don’t hold our errors
From our previous lives against us,
Since we didn’t know any better.

And Tom said:

All Glory to the Father’s only son!
All Glory to the eldest child!
All Glory to you, who protects and helps anyone who asks,
Who never falls asleep but wakes the ones who are sleeping,
Who brings the dead back to life.
Jesus Christ, Son of the True God,
Savior and Assistant,
Peace and relaxation of the tired,
Healer of those who sweat in the heat for you,
Thanks for the gifts you’ve given us,
And for the help you’ve brought us when we’ve needed it.
Make us strong so that we can find our courage in you.
Look over us because we’ve run away from our homes and parents for you,
And have made ourselves foriegners for your sake.
Look over us, Lord, because
We’ve gotten rid of all of our stuff for you,
So we can inherit eternal stuff.
Look over us,
Because we’ve abandoned our tribes and countries,
All so we can be part of your tribe and country.
Look over us,
Because we’ve abandoned our families,
So we can be with your Father,
And be fed by him on the best food ever.
Look over us,
Because we’ve abandoned our desire for procreation,
So we can be part of an eternal romance,
And give birth to Heavenly Fruits that can’t be stolen,
Who we’ll live with,
And who will live with us.
Amen.

This is what Adam told his boy Seth when he was seven hundred years old.

“Listen up, boy. When God made me out of earth, along with your momma Eve, we went everywhere in a glory since she’d seen it in the Aeon where we came from. She learned me a word of gnosis of God Eternal. We looked just like eternal angels then, because we were more powerful than the demiurge who made us and his servants– we didn’t even know them.

“Then that old Demiurge split us apart. He made us into two aeons, and that Glory left us, along with the first gnosis that’d been breathed into us. The Glory fled this place and went into the Pleroma, where the Aeons came from. That’s why I named you ‘Seth,’ after the spiritual founder of our people who keeps the Glory and the Gnosis.

“After that happened, we forgot about the True God. Because we forgot Him, everything we learned about was dead, like humans. Then we thought the Demiurge was the real god, because he had power over us. He ruled us through fear and enslaved us, and our hearts and minds turned shadowy and dim. Until one day, when I had a dream….

“Three men stood in front of me, but I didn’t recognize them since they weren’t made by the Demiurge. They were surpassing lovely to gaze upon, and said, ‘Wake up, Adam, from your deathbed, and listen to us tell you about the aeon and the seed of the man of life, who came from you and Eve.’

“After they told us about the aeon and the seed of the man of life, your momma and I were at a mighty peace. Suddenly, though, that old Demiurge got up in front of us and said, ‘Adam, why are you two so self-satisfied? Don’t you know that I’m the one who made you and gave you your soul?’ And shadows fell back over our sight.

“Then that old Demiurge had his way with your momma Eve and made a son out of her. After that, he put lust inside me, and I knew what it was to have a powerful desire for woman, and our gnosis was destroyed, and we were weak. I knew at that point that I was gonna die someday– I was under death’s power.

“Now I’m gonna tell you, my boy, what those men told me before the Demiurge got to us and put us under death’s power. After I die, and after everybody from this generation dies, the Demiurge is gonna try to wipe out everything with a vast and powerful rainstorm. He’s gonna destroy every living thing, all so he can get rid of those of us who know the truth about the seed of gnosis. But don’t fret– the ones who know the truth will be saved by a multitude of angels, while the dead and fleshy bodies will rot under the waters.

“When he thinks he’s done his deed, he’ll be satisfied, and he’ll save some of his sons and daughters and some of the animals in the ark along with Noah. He’ll tell Noah, who the Greek people also know as Deucalion, ‘Look, I saved you all in the ark, along with your sons and daughters and every animal you decided you’d take with you, both beasts and birds. I’m giving you the whole world to rule over as a king, and none of your offspring will come from the seed of those people who don’t acknowledge that I’m the boss.’

“Noah’s descendants and all them people who were tossed out of the gnosis of the Pleroma and the Aeons are gonna cloud up the true light. But the True God, He’s gonna send back those people with knowledge of the True God to sneak into Noah’s world and confront him. When the Demiurge gets wind that they’re around, he’s gonna face off with Noah, and say, ‘What’s the deal here, Noah? Didn’t I tell you my plan? You’ve made this whole group of offspring so you can try to get out from under my thumb.’ Noah’s gonna grovel, and answer the Demiurge. ‘I swear I didn’t do that, mighty one. These people didn’t come from me or my sons.’

“Noah’s gonna banish those people to their own place– really a holy place. They’ll know the true name and live in their own place for six hundred years with the knowledge of eternity. They’ll have angels living with them, and nothing dirty will cross their minds– they’ll only have gnosis of the True God.

“While that’s going on, Noah’s gonna split up the world between his sons, Ham, Japheth and Shem. He’s gonna tell them, ‘Listen up, you. I’ve given you guys each your own kingdom, but you’d better serve that god who made us (the Demiurge) for as long as you live. You’re his slaves and need to remember to fear him.’

“Then he went back to that old Demiurge and said, ‘Not to worry, boss. My offspring are gonna please you and do what you say. Now you have to show your power by making them afraid of you and giving them some commandments to live by, so that my descendants won’t turn away from you, but serve you humbly and fearfully.’

“But listen, Seth: some of Ham and Japheth’s sons and daughters– four hundred thousand of them– are gonna strike out and find the land of those people who have the gnosis. The power of the Pleroma will protect those people from evil and desire. The rest of Ham and Japheth’s offspring are gonna divide into twelve kingdoms, but there will still be people who leave those kingdoms and join the people of the truth, who know the aeons of eternity.

“The people who still worship the Demiurge, who they call Saklas, are gonna raise a mighty stink to him, and ask him, ‘What’s the deal with these guys who were with us but abandoned you for this other Aeon? They acted against your glory, and overturned your power and rebelled against your rulership. Look, everybody who was really and truly came from Noah and his people do everything you say and serve you, just like all the powers in the places you rule so strongly, but these jerks who left us are trying to ruin everything.’

“To get at them, Saklas’ll send down some of his powers, who’ll make their way to the country of the undefiled people who won’t ever be defiled, since their souls are imperishable. Hellfire and coals and tar will rain down on that place, darkening their eyes and blinding those who watch for them in a powerful conflagration.

“They’ll be saved, though– the great light of the Pleroma will come over them, and Abrasax and Sablo and Gamaliel, who live in the Pleroma, will come and save those people from the fire and destruction, and take them out of the places where the Archons rule to the Pleroma, to live in the Aeons like angels. The Pleroma is gonna be their home, since they know the unbreakable seed.

“Some time after that, a Great Enlightener of Gnosis is gonna pass by over the world, planting the unbreakable seed among the people of Ham and Japheth so he can grow a garden of date-bearing palms. He’s gonna lift the people up out of death. Don’t forget, everything the Demiurge made is gonna die– he’s the King of Death. But the ones who meditate on the gnosis of the True God in their hearts and minds are gonna live forever. They don’t just have the gifts of the world, but also the unbreakable seed brought from the imperishable realms. The Great Enlightener is gonna work miracles and show them signs so they’ll know the Demiurge and the Archons don’t have power over everything.

“Then the Demiurge is gonna be furious, and ask his helpers, ‘Who does this guy think he is? He’s acting like he’s better than us.’ And he’s gonna stir up trouble over that Great Enlightener, and set humanity against him. But the Great Enlightener is gonna escape the realm of flesh so the Demiurge and his creeps can’t see him. They’ll put his flesh to death, but not the Holy Spirit inside him.

“All of the Archons and the people who follow them will start using his name the wrong way, trying to figure out where he came from, and trying to root out how he was able to work wonders.

“The first kingdom will say, ‘He came from the skies. He got his power in the skies and got his glory from them. His mother birthed him and nursed him, and that’s how he came to the water.’

“The second kingdom will say, ‘His father was a prophet, and when he was born a bird carried him to the top of a mountain. The bird brought him up, until one day an angel appeared to him and told him, “Get up! God’s glory is yours.” He took this glory and strength, and that’s how he came to the water.’

“The third kingdom will say, ‘His mother was a virgin. He was exiled from his city, along with his momma. He went to the desert, where he was brought up and given his glory and power, and that’s how he came to the water.’

“The fourth kingdom will say, ‘He came from a holy virgin, but here’s how it went. Solomon wanted to find a holy virgin. He sent out Phersalo and Sauel and his army of demons to find her. They didn’t find the holy virgin they were looking for, but found a different virgin instead. Meanwhile, this guy’s momma raised him in the desert, where he got his power from her holiness, and this is how he came to the water.’

“The fifth kingdom will say, ‘He came out of a rainshower into the sea. The depths took him in and birthed him, and sent him back to heaven, where he got his power, and this is how he came to the water.’

“The sixth kingdom will say, ‘His momma came down to the world to pick flowers. The flowers lusted after her, and she got pregnant from their lust. She birthed him there, and he was brought up by angels in the flower garden. They gave him his pwoer, and this is how he came to the water.’

“The seventh kingdom will say, ‘He did come from a raindrop, from the sky. When he fell down, dragons took him up and brought him into their caverns. He grew up there, and when he was a little boy a spirit came along and took him back to the skies, where he got his power, and this is how he came to the water.’

“The eighth kingdom will say, ‘One day a cloud came out of the sky and surrounded a rock. This is how he was born, from the rock. The angels who lived in the cloud brought him up and gave him his power. This is how he came to the water.’

“The ninth kingdom will say, ‘One of the nine Muses ran away to a mountain, where she sat for a time. After a while she lusted after herself and became man and woman. She made herself pregnant, and the angels who rule desire gave him his power. This is how he came to the water.’

“The tenth kingdom will say, ‘This guy had his own god, who fell in love with a cloud. He knew himself into his palm, and tossed these drops into the cloud, and he was born. This is where he received his power, and how he came to the water.’

“The eleventh kingdom will say, ‘A father lusted after his own daughter and made her pregnant. She was cast out into a tomb in the desert, where she gave birth to him and died. An angel brought him out of there and gave him his power, and this is how he came to the water.’

“The twelfth kingdom will say, ‘He descended from two other Enlighteners, who gave him his power, and this is how he came to the water.’

“The thirteenth kingdom, of Shem, will say, ‘Every time our ruler is born, so is a Word. He’s one of these Words, and has a commission from our ruler. This is where he got his power, and this is how he came to the water.’

“Only the people who aren’t ruled by a king will say, ‘The True God chose him out of all of the Aeons. He gave him the gnosis of the perfect One of Truth, who entered into him. He said, “From a strange sky, from a powerful Aeon, the Great Enlightener came along. He made those people he chose for himself shine with a powerful light so they could shine over everything.”‘

“Then those people who took his name, who have the unbreakable seed, are gonna rise up against the powers and people of this world until a dark cloud comes down over them.

“The unfortunate people who serve the Demiurge will shout out, saying ‘The people who know the True God are lucky, because they have the gnosis of the Truth! They’ll live forever with the angels, because they haven’t let desire eat away at them. They haven’t obeyed the powers of the world, or done their work, but have stood fast in the presence of the gnosis of the True God, shining forth like a light from fire and blood.

“‘We’ve followed the Demiurge and the Archons blindly. We’ve been arrogant and boastfull. We’ve cried out against the True God and the eternal places, and all of these are marks on our spirits. And now we know that our souls will perish when we do.’

“Then they’ll hear a mighty voice, saying, ‘In the names of Micheu, Michar and Mnesinous, who rule over the washing with the Living Water, how come you cried out against the Living God, with frenzied and foul words in evil tongues, your souls full of terror and gore? Even though everything you did was done in falsehood, you celebrate it joyfully. You’ve muddied the waters of truth and tried to turn those waters over to the Archons and their King.

“You don’t think like the people you persecute. You’re full of desire, and they’re not. Their fruit doesn’t rot on the tree. They’ll reside in the Aeons, because they’ve kept the Word of the True God, so their foul deeds weren’t recorded in the Great Book. The Words of the Great Book will descend with the angels unknown to you people. These Words will rest on a high peak, on a Rock of Truth, and will be called “The Words of Eternity and Truth,” and will be for those people with the gnosis of the True God, who have wisdom and comprehension and will always be guided by angels, forever. He knows all things.’”

This is what Adam told his boy Seth, and Seth passed this down to his own children, and they did the same. Indeed, this is the secret gnosis of Adam: the holy baptism of the ones with gnosis of the eternal, and of those who were born from the Word and the Great Enlighteners who came from the unbreakable seed.

Yesseus, Mazareus, Yessedekeus, the Living Water. Amen.

“Well come on over here and tell me your problems,” answered Brother Tom.

The woman crossed through the crowd and stood in front of him. “For the longest time my life was pretty good, and fairly worry-free, because I didn’t have anybody to worry about. One day, though, it happened that I was heading out of the bath, and a really twitchy, obviously disturbed man approached me. I could barely hear what he said, but when I grasped it, it was shocking. ‘You and me are made for one another, sweetheart, and we’re gonna be in love and make sweet love with each other just like we’re married.’ I answered, and told him, ‘Listen, bud, I never even married the guy I was engaged to. Why would I submit to your filthy request?’ Thus said, I went on my way. My maid and I talked about what just happened, and I said, ‘Can you believe what that shameless young man just said to me? How rude!’ She answered that she hadn’t seen a young man, but an elderly one!

“We laughed it off, but after I’d gotten home and eaten dinner, I started having some suspicions about him, especially because he had two forms. I went to bed thinking about this, and sure enough, that night this foul thing came to me in my house and had foul sex with me. The next day, I saw him out in town and ran from him, but the next night he was back in my room again, abusing me. This has gone on for five years, and still he hasn’t left me. But, I’m convinced that you have power over demons and ghosts and other malevolent creatures, and that your prayers can drive them away. Please, pray for me, free me from this devil that’s tormenting me! Set me free so I can receive the grace of God that’s been accepted by my fellow townspeople!”

Brother Tom was sorely vexed, and called out the demon:

Listen!
You Unrestrainable Evil!
You Brazen Devil!
You Jealous Son Who Never Sleeps!
You Ugly One Who Hates the Beautiful!
You of Many Forms But Single Odious Essence!
You Weasel Who Can’t Keep Faith!
You Poisonous Yew-Tree Who Drops Poisonous Fruit!
You Pernicious Fiend Who Attacks Strangers!
You Insolent Liar!
You Reprobate That Slithers Like A Snake!
Show Yourself!

When he finished speaking, the insidious one appeared in front of him. Only Brother Tom and the lady could see him, but when he screeched his reply, the whole crowd heard it:

“What the hell do you want, Representative of the Highest One?
Why can’t you mind your own business, Servant of Jesus Christ?
What do you want with us, advisor to God’s holy Son?
Why are you gonna try to destroy us before our time is come?
Why are you gonna try to take away our power?
Up until now, we had big plans and time to do them.
What have we done to you?
You have your people, and we have ours.
Why are you gonna judge us, when you teach others not to judge?
Why do you want our stuff; isn’t your own stuff good enough for you?
Why do you look so much like God’s Son, like you were born with him?
We thought we’d control him like we do everybody else.
Then he turned around and conquered us.
We didn’t really know him after all!
He fooled us because he was normal looking, poor and needy.
We saw his outward form that looked so week and human.
We didn’t know it was the one who gives life to the world.
And he gave us power over own, and free reign to travel in them.
You want more than you’re owed, more than you deserve!
Why do you need to cause us such trouble?”

When he’d had his say, the devil started crying and weeping and carrying on, sobbing to the woman:

“I’m gone, my beautiful concubine, after all this long time we’ve been together.
I don’t need you anymore, my love, my sister, my wonderful one.
Oh, I don’t know what I’m gonna do, or who can help me.
Wait, I have an idea! I’m gonna hie myself out of here,
And find someplace that Brother Tom’s never been!”

The devil’s voice got louder and louder.

“Peace be with you, woman!
You’ve discovered somebody better than me.
I’m heading out to find another like you.
But listen up; if I don’t find one, you’ll see me again!
You’re perfectly safe when you’re around this guy!
But, as soon as he leaves you’ll forget all about him.
I’ll be back, and stronger than before when that happens,
But right now, I am GONE!”

With a blast of fire and a cloud of smoke, the devil disappeared, astonishing everyone in the crowd!

Brother Tom spoke to them. “This devil hasn’t done anything strange or wonderous, people. He’s just showed you his own nature. You saw him go up in a puff of smoke and fire, but let me tell you that when his time is come, he’ll be consumed and destroyed by fire and blown away in a cloud of smoke for good! We’ve witnessed something powerful today, so let’s pray.

“Jesus, hidden secret that’s been uncovered,
You’ve shown us all kinds of mysteries.
You called me away from my companions
And told me three words that fired me up!
I can’t tell them to anyone else. (Ed. See Gospel of Thomas, Saying 13)Jesus, they killed you and buried you!
Jesus, God above all Gods,
Salvationist who raises the dead and heals the sick!
Jesus, you were a needy man but saved like you had no needs!
You caught fish for breakfast and dinner,
And fed the multitudes with bread!
Jesus, you rested from travelling like a man,
And walked on water like a God.
Jesus, Highest one, with the most Gracious Voice,
Saviour of everything,
Right Hand of the Living Light,
Tossing over the Enemy through his own works,
Gathering his works into one place!
You have many forms, but are a solitary child,
First born of the Brothers and Sisters of the Highest God,
Though humbled and despised.

“Jesus Christ, you always answer when we call you.
You’ve become a reason for men to live.
You were judged and tossed into jail for us.
Now you free the ones enslaved!
You were called a liar, but redeem us from our errors.
I’m asking you on behalf of these people who stand here and believe in you.
They want to receive your gifts, and hope for your assistance,
And take comfort in how great you are!
They’re eager to hear what we have to say about you!
Bring them your peace, let it be a temple in them.
Let them cast off the old human with its errors,
And put on the new human that I’m telling them about!”

One by one, those in the crowd around Tom came forward, and he put his hands on their heads and blessed them, saying, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you forever.” They answered, “Amen.”

When the beautiful woman came up to him, she asked him, “Servant of the Highest God, give me the seal so that devil doesn’t come back and torment me again.”

He took her to a clean river nearby, and put his hands on her head and sealed her in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. She wasn’t the only one sealed that day; lots more people came down to the river.

Tom then asked his deacon to set up a table for a meal. They spread a clean white cloth over it, and set out some bread. Brother Tom stretched his hands out over the bread, and said, “Jesus, you’ve said we’re good enough to celebrate the thanksgiving of your holy body and blood. We humbly offer this eucharist and call your name. Come, and speak with us.

“Come, perfect compassion.
Come, He who communes.
Come, She who knows the mysteries of the chosen one.
Come, She who takes part in all the victories of the Wrestler.
Come, Silence that sings forth the greatest of all greatnesses.
Come, She who uncovers hidden things and explains difficult things.
Come, Holy Dove who carries the young twins.
Come, Hidden Mother.
Come, She who we know by her works.
Come, She who gives joy and rest to her own.
Come and commune with us in this Thanksgiving we celebrate for you, in your name.
Come and commune with us at this Agape-dinner where we’re together because of you.”

When he’d said this, he made the sign of the cross over the bread, and broke off pieces to have around. He gave the first piece to the woman, telling her, “This is for you so your errors are forgiven forever.” Afterwards, he distributed the rest of the bread to everyone who’d been sealed, saying “This Thanksgiving is for life and repose, not for judgement or revenge.” They answered, “Amen.”

Brother Tom replied with a prayer, “Merciful Lord Jesus, even the animals talk about your Peace. Saviour and provider, you bring us the rest that it’s so difficult to find in these alien bodies, and save our souls. You fight for us and help us overcome our enemies, and you’re our undefeated sports star! You give your eternal glory and joy to your own people, and help us find relief. You’re a sheepherder who gave yourself to the hungry wolf so your flock would live, and then came back to lead your lambs to sweetgrass. You are the best and most glorious, and your invisible Father and the Holy Spirit, the Mother of all creation!”

The crowd wanted to know how he’d answer the donkey. After giving it some thought, astonished, he looked up to the sky, then back down to the ass. “Where’d you come from, and who owns you? You’re a talking donkey, which is something we don’t see every day, and the words you say are amazing.”

The donkey answered, “I’m descended from the line that served Balaam and your master, too. Now I’ve been sent to you so that you can rest on me, and also so that I can have my faith confirmed by you. Once you’ve done this, I won’t be able to talk anymore.”

“Maybe the one who gave you this ability can do these things,” Tom replied, “but this is just too mysterious for me. I don’t have this power, so I’m not gonna sit on you.”

“Please?” asked the ass. “Pretty please? If you sit on me, I’ll surely be blessed. Do it for me if nothing else.”

With a sigh, Brother Tom mounted the donkey and rested on its back, and started towards the city center. The crowd cheered and surrounded them, some in front and some behind, but they all ran, wanting to know how he’d say goodbye to the talking donkey.

They finally all arrived at the city gates, and Brother Tom dismounted. He turned to the donkey and said, “Okay, now get lost. Go home, and all the best to you.” At these words, the donkey toppled over at Tom’s feet and died!

The crowd booed when they saw the animal keel over, and shouted at Tom, “Hey, that’s not good. Bring the poor thing back to life!”

Tom shook his head, answering, “Look, I could bring him back in Jesus’s name, but I’m not going to this time. If the one who gave him the power of speech wanted to bring him back, he could. It’s not that I can’t bring him back to life, but since the one who gave him speech decided he should die, it’s best we leave it at that.” That said, he requested a decent burial for the talking donkey, and the people with him dug a grave for the body.

“Lord, judge of the living who’s standing here and the dead who’s lying here in the dust, master and father of everything– the souls inside bodies and the ones outside of them– join us now, and shed your glory on the one lying here.”

He turned to his disciples. “I’m telling you, the enemy has something to do with this; he made it happen so he could get at us somehow. Make sure in your lives he hasn’t done anything else, or acted through anybody not directly working for him.”

All of the sudden, a giant, black snake emerged from a hole near the body, shaking its head back and forth and sliding its long tail all over the ground. It laughed like a maniac, and shouted in a booming voice, “Listen here, boy, you think you’re here to speak out against my deeds? Let me tell you why I killed this guy and then see what you have to say.”

Tom crossed his arms, and calmly replied, “Okay then. Let’s hear it.”

That old mean snake curled up in front of the crowd on a big, flat rock. “Nearby these parts, there’s a small town, and in that town lives the most beautiful girl this land has ever seen. She walks by every now and again, and I’ve fallen for her hard. The last time she passed, I followed to see what she was up to, and found this man kissing her, pressing up against her, having sex with her and doing all kinds of things far too dirty for me to mention to you, what with you being the Lord’s Twin and all. Now, siince I was in love with her, I didn’t want to scare her, so I waited until I caught him walking by alone last night and sneaked up on him and bit him right on his ankle. He deserved it all the more for doing these deeds on the Sabbath! So as you can see, I was completely justified.”

“Hm,” said Tom. “Now explain to me what you are.”

“I’m a reptile, and it’s my nature to be reptilian like my father was,” the snake replied:

I’m the terrible son of my terrible father,
the one who ruins and strikes in all direction.
I’m the son of the ruler of the earth,
the one who takes back everything that’s owed to him.
I’m the son of the one who’s wrapped around the globe,
the one who swallows his own tail.
I’m the one who climbed over the fence into Eden,
the one who told Eve everything my father told me.
I’m the one who riled up Cain,
and caused him to kill his own brother.
I’m the one who sowed thorns and thistles,
the one who made them grow up through the earth.
I’m the one who led down the angels,
the one who showed them how beautiful human women are.
I’m the one who told those angels to make children,
the one who works my deeds in those very same kids.
I’m the one who strengthened the heart of the Pharaoh,
the one who lifted that king’s dark hand against Israel.
I’m the one who sedueced the multitude in the wilderness,
the one who praised them for creating the calf.
I’m the one who worked in Herod,
the one who made Caiaphas lie to Pilate.
I’m the one who drove Judas to betray the Christ,
the one who later made him plunge a sword in his guts.
I’m the one who lives in Tartarus,
the one wronged by the Son of God.
I’m the brother of the one who comes from the East,
he who also has limitless power on Earth.”

When he’d finished talking, Brother Tom took a step forward and shouted at the top of his lungs. “Have you no shame, sir? Stop this trickery and shifty business at once! Your days of destruction have come to an end, so shut your wicked mouth, and stop talking to people about what you’ve done to your own subjects. Now I call upon you in the name of Christ Jesus, who never stops fighting for his people, to suck the venom out of this dead man and take it away from him!”

“Oh, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, like you’d like me to. Where do you get off trying to make me take back the poison I put inside this man, and to die before I’m supposed to? When my father puts his mouth on creation and sucks out the venom he put there, that’s when his end will come.”

The Apostle stood firm: “Show us your father’s nature!”

The serpent struggled for a moment, and then under the power of the Lord, slowly inched over to the body, put its mouth over the wound and sucked the venom right out. Slowly but surely, the youth’s color, which had been a dark purple, started appearing more natural, when all of the sudden he leapt up, ran to Brother Tom and fell at his feet.

Now the snake was so full of his own poison he swelled up like a bladder full of wine, and as soon as the young man had come back to life, that old snake exploded with a bang, spewing poison and gall everywhere. To everyone’s amazement, the ground around the serpent started shaking, and splitting, and a chasm widened in the earth underneath it, and swallowed up that snake for good. “That’s that,” said Tom. “King Gundaphorus, you and your brother should have some workmen fill that hole and lay down foundations on this land. You can build houses here where foreigners can live.”

The young man, weeping, asked Brother Tom, “What have I done to you to deserve this? You seem to have two forms, and wherever you want to be, you can be found, and nobody has any power over you, I can tell. When I was dead, I saw that guy standing next to you, and I heard him tell you that he had signs and wonders to show you and deeds for you to do, that you’re gonna be rewarded for. Then he told you you’d bring life to a multitude, and they’d live forever in light as God’s children. Next he told you to raise me from the dead and save me from the enemy, and watch over me always. So I’m glad you’ve come here, even if you’re gonna eventually go back to him even though he’s never really gonna leave you. But listen, I don’t care about anything any more– he’s freed me from worrying about the dark, and helped me rest after working all day, and freed me from the one who put me in this state and made me sin. I’ve found the light, and found my long-lost brother! I’ve gotten rid of the one who blinds his own servants so they don’t get what he’s doing to them and makes them do shameful things, and joined up with the worker of light and truth, who you’re never ashamed to be with. I’ve left the master of lying and darkness, and found the one who delivers beauty and truth, who scatters the clouds and makes men to see, heals the wounds of creation and conquers the enemies of goodness. Please, Brother, show me this man again, reveal what’s hidden from me, let me hear his voice, the one this imperfect body can’t even describe.”

Brother Tom answered him. “If you’re serious about what you just said, and are ready to give up the works of the enemy, and if you really know the one who caused this change in you, and you’re willing to study and listen to the works of the one you’re looking for, then you’ll certainly see him and live with him forever– you’ll rest with him and experience his joy. But, if you slack off and go back to your former ways, and turn your back on his bright face that you saw while you were dead, and forget how beautiful the light is, not only are you gonna lose this life, but also that life to come. If you turn away from him, he’ll leave you, and you won’t ever see him again.”

Brother Tom took the young man by the hand, and they started back for the city. On the way, Tom told him a few things. “All these things you’ve seen today are nothing compared to what God’s got in store that you haven’t seen. Since we’re stuck here in bodies, there’s no way for us to really describe and talk about what’s going to be given to our souls. If we say he’s going to show us the light, it’s not really the light here that we’re talking about. Concerning the wealth of this world, we don’t need it; remember, it’s been said it’s really difficult for rich people to get into heaven. Concerning fancy clothes that people say are fit for kings, they’re not for us. Concerning high-end parties and huge feasts, we’re told to avoid them, not to carry around the effects of partying and drunkenness and material things. After all, we’ve been told: ‘Don’t worry about your life, where your next meal or drink is gonna come from, or what clothes you’re gonna wear. The soul is more important than food, and the body is more important than what covers it.’ Keep in mind, this place we’re in is temporary, and it’s gonna be judged. But, if we’re talking about the Kingdom of Heaven, the world above, we’re talking about God and angels and watchers and saints who eat immortal food and drink the wine of truth, who wear cloths that last forever and never get old. We’re talking about things nobody’s ever seen or heard about, things that aren’t even available to sinners, only to the people who love God. These are the things we’re talking about, and these are why our tidings are so joyful. So you should also believe in him, and trust in him, and you won’t die. He can’t be bribed by anything you could possibly offer to him, and he certainly doesn’t need any sacrifices. Just look to him and trust him, and he won’t let you down. He’s so beautiful you’ll want to look at him and love him forever. Really, he won’t even let you stop loving him once you’ve truly started.”

Well now, as he was giving this speech, a crowd started surrounding them, that got bigger and bigger. Tom started to notice all these people around him, climbing up on roofs and stairways so they could see and hear him. He looked around, and addressed the crowd. “If you want to join the Christ’s assembly, take a look at what’s happening here. I’m just a human like you, but if you want to see me and hear what I’m saying, you need to climb up to higher places– you need to be lifted up. If you can’t even see me without lifting yourselves up, how can you possibly see the one who lives in the skies and on the earth if you don’t lift yourselves up out of your former ways, your sins and errors, your impermenant desires, your attachments to material things and places that grow old, and clothes that rot, and physical beauty that gets old and turns into the dust it was made out of? This is all stuff for the body. You should, on the other hand, believe in Jesus Christ, the one we’re here to talk about; you should place your hope in him and you’ll live eternally; he’ll travel with you and be a safe port of call in this stormy sea. He’ll be a cistern of clear, flowing water for you when you’re thirsty and a banquet hall full of delicious foods when you’re hungry, and a soft bed when you’re tired, and even a healer for your body when you’re sick.”

When they heard this, the majority of people gathered around started weeping, saying, “You man of this foreign God, there’s no way we can claim to be his, because we’ve done wrong by him. But if he has pity on us, and saves us with his compassion, forgives us our errors and sets us free from evil, and if he won’t hold the sins we’ve committed in ignorance against us, we’ll serve him forever and do anything he asks us to.”

Brother Tom answered, smiling, and said. “He won’t hold these things against you, or hold you responsible for what you did without realizing it. He’ll forgive you for all of these things.”

TO BE CONTINUED

Abbanes brought Tom to the palace, where the King asked him, “So what all do you know how to do?” Tom answered, “Well, I can build pretty well. I’m something of an architect. I can build farming and nautical equipment because that’s what was needed where I’m from. I’ve also got some experience with stone, and I’ve built temples and court-houses and memorial pillars.” “Sounds good,” replied Gundaphorus. “Will you build a palace for me?” “Sure,” answered Tom. “I can even furnish it.”

The King thought this was just fine, and they shook on it. He led Brother Tom out of the city to show him where he wanted the palace, and talk some details about the laying of the foundation. They chatted about it while they walked, and finally came to the spot. “Well,” said the King, “this is it. Whatcha think?” “Sure,” said Tom. “This is a fine location. Now, there is a lot of water around here, and a bit of forest that’ll need clearing, so I can’t start right now.” “Okay, so when can you start?” “Well now, I think if I start work around October, I should be able to finish in April or thereabouts.”

Now, the king thought this sounded a little odd. “Most people prefer to build in the Summer. You’re telling me not only that you’re going to build through the winter, but also that you can build the whole thing by spring?” Tom nodded. “Yep. This is how it’s gotta be.” “Okay, if that’s your plan, you’re the builder. Any thoughts on plans yet?” Tom squatted on the ground and sketched out some blueprints in the dust. “So the doors’ll face east so they look towards the sunrise, and if we put the windows in the west they’ll catch the breezes. We’ll build the oven in the South since it’s gonna be the hottest part of the building, and build an aqueduct system to the north.” The plan pleased the King, who told Tom as much, and gave him sufficient funds to start the project. Since he was a busy man, he didn’t have time to visit the site, so he trusted Tom with the funds and set him more according to the schedule, figuring he’d be feeding the workmen and buying supplies.

Brother Tom, however, had other plans. Instead of using the money for supplies or provisions, he started giving it all away to the poor! He had so much for building the palace that he made a circuit to all of the poorest towns, giving the cash to the neediest and sickest people in each one. “The king’ll make this all back,” he thought, “but right now the poor need the money.”

After some time, the King sent his messenger to Tom with a message: ‘Let me know how the palace is progressing. Do you need anything else?’ And Tom replied: ‘Work on the palace is coming along just fine. Everything’s done except the roof. So the King sent him some more gold and silver to finish the roof.

Now, Tom was obviously a pretty smart guy, and knew there could be trouble for what he was doing. But, he knew that he was fulfilling the will of the Lord, and was thankful. “Thank you, O Lord, for everything, and thank you for dying for just a little while so that I can live forever. Thank you for selling me into slavery so that I can set free so many souls through you.” And he took the money for the roof and kept giving it away, telling people, “This is given to you from the Lord, because he provides for everyone who needs it. He feeds the orphans and watches over the widows, and gives peace and rest to anyone who has problems.”

Now eventually, the King started to get curious, and started asking his friends about the palace this guy was supposed to be building for him. And they were sheepish, but were honest with him. “Well, your majesty, he hasn’t actually done a danged thing he said he would, much less built your palace. Instead, he’s been wandering around and giving away everything you sent him to the poor. He’s been teaching them about a new God, and healing the sick and throwing demons out of people. He’s apparently been performing all kinds of miracles, and we think he’s a Magician or a Witch Doctor. The thing is, though, that he’s very, very compassionate, and he doesn’t charge anything for all of these healings. By all accounts, he’s a simple man, with simple faith, and he sure seems to be a good man and maybe even an apostle of this new God he talks about. He fasts all the time, and never stops praying, and all he eats is bread with a little salt, and all he drinks is water. He only has one set of clothes no matter how bad the weather is, and doesn’t take anything from anybody that he doesn’t give away.” When he heard this, the King buried his face in his hands and shook his head for a long time.

When he got back to where he was staying, he called for Brother Tom and Abbanes, and his guards brought them to him. “So,” asked the King, “did you build me that palace?” “I sure did,” answered Tom. “Well then why don’t we go take a look at it?” asked the King. “Sorry, King,” Tom replied, “we can’t go see it now. You won’t be able to see it until you’ve left this life behind.”

The King was furious, and immediately called for his guards. “Take these two and tie them up, and throw them into the deepest, dankest pit in the deepest, dankest dungeon we have! I’m gonna find out exactly where my money is, and crush these two like the thieves they are!” So the guards trussed the two, and led them away. Abbanes was terrified, but Brother Tom reassured him. “Cheer up, cheer up! This is really a wonderful thing. Just trust in the God I’ve been talking about and you’ll be set free in this life and live eternally in the next.”

King Gundaphorus thought about all kinds of different tortures and punishments, and finally decided they’d be skinned alive and then burned to death. The king’s brother Gad, however, was even more upset than the King. This blow to their family’s honor had him literally sick with disgust. He called for his brother, and said, “Gundaphorus, my brother, you may as well take my house and my children, because I feel like I’m gonna die I’m so upset. If I die and you don’t get revenge on that damned Magician, I swear I will come back and haunt you.” The King replied, “Calm down, Gad. I’ve been thinking about this all night, and I’ve decided to skin them alive and burn them to death.” “Good,” said Gad. “But don’t stop there if there’s anything worse you can think of doing to them,” but as he said this, he died.

Suddenly, Gad found his soul surrounded by angels, who guided it up to the heavenly city. They showed him the glorious, magnificent buildings and houses, and asked him, “In which of these would you like to live for eternity?” They came to the most magnificent palace of all, a massive edifice covered in gold and jewels and glimmering with the peaceful light of God. Gad was astounded, and told the angels, “I’d love to live on even the lowest level of this wonderful Palace!” “No, you can’t live there,” answered the angels. “Why not?” Gad asked. “Because that’s the palace that Christian, Tom, built for your brother Gundaphorus. We’re saving it for him for when he dies.” Gad gasped, enchanted, and entreated the angels, “Listen, my lords, please toss me back down to Earth. I can’t stay here if I can’t live in that palace. I’ve got to ask my brother to sell it to me.” The angels whispered to one another for a few seconds, and one of them turned to him. “You’ve got it, bub,” he said, and they tossed Gad’s soul over the side of heaven.

Back on Earth, the King’s servants were dressing Gad’s corpse for the funeral. All of a sudden, Gad’s soul fell back into the body, and he opened his eyes, to the amazement of all present. “Go get my brother,” he asked them. “I need to ask him something!” They immediately brought the message to Gundaphorus, “Your brother just came back to life!”, and he rushed to the burial chamber as fast as his feet could take him. A huge crowd followed, wanting to see this miraculous thing. They all showed up at his bed, but were speechless with amazement.

“Hey, brother,” Gad said to the King, “I know for sure that if anybody had asked for even half of your kingdom, you would have given it to him for my sake. Since I know you love me, I have a favor I need to ask you. I need you to sell me whatever it is that I ask for.” The King was, of course, flabbergasted. “Of course, my brother.” “Do you swear it?” “On my honor, I swear it. I’m just so glad you’re alive I’ll sell you anything you want.” “Okay then, sell me that palace you have in Heaven.” The King goggled. “What are you talking about? Why should I have a palace in Heaven?” His brother answered, “You know that Christian you tossed into prison, who that merchant bought from Jesus and brought for you? The one who got me so upset I died, who you plan to execute? He built it for you.”

Suddenly, as though a bright light flashed on him, the King understood. He knew that the palace in which he’d spend eternity was far more important than anything built for him in this life. He had a complete change of heart. He understood exactly what Brother Tom had been trying to teach him, and replied to Gad. “You know what? I can’t sell you that Palace after all. I need to hang onto it, so that maybe someday I’ll be good enough to live in it. But, if you want a palace like that, I can do you one better. The guy who built it is still alive, so let’s talk to him.”

The King summoned his guards, and had them release Abbanes and Brother Tom from prison, and brought before him. Humbly, he addressed our hero. “Brother, I’m asking you like I’d ask a minister of God: please pray for me. Please ask the one you’re here to represent for forgiveness for me, for what I did to you and what I’d planned to do to you. Please pray to him to make me worthy of that palace that I didn’t even build, that you built for me all by yourself with the grace of God. And pray that I become a servant for this God you’ve been talking about.” His brother also fell to his knees, and asked Tom, “Please also make me worthy for this ministry. I want to serve God, too, and I want to earn my place in those palaces the angels showed me.”

The apostle smiled, joyfully, saying, “You are so wonderful, Lord Jesus, for revealing the Truth to these men. You are the only God of Truth, the one who knows everything, even the most secret things that nobody else knows about. You are the most compassionate and most merciful God, because we humans who dwell in and contain imperfection can’t find you, but you find us. I pray you, take King Gundaphorus and his brother Gad into your community. Clean them with your baptism and perfect them with your anointing. Shelter them from the wild wolves and let them rest in your fields. Let them drink from your heavenly fountain, which flows eternally and never gets befouled. They’re sincere, Lord, and want to serve you, anbd they’re willing to take abuse for it, and to be hated and mocked just like you were. Help them put their trust in you, and receive initiation into your mysteries, and give them your gifts, and let them know the beauty and truth of the Father.”

The King and Gad became Tom’s disciples, and travelled with him, and helped him assist the poor and needy, giving to those who needed refreshment. After a time, they asked if he would seal them with the Word. “We’ve heard the stories about how God recognizes the ones with his brand like a shepherd recognizes his sheep, so we’d like to be given the mystery and sealed in the Word.” Tom answered, “It’s a wonderful idea, and I think we should do it. We’ll have a thanksgiving and blessing, and you’ll be perfected in the bosom of the God of everything.”

The King commanded that the bath house be closed for seven days to purify it for the baptism. On the eighth day, Brother Tom, Gundaphorus and Gad entered the bath house and prepared for the ceremony by lighting lamps in all of the directions. Brother Tom sealed them, and all of the sudden they heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Peace be with you.” They couldn’t see him yet because they hadn’t been fully baptized. Brother Tom solemnly poured oil on their heads and anointed them and gave them the chrism, saying:

We call you, Greatest Name of Christ!

We call you, Highest Power, Perfect Compassion!

We call you, Best Gift!

We call you, Loving Mother!

We call you, Greates Father!

We call Her, who reveals the Secret Mysteries!

We call the Mother of the Seven Houses, to rest in the eighth house!

We call the Elder of the Five Aggregates: Mind, Thought, Reflection, Consideration, Reason; appear to these youths!

We call the Holy Spirit; cleanse their minds and their hearts, and seal them in the name of the Father and Son and Holy Ghost.

When they were sealed, a young man holding a torch appeared in front of them. His torch was so bright that their lanterns looked dim in comparison. He slowly vanished, and Tom prayed, saying, “Your light, Lord, is so bright we can’t stand it. Its glory is too bright for us.”

When morning came, they broke bread and had a thanksgiving meal, and celebrated and rejoiced. They were the first, but Brother Tom and his disciples brought many residents of that area into the safe harbour of the Saviour.

One day he delivered a stirring sermons to them:

“Men and women, boys and girls, young and old, well or sick, free or poor, listen up! Don’t let lust overwhelm you, don’t give greed a home, don’t let gluttony into your belly! These three are the three-headed monster that gives birth to everything wrong. Lust blinds the mind and clouds the eyes of the soul, and sucks life out of the body, and makes people weak and spreads sickness and disease. Greed makes the soul afraid and shameful; when greed is present it wants to steal what other people have, and makes you afraid of the shameful consequences that will happen if you steal something and get caught. Gluttony debases you, making you obsessed with the base needs of the body and panicked about where your next meal will come from.

“If you want to free yourself from this three-headed monster, and save yourself from care and sadness and anxiety, listen to what Jesus said: ‘Don’t concern yourself with what’s going to happen tomorrow; tomorrow’ll concern itself with itself just fine.’ He also said, ‘Notice how the ravens and other birds don’t have farms or grow crops or store food, but they do just fine; God provides them with whatever they need. So why don’t you think he’d provide you even more, you cowards?’

“Look for him, hope for him and believe in his name. He’s the one who decides what happens to the living and the dead, and he gives everyone what they deserve depending on how they’ve acted, and nobody who’s heard all of this has any excuse for being judged unworthy when he comes again. And his heralds are getting his word out all over the world.

“If you want to live forever, apologize and reform, believe the promise and take the light and easy yoke on your shoulders. You’d better get these things and hold onto them! Come out of the darkness and see the light! Come into the company of the Good One, and wear his sign on your souls!”

When he said this, some of the bystanders answered, “It’s time to pay back the debt we owe.” He replied, “The creditor always wants more, but let’s give him what we owe anyhow.” He said a prayer over them and gave them blessed bread flavored with oil and herbs and salt, even though he was fasting.

That night while he was sleeping, the Lord appeared at his head. “Tom, listen here. I want you to wake up early and bless everybody, and then head east out of town for about two miles. I’m going to appear to you there, and this’ll help you show these people just how strong the enemy is.” Tom woke up and gathered everybody together. “So I was just visited by the Lord, and he needs me to do something today. Let’s pray that he works through us and for us without fail and without any protest from us.” Thus said, he prayed over them and blessed the bread. He passed it around and said, “This Thanksgiving Meal is yours for compassion and mercy, not judgement or revenge.” And they all replied, “Amen.”

…TO BE CONTINUED

So Brother Tom, Jesus’s twin, ended up drawing India. Now, Tom was absolutely not interested in heading all the way to India, so he started prevaricating and coming up with excuses to stay home. “There’s no way I’m strong enough to travel that far,” he said. “Besides, I’m Hebrew. How in the dickens could I possibly practice our religion in such a foreign country?” Well, while he went on like this, coming up with all these elaborate reasons not to go to India, the Christos appeared to him in person one night, and said, “Brother Tom, look here. I’d really like you to head over to India. Why are you so freaked out? You know I’ve got your back.” But Tom still wasn’t having any of it. “Send me anywhere else, Lord, but I ain’t going to India.”

While Tom was busy coming up with reasons for not going, a traveling salesman named Abbanes came into town under orders from the King of India, Gundaphorus, to buy a carpenter and bring him back. Jesus was walking through the market around lunchtime, and ran into this Abbanes. “I hear you’re looking for a carpenter,” said Jesus. “I am indeed, my friend,” answered Abbanes. “Well, this is a lucky day for both of us,” answered the Lord. “I just so happen to have a slave for sale who would be perfect for you. He’s right over there.” Jesus, of course, pointed right to Brother Tom, who was a few stalls over and didn’t realize what was happening.

“He looks like a good fit,” agreed Abbanes, and so the deal was made. They bartered the price down to thirty silver and drew up a receipt that read “I, Jesus, Joseph’s son, heretoforth do declare that I have sold my slave, Judas Thomas, to Abbanes from India.” After shaking on the deal, Jesus called Tom over. Abbanes asked him, “Is this your master?” “Yes sir, he’s my Lord.” “Well I just bought you from him. You’re coming with me to India tomorrow.” Realizing he’d been bested, Tom tossed his hands into the air and started off to pack.

“Hang on, Tom,” said Jesus. “Look, here’s the thirty silver pieces I got for you. I’m giving it to you so that your price is with you wherever you go. Just remember my grace is with you, too.”

The next morning early, Brother Tom headed down to the docks and found Abbanes loading his baggage onto a ship, so he pitched in to help. When everything was loaded up, Abbanes asked, “So what skills do you have, anyhow?” “I’m a woodworker. I can make ploughs and yokes and ox-goads and boats and oars and masts and pulleys. I also have some experience working in stone. I can build pillars and design temples and courthouses.” “Wow,” said Abbanes, “you’re just the kind of guy we’ve been looking for.” The ship departed, and had fair winds and excellent weather, making great time until they reached the port of Andrapolis, a royal city.

As they left the ship and walked into the city, they were stunned to hear the sounds of flutes and trumpets and gaity everywhere, and Tom asked a passerby, “What are you all celebrating?” The man answered, “You should be celebrating, too! Our king found a husband for his only daughter, and they’re getting married today, so the king proclaimed a holiday! He’s invited everyone, rich or poor, master or servant, foreigners or native-born, but if you don’t attend– watch out! You’ll have to answer to the king himself.” Upon hearing this, Abbanes turned to Tom. “I’d say we should have to go, too, especially since we’re strangers here. I don’t want to offend this king.”

Abbanes and Tom found a room at an inn and rested for a while, and then went down to the wedding. Tom sat with the slaves and was looked down upon, but Abbanes reclined with the well-off and the merchants. Servants and butlers passed delectable treats and drinks to all of the guests, but Brother Tom didn’t take any. The people sitting next to him asked, “Why did you show up here if you aren’t going to eat or drink anything?” He replied, “I’m here for more than food or drink. I’m here obeying the King himself. There are heralds who’ll let everybody know exactly what the King wants, and if you don’t do what he wants, you’ll have to answer to him.”

After everyone had eaten, wreaths and scented oils were passed around. Everybody had a different place to put the scented oils– some people dabbed it on their beards, other people on their faces, some behind the ears– but Brother Tom put the oil on the top of his head and his nostrils, into his ears and on his teeth and around his heart. He put on a wreath of myrtle and other flowers, and held a stick of sweet flag in his hand. A flute-girl made the rounds, playing her flute for everybody. When she came to where Tom was sitting, she paused and played for an extra-long time. It turns out that she was a Hebrew.

Suddenly, while Tom wasn’t looking, one of the servants reached out and popped him one for no good reason! Tom looked up to see who hit him, and said, calmly, “Look, my God won’t hold that against you in the next life, but in this world we’re going to make an example of you, son. That hand of yours you used to hit me is gonna be carried back into this room by dogs.”

He then began to sing:

“My love is Light’s daughter, who shines with the brightness of Kings.
She’s prettiest of all, beautiful and joyous.
She’s dressed in fragrant daffodils and apple blossoms,
And wears the crown of the King who feeds us immortality.
She’s crowned by Truth, and dances Joy.
When she opens her mouth, her teeth sing to her,
And her tongue waves back and forth for those who enter.
Angels climb up and down her neck,
And her hands are a language of signs that speak.
They shout out the dance of the Golden Age,
And her fingers point the way to the Golden City.
Her Bridal Chamber sparkles with light,
perfumed with balsam and spices and myrrh and hemp.
The floor is carpeted with myrtles and roses,
And honeysuckle climbs the door-posts.
She’s chosen seven grooms to accompany her,
And seven bridesmaids dance for her.
Twelve servants work for her;
They accompany her bridegroom and seek enlightenment.
They’ll live forever with her, eternally happy,
And they’ll be at the wedding of royalty,
They’ll feast with the ones found worthy,
And will dress in jeweled robes of deep purple and brilliant white.
They’ll all sing the praises of the Father of Everything,
Whose grace enlightened them through their lord.
They’ve eaten immortal food that’s sated their hunger,
And drunken immortal wine that’s slaked their thirst forever.
Praise the Holy Spirit! They’ve glorified that Living Spirit,
The Father of Truth and Mother of Sophia!”

After he was done singing, everybody in the room looked at him and noticed he looked slightly different, but he kept quiet. They hadn’t understood his song, because he sang it in Hebrew. The flute-girl, however, being a Hebrew, picked up every word, and even though she played for the other guests, she kept looking back at him. She thought he was handsomer than anyone else there, and since he was also a man from her own people, she fell for him head over heels. When she finished playing, she sat down next to him and mooned over him all doe-eyed. Tom, however, didn’t look at anybody. He just kept staring at the ground.

Meanwhile, the servant who’d slapped Tom for no good reason was sent down to get some water from the cistern. Unfortunately for him, a hungry lion had just arrived at the cistern as well, and it pounced on him and tore him limb from limb! After it had run off, a pack of dogs came out to scavange the remains, and one of the big ones, a black cur, picked up the poor guy’s right hand– the one he’d used to slap Tom– and carried it back to the banquet.

Needless to say, everyone was pretty shocked, and quickly realized that it belonged to the missing servant. All of a sudden, the flute-girl stood up and snapped her flute right in half! She tossed it into the trash and fell at Tom’s feet, shouting, “If this man isn’t a god, he’s definitely an apostle of God, because I heard him predict this in Hebrew! The servant hit him, and this man said, ‘Your hand will be brought back in here by dogs!’ You’ve all seen it– just what he said came to pass!”

Now, some of the guests thought she was crazy for thinking this. Others thought it might be true. The king, though, was really impressed when he found out, and came to find Brother Tom. “Come with me,” he said, “and say a prayer for my little girl. She’s the only daugter I have, and I’m giving her away in marriage today.” Tom didn’t want to go, though, because he hadn’t yet felt the presence of the Lord, but the King insisted, and forced him into the bridal chamber.

Seeing no alternative, Brother Tom stood over the young couple and said the following prayer:

“Oh my Lord and God, who travels with your servants, who guides and helps the ones that believe in you, home and peace of the persecuted, hope of the poor and redeemer of the prisoners, doctor of the sick and saviour of creation, who gives life to the world and perfects the soul, you know what’s coming, and use us to make it happen. You, Lord, reveal what’s hidden in a Mystery and give us the meaning of the Secret Names. You’re the one who planted the good tree, and everything good comes from you. You’re the one that’s in everything and the one who passes through everything and the one that fills everything up. Jesus Christ, perfect, compassionate saviour, Christ, Son of the God who Lives, perfect, undefeated power who lead the rebellion against the enemy, shouted down the Archons and shook up their realms, delegate from the Pleroma who even descended into hell to open the doors for the improperly condemned and show them the way, O Lord Jesus, we pray to you today and ask you on behalf of these young people that you’ll do everything to help them in their lives, and bless them with goodness and peace.” Laying his hands on them, he said, “The Lord be with you,” and left.

The king left, too, and kicked everybody out of the bridal chamber so the bride and groom could have some privacy. When everybody’d gone and the doors were closed, the bridegroom lifted the veil to the bride-chamber, and was amazed to see Brother Tom speaking with the bride, even though our man had just turned around and walked out! “What are you doing here?” asked the bridegroom. “Didn’t you just leave?” “I’m not the one who prayed for you,” ‘Tom’ replied. “I’m his brother.” As it turns out, ‘Tom’ was actually the Lord Jesus; he’d taken on the appearance of Brother Tom, his twin.

Jesus pulled over a couple of chairs and asked them to sit, while he sat down on the bed. “Let’s talk about what my brother said to you. Remember everything he said in that prayer? Well I want you to know that if you refrain from having sex like you’re about to, you’ll be purified temples. You’ll learn to control your desires and free yourself from pain, and won’t have to worry about life or children, who only die anyhow. Don’t you think that if you have kids, they make you greedy, which is bad for your soul? Kids tend to get sick, sometimes visibly and sometimes not so, and go crazy or contract leprosy, or go blind or deaf or dumb, or get paralyzed or are born idiots. Even if they’re born healthy, they’ll end up prideful or useless, adulterers or murderers or thieves or porn addicts, and all of this stuff will reflect poorly on you.

“But listen, if you choose chastity, you’ll have Living Children who don’t have these problems. You’ll live peacefully and contentedly, without sadness or fear, and you’ll be married in a perfect marriage, and you’ll be groomsmen in a bridal chamber full of never ending Light.”

When they heard this, the young couple gave themselves over to the Lord and believed in him! They swore off desire and swore to remain chaste, and spent the rest of the night without any hanky-panky. The Lord then vanished, saying, “The grace of the Lord will always be with you.”

The next morning, the King brought them a huge breakfast, but was surprised to see that the bride wasn’t covering her face with a veil, as was the tradition for a married woman, and the groom seemed ecstatic. The bride’s mother asked her, “Why are you sitting unveiled like that? You aren’t acting like a newlywed; you’re acting like you’ve been married to your husband for a long time!” And the king said, “Do you love your husband so much you don’t even veil yourself anymore?”

She answered, “Papa, I am in love– real, true love– and I pray to the Lord that I keep this love forever. I’m in love with a new husband that I’ve only just learned about, so I’m not going to wear the veil! I’ve had the veil of shame removed from me, so I’m not ashamed or abased anymore. I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. I’m really happy and joyful, because I’ve learned to put aside this husband and this marriage that’s temporary. I’m wedded to another now, so I haven’t consummated with this mortal husband in a marriage that’ll end in sadness and disappointment. Instead, I have a true, eternal husband.”

The bridegroom concurred, saying, “Thank you, Lord, for sending the stranger to spread your Word, and for redeeming me from imperfection and rot and seeding me with life! You’ve cured me of this terminal sickness and made me healthy! You’ve opened me to my core and shown me who I really am! You’ve saved me from falling into a pit and led me into paradise, and released me from the bondage of corruption, readying me for immortality. You, the great one, made yourself low for little me so you could show me your greatness and bring us together as one. Even though you’re immortal and I’ll die, you showed me how to seek myself and know myself, who I was, who I am and who I will be. I didn’t know who I was, but you found me and showed me. There’s no turning back now; now that you’re in my heart and mind, I’ll never be able to ignore you. Your love burns so brightly in me that I don’t have words to describe it or do it justice. Even though I can’t find the words to describe how I feel for you, you don’t blame me, but it’s because I love you that I’m even able to say this much.”

On hearing these statements, the King became mortified and furious. He tore his clothes and squinted his eyes and ground his teeth, and shouted to his guards, “Get out there and search the city! Find that magician that sailed into this city on such an ill wind! I invited him here and brought him in to pray over my confounded daughter, and this is how he repays me? I’ll reward anyone who finds him with whatever he wants, just find him!”

The guards ran through the city looking for him, but Brother Tom had already sailed off. All they found was the poor flute-girl, weeping and carrying on in the inn where Tom had stayed, pitching a fit because he wouldn’t take her with him. When she heard about the king’s daughter and her husband, she stopped crying, realizing she now had a purpose. The flute-girl joined the young couple and they stayed together many years, starting a community that even discoursed to the king. Eventually they heard that Brother Tom had made his way to India, and decided to join him there.

BROTHER TOM’S MIRACLE BOOK OF SIGNS AND WONDERS

These are some things that our teacher said and that I, Brother Tom, wrote down. The teacher said all of these things to us.

1. He said, “Whoever gets what I’m saying won’t die.”

2. The teacher said, “If you’re looking for something but can’t find it, don’t give up. If you find it, it may surprise you. If you’re surprised, you’ll be amazed, and anything you want will be yours.”

3. The teacher said, “If those priests say, ‘Look, Paradise is in the sky,’ then wouldn’t the birds already be there? If they say, ‘It’s in the sea,’ then wouldn’t the fish already be swimming around in Paradise? Instead, Paradise is in you and outside you.

“When you know yourselves, then the priests will know it, and you’ll get that you’re all like God’s little kids. But if you don’t know yourselves, then you’re so poor that you are poverty.”

4. The teacher said, “An old man won’t wait to ask a little seven-day-old baby about the meaning of life. That old man knows what’s up. Many of the new are gonna be old, and they’ll be all alone.”

5. The teacher said, “You’d better figure out what’s right in front of you and what’s hidden. If you do, won’t you be able to find what’s missing? Nothing that’s missing can’t be found.”

6. We asked him, “Do you want us to fast? How should we pray? Should we give to the poor? What food should we stop eating?”

The teacher said, “Don’t tell lies, and don’t do what you don’t want to do, because everybody knows everything in Paradise. Like I said, nothing missing won’t be found, and nothing hidden will stay hidden.”

7. The teacher said, “If a human eats a lion, that’s great for the lion, because it gets to be in a human. But if it’s the other way around, too bad for the human.”

8. And he said, “The enlightened person reminds me of a smart fisherman. He went fishing and brought up tons of tiny fish. In the same net, he found a nice, big one, too. He threw back all of the tiny ones, but kept the big one. If you have ears you’d better listen up!”

9. The teacher said, “Look, this farmer went outside, grabbed a bunch of seeds, and tossed them around. Some of the seeds landed on the road, and got eaten by birds. Other seeds fell on some rock, and they couldn’t grow because they couldn’t get their roots in there. A bunch fell on thorns, and the thorns choked the seeds, and they got eaten by worms. Some, though, fell on good soil, and they grew into massive plants. The harvest that year was huge!”

10. The teacher said, “I set the world on fire, and check it out, I’m keeping an eye on the fire until it burns.”

11. The teacher said, “The sky will eventually disappear, and the upper atmosphere will disappear, and the dead won’t live, and the living won’t die. When you eat something dead, it turns into life inside you. When you should be in the light, what will you do then? The other day, when you were alone, you found someone to keep you company. But when you should be with someone, what will you do then?”

12. The students said to the teacher, “We know that you’re going to take off someday. Which of us will lead the rest when that happens?”

The teacher said to them, “Whenever I decide to leave, go to good old Jacob; everything exists for that guy.”

13. The teacher asked his students, “What do I remind you of?”

Pete replied, “You’re like an angel.”

Matt said, “You’re like a wise philosopher.”

I said, “Master, I can’t even get my mouth to say what you remind me of.”

The teacher said, “I’m not your master. Your mouth doesn’t work because my teachings are like wine that got you drunk.”

And he took me off to the side, and told me three sayings. When I came back to my friends they asked me, “What did he say?”

I replied, “If I tell you even one of the things he said, you’ll try to stone me to death, but fire will shoot from the stones and burn you up.”

14. The teacher said, “Don’t bother fasting, because fasting causes mistakes, and don’t pray unless you want to be attacked, and don’t give alms unless you want to injure your own spirits. No matter where you go and walk around, when people invite you in, eat any food they offer and take care of their sick. It’s not what goes into your mouth that’s bad for you; it’s what comes out of your mouth that messes you up.”

15. The teacher said, “When you meet somebody who doesn’t have a mother, worship that person. That person is your Father.”

16. The teacher said, “People think I’m bringing peace, but they’re wrong. They don’t get that my message is going to cause trouble and fighting: fire, sword, war. There’ll be five in a house: three will fight against two, and two against three, father will fight son and son will fight father, but, mark my words, eventually they’ll all be one.”

17. The teacher said, “You can’t see my gift to you, you can’t hear it, or touch it, or even think about it.”

18. The students asked him, “How will everything end?”

The teacher said, “You don’t even know how everything began and you want to know how it’ll end? The end and the beginning are in the same place. It’s great for you if you’re there at the beginning; if you can do that, you’ll know how things are gonna end, and you won’t die.”

19. The teacher said, “You’re blessed if you existed before you existed. If you listen to me, you can even learn from these rocks. Paradise has five trees that are always green and leafy. If you know what these trees are, you won’t die.”

20. The students asked him, “What’s Paradise like?”

He said, “It’s like a tiny mustard seed that falls on healthy soil and grows big enough to shelter the birds.”

21. Mary asked him, “What’s with your students?”

He said, “You’re like little kids squatting in a field. When the field’s owners find out, they’ll say, ‘You can’t live here– get out of here!’ So the kids strip naked in front of them, and they return their field, their clothes, everything to the owners. It’s like I say, if somebody knows a robber is around, he’ll watch out for the robber and keep him from breaking in to steal his stuff. But you’ve been watching since the beginning of time. You’d better be ready and on guard, so the robbers can’t figure out the best way to get you, because nobody’s going to be able to help you. I hope at least one of you gets what I’m saying. When the fruit ripens, it gets harvested. Anyone here with ears had better listen!”

22. The teacher saw some babies nursing. He said to his students, “These nursing babies remind me of those who get into Paradise.”

The students asked him, “Since we’re like babies, will we get into Paradise?”

He replied, “When you bring things together, and when you make the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside, and up like down, and when you stop making distinctions based on gender, when you have eyes instead of an eye, hands instead of a hand, feet instead of a foot, a real thing instead of an image, then you’ll get into Paradise.”

23. The teacher said, “I’ll pick a few of you, one out of a thousand and two out of ten thousand, but those picked are actually all one.”

24. His students said, “Where exactly are you? We’d like to find you.”

He said to them, “Listen up! The light is inside the enlightened person, who enlightens the whole world. If you don’t get enlightened, you’re just in the dark.”

25. The teacher said, “Love your brother like you love yourself, protect him like you protect your own eyes.”

26. The teacher said, “You’re quick to point out the tiny splinter in your friend’s eye, but you can’t see that your eye has a huge log in it. When you take the massive log out of your own eye, then you’ll be able to see well enough to get the splinter out of your friend’s eye.”

27. He said, “If you don’t take a break from reality, you’ll never find Paradise. If you don’t rest on the day of rest, you’ll never get enlightened.”

28. The teacher said, “I stood up in front of everybody, looking just like everybody else. But they were all so trashed, they didn’t want to keep drinking. Humankind really hurts me, because they’re totally oblivious to the most obvious things. They came into the world with nothing, and now they’ll leave with nothing. Of course, that’s because they’re drunk. If they sober up, they’ll feel sorry about their mistakes.”

29. The teacher said, “The idea that flesh came from spirit is pretty crazy, but it’s crazier to say that spirit came from flesh. It’s pretty amazing that something so incredible lives in something so poor.”

30. The teacher said, “The place that has three gods is in god. Where there are two or one, I’m with that one.”

31. The teacher said, “Nobody likes a prophet in his own hometown; no doctor heals his own friends and family.”

32. The teacher said, “They’re building a city on top of a mountain and building a defensive wall around it. There’s no way that city can fall, but it can’t hide, either.”

33. The teacher said, “If you hear something good, yell it from your rooftops. After all, nobody tries to hear using a lamp, and nobody hides a lamp, either. Instead, you put the lamp somewhere on your bedstand where you can use it to see.”

34. The teacher said, “If a blindman leads a blindman, they’ll both fall into a hole.”

35. The teacher said, “You can’t overpower a strong guy without tying him up. But if you tie him up, you could even kick him out of his own house.”

36. The teacher said, “Worrying about clothes and such is pointless. Don’t.”

37. His students said, “When are we going to see what you really are?”

The teacher said, “When you get rid of everything, including your clothes, and you take your stuff and throw it on the ground like little kids and walk all over it, then you’ll be able to look at me without freaking out.”

38. The teacher said, “I’m the only one who can tell you what you always wanted to hear. Some days, though, you won’t be able to find me.”

39. The teacher said, “The priests and lawyers have covered up the truth. They’re keeping themselves and everybody else out of Paradise. But you, you should be as slick as snakes and as docile as doves.”

40. The teacher said, “There’s a grapevine outside of Paradise. If it isn’t strengthened, it’ll be pulled up and destroyed.”

41. The teacher said, “Whoever has it will get more, and whoever doesn’t have it will get everything taken away from them.”

42. The teacher said, “Just walk on by.”

43. His students said to him, “What gives you the right to tell us all this?”

“You don’t get who I am or what I mean. You’re just like the mixed-up Judeans, who love the tree but hate its fruit, or love the fruit but hate the tree.”

44. The teacher said, “Whoever mouths off to the Father will be forgiven, and whoever mouths off to the son will be forgiven, but whoever mouths off to the holy spirit won’t be forgiven, either on earth or in Paradise.”

45. The teacher said, “You don’t get grapes from thorn trees, or figs from thistles. Good people do good with what they have; evil people do and say evil things because of the evil they’ve got all bottled up in their minds. There’s so much evil in their minds that it overflows.”

46. The teacher said, “From Adam to John the Baptist, among all of humankind, nobody is so much greater than John the Baptist that he shouldn’t look away. But hey, I’ve also said that any of you who become little kids will be enlightened and will be even greater than John.”

47. The teacher said, “You can’t mount two horses or bend two bows. And you can’t serve two masters without having to play power games, honoring one so much that the other despises you. Nobody drinks a good vintage wine and immediately wants young wine. Young wine isn’t poured into old wineskins, or they might break, and good wine isn’t poured into a new wineskin, or it might spoil. An old patch isn’t sewn onto new clothes, since it would split the clothes.”

48. The teacher said, “If you make peace with one another, you can move a mountain by telling it to move.”

49. The teacher said, “Congratulations to the lonesome chosen ones; you’ll find Paradise. You came from there, and you’ll get to go back.”

50. The teacher said, “If they ask you, ‘Where’d you come from?’ say, ‘We came from the light, where the light created itself, stood to its feet, and its image appeared.’

If they ask you, ‘Are you the light?’ say, ‘We’re its kids, and we’re the Father’s favorites.’

If they ask you for proof, say, ‘The proof is in movement and meditation.’”

51. His students asked him, “When will the dead get to rest, and when exactly do we get into Paradise?”

He answered, “That day’s already come and gone, but you just don’t realize it.”

52. His students said, “Twenty-four prophets predicted you.”

He replied, “Why are you talking about a bunch of dead guys instead of the alive guy who’s right here?”

53. His students asked him, “What’s the deal with circumcision?”

He answered, “Hey, if circumcision was really all that important, we’d be born already clipped. You should worry about the circumcision of the spirit.”

54. The teacher said, “If you’re poor, congratulations! You’ll get into Paradise.”

55. The teacher said, “You can’t be my student if you don’t hate your parents and siblings and won’t struggle along with me.”

56. The teacher said, “If you know what’s up, you know that the world is dead. And if you know that the world’s dead, you’re way better than the world.”

57. The teacher said, “Paradise reminds me of a farmer with some quality seed. One night his enemy came along and sowed weeds along with the good stuff. The farmer didn’t let his fieldhands get rid of the weeds; he told them ‘If you do that, you might accidentally kill the good plants. When harvest time comes along, you can recognize the weeds and destroy them.’”

58. The teacher said, “If you’re concerned about things, congratulations to you; you know how to live.”

59. The teacher said, “If you don’t look to the Living One while you’re alive, there’s no way you’ll get to see him after you die.”

60. He saw a guy carrying a lamb. He said to his students, “Why is that guy carrying that lamb around?” They said, “He’s going to kill it and eat it.” He said to them, “So he’s not gonna eat it while it’s alive, but only after it’s dead?” They said, “How else could he do it?”
He said to them, “You should learn from that. You’d better meditate, or you’ll turn into corpses and be eaten up.”

61. The teacher said, “Two guys are resting on a bed; one will die, one will live. Why is that?”

Sally said, “Who do you think you are, man? You’re here in my room, eating my food like you belong here.”

The teacher replied, “I’m around because of the one who makes everyone equal. I was given everything that came from my Father.”

“I am your student.”

“See, that’s why I say that you have to be destroyed to fill up with life; if you’re divided, though, you’re still full of darkness.”

62. The teacher said, “I’ll only teach to the worthy. Don’t let your left know what your right is doing.”

63. The teacher said, “There was a really rich guy who said, ‘I’m going to invest everything so that I won’t have any needs later.’ The same night he thought abut that, he died. Anyone here with two ears had better listen up!”

64. The teacher said, “A rich guy planned a dinner. When it was all ready, he sent his servant to invite the guests. The servant went to the first and said, ‘Hey, the food’s ready. Come on over.’ The guest replied, ‘I can’t do it– I have some traders coming by to collect some cash. I’ll need to take a rain-check.’ The servant went to the next guest and said, ‘Soup’s on.’ That guest replied, ‘Gee, sorry. I just bought a house and I’ll be away all day looking it over.’ The servant went to a third guest and said, ‘You’re invited to dinner.’ The third one replied, ‘Oh, I’m making dinner at a friend’s wedding. Sorry– I can’t attend.’ The servant went to one last guest. ‘Are you still on for dinner?’ ‘Oh, I can’t! I bought an estate and I have to go collect the taxes on it. I’m sorry– please excuse me.’ The servant returned and said to his master, ‘Not a single one of these people can make it! They all have other business and asked to be excused.’ The master replied, ‘Well, if that’s the case, then go out into the street and invite anyone you find.’ Buyers and traders won’t get into Paradise.”

65. He said, “A fair-minded man owned a vineyard and rented it out to some tenant farmers, so they could work it and he could collect the grapes. When harvest time came around, he sent his servant so the farmers would give him the grapes. They grabbed the servant and beat him up, and almost killed him. The poor servant returned and told his master. His master said, ‘Maybe they didn’t know who the servant was working for.’ He sent another servant, and the farmers beat up that guy, too. So the master decided to send his son, thinking, ‘They have to respect my son, for goodness sake!’ But because the farmers knew that the son was the heir to the vineyard, they grabbed him and killed him. If you have ears, you’d better listen up!”

66. The teacher said, “I’ll use the stone that gets thrown away as my cornerstone.”

67. The teacher said, “I don’t care how much you think you know about the All. If you don’t know yourself, you don’t know anything.”

68. The teacher said, “You’re lucky if you’re hated and persecuted, and no place will be found where you’ve been persecuted.”

69. The teacher said, “Congratulations to you if you’ve been persecuted to the core: you’ve definitely known the Father. You’re also lucky if you go hungry, because that helps satisfy the needs of the Father.”

70. The teacher said, “You’ll be saved by bringing out what’s already in you. Of course, if you can’t bring that out, then keeping it inside will kill you.”

71. The teacher said, “I’ll tear this house down, and nobody’ll be able to rebuild it.”

72. A man said to him, “Hey, can’t you get my brothers to divvy up my dead father’s stuff with me?”

He said to the guy, “Man, who says I’m a divider?”

He turned to his students and asked them, “Hey, I’m not a divider, am I?”

73. The teacher said, “The harvest is great, but there aren’t enough workers; pray to the Lord to send more workers.”

74. He said, “Lord, plenty of people are gathering around the fountain, but the well is dry.”

75. The teacher said, “Even though a whole crowd wants to get in, only the solitary people will get into the bridal suite.”

76. The teacher said, “Paradise reminds me of a salesman who had a consignment but found a great deal on a pearl. That salesman knew what he was doing; he gave back the consignment and bought the single pearl for himself. You should do the same thing, find treasure that doesn’t waste away, that lasts, that won’t get eaten by moths or worms.”

77. The teacher said, “I’m the light that lights up everything. I’m the All: the All came out of me and it split open over me. Break open a piece of wood and you’ll see me there. Lift up a stone, and you’ll find me.”

78. The teacher said, “Why’d you come out to this field? Did you want to look at some reeds being blown around? Did you want to see someone dressed all fancy like your priests and politicians? They have nice, soft clothes, but they don’t have the truth.”

79. A woman in the crowd said to him, “Man, the womb that bore you and the breasts that gave you milk sure were lucky.”

He replied, “The people who listen to the Word are the lucky ones, and they’re the ones who took care of it. Someday you’re gonna say, ‘Man, the barren wombs and empty breasts are the lucky ones.’”

80. The teacher said, “If you know the world, you’ve discovered the body, and if you’ve discovered the body, nothing in the whole world is better than you.”

81. The teacher said, “Hey, if you’re that rich, why don’t you become king? Those in power should step down.”

82. The teacher said, “If you’re close to me, you’re on fire, but if you’re far from me, you won’t ever get into Paradise.”

83. The teacher said, “Sure, you can see images, but the light inside of the images is hidden by the Father’s light. You’ll eventually see him, but his light is so bright that you can’t make out his image.”

84. The teacher said, “You like looking at your own reflection. But when you have to look at the image of your true, eternal self, you won’t like it so much!”

85. The teacher said, “Adam came from a great power and had abundant riches, to be sure, but you’re way better than he was. If he was as good as you, he wouldn’t have died.”

86. The teacher said, “Foxes live in dens and birds live in nests, but humans don’t have any place to rest.”

87. The teacher said, “Depending on your body is pathetic, but it’s more pathetic if your soul depends on your love of your body.”

88. The teacher said, “The angels and the prophets have some things of yours that they’ll return. When they do, give them their stuff that you have and ask them, ‘When are you gonna take your stuff?’”

89. The teacher said, “How come you only wash the outside of the cup? Don’t you get that the one who made the inside is also the one who made the outside?”

90. The teacher said, “Come on over, because I’m a nice guy and a fair leader, and I won’t wear you out– you’ll get to rest.”

91. The students asked him, “Hey, who the heck are you? Convince us.”

He answered, “Sure, you can check out the sky and the earth and say you see me there, but now I’m standing right in front of you and you don’t recognize me?”

92. The teacher said, “Look around and you’ll find it. Man, I didn’t used to tell you anything or answer any of your questions. Now I’m willing to answer them, but you won’t ask.”

93. “Don’t give nice things to dogs, because they’ll get them all dirty. Don’t give pearls to pigs; they’ll be worthless.”

94. The teacher said, “Look around and you’ll find it. If you’re invited in, you’ll get in.”

95. The teacher said, “If you have money, don’t lend it at interest. Instead, you should give it away to people who won’t be able to repay you.”

96 The teacher said, “Paradise reminds me of this woman. She took a little yeast, mixed it in some dough, and it made the dough rise into huge loaves of bread. If you have ears, you’d better listen.”

97. The teacher said, “Paradise reminds me of this woman who was carrying a jar full of meal. While she was walking along, the jar’s handle broke and the meal started spilling behind her along the road. She didn’t even notice it; didn’t she realize there was trouble? When she reached her house, she put the jar down and found out that it was empty.”

98. The teacher said, “Paradise reminds me of this guy who wanted to kill a powerful man. To practice, he thrust his sword into the wall to make sure he could do it without freaking out. Then he killed the guy.”

99. The students said, “Hey, your family is outside waiting to see you.”

He replied, “My only family are the people work towards Paradise. They’re the ones who’ll find it.”

100. They showed The teacher a coin and said, “The government wants us to pay taxes.”

He said to them, “Give the government what belongs to them, give God what belongs to God, and give me what is mine.”

101. “To be my student, you have to both hate and love your parents. My mother gave me my body, but my true mother gave me Life.”

102. The teacher said, “Stupid Pharisees! They’re like a dog sleeping in the oxen manger: the dog won’t eat, but he won’t let the oxen eat, either.”

103. The teacher said, “Congratulations if you know where the thieves are going to break in. You can get ready to defend yourself and rally your friends to help before the thieves get there.”

104. They said to the teacher, “Today we should pray and fast.”

The teacher said, “Why? Did I do something wrong? Man, when the groom leaves the bridal suite, then you can fast and pray all you want.”

105. The teacher said, “If you know the father and mother, you’ll be called a son of a bitch.”

106. The teacher said, “When you can make two into one, you’ll become children of Man, and when you tell a mountain to move, it will.”

107. The teacher said, “Paradise reminds me of a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. The biggest sheep took off and got lost. The shepherd left the rest of them and went to find that lost one. He was really worried about the sheep, so when he found it, he said, ‘I love you better than all of the rest.’”

108. The teacher said, “If you drink from my mouth, you’ll be along my Way; I’ll become that person, and reveal all kinds of secrets to him.”

109. The teacher said, “Paradise reminds me of this guy who didn’t know that he had some buried treasure in his yard. When he died, he left the yard to his son, who didn’t know about it either, and sold the yard to someone. The buyer was doing some yard work, found the treasure, and started lending it at interest to his friends and family.”

110. The teacher said, “If you’ve found the world and gotten rich, you should give it all up.”

111. The teacher said, “The sky and the earth are gonna roll up right in front of you, and if you’re alive, you’ll never die.”

Doesn’t the teacher say, “If you’ve found yourself, the world doesn’t deserve you”?

112. The teacher said, “It’s bad news if your body depends on your soul. It’s worse if your soul depends on your body.”

113. His students asked him, “When is Paradise gonna get here?”

He replied, “You can’t just get it to come by watching out for it. You can’t say, ‘Hey, it’s over here!’ or ‘Hey, it’s over there!’ Instead, Paradise is already starting to spread out all around us, but nobody even notices it.”
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An illustrated edition of this text is available for purchase on Lulu.com.

So, the twelve students were all gathered together, going over what we’d been told by the teacher both one-on-one or openly, and writing these teachings in books. While I was writing my book, the Teacher reappeared even though we thought he’d left us. Five-hundred and fifty days after his resurrection, we asked him, “So have you up and left us for good?”

He said, “Not yet, but I’ll be leaving real soon. If you want to come along, then come on!”

We all replied, “If you call us, we’ll come along.”

He replied, “Listen up: Nobody’ll get into Heaven simply because I called him. You’ll only get in because of your own fullness. Jacob and Peter, come with me. I’m going to fill you up.” So he called us, and took us aside, and told everybody else to get back to what they’d been doing.

The Teacher told me and Peter, “You’ve received mercy that emptied you out, so don’t you want to be filled? Isn’t your heart drunk? So don’t you want to sober up? If so, you should be ashamed of yourselves! Now, whenever you’re awake or asleep, you should remember that you’ve seen the Human Son, and spoken with him and listened to him.

“Too bad for the ones who’ve seen the Human Son. You’re lucky indeed if you haven’t seen him or kept his company, or had a conversation with him. You get to live! What you should know is that he healed you when you were sick so that you could be a ruler. Too bad for you if you’ve rested from your sickness, because you’ll get sick again. The really lucky ones haven’t ever been sick, and rested up before their illness. You get the Kingdom of Heaven. This is why I’m telling you: get filled up and make sure nothing empty is inside you, since the one who’s on the way is going to make fun of you and laugh at you!”

Then Peter said, “Teacher, you’ve told us three times to ‘be full,’ but we are full.”

The teacher replied, “I’m emphasizing this because I don’t want to see you lessen. Those who lessen can’t be saved. Fullness is good, but diminishment is bad. But listen, it’s also good for you to lessen and bad to be filled; the filled one is diminished, and the diminished one isn’t filled as the one who is lessened is filled, and the filled one completes his fullness. That’s why it’s good to be lessened while you can still be filled, and filled while it’s still possible to lessen, so that you can fill up even more. Here’s the key: become full of spirit but empty of reason. Reason, you see, comes from the soul, and is the soul.”

So I said, “Teacher, we’ll do whatever you say. After all, we’ve left our fathers and mothers and villages and followed you. So help us escape the evils of the Archon.”

He answered, “What good is it to walk the Way of the Father if it isn’t given to you to do so while you’re being tempted by the Archon? If you’re oppressed by the Archon and persecuted for walking the Way, the Father will love you and make you my equal, because he’ll know you’re with him because of free will, not because he gave you all this help. Won’t you stop worrying so much about the flesh and being so afraid of suffering? Or haven’t you realized yet that you haven’t even really been mistreared, unjustly singled out, imprisoned, unfairly condemned, wrongfully crucified and shamefully buried like I was by the Archon? Do you really want to save your flesh, you who are surrounded by spirit like a wall? When you really think about the world, and think about how much time has come before you and how much will come after, you’ll realize that your whole life was one single day, and your sufferings one single hour. Nothing in the world is perfect. Stop focusing on death, and start thinking about life! Think about my cross and my death and you’ll live forever!”

I couldn’t help but reply, “Teacher, don’t talk about the cross and death; that’s so far away from us now.”

He said, “Look, nobody can be saved unless they know about the cross. The ones who know about the cross will get the Kingdom. So really you should be interested in death, in the same way the dead look for life, because since they’re seeking, they’ll find it. So why should they worry? When you start to look towards death, you’ll know what being chosen means. Here’s the truth: if you’re afraid of death, you won’t be saved. The Kingdom of God belongs to the suicides. You should try to be better than I am; you should be like the son of the Holy Spirit.”

Next I asked him, “How can we prophecy to people who ask us to prophecize for them?”

He replied, “Don’t you know that the head of prophecy was cut off with John the Baptist?”

I said, “Teacher, how could the head of prophecy possibly be removed?”

He answered, “When you learn what I mean by ‘head,’ and how prophecy comes from it, then you’ll know what I mean by ‘it’s head was removed.’ I used to tell you stories and you didn’t get it. Now I’m speaking openly with you and you still don’t get it. Still, you are, to me, a story wrapped in stories and what is visible out in the open.

“Try to be saved without having to be reminded. Be ready on your own and, if possible, be saved before I am. If you can, the Father will love you.

“Despise hypocricy and wicked thoughts. Thought births hypocrisy, and hypocrisy is nowhere near the truth.

“Don’t let the Kingdom of Heaven wither away inside you. It’s like a date palm shoot that drops its fruits. When the leaves bud after the fruit drops, it loses its fertility and fruitfulness. It’s also like a fruit that comes from a single root. When the fruit ripens, it gets collected by many harvesters. It would sure be good if we could produce these new plants now, because then you’d find the Kingdom of Heaven.

“Since I’ve already been glorified, why do you people try to keep me here when I’m ready to leave? You’ve already asked me to stay eighteen more days just to explain these parables. Some people were fine with just paying attention to what I was saying the first time, when I told you about ‘The Shepherds’ and ‘The Seed’ and ‘The Building’ and ‘The Virgins and Their Lamps’ and ‘The Workers’ Wages’ and ‘The Double Drachma’ and ‘The Woman.’

“You should be excited about the Word! The Word’s first condition is faith, the second love and the third work. From these things comes life. The Word is like a grain of corn. When somebody sows it, he ‘believes’ it will grow; when it sprouts, he ‘loves’ it because he looks forward to its seeding; and when he ‘works’ it, he’s saved, because he’ll be well-fed from it. Then he leaves some kernels aside to sow. Of course, this is also how it’s possible for you to come to the Kingdom of Heaven: unless you receive it through gnosis, you won’t find it.

“So this is why I’m telling you, be sober! Don’t leave the Path! I’ve told you plenty of times when we were all together– and also when you and I were alone, James– to be saved! I’ve told you to do as I do, and I taught you how to act when the Archons are around. See how I’ve come down, spoken, concerned myself and received my crown by speaking to you. I came down to live with you so that you can eventually live with me. Then I found out that your houses didn’t have any ceilings, so I lived in houses that could take me in when I descended.

“So do what I say, my brothers. Understand the Limitless Light. The Father doesn’t need me; the Father doesn’t need a son, but a Son needs a Father. I’m going to him, because I don’t need you!

“Listen well to the Word. Understand gnosis. Love life. Do these things, and you’ll be your only oppressors.

“You terrible, unfortunate liars! You false Gnostics! You sinners against the spirit! How dare you listen now, when you should have been speaking since the beginning? How dare you sleep now, when you should have been awake since the beginning so you could be received by the Kingdom? I’m serious about this: it’s easier for somebody holy to be defiled, or for someone enlightened to sink into darkness, than for you to reign. Or even not to reign!

“I remembered your tears and sadness and mourning, but they’re long gone. Now, you who aren’t in the Father’s will, you should go ahead and wail and cry and shout the good news, since the Human Son will be leaving. Listen up– if I’d been sent to people who would actually listen to me, and if they were the ones to whom I had to speak, I’d never have come down in the first place. So go ahead and feel sorry because of them.

“Okay, I’m going to leave. I’m going because I don’t want to stick around here anymore, ujust like you all. So, follow me, as soon as you can! I’ve come down here for you. You are the beloved, and you are going to save so many people. Pray to the Father. Pray to him often, and he’ll give you what you ask. The people who see you with the Father when the angels and Aeons and Saints are the lucky ones! You get to live! Be happy and celebrate that you’re God’s children! Follow his Way so that you’ll be saved. Listen to what I’m telling you, and save yourselves. I’m speaking to the Father for you, and he’ll forgive you.”

When he told us all this, we were extremely happy. We’d been pretty down because of what he’d told us before. Of course, when he saw how happy he was, he said, “You’re in trouble if you need someone to speak on your behalf! You’re also in trouble if you’re depending on grace! The lucky ones are those who spoke freely and produced their own grace. You should be like foreigners– how are they treated in your city? Why are you so worked up when you cast yourselves from your own city? Why is it that you left your house, leaving it vacant for squatters? You exiles and fugitives: you’re going to be caught! Or maybe you think the Father loves humanity? Or that you can somehow change his mind by praying? Or that he’s nice to someone because another asks? Or that he sticks around and supports the earnest seeker? He knows what the flesh wants– the flesh doesn’t seek after the soul. Without the soul, the body doesn’t do any wrong, and the soul can’t be saved without the Spirit. But if the soul is saved when it’s no longer evil, and if the Spirit is saved, too, then the body becomes free from sin. The Spirit animates the soul, but the body kills it– so the soul kills itself. The Father isn’t going to forgive the soul’s errors, or the flesh’s guilt. Nobody who has ever worn the flesh will be saved. Do you really think they’ve found the Kingdom of Heaven? The Lucky One is the person who’s seen himself as the fourth one in Heaven.”

These things really worried us. When the Teacher saw how freaked out we were, he said, “Look, I’m telling you these things so that you Know Yourselves! The Kingdom of Heaven is like an ear of corn that sprouted in a field, ripened, scattered its fruit and in turn filled the field for another year. So learn from this: you should want to try to reap yourselves an “ear of life” so you can be filled with the Kingdom!

“As long as I’m here, listen up and do what I say. But when I leave you, remember me! Remember me because when I was with you you never really knew me. The ones who’ve known me are lucky, but the ones who have heard and haven’t believed are in trouble. The lucky ones are those who never saw me but still know what I mean.

“Once again, here’s a story. I’m shown to you building a huge house that shelters you, but also supports your neighbors’ houses when they’re about to tumble. You’re in trouble if I was sent down here to help you! You’re lucky if you’re going to ascend to the Father. Those of you who are had better make sure you’re like those who aren’t, so you’ll join the ones who aren’t.

“Don’t let the Kingdom of Heaven become a wasteland within you. Don’t become arrogant because of enlightenment. Instead, be for yourselves what I am to you. I’ve cursed myself to save you.

Peter replied to this: “Sometimes you prod us forward to the Kingdom, but sometimes you turn us away. Sometimes you urge us to faith and promise us eternal life, but sometimes you threaten to kick us out of the Kingdom. What’s with this?”

The Teacher answered, “I’ve given you faith again and again. Even more, I’ve revealed myself to you all, but you haven’t really known me. I’ve also seen you celebrating over and over again. When you’re excited about the prospect of life, are you still down and sad? And are you worried and upset when I teach you about the Kingdom? But you’ve received this life through faith and gnosis. So stop paying attention to rejection; instead, when you hear the promise, be happy! Listen, the person who receives life and believes in the Kingdom will never leave it, even if God decides to kick him out!

“I’m telling you these things for now. But, it’s time for me to return to the place from whence I came. When I was excited about leaving, you drove me out, and instead of coming along with me, you’ve chased after me. Pay attention to the glory that’s waiting for me; please open your ears– can’t you hear the hymns that are waiting for me in heaven? Today I’ve got to sit at my Father’s right hand. Now that’s the last thing I have to say to you. I’m leaving. A chariot of spirit has taken me up, and I’m casting away my clothing so that I can put on my robes. Listen, listen: the ones who spoke about the Son before he came down so that he could return when he descended are blessed. Thrice-blessed are those who were spoken of by the SOn before they came into being, so that you can share with them.”

When he finished speaking, he vanished. Peter and I dropped to our knees and shouted thanks, and sent our minds into the skies. We heard and saw visions of wars and great trumpting calls and chaos.

Then our minds ascended past the place of chaos, further and further, and we saw and heard beautiful and angelic hymns and praises and celebration, and the voices of the Aeons, and we celebrated.

After this, we wanted to send our spirits even higher, to the Limitless Light, but then, just before we were able to see or hear anything, the rest of the disciples dragged us back down, calling out to us, “Hey, what did the Teacher tell you?” and “What did he say?” and “Where did he go?”

So we told them, “He’s ascended. He’s promised eternal life to us, and for our chilren whom we love, since we’re going to be saved for their sake.”

When the disciples heard this, they believed, but were angry that they’d have to share salvation with people who hadn’t even been born. Seeing a potential for scandal, I split them up and sent them all to different places. I headed to Jerusalem, praying that I’d be saved with those loved ones who are yet to come.

And I pray that you are one of the ones to start this, so that I can be saved. You see, they’ll be enlightened by my faith (and the faith of one better than I, for really mine is insignificant in comparison). Work hard, then, to become like them, and pray that you’ll be able to join them. That’s everything the Teacher told us, and so we’re telling you this for their sake, those children who will come after us and will be saved according to the will of the Teacher.
—————–
From The Secret Book of James, Nag Hammadi Library

A few people were standing on the dock, and I asked one of them what this city was called. One of them answered, “It’s called Place of Living; that is, the Base….” Their leader had a palm branch, and held it at the end of a dock. We unloaded our stuff from the boat, and I walked into town to try to find us a place to stay.

On the way, I ran across a guy in strange clothes: he wore a gold belt around a loincloth, with a cloak tied around his chest that covered his shoulders, head and hands.

I couldn’t help but stare at him– he was really beautiful looking. I could only see the bottoms of his feet, some of his chest, his hands and his face– everything else was covered by his odd clothing. He was holding a book cover in his left hand and a woodern staff in his right hand. He had a booming voice, and slowly cried out, “Pearls! Pearls!”

I could swear he was a native of this place, and addressed him politely, “My brother and friend!” He replied, “You’re right, I’m your brother and your friend! What do you want?” I anwered, “I’m here with some brothers of mine. We’re foreigners, and I’m wondering if you know any place we can stay in town.” He answered, “This is why I told you that you’re right about us being brothers, because I’m not from these parts either.”

Then he continued, “Pearls! Pearls!” All of the rich people in town heard him and started sticking their heads out of their windows and doors. Of course, they didn’t see that he had anything, because he wasn’t carrying anything that looked like pearls. They all went back to what they were doing, without even acknowledging his existance– they were all, “This guy is making fun of us.”

Listen, though: the poor people, now they heard him and surrounded him. They asked him, “Sir, we don’t have any money to buy any pearls, but could we at least see one? That way we’ll be able to tell people we’ve actually seen a pearl.” He told them, “If you come to my city, I won’t just show you a pearl– I’ll give one to you free of charge!”

They replied, not believing him, “Come on now. Nobody gives pearls away to beggars. Usually we get bread and money, and we’re not asking for that. All we want from you is to see this pearl. That’ll be enough kindness for us.” he answered, “No, I’m serious. If you come to my city, I’ll give you a pearl.” The poor beggars let out a cheer at this amazing kindness.

“So,” I asked him, “can you tell us your name? Also, how difficult is it to find this city of yours? Me and my pals are servants of God, and strangers, and we’re on a mission to spread the word of God in every city as well as we can.” He replied, “I’m called Lithargoel, which means ‘light, gazelle-like stone.’

“So let me tell you about how to get to my town. Only people who’ve given up everything and have fasted every day from one place to the next will get there. The road is crawling with all kinds of bandits and wild animals. If you carry bread with you, you’ll be killed by roaming packs of black dogs. If you wear fancy clothes, you’ll be killed by vicious bandits. If you carry water, you’ll be killed by thirsty wolves. If you’re worried about meat and vegetables, you’ll be killed by lions for the meat, and gored by bulls for the vegetables.”

When I heard this, I couldn’t believe it. “This sounds insane! I wish Jesus would help me walk down this road.” Lithargoel looked at my sad face, and said “Why so put off? If you know Jesus and believe in him, you’ll be fine. He’s a great, strong power. I also believe in the Father who sent Jesus.”

I asked him, “What’s your city called?” He said, “Nine Gates. Praise God and remember that the Tenth Gate is the Head.”

After he said that, I took off to find my friends. On the way, I saw huge waves smashing into the walls surrounding the city. I coldn’t believe it; I asked an old man whether this city was really called the Base. He replied, “The Base, indeed, because we live here because we dwellers are a foundation.”

I replied, “If this is the case, it’s rightly named. A city’s inhabitants are what makes the kingdom strong, even in the face of the storms that batter the walls. I guess in this way everybody who follows the Way wholeheartedly will be a city in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

I rushed on, and called my friends so we could start heading to Nine Gates. We swore to give up everything we owned. We escaped the bandits since we weren’t wearing fancy clothes. We escaped the black dogs since we weren’t carrying bread. We escaped the wolves since we weren’t carrying any water. We escaped the lions since we weren’t craving meat. We escaped the bulls since we weren’t craving vegetables.

We were beyond happy, peaceful and carefree like our Lord. We rested in front of the city gate, and discussed the gnosis in contemplation. We talked about our journey, and when we mentioned then robbers, who should appear but Lithargoel, dressed like a doctor! He was carrying a box of medicinal oil, and he had a student behind him with a bag full of medicines.

Actually, we didn’t recognize him. Since I took him for a stranger, I asked him, “Hey, would you do us the kindness of showing us where Lithargoel lives? We’re from out of town and want to visit him before nightfall.”

The “doctor” answered, “I’m glad to show you, but I’m surprised you know this guy. He doesn’t usually show himself to just anyone, because he’s a powerful prince. Wait here for a minute– I have to go heal someone, and I’ll be right back.” He was gone for a bit and came back soon.

He called out my name, “Peter!”, and I was fairly freaked out, because I had no idea how he knew it. I replied, “Hey, do I know you? How do you know my name?” Lithargoel answered, “Hey, who gave you that nickname anyhow?” I answered, “It was Jesus Christ, the Son of the God who Lives. He gave me this name.” He replied, “Heh, Peter, it’s me!” Casting off his doctor’s costume, we knew it was him.

We fell at his feet– there were eleven of us– but he told us to stand up. We asked him what he’d have us do, asking him to give us the power to do what he needed whenever he needed it done.

He gave us the medicines he and his student carried, and told us, “Go back to the city you just came from, the one called ‘the Base.’ Keep on teaching everyone in my name. Give the poor of that town what they need– heal the sick and give rest to the weary and feed the hungry until I give them what’s better, the pearl I told you I’d give them for nothing.”

I asked him, “Hey now, you told us to give up the world and everything in it, so we did. How the heck are we supposed to eat from day to day and somehow feed the poor, too?”

He replied, “Hey, Peter, didn’t you get what I told you? My name is better than any riches, and the Sophia of God is better than any gold, silver or jewels.” He handed over the medicine and said, “Now get to healing.”

I had another question, but I was too nervous to ask, so I elbowed John in the ribs, and said, “you ask him.” He stepped forward and asked, “Sorry, Lord, you make us too nervous to ask too many questions. But you’re asking us to practice medicine when we’ve never been taught how. How in the world are we supposed to do this?”

Lithargoel replied, “You’re absolutely right, John. See, the doctors of this world heal worldly things. The doctors of the soul, though, heal the heart. Heal the bodies first, so that they’ll trust what you say, then heal the sicknesses of their heart.

“Listen, though: those rich people who looked right through me like I wasn’t even there, more interested in money and pride, don’t even bother with them. Don’t hang out at their houses, or hang out with them in general, because I don’t want you influenced by them. A lot of churches have shown favoritism to the rich, but that just leads to sin. Still, judge them fairly, because it’s the right thing to do.” This made sense to us.

So we bowed down in front of him, and he asked us to stand. Then he left us, in peace.

THE PEARL SALESMAN AND THE SOUL DOCTORS
—————–
Based on The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles from the Nag Hammadi Library