The Lost Books of the Bible: The Great Rejected Texts Read online

  Chapter XIV

  1 Then Adam said to God: "O Lord, take my soul and let me not see this gloom any more, or remove me to some place where there is no darkness." 2 But God the Lord said to Adam, “ I say to you, indeed, this darkness will pass from you every day, I have determined for you until the fulfillment of My covenant when I will save you and bring you back again into the garden and into the house of light you long for, in which there is no darkness. I will bring you to it in the kingdom of heaven." 3 Again God said to Adam, "All this misery that you have been made to take on yourself because of your transgression will not free you from the hand of Satan and it will not save you. 4 But I will. When I shall come down from heaven and shall become flesh of your descendants, and take on Myself the infirmity from which you suffer then the darkness that covered you in this cave shall cover Me in the grave, when I am in the flesh of your descendants. 5 And I, who am without years, shall be subject to the reckoning of years of times of months, and of days, and I shall be reckoned as one of the sons of men in order to save you." 6 And God ceased to commune with Adam.

  Author’s Note: John 1:14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

  John 12:46 American King James Version: I am come a light into the world, that whoever believes on me should not abide in darkness.

  Chapter XV

  1 Then Adam and Eve cried and was sorrowful because of God's word to them, that they should not return to the garden until the fulfillment of the days decreed on them, but mostly because God had told them that He should suffer for their salvation.

  Chapter XVI

  1 After this, Adam and Eve continued to stand in the cave, praying and crying, until the morning dawned on them. 2 And when they saw the light returned to them they refrained from being afraid and strengthened their hearts. 3 Then Adam came out of the cave. And when he came to the mouth of it and stood and turned his face towards the east and saw the sunrise in glowing rays and felt the heat thereof on his body, he was afraid of it and thought in his heart that this flame came forth to plague him. 4 He then cried and beat his chest and he fell on the ground on his face and made his appeal saying: 5 "O Lord, plague me not, neither consume me, nor yet take away my life from the earth." 6 For he thought the sun was God. 7 Because while he was in the garden and heard the voice of God and the sound He made in the garden, and feared Him, Adam never saw the brilliant light of the sun, neither did its flaming heat touch his body. 8 Therefore he was afraid of the sun when flaming rays of it reached him. He thought God meant to plague him with it all the days He had decreed for him. 9 For Adam also said in his thoughts, that God did not plague them with darkness but He had caused this sun to rise and to plague them with burning heat. 10 But while he was thinking like this in his heart the Word of God came to him and said: 11 " Adam, get up on your feet. This sun is not God, but it has been created to give light by day that I spoke to you about in the cave saying, 'The dawn would come, and there would be light by day.' 12 But I am God who comforted you in the night." 13 And God ceased to commune with Adam.

  Chapter XVII

  1 Then, Adam and Eve came out at the mouth of the cave and went toward the garden. 2 But as they went near the western gate, from which Satan came when he deceived Adam and Eve, they found the serpent that became Satan coming at the gate, and it was sorrowfully licking the dust, and wiggling on its breast on the ground because of the curse that fell on it from God. 3 Before the curse the serpent was the most exalted of all beasts, now it was changed and become slippery and the meanest of them all, and it crept on its breast and went on its belly. 4 Before, it was the fairest of all beasts. It had been changed and became the most ugly of them all. Instead of feeding on the best food, now it turned to eat the dust. Instead of living as before, in the best places, now it lived in the dust. 5 It had been the most beautiful of all beasts, and all stood speechless at its beauty, it was now abhorred of them. 6 And, again, whereas it lived in a beautiful home, to which all other animals came from everywhere; and where it drank, they drank also of the same; now, after it had become venomous, by reason of God's curse, all beasts fled from its home and would not drink of the water it drank, but fled from it.

  Chapter XVIII

  1 When the accursed serpent saw Adam and Eve it swelled its head, stood on its tail, and with eyes blood- red, it acted like it would kill them. 2 It made straight for Eve and ran after her while Adam stood by and yelled because he had no stick in his hand with which to hit the serpent, and did not know how to put it to death. 3 But with a heart burning for Eve, Adam approached the serpent and held it by the tail. When it turned towards him and said to him: 4 "O Adam, because of you and Eve I am slippery, and go on my belly." Then with its great strength it threw down Adam and Eve and squeezed them, and tried to kill them. 5 But God sent an angel who threw the serpent away from them, and raised them up. 6 Then the Word of God came to the serpent, and said to it, "The first time I made you slick, and made you to go on your belly but I did not deprive you of speech. 7 This time, however, you will be mute, and you and your race will speak no more because, the first time My creatures were ruined because of you, and this time you tried to kill them." 8 Then the serpent was struck mute, and it was no longer able to speak. 9 And a wind blew down from heaven by the command of God and carried away the serpent from Adam and Eve and threw it on the seashore where it landed in India.

  Chapter XIX

  1 But Adam and Eve cried before God. And Adam said to Him: 2 "O Lord, when I was in the cave I said this to you, my Lord, the beasts of the field would rise and devour me and cut off my life from the earth." 3 Then Adam, because of what had happened to him, beat his chest and fell on the ground like a corpse. Then the Word of God came to him, who raised him, and said to him, 4 "O Adam, not one of these beasts will be able to hurt you because I have made the beasts and other moving things come to you in the cave. I did not let the serpent come with them because it might have risen against you and made you tremble and the fear of it should fall into your hearts. 5 I knew that the accursed one is wicked; therefore I would not let it come near you with the other beasts. 6 But now strengthen your heart and fear not. I am with you to the end of the days I have determined for you."

  Chapter XX

  1 Then Adam cried and said, "O God, take us away to some other place, where the serpent can not come near us again and rise against us. For I fear that it might find your handmaid Eve alone and kill her, for its eyes are hideous and evil." 2 But God said to Adam and Eve, " Don't be afraid. From now on, I will not let it come near you. I have driven it away from you and from this mountain. I will not leave in it the ability to hurt you." 3 Then Adam and Eve worshipped before God and gave Him thanks and praised Him for having delivered them from death.

  Chapter XXI

  1 Then Adam and Eve went in search of the garden. 2 And the heat beat like a flame on their faces and they sweated from the heat. And they cried before the Lord. 3 But the place where they cried was close to a high mountain (top) that faced the western gate of the garden. 4 Then Adam threw himself down from the top of that mountain. His face was torn and his flesh was ripped and he lost much of his blood and was close to death. 5 Meanwhile Eve remained standing on the mountain crying over him lying as he was. 6 And she said, "I don't wish to live after him, for all that he did to himself was because of me." 7 Then she threw herself after him; and was torn and ripped by stones and remained lying as dead. 8 But the merciful God, who looks over His creatures, looked at Adam and Eve as they lay dead, and He sent His Word to them and raised them. 9 And said to Adam, "O Adam, all this misery, which you have brought on yourself, will have no affect on My ruling, neither will it alter the covenant of the five thousand and five hundred (5,500) years."

  Chapter XXII

  1 Then Adam said to God, "I dry up in the heat, I am faint from walking, and I don't want to be in this world. And I don't know when You will let me r
est and take me out of it." 2 Then the Lord God said to him, "O Adam, it cannot be now, not until you have ended your days. Then I shall bring you out of this miserable land." 3 And Adam said to God, "While I was in the garden I knew neither heat, nor fatigue, neither transience, nor trembling, nor fear; but now since I came to this land, all this affliction has come over me. 4 Then God said to Adam, "So long as you were keeping My commandment, My light and My grace rested on you. But when you transgressed My commandment, sorrow and misery came to you in this land." 5 And Adam cried and said, "O Lord, do not cut me off for this, neither punish me with heavy plagues, nor yet repay me according to my sin; for we, of our own will, transgressed Your commandment and ignored Your law and tried to become gods like you when Satan the enemy deceived us." 6 Then God said again to Adam, "Because you have endured fear and trembling in this land of fatigue and suffering, treading and walking about, going on this mountain, and dying from it, I will take all this on Myself in order to save you."

  Author’s note:

  Isaiah 53

  1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

  2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

  3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

  4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

  5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

  6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

  7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

  8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

  9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

  10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

  11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

  Chapter XXIII

  1 Then Adam cried more and said, "O God, have mercy on me and do not take on yourself that which I will do." 2 But God withdrew His Word from Adam and Eve. 3 Then Adam and Eve stood on their feet and Adam said to Eve, "Strengthen yourself, and I also will strengthen myself." And she strengthened herself as Adam told her. 4 Then Adam and Eve took stones and placed them in the shape of an altar and they took leaves from the trees outside the garden, with which they wiped from the face of the rock the blood they had spilled. 5 But that which had dropped on the sand they took together with the dust with which it was mixed and offered it on the altar as an offering to God. 6 Then Adam and Eve stood under the Altar and cried, praying to God, "Forgive us our offense and our sin, and look at us with Your eye of mercy. For when we were in the garden our praises and our hymns went up before you without ceasing. 7 But when we came into this strange land, pure praise was no longer ours, nor righteous prayer, nor understanding hearts, nor sweet thoughts, nor wise judgment, nor long discernment, nor upright feelings, neither was our bright nature left within us. But our body is changed from the likeness in which it was at first when we were created. 8 Yet now look at our blood which is offered on these stones and accept it at our hands as if it were the praise we used to sing to you at first when we were in the garden." 9 And Adam began to make more requests of God. Our Father, Who are in Heaven, be gracious unto us. O Lord, our God, hallowed be Your Name and let the remembrance of You be glorified in Heaven above and upon earth here below. Let Your kingdom reign over us now and forever. The Holy Men of old said remit and forgive unto all men whatsoever they have done unto me. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil thing; for Your is the kingdom and You shall reign in glory forever and forevermore, AMEN.

  Author’s note: Verse 4 and continuing to the end of the chapter contain and present ideas that are of an obviously Christian era. There would have been no “men of old” at the time of Adam and Eve. The text parallels the Lord’s Prayer. This, and other references to Christian symbols, makes the dating of the text at about the 3rd century A.D. likely.

  Matthew 6: 9

  9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be your name.

  10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

  11 Give us this day our daily bread.

  12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

  13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

  Chapter XXIV

  1 Then the merciful God, who is good and a lover of men, looked at Adam and Eve and at their blood, which they had held up as an offering to Him without an order from Him for so doing. But He wondered at them and accepted their offering. 2 And God sent from His presence a bright fire that consumed their offering. 3 He smelled the sweet savor of their offering and showed them mercy. 4 Then the Word of God came to Adam, and said to him, "O Adam, as you have shed your blood so will I shed My own blood when I become flesh of your descendants. And as you died, O Adam, so also will I die. And as you built an altar, so also will I make for you an altar of the earth. And as you offered your blood on it, so also will I offer My blood on an altar on the earth. 5 And as you appealed for forgiveness through that blood, so also will I make My blood forgiveness of sins and erase transgressions in it. 6 And now, behold, I have accepted your offering, O Adam, but the days of the covenant in which I have bound you are not fulfilled. When they are fulfilled, then will I bring you back into the garden. 7 Now, therefore, strengthen your heart. And when sorrow comes over you make Me an offering and I will be favorable to you."

  Chapter XXV

  1 But God knew that Adam believed he would frequently kill himself and make an offering to Him of his blood. 2 Therefore He said to him, "Adam, don't ever kill yourself like this again, by throwing yourself down from that mountain." 3 But Adam said to God, "I was thinking to put an end to myself right now for having transgressed Your commandments and for my having come out of the beautiful garden and for the bright light which You have taken from me, and for the praises which poured out from my mouth without ceasing, and for the light that covered me. 4 Yet because of Your goodness, O God, you did not get rid of me altogether, but you have been favorable to me every time I die and you bring me to life. 5 And thereby it will be made known that You are a merciful God who does not want anyone to perish, who would love it if no one should fall, and who does not condemn any one cruelly, badly, or by total destruction." 6 Then Adam remained silent. 7 And the Word of God came to him and blessed him and comforted him and covenanted with him that He would save him at the end of the days determined for him. 8 This, then, was the first offering Adam made to God and so it became his custom to do.