ERRORS IN APOCRYPHAL WRITINGS (109 works): Contents: Sea Scrolls Hebrew Scripture Apocrypha Christian Greek Apocrypha Hebrew

Scriptures (27 works) Apocryphal Works (all quotes and order of appearance from RS, unless otherwise noted; 14 works): 1(3)Esdras: Anachronisms: The book says that Darius I sent Zerubbabel and Jews to build Jerusalem and its temple in his second year (520 BCE): King Darius gave a great banquet for all that were under him the three young men of the bodyguard, who kept guard over the person of the king, said to one another, Let each of us state what one thing is strongest; and to him whose statement seems wisest, Darius the king will give rich gifts and great honors of victory the king said to [Zerubbabel], Ask what you wish, even beyond what is written, and we will give it to you, for you have been found to be the wisest he said to the king, Remember the vow which you made to build Jerusalem, in the day when you became king You also vowed to build the temple Then Darius the king rose, and kissed him, and wrote letters for him to all the treasurers and governors and generals and satraps, that they should give escort to him and all who were going up with him to build Jerusalem and to help him build the city And he sent back from Babylon all the vessels which Cyrus had set apart; everything that Cyrus had ordered to be done, he also commanded to be done and to be sent to Jerusalem These are the names of the men who went up, according to their fathers' houses in the tribes, over their groups Joakim the son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, of the house of David, of the lineage of Phares, of the tribe of Judah, who spoke wise words before Darius the king of the Persians, in the second year of his reign, in the month of Nisan, the first month (3:1, 4, 5; 4:42-58, 57; 5:4-6). The book then goes on (in 6:1-34) to relate the events in Ezra 5:1-6:12 where outsiders question the actions of the Jews in rebuilding Jerusalem and the Temple, send a letter of inquiry to King Darius, who then checks for the decree of Cyrus that gave the Jews the authority to build. The decree of Cyrus is found, and the building work is ordered to go forward on that basis. Such searching would have been unnecessary if Darius had already ordered the building to go on. Also, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel returned to Jerusalem in 537 BCE as a leader with the first group of returnees (Ezra 1:1; 2:1, 2; Neh 12:1), and would, thus, not have been a young man serving as King Darius bodyguard in 520 BCE. 2(4)Esdras: The wicked are tormented: Then the Most High will say to the nations that have been raised from the dead, Look now, and understand whom you have denied, whom you have not served, whose commandments you have despised! Look on this side and on that; here are delight and rest, and there are fire and torments!' let the four-footed beasts and the flocks rejoice! For it is much better with them than with us; for they do not look for a judgment, nor do they know of any torment or salvation promised to them after death. For what does it profit us that we shall be preserved alive but cruelly tormented? the thirst and torment which are prepared await them. For the Most High did not intend that men should be destroyed; but they themselves who were created have defiled the name of him who made them, and have been ungrateful to him who prepared life for them (7:37, 38, 65-67; 8:59, 60). The righteous, immediately after death, experience conscious awareness of their reception into heaven: Now this is the order of those who have kept the ways of the Most High, when they shall be separated from their mortal body they shall see with great joy the glory of him who receives them they understand the rest which they now enjoy, being gathered into their chambers and guarded by angels in profound quiet, and the glory which awaits them in the last days they rejoice that they have now escaped what is corruptible, and shall inherit what is to come they shall rejoice with boldness, and shall be confident without confusion, and shall be glad without fear, Hebrew Scripture Pseudegraphica Gnostic Apocrypha Dead

Quotations from non-apocryphal books of the Bible from NW.

for they hasten to behold the face of him whom they served in life and from whom they are to receive their reward when glorified (7:88, 91-98). Tobit: Anachronism: The books speaks of Tobit witnessing things that spanned over 300 years, and then goes on to state that he lived 127 years: Now when I [Tobit] was in my own country, in the land of Israel, while I was still a young man, the whole tribe of Naphtali my forefather deserted the house of Jerusalem All the tribes that joined in apostasy used to sacrifice to the calf Baal, and so did the house of Naphtali my forefather [occurred 997 BCE] Now when I was carried away captive to Nineveh, all my brethren and my relatives ate the food of the Gentiles; but I kept myself from eating it, because I remembered God with all my heart. Then the Most High gave me favor and good appearance in the sight of Shalmaneser, and I was his buyer of provisions when Shalmaneser died, Sennacherib his son reigned in his place [c. 700 BCE] [Tobit] died in Ecbatana of Media at the age of a hundred and twenty-seven years (1:4, 5, 10, 13, 15; 14:14). Sennacherib is said to be the son of Shalmaneser, when his father was actually Sargon II: When Shalmaneser died, Sennacherib his son reigned in his place (1:15). THE BABYLONIAN KING LIST A Ululaia (Shalmaneser V; ftn) Mardukaplaiddin Sargon Sennacherib (Ancient Texts p. 272). Sennacherib was the son of Sargon II, whom he succeeded on the throne of Assyria (Wikipedia under Sennacherib). A demon is driven away and a cure is effected by means similar to Babylonian superstition and medicine, which are dissimilar to any cures or exorcisms in Scripture: The young man [Tobias, son of Tobit] went down to wash himself. A fish leaped up from the river and would have swallowed the young man; and the angel said to him, Catch the fish. So the young man seized the fish and threw it up on the land. Then the angel said to him, Cut open the fish and take the heart and liver and gall and put them away safely. So the young man did as the angel told him; and they roasted and ate the fish [The angel] replied, As for the heart and liver, if a demon or evil spirit gives trouble to any one, you make a smoke from these before the man or woman, and that person will never be troubled again. And as for the gall, anoint with it a man who has white films in his eyes, and he will be cured he took the live ashes of incense and put the heart and liver of the fish upon them and made a smoke. And when the demon smelled the odor he fled to the remotest parts of Egypt, and the angel bound him [the angel] Raphael said, I know, Tobias, that your father will open his [blind] eyes. You therefore must anoint his eyes with the gall; and when they smart he will rub them, and will cause the white films to fall away, and he will see you (6:2-8; 8:2, 3; 11:7, 8). Anachronism: The book claims that Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Nineveh, whereas it was his father Nabopolassar who did so: Before [Tobit] died he heard of the destruction of Nineveh, which Nebuchadnezzar and Ahasuerus had captured (14:15). Saracus became king of the Assyrians, and when he was informed that an army like a swarm of locusts had invaded by sea, he immediately sent his general Nabopolassar to Babylon. But this general started to plot rebellion, and betrothed his son Nebuchadnezzar to Amytis the daughter of Astyages, the king of the Medes. And then he immediately set off to attack the city of Nineveh. When king Saracus learned of the attack, he burnt down the palace with himself inside it (Eusebius Chronicle Latin pp. 36-37). Nabopolasarus Astagem Mediae satrapam miserit Hic traditis sibi copiis a Saraco Chaldaeorum rege praepositus, in Saracum ipsum et Ninivem civitatem arma vertit; cuius impetum et adventum veritus Saracus, incensa regia igne se absumpsit, meaning Nabopolassar sent to Astages, [Assyrian-appointed] satrap of the Medes In these circumstances, being commander and having had the armed forces of Saracus the Chaldean king entrusted to him, he turned his forces against Saracus himself and the city Nineveh; Saracus, fearing his attack and arrival, consumed himself in fire by burning the palace (Body of Writings of Byzantine History, Volume 1, George Syncellus and Nicephorus of Constantinople edited by B.G. Niebuhr pp. 395, 396, Bonn, Germany, 1829; 8th Century CE author quoting Alexander Polyhistor, Greek historian of the 1st Century BCE).

Judith: Anachronism: The books speaks of Nebuchadnezzar reigning in Nineveh, an impossibility since his father Nabopolassar destroyed Nineveh years before (632 BCE) and it was never rebuilt: In the twelfth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar [612 BCE], who ruled over the Assyrians in the great city of Nineveh (1:1). Anachronism: Though supposedly taking place during the days of Nebuchadnezzar (died 582 BCE), the book speaks of the Jews as already having returned from Babylonian exile (537 BCE): When [the Jews] departed from the way which he had appointed for them, they were utterly defeated in many battles and were led away captive to a foreign country; the temple of their God was razed to the ground, and their cities were captured by their enemies. But now they have returned to their God, and have come back from the places to which they were scattered, and have occupied Jerusalem, where their sanctuary is (5:18, 19). Judith, after killing an enemy slated to kill the Jews, is made to sing of the characters of Greek mythology: Then Judith began this thanksgiving before all Israel, and all the people loudly sang this song of praise For their mighty one did not fall by the hands of the young men, nor did the sons of the Titans smite him, nor did tall giants set upon him; but Judith the daughter of Merari undid him (16:1, 7). Anachronism: The events are supposed to have taken place early in Nebuchadnezzars reign as the Babylonian king, yet the book anachronistically says that the death of his general Holofernes distubed the Medes and Persians, who were the next world power: The Persians trembled at her boldness, the Medes were daunted at her daring (16:10). Esther (additions): Anachronism: Mordecai is said to have been taken in exile by Nebuchadnezzar [617 BCE] and still active in the reign of Artaxerxes I [463 BCE], making him at least at least 154 years old, according to the apocryphal additions to Esther: In the second year of the reign of Artaxerxes the Great [For Artaxerxes I, this would be 463 BCE; the king then was actually Xerxes I, his second year being 494 BCE], on the first day of Nisan, Mordecai the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, had a dream. He was a Jew, dwelling in the city of Susa, a great man, serving in the court of the king. He was one of the captives whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had brought from Jerusalem with Jeconiah king of Judea [617 BCE] (11:2, 3). The addition says that Mordecai informed the king of the two conspiring eunuchs, whereas the book of Esther says that he told Esther, who then told the king (Esther 2:21-23): Now Mordecai took his rest in the courtyard with Gabatha and Tharra, the two eunuchs of the king who kept watch in the courtyard. He overheard their conversation and inquired into their purposes, and learned that they were preparing to lay hands upon Artaxerxes the king; and he informed the king concerning them (12:1, 2). The additon says Hamans hatred was because of Mordecais exposing the two conspirators, whereas the Bible says it was because Mordecai refused to bow to Haman (Esther 3:5, 6): Haman, the son of Hammedatha, a Bougaean, was in great honor with the king, and he sought to injure Mordecai and his people because of the two eunuchs of the king (12:6). The addition says that the king annulled the decree to annihilate the Jews that he sent out earlier, whereas the book of Esther says the decree could not be annulled, and the king only gave the Jews the right to defend themselves (Esther 8:3-12): The following is a copy of this letter: The Great King, Artaxerxes, to the rulers of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty-seven satrapies, and to those who are loyal to our government, greeting You will therefore do well not to put in execution the letters sent by Haman the son of Hammedatha (16:1, 17). 1Maccabees: Historical inaccuracy: The succession of Alexander the Great: [Alexander the Great] fell sick and perceived that he was dying. So he summoned his most honored officers, who had been brought up with him from youth, and divided his kingdom among them while he was still alive. And after Alexander had reigned twelve years, he died. Then his officers began to rule, each in his own place (1:5-8).

Alexander did no division of his kingdom while living: Alexander's own end was now near Some authors, however, have related that his Companions asked him to whom he left his kingdom; and that he replied, To the best (Arrian 7, 24 & 26). As they askd [Alexander], to whom he bequeathd his kingdom? he answerd, To the most worthy To this great king and mighty captain a successor was wanting, but the burthen was too great for any single person to bear, now he was gone (Quintus Curtius: His History of the Wars of Alexander translated by John Digby 10, 5, vol. 2, pp. 186, 190, London, A. Millar, 1747). The descent of Alexander Epiphanes (Balas): In the one hundred and sixtieth year Alexander Epiphanes, the son of Antiochus, landed and occupied Ptolemais. They welcomed him, and there he began to reign. When Demetrius [I Soter] the king heard of it, he assembled a very large army and marched out to meet him in battle (10:1, 2). In reality, he was not truly a son of Antiochus Epiphanes: The people of Antioch suborned one Bala, a young man of mean condition, to claim the throne of Syria, on pretence that it had been his fathers, by force of arms; and that nothing might be wanting to render him insolent, the name of Alexander was given him, and he was reported to be the son of King Antiochus. And such was the detestation of Demetrius [I Soter] among all classes, that not only royal power, but also nobility of birth, was unanimously attributed to his rival. Alexander made war upon Demetrius, and, having defeated him, deprived him at once of his throne and his life (Justin 35, 1). 2Maccabees: The writer claims to have done the work on his own ability, not under divine inspiration (cf 2Sam 23:1, 2): If it is well told and to the point, that is what I myself desired; if it is poorly done and mediocre, that was the best I could do. For just as it is harmful to drink wine alone, or, again, to drink water alone, while wine mixed with water is sweet and delicious and enhances one's enjoyment, so also the style of the story delights the ears of those who read the work. And here will be the end (15:38, 39). 3Maccabees: Historical inaccuracy: According to the apocryphal book, Ptolemy IV Philopator attempted, in Egypt, the extermination of the Alexandrian Jews with 500 elephants: Philopator gave orders to all his forces, both infantry and cavalry and marched out to the region near Raphia, where Antiochus's supporters were encamped [On returning to Egypt,] the king summoned Hermon, keeper of the elephants, and ordered him on the following day to drug all the elephants five hundred in number with large handfuls of frankincense and plenty of unmixed wine, and to drive them in, maddened by the lavish abundance of liquor, so that the Jews might meet their doom (1:1; 5:1, 2). Just before the incident in Egypt with the Jews, history says that Ptolemy IV Philopator took all his forces to the battle of Raphia, and this included only 73 elephants. By the beginning of spring [217 BCE] Antiochus [III the Great] and Ptolemy [IV Philopator] had completed their preparations and were determined on deciding the fate of the Syrian expedition by a battle [near Raphia]. Now Ptolemy started from Alexandria with an army of seventy thousand foot, five thousand horse, and seventy-three elephants The whole army of Antiochus consisted of sixty-two thousand foot, six thousand horse, and a hundred and two elephants (Polybius 5, 79, 1-2, 13). 4Maccabees: The wicked are eternally tormented: We, most abominable tyrant [Antiochus Epiphanes], are suffering because of our godly training and virtue, but you, because of your impiety and bloodthirstiness, will undergo unceasing torments You profane tyrant, most impious of all the wicked, since you have received good things and also your kingdom from God, were you not ashamed to murder his servants and torture on the wheel those who practice religion? Because of this, justice has laid up for you intense and eternal fire and tortures, and these throughout all time will never let you go Let us not fear him who thinks he is killing us, for great is the struggle of the soul and the danger of eternal torment lying before those who transgress the commandment of God (10:10, 11; 12:12; 13:14, 15). The righteous immediately go off into bliss after dying: [Concerning a mother and her seven sons who were martyred:] For if we so die, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob will welcome us, and all the fathers will praise us O holy-minded mother, maintaining firm an enduring hope in God. The moon in heaven, with the stars, does not stand so august as you, who, after lighting the way of your

star-like seven sons to piety, stand in honor before God and are firmly set in heaven with them The tyrant himself and all his council marveled at their endurance, because of which they now stand before the divine throne and live through blessed eternity the sons of Abraham with their victorious mother are gathered together into the chorus of the fathers, and have received pure and immortal souls from God (13:17; 17:4, 5, 17, 18; 18:23). Prayer of Manasseh: Anachronism: This book says that King Manasseh believed that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not sin: Thou, O Lord, God of the righteous, hast not appointed repentance for the righteous, for Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, who did not sin against thee (8). This could not have been the prayer of King Manasseh, since it reflects the later theology of the Jews, whereas the Bible states that all sin (Eccl 7:20; Rom 3:23). Three there were over whom the evil inclination had no dominion, to wit Abraham, Isaac and Jacob Some include also David (Talmud, Baba Bathra 17a). Anachronism of including later rabbinic belief in a prayer supposedly of Manasseh in 8th/7th C. BCE (cf 2Chron 33:18): Thou who hast made heaven and earth with all their order; who hast shackled the sea by thy word of command, who hast confined the deep and sealed it with thy terrible and glorious name (2, 3). The footnote on this verse in Apocrypha OT is: The rabbinic belief in the magical efficacy residing in the sacred Name is here referred to. Solomon was reputed to have wrought miracles by a seal engraved with the Tetragrammaton: Ashmedai the prince of the demons Solomon sent thither Benaiahu son of Jehoiada, giving him a chain on which was graven the [Divine] Name and a ring on which was graven the Name and bottles of wine. Benaiahu went and poured the wine into [a pit] and he [Ashmedai] drank till he became drunk, and fell asleep. Benaiahu then came down and threw the chain over him and fastened it (Talmud, Gittin 68a). Wisdom: Anachronism: The books author describes himself in terms that only can apply to King Solomon: Thou hast chosen me to be king of thy people and to be judge over thy sons and daughters Thou hast given command to build a temple on thy holy mountain, and an altar in the city of thy habitation, a copy of the holy tent which thou didst prepare from the beginning I shall judge thy people justly, and shall be worthy of the throne of my father (9:7, 8, 12).

However, the book quotes from books of the Bible written after Solomons death (997 BCE), and according to the LXX (translated c. 280 BCE): Wisdom 2:12: Let us lie in wait for the righteous; because he is not for our turn G3588 Isa 3:10 (c. 730 BCE): Let us bind the just, for he is burdensome to us (Brenton) G1210 G3588 Wisdom 15:10: His heart is ashes Isa 44:20 (c. 730 BCE): Their heart is ashes (Brenton)

G4700 G3588 G2588 G846 G4700 G3588 G2588 G846

The book promotes pagan doctrine: The immortality of the soul: The souls of the righteous In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is full of immortality (3:1-4). Torment after death: The righteous man who had died will condemn the ungodly who are living the Lord will laugh them to scorn. After this they will become dishonored corpses, and an outrage among the dead for ever and they will suffer anguish, and the memory of them will perish Then the righteous man will stand with great confidence in the presence of those who have afflicted him, and those who make light of his labors. When they see him, they will be shaken with dreadful fear, and they will be amazed at his unexpected salvation. They will speak to one another in repentance, and in anguish of spirit they will groan, and say, This is the man whom we once held in derision and made a byword of reproach we fools! (4:16-19; 5:1-4). Transmigration of souls: As a child I was by nature well endowed, and a good soul fell to my lot; or rather, being good, I entered an undefiled body man who was made of earth a short time before and after a little while goes to the earth from which he was taken, when he is required to return the soul that was lent him (8:19, 20; 15:8).

The physical body is a burden: For the reasoning of mortals is worthless, and our designs are likely to fail, for a perishable body weighs down the soul, and this earthy tent burdens the thoughtful mind (9:14, 15). Contrary to Gen 1:31. Other unscriptural ideas: Adam repented: Wisdom protected the first-formed father of the world, when he alone had been created; she delivered him from his transgression (10:1). Contary to Gen 3:8-12. The Jews were holy and blameless when delivered from Egypt: A holy people and blameless race wisdom delivered from a nation of oppressors [Egypt] (10:15). Contrary to Ps 106:6, 7, 13, 14, 2840. The universe was created from pre-existing matter: Thy all-powerful hand, which created the world out of formless matter (11:17). This was the belief of many ancient civilizations around the Mediterranean, but the Scriptures teach that the universe was created from nothing existing prior (Gen 1:1, 2; Heb 11:3). Sirach (Ecclesiasticus): Prejudiced views of women, and wrongly attributes the origin of sin to the first woman, Eve: Any wickedness, but not the wickedness of a wife! Any iniquity is insignificant compared to a wife's iniquity From a woman sin had its beginning, and because of her we all die (25:13, 19, 24). Contrary to Rom 5:12; Mark 10:11, 12; John 4:27. Reflects the beliefs of the Sadducees, such as there being no resurrection of the dead: Death is better than a miserable life, and eternal rest than chronic sickness My son, let your tears fall for the dead Do not give your heart to [excessive] sorrow; drive it away, remembering the end of life. Do not forget, there is no coming back; you do the dead no good, and you injure yourself Before the time of his eternal sleep, Samuel called men to witness before the Lord and his anointed: I have not taken any one's property [1Sam 12:1-5] (30:17; 38:20, 21; 46:19). Contrary to 1Cor 15:12-19. God is said to know everything even before he created the universe: A man who breaks his marriage vows His fear is confined to the eyes of men, and he does not realize that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun Before the universe was created, it [mans sin] was known to him; so it [mans sin] was also after it [the universe] was finished (30:18-20). If Jehovah knew man would sin, then he was partly responsible for sins occurrence and all its evil consequences. This would be contrary to 1John 4:8. The demonic apparition during the sance in 1Sam 28:8-19 is taken as actually being Samuel: Even after he had fallen asleep [Samuel] prophesied and revealed to the king his death, and lifted up his voice out of the earth in prophecy (46:20). Baruch and Letter of Jeremiah (6th chapter of Baruch): Jerome did not think the book of Baruch and the Letter of Jeremiah worthy of translation: Libellum autem Baruch, quo vulgo editioni Septuaginta copulatur, nec habetur apud Hebraeos, et Epistolam Jeremiae nequaquam censui disserendam. But the small book of Baruch, which is a part of the popular version [of the Scriptures], the Septuagint, and which is not accepted by the Jews, and the pseudepigraphic Letter of Jeremiah, I have not deemed worthy of translation (Hieronymus: Commentariorum in Jeremiam Prophetam Libri Sex: Prologus [Prologue to the Commentaries on Jeremiah the Prophet in Six Books by Jerome]; Patrologia Latina vol. 24, col 680). Anachronism: These are the words of the book which Baruch the son of Neraiah wrote in Babylon, in the fifth year, on the seventh day of the month, at the time when the Chaldeans took Jerusalem and burned it with fire. And Baruch read the words of this book in the hearing of Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and in the hearing of all the people who came to hear the book, and in the hearing of the mighty men and the princes and they collected money, each giving what he could; and they sent it to Jerusalem to Jehoiakim the high priest, the son of Hilkiah, son of Shallum, and to the priests, and to all the people who were present with him in Jerusalem And they said: Herewith we send you money; so buy with the money burnt offerings and sin offerings and incense, and prepare a cereal offering, and offer them upon the altar of the Lord our God (1:1-7, 10). If we take the 5th year to be counted from the burning of Jerusalem in

607 BCE, we can then harmonize the words burned it with fire, but we have a contradiction in their sending money to Jerusalem for sacrifices. If we take it to be counted from the exile of Jehoiachin in 617 BCE, we have a contradiction with the words burned it with fire. Anachronism: There is mention of praying for a man who would rule 73 years later, but had not yet been born: In the fifth year [612 BCE], on the seventh day of the month, at the time when the Chaldeans took Jerusalem and burned it with fire after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away from Jerusalem Jeconiah and the princes and the prisoners and the mighty men and the people of the land, and brought them to Babylon [617 BCE] pray for the life of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and for the life of Belshazzar his son [who ruled in 539 BCE] (1:2, 9, 11). Anachronism: Belshazzar was considered a youth in 539 BCE, as attested by the words of Cyrus: And what of this lad [; youth, young man L & S] who is now on the throne? Did you not charge him with unbridled insolence? " (Cyropaedia 5, 2, 26). The dead can pray for the living: O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, hear now the prayer of the dead of Israel and of the sons of those who sinned before thee, who did not heed the voice of the Lord their God, so that calamities have clung to us (3:4). Additions to Daniel: Bel and the Dragon: Mythology, a fanciful tale of Daniel killing a dragon by causing it to burst open: Daniel took pitch, fat, and hair, and boiled them together and made cakes, which he fed to the dragon. The dragon ate them, and burst open (27; also referred to as Dan 14:27). Contrary to Titus 1:13, 14. Prayer of Azariah (The Song of the Three Holy Children): Anachronism: At this time there is no prince, or prophet, or leader, no burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense, no place to make an offering before thee or to find mercy (1:15; also referred to as Dan 3:38). This prayer says there were no prophets at that time, yet the Bible does mention faithful prophets as operating then. The ordeal of the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace took place between 614 BCE (after their being taken captive and their 3 year trial Dan 1:1-7) and 582 BCE (the death of Nebuchadnezzar). During this time Jeremiah (Jer 52:31 580 BCE), Ezekiel (Ezek 29:17 591 BCE), and Daniel (Dan 2:44-49) were prophets. Susanna: This addition portrays Daniel, as a young man, speaking very disrespectfully of two elders who had not yet been convicted of wrong: God aroused the holy spirit of a young lad named Daniel he summoned one of [the two elders] and said to him, You old relic of wicked days, your sins have now come home, which you have committed in the past pronouncing unjust judgments, condemning the innocent and letting the guilty go free, though the Lord said, `Do not put to death an innocent and righteous person [Daniel] commanded them to bring the other [elder]. And he said to him, You offspring of Canaan and not of Judah, beauty has deceived you and lust has perverted your heart. This is how you both have been dealing with the daughters of Israel, and they were intimate with you through fear; but a daughter of Judah would not endure your wickedness (45, 52-53, 56-57; also referred to as Dan 13:45, 52-53, 56-57). In the book of Daniel itself, Daniel is portrayed as always respectful in his speech (Dan 2:27, 28; 3:19, 27; 5:17-28; 6:21, 22). Pseudegraphical Works (all quotes from ApocryphaOT, unless otherwise noted; 13 works): The Book of Jubilees: Anachronisms: Angels were created on the first creative day: The angel of the presence spake to Moses Write the complete history of the creation, how in six days the Lord God finished all His works For on the first day He created the heavens which are above and the earth and the waters and all the spirits which serve before himthe angels (2, 1-2). Contary to Gen 1:1-5; Job 38:4-7.

Circumcision an eternal law: And on the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and all the men of his house This law is for all the generations for ever for it is an eternal ordinance, ordained and written on the heavenly tablets (15, 24-25). Contrary to Gal 5:2-6. No angel ruled over Israel: There are many nations and many peoples, and all are His [Gods], and over all hath He placed spirits in authority But over Israel He did not appoint any angel or spirit, for He alone is their ruler (15, 31-32). Contrary to Dan 10:21; 12:1; Jude 9 The Letter of Aristeas: Anachronism: The appearance of one of the main characters in the letter: The events with which it deals are supposed to take place during the lifetime of Queen Arsinoe ( 41). As Arsinoe became Queen about 278 B.C. and died in 270 B.C., these dates provide us with the time limits within which the story must be placed The writer is guilty of several serious historical anachronisms He represents Demetrius of Phalerum as head of the library of Alexandria and ascribes the translation of the law to his influence and initiative ( 9-11 et passim). The evidence, however, proves quite conclusively that Demetrius was banished by Philadelphus at the commencement of his reign (c, 283 B.C.) for supporting the claim of Keraunos to the throne, and died shortly afterwards (p. 83). Demetrius of Phalerum, the president of the king's library I am told that the laws of the Jews are worth transcribing and deserve a place in your library.' 'What is to prevent you from doing this?' replied the king 'They need to be translated,' answered Demetrius And the king when he understood all the facts of the case ordered a letter to be written to the Jewish High Priest that his purpose (which has already been described) might be accomplished To this letter Eleazar replied appropriately as follows: 'Eleazar the High priest sends greetings to King Ptolemy his true friend. My highest wishes are for your welfare and the welfare of Queen Arsinoe your sister and your children. (9-11, 41). Arsinoe I married Ptolemy II in 284/1 BC. Around 274 BC, she was convicted of plotting against him and went in exile from Egypt to Coptos, and soon Ptolemy II married his sister Arsinoe II of Egypt Arsinoe II [lived from] 316 BC-July 270 BC probably instigated the accusation and exile of her brother Ptolemy II's first wife, Arsinoe I of Egypt. Arsinoe II then married her brother On the accession of Ptolemy Philadelphus, Demetrius was sent into exile to Upper Egypt, where he is said to have died of the bite of a snake. His death appears to have taken place soon after the year 283 BC (Wikipedia under Arsinoe I, Arsinoe II, and Demetrius of Phalerum). The Books of Adam and Eve (Apocalypse of Moses): Immortality of the soul: Eve the angel of humanity came to her, and raised her up and said: 'Rise up, Eve Adam thy husband hath gone out of his body. Rise up and behold his spirit borne aloft to his Maker' [words addressed to Adams son Seth:] Look up and see with thine eyes the seven heavens opened, and see how the soul of thy father lies on its face and all the holy angels are praying on his behalf the Father of all took Adam and handed him over to the archangel Michael saying: 'Lift him up into Paradise unto the third Heaven, and leave him there until that fearful day of my reckoning, which I will make in the world.' Then Michael took Adam and left him where God told him (Apocalypse of Moses 32, 3-4; 35, 2; 37, 4-6). Book of Enoch: Immortality of the soul: These hollow places have been created for this very purpose, that the spirits of the souls of the dead should assemble therein, yea that all the souls of the children of men should assemble here I saw the spirits of the children of men whowere dead (22, 3-4). Eternal torment: This [place of confinement] has been made for sinners when they die and are buried in the earth and judgement has not been executed upon them in their lifetime. Here their spirits shall be set apart in this great pain, till the great day of judgement, scourgings, and torments of the accursed for ever, so that (there may be) retribution for their spirits (22, 10-11). The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs: Immortality of the soul and torment after death: When [ones who have died] meet the angels of the Lord and of Satan. For when the soul departs troubled, it is tormented by the evil spirit which also it served in lusts and evil works. But if he is peaceful with joy he meeteth the angel of peace, and he leadeth him into eternal life (The Testament of Asher 6, 5-6).

The Sibylline Oracles: There are deities in Hades: But of your evil counsel ye shall have the fitting reward, for that forsaking the honouring of the true and eternal God ye have made your sacrifices to the deities in Hades (Fragments 1, 19-22). The demons (who receive the worship of false worshippers 1Cor 10:20) are not in Hades, but in Tartarus, a state of spiritual darkness (2Pet 2:4). Eternal torment: Therefore the gleam of blazing fire is coming upon you. Ye shall be burned with torches the livelong day throughout the age, being ashamed of your lying futile idols. (Fragments 3, 43-45). Greek mythology tied in with Bible history: But when the tower [of Babel] was fallen and men's tongues divided off with divers kinds of sounds, then the whole earth began to be filled with separate kingdoms And Cronos, Titan, and lapetus were kings, the goodliest children of Gaia and Ouranos, whom men called Earth and Heaven And Cronos and Titan fought against each other. But them Rhea and Gaia and garland-loving Aphrodite, Demeter and Hestia and fair-tressed Dione brought to friendship, reconciling the kings But our lady Rhea when she brought forth her third child brought forth Hera first And then Rhea brought forth a man child, whom she quickly sent away, to be reared secretly and privily they gave him the name of Zeus In like manner too she sent away Poseidon stealthily. Then at the third time Rhea, goddess among women, gave birth to Pluto And then God inflicted evil on the Titans. And all the families of the Titans and of Cronos died (Books 3, 105-158). Contrary to 1Tim 1:3, 4; 2Tim 4:3, 4. The Assumption of Moses: Anachronism: Timing of the advent of divine salvation: For the Most High will arise, the Eternal God alone, and He will appear to punish the Gentiles For from my death [assumption] until His advent there shall be CCL times (I.e. 250 year weeks, or 1,750 years [c. 250 CE]. Thus from the Creation [2,500 years before Moses' death] to the final judgement will be 4,250 years or 85 jubilees. Cf. Sanh.97B, which gives the same date for the Messiah's coming; ftn) (10, 7, 12-13). The Messiah came in the 1st C. CE. Elijah said The world shall exist not less than eighty five jubilees, and in the last jubilee the son of David will come Before that, do not expect him; afterwards thou mayest await him (Talmud, Sanhedrin 97b). The Book of the Secrets of Enoch: Eternal torment: There was a wise man [Enoch] and the Lord received him, that he should behold the uppermost dwellings and be an eye-witness of the wise and great and inconceivable and immutable realm of God Almighty And those two men led me up and showed me there a very terrible place, and there were all manner of tortures in that place: cruel darkness and unillumined gloom, and there is no light there, but murky fire constantly flameth aloft, and there is a fiery river coming forth, and that whole place is everywhere fire, and everywhere there is frost and ice, thirst and shivering, while the bonds are very cruel, and the angels fearful and merciless. bearing angry weapons, merciless torture, and I said: 'Woe, woe, how very terrible is this place,' and those men said to me: This place, O Enoch, is prepared for those who dishonour God, who on earth practise sin against nature (A [Manuscript] Prologue; 10, 1-4). Pre-existence of souls: Sit and write all the souls of mankind, however many of them are born, and the places prepared for them to eternity; for all souls are prepared to eternity, before the formation of the world (A 23, 4-5). Predestination: There has been no man in his mother's womb, but that already before, even to each one there is a place prepared for the repose of that soul, and a measure fixed how much it is intended that a man be tried in this world (A 49, 2). 2nd Baruch: Torment after death: And it shall come to pass at that time that the treasuries will be opened in which is preserved the number of the souls of the righteous, and they shall come forth But the souls of the wicked, when they behold all these things, shall then waste away the more. For they shall know that their torment has come and their perdition has arrived (30, 2-5). The Greek Apocalypse of Baruch (3rd Baruch): Torment after death: And he showed me Hades, and its appearance was dark and abominable. And I said, Who is this dragon, and who is this monster around him? And the angel said. The dragon is he who eats the bodies of those who

spend their life wickedly, and he is nourished by them. And this is Hades also the men who now drink insatiably the wine which is begotten of [the grapevine], transgress worse than Adam, and are far from the glory of God, and are surrendering themselves to the eternal fire (4, 4-6, 16-17). 4th Baruch: Pre-existence of souls: The underworld and the chambers of souls are like the womb: for just as she who is in travail makes haste to escape the anguish of the travail, even so do these places hasten to deliver what has been entrusted to them from the beginning (4, 41-43). Torment after death: And the Most High shall be revealed upon the throne of judgement and the reward be made manifest And then shall the pit of torment appear, and over against it the place of refreshment. The furnace of Gehenna shall be made manifest, and over against it the Paradise of delight. And then shall the Most High say to the nations that have been raised [from the dead]: Look now and consider whom ye have denied, whom ye have not served, whose commandments ye have despised. Look, now, before [you]: here delight and refreshment, there fire and torments! (7, 33-37). Soul immortal: When the decisive decree has gone forth from the Most High that the man should die, as the soul from the body departs that it may return to him who gave it to adore the glory of tlie Most High (7, 78-79). The Psalms of Solomon: Anachronism: And the children of the covenant in the midst of the mingled peoples There was not among them one that wrought in the midst of Jerusalem mercy and truth. They that loved the synagogues of the pious fled from them (17, 15-16). These psalms claim to be the work of Solomon, yet synagogues did not come about in Israel until after the Babylonian exile at the earliest (6th C. BCE): During the Babylonian captivity (586537 BCE) the Men of the Great Assembly began the process of formalizing and standardizing Jewish services and prayers that did not depend on the functioning of the Temple in Jerusalem The earliest archaeological evidence for the existence of very early synagogues comes from Egypt, where stone synagogue dedication inscriptions dating from the third century BCE prove that synagogues existed by that date (Wikipedia under Synagogue). Other Apocryphal Books: Joseph and Asenath (translated by David Cook; in The Apocryphal Old Testament edited by H.F.D. Sparks, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984): Historical inaccuracy: Pharaoh's son summoned Simeon and Levi to him, and said to them, I have heard that you destroyed the city of Shechem and with your own two swords you cut to pieces thirty thousand fighting men (23, 2-3). Shechems population was a few thousand at the most, being contained within 15 acres: About 30 mi (49 km) north of Jerusalem is a low, 15-acre mound, known as Tell Balata. This nondescript ruin covers what was ancient Shechem (Shechem: Its Archaeological and Contextual Significance in Bible and Spade Spring, 2005). Dead Sea Scrolls: Immortal soul and eternal torment: The visitation of who walk in this spirit [of falsehood] shall be a multitude fo plagues by the hand of all the destroying angels, everlasting damnation in the avenging wrath of the fury of God, eternal torment and endless disgrace together with shameful extinction in the fire of the dark region (1QS 4, 12-13; Dead Sea Scrolls). Predestination: From the God of Knowledge comes all that is and shall be. Before ever [men] existed He established their whole design, and when, as ordained for them, they come into being, it is in accord with His glorious design that they accomplish their task without change. The laws of all things are in His hand and He provides them with all their needs. He has created man to govern the world, and has appointed for him two spirits in which to walk until the time of His visitation: the spirts of truth and injustice. Those born of truth spring from a fountain of light, but those born of injustice spring from a source of darkness (The Community Rule: 1QS 3, 15-21 in Dead Sea Scrolls p. 101).

Separation from mankind: When these [neophytes] become members of the [Essene] Community in Israel they shall separate from the habitation of unjust men and shall go into the wilderness to prepare there the way of Him; as it is written, Prepare in the wilderness the of make straight in the desert a path for our God [Isa 40:3] (The Community Rule: 1QS 8, 14-15 in Dead Sea Scrolls p. 109). Contrary to John 17:15. Christian Greek Scriptures (82 works) Apocryphal Works (all quotes from Apocrypha NT3 unless otherwise noted; NT1 is Apocrypha NT1; their order is as in Apocrypha NT3; 32 works): Protevangelium of James: The high priest goes into the Most Holy of the Temple to pray: And when she was twelve years of age, the priests met in a council, and said, Behold, Mary is twelve years of age; what shall we do with her, for fear lest the holy place of the Lord our God should be defiled [by her menstruation while she is serving there]? Then the high-priest entered into the Holy of Holies, and made prayer concerning her (8, 3, 5; NT1). This could not have taken place on Marys twelfth birthday, for only on the day of Atonement could the high priest enter the Most Holy (Heb 9:6, 7). Because Mary is pregnant, Joseph is made to drink the bitter water of the test for secret adultery: The priest added, I will cause you both to drink the water of the Lord, which is for trial, and so your iniquity shall be laid open before you. Then the priest took the water, and made Joseph drink, and sent him to a mountainous place. And he returned perfectly well, and all the people wondered that his guilt was not discovered. So the priest said, Since the Lord hath not made your sins evident, neither do I condemn you (11, 17-20; NT1). Only the wife drank the bitter water (Num 5:11-28) and no Jewish tradition ever had the husband drink it (Mishnah, Sotah ch. 1-3). The astologers who sought Jesus find him in a cave: So the wise men went forth, and behold, the star which they saw in the east went before them, till it came and stood over the cave where the young child was with Mary his mother. Then they brought forth out of their treasures (15, 9-10; NT1). The so-called wise men found Jesus in a house, not a cave (Matt 2:7-11). Zechariah, the father of John the Baptizer, is said to be high priest: Zacharias the high-priest But Herod made search after John, and sent servants to Zacharias, when he was (ministering) at the altar, and said unto him, Where hast thou hid thy son? And [the priests] went away, and told the people, that Zacharias was murdered, and all the tribes of Israel heard thereof, and mourned for him, and lameiited three days (8, 4; 16, 9, 25; NT1). Zachariah was just an ordinary priest who served twice a year for a week each time at the Temple (Luke 1:5, 8-9, 13, 23). The high priest was always there to officiate. Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew: Mary is said to choose perpetual virginity: Abiathar the priest offered gifts without end to the high priests, in order that he might obtain her as wife to his son. But Mary forbade them, saying: It cannot be that I should know a man, or that a man should know me Mary answered and said unto them: God is worshipped in chastity (7). Since Jesus is called Marys firstborn, she had other children by the normal means (Luke 2:4-7). The high priest goes into the Most Holy of the Temple to pray: Now it came to pass, when [Mary] was fourteen years old, and on this account there was occasion for the Pharisees saying that it was now a custom that no woman of that age should abide in the temple of God, they fell upon the plan of sending a herald through all the tribes of Israel, that on the third day all should come together into the temple of the Lord. And when all the people had come together On the following day the high priest went into the holy of holies, and brought forth the rods [to determine who would be Marys guardian]. And the high priest put on the twelve bells and the sacerdotal robe; and entering into the holy of holies, he there made a burnt-offering, and poured forth a prayer (8). Contrary to Heb 9:6, 7. Because Mary is pregnant, Joseph is made to drink the bitter water of the test for secret adultery: After these things there arose a great report that Mary was with child. And Joseph was seized by the ollicers of the temple, and brought along with Mary to the high priest Joseph was summoned

to the altar, and the water of drinking of the Lord was given him to drink. And when any one that had lied drank this water, and walked seven times round the altar, God used to show some sign in his face. When, therefore, Joseph had drunk in safety, and had walked round the altar seven times, no sign of sin appeared in him (12). Only the wife drank the bitter water (Num 5:11-28) and no Jewish tradition ever had the husband drink it (Mishnah, Sotah ch. 1-3). Jesus is depicted as a murderous youth: The son of Annas, a priest of the Temple broke down the dams which Jesus had made with His own hands, and let out the water which He had collected in them from the torrent And when Jesus saw this, He said to that boy who had destroyed His dams: O most wicked seed of iniquity! son of death! O workshop of Satan! verily the fruit of thy seed shall be without strength, and thy roots without moisture, and thy branches withered, bearing no fruit. And immediately, in the sight of all, the boy withered away, and died (28). Gospel of the Nativity of Mary: A passage not in the Bible is quoted as Scripture: The Scripture having said, Cursed is every one who shall not beget a male in Israel (1, 9; NT1). History of Joseph the Carpenter: The trinity: In the name of God, of once essence and three persons our Master, God, and Saviour jesus Christ (Intro; 1). Eternal torment: Sinners: inasmuch as their weeping and lamentation shall not come to an end, and their tears shall not cease, nor shall they find for themselves consolation and repose at any time for ever (1). Joseph, Jesus foster-father, served as a priest at the Temple: There was a man whose name was Joseph, sprung from a family of Bethlehem, a town of Judah, and the city of King David. This same man, being well furnished with wisdom and learning, was made a priest in the temple of the Lord. He was, besides, skilful in his trade, which was that of a carpenter (2). Only men from the tribe of Levi could serve as priests at the Temple (Num 3:10), and Joseph was of the tribe of Judah (Luke 2:4). Immortality of the soul: Therefore Michael and Gabriel came to the soul of my father Joseph, and took it, and wrapped it in a shining wrapper And the angels preserved his soul from the demons of darkness which were in the way, and praised God even until they conducted it into the dwellingplace of the pious (23). Gospel of Thomas (1st in Greek; Latin similar): Jesus is depicted as a murderous and vengeful youth: The son of Annas the scribe was standing there with Joseph; and he took a willow branch, and let out the waters which Jesus had collected. And Jesus, seeing what was done, was angry And straight way that boy was quite dried up After that He was again passing through the village; and a boy ran up against Him, and struck His shoulder. And Jesus was angry, and said to him: Thou shalt not go back the way thou earnest. And immediately he fell down dead And the parents of the dead boy went away to Joseph, and blamed him And straightway those that accused Him were struck blind (3-5). Arabic Gospel of the Infancy of the Saviour: Jesus is depicted as a murderous youth: The Lord Jesus was with some boys by a river and they drew water out of the river by little channels, and made little fishpools tlie son of Hanani coming to the fish pool of Jesus to destroy it, the water vanished away, and the Lord Jesus said to him, In like manner as this water has vanished, so shall thy life vanish; and presently the boy died. Another time, when the Lord Jesus was coming home in the evening with Joseph, he met a boy, who ran so hard against him, that he threw him down. To whom the Lord Jesus said, As thou hast thrown me down, so shalt thou fall, nor ever rise. And that moment the boy fell down and died (19, 15-24; NT1). Jesus gives a lesson in astronomy that includes a mistaken scientific concept: When a certain astronomer, who was present, asked tlie Lord Jesus, whether he hail studied astronomy, the Lord Jesus replied, and told him the number of the spheres and heavenly bodies and other things which the reason of man had never discovered (21, 9-10; NT1). The teaching that the planets and stars revolved within crystalline spheres was a erroneous teaching of ancient Greek astronomy. The celestial spheres, or celestial orbs, were the fundamental element of Earth-centered (geocentric) astronomies and cosmologies developed by Plato, Aristotle, Ptolemy, and others. In

these geocentric models the stars and planets are carried around the Earth on spheres or circles scholastic philosophers generally considered the celestial spheres to be solid in the sense of threedimensional or continuous, but most did not consider them solid in the sense of hard. The consensus was that the celestial spheres were made of some kind of continuous fluid (Wikipedia under Celestial Spheres). This belief was generally accepted by scientists from Plato (4th Century BCE) down until Newton discovered the law of gravity in the late 17th Century CE. Gospel of Nicodemus: Acts of Pilate: 1st in Greek: Anachronisms: In the fifteenth year of the government of Tiberius Caesar, emperor of the Romans, and Herod being king of Galilee, in the nineteenth year of his rule in the consulship of Rufus and Rubellio, in the fourth year of the two hundred and second Olympiad, Joseph Caiaphas being high priest of the Jews (Intro). The 15th year of Tiberius is 29 CE; the 19th year of Herod Antipas was 19 CE; the consulship of Rusus and Rubellio was in 29 CE; the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad is 32/33 CE; 29 [CE] C. Fufius [Rufius] Geminus [and] L. Rubellius Geminus (Wikipedia under List of Roman Consuls). Attribution of the temple-building to the incorrect person: The Jews say to [Pilate]: He said, I can destroy this temple, and in three days build it. Pilate says: What temple? The Jews say: The one that Solomon built in forty-six years (4). Acts of Pilate: 2nd in Greek: Anachronisms: When Tiberius Caesar at last swayed the Roman sceptre, in the eighteenth year of his reign, he appointed as king in Judea, Herod [Antipas], the son of the Herod who had formerly slaughtered the infants in Bethlehem and he made Pilate procurator in Jerusalem (Intro). The 18th year of Tiberius is 32/33 CE; Herod was appointed king in 1 BCE; Pilate was made procurator in 26 CE. Attribution of the temple-building to the incorrect person: The Jews answered [Pilate] He said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and in three days to build it. Pilate says: And what temple did he say he was to destroy? The Hebrews say: The temple of Solomon, which Solomon built in forty-six years (4). Mary called the mother of God: Of His disciples, therefore, John followed Him [to the place of Christs execution]. Then he came fleeing to the mother of God the mother of God says to John: Where is my son? (10). Mistaken description of Golgotha: The place called Cranium, which was paved with stone (A mistaken reference to John xix.13; ftn); and there the Jews set up the cross (10). Acts of Pilate: In Latin: Same errors as in Greek versions: Anachronisms of dating by rulership of Tiberius, Herod, and Roman consuls (Intro; NT3); attribution of the templebuilding to the incorrect person (4). Descent of Christ into Hell: In Greek: A supposed account of those resurrected who had been in Hades and what they saw there: Joseph [of Arimathea] says Symeon who received Jesus, and his two sons whom He has raised up we buried them not long ago; but now their tombs are seen open [and ] empty Then rose up the chief priests Annas and Caiaphas and went away to Arimathea, and found those whom Joseph spoke of sitting down, [the two resurrected sons of Symeon] wrote thus We then were in Hades, with all who had fallen asleep since the beginning of the world. And at the hour of midnight there rose a light as if of the sun, and shone into these dark [regions]; and we were all lighted up, and saw each other. And straightway our father Abraham was united with the patriarchs and the prophets, and at the same time they were filled with joy (1-2). Anachronism: The time of the coming of Christ: An angel of the Lord came, and said after the accomplishing of five thousand five hundred years from the creation of the world, then shall come into the earth the only begotten Son of God, being made man (3). Jesus came about 4,000 years after Adam, and this account mistakenly puts the creation in this year also.

Satan bound in 1st C. CE in Hades: The King of glory [Christ] seized the chief satrap Satan by the head, and delivered him to His angels, and said: With iron chains bind his hands, and his feet, and his neck, and his mouth. The He delivered him to Hades, and said: Take him, and keep him secure till my second appearing (6). Contrary to Rev 1:1; 20:1-. Descent of Christ into Hell: 1st Latin: Same errors as in Greek version: A supposed account of those resurrected who had been in Hades and what they saw there (1-2); anachronism of the time of the coming of Christ (4); Satan bound in 1st C. CE in Hades (67). Those who died before Christ resurrected in 1st C. CE: The Lord, stretching forth His hand, made the sign of the cross upon Adam and upon all His saints; and holding Adam by the right hand, went up from the powers below: and all the saints followed Him. Then holy David cried out aloud, saying [Ps 30:1-6] (8). David did not ascend to heaven in the 1st C. CE (Acts 2:34). Descent of Christ into Hell: 2nd Latin: Same errors as in Greek version: A supposed account of those resurrected who had been in Hades and what they saw there (1-2); Satan bound in 1st C. CE in Hades (8). Same error as 1st Latin: Those who died before Christ resurrected in 1st C. CE (9-10). Report of Pontius Pilate: 1st in Greek: Anachronism: Him [Christ] Herod and Archelaus and Philip, Annas and Caiaphas, with all the people delivered to me (p. 225). Christ appeared before Pilate in 33 CE, but Archelaus lost his rulership in 9 CE and was thereafter banished to Gaul. Severity of earthquake overstated: Many of the Jews died, swallowed up in the chasm of the earth Only one synagogue of the Jews was left in this Jerusalem, since all disappeared in that fall (p. 227). Since there were hundreds of synagogues in 1st C. CE Jerusalem, this would be a huge exaggeration. The number of synagogues in 1st C. CE Jerusalem: There were three hundred and ninety-four courts of law in Jerusalem, and an equal number of Synagogues, of Houses of Study, and of schools The Judges of Civil Law in Jerusalem received their salaries out of the Temple funds (Talmud, Kethuboth 105a). There were 480 synagogues in Jerusalem And all of them did Vespasian [attack] (Talmud Jerusalem, Megillah 3, 1, 2, 2E-F). 2nd in Greek: Same errors as as 1st Greek: Anachronism about Archelaus (p. 229); severity of earthquake overstated (p. 230). Giving Up of Pontius Pilate: Anachronism: Pilate appeared before Tiberius Caesar soon after Christs death to answer charges against him and was executed: And the writings having come to the city of the Romans, and having been read to the Caesar, with not a few standing by, all were astounded, because through the wickedness of Pilate the darkness and the earthquake had come over the whole world. And the Caesar, filled with rage, sent soldiers, and ordered them to bring Pilate a prisoner Pilate said I am innocent of these things; but the multitude of the Jews are violent and guilty Herod, Archelaus, Philip, Annas and Caiaphas And the prefect struck off the head of Pilate (pp. 231, 233). Josephus records that Pilate was called before Tiberius in the year 36 (not 33 when Jesus died), but that Tiberius died before Pilate arrived at Rome. Jerome states that many Roman historians note Pilate to have committed suicide in 40 CE. The eventual outcome for Pilate: Vitellius president of Syria sent Marcellus, a friend of his, to take care of the affairs of Judea, and ordered Pilate to go to Rome, to answer before the emperor to the accusations of the Jews. So Pilate, when he had tarried ten years in Judea, made haste to Rome but before he could get to Rome Tiberius was dead (Antiq of Jews 18, 4, 2). [40 CE:] Pontius Pilatus in multas incidens calamitates, propria se manu interfecit: scribunt Romanorum historici. [40 CE:] Pontius Pilate, after undergoing many misfortunes, killed himself by his own hand. Thus the Roman historians write (Jerome Chronicle Eusebius, col. 577).

Death of Pilate: Same error as the Giving Up of Pontius Pilate: Pilate appeared before Tiberius Caesar soon after Christs death to answer charges against him (pp. 234-235). Narrative of Joseph of Arimathea: A Jewish woman priest in the 1st C. CE: The daughter of Caiaphas, who was priestess of the sanctuary (1). Contrary to Num 3:10. Judas given 30 pieces of gold: The Jews say to [Judas]: If thou wilt give him up to us, we will give thee thrity pieces of gold And Judas received the thirty pieces of gold (2). Contrary to Matt 26:14, 15; 27:3. Avenging of the Saviour: Anachronism: Titus and Vespasian, in the days of Tiberius Caesar, capture Jerusalem and punish Pontius Pilate: In the days of the Emperor Tiberius Caesar, when Herod was tetrarch In those days Titus was a prince under Tiberius Then Vespasian went to meet Titus [they] proceeded to Jerusalem, and surrounded the kingdom of the Jews, and began to send them to destruction Then they seized Pilate, and sent him to prison (pp. 245, 248-250). Tiberius Caesar died in 36 CE, Pontius Pilate in 40 CE, and the destruction of Jerusalem was in 70 CE. Acts of Peter and Paul: The Jews in Rome are against Paul coming there: Paul came to Italy; and it was heard of by the Jews who were in Rome it seemed good to them to go to Nero the emperor, [to ask him] not to allow Paul to come to Rome saying this Paul, having afflicted all the nation of our fathers, has been seeking to come hither to destroy us also (p. 256). When Paul went to Rome, the Jews there had no bad reports about him (Acts 28:17-21). Peter is given primacy: Peter, the first of the apostles (p. 257). Relic worship: The body of St. Peter was put into the Vatican, near the place for the sea-fights, and that of St. Paul into the Vostesian (or Ostesian) Way, two miles from the city; and in these places, through their prayers, many good deeds are wrought to the faithful in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (p. 276; reading of some manuscripts). Acts of Paul and Thecla: Forbidding marriage: Thamyria, standing before the tribunal, said with a great shout: O proconsul, this man [Paul], who he is we know not, who makes virgins averse to marriage Paul lifted up his voice, saying God has sent me that I may reclaim them from corruption and uncleanness, and from all pleasure, and from death, that they may not sin (pp. 282283). Practice of asceticism: She [Thecla] departed to Seleucia, and dwelt in a cave seventy-two years, living upon herbs and water she was an ascetic in the cave (p. 289). Acts of Barnabas: Paul is given a title forbidden by Jesus: Thee, Father Paul O Father Paul (p. 295). Barnabas brings destruction on a pagan city: We found that a certain abominable race was beintg performed in the road near the city, where a multitude of women and men naked were performing the race. And there was great deception and error in that place. And Barnabas turning, rebuked it; and the western part fell, so that many were wounded, and many of them also died (p. 298). Acts of Philip: Prayer directed to Jesus: The Apostle Philip prayed for her to God, saying: Thou who bringest the dead to life, Christ Jesus the Lord completely deliver also this woman from the error, the enemy (p. 304). A Christian brings destruction upon persecutors: [A Christian] began to curse [those persecuting Christians] O Father of Christ, the only and Almighty God let the great Hades open its mouth; let the great abyss swallow up these the ungodly And, behold, suddenly the abyss was opened, and the whole of the place in which the proconsul was sitting was swallowed up, and the whole of the temple, and the viper which they worshipped, and great crowds, and the priests of the viper, ahout seven thousand men, besides women and children (p. 309). Acts of Phiip When He Went to Upper Hellas: An accustion against the apostle Philip: Philip, sorcerer and magician, for I know thee, that in Jerusalem thy master the deceiver called thee Son of Thunder (p. 320). This title was given to James and John, not Philip (Mark 3:17).

Anachronism: I [the high priest] shall carry [Philip] away witli myself to Jerusalem, because Archelaus the king is also searching for him to kill him (p. 321). Philip was an apostle of Christ, whereas Archelaus lost his rulership in 9 CE. A Christian brings destruction upon a persecutor: Philip turned to the high priest, and said wilt thou henceforth believe? And he says: I know your magic arts I will not believe thee. And Philip, enraged, said: A curse upon thee! then go down altogether into the abyss before the face of all these. And at the same hour he went down into Hades alive (p. 325). Acts and Martyrdom of Andrew: Eternal torment after death: For this temporary fall is not to be feared; but that should be feared which has no end And those torments ought to be feared which never have an end. For these torments [on earth], which happen to he somewhat light, any one can bear But those torments are everlasting, where there are daily weepings, and mournings, and lamentations, and never-ending torture The holy Andrew said for thee [his persecutor] is laid up eternal torment, which, however, thou mayst escape after thou hast tested my endurance, if thou wilt believe in my Christ For my suffering takes up a space of one day, or two at most; but thy torment for endless ages shall never come to a close (pp. 339-341). Acts of Andrew and Matthias: A Christian brings destruction upon persecutors: Into the abyss shalt thou go, with the fourteen executioners who slay the men every day And the blessed one [Andrew], having looked up to heaven, prayed before all the multitude; the earth was opened, and swallowed up the water, along with the old man. He was carried down into the abyss, with the executioners (p. 367). Acts of Peter and Andrew: Peter is given a title forbidden by Jesus: Andrew says to him: Yes, father Peter Andrew answered and said to Peter: Father Peter (p. 369). Peter is given primacy of the congregation: The Lord Jesus Christ said to them: Hail, Peter, bishop of the whole of my church (p. 369). Acts and Martyrdom of Matthew: Eternal torment: Herod [the Great] dwells, indeed, in Hades; and there has been prepared for him fire unquenchable, Gehenna without end, bubbling mire, worm that sleeps not (p. 374). Ignorace of an Aramaic word quoted: The apostle having laid his hands upon his eyes, and saying Ephphatha, Jesus (The addition of Jesus here shows that the writer did not know the meaning of the Aramaic word [Be opened Mark 7:34]; ftn), he made him receive his sight instantly (p. 381). Relic worship: The apostle exhorted the brethren to remain undismayed, and that they should rejoice, and accompany him with great meekness [to his execution], singing and praising God, because they were deemed worthy to have the relics of the apostle (pp. 381-382). The righteous going to heaven right after death: As the bed [holding Matthews corpse] was going into the palace, we all saw Matthew rising up, as it were, from the bed, and going into heaven, led by the hand by a beautiful boy; and twelve men in shining garments came to meet him, having never-fading and golden crowns on their head; and we saw how that child [Christ] crowned Matthew, so as to be like them, and in a flash of lightning they went away to heaven (p. 384). A newly converted man made an elder, and women made female elders and deacons: And the king having seen these things fell down in repentance and confession, saying: Truly I believe in the true God, Christ Jesus. I entreat, give me the seal in Christ [baptism] And when he came up from the water in that same hour Matthew appointed the king a presbyter [elder] and the kings wife he appointed a presbyteress; and his sons wife he appointed a deaconess (pp. 385386). Contrary to 1Tim 3:1, 2, 6; 2:11, 12. Acts of Thomas: A Christian brings destruction upon a persecutor: As the apostle looked away to the ground, a certain one of the wine-pourers stretched forth his hand and struck him. And the apostle, having raised his eyes, and regarded him who had struck him, said: My God will forgive thee this wrong in the world to come, but in this world He will show His wonders, and I shall soon see that hand that struck me dragged along by a dog And that wine-pourer that struck him came down to the fountain to draw water; and there happened to be a lion there, and it came forth and

killed him, and left him lying in the place, after tearing up his limbs; and dogs immediately seized his limbs, among which also one black dog, laying hold of his right hand in his mouth, brought it to the place of the banquet (pp. 391-393). Marriage forbidden: The Lord [Jesus] sat down on the bed, and ordered [a couple just married] also to sit down on the seats; and he began to say to them: Keep in mind, my children and this know, that it you refrain from this filthy intercourse, you become temples holy (and) pure, being released from afflictions and troubles, known and unknown, and you will not be involved in the cares of life, and of children, whose end is destruction; but if you get many children, for their sakes you become grasping and avaricious, plundering orphans, coveting the property of widows, and by doing this you subject yourselves to most grievous punishments (pp. 394-395). A person going to heaven right after death: The soul of Gad [the kings] brother departed. And the king mourned for Gad exceedingly, for he altogether loved him. And he ordered him to be prepared for burial in a royal and costly robe. And as this was being done, angels received the soul of Gad the king s brother, and took it up into heaven, showing him the places and dwellings there, asking him: In what sort of a place dost thou wish to dwell? (p. 400). Torment after death: And having laid his hand on her hand, he said: Come, Lord Jesus Christ, giving this woman life And immediately, as he drew her hand, she sprang up And the apostle says to her: Tell us where thou hast been. And she answered a place where there were many chasms, and a great stench and most hateful odour were given forth thence; and he made me bend down into each chasm, and I saw in the chasm blazing fire; and wheels of fire ran there, and souls were hung upon those wheels, and were dashed against each other. And there was there crying and great lamentation, and there was none released And [her guide] brought ine to another chasm, and I bent down and saw mud, and worms spouting forth, and souls wallowing there; and a great gnashing of teeth was heard thence from them. And that man said to me, These are the souls of women that left their own husbands, and went and committed adultery with others, and who have been brought to this torment (pp. 418-419). Consummation of Thomas: A person going to heaven right after death: [Thomas] said to the soldiers: Come and finish the work of him that sent you. And the four struck him at once, and killed him. And all the brethren wept, and wrapped him up in beautiful shawls, and many linen cloths, and laid him in the tomb in which of old the kings used to be buried. And Syphor and Juzanes did not go to the city, but spent the whole day there, and waited during the night. And Thomas appeared to them, and said: I am not there; why do you sit watching? for I have gone up, and received the things I hoped for (pp. 427-428). Martyrdom of Bartholomew: Teaching of the trinity: Then the holy Bartholomew, having spread forth his hands to heaven, said one God, the Father, acknowledged in Son and Holy Spirit; one God, the Son, glorified in Father and Holy Spirit; one God, the Holy Spirit, worshipped in Father and Son (p. 436). The sign of the cross: And when ye behold [the demon in a temple], fear nothing; but when I make the sign of the cross, so also do ye with your finger seal your faces, and these evil things will flee from you. Then he showed them the demon who dwelt in the temple (p. 437). Acts of Thaddaeus: Giving glory to the holy spirit: They gave glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever (p. 443). The holy spirit is never glorified or worshipped in the Scriptures. Acts of John: Trinity: Our God, Jesus Christ God Lord Jesus Christ (pp. 449-450). Marriage distained: O Christ Jesus who has preserved me also till the present hour pure to Thyself, and free from intercourse with woman; who, when I wished in my youth to marry, didst appear to me, and say, I am in need of thee, John who, when a third time I wished to marry, didst say to me at the third hour, in the sea, John, if thou wert not mine, I would let thee marry (p. 452). Contrary to 1Tim 4:1-3. Revelation of Moses: The serpent in Eden could actually reason and speak of its own: Then the serpent came to him, and the devil says to him, I hear that thou art more sagacious than all the wild

beasts, and I have come to make thy acquaintance The serpent says to him, I am afraid lest the Lord be angry with me. The devil says to him, Be not afraid; only become my instrument, and I will speak through thy mouth a word by which thou shalt be able to deceive him (p. 458). The serpent was similar to Balaams ass, which was made to speak by a supernatural source, but was itself voiceless (2Pet 2:15, 16). Persons taken to heaven soon after death: While Eve was still praying, being on her knees, behold, there came to her the angel of humanity, and raised her up, saying: Arise, Eve, from thy repentance; for, behold, Adam thy husband has gone forth from his body; arise and see his spirit carried up to Him that made it, to meet Him the Lord of the universe, sitting upon His holy throne, stretched forth His hands, and raised Adam, and delivered him to the archangel Michael, saying to him: Raise him into paradise, even to the third heaven, and let him be there until that great and dreadful day which I am to bring upon the world (pp. 463-465). Revelation of Esdras: Torment after death: I wish, Lord, to see also the under parts of Tartarus. And God said: Come down and see and I saw a fiery throne, and an old man sitting upon it; and his judgment was merciless. And I said to the angels: Who is this? And what is his sin? And they said to me: This is Herod, who for a time was a king, and ordered to put to death the children from two years old and under. And I said : Woe to his soul ! And again they took me down thirty steps, and I there saw boilings up of fire, and in them (there was) a multitude of sinners; and I heard their voice, but saw not their forms. And they took me down lower many steps, which I could not measure. And I there saw old men, and fiery pivots turning in their ears And they took me away to the south, and I saw there a man hanging by the eyelids; and the angels kept scourging him (pp. 471-472). Revelation of Paul: Asceticism approved in a supposed account of Pauls vision of heaven: There came other angels with a cheerful countenance, shining like the sun. And behold a voice to them: Whence have ye come? And they answered and said: We have come from those who have held themselves aloof from the world and the things in the world for Thy holy names sake, who in deserts, and mountains, and caves, and the dens of the earth, in beds on the ground, and in fastings, spend their life. Command us to be with them. And there came a voice: Go with them in peace, guarding them (p. 479). Persons taken to heaven soon after death: I [Paul] wish to see the souls of the righteous and of the sinners, how they go out of the world And I looked, and saw one of the sons of men falling near death. And the angel says to me: This is a righteous man, and, behold the good [angels] took possession of the soul of the righteous man, and said to it: Take note of the body whence thou art coming out; for it is necessary for thee again to return to it in the day of the resurrection, that thou mayst receive what God hath promised to the righteous. And the good angels who had received the soul of the righteous man, saluted it, as being well known to them. And it went with them; and the [holy] Spirit came forth to meet them, saying: Come, soul, enter into the place of the resurrection, which God hath prepared for His righteous ones (p. 480). Torment after death: Follow me, that I may show thee where the souls of the impious and the sinners are And I saw a river of fire, and there was there a multitude of many souls. And I asked the angel: Who are these, my lord? And he said to me: These are the thieves, and slanderers, and flatterers, who did not set up God as their help, but hoped in the vanity of their riches And I looked into the fiery river, and saw an old man dragged along by two, and they pulled him in up to the knee. And the angel Temeluch coming, laid hold of an iron with his hand, and with it drew up the entrails of that old man through his mouth And I saw there another old man carried in haste by four angels; and they threw him into the fiery river up to the girdle, and he was frightfully burnt by the lightnings (pp. 485-486). Doctrines of Mary being the mother of God and the transubstantiation: And the angel took me up from these torments, and set me above a well there came forth a stench which it was impossible to bear. And having come near the place, I saw that well filled with darkness and gloom, and great narrowness of space in it. And the angel who was with me said to rne: This place of the well which them seest is cast off from the glory of God, and none of the angels is importunate in behalf of them; and as many as have professed that the holy Mary is not the mother of God, and that the

Lord did not become man out of her, and that the bread of the thanksgiving and the cup of blessing are not His flesh and blood are cast into this well (pp. 487-488). Transubstantiation is contrary to the Biblical admonition to not eat blood (Acts 15:28, 29). Revelation of John: Images and crosses are spoke of approvingly: Then will I [God] send forth mine angels over the face of all the earth, and they shall lift off the earth everything honourable, and everything precious, and the venerable and holy images, and the glorious and precious crosses, and the sacred vessels of the churches, and the divine and sacred books; and all the precious and holy things shall be lifted up by clouds into the air (p. 497). The Scriptures admonish against idolatry (1John 5:21). Torment after death: Then the pitiful sinners, seeing their works, and having no consolation, shall go down weeping into streams as it were of blood And these go away into everlasting punishment sound the trumpet for the frightful wild beasts to gather them together to feed upon them open the twelve plagues, that all the creeping things may be brought together against the impious and unrepenting and the sinners will be melted in frightful punishments (p. 503; Manuscript E). Book of John Concerning the Falling Asleep of Mary: Mary being the mother of God and always a virgin: The all-holy glorious mother of God and ever-virgin Mary (p. 504). Since Jesus is called Marys firstborn, she had other children by the normal means (Luke 2:4-7). At death, Marys body was taken to paradise and her soul to heaven: Behold, from the present time thy precious body will be transferred to paradise, and thy holy soul to the heavens to the treasures of my Father in exceeding brightness, where there is peace and joy of the holy angels when the third day [from the burial of Mary] was ended all knew that her spotless and precious body had been transferred to paradise (pp. 512, 514). The Passing of Mary, 1st in Latin: At death, Marys body and soul taken to heaven: When thou shalt see me [Christ] coming to thee [Mary] with angels and archangels, with saints and with virgins, and with my disciples, know for certain that thy soul will be separated from the body, and I shall carry it into heaven the soul of the blessed virgin Mary was taken up into heaven with psalms, and hymns, and songs of songs the holy body [of Mary] was taken up by angels into heaven (pp. 515, 518-519). The Passing of Mary, 2nd in Latin: At death, Marys body and soul taken to heaven: The Saviour ordered the archangel Michael to bring the soul of St. Mary And immediately Mary rose from the tomb And kissing her, the Lord delivered her soul to the angels, that they should carry it into paradise the angels along with Him, carrying the blessed Mary into the paradise of God (16, 17; p. 530). More Apocryphal Works (all quotes from Apocrypha NT2, unless otherwise noted; their order is as is found there; 21 works): The Letter of Herod to Pilate: Confusion of the Herods: I [Herod Antipas] am in great distress of mind at the death of Jesus, and reflecting on my sins in killing John Baptist and massacring the Innocents (p. 156). It was Herod Antipas who was present when Jesus was accused of wrongdoing and put to death, and who executed John the Baptist (Luke 9:7-9; 23:6, 7). His father, Herod the Great, was the one who put to death the Innocents (Matt 2:16-18). Letter of Tiberius to Pilate: Anachronism: Pilate, Archelaus, Philip, Annas, and Caiaphas were arrested Archelaus and Philip were crucified (p. 157). Christ appeared before Pilate in 33 CE, but Archelaus lost his rulership in 9 CE and was thereafter banished to Gaul. Gospel (Questions) of St. Bartholomew (Greek): Patriarchs brought out of Hades when Christ dying: When I [Christ] vanished away from the cross, then went I down into Hades that I might bring up Adam and all them that were with him and brought forth thence all the patriarchs and came again unto the cross (1, 9 & 20; pp. 167-168). David still in Hades 50 days after Christs death (Acts 2:29-34).

Souls go to heaven soon after death: Jesus said: There be souls of the righteous which to-day have departed out of the body and go unto paradise, and unless I be present they cannot enter into paradise (1, 29; p. 169). Primacy of Peter: Bartholomew therefore said unto Peter: Thou that art the chief (2, 3; p. 170). Misunderstanding of Matt 1618: Mary said unto Peter: O stone hewn out of the rock, did not the Lord build his church upon thee? (4, 3; p. 173). Peter understood the rock upholding the congregation to be Christ (1Pet 2:4-8). Satan bound in 1st C. CE: Michael sounded, and the earth shook, and Beliar came up, being held by 660 angels and bound with fiery chains (4, 12; p. 174). Satan not bound till the last days (Rev 1:1; 20:1-3). Satan created before Michael: When God made the heavens, he took a handful of fire and formed me first, Michael second (4, 28; p. 175). Jesus, being Michael the archangel, is the firstborn of all creation (Col 1:15). Torment after death: Beliar saith unto him: Wilt thou that I declare unto thee the punishment of the hypocrites, of the backbiters, of the jesters, of the idolaters, and the covetous, and the adulterers, and the wizards, and the diviners, and of them that believe in us, and of all whom I tlook upon (deceive?)? And he smote his teeth together, gnashing them, and there came up out of the bottomless pit a wheel having a sword flashing with fire, and in the sword were pipes. And I asked him, saying: What is this sword? And he said: This sword is the sword of the gluttonous: for into this pipe are sent they that through their gluttony devise all manner of sin; into the second pipe are sent the backbiters which backbite their neighbour secretly; into the third pipe are sent the hypocrites and the rest whom I overthrow by my contrivance (4, 38-42; pp. 176-177). The Book of the Resurrection of Christ by Bartholomew the Apostle: Souls go to heaven soon after death: A man in the crowd named Ananias, of Bethlehem, rushes to the cross and embraces and salutes the body The priests decide to stone Ananias The stoning produces no effect. They cast him into a furnace, where he remains till Jesus has risen. At last they pierce him with a spear. The Saviour takes his soul to heaven, and blesses him (Summarization; p. 181). Patriarchs brought out of Hades by Christ around time of his death: Jesus rose and delivered Adam and the holy souls Jesus and the redeemed souls ascended into Heaven (Summarization; pp. 183-184). David still in Hades 50 days after Christs death (Acts 2:29-34). Book of John the Evangelist: Satan created man; sex within marriage is a sin: Satan made man in his likeness, and commanded the angel of the third heaven to enter into the body of clay. And he took thereof and made another body in the form of a woman, and commanded the angel of the second heaven to enter into the body of the woman And he commanded them to do the deed of the flesh in the bodies of clay, and they knew not how to commit sin foolish men say thus in their deceitfulness that my Father made bodies of clay: but by the Holy Ghost made he all the powers of the heavens, and holy ones were found having bodies of clay because of their transgression (pp. 189-190). Contrary to Gen 1:26-28. Satan was behind the law of Moses: Then did the devil proclaim unto him (Moses) his godhead, and unto his people, and commanded a law to be given unto the children of Israel, and brought them out through the midst of the sea which was dried up (pp. 190-191). Contrary to Rom 7:12. Marriage forbidden: The Lord answered The disciples of John marry and are given in marriage ; but my disciples neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven (p. 191). The Assumption: Marys soul taken to heaven at death: Jesus ascended with Mary's soul in the chariot of the Cherubim [Some time later: ] The chariot of the Cherubim appeared with the Virgin seated in it and went up to heaven in glory (15 & 18; pp. 196-190). The Discourse of Theodosius: At death, Marys body and soul taken to heaven: [Christ] went up to heaven and presented the soul [of Mary] to the Father and the Holy Ghost. And the voice of

the Holy Trinity was heard welcoming the soul The body arose and embraced its own soul, even as two brothers who are come from a strange country, and they were united one with another (Summarization of 6 & 9; p. 199). The Assumption: Narrative by Joseph of Arimathaea: At death, Marys body taken to heaven: And suddenly a light from heaven shone round about them, and as they fell to the earth, the holy body; was taken up by angels into heaven (16; p. 217). The Syriac Narratives [of the Assumption of Mary]: Marys soul taken to heaven: Mary died and her soul was taken up (p. 223). Torment after death: The apostles then asked the Lord to show them the place of Torment the earth sprang upwards and they saw the pit. The lost saw Michael and begged for respite. Mary and the apostles fell down and interceded for them (p. 223). Acts of John: Prayer directed to Christ: Jesu Christ, God of the ages, God of truth I pray thee, O Christ, refuse not thy Drusiana (82; p. 249). Jesus body was not material: Another glory also will I tell you, brethren: Sometimes when I would lay hold on [Christ], I met with a material and solid body, and at other times, again, when I felt him, the substance was immaterial and as if it existed not at all And oftentimes when I walked with him, I desired to see the print of his foot, whether it appeared on the earth; for I saw him as it were lifting himself up from the earth: and I never saw it the Lord him whom became a man apart from this [material] body (93 & 103; p. 252-253, 256). Contrary to 1John 1:1-4; 2John 7. Marriage denounced: Receive therefore in thy heart the admonition of the blessed John know therefore more fully the mystery of the nuptial union: it is the experiment of the serpent, the ignorance of teaching, injury of the seed, the gift of death the beginning of disobedience, the end of life, and death. Hearing this, little children, join yourselves together in an inseparable marriage [with Christ], holy and true, waiting for the one true incomparable bridegroom from heaven, even Christ, the everlasting bridegroom (105; p. 266). Acts of Paul: Physical resurrection for 1st C. CE Christians in Corinth: Likewise also a dead man was cast upon the bones of the prophet Helisaeus by the children of Israel, and he arose, both body and soul and bones and spirit [2Kings 13:20-21]; how much more shall ye which have been cast upon the body and bones and spirit of the Lord arise again in that day having your flesh whole, EVEN AS HE AROSE? (7, 32; p. 291). 1st C. CE Christians were to have a resurrection in the spirit realm (1Cor 15:50-53). Prayer to Christ as God: O my God, Christ Jesus, who hast redeemed me out of so many evils (p. 573). Acts of Peter: Jesus portrayed as God: Sirnon [Magus] said: Thou presumest to speak of Jesus of Nazareth Ye men of Rome, is God born? Is he crucified? ... But Peter said: Anathema upon thy words against Christ! (3, 23-24; p. 324). Acts of Andrew: The sign of the cross: Thence proceeding through Thrace they met a troop of armed men who made as if to fall on them. Andrew made the sign of the cross against them, and prayed that they might be made powerless. A bright angel touched their swords and they all fell down (Summarization of 9; p. 339). The trinity: They went into the sea, and the apostle washed [a diseased man] in the name of the Trinity and he was whole (22; p. 348). Marriage forbidden: Andrew also had come to a wedding, he too, to manifest the glory of God, disjoined certain who were intended to marry each other, men and women, and instructed them to continue holy in the single state (38; p. 349). The Apostolic History of Abdias: Matthew conscious in the spirit realm after his death: Ephigenia [an enemy of Christianity tried to] send demons to carry her off, then surrounded her house with fire. But an angel, and Matthew [who had been killed], appeared and encouraged her (7, 15; p. 467).

The Acts of Andrew and Paul: Judas conscious in the spirit realm after his death: We find the captain of a ship which has brought Andrew and Paul to some city Paul has plunged Into the sea to visit the underworld He has seen Judas [Iscariot] and heard his story. Judas had repented and given back the money, and seen Jesus and pleaded for forgiveness (Summarization; p. 472). Epistle of the Apostles: Jesus called God: In God, the Lord, the Son of God, do we believe, that he is the word become flesh (3; p. 486). Anachronism: We testify that the Lord is he who was crucified by Pontius Pilate and Archelaus between the two thieves (8; p. 488). Christ appeared before Pilate in 33 CE, but Archelaus lost his rulership in 9 CE and was thereafter banished to Gaul. Non-existant verse of Scripture quoted: Then said the Lord Andrew, look on my feet and see whether they press the earth; for it is written in the prophet: A phantom of a devil maketh no footprint on the earth (11; p.488). Physical resurrection for 1st C. CE Christians: For to that end am I come, that ye might rise from the dead in your flesh, in the second birth, even a vesture that shall not decay (21; p. 493). Contrary to 1Cor 15:50-53. The dead conscious: Went I [Christ] down unto the place of Lazarus, and preached unto the righteous and the prophets, that they might come out of the rest which is below and come up into that which is above (27; p. 494). Apocalypse of Peter (Akhmim Fragment): Torment after death: I saw also another place over against that one, very squalid; and it was a place of punishment And some there were there hanging by their tongues; and these were they that blasphemed the way of righteousness, and under them was laid fire flaming and tormenting them. And there was a great lake full of flaming mire, wherein were certain men that turned away from righteousness; and angels, tormentors, were set over them. And there were also others, women, hanged by their hair above that mire which boiled up; and these were they that adorned themselves for adultery. And the men that were joined with them in the defilement of adultery were hanging by their feet, and had their heads hidden in the mire, and said: We believed not that we should come unto this place (21-24; pp. 508-509). Apocalypse of Peter (Ethiopic Text): Has torment after death similar to Akhmim Fragment (p. 514-518). Apocalypse of Thomas (A): Trinity: For I [Christ] am the Son of the high and powerful: I am the Father of all (p. 558). Apocalypse of Thomas (B): Souls of dead in paradise: Then shall the spirits and souls of all men come forth from paradise and shall come upon all the earth (p. 561). Apocalypse of the Virgin (Greek): Torment after death: The Virgin at the Mount of Olives prays to be told about the torments of hell and the next world. Michael is sent. He takes her to the west: the earth opens and discloses the lost who did not worship the Trinity. She sees a great darkness. At her prayer it is lifted and she sees souls tormented with boiling pitch there is a river of fire with souls immersed at various depths. Cursers of their parents. Causers of abortion. False swearers. A man hung by the feet and devoured by worms is a usurer. A woman hung by the ears, with serpents coming out of her mouth and biting her, is a backbiter and gossip (Summarization; p. 563). Apocalypse of the Virgin (Ethiopic): Torment after death: The Virgin The Son appeared and said that he would show her a great mystery. 'Look upon the earth beneath Women are seen, bitten by serpents, dogs, lions, and leopards of fire. They are nuns who violated the rule and slew their children (Summarization; p. 564). Revelation of Stephen: Righteous souls taken to heaven at death: Nicodemus and Gamaliel put their arms about [Stephen] and shielded him, and were slain, and gave up their souls to Christ and the people beheld the souls borne up by angels into heaven, and saw the heavens open and the hosts coming to meet the souls (Summarization; p. 567).

Anachronism: Pilate rose early to burn incense before the bodies On the night following, Stephen appeared and said to him After seven months thou also shalt rest. And Pilate did so: and he died, and was buried (Summarization; p. 568). Stephens martyrdom took place c. 34-35 CE. Josephus records that Pilate was called before Tiberius in the year 36, but did not have to complete the journey for Tiberius died before Pilate got thee. Jerome states that many Roman historians note Pilate to have committed suicide in 40 CE (see quotations). Gnostic Apocryphal Works (all quotes from Apocrypha NT4, unless otherwise noted; their order is as is found at http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/nhlalpha.html; 25 works): The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles: Asceticism: [Christs words:] No man is able to go on that road, except one who has forsaken everything that he has and has fasted daily from stage to stage. For many are the robbers and wild beasts on that road. The one who carries bread with him on the road, the black dogs kill because of the bread. The one who carries a costly garment of the world with him, the robbers kill because of the garment. The one who carries water with him, the wolves kill because of the water, since they were thirsty for it. The one who is anxious about meat and green vegetables, the lions eat because of the meat. If he evades the lions, the bulls devour him because of the green vegetables Peter answered and said to him, Lord, you have taught us to forsake the world and everything in it. We have renounced them for your sake [Christs words:] The rich men of the city who reveled in their wealth and pride - with such as these, therefore, do not dine in their houses nor be friends with them. The Apocalypse of Adam: Adam and Eve greater than their Creator: The revelation which Adam taught we [Adam and Eve] were higher than the god who had created us and the powers with him, whom we did not know. Contrary to Isa 40:12-17, 21-23. The (First) Apocalypse of James: God has no name: Nothing existed except Him-who-is. He is unnameable and ineffable. The true Christ did not suffer on the stake: [Christ speaking after his resurrection:] The Lord said, James, do not be concerned for me . Never have I suffered in any way, nor have I been distressed. Humans were created by a lesser female divine being, not the Almighty: [Christ speaking:] I shall call upon the imperishable knowledge, which is Sophia who is in the Father (and) who is the mother of Achamoth. Achamoth had no father nor male consort, but she is female from a female. She produced you [James] without a male. Contrary to Gen 1:26-28. The (Second) Apocalypse of James: James, a disciple of Christ, can know more than Jehovah: [Christ speaking:] I shall reveal to you those things that (neither) the heavens nor their archons have known. Behold, I shall reveal to you those things that he did not know, he who boasted, [...] there is no other except me. Am I not alive? Because I am a father, do I not have power for everything? [paraphrase of Isa 44:24; 45:5-7; 46:9, 10; Jer 10:10-12]" The true Christ unknown to Jehovah: He [Christ] was that one whom he who created the heaven and the earth and dwelled in it, did not see. The Apocalypse of Paul: Transmigration of souls: But I saw in the fourth heaven the angels resembling gods, the angels bringing a soul out of the land of the dead. They placed it at the gate of the fourth heaven. And the angels were whipping it. The soul spoke, saying, What sin was it that I committed in the world? The toll-collector who dwells in the fourth heaven replied, saying, It was not right to commit all those lawless deeds that are in the world of the dead. The soul replied, saying, Bring witnesses! Let them show you in what body I committed lawless deeds When the soul heard these things [witness borne against it], it gazed downward in sorrow. And then it gazed upward. It was cast down. The soul that had been cast down went to a body which had been prepared for it. The Apocalypse of Peter: The real spiritual Christ did not die on the torture stake, only an imitation one made of flesh: The Savior said to me, He whom you saw on the tree, glad and

laughing, this is the living Jesus. But this one into whose hands and feet they drive the nails is his fleshly part, which is the substitute being put to shame, the one who came into being in his likeness he whom they crucified is the first-born, and the home of demons, and the stony vessel in which they dwell, of Elohim, of the cross, which is under the Law. But he who stands near him is the living Savior, the first in him, whom they seized and released, who stands joyfully looking at those who did him violence. " The Apocryphon of James: Some of the truth Christ taught is not for everyone to hear: Since you asked that I send you a secret book which was revealed to me and Peter by the Lord, I could not turn you away But since you are a minister of the salvation of the saints, endeavor earnestly and take care not to rehearse this text to many - this that the Savior did not wish to tell to all of us, his twelve disciples. However, Jesus, in the chapter of Matthew about how to go about the preaching work, said: What I tell YOU in the darkness, say in the light; and what YOU hear whispered, preach from the housetops (Matt 10:27). Predestination of the righteous: Thrice blessed are they who were proclaimed by the Son before they came to be, that you might have a portion among them. The Apocryphon of John (The Secret Book of John; The Secret Revelation of John): God the Father is unknowable and unnameable: He is ineffable, since no one was able to comprehend him to speak about him. He is unnameable, since there is no one prior to him to give him a name. Pre-existence of souls: And in the third aeon the souls of the saints were placed (there). And in the fourth aeon the souls were placed of those who do not know the Pleroma and who did not repent at once, but who persisted for a while and repented afterwards. The God of the Bible is an ignorant being some generations removed from the Almighty Father: And the Sophia of the Epinoia, being an aeon [generation from the Almighty Father], conceived a thought from herself and something came out of her which was imperfect and different from her appearance And she called his name Yaltabaoth. This is the first archon who took a great power from his mother he is ignorant darkness And he is impious in his arrogance which is in him. For he said, I am God and there is no other God beside me, [paraphrase of Isa 45:5-7] for he is ignorant of his strength, the place from which he had come And having created everything when he saw the creation which surrounds him, and the multitude of the angels around him which had come forth from him, he said to them, 'I am a jealous God, and there is no other God beside me.' [paraphrase of Ex 20:2, 5] Material creation is evil: And him (Adam) they [his creators] form (him) from earth and water and fire and the spirit which originates in matter, which is the ignorance of darkness and desire, and their counterfeit spirit. This is the tomb of the newly-formed body. Contrary to Gen 1:31. Soul goes to heaven or punishment at death: Lord, where will the souls of these go when they have come out of their flesh? And he smiled and said to me, The soul in which the power will become stronger than the counterfeit spirit, is strong and it flees from evil is saved, and it is taken up to the rest of the aeons Lord, these also who did not know, but have turned away, where will their souls go? Then he said to me, To that place where the angels of poverty go they will be taken, the place where there is no repentance. And they will be kept for the day on which those who have blasphemed the spirit will be tortured, and they will be punished with eternal punishment. The Book of Thomas the Contender: Torment after death: He who will listen to your word and turn away his face or sneer at it or smirk at these things, truly I tell you that he will be handed over to the ruler above who rules over all the powers as their king, and he will turn that one around and cast him from heaven down to the abyss, and he will be imprisoned in a narrow dark place. Moreover, he can neither turn nor move on account of the great depth of Tartaros and the heavy bitterness of Hades fiery scourges that cast a shower of sparks into the face of the one who is pursued. If he flees westward, he finds the fire. If he turns southward, he finds it there as well. If he turns northward, the threat of seething fire meets him again.

The Concept of Our Great Power: Mistaken, ancient scientific concepts are used as the basis for spiritual teaching: The earth is supported by water (connected here with the primeval waters of creation), which even extends to the realm of spirits: Discern what size the water is, that it is immeasurable (and) incomprehensible, both its beginning and its end. It supports the earth; it blows in the air where the gods and the angels are. The earth is unmoveable: The earth does not move. Were it to move, it would fall. But it neither moves nor falls. Eugnostos the Blessed: The Almighty God is unnameable and unknowable: He-Who-Is is ineffable For he is immortal and eternal, having no birth; for everyone who has birth will perish. He is unbegotten, having no beginning; for everyone who has a beginning has an end. No one rules over him. He has no name; for whoever has a name is the creation of another. He is unnameable He is unknowable, while he (nonetheless) knows himself He is called 'Father of the Universe. The Exegesis on the Soul: Pre-existence of souls: Now it is fitting that the soul regenerates herself and become again as she formerly was And she received the divine nature from the father for her rejuvenation, so that she might be restored to the place where originally she had been. This is the resurrection that is from the dead. This is the ransom from captivity. This is the upward journey of ascent to heaven. The Gospel of the Egyptians: Gods name cannot be uttered: The holy book of the Egyptians about the great invisible Spirit, the Father whose name cannot be uttered. The Gospel of Philip: Gods name cannot be uttered: One single name is not uttered in the world it is the name above all things: the name of the Father Those who have this name know it, but they do not speak it. Mary did not beget Jesus by the holy spirit: Some said, Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit. [Matt 1:20] They are in error. They do not know what they are saying. When did a woman ever conceive by a woman? Mary is the virgin whom no power defiled. This apocryphal teaching seeks to negate the Scripture in Matthew by quibbling over the fact that holy spirit is feminine in Hebrew and some other Semitic languages (7307 .) Jesus was resurrected then died: Those who say that the Lord died first and (then) rose up are in error, for he rose up first and (then) died. If one does not first attain the resurrection, he will not die. These gnostic writings negate the resurrection of Christ from the dead to emphasize the resurrection from spiritual death to spiritual life. But Christ was never spiritually dead (1Pet 2:21, 22). The world is the mistaken creation of an imperfect, perishable god: The world came about through a mistake. For he who created it wanted to create it imperishable and immortal. He fell short of attaining his desire. For the world never was imperishable, nor, for that matter, was he who made the world. The Gospel of Thomas: Primacy given to James: The disciples said to Jesus, We know that you are going to leave us. Who will be our leader? Jesus said to them, "No matter where you are you are to go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being (12). The Gospel of Truth: Humans have souls that have forgotten the knowledge they had in their pre-existence: Jesus the Christ Through him [the Father] enlightened those who were in darkness because of forgetfulness he who remains ignorant until the end is a creature of forgetfulness and will perish with it. The Hypostasis of the Archons (The Reality of the Rulers): The God of the Bible is an ignorant being in darkness (this Gnostic work confuses God with the demons): The great apostle [Paul] - referring to the authorities of the darkness - told us that our contest is not against flesh and blood; rather, the authorities of the universe and the spirits of wickedness. I have sent this (to

you) because you inquire about the reality of the authorities. Their chief is blind; because of his power and his ignorance and his arrogance he said, with his power, It is I who am God; there is none apart from me [paraphrase of Isa 45:5-7] [an] angel bound Yaldabaoth [God] and cast him down into Tartaros below the abyss. Man has a soul: The rulers had taken some soil from the earth and modeled their man after their body and after the image of God and the man came to have a soul [and] called his name Adam. Contrary to Gen 2:7. The Letter of Peter to Philip: Trinity: The orders of our God Jesus. The God of the Bible is proud and arrogant: The Arrogant One, became proud on account of the praise of the powers. He became an envier and he wanted to make an image And he commissioned the powers within his authority to mold mortal bodies. Melchizedek: Praise for other gods and for spirits: Holy are you, Holy are you, Holy are you, Mother of the aeons, Barbelo, for ever and ever, Amen. Holy are you, Holy are you, Holy are you, First-born of the aeons, Doxomedon for ever and ever, Amen. Holy are you, Holy are you, Holy are you, commander, luminary of the aeons, Oriael, for ever and ever, Amen. Holy are you, Holy are you, Holy are you, commander of the aeons, man-of-light, Daveithe, for ever and ever. Amen. Holy are you, Holy are you, Holy are you, commander-in-chief, Eleleth ... Holy are you, Holy are you, Holy are you, good god of the beneficent words ... Mirocheirothetou, for ever and ever. Contrary to Ex 20:2, 3; Col 2:18. On the Origin of the World: The God of the Bible is ignorant and boastful: There appeared for the first time a ruler having great authority within him, and ignorant of whence he had come into being he called himself 'Yaldabaoth' he continually boasted, saying to them It is I who am God, and there is no other one that exists apart from me [paraphrase of Isa 45:5-7]. Eve gave life to Adam: When Eve saw her male counterpart prostrate, she had pity upon him, and she said, Adam! Become alive! Arise upon the earth! Immediately her word became accomplished fact. For Adam, having arisen, suddenly opened his eyes. When he saw her, he said, You shall be called 'Mother of the Living'. For it is you who have given me life. Contrary to Gen 2:21-23. Adam named the animals after sinning: Eve took some of its fruit and ate it; and she gave some also to her husband, and he too ate it when the rulers saw that their Adam had entered into an alien state of knowledge, they desired to test him, and they gathered together all the domestic animals and the wild beasts of the earth and the birds of heaven and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. When he saw them, he gave names to their creatures. Contrary to Gen 2:19-23; 3:1-7. The Second Treatise of the Great Seth: The God of the Bible is a vainglorious being: And then a voice - of the Cosmocrator - came to the angels: I am God and there is no other beside me. [paraphrase of Isa 45:5-7] But I laughed joyfully when I examined his empty glory. The true Christ only seemed to, but did not actually die on the stake: I did not die in reality but in appearance and I <suffered> according to their sight and thought For my death, which they think happened, (happened) to them in their error and blindness, since they nailed their man unto their death. Faithful servants of God, and God himself, ridiculed: Abraham and Isaac and Jacob were a laughingstock David was a laughingstock Solomon was a laughingstock The 12 prophets were laughingstocks, since they have come forth as imitations of the true prophets Moses, a faithful servant, was a laughingstock For the Archon was a laughingstock because he said, I am God and there is no other beside me [paraphrase of Isa 45:5-7]. I am a jealous God, who brings the sins of the fathers upon the children for three and four generations [Ex 20:5]. Contrary to 1Sam 2:30. The Sophia of Jesus Christ: God Almighty is unnameable: For he is immortal and eternal. Now he is eternal, having no birth having no beginning Since no one rules over him, he has no name; for whoever has a name is the creation of another He is called 'Father of the Universe.'

The God of the Bible is an arrogant, blind being who is lesser than the Almighty God of the universe: Arch-Begetter, who is called 'Yaldabaoth' I [Christ] came that I might reveal to you Him Who Is from the Beginning, because of the arrogance of Arch-Begetter and his angels, since they say about themselves that they are gods. And I came to remove them from their blindness, that I might tell everyone about the God who is above the universe. The Teachings of Silvanus: Soul separate from the body: The body has come into being from the earth with an earthly substance, but the formed, for the sake of the soul, has come into being from the thought of the Divine it (the soul) exists as wife of that which has come into being in conformity with the image, but matter is the substance of the body, which has come into being from the earth. Contrary to Gen 2:7. Christ is God and released ones from Hades in the 1st C. CE: How many likenesses did Christ take on because of you! Although he was God, he was found among men as a man. He descended to the Underworld. He released the children of death Christ This one, being God, became man for your sake He brought up the poor from the Abyss and the mourners from the Underworld. David still in Hades 50 days after Christs death (Acts 2:29-34). The Testimony of Truth: Marriage and marital intercourse are unclean: For the defilement of the Law is manifest The Law commands (one) to take a husband (or) to take a wife, and to beget, to multiply like the sand of the sea. But passion, which is a delight to them, constrains the souls of those who are begotten in this place, those who defile and those who are defiled, in order that the Law might be fulfilled through them But the Son of Man came forth from Imperishability, being alien to defilement. He came to the world by the Jordan river, and immediately the Jordan turned back The water of the Jordan is the desire for sexual intercourse. The God of the Bible is blind and begrudging: What sort is this God? First he maliciously refused Adam from eating of the tree of knowledge, and, secondly, he said Adam, where are you? God does not have foreknowledge? Would he not know from the beginning? And afterwards, he said, Let us cast him out of this place, lest he eat of the tree of life and live forever. Surely, he has shown himself to be a malicious grudger! And what kind of God is this? For great is the blindness of those who read, and they did not know him. And he said, I am the jealous God; I will bring the sins of the fathers upon the children until three (and) four generations. And he said, I will make their heart thick, and I will cause their mind to become blind, that they might not know nor comprehend the things that are said. But these things he has said to those who believe in him and serve him! Solomon begotten in adultery and built Jerusalem with demonic help: David the king laid the foundation of Jerusalem; and his son Solomon, whom he begat in adultery, is the one who built Jerusalem by means of the demons, because he received power. When he had finished building, he imprisoned the demons in the temple. Contrary to 2Sam 11:26, 27; 12:13-24. The Tripartite Tractate: The Almighty God is unnameable: He is unbegotten and immortal he has no beginning and no end Not one of the names which are conceived or spoken, seen or grasped - not one of them applies to him, even though they are exceedingly glorious, magnifying and honored. Christians had a pre-existence: The Church consisting of many men that existed before the aeons This is the nature of the holy imperishable spirits. Christ redeemed the angels also: Not only do humans need redemption, but also the angels, too, need redemption Among the men who are in the flesh redemption began to be given, his firstborn, and his love, the Son who was incarnate he is called the Redemption of the angels of the Father. Contrary to Heb 2:16. Other Apocryphal Books (4 works): The Gospel of Judas (edited by Rodolphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer, and Gregor Wurst, The National Geographic Society, 2006): Immortality of the soul: When these people, however, have completed the time of the kingdom and the spirit leaves them, their bodies will die but their souls will be alive,

and they will be taken up mortal people their souls go up to the eternal realms above (4344). The Gospel of Mary Magdalene (http://gnosis.org/library/marygosp.htm): A woman teaching men: Peter said to Mary, Sister we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of woman. Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember which you know, but we do not, nor have we heard them. Mary answered and said, What is hidden from you I will proclaim to you. And she began to speak to them these words [etc.] Peter answered and spoke concerning these same things. He questioned them about the Savior: Did He really speak privately with a woman and not openly to us? Are we to turn about and all listen to her? Did He prefer her to us? Levi answered and said to Peter, Peter you have always been hot tempered. Now I see you contending against the woman like the adversaries. But if the Savior made her worthy, who are you indeed to reject her? Surely the Savior knows her very well And when they heard this they began to go forth to proclaim and to preach (5, 5-8; 9, 3-4, 6-10). Contrary to 1Tim 2:11, 12. The Books of Jeu and the Untitled Text in the Bruce Codex (by Carl Schmidt, Violet MacDermot, Leiden, Netherlands, E.J. Brill, 1978): The soul goes to heaven: The paralemptai [receivers] of the Treasury of the Light come and they bring forth the soul from the body and they take it into the Treasury of the Light. And they erase all sins which they have committed And the soul leaps continually from place to place, until it reaches the Treasury of the Light (The Books of Jeu 2, 42; p. 99). The Almighty God is unnameable: He was (called ) the ineffable and the nameless one. And he was also called self-begotten and self-willed because he had revealed himself by his own will (The Untitled Text 13). Pistis Sophia (translated by G. R. S. Mead, London, J. M. Watkins, 1921): Pre-existence of souls: I [Christ] found the soul of the prophet Elias in the ons of the sphere; and I took him thence, and took his soul and cast it into the womb of Elizabeth and the soul of the prophet Elias [was] bound into the body of John the Baptizer (1, 7; p. 10). The trinity: Then Mary, the mother of Jesus, came forward and said: My son according to the world, my God and Saviour according to the height (1, 59; p. 97). Common Errors Found in Apocryphal Writings: Christianity: Christians take vengeance: Contrary to the attitude of Jesus at Luke 9:51-55; 23:34. Honorific titles: Contrary to Matt 23:9. Jesus a murderous youth: Compare this with Jesus words at Luke 23:34. Contrast Jesus admonition to forgive 77 times (Matt 18:21, 22) with that of Lamech, who felt his killing a youth for wounding him was a just vengeance of 77 times as great as the wound he had received (Gen 4:23, 24). Prayer to Jesus: Prayers in the Bible are only directed to Jehovah God (Matt 6:9). Primacy of Peter or James: The only one noted as being first among Gods people was one who did so under apostolic censure (3John 9-11). No one is ever assigned the position of primacy among Christians in the Scriptures. Relic worship: The Scriptures admonish against idolatry (1John 5:21). Sign of the cross: The cross is a pagan symbol and usage of such is forbidden in Deut 12:29-32; 2Cor 6:14-18. Conditions or events after death: Ascent to heaven or paradise immediately after death: No attainment of a reward until the resurrection, which occurs during the presence of Christ (1Cor 15:22-24).

Body taken to heaven: Contrary to 1Cor 15:50. Consciousness: Contrary to Job 3:11-19; Ps 146:3, 4; Eccl 9:5, 10. Torment: Since the dead are conscious of nothing, they can feel no torment. Gnostic beliefs: God ignorant, imperfect, begrudging, or arrogant: Contrary to Isa 40:13, 14; Deut 32:4; Luke 11:13; 2Sam 22:33, 36. True Christ did not suffer on the stake: Contrary to 2John 7. God: Trinity: Contrary to Matt 24:36; John 14:28; 17:3 Unknowable: Contrary to John 17:3. Unnameable or name unutterable: Contrary to Ps 83:18; Ruth 2:4. Man: Asceticism: Asceticism is pronounced useless in the Scriptures (Col 2:20-23). Marriage forbidden: Contrary to 1Tim 4:1-3. Predestined: Contrary to Deut 30:19, 20; Rev 22:17. The soul: Goes to heaven: The soul is physical (Gen 2:7), so its going to heaven is contrary to 1Cor 15:50. Immortal: The soul dies (Lev 19:28; Ezek 18:4). Pre-existent or transmigrant: People do not practice good or bad before birth, so the soul is not pre-existent, nor does it transmigrate (Rom 9:10-12).

Bibliography
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