Questions of Bartholomew

Historical English source page 206

170 GOSPEL OF BARTHOLOMEW saith: And how do three only enter into paradise? Jesus saith unto him: The [fifty] three enter into paradise or are laid up in Abraham’s bosom: but the others go into the place of the resur- rection, for the three are not like unto the fifty. 34 Bartholomew saith unto him: Lord, how many souls above the number are born into the world daily ? ? Jesus saith unto him: One soul only is born above the number of them that depart. [30, &c., Latin 1. Bartholomew said: How many are the souls which depart out of the body every day? Jesus said: Verily I say unto thee, twelve (thousand) eight hundred, four score and three souls depart out of the body every day.]* 35 And when he had said this he gave them the peace, and vanished away from them. II 1 Now the apostles were in the place [Cherubim, Cheltoura, Chritir] with Mary. 2 And Bartholomew came and said unto Peter and Andrew and John: Let us ask her that is highly favoured how she conceived the incomprehensible, or how she bare him that cannot be carried, or how she brought forth so much greatness. But they doubted to ask her. 3 Bartholomew therefore said unto Peter: Thou that art the chief, and my teacher, draw near and ask her. But Peter said to John: Thou art a virgin and undefiled (and beloved) and thou must ask her. 4, And as they all doubted and disputed, Bartholomew came near unto her with a cheerful countenance and said to her: Thou that art highly favoured, the tabernacle of the Most High, unblemished, we, even all the apostles, ask thee (or All the apostles have sent me to ask thee) to tell us how thou didst conceive the incompre- hensible, or how thou didst bear him that cannot be carried, or how thou didst bring forth so much greatness. 5 But Mary said unto them: Ask me not (or Do ye indeed ask me) concerning this mystery. If I should begin to tell you, fire will issue forth out of my mouth and consume all the world. 6 But they continued yet the more to ask her. And she, for she could not refuse to hear the apostles, said: Let us stand up in prayer. 7% And the apostles stood behind Mary: but she said unto Peter: Peter, thou chief, thou great pillar, standest thou behind us? Said not our Lord: the head of the man is Christ <but the head of the woman is the man, Slav., Lat. 2>? now therefore stand ye before me and pray. 8 But they said unto her: In thee did the Lord set his tabernacle, and it was his good pleasure that thou shouldest contain him, and thou oughtest to be 1 Lat. 2, 30-4 has: 6,074 souls depart out of the body every day. Three go into paradise. 33 How three only? Fifty-three go into paradise, but only three into Abraham’s bosom. The rest are in the place of repose, for they are not like the three. 34 One more soul departs every day than is born.