Questions of Bartholomew

Historical English source page 215

GOSPEL OF BARTHOLOMEW 179 washed myself (Lat. 2, I took fig-leaves in my hands and wiped the sweat from my bosom and below mine arms and cast it down beside the streams of waters. 59 is greatly prolonged in this text) in the springs of the waters whence the four rivers flow out, and Eve drank of it and desire came upon her: for if she had not drunk of that water I should not have been able to deceive her. 60 Then Bartholomew commanded him to go into hell. 61 And Bartholomew came and fell at Jesus’ feet and began with tears to say thus: Abba, Father, that art past finding out by us, Word of the Father, whom the seven heavens hardly contained, but who wast pleased to be contained easily and without pain within the body of the Virgin: whom the Virgin knew not that she bare: thou by thy thought hast ordained all things to be: thou givest us j,that which we needf before thou art entreated. 62 Thou that didst wear a crown of thorns that thou mightest prepare for us that repent the precious crown from heaven; that didst hang upon the tree, that (a clause gone): (Lat. 2, that thou mightest turn from us the tree of lust and concupiscence (etc., etc.). The verse is prolonged for over 40 lines) (that didst drink wine mingled with gall) that thou mightest give us to drink of the wine of compunction, and wast pierced in the side with a spear that thou mightest fill us with thy body and thy blood: 63 Thou that gavest names unto the four rivers: to the first Phison, because of the faith (pistis) »which thou didst appear in the world to preach; to the second Geon, for that man was made of earth (gé);_ to the third Tigris, because by thee was revealed unto us the consubstantial Trinity in the heavens (to make anything of this we must read Trigis); to the fourth Euphrates, because by thy presence in the world thou madest every soul to rejoice (euphrdnai) through the word of immortality. 641 My God, and Father, the greatest, my King: save, Lord, the sinners. 65 When he had thus prayed Jesus said unto him: Bartholomew, my Father did name me Christ, that I might come down upon earth and anoint every man that cometh wnto me with the oil of life: and he did call me Jesus that I might heal every sin of them that know not...and give unto men (several corrupt words: the Latin has) the truth of God. 66 And again Bartholomew saith unto him: Lord, is it lawful for me to reveal these mysteries unto every man? 67 Jesus saith unto him: Bartholomew, my beloved, as many as are faithful and are able to keep them unto themselves, to them mayest thou entrust these things. For some there are 1 In Lat. 2, vv. 64-71 occupy 83 lines: verse 65 fills nearly 50 of these; Jesus dwells on the words, ‘I amthe way, the truth, and the life’, and speaks at some length of his benefits to the Jewish nation and their blindness and ingratitude (recalling the Improperia and 2 Esdras 1): there are also many clauses from John xili—xv.