Cave of Treasures

Historical source scan page 44

[Note: Then Michael, Gabriel, Suriel, and Uriel looked down from heaven, and saw the wickedness which ‘Azdaz’él had done in the world, and they heard the appeal which the souls of the dead were making to heaven, and they reported the matter to the Most High. When God heard their words He sent the angel ‘Arsyaldlytir to the son of Lamech, i.e. Noah, with the command, "Hide thyself." No mention is made of Methuselah, who begot Lamech when he was 187 years old, and who lived 969 years, and Lamech, who lived 777 years, and begot Noah in the 182nd year of his age, was passed over in favour of his son. Noah consolidated his position by marrying the daughter of Enoch. The angel revealed to Noah that a flood was about to cover the earth, and told him how to escape from it. Then God commanded Rafa‘él to bind ‘Azaz’él hand and foot, and to thrust him into a dark hole in the desert of Duda‘él (a place near Jerusalem?), and heap stones and rocks upon him. There he was to remain until the Day of judgment, when he would be cast into the fire and consumed. Gabriel was sent to destroy all the children of fornication; and Michael was sent to bind Semydza and the other dekarchs of the children of Seth, and to imprison them under the mountains of the earth for 70 generations, after which time they were to be taken to the abyss of fire and tortured there for ever. Book of Enoch (chapter x).] [The Book of the Mysteries of Heaven and Earth, by Abba Bakhayla-Mikd‘él (ed. Perruchon), says that it was the men who taught man the arts of civilisation, who caused God to bring the Flood on the earth. This work gives the names of these men and describes their inventions thus: Pipirés understood the sun, Ruridé quarried stones, Zar’él instituted the month, Pinéné introduced horse-riding (or racing), Galé invented the axe, Tigana invented the shield, Héréri taught men to play musical instruments, Yuebé taught working in iron, Mégéd taught horse-riding, Negédi discovered medicinal springs, and made known the planetary hours when the waters were most effective, Gargé made the first corn-grinder, Sétér taught men how to mix dough, Gimér taught the use of earthenware vessels for food, Zaré taught men to milk animals, Heggé taught men to make roofs, and Tentéreb showed them how to make doors, Sâpêr taught butter- making, Haldgé discovered how to carve wood and stone, Héder was the first to cultivate trees, Sind taught house-building, and Tôf invented the potter's craft, Artôrbegâs invented agricultural implements, Sébédégdaz introduced the use of kohl (eye-paint, stibium), Zârê invented the brewing of beer, Béténélddds invented the oven, Nafil taught men to make plantations and gardens, Yarbeh discovered how to fell trees and saw them up, ‘Elyé taught dancing, Pénémis invented architecture and writing, ‘Agalémtin taught the use of beasts in ploughing and how to drive furrows, Kueses invented ploughs and leather whips, ‘Akér discovered bronze (copper?), certain men taught working in cedar and willow-wood, Wasag and ‘Abéregya taught men the game of Tabat, and Nêr and Zabérégued taught them to play the games of ‘Atawemda and “‘Akfs, and the games of the circus.] 44 of 130