Cave of Treasures

Historical source scan page 72

divisions and three groups [who come] for baptism, namely, men and women and children. And that Jacob saw Rachel coming with the flocks, and that he neither embraced her nor kissed her until he had rolled away the stone from the well, and she had watered the flocks, is in accordance with the law of the sons of the Church, who neither embrace nor kiss the Lamb of Christ until baptism hath opened [the way]; they go down into the waters and put on strength from them and then the sons of the Church embrace and kiss. And as Jacob served with Laban for seven years, and the woman he loved was not given to him, so also was it with the Jews, who served Pharaoh, king of Egypt, in slavery, and went forth. [Fol. 28b, col. 1.] For the Covenant of the Church, the Bride of Christ, was not given unto them, but that Covenant which was old, and worn out, and of no effect. Now the eyes of [Leah], the first woman whom Jacob took to wife, were hateful, whilst the eyes of Rachel were beautiful, and her countenance was radiant. A covering (i.e. veil) was laid over the face of the first Covenant, so that the children of Israel might not see the beauty thereof; as for the second Covenant, it is wholly light. Jacob's sons. The Death of Isaac Jacob was seventy-seven years old when he received the blessing of Isaac, his father, and he was eighty-nine years old when he begot Reuben, his firstborn, by Leah. The sons of Jacob are these: e Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulon; these are the sons of Leah. e Joseph and Benjamin were the sons of Rachel. e Gad and Asher were the sons of Zilpah, the handmaiden of Leah [Fol. 28b, col. 2]. e Dan and Naphtali were the sons of Bilhah, the handmaiden of Rachel. And after twenty years Jacob returned to Isaac his father. And all the days of the life of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years, until the thirty-first year of the life of Levi, and he died in the one hundred and twentieth year of the life of Jacob. Twenty-three years after Jacob went up from Harrân, Joseph was sold to the Midianites; he was sold during the lifetime of Isaac, and they mourned for him. When Isaac died Jacob and Esau, his sons, buried him with Abraham and Sara. Seven years later Rebecca died, and was buried with Abraham, and Isaac, and Sara; and Rachel died and was buried with them. And Judah, the son of Jacob, took unto himself to wife Shi’ (Shuah), the Canaanitess [Fol. 29a, col. 1], and his father was grieved because he had taken to wife a woman of the seed of Canaan. And Jacob said unto Judah, "May the Lord God of our fathers Abraham and Isaac not permit the seed of Canaan to be mingled with our families." And there were born unto Judah by Shuah, the Canaanite woman, ‘Ir (Er), Onan, and Shéla (Shelah). And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, Tamar, and he consorted with her unnaturally, and God put him to death. And Judah gave Tamar to Onan, and as soon as his seed became available for Tamar he wasted it, and him also did God put to death. 72 of 130