Lost Books of the Bible (9 page)

Chapter XLVII

1 Then Adam and Eve came into the cave, still trembling because of the fire that had scorched them. So Adam said to Eve: 2 "Look, in this world the fire burns our flesh. How will it be when we are dead and Satan shall punish our souls? Is not our deliverance far off unless God comes in His mercy and fulfills His promise to us?" 3 Then Adam and Eve stepped into the cave blessing themselves for coming into it once more. For they thought that they would never enter it, when they saw the fire around it. 4 But as the sun was setting the fire was still burning and coming closer to Adam and Eve in the cave, so that they could not sleep in it. After the sunset they went out of the cave. This was the forty-seventh day after they came out of the garden. 5 Adam and Eve then came under the top of hill by the garden to sleep, as they were accustomed. 6 And they stood and prayed God to forgive them their sins, and then fell asleep under the top of the mountain. 7 But Satan, the hater of all that is good, thought to himself: “God has promised salvation to Adam by covenant, and promised that He would deliver him from all the hardships that have befallen him, but God has not promised me by covenant, and will not deliver me out of my hardships. He has promised Adam that He should make him and his descendants live in the kingdom that I once lived in. I will kill Adam. 8 The earth shall be rid of him. The earth shall be left to me alone. When he is dead he will not have any descendants left to inherit the kingdom and it will remain my own realm. God will then be wanting me, and He will restore it to me and my hosts."

Chapter XLVIII

1 After this Satan called to his hosts, all of which came to him, and said to him: 2 "Our lord, what will you do?" 3 Then he said to them, "This Adam, whom God created out of the dust, is the one who has taken our kingdom from us. Come, let us gather together and kill him. Hurl a rock at him and at Eve, and crush them under it." 4 When Satan's hosts heard these words they came to the part of the mountain where Adam and Eve were asleep. 5 Then Satan and his host took a huge rock, broad and smooth, and without blemish. He thought to himself, "If there should be a hole in the rock, when it fell on them the hole in the rock might align over them so they would escape and not die." 6 He then said to his hosts, "Take up this stone and drop it flat on them so that it doesn't roll off them to somewhere else. And when you have hurled it at them get away from there quickly." 7 And they did as he told them. But as the rock fell down from the mountain toward Adam and Eve, God commanded the rock to become a covering over them so that it did them no harm. And so it was by God's order. 8 But when the rock fell, the whole earth quaked because of it, and was shaken from the size of the rock. 9 And as it quaked and shook Adam and Eve awoke from sleep and found themselves under a covering of rock. But they didn't know what had happened because when they fell asleep they were under the sky and not under a covering, and when they saw it they were afraid. 10 Then Adam said to Eve, "How has the mountain bent itself and the earth quaked and shaken on our account? And why has this rock spread itself over us like a tent? 11 Does God intend to plague us and to shut us up in this prison? Or will He close the earth over us? 12 He is angry with us for our having come out of the cave without His permission and for our having done so of our own accord without asking Him when we left the cave and came to this place." 13 Then Eve said, "Adam, if indeed the earth shook for our sake and this rock formed a tent over us because of our transgression we will be sorry, because our punishment will be long. 14 But get up and pray to God to let us know concerning this, and what this rock is that is spread over us like a tent." 15 Then Adam stood up and prayed before the Lord to let him know what had brought about this difficult time. And Adam stood praying like that until the morning. 

Chapter XLIX

1 Then the Word of God came and said: 2 "O Adam, who counseled you when you came out of the cave to come to this place?" 3 And Adam said to God, "Lord, we came to this place because of the heat of the fire that came over us inside the cave." 4 Then the Lord God said to Adam, "Adam, you dread the heat of fire for one night, but how will it be when you live in hell? 5 But Adam, do not be afraid and do not believe that I have placed this covering of rock over you to plague you. 6 It came from Satan, who had promised you the Godhead and majesty. It is he who threw down this rock to kill you under it, and Eve with you, and in this way to prevent you from living on the earth. 7 But, as that rock was falling down on you I was merciful. I commanded it to form a tent over you, and the rock under you to lower itself. 8 And this sign, O Adam, will happen to Me at My coming on earth: Satan will raise the people of the Jews to put Me to death and they will lay Me in a rock, and seal a large stone over Me, and I shall remain within that rock three days and three nights. 9 But on the third day I shall rise again, and it shall be salvation to you, O Adam, and to your descendants, so that you will believe in Me. But, Adam, I will not bring you from under this rock until three days and three nights have passed." 10 And God withdrew His Word from Adam. 11 But Adam and Eve lived under the rock three days and three nights, as God had told them. 12 And God did so to them because they had left their cave and had come to this same place without God's permission. 13 But, after three days and three nights, God created an opening in the covering of rock and allowed them to get out from under it. Their flesh was dried up, and their eyes and hearts were troubled from crying and sorrow.

Author’s note: Some translations have the rock forming a dome, but the text gives no shape. If one reads the text closely, it becomes obvious that the shape of the falling rock may not be as important as the fact that the ground Adam and Eve were sleeping on was made to form a depression between the tent or dome shape and the depression of the ground.  This formed a cave shape, which mimicked the cave in which Jesus would be buried.  It is less obvious but implied that Adam and Eve had some amount of light inside the cave. The text gives no explanation, whether there were gaps, cracks, or holes for air and light.

Chapter L

1 Then Adam and Eve went out and came into the Cave of Treasures and stood praying in it the entire day until the evening. 2 And this took place at the end of the fifty days after they had left the garden. 3 But Adam and Eve rose again and prayed to God in the cave the whole of that night, and begged for mercy from Him. 4 And when the day dawned, Adam said to Eve, "Come! Let us go and do some work for our bodies." 5 So they went out of the cave, and came to the northern border of the garden, and they looked for something to cover their bodies with. But they found nothing, and did not know how to do the work. But their bodies were stained, and they could not speak from cold and heat. 6 Then Adam stood and asked God to show him something with which to cover their bodies. 7 Then came the Word of God and said to him, "O Adam, take Eve and come to the seashore where you fasted before. There you will find skins of sheep that were left after lions ate the carcasses. Take them and make garments for yourselves, and clothe yourselves with them.

 Author’s Note:  There is no direct explanation as to how Adam and Eve became naked again. One possibility is found in chapter XLVI, verse 1, which states that  Satan blew into the fire and singed Adam and Eve. It is possible that the garments that the Lord had given them in Genesis 3:21 were burned away at this point, leaving Adam and Eve naked once more.

Chapter LI

1 When Adam heard these words from God, he took Eve and went from the northern side of the garden to the south of it, by the river of water where they once fasted. 2 But as they were on their way, and before they arrived, Satan, the wicked one, had heard the Word of God communing with Adam respecting his covering. 3 It distressed him, and he hurried to the place where the sheepskins were, with the intention of taking them and throwing them into the sea or of burning them so that Adam and Eve would not find them. 4 But as he was about to take them, the Word of God came from heaven and bound him by the side of those skins until Adam and Eve came near him. But as they got closer to him they were afraid of him and of his hideous appearance. 5 Then the Word of God came to Adam and Eve, and said to them, "This is he who was hidden in the serpent, who deceived you, and stripped from you your garment of light and glory. 6 This is he who promised you majesty and divinity. Where is the beauty that was on him? Where is his divinity? Where is his light? Where is the glory that rested on him? 7 Now his form is hideous. He has become abominable (offensive) among angels, and he has come to be called Satan. 8 Adam, he wished to steal from you this earthly garment of sheepskins so that he could destroy it not let you be covered with it. 9 What is his beauty that you should have followed him? And what have you gained by obeying him? See his evil works and then look at Me, your Creator. Look at the good deeds I do for you. 10 I bound him until you came and saw him and his weakness and that no power is left with him." 11 And God released him from his bonds.

Chapter LII

1 After this Adam and Eve said no more, but cried before God because of their creation, and their bodies that required an earthly covering. 2 Then Adam said to Eve, "Eve, this is the skin of beasts with which we shall be covered, but when we put it on we shall be wearing a sign of death on our bodies. Just as the owners of these skins have died and have decomposed, so also shall we die and pass away." 3 Then Adam and Eve took the skins and went back to the Cave of Treasures. When they were in it, they stood and prayed, as was their habit. 4 And they thought how they could make garments of those skins because they had no skill. 5 Then God sent to them His angel to show them how to accomplish this. And the angel said to Adam, "Go out and bring some palm-thorns." Then Adam went out, and brought some, as the angel had commanded him. 6 Then the angel began before them to work the skins, after the manner of one who prepares a shirt. And he took the thorns and stuck them into the skins before their eyes. 7 Then the angel again stood up and prayed God that the thorns in those skins should be hidden, so as to be as if it were sewn with one thread. 8 And so it was, by God's order, and they became garments for Adam and Eve. And He clothed them with the skins. 9 From that time the nakedness of their bodies was covered from the sight of each other's eyes. 10 And this happened at the end of the fifty-first day. 11 Then when Adam's and Eve's bodies were covered they stood and prayed and sought mercy of the Lord and forgiveness, and gave Him thanks because He had mercy on them and had covered their nakedness. And they did not stop praying the entirety of that night. 12 Then, when the morning dawned at sunrise, they said their prayers, as was their custom, and then went out of the cave. 13 And Adam said to Eve, "Since we don't know what there is to the west of this cave, let us go out and see it today." Then they departed and went toward the western border.

Chapter LIII

1 They were not very far from the cave when Satan came toward them. He hid himself between them and the cave in the form of two ravenous lions that had been three days without food. And they came toward Adam and Eve as if to break them in pieces and devour them. 2 Then Adam and Eve cried out and begged God to deliver them from their paws. 3 Then the Word of God came to them and drove away the lions from them. 4 And God said to Adam, "Adam, what do you seek on the western border? And why have you left of your own will the eastern border which was your living place? 5 Now, turn back to your cave and remain in it, so that Satan won't deceive you or achieve his goal to overtake you. 6 In this western border, Adam, there will go from you a descendant that shall replenish it. And they will defile themselves with their sins, and with their yielding to the commands of Satan, and by following his works. 7 Therefore will I bring waters of a flood to cover them and overwhelm them all. But I will deliver what is left of the righteous among them and I will bring them to a distant land, but the land in which you live now shall remain desolate and without one inhabitant in it. 8 After God had spoken to them, they went back to the Cave of Treasures. But their flesh was dried up, and they were weak from fasting and praying, and from the sorrow they felt at having sinned against God.

Chapter LIV

1 Then Adam and Eve stood up in the cave and prayed the entire night until the morning dawned. And when the sun came up they both went out of the cave. Their minds were wandering from the heaviness of sorrow and they didn't know where they were going. 2 And they walked in that condition to the southern border of the garden. And they began to go up that border until they came to the eastern border, which was land’s end. 3 And the cherub who guarded the garden was standing at the western gate to guard it from Adam and Eve in case they should attempt to suddenly come into the garden. 4 When Adam and Eve thought the cherub was not watching they came to the eastern border of the garden. But as they were standing by the gate, as if they desired to go in, the cherub turned around as if to put them to death according to the order God had given him. And the cherub suddenly came with a flashing sword of fire in his hand.  When he saw them, he went toward them to kill them. For he was afraid that God would destroy him if they went into the garden without God’s order. 5 And the sword of the cherub seemed to shoot flames a distance away from it. But when he raised it over Adam and Eve, the flame of the sword did not flash out at them. 6 Because of this the cherub thought that God was approving to them and was bringing them back into the garden. And the cherub stood wondering. 7 He could not go up to Heaven to ascertain God's order regarding Adam and Eve’s entering the garden so continued to stand by them, unable to leave them because he was afraid that if they should enter the garden without permission God would destroy him. 8 When Adam and Eve saw the cherub coming towards them with a flaming sword of fire in his hand they fell on their faces from fear, and were as dead. 9 Then, the heavens and the earth shook, and another cherubim came down from heaven to the cherub who guarded the garden, and saw him amazed and silent. 10 Then, again, other angels came down close to the place where Adam and Eve were. And the cherubs were split between joy and sorrow. 11 They were joyous because they thought that God was approving to Adam, and wished him to return to the garden and wished to return him to the gladness he once enjoyed. 12 But they were sorrowful over Adam because he was fallen like a dead man, he and Eve. And they said to themselves, "Adam has not died in this place, but God has put him to death for coming to this place and wishing to enter the garden without His permission."