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NON-CANONICAL APOCALYPSES AND REVELATORY TREATISES
can be saved.” “Why?” he asked. “Be cause, Lord” I said, “I have never in my entire life spoken a true word, but have always lived craftily with everyone, and have portrayed my lie as truth to all. And no one has ever contradicted me, but has trusted my word. How then, Lord,” I asked, “can I live, having done such things?” 4 “Your thoughts are good and true,” he said. “For you should have been con ducting yourself as a slave of God; and a wicked conscience should not have dwelt with the spirit of truth or brought grief to the reverend and true spirit.” “Never,” I replied, “have I heard such words so accurately.” 5 “You are hearing them now,” he said. “Guard these matters so that the lies you spoke before in your daily life may them selves become trustworthy when these other words are found to be true. For even those other ones can become trustworthy. If you guard these matters and from now on speak only the truth, you will be able to give yourself life. And whoever hears this commandment and avoids lying most wickedly will live to God.”
Fourth Commandment (IV, 1) “I command you,” he said, “to guard your holiness, and do not allow any thought to rise up in your heart about someone else’s wife, or sexual im morality, or any other similarly wicked things. Otherwise you commit a great sin. But if you always keep thinking about your own wife, you will never sin. 2 For if this notion should rise up in your heart you will sin, and if another such wicked idea should arise, you com mit a sin. For this notion is a great sin for the slave of God. And anyone who
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does such an evil deed brings death upon himself. 3 So be on the alert and avoid this notion. For where reverence dwells, law lessness should not rise up in the heart of an upright man.” 4 I said to him, “Lord, allow me to ask you a few questions.” “Go ahead,” he replied. “Lord,” I said, “if someone is married to a woman who believes in the Lord, but he discovers that she is having an adulterous relationship, does the man then sin if he continues to live with her?” 5 “As long as he is ignorant of the affair,” he replied, “he does not sin. But if the husband knows about her sin, and the wife does not repent, but remains in her sexual immorality, and the husband continues to live with her, he becomes guilty of her sin and a partner in her immorality.” 6 “What then should the husband do, Lord” I said, “if the wife continues in her passion?” “He should divorce her,” he replied, “and live alone. But if he marries someone else after the divorce, he also commits adultery.” 7 “But, Lord,” I said, “if after the wife is divorced she repents and wants to re turn to her husband, should she not be taken back?” 8 “Yes indeed,” he replied. “If her hus band does not take her back, he sins, and drags a great sin upon himself; for the one who sins and repents must be ac cepted back. But not many times. For there is but one repentance given to the slaves of God. Because of repentance, therefore, the husband ought not to marry. The same applies to both wife and husband. 9 Not only is it adultery,” he continued, “if a person defiles his flesh; but also, whoever behaves like the outsiders com mits adultery. And so, if anyone contin ues doing such deeds and does not repent, you should avoid him and not allow him