The library · Edition and sources
The Secret Book of James
Mark M. Mattison · Translated text
Outside the canon. The Secret Book of James is not in the Bible of any tradition on the Scriptures shelf. It is hosted here as a historical record. The Scriptures shelf →
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Final Words
But in response to these comments Peter said,
“Sometimes you urge us on to the kingdom of heaven, and again at other times you turn us away, Lord. Sometimes you persuade and draw us to faith and promise us life, and again at other times you cast us out of the kingdom of heaven.”
But in response the Lord told us, “I’ve given you faith many times. Moreover, I’ve revealed myself to you, 14 James, and you haven’t known me. Now again, I see you rejoicing often. And when you’re delighted about the promise of life, nevertheless you’re sad and depressed when you’re taught about the kingdom.
“But through faith and knowledge, you’ve received life. Despise rejection when you hear it, but when you hear the promise, rejoice all the more. Truly I tell you, whoever will receive life and believe the kingdom will never leave it – not even if the Father wants to banish them!
“This is all I’m going to tell you up to this point, but now I’ll go up to the place from which I came. But when I was eager to go, you cast me out, and instead of accompanying me, you’ve chased me away. But be attentive to the glory that awaits me, and when you’ve opened your hearts, listen to the hymns that await me up in heaven, because today I need to sit at the right hand of the Father.
“Now I’ve spoken (my) last word to you, and I’ll leave you, because a chariot of the Spirit has taken me up, and from now on I’ll strip myself so that I may clothe myself. But pay attention: Blessed are those who’ve proclaimed the Son before his coming down so that when I’ve come, I might go up. Blessed three 15 times over are those who [were] proclaimed by the Son before they came to be, so that you may have a portion with them.”