But Peter replied
to these words and said,
"Sometimes you urge
us on to the kingdom of
heaven, and then again you turn
us back, Lord; sometimes
you persuade and draw
us to faith and promise
us life, and then again you cast
us forth from the kingdom
of heaven."
But the Lord answered
and said to us, "I have given you (pl.)
faith many times; moreover,
I have revealed myself to you (sg.),
James, and you (pl.) have not
known me. Now again I
see you (pl.) rejoicing many times;
and when you are elated
at the promise of life,
are you yet sad, and do you
grieve, when you are instructed
in the kingdom? But you, through
faith [and] knowledge, have received
life. Therefore, disdain
the rejection when you
hear it, but when you hear
the promise, rejoice the more.
Verily, I say unto you,
he who will receive life and
believe in the kingdom will
never leave it, not even if
the Father wishes
to banish him."
"These are the things that I shall tell
you so far; now, however, I shall
ascend to the place from whence I came.
But you, when I was eager
to go, have cast me out, and
instead of accompanying me,
you have pursued me.
But pay heed to the glory that awaits
me, and, having opened
your heart, listen to the hymns
that await me up in the heavens;
for today I must
take (my place at) the right hand of the Father.
But I have said (my) last word to
you, and I shall depart from you,
for a chariot of spirit has borne me aloft,
and from this moment on, I shall strip myself,
that I may clothe myself.
But give heed; blessed
are they who have proclaimed
the Son before his descent
that, when I have come, I might ascend (again).
Thrice blessed
are they who [were]
proclaimed by the Son
before they came to be, that
you might have a portion
among them."
Having said these words,
he departed. But we bent (our) knee(s),
I and Peter, and gave thanks
and sent our heart(s) upwards
to heaven. We heard with
our ears, and saw with
our eyes, the noise of wars
and a trumpet blare
and a great turmoil.
