I am increasingly accused of plagiarism on the Internet. As if the text of my book “Missing pages of the Gospel” were none other than an adaptation of the old believer’s Gospel, which is sometimes called “The Gospel story as retold by arch-priest Eulampius and written by his spiritual sons”. Since my youth I am indeed familiar with one of the old believer’s Gospel narratives though I have no knowledge of its name. I happened to hear this story at various times from my university friend’s grandmother, whom we visited in one of the villages in Orenburg oblast. She did mention Eulampius’ name quite often and almost every evening she read aloud the amazing text. Now I realize that she did this especially for us, and today I am very grateful to her. She told it by heart, looking at the yellowed pages only once in a while. Even at that time this text impressed me greatly, but only after almost thirty years it popped up with a kind of renewed vigor. I restored it from my memory as best as I could: now I cite it hereafter. It served as a background of my book indeed, but still, I do not consider my work a rip-off. Although, on the other hand, I could as well be accused of plagiarism from the Bible itself, given that my text contains more than one hundred quotes from the canonical Gospels. As a matter of fact, I do not even consider myself a writer in this particular case, but rather a translator of the Truth into a language, understandable by a modern man.
(For reference this text is enclosed with the corresponding biblical quotes).
1. The least faithful of you are those, who pray more than others and think that for that reason there will be more bestowed on them than on others1. For they don't acknowledge what they believe in, as if beggars, fit for nothing other than praying for fulfillment of their desires. What are you pestering God for? Or do you think He was wrong providing you with what you have, and you want to teach Him how to put this wrong right? Hence your God is unwise. Why do you call Him God then, why do you trust in Him and what for do you worship Him? You don't really know what you are bending your knees to2. And little is genuine faith in you.
I tell you, having little faith is worse than being faithless. For by denying God you will turn to God. For wherever you go on land you will eventually face the ocean. But if your faith is weak, you're not going anywhere but merely wobbling.
1 Matthew 6:7-13 “In praying, don't use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. Therefore don't be like them, for your Father knows what things you need, before you ask him. Pray like this: Our Father in heaven…”.
2 John 4:22 “You worship that which you don't know”.
2. Who do you listen to and who do you worship when you come to the house of God? And who are the most revered people in it? Is it Pharisees? Or high priests? All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers1 and worse. For it is neither your bread, nor your gold they plunder, but the very life of yours. They draw near to God with their mouth, and honor him with their lips; but their heart is far from Him2. For they are like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness3.
For they shut the Kingdom of Heaven against men, for they themselves do not enter in; and those that are going in, they suffer not to enter4. And love to be called 'Rabbi, Rabbi' by men. But you don't call them 'Rabbi'5. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guides the blind, both will fall into a pit6. For centuries they hide the keys to of knowledge and substitute them with half-truth, which they dress up as the Truth and therefore it is even more dangerous and fearful than lies.
1 John 10:8 “All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers”.
2 Matthew 15:7-8 “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying: these people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me”.
3 Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness”.
4 Matthew 23:13 “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men, for you yourselves do not enter in; and those that are going in, you suffer not to enter”.
5 Matthew 23:6-8 “and love to be called 'Rabbi, Rabbi' by men. But you don't call them 'Rabbi'”.
6 Matthew 15:14 “They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit”.
3. God is not far from each one of us, but you ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man1. For then you worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator2. The Most High doesn't dwell in temples made with hands3. Neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything4. Heaven is his throne and the earth a footstool for his feet3.
Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and it will be opened to you, and your Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him5.
But it is not fake treasures, not the worldly goods you should be asking the Heavenly Father for, just as sinners do, but the only one thing: so that He would make the ways to His Kingdom straight, so that you could see the Almighty during your mortal life6. For if you don't see God in your life, you will not see Him afterwards either.
1 Acts 17:27-29 “Though he is not far from each one of us… we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man”.
2 Romans 1:25 “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator”.
3 Acts 7:48-49 “However, the Most High doesn't dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: heaven is my throne and the earth a footstool for my feet”.
4 Acts 17:24-25 “The God doesn't dwell in temples made with hands, neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything”.
5 Luke 11:9-13 “keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you. Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask him”.
6 Mark 9:1 “Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here, who will in no way taste death until they see the Kingdom of God come with power”.
4. I desire to give you faith in the very existence of the Kingdom of Heaven, where everything dwells in eternal joy and bliss, so that this faith would emblaze you with abiding desire to find it and have it.
Believing tastes as sweet as an unripe carrot but experiencing tastes like honey.
Thus, not only to believe, but to test yourselves as to the Faith, to discover it and behold it - this is what I plead for. And after you have experienced something, believing in it is not necessary. And if your faith would be a mere cripple's crutch, it would be of no use. Whereas I give this crutch to a disabled not for him to limp his whole earthly life with it, but for him to recover, hence beholding the Holy Spirit and entering God's kingdom during his mortal life. For God's kingdom is here and now, but you have no knowledge of how to enter it. And the heavens I'm speaking of are inward and outward of you, and God's kingdom is in these heavens and no other. And you needn't look hard to find them, and neither will they say, 'Look, here!' or, 'Look, there!' for the Kingdom of Heaven is within you1.
And you have no idea of the treasure that lies within you. Yet I marvel at how this great wealth has come to dwell in this poverty.
There are some, who will in no way taste death until they see the Kingdom of God come with power2.
1 Luke 17:21 “neither will they say: look, here; or: look, there. For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you”.
2 Mark 9:1 “Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste death until they see the Kingdom of God come with power”.
5. First you must come to know yourselves. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known by God and you will realize that you are the sons of the living Father1. And it is through you, as well as all His other creatures, that He shows himself but man is His prime creation. Then why are holding God back? Reveal Him to the world and honor yourselves and your Creator.
When you will know yourself, then you will discover your true self, and all the secrets hidden from you will come out into the open2. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you, who are that poverty3.
If you don't understand the beginning, it is impossible to understand the end too. Likewise, it is impossible to know what is around you, if you don't know what is within you; then there's no one, who's knowing, who's capable of acknowledging the secrets of the Heavenly Father4.
And do not separate Heaven from earth, for it is the continuation of earth; just as do not separate yourselves from earth, for you are the continuation of it, and the earth - continuation of yourselves. That is why I tell you: you are the beginning and the end of all. And when you see this - you will see the Kingdom of Heaven4.
Thomas:
1 Thomas 3 “When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father”.
2 Thomas 5 “Jesus said: Recognize what is in your sight, and that which is hidden from you will become plain to you. For there is nothing hidden which will not become manifest”.
3 Thomas 3 “But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty”.
4 Thomas 18 “The disciples said to Jesus: Tell us how our end will be. Jesus said: Have you discovered, then, the beginning, that you look for the end? For where the beginning is, there will the end be. Blessed is he who will take his place in the beginning; he will know the end and will not experience death”.
6. Everything that lives and everything that seems lifeless are both invisibly bound, and every single thing is a part of the whole!
Woe betide those, who create borders on earth and divide men. For there are no borders in Heaven and there shall be none on earth. Truly I tell you: this division is a source of enmity and discord, be it border division, languages division or division of faith - all the same! And if a man is divided on the inside, this very enmity and darkness will be inside of him and he will not be at peace1.
1 Thomas 61 “but if he is divided, he will be filled with darkness”.
7. Don't be afraid to deviate when searching for your way, only the strongest ones are equal to this. God loves those, who left the flock, more than others, for it is only them, who are to find the sacred path1.
It is not the cattle's fault that they are kept in a fold, for their keeper made the fold for them. Men, though, to his shame, made a kind of thing, which no living creature is capable of making: he built up a prison with his own hands and trapped himself inside.
And woe is that his children are born inside this prison. They grow up and know no other life than the one of their parents. And they cannot see it, because their eyes got blind from the gloom of confinement. And they don't see anyone, who's living a different life, and thus they consider their life is the only way of existence possible. For if the eyes have never seen light, how would you determine that you are in darkness2?
1 Thomas 107 “The kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety-nine sheep and looked for that one until he found it. When he had gone to such trouble, he said to the sheep, 'I care for you more than the ninety-nine”.
2 Luke 11:35 “Therefore see whether the light that is in you isn't darkness”.
8. Don't lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven1. And if you possess true strength, then all the earthly desires and passions will leave your soul, which has hitherto blazed phrenetic and delirious, and all false knowledge and misjudgment will leave as well.
A man's life doesn't consist of the abundance of the things he possesses2. You are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed3 - so that the Word of God just as a seed would take root in you and bear fruit.
Truly I tell you: whoever believes that the All itself is deficient, is completely deficient himself.
1 Matthew 6:19-21 “Don't lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”.
2 Luke 12:15 “for a man's life doesn't consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses”.
3 Luke 10:41-42 “you are anxious and troubled about many things ,but one thing is needed”.
9. And do not justify yourselves with the fulfillment of the Law: it is given for those, who have little faith because His Word finds no place in them1, to insure them from transgressions, till they behold the true understanding2. The commandments are given to those, who by hearing will hear, and will in no way understand; seeing they will see, and will in no way perceive. For the making of the law can not make alive and does not bring grace and doesn’t make you a saint3. Only true faith is capable of that, acting with love.
THE ONLY COMMANDMENT I GIVE YOU IS LOVE!
On this commandment hang all the laws and the prophets4. And all the other commandments are its children, and this - the mother. And if the mother is in you, then all her children are in you. And there's no need knowing them by the names - when they dwell within you, they are the very essence of you5.
1 John 8:37 “because my word finds no place in you”.
2 Galatians 3:19, 23 “What then is the law? It was added because of transgressions. Before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, confined for the faith which should afterwards be revealed”.
3 Galatians 3:21 “For if there had been a law given which could make alive, most certainly righteousness would have been of the law.” Galatians 5:4-6 “You are alienated from Christ, you who desire to be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision amounts to anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith working through love”.
4 Matthew 22:37-40 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart. This is the first and great commandment. A second likewise is this: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments”.
5 Romans 13:9-10 “For the commandments: you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not covet, and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love doesn't harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law”.
10. I tell you: you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind1. So don't be god-fearing, but god-loving. For God loved you before so you love God with a pure love that has no fear. For perfect love casts out fear, because fear has torment. He who fears, is not made perfect in love2.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself1. For if you do not love your neighbor, but say that you love God - you are lying!
1 Matthew 22:37-39 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. You shall love your neighbor as yourself”.
2 1 John 4:18-19 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us”.
11. Even if you are the first saint on Earth and live according to the laws of God, and speak the language of angels and have all knowledge and all faith but no love and if you are hiding anger towards even an insignificant worm than you are just a sounding brass and there is no benefit to your soul1.
All the good deeds are the outer light of a man, but it doesn't brighten the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. But there is light within a man of light, and it lights up the whole world. If it does not shine, it's darkness.
And even if you dole out all your goods to feed the poor, and if you give your body to be burned, but don't have love, it profits you nothing2.
1 1- Corinthians 13:1-2 “If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don't have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don't have love, I am nothing”.
2 1- Corinthians 13:3 “If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don't have love, it profits me nothing”.
12. You are the children of love, born by love, is it not you who shall become love?! And being the Love means being equal to God, being God himself!
FOR LOVE IS GOD!1
And there is no other way into the Kingdom of Heaven: with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible2. To you, whom I address the Word of God, I call Gods, the same is said in the Holy Scripturese3. Truly you are all Gods but your eyes are closed and you are not yet awake to get your glory.
And if Love is in you, then God will also be in you and you will be in God4. Perfect Love and the Holy Spirit come together for they are one. If Love is in you, then the Holy Spirit is also in you. If the Holy Spirit is in you, your Love is Perfect.
Be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves. Light that will guide you, you will find within yourselves5.
And even if the Gospel pages would be lost - you will be able to recover them from your heart.
1 1-John 4:16 “God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him”.
2 Matthew 19:23-26 “Jesus said to his disciples: most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty. When the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly astonished, saying: who then can be saved? Looking at them, Jesus said: with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”.
3 John 10:34-35 “Isn't it written in your law: I said, you are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broke”.
4 John 17:25-26 “Righteous Father, I made known to them your name, and will make it known; that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:21 “as you, Father, are in me, and I in you”.
5 Thomas 24 “There is light within a man of light, and it lights up the whole world. If it does not shine, it is darkness”.
Footnote: Benchmarks also include references to the Gospel of Thomas, which was by a chance discovered about half a century ago and is not yet given proper credit.
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