Signs And Wonders
Of
Apostles Peter And Andrew
Wrongly Called The Acts Of Peter And Andrew
By Apostle Peter
And
Apostle Andrew
Of
Apostles Peter And Andrew
It came
to pass when Andrew the Apostle of Christ went forth from the city of the
man-eaters, behold a luminous cloud snatched him up, and carried him away to
the mountain where Peter and Matthew and Alexander were sitting. And when
he saw them, they saluted him with great joy. Then Peter says to
him: What has happened to thee, brother Andrew? Hast thou sown the
word of truth in the country of the man-eaters or not? Andrew says to
him: Yes, Apostle Peter, through thy prayers; but the men of that city
have done me many mischiefs, for they dragged me through their street three
days, so that my blood stained the whole street. Peter says to him:
Be a man in the Lord, brother Andrew, and come hither, and rest from thy
labour. For if the good husbandman laboriously till the ground, it will
also bear fruit, and straightway all his toil will be turned into joy; but if
he toil, and his land bring forth no fruit, he has double toil.
And while he was thus speaking, the Lord Jesus Christ
appeared to them in the form of a child, and said to them: Hail, Peter,
an Apostle of the whole of my Church! Hail, Andrew! My co-heirs, be
courageous, and struggle for mankind; for verily I say unto you, you shall
endure toils in this world for mankind. Arise, then, and go into the city
of the barbarians, and preach in it; and I will be with you in the wonders that
shall happen in it by your hands. And the Lord Jesus, after saluting
them, went up into the heavens in glory.
And Peter, and Andrew, and Alexander, and Rufus, and
Matthias, went into the city of the barbarians. And after they had come
near the city, Andrew answered and said to Peter: Apostle Peter, have we
again to undergo toils in this city, as in the country of the man-eaters?
Peter says to him: I do not know. But, behold, there is an old man
before us sowing in his field: if we go up to him, let us say to him,
Give us bread; and if he give us bread, we may know that we are not to suffer
in this city; but if he say to us, We have no bread, on the other hand, we shall
know that suffering again awaits us.
And
when they came up to the old man, Peter says to him: Hail, farmer!
And the farmer says to them: Hail you too, merchants! Peter says to
him: Have you bread to give to these children, for we have been in want?
The old man says to them: Wait a little, and look after the oxen, and the
plough, and the land, that I may go into the city, and get you loaves.
Peter says to him: If you provide hospitality for us, we shall took after
the cattle and the field. The old man says: So be it. Peter
says to him: Are the oxen your own? The old man says: No; I
have them on hire. Peter says to him: Go into the city. And
the old man went into the city. And Peter arose, and girded up his cloak
and his under-garment, and says to Andrew: It is not right for us to rest
and be idle; above all, when the old man is working for us, having left his own
work.
Then
Peter took hold of the plough, and sowed the wheat. And Andrew was behind
the oxen, and says to Peter: Apostle Peter, why dost thou bring toil upon
us, especially when we have work enough already! Then Andrew took the
plough out of Peter’s hand, and sowed the wheat, saying: O seed cast into
the ground in the field of the righteous, come up, and come to the light.
Let the young men of the city therefore come forth, whom I found in the pit of
destruction until to-day; for, behold, the Apostles of Christ are coming into
the city, pardoning the sins of those who believe in them, and healing every
disease, and every sickness. Pray ye for me, that He may have mercy upon
me, and that I may be delivered from this strait.
And many of the multitude believed in Christ, because of
the saying of the woman; 2280 and they fell at the feet of the
Apostles, and adored them. And they
laid their hands upon them. And they healed those in the city that were
sick, and gave sight to the blind and, hearing to the deaf, and drove out the
demons. All the multitude glorified the Father, and the Son, and the Holy
Spirit.
And there was a certain rich man in the city, by name
Onesiphorus. He, having seen the miracles done by the Apostles, says to
them: If I believe in your God, can I also do a miracle like you?
Andrew says to him: If thou wilt forsake all that belongs to thee, and
thy wife and thy children, as we also have done, then thou also shalt do
miracles. When Onesiphorus heard this, he was filled with rage, and took
his scarf and threw it over Andrew’s neck, and struck him, and said to
him: Thou art a sorcerer. How dost thou force me to abandon my
wife, and my children, and my goods? Then Peter, having turned and seen
him striking Andrew, says to him: Man, stop now striking Andrew.
Onesiphorus
says to him: I see that thou art more sensible than he. Do thou
then tell me to leave my wife, and my children, and my goods. What dost
thou say? Peter says to him: One thing I say unto thee: it is
easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to go
into the kingdom of heaven. When Onesiphorus heard
this, he was even more filled with rage and anger, and took his scarf off the
neck of Andrew, and threw it upon the neck of Peter; and so he dragged him
along, saying: Verily thou art a great sorcerer, more than the other; for
a camel cannot go through the eye of a needle. But if thou wilt show me
this miracle, I will believe in thy God; and not only I, but also the whole
city. But if not, thou shalt be grievously punished in the midst of the
city.
And
when Peter heard this, he was exceedingly grieved, and stood and stretched
forth his hands towards heaven, and prayed, saying: O Lord our God,
listen to me at this time; for they will ensnare us from Thine own words:
for no prophet has spoken to set forth this his explanation, and no patriarch
that we might learn the interpretation of it; and now we seek for ourselves the
explanation with boldness. Do Thou then, Lord, not overlook us: for
thou art He who is praised by the cherubim.
And after he had said this, the Saviour appeared in the
form of a child of twelve years old, wearing a linen garment; and He says to
them: Be courageous, and tremble not, my chosen disciples; for I am with
you always. Let the needle and the camel be brought. And after
saying this, He went up into the heavens. And there was a certain
merchant in the city who had believed in the Lord
through the Apostle Philip; and when he heard of this, he ran and searched for
a needle with a big eye, to do a favour to the Apostles.
When
Peter learned this, he said: My son, do not search for a big needle; for
nothing is impossible with God: rather bring us a small needle. And
after the needle had been brought, and all the multitude of the city were
standing by to see, Peter looked up and saw a camel coming. And he
ordered her to be brought. Then he fixed the needle in the ground, and
cried out with a loud voice, saying: In the name of Jesus Christ, who was
crucified under Pontius Pilate, I order thee, O camel, to go through the eye of
the needle. Then the eye of the needle was opened like a gate, and the
camel went through it, and all the multitude saw it. Again Peter says to
the camel: Go again through the needle. And the camel went a second
time.
When
Onesiphorus saw this, he said to Peter; Truly thou art a great sorcerer; but I
do not believe unless I send and bring a camel and a needle. And he
called one of his servants, and said to him privately: Go and bring me
here a camel and a needle; find also a polluted woman, and force her to come
here: for these men are sorcerers. And Peter having learned the
mystery through the Spirit, says to Onesiphorus: Send and bring the
camel, and the woman, and the needle. And when they brought them, Peter
took the needle, and fixed it in the ground. And the woman was sitting on
the camel.
Then
Peter says: In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ the crucified, I order
thee, O camel, to go through this needle. And immediately the eye of the
needle was opened, and became like a gate, and the camel went through it.
Peter again says to the camel: Go through it again, that all may see the
glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, in order that some may believe on Him.
Then the camel again went through the needle.
And
Onesiphorus seeing it, cried out, and said: Truly great is the God of
Peter and Andrew, and I from this time forth believe in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Now then, hear my words, O Peter. I have corn lands,
vineyards, and fields; I have also twenty-seven pounds of gold, and fifty
pounds of silver; and I have very many slaves. I give my possessions to
the poor, that I also may do one miracle like you. And Peter was grieved
lest the powers should not work in him, seeing that he had not received the
seal in Christ.
And
while he was considering this, behold, a voice out of the heaven saying to
him: Do to him what he wishes, because I will accomplish for him what he
desires. Peter says to him: My son, come hither; do as we do.
And Onesiphorus came up, and stood before the camel and the needle, and
said: In the n… (Here the recovered
copy ends.)