[...] the road. And he spoke to him, saying, "By which road shall I
go up to Jerusalem?" The little child replied, saying, "Say your
name, so that I may show you the road". The little child knew who
Paul was. He wished to make conversation with him through his words
in order that he might find an excuse for speaking with him.
The little child spoke, saying, "I know who you are, Paul. You
are he who was blessed from his mother`s womb. For I have come to
you that you may go up to Jerusalem to your fellow apostles. And for
this reason you were called. And I am the Spirit who accompanies
you. Let your mind awaken, Paul, with [...]. For [...] whole which
[...] among the principalities and these authorities and archangels
and powers and the whole race of demons, [...] the one that reveals
bodies to a soul-seed."
And after he brought that speech to an end, he spoke, saying to
me, "Let your mind awaken, Paul, and see that this mountain upon
which you are standing is the mountain of Jericho, so that you may
know the hidden things in those that are visible. Now it is to the
twelve apostles that you shall go, for they are elect spirits, and
they will greet you." He raised his eyes and saw them greeting him.
Then the Holy Spirit who was speaking with him caught him up on
high to the third heaven, and he passed beyond to the fourth heaven.
The Holy Spirit spoke to him, saying, "Look and see your likeness
upon the earth." And he looked down and saw those who were upon the
earth. He stared and saw those who were upon the [...]. Then he
gazed down and saw the twelve apostles at his right and at his left
in the creation; and the Spirit was going before them.
But I saw in the fourth heaven according to class - I saw the
angels resembling gods, the angels bringing a soul out of the land
of the dead. They placed it at the gate of the fourth heaven. And
the angels were whipping it. The soul spoke, saying, "What sin was
it that I committed in the world?" The toll-collector who dwells in
the fourth heaven replied, saying, "It was not right to commit all
those lawless deeds that are in the world of the dead". The soul
replied, saying, "Bring witnesses! Let them show you in what body I
committed lawless deeds. Do you wish to bring a book to read from?"
And the three witnesses came. The first spoke, saying, "Was I not
in the body the second hour [...]? I rose up against you until you
fell into anger and rage and envy." And the second spoke, saying,
"Was I not in the world? And I entered at the fifth hour, and I saw
you and desired you. And behold, then, now I charge you with the
murders you committed." The third spoke, saying, "Did I not come to
you at the twelfth hour of the day when the sun was about to set? I
gave you darkness until you should accomplish your sins." When the
soul heard these things, it gazed downward in sorrow. And then it
gazed upward. It was cast down. The soul that had been cast down
went to a body which had been prepared for it. And behold, its
witnesses were finished.
Then I gazed upward and saw the Spirit saying to me, "Paul, come!
Proceed toward me!". Then as I went, the gate opened, and I went up
to the fifth heaven. And I saw my fellow apostles going with me
while the Spirit accompanied us. And I saw a great angel in the
fifth heaven holding an iron rod in his hand. There were three other
angels with him, and I stared into their faces. But they were
rivalling each other, with whips in their hands, goading the souls
on to the judgment. But I went with the Spirit and the gate opened
for me.
Then we went up to the sixth heaven. And I saw my fellow apostles
going with me, and the Holy Spirit was leading me before them. And I
gazed up on high and saw a great light shining down on the sixth
heaven. I spoke, saying to the toll-collector who was in the sixth
heaven, "Open to me and the Holy Spirit who is before me." He opened
to me.
Then we went up to the seventh heaven, and I saw an old man [...]
light and whose garment was white. His throne, which is in the
seventh heaven, was brighter than the sun by seven times. The old
man spoke, saying to me, "Where are you going, Paul? O blessed one
and the one who was set apart from his mother`s womb." But I looked
at the Spirit, and he was nodding his head, saying to me, "Speak
with him!". And I replied, saying to the old man, "I am going to the
place from which I came." And the old man responded to me, "Where
are you from?" But I replied, saying, "I am going down to the world
of the dead in order to lead captive the captivity that was led
captive in the captivity of Babylon." The old man replied to me
saying, "How will you be able to get away from me? Look and see the
principalities and authorities." The Spirit spoke, saying, "Give him
the sign that you have, and he will open for you." And then I gave
him the sign. He turned his face downwards to his creation and to
those who are his own authorities.
And then the <seventh> heaven opened and we went up to the Ogdoad.
And I saw the twelve apostles. They greeted me, and we went up to
the ninth heaven. I greeted all those who were in the ninth heaven,
and we went up to the tenth heaven. And I greeted my fellow spirits.