[1:1] Acts of Peter and Andrew: Acts of the Holy Apostles Peter and Andrew.
[1:2] 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.
[1:3] And when he saw them, they saluted him with great joy.
[1:4] 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, father 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.
[1:5] Peter says to him: Be a man in the Lord, brother Andrew, and come hither, and rest from thy labour.
[1:6] 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.
[1:7] 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, bishop 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.
[1:8] But be bold; I will give you rest in one hour of repose in the kingdom of my Father.
[1:9] 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.
[1:10] And the Lord Jesus, after saluting them, went up into the heavens in glory.
[1:11] And Peter, and Andrew, and Alexander, and Rufus, and Matthias, went into the city of the barbarians.
[1:12] And after they had come near the city, Andrew answered and said to Peter: Father 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.
[1:13] 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.
[1:14] 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.
[1:15] Peter says to him: If you provide hospitality for us, we shall took after the cattle and the field.
[1:16] The old man says: So be it.
[1:17] Peter says to him: Are the oxen your own? The old man says: No; I have them on hire.
[1:18] Peter says to him: Go into the city.
[1:19] And the old man went into the city.
[1:20] 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.
[1:21] Then Peter took hold of the plough, and sowed the wheat.
[1:22] And Andrew was behind the oxen, and says to Peter: Father 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.
[1:23] 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.
[1:24] Pray ye for me, that He may have mercy upon me, and that I may be delivered from this strait.
[1:25] And many of the multitude believed in Christ, because of the saying of the woman; and they fell at the feet of the apostles, and adored them.
[1:26] And they laid their hands upon them.
[1:27] 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.
[1:28] All the multitude glorified the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[1:29] And there was a certain rich man in the city, by name Onesiphorus.
[1:30] 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.
[1:31] 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.
[1:32] 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.
[1:33] Onesiphorus says to him: I see that thou art more sensible than he.
[1:34] Do thou then tell me to leave my wife, and my children, and my goods.
[1:35] 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.
[1:36] 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.
[1:37] But if thou wilt show me this miracle, I will believe in thy God; and not only I, but also the whole city.
[1:38] But if not, thou shalt be grievously punished in the midst of the city.
[1:39] 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.
[1:40] Do Thou then, Lord, not overlook us: for thou art He who is praised by the cherubim.
[1:41] 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.
[1:42] Let the needle and the camel be brought.
[1:43] And after saying this, He went up into the heavens.
[1:44] 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.
[1:45] 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.
[1:46] 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.
[1:47] And he ordered her to be brought.
[1:48] 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.
[1:49] Then the eye of the needle was opened like a gate, and the camel went through it, and all the multitude saw it.
[1:50] Again Peter says to the camel: Go again through the needle.
[1:51] And the camel went a second time.
[1:52] 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.
[1:53] 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.
[1:54] And Peter having learned the mystery through the Spirit, says to Onesiphorus: Send and bring the camel, and the woman, and the needle.
[1:55] And when they brought them, Peter took the needle, and fixed it in the ground.
[1:56] And the woman was sitting on the camel.
[1:57] Then Peter says: In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ the crucified, I order thee, O camel, to go through this needle.
[1:58] And immediately the eye of the needle was opened, and became like a gate, and the camel went through it.
[1:59] 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.
[1:60] Then the camel again went through the needle.
[1:61] 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.
[1:62] Now then, hear my words, O Peter.
[1:63] 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.
[1:64] I give my possessions to the poor, that I also may do one miracle like you.
[1:65] And Peter was grieved lest the powers should not work in him, seeing that he had not received the seal in Christ.
[1:66] 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.
[1:67] Peter says to him: My son, come hither; do as we do.
[1:68] And Onesiphorus came up, and stood before the camel and the needle, and said: In the n… (Here the ms.
[1:69] ends.
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