Page:Apocryphal Gospels and Other Documents Relating to the History of Christ.djvu/426

310 to be slain by him, and after three days to rise again, and to be caught up in clouds to meet the Lord.

they were saying these things, there came another lowly man, and bearing a cross upon his shoulders; and the holy fathers said to him, Who art thou, having the appearance of a robber, and what is the cross which thou bearest upon thy shoulders? He answered, As ye say, I was a robber and a thief in the world, and therefore the Jews seized me and delivered me to the death of the cross, with our Lord Jesus Christ. As he was hanging upon the cross I believed in him, seeing the miracles which were done; and I called upon him, and said, Lord, when thou shalt reign, forget not me. And straightway he said to me, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, to day thou shalt be with me in Paradise. Therefore, bearing my cross I came to Paradise, and finding the archangel Michael, I said to him, Our Lord Jesus, who was crucified, hath sent me hither; lead me, therefore, into the gate of Eden. And the flaming sword, seeing the sign of the cross, opened unto me, and I came in. Then saith the archangel to me, Wait a little, for Adam, the forefather of the race of men,