Page:The Apocryphal Acts of Paul, Peter, John, Andrew and Thomas.djvu/168

 thus with us and kill us, we beseech thee, John; we know, indeed that thou canst do it." And John answered them, "If you wish not to die, let me convince you of your idolatry, and why? That ye may desist from your old error. Be now converted above all through my God—or I will die through your goddess. For I will pray before your face to my God, and ask him to have mercy upon you."

41. After these words he prayed thus: "God, who art God above all so-called gods, who to this day has been despised at Ephesus, thou didst induce me to come to this place, which I never had in view. Thou hast abrogated every worship of the gods through conversion to thee. In thy name every idol, every demon, and every unclean spirit is banished. May the deity of this place, which has deceived so many, now also give way to thy name, and show thus thy mercy on this place! For they walk in error."

42. And with these words of John the altar of Artemis suddenly cleft into many parts, and the oblations put up in the temple suddenly fell to the ground, and what happened to be good (?) broke, also more than seven of the idols. And half of the temple fell down, so that the priest also, when the roof came down, was killed by one stroke. And the people of the Ephesians cried, "There is only one God, that of John, only one God who has compassion for us; for thou alone art God; now we have become converted, since we saw the miraculous