The Essene Gospel

Extract from ` The Essene Gospel of Peace' (The third century Aramaic manuscript and old Slavonic texts compared, edited and translated by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely)

And Jesus answered:

"Think not that it is sufficient that the angel of water embrace you outwards only. I tell you truly, the uncleaness within is much greater by much than the uncleaness without. And he who cleanses himself without, but within remains unclean, is like to tombs that outwards are painted fair but are within full of all manner of horrible uncleannesses and abominations. So I tell you truly, suffer the angel of water to baptize you also within, that you become free from all your past sins and that within likewise you may become as pure as the river's foam sporting in the sunlight.

Seek, therefore, a large trailing gourd, having a stalk the length of a man; take out its inwards and fill it with water from the river which the sun has warmed. Hang it upon the branch of a tree and kneel upon the ground before the angel of water, and suffer the end of the stalk of the trailing gourd to enter your hinder parts, that the water may flow through all your bowels. Afterwards rest kneeling on the ground .....then let the water run out from your body, that it may carry away from within it all the unclean and evil-smelling things of Satan. And you shall see with your eyes and smell with your nose all the abominations and uncleanesses which defiled the temple of your body; even all the sins which abode in your body, tormenting you with all manner of pains. I tell you truly, baptism with water frees you from all of these. Renew your baptizing with water on every day of your fast till the day when you see that the water which flows out of you is as pure as the river's foam.

........For if you eat living food, the same will quicken you but if you kill your food, the dead food will kill you also ....... therefore, eat not anything which fire, or frost, or water has destroyed. For burned, frozen and rotted foods will burn, freeze and rot your body also.

So eat always from the table of God; the fruits of the trees, the grain and grasses of the field, the milk of the beasts, and the honey of bees. Cook not, neither mix all things one with another, lest your bowels become as steaming bogs.
.......And desire not to devour all things which you see around you. For I tell you truly if you mix together all sorts of food in your body, then the peace of your body will cease, and endless war will rage in you......