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   > and bishops, and they were not worthy of their name: on earth they   
   > heard 'Bless (the Lord) ye saints,' and in heaven they were not   
   > called saints, because they did not act as bearers of the archangelic   
   > form: and for this cause they are thus chastised here. XIX. And she   
   > saw women hanging by their nails, and a flame of fire came out of   
   > their mouth and burned them: and all the beasts(1) coming out of the   
   > fire gnawed them to pieces, and groaning they cried out: Have pity on   
   > us, have pity, for we are chastised worse than all those who are   
   > under chastisement. And seeing them the all holy one wept, and asked   
   > the commander-in-chief, Michael: Who are these and what is their sin?   
   > And the commander-in-chief said: These are the wives of presbyters   
   > who did not honour the presbyters, but after the death of the   
   > presbyter took husbands, and for this cause they are thus chastised   
   > here. XX. And the all holy one saw after the same manner also a   
   > deaconess hanging iron, a crag and a beast with two heads devoured   
   > her breasts. And the all holy one asked: What is her sin? And the   
   > commander-in-chief said: She, all holy one, is an archdeaconess who   
   > defiled her body in fornication, and for this cause she is thus   
   > chastised here. XXI. And she saw other women hanging over the fire,   
   > and all the beasts devoured them. And the all holy one asked the   
   > commander-in-chief: Who are these and what is their sin? And he said:   
   > These are they who did not do the will of God, lovers of money and   
   > those who took interest(2) on accounts, and the immodest. XXII. And   
   > when she had heard these things the all holy one wept and said: Woe   
   > unto sinners. And the commander-in-chief said: Why dost thou lament,   
   > all holy one? Now verily thou hast not seen the great chastisements.   
   > And the highly favoured one said: Come, Michael, the great   
   > commander-in-chief of the powers above, tell me how I may see all the   
   > chastisements. And the commander-in-chief said: Where dost thou wish   
   > that we should go, all holy one? to the East or towards the left   
   > parts of Paradise? And the all holy one said: To the left parts of   
   > Paradise. XXIII. And immediately when she had spoken, the cherubim   
   > and seraphim stood beside her and led the highly favoured one out to   
   > the left parts of Paradise. And behold, there was a great river, and   
   > the appearance of the river was blacker than pitch, and in it there   
   > were a multitude(3) of men and women: it boiled like a furnace of   
   > forges, and its waves were like a wild sea over the sinners: and when   
   > the waves rose, they sank the sinners ten thousand cubits and they   
   > were unable to keep it off and say: Have mercy on us, thou just   
   > judge: for the sleepless worm devoured them, and there was no   
   > reckoning of the number of those who devoured them. And seeing the   
   > all holy Mother of God the angels(4) who chastised them cried out   
   > with one voice: Holy is God who has compassion on account of the   
   > Mother of God: we give thee thanks, O Son of God, that from eternity   
   > we did not see the light, and to-day through the Mother of God we   
   > have seen the light: and again they shouted with one voice, saying:   
   > Hail, highly favoured Mother of God: Hail, lamp of the inaccessible   
   > light: Hail to thee also, Michael, the commander-in-chief, thou that   
   > art ambassador from the whole creation: for we, seeing the   
   > chastisement of sinners are greatly grieved. And the all holy one,   
   > when she saw the angels humbled on account of the sinners, lamented   
   > and said: Woe to sinners and their neighbours. And the all holy one   
   > said: Let us see the sinners. And the highly favoured one, coming   
   > with the archangel Michael and all the armies of the angels lifted up   
   > one voice saying: Lord have mercy. And after the making of the prayer   
   > earnestly, the wave of the river rested and the fiery waves grew   
   > calm, and the sinners appeared as a grain of mustard-seed: and seeing   
   > them the all holy one lamented and said: What is this river, and what   
   > are its waves? And the commander-in-chief said: This river is the   
   > outer fire, and those who are being tortured are the Jews who   
   > crucified our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, and who refused holy   
   > baptism, and those who commit fornication and sin against the sweet   
   > and passionless perfume of marriage, and he who debauches mother and   
   > daughter, and the poisoners and those who slay with the sword, and   
   > the women who strangle their offspring. And the all holy one said:   
   > According to their faith so be it unto them. And straightway the   
   > waves rose over the sinners and the darkness   
   >   
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   >   
   > covered them. And the commander-in-chief said: Hearken, thou highly   
   > favoured one: if anyone shall be cast into this darkness,(1) his   
   > remembrance shall never be in the sight of God. And the all holy   
   > Mother of God said: Woe to sinners, because the flame of the fire is   
   > everlasting. XXIV. And the commander-in-chief said: Come hither, all   
   > holy one, and I will show unto thee the lake of fire: and see thou   
   > where the race of the Christians is chastised.(2) And the all holy   
   > one proceeded and saw: and some she heard, but others she did not   
   > see: and she asked the commander-in-chief: Who are these, and what is   
   > their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are   
   > those who were baptised and arrayed under the oracle of Christ, but   
   > worked the works of the devil and wasted the time of their   
   > repentance: and for this cause they are thus chastised here. XXV. And   
   > she said: I pray, one request will I make of thee, let me also be   
   > chastised with the Christians, because they are the children of my   
   > son. And the commander-in-chief said: Rest thou in Paradise, holy   
   > lady, Mother of God. And the all holy one said: I pray thee, move the   
   > fourteen firmaments and the seven heavens, and let us pray for the   
   > Christians that the Lord our God may hearken unto us and have mercy   
   > on them.(3) And the commander-in-chief said: As the Lord God liveth,   
   > the great name, seven times a day and seven times a night, when we   
   > lead up the hymn of the Lord, we make remembrance for the sake of   
   > sinners, and the Lord accounts us as naught. XXVI. And the all holy   
   > one said: I pray thee, commander-in-chief, command the armies of the   
   > angels and let them place me on the height of heaven and let me into   
   > the presence of the invisible Father. And immediately the   
   > commander-in-chief commanded, and the chariot of the cherubim and   
   > seraphim appeared, and they exalted the highly favoured one to the   
   > height of heaven and placed her in the presence of the invisible   
   > Father: And she stretched forth her hands to the undefiled throne of   
   > the Father and said: Have mercy, O Lord, on the Christian sinners,   
   > for I saw them being chastised and I cannot bear their complaint. Let   
   > me go forth and be chastised myself for the Christians. I do not   
   > pray, O Lord, for the unbelieving Jews, but for the Christians I   
   > entreat thy compassion. And there came a second voice from the   
   > invisible Father saying: How can I have mercy on them, when they did   
   > not have mercy on their own brothers?(4) And the all holy one said:   
   > Lord, have mercy on the sinners: behold the chastisements, for every   
   > creature on the earth calls upon my name: and when the soul comes   
   > forth out of the body, it cries saying, "Holy Lady, Mother of God."   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)