"The Prophet of the Truth who appeared on earth taught us that the Maker and God of all gave two kingdoms to two (beings), good and evil, granting to the evil the sovereignty over the present world.... Those men who choose the present have power to be rich, to revel in luxury, to indulge in pleasures, and to do whatever they can; for they will possess none of the future goods. But those who have determined to accept the blessings of the future reign have no right to regard as their own the things that are here, since they belong to a foreign king, with the exception only of water and bread and those things procured with sweat to maintain life (for it is not lawful to commit suicide); and also only one garment, for they are not permitted to go naked." (Clem. Hom. xv. 7.)
A word here about the "Sepher Toldoth Jeshu," a work which orthodoxy as usual would modernise overmuch. It is a brief sketch of Christ's life, and, at any rate, represents the Jewish tradition of that important event. It announces that the Saviour was hanged on a tree for sorcery. After that there was a bitter strife between the "Nazarenes" and the "Judeans." The former, headed by Simeon Ben Kepha, (who, "according to his precept," abstained from all food, and only ate "the bread of misery," and drank the "water of sorrow,") altered all the dates of the Jewish festivals to make them fit in with events in Christ's life. This seems to make Peter and the "Nazarenes" or Nazarites water-drinking vegetarian ascetics.
Old Jerusalem, considered as a religious centre, quite eclipsed holy cities like Benares or mediæval Rome, for the chief rites could only be performed there. The Jewish Christians plainly traded with this exceptional importance, adding a more powerful claim. For in Israel, for at least a hundred years, there had been a strange prophetic book, believed, even by the writer of one Christian scripture (Jude), to be written by the patriarch Enoch. This book was believed to be genuine by Irenæus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Tertullian. For a thousand years it was lost to Christendom, and then Bruce brought back three copies from Abyssinia. Archbishop Laurence translated the work in 1821.
The importance of the Book of Enoch is that it gives quite a new view of the mission of the Messiah. From their prophets the Jews expected a conqueror who was to come with a "bow" and the "sword of the mighty," and to "have dominion from the Jordan to the ends of the earth." That he was to be a mere mortal is proved by the fact that, according to Daniel, he was by-and-by to be "cut off." (Dan. ix. 26.) But the Son of Man of Enoch differed from this:—
"Before the sun and the signs were created, before the stars of heaven were formed, his name was invoked in the presence of the Lord of Spirits. A support shall he be for the righteous and the holy to lean upon, without falling, and he shall be the light of nations.
"He shall be the hope of those whose hearts are troubled. All who dwell on earth shall fall down and worship before him." (Enoch xlviii.)
"Behold he comes with ten thousand of his saints to execute judgment upon them and destroy the wicked." (Enoch ii.) This is the passage cited by Jude.
"In those days shall the earth deliver up from her womb, and hell deliver up from hers, that which it has received, and destruction shall restore that which it owes. He shall select the righteous and holy from among them." (Enoch i.)
"In those days shall the mouth of hell be opened, into which they shall be immerged. Hell shall destroy and swallow up sinners from the face of the elect." (Enoch liv.)
"I beheld that valley in which ... arose a strong smell of sulphur.... Through that valley rivers of fire were flowing." (Enoch lxvi. 5-8.)