THE LETTER OF SIMON THE ZEALOT: A Contemporary Apocryphal Christian Epistle
THE LETTER OF SIMON THE ZEALOT To the Believers in the Western Land A Contemporary Apocryphal Christian Epistle I, Simon, whom the Lord called the Zealot, a servant of Jesus the Messiah and a witness to his resurrection, write concerning the vision shown to me by the Holy Spirit. In the days when the brothers were scattered and the rulers spoke against the Way, I withdrew to a lonely place to pray. I remembered the years in which zeal had ruled my heart. Before the Lord called me, I believed righteousness would come through force. I desired the deliverance of Israel, but anger had become a master over me. My zeal was a blade, and I was ready to turn it against anyone I judged to be an enemy. But Jesus called me. He did not destroy my zeal. He purified it. He taught me that zeal without love becomes cruelty, that courage without mercy becomes violence, and that a man may fight against darkness while carrying darkness within himself. Therefore, when I had fasted and prayed, the Spirit of...