In the beginning man was naked and not ashamed; but the Lord raised him up and told him to hide his nakedness, and man obeyed, and was clothed.
And the Lord walked beside man for a long season, showing him the way of resurrection; and man was obedient, depending on the Lord for all things.
And the Lord said to man: Behold, I have walked with you, and taught you; but because of my indulgence, you have neglected to put forth your own energy.
Now I am going away from you for a season, so that you may learn to develop yourself.
But lest you stumble and fall, I leave certain commandments with you, and they shall be a guide to you and your heirs forever.
Hear, then, the commandments of the Lord your God.
You shall love your Creator with all your mind, heart and soul, all the days of your life.
And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Because you were born into the world without covering, you shall clothe yourself.
Then man inquired of the Lord: Behold, you have shown the ass what is good for him to eat, and the fish, the serpent and the lion; you have shown every living creature except man. What then shall I eat?
The Lord said: I give you everything that grows up out of the ground that is good to eat, and they shall be food for you.
But you shall not eat anything of flesh and blood, in which life is.
For you shall not kill.
Man inquired of the Lord: You have shown the males and females of all the living, the times and periods to come together; but man and woman you have not shown.
The Lord said: You shall learn from the beasts, birds and fishes that the female during gestation is in the keeping of her Creator.
Therefore you shall also respect the times of woman.
Man inquired of the Lord: You have shown the bird how to build her nest, the carnivore how to scent the subtle track of his prey, and the spider to weave his net; but as to the design of man‘s house, or the herbs that are good, or poisonous, you have not shown man.
The Lord said: All the instinct that is in the bird, beast, fish, insect, or creeping thing, was created with them, but man was created blank; and yet man shall attain to more subtle senses than any other living creature.
Man inquired: How shall man attain to these?
The Lord answered: Serve your Creator by doing good to others with all your wisdom and strength, and by being true to your own highest light, and all knowledge will come to you.
The Lord went abroad over the earth, calling: Come to me, O man! Behold your Lord has returned!
But man did not hear the voice of the Lord; for, by man‘s indulgence, the spirit of man was covered up in his own flesh.
To the I‘hins, the Lord sent his loo‘is and they raised up heirs to the Lord; by controlling the parentage of the unborn, they brought into the world a new race of men, of the same seed and blood as of old, and these heard the voice of the Lord.
And the Lord said to man: Because you did not keep my commandments, you have brought affliction upon yourself and your people, to the farthest ends of the world.
Now I will raise you up once more, and deliver the tribes of men from darkness into light.
And the Lord delivered man into wisdom, peace and virtue; and the earth became like a garden of sweet-smelling flowers and luxurious fruit.
The Lord said: What do you say, O man? Shall you still require a keeper?
And man said: Behold, I am strong and wise. You can go away from the earth. I understand your commandments.
The Lord inquired: Do you know the meaning of: Love your Creator? And man said: Yes, Lord; and to love my neighbor as myself; and to do good to others with all my wisdom and strength. Yes, I have the All Highest Light. I am wiser than the ancients. Behold, I want no Lord, no God; I am the highest product of all the universe.
The Lord said: I will try you, O man; I will go away for a season.
So the Lord departed once more. And man had nothing to look up to, so he looked at himself and became vainglorious. And the tribes of men aspired to overcome one another; war and destruction followed.
Man forgot his Creator; he said: No Eye sees me, no Ear hears me. And he neglected to guard himself against the serpent (corporeality; self); and the serpent said to him: Partake of all things, for they are yours.
And man heeded, and, lo and behold, the race of man descended into utter darkness. And man did not distinguish his sister or mother; and woman did not distinguish her brother or father.
And God saw the wickedness of man, and he called out, saying: Hear my voice, O man! Hear the voice of the Lord!
But because of man‘s darkness he could not hear the voice of God, his Lord.
And the Lord sent his angels down to man, so they could appeal to man‘s understanding.