Book V - Snyder Bible

The Preaching of Simeon Kefa 189
Chapter XVII: Suggestions of the Old Serpent
Above all, therefore, you ought to understand the deception
of the old serpent and his cunning suggestions, who deceives
you as it were by prudence, and as by a sort of reason
creeps through your senses; and beginning at the head, he
glides through your inner marrow, accounting the deceiving of
you a great gain. Therefore he insinuates into your minds opinions
of Elohim of whatsoever kinds, only that he may withdraw
you from the faith of Yahweh Elohim, knowing that your
sin is his comfort. For he, for his wickedness, was condemned
from the beginning to eat dust, for that he caused to be again
resolved into dust him who had been taken from the dust,
even till the time when your beings shall be restored, being
brought through the fire; as we shall instruct you more fully at
another time. From him, therefore, proceed all the errors and
doubts, by which you are driven from the faith and belief of
one Elohim.
Chapter XVIII: His First Suggestion
And first of all he suggests to mens thoughts not to hear
the words of truth, by which they might put to flight the ignorance
of those things which are evils. And this he does, as by
the presentation of another knowledge, making a show of that
opinion which very many hold, to think that they shall not be
held guilty if they have been in ignorance, and that they shall
not be called to account for what they have not heard; and
thereby he persuades them to turn aside from hearing the
word. But I tell you, in opposition to this, that ignorance is in
itself a most deadly poison, which is sufficient to ruin the spirit
without any aid from without. And therefore there is no
one who is ignorant who shall escape through his ignorance,
but it is certain that he shall perish. For the power of sin naturally
destroys the sinner. But since the judgment shall be according
to reason, the cause and origin of ignorance shall be
inquired into, as well as of every sin. For he who is unwilling
to know how he may attain to life, and prefers to be in ignor-