Acherusa
Encyclopedia
Acherusa is a lake that lies near the city of Christ
, according to chapters 22 – 23 of the extracanonical
Apocalypse of Paul
:
Acherusa is also mentioned in the older, fragmentary work The Apocalypse of Peter
, though in Peter it is a field, rather than a lake:
The name appears to be derived from the Greek akherousai, which means "marshlike water".
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, according to chapters 22 – 23 of the extracanonical
Biblical canon
A biblical canon, or canon of scripture, is a list of books considered to be authoritative as scripture by a particular religious community. The term itself was first coined by Christians, but the idea is found in Jewish sources. The internal wording of the text can also be specified, for example...
Apocalypse of Paul
Apocalypse of Paul
The Apocalypse of Paul is a 4th-century text of the New Testament apocrypha. There is an Ethiopic version of the Apocalypse which features the Virgin Mary in the place of Paul the Apostle, as the receiver of the vision, known as the Apocalypse of the Virgin...
:
- 22 [...] And after that he took me out of that place where I saw these things, and lo, a river, and the waters of it were exceedingly white, more than milk, and I said to the angelAngelAngels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
: What is this? and he said to me: This is the Lake Acherusa where is the city of Christ: but not every man is suffered to enter into that city: for this is the way that leads to GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, and if any be a fornicator or ungodly, and turn and repent and bear fruits meet for repentance, first when he comes out of the body he is brought and worships God, and then by the commandment of the LordLordLord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
he is delivered unto MichaelMichaelMichael is a given name that comes from the , derived from the Hebrew question מי כמו אלוהים? meaning "Who is like God?" In English, it is sometimes shortened to Mike, Mikey, or, especially in Ireland, Mick...
the angel, and he washes him in the Lake Acherusa and so brings him in to the city of Christ with them that have done no sinSinIn religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
. And I marveled and blessed the Lord God for all the things which I saw.
- 23 And the angel answered and said unto me: Follow me and I will bring you into the city of Christ. And he stood by Lake Acherusa, and set me in a golden ship, and angels as it were three thousand sang an hymnHymnA hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
before me until I came even unto the city of Christ.
Acherusa is also mentioned in the older, fragmentary work The Apocalypse of Peter
Apocalypse of Peter
The recovered Apocalypse of Peter or Revelation of Peter is an example of a simple, popular early Christian text of the 2nd century; it is an example of Apocalyptic literature with Hellenistic overtones. The text is extant in two incomplete versions of a lost Greek original, one Koine Greek, and an...
, though in Peter it is a field, rather than a lake:
- Then will I give unto my chosen and righteous the washing and the salvationSalvationWithin religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
for which they have sought me, in the field of Acherusa, which is called AneslaslejaElysiumElysium is a conception of the afterlife that evolved over time and was maintained by certain Greek religious and philosophical sects, and cults. Initially separate from Hades, admission was initially reserved for mortals related to the gods and other heroes...
.
The name appears to be derived from the Greek akherousai, which means "marshlike water".