In the apocryphal Acts of John, it says that when the Messiah walked on the Earth, he left no footprints. When John tried to grasp him, his hand would pass through his body without any resistance, as he had no real flesh. The nature of his body was changeable to the touch; at times it was soft, at others hard, and sometimes it was completely empty.

The Acts of John: This is an ancient text among others that were not accepted by the Church because they do not conform to Christian doctrine. Its author is Leucius Charinus, who, according to Epiphanius, was a companion of Saint John.

In 1945, near the town of Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt, an Egyptian farmer was digging near a cliff while plowing his field. He discovered twelve manuscripts containing more than fifty Coptic Gnostic texts, including the "Acts of John." It is generally agreed that these manuscripts were copied in the fourth century in the monasteries of the region.

One of their most important beliefs, after reincarnation and knowledge, is the doctrine of substitution in the matter of the Messiah's crucifixion. They say that the one who was crucified was Simon of Cyrene, not the Messiah. When Simon carried the Messiah's cross, the Messiah's likeness was cast upon him while the true Messiah was lifted away. They do not believe in the resurrection of the Messiah as the rest of the Christians do. We will present these texts to you, God willing.

Their scholar Basilides said: Jesus did not die. Instead, Simon of Cyrene was compelled¹ to carry his cross. His likeness was cast upon Simon, so people thought he was Jesus and crucified him in error and ignorance. Meanwhile, Jesus took the form of Simon of Cyrene and stood aside, laughing at them.

He also said: The Messiah appeared as a man only outwardly. He did not suffer or die; rather, Simon of Cyrene was killed in his place.

We will suffice with these two of their beliefs for now. We will present the rest in a coming chapter.