“The Fathers of the early centuries committed an inextricable mistake in destroying fragile images and mortal Pagans, in preference to the monuments of Egyptian antiquity. These have become the more precious to archaeology and modern science since it is found they prove that King Menes and his architects flourished between four and five thousand years before “Father Adam” and the universe, according to the biblical chronology, were created “out of nothing”.
“While all the saints were rejoicing, behold Satan, the prince and captain of death”, says to the Prince of Hell: “Prepare to receive Jesus of Nazareth himself, who boasted that he was the Son of God, and yet was a man afraid of death, and said: ‘My soul is sorrowful even to death’”, (xv., 1-2).
There is a tradition among the Greek ecclesiastical writers that the “Haeretics” (perhaps Celsus) had sorely twitted the Christians on this delicate point. They held that if Jesus were not a simple mortal, who was often forsaken by the Spirit of Christos, he could not have complained in such expressions as are attributed to him; neither would he have cried out with a loud voice: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” This objection is very cleverly answered in the Gospel of Nicodemus, and it is the “Prince of Hell” who settles the difficulty.
He begins by arguing with Satan like a true metaphysician. “Who is that so powerful prince”, he sneeringly inquires, “who is he so powerful, and yet a man who is afraid of death? …I affirm to thee that when, therefore, he said he was afraid of death, he designed to ensnare thee, and unhappy it will be to thee for everlasting ages!”
It is quite refreshing to see how closely the author of this Gospel sticks to his New Testament text, and especially to the fourth evangelist. How cleverly he prepares the way for seemingly “innocent” questions and answers, corroborating the most dubious passages of the four gospels, passages more questioned and cross-examined in those days of subtle sophistry of the learned Gnostics than they are now; a weighty reason why the Fathers should have been even more anxious to burn the documents of their antagonists than to destroy their heresy. The following is a good instance.
The dialogue is still proceeding between Satan and the metaphysical half-converted Prince of the underworld. “Who, then, is that Jesus of Nazareth”, naively inquires the prince, “that by his word hath taken away the dead from me, without prayers to God?” (xv., 16).
“Perhaps”, replies Satan, with the innocence of a Jesuit, “it is the same who took away from me LAZARUS, after he had been four days dead, and did both stink and was rotten? …It is the very same person, Jesus of Nazareth. …I adjure thee, by the powers which belong to thee and me, that thou bring him not to me!”, exclaims the prince. “For when I heard of the power of his word, I trembled for fear, and all my impious company were disturbed. And we were not able to detain Lazarus, but he gave himself a shake, and with all the signs of malice, he immediately went away from us; and the very earth, in which the dead body of Lazarus was lodged, presently turned him alive.”
“Yes”, thoughtfully adds the Prince of Hell, “I know now that he is Almighty God, who is mighty in his dominion, and mighty in his human nature, who is the Saviour of mankind. Bring not therefore this person hither, for he will set at liberty all those I held in prison under unbelief, and… will conduct them to everlasting life”, (xv., 20). Here ends the post-mortem evidence of the two ghosts. Charinus (ghost No., 1) gives what he wrote to Annas, Caiaphas, and Gamaliel, and Lenthius (ghost No., 2) his to Joseph and Nicodemus, having done which, both change into “exceedingly white forms, and were seen no more.””
H. P. Blavatsky
The Mark Of God: Understanding Your "I AM Presence" 