The Two Gates

1 So Michael turned the chariot and brought Abraham to the east, to the first gate of heaven. Abraham saw two roads, one narrow and confined, the other broad and spacious, and there he saw two gates, the broad one on the broad road and the narrow one on the narrow road. 2 Outside the two gates he saw a man sitting on a gilded throne, and the appearance of that man was terrifying, like that of the Lord. They saw many souls driven along by angels and led in through the broad gate, and other souls, few in number, taken by the angels through the narrow gate. When the marvelous one who sat on the golden throne saw few entering through the narrow gate and many entering through the broad one, he immediately tore the hair of his head and the sides of his beard, and threw himself from his throne to the ground, weeping and mourning. 3 But when he saw many souls entering through the narrow gate, he got up from the ground and sat on his throne in great joy, rejoicing and celebrating.⁠a Abraham asked the chief-captain: My Lord chief-captain, who is this most marvelous man, dressed in such glory, who sometimes weeps and mourns and sometimes rejoices and celebrates? The Incorporeal One said: This is Adam, the first created, who is in such glory, and he watches the world because everyone is born from him. When he sees many souls going through the narrow gate, he gets up and sits on his throne rejoicing and celebrating with joy, because this narrow gate belongs to the righteous and leads to life, and those who enter through it go into Paradise. 4 This is why Adam, the first created, rejoices: because he sees the souls being saved. But when he sees many souls entering through the broad gate, he pulls out the hair of his head and throws himself on the ground, weeping and mourning bitterly, because the broad gate belongs to sinners and leads to destruction and eternal punishment. 5 This is why Adam, the first formed, falls from his throne weeping and mourning over the destruction of sinners, because many are lost and few are saved. Out of seven thousand, scarcely one soul is found saved, righteous and undefiled.