Descendants of Darkness

Contains 3 excerpts from The Acts of Philip. Each excerpt has its own subtitle:

• "(A) Against the Snake Cult" from The Apocryphal New Testament (Oxford University Press, 1924, pages 446-448, "slightly modified"). {{TR|M. R. James}}
• "(B) The Nature of the Dragon" and "(C) The City of the Serpents" from The Acts of Philip: A New Translation (Baylor University Press, 2012, pages 81-84 and 87-88 respectively). {{TR|François Bovon and Christopher R. Matthews}}.

The Acts of Philip was an gnostic apocryphal book of acts that was believed to be true by early Christian sects. As such, this is listed as an essay even though by modern standards, the contents are fantastical.