The Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325
ANTE-NICENE FATHERS
VOLUME 9.
The Gospel of Peter, The Diatessaron of Tatian, The Apocalypse of Peter, The Vision of Paul, The Apocalypses of the Virgin and Sedrach, The Testament of Abraham, The Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena, The Narrative of Zosimus, The Apology of Aristides, The Epistles of Clement (complete text), Origen’s Commentary on John, Books 1–10, and Commentary on Matthew, Books 1, 2, and 10–14.
Edited by
Allan Menzies, D.D.
T&T CLARK
EDINBURGH
__________________________________________________
WM. B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING COMPANY
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
Preface.
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The Ante-Nicene Fathers, which seemed many years ago to have completed its task, now presents itself once more and ventures to solicit the renewal of the favour with which it was formerly received by the theological world. The publishers and the editor, who now stands, he well knows how unworthily, in the place of Principal Donaldson and Professor Roberts, believe that the volume now added to the series will be found most interesting in itself and not unworthy to stand beside its predecessors.
This volume consists of two distinct parts. The first is a collection of recently discovered additions to early Christian literature. The period which has elapsed since the last volumes of this series were published has been singularly rich in such discoveries. A portion of a gospel has been recovered which was read in the latter part of the second century in certain Christian churches and purports to be the work of the Apostle Peter. A harmony of the four canonical gospels has also been brought to our knowledge, which was made in the same century, and which, in a considerable district of Eastern Christendom, supplanted these gospels themselves. Another work bearing the name of the Apostle Peter, his Apocalypse, which once appeared to have some claim to a place in the canon, has also been found. The Epistles of Clement, which formerly broke off abruptly, have recovered their concluding portions, and the earliest public appeal to the head of the state on behalf of Christianity is also now in our possession. The circumstances of these various discoveries, and also of others of a similar nature, are stated in the introductions prefixed by the writers in this volume to the various pieces, and it will be seen that scholars of many lands have taken part in them. English scholarship, it is well known, has distinguished itself highly in this field. Many of the pieces now given first saw the light in the Cambridge Texts and Studies, a publication of singular interest and enduring value, without which the present volume would not have come into existence. The editor of the Texts and Studies, Professor Armitage Robinson, has taken a very kind interest in the present publication and has himself contributed translations of two pieces.
The history of the discussions awakened by these discoveries cannot yet be written, but it is not too early to place the English reader in possession of the documents thus restored to the Christian community. The reader of former volumes of The Ante-Nicene Fathers has already become acquainted with a number of uncanonical gospels, of apocalypses, and of early Christian apologies. In each of these classes of Christian literature he is now presented with pieces not less interesting than any known before. A glance at the table of contents will show the principle according to which the various works have been arranged. It may be stated that the Diatessaron of Tatian is here for the first time translated into English from the Arabic.
The second part of this volume contains portions of two of the most important commentaries of Origen. When The Ante-Nicene Fathers came to a close it was felt that more should have been done for a father who occupies a position of such singular importance in the history both of Scripture exegesis and of Christian thought. It is believed that the present translations will be welcomed by many who feel that growing interest in Origen which now appears in many quarters, and that they will be acceptable to all who care to know the varieties of treatment the Scriptures have met with in the church.
The Gospel of Peter.
by
Professor J. Armitage Robinson.
Editor of the Cambridge Texts and Studies
Introduction and Synoptical TAble
by
Andrew Rutherfurd, B.D.
The Gospel of Peter.
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Introduction.
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The important fragment of which Mr. J. Armitage Robinson’s translation here follows was discovered by the French Archæological Mission, Cairo, in a grave (supposed to be a monk’s) in an ancient cemetery at Akhmîm (Panopolis), in Upper Egypt, in 1886. It was published in 1892 under the care of M. Bouriant in vol. ix., fasc. i., of the Memoirs of the French Archæological Mission at Cairo. The same parchment which contained this fragment also contained a fragment of the Revelation of Peter and a fragment of the Book of Enoch in Greek. The parchment codex is assigned to a date between the eighth and the twelfth century.
Before this discovery the following is all that was
known of the Gospel of Peter: 1. Serapion, Bishop of Antioch 190–203, writing to the
church at Rhossus, says (Eusebius, H. E., vi., 12, 2):
“We, brethren, receive Peter and the other Apostles even as
Christ; but the writings that go falsely by their names we, in our
experience, reject, knowing that such things as these we never
received. When I was with you I supposed you all to be attached
to the right faith; and so without going through the gospel put forward
under Peter’s name, I said, ‘If this is all that makes your
petty quarrel, Παρέχειν
μικροψυχίαν,
perhaps “causes you ill-feeling.” The translation of
Serapion’s letter with this note is taken from Mr. Armitage
Robinson’s edition of the gospel.
2. Origen († 253
a.d.), in commenting on
3. Eusebius (H. E.,
iii., 3, 2) says: “As to that work, however, which is
ascribed to him, called ‘The Acts,’ and ‘The Gospel
according to Peter,’ and that called ‘The Preaching and the
Revelations of Peter,’ we know nothing of their being
handed down as Catholic writings; since neither among the ancient nor
the ecclesiastical writers of our own day has there been one that has
appealed to testimony taken from them.” And in H.
E., iii., 25, 6 sq., he includes the Gospel of Peter among the
forged heretical gospels—“those that are adduced by the
heretics under the name of the apostles,…of which no one of those
writers in the ecclesiastical succession has condescended to make any
mention in his works; and, indeed, the character of the style itself is
very different from that of the apostles; and the sentiments, and the
purport of those things that are advanced in them, deviating as far as
possible from sound orthodoxy, evidently proves they are the fictions
of heretical men; whence they are not only to be ranked
4. Theodoret († c. 455), in his Religious History, ii., 2, says that the Nazarenes used “the gospel called ‘according to Peter.’” Later references in Western literature, e.g., Jerome, De vir. ill., i., and the Decretum Gelasianum, condemning the book, are based upon the judgement of Eusebius, and not upon direct knowledge (cf. Harnack, Geschichte der altchristl. Lit., I. Th., p. 11).
This was all that was known of the Gospel of Peter till the publication of the Akhmîm fragment. The latter extends to about 174 stichi, counting 32 words to the stichus. It begins in the middle of the history of the Passion, just after Pilate has washed his hands of all responsibility, and ends in the middle of a sentence, with the departure of the disciples into Galilee at the end of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, exactly a week after the crucifixion, the ostensible author, Peter, and Andrew, his brother, taking their nets and going to the sea; “and there was with us Levi the son of Alphæus, whom the Lord…”
The accompanying Synoptical Table shows where the Petrine narrative agrees with and where it varies from those supplied by the canonical gospels. Of that part of the Passion history which it narrates, it gives an account which follows the main lines of the canonical tradition, but with important variations in detail. Of the events between the burial and the resurrection of our Lord, its account is much more ample and detailed than anything in the canonical tradition.
Harnack (Texte und Untersuchungen, ix., 2, 2d ed., p. 76) gives the following list of new traits contained in the Petrine account of the history of the Passion and burial:
1. Herod was the judge who condemned Jesus, and to him application had to be made for the body.
2. The Jews, Herod, and the judges would not wash their hands, and Pilate then raised the sitting.
3. Joseph was the friend of Pilate (sec. 2).
4. Joseph begged for the body before the crucifixion, and Pilate sent for permission from Herod.
5. The soldiers “pushed him as they ran,” and their speech (sec. 3).
6. The mockery of the soldiers.
7. Mocking speech.
8. “As though having no pain” (sec. 4).
9. “Having placed his garments before him.”
10. One of the malefactors blamed the multitude, and his speech.
11. The legs of either the malefactor or Jesus were not broken, in order that he might die in torment.
12. The gall and vinegar (sec. 5).
13. In the darkness many went about with lamps, and fell down.
14. The cry, “My power, my power.”
15. The fact that when he had so cried Christ was taken up.
16. Mention of the nails in the hands at the taking down from the cross (sec. 6).
17. The earthquake when the body touched the ground.
18. The joy of the Jews when the sun shone again.
19. Joseph “had seen all the good things” that the Lord had done.
20. Joseph washed the body.
21. The cries of woe of the Jews and their leaders over their sins, and their expectation of the judgement on Jerusalem (sec. 7).
22. The disciples remained in concealment, full of grief, and fasted and wept till the Sabbath.
23. They were searched for as malefactors and as anxious to burn the temple.
24. The name of the centurion of the watch—Petronius (sec. 8).
25. The centurion, the soldiers, and the elders rolled up the stone.
26. The elders also watched at the grave.
27. Seven seals were placed on the stone.
28. A tent pitched for the watch.
29. The gathering of the multitude on the morning of the Sabbath to view the sealed grave (sec. 9).
1. That the women fled from the grave and did not see the Lord (sec. 12).
2. That there is no account of any appearance of Christ for the first eight days after his death (sec. 13).
3. That the disciples, along with the rest of those who had taken part in the feast, returned home to Galilee on the seventh day of unleavened bread.
4. That they were then sad, and wept.
5. That the first appearance of Jesus must have taken place on the Lake of Gennesaret, either to Peter alone, or to Peter, Andrew, and Levi (Matthew), while fishing.
Moreover, according to section 13 (see sec. 5), the author puts the resurrection and ascension on the same day, or, rather, did not know of the latter as a separate event. He makes the angel say, “He is risen and gone away thither whence he was sent.”
Whether the author used any other sources than the canonical gospels is a matter still in doubt. He is certainly influenced by views which are foreign to these gospels, and which are known from other quarters in early Christian literature. As between the Synoptists and the Fourth Gospel, the narrator is generally more closely akin both in matter and in manner to the Synoptists, but he agrees with the author of the Fourth Gospel in regard to the chronology of the crucifixion and several of the events at the cross, and in his general attitude towards the Jews and Pilate. With regard to the last two points, the Petrine Gospel seems to present a later and more exaggerated form of the tendency perceptible in the Johannine, and fully worked out in the Acts of Pilate, to blame the Jews and exculpate Pilate.
Of the new features in this fragment some are at least liable to a Docetic interpretation, e.g., the silence on the cross “as though he had no pain” (sec. 4), the cry, “My power, my power” (sec. 5), and ”he was taken up” (sec. 5). This fact was recognised in subsequent times and condemned this gospel in the eye of the church. The date of the work is variously fixed by different scholars; Harnack assigns it to the first quarter of the second century, while Mr. Armitage Robinson and other scholars place it later.
The
Gospel According to Peter. This translation is
based on that which I published in The Gospel and Apocalypse of
Peter: Two Lectures, etc. (Camb., 1892). It is now
carefully revised in accordance with the photographic facsimile.
A corrected Greek text will be found in Dr. Swete’s edition
(1893).
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1 But of the Jews none washed his hands, neither
Herod nor any one of his judges. And when they had refused to
wash them, Pilate rose up. And then Herod the king commandeth
that the Lord be taken, Παρ[αλημ]φθῆναι
is perhaps supported by παραλαβόντες,
2 And there was standing there Joseph the friend
of Pilate and of the Lord; and, knowing that they were about to
crucify I know no other instance of
σταυρίσκειν. cf.
3 And he delivered him to the people on the day before the unleavened bread, their feast. And they took the Lord and pushed him as they ran, and said, Let us drag away the Son of God, having obtained power over him. And they clothed him with purple, and set him on the seat of judgment, saying, Judge righteously, O king of Israel. And one of them brought a crown of thorns and put it on the head of the Lord. And others stood and spat in his eyes, and others smote his cheeks: others pricked him with a reed; and some scourged him, saying, With this honour let us honour the Son of God.
4 And they brought two malefactors, and they crucified the Lord between them. But he held his peace, as though having no pain. And when they had raised the cross, they wrote the title: This is the king of Israel. And having set his garments before him they parted them among them, and cast lots for them. And one of those malefactors reproached them, saying, We for the evils that we have done have suffered thus, but this man, who hath become the Saviour of men, what wrong hath he done to you? And they, being angered at him, commanded that his legs should not be broken, that he might die in torment.
5 And it was noon, and darkness came over all
Judæa: and they were troubled and distressed, lest the sun
had set, whilst he was yet alive: [for] it is written for them,
that the sun set not on him that hath been put to death. And one
of them said, Give him to drink gall with vinegar. And they mixed
and gave him to drink, and fulfilled all things, and accomplished their
sins against their own head. And many went about with lamps,
supposing that it was night, and fell down. The text here is
corrupt: for ἐπέσαντο I have
provisionally read ἔπεσάν τε. For αὐτὸς ὥρας
we must read αὐτῆς ὥρας
(cf. Clem., Hom., xx., 16); αὐτὴ is the equivalent in
later Greek literature of ἐκείνη, as in the modern
tongue (cf. Lc. x. 7, 21, and xii. 12; || ἐκείνῃ,
Mt., Mc.)
6 And then they drew out the nails from the hands of the Lord, and laid him upon the earth, and the whole earth quaked, and great fear arose. Then the sun shone, and it was found the ninth hour: and the Jews rejoiced, and gave his body to Joseph that he might bury it, since he had seen what good things he had done. And he took the Lord, and washed him, and rolled him in a linen cloth, and brought him into his own tomb, which was called the Garden of Joseph.
7 Then the Jews and the elders and the priests, perceiving what evil they had done to themselves, began to lament and to say, Woe for our sins: the judgement hath drawn nigh, and the end of Jerusalem. And I with my companions was grieved; and being wounded in mind we hid ourselves: for we were being sought for by them as malefactors, and as wishing to set fire to the temple. And upon all these things we fasted and sat mourning and weeping night and day until the sabbath.
8 But the scribes and Pharisees and elders being
gathered together one with another, when they heard that all the people
murmured and beat their breasts saying, If by his death these most
mighty signs have come to pass, see how righteous he is,—the
elders were afraid and came I have ventured to
substitute μετὰ, “together
with” (cf.
9 And in the night in which the Lord’s day was drawing on, as the soldiers kept guard two by two in a watch, there was a great voice in the heaven; and they saw the heavens opened, and two men descend from thence with great light and approach the tomb. And that stone which was put at the door rolled of itself and made way in part; and the tomb was opened, and both the young men entered in.
10 When therefore those soldiers saw it, they awakened the centurion and the elders; for they too were hard by keeping guard. And, as they declared what things they had seen, again they see three men come forth from the tomb, and two of them supporting one, and a cross following them: and of the two the head reached unto the heaven, but the head of him that was led by them overpassed the heavens. And they heard a voice from the heavens, saying, Thou hast preached to them that sleep. And a response was heard from the cross, Yea.
11 They therefore considered one with another whether to go away and shew these things to Pilate. And while they yet thought thereon, the heavens again are seen to open, and a certain man to descend and enter into the sepulchre. When the centurion and they that were with him saw these things, they hastened in the night to Pilate, leaving the tomb which they were watching, and declared all things which they had seen, being greatly distressed and saying, Truly he was the Son of God. Pilate answered and said, I am pure from the blood of the Son of God: but it was ye who determined this. Then they all drew near and besought him and entreated him to command the centurion and the soldiers to say nothing of the things which they had seen: For it is better, say they, for us to be guilty of the greatest sin before God, and not to fall into the hands of the people of the Jews and to be stoned. Pilate therefore commanded the centurion and the soldiers to say nothing.
12 And at dawn upon the Lord’s day Mary Magdalen, a disciple of the Lord, fearing because of the Jews, since they were burning with wrath, had not done at the Lord’s sepulchre the things which women are wont to do for those that die and for those that are beloved by them—she took her friends with her and came to the sepulchre where he was laid. And they feared lest the Jews should see them, and they said, Although on that day on which he was crucified we could not weep and lament, yet now let us do these things at his sepulchre. But who shall roll away for us the stone that was laid at the door of the sepulchre, that we may enter in and sit by him and do the things that are due? For the stone was great, and we fear lest some one see us. And if we cannot, yet if we but set at the door the things which we bring for a memorial of him, we will weep and lament, until we come unto our home.
13 And they went and found the tomb opened, and
coming near they looked in there; and they see there a certain young
man sitting in the midst of the tomb, beautiful and clothed in a robe
exceeding bright: who said to them, Wherefore are ye come?
Whom seek ye? Him that was crucified? The form of the question in
the Greek suggests a negative answer.
14 Now it was the last day of the unleavened bread, and many were going forth, returning to their homes, as the feast was ended. But we, the twelve disciples of the Lord, wept and were grieved: and each one, being grieved for that which was come to pass, departed to his home. But I Simon Peter and Andrew my brother took our nets and went to the sea; and there was with us Levi the son of Alphæus, whom the Lord…
of the
Four Canonical Gospels
and
The Gospel According to Peter
24 ¶ When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
[cf. v. 57.]
26 ¶ Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.
28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
29 ¶ And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
[cf. v. 43.]
[cf. v. 42.]
15 ¶ And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
16 And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Prætorium; and they call together the whole band.
17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,
18 And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!
19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.
[2cf.
[3cf.
[cf. v. 50.]
[4cf.
24 And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.
25 And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.
[1cf. John passim.]
[cf. v. 38.]
[cf. xix. 31.]
16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.
1 But of the Jews [cf. John
passim.] [cf.
[cf.
3 And there was come there Joseph the friend of
Pilate and of the Lord; and, knowing that they were about to crucify
him, he came to Pilate and asked the body of the Lord for burial.
4 And Pilate sent to Herod and asked his body. 5 And
Herod said, Brother [cf.
6 And they took the Lord and pushed him as they ran, and said, Let us drag away the Son of God, having obtained power over him.
7 And they clothed him with purple, and set him on the seat of judgement, saying, Judge righteously, O King of Israel. 8 And one of them brought a crown of thorns and put it on the head of the Lord. 9 And others stood and spat in his eyes, and others smote his cheeks: others pricked him with a reed; and some scourged him, saying, With this honour let us honour the Son of God.
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31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.
32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.
33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
Mark.
20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.
21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.
22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.
Luke.
26 And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.
27 ¶ And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.
28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.
29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.
31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?
32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.
33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
John.
17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
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34 ¶ They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
36 And sitting down they watched him there;
37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.
39 ¶ And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
Mark.
23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.
24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.
25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
26 And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
27 And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.
28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.
Luke.
34 ¶ Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.
36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,
37 And saying, If thou be the King of the Jews, save thyself.
38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
John.
18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
[cf. vv. 23, 24.]
19 ¶ And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.
20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.
10 And they brought two malefactors, and they crucified the Lord between them.
But he held his peace, as though having no pain.
11 And when they had raised the cross, they wrote upon it, This is the King of Israel.
12 And having set his garments before him, they parted them among them, and cast lots for them.
[cf. v. 11.]
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40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
[cf. v. 35.]
44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
Mark.
29 And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross.
31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.
32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.
[cf. v. 24.]
And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
Luke.
39 ¶ And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
John.
21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.
22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.
23 ¶ Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.
24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.
[cf. v. 12.]
13 And one of those malefactors reproached him, saying, We for the evils that we have done have suffered thus, but this man, who hath become the Saviour of men, what wrong hath he done to you?
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45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Mark.
33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Luke.
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.
John.
25 ¶ Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.
26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!
27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
14 And they, being angered at him, commanded that his legs should not be broken, that he might die in torment.
15 And it was noon, and darkness came over all Judæa:
and they were troubled and distressed, lest the sun had set, whilst he was yet alive: [for] it is written for them, that the sun set not on him that hath been put to death.
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47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.
48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
50 ¶ Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom;
and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
Mark.
35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.
36 And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.
37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
Luke.
46 ¶ And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
John.
28 ¶ After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.
33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:
16 And one of them said, Give him to drink gall with vinegar. And they mixed and gave him to drink, 17 and fulfilled all things, and accomplished their sins against their own head.
18 And many went about with lamps, supposing that it was night, and fell down. 19 And the Lord cried out, saying, My power, my power, thou hast forsaken me.
And when he had said it he was taken up.
20 And in that hour the vail of the temple of Jerusalem was rent in twain.
————————————
54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
55 And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:
56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.
57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathæa, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple:
Mark.
39 ¶ And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
40 There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;
41 (Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.
42 ¶ And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
43 Joseph of Arimathæa, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.
Luke.
47 Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.
48 And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned.
49 And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things.
50 ¶ And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:
51 (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathæa, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God.
John.
34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.
36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.
37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.
38 ¶ And after this Joseph of Arimathæa, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.
21 And then they drew out the nails from the hands of the Lord, and laid him upon the earth, and the whole earth quaked, and great fear arose. 22 Then the sun shone, and it was found the ninth hour: 23 and the Jews rejoiced, and
————————————
58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.
61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.
Mark.
44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.
45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
46 And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.
47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.
Luke.
52 This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.
53 And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.
54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.
John.
39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.
42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
gave his body to Joseph that he might bury it,
since he had seen what good things he had done.
24 And he took the Lord, and washed him, and wrapped him in a linen cloth, and brought him into his own tomb,
which was called the Garden of Joseph.
25 Then the Jews and the elders and the priests, perceiving what evil they had done to themselves, began to lament and to say, Woe for our sins: the judgement hath drawn nigh, and the end of Jerusalem.
26 And I with my companions was grieved; and being wounded in mind we hid ourselves: for we were being sought for by them as malefactors, and as wishing to set fire to the temple.
————————————
[1cf.
62 ¶ Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees
came together unto Pilate,
63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.
65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.
66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
Mark.
[1cf.
[2cf.
Luke.
John.
27 And upon all these things we fasted [cf.
[cf.
[cf.
28 But the scribes and Pharisees and elders being gathered together one with another, when they heard that all the people murmured and beat their breasts, saying, If by his death these most mighty signs have come to pass, see how just he is,—29 the elders were afraid and
came to Pilate, beseeching him and saying, 30 Give us soldiers, that we may guard his sepulchre for three days, lest his disciples come and steal him away, and the people suppose that he is risen from the dead and do us evil.
31 And Pilate gave them Petronius the centurion with soldiers to guard the tomb. And with them came the elders and scribes to the sepulchre,
32 And having rolled a great stone together with the centurion and the soldiers, they all together who were there set it at the door of the sepulchre;
33 And they affixed seven seals, and they pitched a tent there and guarded it.
34 And early in the morning as the sabbath was drawing on, there came a multitude from Jerusalem and the region round about, that they might see the sepulchre that was sealed.
35 And in the night in which the Lord’s day was drawing on, as the soldiers kept guard two by two in a watch, there was a great voice in the heaven; 36 and they saw the heavens opened, and two men descend from thence with great light and approach the tomb. 37 And that stone which was put at the door rolled of itself and made way in part; and the tomb was opened, and both the young men entered in.
38 When therefore those soldiers saw it, they awakened the centurion and the elders,—for they too were hard by keeping guard; 39 and, as they declared what things they had seen, again they see three men coming forth from the tomb, and two of them supporting one, and a cross following them. 40 And of the two the head reached unto the heaven, but the head of him that was led by them overpassed the heavens. 41 And they heard a voice from the heavens, saying, Hast thou preached to them that sleep? 42 And a response was heard from the cross, Yea.
43 They therefore considered one with another whether to go away and shew these things to Pilate. 44 And while they yet thought thereon, the heavens again are seen to open, and a certain man to descend and enter into the sepulchre. 45 When the centurion and they that were with him saw these things, they hastened in the night to Pilate, leaving the tomb which they were watching, and declared all things which they had seen, being greatly distressed and saying, Truly he was the Son of God.
————————————
[cf.
Chapter XXVIII.
1 ¶ In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
Mark.
Chapter XVI.
1 ¶ And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
5 And entering into the sepulchre,
they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
Luke.
Chapter XXIV.
1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
John.
Chapter XX.
1 ¶ The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre,
and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
46 Pilate answered and said, I am pure from the blood of the Son of God: but ye determined this.
47 Then they all drew near and besought him and entreated him to command the centurion and the soldiers to say nothing of the things which they had seen: 48 For it is better, say they, for us to incur the greatest sin before God, and not to fall into the hands of the people of the Jews and to be stoned. 49 Pilate therefore commanded the centurion and the soldiers to say nothing.
50 And at dawn upon the Lord’s day, Mary Magdalen, a disciple of the Lord, fearing because of the Jews, since they were burning with wrath, had not done at the Lord’s sepulchre the things which the women are wont to do for those that die and for those that are beloved by them—
51 she took her friends with her and came to the sepulchre where he was laid.
52 And they feared lest the Jews should see them, and they said, Although on the day on which he was crucified we could not weep and lament, yet now let us do these things at his sepulchre.
53 But who shall roll away for us the stone that was laid at the door of the sepulchre, that we may enter in and sit by him and do the things that are due? 54 For the stone was great, and we fear lest some one see us. And if we cannot, yet if we but set at the door the things which we bring for a memorial of him, we will weep and lament, until we come unto our home.
55 And they went away and found the tomb opened,
and coming near they looked in there;
and they see there a certain young man sitting in the midst of the tomb, beautiful and clothed in a robe exceeding bright;
————————————
4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
Mark.
6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.
[Levi, etc.; cf.
Luke.
6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
8 And they remembered his words,
9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
John.
who said unto them, 56 Wherefore are ye come? Whom seek ye? Him that was crucified? He is risen and gone. But if ye believe not, look in and see the place where he lay, that he is not [here]; for he is risen and gone away thither, whence he was sent.
57 Then the women feared and fled.
58 Now it was the last day of the unleavened bread, and many were going forth, returning to their homes, as the feast was ended. 59 But we, the twelve disciples of the Lord, mourned and were grieved: and each one, being grieved for that which was come to pass, departed to his home. 60 But I, Simon Peter and Andrew my brother, took our nets and went to the sea; and there was with us Levi the son of Alphæus, whom the Lord…
The Diatessaron of Tatian
By
Rev. Hope W. Hogg, B.D.
Introduction.
————————————
The aim of the following introductory paragraphs is neither to furnish a detailed restatement of facts already known, nor to offer an independent contribution to the discussion of the problems that arise, although in other circumstances such an attempt might be made with advantage. All that is needed and practicable here is to describe briefly, if possible, the nature of the connection between the English treatise forming the next part of this volume and the ancient work known as the Diatessaron of Tatian; and then to indicate in a few words some of the more important or interesting features of the work itself, and some of the historical and other problems that are in one way or another connected with it.
1 The Text Translated.—What is offered to the reader is a translation into English of an Arabic text, published at Rome in 1888, in a volume entitled in Arabic Diatessaron, which Titianus Compiled from the Four Gospels, with the alternative Latin title, Tatiani Evangeliorum Harmoniæ, Arabice. The Roman volume consists of two parts—the text, covering a little over 209 very clearly printed Arabic pages, and a Latin half, comprising a scholarly introduction (pp. v.–xv.), a Latin translation (pp. 1–99), and a table showing the order in which the passages taken from the gospels occur in the text. The editor is P. Agostino Ciasca, a well known Orientalist, “scriptor” at the Vatican Library.
2 Former Translations.—In his Introduction (p. xiv. f.) Ciasca explains that in his translation he aimed at preserving quantum, salva fidelitate, integrum fuit, indolem stylumque Clementinæ Vulgate. This Latin version was in its turn translated into English by the Rev. J. Hamlyn Hill, B.D., and published in 1894 in a volume entitled The Earliest Life of Christ, with an interesting introduction and a number of valuable appendices. The ms. of Mr. Hill’s translation of the Latin of Ciasca was compared with the Arabic original by Mr. G. Buchanan Gray, M.A., lecturer in Hebrew and the Old Testament in Mansfield College, Oxford.
3 The Present Translation.—The
translation offered here is quite independent of either of these
two. Ciasca’s Latin was seldom consulted, except when it
was thought the Arabic might perhaps be obscured by a misprint.
After the translation was completed, Hill’s English was compared
with it to transfer Mr. Hill’s valuable system of references to
the margin of this work, and to lessen the risk of oversights passing
the last revision unnoticed. In two or three cases this process
led to the adoption of a different construction, and in a few of the
more awkward passages a word was borrowed as being less harsh than that
which had originally been written. Speaking generally, the
present version appears to differ from Mr. Hill’s in adhering
more closely to the original. For further explanation of
the method followed see 20.
4 The Arabic Text.—Only two Arabic
mss. are known to exist. Ciasca tells us
(p. xiv.) that he took as the basis of his text that ms. which is more careful in its orthography, the Cod. Vat.
Arab. No. 14. He, however, printed at the foot of the page the
variants of the other ms., and supplied from it
two lacunæ in the Cod. Vat., See notes to § 7, 47,
and § 52, 36, of the present translation. See below, 12, (2). See also below, 6, and
20.
5 The Arabic mss.—Unfortunately, the present writer has not
had an opportunity of examining these two mss.;
but they have been described at some length by Ciasca; Codex XIV. in
Pitra’s Analecta Sacra, iv., 465 ff., and the other codex
in the volume with which we are dealing, p. vi. ff. I. The
former, which we shall call the Vatican ms. (in
Ciasca’s footnotes it is called A), was brought to the Vatican
from the East by Joseph S. Assemani Bibl. Or., i.,
619. Mai, Vet. script. nova.
collect., iv., 14. cf. Zahn,
Forschungen, i., 294 ff. See below, § 7, 47,
note, and § 52, 36, note. See below, § 28, 43,
note. See below,
foot-notes, passim. The first leaf bears a
more pretentious Latin inscription, quoted by Ciasca, p. vi. Can this be a misprint for
95? See below, 13.
6 Condition of the Arabic
Text.—Ciasca’s text does not profess to be critically
determined, for which purpose a more careful study of each of the
mss. and an estimate of their respective texts
would be indispensable. Although the Borgian ms. is supposed by Ciasca to be a century or two later than
the Vatican ms. it is clearly not a copy of the
latter, for not only does it sometimes offer more original readings,
but, as we shall see, its text in some points coincides more exactly in
scope with the original work. The list of various readings
supplied by Ciasca, He does not state, in so
many words, that the list is absolutely exhaustive. See, e.g., below, §
13, 42, note, and § 14, 43, note. See the valuable article
of Guidi, “Le traduzioni degli Evangelii in arabo e in
etiopico” (Atti della R. Accademia dei Lincei; Classe di
Scienze Morali, Storiche e filologiche. Serie Quarta,
1888, Parte Prima—Memorie, pp.
5–38). Some of his results are briefly stated in Scrivener,
A Plain Introd. to the Crit. of the N.T., 4th ed., ii.,
162.
7 Origin of the Arabic Text.—If some
of the uncouthness of the Arabic text is due to corruption in the
course of transmission, much is also due to its being not an original
work, but a translation. That it is, in the main, a translation
from Syriac is too obvious to need proof. cf.the
foot-notes passim, e.g., § 13, 14, § 14,
24. See below, note to
Subscription. See a glaring case in
§ 52, 11. The references to
the readings of the Diatessaron in Ibn-at-Tayyib’s own
commentary on the gospels (see next note) are remarkably impersonal for
one who had made or was to make a translation of it.
8 The Arabic Editor and his
Method.—Ibn-at-Tayyib (d. 1043) is a well known man, a
Nestorian monk and scholar, secretary to Elias I., Patriarch of Nisibis
(for references to sources see, e.g., Ciasca’s Introduction, p.
xi. f. and Steinschneider’s long note in his Polemische und apologetische Lit. in Arabische Sprache,
pp. 52–55). As we are here concerned with him A specially
important part of the general question is this, What are the mutual
relations of the following: (1) a supposed version of at least
Matthew and John made from the Syriac by Ibn-at-Tayyib, mentioned by
Ibn-al-‘Assal in the Preface to his scholarly recension of the
gospels (ms. numbered Or. 3382 in Brit. Mus.,
folio 384b) and used by him in determining his text; (2) the
gospel text interwoven with the commentary of Ibn-at-Tayyib on the
gospels, a commentary which De Slane says the author wrote in Syriac
and then translated into Arabic; (3) our present work. Of
mss. testifying to No. 1 we have some dating
from the time of Ibn-al-‘Assal himself; of No. 2 we have, in
addition to others, an eleventh-century ms. in
Paris, described by De Slane (catalogue No. 85) as being
“un volume dépareillé du
ms. original de
l’ouvrage”; of No. 3 we have of course the
Vatican and Borgian mss. What is the
mutual relation of these texts; were any two of them identical?
The Brit. Mus. ms. of the second has many
points of contact with the third, but is dated 1805 a.d. Does the older Paris ms.
stand more or less closely related? Did Ibn-at-Tayyib himself
really translate any or all of these texts, or did he simply select or
edit them? Space does not permit us to point out, far less to
discuss, the various possibilities.
9 The Syriac Text Translated—The
eleventh century ms. of Ibn-at-Tayyib, could we
reach it, would bring us face to face with the more interesting
question of the nature of his Syriac original. The Subscription
to the Borgian ms. states, probably copying the
statement from its exemplar, that this was a. Syriac ms. in the handwriting of ‘Isa ibn-‘Ali al
Motatabbib, pupil of Honain ibn Ishak. This Honain was a famous
Arabic physician and medical writer of Bagdad (d. 873), whose school
produced quite a number of translations and translators, among whom
Ibn-‘Ali, supposed to be identical with the Syriac lexicographer
of the same name, is known to have had a high place. The Syriac
ms., therefore, that Ibn-at-Tayyib translated
takes us back to about the year 900. But the Subscription to each
of our mss. The text is given below in
full at its proper place.
10 Other Traces of a Syriac Text.—No
copy of a Syriac Diatessaron has yet been shown to have
survived. Prof. Gottheil,
indeed, announced in 1892 in the Journal of Biblical Literature
(vol. xi., pt. i., p. 71) that he had been privately informed of the
existence of a complete copy of the Syriac Diatessaron.
Unfortunately, however, as he has kindly informed me, he has
reluctantly come to the conclusion that the ms.
in question, which is not yet accessible, is “nothing more than
the commentary of Isho‘dad” mentioned in the text. A
similar rumor lately circulated probably originated simply in the
pamphlet of Goussen mentioned in the next note. S. Bäumer,
on the other hand, in his article, “Tatians Diatessaron, seine bisher. Lit. u. die Reconstruction des
Textes nach einer neuentdeckten Handschrift” (Literarischer Handweiser, 1890,
153–169) which the present writer has not been able to see,
perhaps refers simply to the Borgian ms. Attention was called
to these by Profs. Isaac H. Hall and R. J. H. Gottheil (Journ. of
Bibl. Lit., x., 153 ff.; xi., 68 ff.); then by Prof. J. R. Harris
(Contemp. Rev., Aug., 1895, p. 271 ff., and, more fully,
Fragments of the Com. of Ephr. Syr. on the Diatess., London,
1895) and by Goussen (Studia Theologica, fasc. i., Lips.,
1895). Prof. Harris promises an
edition of this commentary.
11 Statements about the
Diatessaron.—One of the most widely known is that of
Isho‘dad himself, who, in his Preface to the Gospel of Mark,
says: “Tatian, disciple of Justin, the philosopher and
martyr, selected from the four gospels, and combined and composed a
gospel, and called it Diatessaron, i.e., the Combined,…and
upon this gospel Mar Ephraem commented.” Harris,
Fragments, p. 14, where the Syriac text is quoted. Bib. Or.,
ii., 159 f. Most of them are repeated again by Bar Hebræus
(d. 1286), although some confusion is produced by his interweaving some
phrases from Eusebius of Cæsarea. (Bib. Or., i., 57
f., and a longer quotation in English in Contemp. Rev., Aug.,
1895, p. 274 f.) Lagarde’s statement
(Nachrichten von der Königl. Gesellsch. der
Wiss., etc., zu Göttingen, 1891, No. 4, p. 153)
that a ms. had been discovered, appears to have
been unfounded. Prof. Rahlfs of Göttingen kindly tells me
that he believes this is so. Migne, Patrol.
græc., tom. lxxxiii., col. 369, 372.
12 Non-Syriac Texts of the
Diatessaron.—Although Ephraem’s Syriac commentary on
the Diatessaron is for the present lost, there is an Armenian
version of it Published at Venice in
1836. The two Armenian
mss. are dated a.d.
1195. Evangelii Concordantis
Expositio, facta a S. Ephraemo (Ven., 1876). Forschungen zur Geschichte des neutestamentlichen
Kanons, I. Theil. Edited by Ernestus Ranke,
Marb. and Lips., 1868. For other forms of
the Diatessaron, of no critical importance, see S. Hemphill,
The Diatessaron of Tatian (London, 1888), Appendix D and the refs.
there. Further references,
chiefly repetitions in one form or another of the statements we have
quoted, may be found in a convenient form in Harnack, Gesch. d. altchrist. Lit. bis. Euseb.,
493–496; cf. also the works mentioned by Hill (op.
cit.) p. 378 f.
13 Accretions to the Diatessaron.—The
statements we are to consider are: (1) Bar Salibi’s, that
Tatian’s Diatessaron began with “In the beginning
was the Word”; cf. the words
of Aphraates, senior contemporary of Ephraem: “As it is
written in the beginning of the Gospel of our Vivifier: In the
beginning was the Word.” (Patrol. Syr., pars i.,
tom. i., 21, lines 17–19). Nachrichten von der Königl. Gesellsch. der Wiss.,
etc., March 17, 1886, No. 4, p. 151 ff. See notes to § 1, 81,
and § 4, 29. See note to § 55,
17.
14 Passages Lost from the Diatessaron.—If the Diatessaron has thus been growing so as to represent the ordinary text of the canonical gospels more completely, we have also evidence that suggests that it has been at some time or times purged of certain features that are lacking in these canonical gospels. For one case of this kind see below, §4, 36, note.
15 Presentation of the Text of the
Diatessaron.—We have observed already that the Latin,
Armenian, and Arabic Diatessarons correspond pretty closely in
subject matter and arrangement, but differ markedly in text. The
Codex Fuldensis is really a ms. of the Vulgate,
although the text that Victor found was probably somewhat
different. The Armenian text differs materially from the ordinary
Syriac version of the New Testament (the Peshitta), showing a marked
connection with another type of Syriac text represented now by the
Curetonian and Sinaitic (Lewis) mss. The
Arabic text, on the other hand, almost systematically represents the
Peshitta. The explanation of the condition of text in the Codex
Fuldensis is obvious. On the other hand, the relationship of the
Armenian and Arabic texts to the original Diatessaron must be
determined by weighing The Armenian version of
Ephraem is supposed to date from the fifth century.
16 Checkered History of the
Diatessaron.—What use the Arabic edition of Ibn-at-Tayyib was
put to when made we do not know. ‘Abd Isho‘ (d. 1318)
speaks in the highest terms of Tatian’s work, saying,
“…With all diligence he attended to the utmost degree to
the right order of those things which were said and done by the
Saviour; of his own he did not add a single saying.” Mai, Script. vet.
nov. Coll., x., 191. Overbeck, S.
Ephraemi, etc., Opera Selecta, p. 220, lines
3–5. Phillips, Doct.
Add., p. 36, 15–17 [E. Tr. p. 34]. Moesinger, Evang.
Concord., etc., p. xi.
17 The Author of the Diatessaron.—The
Diatessaron is such an impersonal work that we do not need to
know very much about its compiler. The latest
discussion of the question whether this really was Tatian is Mr. Rendel
Harris’s article in the Contemp. Rev., Aug.,
1895. Best ed. by Eduard
Schwartz, in Texte und Untersuchungen,
IV. Band, Heft 1.
18 The Diatessaron as a Harmony.—Not
very much need be said on this subject, as every reader can collect the
facts for himself. In its present form the Harmony draws from all
the four canonical gospels, and from very little else. Opinions
differ as to whether it originally indicated the gospel from which any
given piece was drawn, and some uncertainty must remain in special
cases as to what gospel actually has been drawn upon. Professor
G. F. Moore, in a very interesting article on the
Diatessaron,
“Tatian’s Diatessaron and the Analysis of the
Pentateuch,” Journ. of Bibl. Lit., vol. ix., 1890, pt.
ii., 201–215.
20 The Present Translation.—The work
of translation has been found much more tedious than was anticipated,
notwithstanding the fact that considerably more than half of it is the
work of my wife, which I have simply revised with special attention to
the many obscurities dealt with in the footnotes. We have,
however, worked so much together that it is very doubtful whether any
one could assign the various parts to their respective sources.
My wife also verified the Arabic references to the gospels printed on
the margin to the right of the text, The refs., except where
the foot-notes indicate otherwise, are to the verses of the English or
Greek Bible. The numbers of the Arabic verse refs. (which follow
the Vulgate and therefore in one or two passages differ from the
English numbers by one) may, however, have been occasionally retained
through oversight. It is only the name of the gospel that can
possibly be ancient. It may be mentioned that
it has been found very convenient to mark these figures on the margin
of the Arabic text. An English index (that given here, or that in
Hill’s volume) can then be used for the Arabic text also.
The aim has been to make a literal translation. As
two freer translations already exist, it seemed best to incline to the
side of being overliteral. If, however, features due simply to
Arabic idiom have been preserved, this is an oversight.
Uniformity could only have been secured by devoting a much longer time
to the work than the editor was able to allow. The difficulties
are due to the corrupt state of the Arabic text, e.g., § 8, 10.
For a list of suggested emendations see at end of Index. e.g., § 52, 11. e.g., § 45, 33.
In conclusion we may say that an effort has been made to
preserve even the order of words; but it must be emphasized that it is
very doubtful whether it is wise for any one to use the Arabic
Diatessaron for critical purposes who is not acquainted with
Arabic and Syriac. The tenses, e.g., are much vaguer in Arabic
than in Greek and English, and are, moreover, in this work often
accommodated to Syriac idiom. The Greek and the Revised Version
have been
This is not a final translation. Few books have had a more remarkable literary history than the Diatessaron, and that history is by no means done. Much careful argument will yet be devoted to it, and perhaps discoveries as important as any hitherto made are yet to shed light on the problems that encircle it. If our work can help any one to take a step in advance, we shall not regret the toil.
Oxford, 21st December, 1895.
————————————
1. In the Borgian Ms.
In the name of the one God, the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to him be the glory
forever. We shall begin, with the help of God most high, the
writing of the pure gospel, the blooming garden, called
Diatessaron (a word meaning “fourfold”), the work
compiled by Titianus the Greek out of the four
evangelists—Matthew the elect, whose symbol is M, Mark the
chosen, whose symbol is R, Luke the approved, whose symbol is K, and
John the beloved, whose symbol is H. The work was translated from
Syriac into Arabic by the excellent and learned priest Abu’l
Faraj ‘Abdulla ibn-at-Tayyib, The ms. here has Tabib, but the name is correctly given
in the Subscription (q.v.). i.e., simply He
began with. The vowel signs as
printed by Ciasca imply some such construction asAnd he said as a
beginning: The Gospel, etc. But the vocalisation is of
course not authoritative, and a comparison with the preface in the
Vatican ms. suggests the rendering given
above. The word translated Beginning in the two
Introductory Notes is the very word (whichever spelling be adopted)
used by Ibn-at-Tayyib himself in his comments on Ciasca does not
state whether the word John occurs here in the Borgian
ms. or not.
2. In the Vatican ms.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy
Spirit, giver of life, the God that is one in substance in his essence,
and three in persons in his attributes. The first of his Gospel
is He began the first of his Gospel with Mark. And he
said: The Beginning The vowel signs as
printed by Ciasca imply some such construction asAnd he said as a
beginning: The Gospel, etc. But the vocalisation is of course not
authoritative, and a comparison with the preface in the Vatican
ms. suggests the rendering given above. The
word translated Beginning in the two Introductory Notes is the very
word (whichever spelling be adopted) used by Ibn-at-Tayyib himself in
his comments on
————————————
[Section I]
[1]
[6] On the margin of the
Vatican ms., fol. 1a, are written by a
later hand these words, The first of his Gospel. The
first of the Evangel (is) the Gospel of Luke;
followed by the text of the first four verses of Luke, and that in turn
by the words, Four complete Gospels, Matthew, and Mark, and
Luke, and John. See Ciasca’s Essay, cited above
(Introduction, 5), p. 468. This word is
constantly recurring in the sense of fear. Everywhere, except
in the introductory notes, the Arabic is the Spirit of Holiness,
as in the Arabic versions. See § 28, 17,
note.
[25]
[27] The Vat.
ms. has over this verse, The second section,
from the Gospel of Luke, i.e., as divided in the Syriac and Arabic
versions. The Borgian
ms. omits to Galilee.
[40] Vat. ms., like that described by Gildemeister (see Introduction,
20) has into Galilee (cf. § 8, 10, note). Lit. the, a
form due to Syriac influence (cf. § ii. 12, and
passim).
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
[48]
[49]
Lo, henceforth, all generations The Arabic word
ordinarily means tribe or nation, but in this work it
regularly represents the Syriac word used in the N.T. for
generation.
[50] The Arabic would
naturally be rendered, the blessing on me, That; but a number of
passages in this work seem to justify the rendering given in the text
(cf., e.g., § 46, 54, and especially § 15,
40).
And holy is his name.
[51]
Throughout the ages and the times.
[52] [Arabic, p. 5]
And scattered them that prided themselves in their opinions.
[53]
And raised the lowly.
[54]
And left the rich without anything.
[55]
And remembered his mercy
[56]
Unto Abraham and unto his seed for ever.
[57]
[58, 59] The text is
indistinct in the Vat. ms. The reading
seems to be conflate, the doublets being when it was, which is
the reading of Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary, and
on. Lit.
described (cf. § ii. 46).
[68]
[69]
Who hath cared for his people, and wrought for it salvation;
[70]
[Arabic, p. 6] In the house of David his servant
[71]
[72]
And from the hand of all them that hate us.
[73]
And remembered his holy covenants,
[74]
[75]
And without fear we shall Or,
should.
[76]
[77]
Thou shalt go forth before the face of the Lord to prepare his way,
[78] Here and elsewhere
the Arabic translator uses life and live and give
life, as in Syriac, for salvation, etc.
For the forgiveness of their sins,
[79] Borg. ms. has and for of.
With which he careth for The word used in
the Peshitta means visit, either in the sense of caring
for or in that of frequenting. See § 24,
29. So Borg.
ms. The Vat. ms.
is very indistinct. Lagarde (see Introduction, 13, note), quoting
Guidi, prints Whereby there visiteth us the manifestation from on
high. The difference in Arabic is in a single
stroke.
[80]
And to set straight our feet in the way of peace.
[81]
Section II.
[1] [Arabic, p. 7] This is preceded
in Vat. ms. by the genealogy,
The Arabic might
even more naturally be rendered born, thus giving us the reading
that Isho‘dad tells us was that of the Diatessaron
(Harris, Fragments, p. 16 f.); but throughout the whole
genealogy (see § 1, 81, note) this word has been used by the Vat.
ms. in the sense of begat. Here
the Borg. ms. has of her for in
her; but Ibn-at-Tayyib in his Commentary discusses why
Matthew wrote in and not of. cf. § 1,
78.
[6]
And they shall call his name Immanuel,
[7] which is, being interpreted, With us is our God.
[9] The Arabic expression is
clearly meant to represent that used in the Peshitta. This is the most
natural meaning of the Arabic sentence; which, however, is
simply a word-for-word reproduction.
[16] The Arabic represents
Syr. idiom.
[22]
And on the earth peace, and good hope to men.
[23] cf. § 1, 66,
note. Borg. ms. inserts all above the line, after
these. The meaning ought then to be, these things,
namely, all the sayings. The Arab. might
mean set them apart; but the Syriac is against this.
[29] [Arabic, p. 9]
[30] Or,
anointed.
[37] For order
cf. (in part) Sin. Syriac.
According to thy saying;
[38]
[39]
[40] i.e., becoming
manifest.
And a glory to thy people Israel.
[41] So also in Syriac
versions and the quotation of Isho’dad from Ephraem (Harris,
Fragments, p. 34), but not the Armenian version. The Arabic sides
with the Peshitta and Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary, against the
remarkable reading of Sin. supported by Isho’dad, as in last note
(Syriac text), and the Armenian in Hill, p. 336. See now
also The Guardian, Dec. 18, 1895.
Section III.
[1, 2] On the substitution of
this general phrase for This periphrasis
for where is very characteristic of this work.
[6]
Art not contemptible among the kings of Judah:
From thee shall go forth a king,
And he shall be a shepherd to my people Israel.
[7] So in later Arabic
and some Arabic versions. According to classical usage the word
means sleep.
[13]
[18]
Weeping and much lamentation;
Rachel weeping Or, is
weeping, and so in next line is not willing.
And not willing to be consoled for their loss.
[19]
[24]
[25] A general word
(cf. Syr. versions). Or,
knew.
[36] [Arabic, p. 13]
[37] There is a very
rare use of this Arabic word in the Hebrew sense of
saying. So Vat.
ms. The Borg. ms.
has with.
The voice which crieth in the desert,
[43]
And make straight in the plain, paths for our God.
[44]
And all the mountains and hills shall become low;
And the rough shall become plain, And the difficult place, easy;
[45] See note on § 1,
78.
[46] Or,
authority. In Syr. this word
also means truth. Or, earlier
than I. i.e., came to
be.
[1] cf.
Peshitta, etc. (not Cur.); cf. also Gildemeister, op.
cit., p. 29, on
[2] Lit. from the
side of. Or,
in.
[12] On the original
Diatessaron reading, honey and milk of the mountains, or,
milk and honey of the mountains, which latter Ibn-at-Tayyib
cites in his Commentary (folio 44b, 45a) as a reading, but without any
allusion to the Diatessaron, see, e.g., now Harris, Fragments
of the Com. of Ephr. Syr. upon the Diat. (London, 1895), p.
17 f. The translator
uses invariably an Arabic word (name of a sect) meaning
Separatists. Lit.
Zindiks, a name given to Persian dualists and others. Grammar requires
this rendering, but solecisms in this kind of word are very common, and
in this work (e.g., § 48, 21) the jussive particle is sometimes
omitted. We should therefore probably render let him give, let
him do, etc. Grammar requires
this rendering, but solecisms in this kind of word are very common, and
in this work (e.g., § 48, 21) the jussive particle is sometimes
omitted. We should therefore probably render let him give, let
him do, etc. cf.
Peshitta, where the word has its special meaning,
soldiers.
[24] Our translator
constantly uses this Arabic word (which we render haply, or,
can it be? or, perhaps, etc.) to represent the Syriac
word used in this place. The latter is used in various ways, and
need not be interrogative, as our translator renders it (cf.
especially § 17, 6). Or,
shall.
[27]
[28] The Vat.
ms. here gives the genealogy
( cf. § 3, 54,
note. For the statement
of Isho’dad (see above, Introduction, 10), “And
straightway, as the Diatessaron testifieth, light shone
forth,” etc., see Harris, Fragments, etc., p. 43
f.
[42, 43] Lit.
calumniator. Lit.
calumniator.
He shall give his angels charge concerning thee:
And they shall take thee on their arms,
So that thy foot shall not stumble against a stone.
[49] Borg. ms. omits and. Lit.
backbiter, a different word from that used above in § 4,
43, 47. Lit.
backbiter, a different word from that used above in § 4,
43, 47.
Section V.
[1] Lit.
backbiter, a different word from that used above in § 4,
43, 47.
[4, 5] Or,
speaking. cf. Peshitta. The Arabic word
used throughout this work means Stones.
[12] Lit. the
(cf. note to § 1, 40).
[21]
[22] Arabic
Qatna; at § 5, 32, Qatina, following the Syriac
form. Lit. the
(cf. note to § 1, 40). The reading of
Cur. and Sin. is not known; but cf. Moesinger, p. 53, and
Isho’dad quoted in Harris, Fragments, etc., p.
46. Perhaps a comma
should be inserted after sign. If the text does
not contain a misprint the word for by is wanting in both
mss. It should doubtless be restored as
in § 7, 3.
[37]
And for this anointed he me, to preach good tidings to the poor;
And he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted,
And to proclaim forgiveness to the
evil-doers, Evil-doers
could easily be an Arabic copyist’s corruption of
captives; but the word used here for forgiveness could
hardly spring from an Arabic release (in Ibn-at-Tayyib’s
Commentary, where the thing seems to have happened, a different word is
used). In Syriac, however, they are the same; while the first
pair contain the same consonants.
And to bring the broken into forgiveness, See preceding note.
[38]
[39]
[42] [Arabic, p. 21]
[44]
Or,
but. Borg. ms. has but. The Arabic expressions are very
similar. Borg. ms. has he did this, he enclosed, on which see
§ 38, 43, note (end). Either reading could spring from the
other, within the Arabic.
Section VI.
[1] [Arabic, p. 22] The verb may be
active as well as passive, but does not agree in gender with
amazement. Mistakes in gender are, however, very common
transcriptional errors.
[5] Dual. Plural. In the
Peshitta it is two individuals in verse 25. In Sin. the first is
an individual and the second is ambiguous. In Cur. both are
plural. Or, he be given
it. The ordinary word
for apostle. See § 9, 21,
note. So Ciasca’s
printed text. The Vat. ms., however,
probably represents a past tense. cf. Peshitta. cf. consonants of
Syriac text. Borg. ms., that God is truly, or, assuming a very common
grammatical inaccuracy, that God is true or truth, the reading
in Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary. Lit.
saying. Lit. the life
of eternity; here and everywhere except § 21, 40. i.e.,
alighteth-and-stayeth.
[20] Or,
knew.
[23]
[25] Or,
will. Or, good news,
and. See § 5, 32,
note.
[36]
[38]
The way of the sea, the passage of the Jordan,
Galilee of the nations:
[39]
Saw a great light,
And those sitting in the region and in the shadow of death,
There appeared to them a light.
[40] Perhaps we might
here render learning; but see § 28, 17, note.
[46] So in the
Arabic. It is, however, simply a misinterpretation of the
expression in the Syriac versions for at the place of toll
(cf. Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary).
[47, 48] cf. § 1, 40,
note 2. Or,
each.
[1] [Arabic, p. 26] This may represent
a Syriac as. See above, note to
§ 6, 46, which applies, although the Arabic words are
different. Lit.
son-of-the-roofs, a Syriac expression (cf. § 24, 31,
note).
[11, 12] This is the end of verse
1 in the Greek. This word may be either
a singular or a plural. This word
ordinarily means to forge lies against; but our translator uses
it regularly as here. Peshitta has
easier.
[25] [Arabic, p. 28] See above, note to
§ 6, 46. A Syriacism. The Arabic word,
which occurs here in many of the Arabic versions, could also be read
bridegroom. The Syriac word for marriage chamber is
also used in the sense of marriage feast.
[37] Syr. In
Arab. it means what? This may be simply a
misinterpretation of the ordinary Syriac reading, which in all
probability agrees with the masculine reading found in the Text. Rec.
of the Greek. Is it possible
that the Arabic word after known is not meant simply to
introduce the quotation, but is to be taken in the adverbial sense,
how representing the Syriac what that is? See § 10, 13,
note.
[47] Lit.
other. The definite article is a mistake of the
translator. Here, at the end
of leaf 17 of Vat. ms., is a note by a later
hand: “Here a leaf is missing.” This first
lacuna extends from § 7, 47 to § 8, 17. An easy clerical
error for And so he regarded (cf. Peshitta).
Section VIII.
[1] Lit. lead to
him.
[5] The Arabic word
strictly means young man.
My beloved in whom my soul hath
delighted: Or,
rested.
My spirit have I put upon him,
And he shall proclaim to the nations judgement.
[6]
And no man shall hear his voice in the marketplace.
[7]
And a smoking lamp Or,
wick.
[8] The Arab. might
also mean, And he shall preach (the good tidings) to the peoples in
his name (cf. § 22, 47, note).
[9] This phrase, in
this case adopted from the Syriac, really means, in Arab., morning
found him. It must be
remembered that we have here only one ms.
The Arabic words for Galilee and for mountain are very
similar. The words that he might pray have therefore
probably made their way here by some error from § 8, 9,
above. So (with the
Peshitta) by transposing two letters. The Arabic text as it
stands can hardly be translated. Almost may be simply a
corruption of the Arabic word were. The syntax of the Arabic
is ambiguous. The alternative followed above, which seems the
most natural, is that which agrees most nearly with the Peshitta. Or, troubled
with. This is the
meaning of the Arabic word, as it is the primary meaning of the Syriac;
but in this work a number of words meaning approach are used
(and generally translated) in the sense of touch. The
commonest word so used is that in § 12, 13 (cf. also §
12, 35).
[18, 19] So Vat.
ms., followed by Ciasca (cf.
Sin.). Borg. ms. has he that was
betraying or was a traitor (cf. Peshitta).
[26]
[27]
[28]
[29]
[30]
[31]
[32] [Arabic, p. 32]
[33]
[34] This word, the
ordinary meaning of which is expel, is freely used by our
translator in the sense of persecute.
[35]
[37]
[38]
Woe unto you that laugh now! ye shall weep and be sad.
[39]
[40] Or, let
(cf. § 4, 20, note).
[46] Lit. this (man)
shall.
[50] See § 10, 13,
note. The text is rather
uncertain.
[57, 58] The text is
probably corrupt. Vat. ms. has on margin,
i.e., caused her.
Section IX.
[1] The adj. is in the
superlative.
[6, 7] A literal reproduction
of the Greek, like that in Syr. versions. Lit.
jaw. Or,
punish.
[12, 13] Or,
return. Or, to be given
back as much by. Our translator is
continually using this word (cf. § 9, 23) where the context
and the originals require then or therefore. We
shall only occasionally reproduce the peculiarity.
[22] A clumsy phrase.
[26] The Arabic text makes
Matthew begin here. The text as
printed reads, That thy will may be (done); but it is to be
explained as a (very common grammatical) transcriptional error.
The Cur., however, has and. Lit. unto the
age of the ages. Or, folly;
and so in following verse.
[39] Or, shew
to.
[42] Or, for
if. Or, will
be.
[1] [Arabic, p. 38] Or, your
souls; or, your lives. Lit.
falleth (cf. Syriac).
[13] The word means
to contend successfully, but is used throughout by our
translator in the sense of condemn. This is the reading
adopted by Ciasca in his Latin version. The diacritical points in
the Arabic text, as he has printed it (perhaps a misprint), give second
person plural passive instead of third plural active. cf.
[17] Or,
Do.
[21]
[22] The Arabic might
also be rendered, What father of you whom his son asketh for bread,
will (think you) give him a stone? But as the Peshitta
preserves the confused construction of the Greek, it is probably better
to render as above.
[32] There is nothing
about striving. The verb is walaga, which means
enter (cf. § 11, 48).
[34] Or,
lambs’. The verbs might be
singular active, but not plural as in Syriac versions
(cf., however, § 38, 43, note, end). In the Borg.
ms. the nouns are in the accusative.
Section XI.
[1] [Arabic, p. 42]
[3]
[4]
i.e., so as to be unable
to walk. Or, bodies of
soldiers. Or,
it.
[17] Lit.
company.
[24] Lit. plough of
the yoke.
[31] cf., e.g.,
at § 17, 19, § 23, 16, where the same Arabic and Syriac word
is used; cf. also the ambiguity of the Greek (R.V. has
left). Lit.
commotion. Or,
abundance. The last clause belongs
in the Greek to verse 41.
[38] Imperfect tense. Lit. and it was
for him. cf. Syriac
versions.
Section XII.
[1]
[2, 3] Lit. the ten
cities.
[6]
[11, 12] See § 8, 17,
note.
[22]
[33] Lit. went
forward to (cf. § 8, 17, note).
[38]
[40] Lit. cast
away (cf. meanings of Syriac word). § 34, 40, shows
that this Arabic form may be so translated.
Section XIII.
[1] The word is
occasionally used in this sense, but ordinarily means sound,
unhurt. From this point down to
Borg. ms. reads, but what ye are granted ye shall speak, and
ye shall be given in, etc., and there seems to be a trace of this
reading in Ciasca’s text. See note to § 1,
78.
[9, 10] See note to § 9,
21. Perhaps this Arabic word
is a copyist’s error for that used a few lines further down in
Syriac. The Vat.
ms., like the Brit. Mus. text of
Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary, omits for a farthing,
retaining in a bond. The two phrases are simply different
explanations of the same Syriac consonants. These are really the
naturalised Greek word rendered farthing in Eng. version; but
they also form a Syriac word meaning bond.
[20] Or,
soul. Or,
soul.
[27] Or,
receive. Or,
receive.
[30] Or,
agitated.
[36] Lit. And his
disciples told John, as in the Greek, etc. A different word
from that used in the preceding verse. It is either an Arabic
copyist’s error for the word for deaf used in
Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary, or a careless blunder.
I am sending my messenger before thy face
To prepare the way before thee.
Section XIV.
[1]
[2] [Arabic, p. 54] Syriac. In
Arabic the word ordinarily means believed. See below, § 20,
28, note. See § 1, 49,
note. The word used in
the Syriac versions (Pesh. and Cur.) means garments as well as
utensils, and the Arabic translator has chosen the wrong meaning
(cf. § 42, 44). Certain
derivatives from the same root signify bind, but hardly this
word. The two Arab.
mss. differ in this word, but the meaning is
about the same. Perhaps both are corrupt. Or, a tree
good. Or, a tree
evil.
[37]
[41]
[43] Wrought
may have arisen from taught by a transcriptional error
(transposition of l and m) within the Arabic
text. As it appears to occur in both mss., they would seem to have a common origin, which,
however, can hardly have been the autograph of the
translator.
[45] A comparison with the
Syriac text recommends this rendering.
Section XV.
[1] Lit.
sunk, a word the choice of which is explained by the
Syriac. Or,
I. Same word in
Arabic. Same word in
Arabic.
The meaning is not
apparent.
[15] cf. Syriac
versions. The first letter of
the word has been lost. Lit.
that, as often in this work. Lit.
powers. The word as
printed by Ciasca perhaps means gifts, but by dropping a point
from the second letter we get the post-classical word given in the text
above.
[32] [Arabic, p. 60] See below, § 20,
28, note.
[33] The word
translated devil in preceding verse. This is an
Arabic clerical error for forces. The Syriac word for
power means also military forces, which was apparently
rendered in Arabic army, a word that differs from race
only in diacritical points.
[37] cf. Pesh. and
A.V. margin. Lit. that
(cf. above, § 1, 50, note).
[42] Or, his
life; or, his soul. This rendering
assumes that tower is treated as feminine. Or,
it. Or, a king
like him. Or,
let.
Section XVI.
[1] See § 1, 49,
note. See note to § 10,
13.
[11]
[13]
[19] The Arabic printed
text gives no sense. A simple change in the diacritical points of
one letter gives the reading of the Syriac versions, which is adopted
here.
[22] cf. Peshitta
(against Cur. and Sin.).
Hearing they shall hear, and shall not understand;
And seeing they shall see, and shall not perceive:
[36]
And their hearing with their ears is become heavy,
And they have closed their eyes;
Lest they should see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their hearts,
And should return,
And I should heal them.
[37, 38] See above, § 1,
40, note 2. Or, is
seduced (cf. § 25, 17, note).
[49] Or,
while. Lit.
fatteneth, as in Peshitta.
Section XVII.
[1] See above, § 4,
24, note.
[8, 9]
[13, 14]
[16]
I will open my mouth in parables;
And I will utter secrets which were before the
foundations The word (if not
a corruption of that used in the Brit. Mus. text of
Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary, and in § 43, 46 where, however,
according to Ciasca’s foot-note, it was not the word first
written by the scribe) is Syriac. Perhaps it means the ends of
the earth (see P. Smith, Thes. Syr.). Still a third
word is used in § 47, 42.
[18]
[19] cf. § 11,
32, note. Singular.
[27]
[28]
[30] cf. note to
§ 10, 8.
[34]
[36, 37] Lit.
powers. cf. above,
§ 4, 24, note. Of the Syriac
versions Cur. and Sin. are wanting. Pesh. has
Aramæan. Lit.
powers.
[53]
Section XVIII.
[1] There can be little
doubt that this is the meaning of the Arabic. There is nothing
like it in the Peshitta; the Curetonian is of course lacking; but the
phrase in the Sinaitic is very similar. Here begins
verse 8a in Greek. Perhaps
appointment (cf. Moesinger, p. 165; but Isho‘dad
[Harris, Fragments, p. 65] and the Brit. Mus. text of
Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary have the ordinary reading). Or simply
ask. Or, to
tell. A
misunderstanding or slavish reproduction of the Syriac. The Brit.
Mus. text of Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary has of Galilee,
Tiberias.
[22] cf. Syriac
versions and margin of R.V.
[27] Or,
came. cf. the
addition in the Sinaitic Syriac. Probably a mistaken
rendering of the ordinary Syriac reading.
[47, 48] cf. Syriac
versions.
Section XIX.
[1] Lit.
travelled. Lit.
from.
[14] Strictly used of
severe chronic disease. cf. § 12,
13, and note to § 8, 17. The word used at
§ 12, 35. Or,
revived, i.e., made to live.
[16] Lit. on the
border of. Or, for the
sake of. Sic. Lit.
this. Represents a mistaken
vocalisation of the Peshitta. Lit.
equity; see above, § 3, 53, note.
[35] i.e.,
therefore (see note, § 9, 21).
[46] Or,
eaten. Or,
drunk.
Section XX.
[1] Lit.
speech. Or,
did.
[6] [Arabic, p. 78] Or, was
to.
[12] Or,
him.
[15, 16] cf.
Peshitta.
[17, 18] i.e., were
holding. Or, custom,
tradition; and so wherever the word occurs. Sic. The printed
Arabic text has he receiveth and they, resulting from a
misplacement of diacritical points by an Arabic copyist. The printed
Arabic text has he receiveth and they, resulting from a
misplacement of diacritical points by an Arabic copyist. The printed
Arabic text has he receiveth and they, resulting from a
misplacement of diacritical points by an Arabic copyist. Here begins verse 9 in
Greek. The Syriac word
for injure also means reject, deny.
[30] Sic.
But their heart is very far from me.
[31]
In that they teach the commands of men.
[32] The Arabic word is
here used with a Syriac meaning.
[38] This clause in the
Peshitta is not very clear, and the Arabic version fails to get from it
the meaning of the Greek. Or, From
within, from.
[46] Or, about
him. Or, the
devil.
[53]
[1]
[8, 9] Lit. six
hours (cf. Syr.). For the form
cf. below, § 34, 40.
[31] Or, was
speaking. But see note to §
7, 38. The text is
uncertain. Or, come
beforehand. So in the
Arabic, contrary to the usual practice of this writer (cf.
§ 6, 19).
[43]
[47, 48]
Section XXII.
[1] Lit. to
cleanse. This phrase does not
occur in the Syriac versions (Cur. wanting), but is obviously a Syriac
construction.
[9]
[10] Or,
baptism. The phrase almost exactly reproduces the Syriac
versions. Or,
baptism. The phrase almost exactly reproduces the Syriac
versions. Or,
learned.
[18] Vat.
ms. has he. Borg.
ms. reads his person. Borg.
ms. reads his person. Lit.
that; or, Verily.
[38] So
Ciasca’s Arabic text. Borg. ms. has
If I, and instead of and so, etc., simply a witness
which is not true, etc.; but its text of the next sentence is quite
corrupt. So
Ciasca’s Arabic text. Borg. ms. has
If I, and instead of and so, etc., simply a witness
which is not true, etc.; but its text of the next sentence is quite
corrupt. Or, be
saved. Or, that
(man). Were it not also
in Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary (Brit. Mus. text) we should assume
now to be a corruption of an original Arabic reading, for a
season (cf. Syr.). This word (often
used by our translator) means in Syriac (transposed) believe, think,
hope (cf. § 8, 8, note). This word (often
used by our translator) means in Syriac (transposed) believe, think,
hope (cf. § 8, 8, note).
Section XXIII.
[1]
[5] Arabic
Magadu, as in Peshitta.
[13] cf. § 11,
32, note.
[17] The change of a
single letter in the Arabic would turn not even into
except; but Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary (Brit. Mus. text)
also has not even. Lit.
What. See note to § 7, 38. Or, ye
took. Or, ye
took. Or,
concerning.
[26] Lit. one,
probably representing Syriac idiom (cf. Sinaitic?). The Peshitta
also omits on him. An intransitive
word.
[31] Or, his
disciples being alone. There is no such clause in the Syriac
versions (Pesh., Sin.). The Arabic, which
reappears in Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary (Brit. Mus. text), and
seems to represent the consonantal text of the Peshitta, is
awkward. § 23, 34 (Arabic), shows, however, that the
rendering given in the text is the meaning intended by the
translator. Same Arabic word in
both places. See note to § 5, 11. The word is
freely used in this work in the post-classical sense of about
to. The Arabic might
perhaps be construed and to speak, depending on began in
§ 23, 40; but the clause agrees with the Sinaitic of Mark, as does
the following.
[45] Or,
lose. Or, self;
or, soul. Or, self;
or, soul. See § 23, 40,
note.
Section XXIV.
[1] i.e., already
come.
[2] Or, become
white. In the Pesh. the verb is transitive. In Sin. the
clause is omitted.
[17]
[25] This rendering assumes
that the diacritical point is due to a clerical error. The text
as printed can hardly be translated without forcing. This Arabic word
repeatedly represents a Syriac ran (cf. § 53,
11). A different word is so used in § 26, 21. The Syriac word
used in the Peshitta is here translated just as it was translated in
§ 1, 79 (see note); but the Greek shows that in the present
passage the Syriac word means go about (cf.
Cur.).
[30] Lit. The
son-of-the-roof, a Syriac phrase meaning a demon of
lunacy. A word used in Arabic
of the devil producing insanity; but here it reproduces the
Peshitta. Lit. becometh
light; but a comparison with the Peshitta suggests that we should
change one diacritical point and read withereth, as in
Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary. An equally easy emendation
would be wasteth. In Syriac, but
not in Arabic, the word means deaf or dumb, according to
the context. Ciasca’s
Arabic follows Vat. ms. in inserting a
that (pronoun) after thee. Doubtless
alternative renderings of the same Syriac word
(demon).
[45] Lit. between
themselves and him.
[48] Or, about
him.
Section XXV.
[1] Borg.
ms. omits among them.
[4]
[8] Lit. one
(Syriac idiom). In the present
work this word frequently means synagogue. Lit.
millstone of an ass.
[14] i.e.,
experiences that test one; or, seductions. The word is
variously used. Or, is
kindled. See note to § 25,
17.
[27] So the Arabic;
but the Syriac versions follow the Greek, and consent is
doubtless a (very easy, and, in view of the succeeding context,
natural) clerical error for an original Arabic
charge. Or,
leaveth. Lit.
blame, a mistranslation (found also in the Brit. Mus. text of
Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary) of the Syriac word, which is
ambiguous (cf. even the Greek). For a somewhat similar
case see § 50, 11, note. Lit.
wombs.
[43]
Section XXVI.
[1, 2] Strictly,
preferreth, but used also as in the text.
[9]
[12, 13] This word is regularly
used throughout this work in this sense. See above, § 24,
26, note. Did not
Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary (Brit. Mus. text) also read
breast, we might assume it to be a clerical error for a very
similar (less common) word (same as the Syriac) for
neck. A different word. cf.
Peshitta. One word.
[34] Vat.
ms. (followed by Ciasca’s text) has
and if I beg, by a common confusion of grammatical
forms. Or (otherwise
vocalised), farks, a measure variously estimated. Or (otherwise
vocalised), farks, a measure variously estimated. cf.
Peshitta. Lit. steward
of sin. Lit.
injustice. Or, intrusted
with. Or, true
(wealth); but cf. Syriac.
Section XXVII.
[1] Lit.
badras, an amount variously estimated. Lit.
dinars. The interrogative
particle is lacking in the Arabic. Or,
folly. A very close
reproduction of the Syriac. Or,
for. This word
usually means synagogue in this work. Or,
heathen. Or, to ask
everything, it shall. So Vat.
ms., following the Syriac versions; Borg.
ms. has only one seven. Lit.
beforehand; and so often. Or, repeating a
letter, See that ye despise not.
[30] Borg.
ms. omits now. See note, § 10,
13.
[36]
[40] Lit. great
(man). Lit.
calumniator. cf. Syriac
versions.
Section
XXVIII. On margin of
Vat. ms., in another hand: “This is
the beginning of the second part of Diatessaron, which means
The Four.” See p. 467 of Ciasca’s Essay,
mentioned above (Introduction, 5).
[1, 2] [Arabic, p. 107]
[9]
[15] [Arabic, p. 108] Or, the
scripture. This word
ordinarily means knowledge, but is used in this work in the
sense of doctrine. The commoner form occurs perhaps only
in § 50, 2. This word
ordinarily means knowledge, but is used in this work in the
sense of doctrine. The commoner form occurs perhaps only
in § 50, 2. cf. § 14,
12.
[26] Or, will
be.
[33]
[42] From Matthew. From Luke. The scribe who
wrote the Vat. ms. wrote first God, the
one, and then reversed the order by writing the Coptic letters for
B and A over the words. (See above, Introduction, 5.) Different words. Different words. The same word as in
From Mark.
Section XXIX.
[1] cf. note,
§ 1, 14. Borg. MS, omits being agitated. Lit. meet
with; or, be recompensed with. The Arabic words are
not so strong.
[12]
[14] Or, so
that. Or,
and. The Syriac and
Arabic versions here agree with the Greek. For a plausible
suggestion as to the origin of the strange reading in the text, see
Harris, The Diatessaron of Tatian, p. 21, who cites a parallel
from Aphraates. This may be simply a
corruption of the Peshitta. Or,
Surely. The word is omitted by Borg. ms.
[27] i.e., probably
the eleventh hour (cf. § 21, 10). Lit. my
thing.
[43]
Section XXX.
[1] Lit. at thy
rising and taking.
[6] Practically synonymous
words. Practically synonymous
words.
[10, 11] Borg.
ms., is like. Used specially of a
marriage feast. Lit.
bread, the Syriac word for which (not that in the
versions) means also feast. Or,
omit. Or, that my
house may be.
[31] Or, saved
thee.
[40] Lit. between
himself and them. i.e., Gentiles. An obscure
expression; perhaps it was originally a repetition of the preceding
clause. It might be emended into point at him (the finger of
scorn).
[46] Lit. of course
the two of them, and so all through the conversation.
Section XXXI.
[1] Lit.
advanced. Lit.
find, like the Syriac. This rendering
requires the omission of the diacritical point over the middle
radical. The text as printed means perish.
[15, 16] cf. the
extract from Isho‘dad (Harris, Fragments, p.
19). A diacritical point
must be restored to the second letter of this word. As it stands
it gives no sense. Lit.
the.
[25] cf.
Lit.
saw.
[36] Or,
near. Doubtless a
misinterpretation of the Syriac.
Section XXXII.
[1] Or,
if.
[12] Lit. house of
the offering of God, as in the ms.
described by Gildemeister (at
[16] Lit. between
him and himself. Or,
gains.
[22] [Arabic, p. 123] Lit. one
(Syriac). Lit. and
it.
[27] Or the
teacher of. The Arabic
particle means in order that. Perhaps it is a clerical
error for so that; or it may be meant to represent the
Syriac. The translator has
followed too closely the order of words in his Syriac original, which
agrees with the Text. Rec.
Section XXXIII.
[1] [Arabic, p. 125] Syr. The Syriac word. Lit. Increase
us in. Or,
But.
[15]
[18]
[26, 27] Verse 26 begins here
in the Greek. From Mark. cf. Syriac.
[40] The difference between
singular and plural is very slight in Arabic. Lit.
property. A word used specially
of wounding the head. cf. Syriac
versions.
The stone which the builders declared to be base,
[56]
And it is wonderful in our eyes?
[57]
Section XXXIV.
[1] Vat.
ms. omits the power. We should
then translate (with Pesh. and Sin.) unto judgement. See note, § 3,
53. Possibly this is the
meaning of the Arabic phrase, which occurs also in
Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary (Brit. Mus. text).
[9] cf. the Syriac
versions. cf. the Syriac
versions. Or,
shall. Or,
shall. Borg.
ms., all of them instead of but
they. Or, Moreover,
regarding.
[22, 23]
[25] This simply
represents first in Syriac. Vat.
ms. has a corruption of Excellent!
Rabbi, better preserved by Borg. ms.,
which, however, adds our translator’s ordinary rendering of
Rabbi—my Master. This explanation is confirmed by
Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary. Ciasca’s emended text
cannot be right. The diacritical point
over the third radical must be removed. cf.
Peshitta. Ciasca’s
Arabic text (apparently following Borg. ms.)
has till he before came. This is unsupported by any
of the three Syriac texts, although they differ from one another.
Perhaps till and came should be transposed. The
translation would then be as given in the text above; but this
rendering may also be obtained according to § 54, 1,
note. The Syriac word
used means both wounds and strokes. The Arabic word
is a favourite of the translator’s, and may therefore be
original. One cannot help thinking, however, that it is a
clerical error for mounted (cf. Cur. and
Sin.).
[46] In Syriac
could and found are represented by the same word.
The Arabic translator has chosen the wrong one. See note, § 11,
11. See note above, on
§ 34, 46. i.e., Gentiles.
Section XXXV.
[1]
[9]
[17, 18]
[20]
Sit on my right hand,
That I may put thine enemies under thy feet.
[21, 22]
[23]
[42] Lit.
speaketh, according to Arabic idiom. Borg.
ms. omits with you. Borg.
ms. has an adulteress, mistaking the
less common Arabic word for a clerical error. Different words are
used in the Arabic; so in the Greek, but not in the Peshitta.
Sin. and Cur. are wanting. Different words are
used in the Arabic; so in the Greek, but not in the Peshitta.
Sin. and Cur. are wanting. Lit.
backbiter. This is probably
simply a clerical error for the ordinary reading, why have ye not
believed me? The Arabic words why and not
having the same consonants, one of them was purposely or accidentally
omitted by a copyist.
Section XXXVI.
[1] cf.
Peshitta. The Sinaitic omits our. The Vat.
ms. has took him, probably omitting
stones, though Ciasca does not say so. Take is
probably a copyist’s error (change in diacritical paints) for
took.
A different word in
Arabic from that used in verses 1 and 6. The Vat.
ms. has that we may see the works of God in
him. By the addition of a diacritical point this would give
the same sense as in the text above, and more grammatically. The Arabic word
properly means baptism. The Syriac has both
meanings. Lit.
Shiloha, as in Syriac. Lit.
saw. An easy clerical
error for Some. Lit. them,
whether this be. Or, why
(cf. note, § 7, 38). Disciples is
probably simply a misprint in Ciasca’s text.
[44]
[1] Or, is
permanent.
[4] [Arabic, p. 140] Or, to
him. A different word
(lit. rams) from that used in the other verses; so in Peshitta
(cf. Sin., which, however, differs somewhat); cf. also
§ 54, 40 f., note. A different word
(lit. rams) from that used in the other verses; so in Peshitta
(cf. Sin., which, however, differs somewhat); cf. also
§ 54, 40 f., note.
[10] Or, best
thing. Vat. ms. omits from but I
came. Or, his
life. cf. note to
§ 37, 6. Or, to
snatch…and scatter. Or, my
life.
[22] Lit.
epilepsy.
[25, 26] cf.
§ 37, 6. cf.
§ 37, 6. Or, hand;
but probably dual (cf. Syr.). So Peshitta; but
Sin. the. Borg. ms. omits the
hand of. Lit. which
deed. cf.
Peshitta. This in
could more easily arise as a clerical error (repetition) in the Syriac
text. So
Ciasca’s text, following Vat. ms.
But this is probably a clerical error for the reading of Borg.
ms., which omits ye.
[43]
[46] cf.
Peshitta. The Syriac word
for Twin.
Section XXXVIII.
[1, 2] Arabic
mil, a somewhat indefinite distance. This is the
Syriac word (cf. the versions, and below, § 44, 44; see
also Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary, ad loc). So in Syriac
versions. Borg.
ms. omits some time: he hath
been.
[29]
[31] So both
mss.; but the Vat. ms.
had originally a reading equivalent to the text above with of
omitted.
[38] [Arabic, p. 146] The Arabic word
as printed (following Vat. ms.) means a
place for monks to live in, but we should certainly restore a
diacritical point over the last letter, and thus obtain another
Syriac loan-word (that used here in the Peshitta), meaning
town. See also Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary, ad
loc.
[42] The present
Arabic reading in going could pretty easily arise from that
assumed in the translation above. This and the
following verb are singular in the printed Arabic (against the
versions), although Ciasca renders them plural. A copyist using a
carelessly written Arabic exemplar might conceivably overlook the
plural terminations. Besides, they are often omitted in Syriac
mss. cf. note,
§ 1, 40. Lit. his
body.
[1] cf. the Greek
phrase. Lit. he
made (cf. first note to § 38, 43, last
sentence). Lit. fell
(cf. § 25, 18). Or, spake
angrily to. Lit.
cast, as in Greek.
[18, 19] [Arabic, p. 148] Sic. Dual in Arabic.
[24]
Behold, thy King cometh unto thee,
Meek, and riding upon an ass,
And upon a colt the foal of an ass.
[25] The Syriac
versions have the. Or, and,
Blessed. The Arabic has
to, but it probably represents the Syriac text with the meaning
given above.
Lit. the
heart (or, pith) of the palm. The word pith,
which occurs also in the Æhiopic version (
[38, 39] Lit. are
found, a rendering due to the Syriac. So
Ciasca’s text, following Vat. ms.
The other ms. has drag, which by
restoring a diacritical point to the third radical would give
destroy, the reading of the Syriac versions.
Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary has hide.
[42]
Section XL.
[1] [Arabic, p. 150]
[5] Or, soul;
or, self. Or, soul;
or, self.
[22]
[24] i.e., used to
come.
[26, 27] Or,
touch.
[32] The Syriac word
means on the pretext of as well as because of (cf.
§ 50, 11, note). This word is not
spelled in the ordinary way. Doubtless we should supply two
diacritical points and read, with the Syriac versions, My
master. cf.
Peshitta.
[41]
[42] Syriac, same as in
§ 40, 35; Arabic different.
[43]
[44] [Arabic, p. 153]
[45] Adopting the
reading of Borg. ms. (cf. next
verse). Perhaps this
reading is due to the easy confusion of d and r in
Syriac; but it might also conceivably be a corruption of the Arabic
word in the next clause. It occurs also in the text of
Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary. Doubtless the Arabic
word should be read as a monosyllable, as in Ibn-at-Tayyib’s
Commentary.
[46] See § 10, 13. See § 10, 13.
[53] The Arabic word as
printed gives no suitable sense. Either the last radical has been
omitted, or the last two radicals have exchanged places.
[55]
[57] [Arabic, p. 154] Lit. are
seen.
[59] Or,
touch.
[61] Lit.
boundary or limit.
Section XLI.
[1] cf. 8, 34. Or,
earth. Or,
sanctuary. See § 1, 49,
note.
[4] [Arabic, p. 155]
[7] Lit.
become. The text as it
stands ought to mean I am a light. I am come; but
it is a word-for-word reproduction of the Peshitta, and should
therefore doubtless be rendered as above. Or, to save
the world (cf. § 1, 78, note). See § 20, 28,
note. Not the same word. Not the same word.
[16] So Ciasca,
following Vat. ms. The true reading,
however, is probably that underlying the Borg. ms. If we restore diacritical points to the radical
letters we get deceiving (cf. § 41, 31), an
alternative meaning (or the word laying wait for, used in the
Peshitta. The Arabic follows the Peshitta very closely in this
and the following verse.
[18]
[21, 22]
My Lord, who is he that hath believed to hear us?
And the arm of the Lord, to whom hath it appeared?
[24]
[25]
That they may not see with their eyes, and understand with their heart,
And turn,
So that I should heal them.
[26]
[27] Or, and
shewed.
[31] Lit. before
two days would be (cf. Sin. and above, § 39, 1,
note). cf. § 41,
16, note.
[33] Or, that ye
be, if we suppose the present text to have resulted from the loss
of the second of two alifs. Or, omit
that. The Arabic text lacks
a letter. Borg.
ms. reads you the fruits of
wisdom. See § 25, 17,
note. Or,
possess. So the Arabic text;
but it doubtless simply represents the Syriac, which here agrees with
the Greek. So the Arabic text;
but it doubtless simply represents the Syriac, which here agrees with
the Greek.
Section XLII.
[1] So Vat.
ms., following the Peshitta. Ciasca
follows Borg. ms., which by a change of
diacritical points has the hardly grammatical reading, see that it
is the desolation, the unclean thing spoken of.
Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary supports Vat. ms. This word has a
Syriac meaning given to it. In Arabic it means
war.
[10] cf. § 16,
2. Same Arabic (and
Syriac) word as in § 41, 50. Same Arabic (and
Syriac) word as in § 41, 50. So the Borg.
ms. The Vat. ms.,
followed by Ciasca, has grief. Lit. the end
of heaven unto its end. Or,
deliverance.
[25] cf. Peshitta,
which text the translator seems to have misread.
[29] cf.
Peshitta. cf. § 9,
21.
[38] Or,
appeareth. cf. § 14,
24 note.
Section XLIII.
[1] i.e., the
steward. Borg.
ms. has trusted and faithful.
Doubtless we should supply diacritical points to the reading of Vat.
ms., and translate trusted and
wise. Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary, however, has both
and wise and the word translated with control, used in a
different sense.
[9] See § 10, 17, and
§ 4, 24, note.
[22] cf. § 27,
2, note. A Persian
word. The Vat. ms. omits it. Lit.
table (cf. Peshitta).
[39, 40] cf. Peshitta
(and Greek).
[43] Or, and
setteth; but the Peshitta confirms the rendering given
above. cf. § 17,
17, note. Perfect tenses, as in
Peshitta.
Section XLIV.
[1, 2] Borg.
ms., the Lord Jesus.
[6] Probably the
letter that stands for and should be repeated, and the phrase
rendered and appointed. So Vat.
ms. (following Peshitta) and
Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary. Borg. ms., followed by Ciasca, has dirhams of
money. Lit. became
responsible unto. Syriac versions as in text above
(cf. § 44, 33). The Arabic (lit.
a stumbling or a cause of stumbling) doubtless represents
the Syriac.
[10]
[11] The Arabic word
means swimmeth. The Syriac versions have is bathed,
which Borg. ms. misreads bathed, and
Vat. ms. (followed by Ciasca) corrupts into
batheth, rendering it swimmeth.
[22] [Arabic, p. 168] Or, This my
saying.
[31] cf. § 44,
9, note. cf. § 44,
9, note.
[34] Vat.
ms. has the word day on the margin,
added by a late hand. The misprint in
the Arabic text has been overlooked in the list of
Corrigenda. Or,
kill.
[41]
[44] The Syriac word
is retained. In Arabic it properly means become strong or
proud (cf. § 38, 17).
Section XLV.
[1, 2] [Arabic, p. 170] The Syriac
versions have reclining. Lit.
fell.
[10] A simple change of
diacritical points would give the reading of the Greek and of the
Syriac versions. A simple change of
diacritical points would give the reading of the Greek and of the
Syriac versions.
[12] Peshitta adds
it. The reading of the Sinaitic is doubtful. Past tense in Syriac
versions. We may
translate, with the Syriac versions, that thy faith fail not,
only if we assign a somewhat Syriac meaning to the verb, and assume
either an error in diacritical points (t for y) or an
unusual (Syriac) gender for faith. cf. Syriac
versions.
[19]
[23] The Arabic word
is not unlike the word for stumble, and Borg. ms. omits me. Vat.
ms. omits this night. Or, went on
saying. Lit. end
in. Or, if I come to (the point of).
[29] The diacritical
points in both Vat. (followed by Ciasca) and Borg. mss. appear to demand a rendering inquire for be
troubled. In Ibn-at-Tayyib’s comments (not the
text), however (with other points), we have the meaning
wail (root nhb). Every Syriac version uses a
different word. Or,
ranks. Or, should
tell. Probably the
Arabic represents a Syriac For I. Different words. Different words. cf.
Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary (f. 352a) and order of words in
Peshitta (not Sin.). Lit. have
known. Different forms, as in
Peshitta. More exactly,
hast thou not come to know. Different forms, as in
Peshitta. The Borg.
ms. has me clearly (cf.
Peshitta). The Vat. ms. is
ambiguous. Probably a misreading
of the Peshitta (not Sin. or Cur.), since the next clause also agrees
with it.
Section XLVI.
[1] Lit. the
(cf. Syriac versions).
[5, 6] This word is quite
unlike that used in § 45, 29. The Syriac form of the
introductory particle is wrongly used, for in Arabic it has
interrogative force.
[12] The first letter of
the Arabic word has lost its diacritical point. A possible
rendering of the Syriac he was reckoned.
[17] The verbs may be
active or passive, but are singular (cf. § 38, 43,
note). Two words from the
same root. Two words from the
same root. Different words. Or, shall
and will, respectively. Or, shall
and will, respectively. Or, have
commanded. cf. § 8,
34, note. cf. § 8,
34, note. The Arabic text
(Vat.) is grammatically inaccurate, and the Borg. ms. has know not.
[44, 45] Lit. sway (as
one does in dozing). Or, the,
as in Borg. ms. In the Greek and
English verse 5 begins at But. Or,
best. Lit. that
(cf. Peshitta). Or perhaps
receive (them). Possibly a Syriac d has been read
r. But Ibn-at-Tayyib in the text of his Commentary (f.
357a) has a word which perhaps might be rendered accommodate
yourselves (to them) (same letters, but last two transposed), while
his comment (f. 357b) gives ye cannot bear it. Or,
And. The Syriac words
for remind and lead differ only in the length of a single
stroke. Ibn-at-Tayyib (ibid. f. 357b) almost seems
to have read illumine you with, although he calls attention to
the “Greek” reading. Same tense. Same tense.
Section XLVII.
[1] Not quite the usual
formula, there being here no article. The Arabic might
also be rendered be turned, but the Syriac is
intransitive.
Not quite the
usual formula, there being here no article (cf. also § 47,
5).
[10] Not the usual
word for proverb or parable (cf. Syriac
versions). So Vat.
ms. and Peshitta. The Borg. ms., followed by Ciasca, has and a time
when. Not the usual
word for proverb or parable (cf. Syriac
versions). cf.
Peshitta.
[19] Lit. it
or him. In the Borg.
ms. the sentence begins with that they
might, the preceding clause being omitted. The above is
perhaps the most natural rendering of the Arabic; but the latter is
really only an awkward word-for-word reproduction of the Peshitta,
which means know thee, who alone art the God of truth, and him whom
thou didst send, (even) Jesus the Messiah. So
Ciasca’s text. The Vat. ms. has
I, with the Peshitta and probably Sinaitic. So in
Sinaitic. The Peshitta omits My. Vat.
ms. has as. cf. Peshitta,
as pointed in the editions. cf. § 17,
17, note. The Arabic as it
stands should mean My Father is righteous; but it is simply the
ordinary Syriac reading, and is so rendered above. Or perhaps
may.
Section XLVIII.
[1] Vat.
ms. has and on. The word
rendered plain (cf. Dozy, Supplement, sub voc.),
which occurs also in the text of Ibn-at-Tayyib (loc. cit., f.
362b), properly means lake. The word in the
Jerusalem Lectionary means valley as well as
stream. For the whole clause cf. the text of cf. Sinaitic
Syriac and Lit. fell on
his knees. Lit. let this
hour pass. The Borg. ms. omits
him. Lit.
diseased. The Arabic word is rare in the sense required by
the context (cf. Pesh.). This reading would
perhaps more easily arise out of the Sinaitic than out of the
Peshitta. cf.
Peshitta. Or, And although he was afraid. The Peshitta (hardly
Cur.) is capable of this interpretation. cf. Syr.,
especially Peshitta. cf. Syr.,
especially Peshitta. cf. § 4,
20, note.
[22] cf.
cf.
Syriac versions. Obviously we must supply a diacritical
point over the last radical, or read the middle one as
dhal. Lit. him
to —. Borg. ms. probably means
bear him away.
[34] Withis
doubtless an accidental repetition of by (the same Arabic
particle) in the next clause. The introductory
interrogative particle may represent an original Or. Vat.
ms. omits than, and has more only
in the margin by another hand. The phrase is
awkward. The rendering is different in the text (f. 292a,
cf. Lagarde, Die vier
Evv.), and yet again in the comment (f. 293a)
of Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary.
[44] cf. § 11,
11. Lit.
one.
[49]
Section XLIX.
[1, 2] cf. § 6,
40, note. Peshitta,
spake; Sin. omits the verse; Cur. lacking. See § 9, 7,
note. Borg.
ms. has the evil.
[7] This is an
alternative meaning of the Syriac word affirmed, used in the
Peshitta. cf.
Sinaitic (Curetonian wanting). Vat. ms.,
which Ciasca follows, adds him or it. Borg.
ms., by adding diacritical points, gets
asserted.
[19] [Arabic, p. 186] Syriac order, but not
in agreement with the versions. Vat.
ms. has anything, when these. The word usually
means synagogue in this work. The foreign word
used in the Peshitta is preserved. The Sinaitic uses a Syriac word
meaning garment. See § 9, 7,
note. See § 7, 17,
note.
[43] cf.
cf.
Arabic,
diwdn.
[45] Lit.
plea.
[50] See § 4, 24,
note. The Syriac word.
Section L.
[1] Or, led
astray (cf. § 25, 17, note). cf. Syriac
versions.
[5] Same word as in §
10, 16 (see note there). Lit. and
there was.
[10, 11] The Arabic word
may also, like the Syriac, mean thing, but hardly, as that does
here, fault or crime. The Vat. ms., pointing differently, reads thing. The
same confusion occurs at § 40, 35 (cf. a converse case in
§ 25, 40). So
Ciasca’s text, following the Borg. ms. The Vat. ms. has
plotted, which is nearer the Syriac accuse.
[19] See § 3, 12,
note.
[20] Ciasca’s
text, following the Vat. ms., has
disorder. Borg. ms. has
division (cf. heresies, Curetonian of § 50, 37), which by
addition of a diacritical point gives sedition; cf.
§ 50, 37 (Ciasca, following Vat. ms.), and
Peshitta (both places). Our translator
has retained the Syriac word, which in this context means fault
(see § 50, 11, note). The word used in
Vat ms. means a repeated charge or
attack. That in Borg. ms. is
probably used in the post-classical sense of importuning
him. Either word might be written by a copyist for the
other. The same double reading probably occurs again at §
53, 55. cf. Syriac
versions.
[38] This may be a
mere clerical error (very natural in Arabic) for scoffed at, the
reading of the Syriac versions. This being so, it is worthy of
remark that the reading is apparently common to the two mss. The Syriac words are, however, also somewhat
similar. The Jerusalem Lectionary has a word agreeing with
the text above. Lit.
Peace. This reading may be a
corruption of a very literal rendering of the Peshitta. cf. § 50,
11. cf. § 11,
11, note. See § 50, 35,
note. Borg.
ms., Why speakest; a reading that might
be a corruption of the Peshitta. Lit. even
one (Pesh.).
Section LI.
[1] [Arabic, p. 192] Lit. six
hours. Or,
that. cf.
Peshitta. Or, Ye know (cf. Sinaitic).
[7] Borg.
ms. omits and he went away. Lit.
strangled. cf. § 32,
15, note. Or, at that
(time).
[15]
[19] Lit. being
burned. The text is probably corrupt. Lit. wood
(cf. Syr. and Greek).
[24] Or, others,
malefactors.
[25]
[28]
They divided my garments among them,
And cast the lot for my vesture.
[30, 31] A different word from
that in the preceding verse; in each case, the word used in the
Peshitta (Cur. and Sin. lacking). The Syriac
words, retained in Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary (f. 366a),
seem to have been transposed. Vat. ms.
omits he, probably meaning but that he said. In a carelessly
written Arabic ms. there is almost no
difference between hath been written and I have written,
as it is in Ibn-at-Tayyib (loc. cit., f.
366a). cf.
§ 7, 17, note. Borg. ms. has
jesting at. The Arabic text
has deriding (cf. § 51, 37). Either
with is accidentally omitted, or, more probably, we should
correct the spelling to shaking (cf. Syriac
versions). Verse 37 or Mt. Borg.
ms. has boys (an easy clerical
error).
[44] Our deed
might be read we have done, and perhaps our
translator’s style would justify our writing as for
to. Borg.
ms. has Verily, verily.
[49] A single word in
Arabic. Vat.
ms. has and Mary.
[52] [Arabic, p. 196] Lit six
hours and nine hours respectively. Lit six
hours and nine hours respectively. In Vat.
ms. the second word is like the first.
The syllable Ya doubtless is the Arabic interjection
O! The Borg.
ms. omits from which to
me. Borg.
ms. omits when they, and has and
said.
Section LII.
[1] cf. § 12,
13, note. Or, Let
us. Lit. lay
down.
[8] cf.
Syriac versions and Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary. Vat.
ms. omits the face of. This sentence is a
good example of word-for-word translation of the Peshitta.
The word is probably
plural. Lit.
ripped. Lit.
ripped.
[21]
[24] Borg.
ms. omits. Syriac versions. Lit.
the. The preparation used
in embalming.
[33] On the plural,
which is to be found also in Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary, see
§ 38, 43, note (end). The word chosen might be simply a
clerical error for an original Arabic rolled. Lit. cast
(cf. Sinaitic). Dual. The
clause (from came) is found verbatim in Sin. and Cur. at cf.
Sinaitic. The two
Arabic words are practically synonymous (cf.
[40, 41] The ms. omits the tomb. Lit. three
days. The word might
be taken as a collective noun, singular. But cf. Peshitta
and § 52, 51.
[45] cf.
Peshitta. The Arabic word is variously explained. The diacritical points
of the first letter must be corrected.
Section LIII. The Borg.
ms. indicates the beginning of the sections,
not by titles, but by “vittas ampliusculas auroque
oblinitas” (Ciasca, Introduction). Ciasca
indicates in the Corrigenda, opposite p. 210 of the Arabic text,
where this section should begin.
[1] Possibly the
translator’s style would warrant the translation
as. Lit. hastened
and preceded.
[18] Probably an
Arabic copyist’s emendation (addition of alif) for
stood. cf., § 10,
16. cf. § 12,
13.
[25]
The Vat.
ms. has a form that is distinctively
plural. The Borg. ms. uses, with a plural
adjective, the form found in § 52, 43. In the next verse the
relation of the mss. is reversed.
[29]
[31]
[32] The word
first is less correctly spelled in Borg. ms. The Vat.
ms. omits women and to inform his
disciples. Informis
dual and masc. in the ms., while the other
verbs and pronouns are plural and feminine. The Vat.
ms. omits women and to inform his
disciples. Lit.
mils. Borg.
ms., to judgement and. Borg.
ms. omits all. Masc. Plural. cf. § 50,
36, note. Vat.
ms. omits this clause.
[59]
[1] The Arabic word
after together looks as if it might be due to a misreading of
the Syriac, but it is probably a usage cited by Dozy,
Supplément, etc., i., 247. Lit. on
(cf. Pesh.). Borg.
ms. has sides. Borg.
ms. omits and of honey.
[8] Vat.
ms.,for. Borg.
ms. omits it is necessary.
[17]
[19]
[23] cf.
Peshitta.
[25] Apparently the
Vat. ms. means to translate the word. The
Borg. ms. retains Tama, as both
mss. did in § 37, 61. So
Peshitta. Vat. ms. has a form that might
possibly be a corruption of take. Or, were
taken. Vat.
ms. adds unto Jesus.
[39] Lit.
rams. Lit.
ewes. For the three words cf. Peshitta and
Sinaitic. cf. § 45,
3, note. Lit. of
him.
[48]
Section LV.
[1] Vat.
ms. omits to the mountain. This seems to be
the meaning of the text of the mss.
Ciasca conjecturally emends it by printing in his Arabic text
because they after hearts; but this is of no use unless
one also ignores the and before believed.
[4] [Arabic, p. 209] Or, make
disciples of. Not the usual word,
although that is used in the Peshitta. The Arabic
translator renders it the poison of death.
[12]
[16] cf.
Peshitta.
[17] In the Borg.
ms. the text ends on folio 353a.
On folios 354a-355a are found the genealogies, with the
title, Book of the Generation of Jesus, that of Luke following
that of Matthew without any break. Ciasca has told us nothing of
the nature of the text. The Subscription follows on folio
355b.
I. In Borgian ms.
Here endeth the Gospel which Tatianus compiled
and named Diatessaron, i.e., The Fourfold, a compilation from
the four Gospels of the holy Apostles, the excellent Evangelists (peace
be upon them). It was translated by the excellent and learned
priest, Abu’l Faraj ‘Abdulla ibn-at-Tayyib See note 1 to
Introductory Note in Borg. ms. (above, p.
42). ms., by misplacing the diacritical signs, has
Ghobasi. The ms. has Mottayyib; but Ciasca, in an additional note
inserted after the volume was printed, gives the correct
form.
2. In Vatican ms. The Arabic text of
this Subscription is given by Ciasca in his essay, De Tatiani
Diatessaron arabica Versione, in I. B. Pitra’s Analecta
Sacra, tom. iv., p. 466.
Here endeth, by the help of God, the holy Gospel that Titianus compiled from the four Gospels, which is known as Diatessaron. And praise be to God, as he is entitled to it and lord of it! And to him be the glory for ever.
The Apocalypse of Peter
Visio Pauli
Apocalypse of Maria Virgo
Apocalypse Sedrach
by
Andrew Rutherford, B.D.
The Revelation of Peter.
————————————
Introduction.
————————————
The fragment here translated was discovered in 1886 by the French Archæological Mission in an ancient burying place at Akhmîm in Upper Egypt. It was published at Paris in 1892 (Bouriant, Mémoires publiés par les membres de la Mission Archéologique Française au Caire, T. ix., fasc. 1, 1892). The ms. is now in the Gizeh Museum and has been held to be of a date between the eighth and twelfth centuries. Until the discovery of the fragment, the following was all that was known about the Revelation of Peter.
1. The so-called Muratorian Fragment, a list of sacred writings, first published by Muratori in 1740, and found by him in a seventh or eighth century ms. belonging to the Ambrosian Library in Milan, but which had previously belonged to the Columban Monastery of Bobbio, is assigned on internal evidence to the third quarter of the second century. (Vide Westcott, Canon of the N.T., p. 514.) At line 69 it says: “the Apocalypses also of John and Peter only do we receive, which (latter) some among us would not have read in church.”
2. Clement of Alexandria (fl. c. 200 a.d.) in his Hypotoposes, according to the testimony of Eusebius, H. E., vi., 14, gave “abridged accounts of all the canonical Scriptures, not even omitting those that are disputed, I mean the book of Jude and the other general epistles. Also the Epistle of Barnabas and that called the Revelation of Peter.” Also in his Eclogæ Prophetiæ, chapters 41, 48 and 49, he gives three, or as some think, four quotations from the Revelation of Peter, mentioning it twice by name.
3. The Catalogus Claromontanus, an Eastern list of Holy Scriptures, belonging to the third century, gives at the end the Revelation of Peter (v. Westcott, Canon, p. 555). This catalogue gives the length of the various books it enumerates measured in stichoi. Our book is said to have two hundred and seventy, which makes it rather longer than the Epistle to the Colossians which has two hundred and fifty-one.
4. Methodius, bishop of Olympus in Lycia in the beginning of the fourth century, in his Symposium, ii., 6, says, “wherefore we have also learned from divinely inspired Scriptures that untimely births even if they are the offspring of adultery are delivered to caretaking angels.” Though Peter is not here mentioned, the purport of the passage is the same as that of one of the quotations given by Clement of Alexandria.
5. Eusebius († c. 339 a.d.), in his Ecclesiastical History, iii., 25, expressly mentions the Revelation of Peter along with the Acts of Paul and the Pastor as spurious books, while at iii., 3, he says: “as to that which is called the Preaching and that called the Apocalypse of Peter, we know nothing of their being handed down as Catholic writings. Since neither among the ancients nor among the ecclesiastical writers of our own day, has there been anyone that has appealed to testimony taken from them.”
6. Macarius Magnes
(beginning of fifth century) in his Apocritica, iv., 6, quotes
as from a heathen opponent of Christianity the following:
“Let us by way of superfluity cite also that saying in the
Apocalypse of Peter. It thus introduces the heaven as being about
to undergo judgment along with the earth. ‘The
earth,’ it says, ‘shall present all men before God at the
day of judgment, being itself also to be judged along with the heaven
also which encompasses it.’” And at iv., 16, he
examines this passage again, naming the revelation of Peter, and
supporting the doctrine of the passage by the authority of prophecy
(
8. In the list of the Sixty Books which is assigned to the fifth or sixth century the Revelation of Peter is mentioned among the Apocrypha (v. Westcott, Canon, p. 551).
9. The so-called Stichometry of Nicephorus, a list of scriptures with notes of their extent, ascribed to Nicephorus, Patriarch of Constantinople, 806–814 a.d., includes the Revelation of Peter among the antilegomena or disputed writings of the New Testament, and gives it three hundred stichoi or thirty more than the above-mentioned Catalogus Claromontanas.
10. The Armenian annalist Mkhitan (thirteenth century) in a list of the New Testament antilegomena mentions the Revelation of Peter, after the Gospel of Thomas and before the Periodoi Pauli, and remarks that he has himself copied these books. (Cf. Harnack, Geschichte der altchristlichen Literatur.)
Up till lately these facts represented all that was positively known of the Revelation of Peter. From them we gather that it must have been written before the middle of the second century (so as to be known at Rome and included in the Muratorian Canon), that it had a wide circulation, that it was for some time very popular, so that it would appear to have run a considerable chance of achieving a place in the canon, but that it was ultimately rejected and in the long run dropped out of knowledge altogether. But even previously to the discovery at Akhmîm, the general character of the book had been inferred from the scanty fragments preserved in ancient writers and from the common elements contained in other and later apocalyptic writings which seemed to require some such book as the Revelation of Peter as their ultimate source. Such writings are the (Christian) Apocalypse of Esdras, the Vision of Paul, the Passion of S. Perpetua and the visions contained in the History of Barlaam and Josaphat. (Cf. Robinson, Texts and Studies, i., 2, p. 37–43, and Robinson and James, The Gospel according to Peter and the Revelation of Peter, 1892.)
The Revelation of Peter affords the earliest embodiment
in Christian literature of those pictorial presentations of heaven and
hell which have exercised so widespread and enduring an
influence. It has, in its imagery, little or no kinship with the
Book of Daniel, the Book of Enoch, or the Revelation of S. John.
Its only parallels in canonical scripture, with the notable exception
of the Second Epistle of Peter, are to be found in
The heaven of the Petrine Apocalypse is akin to the
Elysian Fields and the Islands of the Blest. In it the saints are
crowned as with flowers and beautiful of countenance, singing songs of
praise in the fragrant air, in a land all lighted up with the light of
the sun. Cf. “…the island valley of
Avilion; Where falls not rain or hail or any
snow, Nor ever wind blows loudly; but it
lies Deep-meadowed, happy, fair with orchard
lawns And bowery hollows crowned with summer
seas.” Tennyson,
Passing of Arthur.
So likewise in the case of the torments of the wicked as presented in the Revelation of Peter. We are not here in the Jewish Sheol, or among the fires of the valley of Hinnom, so much as among the tortures of Tartarus and the boiling mud of the Acherusian Lake (cf. Plato, Phædo, p. 113; Aristophanes, Frogs, line 145), or where “wild men of fiery aspect…seized and carried off several of them, and Ardiæus and others, they bound head and foot and hand, and threw them down and flayed them with scourges, and dragged them along the road at the side, carding them on thorns like wool, and declaring to the passers-by what were their crimes, and that they were being taken away to be cast into hell” (Republic, x., p. 616, Jowett’s transl.). It is not surprising that in later visions of the same kind the very names of the Greek under-world are ascribed to localities of hell. It is across the river Oceanus. It is called Tartarus. In it is the Acherusian Lake. Notice in this connection that the souls of innocent victims are present along with their murderers to accuse them.
The Revelation of Peter shows remarkable kinship in ideas with the Second Epistle of Peter. The parallels will be noted in the margin of the translation. It also presents notable parallels to the Sibylline Oracles (cf. Orac. Sib., ii., 225 sqq.), while its influence has been conjectured, almost with certainty, in the Acts of Perpetua and the visions narrated in the Acts of Thomas and the History of Barlaam and Josaphat. It certainly was one of the sources from which the writer of the Vision of Paul drew. And directly or indirectly it may be regarded as the parent of all the mediæval visions of the other world.
The fragment begins in the middle of an eschatological discourse of Jesus, probably represented as delivered after the resurrection, for verse 5 implies that the disciples had begun to preach the Gospel. It ends abruptly in the course of a catalogue of sinners in hell and their punishments. The fragments preserved in the writings of Clement of Alexandria and Methodius probably belonged to the lost end of the book; that preserved by Macarius Magnes may have belonged to the eschatological discourse at the beginning. Taking the length of the whole at from two hundred and seventy to three hundred stichoi, the Akhmîm fragment contains about the half.
The present translation is made from Harnack’s edition of the text, 2d ed., Leipzig, 1893.
There is another and later Apocalypse of Peter in Arabic, of which mss. exist in Rome and Oxford. It is called the Apocalypse of Peter, or the narrative of things revealed to him by Jesus Christ which had taken place from the beginning of the world and which shall take place till the end of the world or the second coming of Christ. The book is said to have been written by Clement, to whom Peter had communicated the secrets revealed to him. The writer himself calls the book Librum Perfectionis or Librum Completum. Judging from the analysis of its contents quoted by Tischendorf (Apocalypses Apocr.) it has no connection with the present work.
The Apocalypse of Peter.
————————————
1. …many of them will be false
prophets, False
prophets. Cf. Sons of
perdition. Cf. Purify their
souls. Cf.
4. And furthermore the Lord said: Let us go
into the mountain: Mountain.
Cf. The
righteous. Cf.
6. And as we prayed, suddenly there appeared two
men standing before the Lord towards the East, on whom we were not able
to look; Not able to
look. Cf. Eye of man,
etc. Cf. Snow and
rose. Cf. Bk. of Enoch cvi. 2. Wreath.
Cf. Ep. of Lyons and Vienne, ap. Euseb. H. E. v. 1,
36.
11. Seeing therefore their beauty we became astounded at them, since they appeared suddenly. 12. And I approached the Lord and said: Who are these? 13. He saith to me: These are your brethren the righteous, whose forms ye desired to see. 14. And I said to him: And where are all the righteous ones and what is the æon in which they are and have this glory?
15. And the Lord showed me Apparently all
the disciples are supposed to have had the vision of heaven, but Peter
alone that of hell. Unfading. Cf.
Odour.
Cf. Ep. of Lyons and Vienne, l. c., and Passion of S. Perpetua,
ch. xiii. High
priests. Cf. Didache 13, 3.
20. And over against that place I saw another,
squalid, and it was the place of punishment; and those who were
punished there and the punishing angels had their raiment dark Squalid.
Cf.
21. And there were certain there hanging by the
tongue: and these were the blasphemers of the way of
righteousness; and under them lay fire,
Blasphemers. Cf.
22. And there was a great lake, full of
Mire.
Cf.
23. And there were also others, women, hanged by
their hair over that mire that bubbled up: and these were they
who adorned themselves for adultery; and the men who mingled with them
in the defilement Cf.
24. And I saw the murderers and those who
conspired with them, cast into a certain strait place, full of evil
snakes, and smitten by those beasts, and thus turning to and fro in
that punishment; and worms, Darkness.
Cf.
25. And near that place I saw another strait place into which the gore and the filth of those who were being punished ran down and became there as it were a lake: and there sat women having the gore up to their necks, and over against them sat many children who were born to them out of due time, crying; and there came forth from them sparks of fire and smote the women in the eyes: and these were the accursed who conceived and caused abortion.
26. And other men and women were burning up to the
middle and were cast into a dark place and were beaten by evil spirits,
and their inwards were eaten by restless worms: Restless
worms. Cf.
27. And near those there were again women and men
gnawing their own lips, and being punished and receiving a red-hot iron
in their eyes: and these were they who blasphemed and
slandered Slandered.
Cf.
28. And over against these again other men and
women gnawing their tongues and having flaming fire in their
mouths: and these were the false witnesses. False
witnesses. Cf. Hermas. Mand. viii. 5.
29. And in a certain other place there were
pebbles sharper than swords or any spit, red-hot, and women and men in
tattered and filthy raiment rolled about on them in punishment:
and these were the rich who trusted in their riches and had no pity for
orphans and widows, and despised the commandment The rich,
etc. Cf.
30. And in another great lake, full of pitch and blood and mire bubbling up, there stood men and women up to their knees: and these were the usurers and those who take interest on interest.
31. And other men and women were being hurled down
from a great cliff and reached the bottom, and again were driven by
those who were set over them to climb up upon the cliff, and thence
were hurled down again, and had no rest from this punishment: and
these were they who defiled Defiled.
32. And alongside of that cliff there was a place full of much fire, and there stood men who with their own hands had made for themselves carven images instead of God. And alongside of these were other men and women, having rods and striking each other and never ceasing from such punishment.
33. And others again near them, women and men,
burning and turning themselves and roasting: and these were they
that leaving the way of God Way of God.
Fragments of the Apocalypse of Peter.
1. Clemens Alexandrinus,
Eclog. 48. For instance, Peter in the Apocalypse says that
the children who are born out of due time shall be of the better
part: and that these are delivered over to a care-taking angel
that they may attain a share of knowledge and gain the better abode
[after suffering what they would have suffered if they had been in the
body: but the others shall merely obtain salvation as injured
beings to whom mercy is shown, and remain without punishment, receiving
this as a reward]. The part of the
quotation between square brackets is assigned by Harnack to Clement
himself and not to the Apocalypse.
2. Clem. Alex.
Eclog. 49. But the milk of the women running down from
their breasts and congealing shall engender small flesh- Cf. Esdras,
Ante-Nicene Lib., vol. xvi., p. 473.
3. Macarius Magnes, Apocritica iv., 6 cf. 16. The earth, it (sc. the Apoc. of Peter) says, “shall present all men before God at the day of judgment, being itself also to be judged, with the heaven also which encompasses it.”
4. Clem. Alex. Eclog. 41. The scripture says that infants that have been exposed are delivered to a care-taking angel, by whom they are educated and so grow up, and they will be, it says, as the faithful of a hundred years old are here.
5. Methodius, Conviv. ii., 6. Whence also we have received in divinely-inspired scriptures that untimely births are delivered to care-taking angels, even if they are the offspring of adultery.
The Vision of Paul.
————————————
Introduction.
————————————
The present translation of the Vision of Paul is made from the text of a Latin version, edited by Mr. M. R. James in the Cambridge Texts and Studies, ii., 3, p. 11 ff.—from a ms. of the eighth century now in the Bibliothèque Nationale at Paris.
Tischendorf’s Greek text was based on two mss., the earliest of which is at Munich and is of the thirteenth century. This version has already been translated in the Ante-Nicene Library, vol. xvi.
A translation into English from a Syriac version (date unknown) was published by the Rev. J. Perkins, D.D., in the Journal of Sacred Literature, N. S., vol. vi., 1865, and republished by Tischendorf alongside of the Greek version in his Apocalypses Apocryphæ.
The Revelation of Paul was known to S. Augustine, who thus refers to it in his Tractate 98 on the Gospel of John, § 8: “…There have been some vain individuals, who, with a presumption that betrays the grossest folly, have forged a Revelation of Paul, crammed with all manner of fables, which has been rejected by the Orthodox Church; affirming it to be that whereof he had said that he was caught up into the third heavens, and there heard unspeakable words ‘which it is not lawful for a man to utter.’ Nevertheless, the audacity of such might be tolerable, had he said that he heard words which it is not as yet lawful for a man to utter; but when he said ‘which it is not lawful for a man to utter,’ who are they that dare to utter them with such impudence and non-success?”
Sozomen, H. E., vii., 19, after speaking of the Apocalypse of Peter, continues: “So the work entitled ‘The Apocalypse of the Apostle Paul,’ though rejected by the ancients, is still esteemed by most of the monks. Some persons affirm that the book was found during this reign (i.e., of Theodosius) by divine revelation, in a marble box, buried beneath the soil, in the house of Paul, at Tarsus, in Cilicia. I have been informed that this report is false, by a presbyter of Tarsus, a man of very advanced age, as is indicated by his grey hairs.”
The book was probably composed, or rather compiled, for it is largely indebted to previous Apocalyptic writings, about the time when it purports to have been discovered at Tarsus, i.e., 388 a.d., the year of the consulship of Theodosius the Less and Cynegius. The alleged sending of a copy of the original to Jerusalem probably indicates the place where it was composed, or, at least, first found currency.
The Vision of Paul seems to have enjoyed great popularity during the Middle Ages. Brandes (Halle, 1885), in his edition of two shorter Latin versions, enumerates twenty-two different mss. of the Latin and “gives particulars of French, English, Danish, and Slavonic forms of the legend.”
Of the three main versions, the Latin and Syriac are longer and fuller than the Greek, which in its present form has been abbreviated. Taking advantage of the excellent comparative table presented by Mr. M. R. James in his edition of the text, the translator has endeavoured to point out to the reader, by notes in the margin, the passages where the Latin varies from the Greek, and, to a less extent, from the Syriac. Parallel passages in other and earlier Apocalyptic writings are also indicated in the notes.
The Vision of Paul.
————————————
Here Begins the Vision of Saint Paul the Apostle.
“But I will come to visions and revelations of the
Lord: I know a man in Christ fourteen years ago (whether in the
body, I know not; or out of the body, I know not, God knoweth) snatched
up in this manner to the third heaven: and I know such a man,
whether in the body or out of the body I know not, God knoweth; how
that he was snatched up into Paradise and heard secret words which it
is not lawful for men to speak; on behalf of such a one will I glory;
but on mine own behalf I will not glory, save in my
infirmities.”—
1. At what time was this revelation made? In
the consulship of Theodosius Augustus the Younger and
Cynegius, Theodosius the
younger and Cynegius, Consuls, 388 a.d.
2. But the angel coming for the third time beat him and forced him to open the foundation. And digging he found a marble box, inscribed on the sides; there was the revelation of Saint Paul, and his shoes in which he walked teaching the word of God. But he feared to open that box and brought it to the judge; when he had received it, the judge, because it was sealed with lead, sent it to the Emperor Theodosius, fearing lest it might be something else; which when he had received the emperor opened it, and found the revelation of Saint Paul; a copy of it he sent to Jerusalem, and retained the original himself.
3. While I was in the body in which I was snatched up to the third heaven, the word of the Lord came to me saying: speak to the people: until when will ye transgress, and heap sin upon sin, and tempt the Lord who made you? Ye are the sons of God, doing the works of the devil in the faith of Christ, on account of the impediments of the world. Remember therefore and know that while every creature serves God, the human race alone sins. But it reigns over every creature and sins more than all nature.
4. For indeed the sun, the great light, often addressed the Lord saying: Lord God Almighty, I look out upon the impieties and injustices of men; permit me and I shall do unto them what are my powers, that they may know that thou art God alone. And there came a voice saying to him: I know all these things, for mine eye sees and ear hears, but my patience bears them until they shall be converted and repent. But if they do not return to me I will judge them all.
5. For sometimes the moon and stars addressed the Lord saying: Lord God Almighty, to us thou hast given the power of the night; till when shall we look down upon the impieties and fornications and homicides done by the sons of men? Permit us to do unto them according to our powers, that they may know that thou art God alone. And there came a voice unto them saying: I know all these things, and mine eye looks forth and ear hears, but my patience bears with them until they shall be converted and repent. But if they do not return unto me I will judge them.
6. And frequently also the sea exclaimed
saying: Lord God Almighty, men have defiled thy holy name in me;
permit me to arise and cover every wood and orchard and the whole
world, until I blot out all the sons of men from before thy face, that
they may know that thou art God alone. And the voice came again
and said: I know all things; mine eye seeth everything, and mine
ear heareth, but my patience bears with them until they be converted
and repent. But if they do not return, I will judge them.
Sometimes the waters The waters (not in
Greek version); rivers in Syriac. The earth (not in
Greek version, but in Syriac).
7. Behold, ye sons of men, the creature is subject
to God, but the human race alone sins. For this cause, therefore,
ye sons of men, bless the Lord God unceasingly, every hour and every
day: but more especially when the sun has set: Cf. Test. of
Abraham, Rec. B, iv. Cf. Test. of
Abraham, Rec. B, § 4. Cf. Test. of
Abraham, Rec. A, § 12.
8. Therefore at the appointed hour all the angels whatever, rejoicing at once together, proceed before God that they may meet to worship at the hour determined. And behold suddenly it became the hour of meeting, and the angels came to worship in the presence of God, and the spirit proceeded to meet them: and there came a voice and said: Whence come ye, our angels, bearing the burdens of tidings?
9. They answered and said: We come from those who have renounced this world for the sake of thy holy name, wandering as pilgrims, and in caves of the rocks, and weeping every hour in which they inhabited the earth, and hungering and thirsting because of thy name, with their loins girded, having in their hands the incense of their hearts, and praying and blessing every hour, and restraining and overcoming themselves, weeping and wailing above the rest that inhabit the earth. And we indeed, their angels, mourn along with them: whither therefore it shall please thee, command us to go and minister, lest others also do it, but the destitute above the rest who are on earth. And there came the voice of God to them saying: Know ye that now henceforward my grace is appointed unto you, and my help, who is my well-beloved Son, shall be present with them, guiding them every hour; ministering also to them, never deserting them, since their place is his habitation.
10. When therefore these angels had retired, behold other angels came to adore in the presence of honour, in the assembly, who wept; and the spirit of God proceeded to meet them, and there came the voice of God and said: Whence come ye, our angels, bearing the burdens of the ministry of the tidings of the world? They answered and said in the presence of God: We have arrived from those who called upon thy name, and the impediments of the world made them wretched, devising many occasions every hour, not even making one pure prayer, nor out of their whole heart, in all the time of their life; what need, therefore, is there to be present with men who are sinners? And there came the voice of God to them: It is necessary that ye should minister to them, until they be converted and repent: but if they do not return to me I will judge them. Know therefore, sons of men, that whatever things are wrought by you, these angels relate to God, whether good or evil.
12. And I looked on high and I saw other angels whose countenance shone as the sun, their loins girded with golden girdles, having palms in their hands, and the sign of God, clothed with garments in which was written the name of the Son of God, filled moreover with all meekness and pity; and I asked the angels saying: Who are these, Lord, in so great beauty and pity? And the angel answered and said unto me: These are the angels of justice who are sent to lead up the souls of the just, in the hour of need, who believed that they had the Lord for their helper. And I said to him: Do the just and sinners necessarily meet witnesses when they have died? And the angel answered and said to me: There is one way by which all pass over to God, but the just having their helper with them are not confounded when they go to appear in the sight of God.
13. And I said to the angel: I wished to see the souls of the just and of sinners going out of the world. And the angel answered and said unto me: Look down upon the earth. And I looked down from heaven upon the earth, and saw the whole world, and it was nothing in my sight and I saw the sons of men as though they were naught, and a-wanting, and I wondered and said to the angel: Is this the greatness of men? And the angel answered and said unto me: It is, and these are they who do evil from morning till evening. And I looked and saw a great cloud of fire spread over the whole world, and I said to the angel: What is this, my Lord? and he said to me: This is injustice stirred up by the princes of sinners.
14. I indeed when I had heard this sighed and
wept, and said to the angel: I wished to see the souls of the
just and of sinners, and to see in what manner they go out of the
body. And the angel answered and said unto me: Look again
upon the earth. And I looked and saw all the world, and men were
as naught and a-wanting: and I looked carefully and saw a certain
man about to die, and the angel said to me: This one whom thou
seest is a just man. And I looked again and saw all his works,
whatever he had done for the sake of God’s name, and all his
desires, both what he remembered, and what he did not remember; they
all stood in his sight in the hour of need; and I saw the just man
advance and find refreshment and confidence, and before he went out of
the world the holy and the impious angels both attended: and I
saw them all, but the impious found no place of habitation in him, but
the holy took possession of his soul, guiding it till it went out of
the body: and they roused the soul saying: Soul, know thy
body whence thou goest out, for it is necessary that thou shouldst
return to the same body on the day of the resurrection, that thou
mayest receive the things promised to all the just. Receiving
therefore the soul from the body, they immediately kissed it as
familiarly known to them, saying to it: Do manfully, for thou
hast done the will of God while placed in the earth. And there
came to meet him the angel who watched him every day, and said to
him: Do manfully, soul; for I rejoice in thee, because thou hast
done the will of God on earth: for I related to God all thy
works, such as they were. Similarly also the spirit proceeded to
meet him and said: Soul, fear not, nor be disturbed, until thou
comest into a place which thou hast never known, but I will be a helper
unto thee: for I found in thee a place of refreshment in the time
when I dwelt in thee, while I was on earth. And his spirit
strengthened him, and his angel received him, and led him into
heaven: and an angel said: Whither runnest thou, O soul,
and dost thou dare to enter into heaven? Wait and let us see if
there is anything of ours in thee: and behold
15. And he saith to me: Look again down on the earth, and watch the soul of an impious man going out of the body, which vexed the Lord day and night, saying: I know nothing else in this world, I eat and drink, and enjoy what is in the world; for who is there who has descended into hell, and ascending has declared to us that there is judgment there! And again I looked carefully, and saw all the scorn of the sinner, and all that he did, and they stood together before him in the hour of need: and it was done to him in that hour, in which he was threatened about his body at the judgment, and I said: It were better for him if he had not been born. And after these things, there came at the same time, the holy angels, and the malign, and the soul of the sinner and the holy angels did not find a place in it. Moreover the malign angels cursed it; and when they had drawn it out of the body, the angels admonished it a third time, saying: O wretched soul, look upon thy flesh, whence thou camest out: for it is necessary that thou shouldst return to thy flesh in the day of resurrection, that thou mayest receive the due for thy sins and thy impieties.
16. And when they had led it forth, the customary
angel preceded it, and said to it: O wretched soul, I am the
angel belonging to thee, relating daily to the Lord thy malign works,
whatever thou didst by night or day: and if it were in my power,
not for one day would I minister to thee, but none of these things was
I able to do: the judge is pitiful and just, and he himself
commanded us that we should not cease to minister to the soul, till you
should repent, but thou hast lost the time of repentance. I
indeed was strange to thee and thou to me. Let us go on then to
the just judge: I will not dismiss thee, before I know from
to-day why I was strange to thee. And the spirit confounded him,
and the angel troubled him. When, therefore, they had arrived at
the power, when he started to enter heaven, a labour was imposed upon
him, above all other labour: error and oblivion and murmuring met
him, and the spirit of fornication, and the rest of the powers, and
said to him: Whither goest thou, wretched soul, and darest thou
to rush into heaven? hold, that we may see if we have our qualities in
thee, since we do not see that thou hast a holy helper. And after
that I heard voices in the height of heaven saying: Present that
wretched soul to God, that it may know that it is God that it
despised. When, therefore, it had entered heaven, all the angels
saw it, a thousand thousand exclaimed with one voice, all saying:
Woe to thee, wretched soul, for the sake of thy works which thou didst
on earth; what answer art thou about to give to God when thou shalt
have approached to adore him? The angel who was with it answered
and said: Weep with me, my beloved, for I have not found rest in
this soul. And the angels answered him and said: Let such a
soul be taken away from the midst of ours, for from the time he
entered, the stink of him crosses to us angels. And after these
things it was presented, that it might worship in the sight of God, and
an angel of God showed him God who made him after his own image and
likeness. Moreover his angel ran before him saying: Lord
God Almighty, I am the angel of this soul, whose works I presented to
thee day and night, not doing according to thy judg
17. And again I saw, and behold a soul which was led forward by two angels, weeping and saying: Have pity on me, just God, God the judge, for to-day is seven days since I went out of my body, and I was handed over to these two angels, and they led me through to those places, which I had never seen. And God, the just judge, saith to him: What hast thou done? for thou never didst mercy, wherefore thou wast handed over to such angels as have no mercy, and because thou didst not do uprightly, so neither did they act piously with thee in the hour of thy need. Confess therefore thy sins which thou didst commit when placed in the world. And he answered and said: Lord, I did not sin. And the Lord, the just Lord, was angered in fury when it said: I did not sin, because it lied; and God said: Dost thou think thou art still in the world? if any one of you, sinning there, conceal and hide his sin from his neighbour, here indeed nothing whatever shall be hid: for when the souls come to adore in sight of the throne, both the good works and the sins of each one are made manifest. And hearing these things the soul was silent, having no answer. And I heard the Lord God, the just judge, again saying: Come, angel of this soul, and stand in the midst. And the angel of the sinful soul came, having in his hands a manuscript, and said: These, Lord, in my hands, are all the sins of this soul from his youth till to-day, from the tenth year of his birth: and if thou command, Lord, I will also relate his acts from the beginning of his fifteenth year. And the Lord God, the just judge, said: I say unto thee, angel, I do not expect of thee an account of him since he began to be fifteen years old, but state his sins for five years before he died and before he came hither. And again God, the just judge, said: For by myself I swear, and by my holy angels, and by my virtue, that if he had repented five years before he died, on account of one year’s life, oblivion would now be thrown over all the evils which he sinned before, and he would have indulgence and remission of sins: now indeed he shall perish. And the angel of the sinful soul answered and said: Lord, command that angel to exhibit those souls.
18. And in that same hour the souls were exhibited in the midst, and the soul of the sinner knew them; and the Lord said to the soul of the sinner: I say unto thee, soul, confess thy work which thou wroughtest in these souls, whom thou seest, when they were in the world. And he answered and said: Lord, it is not yet a full year since I slew this one and poured his blood upon the ground, and with another (a woman) I committed fornication: not this alone, but I also greatly harmed her in taking away her goods. And the Lord God, the just judge, said: Either thou didst not know that he who does violence to another, if he dies first who sustains the violence, is kept in this place until the doer of hurt dies, and then both stand in the presence of the judge, and now each receives according to his deed. And I heard a voice of one saying: Let that soul be delivered into the hands of Tartarus, and led down into hell: he shall lead him into the lower prison and he shall be put in torments, and left there till the great day of judgment. And again I heard a thousand thousand angels saying hymns to the Lord, and crying: Thou art just, O Lord, and just are thy judgments.
19. The angel answered and said unto me:
Hast thou perceived all these things? and I said, Yes, sir. And
he said to me: Follow me again, and I will take thee, and show
thee the places of the just. And I followed the angel, and he
raised me to the third heaven, and placed me at the entry of the
door: and looking carefully I saw, and the door was of gold, and
two columns of gold, full above of golden letters, and the angel tuned
again to me and said: Blessed wert thou, if thou hadst entered
into these doors, for it is not allowed to any to enter except only to
those who have
20. And when I had entered the interior of the
gate of Paradise, Cf. Ascension
of And the
sun. Not in Greek: Elias in Syriac.
21. And the angel answered and said to
me, (Not in Syriac.)
And he took me down from the third heaven, and led me
into the second heaven, and again he led me on to the firmament and
from the firmament he led me over the doors of heaven: the
beginning of its foundation was on the river which waters all the
earth. And I asked the angel and said, Lord, what is this river
of water? and he said to me, This is Oceanus! And suddenly I went
out of heaven, and I understood that it is the light of heaven which
lightens all the earth. For the land there is seven times
brighter Cf. Rev. of
Peter. 15. Cf. Enoch.
22. And I looked around upon that land and I saw a
river flowing of milk and honey, and there were trees planted by the
bank of that river, full of fruit: moreover each single tree bore
twelve fruits in the year, having various and diverse fruits: and
I saw the created things which are in that place and all the work of
God, and I saw there palms of twenty cubits, but others of ten
cubits: and that land was seven times brighter than silver.
And there were trees full of fruits from the roots to the highest
branches, of ten thousand fruits of palms upon ten thousand
fruits. The grape-vines moreover had ten thousand
plants.
Cf.Papias. ap. Iren. Hær. v. 33. 3,
4. (In Syriac, but not in
Greek version.)
And then he took me up from that place where I saw these things and behold, a river, and its waters were greatly whiter than milk, and I said to the angel, What is this? And he said to me: This is the Acherousian Lake where is the City of Christ, but not every man is permitted to enter that city; for this is the journey which leads to God, and if anyone is a fornicator and impious, and is converted and shall repent and do fruits worthy of repentance, at first indeed when he shall have gone out of the body, he is led and adores God, and thence by command of the Lord he is delivered to the angel Michael and he baptizes him in the Acherousian Lake—thus he leads them into the City of Christ alongside of those who have never sinned. But I wondered 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 lead thee into the City of Christ. And he
was standing on the Acherousian Lake and he put me into a golden
ship The Greek has not the
golden ship, the angels or the walls. They are given in the
Syriac. Not in the
Greek, but given in the Syriac. Cf.
24. I indeed entering the gates saw trees great
and very high before the doors of the city, having no fruit but leaves
only, and I saw a few men scattered in the midst of the trees, and they
lamented greatly when they saw anyone enter the city. And those
trees were sorry for them and humbled themselves and bowed down and
again erected themselves. And I saw and wept with them and I
asked the angel and said: Sir, who are these who are not admitted
to enter into the City of Christ? And he said to me: These
are they who zealously abstained day and night in fasts, but they had a
proud heart above other men, glorifying and praising themselves and
doing nothing for their neighbours. For they gave some friendly
greeting, but to others they did not even say hail! and indeed they
shewed hospitality to those only whom they wished, and if they did
anything whatever for their neighbour they were immoderately puffed
up. And I said: What then, Sir? Did their pride
prevent them from entering into the City of Christ? And the angel
answered and said unto me: Pride is the root of all evils.
Are they better than the Son of God who came to the Jews with much
humility? And I asked him and said: Why is it that the
trees humble themselves and erect themselves again? And the angel
answered and said to me: The whole time which these men passed on
earth zealously serving God, on account of the confusion and reproaches
of men at the time, they blushed and humiliated themselves, but they
were not saddened. nor did they repent that they should recede from
their pride which was in them. This is why the trees humble
themselves, and again
25. But I went on while the angel instructed me,
and he carried me to the river of honey, and I saw there Isaiah and
Jeremiah Names not in the
Greek. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Moses and all the Prophets in
the Syriac.
26. Again he led me where there is a river of milk, and I saw in that place all the infants whom Herod slew because of the name of Christ, and they saluted me, and the angel said to me: All who keep their chastity with purity, when they shall have come out of the body, after they adore the Lord God are delivered to Michael and are led to the infants and they salute them, saying that they are our brothers and friends and members; in themselves they shall inherit the promises of God.
27. Again he took me up and carried me to the
north of the city and led me where there was a river of wine, and there
I saw Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, Lot and Job and other
saints, Names not in the Greek
or Syriac.
28. And again he carried me near the river of oil on the east of the city. And I saw there men rejoicing and singing psalms, and I said: Who are those, my Lord? And the angel saith to me: Those are they who devoted themselves to God with their whole heart and had no pride in themselves. For all those who rejoice in the Lord God and sing psalms to the Lord with their whole heart are here led into this city.
29. And he carried me into the midst of the city
near the twelve walls. Not in Greek, which
here has the altar in the city and David. The Syriac is the same
as the Latin.
And turning round I saw golden thrones placed in each
gate, and on them men having golden diadems and gems: Not in the
Greek. Cf. Ascension of
And I saw in the midst of this city a great
30. And I said to the angel: Sir, what is
Alleluia? And the angel answered and said to me: You ask
questions about everything. And he said to me, Alleluia is said
in the Hebrew language of God and angels, for the meaning of Alleluia
is this: tecel cat. marith macha. These letters
are unintelligible. In the Greek version, the interpretation of
Alleluia is given as thebel marematha, which is also
unintelligible. In the Syriac the interpretation of Alleluia is
correctly given.
31. Moreover when he had ceased speaking to me, he led me outside the city through the midst of the trees and far from the places of the land of the good, and put me across the river of milk and honey: and after that he led me over the ocean which supports the foundations of heaven.
The angel answered and said unto me: Dost thou understand why thou goest hence? And I said: Yes, sir. And he said to me: Come and follow me, and I will show thee the souls of the impious and sinners, that thou mayest know what manner of place it is. And I proceeded with the angel and he carried me by the setting of the sun, and I saw the beginning of heaven founded on a great river of water, and I asked: What is this river of water? And he said to me: This is Ocean which surrounds all the Earth. And when I was at the outer limit of Ocean I looked, and there was no light in that place, but darkness and sorrow and sadness: and I sighed.
And I saw there a fervent river of fire, and in it a
multitude of men and women immersed up to the knees, and other men up
to the navel, others even up to the lips, others moreover up to the
hair. And I asked the angel and said: Sir, who are those in
the fiery river? And the angel answered and said to me:
They are neither hot nor cold, because they were found neither in the
number of the just nor in the number of the impious. Not in Greek or
Syriac. Not in the Greek or
Syriac.
32. And I saw on the north a place of various and
diverse punishments full of men and women, The Greek has
here thieves and slanderers. Passage probably
corrupt.
33. I, indeed, when I heard this, wept and groaned over the human race. The angel answered and said unto me: Why dost thou weep? Art thou more pitiful than God? For though God is good, He knows also that there are punishments, and He patiently bears with the human race, dismissing each one to work his own will in the time in which he dwells on the earth.
34. I further observed the fiery river and saw there a man being tortured by Tartaruchian angels having in their hands an iron with three hooks with which they pierced the bowels of that old man: and I asked the angel, and said: Sir, who is that old man on whom such torments are imposed? And the angel answered and said to me: He whom you see was a presbyter who did not perform well his ministry: when he had been eating and drinking and committing fornication he offered the host to the Lord at his holy altar.
35. And I saw not far away another old man led on by malign angels running with speed, and they pushed him into the fire up to his knees, and they struck him with stones and wounded his face like a storm, and did not allow him to say: Have pity on me! And I asked the angel and he said to me: He whom you see was a bishop, and did not perform well his episcopate, who indeed accepted the great name but did not enter into the witness of him who gave him the name in all his life, seeing that he did not do just judgment, and did not pity widows and orphans, but now he receives retribution according to his iniquity and his works.
36. And I saw another man in the fiery river up to his knees. Moreover his hands were stretched out and bloody, and worms proceeded from his mouth and nostrils and he was groaning and weeping, and crying he said: Have pity on me! for I am hurt above the rest who are in this punishment. And I asked, Sir, who is this? And he said to me: This man whom thou seest, was a deacon who devoured the oblations and committed fornications and did not right in the sight of God, for this cause he unceasingly pays this penalty.
And I looked closely and saw alongside of him
another Not in the Greek but
in the Syriac.
37. And I saw another multitude of pits in the
same place, and in the midst of it a river full of a multitude of men
and women, Not in the
Greek. The Syraic has simply those who trusted in their
riches. Cf. Rev. of
Peter, 27. Cf. Rev. of
Peter, 31.
And after that I looked and saw another place, very
narrow, and it was like a wall, and fire round about it. And I
saw inside men and women gnawing Cf. Rev. of
Peter, 29.
38. And I observed and saw another old man down in a pit and his countenance was like blood, and I asked and said, Sir, what is this place? And he said to me: Into that pit stream all the punishments. And I saw men and women immersed up to the lips and I asked, Sir, who are these? And he said to me: These are the magicians who prepared for men and women evil magic arts and did not find how to stop them till they died.
And again I saw men and women with very Cf. Rev. of
Peter, 24. Not in the Greek. The Syraic has darkness the
torment of patriarchs, bishops, etc.
39. And I saw there girls having black Cf. Rev. of
Peter xxi. 30. Not in Syriac.
And again I observed there men and women with hands cut
and their feet placed naked in a place of ice and snow, and worms
devoured them. But seeing them I lamented and asked: Sir,
who are these? And he said to me: These are they who harmed
orphans and widows and the poor, Cf. Rev. of
Peter, 30. Not in the Greek.
And I observed and saw others hanging over a channel of
water, and their tongues were very dry, and many fruits were placed in
their sight, and they were not permitted to take of them, and I
asked: Sir, who are these? And he said to me: These
are they who break their fast Not in the Greek.
And I saw other men and women hanging by their eyebrows
and their hair, Not in the Greek. Cf. Rev. of
Peter, 24.
And I saw other men and women covered with dust, and
their countenance was like blood, and they were in a pit of pitch and
sulphur and running down into a fiery river, and I asked: Sir,
who are these? Cf. Rev. of
Peter, 32. Not in the Greek.
40. And Not in the
Greek. Whole section omitted in the Syriac. Cf. Rev. of
Peter xxi. 23. Cf. Rev. of
Peter, 26. Cf. Rev. of
Peter. Fragments 4, 5.
And after that I saw men and women clothed with rags
full of pitch and fiery sulphur, and dragons were coiled about their
necks and shoulders and feet, and angels having fiery horns restrained
them and smote them, and closed their nostrils, saying to them:
Why did ye not know the time in which it was right to repent and serve
God, and did not do it? And I asked: Sir, who are
these? And he said to me: These are they who seem to give
up the world for God, Not in the Greek.
And sighing I wept and said: Woe unto men, woe
unto sinners! why were they born? And the angel answered and said
unto me: Why dost thou lament? Not in the Greek.
41. And he carried me south and placed me above a well, and I found it sealed with seven seals: and answering, the angel who was with me said to the angel of that place: Open the mouth of the well that Paul, the well-beloved of God, may see, for authority is given him that he may see all the pains of hell. And the angel said to me: Stand afar off that thou mayest be able to bear the stench of this place. When therefore the well was opened, immediately there arose from it a certain hard and malign stench, which surpasses all punishments: and I looked into the well and I saw fiery masses glowing in every part, and narrow places, and the mouth of the well was narrow so as to admit one man only. And the angel answered and said unto me: If any man shall have been put into this well of the abyss and it shall have been sealed over him, no remembrance of him shall ever be made in the sight of the Father and His Son and the holy angels. And I said: Who are these, Sir, who are put into this well? And he said to me: They are whoever shall not confess that Christ has come in the flesh and that the Virgin Mary brought him forth, and whoever says that the bread and cup of the Eucharist of blessing are not this body and blood of Christ.
42. And I looked to the south in the west and I
saw there a Cf. Rev. of
Peter, 27. Not in the Greek.
But hearing these things I stretched out my hands and
wept, and sighing again, I said: It were better for us if we had
not been born, Cf. Esdras,
Ante-Nicene Lib., vol. xvi., p. 469.
43. But when those who were in the same place saw
me weeping with the angel, they themselves cried out and wept saying,
Lord God have mercy upon us! And after these things I saw the
heavens open, and Michael Gabriel in the
Greek version.
44. And I looked and saw the heaven move like a tree shaken by the wind. Suddenly, moreover, they threw themselves on their faces in the sight of the throne. And I saw twenty-four elders and twenty-four thousand adoring God, and I saw an altar and veil and throne, and all were rejoicing; and the smoke of a good odour was raised near the altar of the throne of God, and I heard the voice of one saying: For the sake of what do ye our angels and ministers intercede? And they cried out saying: We intercede seeing thy many kindnesses to the human race. And after these things I saw the Son of God descending from heaven, and a diadem was on his head. And seeing him those who were placed in punishment exclaimed all with one voice saying: Have pity, Son of the High God! Thou art He who shewest refreshment for all in the heavens and on earth, and on us likewise have pity, for since we have seen Thee, we have refreshment. And a voice went out from the Son of God through all the punishments saying: And what work have ye done that ye demand refreshment from me? My blood was poured out for your sakes, and not even so did ye repent: for your sakes I wore the crown of thorns on my head: for you I received buffets on my cheeks, and not even so did ye repent. I asked water when hanging on the cross and they gave me vinegar mixed with gall, with a spear they opened my right side, for my name’s sake they slew my prophets and just men, and in all these things I gave you a place of repentance and ye would not. Now, however, for the sake of Michael the archangel of my covenant and the angels who are with him, and because of Paul the well-beloved, whom I would not vex, for the sake of your brethren who are in the world and offer oblations, and for the sake of your sons, because my precepts are in them, and more for the sake of mine own kindness, on the day on which I rose from the dead, I give to you all who are in punishment a night and a day of refreshment forever. And they all cried out and said, We bless thee, Son of God, that Thou hast given us a night and a day of respite. For better to us is a refreshment of one day above all the time of our life which we were on earth, and if we had plainly known that this was intended for those who sin, we would have worked no other work, we would have done no business, and we would have done no iniquity: what need had we for pride in the world? For here our pride is crushed which ascended from our mouth against our neighbour: our plagues and excessive straitness and the tears and the worms which are under us, these are much worse to us than the pains which we have left behind us. When they said thus, the malign angels of the penalties were angered with them, saying: How long do ye lament and sigh? for ye had no pity. For this is the judgment of God who had no pity. But ye received this great grace of a day and a night’s refreshment on the Lord’s Day for the sake of Paul the well-beloved of God who descended to you.
45. And after that the angel said to me:
Hast thou seen all these things? And I said: Yes,
Sir. And he said to me: Follow me and I will lead thee into
Paradise, that the just who are there may see thee, for lo! they hope
to see thee, and they are ready to come to meet thee in joy and
gladness. And I followed the angel by the impulse of the Holy
Spirit, and he placed me in Paradise and said to me: This is
Paradise in which Adam and his wife erred. Moreover I entered
Paradise and saw the beginning of waters, and there was an angel making
a sign to me and he said to me: Observe, said he, the waters, for
this is the river of Physon which surrounds all the land of Evilla, and
the second is Geon which surrounds all the land of Egypt and Ethiopia,
and the third is Thigris which is over against the Assyrians, and
another is Eufrates which waters all the land of Mesopotamia. And
when I had gone inside I saw a tree planted from whose roots water
flowed out, and from this beginning there were four rivers. And
the spirit of God rested on that tree, and when the Spirit blew, the
waters flowed forth,
46. While I was yet looking upon the tree, I saw a virgin coming from afar and two hundred angels before her saying hymns, and I asked and said: Sir, who is she who comes in so great glory? And he said to me: This is Mary the Virgin, the Mother of the Lord. And coming near she saluted me and said: Hail, Paul! well-beloved of God and angels and men. For all the saints prayed my Son Jesus who is my Lord that thou mightest come hither in the body that they might see thee before thou goest out of the world. And the Lord said to them: Bear and be patient: yet a little and ye shall see him and he shall be with you for ever: and again they all said to him together: Do not vex us, for we desire to see him in the flesh, for by him Thy name was greatly glorified in the world, and we have seen that he endured all the labours whether of the greater or of the less. This we learn from those who come hither. For when we say: Who is he who directed you in the world? they reply to us: There is one in the world whose name is Paul, he preaches and announces Christ, and we believe that many have entered into the kingdom through the virtue and sweetness of his speeches. Behold all the just men are behind me coming to meet thee, Paul, and I first come for this cause to meet them who did the will of my Son and my Lord Jesus Christ, I first advance to meet them and do not send them away to be as wanderers until they meet in peace.
47. When she had thus spoken, I saw three coming from afar, very beautiful in the likeness of Christ, and their forms were shining, and their angels, and I asked: Sir, who are these? And he said to me: Dost thou not know those? And I said: No, Sir. And he answered: These are the fathers of the people, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And coming near they saluted me, and said: Hail, Paul, well-beloved of God and men; blessed is he who suffers violence for the Lord’s sake. And Abraham answered me and said: This is my son Isaac, and Jacob my well-beloved, and we have known the Lord and followed him; blessed are all they who believed in thy word, that they may be able to inherit the Kingdom of God by labour, by renunciation, and sanctification, and humility, and charity, and meekness, and right faith in the Lord; and we also have had devotion to the Lord whom thou preachest in the testament, that we might assist those who believed in him with their whole soul, and might minister unto them as fathers minister to their children.
When they had thus spoken, I saw other twelve coming from afar in honour, and I asked: Sir, who are these? And he said: These are the patriarchs. And coming near they saluted me and said: Hail, Paul, well-beloved of God and men: the Lord did not vex us, that we might see thee yet in the body, before thou goest out of the world. And each one of them reminded me of his name in order, from Ruben to Benjamin: and Joseph said to me: I am he who was sold; but I say to thee, Paul, that all the things, whatever my brothers did to me, in nothing did I act maliciously with them, nor in all the labour which they imposed on me, nor in any point was I hurt by them on that account from morning till evening: blessed is he who receives some hurt on account of the Lord, and bears it, for the Lord will repay it to him manifold, when he shall have gone out of the world.
48. When he had spoken thus far, I saw another
beautiful one coming from afar, and his angels saying hymns, and I
asked: Sir, who is this that is beautiful of countenance?
And he saith to me: Dost thou not know him? And I
said: No, Sir. And he said to me: This is Moses the
law-giver, to whom God gave the law. And when he had come near
me, he immediately wept, and after that he saluted me: and I said
to him: What dost thou lament? for I have heard that thou
excellest every man in meekness. And he answered saying: I
weep for those whom I planted with toil, because they did not bear
fruit, nor did any profit by them; and I saw all the sheep whom I fed,
that they were scattered and become as if they had no shepherd, and
because all the toils which I
49. When he had spoken thus far, there came other twelve, and seeing me said: Art thou Paul the glorified in heaven and on earth? And I answered and said: What are ye? The first answered and said: I am Esaias whom Manasses cut asunder with a wooden saw. And the second said likewise: I am Jeremias who was stoned by the children of Israel and slain. And the third said: I am Ezekiel whom the children of Israel dragged by the feet over a rock in a mountain till they knocked out my brains, and we endured all these toils, wishing to save the children of Israel: and I say unto thee that after the toils which they laid upon me, I cast myself on my face in the sight of the Lord praying for them, bending my knees until the second hour of the Lord’s day, till Michael came and lifted me up from the earth. Blessed art thou, Paul, and blessed the nation which believed through thee.
And as these passed by, I saw another, beautiful of
countenance, and I asked: Sir, Who is this? Who when he had
seen me, rejoiced and said to me: This is Lot Lot and Job, in the
Syriac but not in the Greek. For adproprians
read adpropinquans.
When, therefore, he had ceased talking to me, I saw another coming from a distance, very beautiful of countenance, and smiling, and his angels saying hymns: and I said to the angel who was with me: Has then each of the just an angel for companion? And he said to me: Each one of the saints has his own (angel) assisting him, and saying a hymn, and the one does not depart from the other. And I said: Who is this, Sir? And he said: This is Job. And approaching, he saluted me and said: Brother Paul, thou hast great praise with God and men. And I am Job, who laboured much for a period of thirty years from a plague in the blood; and verily in the beginning, the wounds which went forth from my body were like grains of wheat. But on the third day, they became as the foot of an ass; worms moreover which fell four digits in length: and on the third (day) the devil appeared and said to me: Say something against God and die. I said to him: If such be the will of God that I should remain under a plague all the time of my life till I die, I shall not cease from blessing the Lord, and I shall receive more reward. For I know that the labours of that world are nothing to the refreshment which is afterwards: for which cause blessed art thou, Paul, and blessed the nation which believed through thee.
50. When he had spoken thus far, another came
calling from afar and saying: Blessed art thou, Paul, and blessed
am I because I saw thee, the beloved of the Lord. And I asked the
angel: Sir, who is this? And he answered and said unto
me: This is Noe in the time of the deluge. And immediately
we saluted each other: and greatly rejoicing he said to me:
Thou art Paul the most beloved of God. And I asked him: Who
art thou? And he said: I am Noe, who was in the time of the
deluge. And I say to thee, Paul, that working for a hundred
years, I made the ark, not putting off the tunic with which I was clad,
nor did I cut the hair of my head. Till then also I cherished
continence, not approaching my own wife: in those hundred years
not a hair of my head grew in length, nor did my garments
51. And turning round, I saw other just ones
coming from afar, and I asked the angel: Sir, who are
those? And he answered me: These are Elias and
Eliseus. Elias and
Eliseus. Latin and Syriac. The Greek has Enoch and
Elijah. The Latin version here breaks off abruptly,
as does also the Greek. In the Syriac as translated by the Rev.
J. Perkins, D.D. (cf. Journal of Sacred Literature, N. S., vi.,
1865, p. 399), the narrative runs as follows: “And often
the angels asked that he would give them rain, and he gave not, until I
called upon him again; then he gave unto them. But blessed art
thou, O Paul, that thy generation, and those thou teachest, are the
sons of the Kingdom. And know thou, O Paul, that every man who
believes through thee hath a great blessing, and a blessing is reserved
for him.” Then he departed from me. And the angel who was with me led me forth, and said
unto me: “Lo, unto thee is given this mystery and
revelation; as thou pleasest, make it known unto the sons of
men.” And I, Paul, returned unto myself, and I knew all
that I had seen; and in life I had not rest that I might reveal this
mystery, but I wrote it and deposited it under the ground and the
foundation of a certain faithful man with whom I used to be, in Tarsus,
a city of Cilicia. And when I was released from this life of time
and stood before my Lord, thus said He unto me: “Paul, have
we shown all these things unto thee, that thou shouldst deposit them
under the foundation of a house? Then send, and disclose,
concerning this Revelation that men may read it, and turn to the way of
truth, that they also may not come to these bitter torments.” Then follows the story of the discovery
of the Revelation at Tarsus in the reign of Theodosius as given at the
beginning of the Greek and Latin versions.
The End of the Vision of Saint Paul.
————————————
Introduction.
————————————
The present translation of this Apocalypse In this Apocalypse and
that of Sedrach which follows, the text is in many places so obviously
corrupt that the translator cannot be confident that he has given the
correct meaning of the original in all cases.—A.R.
The Apocalypse of the Holy Mother of God Concerning the Chastisements.
————————————
I. The all-holy mother of God was about to proceed to the Mount of Olives to pray; and praying to the Lord our God she said: In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; let the archangel Gabriel descend, that he may tell me concerning the chastisements and concerning things in heaven and on the earth and under the earth. And as she said the word the archangel Michael descended with the angels of the East and the West and angels of the South and the North, and they saluted the highly favoured one and said to her: Hail, reflection of the Father, hail dwelling of the Son, hail command of the Holy Spirit, hail firmament of the seven heavens, hail firmament of the eleven strongholds, hail worship of the angels, hail loftier than the prophets unto the throne of God. And the holy mother of God said to the angel: Hail Michael, commander-in-chief, the minister of the invisible Father, hail Michael, commander-in-chief, associate of my Son, hail Michael, commander-in-chief, most dread of the six-winged, hail Michael, commander-in-chief, who rules through all things and art worthy to stand beside the throne of the Lord, hail Michael, commander-in-chief, who art about to sound the trumpet and awaken those who have been asleep for ages: hail Michael, commander-in-chief, first of all unto the throne of God.
II. And having greeted all the angels in like manner, the highly favoured one prayed the commander-in-chief regarding the chastisements, saying: Tell to me all things on the earth. And the commander-in-chief said to her: If thou askest me, highly favoured one, I will tell thee. And the highly favoured one said to him: How many are the chastisements with which the race of man is chastised? And the archangel said to her: The chastisements are innumerable. And the highly favoured one said to him: Tell me the things in heaven and on the earth.
III. Then the commander-in-chief, Michael,
commanded the Western angels that revelation should be made, and Hades
opened, and she saw those who were chastised Cf. Vision of
Paul, 31.
IV. And she saw in another place Rev. of Peter,
21. Paul, 37. Cf. Paul,
41.
V. And the commander-in-chief said:
Whither wouldst thou go, highly favoured one? to the West or to the
South? And the highly favoured answered: Let us go to the
South. And immediately there appeared the cherubim and the
seraphim and four hundred angels, and led out the highly favoured one
to the South, where came out the river of fire, Cf. Paul,
31.
VI. And the all holy one said: And who are these standing in the fire up to the breasts? And the commander-in-chief said: These are whosoever cast off their wives and defiled them in adultery, and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
VII. And the all holy one said to the
commander-in-chief: Who are these standing up to the neck in the
flame of the fire? And the commander-in-chief said: These,
all holy one, are whosoever ate of the flesh of men. And the all
holy one said: And how is it possible for one man to eat of the
flesh of another? And the commander-in-chief said: Listen,
all holy one, and I will tell thee: These are they whosoever
brought down their own children out of their own wombs and cast them
out Cf. Peter,
Frag.; Paul, 40; Peter, 27.
VIII. And the all holy one said: Who are these set in the fire up to the crown? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are whosoever lay hold of the precious cross and swear to a lie: by the power of the cross of the Lord. The angels tremble and worship with fear, and men lay hold of it and swear to a lie and do not know what they testify: and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
IX. And in another place the all holy one saw a
man hung by the feet, Cf. Peter,
24. Cf. Peter, 31;
Paul, 37.
X. And she saw a woman hanging by her two ears,
and all the beasts Cf. Peter,
Frag. 2.
XI. And seeing these things the all holy Mother of
God wept and said to the commander-in-chief: It were well for man
that he
XII. And she saw a cloud full of fire and in it
there was a Cf. Peter,
25.
XIII. And she saw in another place burning benches of fire and on them sat a multitude of men and women and burned on them. And the all holy one asked: Who are these and what is their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are they who do not rise up to the presbyter when they enter into the church of God, and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
XIV. And the all holy one saw in another place an
iron tree and it had branches of iron, and on it there hung a multitude
of men and women by their tongues. Cf. Peter,
22.
XV. And in another place the all holy one saw a
man hanging from his four extremities, and from his nails blood gushed
vehemently, and his tongue Cf. Peter,
29. Cf.
XVI. And Michael, the commander-in-chief said: Come hither, all holy one, and I will show unto thee where the priests are chastised. And the all holy one came out and saw presbyters hanging by their twenty nails, and fire came out of their heads. And seeing them the all holy one asked the commander-in-chief: Who are these and what is their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are they who stand beside the throne of God, and when they sang of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, the pearls fell out, and the awful throne of heaven shook and the footstool of our Lord Jesus Christ trembled, and they did not perceive it: and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
XVII. And the all holy one saw a man and a winged beast having three heads like flames of fire: the two heads were towards his eyes and the third head towards his mouth. And seeing him the all holy one asked the commander-in-chief: Who is this, that he cannot save himself from the mouth of the dragon? And the commander-in-chief said to her: This, all holy one, is the reader who does not practise in his own habits according to what is worthy of the holy Gospel: and for this cause he is thus chastised here.
XVIII. And the commander-in-chief said: Come
hither, all holy one, and I will show thee where the angelic and
archangelic form is chastised. She proceeded and saw Cf. Peter,
27.
XIX. And she saw women hanging by their nails, and
a flame of fire came out of their mouth and burned them: and all
the beasts Cf. Peter fr.
ap. Clem. Alex.
XX. And the all holy one saw after the same manner also a deaconess hanging from a crag and a beast with two heads devoured her breasts. And the all holy one asked: What is her sin? And the commander-in-chief said: She, all holy one, is an archdeaconess who defiled her body in fornication, and for this cause she is thus chastised here.
XXI. And she saw other women hanging over the
fire, and all the beasts devoured them. And the all holy one
asked the commander-in-chief: Who are these and what is their
sin? And he said: These are they who did not do the will of
God, lovers of money and those who took interest Cf. Peter,
31.
XXII. And when she had heard these things the all holy one wept and said: Woe unto sinners. And the commander-in-chief said: Why dost thou lament, all holy one? Now verily thou hast not seen the great chastisements. And the highly favoured one said: Come, Michael, the great commander-in-chief of the powers above, tell me how I may see all the chastisements. And the commander-in-chief said: Where dost thou wish that we should go, all holy one? to the East or towards the left parts of Paradise? And the all holy one said: To the left parts of Paradise.
XXIII. And immediately when she had spoken, the
cherubim and seraphim stood beside her and led the highly favoured one
out to the left parts of Paradise. And behold, there was a great
river, and the appearance of the river was blacker than pitch, and in
it there were a multitude Cf. Paul,
31. Cf. Peter,
23. Cf. Paul,
41.
XXIV. And the commander-in-chief said: Come
hither, all holy one, and I will show unto thee the lake of fire:
and see thou where the race of the Christians is chastised. Cf.
Esdras. Ante-Nicene Lib., vol. xvi., p. 473.
XXV. And she said: I pray, one request will
I make of thee, let me also be chastised with the Christians, because
they are the children of my son. And the commander-in-chief
said: Rest thou in Paradise, holy lady, Mother of God. And
the all holy one said: I pray thee, move the fourteen firmaments
and the seven heavens, and let us pray for the Christians that the Lord
our God may hearken unto us and have mercy on them. Cf. Paul,
43.
XXVI. And the all holy one said: I pray
thee, commander-in-chief, command the armies of the angels and let them
place me on the height of heaven and let me into the presence of the
invisible Father. And immediately the commander-in-chief
commanded, and the chariot of the cherubim and seraphim appeared, and
they exalted the highly favoured one to the height of heaven and placed
her in the presence of the invisible Father: And she stretched
forth her hands to the undefiled throne of the Father and said:
Have mercy, O Lord, on the Christian sinners, for I saw them being
chastised and I cannot bear their complaint. Let me go forth and
be chastised myself for the Christians. I do not pray, O Lord,
for the unbelieving Jews, but for the Christians I entreat thy
compassion. And there came a second voice from the invisible
Father saying: How can I have mercy on them, when they did not
have mercy on their own brothers? Cf. Esdras, l.
c., pp. 469, 470.
XXVII. And the all holy one said: Where is Moses? Where are all the prophets and fathers who never sinned? Where art thou, holy Paul of God? where is the holy Lord’s Day, the boast of the Christians? where is the power of the precious and life-giving cross, which delivered Adam and Eve from the ancient curse? Then Michael and all the angels raised one voice saying: Lord, have mercy on the sinners. Then Moses also cried: Have mercy, Lord, on those to whom I gave thy law. Then John also called: Have mercy, Lord, on those to whom I gave thy Gospel. Then Paul cried: Have mercy, Lord, on those to whom I brought thy epistles in the Church. And the Lord God said: Hearken, all ye righteous: if according to the law which Moses gave, and according to the Gospel which John gave, and according to the epistles which Paul carried, they thus be judged. And they had nothing to say except, Have mercy, O just judge.
XXVIII. And the all holy Mother of God said:
Have mercy, Lord, on the Christians, because they kept thy law and gave
heed to thy gospel, but they were simple ones. Then the Lord said
to her: Hearken, all holy one: if anyone did evil to them
and they did not requite him the evil, thou sayest well that they
attended to both my law and my gospel, but if he did not do them wrong
and they requited him evil, how may I say that these are holy men? now
they shall be rewarded according to their wrongdoing. Then all
hearing the voice of the Lord had nothing to answer; and the all holy
one, when she saw that the saints were at a loss, and their Lord did
not hear, and his mercy was hidden from them, then the all holy one
said: Where is Gabriel, who announced unto me the “Hail,
thou that from eternity shalt conceive him who is without beginning
like the Father,” and now does not look upon sinners? Where
XXIX. Then the Lord, seeing the prayer of the
saints, had compassion and said: Go down, my beloved son, and
because of the prayer of the saints let thy face shine on earth to
sinners. Then the Lord came down from his undefiled throne:
and when they saw Him, those who were under chastisement raised one
voice saying: Have mercy on us, King of ages. Then the Lord
of all things said: Hearken, all ye sinners and righteous
men: I made paradise and made man after my image: but he
transgressed, and for his own sins was delivered to death: but I
did not suffer the works of my hands to be tyrannized over by the
serpent: wherefore I bowed the heavens and came down and was born
of Mary, the holy undefiled Mother of God, that I might set you
free: I was baptised in Jordan in order that I might save the
creature (nature) which had grown old under sin: I was nailed to
the cross Cf. Paul, 44;
Esdras, l. c., p. 470. Cf. Paul,
44.
XXX. Then all the angels and archangels, thrones, lordships, authorities, governments, powers, and the many-eyed cherubim and the six-winged seraphim and all the apostles and prophets and martyrs and all the saints raised one voice, saying: Glory to thee, O Lord: glory to thee, lover of men: glory to thee, King of ages: glory be to thy compassion: glory be to thy long suffering: glory be to thy unspeakable justice of judgment, because thou hast been long-suffering with sinners and impious men: Thine is it to pity and to save. To him be the glory and the power to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.
————————————
Introduction.
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The translation is from Mr. M. R. James’s text in Texts and Studies, ii. 3, p. 130ff., published from a fifteenth century ms. in the Bodleian Library. The original, Mr. James conjecturally assigns to the tenth or eleventh century. It is notable for its close resemblance in several passages to 4 Esdras, to the Greek original of which the author seems to have had direct access.
Like the Apocalypse of Esdras it deals with the subject of intercession for sinners and the reluctance of the seer to die. The parallel passages in 4 Esdras and the Apocalypse of Esdras are pointed out in the margin of the translation.
Chapter I. consists of a few lines from the beginning and end of a homily on love which appears in the ms. at the beginning of the Apocalypse, but which Mr. James regards as “quite unimportant and quite irrelevant.”
The Apocalypse of Sedrach.
————————————
The Word of the holy and blessed Sedrach concerning love and concerning repentance and Orthodox Christians, and concerning the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord give thy blessing.
I. Beloved, let us prefer nothing in honour except sincere love: for in many things we stumble every day and night and hour. And for this cause let us gain love, for it covereth a multitude of sins: for what is the profit, my children, if we have all things, and have not saving love…
O blessed love, supplier of all good things.
Blessed is the man who has gained the true faith and sincere love,
according as the Master said, there is no greater love than this that a
man should lay down his life for his friend. Cf.
II. And invisibly he received a voice in his ears: Come hither, Sedrach, since thou wishest and desirest to converse with God and ask of him that he may reveal unto thee whatever thou wishest to ask. And Sedrach said: What, Sir? And the voice said to him: I was sent to thee to raise thee here into heaven. And he said: I desired to speak mouth to mouth with God: I am not fit, Sir, to come into heaven. And stretching out his wings he took him up and he came into heaven to the very flame, and he set him as high as the third heaven, and in it stood the flame of the divinity.
III. And the Lord saith to him: Welcome, my
beloved Sedrach: What suit hast thou against God who created
thee, that thou saidst, I desired to speak face to face with God?
Sedrach saith to him: Cf.
Esdras. Ante-Nicene Lib., xvi., 469. Cf. 4 Esdras
viii. 15 ff. Cf. Esdras,
Ante-Nicene Lib., xvi., p. 471.
IV. Sedrach saith to him: Chastisement and
fire are thy discipline: they are bitter, my Lord: Cf. Esdras,
Ante-Nicene Lib., vol. xvi., p. 469. Undefiled
hands. Cf. Esdras, p. 469.
V. Sedrach saith to him: Of thy will Adam
was beguiled, my Lord: Thou commandest thine Angels.
Cf. Esdras, p. 470.
Compassion. Cf. Esdras, p. 469.
VI. God saith to him: Be it known unto thee
that I ordered all things to be placable
VII. Sedrach saith to him: Thou, O Lord,
didst create man. Thou knewest of what sort of mind he was and of
what sort of knowledge we are, and thou makest it a cause for
chastisement: but cast him forth; for shall not I alone fill up
the heavenly places? But if that is not to be so save man too, O
Lord. He failed by thy will, wretched man. Why dost thou
waste words on me, Sedrach? I created Adam and his wife and the
sun and said: Behold each other how bright he is, and the wife of
Adam is brighter in the beauty of the moon and he was the giver of her
life. Passage corrupt; the
above appears to be the best sense it admits of as it stands.
VIII. God saith to him: If I catch him by
the foot, he will say, Thou hast given me no joy in the world.
But I have left him to his own will because I loved him.
Wherefore I sent forth my righteous angels to guard him night and
day. Sedrach saith: Cf. iv. Esdras
v. 23 ff. Cf. iv. Esdras
iv. 4–11, v. 36. Cf. Esdras, p.
470.
IX. And God said to his only begotten Son:
Go,
Cf.Apoc. of Esdras, in Ante-Nicene Lib., vol. xvi.,
p. 474, and Testament of Abraham, Rec. A., Chaps. vii. and
xvi.
X. And Sedrach saith to God: And whence dost
Thou intend to take my soul, and from which limb? And God saith
to him: Dost thou not know that it is placed in the midst of thy
lungs and thy heart and is dispersed into all thy limbs? It is
brought up through the throat and gullet and the mouth and at whatever
hour it is predestined to come forth, it is scattered, and brought
together from the points of the nails and from all the limbs, and there
is a great necessity that it should be separated from the body and
parted from the heart. When Sedrach had heard all these things
and had considered the memory of death he was greatly astounded, and
Sedrach said to God: O Lord,
XI. And weeping and bewailing he began to say: O marvellous head of heavenly adornment: O radiant as the sun which shines on heaven and earth: thy hairs are known from Teman, thine eyes from Bosor, thine ears from thunder, thy tongue from a trumpet, and thy brain is a small creation, thy head the energy of the whole body: O friendly and most fair beloved by all, and now falling into the earth it must become forgotten. O hands, mild, fair-fingered, worn with toil by which the body is nourished: O hands, deftest of all, heaping up from all quarters ye made ready houses. O fingers adorned and decked with gold and silver (rings): and great worlds are led by the fingers: the three joints enfold the palms, and heap up beautiful things: and now ye must become aliens to the world. O feet, skilfully walking about, self-running, most swift, unconquerable: O knees, fitted together, because without you the body does not move: the feet run along with the sun and the moon in the night and in the day, heaping up all things, foods and drinks, and nourishing the body: O feet, most swift and fair runners, moving on the face of the earth, getting ready the house with every good thing: O feet which bear up the whole body, that run up to the temples, making repentance and calling on the saints, and now ye are to remain motionless. O head and hands and feet, until now I have kept you. O soul, what sent thee into the humble and wretched body? and now being separated from it, thou art going up where the Lord calleth thee, and the wretched body goes away to judgment. O body well-adorned, hair clothed with stars, head of heavenly adornment and dress: O face well-anointed, light-bringing eyes, voice trumpet-like, tongue placable, chin fairly adorned, hairs like the stars, head high as heaven, body decked out, light-bringing eyes that know all things—and now you shall fall into the earth and under the earth your beauty shall disappear.
XII. Christ saith to him: Stay, Sedrach; how long dost thou weep and groan? Paradise is opened to thee, and, dying, thou shalt live. Sedrach saith to him: Once more I will speak unto thee, O Lord: How long shall I live before I die? and do not disregard my prayer. The Lord saith to him: Speak, O Sedrach. Sedrach saith: If a man shall live eighty or ninety or an hundred years, and live these years in sin, and again shall turn, and the man live in repentance, in how many days dost thou forgive him his sins? God saith to him: If he shall live an hundred or eighty years and shall turn and repent for three years and do the fruit of righteousness, and death shall overtake him, I will not remember all his sins.
XIII. Sedrach saith to him: The three years are a long time, my Lord, lest death overtake him and he fulfil not his repentance: have mercy, Lord, on thine image and have compassion, for the three years are many. God saith to him: If a man live an hundred years and remember his death and confess before men and I find him, after a time I will forgive all his sins. Sedrach saith again: I will again beseech thy compassion for thy creature. The time is long lest death overtake him and snatch him suddenly. The Saviour saith to him: I will ask thee one word, Sedrach, my beloved, then thou shalt ask me in turn: if the man shall repent for forty days I will not remember all his sins which he did.
XIV. And Sedrach saith Cf. Test. of
Abraham, Rec. A. §§ xiv., xviii.
XV. Sedrach saith to God: O Lord, Thou alone art sinless and very compassionate, having compassion and pity for sinners, but thy divinity said: I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. And the Lord said to Sedrach: Dost thou not know, Sedrach, that the thief was saved in one moment to repent? Dost thou not know that my apostle and evangelist was saved in one moment? “Peccatores enim non salvantur,” for their hearts are like rotten stone: these are they who walk in impious ways and who shall be destroyed with Antichrist. Sedrach saith: O my Lord, Thou also saidst: My divine spirit entered into the nations which, not having the law, do the things of the law. So also the thief and the apostle and evangelist and the rest of those who have already got into thy Kingdom. O my Lord; so likewise do Thou pardon those who have sinned to the last: for life is very toilsome and there is no time for repentance.
XVI. The Lord saith to Sedrach: I made man
in three stages: when he is young, I overlooked his stumblings as
he was young: and again when he was a man I considered his
purpose: and again when he grows old, I watch him till he
repent. Sedrach saith: O Lord, Thou knowest and
understandest all these things: but have sympathy for
sinners. The Lord saith to him: Sedrach, my beloved, I
promise to have sympathy and bring down the forty days to twenty:
and whosoever shall remember thy name shall not see the place of
chastisement, but shall be with the just in a place of refreshment and
rest: and if anyone shall record this wonderful word his sins
shall not be reckoned against him for ever and ever. Cf. Esdras, p.
476.
The Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena,
The Narrative of Zosimus.
Translated by
W. A. Craigie, M.A., B.A. (Oxon.)
The Testament of Abraham.
————————————
Introduction.
————————————
The Greek text of both the recensions of this work is published for the first time in “Texts and Studies,” Vol. II., No. 2 (Cambridge, 1892), by Montague Rhodes James, M.A. None of the manuscripts are older than the thirteenth century; of the six which contain the longer version the best is a Paris ms. written 1315, and the principal ms. of the shorter recension (also in Paris) belongs to the fifteenth century. There are also versions in Roumanian, Slavonic, Ethiopic, and Arabic.
The work itself has hitherto been little noticed, and it is doubtful how far it was well known in ancient times. It is perhaps that cited as “Abraham” in early lists of Apocryphal works, and some passages in early Christian writers may indicate their knowledge of such a work. The evidence for this is given in full by the editor of the Greek text in his introduction (pp. 7–29). The conclusions drawn by him from these notices, and from the work itself, are “that it was written in the second century, that it embodies legends earlier than that century, that it received its present form perhaps in the ninth or tenth century.” Certain features in it also “seem to point to Egypt as its birthplace,” such as the conception of Death in the longer recension, which has parallels in the Coptic Apocryphal books, the weighing of souls, and the presence of recording angels at the judgment scene.
Neither of the two versions can be supposed to be true copies of the original work. They differ from each other not only in length, but in arrangement. The shorter recension may preserve more of the original language, but it transposes certain sections, thereby confusing the order of the narrative, and in this the Arabic version generally agrees with it. The most essential discrepancy begins with Chap. X. of the longer recension, where Abraham, after being taken up on the cloud, is first shown the iniquities that take place on earth. The shorter text places this at the end of his journey, quite destroying the original moral of the writer, who wishes to emphasize the mercy of God, and to show how Abraham’s righteous indignation is replaced by feelings of compassion for the sinner. The vision of judgment is then altered in the shorter version, the doubtful soul being there condemned, instead of being saved by the intercession of Abraham. In this point the editor thinks that the shorter recension may have been influenced by the Apocalypse of Paul, as would also seem to be the case with Michael’s reason for leaving Abraham in Chap. IV, which is quite different from the pretext given in the longer text. It is also remarkable that in the shorter form there is no word. of Abraham’s unwillingness to die, which is so prominent a feature of the other, and is no doubt original, as the idea is not otherwise unknown in Apocryphal literature. The conclusion of the shorter version is very much curtailed, compared with the longer one.
On account of these many differences between the recensions of this remarkable work, it has been judged best to give both of them entire, and so arranged that the reader can readily discover in what respects the one differs from the other.
The tone of the work is perhaps rather Jewish than
Christian, but as phrases and conceptions of a New Testament character
appear in it, especially in the judgment scene, it is most probably to
be assigned to a Jewish Christian, who for the substance of it drew
partly on older legends, and partly on his own imagination. Some
of its features are very striking, and a few of them do not seem to
occur elsewhere in literature of this class; it is possible that some
of these do not go further back than the medieval editors of the
————————————
Version I.
I. Abraham lived the measure of
his life, nine hundred and ninety-five years, and having lived all the
years of his life in quietness, gentleness, and righteousness, the
righteous one was exceeding hospitable; for, pitching his tent in the
cross-ways at the oak of Mamre, he received every one, both rich and
poor, kings and rulers, the maimed and the helpless, friends and
strangers, neighbors and travelers, all alike did the devout, all-holy,
righteous, and hospitable Abraham entertain. Even upon him,
however, there came the common, inexorable, bitter lot of death, and
the uncertain end of life. Therefore the Lord God, summoning his
archangel Michael, said to him: Go down, chief-captain Literally
Commander-in-chief, or Chief-General.
II. And the chief-captain
departed from before the face of God, and went down to Abraham to the
oak of Mamre, and found the righteous Abraham in the field close by,
sitting beside yokes of oxen for ploughing, together with the sons of
Masek and other servants, to the number of twelve. And behold the
chief-captain came to him, and Abraham, seeing the chief-captain
Michael coming from afar, like to a very comely warrior, arose and met
him as was his custom, meeting and entertaining all strangers.
And the chief-captain saluted him and said: Hail, most honored
father, righteous soul chosen
III. And as they went on from
the field toward his house, beside that way there stood a cypress tree,
and by the command of the Lord the tree cried out with a human voice,
saying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God that calls himself to those
that love him; but Abraham hid the mystery, thinking that the
chief-captain had not heard the voice of the tree. And coming
nigh to the house they sat down in the court, and Isaac seeing the face
of the angel said to Sarah his mother, My lady mother, behold, the man
sitting with my father Abraham is not a son of the race of those that
dwell on the earth. And Isaac ran, and saluted him, and fell at
the feet of the Incorporeal, and the Incorporeal blessed him and said,
The Lord God will grant thee his promise that he made to thy father
Abraham and to his seed, and will also grant thee the precious prayer
of thy father and thy mother. Abraham said to Isaac his son, My
son Isaac, draw water from the well, and bring it me in the vessel,
that we may wash the feet of this stranger, for he is tired, having
come to us from off a long journey. And Isaac ran to the well and
drew water in the vessel and brought it to them, and Abraham went up
and washed
IV. And Abraham said to Isaac
his son: Go, my beloved son, into the inner chamber of the house
and beautify it. Spread for us there two couches, one for me and
one for this man that is guest with us this day. Prepare for us
there a seat and a candlestick and a table with abundance of every good
thing. Beautify the chamber, my son, and spread under us linen
and purple and fine linen. Burn there every precious and
excellent incense, and bring sweet-smelling plants from the garden and
fill our house with them. Kindle seven lamps full of oil, so that
we may rejoice, for this man that is our guest this day is more
glorious than kings or rulers, and his appearance surpasses all the
sons of men. And Isaac prepared all things well, and Abraham
taking the archangel Michael went into the chamber, and they both sat
down upon the couches, and between them he placed a table with
abundance of every good thing. Then the chief captain arose and
went out, as if by constraint of his belly to make issue of water, and
ascended to heaven in the twinkling of an eye, and stood before the
Lord, and said to him: Lord and Master, let thy power know that I
am unable to remind that righteous man of his death, for I have not
seen upon the earth a man like him, pitiful, hospitable, righteous,
truthful, devout, refraining from every evil deed. And now know,
Lord, that I cannot remind him of his death. And the Lord
said: Go down, chief-captain Michael, to my friend Abraham, and
whatever he say to thee, that do thou also, and whatever he eat, eat
thou also with him. And I will send my Holy Spirit upon his son
Isaac, and will put the remembrance of his death into the heart of
Isaac, so that even he in a dream may see the death of his father, and
Isaac will relate the dream, and thou shalt interpret it, and he
himself will know his end. And the chief-captain said, Lord, all
the heavenly spirits are incorporeal, and neither eat nor drink, and
this man has set before me a table with abundance of all good things
earthly and corruptible. Now, Lord, what shall I do? How
shall I escape him,
V. Then the chief captain went down to the house of Abraham, and sat down with him at the table, and Isaac served them. And when the supper was ended, Abraham prayed after his custom, and the chief-captain prayed together with him, and each lay down to sleep upon his couch. And Isaac said to his father, Father, I too would fain sleep with you in this chamber, that I also may hear your discourse, for I love to hear the excellence of the conversation of this virtuous man. Abraham said, Nay, my son, but go to thy own chamber and sleep on thy own couch, lest we be troublesome to this man. Then Isaac, having received the prayer from them, and having blessed them, went to his own chamber and lay down upon his couch. But the Lord cast the thought of death into the heart of Isaac as in a dream, and about the third hour of the night Isaac awoke and rose up from his couch, and came running to the chamber where his father was sleeping together with the archangel. Isaac, therefore, on reaching the door cried out, saying, My father Abraham, arise and open to me quickly, that I may enter and hang upon thy neck, and embrace thee before they take thee away from me. Abraham therefore arose and opened to him, and Isaac entered and hung upon his neck, and began to weep with a loud voice. Abraham therefore being moved at heart, also wept with a loud voice, and the chief-captain, seeing them weeping, wept also. Sarah being in her room, heard their weeping, and came running to them, and found them embracing and weeping. And Sarah said with weeping, My Lord Abraham, what is this that ye weep? Tell me, my Lord, has this brother that has been entertained by us this day brought thee tidings of Lot, thy brother’s son, that he is dead? is it for this that ye grieve thus? The chief-captain answered and said to her, Nay, my sister Sarah, it is not as thou sayest, but thy son Isaac, methinks, beheld a dream, and came to us weeping, and we seeing him were moved in our hearts and wept.
VII. And Abraham left Sarah, and
went into the chamber, and said to Isaac, Come hither, my beloved son,
tell me the truth, what it was thou sawest and what befell thee that
thou camest so hastily to us. And Isaac answering began to say, I
saw, my Lord, in this night the sun and the moon above my head,
surrounding me with its rays and giving me light. As I gazed at
this and rejoiced, I saw the heaven opened, and a man bearing light
descend from it, shining more than seven suns. And this man like
the sun came and took away the sun from my head, and went up into the
heavens from whence he came, but I was greatly grieved that he took
away the sun from me. After a little, as I was still sorrowing
and sore troubled, I saw this man come forth from heaven a second time,
and he took away from me the moon also from off my head, and I wept
greatly and called upon that man of light, and said, Do not, my Lord,
take away my glory from me; pity me and hear me, and if thou takest
away the sun from me, then leave the moon to me. He said, Suffer
them to be taken up to the king above, for he wishes them there.
And he took them away from me, but he left the
VIII. The chief-captain hearing
these words immediately vanished, and ascending into heaven stood
before God, and told all that he had seen in the house of Abraham; and
the chief-captain said this also to his Lord, Thus says thy friend
Abraham, I will not go with thee, but do thou whatever thou art
commanded; and now, O Lord Almighty, doth thy glory and immortal
kingdom order aught? God said to the chief-captain Michael, Go to
my friend Abraham yet once again, and speak to him thus, Thus saith the
Lord thy God, he that brought thee into the land of promise, that
blessed thee above the sand of the sea and above the stars of heaven,
that opened the womb of barrenness of Sarah, and granted thee Isaac as
the fruit of the womb in old age, Verily I say unto thee that blessing
I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thy seed, and I will
give thee all that thou shalt ask from me, for I am the Lord thy God,
and besides me there is no other. Tell me why thou hast rebelled
against me, and why there is grief in thee, and why thou rebelled
against my archangel Michael? Knowest thou not that all who have
come from Adam and Eve have died, and that none of the prophets has
escaped death? None of those that rule as kings is immortal; none
of thy forefathers has escaped the mystery of death. They have
all died, they have all departed into Hades, they are all gathered by
the sickle of death. But upon thee I have not sent death, I have
not suffered any deadly disease to come upon thee, I have not permitted
the sickle of death to meet thee, I have not allowed the nets of Hades
to enfold thee, I have never wished thee to meet with any evil.
But for good comfort I have sent my
IX. And the chief-captain receiving the exhortations of the Lord went down to Abraham, and seeing him the righteous one fell upon his face to the ground as one dead, and the chief-captain told him all that he had heard from the Most High. Then the holy and just Abraham rising with many tears fell at the feet of the Incorporeal, and besought him, saying, I beseech thee, chief-captain of the hosts above, since thou hast wholly deigned to come thyself to me a sinner and in all things thy unworthy servant, I beseech thee even now, O chief-captain, to carry my word yet again to the Most High, and thou shalt say to him, Thus saith Abraham thy servant, Lord, Lord, in every work and word which I have asked of thee thou hast heard me, and hast fulfilled all my counsel. Now, Lord, I resist not thy power, for I too know that I am not immortal but mortal. Since therefore to thy command all things yield, and fear and tremble at the face of thy power, I also fear, but I ask one request of thee, and now, Lord and Master, hear my prayer, for while still in this body I desire to see all the inhabited earth, and all the creations which thou didst establish by one word, and when I see these, then if I shall depart from life I shall be without sorrow. So the chief-captain went back again, and stood before God, and told him all, saying, Thus saith thy friend Abraham, I desired to behold all the earth in my lifetime before I died. And the Most High hearing this, again commanded the chief-captain Michael, and said to him, Take a cloud of light, and the angels that have power over the chariots, and go down, take the righteous Abraham upon a chariot of the cherubim, and exalt him into the air of heaven that he may behold all the earth.
X. And the archangel Michael
went down and took Abraham upon a chariot of the cherubim, and exalted
him into the air of heaven, and led him upon the cloud together with
sixty angels, and Abraham ascended upon the chariot over all the
earth. And Abraham saw the world as it was in that day, some
ploughing, others driving wains, in one place men herding flocks, and
in another
XI. So Michael turned the
chariot and brought Abraham to the east, to the first gate of heaven;
and Abraham saw two ways, the one narrow and contracted, the other
broad and spacious, and there he saw two gates, the one broad on the
broad way, and the other narrow on the narrow way. And outside
the two gates there he saw a man sitting upon a gilded throne, and the
appearance of that man was terrible, as of the Lord. Two mss. read, “Of our Lord Jesus
Christ.”
XII. While he was yet saying
these things to me, behold two angels, fiery in aspect, and pitiless in
mind, and severe in look, and they drove on thousands of souls,
pitilessly lashing them with fiery thongs. The angel laid hold of
one soul, and they drove all the souls in at the broad gate to
destruction. So we also went along with the angels, and came
within that broad gate, and between the two gates stood a throne
terrible of aspect, of terrible crystal, gleaming as fire, and upon it
sat a wondrous man bright as the sun, like to the Son of God.
Before him stood a table like crystal, all of gold and fine linen, and
upon the table there was lying a book, the thickness of it six cubits,
and the breadth of it ten cubits, and on the right and left of it stood
two angels holding paper and ink and pen. Before the table sat an
angel of light, holding in his hand a balance, and on his left sat an
angel all fiery, pitiless, and severe, holding in his hand a trumpet,
having within it
XIII. And Abraham said, My Lord
chief-captain, who is this most wondrous judge? and who are the angels
that write down? and who is the angel like the sun, holding the
balance? and who is the fiery angel holding the fire? The
chief-captain said, “Seest thou, most holy Abraham, the terrible
man sitting upon the throne? This is the son of the first created
Adam, who is called Abel, whom the wicked Cain killed, and he sits thus
to judge all creation, and examines righteous men and sinners.
For God has said, I shall not judge you, but every man born of man
shall be judged. Therefore he has given to him judgment, to judge
the world until his great and glorious coming, and then, O righteous
Abraham, is the perfect judgment and recompense, eternal and
unchangeable, which no one can alter. For every man has come from
the first-created, and therefore they are first judged here by his son,
and at the second coming they shall be judged by the twelve tribes of
Israel,
XIV. And Abraham said to the
chief-captain, My Lord the chief-captain, the soul which the angel held
in his hand, why was it adjudged to be set in the midst? The
chief-captain said, Listen, righteous Abraham. Because the judge
found its sins. and its righteousnesses equal, he neither committed it
to judgment nor to be saved, until the judge of all shall come.
Abraham said to the chief-captain, And what yet is wanting for the soul
to be saved? The chief-captain said, If it obtains one
righteousness above its sins, it enters into salvation. Abraham
said to the chief-captain, Come hither, chief-captain Michael, let us
make prayer for this soul, and see whether God will hear us. The
chief-captain said, Amen, be it so; and they made prayer and entreaty
for the soul, and God heard them, and when they rose up from their
prayer they did not see the soul standing there. And Abraham said
to the angel, Where is the soul that thou didst hold in the
midst? And the angel answered, It has been saved by thy righteous
prayer, and behold an angel of light has taken it and carried it up
into Paradise. Abraham said, I glorify the name of God, the Most
High, and his immeasurable mercy. And Abra
XV. And the voice of the Lord
said also to the chief-captain Michael, Michael, my servant, turn back
Abraham to his house, for behold his end has come nigh, and the measure
of his life is fulfilled, that he may set all things in order, and then
take him and bring him to me. So the chief-captain, turning the
chariot and the cloud, brought Abraham to his house, and going into his
chamber he sat upon his couch. And Sarah his wife came and
embraced the feet of the Incorporeal, and spoke humbly, saying, I give
thee thanks, my Lord, that thou hast brought my Lord Abraham, for
behold we thought he had been taken up from us. And his son Isaac
also came and fell upon his neck, and in the same way all his
men-slaves and women-slaves surrounded Abraham and embraced him,
glorifying God. And the Incorporeal one said to them, Hearken,
righteous Abraham. Behold thy wife Sarah, behold also thy beloved
son Isaac, behold also all thy men-servants and maid-servants round
about thee. Make disposition of all that thou hast, for the day
has come nigh in which thou shalt depart from the body and go to the
Lord once for all. Abraham said, Has the Lord said it, or sayest
thou this of thyself? The chief-captain answered, Hearken,
righteous Abraham. The Lord has commanded, and I tell it
thee. Abraham said, I will not go with thee. The
chief-captain, hearing these words, straightway went forth from the
presence of Abraham, and went up into the heavens, and
XVI. Then the Most High said,
Call me hither Death that is called the shameless countenance and the
pitiless look. And Michael the Incorporeal went and said to
Death, Come hither; the Lord of creation, the immortal king, calls
thee. And Death, hearing this, shivered and trembled, being
possessed with great terror, and coming with great fear it stood before
the invisible father, shivering, groaning and trembling, awaiting the
command of the Lord. Therefore the invisible God said to Death,
Come hither, thou bitter and fierce name of the world, hide thy
fierceness, cover thy corruption, and cast away thy bitterness from
thee, and put on thy beauty and all thy glory, and go down to Abraham
my friend, and take him and bring him to me. But now also I tell
thee not to terrify him, but bring him with fair speech, for he is my
own friend. Having heard this, Death went out from the presence
of the Most High, and put on a robe of great brightness, and made his
appearance like the sun, and became fair and beautiful above the sons
of men, assuming the form of an archangel, having his cheeks flaming
with fire, and he departed to Abraham. Now the righteous Abraham
went out of his chamber, and sat under the trees of Mamre, holding his
chin in his hand, and awaiting the coming of the archangel
Michael. And behold, a smell of sweet odor came to him, and a
flashing of light, and Abraham turned and saw Death coming towards him
in great glory and beauty. And Abraham arose and went to meet
him, thinking that it was the chief-captain of God, and Death beholding
him saluted him, saying, Rejoice, precious Abraham, righteous soul,
true friend of the Most High God, and companion of the holy
angels.
XVII. Then Abraham arose, and
went into his house, and Death also accompanied him thither. And
Abraham went up into his chamber, and Death went up with him. And
Abraham lay down upon his couch, and Death came and sat by his
feet. Then Abraham said, Depart, depart from me, for I desire to
rest upon my couch. Death said, I will not depart until I take
thy spirit from thee. Abraham said to him, By the immortal God I
charge thee to tell me the truth. Art thou death? Death
said to him, I am Death. I am the destroyer of the world.
Abraham said, I beseech thee, since thou art Death, tell me if thou
comest thus to all in such fairness and glory and beauty? Death
said, Nay, my Lord Abraham, for thy righteousnesses, and the boundless
sea of thy hospitality, and the greatness of thy love towards God has
become a crown upon my head, and in beauty and great peace and
gentleness I approach the righteous, but to sinners I come in great
corruption and fierceness and the greatest bitterness and with fierce
and pitiless look. Abraham said, I beseech thee, hearken to me,
and show me thy fierceness and all thy corruption and bitterness.
And Death said, Thou canst not behold my fierceness, most righteous
Abraham. Abraham said, Yes, I shall be able to behold all thy
fierceness by means of the name of the living God, for the might of my
God that is in heaven is with me. Then Death put off all his
comeliness and beauty, and all his glory and the form like the sun with
which he was clothed, and put upon himself a tyrant’s robe, and
made his appearance gloomy and fiercer than all kind of wild beasts,
and more unclean than all uncleanness. And he showed to Abraham
seven
XVIII. And the all-holy Abraham, seeing these things thus, said to Death, I beseech thee, all-destroying Death, hide thy fierceness, and put on thy beauty and the shape which thou hadst before. And straightway Death hid his fierceness, and put on his beauty which he had before. And Abraham said to Death, Why hast thou done this, that thou hast slain all my servants and maidservants? Has God sent thee hither for this end this day? Death said, Nay, my Lord Abraham, it is not as thou sayest, but on thy account was I sent hither. Abraham said to Death, How then have these died? Has the Lord not spoken it? Death said, Believe thou, most righteous Abraham, that this also is wonderful, that thou also wast not taken away with them. Nevertheless I tell thee the truth, for if the right hand of God had not been with thee at that time, thou also wouldst have had to depart from this life. The righteous Abraham said, Now I know that I have come into indifference of death, so that my spirit fails, but I beseech thee, all-destroying Death, since my servants have died before their time, come let us pray to the Lord our God that he may hear us and raise up those who died by thy fierceness before their time. And Death said, Amen, be it so. Therefore Abraham arose and fell upon the face of the ground in prayer, and Death together with him, and the Lord sent a spirit of life upon those that were dead and they were made alive again. Then the righteous Abraham gave glory to God.
XIX. And going up into his
chamber he lay down, and Death came and stood before him. And
Abraham said to him, Depart from me, for I desire to rest, because
my
Version II.
I. It came to pass, when the days of the death of Abraham drew near, that the Lord said to Michael: Arise and go to Abraham, my servant, and say to him, Thou shalt depart from life, for lo! the days of thy temporal life are fulfilled: so that he may set his house in order before he die.
II. And Michael went and came to
Abraham, and found him sitting before his oxen for ploughing, and he
was exceeding old in appearance, and had his son in his arms.
Abraham, therefore, seeing the archangel Michael, rose from the ground
and saluted him, not knowing who he was, and said to him: The
Lord preserve thee. May thy journey be prosperous with
thee. And Michael answered him: Thou art kind, good
father. Abraham answered and said to him: Come, draw near
to me, brother, and sit down a little while, that I may order a beast
to be brought that we may go to my house, and thou mayest rest with me,
for it is toward evening, and in the morning arise and go
III. And arising they went on,
and as they drew nigh to the city, about three furlongs from it, they
found a great tree having three hundred branches, like to a tamarisk
tree. And they heard a voice from its branches singing,
“Holy art thou, because thou hast kept the purpose for which thou
wast sent.” And Abraham heard the voice, and hid the
mystery in his heart, saying within himself, What is the mystery that I
have heard? As he came into the house, Abraham said to his
servants, Arise, go out to the flocks, and bring three sheep, and slay
them quickly, and make them ready that we may eat and drink, for this
day is a feast for us. And the servants brought the sheep, and
Abraham called his son Isaac, and said to him, My son Isaac, arise and
put water in the vessel that we may wash the feet of this
stranger. And he brought it as he was commanded, and Abraham
said, I perceive, and so it shall be, that in this basin I shall never
again wash the feet of any man coming to us as a guest. And Isaac
hearing his father say this wept, and said to him, My father what is
this that thou sayest, This is my last time to wash the feet of a
stranger? And Abraham seeing his son weeping, also wept
ex
IV. When Sarah, being inside in her house, heard their weeping, she came out and said to Abraham, Lord, why is it that ye thus weep? Abraham answered, and said to her, It is no evil. Go into thy house, and do thy own work, lest we be troublesome to the man. And Sarah went away, being about to prepare the supper. And the sun came near to setting, and Michael went out of the house, and was taken up into the heavens to worship before God, for at sunset all the angels worship God and Michael himself is the first of the angels. And they all worshipped him, and went each to his own place, but Michael spoke before the Lord and said, Lord, command me to be questioned before thy holy glory! And the Lord said to Michael, Announce whatsoever thou wilt! And the Archangel answered and said, Lord, thou didst send me to Abraham to say to him, Depart from thy body, and leave this world; the Lord calls thee; and I dare not, Lord, reveal myself to him, for he is thy friend, and a righteous man, and one that receives strangers. But I beseech thee, Lord, command the remembrance of the death of Abraham to enter into his own heart, and bid not me tell it him, for it is great abruptness to say, Leave the world, and especially to leave one’s own body, for thou didst create him from the beginning to have pity on the souls of all men. Then the Lord said to Michael, Arise and go to Abraham, and lodge with him, and whatever thou seest him eat, eat thou also, and wherever he shall sleep, sleep thou there also. For I will cast the thought of the death of Abraham into the heart of Isaac his son in a dream.
VI. And it happened about the
seventh hour of the night Isaac awoke, and came to the door of his
father’s chamber, crying out and saying, Open, father, that I may
touch thee before they take thee away from me. Abraham arose and
opened to him, and Isaac entered and hung upon his father’s neck
weeping, and kissed him with lamentations. And Abraham wept
together with his son, and Michael saw them weeping and wept
likewise. And Sarah hearing them weeping called from her
bed-chamber, saying, My Lord Abraham, why is this weeping? Has
the stranger told thee of thy brother’s son Lot that he is dead?
or has aught else befallen us? Michael answered and said to
Sarah, Nay, Sarah, I have brought no tidings of Lot, but I knew of all
your kindness of heart, that therein ye excel all men upon earth, and
the Lord has remembered you. “Eyes of the
fountain of light” is apparently what the text has.
VII. And Abraham said to
Michael, Tell me, man of God, and show to me why thou hast come
hither. And Michael said, Thy son Isaac will show thee. And
Abraham said to his son, My beloved son, tell me what thou hast seen in
thy dream today, and wast frightened. Relate it to me.
Isaac answered his father, I saw in my dream the sun and the moon, and
there was a crown upon my head, and there came from heaven a man of
great size, and shining as the light that is called the father of
light. He took the sun from my head, and yet left the rays behind
with me. And I wept and said, I beseech thee, my Lord, take not
away the glory of my head, and the light of my house, and all my
glory. And the sun and the moon and the stars lamented, saying,
Take not away the glory of our power. And that shining man
answered and said to me, Weep not that I take the light of thy house,
for it is taken up from troubles into rest, from a low estate to a high
one; they lift him up from a narrow to a wide place; they raise him
from darkness to light. And I said to him, I beseech thee, Lord,
take also the
VIII. And Michael went up into heaven, and spoke before the Lord concerning Abraham, and the Lord answered Michael, Go and take up Abraham in the body, and show him all things, and whatsoever he shall say to thee do to him as to my friend. So Michael went forth and took up Abraham in the body on a cloud, and brought him to the river of Ocean.
(VIII.) And Abraham looked and
saw two gates, the one small and the other large, and between the two
gates sat a man upon a throne of great glory, and a multitude of angels
round about him, and he was weeping, and again laughing, but his
weeping exceeded his laughter seven-fold. And Abraham said to
Michael, Who is this that sits between the two gates in great glory;
sometimes he laughs, and sometimes he weeps, and his weeping exceeds
his laughter seven-fold? And Michael said to Abraham, Knowest
thou not who it is? And he said, No, Lord. And Michael said
to Abraham, Seest thou these two gates, the small and the great?
These are they which
IX. And Abraham said, And he that cannot enter through the narrow gate, can he not enter into life? Then Abraham wept, saying, Woe is me, what shall I do? for I am a man broad of body, and how shall I be able to enter by the narrow gate, by which a boy of fifteen years cannot enter? Michael answered and said to Abraham, Fear not, father, nor grieve, for thou shalt enter by it unhindered, and all those who are like thee. And as Abraham stood and marveled, behold an angel of the Lord driving sixty thousand souls of sinners to destruction. And Abraham said to Michael, Do all these go into destruction? And Michael said to him, Yea, but let us go and search among these souls, if there is among them even one righteous. And when they went, they found an angel holding in his hand one soul of a woman from among these sixty thousand, because he had found her sins weighing equally with all her works, and they were neither in motion nor at rest, but in a state between; but the other souls he led away to destruction. Abraham said to Michael, Lord, is this the angel that removes the souls from the body or not? Michael answered and said, This is death, and he leads them into the place of judgment, that the judge may try them.
X. And Abraham said, My Lord, I
beseech thee to lead me to the place of judgment so
XI. And Abraham said to Michael,
Lord, who is this judge, and who is the other, who convicts the
sins? And Michael said to Abraham, Seest thou the judge?
This is Abel, who first testified, and God brought him hither to judge,
and he that bears witness here is the teacher of heaven and earth, and
the scribe of righteousness, Enoch, for the Lord sent them hither to
write down the sins and righteousnesses of each one. Abraham
said, And how can Enoch bear the weight of the souls, not having seen
death? or how can he give sentence to all the souls? Michael
said, If he gives sentence concerning the souls, it is not permitted;
but Enoch himself does not give sentence, but it is the Lord who does
so, and he has no more to do than only to write. For Enoch prayed
to the Lord saying, I desire not, Lord, to give sentence on the souls,
lest I be grievous to anyone; and the Lord said to Enoch, I shall
command thee to write down the sins of the soul that makes atonement
and it shall enter
XIV. And Abraham said to Death,
Show us thy corruption. And Death made manifest his corruption;
and he had two heads, the one had the face of a serpent and by it some
die at once by asps, and the other head was like a sword; by it some
die by the sword as by bows.
The Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena.
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Introduction.
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The original Greek text of this work is edited for the first time in Text and Studies, Vol. II., No. 3 (1893), by Montague Rhodes James, M.A., from the only ms. known to him, a Paris one of the eleventh century. References to these Acts are not common in works dealing with the saints of the early church, and few writers seem to have known the work itself.
In substance the Acts are a religious novel, similar in
form, and to some extent in matter, to the Greek romances by Achilles
Tatius, Heliodorus, and others, and based upon the belief that St. Paul
actually did visit Spain, according to the intention expressed by him
in
The first and longest part of the story (from c. i. to xxi.) gives an account of the conversion of Xanthippe, wife of Probus, a man of rank in Spain. In this part the narrative is less prominent than the speeches and prayers, which are numerous, and of considerable length. With c. xxii. a new section of the story begins, of which no previous warning has been given except in the title, containing the adventures of Polyxena, the sister of Xanthippe, who is carried off in the latter’s absence. The rest of the story is much more diversified than the early part, being full of incident and introducing a great variety of persons—the apostles Peter, Philip, and Andrew, an ass-driver, the Jewess Rebecca, a wicked prefect and his kind-hearted son, and finally Onesimus, who brings Polyxena back to Spain.
This difference in the character of the narrative in the two parts causes also some difference in the language, which in the earlier section is more diffuse and more difficult of exact translation than in the later one. The meaning of some words is also doubtful: those translated “lamp-stand” and “destroyer,” towards the end of c. xxi., are so rendered in accordance with suggestions by his Exc. M. Gennadius, who also characterises the language of the text as full of errors.
Life and Conduct of the Holy Women, Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca.
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I. When the blessed Paul was at Rome through the word of the Lord, it happened that a certain servant of a ruler of Spain came to Rome with letters of his master’s, and heard the word of God from Paul, the truly golden and beautiful nightingale. This servant being greatly touched, and being unable to remain and be filled with the divine word because he was hastened by the letters, returned into Spain in great grief, and being unable to show his desire to any one, because his master was an idolater, he was always pained at heart and sighing greatly. Now this servant was honoured and faithful to his masters, and as time went past, the servant fell sick and grew lean of flesh, which his master perceiving said to him, What has happened to thee that thou art thus fallen together in countenance? The servant said, here is a great pain in my heart, and I can in no way find rest. His master said to him, And what is the pain that cannot receive healing from my chief physician? The servant said, While I was still in Rome, this pain and its recurring mishap made itself known to me. His master said, And knowest thou not of any who have fallen into this disease and been healed? The servant said, Yes, but where that physician is I know not, for I left him in Rome. So many as have been attended by that physician and have gone through the water m his hands, have received healing immediately. His master said, I ought not to grudge to send thee yet again to Rome, if perchance thou mightest obtain healing.
II. And while they spoke thus, behold his mistress, by name Xanthippe, overhearing these words, and learning of the teaching of Paul, said, What is the name of that physician, and what is the healing to ward off such a disease? The servant said to her, The calling upon a new name, and anointing with oil and washing with water. By this treatment I have seen many that had incurable pains receive healings. As he said this, the images of the idols that stood in the house began to be shaken and fall down. And his mistress beckoned to him, saying, Seest thou, brother, the images of the idols being shaken, how they cannot endure the power of the word? And his master, by name Probus, arose from his mid-day sleep with a very gloomy countenance, for the Devil had greatly disturbed him, because the knowledge of God had come into his house. And he questioned the servant of everything in order, and the servant having been seized by sickness by the foreknowledge of God, disclosed to him the life of man, and Xanthippe was incurable in her soul concerning this teaching. So Probus too was grieved for Xanthippe, because from that time she was wasting herself away with waking and abstinence and other austerities.
III. And Xanthippe going away to her couch and
groaning, said, Woe is me, wretched one, lying in darkness, that I have
not learned the name of the new teacher, that I might summon his prayer
to help me, and what to say I know not. Shall I call upon him by
the name of his God? but I cannot say, The God that is preached by such
a one. Nevertheless I shall say thus by conjecture, O God, giving
light in Hades, and guiding those in darkness, Lord of free men and
kings, and preached by worthy servants in all the world, called upon as
a brother by sinful men and quick to hear, to whom not even archangels
can send up worthy songs of praise, who hast shown to me, humble and
unworthy, the ever-living and abiding seed (though my ignorance permits
me not to receive it), hasten also the things that concern me, Lord,
since by thy will thou hast made thyself heard by me, and in thy
compassion show me the proclamation of thy herald, that I may learn of
him what is pleasing to thee. Yea, I beseech thee look upon my
ignorance, O God, and enlighten me with the light of thy countenance,
thou
IV. Then entering into her bed-chamber alone, she spoke thus with tears, In what way, my God, I shall act, or what counsel I shall take, I know not. Shall I declare the thought that has come upon me? I fear the madness and disorder of the city. Shall I fly from this impious city? I fear the contrivance of the devil for seizing the sheep. Shall I await the mercy and swiftness of the Lord? Again I fear the untimely snatching away of life, for the death of sinners has no warning. Shall I depart and flee away to Rome? I fear the length of the journey, being unable to go on foot. But while I say these things by conjecture, constrained by my desire (for I cannot speak with surety), may I find pardon with thee, my God, and do thou fulfil my desire with excess of right words, and think me but worthy to hear thy preacher, for if I say, to see his face, I ask a great thing. Blessed is he that is found in the company of thy preachers, and is satisfied with their precious countenances. Blessed are they that are yoked under the preaching of thy commandments. Blessed are they that keep thy commandments; but where now, Lord, are thy mercies to our fathers, that we also may be their successors in love toward thee and heirs of faith. But behold now, Lord, I cannot find any one that has love for thee, that communing with him I might even a little refresh my soul. Speed therefore, Lord, to yoke me in desire for thee, and keep me under the shadow of thy wings, for thou alone art God, glorified to all eternity. Amen.
V. Therefore Xanthippe saying these words and others like them, groaned continually all the night, and Probus heard her and was greatly distressed, and arising from his couch when the morning came he went in to her, and seeing her eyes inflamed with tears, he said, Wherefore, lady, dost thou thus vex me, and wilt not tell me thy pain? Tell it me, that I may do whatever is pleasing to thee, and distress me not with thy trouble. Xanthippe says to him, Be of good cheer rather, my lord, and be not vexed, for my trouble shall not harm thee, but if I have found favour before thee, go forth now to the salutation, and allow me to indulge myself in it as I will, for it is not possible for man to take from me the insatiable pain. And listening to her he went out immediately to receive the salutations of the men of the city, for he was the great man among them, and was also known to Nero, the Emperor. And sitting down, great grief appeared in his countenance, and being asked the reason of his grief by the chief men of the city, he said to them that he had fallen into many and unfounded charges.
VI. And Xanthippe went out into the garden, that she might await there looking closely for certainty of her husband, and she saw the delight of the trees, and the various warbling of the birds, and said, groaning, O beauty of the world! for that which we hitherto thought to come of itself, we know now that all things are beautifully fashioned by the beautiful One. O power and invention of wisdom! for not only has he placed in men a thousand tongues, but also in birds he has distinguished various voices, as if from anthems and responses to receive sweet-voiced and heart-stirring hymns from his own works. O delightfulness of the air, declaring the inimitable creator! Who shall turn my sorrow into rejoicing? And again she said, God to whom praise is sung by all, give me peace and comfort. As she said these things, Probus also came up from the street to break his fast, and when he saw her countenance altered by tears, he began to pull out the hairs of his head, but he dared not speak to her then so as not to mingle other trouble with her trouble. So he went and fell upon his couch, and said, groaning, Alas, that I had not even the consolation of a child from her, but only acquire grief upon grief. Two years are not yet full since I was wedded to her, and already she meditates divorce.
VII. But Xanthippe was always keeping watch
through the doors into the streets of the city, and the blessed Paul,
the preacher and teacher and illuminator of the world, left Rome and
came even into Spain by the fore-knowledge of God. And coming up
to the gates of the city he stood and prayed, and crossing himself
entered the city. When Xanthippe saw the blessed Paul walking
quietly and equally, and adorned with all virtue and understanding, she
was greatly
VIII. Now Probus heard her words, and straightway ran out by himself into the street, and laying hold of Paul’s hand said to him, Man, who thou art I know not, but deign to enter into my house; perchance thou mayest be to me a cause of salvation. Paul said to him, It will be well with thee, son, after thy request! And they went in together to Xanthippe. When Xanthippe therefore saw the great Paul, the intellectual eyes of her heart were uncovered, and she read upon his forehead, having as it were golden seals, these words, Paul the Preacher of God. Then exulting and rejoicing she threw herself at his feet, and twisting her hair together she wiped his feet, saying, Welcome, O man of God, to us humble ones, that live as shadows among shadows. For thou hast looked upon those who were running into Hades as into something beautiful, who addressed the crooked serpent and destroyer as provider and protector, who were running into the dark Hades as to their father, those that were fashioned with a rational nature but have become like irrational creatures. Thou hast sought me, lowly one, having the sun of righteousness in my heart. Now the poison is stayed, when I have seen thy precious face. Now he that troubled me is flown away, when thy most beautiful counsel has appeared to me. Now I shall be considered worthy of repentance, when I have received the seal of the preacher of the Lord. Before now I have deemed many happy who met with you, but I say boldly that from this time forth I myself shall be called happy by others, because I have touched thy hem, because I have received thy prayers, because I have enjoyed thy sweet and honeyed teaching. Thou hast not hesitated to come to us, thou that fishest the dry land in thy course, and gatherest the fish that fall in thy way into the net of the kingdom of heaven.
IX. The great Paul said to her, Arise, daughter, and look not upon me as having been sought out of thy ignorance by my foresight. For Christ, the provider of the world, the searcher out of sinners and the lost, who has not only called to mind those upon earth, but also by his own presence has redeemed those in Hades, he himself has pitied thee, and sent me hither that he might visit and pity many others together with thee. For this mercy and visitation are not of us, but are his injunction and command, even as we also have received mercy and been saved by him. Probus hearing this was astonished at their words, for he was altogether ignorant of these things. But Paul by force raised up Xanthippe from his feet, and she running set a new gilded chair for Paul to sit down upon. The great Paul said to her, My daughter Xanthippe, do not thus, for ye have not yet accorded to the faith of Christ, but wait a little, till the Lord shall set in order what is necessary! Xanthippe said to Paul, Sayest thou this to try me, O preacher of God, or hast thou any foreknowledge? Paul said, No, daughter, but the devil, who hates the servants of God, sows wickedness in the hearts of his own servants, to oppose those that labour for Christ in preaching, for his wickedness has extended to the apostles and even to the Lord himself. Therefore it is fitting to approach the unbelievers gently and kindly! Xanthippe said to Paul, I beseech thee, if thou lovest thy servants, make prayer for Probus, and let me see if he that is hated by thee can work in him; let me see if he can even stand against thy prayer. And Paul rejoiced exceedingly at the words of her faith, and said to her, Believe me, daughter, that by his suggestion and working I have not passed a single hour without chains and blows. Xanthippe said to him, But thou sufferest these things by thy own free will, since thou hast not neglected thy preaching even to scourging, but this again I tell thee, that thy bonds shall be the defeat of the prompter, and thy humiliation their overthrow.
X. Now the report of his presence ran through the
whole city and the country round about, for some of that city having
been at Rome had seen the signs and wonders that were done by the
blessed Paul, and came to see if this was he. Many therefore came
into the house of Probus, and he began to be annoyed and to say, I will
not suffer
XI. And Xanthippe said to Paul, Teacher, my heart is greatly consumed because I have not as yet received baptism. And after this Probus being again moved by the devil, cast Paul out of the house and shut up Xanthippe in her chamber. Then one of the chief men, Philotheus by name, besought the great Paul to come into his house, but the great Paul was unwilling to do so, saying, Lest Probus trouble thy house on my account. Philotheus said to him, Nay, father, I am not at all subject to him, for in no other thing is he greater than me, except in rank, and that because the parents of Xanthippe are above me. But if Probus come to me, I am above him in riches and in war. Then Paul, the great apostle of the Lord, was persuaded, and went into the house of Philotheus the ex-prefect. All this was done by the Evil one that Xanthippe might receive holy baptism with tribulation, and be faint-hearted concerning the commandments of Christ.
XII. Xanthippe therefore, with tears, said to her
servants, Have ye learned where Paul is gone to? They said, Yea,
in the house of Philotheus the ex-prefect, and Xanthippe rejoiced
greatly that Philotheus also believed, being able, as she said, to
persuade Probus also. Then Probus called Xanthippe to supper, and
when she consented not, Probus said, Think not that in bed also thou
wilt keep away from me. But when he lay down to supper, Xanthippe
bending her knees, prayed to the Lord, saying, Eternal and immortal
God, that didst take dust from the ground, and didst not value it
according to the nature of its creation, but didst call it the son of
immortality, thou who didst come from the heart of the father to the
heart of the earth for our sake, on whom the cherubim dare not fix
their gaze, and for us wast hidden in the womb that by taking up thy
abode in a mother thou mightest make good the offence of Eve.
Thou that didst drink gall and vinegar, and wast pierced in the side by
a spear, that thou mightest heal the wound given by the rib to
Adam. For Eve being his rib wrought a blow for Adam, and through
him for all the world. Thou that gavest a sleep without
perception to the serpent, so that he might not know thy Incarnation,
remember also my groaning and tears, and grant fulfilment to my
sleep, So the text; perhaps
“prayer” ought to be read.
XIII. But Probus, while still at supper, commanded
the doors of their house to be secured by cruel and wicked soldiers,
and having given these orders, he straightway fell asleep upon the
couch. Then the servants came and announced this to Xanthippe
that he might be awakened, but she said, Put out the lights, my
children, and leave him thus. And in the first sleep, taking
three hundred pieces of gold, she went to the doors, saying with
herself, Perchance the porter will be persuaded by the amount of
money. But he, being evil and froward, would not be persuaded to
do this, and she, loosing also her girdle, which was set with precious
stones and worth two hundred pieces of gold, gave it to him and went
out saying, Lord, I win over my own slaves with money, that thy
preacher Paul may not be oppressed by Probus. And Xanthippe went
on to the house of Philotheus the ex-prefect, as to a great and
incredible work, running and praising God. As she therefore
passed through a certain place, the demons pursued her with fiery
torches and lightnings, and she, turning, saw behind her this terrible
sight, and being possessed with great fear said, What has happened to
thee now, wretched soul? Thou hast been deprived of thy
desire. Thou wast running to salvation, thou wast running to
baptism, and thou hast fallen into the serpent and his ministers, and
these things thy sins have prepared for thee. Speaking thus she
was even fainting at heart from great despair, but the great Paul being
forewarned by God of the assault of the demons, immediately stood
beside her, being also preceded by a beautiful youth. And
straightway the vision of the demons disappeared, and Paul said to her,
Arise, daughter Xanthippe, and behold the Lord desired by thee, by
whose flame the heavens are
XIV. Therefore the great Paul straightway taking her hand, went into the house of Philotheus, and baptised her in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Ghost. Then taking bread also he gave her the eucharist saying, Let this be to thee for a remission of sins and for a renewing of thy soul. Then the blessed Xanthippe, receiving the divine grace of holy baptism, returned to her own house, rejoicing and praising the Lord. The porter seeing her complained loudly in violent words, that her going out might be deemed to have been without his will if Probus should notice it; but he that gave her light along with Paul kept the whole house, together with Probus, in a deep sleep, and they did not hear his words at all. Then she went running into her bed-chamber, saying, What shall I say of thee, searcher out of sinners, who art most present with us in tribulations. Thy goodness does these things, since for the sake of man whom thou didst make thou didst go down even to death, for, however much man stir thee to anger many times, yet thou, Lord, pourest out thy mercies upon him. O depth of compassion and wealth of mercy; O immeasurable goodness and incomparable kindness; O treasure of good things, and giver of mercy, and enricher of all that believe in thee! If, therefore, one who loves thee say, Be near me, Lord, thou hast already anticipated him. If he say, I give thee thanks; hear my words, before they are spoken, thou understandest. And as for those that ask of thee, thou givest to each after his asking. Thy goodness seeks out those that know thee not, and thou runnest to sinners. O cheerful look, filling the ways of sinners with mercy; O excellent watching and exhortation of the ignorant! Who shall tell my lord Paul of the salvation that has now befallen me, that he might come and give words of thanksgiving for me to this protector of sinners? Come many and behold and know the Lord, who hates sin, but has mercy on sinners. Come, now, O Paul, preacher of God, for with thee even now I sit under instruction, and give words of thanksgiving for me, for I desire to keep silence, since human reason makes me afraid, lest I have not the grace of eloquence. I desire to keep silence, and am compelled to speak, for some one inflames and sweetens me within. If I say, I will shut my mouth, there is some one that murmurs in me. Shall I say a great thing? Is it not that teacher that is in Paul, without arrogance, filling the heavens, speaking within and waiting without, sitting on the throne with the father and stretched upon the cross by man. What, therefore, I shall do I know not. My worthless mind delights me, and is not unfolded to the end. Thou that hadst thy hands fixed with nails and thy side pierced with the spear, thou star out of Jacob and lion’s whelp out of Judah, thou rod out of Jesse, and man and God out of Mary, thou invisible God in the bosom of the Father, and that canst not be looked upon by cherubim, and art mocked in Israel, glory be to thee, who didst appear on the earth and wast taken by the people, hung upon the tree and by the report of the wicked falsely said to be stolen, and that hast bought us all together.
XV. While she was still speaking thus, there
appeared a cross on the eastern wall, and straightway there entered
through it a beautiful youth, having round about him trembling rays,
and under him an extended light, on which also he walked. And as
he entered within, all the foundations of that house shook and sounded
with a great trembling. Xanthippe seeing him cried out and fell
to the ground as if dead; but he being pitiful and kind, changing
immediately into the shape of Paul, raised her up, saying, Arise,
Xanthippe, and fear not, for the servants of God are thus
glorified. Then Xanthippe arising, gazed upon him, and thinking
it to be Paul said, How art thou come in hither, preacher of God,
seeing that I have given five hundred pieces of gold to the porter, and
that although he is my slave, while thou hast no money? The Lord
said to her, My servant Paul is richer than all wealth, for whatsoever
treasure he acquires here he sends it before him into the kingdom of
heaven, that departing thither he may rest in the unending and eternal
rest. This is the treasure of Paul, thou and thy like. Then
Xanthippe gazing upon him, desirous to say something, saw his face
shining as the light; and being greatly amazed, and putting both her
hands over her face she threw herself to the ground, and said, Hide
thyself, Lord, from my bodily eyes and enlighten my understanding, for
I know now who thou art. Thou art he whose precursor was the
cross, the only begotten son of the Father alone
XVI. And as she spoke thus the Lord was again hidden from her, and Xanthippe, coming to herself, said, Woe is me wretched one, that no one has told me what is the gratitude of slaves towards their master. If Paul the preacher of the Lord were here, how could he give praise? But perchance in the face of such favors and gifts they are silent, possessed only with tears, for it is not possible worthily to praise any one according to his favour. Saying this she was seized with great faintness from lack of food, for having been strongly possessed with desire for Christ she had forgotten to take nourishment. Therefore, being greatly exhausted by abstinence and the vision and want of sleep and other austerities, she was unable to rise from the ground.
XVII. And Probus arose from his couch with a very gloomy countenance, for in his sleep he had seen a dream, and was greatly troubled concerning it. But the porter seeing him about to issue to the market-place, having his countenance thus troubled, was greatly afraid, Lest, said he, he know what has happened, and will miserably destroy me. Probus, however, having gone forth and signified to those in the market what was fitting for the day and season, speedily returned into the house, and said to his servants, Call me quickly the wise men Barandus and Gnosteas. When they were summoned he said to them, I have seen a very terrible vision, and what appeared in it is difficult for our power to interpret. This, however, do ye disclose to me, as being the most excellent of all the world. Expound it to me when I tell it you. Barandus says to him, If the vision can be interpreted by our wisdom, we shall explain it to thee, but if it be of the faith that is now spoken of we cannot expound it to thee, for it is of another wisdom and understanding. However, let our lord and master tell the dream, and let us see if there is any explanation for it. Probus says to Gnosteas, Wherefore answerest thou nothing? Gnosteas said, I have not heard the dream, and what can I say but whatever it may be, if it is by reason of Paul? Tell me now, and thou wilt find it so. Probus said, I thought I was standing in a certain unknown and strange country, and that there sat there an Ethiop king, who ruled over all the earth and seemed never to have any successor. There stood beside him multitudes of servants, and all hastened to destruction and had mastery far and wide. And when that Ethiop seemed to have gained his purpose, there arose a raven and standing above him croaked with a pitiful voice. And straightway there arose from the eastern parts an eagle, and seized his kingdom, and his power was made vain, and those standing by him fled to the eagle. Then that king strove against those that fled to the eagle, but the eagle carried it up into heaven, and, behold, there came a helper to those that fled to the eagle and left his staff to them. Then they laying hold of it were not overcome by the violence of that king. So many as ran to those who had the staff, he washed them in pure water, and they that were washed had power over his kingdom. And by that staff the enemies of the king were put to flight, therefore capable men laying hold of the staff turned to themselves great multitudes. And that king strove against them, and had no might at all, but he hindered many from believing in him that sent out the men into the world to bear witness, and for that reason many were grieved. Nevertheless, this one did not constrain any like the other, for he himself was ruler of all light. This then was the end.
XVIII. Then the wise Barandus said, By the grace
of God I shall tell the things sent into the world by the Lord.
The king whom thou sawest is the Devil, and the multitudes of his
servants are the demons, and the throngs about him are they that
worship the gods. Whereas he thought to have no successor, he
looked not for the coming of Christ. The raven betokened the
weakness of his kingdom, for the raven kept not obedience to the
righteous Noah, but loved pitiful things. The eagle that arose
and took away his kingdom and carried it up into heaven, and that there
came a protector of those that fled to the eagle, having a staff, that
is the Lord Jesus Christ, who left to them his staff, that is, his
precious cross; and that he washed those that fled to him signifies the
invulnerable breast-plate of baptism, and therefore they were not
overcome. The capable men sent into the world with the cross are
the preachers of God like Paul who is now with us, against whom that
king has no power. This was made known to thee because even on
those who are hard of belief God has compassion in some way. See
therefore whether even thou wilt be able to injure Paul though thou
desirest, for the mighty power that shields him has been shown thee by
the Lord. Therefore,
XIX. And as they went into the chamber, they heard her singing.
Praise the Lord ye sinners also, because he accepts your prayers also. Alleluia.
Praise the Lord ye that have despaired like me, for many are his mercies. Alleluia.
Praise him ye ungodly, because for you he was crucified. Alleluia.
Praise him ye that strive for the salvation of sinners, because God loves you. Alleluia.
Praise him, ye that rejoice at the calling of sinners, because ye are fellow-citizens with the saints. Alleluia.
As she said these words and more than these with tears, the wise men Barandus and Gnosteas opening the door entered and fell at her feet, saying, Pray for us lowly ones, O servant of Christ, that he may bring us also into thy number. But she said to them, Brethren, I am not Paul who remits sins, but neither is he far from you. Therefore fall not before my knees, but go to him, who is also more able to benefit you. Then they came running to the house of Philotheus to Paul, and found him teaching a great multitude. And Probus also came to hear Paul, and Xanthippe entered along with him to salute him, and coming near to Paul and bending her knees she did him reverence. Probus seeing this marvelled that her so proud spirit had changed to so great humility, for she sat beside the feet of Paul on the ground humbly and as one of the worthless. And Probus was greatly grieved, not yet attending to the hearing of the word, but was ever gazing and fixing his attention on Xanthippe.
XX. The great Paul was teaching thus, Let those that burn in the flesh observe lawful marriage, avoiding fornication, especially that with another’s wife, and let those that are united keep to one another. Probus heard this teaching with delight, and said, O Paul, how excellently and wisely thou employest this teaching. Why then has Xanthippe withdrawn from me? And Paul said, My son Probus, they that foresee that the works of men shall be tried with fire, and that have always in their mind the inexorableness of death, cast out all desire that cleaves to the flesh. But woe when the desire shall judge him that desired, then he shall gnash his teeth to no effect and in vain, for the amendment of repentance is past. Hearing this Probus went up into his house marvelling, and tasted nothing that day, but went and lay down upon his bed. And about the third hour of the night he arose and said, Alas, how wretched was the day in which I was wedded to Xanthippe. Would that I had died and not seen her. Saying this he arose and said, I shall pray to the God of Paul. Perchance he will do to me also what is fitting, that I may not become a reproach in the world, being rejected by her. And straightway falling upon the ground he said, O God of Paul, if, as I have heard from Xanthippe, thou dost seek after the ignorant and turn back those that are astray, do to me also what is fitting; for thou art the king of life and death, as I have heard, and hast dominion over things in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and over all the thoughts and desires of men, and to thee alone belongs glory to all eternity. Amen.
XXI. Then Probus arising from the ground fell
again upon the couch, and arising early he came to Paul, and finding
him baptising many in the name of the life-giving Trinity, he said, My
lord Paul, if only I were worthy to receive baptism, behold the
hour. Paul said to him, Son, behold the water is ready for the
cleansing of those that come to Christ. Therefore immediately
taking off his garments, and Paul laying hold of him, he leapt into the
water, saying, Jesus Christ, son of God, and everlasting God, let all
my sins be taken away by this water. And Paul said, We baptise
thee in the name of the Father and Son and Holy Ghost. After this
he made him to receive the eucharist of Christ. Then Xanthippe,
being greatly rejoiced, began in the house toward evening together with
her husband to give good cheer to all those in the house, and to
prepare a feast, and when they came, after giving orders for the supper
to be magnificent she herself went up to the chamber. And behold
on the stairs a demon coming in the likeness of one of the actors, and
standing in a dark corner, was desirous to frighten and terrify
Xanthippe. But she thinking it to be the actor that she
ordinarily had, said in anger, Many a time have I said to him that I no
longer care for toys, and he despises me as being a woman; and
straightway seizing an iron lamp-stand, she hurled it at his
XXII. After supper then Probus went forth to hear the word, but Xanthippe sitting in her bed-chamber was reading the prophets, her sister Polyxena lying upon the couch. Xanthippe loved Polyxena exceedingly, because she was younger than herself, and beautiful in appearance, and Probus also loved her greatly. And as Polyxena lay upon the couch she saw this dream, that a dragon, hideous in appearance, came and signified to her to come to him, and when she did not obey him to go to him, he came running and swallowed her. From fear of this the girl leapt up trembling, and Xanthippe running to her said, What has happened to thee, dearest, that thou hast leapt up thus suddenly? She for a long time was unable to speak; then coming to herself she said, Alas, my sister Xanthippe, what danger or tribulation awaits me, I know not; for I saw in my dream that a hideous dragon came and signed to me to go to him, and, when I would not go, he came running and swallowed me, beginning at my feet. While I was terrified at this, there suddenly spoke out of the air, in the light of the sun, a beautiful youth, whom I thought to be the brother of Paul, saying, Verily, thou hast no power. Who also took me by the hand and straightway drew me out of him, and straightway the dragon disappeared. And behold his hand was full of sweet odour as of balsam or aught else for fragrance. Xanthippe said to her, Truly thou must be greatly troubled, my sister Polyxena, but God has thee dear, seeing that he has shown thee strange and marvellous things. Therefore arise quickly in the morning and receive the holy baptism, and ask in the baptism to be delivered from the snares of the dragon.
XXIII. Xanthippe, having said this to Polyxena,
and having made a cross of wood, went to Paul, but Polyxena remained
alone in the bed-chamber, her nurse having gone together with
Xanthippe. And about the middle of the night, a certain man,
powerful in wealth and assistance, finding the doors open and using
magical arts, entered within, desiring to carry away Polyxena.
She discovering this fled into the mill, but the magicians led by the
demons found her. And she, not finding any door to escape by,
said, Alas that I am given over to this destroyer; for she had heard
that he was at enmity with her suitor, and he did this to assail and
vex him, being a man who was a robber and exceeding cruel.
Therefore seizing her they went out of the city, dragging her to the
sea. She looked round this way and that, but there was none to
deliver her, and groaning she said, Alas, my sister Xanthippe, thou
didst send seven hundred pieces of gold to Rome and buy books, that
through them thou mightest prophesy by me; for this evening thou didst
read, I looked to my right hand and beheld, but there was no one that
knew me; flight perished from me and there is no one that seeketh out
my soul.
XXIV. While she said these words, those that were dragging her away walked in haste, and coming to the shore they hired a ship and sailed for Babylonia, for he that carried her off had a brother there, a ruler of a district. But the wind blew against them, so that they could not proceed by reason of it, and as they were rowing on the sea, behold the great apostle of the Lord, Peter, was sailing past in a ship, being urged by a dream to go to Rome, because when Paul departed for Spain there had entered into Rome a certain deceiver and magician, Simon by name, and had broken up the church which Paul had established. And, behold, as he journeyed he heard a voice from heaven saying to him, Peter, to-morrow there will meet thee a ship coming from Spain; arise, therefore, and pray for the soul that is troubled in it. As soon therefore as Peter saw the ship, remembering the dream, he said, O Jesus, that hast care for the troubled, whom the tribulation of those in a strange land moves to compassion, whom the weeping of those in captivity made to come upon the earth, who givest us at all time whatsoever we desire, and never turnest away from our request, show now also pity and assistance to the soul that is tossed about in that ship, because thou, O Lord, pitiest at all time those in pain. The demons then, perceiving his prayer, said to the magicians, Avoid ye the course of that ship, for if we meet with it, we cannot move.
XXV. But the loving God taking care for Polyxena,
the vessel arrived in Greece, the blessed Philip being there, and
having come down to the shore by a vision, and there accompanied him
also great multitudes of those who were being taught by him. And
behold the vessel wherein was Polyxena appeared, terribly tossed
about. And the blessed Philip said, Behold the vessel on account
of which we came down here, in which there is a soul in trouble.
When the vessel arrived and all had disembarked upon the dry land, they
lay as half dead, because they had been greatly
XXVI. Polyxena, however, going out of the city,
and not knowing by what way she should walk, found herself in desert
places of the hills, and sitting down said thus with tears, Woe is me,
outcast and captive, that I cannot find even a wild beast’s den
to rest in. Woe is me, left desolate, that not even Hades, that
no one escapes, has devoured me. Woe is me, who at one time
showed myself not even to my servants, and now display myself to
demons. Woe is me, that I am now made manifest to all those by
whom I disdained to be seen. Alas for me that was formerly
devoted to idols; for this now even the mercy of God has passed me in
silence. Whom, then, shall I call upon to help me? The God
of Paul whom I have constantly offended? But who shall help me
now? No one sees or heeds or hears my groaning. Verily I
shall beseech Him that sees the hidden things, for who is more pitiful
and compassionate than He who always keeps watch over the
oppressed? But because my mouth is unclean and defiled, I dare
not ask help from Him. Would that I were as one of the wild
beasts that I might not know what captivity is. Would that I had
been drowned in the sea; perhaps having received the divine baptism I
should have gone where no one is made captive. What then shall I
do, for death delays, and night has come on, and there is no help
anywhere. Having said thus, she arose and began to walk onwards,
and passing through a small defile she fell into a wood very thick and
large, and finding there a hollow in a tree, which was the den of a
lioness, she sat down there, for the lioness had gone forth for her
food. And sitting down she said, O wretched begetting, O grievous
hour in which I, unhappy one, came into this world; O mother that bore
me, why, foreseeing my troubles and wanderings, didst thou name me
Polyxena? Has any other ever fallen into such tribulations and
misfortunes? Truly, my sister Xanthippe, didst thou read
concerning me, unhappy one, saying, I have suffered affliction and been
utterly bowed down (—
XXVII. And as she was saying these words, and more
than these, the morning dawned, and the lioness came from her
hunting. Polyxena, seeing the wild beast, trembled and said, By
the God of Paul, O wild beast, have compassion on me and tear me not
until I receive baptism. And the wild beast, fearing the
adjuration, immediately went away, and standing afar off gazed at
her. And she said, Behold, the beast has obeyed me; I will also
retire from its dwelling. And immediately she began to journey
towards the east, and the beast went before her until she was come out
of the wood. Then Polyxena said, What shall I give to thee in
return,
XXVIII. As she said this, Andrew, the apostle of the Lord, also came journeying to that place, and as he drew near to Polyxena he felt in his heart some commotion arising in himself. Standing, therefore, to pray, and folding his arms in the shape of the cross, he said, Lord Jesus Christ, partaker of light and knower of things hidden, from whom nothing on earth is hid, do unto me kindness and mercy, and make clear to me this commotion of heart, and calm my reason, thou that makest peace always with those that love peace. Then Polyxena ran to him, and Andrew, the apostle of the Lord, said to her, Approach me not, daughter, but tell me who and whence thou art. Polyxena said, My lord, I am a stranger here, but I see thy face is gracious, and thy words as the words of Paul, and I suppose thee to be of the same God. Andrew understood that she spoke of the apostle Paul, and said to her, And whence dost thou know of Paul? She said, From my own country, for I left him in Spain. Andrew said to her, And how happenest thou to be here, the country being far distant? She said, Because it was thus appointed for me, and came to pass; but I beseech thee and fall at thy feet, seal me, as Paul seals, by the baptism of regeneration, so that even I, lowly one, may be known by our God, for the kind God, seeing my tribulation and distress, sent thee to pity me. Andrew, the great apostle of the Lord, said to her, Let us go, daughter, where there is water.
XXIX. And when they had gone no long way, they came to a well most transparent and pure. And as the blessed Andrew stood to pray beside the well, behold a certain maiden named Rebecca, of the tribe of Israel, brought as a captive to that country, came to draw water at the well, and seeing the blessed Andrew, knew him by his appearance. For Rebecca said, This is the appearance of a Prophet, and this is one of the apostles. And bowing down to him she said, Have mercy on me, servant of the true God, who am captive and sold for the third time, who was once honored by prophets, and am now insulted by idolaters, and recall me, lowly one, thou that wast sent to call back many sinners. Andrew, the apostle of Christ, said, God will care for thee also, daughter, as well as for this stranger. Therefore, receive ye now baptism, and be ye as of one people, glorifying God always.
XXX. Therefore the apostle standing prayed, and, behold, the lioness came running, and stood gazing upon him. And Andrew the apostle of the Lord said, What then does this beast wish? The lioness opening her mouth spoke with a human voice, Andrew, apostle of Christ, the prayer of her, that stands on thy right hand, has overtaken me. Therefore confirm thou and instruct and admonish them in the right and true faith of Christ, for they greatly desire the name of the Lord. And, behold, the wonderful condescension of God, that even on irrational and untamable beasts he has poured out his mercy. The blessed Andrew weeping said, What shall I say or what shall I speak concerning thy mercy, O God, that thus thou at all times cleavest to the lowly, and takest care for those in ignorance, being without arrogance and full of mercy? And having completed the prayer he baptised the maidens in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Then the lioness immediately set off to the mountain, and the Apostle Andrew said to the maidens, Be zealous, daughters, to be of good repute before God by living well in a strange land, and separate not from each other, and God, that is always present to those that call upon him, keep you in holiness, driving away from you the Evil One. And pray ye also for me. Polyxena said, We will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. The Apostle Andrew said, This was not made known to me by the Lord, daughters; therefore remain with peace, hoping in the Lord, and he will preserve you to the end.
XXXI. And Andrew went his way rejoicing and
glorifying God. Then said Polyxena, Whither shall we go,
sister? Rebecca said, Let us depart whither thou wilt, lest my
mistress send and separate us. Polyxena said, Come, let us depart
into the mountain to the lioness. Rebecca said, It is indeed
better for us to live with wild beasts and perish of hunger than to be
compelled by Greeks and idolaters to fall into the filth of
marriage. So they began to journey, and, behold, by the
providence of God, they met a man driving asses, who seeing them said,
Ye are not of this country, and, as I see, ye wear not its dress.
Command therefore of your servant to eat bread and receive one piece of
silver that ye may remember your servant
XXXII. The ass-driver hearing this wept unceasingly, and Polyxena said, Has then the providence of God overtaken thee, that thou weepest thus? The ass-driver said, If thou art desirous to learn wherefore I weep, hear the truth, for one ought not to grudge to tell the things of Christ. I was a disciple of Philip, the apostle of Christ, and seeing how all his thought was towards the poor, I took all that I had and sold it. And taking the price, I bought bread and wine, and divided them throughout the cities to those that had need, when therefore I had done this for some time in the neighbouring city, a certain maimed person cried out, saying (though it was not himself that spoke, but Satan through his mouth), I desire nothing, I take nothing from thee, because thou art a Christian. Then the whole city arose against me and sought to take me, but some ran one way and some another, while I go through their midst and no one sees me. And issuing from the city I gave praise and glory to God that thus I had been rewarded, and I prayed to my God that I should meet some one who knew his all-holy name, so that relating these things I might obtain relief. For the men of this country will not hear at all concerning Christ, being full of impiety and filled with wickedness. I exhort you therefore, take ye also one coin from me, and if it seem good, take ye rest also upon the asses. Polyxena said, Mayest thou obtain mercy from God, brother. But if thou wilt receive a full reward, save us as far as the sea, so that, if God wills, we may sail for Spain.
XXXIII. The ass-driver, as if commanded by the voice of God, eagerly receiving the maidens, went on his way rejoicing in the Lord. And he said to Polyxena, Alter thy appearance to that of a man, lest for thy beauty’s sake some one snatch thee away from me. And coming to an inn, they stayed there, and on the morrow they went forward taking heed to the way. And behold there came past a certain prefect journeying to Greece, who seeing the maidens ordered Polyxena to be carried off on his chariot. Then the ass-driver followed, crying and saying, A prefect does violence to none. Why do ye this? Then they beat him and drove him away.
XXXIV. And he going on his way lamented, saying, Woe is me, wretched and abominable one. Woe is me that thought to do good, but now I have wrought mischief. Woe is me that my trouble and my running were unacceptable. Would that I had died before yesterday, that I might not have met with these maidens at all. But why troublest thou me, O wretched soul? Let us go to Philip the apostle of God. If there is not forgiveness for me, it is better for me to choose death in whatsoever fashion than to live with such evil and bitter conscience. So he went and found Philip the apostle of Christ, and said to him, O disciple and preacher of Christ, thus and thus it has happened to me and befallen me. Has my soul salvation? Philip the apostle of Christ said, Be not distressed concerning this, my son, it is impossible for them to be dishonoured, seeing that no one ever overcomes God; for this same Polyxena, when she first came from the sea, I entrusted to a certain brother, who also was greatly distressed because of her running away secretly from his house. Him also I persuaded not to grieve, for through her tribulation and wanderings many shall know God.
XXXV. The prefect therefore carried Polyxena to
the city where he stayed, and ordered her to be shut up in a
chamber. And one of the soldiers seized Rebecca, but the maid
secretly escaping fled into the house of an old woman, who received the
maiden kindly and entreated her well. And sitting down she wept,
saying, Alas, my sister Polyxena, I wretched one did not think that
anyone was oppressed like myself, but now I am persuaded and know that
all my misfortunes and tribulations do not compare with one day of
thine. And most grievous of all, behold I have been separated
from thee and am again a captive, but do thou search for me even into
the next world, my sister Polyxena. The old woman said to her,
What ails thee, daughter, that thou weepest thus bitterly?
Rebecca said, Suffer me, mother, to be distressed and to lament the
great and incurable pain of my heart. The old woman greatly
compassionating her wept exceedingly, for the maid had told her
XXXVI. And as she was yet praying, the attendants came to lead her to the couch of the prefect. But Polyxena said to them, Brethren, make not haste to any one’s destruction, for this time shall quickly pass away, and they that work together with the destroyers shall perish with them. Rather assist strangers, that ye be not found strangers to the angels of God. The men, being shamed by these words, went to the prefect and said, The maid from fear is seized with a violent fever. And the prefect said, Let her alone. And, behold, the son of the prefect came to Polyxena by night, and she seeing him was afraid, but the youth said to her, Fear not, girl. I seek not to be wedded with thee as the bridegroom of destruction, for I know from thy prayer that thou art the bride of the God of heaven. I know this God who is never overcome by any one, for a certain man of glorious countenance lately in Antioch preached this God, and a certain maid, whose name was Thecla, believing him followed him, and encountered dangers on account of her beauty, of whom I have heard that she was condemned to the wild beasts. I therefore continually gazed upon the man, and he having observed me said to me, God give heed to thee, my son. From that time therefore by the grace of Christ I have not gone into the sacrifices of idols, but sometimes feigning illness and sometimes involving myself in some business, my father said to me, Because thou hast no zeal for the sacrifices of the gods, therefore neither art thou in health, not being worthy of the gods. But I rejoiced, hearing that I was not worthy of the sacrifices to idols; and, by the grace of God, art thou come hither as a providence to me. Polyxena said, And what is the name of that man? The youth said, Paul is his name. Polyxena said, He is in my city. The youth said, Come then, girl, put on my appearance, and go down to the shore and wait me there; I having taken money will come quickly.
XXXVII. And one of the servants overhearing them told all this to the prefect, who being filled with great anger condemned them to be cast to the wild beasts. And when they were cast into the arena, a fierce lioness was let loose upon them, which ran and embraced the feet of Polyxena, and licked the soles of her feet. Then the prefect and all the city, seeing this fearful and wonderful sight, gave praise and glory to the merciful God, saying, Of a truth thou art, and he, that is named by Polyxena, alone is God, for the gods of the heathen are the works of men’s hands, unable to save or assist any one. Let them perish now, both themselves and their makers. And the prefect straightway taking his son and Polyxena into the palace, heard from them in order the faith and religion in Christ without omission, and he and all in the city believed, and there was great joy and giving of glory to God. And Polyxena said to the prefect, Be of good cheer, my lord, for the man of God will quickly come, who will perfectly teach, exhort, instruct, and enlighten you in the knowledge of Christ. She however prepared in all haste to depart into Spain.
XXXVIII. And as I, Onesimus, was sailing into Spain to Paul, I received from the Lord a revelation saying to me, Onesimus, the vessel in which thou now art will land in the parts of Greece, and thou wilt find on the shore of the harbour two maids and one youth. Assist them and take them to Paul. When we reached this place according to the command of the Lord, we found the maids together with the youth seeking a vessel. When the maids saw us therefore, they knew that we were of the hope of Christ, and Polyxena running to us said, Verily the man of God cannot be concealed, for the grace and kindliness of his countenance makes him manifest. And when we sought to sail away, the sea was troubled by the providence of God. And there was with us a disciple of Paul, by name Lucius, capable in word to teach the city. Therefore we remained seven days, and God opened to that place a great door of faith, and twenty thousand believed, and there was great joy and rejoicing in all the city. And when the season was favourable for us to sail the prefect again constrained us, and we stayed another seven days, until all believed and rejoiced in the Lord.
XXXIX. Thus now by the foreknowledge of Christ,
the prefect sent us away with supplies for the voyage, sending also his
son with us. And when we had sailed twenty days, Polyxena was
greatly exhausted, and we touched at a certain island for the sake of
rest. And behold, certain fierce and hardened men, coming down to
us and seeing
XL. And Paul seeing us rejoiced greatly, and said, Welcome ye that have been troubled. And Polyxena, laying hold of his feet, said, It may be that this trouble came upon me because I would have blasphemed thee, but now I beseech and entreat that I may not again be delivered into such troubles and misfortunes. And Paul said, weeping, Thus must we be troubled, my daughter, that we may know our defender, Jesus Christ.
XLI. And while we were giving the letters of the brethren to Paul, one ran and told Xanthippe of the arrival of Polyxena. And she made haste and came to us, and seeing Polyxena, was overcome by an unspeakable joy and fell to the ground; but Polyxena embracing her and caressing her for a long time brought her back to life. Then Xanthippe said to her, I, my true sister Polyxena, went not forth at all for forty days, praying much for thee to the loving God, that thy virginity might not be taken away. And Paul, the preacher of God, said to me, Her virginity will not be taken away, and she will come quickly. And Probus said to me, It was assigned to her by God to be thus afflicted. Seest thou how by many devices God saves many? But now, my beloved sister, having unexpectedly seen thy face, now I shall willingly die.
XLII. Then he who had carried her away came up again and sought for Polyxena, but the great Paul persuaded him to refrain from her, and he also believed and was baptised by Paul, as also the suitor of Polyxena believed, and there was great joy in all that city of Spain for the recovery of Polyxena. From that time forward she left not at all the blessed Paul in her fear of temptations. These things then being thus, all rejoiced in the Lord, glorifying Father, Son and Holy Ghost, one God, to whom is glory and power, now and ever and to all eternity. Amen.
The Narrative of Zosimus.
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Introduction.
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The Greek text of this work is printed for the first time in the same part of “Texts and Studies” as the Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena. The sources for it are two manuscripts—one in Paris, belonging to the twelfth century, and the other in Oxford, dating from the fifteenth or sixteenth. The latter, however, only extends to the close of c. viii., the copy used by the scribe having been imperfect. There are versions of the work in Slavonic, Syriac, Ethiopic, and Arabic; in the former of these the Blessed Ones are called the Brachmani.
From two passages in the poems of Commodian (c. 250 a.d.) it would seem that the work was known in his day, and the canon of Nicephoras (c. 850 a.d.) places it among certain apocryphal books which are to be rejected. At the same time, it is doubtful whether, in its present form, it can be put as far back as the earlier of these dates.
It professes to be the account of a visit to the Makares, or Blessed Ones, given by a hermit, Zosimus, who was privileged to visit them. For forty years he had abstained from bread and wine and from seeing the face of man, always praying to be permitted to see the life of the Blessed. With the second chapter the narrative begins in the first person, and is continued in this up to c. xxi., just where the angels come to receive the soul of Zosimus, and the work is then finished off by one of the hermits who were present at his last moments.
While the style is inelegant and sometimes obscure, the matter of the book is very interesting, and shows considerable powers of imagination. The land of the Blessed is reached by means of a camel, which comes from the desert, and then by a storm of wind, which carries Zosimus along with it. He is addressed by the river to which he comes, as well as by the wall of cloud which rises above it, and is finally lifted across it by two trees. The origin of the Blessed Ones is noteworthy, as connecting the story with early literature on the Lost Tribes. They are the descendants of Rechab in the days of Jeremiah the prophet, who, for refusing to give up their observances, are cast into prison by the king. From this they are delivered by an angel, and brought to the place they now inhabit,—a level land covered with flowers,—a view of Paradise which continues all through the Middle Ages. The chapters (x.–xv.) in which the Blessed describe their life and death are of special merit, and form the best part of the whole. In striking contrast to its lofty tone is the appearance of Satan with his 1360 demons, whom Zosimus finally overcomes and drives away.
To the various accounts of the Earthly Paradise, the story of Zosimus forms an important addition; on these it may, either directly or indirectly, have had considerable influence, although the difficulty of assigning a definite date to it makes this very uncertain.
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I. About that time there was in the desert a certain man named Zosimus, who for forty years ate no bread, and drank no wine, and saw not the face of man. This man was entreating God that he might see the way of life of the blessed, and behold an angel of the Lord was sent saying to him, Zosimus, man of God, behold I am sent by the Most High, the God of all, to tell thee that thou shalt journey to the blessed, but shalt not dwell with them. But exalt not thy heart, saying, For forty years I have not eaten bread, for the word of God is more than bread, and the spirit of God is more than wine. And as for thy saying, I have not seen the face of man, behold the face of the great king is nigh thee. Zosimus said, I know that the Lord can do whatsoever he will. The angel said to him, Know this also, that thou art not worthy of one of their delights, but arise and set out.
II. And I, Zosimus, issuing from my cave with God leading me, set out not knowing which way I went, and after I had travelled forty days my spirit grew faint and my body failed, and being exhausted I sat down, and continued praying in that place for three days. And, behold, there came a beast from the desert, whose name is the camel, and placing its knees on the ground, it received me upon its neck and went into the desert and set me down. There there was much howling of wild beasts, and gnashing of teeth, and deadly poison. And becoming afraid, I prayed to the Lord, and there came in that place a great earthquake with noise, and a storm of wind blew and lifted me from the earth, and exalted me on its wing, and I was praying and journeying till it set me upon a place beside a river, and the name of the river is Eumeles. And behold when I desired to cross the river, some one cried as if from the water, saying, Zosimus, man of God, thou canst not pass through me, for no man can divide my waters: but look up from the waters to the heaven. And looking up I saw a wall of cloud stretching from the waters to the heaven, and the cloud said, Zosimus, man of God, through me no bird passes out of this world, nor breath of wind, nor the sun itself, nor can the tempter in this world pass through me.
III. And I was astonished at these words, and at the voice that spake these things to me. And as I prayed, behold two trees sprang up out of the earth, fair and beautiful, laden with fragrant fruits. And the tree on this side bent down and received me on its top, and was lifted up exceedingly above the middle of the river, and the other tree met me and received me in its branches and bending down set me on the ground; and both trees were lifted up and set me away from the river on the other side. In that place I rested three days, and arising again I went forward, whither I knew not, and that place was filled with much fragrance, and there was no mountain on either hand, but the place was level and flowery, all crowned with garlands, and all the land beautiful.
IV. And I saw there a naked man sitting, and said in myself, Surely this is not the tempter. And I remembered the voice of the cloud that it said to me, Not even the tempter in this world passes through me. And thus taking courage I said to him, Hail, brother. And he answering said to me, The grace of my God be with thee. Again I said to him, Tell me, man of God, who thou art? He answered and said to me, Who art thou rather? And I answered and told him all concerning myself, and that I had prayed to God and he had brought me into that place. He answered and said to me, I also know that thou art a man of God, for if not, thou couldst not have passed through the cloud and the river and the air. For the breadth of the river is about thirty thousand paces, and the cloud reaches to heaven, and the depth of the river to the abyss.
VI. Then the elders of the blessed gave me over to one of the attendants, saying, Keep him for seven days. So the attendant receiving me led me to his cave, and we sat under a tree partaking of food. For from the sixth hour even to the sixth, then we ate, and the water came out from the root of the tree sweeter than honey, and we drank our fill, and again the water sank down into its place. And all the country of those there heard of me, that there had come thither a man out of the vanity of the world, and all the country was stirred up, and they came to see me because it seemed strange to them. Therefore they were asking me all things and I was answering them, and I became faint in spirit and in body, and besought the man of God that served me, and said, I beseech thee, brother, if any come to see me, tell them He is not here, so that I may rest a little. And the man of God cried out saying, Woe is me, that the story of Adam is summed up in me, for Satan deceived him through Eve, and this man by his flattery desires to make me a liar while he is here. Take me away from hence, for I shall flee from the place. For behold he wishes to sow in me seeds of the world of vanity. And all the multitude and the elders rose up against me, and said, Depart from us, man; we know not whence thou art come to us. But I lamented with great lamentation, and my senses left me, and I cried out to the elders, saying, Forgive me, my lords, and the elders stilled them and made quietness. Then I related to them all from the beginning till that time, and said, I besought the Lord to come to you, and he deemed me worthy. And the elders said, And now what wilt thou we should do to thee? I said to them, I desire to learn of you your way of life.
VII. And they rejoiced with great joy, and taking up tables of stone they wrote on them with their nails, thus, Hear, ye sons of men, hear ye us who are become blessed, that we also are of you; for when the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed that the city of Jerusalem should be delivered into the hands of the destroyers, he rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and sprinkled dust upon his head, and took earth upon his bed, and told all the people to turn from their wicked way. And our father Rechab, the son of Aminadab, heard him and said to us, Ye sons and daughters of Rechab, hearken to your father, and put off your garments from your body, and drink no vessel of wine, and eat no bread from the fire, and drink not strong drink and honey until the Lord hear your entreaty. And we said, All that he has commanded us we shall do and hearken. So we cast away our clothing from our bodies, and we ate no bread from the fire, and drank no vessel of wine nor honey nor strong drink, and we lamented with a great lamentation and besought the Lord, and he heard our prayer and turned away his anger from the city of Jerusalem, and there came to the city of Jerusalem mercy from the Lord, and he pitied its people, and turned away his deadly anger.
VIII. And after these things the king of the city
of Jerusalem died, and there arose another king. And all the
people gathered to him and informed him concerning us, and said, There
are certain of thy people, who have changed their way from us.
Therefore the king summoned them, and asked them wherefore they had
done this; and he sent for us and asked, Who are ye and of what worship
and of what country? And we said to him, We are the sons of thy
servant, and our father is Rechab the son of Jonadab, and when Jeremiah
the prophet preached in the
IX. And the king said to us, Ye have done well. Now therefore mingle with my people, and eat bread and drink wine, and glorify your Lord, and ye shall be serving God and the king. But we said, We will not disobey God. Then the king was enraged and set us in prison, and we passed that night there. And behold a light shone in the building, and an angel uncovered the prison and laid hold of the crowns of our heads, and took us out of the prison, and set us beside the water of the river, and said to us, Whithersoever the water goes, go ye also. And we travelled with the water and with the angel. When therefore he had brought us to this place, the river was dried up and the water was swallowed up by the abyss, and he made a wall round this country, and there came a wall of cloud, and shadowed above the water; and he did not scatter us over all the earth, but gave to us this country.
X. Hear, ye sons of men, hear the way of life of the blessed. For God placed us in this land, for we are holy but not immortal. For the earth produces most fragrant fruit, and out of the trunks of the trees comes water sweeter than honey, and these are our food and drink. We are also praying night and day, and this is all our occupation. Hear, ye sons of men; with us there is no vine, nor ploughed field, nor works of wood or iron, nor have we any house or building, nor fire nor sword, nor iron wrought or unwrought, nor silver nor gold, nor air too heavy or too keen. Neither do any of us take to themselves wives, except for so long as to beget two children, and after they have produced two children they withdraw from each other and continue in chastity, not knowing that they were ever in the intercourse of marriage, but being in virginity as from the beginning. And the one child remains for marriage, and the other for virginity.
XI. And there is no count of time, neither weeks nor months nor years, for all our day is one day. In our caves lie the leaves of trees, and this is our couch under the trees. But we are not naked of body, as ye wrongly imagine, for we have the garment of immortality and are not ashamed of each other. At the sixth hour of every day we eat, for the fruit of the tree falls of itself at the sixth hour, and we eat and drink our fill, and again the water sinks into its place. We also know you who are there in the world, and who are in sins, and your works, for every day the angels of the Lord come and tell them to us, and the number of your years. But we pray for you to the Lord, because we also are of you and of your race, except that God has chosen us, and has set us in this place without sin. And the angels of God dwell with us every day, and tell us all things concerning you, and we rejoice with the angels over the works of the just, but over the works of sinners we mourn and lament, praying to the Lord that he may cease from his anger and spare your offences.
XII. But when the time of the forty days comes, all the trees cease from their fruits, and the manna that he gave to our fathers rains down from heaven, and the manna is sweeter than honey. Thus we know that the season of the year is changed. But when the time of the holy passover comes, then again the trees put forth fragrant fruit, and thus we know that it is the beginning of the year. But the feast of the resurrection of the Lord is performed with much watching, for we continue watching for three days and three nights.
XIII. We know also the time of our end, for we have no torment nor disease nor pain in our bodies, nor exhaustion nor weakness, but peace and great patience and love. For our soul is not troubled by the angels to go forth, for the angels rejoice when they receive our souls, and the souls also rejoice with the angels when they behold them; as a bride receives the bridegroom, so our soul receives the announcement of the holy angels, saying nothing more than only this, The Lord calls thee. Then the soul quits the body and goes to the angels, and the angels seeing the soul coming forth spotless rejoice, and spreading out their robes receive it. Then the angels call it blessed, saying, Blessed art then, O soul, because the will of the Lord is fulfilled in thee.
XIV. The time of our life is this. If one
quits the body in his youth, the days of his life here are three
hundred and sixty years, and he that quits the body in old age, the
XV. Then the angels taking it up sing a song and hymn, making melody to God, and again other troops of angels come in haste to meet them, saluting the soul that is coming and entering into the firmaments. And when it has come to the place where it is to worship God, the son of God himself, together with the angels, receives the soul of the blessed one and bears it to the undefiled father of the ages, and again, when the angels sing above, we being below listen to them, and again we sing and they listen in heaven above, and thus between us and the angels there arises a giving of praise in hymns. But when the soul of the blessed one, falling upon its face, worships the Lord, then we also falling down worship the Lord in that same hour, and when the Lord raises it up then we also arise; and when it goes to its appointed place, we also go into the church, fulfilling the eucharist of the Lord.
Having written these things, and all the life of the blessed, we gave them to our brother Zosimus, and escorted him as far as the place of trees beside the river Eumeles.
XVI. And I, Zosimus, besought again the blessed ones to make entreaty for me to the Lord that the trees might receive me to take me across. And they all cried to the Lord and said, O God that hast shown us thy marvels and hast made thy servant Zosimus to come to us out of the world of vanity, set him again in his own place with peace, and command these trees to bow down and take up thy servant and set him on the further side. And as they finished their prayer, the trees straightway bent down before them, and received me as on the second day before; and being set on the other side of the river I cried with a loud voice and said, Men of righteousness, who are brothers of the holy angels, grant me your prayer in peace, for behold I depart from you. And making prayer they all cried out, saying, Peace, peace be with you, brother.
XVII. Then I prayed to the Lord, and there came to me a storm of wind, and received me upon its wings, and carried me to the place where it found me sitting, and left me there in peace. And raising its voice the wind said to me, Blessed art thou, Zosimus, that thou hast been numbered with the blessed. And the beast from the desert, whose name is the camel, came and received me upon its neck and carried me eighty and five stations, and set me in the place where it found me praying, and left me in peace, crying and saying, Blessed art thou, Zosimus, that thou hast been numbered with the blessed.
XVIII. But seeing me thus praised, Satan desired
to tempt me and throw his dart at me from his station, but an angel of
God came and said to me, Zosimus, behold Satan is coming to tempt thee,
but the Lord will fight for thee, for the glory of thy faith must
bind Text corrupt;
“bind” is conjectural.
XIX. And, behold, when the angels of God ascended, the Devil came, having a fierce shape, and possessed with anger and gall, and said to me, I knew that God would do with thee as with the blessed ones, and that they shall be free from sin and be above the angels, and therefore I brought in an evil design, and entered into the vessel of the serpent, an evil-doer added to evil-doer. And by this I made the first man Adam to transgress and taste of the tree of life, since God had commanded him not to eat of it, that he might remain equal in glory to God and the holy angels; and thou again hast gone and brought this commandment, but now that they may not be without sin, I shall show thee how I shall destroy thee and all those that receive this commandment, so that they may not be without sin, and the book that thou hast brought.
XXI. After this I lived thirty-six years, and communicated the way of life of the blessed to the fathers in the desert. But the Devil wept because of the tables of the life of the blessed, saying, If this get abroad in the world, I shall be mocked, and these will remain without sin and I alone in folly. And after the completion of the thirty-six years, the angels of God came to me as to the blessed.
And all the monks were gathered together and all who heard it, and this testament was read to all of them, and in such life he gave up his soul to God.
XXII. And I, Cryseos, The name is
corrupt.
Reprinted from the translation given in the 1st vol. of the Ante-Nicene Fathers. Completed and revised from a manuscript discovered after the publication of that volume.
by
Rev. JOhn Keith, D.D.
Introductory Notice to 1st Clement.
————————————
[From Vol. I. of the Ante-Nicene Fathers.]
The first Epistle, bearing the name of Clement, has been preserved to us in a single manuscript only. Though very frequently referred to by ancient Christian writers, it remained unknown to the scholars of Western Europe until happily discovered in the Alexandrian manuscript. This ms. of the sacred Scriptures (known and generally referred to as Codex A) was presented in 1628 by Cyril, Patriarch of Constantinople, to Charles I., and is now preserved in the British Museum. Subjoined to the books of the New Testament contained in it, there are two writings described as the Epistles of one Clement. Of these, that now before us is the first. It is tolerably perfect, but there are many slight lacunæ, or gaps, in the ms., and one whole leaf is supposed to have been lost towards the close. These lacunæ, however, so numerous in some chapters, do not generally extend beyond a word or syllable, and can for the most part be easily supplied.
Who the Clement was to whom these writings are ascribed,
cannot with absolute certainty be determined. The general opinion
is, that he is the same as the person of that name referred to by St.
Paul (
The date of this epistle has been the subject of considerable controversy. It is clear from the writing itself that it was composed soon after some persecution (chap. i.) which the Roman church had endured; and the only question is, whether we are to fix upon the persecution under Nero or Domitian. If the former, the date will be about the year 68; if the latter, we must place it towards the close of the first century or the beginning of the second. We possess no external aid to the settlement of this question. The lists of early Roman bishops are in hopeless confusion, some making Clement the immediate successor of St. Peter, others placing Linus, and others still Linus and Anacletus, between him and the apostle. The internal evidence, again, leaves the matter doubtful, though it has been strongly pressed on both sides. The probability seems, on the whole, to be in favour of the Domitian period, so that the epistle may be dated about a.d. 97.
This epistle was held in very great esteem by the early
church. The account given of it by Eusebius (Hist. Eccl.,
iii. 16) is as follows: “There is one acknowledged epistle
of this Clement (whom he has just identified with the friend of St.
Paul), great and admirable, which he wrote in the name of the church of
Rome to the church at Corinth, sedition having then arisen in the
latter church. We are aware that this epistle has been publicly
read in very many churches, both in old times and also in our own
day.” The epistle before us thus appears to have been read
in numerous churches, as being almost on a level with the canonical
writings. And its place in the Alexandrian ms., immediately after the inspired books, is in harmony
with the position thus assigned it in the primitive church. There
does indeed appear a great difference between it and the inspired
writings in many respects,
Additional Introduction.
Towards the close of 1875, at Constantinople, Philotheus Bryennius, Metropolitan of Serræ, published the first complete edition of the epistles ascribed to Clement. This he was enabled to do by the discovery of a ms. in the library of the Holy Sepulchre at Fanari in Constantinople. This ms., of vellum, consists of one hundred and twenty leaves in small octavo, nearly seven and a half inches in length and six in breadth. The ms. bears the date 1056, and was written by one Leo. Its contents are:
1. Chrysostom’s Synopsis of the Old Testament (the New also being included in the title).
2. Epistle of Barnabas.
3. Clement to the Corinthians I.
4. Clement to the Corinthians II.
5. Teaching of the Twelve Apostles.
6. Ignatian Epistles.
The ms. is written with comparative accuracy and clearness. Internal evidence seems to establish its independent value; e.g., words carelessly omitted in the Codex Alexandrinus are found in this ms. It also supplies the lacunæ, notably chapters 57 (concluding sentence)—63 inclusive of the first Epistle and chapters 12 (concluding sentences)—20, being the close of the second Epistle. Harnack seems to prove that the new ms. is as complete as the original Alexandrian.
The lacuna of the first Epistle consists mainly of a prayer, the writer somewhat abruptly passing from the oratio obliqua to the oratio recta. The prayer is indicative of intense earnestness and emotion rather than official authority. It is marked by wealth of quotation, especially from the Septuagint. Perhaps, too, the nature of the sufferings referred to in the opening chapters may be inferred from the petitions of this prayer.
In the Notes the old ms. is indicated by A, the recently discovered ms. by I.
According to I, the title is
“Clement’s (Epistle) to the Corinthians.” A
includes in a Table of Contents of the New Testament after the
Apocalypse: “Clement’s Epistle I.” “Clement’s Epistle II.” The space for the title for the 1st Epistle is
mutilated, and we find only “.…Corinthians I.;” the
2d Epistle has no title. On the authority of Eusebius, Jerome,
Georgius Syncellus, the earlier editions give the titles, “First
Epistle of Saint Clement, Bishop of Rome, to the Corinthians, written
in name of the Church of Rome,” “Second Epistle of Saint
Clement, Bishop of Rome, to the Corinthians.”
————————————
Chapter I.—The Salutation. Praise of the Corinthians Before the Breaking Forth of Schism Among Them.
The church of God which sojourns at Rome, to the church of God sojourning at Corinth, to them that are called and sanctified by the will of God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, from Almighty God through Jesus Christ, be multiplied.
Owing, dear brethren, to the sudden and successive
calamitous events I, περιστάσεις
(critical experiences). Literally “is
greatly blasphemed.” Literally, “did
not prove your all-virtuous and firm faith.”
Chapter II.—Praise of the Corinthians Continued.
Moreover, ye were all distinguished by humility, and
were in no respect puffed up with pride, but yielded obedience rather
than extorted it, I. Χρῖστοῦ
(Christ). In the monophysite controversy, the theologians of
Alexandria preferred to call the Lord “God” rather than
“Christ.” Literally, “ye
embraced it in your bowels.” I. δέους (fear). So in the
ms., but many have suspected that the text is
here corrupt. Perhaps the best emendation is that which
substitutes συναισθήσεως
“compassion,” for συνειδήσεως
“conscience.”
Chapter III.—The Sad State of the Corinthian Church After Sedition Arose in It from Envy and Emulation.
Every kind of honour and happiness Literally,
“enlargement.” It seems necessary to
refer αὐτοῦ to God, in
opposition to the translation given by Abp. Wake and others. Literally,
“Christ;” comp.
Chapter IV.—Many Evils Have Already Flowed from This Source in Ancient Times.
For thus it is written: “And it came to pass
after certain days, that Cain brought of the fruits of the earth a
sacrifice unto God; and Abel also brought of the firstlings of his
sheep, and of the fat thereof. And God had respect to Abel and to
his offerings, but Cain and his sacrifices He did not regard. And
Cain was deeply grieved, and his countenance fell. And God said
to Cain, Why art thou grieved, and why is thy countenance fallen?
If thou offerest rightly, but dost not divide rightly, hast thou not
sinned? Be at peace: thine offering returns to thyself, and
thou shalt again possess it. And Cain said to Abel his brother,
Let us go into the field. And it came to pass, while they were in
the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew
him.”
Chapter V.—No Less Evils Have Arisen from the Same Source in the Most Recent Times. The Martyrdom of Peter and Paul.
But not to dwell upon ancient examples, let us come to
the most recent spiritual heroes. Literally,
“those who have been athletes.” I. ἔριν (strife). I. ἕως
θανάτου
ἤθλησαν (contended unto
death). Literally
“good.” I. ἔδειξεν (displayed). Seven
imprisonments of St. Paul are not referred to in Scripture. I. φυγαδευθείς
(having become a fugitive). Archbishop Wake here reads
“scourged.” We have followed the most recent critics
in filling up the numerous lacunæ in this
chapter. I. punctuates
ἔλαβε
δικαιοσύνην,
(received righteousness, having taught). Some think
Rome, others Spain, and others even Britain, to be
here referred to. That is, under
Tigellinus and Sabinus, in the last year of the Emperor Nero; but some
think Helius and Polycletus referred to; and others, both here and in
the preceding sentence, regard the words as denoting simply the
witness borne by Peter and Paul to the truth of the gospel
before the rulers of the earth.
Chapter VI.—Continuation. Several Other Martyrs.
To these men who spent their lives in the practice of
holiness, there is to be added a great multitude of the elect, who,
having through envy endured many indignities and tortures, furnished us
with a most excellent example. Through envy, those women, the
Danaids Some suppose these to
have been the names of two eminent female martyrs under Nero; others
regard the clause as an interpolation. Literally, “have
reached to the stedfast course of faith.” I. κατέσκαψεν
(razed to the ground).
Chapter VII.—An Exhortation to Repentance.
These things, beloved, we write unto you, not merely to
admonish you of your duty, but also to remind ourselves. For we
are struggling on the same arena, and the same conflict is assigned to
both of us. Wherefore let us give up vain and fruitless cares,
and approach to the glorious and venerable rule of our holy
calling. I. τῆς
παραδόσεως
ἡμῶν (of our tradition). I. τῷ πατρὶ
αὐτοῦ τῷ
θεῷ (to His Father God). I. ἐπήνεγκεν
(conferred). I. διέλθωμεν
(traverse, trace).
Chapter VIII.—Continuation Respecting Repentance.
The ministers of the grace of God have, by the Holy
Spirit, spoken of repentance; and the Lord of all things has himself
declared with an oath regarding it, “As I live, saith the Lord, I
desire not the death of the sinner, but rather his
repentance;” Comp. These words are
not found in Scripture, though they are quoted again by Clem. Alex.
(Pædag. i. 10) as from Ezekiel.
Chapter IX.—Examples of the Saints.
Wherefore, let us yield obedience to His excellent and
glorious will; and imploring His mercy and loving-kindness, while we
forsake all fruitless labours Some read ματαιολογίαν, vain talk.
Chapter X.—Continuation of the Above.
Abraham, styled “the friend,”
Chapter XI.—Continuation. Lot.
On account of his hospitality and godliness, Lot was
saved out of Sodom when all the country round was punished by means of
fire and brimstone, the Lord thus making it manifest that He does not
forsake those that hope in Him, but gives up such as depart from Him to
punishment and torture. So Joseph.,
Antiq., i. 11. 4; Irenæus, Adv. Hær., iv.
31. Literally,
“become a judgment and sign.”
Chapter XII.—The Rewards of Faith and Hospitality. Rahab.
On account of her faith and hospitality, Rahab the
harlot was saved. For when spies were sent by Joshua, the son of
Nun, to Jericho, the king of the country ascertained that they were
come to spy out their land, and sent men to seize them, in order that,
when taken, they might be put to death. But the hospitable Rahab
receiving them, concealed them on the roof of her house under some
stalks of flax. And when the men sent by the king arrived and
said, “There came men unto thee who are to spy out our land;
bring them forth, for so the king commands,” she answered them,
“The two men whom ye seek came unto me, but quickly departed
again and are gone,” thus not discovering the spies to
them. Then she said to the men, “I know assuredly that the
Lord your God hath given you this city, for the fear and dread of you
have fallen on its inhabitants. When therefore ye shall have
taken it, keep ye me and the house of my father in safety.”
And they said to her, “It shall be as thou hast spoken to
us. As soon, therefore, as thou knowest that we are at hand, thou
shalt gather all thy family under thy roof, and they shall be
preserved, but all that are found outside of thy dwelling shall
perish.” Others of the
fathers adopt the same allegorical interpretation, e. g., Justin
Mar., Dial. c. Tryph., n. 111; Irenæus, Adv.
Hær., iv. 20.
Let us therefore, brethren, be of humble mind, laying
aside all haughtiness, and pride, and foolishness, and angry feelings;
and let us act according to that which is written (for the Holy Spirit
saith, “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the
mighty man glory in his might, neither let the rich man glory in his
riches; but let him that glorieth glory in the Lord, in diligently
seeking Him, and doing judgment and righteousness” Comp.
Chapter XIV.—We Should Obey God Rather Than the Authors of Sedition.
It is right and holy therefore, men and brethren, rather
to obey God than to follow those who, through pride and sedition, have
become the leaders of a detestable emulation. For we shall incur
no slight injury, but rather great danger, if we rashly yield ourselves
to the inclinations of men who aim at exciting strife and
tumults, I. εἰς
αἱρέσεις (sects).
Chapter XV.—We Must Adhere to Those Who Cultivate Peace, Not to Those Who Merely Pretend to Do So.
Let us cleave, therefore, to those who cultivate peace
with godliness, and not to those who hypocritically profess to desire
it. For [the Scripture] saith in a certain place, “This
people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from
me.” I. ἔψεξαν (blamed). These words
within brackets are not found in the ms., but
have been inserted from the Septuagint by most editors.
Chapter XVI.—Christ as an Example of Humility.
For Christ is of those who are humble-minded, and not of
those who exalt themselves over His flock. Our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Sceptre of the majesty of God, did not come in the pomp of pride or
arrogance, although He might have done so, but in a lowly condition, as
the Holy Spirit had declared regarding Him. For He says,
“Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of
the Lord revealed? We have declared [our message] in His
presence: He is, as it were, a child, and like a root in thirsty
ground; He has no form nor glory, yea, we saw Him, and He had no form
nor comeliness; but His form was without eminence, yea, deficient in
comparison with the [ordinary] form of men. He is a man exposed
to stripes and suffering, and acquainted with the endurance of
grief: for His countenance was turned away; He was despised, and
not esteemed. He bears our iniquities, and is in sorrow for our
sakes; yet we supposed that [on His own account] He was exposed to
labour, and stripes, and affliction. But He was wounded for our
transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. The Latin of
Cotelerius, adopted by Hefele and Dressel, translates this clause as
follows: “I will set free the wicked on account of His
sepulchre, and the rich on account of His death.” The reading of
the ms., is τῆς πληγῆς,
“purify, or free Him, from stripes.” We have adopted
the emendation of Junius. Wotton reads,
“If He make.” Or,
“fill Him with understanding,” if πλῆσαι should be
read instead of πλάσαι as Grabe
suggests.
Chapter XVII.—The Saints as Examples of Humility.
Let us be imitators also of those who in goat-skins and
sheep-skins I. ὑπηρεσίας
(service). This is not found in
Scripture.
Chapter XVIII.—David as an Example of Humility.
But what shall we say concerning David, to whom such
testimony was borne, and of whom Or, as some render
“to whom.” “Wash
me.…” and following verses omitted in I. Or, “when Thou
judgest.” Literally, “in
my inwards.” Literally,
“bloods.”
Chapter XIX.—Imitating These Examples, Let Us Seek After Peace.
Thus the humility and godly submission of so great and
illustrious men have rendered not only us, but also all the generations
before us, better; even as many as have received His oracles in fear
and truth. Wherefore, having so many great and glorious examples
set before us, let us turn again to the practice of that peace which
from the beginning was the mark set before us; Literally,
“Becoming partakers of many great and glorious deeds, let us
return to the aim of peace delivered to me from the
beginning.” Comp.
Chapter XX.—The Peace and Harmony of the Universe.
The heavens, revolving under His government, are subject
to Him in peace. Day and night run the course appointed by Him,
in no wise hindering each other. The sun and moon, with the
companies of the stars, roll on in harmony according to His command,
within their prescribed limits, and without any deviation. The
fruitful earth, according to His will, brings forth food in abundance,
at the proper seasons, for man and beast and all the living beings upon
it, never hesitating, nor changing any of the ordinances which He has
fixed. The unsearchable places of abysses, and the indescribable
arrangements of the lower world, are restrained by the same laws.
The vast unmeasurable sea, gathered together by His working into
various basins, Or,
“collections.” I. μεταπροδιδόασι
(transfer from one to another). Or
“stations.”
Chapter XXI.—Let Us Obey God, and Not the Authors of Sedition.
Take heed, beloved, lest His many kindnesses lead to the
condemnation of us all. [For thus it must be] unless we walk
worthy of Him, and with one mind do those things which are good and
well-pleasing in His sight. For [the Scripture] saith in a
certain place, “The Spirit of the Lord is a candle searching the
secret parts of the belly.” I. omits
“Christ.” Comp. Or, “the
presbyters.” I. σιγῆς (silence). I. προσκλήσεις
(summonses). Comp. Some translate,
“who turn to Him.”
Chapter XXII.—These Exhortations are Confirmed by the Christian Faith, Which Proclaims the Misery of Sinful Conduct.
Now the faith which is in Christ confirms all these
[admonitions]. For He Himself by the Holy Ghost thus addresses
us: “Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you
the fear of the Lord. I. omits rest of
quotation as far us “Many,” etc.
Chapter XXIII.—Be Humble, and Believe that Christ Will Come Again.
The all-merciful and beneficent Father has bowels [of
compassion] towards those that fear Him, and kindly and lovingly
bestows His favours upon those who come to Him with a simple
mind. Wherefore let us not be double-minded; neither let our soul
be lifted Or, as some render,
“neither let us have any doubt of.” Some regard these
words as taken from an apocryphal book, others as derived from a fusion
of I. omits.
Chapter XXIV.—God Continually Shows Us in Nature that There Will Be a Resurrection.
Let us consider, beloved, how the Lord continually
proves to us that there shall be a future resurrection, of which He has
rendered the Lord Jesus Christ I. omits
“Christ.” Comp. I. κατὰ
καιρόν (in due season). I. λάβωμεν (let us
take). Comp. I. adds ἓκαστον τῶν
σπερμάτων (the
seeds severally.)
Chapter XXV.—The Phœnix an Emblem of Our Resurrection.
Let us consider that wonderful sign [of the
resurrection] which takes place in eastern lands, that is, in Arabia
and the countries round about. There is a certain bird which is
called a phœnix. This is the only one of its kind, and lives
five hundred years. And when the time of its dissolution draws
near that it must die, it builds itself a nest of I. διανύει
(accomplishes its journey). I. omits ἐπιπτὰς (on the wing,
flying). This fable
respecting the phœnix is mentioned by Herodotus (ii. 73), and by
Pliny (Nat. Hist., x. 2). and is used as above by Tertullian
(De Resurr., § 13), and by others of the
fathers.
Chapter XXVI.—We Shall Rise Again, Then, as the Scripture Also Testifies.
Do we then deem it any great and wonderful thing for the
Maker of all things to raise up again those that have piously served
Him in the assurance of a good faith, when even by a bird He shows us
the mightiness of His power to fulfil His promise? Literally, “the
mightiness of His promise.” Comp.
Chapter XXVII.—In the Hope of the Resurrection, Let Us Cleave to the Omnipotent and Omniscient God.
Having then this hope, let our souls be bound to Him who
is faithful in His promises, and just in His judgments. He who
has commanded us not to lie, shall much more Himself not lie; for
nothing is impossible with God, except to lie. Comp. Or
“majesty.” Comp. Literally, “if
the heavens,” etc. I. omits.
Chapter XXVIII.—God Sees All Things: Therefore Let Us Avoid Transgression.
Since then all things are seen and heard [by God], let
us fear Him, and forsake those wicked works which proceed from
evil I. βλαβεράς
(hurtful). Literally,
“abominable lusts of evil deeds.” I. σὺ ἐκεῖ
εἶ (Thou art there).
Chapter XXIX.—Let Us Also Draw Near to God in Purity of Heart.
Let us then draw near to Him with holiness of spirit,
lifting up pure and undefiled hands unto Him, loving our gracious and
merciful Father, who has made us partakers in the blessings of His
elect. Literally, “has
made us to Himself a part of election.” Literally,
“sowed abroad.” Formed apparently from
Chapter XXX.—Let Us Do Those Things that Please God, and Flee from Those He Hates, that We May Be Blessed.
Seeing, therefore, that we are the portion of the Holy
One, I. ἅγια μέρη (holy
parts.) Some translate,
“youthful lusts.” I. omits. I. omits. I. ἐδόθη (was given).
Chapter XXXI.—Let Us See by What Means We May Obtain the Divine Blessing.
Let us cleave then to His blessing, and consider what
are the means Literally, “what
are the ways of His blessing.” Literally,
“unroll.” Comp. Some translate,
“knowing what was to come.” So Jacobson:
Wotton reads, “fleeing from his brother.”
Chapter XXXII.—We are Justified Not by Our Own Works, But by Faith.
Whosoever will candidly consider each particular, will
recognise the greatness of the gifts which were given by him. The meaning here
is very doubtful. Some translate, “the gifts which were
given to Jacob by Him,” i.e. God. ms. αὐτῶν, referring to the
gifts: we have followed the emendation αὐτοὔ, adopted by most
editors. Some refer the word to God, and not
Jacob. Comp. I. τάξει (rank). I. omits.
Chapter XXXIII.—But Let Us Not Give Up the Practice of Good Works and Love. God Himself is an Example to Us of Good Works.
What shall we do, I. ἐροῦμιν (shall we say). Or,
“commandment.” I. προετοιμάσας
(having previously prepared). Or, “in addition
to all.” Or, “let us
consider.”
Chapter XXXIV.—Great is the Reward of Good Works with God. Joined Together in Harmony, Let Us Implore that Reward from Him.
The good servant Or,
“labourer.” I. πιστεύοντας
(believing). The text here seems to
be corrupt. Some translate, “He warns us with all His heart
to this end, that,” etc. I. γῆ (earth). I. ἀγαπῶσιν (love).
Chapter XXXV.—Immense is This Reward. How Shall We Obtain It?
How blessed and wonderful, beloved, are the gifts of
God! Life in immortality, splendour in righteousness, truth in
perfect confidence, Some translate,
“in liberty.” Or, “of the
ages.” I. ὁ δημιοῦργος
τῶν αἰώνων
καὶ ποτὴρ
πανάγιος (the Creator
Eternal and Father All-Holy.) I. τὰ ἀγαθά (good
things) added. I. πονηρίαν
(wickedness). I. omits πλεονεξία
(covetousness). The reading is
doubtful: some have ἀφιλοξενίαν,
“want of a hospitable spirit.” Literally,
“didst run with.” Literally, “did
weave.” Or, “layest a
snare for.” I. omit
“σὺ δὲ
ἐμίσησας...ὁ
ῥυόμενος
Chapter XXXVI.—All Blessings are Given to Us Through Christ.
This is the way, beloved, in which we find our
Saviour, Literally, “that
which saves us.” Or, “rejoices to
behold.” Or, “knowledge
of immortality.” Some render, “to
the Son.” Some read, “who
oppose their own will to that of God.”
Chapter XXXVII.—Christ is Our Leader, and We His Soldiers.
Let us then, men and brethren, with all energy act the
part of soldiers, in accordance with His holy commandments. Let
us consider those who serve under our generals, with what order,
obedience, I. ἑκτικῶς (habitually). Literally, “in
these there is use.” Literally, “all
breathe together.” Literally, “use
one subjection.”
Chapter XXXVIII.—Let the Members of the Church Submit Themselves, and No One Exalt Himself Above Another.
Let our whole body, then, be preserved in Christ
Jesus; I. omits
“Jesus.” Literally,
“according as he has been placed in his charism.” I. τημελείτω
(attend to). Comp. The ms. is here slightly torn, and we are left to
conjecture. Comp.
Foolish and inconsiderate I omits καὶ
ἀσύνετοι (and without
understanding). Literally, “and
silly and uninstructed.” Literally, “a
breath.” Or, “has
perceived.” Some render,
“they perished at the gates.”
Chapter XL.—Let Us Preserve in the Church the Order Appointed by God.
These things therefore being manifest to us, and since
we look into the depths of the divine knowledge, it behoves us to do
all things in [their proper] order, which the Lord has commanded us to
perform at stated times. Some join κατὰ
καιροὺς
τεταγμένους,
“at stated times,” to the next sentence. Literally, “to
His will.”
Chapter XLI.—Continuation of the Same Subject.
Let every one of you, brethren, give thanks I. εὐαρεστείτω
(be well-pleasing). Or,
“consider.”
Chapter XLII.—The Order of Ministers in the Church.
The apostles have preached the gospel to us
from Or, “by the
command of.” A. “the
Christ,” I. “Christ.” I. omits. Literally, “both
things were done.” Or, “confirmed
by.” Or, “having
tested them in spirit.” Or,
“overseers.” Or,
“servants.”
Chapter XLIII.—Moses of Old Stilled the Contention Which Arose Concerning the Priestly Dignity.
And what wonder is it if those in Christ who were
entrusted with such a duty by God, appointed those [ministers] before
mentioned, when the blessed Moses also, “a faithful servant in
all his house,” Literally,
“every tribe being written according to its name.” See
Chapter XLIV.—The Ordinances of the Apostles, that There Might Be No Contention Respecting the Priestly Office.
Our apostles also knew, through our Lord Jesus Christ,
that there would be strife on account of the office Literally, “on
account of the title of the oversight ” Some understand
this to mean, “in regard to the dignity of the episcopate;”
and others simply, “on account of the oversight.” I.
for ἐπινομή gives ἐπιδομή Bryennius conjectures ἐπιδοχή, which perhaps, may
be rendered “Succession” (διαδοχή). The meaning of this
passage is much controverted. Some render, “left a list of
other approved persons;” while others translate the unusual word
έπινομὴ, which causes the
difficulty, by “testamentary direction,” and many others
deem the text corrupt. We have given what seems the simplest
version of the text as it stands. i.e. the
apostles. Or,
“oversight.” Literally,
“presented the offerings.”
Chapter XLV.—It is the Part of the Wicked to Vex the Righteous.
Ye are fond of contention, brethren, and full of zeal
about things which do not pertain to salvation. Look carefully
into the Scriptures, which are the true utterances of the Holy
Spirit. Observe Or, “Ye
perceive.” Or,
“For.” Literally,
“worshipped.” Literally,
“serve.” Or, “lifted
up.” I. ἔγγραφοι
(inscribed).
Chapter XLVI.—Let Us Cleave to the Righteous: Your Strife is Pernicious.
Such examples, therefore, brethren, it is right that we
should follow; Literally, “to
such examples it is right that we should cleave.” Not found in
Scripture. Literally,
“be.” Or, “thou wilt
overthrow.” Or,
“war.” Comp. Comp. This clause is wanting
in the text. This clause is wanting
in the text. Comp.
Chapter XLVII.—Your Recent Discord is Worse Than the Former Which Took Place in the Times of Paul.
Take up the epistle of the blessed Apostle Paul.
What did he write to you at the time when the gospel first began to be
preached? Literally, “in
the beginning of the gospel.” Or,
“spiritually.” Or,
“inclinations for one above another.” I. προσκλήσεις
(summonses) throughout for προσκλίσεις. Literally, “of
conduct in Christ.” I. ἀγάπη (love). Or,
“aliens from us,” i.e. the Gentiles.
Chapter XLVIII.—Let Us Return to the Practice of Brotherly Love.
Let us therefore, with all haste, put an end Literally,
“remove.” Literally,
“becoming merciful.”
Chapter XLIX—The Praise of Love.
Let him who has love in Christ keep the commandments of
Christ. Who can describe the [blessed] bond of the love of
God? What man is able to tell the excellence of its beauty, as it
ought to be told? The height to which love exalts is
unspeakable. Love unites us to God. Love covers a multitude
of sins. Comp.
Chapter L.—Let Us Pray to Be Thought Worthy of Love.
Ye see, beloved, how great and wonderful a thing is
love, and that there is no declaring its perfection. Who is fit
to be found in it, except such as God has vouchsafed to render
so? Let us pray, I. gives indicative
mood. I. εὑρεθῶμεν
(may be found). Literally,
“visitation.” I. θεοῦ (God). Or,
“good.”
Chapter LI.—Let the Partakers in Strife Acknowledge Their Sins.
Let us therefore implore forgiveness for all those
transgressions which through any [suggestion] of the adversary we have
committed. And these who have been the leaders of sedition and
disagreement ought to have respect Or, “look
to.” Or,
“righteously.” I. ἄνθρωπον (man).
Chapter LII.—Such a Confession is Pleasing to God.
The Lord, brethren, stands in need of nothing; and He
desires nothing of any one except that confession be made to Him.
I. omits from
Or,
“sacrifice.”
Chapter LIII.—The Love of Moses Towards His People.
Ye understand, beloved, ye understand well the sacred
Scriptures, and ye have looked very earnestly into the oracles of
God. Call then these things to your remembrance. When Moses
went up into the mount, and abode there, with fasting and humiliation,
forty days and forty nights, the Lord said unto him, “Moses,
Moses, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people whom thou didst
bring out of the land of Egypt have committed iniquity. They have
speedily departed from the way in which I commanded them to walk, and
have made to themselves molten images.” Or,
“mighty.” I. δεσπότης
(master). Literally, “be
wiped out.”
Chapter LIV.—He Who is Full of Love Will Incur Every Loss, that Peace May Be Restored to the Church.
Who then among you is noble-minded? who compassionate?
who full of love? Let him declare, “If on my account
sedition and disagreement and schisms have arisen, I will depart, I
will go away whithersoever ye desire, and I will do whatever the
majority Literally, “the
multitude.” I. ἐν
Χριστῷ (in Christ). Or,
“receive.”
Chapter LV.—Examples of Such Love.
To bring forward some examples I. ὑπομνήματα
(memorials). Literally, “and
having received their prices, fed others.” I. omits δεσπότην
(Lord).
Chapter LVI.—Let Us Admonish and Correct One Another.
Let us then also pray for those who have fallen into any
sin, that meekness and humil Literally,
“there shall be to them a fruitful and perfect remembrance, with
compassions both towards God and the saints.” Or “they
unite.” I. κύριος (Lord). Literally,
“hand.” Literally,
“err” or “sin.” I. βλέπετε
πόσος (ye see how great). I. (δεσπότου)
πατὴρ
γὰρ ἀγαθὸς
ὤν (being a good father). I. ἐλεηθῆναι (be
pitied).
Chapter LVII.—Let the Authors of Sedition Submit Themselves.
Ye therefore, who laid the foundation of this sedition,
submit yourselves to the presbyters, and receive correction so as to
repent, bending the knees of your hearts. Learn to be subject,
laying aside the proud and arrogant self-confidence of your
tongue. For it is better for you that ye should occupy Literally, “to
be found small and esteemed.” Literally, “His
hope.” I. adds οτενοχωρία
(straits). Here begins the
lacuna in the old text referred to in the Introduction.
The newly discovered portion of the Epistle extends from this point to
the end of Chap. lxiii.
Chapter LVIII.—Submission the Precursor of Salvation.
Let us, therefore, flee from the warning threats pronounced by Wisdom on the disobedient, and yield submission to His all-holy and glorious name, that we may stay our trust upon the most hallowed name of His majesty. Receive our counsel, and ye shall be without repentance. For, as God liveth, and as the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost live,—both the faith and hope of the elect, he who in lowliness of mind, with instant gentleness, and without repentance hath observed the ordinances and appointments given by God—the same shall obtain a place and name in the number of those who are being saved through Jesus Christ, through whom is glory to Him for ever and ever. Amen.
If, however, any shall disobey the words spoken by Him
through us, let them know that they will involve themselves in
transgression and serious danger; but we shall be innocent of this sin,
and, instant in prayer and supplication, shall desire that the Creator
of all preserve unbroken the computed number of His elect in the whole
world through His beloved Son Jesus Christ, through whom He called us
from darkness to light, from ignorance to knowledge of the glory of His
name, our hope resting on Thy name which is primal cause of every
creature,—having opened the eyes of our heart to the knowledge of
Thee, who alone “dost rest highest among the highest, holy among
the holy,” I. gives ἀσεβεῖς (ungodly) where
ἀσθενεῖς (sick) is
substituted.
Chapter LX.—Prayer Continued.
Thou didst make to appear the enduring fabric of the
world by the works of Thy hand; Thou, Lord, didst create the earth on
which we dwell,—Thou, who art faithful in all generations, just
in judgments, wonderful in strength and majesty, with wisdom creating
and with understanding fixing the things which were made, who art good
among them that are being saved σωζομένοις
is the emendation of Harnack for ὁρωμένοις
(seen).
Chapter LXI.—Prayer Continued—For Rulers and Governors. Conclusion.
To our rulers and governors on the earth—to them Thou, Lord, gavest the power of the kingdom by Thy glorious and ineffable might, to the end that we may know the glory and honour given to them by Thee and be subject to them, in nought resisting Thy will; to them, Lord, give health, peace, concord, stability, that they may exercise the authority given to them without offence. For Thou, O heavenly Lord and King eternal, givest to the sons of men glory and honour and power over the things that are on the earth; do Thou, Lord, direct their counsel according to that which is good and well-pleasing in Thy sight, that, devoutly in peace and meekness exercising the power given them by Thee, they may find Thee propitious. O Thou, who only hast power to do these things and more abundant good with us, we praise Thee through the High Priest and Guardian of our souls Jesus Christ, through whom be glory and majesty to Thee both now and from generation to generation and for evermore. Amen.
Chapter LXII.—Summary and Conclusory—Concerning Godliness.
Concerning the things pertaining to our religious
observance which are most profitable for a life of goodness to those
who would pursue a godly and righteous course, we have εὐαριστεῖν
is emendation for εὐχαριστεῖν
(give thanks).
Chapter LXIII.—Hortatory, Letter Sent by Special Messengers.
Right is it, therefore, to approach examples so good and so many, and submit the neck and fulfil the part of obedience, in order that, undisturbed by vain sedition, we may attain unto the goal set before us in truth wholly free from blame. Joy and gladness will ye afford us, if ye become obedient to the words written by us and through the Holy Spirit root out the lawless wrath of your jealousy according to the intercession which we have made for peace and unity in this letter. We have sent men faithful and discreet, whose conversation from youth to old age has been blameless amongst us,—the same shall be witnesses between you and us. This we have done, that ye may know that our whole concern has been and is that ye may be speedily at peace.
Chapter LXIV.—Blessings Sought for All that Call Upon God.
May God, who seeth all things, and who is the Ruler of
all spirits and the Lord of all flesh—who chose our Lord Jesus
Christ and us through Him to be a peculiar Comp.
Chapter LXV.—The Corinthians are Exhorted Speedily to Send Back Word that Peace Has Been Restored. The Benediction.
Send back speedily to us in peace and with joy these our
messengers to you: Claudius Ephebus and Valerius Bito, with
Fortunatus; that they may the sooner announce to us the peace and
harmony we so earnestly desire and long for [among you], and that we
may the more quickly rejoice over the good order re-established among
you. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, and with all
everywhere that are the called of God through Him, by whom be to Him
glory, honour, power, majesty, and eternal dominion, Literally, “an
eternal throne.” Literally, “from
the ages to the ages of ages.”
————————————
[From Vol. VII., p. 515 of the Ante-Nicene Fathers.]
The first certain reference which is made by any early writer to this so-called Epistle of Clement is found in these words of Eusebius (Hist. Eccl., iii. 38): “We must know that there is also a second Epistle of Clement. But we do not regard it as being equally notable with the former, since we know of none of the ancients that have made use of it.” Several critics in modern times have endeavoured to vindicate the authenticity of this epistle. But it is now generally regarded. as one of the many writings which have been falsely ascribed to Clement. Besides the want of external evidence, indicated even by Eusebius in the above extract, the diversity of style clearly points to a different writer from that of the first epistle. A commonly accepted opinion among critics at the present day is, that this is not an epistle at all, but a fragment of one of the many homilies falsely ascribed to Clement. There can be no doubt, however, that in the catalogue of writings contained in the Alexandrian ms. it is both styled an epistle, and, as well as the other which accompanies it, is attributed to Clement. As the ms. is certainly not later than the fifth century, the opinion referred to must by that time have taken firm root in the Church; but in the face of internal evidence, and in want of all earlier testimony, such a fact goes but a small way to establish its authenticity.
————————————
The second epistle differs from
the first in several respects. The range of Scriptural quotation
is wider, the quotations of the first epistle being taken mainly from
the Septuagint version of the Old Testament. The attitude of the
writer is in accordance with this fact; it is distinctively
Gentile. For example, Chapter XII. contains a report of words
purporting to have been spoken by the Lord; these, Clemens Alexandrinus
states, are taken from the Apocryphal Gospel according to the
Egyptians, not now extant. The reference in Chapter XIV. to the
spiritual church, recalling
The conclusion of the second epistle, as in the recently discovered ms., goes to establish the speculation made before this ms. was discovered, that it is a homily to be read in churches.
The Second Epistle of
Clement. No title, not even a
letter, is preserved in A. I. inserts “Clement’s
(Epistle) to the Corinthians II.”
————————————
Chapter I.—We Ought to Think Highly of Christ.
Brethren, it is fitting that you
should think of Jesus Christ as of God,—as the Judge of the
living and the dead. And it does not become us to think lightly
of our salvation; for if we think little of Him, we shall also hope but
to obtain little [from Him]. And those of us who hear carelessly
of these things, as if they were of small importance, commit sin, not
knowing whence we have been called, and by whom, and to what place, and
how much Jesus Christ submitted to suffer for our sakes. What
return, then, shall we make to Him, or what fruit that shall be worthy
of that which He has given to us? For, indeed, how great are the
benefits Literally, “holy
things.” Comp. Literally,
“lame.” I. πονηροί (wicked). Literally, “of
men.” Literally,
“being full of such darkness in our sight.” Literally,
“having beheld in us much error and destruction.” Comp. Literally,
“willed us from not being to be.”
Chapter II.—The Church, Formerly Barren, is Now Fruitful.
“Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break
forth and cry, thou that travailest not; for she that is desolate hath
many more children than she that hath an husband.” Some render,
“should not cry out, like women in travail.” The text
is doubtful. I. ἐκκακῶμεν
(faint). It has been remarked
that the writer here implies he was a Gentile. I. Κύριος (Lord). Comp. Literally,
“already perishing.”
Chapter III.—The Duty of Confessing Christ.
Since, then, He has displayed so great mercy towards us,
and especially in this respect, that we who are living should not offer
sacrifices to gods that are dead, or pay them worship, I. omits. I. τῆς
ἀληθείας (of
truth). Literally, “what
is the knowledge which is towards Him.” Comp.
Chapter IV.—True Confession of Christ.
Let us, then, not only call Him Lord, for that will not
save us. For He saith, “Not every one that saith to me,
Lord, Lord, shall be saved, but he that worketh
righteousness.” Some read,
“God.” Or, “with
me.” The first part of this
sentence is not found in Scripture; for the second comp.,
Chapter V.—This World Should Be Despised.
Wherefore, brethren, leaving [willingly] our sojourn in
this present world, let us do the will of Him that called us, and not
fear to depart out of this world. For the Lord saith, “Ye
shall be as lambs in the midst of wolves.” No such conversation
is recorded in Scripture. Or, “Let not the
lambs fear.” Or,
“know.” The text and
translation are here doubtful.
Chapter VI.—The Present and Future Worlds are Enemies to Each Other.
Now the Lord declares, “No servant can serve two
masters.” Literally,
“speaks of.” Or, “enjoy.
” The ms. has, “we reckon.” Literally, “with
what confidence shall we.” Wake translates
“kingdom,” as if the reading had been βασιλείαν
; but the ms. has βασίλειον,
“palace.”
Chapter VII.—We Must Strive in Order to Be Crowned.
Wherefore, then, my brethren, let us struggle with all
earnestness, knowing that the contest is [in our case] close at hand,
and that many undertake long voyages to strive for a corruptible
reward; Literally, “that
many set sail for corruptible contests,” referring probably to
the concourse at the Isthmian games. Or, “Let us
place before us.” Or, “set
sail.” Literally,
“know.” Literally, “if
he be found corrupting.” Baptism is probably
meant.
Chapter VIII.—The Necessity of Repentance While We are on Earth.
As long, therefore, as we are upon earth, let us
practise repentance, for we are as clay in the hand of the
artificer. For as the potter, if he make a vessel, and it be
distorted or broken in his hands, fashions it over again; but if he
have before this cast it into the furnace of fire, can no longer find
any help for it: so let us also, while we are in this world,
repent with our whole heart of the evil deeds we have done in the
flesh, that we may be saved by the Lord, while we have yet an
opportunity of repentance. For after we have gone out of the
world, no further power of confessing or repenting will there belong to
us. Wherefore, brethren, by doing the will of the Father, and
keeping the flesh holy, and observing the commandments of the Lord, we
shall obtain eternal life. For the Lord saith in the Gospel,
“If ye have not kept that which was small, who will commit to you
the great? For I say unto you, that he that is faithful in that
which is least, is faithful also in much.” Comp. ms. has “we,” which is corrected by all editors
as above. I. ἀπολάβητε. Some have thought this
a quotation from an unknown apocryphal book, but it seems rather an
explanation of the preceding words.
Chapter IX.—We Shall Be Judged in the Flesh.
And let no one of you say that this very flesh shall not
be judged, nor rise again. Consider ye in what [state] ye were
saved, in what ye received sight, Literally,
“looked up.” The ms. has εἷς, “one,” which Wake
follows, but it seems clearly a mistake for ὡς. I. λόγος (word).
Chapter X.—Vice is to Be Forsaken, and Virtue Followed.
Wherefore, my brethren, let us do the will of the Father
who called us, that we may live; and let us earnestly Literally,
“rather.” Literally,
“malice, as it were, the precursor of our sins.” Some
deem the text corrupt. Literally,
according to the ms., “it is not possible
that a man should find it who are”—the passage being
evidently corrupt. I. ἀνάπαυσιν
(rest).
Chapter XI.—We Ought to Serve God, Trusting in His Promises.
Let us therefore serve God with a pure heart, and we
shall be righteous; but if we do not serve Him, because we believe not
the promise of God, we shall be miserable. For the prophetic word
also declares, “Wretched are those of a double mind, and who
doubt in their heart, who say, All these things I. πάλαι (long ago). The same words occur
in Clement’s first epistle, chap. xxiii.
Chapter XII.—We are Constantly to Look for the Kingdom of God.
Let us expect, therefore, hour by hour, the kingdom of
God in love and righteousness, since we know not the day of the
appearing of God. For the Lord Himself, being asked by one when
His kingdom would come, replied, “When two shall be one, that
which is without as that which is within, and the male with the female,
neither male nor female.” These words are
quoted (Clem. Alex., Strom., iii. 9, 1.) from the Gospel
according to the Egyptians, no longer extant. Here the piece
formerly broke off. From this point to the end the text of
Gebhardt, Harnack, Zahn has been followed. Comp.
Chapter XIII.—God’s Name Not to Be Blasphemed.
Brethren, then, let us now at length repent, let us
soberly turn to that which is good; for we are full of abundant folly
and wickedness. Let us wipe out from us our former sins, and
repenting from the heart be saved; and let us not be men-pleasers, nor
be willing to please one another only, but also the men without, for
righteousness sake, that the name may not be, because of us,
blasphemed. For the Lord saith, “Continually my name is
blasphemed among all nations,” and “Wherefore my name is
blasphemed; blasphemed in what? In your not doing the things
which I wish.”
Chapter XIV.—The Church Spiritual.
So, then, brethren, if we do the will of our Father God,
we shall be members of the first church, the spiritual,—that
which was created before sun and moon; but if we shall not do the will
of the Lord, we shall come under the Scripture which saith, “My
house became a den of robbers.” Comp. i.e., The Old
Testament.
Chapter XV.—He Who Saves and He Who is Saved.
I think not that I counted trivial counsel concerning
continence; following it, a man will not repent thereof, but will save
both himself and me who counselled.
Chapter XVI.—Preparation for the Day of Judgment.
So, then, brethren, having received no small occasion to
repent, while we have opportunity, let us turn to God who called us,
while yet we have One to receive us. For if we renounce these
indulgences and conquer the soul by not fulfilling its wicked desires,
we shall be partakers of the mercy of Jesus. Know ye that the
day
Chapter XVII.—Same Subject Continued.
Let us, then, repent with our whole heart, that no one
of us may perish amiss. For if we have commands and engage in
withdrawing from idols and instructing others, how much more ought a
soul already knowing God not to perish. Rendering, therefore,
mutual help, let us raise the weak also in that which is good, that all
of us may be saved and convert one another and admonish. And not
only now let us seem to believe and give heed, when we are admonished
by the elders; i.e., Presbyters. This passage proves
this so-called Epistle to be a homily.
Chapter XVIII.—The Author Sinful, Yet Pursuing.
And let us, then, be of the number of those who give thanks, who have served God, and not of the ungodly who are judged. For I myself, though a sinner every whit and not yet fleeing temptation but continuing in the midst of the tools of the devil, study to follow after righteousness, that I may make, be it only some, approach to it, fearing the judgment to come.
Chapter XIX.—Reward of the Righteous, Although They May Suffer.
So then, brothers and sisters, Indicative of the
approaching close. Bryennius interprets
this to refer to the Scripture-lesson. Either the
Scripture-lesson or the homily.
Chapter XX.—Godliness, Not Gain, the True Riches.
But let it not even trouble your mind, that we see the
unrighteous possessed of riches and the servants of God
straitened. Let us, therefore, brothers and sisters, believe; in
a trial of the living God we strive and are exercised in the present
life, that we may obtain the crown in that which is to come. No
one of the righteous received fruit speedily, but waiteth for it.
For if God tendered the reward of the righteous in a trice, straightway
were it commerce that we practised, and not godliness. For it
were as if we were righteous by following after not godliness but gain;
and for this reason the divine judgment baffled Some take the aorist
here used to be the iterative aorist of proverbs and, therefore,
translated by the present tense.
To the only God, invisible, Father of truth, who sent forth to us the Saviour and Author of immortality, through whom He also manifested to us the truth and the heavenly life, to Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
of
Aristides the Philosopher
Translated from the Greek and from the Syriac Version
in
Parallel Columns.
by
D. M. Kay, B.Sc., B.D.,
Assistant to the Professor of Semitic Languages in the University of Edinburgh.
The Apology of Aristides.
————————————
Introduction.
————————————
The Church Histories, hitherto in dealing with early Christian literature, have given Aristides along with Quadratus the first place in the list of lost apologists. It was known that there had been such early defenders of the faith, and that Quadratus had seen persons who had been miraculously healed by Christ; but beyond this little more could be said. To Justin Martyr, who flourished about a.d. 150, belonged the honour of heading the series of apologists whose works are extant, viz., Tatian, Melito, Athenagoras, Theophilus, the author of the Epistle to Diognetus, who all belonged to the second century and wrote in Greek; and Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Arnobius, and Lactantius, who wrote in Latin, and Clement and Origen who wrote in Greek, during the third century. While Christianity was winning its way to recognition in the Roman empire, these writers tried to disprove the gross calumnies current about Christians, to enlighten rulers and magistrates as to the real character and conduct of the adherents of the new religion, and to remove the prejudice which led to the violent persecutions of the populace. They also endeavoured to commend Christianity to “the cultured among its despisers,” by showing that it is philosophy as well as revelation, that it can supply the answers sought by philosophy, and is unlike human wisdom in being certain because divinely revealed. At the same time they demonstrated the folly of polytheism and pointed out its disastrous effects on morality. This faithful company of the defenders of the faith has now regained Aristides as their leader in place of Justin Martyr. It will be well to recount briefly what was previously known about Aristides, and to tell how the lost Apology has been found.
Eusebius, in his History of the Church, written during the reign of Constantine, a.d. 306–337, has a chapter (bk. iv., c. 3) headed “The authors that wrote in defence of the faith in the reign of Hadrian, a.d. 117–138.” After describing and quoting the Apology of Quadratus, he adds:
“Aristides also, a man faithfully devoted to the religion we profess, like Quadratus, has left to posterity a defence of the faith, addressed to Hadrian. This work is also preserved by a great number, even to the present day.”
The same Eusebius in his Chronicon states that the Emperor Hadrian visited Athens in the eighth year of his reign (i.e., a.d. 125 ) and took part in the Eleusinian mysteries. In the same connection the historian mentions the presentation of Apologies to the Emperor by Quadratus and Aristides, “an Athenian philosopher;” and implies that Hadrian was induced by these appeals, coupled with a letter from Serenius Granianus, proconsul of Asia, to issue an Imperial rescript forbidding the punishment of Christians without careful investigation and trial.
About a century later Jerome (died a.d. 420) tells us that Aristides was a philosopher of Athens, that he retained his philosopher’s garb after his conversion to Christianity, and that he presented a defence of the faith to Hadrian at the same time as Quadratus. This Apology, he says, was extant in his day, and was largely composed of the opinions of philosophers (“contextum philosophorum sententiis”), and was afterwards imitated by Justin Martyr.
After this date Aristides passes out of view. In
the mediæval martyrologies there is a faint reflection of the
earlier testimony, as, e.g., the 31st of August is given as the
saint’s
In the seventeenth century there were rumours that the missing Apology of Aristides was to be found in various monastic libraries in Greece; and Spon, a French traveller, made a fruitless search for it. The book had apparently disappeared for ever.
But in recent times Aristides has again “swum into our ken.” Armenian literature, which has done service to Christendom by preserving so many of its early documents, supplied also the first news of the recovery of Aristides. In the Mechitarite convent of S. Lazarus at Venice there is a body of Armenian monks who study Armenian and other literature. In 1878 these Armenians surprised the learned world by publishing a Latin translation of an Armenian fragment (the first two chapters) of the lost Apology of Aristides. Renan at once set it down as spurious because it contained theological terms of a later age, e.g., “bearer of God” applied to the Virgin Mary. These terms were afterwards seen to be due to the translator. At what time the translation from Greek into Armenian was made is not apparent; but it may reasonably be connected with the work begun by the famous Armenian patriarch Mesrobes. This noble Christian invented an alphabet for his country, established schools, and sent a band of young Armenians to Edessa, Athens, and elsewhere with instructions to translate into Armenian the best sacred and classical books. And in spite of Mohammedans and Turks Armenia has remained Christian, and now restores to the world the treasures committed to its keeping in the early centuries.
Opinions as to the Armenian fragment of Aristides
remained undecided till 1889. In the spring of that year
Professor J. Rendel Harris, of Cambridge, had the honour of discovering
a Syriac version of the whole Apology in the library of the Convent of
St. Catharine, on Mount Sinai. He found the Apology of Aristides
among a collection of Syriac treatises of an ethical character; and he
refers the ms. to the seventh century.
Professor Harris has translated the Syriac into English, and has
carefully edited the Syriac text with minute discussions of every point
of interest. Texts and
Studies. Contributions to Biblical and Patristic
Literature. Edited by J. A. Robinson, B.D. Vol. i., No. 1,
the Apology of Aristides, edited and translated by J. Rendel
Harris, M.A., with an Appendix by J. A. Robinson, B.D. (Cambridge
University Press.)
The recovery of the Syriac version by Professor Harris placed the genuineness of the Armenian fragment beyond question. It also led to the strange reappearance of the greater part of the original Greek. Professor J. A. Robinson, the general editor of the Cambridge Texts and Studies, having read the translation of the Syriac version, discovered that the Apology of Aristides is incorporated in the early Christian Romance entitled, The Life of Barlaam and Josaphat.
Some account must be given of this remarkable book in order to show its connection with the Apology of Aristides. Its author is said to be John of Damascus, who died about a.d. 760. Whoever wrote it, the book soon became very popular. In the East it was translated into Arabic, Ethiopic, Armenian, and Hebrew; in the West there are versions of it in nearly a dozen languages, including an English metrical rendering. As early as 1204 a king of Norway had it translated into Icelandic. It is now known to be the story of Buddha in a Christian setting, furnished with fables and parables which have migrated from the far East and can be traced back to an extreme antiquity.
The outline of the story is as follows: A king in India, Abenner by name, who is an enemy of the Christians, has an only son Josaphat (or Joasaph). At his birth the astrologers predict that he will become great, but will embrace the new doctrine. To prevent this, his father surrounds the prince with young and beautiful attendants, and takes care that Josaphat shall see nothing of illness, old age, or death. At length Josaphat desires his freedom, and then follow the excursions as in the case of Buddha. Josaphat seeing so much misery possible in life is sunk in despair. In this state he is visited by a Christian hermit—Barlaam by name. Josaphat is converted to Christianity, and Barlaam withdraws again to the desert.
To undo his son’s conversion the king arranges
that a public disputation shall be held; one of the king’s sages,
Nachor by name, is to personate Barlaam and to make a very weak
statement of the Christian case, and so be easily refuted by the court
orators. When the day comes, the prince Josaphat charges Nachor,
the fictitious monk, to do his best on pain of torture. Thus
stimulated, Nachor begins, and “like Balaam’s ass he spake
that which
The speech of Nachor in Greek, that is to say, the greater part of the original Greek of the Apology of Aristides, has been extracted from this source by Professor Robinson and is published in Texts and Studies, Vol. I., so that there is now abundant material for making an estimate of Aristides.
It may be asked whether we have in any of our three
sources the actual words of Aristides. The circumstances under
which the Apology was incorporated in The Life of Barlaam and
Josaphat are such as to render it unlikely that the author of the
Romance should copy with the faithfulness of a scribe; but examination
proves that very few modifications hare been made. The Greek
divides men into three races (the Syriac and Armenian into four); the
introductory accounts of these races are in the Greek blended with the
general discussion; and at the close the description of early Christian
customs is shortened. These few differences from the Syriac are
all explained by the fact that the Apology had to be adapted to the
circumstances of an Indian court in a later age. On the other
hand, when the Syriac is compared. with the Greek and Armenian in
passages where these two agree, it is found that explanatory clauses
are added; and there is throughout a cumbrous redundancy of pronouns in
the Syriac. In short, the actual words of Aristides may be
restored with tolerable certainty—a task which has been already
accomplished by a German scholar, Lic. Edgar Hennecke. Die
Apologie des Aristides. Recension und Rekonstruktion des Textes, von Lic. Edgar
Hennecke. (Die Griechischen Apologeten: Heft
3.)
In regard to the date of Aristides, Eusebius says expressly that the Apology was presented to Hadrian while he was in Athens about the year a.d. 125. The only ground for questioning this statement is the second superscription given in the Syriac version, which implies that the Apology was presented to Antoninus Pius, a.d. 138–161. This heading is accepted by Professor Harris as the true one; and he assigns the Apology to “the early years of the reign of Antoninus Pius; and it is at least conceivable,” he adds, “that it may have been presented to the Emperor along with other Christian writings during an unrecorded visit of his to his ancient seat of government at Smyrna.” But this requires us to suppose that Eusebius was wrong; that Jerome copied his error; that the Armenian version curiously fell into the same mistake; and that the Syriac translator is at this point exceptionally faithful. So perhaps it is better with Billius, “not to trust more in one’s own suspicions, than in Christian charity which believeth all things,” and to rest in the comfortable hypothesis that Eusebius spoke the truth.
Writing in a.d. 125, or even twenty years later, Aristides becomes an important witness as to the nature of early Christianity. His Apology contains no express quotation from Scripture; but the Emperor is referred for information to a gospel which is written. Various echoes of New Testament expressions will at once be recognized; and “the language moulding power of Christianity” is discernible in the new meaning given to various classical words. Some topics are conspicuous by their absence. Aristides has no trace of ill-feeling to the Jews; no reference to the Logos doctrine, nor to the distinctive ideas of the Apostle Paul; he has no gnosticism or heresy to denounce, and he makes no appeal to miracle and prophecy. Christianity, in his view, is worthy of a philosophic emperor because it is eminently reasonable, and gives an impulse and power to live a good life. On the whole, Aristides represents that type of Christian practice which is found in the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles; and to this he adds a simple Christian philosophy which may be compared with that of St. Paul at Athens. Although the details about the elements and the heathen gods are discussed with tedious minuteness, still his closing section describing the lives of the early Christians should always be good reading.
The translation of the Syriac given here is
independently made from the Syriac text, edited by Professor
Harris The Cambridge
Texts and Studies, vol. i., No. 1. Texte und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der Altchristlichen
Litteratur, Gebhardt und Harnack, IX. Band, Heft
1. The Cambridge
Texts and Studies, vol. i., No. 1.
as it is preserved in the history of
Barlaam and Josaphat.
Translated from the Greek.
————————————
I. I, O King in the providence of God came into the world; and when I had considered the heaven and the earth, the sun and the moon and the rest, I marvelled at their orderly arrangement.
And when I saw that the universe and all that is therein is moved by necessity, I perceived that the mover and controller is God.
For everything which causes motion is stronger than that which is moved, and that which controls is stronger than that which is controlled.
The self-same being, then, who first established and now
controls the universe—him do I affirm to be God who is without
beginning and without end,
Through Him too all things consist. He requires not sacrifice and libation nor anyone of the things that appear to sense; but all men stand in need of Him.
II. Having thus spoken concerning God, so far as
it was possible for me to speak of Him, The Greek might be
rendered, “so far as there was room for me to speak of
Him,” i.e., the attributes of the Deity are not further relevant
to the discussion—as the translator into Syriac takes it.
The Armenian adopts the other meaning, viz., the theme is beyond
man’s power to discuss. As translated by F. C. Conybeare,
the Armenian is in these words: “Now by the grace of God it
was given me to speak wisely concerning Him. So far as I have
received the faculty I will speak, yet not according to the measure of
the inscrutability of His greatness shall I be able to do so, but by
faith alone do I glorify and adore Him.”
For it is clear to us, O King, The “King”
in the Greek is Abenner, the father of Josaphat; in the Syriac, as in
the Greek originally, he is the Roman Emperor, Hadrian. The Armenian and
Syriac agree in giving four races, which was probably the original
division. To a Greek, men were either Greeks or Barbarians; to a
Greek Christian it would seem necessary to add two new peoples, Jews
and Christians. The Greek calls the Barbarians
“Chaldæans.” This change of classification is
probably the cause of the omission in the Greek of the preliminary
accounts of the four classes. The Greek blends the summaries with
the fuller accounts.
The Chaldæans, then, not knowing God went astray after the elements and began to worship the creation more than their Creator.
And of these they formed certain shapes and styled them
a representation of the heaven and the earth and the sea, of the sun
too and the moon and the other primal bodies or luminaries. And
they shut them up together in shrines, and worship them, calling them
gods, even though they have to guard them securely for fear they should
be stolen by robbers. And they did not perceive that anything
which acts as guard is greater than that which is guarded, and that he
who makes is greater than that which is made. For if their gods
are unfit to look after their own safety, how shall they bestow
protection upon others? Great
And it occurs to me as surprising, O King, how it is that their so-called philosophers have quite failed to observe that the elements themselves are perishable. And if the elements are perishable and subject to necessity, how are they gods? And if the elements are not gods, how do the images made in their honour come to be gods?
IV. Let us proceed then, O King, to the elements themselves that we may show in regard to them that they are not gods, but perishable and mutable, produced out of that which did not exist at the command of the true God, who is indestructible and immutable and invisible; yet He sees all things and as He wills, modifies and changes things. What then shall I say concerning the elements?
They err who believe that the sky is a god. For we see that it revolves and moves by necessity and is compacted of many parts, being thence called the ordered universe (Kosmos). Now the universe is the construction of some designer; and that which has been constructed has a beginning and an end. And the sky with its luminaries moves by necessity. For the stars are carried along in array at fixed intervals from sign to sign, and, some setting, others rising, they traverse their courses in due season so as to mark off summers and winters, as it has been appointed for them by God; and obeying the inevitable necessity of their nature they transgress not their proper limits, keeping company with the heavenly order. Whence it is plain that the sky is not a god but rather a work of God.
They erred also who believed the earth to be a
goddess. For we see that it is despitefully used and tyrannized
over by men, and is furrowed and kneaded and becomes of no
account. For, if it be burned with fire, it becomes devoid of
life; for nothing will grow from the ashes. Besides if there fall
upon it an excess of rain it dissolves away,
V. They also erred who believed the water to be a god. For it, too, has been made for the use of men, and is controlled by them; it is defiled and destroyed and suffers change on being boiled and dyed with colours; and it is congealed by the frost, and polluted with blood, and is introduced for the washing of all unclean things. Wherefore it is impossible that water should be a god, but it is a work of God.
They also err who believe that fire is a god. For fire was made for the use of men, and it is controlled by them, being carried about from place to place for boiling and roasting all kinds of meat, and even for (the burning of) dead bodies. Moreover it is extinguished in many ways, being quenched through man’s agency. So it cannot be allowed that fire is a god, but it is a work of God.
They also err who think the blowing of the winds is a goddess. For it is clear that it is under the dominion of another; and for the sake of man it has been designed by God for the transport of ships and the conveyance of grain and for man’s other wants. It rises too and falls at the bidding of God, whence it is concluded that the blowing of the winds is not a goddess but only a work of God.
VI. They also err who believe the
Besides it has its part in common with the rest of the stars, and is much smaller than the sky; it suffers eclipse of its light and is not the subject of its own laws. Wherefore it is concluded that the sun is not a god, but only a work of God. They also err who believe that the moon is a goddess. For we see that it moves by necessity and revolves and passes from sign to sign, setting and rising for the benefit of men; and it is less than the sun and waxes and wanes and has eclipses. Wherefore it is concluded that the moon is not a goddess but a work of God.
VII. They also err who believe that man “I do not think
it out of place here to mention Antinous of our day [a slave of the
Emperor Hadrian], whom all, not withstanding they knew who and whence
he was, yet affected to worship as a god.”—Justin Martyr
quoted in Eusebius Hist. Bk. IV., c. 8.
Great therefore is the error into which the Chaldæans wandered, following after their own desires.
For they reverence the perishable elements and lifeless images, and do not perceive that they themselves make these things to be gods.
VIII. Let us proceed then to the Greeks, that we
may see whether they have any discernment concerning God. The
Greeks, indeed, though they call themselves wise proved more deluded
than the Chaldæans in alleging that many gods have come into
being, some of them The passage in
brackets occurs earlier in “Barlaam and Josaphat,” and is
restored to its place by J. A. Robinson.
Wherefore, O King, they are ridiculous and absurd and impious tales that the Greeks have introduced, giving the name of gods to those who are not gods, to suit their unholy desires, in order that, having them as patrons of vice, they might commit adultery and robbery and do murder and other shocking deeds. For if their gods did such deeds why should not they also do them?
So that from these misguided practices it has been the lot of mankind to have frequent wars and slaughters and bitter captivities.
IX. But, further, if we be minded to discuss their
gods individually, you will see how great is the absurdity; for
instance, how Kronos is brought forward by them as a god above all, and
they sacrifice their own children to him. And he had many sons by
Rhea, and in his madness devoured his own offspring. And they say
that Zeus cut off his members and cast them into the sea, whence
Aphrodite is said in fable to be engendered. Zeus, then, having
bound his own father, cast him
Next Zeus is introduced, and they say that he was king of their gods, and that he changed himself into animals that he might debauch mortal women.
For they allege that he transformed himself into a bull for Europe, and into gold for Danae, and into a swan for Leda, and into a satyr for Antiope, and into a thunderbolt for Semele. Then by these there were many children, Dionysos and Zethus and Amphion and Herakles and Apollo and Artemis and Perseus, Kastor and Helenes and Polydeukes and Minos and Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon, and the nine daughters whom they called the Muses. Then too they bring forward statements about the matter of Ganymedes.
Hence it happened, O King, to mankind to imitate all these things and to become adulterous men and lascivious women, and to be workers of other terrible iniquities, through the imitation of their god. Now how is it possible that a god should be an adulterer or an obscene person or a parricide?
X. Along with him, too, they bring forward one Hephaistos as a god, and they say that he is lame and wields a hammer and tongs, working as a smith for his living.
Is he then badly off? But it cannot be admitted that a god should be a cripple, and besides be dependent on mankind.
Then they bring forward Hermes as a god, representing
him to be lust
They also bring forward Asklepios as a god who is a doctor and prepares drugs and compounds plasters for the sake of a living. For he was badly off. And afterwards he was struck, they say, with a thunderbolt by Zeus on account of Tyndareos, son of Lacedaimon; and so was killed. Now if Asklepios in spite of his divinity could not help himself when struck by lightning, how will he come to the rescue of others?
Again Ares is represented as a god, fond of strife and given to jealousy, and a lover of animals and other such things. And at last while corrupting Aphrodite, he was bound by the youthful Eros and by Hephaistos. How then was he a god who was subject to desire, and a warrior, and a prisoner and an adulterer?
They allege that Dionysos also is a god who holds nightly revels and teaches drunkenness, and carries off the neighbours’ wives, and goes mad and takes to flight. And at last he was put to death by the Titans. If then Dionysos could not save himself when he was being killed, and besides used to be mad, and drunk with wine, and a fugitive, how should he be a god?
They allege also that Herakles got drunk and went mad and cut the throats of his own children, then he was consumed by fire and so died. Now how should he be a god, who was drunk and a slayer of children and burned to death? or how will he come to the help of others, when he was unable to help himself?
XI. They represent Apollo also as a jealous god, and besides as the master of the bow and quiver, and sometimes of the lyre and flute, and as divining to men for pay? Can he then be very badly off? But it cannot be admitted that a god should be in want, and jealous, and a harping minstrel.
Even Aphrodite herself they affirm to be a goddess who is adulterous. For at one time she had Ares as a paramour, and at another time Anchises and again Adonis, whose death she also laments, feeling the want of her lover. And they say that she even went down to Hades to purchase back Adonis from Persephone. Did you ever see, O King, greater folly than this, to bring forward as a goddess one who is adulterous and given to weeping and wailing?
And they represent that Adonis is a hunter god, who came to a violent end, being wounded by a wild boar and having no power to help himself in his distress. How then will one who is adulterous and a hunter and mortal give himself any concern for mankind?
All this and much more of a like nature, and even far more disgraceful and offensive details, have the Greeks narrated, O King, concerning their gods;—details which it is not proper either to state or for a moment to remember. And hence mankind, taking an impulse from their gods, practised all lawlessness and brutality and impiety, polluting both earth and air by their awful deeds.
XII. The Egyptians, again, being
For originally they worshipped Isis, who had Osiris as
brother and husband. He was slain by his own brother Typhon; and
therefore Isis with Horos her son fled for refuge to Byblus in Syria,
mourning for Osiris with bitter lamentation, until Horos grew up and
slew Typhon. So that neither had Isis power to help her own
brother and husband; nor could Osiris defend himself when he was being
slain by Typhon; nor did Typhon, the slayer of his brother, when he was
perishing at the hands of Horos and Isis, find means to rescue himself
from death. And though they were revealed in their true character
by such mishaps, they were believed to be very gods by the simple
Egyptians, who were not satisfied even with these or the other deities
of the nations, but brought forward also brute creatures as gods.
For some of them worshipped the sheep, and some the goat; another tribe
(worshipped) the bull and the pig; others again, the raven and the
hawk, and the vulture and the eagle; and others the crocodile; and some
the cat and the dog, and the wolf and the ape, and the dragon and the
asp; and others the onion and the garlic and thorns and other created
things. And the poor creatures do not perceive about all these
that they are utterly helpless. For though they see their gods
eaten by men of other tribes, and burnt as offerings and
XIII. So the Egyptians and the Chaldæans and the Greeks made a great error in bringing forward such beings as gods, and in making images of them, and in deifying dumb and senseless idols.
And I wonder how they saw their gods sawn out and hacked and docked by the workmen, and besides aging with time and falling to pieces, and being cast from metal, and yet did not discern concerning them that they were not gods.
For when they have no power to see to their own safety, how will they take forethought for men?
But further, the poets and philosophers, alike of the Chaldæans and the Greeks and the Egyptians, while they desired by their poems and writings to magnify the gods of their countries, rather revealed their shame, and laid it bare before all men. For if the body of man while consisting of many parts does not cast off any of its own members, but preserving an unbroken unity in all its members, is harmonious with itself, how shall variance and discord be so great in the nature of God?
For if there had been a unity of nature among the gods,
then one god ought not to have pursued or slain or injured
another. And if the gods were pursued by gods, and slain, and
kidnapped and struck with lightning by them, then there is no longer
any unity of nature, but
But how did the wise and erudite men of the Greeks not observe that inasmuch as they make laws for themselves they are judged by their own laws? For if the laws are righteous, their gods are altogether unrighteous, as they have committed transgressions of laws, in slaying one another, and practising sorceries, and adultery and thefts and intercourse with males. If they were right in doing these things, then the laws are unrighteous, being framed contrary to the gods. Whereas in fact, the laws are good and just, commending what is good and forbidding what is bad. But the deeds of their gods are contrary to law. Their gods, therefore, are lawbreakers, and all liable to the punishment of death; and they are impious men who introduce such gods. For if the stories about them be mythical, the gods are nothing more than mere names; and if the stories be founded on nature, still they who did and suffered these things are no longer gods; and if the stories be allegorical, they are myths and nothing more.
It has been shown then, O King, that all these polytheistic objects of worship are the works of error and perdition. For it is not right to give the name of gods to beings which may be seen but cannot see; but one ought to reverence the invisible and all-seeing and all-creating God.
XIV. Let us proceed then, O King, to the Jews
also, that we may see what truth there is in their view of God.
For they were descendants of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and migrated
to Egypt. And thence God brought them forth with a mighty hand
and an uplifted arm through Moses, their lawgiver; and by many wonders
and signs He made known His power to them. But even they
And they perished by their own transgression; for to this day they worship the one God Almighty, but not according to knowledge. For they deny that Christ is the Son of God; and they are much like to the heathen, even although they may seem to make some approach to the truth from which they have removed themselves. So much for the Jews.
XV. Now the Christians This, the
“Christological” passage, occurs earlier in the
Syriac. Chap. II.
And these are they who more than The Armenian agrees
with the Greek against the Syriac. “Uná cum Spiritu
Sancto” Arm.
If they see a stranger, they take him under their roof, and rejoice over him as over a very brother; for they call themselves brethren not after the flesh but after the spirit.
And they are ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of Christ; for they observe His commands without swerving, and live holy and just lives, as the Lord God enjoined upon them.
And they give thanks unto Him every hour, for all meat and drink and other blessings.
The reference is to
Josaphat, son of Abenner, who was taught to be a Christian by the monk
Barlaam.
XVII. Thus far, O King, extends my discourse to
you, which has been dictated in my mind by the Truth. Nachor, the fictitious
monk who represented Barlaam, intended to make a weak defence of
Christianity, but, according to the story, he was constrained to speak
what he had not intended. It is evidently the author’s
intention to make it an instance of “suggestio verborum” or
plenary inspiration, in the case of the fictitious monk.
The Apology of Aristides the Philosopher.
Translated from the Syriac.
————————————
Aristedes.
Here follows the defence which Aristides the philosopher made before Hadrian the King on behalf of reverence for God.
…All-powerful Cæsar Titus Hadrianus
Antoninus, venerable and merciful, from Marcianus Aristides, an
Athenian philosopher. The
superscription seems to be duplicate in the Syriac. It is absent
from the Greek as we have it; the Armenian has “To the Emperor
Cæsar Hadrian from Aristides.” Various explanations
are offered. (a) Both emperors, as colleagues, may be
meant. In support of this the Syriac adjectives for
“venerable and merciful” are marked plural; the phrase
“Your majesty” occurring later has a plural suffix; and two
Imperatives, “Take and read,” are plural. On the
other hand “O King” occurs constantly in the singular; and
the emperors were colleagues only for a few months in the year
a.d. 138. (b) The longer heading is the true
one—the shorter being due perhaps to a scribe who had a
collection of works to copy. In that case the word
“Hadrian” has been selected from the full title of
Antonine, and the two adjectives “venerable and merciful”
are proper names, Augustus Pius. (Harris.) (c) The shorter heading has the
support of Eusebius and the Armenian version; and the translator into
Syriac may have amplified. (***) Almighty is separated from the word
for “God” by a pause, and is not an attribute which a
Christian would care to apply to a Roman emperor. παντοκράτωρ
may have been confounded with αὐ
τοκράτωρ. Raabe
supplies *** giving the sense “qui imperium (postatem)
habet,” as an epithet of Cæsar. If *** ="Renewed, or
dedicated again to…Antoninus Pius,” could be read, both
headings might be retained.
I. I, O King, by the grace of God came into this world; and when I had considered the heaven and the earth and the seas, and had surveyed the sun and the rest of creation, I marvelled at the beauty of the world. And I perceived that the world and all that is therein are moved by the power of another; and I understood that he who moves them is God, who is hidden in them, and veiled by them. And it is manifest that that which causes motion is more powerful than that which is moved. But that I should make search concerning this same mover of all, as to what is his nature (for it seems to me, he is indeed unsearchable in his nature), and that I should argue as to the constancy of his government, so as to grasp it fully,—this is a vain effort for me; for it is not possible that a man should fully comprehend it. I say, however, concerning this mover of the world, that he is God of all, who made all things for the sake of mankind. And it seems to me that this is reasonable, that one should fear God and should not oppress man.
I say, then, that God is not born, not made, an
ever-abiding nature without beginning and without The Armenian adds,
“For that which is subject to this distinction is moved by
passions.”
II. Since, then, we have addressed you concerning God, so far as our discourse can bear upon him, let us now come to the race of men, that we may know which of them participate in the truth of which we have spoken, and which of them go astray from it.
This is clear to you, O King, that there are four classes of men in this world:—Barbarians and Greeks, Jews and Christians. The Barbarians, indeed, trace the origin of their kind of religion from Kronos and from Rhea and their other gods; the Greeks, however, from Helenos, who is said to be sprung from Zeus. And by Helenos there were born Aiolos and Xuthos; and there were others descended from Inachos and Phoroneus, and lastly from the Egyptian Danaos and from Kadmos and from Dionysos.
The Jews, again, trace the origin of their race from Abraham, who begat Isaac, of whom was born Jacob. And he begat twelve sons who migrated from Syria to Egypt; and there they were called the nation of the Hebrews, by him who made their laws; and at length they were named Jews.
Literally:
“a certain dispensation of his.” The Greek term
οἰκονομία,
“dispensation,” suggests to the translator into Syriac the
idea of the Incarnation, familiar, as it seems, by his time.
Professor Sachau reads the equivalent of θαυμαστή instead
of *** (τις). In the
translation given *** is taken adverbially = aliquamdiu.
So then there are, as I said above, four classes of men:—Barbarians and Greeks, Jews and Christians.
Moreover the wind is obedient to God, and fire to the
angels; the waters also to the demons and the earth to the sons of
men. This irrelevant
sentence is found in the Armenian version also, and therefore was
probably in the original Greek. It seems to be an obiter
dictum. Men fall into four groups, and, by the way, so do the
elements, air, fire, earth, and water; and the powers that govern
them. One quaternion suggests others.
III. Let us begin, then, with the Barbarians, and go on to the rest of the nations one after another, that we may see which of them hold the truth as to God and which of them hold error.
The Barbarians, then, as they did not apprehend God,
went astray among the elements, and began to worship things created
instead of their Creator; Cf.
IV. Let us turn now, O King, to the elements in themselves, that we may make clear in regard to them, that they are not gods, but a created thing, liable to ruin and change, which is of the same nature as man; whereas God is imperishable and unvarying, and invisible, while yet He sees, and overrules, and transforms all things.
Those then who believe concerning the earth that it is a
god have hitherto deceived themselves, since it is furrowed and set
with plants and trenched; and it takes in the filthy refuse of men and
beasts and cattle. And at times it becomes unfruitful, for if it
be burnt to ashes it becomes devoid of life, for nothing germinates
from an earthen jar. And besides if water be collected upon it,
it is dissolved together with its products. And it is trodden
under foot of men and beast, and receives the blood
V. In the same way, again, those erred who believed the waters to be gods. For the waters were created for the use of man, and are put under his rule in many ways. For they suffer change and admit impurity, and are destroyed and lose their nature while they are boiled into many substances. And they take colours which do not belong to them; they are also congealed by frost and are mingled and permeated with the filth of men and beasts, and with the blood of the slain. And being checked by skilled workmen through the restraint of aqueducts, they flow and are diverted against their inclination, and come into gardens and other places in order that they may be collected and issue forth as a means of fertility for man, and that they may cleanse away every impurity and fulfil the service man requires from them. Wherefore it is impossible that the waters should be a god, but they are a work of God and a part of the world.
In like manner also they who believed that fire is a god erred to no slight extent. For it, too, was created for the service of men, and is subject to them in many ways:—in the preparation of meat, and as a means of casting metals, and for other ends whereof your Majesty is aware. At the same time it is quenched and extinguished in many ways.
Again they also erred who believed the motion of the winds to be a god. For it is well known to us that those winds are under the dominion of another, at times their motion increases, and at times it fails and ceases at the command of him who controls them. For they were created by God for the sake of men, in order to supply the necessity of trees and fruits and seeds; and to bring over the sea ships which convey for men necessaries and goods from places where they are found to places where they are not found; and to govern the quarters of the world. And as for itself, at times it increases and again abates; and in one place brings help and in another causes disaster at the bidding of him who rules it. And mankind too are able by known means to confine and keep it in check in order that it may fulfil for them the service they require from it. And of itself it has not any authority at all. And hence it is impossible that the winds should be called gods, but rather a thing made by God.
VI. So also they erred who believed that the sun
VII. And those who believed of the men of the
past, that some of them were gods, they too were much mistaken.
For as you yourself allow, O King, man is constituted of the four
elements and of a soul and a spirit (and hence he is called a
microcosm), Or “and hence
the world also gets its name κόσμος.” The
Syriac is the equivalent of the Greek “διὸ καὶ
κόσμος
καλεῖται,” which
occurs (Chap. IV.) in discussing the supposed divinity of the sky or
heaven.
And hence, O King, we are bound to recognize the error of the Barbarians, that thereby, since they did not find traces of the true God, they fell aside from the truth, and went after the desire of their imagination, serving the perishable elements and lifeless images, and through their error not apprehending what the true God is.
VIII. Let us turn further to the Greeks also, that
we may know what opinion they hold as to the true God. The
Greeks, then, because they are more subtle than the Barbarians, have
gone further astray than the Barbarians; inasmuch as they have
introduced many fictitious gods, and have set up some of them as males
and some as females; and in that some of their gods were found who were
adulterers, and did murder, and were deluded, and envious, and wrathful
and passionate, and parricides, and thieves, and Professor
Nöldeke’s emendation, ***, in place of *** ="they were
reviled,” is adopted in the translation given.
IX. Let us proceed further to their account of
their gods that we may carefully demonstrate all that is said
above. First of all, the Greeks bring forward as a god Kronos,
that is to say Chiun Cf.
And after Kronos they bring forward another god
Zeus. And they say of him that he assumed the sovereignty, and
was king over all the gods. And they say that he changed himself
into a beast and other shapes in order to seduce mortal women, and to
raise up by them children for himself. Once, they say, he changed
himself into a bull through love of Europe and Pasiphae. Pasiphae’s
unnatural passion for Taurus is not in the Greek mythology charged to
Zeus. The visit of Zeus to
Semele (not Selene) is evidently referred to. Σελήνη Luna would give the
Syriac ***. Professor Rendel
Harris pronounces “Paludus” a vox nihili, and
explains its presence as due to a corrupt repetition of the preceding
Polydeuces. The Syriac word in the text suggests Pollux—the
Latin equivalent of Polydeuces. Clytemnestra is the name
required.
By reason of these tales, O King, much evil has arisen among men, who to this day are imitators of their gods, and practise adultery and defile themselves with their mothers and their sisters, and by lying with males, and some make bold to slay even their parents. For if he who is said to be the chief and king of their gods do these things how much more should his worshippers imitate him? And great is the folly which the Greeks have brought forward in their narrative concerning him. For it is impossible that a god should practise adultery or fornication or come near to lie with males, or kill his parents; and if it be otherwise, he is much worse than a destructive demon.
X. Again they bring forward as another god Hephaistos. And they say of him, that he is lame, and a cap is set on his head, and he holds in his hands firetongs and a hammer; and he follows the craft of iron working, that thereby he may procure the necessaries of his livelihood. Is then this god so very needy? But it cannot be that a god should be needy or lame, else he is very worthless.
And further they bring in another god and call him
Hermes. And they say that he is a thief, Adopting Professor
Harris’s emendation *** = κλέπτης instead of ***
= vir.
And after him they bring forward as another god Asklepios. And they say that he is a physician and prepares drugs and plaster that he may supply the necessaries of his livelihood. Is then this god in want? And at length he was struck with lightning by Dios on account of Tyndareos of Lacedæmon, and so he died. If then Asklepios were a god, and, when he was struck with lightning, was unable to help himself, how should he be able to give help to others? But that a divine nature should be in want or be destroyed by lightning is impossible.
And again they bring forward another as a god, and they call him Ares. And they say that he is a warrior, and jealous, and covets sheep and things which are not his. And he makes gain by his arms. And they say that at length he committed adultery with Aphrodite, and was caught by the little boy Eros and by Hephaistos the husband of Aphrodite. But it is impossible that a god should be a warrior or bound or an adulterer.
And again they say of Dionysos that he forsooth! is a god, who arranges carousals by night, and teaches drunkenness, and carries off women who do not belong to him. And at length, they say, he went mad and dismissed his handmaidens and fled into the desert; and during his madness he ate serpents. And at last he was killed by Titanos. If then Dionysos were a god, and when he was being killed was unable to help himself, how is it possible that he should help others?
Herakles next they bring forward and say that he is a
god, who hates detestable things, a tyrant, “Tyrant,”
***, seems out of place when connected with Herakles. Perhaps ***
= ebrius, which occurs at the close of the paragraph, should be read
here. Cf. also the Greek.
XI. And after him they bring forward another god and call him Apollon. And they say that he is jealous and inconstant, and at times he holds the bow and quiver, and again the lyre and plectron. And he utters oracles for men that he may receive rewards from them. Is then this god in need of rewards? But it is an insult that all these things should be found with a god.
Again they say of Aphrodite that she indeed is a goddess. And at times she dwells with their gods, but at other times she is a neighbour to men. And once she had Ares as a lover, and again Adonis who is Tammuz. Once also, Aphrodite was wailing and weeping for the death of Tammuz, and they say that she went down to Sheol that she might redeem Adonis from Persephone, who is the daughter of Sheol (Hades). If then Aphrodite is a goddess and was unable to help her lover at his death, how will she find it possible to help others? And this cannot be listened to, that a divine nature should come to weeping and wailing and adultery.
And again they say of Tammuz that he is a god. And he is, forsooth! a hunter and an adulterer. And they say that he was killed by a wound from a wild boar, without being able to help himself. And if he could not help himself, how can he take thought for the human race? But that a god should be an adulterer or a hunter or should die by violence is impossible.
Again they say of Rhea that she is the mother of their gods. And they say that she had once a lover Atys, and that she used to delight in depraved men. And at last she raised a lamentation and mourned for Atys her lover. If then the mother of their gods was unable to help her lover and deliver him from death, how can she help others? So it is disgraceful that a goddess should lament and weep and take delight in depraved men.
Again they introduce Kore and say that she is a goddess, and she was stolen away by Pluto, and could not help herself. If then she is a goddess and was unable to help herself how will she find means to help others? For a god who is stolen away is very powerless.
All this, then, O King, have the Greeks brought forward concerning their gods, and they have invented and declared it concerning them. And hence all men received an impulse to work all profanity and all defilements; and hereby the whole earth was corrupted.
XII. The Egyptians, moreover, because they are
And of Osiris also they say that he is a serviceable god. And he was killed by Typhon and was unable to help himself. But it is well known that this cannot be asserted of divinity. And further, they say of his brother Typhon that he is a god, who killed his brother and was killed by his brother’s son and by his bride, being unable to help himself. And how, pray, is he a god who does not save himself ?
As the Egyptians, then, were more stupid than the rest
of the nations, these and such like gods did not suffice for
them. Nay, but they even apply the name of gods to animals in
which there is no soul at all. For some of them worship the sheep
and others the calf; and some the pig and others the shad fish; and
some the crocodile and the hawk and the fish and the ibis and the
vulture and the eagle and the raven. Some of them worship the
cat, and others the turbotfish, some the dog, some the adder, and some
the asp, and others the lion; and others the garlic and onions and
thorns, and others the tiger and other such things. And the poor
creatures do not see that all these things are nothing, although they
daily witness their gods being eaten and consumed by men and also by
their fellows; while some of them are cremated,
XIII. But it is a marvel, O King, with regard to the Greeks, who surpass all other peoples in their manner of life and reasoning, how they have gone astray after dead idols and lifeless images. And yet they see their gods in the hands of their artificers being sawn out, and planed and docked, and hacked short, and charred, and ornamented, and being altered by them in every kind of way. And when they grow old, and are worn away through lapse of time, and when they are molten and crushed to powder, how, I wonder, did they not perceive concerning them, that they are not gods? And as for those who did not find deliverance for themselves, how can they serve the distress of men?
But even the writers and philosophers among them have wrongly alleged that the gods are such as are made in honour of God Almighty. And they err in seeking to liken (them) to God whom man has not at any time seen nor can see unto what He is like. Herein, too (they err) in asserting of deity that any such thing as deficiency can be present to it; as when they say that He receives sacrifice and requires burnt-offering and libation and immolations of men, and temples. But God is not in need, and none of these things is necessary to Him; and it is clear that men err in these things they imagine.
Further their writers and their philosophers represent
and declare that the nature of all their gods is one. And they
have not apprehended God our Lord who while He is one, is in all.
They err therefore. For if the body of a man while it is many in
its parts is not in dread, one member of another, but, since it is a
united body, wholly agrees with itself; even so also God is one in His
nature. A single essence is proper to Him, since He is uniform in
His nature and His essence; and He is not afraid of Himself. If
then the nature of the gods is one, it is not proper that a god should
either pursue or slay or harm a god. If, then, gods be pursued
and wounded by gods, and some be kidnapped and some struck dead by
lightning, it is obvious that the nature of their gods is not
one. And hence it is known, O King, that it is a mistake when
they reckon and bring the natures of their gods under a single
For behold! when the Greeks made laws they did not perceive that by their laws they condemn their gods. For if their laws are righteous, their gods are unrighteous, since they transgressed the law in killing one another, and practising sorcery, and committing adultery, and in robbing and stealing, and in lying with males, and by their other practises as well. For if their gods were right in doing all these things as they are described, then the laws of the Greeks are unrighteous in not being made according to the will of their gods. And in that case the whole world is gone astray.
For the narratives about their gods are some of them myths, and some of them nature-poems (lit: natural:—φυσικαί), and some of them hymns and elegies. The hymns indeed and elegies are empty words and noise. But these nature-poems, even if they be made as they say, still those are not gods who do such things and suffer and endure such things. And those myths are shallow tales with no depth whatever in them.
XIV. Let us come now, O King, to the history of the Jews also, and see what opinion they have as to God. The Jews then say that God is one, the Creator of all, and omnipotent; and that it is not right that any other should be worshipped except this God alone. And herein they appear to approach the truth more than all the nations, especially in that they worship God and not His works. And they imitate God by the philanthropy which prevails among them; for they have compassion on the poor, and they release the captives, and bury the dead, and do such things as these, which are acceptable before God and well-pleasing also to men,—which (customs) they have received from their forefathers.
XV. But the Christians, O King, while they went
about and made search, The same two words are
used of Isis. The Christians are unlike her in finding what they
sought. Cf.
Pliny’s letter to the Emperor Trajan, a.d. 112, “The Christians are wont to meet at dawn on
an appointed day, and to sing a hymn to Christ as
God.”
XVI. Such, O King, is the commandment of the law of the Christians, and such is their manner of life. As men who know God, they ask from Him petitions which are fitting for Him to grant and for them to receive. And thus they employ their whole lifetime. And since they know the loving-kindnesses of God toward them, behold! for their sake the glorious things which are in the world flow forth to view. And verily, they are those who found the truth when they went about and made search for it; and from what we considered, we learned that they alone come near to a knowledge of the truth. And they do not proclaim in the ears of the multitude the kind deeds they do, but are careful that no one should notice them; and they conceal their giving just as he who finds a treasure and conceals it. And they strive to be righteous as those who expect to behold their Messiah, and to receive from Him with great glory the promises made concerning them. And as for their words and their precepts, O King, and their glorying in their worship, and the hope of earning according to the work of each one of them their recompense which they look for in another world, you may learn about these from their writings. It is enough for us to have shortly informed your Majesty concerning the conduct and the truth of the Christians. For great indeed, and wonderful is their doctrine to him who will search into it and reflect upon it. And verily, this is a new people, and there is something divine (lit: a divine admixture) in the midst of them.
Take, then, their writings, and read therein, and lo! you will find that I have not put forth these things on my own authority, nor spoken thus as their advocate; but since I read in their writings I was fully assured of these things as also of things which are to come. And for this reason I was constrained to declare the truth to such as care for it and seek the world to come. And to me there is no doubt but that the earth abides through the supplication of the Christians. But the rest of the nations err and cause error in wallowing before the elements of the world, since beyond these their mental vision will not pass. And they search about as if in darkness because they will not recognize the truth; and like drunken men they reel and jostle one another and fall.
The Christian
Scriptures are previously referred to as a source of information, not
as containing difficulties. cf.
Now the Greeks, O King, as they follow base practises in intercourse with males, and a mother and a sister and a daughter, impute their monstrous impurity in turn to the Christians. But the Christians are just and good, and the truth is set before their eyes, and their spirit is long-suffering; and, therefore, though they know the error of these (the Greeks), and are persecuted by them, they bear and endure it; and for the most part they have compassion on them, as men who are destitute of knowledge. And on their side, they offer prayer that these may repent of their error; and when it happens that one of them has repented, he is ashamed before the Christians of the works which were done by him; and he makes confession to God, saying, I did these things in ignorance. And he purifies his heart, and his sins are forgiven him, because he committed them in ignorance in the former time, when he used to blaspheme and speak evil of the true knowledge of the Christians. And assuredly the race of the Christians is more blessed than all the men who are upon the face of the earth.
Henceforth let the tongues of those who utter vanity and harass the Christians be silent; and hereafter let them speak the truth. For it is of serious consequence to them that they should worship the true God rather than worship a senseless sound. And verily whatever is spoken in the mouth of the Christians is of God; and their doctrine is the gateway of light. Wherefore let all who are without the knowledge of God draw near thereto; and they will receive incorruptible words, which are from all time and from eternity. So shall they appear before the awful judgment which through Jesus the Messiah is destined to come upon the whole human race.
The Apology of Aristides the Philosopher is finished.
The Passion of the Scillitan Martyrs.
by
Andrew Rutherford, B.D.
Translation by Prof. J. A. Robinson. Introduction by A. R.
The Passion of the Scillitan Martyrs.
————————————
Introduction.
————————————
The Scillitan Martyrs were condemned and executed at Carthage on the 17th July, a.d. 180. The martyrs belonged to Scili, a place in that part of Numidia which belonged to proconsular Africa. The proconsul at the time, who is said by Tertullian to have been the first to draw the sword against the Christians there, was P. Vigellius Saturninus. The consuls for the year were Præsens II. and Condianus. Marcus Aurelius had died only a few months before.
The exact date of the martyrdom was long under dispute, and the question has recently arisen whether the Acts were originally written in Latin or Greek. Baronius placed the date as late as 202. The text had become corrupt in passing through various Latin and Greek versions and transcriptions, and it was long impossible to recognize the names of the consuls for the year in the first line of the piece. But M. Leon Renier conjectured that the word bis pointed to a consul’s name underlying the word preceding it, and suggested the year 180, when Præsens and Condianus were consuls. This conjecture was confirmed by Usener’s publication in 1881 of a Greek version from a ninth century ms. in the Bibliothèque Nationale at Paris, though even here the names, though recognizable, were in a corrupt form. Usener believed this version to be a translation from a Latin original, and his theory has been confirmed by Mr. Armitage Robinson’s discovery of a Latin ms. of the ninth century in the British Museum, containing the Acts of the Scillitan Martyrs in a form briefer than any of the other versions and believed to be the original. Mr. A. Robinson’s translation which follows, is from the Latin which he discovered, and which is printed in Texts and Studies, vol. i., No. 2.
The Passion of the Scillitan Martyrs.
————————————
When Præsens, for the second time, and Claudianus were the consuls, on the seventeenth day of July, at Carthage, there were set in the judgment-hall Speratus, Nartzalus, Cittinus, Donata, Secunda and Vestia.
Saturninus the proconsul said: Ye can win the indulgence of our lord the Emperor, if ye return to a sound mind.
Speratus said: We have never done ill, we have not lent ourselves to wrong, we have never spoken ill, but when ill-treated we have given thanks; because we pay heed to our Emperor.
Saturninus the proconsul said: We too are religious, and our religion is simple, and we swear by the genius of our lord the Emperor, and pray for his welfare, as ye also ought to do.
Speratus said: If thou wilt peaceably lend me thine ears, I can tell thee the mystery of simplicity.
Saturninus said: I will not lend mine ears to thee, when thou beginnest to speak evil things of our sacred rites; but rather swear thou by the genius of our lord the Emperor.
Speratus said: The empire of this world I know
not; but rather I serve that God, whom no man hath seen, nor with
these eyes can see.
Saturninus the proconsul said to the rest: Cease to be of this persuasion.
Speratus said: It is an ill persuasion to do murder, to speak false witness.
Saturninus the proconsul said: Be not partakers of this folly.
Cittinus said: We have none other to fear, save only our Lord God, who is in heaven.
Donata said: Honour to Cæsar as
Cæsar: but fear to God. Cf.
Vestia said: I am a Christian.
Secunda said: What I am, that I wish to be.
Saturninus the proconsul said to Speratus: Dost thou persist in being a Christian?
Speratus said: I am a Christian. And with him they all agreed.
Saturninus the proconsul said: Will ye have a space to consider?
Speratus said: In a matter so straightforward there is no considering.
Saturninus the proconsul said: What are the things in your chest?
Speratus said: Books and epistles of Paul, a just man.
Saturninus the proconsul said: Have a delay of thirty days and bethink yourselves.
Speratus said a second time: I am a Christian. And with him they all agreed.
Saturninus the proconsul read out the decree from the tablet: Speratus, Nartzalus, Cittinus, Donata, Vestia, Secunda and the rest having confessed that they live according to the Christian rite, since after opportunity offered them of returning to the custom of the Romans they have obstinately persisted, it is determined that they be put to the sword.
Speratus said: We give thanks to God.
Nartzalus said: To-day we are martyrs in heaven; thanks be to God.
Saturninus the proconsul ordered it to be declared by the herald: Speratus, Nartzalus, Cittinus, Veturius, Felix, Aquilinus, Lætantius, Januaria, Generosa, Vestia, Donata and Secunda, I have ordered to be executed.
They all said: Thanks be to God.
And so they all together were crowned with martyrdom; and they reign with the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever. Amen.
Epistle to Gregory
and
Origen’s Commentary
on the
Gospel of John.
by
Allan Menzies, D.D.
Commentaries of Origen.
————————————
Introduction.
————————————
For a general account of Origen and of his works we may refer to Dr. Crombie’s Life of Origen, in vol. iv. of this series (xxiii. in Clark’s issue). The principal facts of his career are as follows: He was born of Christian parents at Alexandria about the year 185 a.d., and from his earliest youth devoted himself to the study of Scripture in such a way as to suggest that he was destined for a great career. His father suffered martyrdom in the year 202, and Origen very soon afterwards succeeded the great Clement as head of the school at Alexandria. Thirteen years after, the persecution of Caracalla drove him from his own country to Cæsarea, where though still a layman he preached at church meetings. Recalled to Alexandria, he laboured there for fifteen years further as teacher and author, till in the year 231 his ordination at Cæsarea to the office of presbyter drew upon him the condemnation of the bishop of Alexandria and became the occasion of his permanent withdrawal from the place of his birth. At Cæsarea he now formed a new school of Christian training similar to that from which he had been driven. At this time, as well as in the earlier period of his life, he made various journeys to different parts of the world. His death was brought about by sufferings inflicted on him in the persecution of Decius, and took place at Tyre, probably in the year 254.
Part of the Commentary on John, the first great work of Christian interpretation, and part of that on Matthew, written by the father at a later period of his life, are here presented to the reader; and a few words of introduction may be added on Origen’s work as an expositor and on these two works in particular.
Though Origen was the first great interpreter of
Scripture in the Church, commentaries had been written before
his. He speaks of those who had preceded him in this activity;
and though but little survives of the labours of these earlier
expositors, we know that the work of commenting on Scripture was
zealously carried on in the Gnostic churches in the latter part of the
second century, and several of the older exegetes in the Church are
also known to us by name and reputation. Heracleon the Gnostic
commentator on John, who is often cited and often rather unfairly dealt
with by Origen, as he follows him over the same ground, belonged to the
Valentinian school. Many of his comments the reader will find to
be very just and shrewd; but the tenets of his school led him into many
extravagances. Of Pantænus, head of the catechetical school
at Alexandria in the end of the second and early years of the third
century, we hear that he interpreted many of the books of
Scripture. We also learn that he preceded Clement and Origen, his
successors in office, in the application of Gentile learning to
Christian studies; the broad and liberal tone of Alexandrian theology
may be due in part to his influence. Much of his exegetical work
was still extant in the days of Jerome, who, however, reports that he
did more for the Church as a teacher than as a writer. Only
fragments of his Commentaries now remain. In Clement’s
works, on the contrary, we find, if not any set commentaries, various
extended discussions of particular texts. We also find in him a
theory of Scripture, its inspiration and its nature, which is followed
also by Origen, and which determines the whole character of Alexandrian
exegesis. In accordance with the general tendency of that age,
which witnessed a reaction from the independence of philosophy and an
appeal in many quarters to the authority of ancient oracles and
writings, the Alexandrian school treats Scripture as an inspired and
infallible storehouse of truth,—of truth, however, not patent to
the simple reader, but requiring the spiritual man to discern its
mystic import. Clement discusses the question why divine things
are
In Origen we first find a great teacher who deliberately sets himself to the task of explaining Scripture. He became, at the early age of eighteen, the head of the catechetical school at Alexandria, an institution which not only trained catechumens but provided open lectures, on every part of Christian learning, and from that time to his death, at the age of sixty-nine, he was constantly engaged in the work of public exposition. At Alexandria his expositions took place in the school, but at Cæsarea they formed part of the church services, so that the reports of those belonging to the Cæsarean period provide us with the earliest examples we possess of the discourse at Christian meetings. In an activity which he practised so much Origen acquired extraordinary skill and facility, and gained the highest reputation, even beyond the limits of the Church. It is no wonder, therefore, if he succeeded in treating nearly the whole Bible in this way, a thing which might no doubt be said of many a Christian teacher since his day; for he was not one who was apt to repeat himself, but was constantly pressing on to break new ground.
But the reported homilies form only a part—and that not the most important part—of his exegetical works. What he gave in his homilies was necessarily designed for edification; it had to be plain enough to be understood by a mixed audience, and serviceable to their needs. Origen believed, however, that there was very much in Scripture that lay beyond the capacity of the ordinary mind, and that the highest way of treating Scripture was not that of practical application, but that of searching after its hidden sense. In the fourth book of his De Principiis (vol. x. of Clark’s set) he sets forth his views about the Scriptures. “As man,” he there says, “consists of body, soul, and spirit, so in the same way does Scripture, which has been arranged to be given by God for the salvation of man.” Scripture, therefore, has three senses, the bodily (somatic) or the obvious matter-of-fact sense, the psychical or moral sense, which serves for edification of the pious, and, highest of all, the spiritual sense. For this latter sense of Scripture Origen has many names,—as many as forty have been counted,—he calls it the heavenly sense, the intellectual, the anagogical, the mystic, the hidden. This is what chiefly engages his interest in the work of expounding. Scripture is to him full of mysteries, every jot and tittle has its secret, and to read these heavenly mysteries is the highest object of the interpreter. In addition, therefore, to his oral expositions (ὁμιλίαι) and the short notes (σημειώσεις) which are generally reckoned as a third class of his exegetical works, we have the written commentaries, books, or τόμοι of Origen, in which he discusses Scripture without being hampered by the requirements of edification, according to the method which alone he recognizes as adequate. He was enabled to devote himself to this labour by the generosity of a rich friend, Ambrosius, who urged him to undertake it, and provided funds for the payment of shorthand writers and copyists. We are told that seven of the former were at one time placed at his disposal. The work which he was thus led to undertake Origen felt to be very responsible and burdensome; it was not to be approached without fervent prayer, and he sometimes complains that it is too much for him, and that it is only the urgent commands of Ambrosius that make him go on with it. (See the opening chapters of the various books on John.)
What has been said will to some extent explain the
nature of these commentaries, parts
It may be stated here that the translators of Origen in this volume have sought to represent their author’s critical position with regard to Scripture by translating his Scripture quotations from his text. As he used the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, many of his quotations from that part of Scripture appear in a form unfamiliar to the English reader. In the New Testament, also, his text is also very different from that which afterwards prevailed in the Church.
The weakness of Origen as an interpreter is his want of historical feeling or of any conception of such a thing as growth or development in revelation. His mind slips incessantly away from the real scenes and events recorded in Scripture, to the ideal region where he conceives that the truths reside which these prefigure. Scripture is to him not a record of actual occurrences which took place as they are narrated, but a storehouse of types of heavenly things, which alone are real. He scoffs at the notion that historical facts should be regarded as the chief outcome of a Scripture narrative (John, book x. 15–17, pp. 389–394). When he does treat the facts as facts he has many a shrewd observation and many a beautiful application. But the facts are to a large extent in his way; they have to give place to something more important. He sees very well how the synoptic narratives clash with that of John; no better demonstration of this need be looked for than he gives in the tenth book of his John; from this, however, he infers not that the books must have had different sources of information, but that the literal meaning of the passages must be altogether disregarded, and their true purport looked for, not in the things of history, but in the things of the Spirit. The water-pots at the feast in Cana (De Principiis), the shoe latchet of the Saviour (John, book vi. 17), the ass and foal (John, book x. 18), each must receive a transcendent application.
It follows from this that the commentaries are deficient
in order and sequence. The method which calls the writer to look
at every step for spiritual meanings, combined with his own
extraordinary fertility of imagination and wealth of matter, makes
these books very disconnected. At each point a number of
questions suggests itself as to possible mean
Such being the characteristics of Origen’s commentaries, they have by many been regarded as unsuitable for the general reader, and unfavourably compared with those of later writers, to whom the interpretation of Scripture was not weighted with such difficulties as Origen had to contend with. Our author does not carry us along in his commentaries with a stream of golden eloquence; his interests are intellectual more than literary or practical, his work is scientific rather than popular. Perhaps the historical student has more to gain from them than the preacher. But among the pages which witness chiefly to restless intellectual energy and unwearied diligence, there are also many passages of rare and touching beauty, when the writer realizes the greatness of the Christian salvation, or when the heavenly things to the search for which all his labour is devoted shine by their own brightness on his sight.
The Commentaries on John are the earliest work of
Christian exegesis which has come down to us, and are therefore placed
in this volume before those on Matthew. The first five books on
John were written at Alexandria before Origen’s compulsory
withdrawal from that city to Cæsarea in 231. In chaps. 4 and
8 of the first book he speaks of this work as being the first fruits of
his activity as a writer on Holy Scripture. The sixth book, as he
tells us in vi. 1, had been begun at Alexandria, but the manuscript had
been left behind, so that a new beginning had to be made at
Cæsarea. The work was again interrupted by the persecution
of Maximian in 238; the volumes from the twenty-second to the last were
written after that date. At the end of the thirty-second volume,
which is the last we now possess, the writer has only reached
Two Latin translations of Origen’s John were made in the sixteenth century, one by Ambrosius Ferrarius of Milan from the Venice Codex, the other by Joachim Perionius.
The Commentaries on John and on Matthew are both
embraced in several manuscripts. Of those on John, Mr. A. E.
Brooke (Texts and Studies, vol. i. No. 4; The Fragments of
Heracleon, pp. 1–30; “the mss.
of Origen’s Commentaries on S. John”) enumerates eight or
nine. The Munich ms. of the thirteenth
century is the source of all the rest. Huet, the first editor
(1668), used the Codex Regius (Paris) of the sixteenth century, which
is in many passages mutilated and disfigured. The brothers
Delarue (1733–1759) used the mss.
Barberinus and Bodleianus, which are more complete, and Lommatzsch
(1831) follows his predecessors. The present translations are
from the text of Lommatzsch, which is in many places very
defective. Mr. Brooke’s
revised text of the Commentary of Origen on St. John’s Gospel (2
vols., Cambridge University Warehouse) appeared unfortunately too late
to be used in the preparation of this volume.
————————————
When and to whom the Learning derived from Philosophy may be of Service for the Exposition of the Holy Scriptures; with a lively Personal Appeal.
This letter to Gregory, afterwards bishop of
Cæsarea, and called Thaumaturgus, was preserved in the Philocalia,
or collection of extracts from Origen’s works drawn up by Gregory
of Nyssa and Basil of Cæsarea. It is printed by Delarue and
Lommatzsch in the forefront of their editions of the works. It
forms a good preface to the commentaries, as it shows how Origen
considered the study of Scripture to be the highest of all studies, and
how he regarded scientific learning, in which he was himself a master,
as merely preparatory for this supreme learning.
Dräseke Jahrbucher fur Prot. Theol. 1881, 1. See
Ante-Nicene Christian Library, vol. xx. (Clark).
1. Gregory is Urged to Apply His Gentile Learning to the Study of Scripture.
All hail to thee in God, most excellent and reverend Sir, son Gregory, from Origen. A natural quickness of understanding is fitted, as you are well aware, if it be diligently exercised, to produce a work which may bring its owner so far as is possible, if I may so express myself, to the consummation of the art the which he desires to practise, and your natural aptitude is sufficient to make you a consummate Roman lawyer and a Greek philosopher too of the most famous schools. But my desire for you has been that you should direct the whole force of your intelligence to Christianity as your end, and that in the way of production. And I would wish that you should take with you on the one hand those parts of the philosophy of the Greeks which are fit, as it were, to serve as general or preparatory studies for Christianity, and on the other hand so much of Geometry and Astronomy as may be helpful for the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures. The children of the philosophers speak of geometry and music and grammar and rhetoric and astronomy as being ancillary to philosophy; and in the same way we might speak of philosophy itself as being ancillary to Christianity.
2. This Procedure is Typified by the Story of the Spoiling of the Egyptians.
It is something of this sort perhaps that is
enigmatically indicated in the directions God is represented in the
Book of Exodus Reading with
Dräseke, ραφιδεόυτῶν,
συρραπτόντων
τῶν
ραφιδευτῶν.
3. Personal Appeal.
Do you then, sir, my son, study first of all the divine
Scriptures. Study them I say. For we require to study the
divine writings deeply, lest we should speak of them faster than we
think; and while you study these divine works with a believing and
God-pleasing intention, knock at that which is closed in them, and it
shall be opened to thee by the porter, of whom Jesus says,
————————————
Book I.
1. How Christians are the Spiritual Israel.
That people which was called of old the people of God
was divided into twelve tribes, and over and above the other tribes it
had the levitical order, which itself again carried on the service of
God in various priestly and levitical suborders. In the same
manner, it appears to me that the whole people of Christ, when we
regard it in the aspect of the hidden man of the heart,
2. The 144,000 Sealed in the Apocalypse are Converts to Christ from the Gentile World.
These, then, who are sealed on their foreheads
3. In the Spiritual Israel the High-Priests are Those Who Devote Themselves to the Study of Scripture.
But what is the bearing of all this for us? So you
will ask when you read these words, Ambrosius, thou who art truly a man
of God, a man in Christ, and who seekest to be not a man only, but a
spiritual man. Reading with Neander
and Lommatzsch (note), διαφέρον
τι for διαφέροντες.
4. The Study of the Gospels is the First Fruits Offered by These Priests of Christianity.
Now our whole activity is devoted to God, and our whole
life, since we are bent on progress in divine things. If, then,
it be our desire to have the whole of those first fruits spoken of
above which are made up of the many first fruits, if we are not
mistaken in this view, in what must our first fruits consist, after the
bodily separation we have undergone from each other, but in the study
of the Gospel? For we may venture to say that the Gospel is the
first fruits of all the Scriptures. Where, then, could be the
first fruits of our activity, since the time when we came to
Alexandria, but in the first fruits of the Scriptures? It must
not be forgotten, however, that the first fruits are not the same as
the first growth. For the first fruits ἀπαρχή, πρωτογέννημα,
Here, however, some one may object, appealing to the
notion just put forward of the unfolding of the first fruits last, and
may say that the Acts and the letters of the Apostles came after the
Gospels, and that this destroys our argument to the effect that the
Gospel is the first fruits of all Scripture. To this we must
reply that it is the conviction of men who are wise in Christ, who have
profited by those epistles which are current, and who see them to be
vouched for by the testimonies deposited in the law and the
prophets, This passage is
difficult and disputed. διδάσκαλοι,
6. The Fourfold Gospel. John’s the First Fruits of the Four. Qualifications Necessary for Interpreting It.
Now the Gospels are four. These four are, as it
were, the elements of the faith of the Church, out of which elements
the whole world which is reconciled to God in Christ is put together;
as Paul says, Ambrosius.
7. What Good Things are Announced in the Gospels.
But it is time we should inquire what is the meaning of
the designation “Gospel,” and why these books have this
title. Now the Gospel is a discourse containing a promise of
things which naturally, and on account of the benefits they bring,
rejoice the hearer as soon as the promise is heard and believed.
Nor is such a discourse any the less a Gospel that we define it with
reference to the position of the hearer. A Gospel is either a
word which implies the actual presence to the believer of something
that is good, or a word promising the arrival of a good which is
expected. Now all these definitions apply to those books which
are named Gospels. For each of the Gospels is a collection of
announcements which are useful to him who believes them and does not
misinterpret them; it brings him a benefit and naturally makes him glad
because it tells of the sojourn with men, on account of men, and for
their salvation, of the first-born of all creation, Ναζαρηνοῦ.
8. How the Gospels Cause the Other Books of Scripture Also to Be Gospel.
Now an objection might be raised to our first
definition, because it would embrace books which are not entitled
Gospels. For the law and the prophets also are to our eyes books
containing the promise of things which, from the benefit they will
confer on him, naturally rejoice the hearer as soon as he takes in the
message. To this it may be said that before the sojourn of
Christ, the law and the prophets, since He had not come who interpreted
the mysteries they contained, did not convey such a promise as belongs
to our definition of the Gospel; but the Saviour, when He sojourned
with men and caused the Gospel to appear in bodily form, by the Gospel
caused all things to appear as Gospel. Here I would not think it
beside the purpose to quote the example of Him who…a few
things…and yet all. Text defective
here. The words as they stand would yield the sense, “the
formula, little and yet all.” γυῶσις.
9. The Somatic and the Spiritual Gospel.
We must not, however, forget that the sojourning of
Christ with men took place before His bodily sojourn, in an
intellectual fashion, to those who were more perfect and not children,
and were not under pedagogues and governors. In their minds they
saw the fulness of the time to be at hand—the patriarchs, and
Moses the servant, and the prophets who beheld the glory of
Christ. And as before His manifest and bodily coming He came to
those who were perfect, so also, after His coming has been announced to
all, to those who are still children, since they are under pedagogues
and governors and have not yet arrived at the fulness of the time,
forerunners of Christ have come to sojourn, discourses (logoi)
suited for minds still in their childhood, and rightly, therefore,
termed pedagogues. But the Son Himself, the glorified God, the
Word, has not yet come; He waits for the preparation which must take
place on the part of men of God who are to admit His deity. And
this, too, we must bear in mind, that as the law contains a shadow of
good things to come, which are indicated by that law which is announced
according to truth, so the Gospel also teaches a shadow of the
mysteries of Christ, the Gospel which is thought to be capable of being
understood by any one. What John calls the eternal Gospel, and
what may properly be called the spiritual Gospel, presents clearly to
those who have the will to understand, all matters concerning the very
Son of God, both the mysteries presented by His discourses and those
matters of which His acts were the enigmas. In accordance with
this we may conclude that, as it is with Him who is a Jew outwardly and
circumcised in the flesh, so it is with the Christian and with
baptism. Paul and Peter were, at an earlier period, Jews
outwardly and circumcised, but later they received from Christ that
they should be so
10. How Jesus Himself is the Gospel.
The foregoing inquiry into the nature of the Gospel cannot be regarded as useless; it has enabled us to see what distinction there is between a sensible Gospel and an intellectual and spiritual one. What we have now to do is to transform the sensible Gospel into a spiritual one.
For what would the narrative of the sensible Gospel
amount to if it were not developed to a spiritual one? It would
be of little account or none; any one can read it and assure himself of
the facts it tells—no more. But our whole energy is now to
be directed to the effort to penetrate to the deep things of the
meaning of the Gospel and to search out the truth that is in it when
divested of types. Now what the Gospels say is to be regarded in
the light of promises of good things; and we must say that the good
things the Apostles announce in this Gospel are simply Jesus. One
good thing which they are said to announce is the resurrection; but the
resurrection is in a manner Jesus, for Jesus says:
11. Jesus is All Good Things; Hence the Gospel is Manifold.
Let no one wonder if we have understood Jesus to be
announced in the Gospel under a plurality of names of good
things. If we look at the things by the names of which the Son of
God is called, we shall understand how many good things Jesus is, whom
those preach whose feet are beautiful. One good thing is life;
but Jesus is the life. Another good thing is the light of the
world, when it is true light, and the light of men; and all these
things the Son of God is said to be. And another good thing which
one may conceive to be in addition to life or light is the truth.
And a fourth in addition to time is the way which leads to the
truth. And all these things our Saviour teaches that He is,
12. The Gospel Contains the Ill Deeds Also Which Were Done to Jesus.
It ought not to be forgotten that in such a
13. The Angels Also are Evangelists.
Now if there are those among men who are honoured with
the ministry of evangelists, and if Jesus Himself brings tidings of
good things, and preaches the Gospel to the poor, surely those
messengers who were made spirits by God, Origen, however,
appears also to have read ἐυδοκιας: “among men of good will.”
14. The Old Testament, Typified by John, is the Beginning of the Gospel.
In addition to what we have said, there is also this to
be considered about the Gospel, that in the first instance it is that
of Christ Jesus, the head of the whole body of the saved; as Mark
says, ἑτερόδοξοι.
15. The Gospel is in the Old Testament, and Indeed in the Whole Universe. Prayer for Aid to Understand the Mystical Sense of the Work in Hand.
As, then, we have shown that the beginning of the
Gospel, according to one interpretation, is the whole Old Testament,
and is signified by the person of John, we shall add, lest this should
be called a mere unsupported assertion, what is said in the
Acts
16. Meaning of “Beginning.” (1) in Space.
“In the beginning was the
Word.”
17. (2) in Time. The Beginning of Creation.
Again, there is a beginning in a matter of origin, as
might appear in the saying: The text is defective
here.
18. (3) of Substance.
In the third place a beginning may be that out of which
a thing comes, the underlying matter from which things are
formed. This, however, is the view of those who hold matter
itself to be uncreated, a view which we believers cannot share, since
we believe God to have made the things that are out of the things which
are not, as the Herm. Sim. viii.
19. (4) of Type and Copy.
In addition to these meanings there is that in which we
speak of an arche, We must here reproduce
the Greek word, as Origen passes to meanings of it which the English
“beginning” does not cover.
20. (5) of Elements and What is Formed from Them.
There is also an arche in a matter of learning, as when
we say that the letters are the arche of grammar. The Apostle
accordingly says:
21. (6) of Design and Execution.
Again we speak of the arche of an action, in which there is a design which appears after the beginning. It may be considered whether wisdom is to be regarded as the arche of the works of God because it is in this way the principle of them.
22. The Word Was in the Beginning, I.e., in Wisdom, Which Contained All Things in Idea, Before They Existed. Christ’s Character as Wisdom is Prior to His Other Characters.
So many meanings occur to us at once of the word
arche. We have now to ask which of them we should adopt for our
text, “In the beginning was the Word.” It is plain
that we may at once dismiss the meaning which connects it with
transition or with a road and its length. Nor, it is pretty
plain, will the meaning connected with an origin serve our
purpose. One might, however, think of the sense in which it
points to the author, to that which brings about the effect, if, as we
read, Opp. to embodied. Mr. Brooke,
T. & S. I. iv. p. 15, discusses this corrupt passage and
suggests an improved text which would yield the sense, that wisdom was
to give to things and matter, “it might be rash to say bluntly
their essences, but their moulding and their forms.” Passage obscure and
probably corrupt.
23. The Title “Word” Is to Be Interpreted by the Same Method as the Other Titles of Christ. The Word of God is Not a Mere Attribute of God, But a Separate Person. What is Meant When He is Called the Word.
Let us consider, however, a little more carefully what
is the Word which is in the beginning. I am often led to wonder
when I consider the things that are said about Christ, even by those
who are in earnest in their belief in Him. Though there is a
countless number of names which can be applied to our Saviour, they
omit the most of them, and if they should remember them, they declare
that these titles are not to be understood in their proper sense, but
tropically. But when they come to the title Logos (Word), and
repeat that Christ alone is the Word of God, they are not consistent,
and do not, as in the case of the other titles, search out what is
behind the meaning of the term “Word.” I wonder at
the stupidity of the general run of Christians in this matter. I
do not mince matters; it is nothing but stupidity. The Son of God
says in one passage, “I am the light of the world,” and in
another, “I am the resurrection,” and again, “I am
the way and the truth and the life.” It is also written,
“I am the door,” and we have the saying, “I am the
good shepherd,” and when the woman of Samaria says, “We
know the
24. Christ as Light; How He, and How His Disciples are the Light of the World.
He said, then, that He was the light of the world; and
we have to examine, along with this title, those which are parallel to
it; and, indeed, are thought by some to be not merely parallel, but
identical with Text
corrupt. The above seems to be the meaning. Cf.
chap. 23 init. p. 306.
25. Christ as the Resurrection.
Now He is called the light of men and the true light and
the light of the word, because He brightens and irradiates the higher
parts of men, or, in a word, of all reasonable beings. And
similarly it is from and because of the energy with which He causes the
old deadness to be put aside and that which is par excellence
life to be put on, so that those who have truly received Him rise again
from the dead, that He is called the resurrection. And this He
does not only at the moment at which a man says,
26. Christ as the Way.
But that progress too, which is in wisdom and which is
found by those who seek their salvation in it to do for them what they
require both in respect of exposition of truth in the divine word and
in respect of conduct according to true righteousness, it lets us
understand how Christ is the way. In this way we have to take
nothing with us,
27. Christ as the Truth.
Further, the Only-begotten is the truth, because He embraces in Himself according to the Father’s will the whole reason of all things, and that with perfect clearness, and being the truth communicates to each creature in proportion to its worthiness. And should any one enquire whether all that the Father knows, according to the depth of His riches and His wisdom and His knowledge, is known to our Saviour also, and should he, imagining that he will thereby glorify the Father, show that some things known to the Father are unknown to the Son, although He might have had an equal share of the apprehensions of the unbegotten God, we must remind him that it is from His being the truth that He is Saviour, and add that if He is the truth complete, then there is nothing true which He does not know; truth must not limp for the want of the things which, according to those persons, are known to the Father only. Or else let it be shown that some things are known to which the name of truth does not apply, but which are above the truth.
28. Christ as Life.
It is clear also that the principle of that life which is pure and unmixed with any other element, resides in Him who is the first-born of all creation, taking from which those who have a share in Christ live the life which is true life, while all those who are thought to live apart from this, as they have not the true light, have not the true life either.
29. Christ as the Door and as the Shepherd.
But as one cannot be in the Father or with the Father
except by ascending from below upwards and coming first to the divinity
of the Son, through which one may be led by the hand and brought to the
blessedness of the Father Himself, so the Saviour has the inscription
“The Door.” And as He is a lover of men, and approves
the impulse of human souls to better things, even of those who do not
hasten to reason (the Logos), but like sheep have a weakness and
gentleness apart from all accuracy and reason, so He is the
Shepherd. For the Lord saves men and beasts,
30. Christ as Anointed (Christ) and as King.
In addition to these titles we must consider at the
outset of our work that of Christ, and we must also consider that of
King, and compare these two so as to find out the difference between
them. Now it is said in the forty-fourth Psalm,
31. Christ as Teacher and Master.
It is plain to all how our Lord is a teacher and an
interpreter for those who are striving towards godliness, and on the
other hand a master of those servants who have the spirit of bondage to
fear,
32. Christ as Son.
None of these testimonies, however, sets forth
distinctly the Saviour’s exalted birth; but when the words are
addressed to Him, “Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten
Thee,”
33. Christ the True Vine, and as Bread.
To what we have said must be added how the Son is the
true vine. Those will have no difficulty in apprehending this who
understand, in a manner worthy of the prophetic grace, the
saying:
34. Christ as the First and the Last; He is Also What Lies Between These.
Further, we have to ask in what sense He is called in
the Apocalypse the First and the Last, and how, in His character as the
First, He is not the same as the Alpha and the beginning, while in His
character as the Last He is not the same as the Omega and the
end. It appears to me, then, that the reason
35. Christ as the Living and the Dead.
In what has been said about the first and the last, and
about the beginning and the end, we have referred these words at one
point to the different forms of reasonable beings, at another to the
different conceptions of the Son of God. Thus we have gained a
distinction between the first and the beginning, and between the last
and the end, and also the distinctive meaning of Α and Ω. It is not hard to see why he is
called
36. Christ as a Sword.
The texts of the New Testament, which we have discussed,
are things said by Himself about Himself. Isaiah, however, He
said
37. Christ as a Servant, as the Lamb of God, and as the Man Whom John Did Not Know.
Again, let any one consider how Jesus was to His
disciples, not as He who sits at meat, but as He who serves, and how
though the Son of God He took on Him the form of a servant for the sake
of the freedom of those who were enslaved in sin, and he will be at no
loss to account for the Father’s saying to Him:
38. Christ as Paraclete, as Propitiation, and as the Power of God.
But none of the names we have mentioned expresses His
representation of us with the Father, as He pleads for human nature,
and makes atonement for it; the Paraclete, and the propitiation, and
the atonement. He has the name Paraclete in the Epistle of
John: ἱλασμὁς. ἱλαστήριον,
39. Christ as Wisdom and Sanctification and Redemption.
We must not, however, pass over in silence that He is of
right the wisdom of God, and hence is called by that name. For
the wisdom of the God and Father of all things does not apprehend His
substance in mere visions, like the phantasms of human thoughts.
Whoever is able to conceive a bodiless existence of manifold
speculations which extend to the rationale of existing things, living
and, as it were, ensouled, he will see how well the Wisdom of God which
is above every creature speaks of herself, when she says:
40. Christ as Righteousness; As the Demiurge, the Agent of the Good God, and as High-Priest.
Having expiscated the “to us” and the
“absolutely”—sanctification and redemption being
“to us” and not absolute, wisdom and redemption both to us
and absolute—we must not omit to enquire into the position of
righteousness in the same passage. That Christ is righteousness
relatively to us appears clearly from the words: “Who was
made to us of God wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and
redemption.” And if we do not find Him to be righteousness
absolutely as He is the wisdom and the power of God absolutely, then we
must enquire whether to Christ Himself, as the Father is
sanctification, so the Father is also righteousness. There is, we
know, no unrighteousness with God;
The heretics drew a distinction for purposes of their
own between the just and the good. They did not make the matter
very clear, but they considered that the demiurge was just, while the
Father of Christ was good. That distinction may, I think, if
carefully examined, be applied to the Father and the Son; the Son being
righteousness, and having received power χωρις for χαριτι, a widely diffused
early variant.
41. Christ as the Rod, the Flower, the Stone.
Now He receives the kingdom from the king whom the
children of Israel appointed, beginning the monarchy not at the divine
command and without even consulting God. He therefore fights the
battles of the Lord and so prepares peace for His Son, His people, and
this perhaps is the reason why He is called David. Then He is
called a rod;
42. Of the Various Ways in Which Christ is the Logos.
As, then, from His activity in enlightening the world
whose light He is, Christ is named the Light of the World, and as from
His making those who sincerely attach themselves to Him put away their
deadness and rise again and put on newness of life, He is called the
Resurrection, so from an activity of another kind He is called Shepherd
and Teacher, King and Chosen Shaft, and Servant, and in addition to
these Paraclete and Atonement and Propitiation. And after the
same fashion He is also called the Logos, It is impossible to
render by any one English word the Greek λογος as used by Origen in the
following discussion. We shall therefore in many passages leave
it untranslated. Reading τυγχάνομτας. στερεός, of which the
στερἑωμα,
firmament, is made.
The saying then stands, first, “In the beginning
was the Logos;” we are to place that full in our view; but the
testimonies we cited from the Proverbs led us to place wisdom first,
and to think of wisdom as preceding the Word which announces her.
We must observe, then, that the Logos is in the beginning, that is, in
wisdom, always. Its being in wisdom, which is called the
beginning, does not prevent it from being with God and from being God,
and it is not simply with God, but is in the beginning, in wisdom, with
God. For he goes on: “He was in the beginning with
God.” He might have said, “He was with God;”
but as He was in the beginning, so He was with God in the beginning,
and “All things were made by Him,” being in the beginning,
for God made all things, as David tells us, in wisdom. And to let
us understand that the Word has His own definite place and sphere as
one who has life in Himself (and is a distinct person), we must also
speak about powers, not about power. “Thus saith the Lord
of powers, (A.V. hosts)” we frequently read; there are certain
creatures, rational and divine, which are called powers: and of
these Christ was the highest and best, and is called not only the
wisdom of God but
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Book II.
1. “And the Word was with God, and the
Word was God.” In the preceding section, my revered
brother Ambrosius, brother formed according to the Gospel, we have
discussed, as far as is at present in our power, what the Gospel is,
and what is the beginning in which the Word was, and what the Word is
which was in the beginning. We now come to consider the next
point in the work before us, How the Word was with God. To this
end it will be of service to remember that what is called the Word came
to certain persons; as “The Word of the Lord Omitting τὸ, with Jacobi.
2. In What Way the Logos is God. Errors to Be Avoided on This Question.
We next notice John’s use of the article in these
sentences. He does not write without care in this respect, nor is
he unfamiliar with the niceties of the Greek tongue. In some
cases he uses the article, and in some he omits it. He adds the
article to the Logos, but to the name of God he adds it sometimes
only. He uses the article, when the name of God refers to the
uncreated cause of all things, and omits it when the Logos is named
God. Does the same difference which we observe between God with
the article and God without it prevail also between the Logos with it
and without it? We must enquire into this. As the God who
is over all is God with the article not without it, so “the
Logos” is the source of that reason (Logos) which dwells in every
reasonable creature; the reason which is in each creature is not, like
the former called par excellence The Logos. Now there are
many who are sincerely concerned about religion, and who fall here into
great perplexity. They are afraid that they may be proclaiming
two Gods, and their fear drives them into doctrines which are false and
wicked. Either they deny that the Son has a distinct nature of
His own besides that of the Father, and make Him whom they call the Son
to be God all but the name, or they deny the divinity of the Son,
giving Him a separate existence of His own, and making His sphere of
essence fall outside that of the Father, so that they are separable
from each other. To such persons we have to say that God on the
one hand is Very God (Autotheos, God of Himself); and so the Saviour
says in His prayer to the Father,
3. Various Relations of the Logos to Men.
Now it is possible that some may dislike what we have
said representing the Father as the one true God, but admitting other
beings besides the true God, who have become gods by having a share of
God. They may fear that the glory of Him who surpasses all
creation may be lowered to the level of those other beings called
gods. We drew this distinction between Him and them that we
showed God the Word to be to all the other gods the minister of their
divinity. To this we must add, in order to obviate objections,
that the reason which is in every reasonable creature occupied the same
relation to the reason who was in the beginning with God, and is God
the Word, as God the Word occupies to God. As the Father who is
Very God and the True God is to His image and to the images of His
image—men are said to be according to the image, not to be images
of God—so He, the Word, is to the reason (word) in every
man. Each fills the place of a fountain—the Father is the
fountain of divinity, the Son of reason. As, then, there are many
gods, but to us there is but one God the Father, and many Lords, but to
us there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, so there are many Λόγοι, but we, for our
4. That the Logos is One, Not Many. Of the Word, Faithful and True, and of His White Horse.
“He was in the beginning with
God.” By his three foregoing propositions the
Evangelist has made us acquainted with three orders, and he now sums up
the three in one, saying, “This (Logos) was in the beginning with
God.” In the first premiss we learned where the Logos
was: He was in the beginning; then we learned with whom He was,
with God; and then who He was, that He was God. He now points out
by this word “He,” the Word who is God, and gathers up into
a fourth proposition the three which went before, “In the
beginning was the Word,” “The Word was with God,” and
“The Word was God.” Now he says, He, this (Word) was
in the beginning with God. The term beginning may be taken of the
beginning of the world, so that we may learn from what is said that the
Word was older than the things which were made from the
beginning. For if “in the beginning God created heaven and
earth,” but “He” was in the beginning, then the Logos
is manifestly older than those things which were made at the beginning,
older not only than the firmament and the dry land, but than the
heavens and earth. Now some one might ask, and not unreasonably,
why it is not said, “In the beginning was the Word of God, and
the Word of God was with God, and the Word of God was God.”
But he who asked such a question could be shown to be taking for
granted that there are a plurality of logoi, differing perhaps from
each other in kind, one being the word of God, another perhaps the word
of angels, a third of men, and so on with the other logoi. Now,
if this were so with the Logos, the case would be the same with wisdom
and with righteousness. But it would be absurd that there should
be a number of things equally to be called “The Word;” and
the same would apply to wisdom and to righteousness. We shall be
driven to confess that we ought not to look for a plurality of logoi,
or of wisdom, or of righteousness, if we look at the case of
truth. Any one will confess that there is only one truth; it
could never be said in this case that there is one truth of God, and
another of the angels, and another of man,—it lies in the nature
of things that the truth about anything is one. Now, if truth be
one, it is clear that the preparation of it and its demonstration,
which is wisdom, must in reason be conceived as one, since what is
regarded as wisdom cannot justly claim that title where truth, which is
one, is absent from its grasp. But if truth is one and wisdom
one, then Reason (Logos) also, which announces truth and makes truth
simple and manifest to those who are fitted to receive it, will be
one. This we say, by no means denying that truth and wisdom and
reason are of God, but we wish to indicate the purpose of the omission
in this passage of the words “of God,” and of the form of
the statement, “In the beginning the Logos was with
God.” The same John in the Apocalypse gives Him His name
with the addition “of God,” where he says: In the Greek the
article is here omitted. Reading παρεκδέξασθαι,
with Huet. Omitting λεγεσθαι, with
Jacobi.
5. He (This One) Was in the Beginning with God.
To those who fail to distinguish with care the different
propositions of the context the Evangelist may appear to be repeating
himself. “He was in the beginning with God” may seem
to add nothing to “And the Word was with God.” We
must observe more carefully. In the statement “The Word was
with God” we are not told anything of the when or the where; that
is added in the fourth axiom. There are four axioms, or, as some
call them, propositions, the fourth being “He was in the
beginning with God.” Now “The Word was with
God” is not the same thing as “He was,” etc.; for
here we are told, not only that He was with God, but when and where He
was so: “He was in the beginning with God.” The
“He,” too, used as it is for a demonstration, will be
considered to refer to the Word, or by a less careful enquirer, to
God. What was noted before is now summed up in this designation
“He,” the notion of the Logos and that of God; and as the
argument proceeds the different notions are collected in one; for the
notion God is not included in the notion Logos, nor the notion Logos in
that of God. And perhaps the proposition before us is a summing
up in one of the three which have preceded. Taking the statement
that the
Now when the Evangelist says, “He was in the beginning with God,” if we apply the pronoun “He” to the Word and to God (as He is God) and consider that “in the beginning” is conjoined with it, and “with God” added to it, then there is nothing left of the three propositions that is not summed up and brought together in this one. And as “in the beginning” has been said twice, we may consider if there are not two lessons we may learn. First, that the Word was in the beginning, as if He was by Himself and not with any one, and secondly, that He was in the beginning with God. And I consider that there is nothing untrue in saying of Him both that He was in the beginning, and in the beginning with God, for neither was He with God alone, since He was also in the beginning, nor was He in the beginning alone and not with God, since “He was in the beginning with God.”
6. How the Word is the Maker of All Things, and Even the Holy Spirit Was Made Through Him.
“All things were made through
Him.” The “through See R.V. margin,
Reading πρὸ
πάυτων, with Jacobi.
On the words, “All things were made by Him,”
there is still one point to be examined. The “word”
is, as a notion, from “life,” and yet we read, “What
was made in the Word was life, and the life was the light of
men.” Now as all things were made through Him, was the life
made through Him, which is the light of men, and the other notions
under which the Saviour is presented to us? Or must we take the
“all things were made by Him” subject to the exception of
the things which are in Himself? The latter course appears to be
the preferable one. For supposing we should concede that the life
which is the light of men was made through Him, since it said that the
life “was made” the light of men, what are we to say about
wisdom, which is conceived as being prior to the Word? That,
therefore, which is about the Word (His relations or conditions) was
not made by the Word, and the result is that, with the exception of the
notions under which Christ is presented, all things were made through
the Word of God, the Father making them in wisdom. “In
wisdom hast Thou made them all,” it says,
7. Of Things Not Made Through the Logos.
Let us see, however, why the words are added, “And
without Him was not anything (Gr. even one thing) made.”
Some might think it superfluous to add to the words “All things
were made through Him,” the phrase “Without Him was not
anything made.” For if everything whatsoever was made
through the Logos, then nothing was made without Him. Yet it does
not follow from the proposition that without the Logos nothing was
made, that all things were made through the Logos. It is possible
that though nothing was made without the Logos, all things were made,
not through the Logos only, but some things by Him. We must,
therefore, make ourselves sure in what sense the “all
things” is to be understood, and in what sense the
“nothing.” For, without a clear preliminary
definition of these terms, it might be maintained that, if all things
were made through the Logos, and evil is a part of all things, then the
whole matter of sin, and everything that is wicked, that these also
were made through the Logos. But this we must regard as
false. There is nothing absurd in thinking that creatures were
made through the Logos, and also that men’s brave deeds have been
done through Him, and all the useful acts of those who are now in
bliss; but with the sins and misfortunes of men it is otherwise.
Now some have held that since evil is not based in the constitution of
things—for it did not exist at the beginning and at the end it
will have ceased—that, therefore, the evils of which we spoke are
the Nothing; and as some of the Greeks say that genera and forms, such
as the (general) animal and the man, belong to the category of
Nothings, so it has been supposed that all that is not of God is
Nothing, and has not even obtained through the Word the subsistence it
appears to have. We ask whether it is possible to show from
Scripture in any convincing way that this is so. As for the
meanings of the word “Nothing” and “Not-being,”
they would appear to be synonymous, for Nothing can be spoken of as
Not-being, and the Not-being can be described as Nothing. The
Apostle, however, appears to count the things which are not, not among
those which have no existence whatever, but rather among things which
are evil. To him the Not-being is evil; “God,” he
says,
8. Heracleon’s View that the Logos is Not the Agent of Creation.
It was, I consider, a violent and unwarranted procedure
which was adopted by Heracleon, On the fragments
of Heracleon in this work of Origen, see Texts and Studies, vol.
i. part iv. by A. E. Brooke, M.A. Accepting
Jacobi’s and Brook’s correction παρα τὴν.
9. That the Logos Present in Us is Not Responsible for Our Sins.
One point more on the words: “Without Him
was not anything made.” The question about evil must
receive adequate discussion; what was said of it has not, it is true, a
very likely appearance, and yet it appears to me that it ought not to
be simply overlooked. The question is whether evil, also, was
made through the Logos, taking the Logos, now be it well noted, in the
sense of that reason which is in every one, as thus brought into being
by the reason
10. “That Which Was Made Was Life in Him, and the Life Was the Light of Men.” This Involves the Paradox that What Does Not Derive Life from the Logos Does Not Live at All.
The Greeks have certain apothegms, called paradoxes, in
which the wisdom of their sages is presented at its highest, and some
proof, or what appears to be proof, is given. Thus it is said
that the wise man alone, and that every wise man, is a priest, because
the wise man alone and every wise man possesses knowledge as to the
service of God. Again, that the wise man alone and that every
wise man is free and has received from the divine law authority to do
what he himself is minded to do, and this authority they call lawful
power of decision. Why should we say more about these so-called
paradoxes? Much discussion is devoted to them, and they call for
a comparison of the sense of Scripture with the doctrine thus conveyed.
so that we may be in a position to determine where religious doctrine
agrees with them and where it differs from them. This has been
suggested to us by our study of the words, “That which was made
was life in Him;” for it appears possible to follow the words of
Scripture here and to make out a number of things which partake of the
character of the paradoxes and are even more paradoxical than these
sentences of the Greeks. If we consider the Logos in the
beginning, who was with God, God the Word, we shall perhaps be able to
declare that only he who partakes of this being, considered in this
character, is to be pronounced reasonable (“logical”), and
thus we should demonstrate that the saint alone is reasonable.
Again, if we apprehend that life has come in the Logos, he, namely, who
said, “I am the life,” then we shall say that no one is
alive who is outside the faith of Christ, that all are dead who are not
living to God, that their life is life to sin, and therefore, if I may
so express myself, a life of death. Consider however, whether the
divine Scriptures do not in many places teach this; as where the
Saviour says,
11. How No One is Righteous or Can Truly Be Said to Live in Comparison with God.
First let us look at the words, “He is not the God
of the dead but of the living.” That is equivalent to
saying that He is not the God of sinners but of saints. For it
was a great gift to the Patriarchs that God in place of His own name
should add their name to His own designation as God, as Paul
says,
12. Is the Saviour All that He Is, to All?
We have thus enquired as to the life of God, and the
life which is Christ, and the living who are in a place by themselves,
and have seen how the living are not justified before God, and we have
noticed the cognate statement, “Who alone hath im
13. How the Life in the Logos Comes After the Beginning.
Here, we must carefully observe, we have two things which are one, and we have to define the difference between them. First, what is before us in The Word in the beginning, then what is implied in The Life in the Word. The Word was not made in the beginning; there was no time when the beginning was devoid of the Word, and hence it is said, “In the beginning was the Word.” Of life, on the other hand, we read, not that it was as the Word, but that it was made; if at least it be the case that the life is the light of men. For when man was not yet, there was no light of men; for the light of men is conceived only in relation to men. And let no one annoy us with the objection that we have put this under the category of time, though it be the order of the things themselves, that make them first and second and so on, and even though there should have been no time when the things placed by the Logos third and fourth were not in existence. As, then, all things were made by Him, not all things were by Him, and as without Him was nothing made, not, without Him nothing was, so what was made in Him, not what was in Him, was life. And, again, not what was made in the beginning was the Word, but what was in the beginning was the Word. Some of the copies, it is true, have a reading which is not devoid of probability, “What was made is life in Him.” But if life is the same thing as the light of men, then no one who is in darkness is living, and none of the living is in darkness; but every one who is alive is also in light, and every one who is in light is living, so that not he only who is living, but every one who is living, is a son of light; and he who is a son of light is he whose work shines before men.
14. How the Natures of Men are Not So Fixed from the First, But that They May Pass from Darkness to Light.
We have been discussing certain things which are
opposite, and what has been said of them may serve to suggest what
15. Heracleon’s View that the Lord Brought Life Only to the Spiritual. Refutation of This.
Heracleon adopts a somewhat violent course when he
arrives at this passage, “What was made in Him was
life.” Instead of the “In Him” of the text he
understands “to those men who are spiritual,” as if he
considered the Logos and the spiritual to be identical, though this he
does not plainly say; and then he proceeds to give, as it were, an
account of the origin of the matter and says, “He (the Logos)
provided them with their first form at their birth, carrying further
and making manifest what had been sown by another, The demiurge.
16. The Life May Be the Light of Others Besides.
Let us suggest another question, namely, whether the
life was the light of men only, and not of every being as well that is
in blessedness. For if the life were the same thing as the light
of men, and if the light of Christ were for men alone, then the life
also would be only for men. But such a view is both foolish and
impious, since the other Scriptures testify against this interpretation
and declare that, when we are somewhat more advanced, we shall be equal
to the angels.
17. The Higher Powers are Men; And Christ is Their Light Also.
Another, again, appeals to the text, “Let us make
man according to our image and likeness,
18. How God Also is Light, But in a Different Way; And How Life Came Before Light.
The Saviour is here called simply light. But in
the Catholic Epistle of this same John
19. The Life Here Spoken of is the Higher Life, that of Reason.
As for those who make up a mythology about the æons and arrange them in syzygies (yokes or pairs), and who consider the Logos and Life to have been emitted by Intellect and Truth, it may not be beside the point to state the following difficulties. How can life, in their system, the yokefellow of the Word, derive his origin from his yokefellow? For “what was made in Him,” he says, evidently referring to the Word, mentioned immediately before, “was life.” Will they tell us how life, the yokefellow, as they say, of the Word, came into being in the Word, and how life rather than the Word is the light of men. It would be quite natural if men of reasonable minds, who are perplexed with such questions and find the point we have raised hard to dispose of, should turn round upon us and invite us to discuss the reason why it is not the Word that is said to be the light of men, but life which originated in the Word. To such an enquiry we shall reply that the life here spoken of is not that which is common to rational beings and to beings without reason, but that life which is added to us upon the completion of reason in us, our share in that life, being derived from the first reason (Logos). It is when we turn away from the life which is life in appearance only, not in truth, and when we yearn to be filled with the true life, that we are made partakers of it, and when it has arisen in us it becomes the foundation of the light of the higher knowledge (gnosis). With some it may be that this life is only potentially and not actually light, with those who do not strive to search out the things of the higher knowledge, while with others it is actually light. With these it clearly is so who act on Paul’s injunction, “Seek earnestly the best gifts;” and among the greatest gifts is that which all are enjoined to seek, namely, the word of wisdom, and it is followed by the word of knowledge. This wisdom and this knowledge lie side by side; into the difference between them this is not a fitting occasion to enquire.
20. Different Kinds of Light; And of Darkness.
“And οὐδεμία, not one.
21. Christ is Not, Like God, Quite Free from Darkness: Since He Bore Our Sins.
Now some one will ask how this statement that there is
no darkness in Him can be regarded as a thing peculiar to Him, when we
consider that the Saviour also was quite without sin. Could it
not be said of Him also that “He is light, and that there is no
darkness in Him”? The difference between the two cases has
been partly set forth above. We will now, however, go a step
further than we did before, and add, that if God made Christ who knew
no sin to be sin for us,
22. How the Darkness Failed to Overtake the Light.
Should any one consider that we are adding something
that is not written, namely, the pursuit of the light by the darkness,
let him reflect that unless the darkness had pursued the light the
words, “The darkness did not overtake it,” would have no
meaning. John writes for those who have wit to see what is
omitted and to supply it as the context requires, and so he wrote,
“The darkness did not overtake it.” If it did not
overtake it, it must first have pursued it,
23. There is a Divine Darkness Which is Not Evil, and Which Ultimately Becomes Light.
In connection with this subject it is necessary for us
to point out that darkness is not to be understood, every time it is
mentioned, in a bad sense; Scripture speaks of it sometimes in a good
sense. The heterodox have failed to observe this distinction, and
have accordingly adopted most shameful doctrines about the Maker of the
world, and have indeed revolted from Him, and addicted themselves to
fictions and myths. We must, therefore, show how and when the
name of darkness is taken in a good sense. Darkness and clouds
and tempest are said in Exodus
24. John the Baptist Was Sent. From Where? His Soul Was Sent from a Higher Region.
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was
John.”
25. Argument from the Prayer of Joseph, to Show that the Baptist May Have Been an Angel Who Became a Man.
As we are now engaged with what is said of John, and are
asking about his mission, I may take the opportunity to state the view
which I entertain about him. We have read this prophecy about
him, “Behold, I send My messenger (angel) before Thy face, who
shall prepare Thy way before Thee;” and at this we ask if it can
be one of the holy angels who is sent down on this ministry as
forerunner of our Saviour. No wonder if, when the first-born of
all creation was assuming a human body, some of them should
26. John is Voice, Jesus is Speech. Relation of These Two to Each Other.
Now we know voice and speech to be different things. The voice can be produced without any meaning and with no speech in it, and similarly speech can be reported to the mind without voice, as when we make mental excursions, within ourselves. And thus the Saviour is, in one view of Him, speech, and John differs from Him; for as the Saviour is speech, John is voice. John himself invites me to take this view of him, for to those who asked who he was, he answered, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord! make His paths straight!” This explains, perhaps, how it was that Zacharias lost his voice at the birth of the voice which points out the Word of God, and only recovered it when the voice, forerunner of the Word, was born. A voice must be perceived with the ears if the mind is afterwards to receive the speech which the voice indicates. Hence, John is, in point of his birth, a little older than Christ, for our voice comes to us before our speech. But John also points to Christ; for speech is brought forward by the voice. And Christ is baptized by John, though John declares himself to have need to be baptized by Christ; for with men speech is purified by voice, though the natural way is that speech should purify the voice which indicates it. In a word, when John points out Christ, it is man pointing out God, the Saviour incorporeal, the voice pointing out the Word.
27. Significance of the Names of John and of His Parents.
The force that is in names may be applied Origen appears to be
pointing to the fact that the Christian rest which is connected in its
origin with the resurrection of Christ is not held as the Jewish
Sabbath rest on the seventh but on the first day of the week.
John marking the end of the old period is the son of Elisabeth the
oath, or seventh, of God, and is thus connected with the seventh day;
but not so Jesus.
28. The Prophets Bore Witness to Christ and Foretold Many Things Concerning Him.
“He came for a witness that He might bear witness
of the light, that all through Him might believe.” The Old Testament
belongs to the Creator, the Demiurge.
29. The Six Testimonies of the Baptist Enumerated. Jesus’ “Come and See.” Significance of the Tenth Hour.
Accordingly John came to bear witness of the light, and
in his witness-bearing he cried, saying, Reading κατἁ for καἷ.
30. How John Was a Witness of Christ, and Specially of “The Light.”
It may be asked why we should have gone through all this
when the verse before us is, “He came for witness, that he might
bear witness of the light.” But it was necessary to give
John’s testimonies to the light, and to show the order in which
they took place, and also, in order to show how effective John’s
testimony proved, to set forth the help it afforded afterwards to those
to whom he bore it. But before all these testimonies there was an
earlier one when the Baptist leaped in the womb of Elisabeth at the
greeting of Mary. That was a testimony to Christ and attested His
divine conception and birth. And what more need I say? John
is everywhere a witness and forerunner of Christ. He anticipates
His birth and dies a little before the death of the Son of God, and
thus witnesses not only for those at the time of the birth, but to
those who were expecting the freedom which was to come for man through
the death of Christ. Thus, in all his life, he is a little before
Christ, and everywhere makes ready for the Lord a people prepared for
Him. And John’s testimony precedes also the second and
diviner coming of Christ, for we read,
————————————
Fragments of the Fourth Book. From the
Philocalia.
(Three Leaves from the Beginning.)
1. He who distinguishes in himself voice and meaning and things for which the meaning stands, will not be offended at rudeness of language if, on enquiry, he finds the things spoken of to be sound. The more may this be so when we remember how the holy men acknowledge their speech and their preaching to be not in persuasion of the wisdom of words, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.…
[Then, after speaking of the rudeness of style of the Gospel, he proceeds: ]
2. The Apostles are not unaware that in some
things they give offence, and that in some respects their culture is
defective, and they confess themselves
————————————
From the Fifth Book.
From the
Preface. From the
Philocalia.
You are not content to fulfil the office, when I am
present with you, of a taskmaster to drive me to labour at theology;
even when I am absent you demand that I should spend most of my time on
you and on the task I have to do for you. This is
addressed to Ambrose, who was at the time absent from Alexandria.
Cf. book i. chap. 6, p. 299.
[Then, after saying that this discussion of but a few sentences of the Gospel have run to four volumes, he goes on:]
2. How Scripture Warns Us Against Making Many Books.
For, to judge by the words of the phrase, “My son, beware of making many books,” two things appear to be indicated by it: first, that we ought not to possess many books, and then that we ought not to compose many books. If the first is not the meaning the second must be, and if the second is the meaning the first does not necessarily follow. In either case we appear to be told that we ought not to make many books. I might take my stand on this dictum which now confronts us, and send you the text as an excuse, and I might appeal in support of this position to the fact that not even the saints found leisure to compose many books; and thus I might cry off from the bargain we made with each other, and give up writing what I was to send to you. You, on your side, would no doubt feel the force of the text I have cited, and might, for the future, excuse me. But we must treat Scripture conscientiously, and must not congratulate ourselves because we see the primary meaning of a text, that we understand it altogether. I do not, therefore, shrink from bringing forward what excuse I think I am able to offer for myself, and to point out the arguments, which you would certainly use against me, if I acted contrary to our agreement. And in the first place, the Sacred History seems to agree with the text in question, inasmuch as none of the saints composed several works, or set forth his views in a number of books. I will take up this point: when I proceed to write a number of books, the critic will remind me that even such a one as Moses left behind him only five books.
3. The
Apostles Wrote Little. From Eusebius,
Hist. Eccl. vi. 25.
But he who was made fit to be a minister of the New
Covenant, not of the letter, but of the spirit, Paul, who fulfilled the
Gospel from Jerusalem round about to Illyricum,
[Then, after enumerating the prophets and Apostles,
and showing how each wrote only a little, or not even a little, he goes
on:] The following
fragments is found in Philocalia, pp. 27–30.
4. I feel myself growing dizzy
with all this, and wonder whether, in obeying you, I have not been
obeying God, nor walking in the footsteps of the saints, unless it be
that my too great love to you, and my unwillingness to cause you any
pain, has led me astray and caused me to think of all these
excuses. We started from the words of the preacher, where he
says: “My son, beware of making many books.”
With this I compare a saying from the Proverbs of the same
Solomon,
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Sixth Book.
1. The Work is Taken Up After a Violent Interruption, Which Has Driven the Writer from Alexandria. He Addresses Himself to It Again, with Thanks for His Deliverance, and Prayer for Guidance.
When a house is being built which is to be made as
strong as possible, the building takes place in fine weather and in
calm, so that nothing may hinder the structure from acquiring the
needed solidity. And thus it turns out so strong and stable that
it is able to withstand the rush of the flood, and the dashing of the
river, and all the agencies accompanying a storm which are apt to find
out what is rotten in a building and to show what parts of it have been
properly put together. And more particularly should that house
which is capable of sheltering the speculations of truth, the house of
reason, as it were, in promise or in letters, be built at a time when
God can add His free co-operation to the projector of so noble a work,
when the soul is quiet and in the enjoyment of that peace which passes
all understanding, when she is turned away from all disturbance and not
buffeted by any billows. This, it appears to me, was well
understood by the servants of the prophetic spirit and the ministers of
the Gospel message; they made themselves worthy to receive that peace
which is in secret from Him who ever gives it to them that are worthy
and who said,
2. How the Prophets and Holy Men of the Old Testament Knew the Things of Christ.
“And this is the witness of John.” Lommatzsch omits
οὐ before ἠκριβωκότα,
but it is necessary to the sense.
3. “Grace and Truth Came Through Jesus Christ.” These Words Belong to the Baptist, Not the Evangelist. What the Baptist Testifies by Them.
We have lingered rather long over these discussions, but
there is a reason for it. There are many who, under the pretence
of glorifying the advent of Christ, declare the Apostles to be wiser
than the fathers or the prophets; and of these teachers some have
invented a greater God for the later period, while some, not venturing
so far, but moved, according to their own account of the matter, by the
difficulty connected with doctrine, cancel the whole of the gift
conferred by God on the fathers and the prophets, through Christ,
through whom all things were made. If all things were made
through Him, clearly so must the splendid revelations have been which
were made to the fathers and prophets, and became to them the symbols
of the sacred mysteries of religion. Now the true soldiers of
Christ must always be prepared to do battle for the truth, and must
never, so far as lies with them, allow false convictions to creep
in. We must not, therefore, neglect this matter. It may be
said that John’s earlier testimony to Christ is to be found in
the words, “He who cometh after me exists before me, for He was
before me,” and that the words, “For of His fulness we all
received, and grace for grace,” are in the mouth of John the
disciple. Now, we must show this exposition to be a forced one,
and one which does violence to the context; it is rather a strong
proceeding to suppose the speech of the Baptist to be so suddenly and,
as it were, inopportunely interrupted by that of the disciple, and it
is quite apparent to any one who can judge, in whatever small degree,
of a context, that the speech goes on continuously after the words,
“This is He of whom I spoke, He that cometh after me exists
before me, for He was before me.” The Baptist brings a
proof that Jesus existed before him because He was before him, since He
is the first-born of all creation; he says, “For of His fulness
all we received.” That is the reason why he says, “He
exists before me, for He was before me.” That is how I know
that He is first and in higher honour with the Father, since of His
fulness both I and the prophets before me received the more divine
prophetic grace instead of the grace we received at His hands before in
ἐγένετο
4. John Denies that He is Elijah or “The” Prophet. Yet He Was “A” Prophet.
Now let us consider John’s second testimony.
Jews from Jerusalem,
5. There Were Two Embassies to John the Baptist; The Different Characters of These.
Here the enquiry suggests itself whether the second
testimony is concluded, and whether there is a third, addressed to
those who were sent from the Pharisees. They wished to know why
he baptized, if he was neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet;
and he said:
6. Messianic Discussion with John the Baptist.
Then the Jews sent priests and levites from Jerusalem to
ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed and denied not; and he
confessed, I am not the Christ.
7. Of the Birth of John, and of His Alleged Identity with Elijah. Of the Doctrine of Transcorporation.
“And
8. John is a Prophet, But Not the Prophet.
“Art thou that prophet? And he answered
No.” P. 321.
9. John I. 22.
“They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? that
we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of
thyself?” This speech of the emissaries amounts to the
following: We had a surmise what you were and came to learn if it
was
10. Of the Voice John the Baptist is.
“He said, I am the voice of one crying in the
wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the
prophet.” As He who is peculiarly the Son of God, being no
other than the Logos, yet makes use of Logos (reason)—for He was
the Logos in the beginning, and was with God, the Logos of God—so
John, the servant of that Logos, being, if we take the Scripture to
mean what it says, no other than a voice, yet uses his voice to point
to the Logos. He, then, understanding in this way the prophecy
about himself spoken by Isaiah the prophet, says he is a voice, not
crying in the wilderness, but “of one crying in the
wilderness,” of Him, namely, who stood and cried,
Now the way of the Lord is made straight in two
fashions. First, in the way of contemplation, when thought is
made clear in truth without any mixture of falsehood; and then in the
way of conduct, after the sound contemplation of what ought to be done,
when action is produced which harmonizes with sound theory of
conduct. And that we may the more clearly understand the text,
“Make straight the way of the Lord,” it will be well to
compare with it what is said in the Proverbs, τεθλιμμένη,
the word translated “narrow” in τεθλιμμένη,
the word translated “narrow” in
12. Heracleon’s View of the Voice, and of John the Baptist.
The words, however, “I am the voice of one crying
in the wilderness,” etc., may be taken as equivalent to “I
am He of whom the ‘voice in the wilderness’ is
written.” Then John would be the person crying, and his
voice would be that crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the
way of the Lord.” Heracleon, discussing John and the
prophets, says, somewhat slanderously, that “the Word is the
Saviour; the voice, that in the wilderness which John interpreted; the
sound is the whole prophetic order.” To this we may reply
by reminding him of the text,
13. John I. 24, 25. Of the Baptism of John, that of Elijah, and that of Christ.
And they that were sent were of the Pharisees. And
they asked him, and said unto him, By not noticing
the difference between “a prophet” and “the
prophet.” Vide supra, p. 356.
14. Comparison of the Statements of the Four Evangelists Respecting John the Baptist, the Prophecies Regarding Him, His Addresses to the Multitude and to the Pharisees, Etc.
We deem it necessary to compare with the expression of
the passage we are considering the similar expressions found elsewhere
in the Gospels. This we shall continue to do point by point to
the end of this work, so that terms which appear to disagree may be
shown to be in harmony, and that the peculiar meanings present in each
may be explained. This we shall do in the present passage.
The words, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make
straight the way of the Lord,” are placed by John, who was a
disciple, in the mouth of the Baptist. In Mark, on the other
hand, the same words are recorded at the beginning of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ, in accordance with the Scripture of Isaiah, as
thus: “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as it
is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send My messenger before
thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one
crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His
paths straight.” Now the words, “Make straight the
way of the Lord,” added by John, are not found in the
prophet. Perhaps John was seeking to compress the “Prepare
ye the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God,” and
so wrote, “Make straight the way of the Lord;” while Mark
combined two prophecies spoken by two different prophets in different
places, and made one prophecy out of them, “As it is written in
Isaiah the prophet, Behold I send My messenger before thy face, who
shall prepare thy way. The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.”
The words, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness,” are
written immediately after the narrative of Hezekiah’s recovery
from his sickness,
15. How the Baptist Answers the Question of the Pharisees and Exalts the Nature of Christ. Of the Shoe-Latchet Which He is Unable to Untie.
John
16. Comparison of John’s Testimony to Jesus in the Different Gospels.
It may not be out of place, as we are examining the
text, “I baptize with water,” to compare the parallel
utterances of the evangelists with this of John. Matthew reports
that the Baptist, when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees
coming to his baptism, after the words of rebuke which we have already
studied, went on:
17. Of the Testimony of John to Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel,
These, then, are the parallel passages of the four; let
us try to see as clearly as we can what is the purport of each and
wherein they differ from each other. And we will begin with
Matthew, who is reported by tradition to have published his Gospel
before the others, to the Hebrews, those, namely, of the circumcision
who believed. I, he says, baptize you with water unto repentance,
purifying you, as it were, and turning you away from evil courses and
calling you to repentance; for I am come to make ready for the Lord a
people prepared for Him, and by my baptism of repentance to prepare the
ground for Him who is to come after me, and who will thus benefit you
much more effectively and powerfully than my strength could. For
His baptism is not that of the body only; He fills the penitent with
the Holy Ghost, and His diviner fire does away with everything material
and consumes everything that is earthy, not only from him who admits it
to his life, but even from him who hears of it from those who have
it. So much stronger than I is He who is coming after me, that I
am not able to bear even the outskirts of the powers round Him which
are furthest from Him (they are not open and exposed, so that any one
could see them), nor even to bear those who support them. I know
not of which I should speak. Should I speak of my own great
weakness, which is not able to bear even these things about Christ
which in comparison with the greater things in Him are least, or should
I speak of His transcendent Deity, greater than all the world? If
I who have received such grace, as to be thought worthy of prophecy
predicting my arrival in this human life, in the words, “The
18. Of the Testimony in Mark. What is Meant by the Saviour’s Shoes and by Untying His Shoe-Latchets.
Now let us consider what is stated by Mark.
Mark’s account of John’s preaching agrees with the
other. The words are, “There cometh after me He that is
mightier than I,” which amounts to the same thing as “He
that cometh after me is mightier than I.” There is a
difference, however, in what follows, “The latchets of His shoes
I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.” For it is one
thing to bear a person’s shoes,—they must, it is evident,
have been untied already from the feet of the wearer,—and it is
another thing to stoop down and untie the latchet of his shoes.
And it follows, since believers cannot think that either of the
Evangelists made any mistake or misrepresentation, that the Baptist
must have made these two utterances at different times and have meant
them to express different things. It is not the case, as some
suppose. that the reports refer to the same incident and turned out
differently because of a looseness of memory as to some of the facts or
words. Now it is a great thing to bear the shoes of Jesus, a
great thing to stoop down to the bodily features of His mission, to
that which took place in some lower region, so as to contemplate His
image in the lower sphere, and to untie each difficulty connected with
the mystery of His incarnation, such being as it were His
shoe-latchets. For the fetter of obscurity is one as the key of
knowledge also is one; not even He who is greatest among those born of
women is sufficient of Himself to loose such things or to open them,
for He who tied and locked at first, He also grants to whom He will to
loose His shoe-latchet and to unlock what He has shut. If the
passage about the shoes has a mystic meaning we ought not to scorn to
consider it. Now I consider that the inhumanisation when the Son
of God assumes flesh and bones is one of His shoes, and that the other
is the descent to Hades, whatever that Hades be, and the journey with
the Spirit to the prison. As
19. Luke and John Suggest that One May Loose the Shoe-Latchets of the Logos Without Stooping Down.
We must not, however, omit to ask how it comes that Luke and John give the speech without the phrase “to stoop down.” He, perhaps, who stoops down may be held to unloose in the sense which we have stated. On the other hand, it may be that one who fixes his eyes on the height of the exaltation of the Logos, may find the loosing of those shoes which when one is seeking them seem to be bound, so that He also looses those shoes which are separable from the Logos, and beholds the Logos divested of inferior things, as He is, the Son of God.
20. The Difference Between Not Being “Sufficient” And Not Being “Worthy.”
John records that the Baptist said he was not worthy,
Mark that he was not sufficient, and these two are not the same.
One who was not worthy might yet be sufficient, and one who was worthy
might not be sufficient. For even if it be the case that gifts
are bestowed to profit withal and not merely according to the
proportion of faith, yet it would seem to be the part of a God who
loves men and who sees before what harm must come from the rise of
self-opinion or conceit, not to bestow sufficiency even on the
worthy. But it belongs to the goodness of God by conferring
bounties to conquer the object of His bounty, taking in advance him who
is destined to be worthy, and adorning him even before he becomes
worthy with sufficiency, so that after his sufficiency he may come to
be worthy; he is not first to be worthy and then to anticipate the
giver and take His gifts before the time and so arrive at being
sufficient. Now with the three the Baptist says he is not
sufficient, while in John he says he is not worthy. But it may be
that he who formerly declared that he was not sufficient became
sufficient afterwards, even though perhaps he was not worthy, or again
that while he was saying he was not worthy, and was in fact not worthy,
he arrived at being worthy, unless one should say that human nature can
never come to perform worthily this loosing or this bearing, and that
John, therefore, says truly that he never became sufficient to loose
the latchets of the Saviour’s shoes, nor worthy of it
either. However much we take into our minds there are still left
things not yet understood; for, as we read in the wisdom of Jesus, son
of Sirach,
21. The Fourth Gospel Speaks of Only One Shoe, the Others of Both. The Significance of This.
As to the shoes, too, which are spoken of in the three
Gospels, we have a question to consider; we must compare them with the
single shoe named by the disciple John. “I am not
worthy,” we read there, “to untie the latchet of His
shoe.” Perhaps he was conquered by the grace of God, and
received the gift of doing that which of himself he would not have been
worthy to do, of untying, namely, the latchet of one of the shoes,
namely, after he had seen the Saviour’s sojourn among men, of
which he bears witness. But he did not know the things which were
to follow, namely, whether Jesus was to come to that place also, to
which he was to go after being beheaded in prison, or whether he was to
look for another; and hence he alludes enigmatically to that doubt
which was afterwards cleared
22. How the Word Stands in the Midst of Men Without Being Known of Them.
As for the saying, “There standeth one among you
whom you know not,” we are led by it to consider the Son of God,
the Word, by whom all things were made, since He exists in substance
throughout the underlying nature of things, being the same as
wisdom. For He permeated, from the beginning, all creation, so
that what is made at any time should be made through Him, and that it
might be always true of anything soever, that “All things were
made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was
made;” and this saying also, “By wisdom didst thou make
them all.” Now, if He permeates all creation, then He is
also in those questioners who ask, “Why baptizest thou, if thou
art not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” In the
midst of them stands the Word, who is the same and steadfast, being
everywhere established by the Father. Or the words, “There
standeth among you,” may be understood to say, In the midst of
you men, because you are reasonable beings, stands He who is proved by
Scripture to be the sovereign principle in the midst of every body, and
so to be present in your heart. Those, therefore, who have the
Word in the midst of them, but who do not consider His nature, nor from
what spring and principle He came, nor how He gave them the nature they
have, Reading αὐτοὺς.
23. Heracleon’s View of This Utterance of John the Baptist, and Interpretation of the Shoe of Jesus.
But Heracleon declares the words, “There standeth
one among you,” to be equivalent to “He is already here,
and He is in the world and in men, and He is already manifest to you
all.” By this He does away with the meaning which is also
present in the words, that the Word had permeated the whole
world. For we must say to him, When is He not present, and when
is He not in the world? Does not this Gospel say, “He was
in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him
not.” And this is why those to whom the Logos is He
“whom you know not,” do not know Him: they have never
gone out of the world, but the world does not know Him. But at
what time did He cease to be among men? Was He not in Isaiah,
when He said,
24. The Name of the Place Where John Baptized is Not Bethany, as in Most Copies, But Bethabara. Proof of This. Similarly “Gergesa” Should Be Read for “Gerasa,” In the Story of the Swine. Attention is to Be Paid to the Proper Names in Scripture, Which are Often Written Inaccurately, and are of Importance for Interpretation.
“These things were done in Bethabara, beyond
Jordan, where John was baptizing.” The name
“Saul” or “David” should probably stand
here.
25. Jordan Means “Their Going Down.” Spiritual Meanings and Application of This.
Let us look at the words of the Gospel now before
us. “Jordan” means “their going
down.” The name “Jared” is etymologically akin
to it, if I may say so; it also yields the meaning “going
down;” for Jared was born to Maleleel, as it is written in the
Book of Enoch—if any one cares to accept that book as
sacred—in the days when the sons of God came down to the
daughters of men. Under this descent some have supposed that
there is an enigmatical reference to the descent of souls into bodies,
taking the phrase “daughters of men” as a tropical
expression for this earthly tabernacle. Should this be so, what
river will “their going down” be, to which one must come to
be purified, a river going down, not with its own descent, but
“theirs,” that, namely, of men, what but our Saviour who
separates those who received their lots from Moses from those who
obtained their own portions through Jesus (Joshua)? His current,
flowing in the descending stream, makes glad, as we find in the
Psalms,
26. The Story of Israel Crossing Jordan Under Joshua is Typical of Christian Things, and is Written for Our Instruction.
Now, it may very well be that some one not versed in the
various aspects of the Saviour may stumble at the interpretation given
above of the Jordan; because John says, “I baptize with water,
but He that cometh after me is stronger than I; He shall baptize you
with the Holy Spirit.” To this we reply that, as the Word
of God in His character as something to be drunk is to one set of men
water, and to another wine, making glad the heart of man, and to others
blood, since it is said,
27. Of Elijah and Elisha Crossing the Jordan.
Another point which we must not fail to notice is that
when Elijah was about to be taken up in a whirlwind, as if to
heaven,
28. Naaman the Syrian and the Jordan. No Other Stream Has the Same Healing Power.
Should any one object to the expression “He smote
the water,” on account of the conclusion we arrived at above with
respect to the Jordan, that it is a type of the Word who descended for
us our descending, we rejoin that with the Apostle the rock is plainly
said to be Christ, and that it is
29. The River of Egypt and Its Dragon, Contrasted with the Jordan.
But that the Spirit in the inspired Scriptures is not
speaking mainly of rivers to be seen with the eyes, may be gathered
from Ezekiel’s prophecies against Pharaoh, king of
Egypt:
30. Of What John Learned from Jesus When Mary Visited Elisabeth in the Hill Country.
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto
him.”
John the disciple does not tell us where the Saviour
comes from to John the Baptist, but we learn this from Matthew, who
writes:
32. John Calls Jesus a “Lamb.” Why Does He Name This Animal Specially? Of the Typology of the Sacrifices, Generally.
“And he sayeth, Behold the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world.”
33. A Lamb Was Offered at the Morning and Evening Sacrifice. Significance of This.
Now we find the lamb offered in the continual (daily)
sacrifice. Thus it is written,
34. The Morning and Evening Sacrifices of the Saint in His Life of Thought.
But if any one asks what the saint is to do in the time between morning and evening, let him follow what takes place in the cultus and infer from it the principle he asks for. In that case the priests begin their offerings with the continual sacrifice, and before they come to the continuous one of the evening they offer the other sacrifices which the law prescribes, as, for example, that for transgression, or that for involuntary offences, or that connected with a prayer for salvation, or that of jealousy, or that of the Sabbath, or of the new moon, and so on, which it would take too long to mention. So we, beginning our oblation with the discourse of that type which is Christ, can go on to discourse about many other most useful things. And drawing to a close still in the things of Christ, we come, as it were, to evening and night, when we arrive at the bodily features of His manifestation.
35. Jesus is a Lamb in Respect of His Human Nature.
If we enquire further into the significance of Jesus
being pointed out by John, when he says, “This is the Lamb of God
which taketh away the sin of the world,” we may take our stand at
the dispensation of the bodily advent of the Son of God in human life,
and in that case we shall conceive the lamb to be no other than the
man. For the man “was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb, dumb before his shearers,”
36. Of the Death of the Martyrs Considered as a Sacrifice, and in What Way It Operates to the Benefit of Others.
Akin to this sacrifice are the others of which the
sacrifices of the law are symbols, and another kind of sacrifice also
appears to me to be of the same nature; namely, the shedding of the
blood of the noble martyrs, whom the disciple John saw, for this is not
without significance, standing beside the heavenly altar.
“Who is wise, 1 Clement, 55.
37. Of the Effects of the Death of Christ, of His Triumph After It, and of the Removal by His Death of the Sins of Men.
We have lingered over this subject of the martyrs and
over the record of those who died on account of pestilence, because
this lets us see the excellence of Him who was led as a sheep to the
slaughter and was dumb as a lamb before the shearer. For if there
is any point in these stories of the Greeks, and if what we have said
of the martyrs is well founded,—the Apostles, too, were for the
same reason the filth of the world and the offscouring of all
things,
38. The World, of Which the Sin is Taken Away, is Said to Be the Church. Reasons for Not Agreeing with This Opinion.
The reader will do well to consider what was said above
and illustrated from various quarters on the question what is meant in
Scripture by the word “world”; and I think it proper to
repeat this. I am aware that a certain scholar understands by the
world the Church alone, since the Church is the adornment of the
world, κοσμος means both
“ornament” and “world.”
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1. Jesus Comes to Capernaum. Statements of the Four Evangelists Regarding This.
“After this
The numbers which are recorded in the book of that
name The text is doubtful
here, but the above seems to be the meaning. Nazara is with Origen
a neuter plural.
2. The Discrepancy Between John and the First Three Gospels at This Part of the Narrative, Literally Read, the Narratives Cannot Be Harmonized: They Must Be Interpreted Spiritually.
The truth of these matters must lie in that which is
seen by the mind. If the discrepancy between the Gospels is not
solved, we must give up our trust in the Gospels, as being true and
written by a divine spirit, or as records worthy of credence, for both
these characters are held to belong to these works. Those who
accept the four Gospels, and who do not consider that their apparent
discrepancy is to be solved anagogically (by mystical interpretation),
will have to clear up the difficulty, raised above, about the forty
days of the temptation, a period for which no room can be found in any
way in John’s narrative; and they will also have to tell us when
it was that the Lord came to Capernaum. If it was after the six
days of the period of His baptism, the sixth being that of the marriage
at Cana of Galilee, then it is clear that the temptation never took
place, and that He never was at Nazara, and that John was not yet
delivered up. Now, after Capernaum, where He abode not many days,
the passover of the Jews was at hand, and He went up to Jerusalem,
where He cast the sheep and oxen out of the temple, and poured out the
small change of the bankers. In Jerusalem, too, it appears that
Nicodemus, the ruler and Pharisee, first came to Him by night, and
heard what we may read in the Gospel. “After these
things,
3. What We are to Think of the Discrepancies Between the Different Gospels.
We must, however, try to obtain some notion of the
intention of the Evangelists in such matters, and we direct ourselves
to this. Suppose there are several men who, by the spirit, see
God, and know His words addressed to His saints, and His presence which
He vouchsafes to them, appearing to them at chosen times for their
advancement. There are several such men, and they are in
different places, and the benefits they receive from above vary in
shape and character. And let these men report, each of them
separately, what he sees in spirit about God and His words, and His
appearances to His saints, so that one of them speaks of
4. Scripture Contains Many Contradictions, and Many Statements Which are Not Literally True, But Must Be Read Spiritually and Mystically.
In the case I have supposed where the historians desire
to teach us by an image what they have seen in their mind, their
meaning would be found, if the four were wise, to exhibit no
disagreement; and we must understand that with the four Evangelists it
is not otherwise. They made full use for their purpose of things
done by Jesus in the exercise of His wonderful and extraordinary power;
they use in the same way His sayings, and in some places they tack on
to their writing, with language apparently implying things of sense,
things made manifest to them in a purely intellectual way. I do
not condemn them if they even sometimes dealt freely with things which
to the eye of history happened differently, and changed them so as to
subserve the mystical aims they had in view; so as to speak of a thing
which happened in a certain place, as if it had happened in another, or
of what took place at a certain time, as if it had taken place at
another time, and to introduce into what was spoken in a certain way
some changes of their own. They proposed to speak the truth where
it was possible both materially and spiritually, and where this was not
possible it was their intention to prefer the spiritual to the
material. The spiritual truth was often preserved, as one might
say, in the material falsehood. As, for example, we might judge
of the story of Jacob and Esau.
5. Paul Also Makes Contradictory Statements About Himself, and Acts in Opposite Ways at Different Times.
On the same passage one may also make use of such an
example as that of Paul, who at one place Aratus phenom. 5.
6. Different Accounts of the Call of Peter, and of the Imprisonment of the Baptist. The Meaning of “Capernaum.”
These examples may be serviceable to illustrate
statements not only about the Saviour, but about the disciples too, for
here also there is some discrepancy of statement. For there is a
difference in thought perhaps between Simon who is found by his own
brother Andrew, and who is addressed “Thou shalt be called
Cephas,”
7. Why His Brothers are Not Called to the Wedding; And Why He Abides at Capernaum Not Many Days.
But we must ask why His brothers are not called to the
wedding: they were not there, for it is not said they were; but
they go down to Capernaum with Him and His mother and His
disciples. We must also examine why on this occasion they do not
“go in to” Capernaum, nor “go up
to,” but “go down to” it. Consider if we
must not understand by His brothers here the powers which went down
along with Him, not called to the wedding according to the explanations
given above, since it is in lower and humbler places than those who are
called disciples of Christ, and in another way, that these brothers
receive assistance. For if His mother is called, then there are
some bearing fruit, and even to these the Lord goes down with the
servants and disciples of the Word, to help such persons, His mother
also being with Him. Those indeed who are called Capernaum appear
not to be able to allow Jesus and those who went down with Him to make
a longer stay with them: hence they remain with them not many
days. For the lower field of consolation does not admit the
illumination of many doctrines, but is only capable of a few. To
get a clear view of the difference between those who receive Jesus for
longer and for shorter time, we may compare with this, “They
abode there not many days,” the words recorded in Matthew as
spoken by Christ when risen from the dead to His disciples who were
being sent out to teach all nations,
8. How Christ Abides with Believers to the End of the Age, and Whether He Abides with Them After that Consummation.
Some may very likely and not unreasonably ask, whether,
when all the days of this age are over, there will no longer be any one
to say, “Lo, I am with you,” with those, namely, who
received Him till the fulfilment of the age, for the
“until” seems to indicate a certain limit of time. To
this we must say that the phrase, “I am with you,” is not
the same as “I am in you.” We might say more properly
that the Saviour was not in His disciples but with them, so
9. Heracleon Says that Jesus is Not Stated to Have Done Anything at Capernaum. But in the Other Gospels He Does Many Things There.
But Heracleon, dealing with the words, “After this
He went down to Capernaum,” declares that they indicate the
introduction of another transaction, and that the word “went
down” is not without significance. “Capernaum,”
he says, “means these farthest-out parts of the world, these
districts of matter, into which He descended, and because the place was
not suitable, he says, He is not reported either to have done anything
or said anything in it.” Now if the Lord had not been
reported in the other Gospels either as having done or said anything at
Capernaum, we might perhaps have hesitated whether this view ought or
ought not to be received. But that is far from being the
case. Matthew says our Lord left Nazareth and came and dwelt at
Capernaum on the seaside, and that from that time He began to preach,
saying, “Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand.” And Mark, starting in his narrative
10. Significance of Capernaum.
Matthew for his part adds,
11. Why the Passover is Said to Be that of the “Jews.” Its Institution: and the Distinction Between “Feasts of the Lord” And Feasts Not So Spoken of.
“And the passover of the Jews was at
hand.”
Now in what manner, in those heavenly things of which the shadow was present to the Jews on earth, those will celebrate festivals who have first been trained by tutors and governors under the true law, until the fulness of the time should come, namely, above, when we shall be able to receive into ourselves the perfect measure of the Son of God, this it is the work of that wisdom to make plain which has been hidden in a mystery; and it also may show to our thought how the laws about meats are symbols of those things which will there nourish and strengthen our soul. But it is vain to think that one desiring to work out in his fancy the great sea of such ideas, even if he wished to show how local worship is still a pattern and shadow of heavenly things, and that the sacrifices and the sheep are full of meaning, that he should advance further than the Apostle, who seeks indeed to lift our minds above earthly views of the law, but who does not show us to any extent how these things are to be. Even if we look at the festivals, of which passover is one, from the point of view of the age to come, we have still to ask how it is that our passover is now sacrificed, namely, Christ, and not only so, but is to be sacrificed hereafter.
13. Spiritual Meaning of the Passover.
A few points may be added in connection with the
doctrines now under consideration, though it would require a special
discussion in many volumes to treat of all the mystical statements
about the law, and specially of those connected with the festivals, and
more particularly still with the passover. The passover of the
Jews consists of a sheep which is sacrificed, each taking a sheep
according to his father’s house; and the passover is accompanied
by the slaughter of thousands of rams and goats, in proportion to the
number of the houses of the people. But our Passover is
sacrificed for us, namely, Christ. Another feature of the Jewish
festival is unleavened bread; all leaven is made to disappear out of
their houses; but “we keep the feast
14. In the First Three Gospels the Passover is Spoken of Only at the Close of the Ministry; In John at the Beginning. Remarks on This. Heracleon on the Passover.
We must not, however, fail to enquire into the statement
that the passover of the Jews was at hand, when the Lord was at
Capernaum with His mother and His brothers and His disciples. In
the Gospel according to Matthew,
15. Discrepancy of the Gospel Narratives Connected with the Cleansing of the Temple.
“And Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
16. The Story of the Purging of the Temple Spiritualized. Taken Literally, It Presents Some Very Difficult and Unlikely Features.
We shall, however, expound according to the strength
that is given to us the reasons which move us to recognize here a
harmony; and in doing so we entreat Him who gives to every one that
asks and strives acutely to enquire, and we knock that by the keys of
higher knowledge the hidden things of Scripture may be opened to
us. And first, let us fix our attention on the words of John,
beginning, “And Jesus went up to Jerusalem.”
17. Matthew’s Story of the Entry into Jerusalem. Difficulties Involved in It for Those Who Take It Literally.
We have now to take into consideration the statements of
the other Gospels on the expulsion from the temple of those who made it
a house of merchandise. Take in the first place what we find in
Matthew. On the Lord’s entering Jerusalem, he
says,
18. The Ass and the Colt are the Old and the New Testament. Spiritual Meaning of the Various Features of the Story. Differences Between John’s Narrative and that of the Other Evangelists.
Now to see into the real truth of these matters is the
part of that true intelligence which is given to those who can
say,
19. Various Views of Heracleon on Purging of the Temple.
Let us see what Heracleon makes of this. He says
that the ascent to Jerusalem signifies the Lord’s going up from
material things to the spiritual place, which is a likeness of
Jerusalem. And he considers that the words are, “He found
in the temple,” and not “in the sanctuary,” ἐν τῶ
ἱερῷ, not τῷ ναῷ. The latter is
Neander’s correction for τῶν ἄνω, “the things
above.” Heracleon’s point is that the ἰερόν, the Holy of Holies, represents
the spiritual realm; and that Jesus entered it as being, as well as the
ναος, in need of His
saving work.
20. The Temple Which Christ Says He Will Raise Up is the Church. How the Dry Bones Will Be Made to Live Again.
“The Jews then answered and said unto Him, What
sign showest Thou unto us, seeing that Thou doest these
things? These words do not
occur in
21. That the Son Was Raised Up by the Father. The Charge Brought Against Jesus at His Trial Was Based on the Incident Now Before Us.
What I have said is not alien to the passage now
engaging us, dealing as it does with the temple and those cast out from
it, of which the Saviour says, “The zeal of thy house shall
devour Me;” and with the Jews who asked that a sign should be
showed them, and the Saviour’s answer to them, in which He
combines the discourse on the temple with that on His own body, and
says, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it
up.” For from this temple, which is the body of Christ,
everything that is irrational and savours of merchandise must be driven
away, that it may no longer be a house of merchandise. And this
temple must be destroyed by those who plot against the Word of God, and
after its destruction be raised again on that third day which we
discussed above; when the disciples also will remember what He, the
Word, said before the temple of God was destroyed, and will believe,
not only their knowledge but their faith also being then made perfect,
and that by the word which Jesus spoke. And every one who is of
this nature, Jesus purifying him,
22. The Temple of Solomon Did Not Take Forty-Six Years to Build. With Regard to that of Ezra We Cannot Tell How Long It Took. Significance of the Number Forty-Six.
The Jews therefore said, “Forty and six years was
this temple in building, LXX. reads
“besides what;” neither reading yields a good sense. Reading ἠγωνισμένοις.
Another suggested reading is γεγωνιωμένοις,
which might give the sense “at the corners.” Neither
is satisfactory.
23. The Temple Spoken of by Christ is the Church. Application to the Church of the Statements Regarding the Building of Solomon’s Temple, and the Numbers Stated in that Narrative.
“But He spake of the temple of His body.
24. The Account of the Building of Solomon’s Temple Contains Serious Difficulties and is to Be Interpreted Spiritually.
For the sake of those, however, who consider that
nothing further than the narrative itself is meant to be indicated in
these words, it may not be unfitting to introduce at this point some
considerations which they can scarcely withstand, to show that the
words ought to be regarded as those of the Spirit, and that the mind of
the Spirit should be sought for in them. Did the sons of the
kings really spend their time in hewing the great and precious stones,
and practise a craft so little in keeping with royal birth? And
the number of the burden-bearers and of the stone-cutters and of the
officers, the duration, too, of the period of preparing the stones and
marking them, is all this recorded
25. Further Spiritualizing of Solomon’s Temple-Building.
It is worth while to enquire how, on the one hand,
Solomon the king is said to have built the temple, and on the other the
master-builder whom Solomon sent and fetched,
26. The Promises Addressed to Jerusalem in the Prophets Refer to the Church, and are Still to Be Fulfilled.
After all this it is proper to ask whether what is
narrated as having taken place about the temple has ever taken place or
ever will take place about the spiritual house. The argument may
seem to pinch in whichever way we take it. If we say that it is
possible that something like what is told about the temple may take
place with regard to the spiritual house, or has already taken place in
it, then those who hear us will, with difficulty, be brought to admit
that a change can take place in such good things as these, firstly,
because they do not wish it, and secondly, because of the incongruity
of thinking that such things admit of change. If, on the other
hand, We seek to maintain the unchangeableness of the good things once
27. Of the Belief the Disciples Afterwards Attained in the Words of Jesus.
“When He was raised from the dead,
28. The Difference Between Believing in the Name of Jesus and Believing in Jesus Himself.
“Now, when He was in Jerusalem at the passover,
during the feast, many believed in His name, beholding His signs which
He did. But He, Jesus, did not trust Himself to them, because He
knew all (men) and because He needed not that any should testify of
man, for he Himself knew what was in man.”
29. About What Beings Jesus Needed Testimony.
The words, “He needed not that any should testify of man,” may fitly be used to show that the Son of God is able of Himself to see the truth about each man and is in no need of such testimony as any other could supply. The words, however, “He had no need that any should testify of man,” are not equivalent to “He had no need of testimony about any being.” If we take the word “man” to include every being who is according to the image of God, or every reasonable creature, then He will have no need that any should testify to Him of any reasonable being whatever, since He Himself, by the power given Him by the Father, knows them all. But if the term “man” be restricted to mortal animated reasonable beings, then it might be said, on the one hand, that He had need of testimony respecting the beings above man, and while His knowledge was adequate with regard to man it did not extend to those other beings. On the other hand, however, it might be said that He who humbled Himself had no need that any should testify to Him concerning man, but that He had such need in respect of beings higher than men.
30. How Jesus Knew the Powers, Better or Worse, Which Reside in Man.
It may also be asked what signs those many saw Him do
who believed on Him, for it is not recorded that He did any signs at
Jerusalem, though some may have been done which are not recorded.
One may, however, consider if what He did may be called signs, when He
made a scourge of small cords, and cast them all out of the temple, and
the sheep, and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money, and
overthrew the tables. As for those who suppose that it was only
about men that He had no need of witnesses, it has to be said that the
Evangelist attributes to Him two things, that He knew all beings, and
that He had no need that any one should testify of man. If He
knew all beings, then He knew not only men but the beings above men,
all beings who are without such bodies as ours; and He knew what was in
man, since He was greater than those who reproved and judged by
prophesying, and who brought to the light the secret things of the
hearts of those whom the Spirit suggested to them to be thus dealt
with. The words, “He knew what was in man,” could
also be taken as referring to the powers, better or worse, which work
in men. For if any one gives place to the devil, Satan enters
into him; thus did Judas give place, and thus did the devil put it in
his heart to betray Jesus, and “after the sop,” therefore,
“the devil entered into him.”
on the
Gospel of Matthew.
by
John Patrick, D.D.
Commentary on Matthew.
————————————
Introduction.
————————————
According to Eusebius (H.
E. vi. 36) the Commentaries on the Gospel of Matthew were written
about the same time as the Contra Celsum, when Origen was over
sixty years of age, and may therefore be probably assigned to the
period 246–248. This statement is confirmed by internal
evidence. In the portion here translated, books x.–xiv., he
passes by the verses
In addition to the mss. already referred to (p. 292) the old Latin version is often useful for determining the text, though it contains some interpolations and has many omissions. The omissions (cf. book xiii. 28, book xiv. 1, 3, book xiv. 19–22) are not due to any dogmatic bias, but have been made by the translator or some subsequent transcriber on the ground that the passages were uninteresting or unimportant. The version is otherwise for the most part literal, and has in some cases preserved the correct reading, though it often fails just when it would have been of most service. For an estimate of the work and method of Origen as an exegete, see pp. 290–292; and for a fuller statement on some of the points here touched upon, see Westcott’s article on Origen in Smith’s Dictionary of Christian Biography (vol. iv.).
This fragment is
found in Eusebius, H.E. vi. 25.
Concerning the four Gospels
which alone are uncontroverted in the Church of God under heaven, I
have learned by tradition that the Gospel according to Matthew, who was
at one time a publican and afterwards an Apostle of Jesus Christ, was
written first; and that he composed it in the Hebrew tongue and
published it for the converts from Judaism. The second written
was that according to Mark, who wrote it according to the instruction
of Peter, who, in his General Epistle, acknowledged him as a son,
saying, “The church that is in Babylon, elect together with you,
saluteth you; and so doth Mark my son.” Or, who is commended
by Paul.
————————————
————————————
Book II. This fragment,
which is preserved in the Philocalia, c. vi., is all that is
extant of Book II.
The Unity and Harmony of Scripture.
“Blessed are the
peacemakers.…” Or, fitted.
————————————
1. The Parable of the Tares: the House of Jesus.
“Then He left the multitudes and went into His
house, and His disciples came unto Him saying, Declare to us the
parable of the tares of the field.” Or, by a
dispensation.
2. Exposition of the Parable.
“After these things He answered and said to
them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of
man.” Or, in little
details.
3. The Shining of the Righteous. Its Interpretation.
But as we said above in reference to the words,
“Then shall the righteous shine as the sun,” that the
righteous will shine not differently as formerly, but as one sun, we
will, of necessity, set forth what appears to us on the point.
Daniel, knowing that the intelligent are the light of the world, and
that the multitudes of the righteous differ in glory, seems to have
said this, “And the intelligent shall shine as the brightness of
the firmament, and from among the multitudes of the righteous as the
stars for ever and ever.”
4. Concerning the Parable of the Treasure Hidden in the Field. The Parable Distinguished from the Similitude.
“Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a
treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and
hid.” ὁρμή; also inclination. ἀφορμή.
5. The Field and the Treasure Interpreted.
And here we must inquire separately as to the field, and
separately as to the treasure hidden in it, and in what way the man who
has found this hidden treasure goes away with joy and sells all that he
has in order to buy that field; and we must also inquire—what are
the things which he sells. The field, indeed, seems to me
according to these things to be the Scripture, which was planted with
what is manifest in the words of the history, and the law, and the
prophets, and the rest of the thoughts; for great and varied is the
planting of the words in the whole Scripture; but the treasure hidden
in the field is the thoughts concealed and lying under that which is
manifest, “of wisdom hidden in a mystery,” “even
Christ, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge
hidden.”
6. The Exposition Continued.
And at this point you will inquire, whether the kingdom
of heaven is likened only to the treasure hidden in the field, so that
we are to think of the field as different from the kingdom, or is
likened to the whole of this treasure hidden in the field, so that the
kingdom of heaven contains according to the similitude both the field
and the treasure hidden in the field. Now a man who comes to the
field, whether to the Scriptures or to the Christ who is constituted
both from things manifest and from things hidden, finds the hidden
treasure of wisdom whether in Christ or in the Scriptures. For,
going round to visit the field and searching the Scriptures and seeking
to understand the Christ, he finds the treasure in it; and, having
found it, he hides it, thinking that it is not without danger to reveal
to everybody the secret meanings of the Scriptures, or the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge in Christ. And, having hidden it, he goes
away, working and devising how he shall buy the field, or the
Scriptures, that he may make them his own possession, receiving from
the people of God the oracles of God with which the Jews were first
entrusted.
7. The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price. The Formation and Difference of Pearls.
“Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man
that is a merchant seeking goodly pearls.” Cf.Pliny,
Nat. Hist. ix. 54, etc.
8. The Parable Interpreted is the Light of These Views.
Now, having collected these things out of dissertations
about stones, I say that the Saviour with a knowledge of the difference
of pearls, of which some are in kind goodly and others worthless, said,
“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a merchant
seeking goodly pearls;”
9. Christ the Pearl of Great Price.
Now you will connect with the man seeking goodly pearls
the saying, “Seek and ye shall find,” Cf.
Or, absolutely.
10. The Pearl of the Gospel in Relation to the Old Testament.
“To everything then is its season, and a time for
everything under heaven,”
11. The Parable of the Drag-Net.
“Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net
that was cast into the sea.” Valentinus and his
followers.
12. The Divine Scriptures Compared to a Net.
Now, these things being said, we must hold that
“the kingdom of heaven is likened to a net that was cast into the
sea and gathered of every kind,
13. Relation of Men to Angels.
From this it does not follow, as some suppose, that the
men who are saved in Christ are superior even to the holy angels; for
how can those who are cast by the holy angels into vessels be compared
with those
14. The Disciples as Scribes.
“Have ye understood all these things?
They say, Yea.” Or, anagogical. Or, in an exalted
sense. Or, substance.
15. The Householder and His Treasury.
Now since “every scribe who has been made a
disciple to the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a
householder who bringeth forth out of his treasury things new and
old,” Marcion and his
school.
16. Parables in Relation to Similitudes. Jesus in His Own Country.
“And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished
these parables, He departed thence. And coming into His own
country.”
17. The Brethren of Jesus.
And the saying, “Whence hath this man this
wisdom,” The Gospel of Peter,
of which a fragment was recovered in 1886 and published in 1892. Protevangelium Jacobi,
c. 9. Jos. Ant.
xviii. 4.
18. Prophets in Their Country.
“But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not
without honour, save in his own country.” Probably the
Ascensio Isaiæ. Cf. Orig. Ep. ad Afric.
c. 9.
19. Relation of Faith and Unbelief to the Supernatural Powers of Jesus.
Following this you may see, “He did not there
many mighty works because of their unbelief.”
20. Different Conceptions of John the Baptist.
“At that season Herod the tetrarch heard the
report concerning Jesus and said unto his own servants, This is John
the Baptist.” Or, none other
than. The question of
John’s relation to Jesus and of the supposed transcorporation, is
more fully discussed by Origen in his Commentary on John, book vi. 7,
p. 353, sqq.
21. Herod and the Baptist.
The narrative of Matthew is as
follows,—“for Herod had laid hold on John and bound him
in the prison.”
22. The Dancing of Herodias. The Keeping of Oaths.
Wherefore John, endued with prophetic boldness and not
terrified at the royal dignity of Herod, nor through fear of death
keeping silence in regard to so flagrant a sin, filled with a divine
spirit said to Herod, “It is not lawful for thee to have her; for
it is not lawful for thee to have the wife of thy brother.”
For Herod having laid hold on John bound him and put him in prison, not
daring to slay him outright and to take away the prophetic word from
the people; but the wife of the king of Trachonitis—which is a
kind of evil opinion and wicked teaching—gave birth to a daughter
of the same name, whose movements, seemingly harmonious, pleasing
Herod, who was fond of matters connected with birthdays, came the cause
of there being no longer a prophetic head among the people. And
up to this point I think that the movements of the people of the Jews,
which seem to be according to the law, were nothing else than the
movements of the daughter of Herodias; but the dancing of Herodias was
opposed to that holy dancing with which those who have not danced will
be reproached when they hear the words, “We piped unto you, and
ye did not dance.”
23. The Withdrawal of Jesus.
And the disciples of John having come bury his remains,
and “they went and told Jesus.”
24. The Diverse Forms of Spiritual Sickness.
And, if you wish to see of what nature are the
sicknesses of the soul, contemplate with me the lovers of money, and
the lovers of ambition, and the lovers of boys, and if any be fond of
women; for these also beholding among the crowds and taking compassion
upon them, He healed. For not every sin is to be considered a
sickness, but that which has settled down in the whole soul. For
so you may see the lovers of money wholly intent on money and upon
preserving and gathering it, the lovers of ambition wholly intent on a
little glory, for they gape for praise from the masses and the vulgar;
and analogously you will understand in the case of the rest which we
have named, and if there be any other like to them. Since, then,
when expounding the words, “He healed their sick,”
25. Healing Precedes Participation in the Loaves of Jesus.
After this the word says, “And when
————————————
Book XI.
1. Introduction to the Feeding of the Five Thousand.
“And when even was come His disciples came to
Him,”
2. Exposition of the Details of the Miracle.
Jesus, then, because of the power which He gave to the
disciples, even the power of nourishing others, said, Give ye them to
eat. λόγος
προφορικός. λόγος
ἐνδιάθετος.
3. The Exposition of Details Continued. The Sitting Down on the Grass. The Division into Companies.
We have spoken these things because of the words,
“They that did eat were five thousand men, beside children and
women,”
4. The Multitudes and the Disciples Contrasted.
“And straightway He constrained the disciples
to enter into the boat, and to go before Him unto the other side, till
He should send the multitudes away.”
5. The Disciples in Conflict. Jesus Walks Upon the Waters.
The reason why we have taken up this subject is the
passage under discussion which tells that Jesus separated the disciples
from the multitudes, and constrained them to enter into the boat and to
go before Him unto the other side until He Himself should send the
multitudes away;
6. Interpretation of the Details in the Narrative. Application Thereof to All Disciples.
And then the disciples “having crossed over
came to the land Gennesaret,” Cf.
The conception
of Origen seems to be that opposed to the Divine Trinity there is an
evil trinity. Cf. book xii. 20.
7. The Healing of the Sick on the Other Side. The Method of Healing.
But after this both Jesus and Peter will go up into the
boat, and the wind will cease; and those in the boat, perceiving the
great dangers from which they have been saved, will worship Him,
saying, not simply, “Thou art the Son of God,” as also the
two demoniacs said, but, “Of a truth, Thou art the Son of
God.” διεσώθησαν. σωθῆναι.
8. Concerning the Pharisees and Scribes Who Came and Inquired, Why Do Thy Disciples Transgress the Tradition of the Elders?
“Then there came to Him from Jerusalem
Cf.
9. Explanation of “Corban.”
Jesus, however, does not accuse them with reference to a
tradition of the Jewish elders, but with regard to two most imperative
commandments of God, the one of which was the fifth in the decalogue,
being as follows: “Honour thy father and thy mother, that
it may be well with thee, and that thy days may be long on the land
which the Lord thy God giveth thee;”
10. The Traditions of the Elders in Collision with Divine Law.
But let us return to the subject before us, in which the
Saviour abridged and expounded two commandments from the law, the one
from the decalogue from Exodus, and the other from Leviticus, or the
other from some one of the books of the Pentateuch. Then since we
have explained in what way they made void the word of God which said,
“Honour thy father and thy mother,” by saying, “Thou
shalt not honour thy father or thy mother,” whosoever shall say
to his father or mother, “It is a gift that wherewith thou
mightest have been profited by me,” some one may inquire whether
the words, “He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let him
die the death,” Or, you, if we
read ὑμᾶς. Cf.
11. Exposition of the Prophecy of Isaiah Quoted by Jesus.
And, after this, wishing to refute completely from the
words of the prophets all these traditions of the elders among the
Jews, He brought before them a saying, from Isaiah, which in the exact
words is as follows: “And the Lord said, This people draws
nigh to Me with their mouth,” etc.;
12. Things Clean and Unclean According to the Law and the Gospel.
“And He called to Him the multitude and said
unto them, Hear and understand, ” etc. Cf.
The text is
uncertain.
13. The Offence of the Pharisees.
And as in many cases we have to consider the
astonishment of the Jews at the words of the Saviour, because they were
spoken with authority, so also in regard to the words in this
place. Having called the multitudes therefore, He said unto them,
“Hear and understand,”
14. Why the Pharisees Were Not a Plant of God. Teaching of Origen on the “Bread of the Lord.”
After this, it is worth while to look at the phrase
which has been assailed in a sophistical way by those who say Marcion and his
followers. Cf.
Cf.
Cf.
15. Eating with Unwashed Heart Defiles the Man.
Next to this let us see how the things which proceed out
and defile the man do not defile the man because of their proceeding
out of the mouth, but have the cause of their defilement in the heart,
when there come forth out of it, before those things which proceed
through the mouth, evil thoughts, of which the species
are—murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,
railings.
16. Concerning the Canaanitish Woman. Meaning of the “Borders of Tyre and Sidon.”
“And Jesus went out thence and withdrew into
the parts of Tyre and Sidon. And behold a Canaanitish
woman.” Cf.
17. Exposition of the Details in the Narrative.
Now bring together from the Gospels those who call Him
Son of David, as she, and the blind men in Jericho;
18. Concerning the Multitudes Who Were Healed. Comparison of the Mountain Where Jesus Sat to the Church.
“And Jesus departed
thence,”—manifestly, from what has been said before,
from the parts of Tyre and Sidon,—“and came nigh unto
the sea of Galilee,”
19. Concerning the Seven Loaves. The Narrative of the Feeding of the Four Thousand Compared with that of the Five Thousand.
“And Jesus called unto Him His disciples and
said.” ὀυ
κελεύει ἁλλὰ
παραγγέλλει Or, did not
mention the occasion of this.
————————————
Book XII.
1. Concerning Those Who Asked Him to Show Them a Sign from Heaven.
“And the Sadducees and Pharisees came, and
tempting Him kept asking Him to shew them a sign from
heaven.”
2. Why the Pharisees Asked a Sign from Heaven.
Now, to this point we have come in our discourse,
because of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming together unto Jesus, who
disagreed in matters relating to the resurrection, but came, as it
were, to an agreement for the sake of tempting our Saviour, and asking
Him to show them a sign from heaven. For, not satisfied with the
wonderful signs shown among the people in the healing of all forms of
disease and sickness, and with the rest of the miracles which our
Saviour had done in the knowledge of many, they wished Him to show to
them also a sign from heaven. And I conjecture that they
suspected that the signs upon earth might possibly not be of God; for
they did not hesitate indeed to say, “Jesus casts out demons by
Beelzebub the prince of the demons;” The familiar saying so
frequently quoted as Scripture in the Fathers, sometimes ascribed to
Jesus by them, sometimes to Paul. See Suicer.
3. The Answer of Jesus to Their Request.
Next let us remark in what way, when asked in regard to
one sign, that He might show it from heaven, to the Pharisees and
Sadducees who put the question, He answers and says, “An evil
and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall be no
sign given to it, but the sign of Jonah the prophet, ” when
also, “He left them and departed.”
4. Why Jesus Called Them an Adulterous Generation. The Law as Husband.
And He called them, indeed, “an evil
generation,” because of the quality arising from evil which had
been produced in them, for wickedness is voluntary evil-doing, but
“adulterous” because that when the Pharisees and Sadducees
left that which is figuratively called man, the word of truth or the
law, they were debauched by falsehood and the law of sin. For if
there are two laws, the law in our members warring against the law of
the mind, and the law of the mind, Or, who was
God.
5. Concerning the Leaven of the Pharisees.
“And His disciples came to the other side and
forgot to take loaves.” Cf.
6. The Meaning of Leaven. Jesus’ Knowledge of the Heart.
Then expounding clearly and representing to them, who
were being distracted because of the equivocal meaning of loaf and
leaven, in an undisguised fashion, that He was not speaking to them
about sensible bread but about the leaven in the teaching, He subjoins,
“How is it that ye do not perceive that I spake not you
concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and
the Sadducees.”
7. Relative Magnitude of Sins of the Heart and Actual Sins.
But we may also learn from this, that in respect of the
reasonings only which we reason within ourselves, we are sometimes
convicted and reproached as being of little faith. And I think
that just as a man commits adultery in his heart only, though not
proceeding altogether to the overt act, so he commits in his heart the
rest of the things which are forbidden. As then he who has
committed adultery in his heart will be punished proportionately to
adultery of this kind, so also he who has done in his heart any one of
the things forbidden, for example, who has stolen in his heart only, or
borne false witness in his heart only, will not be punished as he who
has stolen in fact, or who has completed the very act of false
testimony, but only as he who has done such things in his heart.
There is also the case of the man who while he did not arrive at the
evil action, came short of it in spite of his own will. For if,
in addition to willing it, he has attempted it, but not carried it out,
he will be punished not as one who has sinned in his heart alone but in
deed. To questions of this sort one might ask, whether any one
commits adultery in his heart, even if he does not do the deed of
adultery, but lacks self-control in heart only. And the like also
you will say concerning the rest of things which are deserving of
praise. But the passage possibly contains a plausible fallacy
which must be cleared away, I think, in this manner: adultery
which takes place in the heart is a less sin, than if one were also to
add to it the act. But it is impossible that there can be
chastity in the heart, hindering the chaste action—unless indeed
one brings forward for an illustration of this the case of the virgin
who according to the law was violated in solitude; Or, violence in
the licentious person.
8. The Leaven Figurative Like the Water Spoken of by Jesus to the Woman of Samaria.
But I wonder if the disciples thought, before the saying
was explained to them by Jesus, that their Teacher and Lord was
forbidding them to beware of the sensible leaven of the Pharisees or
the Sadducees as impure, and on this account forbidden, lest they might
use that leaven because they had not taken loaves. And we might
make a like inquiry in regard to other things; but by-way of
illustration the narrative about the woman of Samaria sufficeth,
“Every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but
whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst.”
9. Concerning the Question of Jesus in Cæsarea, Who Do Men Say that I Am? Different Conceptions of Jesus.
“Now when Jesus came into the parts of
Cæsarea Philippi, He asked His disciples.” Or, Him.
10. The Answer of Peter.
And perhaps that which Simon Peter an Or, a
Peter.
11. The Promise Given to Peter Not Restricted to Him, But Applicable to All Disciples Like Him.
But if you suppose that upon that one Peter only the
whole church is built by God, what would you say about John the son of
thunder or each one of the Apostles? Shall we otherwise dare to
say, that against Peter in particular the gates of Hades shall not
prevail, but that they shall prevail against the other Apostles and the
perfect? Does not the saying previously made, “The gates of
Hades shall not prevail against it,”
12. Every Sin—Every False Doctrine is a “Gate of Hades.”
But when we have understood how each of the sins through
which there is a way to Hades Or, each of the sins
on account of which Christ was about to go to Hades.
(Erasmus) Or, you.
13. The “Gates of Hades” And the “Gates of Zion” Contrasted.
In this place, then, the gates of Hades are spoken of;
but in the Psalms the prophet gives thanks saying, “He who
lifteth me up from the gates of death that I may declare all thy
praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion.” That is, the Minor
Prophets.
14. In What Sense the “Keys” Are Given to Peter, and Every Peter. Limitations of This Power.
And after this let us see in what sense it is said to
Peter, and to every Peter, “I will give unto thee the keys of
the kingdom of heaven.”
15. Relation of the Former Commission Given by Jesus to the Disciples, to His Present Injunction of Silence. Belief and Knowledge Contrasted.
“Then enjoined He His disciples that they
should tell no man that He was the Christ.” Or, which he
may regard as mediocre.
16. Gradual Growth in Knowledge of the Disciples.
But now we must first investigate the fact that they
were declaring other things about Him as being great and wonderful, but
did not yet proclaim that He was the Christ, lest the Saviour may not
appear to take away from them the authority to announce that He was the
Christ, which He had formerly bestowed upon them. And perhaps
some one will support an argument of this kind, saying that on their
introduction into the school of Christ the Jews were taught by the
disciples glorious things about Jesus, so that in due season there
might be built upon these as a foundation the things about Jesus being
the Christ; and perhaps many of the things which were said to them were
said to all who virtually believed; for not to the Apostles alone did
the saying apply, “Before governors and kings also shall ye be
brought for My sake for a testimony to them and to the
Gentiles;”
17. Reasons for that Gradual Knowledge.
And likewise he who holds that the fact that He was
Christ had been formerly proclaimed by the Apostles when they heard the
saying, “What I tell you in the darkness, speak ye in the light,
and what ye hear in the ear proclaim on the housetops,”
18. Jesus Was at First Proclaimed by the Twelve as a Worker and a Teacher Only.
But he who holds that the things spoken to the Twelve
refer to the times subsequent to this, and that the Apostles had not as
yet announced to their hearers that He was the Christ, will say that He
wished the conception of the Christ which was involved in the name of
Jesus to be reserved for that preaching which was more perfect, and
which brought salvation, such as Paul knew of when he said to the
Corinthians, “I determined not to know anything among you save
Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
19. Importance of the Proclamation of Jesus as the Crucified.
It is necessary, therefore, to the proclamation of Jesus
as Christ, that He should be proclaimed as crucified; and the
proclamation that Jesus was the Christ does not seem to me so defective
when any of His other miracles is passed over in silence, as when the
fact of His crucifixion is passed over. Wherefore, reserving the
more perfect proclamation of the things concerning Him by the Apostles,
He commanded His disciples that they should tell no man that He was the
Christ; and He prepared them to say that He was the Christ crucified
and risen from the dead, “when He began” not only to say,
nor even to advance to the point of teaching merely, but “to
show”
20. Why Jesus Had to Go to Jerusalem.
“Then began He to show;” Or (putting a
comma after Jerusalem), but that on the third day He might rise. See xi. c. 6, p. 434,
note 2.
21. The Rebuke of Peter and the Answer of Jesus.
“And Peter took Him and began to rebuke Him,
saying, God be propitious to Thee. Lord, this shall never be unto
thee.” These three
sentences are supplied from the old Latin version, as at this point
there is a hiatus in the mss.
22. Importance of the Expressions “Behind” And “Turned.”
But you will compare together His saying to Peter,
“Get thee behind me, Satan,”
23. Peter as a Stumbling-Block to Jesus.
Next we must inquire how He said to Peter, “Thou
art a stumbling-block unto Me,”
24. Self-Denial and Cross-Bearing.
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, If any man
wills to follow after Me,” etc.
25. Reference to the Saying of Paul About Crucifixion with Christ.
Moreover in regard to the saying, “Let him deny
himself,”
26. The Less of Life; And the Saving of It.
“For whosoever would save his own life shall
lose it.”
But at the same time also observe that at the beginning
it is said, “Whosoever wills,” but afterwards, “Whoso
shall lose.”
28. The Exchange for One’s Life.
But the saying, “What shall a man give in
exchange for his own life,”
29. The Coming of the Son of Man in Glory.
“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of
His own Father with His angels.” Reading προευτρεπισός
as the Vetus Inter.
But if you will understand the differences of the Word
which by “the foolishness of preaching”
31. The Simpler Interpretation of the Promise About Not Tasting of Death.
“Verily I say unto you there be some of them
that stand here that shall not taste of death.”
32. Standing by the Saviour.
The reflections in regard to the passage before us that
occur to us at the present time are these: Some were standing
where Jesus was, having the footsteps of the soul firmly planted with
Jesus, and the standing of their feet was akin to the standing of which
Moses said in the passage, “And I stood on the mountain forty
days and forty nights,”
33. Interpretation of “Tasting of Death.”
But we must seek to understand what is meant by
“tasting of death.” And He is life who says, “I
am the life,”
34. Meaning of “Until.” No Limitation of Promise.
But since some one may think that the promise of the
Saviour prescribes a limit of time to their not tasting of death,
namely, that they will not taste of death “until”
35. Scriptural References to Death.
But since here it is written in the three Evangelists,
“They shall not taste of death,”
36. Concerning the Transfiguration of the Saviour.
“Now after six days,” according to
Matthew and Mark,
37. Force of the Words “Before Them.”
But you will ask if, when He was transfigured before
those who were led up by Him into the lofty mountain, He appeared to
them in the form of God, in which He formerly was, so that He had to
those below the form of a servant, but to those who had followed Him
after the six days to the lofty mountain, He had not that form, but the
form of God. But hear these things, if you can, at the same time
giving heed spiritually, that it is not said simply, “He was
transfigured,” but with a certain necessary addition, which
Matthew and Mark have recorded; for, according to both, “He was
transfigured before them.”
38. The Garments White as the Light.
And not only is He transfigured before such disciples,
nor does He only add to the transfiguration the shining of His face as
the sun; but further also to those who were led up by Him into the high
mountain apart, His garments appear white as the light.
39. Jesus Was Transfigured—“As He Was Praying.”
Then, since it will be necessary to expound the passage
as given in Mark, “And as He was praying He was transfigured
before them,”
40. Discussion of the Saying of Peter.
But let us next see what was the thought of Peter when
he answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be
here; let us make three tabernacles,”
41. Figurative Interpretation of the Same.
But since we have not yet spent our energy in
interpreting the things in the place figuratively, but have said these
things by way of searching into the mere letter, let us in conformity
with these things, consider whether the aforesaid Peter and the sons of
thunder who were taken up into the mountain of the dogmas of the truth,
and who saw the transfiguration of Jesus and of Moses and Elijah, who
appeared in glory with Him, might wish to make tabernacles in
themselves for the Word of God who was going to dwell in them, and for
His law which had been beholden in glory, and for the prophecy which
spake of the decease of Jesus, which He was about to
accomplish;
42. The Meaning of the “Bright Cloud.”
Next to these come the words, “While He was yet
speaking, behold, also, a bright cloud overshadowed
them,” The text is
mutilated.
43. Relation of Moses and Elijah to Jesus. The Injunction of Silence.
But after these things it is written that, when they
heard the voice from the cloud bearing testimony to the Son, the three
Apostles, not being able to bear the glory of the voice and power
resting upon it, “fell on their face,”
————————————
1. Relation of the Baptist to Elijah. The Theory of Transmigration Considered.
“The disciples asked Him, saying, Why then say
the scribes that Elijah must first come?”
2. “The Spirit and Power of Elijah”—Not the Soul—Were in the Baptist.
I have thought it necessary to dwell some time on the
examination of the doctrine of transmigration, because of the suspicion
of some who suppose that the soul under consideration was the same in
Elijah and in John, being called in the former case Elijah, and in the
second case John; and that, not apart from God, had he been called
John, as is plain from the saying of the angel who appeared to
Zacharias, “Fear not, Zacharias, for thy supplication is heard,
and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his
name John;” Cf.
Cf.
The text is
uncertain.
3. Concerning the Epileptic.
“And when they were come to the multitude,
there came to Him a man kneeling to Him and saying, Lord, have mercy
upon my son.”
4. Spiritual Epileptics.
But since our present object is not to make inquiry
about every case, but about the passage before us, let us, adopting a
figurative interpretation, consider who we may say the lunatic was, and
who was his father who prayed for him, and what is meant by the
sufferer falling not constantly but oft-times, sometimes into the fire,
and sometimes into the water, and what is meant by the fact that he
could not be healed by the disciples but by Jesus Himself. For if
every sickness and every infirmity, which our Saviour then healed among
the people, refers to different disorders in souls, it is also in
accordance with reason that by the paralytics are symbolised the
palsied in soul, who keep it lying paralysed in the body; but by those
who are blind are symbolised those who are blind in respect of things
seen by the soul alone, and these are really blind; and by the deaf are
symbolised those who are deaf in regard to the reception of the word of
salvation. On the same principle it will be necessary that the
matters regarding the epileptic should be investigated. Now this
affection attacks the sufferers at considerable intervals, during which
he who suffers from it seems in no way to differ from the man in good
health, at the season when the epilepsy is not working on him.
Similar disorders you may find in certain souls, which are often
supposed to be healthy in point of temperance and the other virtues;
then, sometimes, as if they were seized with a kind of epilepsy arising
from their passions, they fall down from the position in which they
seemed to stand, and are drawn away by the deceit of this world and
other lusts. Perhaps, therefore, you would not err if you said,
that such persons, so to speak, are epileptic spiritually, having been
cast down by “the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly
places,”
5. The Deaf and Dumb Spirit.
Now the father of the epileptic—perhaps the angel
to whom he had been allotted, if we are to say that every human soul is
put in subjection to some angel—prays the Physician of souls for
his son that He may heal him who could not be healed from his disorder
by the inferior word which was in the disciples. But the dumb and
deaf spirit, who was cast out by the Word, must be figuratively
understood as the irrational impulses, even towards that which seems to
be good, so that, what things any man once did by irrational impulse
which seemed to onlookers to be good, he may do no longer irrationally
but according to the reason of the teaching of Jesus. Under the
inspiration of this Paul also said, “If I have all faith so as to
remove mountains;” Cf.
6. Influence of the Moon and Stars on Men.
Let us now, then, give heed to the very letter of the
passage, and first let us inquire, how he who has been cast into
darkness and repressed by an impure and deaf and dumb spirit is said to
be a “lunatic,” and for what reason the expression to be a
“lunatic” derives its name from the great light in heaven
which is next to the sun, which God appointed “to rule over the
night.”
7. The Power of Faith.
But when the Saviour said, “O faithfulness and
perverse generation,”
8. Jesus’ Prediction of His “Delivery” Into the Hands of Men.
“And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said
unto them, The Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of
men.”
9. Satan and the “Delivery” Of Jesus.
Now we must think that the devil has the power of
death,—not of that which is common and indifferent, in accordance
with which those who are compacted of soul and body die, when their
soul is separated from the body,—but of that death which is
contrary to and the enemy of Him who said, “I am the
Life,”
10. Concerning Those Who Demanded the Half-Shekel.
“And when they were come to Capernaum, they
that received the half-shekel came to Peter.”
11. The Freedom of Sons.
And this may be put in another way. There are some
who are kings’ sons on the earth, and yet they are not sons of
those kings, but sons, and sons absolutely; but others, because of
their being strangers to the sons of the kings of the earth, and sons
of no one of those upon the earth, but on this very account are sons,
whether of God or of His Son, or of some one of those who are
God’s. If, then, the Saviour inquires of Peter, saying,
“The kings of the earth from whom do they receive toll or
tribute—from their own sons or from strangers?”
12. The Stater Allegorized.
But you might sometimes gracefully apply the passage to the lover of money, who has nothing in his mouth but things about silver, when you behold him healed by some Peter, who takes the stater, which is the symbol of all his avarice, not only from his mouth and words, but from his whole character. For you will say that such an one was in the sea, and in the bitter affairs of life, and in the waves of the cares and anxieties of avarice, having the stater in his mouth when he was unbelieving and avaricious, but that he came up from the sea and was caught in the rational net, and being benefited by some Peter who has taught him the truth, no longer has the stater in his mouth, but in place of it those things which contain His image, the oracles of God.
13. The Sacred Half-Shekel.
Moreover to the saying, “They that received the
half-shekel came to Peter,”
14. Concerning Those Who Said, Who is the Greatest? and Concerning the Child that Was Called by Jesus.
“In that day came the disciples unto Jesus
saying, Who then is greatest in the kingdom of
heaven?”
15. Greatness Varies in Degree.
But next we must seek to understand this: the
disciples came to Him, as disciples to a teacher proposing difficult
questions, and making inquiry, Who then is greatest in the kingdom of
heaven?
16. Why the Great are Compared to Little Children.
But first we may expound it in simple fashion.
One, expounding the word of the Saviour here after the simple method,
might say that, if any one who is a man mortifies the lusts of manhood,
putting to death by the spirit the deeds of the body, and “always
bearing about in the body the putting to death of
Jesus,” Or, the
Word.
17. The Little Ones and Their Stumbling-Blocks.
But it is a hard task to expound what follows in logical
harmony with what has already been said; for one might say, how is it
that he who is converted and has become as the little children, is a
little one among such as believe in Jesus, and is capable Or, be
free from. The Vetus Inter. has “extra
dolores.” It has had ἔξω
instead of ἑξῆς.
18. Who Was the Little Child Called by Jesus.
Now another interpretation different from what is called
the simpler may be uttered; whether as dogma, or for the sake of
exercise, so to speak, let us also inquire what was the little child
who was called by Jesus and set in the midst of the disciples.
Now consider if you can say that the little child, whom Jesus called,
was the Holy Spirit who humbled Himself, when He was called by the
Saviour, and set in the midst of the reason of the disciples of Jesus;
if, indeed, He wishes us, being turned away from everything else, to be
turned towards the examples suggested by the Holy Spirit, so that we
may so become as the little children, who are themselves also turned
and likened to the Holy Spirit; which little children God gave to the
Saviour, according to what is said in Isaiah, “Behold, I and the
little children which God has given to me.”
19. The Parallel Passages in Mark and Luke.
But let us consider also the like account in the other
Evangelists. Mark,
20. The World and Offences. Various Meanings of World.
“Woe unto the world because of occasions of
stumbling.” Lomm., following Huet.
refers to Esther (The
21. The “Woe” Does Not Apply to the Disciples of Jesus.
But if there is woe unto men everywhere on the earth,
because of occasions of stum
22. What the “Occasions of Stumbling” Are.
“And it must needs be that occasions of
stumbling come,”
23. In What Sense “Necessary.”
Next we must test accurately the meaning of the word
“necessity” in the passage, “For there is a
necessity that the occasions come,”
24. The Offending Hand, or Foot, or Eye.
And it is well, then, if the eye and the hand are
deserving of praise, that the eye cannot with reason say to the hand,
“I have no need of thee.” Cf.
25. The Eye or Hand Allegorized.
And it is possible to apply these words also to our
nearest kinsfolk, who are our members, as it were; being considered to
be our members, because of the close relationship; whether by birth, or
from any habitual friendship, so to speak; whom we must not spare if
they are injuring our soul. For let us cut off from ourselves as
a hand or a foot or an eye, a father or mother who wishes us to do that
which is contrary to piety, and a son or daughter who, as far as in
them lies, would have us revolt from the church of Christ and the love
of Him. But even if the wife of our bosom, or a friend who is
kindred in soul, become stumbling-blocks to us, let us not spare them,
but let us cut them out from ourselves, and cast them outside of our
soul, as not being truly our kindred but enemies of our salvation; for
“whosoever hates not his father, and mother,”
26. The Little Ones and Their Angels.
“See that ye despise not one of these little
ones.” Cf.
Then again one might inquire at what time those who are
called their angels assume guardianship of the little ones pointed out
by Christ; whether they received this commission to discharge
concerning them, from what time “by the laver of
regeneration,”
28. Close Relationship of Angels to Their “Little Ones.”
With reference to the words, “When through the
laver I became a child in Christ,” Cf. The text is perhaps
corrupt.
But another might say that the perfect man is here
called little, applying the word, “For he that is least among you
all, the same is great,”
[As for the exposition of the matters relating to
“the hundred sheep,” you may consult the homilies on
Luke.
30. The Sinning Brother.
“If thy brother sin against thee, go, shew him
his fault between thee and him alone.
31. The Power to Bind on Earth and in Heaven.
But to me it seems that, to the case of him who after
being thrice admonished was adjudged to be as the Gentile and the
publican, it is fitly subjoined, “Verily, I say unto
you,”—namely, to those who have judged any one to be as
the Gentile and the publican,—“and what things soever ye
shall bind on the earth,”
————————————
Book XIV.
1. The Power of Harmony in Relation to Prayer.
“Again I say unto you that if two of you shall
agree συμφωνήσωσιν. Or reading
χωρίζει, following the
Vetus Inter, keeps apart.
2. The Harmony of Husband and Wife.
So much then for the more common understanding of the
two or three whom the Word exhorts to be in agreement. But now
let us also touch upon another interpretation which was uttered by some
one of our predecessors, exhorting those who were married to sanctity
and purity; for by the two, he says, whom the Word desires to agree on
earth, we must understand the husband and wife, who by agreement
defraud each other of bodily intercourse that they may give themselves
unto prayer;
3. The Harmony of Body, Soul, and Spirit.
And next to this about the married, I am familiar also
with another interpretation of the agreement between the two which is
as follows. In the wicked, sin reigns over the soul, being
settled as on its own throne in this mortal body, so that the soul
obeys the lusts thereof;
4. Harmony of the Old and New Covenants.
And likewise it is a pleasant thing to endeavour to
understand and exhibit the fact of the concord of the two
covenants,—of the one before the bodily advent of the Saviour and
of the new covenant; for among those things in which the two covenants
are at concord so that there is no discord between them would be found
prayers, to the effect that about anything whatever they shall ask it
shall be done to them from the Father in heaven. And if also you
desire the third that unites the two, do not hesitate to say that it is
the Holy Spirit, since “the words of the wise,” whether
they be of those before the advent, or at the time of the advent, or
after it, “are as goads, and as nails firmly fixed, which were
given by agreement from one shepherd.”
5. The Limit of Forgiveness.
“Then came Peter and said unto Him, Lord, how
often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive
him?”
6. Concerning the King Who Made a Reckoning with His Own Servants, to Whom Was Brought a Man Who Owed Ten Thousand Talents.
“Therefore I say unto you the kingdom of heaven
is likened unto a certain king, who wished to make a reckoning with his
own servants.”
7. Exposition Continued: the King and the Servants.
“The kingdom of heaven,” He says,
“is likened,”
8. The Principle of the Reckoning.
But you will here inquire whether all men can be called
servants of the king, or some are servants whom he foreknew and
fore-ordained, while there are others who transact business with the
servants, and are called bankers.
9. The Time Occupied by the Reckoning.
And these things will take place whenever that happens
which is written in Daniel, “The books were opened and the
judgment was set;”
10. The Man Who Owed Many Talents.
Next we must speak in regard to this, “And when
he had begun to reckon, there was brought unto him one which owed many
talents.”
11. The Servant Who Owed a Hundred Pence.
Only, though he cannot pay the talents, for he has lost
them, he has a wife and children and other things, of which it is
written, “All that he has.”
12. The Time of the Reckoning.
But it is fitting to examine at what time the
man—the king—in the parable wished
13. No Forgiveness to the Unforgiving.
Only, I have said these things with the view of
referring his return when he comes with his kingdom to the
consummation, when he commanded the servants to whom he had given the
money to be called to him that he might know what they had gained by
trading, and from a desire to demonstrate from this, and from the
parable of the Talents, that the passage “he who wished to make a
reckoning with his own servants” That is, the God of
the Old Testament—according to Marcion.
14. How Jesus Finished His Words.
“And it came to pass when Jesus had finished
these words.” τελετὰς.
Origen’s play on the words ἐτέλεσεν and
τελετή cannot be fully
reproduced in English. The word τελετή, in reference to the
mysteries, meant the rite, or participation in the rite, by which one
became perfect; and in later Christian usage it was applied to the
Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. See
Suicer.
15. How Men Followed Jesus.
Only, when Jesus had finished these words, having spoken
them in Galilee about Capernaum, then “He departed thence, and
came into the borders of Judæa,”
16. Concerning the Pharisees and Scribes Tempting Jesus (by Asking) Whether Was Lawful for a Man to Put Away His Wife for Every Cause.
After this it is written that “there came unto
Him the Pharisees tempting Him and saying, Is it lawful for a man to
wife for every cause?” Or, by God the
woman is married to the man.
17. Union of Christ and the Church.
But since the Apostle understands the words,
“And they twain shall be one flesh,”
18. The Bill of Divorcement.
After this we will discuss the saying of the Pharisees
which they said to Jesus, “Why then did Moses command to give
a bill of divorcement and put her away?”
19. The Divorce of Israel.
Now, keeping in mind what we said above in regard to the
passage from Isaiah about the bill of divorcement, we will say that the
mother of the people separated herself from Christ, her husband,
without having received the bill of divorcement, but afterwards when
there was found in her an unseemly thing, and she did not find favour
in his sight, the bill of divorcement was written out for her; for when
the new covenant called those of the Gentiles to the house of Him who
had cast away his former wife, it virtually gave the bill of
divorcement to her who formerly separated from her husband—the
law, and the Word. Therefore he, also, having separated from her,
married, so to speak, another, having given into the hands of the
former the bill of divorcement; wherefore they can no longer do the
things enjoined on them by the law, because of the bill of
divorcement. And a sign that she has received the bill of
divorcement is this, that Jerusalem was destroyed along with what they
called the sanctuary of the things in it which were believed to be
holy, and with the altar of burnt offerings, and all the worship
associated with it. And a further sign of the bill of divorcement
is this, that they cannot keep their feasts, even though according to
the The text is
corrupt.
20. Christ and the Gentiles.
Now there are those in whose case it has happened that
the man dwells with them without having hated them, because they abide
in the house of the last husband, who took to himself their synagogue
as wife. But also in their case the latter husband dies,
21. Union of Angels and the Souls of Men.
But some one may inquire whether the human soul can be
figuratively called a wife, and the angel who is set over her and is
her ruler, with whom as her sovereign she holds conversation, can be
called her husband; so that according to this each lawfully dwells
along with the soul which is worthy of the guardianship of a divine
angel; but sometimes after long sojourning and intercourse a cause may
arise in the soul why she does not find favour in the eyes of the angel
who is her lord and ruler, because that in it there is found an
unseemly thing; and bonds may be written out, as such are written, and
a bill of divorcement be written and put into the hands of her who is
cast out, so that she may no longer be familiar with her former
guardian, when she is cast out from his dwelling. And even she
who has gone away from her former dwelling may be joined to another
husband, and be unfortunate with him, not only, as in the case of the
former, not finding favour in his sight because an unseemly thing was
found in her, but even being hated by him. Cf.
Cf. Her. Sim.
viii. 3. Cf. Her. Sim.
vi. 2. Cf. Her. Sim.
vi. 3. The text is
probably corrupt. Perhaps it means the marriage of a
second angel with our soul.
22. The Marriage of Church Dignitaries.
But, while dealing with the passage, I would say that we
will be able perhaps now to understand and clearly set forth a question
which is hard to grasp and see into, with regard to the legislation of
the Apostle concerning ecclesiastical matters; for Paul wishes no one
of those of the church, who has attained to any eminence beyond the
many, as is attained in the administration of the sacraments, to make
trial of a second marriage. For laying down the law in regard to
bishops in the first Epistle to Timothy, he says, “If a man
seeketh the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. The
bishop, therefore, must be without reproach, the husbands of one wife,
temperate, sober-minded,” Cf.
23. Some Laws Given by Concession to Human Weakness.
But, even if we have seemed to touch on things too deep
for our capacity in the passages, nevertheless, because of the literal
expression these things must further be said, that some of the laws
were written not as excellent, but as by way of accommodation to the
weakness of those to whom the law was given; for something of this kind
is indicated in the words, “Moses for your hardness of heart
suffered you to put away your wives;”
24. Jewish Criticism of the Law of Christ.
But perhaps some Jewish man of those who dare to oppose
the teaching of our Saviour will say, that when Jesus said,
25. Chastity and Prayer.
Now after these things, having considered how many
possible accidents may arise in marriages, which it was necessary for
the man to endure and in this way suffer very great hardships, or if he
did not endure, to transgress the word of Christ, the disciples say to
him, taking refuge in celibacy as easier, and more expedient than
marriage, though the latter appears to be expedient, “If the
case of the man is so with his
Genesis
1:1 1:11 1:16 1:20 1:21 1:26 1:26 1:26-27 1:27 1:27 1:28 2:11 2:23 2:24 3:9 3:15 3:16 3:23 4:3-8 4:9 4:23 4:25 5:24 7 7:4 12:1-3 12:22 13:14-16 15:5-6 15:15 18:27 19 21:8 22:6-10 22:17 26:13 26:13 27 27:41 28:4 31:27 37 38:4 40:20 43:34 46:11 48:16 49:2 49:10 49:10 49:16
Exodus
1:13-14 2:14 2:22 3:2 3:5 3:6 3:11 3:14-15 4:10 4:11 6:16 6:24 7:1 8:2 8:21-23 9:2 12:1-3 12:5 12:8 12:11 12:26 12:43-48 12:46 12:48 14 14:11 14:15 15:17 16:23 19:9 19:16 20:12 20:12 21:15 22:29 22:31 23:16 25:39 29:38-44 29:38-44 30:20 31:3 31:6 32:7 32:7 32:9 32:32 32:32 32:34 33:15 36:1-2 36:8
Leviticus
10:12 19:23 20:9 20:9 21:14 23:2 26:10-11 26:12
Numbers
1:3 3:47 12:7 12:10 12:14-15 14:28 16 16:22 16:33 17 18:7 18:22 18:27 25:12 27:16 28:1 33:6
Deuteronomy
4:19 4:19 5:31 9:9 9:12 10:10 18:15 18:15 22:25 24:1 24:1-3 24:1-4 24:3 24:3 24:4 24:4 24:4 28:66-67 30:15 32:4 32:8 32:8-9 32:15 32:39
Joshua
2 3:5 3:7 3:9-10 5:9 5:13-14 6:25
Judges
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2:11 4:32 5:3-5 5:15-18 5:18 6:1 6:4 6:8 6:10 6:16 6:19 6:21 7:13 8:39 11:14 13:2 18:8 18:21 18:33
2 Kings
1:8 2:8 2:11 2:11 2:14 2:15 2:15 5:9-10 19:9 24:7
1 Chronicles
10 22:8 22:8-9 22:9 22:14 27:3 29:1-5
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Esther
Job
1:1 1:12 1:15-19 1:16 1:16 3:8 4:16-18 4:19-21 5:1-5 5:11 5:17-26 11:2-3 14:4-5 15:15 19:25-26 25:5 38:11 40:19
Psalms
1:2 2:2 2:2 2:3 2:6 2:7 2:7-8 2:26 3:6 4:4 4:4 4:7 4:15 4:24 4:24 4:26 4:26 5:3 5:15 6:6 7:15 8:2 8:18 9:13-14 10:1 10:1 10:4 11:7 11:7 12:3-5 14:3 16:9 16:12 18:11 18:18 18:19-20 18:19-20 18:20 18:22 18:22-23 18:25-26 19:1-3 19:2-4 19:9 19:165 19:165 19:165 20:7 20:7 22:1 22:2-4 22:6-8 22:10 22:13 22:14 24:1 24:7 24:8 24:9 25:2 27:1 27:3 28:7 30:8 31:18 31:18 31:24 32:1-2 32:10 33:6 33:10 33:10 33:17 33:17 34:7 34:11-17 35:16 36:2 36:6 36:10 37:35-37 38:6 39:7-10 39:13 39:15 40:7 41:5 42 42:1 43:2 43:2 44:1 45:1 45:1 45:8 45:14 46:4 48:5 48:5 49:14 50:1 50:1 50:15 50:16-23 50:17-22 51:1-17 51:10 51:12 51:17 55:18 62:4 63:3 67:11-12 69:5 69:28 69:31-32 69:31-32 71:6 72:1-2 72:7 72:12 73:8-9 74:9 74:13 77:7 78:36-37 79:12 81:7 82:5 84:5 88:4-5 88:6 88:6 89:21 89:32-33 89:48 91:15 142:4
Proverbs
1:6 1:22-33 1:24 2:21-22 3:12 3:34 4:23 4:27 5:22 5:22 7:3 7:3 8:8-9 8:22 8:22 8:22 8:22 10:19 16:5 16:23 16:23 19:14 19:14 20:6 20:27 25:20 26:9 27:2 30:6 30:19
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
1:7 1:8 1:13 1:16-20 1:18 1:21 2:1 2:10 3:1-3 3:11 5:18 6:1 6:3 6:9 7:11 8:36 9:2 9:5-6 9:6 9:9 11:1 11:1-3 11:2 13:11 22:22 25:8 26:9 26:20 29:8 29:9-15 29:11-12 29:13 29:13 29:13 29:13 29:14 29:15 30:6 34:4 35:6 40:2 40:3 40:3 40:6 40:6 40:9 40:10 41:8 42:1 42:1-4 42:6 42:18 43:3-4 43:10 48:16 48:16 49:1-3 49:2 49:2-3 49:3 49:5-6 49:6 49:6 49:6 49:22-23 50:1 52:5 52:6 52:7 53 53:2 53:2-3 53:2-3 53:4 53:7 54:1 54:1 54:11-14 54:15 57:15 58:9 60:13-20 60:17 61:1 62:11 63:1 65:1 66:2 66:18 66:24 66:24 66:24 66:24 66:24
Jeremiah
1:7 1:10 2:13 2:18 4:16 5:14 7:11 9:23 9:23-24 11:19 11:19 14:1 20:7 20:9 20:9 22:24 23:24 31:27 32:27
Lamentations
Ezekiel
2:3 9:6 14:14 14:20 17:24 18:4 18:17-22 18:20-23 18:21-24 18:24 18:30 27:25 29:3-5 33 33:11 33:12 34:23 37:1-4 37:11
Daniel
3:20 3:86 6:16 7:10 7:10 7:10 12:3
Hosea
1:1 1:2 1:2 2:23 7:2 7:4 9:5 10:12 10:13 14:10
Joel
Amos
Jonah
Habakkuk
Zechariah
Malachi
1:6 3:1 3:1 3:1 4:5-6 4:5-6 4:5-6
Matthew
1:1 1:1-17 1:18 1:19 1:20 1:21 1:22 1:23 1:24 1:25 2:1 2:1 2:2 2:3 2:4 2:5 2:6 2:7 2:8 2:9 2:10 2:11 2:12 2:13 2:14 2:15 2:16 2:17 2:18 2:19 2:20 2:21 2:22 2:23 2:23 3:1 3:2 3:2 3:2 3:3 3:4 3:5 3:6 3:7 3:7 3:7-8 3:8 3:9 3:10 3:10 3:11 3:13 3:13 3:14 3:15 3:16 3:17 3:17 4:2 4:2-3 4:4 4:5 4:6 4:7 4:9 4:9 4:10 4:10 4:11 4:11 4:11 4:11-15 4:12 4:12 4:13 4:14 4:15 4:16 4:16 4:17 4:17 4:17 4:18 4:18 4:19 4:19 4:19 4:20 4:21 4:22 4:24 5:1 5:1 5:1 5:1-3 5:2 5:3 5:3 5:4 5:5 5:6 5:7 5:8 5:9 5:9 5:10 5:11 5:12 5:13 5:14 5:14 5:14 5:15 5:16 5:16 5:16 5:16 5:17 5:17 5:18 5:19 5:19 5:20 5:21 5:22 5:23 5:24 5:25 5:25 5:26 5:26 5:27 5:28 5:29 5:30 5:31 5:32 5:32 5:32 5:32 5:33 5:33 5:34 5:34-35 5:35 5:35 5:36 5:37 5:38 5:39 5:40 5:41 5:42 5:43 5:44 5:45 5:45 5:46 5:47 5:48 6:1 6:1-2 6:2 6:3 6:4 6:5 6:6 6:7 6:8 6:9 6:10 6:11 6:12 6:12-15 6:13 6:14 6:15 6:16 6:17 6:18 6:19 6:20 6:20 6:21 6:21 6:22 6:23 6:24 6:24 6:25 6:26 6:27 6:28 6:29 6:30 6:31 6:32 6:33 6:34 7:1 7:1 7:2 7:2 7:6 7:6 7:6 7:7 7:7 7:7 7:7 7:8 7:8 7:8 7:8 7:12 7:13 7:14 7:14 7:14 7:14 7:14 7:14 7:15 7:15 7:16 7:17 7:18 7:19 7:20 7:21 7:21 7:21-23 7:22 7:23 7:23 7:24 7:25 7:26 7:27 7:28 7:28 7:29 8 8:1 8:2-3 8:4 8:5 8:5 8:5-6 8:7 8:8 8:10 8:11 8:12 8:13 8:16 8:17 8:17 8:18 8:19 8:20 8:23 8:24 8:25 8:28 8:28 8:29 8:32 9:1 9:8 9:9 9:13 9:15 9:15 9:18 9:18 9:19 9:20-21 9:22 9:24 9:26 9:27 9:28 9:29 9:30 9:31 9:32 9:33 9:35 9:35 9:36 10:1 10:5 10:5 10:6 10:7 10:8 10:9 10:10 10:10 10:10 10:11 10:12 10:13 10:14 10:15 10:16 10:16 10:17 10:17 10:18 10:18 10:19 10:20 10:21 10:21 10:22 10:23 10:23 10:24 10:25 10:26 10:26 10:27 10:27 10:27 10:28 10:29 10:30 10:31 10:32 10:32 10:32 10:32 10:33 10:33 10:36 10:37 10:38 10:38 10:39 10:39 10:40 10:41 10:42 10:42 11:1 11:2 11:2-3 11:3 11:3 11:4-5 11:9 11:10 11:11 11:11 11:11 11:12 11:12 11:12 11:13 11:13 11:14 11:14 11:14 11:14 11:14 11:14-15 11:15 11:17 11:19 11:20 11:21 11:22 11:22 11:23 11:24 11:27 11:28 11:29 11:30 12:1 12:2 12:5 12:5 12:6 12:7 12:8 12:8 12:11 12:12 12:14 12:15 12:15 12:16 12:17 12:17 12:18 12:19 12:19 12:20 12:21 12:22 12:23 12:24 12:24 12:25 12:26 12:26 12:27 12:28 12:29 12:32 12:32 12:33 12:34 12:36 12:36 12:37 12:38 12:39 12:40 12:41 12:42 12:45 12:46 12:46 12:47 12:48 12:50 12:50 12:50 13:1 13:2 13:2-3 13:3 13:4 13:5 13:6 13:10 13:10 13:11 13:11 13:11 13:11 13:11 13:12 13:12 13:13 13:14 13:15 13:16 13:16 13:17 13:17 13:18 13:19 13:20 13:21 13:21 13:22 13:23 13:24 13:25 13:26 13:27 13:28 13:29 13:30 13:31 13:31 13:31-32 13:32 13:33 13:33 13:34 13:34 13:34-35 13:36 13:36 13:36 13:36 13:36-22:33 13:37 13:37 13:38 13:39 13:39 13:40 13:41 13:42 13:42 13:42 13:43 13:43 13:43 13:44 13:44 13:45 13:45 13:45 13:46 13:47 13:47 13:47 13:48 13:49 13:49-50 13:50 13:51 13:51 13:52 13:52 13:52 13:53 13:53-54 13:54 13:54 13:55 13:55 13:55 13:55-56 13:56 13:56 13:57 13:57 13:57 13:58 13:58 14:1 14:1 14:2 14:2 14:2 14:2 14:3 14:3 14:3-4 14:5 14:12 14:12 14:13 14:13 14:13-14 14:14 14:14 14:14 14:15 14:15 14:15 14:15 14:15 14:15 14:15 14:15 14:15 14:15 14:16 14:16 14:17 14:17 14:17 14:18 14:19 14:19 14:19 14:19-20 14:20 14:21 14:21 14:22 14:22 14:22-23 14:23 14:24 14:24 14:25 14:25 14:25 14:26 14:27 14:27 14:28 14:29 14:29 14:30 14:30 14:31 14:31 14:31 14:32 14:33 14:33 14:33 14:34 14:34 14:35 14:35-36 14:36 14:36 14:38 14:46-49 14:50 15:1-2 15:3 15:4 15:4 15:4 15:4 15:5 15:7 15:7 15:8 15:8 15:9 15:9 15:10 15:10 15:10-11 15:11 15:11 15:11 15:11 15:12 15:13 15:13 15:13 15:14 15:14 15:14 15:15 15:16 15:17 15:17 15:18 15:18-19 15:20 15:21 15:21-22 15:22 15:22 15:22 15:22 15:23 15:23 15:24 15:24 15:24 15:24 15:25 15:25-26 15:26 15:27 15:27 15:28 15:28 15:28 15:28 15:28 15:29 15:29 15:30 15:30 15:30 15:30 15:31 15:31 15:31 15:32 15:32 15:32 15:32 15:32 15:33 15:34 15:35 15:36 15:36 15:37 15:38 15:39 16:1 16:2 16:3 16:4 16:4 16:4 16:4 16:4 16:5 16:6 16:6 16:6 16:7 16:7 16:7-8 16:8 16:8 16:11 16:11 16:12 16:13 16:13 16:13-14 16:14 16:14 16:14 16:15 16:15-16 16:16 16:16 16:16 16:16 16:16 16:16 16:16 16:16-17 16:17 16:17 16:18 16:18 16:18 16:18 16:18 16:18 16:18 16:18 16:19 16:19 16:19 16:19 16:19 16:19 16:20 16:20 16:20 16:20 16:20 16:20 16:21 16:21 16:21 16:21 16:21 16:21 16:22 16:22 16:22 16:22 16:23 16:23 16:23 16:23 16:23 16:23 16:23 16:24 16:24 16:25 16:25 16:26 16:26 16:27 16:27 16:27 16:28 16:28 16:28 16:28 17:1 17:1 17:2 17:2 17:2 17:3 17:4 17:4 17:4 17:4 17:4 17:5 17:5 17:5 17:6 17:6 17:7 17:8 17:8 17:9 17:9 17:10 17:10 17:10 17:11 17:12 17:12 17:12 17:12 17:12 17:12 17:12 17:13 17:13 17:13 17:14 17:14-15 17:15 17:15 17:16 17:17 17:17 17:18 17:19-20 17:20 17:20 17:20 17:20 17:20 17:21 17:22 17:22 17:22-23 17:23 17:24 17:24 17:24 17:25 17:25 17:26 17:26 17:26 17:27 17:27 17:27 17:29 18:1 18:1 18:1 18:1 18:2 18:3 18:4 18:5 18:6 18:6 18:6 18:6 18:6 18:6 18:6 18:7 18:7 18:7 18:7 18:8 18:8 18:9 18:9 18:10 18:10 18:10 18:10 18:10 18:11 18:11 18:12-13 18:12-14 18:13 18:14 18:14 18:14 18:14 18:15 18:15 18:15 18:15-16 18:16 18:16 18:17 18:17 18:17 18:18 18:18 18:19 18:19 18:19 18:20 18:20 18:20 18:20 18:21 18:21 18:22 18:22 18:23 18:23 18:23 18:23 18:23 18:24 18:24 18:24 18:24 18:25 18:25 18:26 18:26 18:27 18:28 18:28 18:28 18:29 18:30 18:31 18:31 18:32 18:33 18:34 18:34 18:34 18:35 18:35 19:1 19:1 19:1 19:2 19:2 19:3 19:4 19:4 19:4-6 19:5 19:5 19:6 19:6 19:6 19:6 19:6 19:6 19:7 19:7 19:8 19:8 19:8 19:8 19:9 19:9 19:10 19:10 19:11 19:11 19:11 19:12 19:13 19:17 19:17-18 19:19-20 19:21 19:22 19:23 19:24 19:28 19:28 19:28 20:1 20:2 20:2 20:3 20:4 20:5 20:6 20:7 20:8 20:9 20:10 20:11 20:12 20:13 20:14 20:15 20:16 20:20 20:21 20:23 20:28 20:29 20:30 20:33 20:34 21:1 21:1 21:2 21:2 21:2 21:3-4 21:5 21:6 21:6 21:7 21:8 21:9 21:10 21:10 21:10-13 21:11 21:12 21:12 21:12 21:13 21:14 21:15 21:16 21:17 21:20 21:21 21:22 21:23 21:24 21:25 21:25 21:25 21:26 21:28 21:29 21:30 21:31 21:32 21:33 21:35 21:35 21:36 21:38 21:39 21:40 21:41 21:42 21:42 21:42 21:43 21:43 21:43 21:43 21:44 21:44 21:45 21:46 22:1 22:2 22:3 22:4 22:5 22:6 22:7 22:8 22:9 22:10 22:11 22:12 22:13 22:14 22:14 22:15 22:16 22:17 22:17 22:18-19 22:20 22:21 22:23 22:24 22:25 22:27 22:28 22:30 22:30 22:33 22:34 22:34-27:66 22:35 22:35 22:37 22:37 22:38 22:40 22:41 22:42 22:43 22:44 22:45 22:46 22:49 23:1 23:2 23:3 23:4 23:5 23:5 23:7 23:8 23:8-9 23:9 23:10 23:11 23:12 23:13 23:13 23:13 23:14 23:15 23:16 23:17 23:18 23:19 23:20 23:21 23:22 23:23 23:24 23:25 23:26 23:27 23:28 23:29 23:30 23:31 23:32 23:33 23:34 23:35 23:35 23:36 23:37 23:38 23:39 24:1 24:2 24:2 24:3 24:4 24:5 24:5 24:7 24:7 24:8 24:9 24:11 24:11 24:12 24:12 24:13 24:14 24:15 24:16 24:20 24:21 24:24 24:26 24:27 24:27 24:29 24:30 24:30 24:31 24:32 24:33 24:34 24:35 24:35 24:35 24:35 24:35 24:37 24:37-39 24:38 24:39 24:41 24:42 24:43 24:44 24:45 24:46 24:47 24:47 24:48 24:49 24:50 24:51 24:51 25:1 25:2 25:3 25:4 25:5 25:6 25:7 25:8 25:9 25:10 25:11 25:12 25:13 25:14 25:14-15 25:14-30 25:15 25:15 25:16 25:17 25:18 25:19 25:19 25:19 25:20 25:21 25:22 25:23 25:24 25:25 25:26 25:27 25:27 25:28 25:29 25:30 25:31 25:32 25:33 25:34 25:34 25:35 25:35 25:36 25:37 25:38 25:39 25:40 25:40 25:41 25:42 25:42 25:43 25:44 25:45 25:46 26:1 26:2 26:2 26:3 26:4 26:5 26:6 26:6-13 26:9 26:10 26:12 26:15 26:15 26:18 26:24 26:25 26:26 26:27 26:28 26:29 26:31 26:32 26:33 26:36 26:36 26:37 26:38 26:38 26:40 26:40 26:41 26:41 26:42 26:44 26:45 26:47 26:48 26:49 26:50 26:50 26:50 26:52 26:53 26:54 26:55 26:56 26:56 26:58 26:59 26:60 26:60 26:61 26:62 26:63 26:63 26:64 26:64 26:65 26:66 26:68 26:71 26:72 26:73 26:73 27 27:1 27:2 27:3 27:4 27:5 27:6 27:7 27:8 27:9 27:10 27:11 27:12 27:13 27:14 27:15 27:16 27:17 27:17 27:18 27:19 27:20 27:21 27:21 27:22 27:24 27:24 27:25 27:25 27:26 27:27 27:28 27:29 27:30 27:32 27:32 27:32 27:34 27:36 27:37 27:39 27:40 27:40 27:41 27:42 27:42 27:43 27:44 27:45 27:47 27:48 27:49 27:51 27:52 27:52-53 27:53 27:54 27:54 27:56 27:56 27:57 27:58 27:60 27:61 27:62 27:63 27:64 27:65 27:66 27:66 28:1 28:1 28:2 28:2 28:3 28:4 28:5 28:6 28:7 28:7 28:8 28:8 28:9 28:10 28:11 28:12 28:13 28:14 28:15 28:16 28:17 28:18 28:19 28:19 28:20 28:20 28:20 28:20 28:31
Mark
1 1 1 1 1:1 1:2 1:2-3 1:6-7 1:9 1:11 1:12 1:13 1:13-14 1:14-27 1:15 1:16 1:21 1:29 1:33 1:35 1:36 1:37 1:38 1:39 1:41 1:42 1:43 1:44 1:45 2:1 2:2 2:8 2:9 2:10 2:11 2:12 2:12 2:14 2:14 2:20 2:20 2:21 2:22 2:24 2:25 2:26 2:27 3:4 3:5 3:7 3:8 3:9 3:10 3:11 3:12 3:14 3:17 3:19-20 3:21 3:26 3:28 3:29 3:30 3:31 4:7 4:8 4:10 4:11 4:13 4:14 4:19 4:22 4:23 4:24 4:25 4:26 4:27 4:28 4:29 4:30 4:30 4:31 4:32 4:33 4:33 4:34 4:34 4:35 4:36 4:36 4:38 4:39 4:40 5:1 5:2 5:3 5:4 5:4-5 5:5 5:6 5:7 5:7 5:13 5:13 5:16 5:20 5:21 5:23 5:24 5:25 5:26 5:27 5:28 5:29 5:30 5:33 5:34 5:37 5:38 5:39 5:40 5:41 5:42 6:1 6:2 6:4 6:5 6:5 6:5 6:6 6:6 6:8 6:9 6:11 6:12 6:13 6:14 6:14 6:15 6:15 6:16 6:16 6:17 6:18 6:19 6:20 6:21 6:22 6:23 6:24 6:25 6:26 6:27 6:28 6:29 6:30 6:31 6:33 6:34 6:36 6:38 6:39 6:39-40 6:40 6:41 6:41 6:45 6:45 6:51 6:52 6:54 6:54 6:55 6:56 7:1 7:2 7:3 7:3-4 7:4 7:5 7:6 7:8 7:9 7:10 7:11 7:12 7:13 7:14 7:15 7:16 7:17 7:18 7:19 7:19 7:21 7:22 7:23 7:24 7:24 7:24 7:25 7:26 7:29 7:30 7:31 7:32 7:33 7:34 7:35 7:36 7:37 8:3 8:6 8:11 8:12 8:12 8:13 8:14 8:15 8:17 8:18 8:19 8:20 8:21 8:22 8:23 8:24 8:25 8:26 8:27 8:30 8:31 8:32 8:33 8:34 8:35 8:37 8:38 9:1 9:1 9:1 9:2 9:2 9:3 9:3-4 9:5 9:6 9:6 9:6 9:10 9:10 9:11 9:12 9:13 9:14 9:15 9:18 9:20 9:21 9:22 9:23 9:24 9:25 9:26 9:27 9:28 9:29 9:30 9:31 9:31 9:33 9:33-34 9:34 9:35 9:36 9:36-37 9:37 9:39 9:41 9:42 9:44 9:44 9:47 9:48 9:48 9:48 9:48 9:49 9:50 9:50 10:1 10:2 10:2 10:3 10:4 10:5 10:10 10:11 10:12 10:13-14 10:15 10:16 10:17 10:18 10:18 10:18 10:19 10:19 10:19 10:21 10:23 10:24 10:26 10:27 10:29 10:30 10:31 10:32 10:33 10:34 10:35 10:36 10:37 10:38 10:39 10:40 10:41 10:42 10:43 10:44 10:46 10:46 10:47 10:48 10:49 10:50 10:51 11:1-12 11:2 11:2 11:6 11:10 11:12 11:13 11:14 11:15 11:15 11:15 11:16 11:19 11:19 11:20 11:21 11:22 11:23 11:24 11:24-25 11:25 11:26 11:28 11:29 11:30 11:32 11:33 12:3 12:4 12:5 12:6 12:15 12:20 12:26 12:26 12:27 12:28 12:28 12:28 12:29 12:30 12:31 12:32 12:33 12:34 12:34 12:37 12:38 12:39 12:40 12:41 12:42 12:44 13:1 13:2 13:3 13:6 13:7 13:10 13:11 13:15 13:16 13:20 13:21 13:23 13:24 13:32 13:33 13:34 13:35 13:36 13:37 14:1 14:2 14:3 14:3 14:4 14:5 14:5 14:6 14:7 14:8-9 14:11 14:12 14:15 14:16 14:18-19 14:20 14:21 14:22 14:23 14:23 14:24 14:30 14:30 14:31 14:35 14:36 14:37 14:40 14:41 14:42 14:44 14:49 14:51 14:52 14:57-58 14:58 14:59 14:59 14:60 14:61 14:63 14:64 14:65 14:65 14:68 14:69 14:71 15 15:1 15:1 15:3 15:8 15:9 15:13 15:15 15:20 15:21 15:21 15:23 15:23 15:28 15:29 15:34 15:36 15:40 15:40 15:41 15:42 15:43 15:44 15:45 15:46 15:46 16:1 16:1 16:3 16:4 16:5 16:7 16:8 16:9 16:10 16:10 16:10 16:10 16:11 16:12 16:13 16:14 16:15 16:16 16:17 16:18 16:19 16:19 16:20 21:34 26:46 41:17
Luke
1:5 1:6 1:6 1:7 1:8 1:9 1:10 1:11 1:12 1:13 1:13 1:13 1:13 1:14 1:15 1:15 1:15 1:16 1:16-17 1:17 1:17 1:17 1:17 1:17 1:17 1:17 1:18 1:18 1:19 1:20 1:21 1:22 1:23 1:24 1:25 1:26 1:27 1:28 1:29 1:30 1:31 1:32 1:32 1:33 1:34 1:35 1:35 1:35 1:36 1:37 1:38 1:39 1:40 1:41 1:41-42 1:42 1:43 1:44 1:45 1:46 1:47 1:48 1:49 1:50 1:51 1:52 1:53 1:54 1:55 1:56 1:57 1:58 1:59 1:60 1:61 1:62 1:63 1:63 1:64 1:65 1:65 1:66 1:67 1:68 1:69 1:70 1:71 1:72 1:73 1:74 1:75 1:76 1:76 1:77 1:78 1:79 2:1 2:2 2:3 2:4 2:5 2:6 2:9 2:10 2:10-11 2:11 2:12 2:13 2:14 2:15 2:16 2:17 2:18 2:19 2:20 2:21 2:22 2:23 2:24 2:25 2:26 2:27 2:28 2:29 2:29-30 2:30 2:31 2:32 2:33 2:34 2:35 2:36 2:37 2:38 2:39 2:40 2:41 2:42 2:43 2:44 2:45 2:46 2:47 2:48 2:49 2:50 2:51 2:52 2:52 3:15 3 3:1 3:2 3:2 3:3 3:4 3:4 3:5 3:6 3:9 3:10 3:11 3:12 3:13 3:14 3:14 3:15 3:16 3:16 3:18 3:19 3:20 3:21 3:22 3:23 3:23-38 4:1 4:2 4:5 4:6 4:7 4:13 4:13-16 4:14 4:14 4:14 4:15 4:15 4:16 4:17 4:18 4:18 4:19 4:20 4:21 4:21 4:22 4:23 4:24 4:25 4:26 4:27 4:28 4:29 4:30 4:31 4:31-41 4:32 4:33 4:34 4:35 4:36 4:37 4:38 4:38 4:39 4:40 4:41 4:42 4:43 4:44 5:1 5:2 5:3 5:4 5:5 5:6 5:7 5:8 5:9 5:10 5:11 5:12 5:15 5:16 5:17 5:18 5:19 5:20 5:21 5:25 5:26 5:26 5:26 5:27 5:28 5:29 5:30 5:31 5:32 5:32 5:33 5:34 5:35 5:36 5:38-39 6:6 6:7 6:8 6:9 6:12 6:13 6:13 6:14 6:15 6:16 6:17 6:18 6:19 6:20 6:22 6:23 6:24 6:25 6:27 6:30 6:31 6:32 6:32 6:33 6:34 6:35 6:36 6:36-38 6:37 6:38 6:39 6:40 6:41 6:42 6:44 6:45 6:45 6:47 6:48 7:2 7:3 7:4 7:5 7:8 7:9 7:10 7:11 7:12 7:12 7:13 7:14 7:15 7:16 7:17 7:18 7:19 7:20 7:21 7:22 7:23 7:24 7:25 7:26 7:26 7:27 7:29 7:30 7:31 7:32 7:32 7:33 7:34 7:35 7:36 7:36-50 7:37 7:37-50 7:38 7:39 7:40 7:41 7:41 7:42 7:43 7:44 7:45 7:46 7:47 7:48 7:49 7:50 8:1 8:2 8:3 8:5 8:5 8:7 8:8 8:8 8:9 8:13 8:14 8:15 8:18 8:19 8:19 8:22 8:22 8:23 8:24 8:25 8:26 8:26-37 8:27 8:27 8:28 8:29 8:29 8:30 8:31 8:32 8:33 8:34 8:35 8:36 8:37 8:38 8:39 8:40 8:41 8:45 8:45-46 8:46 8:46 8:47 8:47 8:48 8:49 8:50 8:53 8:55 8:55 8:56 9:1 9:2 9:3 9:7 9:7 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17:15 17:16 17:17 17:18 17:19 17:20 17:21 17:21 17:21 17:21 17:22 17:25 17:28 17:29 17:30 17:31 17:32 17:33 17:34 17:35 17:36 17:37 18:1 18:1 18:1-2 18:2 18:3 18:4 18:5 18:6 18:7 18:8 18:8 18:8 18:9 18:10 18:10-11 18:11 18:12 18:13 18:14 18:17 18:19 18:23 18:24 18:30 18:31 18:33 18:34 18:35 18:35 18:36 18:37 18:38 18:39 18:41 18:42-43 19:1 19:2 19:3 19:4 19:5 19:6 19:7 19:8 19:9 19:10 19:11 19:12 19:12 19:12-13 19:12-27 19:13 19:13 19:14 19:14 19:15 19:16 19:17 19:17 19:17 19:18 19:19 19:19 19:19 19:20 19:21 19:22 19:22 19:23 19:24 19:24 19:25 19:26 19:27 19:27 19:28 19:29 19:29 19:30 19:31 19:32 19:33 19:34 19:37 19:38 19:38 19:39 19:40 19:40 19:41 19:41 19:41-42 19:42 19:43 19:43-44 19:44 19:47 19:48 20:1 20:2 20:6 20:13 20:14 20:17 20:20 20:25 20:26 20:29 20:30 20:31 20:34 20:35 20:36 20:36 20:38 20:39 21:3 21:3 21:4 21:5 21:7 21:8 21:8 21:9 21:11 21:12 21:13 21:14 21:15 21:16 21:18 21:19 21:20 21:20 21:21 21:22 21:23 21:24 21:25 21:26 21:28 21:34 21:35 21:36 21:37 21:38 22:2 22:3 22:4 22:6 22:7 22:8 22:9 22:10 22:11 22:11 22:12 22:14 22:15 22:16 22:19 22:21 22:23 22:27 22:28 22:28 22:29 22:30 22:31 22:32 22:33 22:34 22:35 22:36 22:37 22:38 22:39 22:39 22:40 22:40 22:41 22:42 22:43 22:44 22:45 22:46 22:48 22:49 22:51 22:52 22:53 22:55 22:57 22:58 22:59 22:60 22:61 22:62 22:63 22:65 22:66 22:66 22:66 22:66 22:67 22:68 22:70 22:71 23 23:1 23:2 23:4 23:5 23:6 23:7 23:7 23:7 23:8 23:8 23:9 23:10 23:11 23:12 23:12 23:12 23:12 23:13 23:14 23:15 23:16 23:18 23:18 23:19 23:20 23:21 23:21 23:22 23:23 23:25 23:26 23:26 23:27 23:28 23:29 23:30 23:31 23:32 23:33 23:33 23:34 23:35 23:35 23:36 23:37 23:39 23:40 23:41 23:42 23:43 23:43 23:44 23:45 23:46 23:47 23:48 23:49 23:49 23:50 23:51 23:51 23:51 23:55 23:55 23:56 23:56 23:56 23:56 24:1 24:1 24:2 24:3 24:4 24:5 24:6 24:7 24:8 24:9 24:10 24:11 24:13 24:14 24:15 24:16 24:17 24:18 24:18-21 24:19 24:20 24:21 24:22 24:23 24:24 24:25 24:26 24:27 24:28 24:29 24:30 24:31 24:32 24:32 24:32 24:33 24:34 24:35 24:36 24:36 24:37 24:38 24:39 24:40 24:41 24:42 24:42-43 24:43 24:44 24:45 24:46 24:47 24:48 24:49 24:49 24:50 24:51 24:52 24:53
John
1:1 1:1 1:1 1:1 1:1-2 1:2 1:2 1:3 1:3 1:3-4 1:3-5 1:4 1:5 1:5 1:5 1:6 1:7 1:7 1:7 1:8 1:9 1:9 1:10 1:10 1:10 1:11 1:12 1:13 1:14 1:14 1:14 1:14 1:15 1:15 1:15-18 1:16 1:17 1:18 1:19 1:19 1:19-20 1:19-21 1:20 1:20 1:21 1:21 1:21 1:22 1:23 1:23 1:24 1:24 1:24 1:24-25 1:25 1:25 1:25 1:25 1:26 1:26 1:26 1:27 1:28 1:28 1:28 1:29 1:29 1:29 1:29 1:29 1:29 1:29 1:29 1:29-31 1:30 1:30-31 1:31 1:32 1:32 1:32-34 1:33 1:33 1:34 1:35 1:35 1:35-38 1:36 1:37 1:38 1:38 1:39 1:40 1:40 1:41 1:41 1:42 1:42 1:43 1:44 1:45 1:46 1:46 1:47 1:48 1:49 1:50 1:51 2:1 2:2 2:3 2:4 2:5 2:6 2:7 2:8 2:9 2:10 2:11 2:12-25 2:13 2:13 2:13 2:13-17 2:14 2:14 2:16 2:17 2:18 2:18-19 2:19 2:20 2:20 2:21 2:21 2:22 2:22 2:23 2:23-25 2:24 2:25 2:25 3:1 3:2 3:3 3:4 3:5 3:6 3:7 3:8 3:9 3:10 3:11 3:12 3:13 3:14 3:15 3:16 3:17 3:18 3:18 3:19 3:20 3:21 3:22 3:23 3:23-26 3:24 3:24 3:25 3:26 3:27 3:28 3:29 3:30 3:31 3:32 3:33 3:34 3:35 3:36 4:1 4:1-2 4:2 4:3 4:4 4:5 4:6 4:7 4:8 4:9 4:10 4:11 4:12 4:13 4:14 4:15 4:16 4:17 4:18 4:19 4:20 4:21 4:22 4:23 4:24 4:25 4:25 4:26 4:27 4:28 4:29 4:30 4:31 4:32 4:33 4:34 4:35 4:36 4:37 4:38 4:39 4:40 4:41 4:42 4:43 4:44 4:45 4:45 4:46 4:46 4:47 4:48 4:48 4:49 4:50 4:51 4:52 4:53 4:54 5:1 5:1 5:2 5:3 5:4 5:5 5:6 5:7 5:8 5:9 5:10 5:11 5:12 5:13 5:14 5:15 5:16 5:17 5:18 5:19 5:19 5:20 5:21 5:22 5:23 5:24 5:25 5:26 5:27 5:27 5:28 5:29 5:30 5:31 5:32 5:33 5:34 5:35 5:36 5:37 5:38 5:39 5:39 5:39 5:40 5:41 5:42 5:43 5:44 5:45 5:46 5:46 5:46 5:46 5:47 6:1 6:2 6:3 6:4 6:5 6:5 6:6 6:7 6:8 6:9 6:9 6:9 6:10 6:10 6:12 6:13 6:13 6:14 6:15 6:16 6:17 6:18 6:19 6:21 6:22 6:23 6:24 6:25 6:26 6:27 6:28 6:29 6:30 6:31 6:32 6:33 6:33 6:33 6:33 6:34 6:35 6:35 6:36 6:37 6:38 6:39 6:40 6:41 6:41 6:42 6:43 6:44 6:44 6:45 6:46 6:47 6:48 6:48-50 6:49 6:49 6:50 6:51 6:51 6:51 6:51 6:51 6:51-71 6:52 6:53 6:53 6:53 6:54 6:55 6:56 6:57 6:58 6:59 6:60 6:61 6:62 6:63 6:64 6:65 6:66 6:67 6:68 6:68 6:69 6:70 6:71 7:1 7:2 7:3 7:4 7:5 7:6 7:7 7:8 7:9 7:10 7:10 7:11 7:12 7:13 7:14 7:15 7:15 7:16 7:17 7:18 7:18 7:19 7:20 7:21 7:22 7:23 7:24 7:25 7:26 7:27 7:28 7:29 7:30 7:31 7:31 7:32 7:33 7:34 7:35 7:36 7:37 7:37 7:37 7:38 7:39 7:39 7:40 7:41 7:42 7:43 7:44 7:45 7:46 7:47 7:48 7:49 7:50 7:51 7:52 8:12 8:12 8:13 8:14 8:15 8:16 8:17 8:18 8:19 8:20 8:21 8:22 8:23 8:24 8:25 8:26 8:27 8:28 8:29 8:30 8:31 8:31-32 8:32 8:33 8:34 8:34 8:35 8:37 8:38 8:39 8:39 8:40 8:41 8:42 8:43 8:44 8:44 8:45 8:46 8:47 8:48 8:49 8:50 8:51 8:52 8:53 8:54 8:55 8:56 8:56 8:57 8:58 8:59 8:60 9:1 9:1 9:2 9:3 9:4 9:4-5 9:5 9:6 9:7 9:8 9:9 9:10 9:11 9:12 9:13 9:14 9:15 9:16 9:17 9:18 9:19 9:20 9:21 9:22 9:23 9:24 9:25 9:26 9:27 9:28 9:29 9:30 9:31 9:32 9:33 9:34 9:35 9:36 9:37 9:38 9:39 9:40 9:41 10:1 10:2 10:3 10:3 10:4 10:5 10:6 10:7 10:8 10:8 10:8 10:9 10:9 10:9 10:10 10:11 10:12 10:13 10:14 10:15 10:16 10:17 10:18 10:18 10:19 10:20 10:21 10:22 10:23 10:24 10:25 10:26 10:27 10:28 10:29 10:30 10:31 10:32 10:33 10:34 10:35 10:36 10:36 10:37 10:38 10:39 10:40 10:41 10:41 10:42 11:1 11:1 11:2 11:3 11:4 11:5 11:6 11:7 11:8 11:9 11:10 11:11 11:12 11:13 11:14 11:15 11:16 11:17 11:18 11:18 11:19 11:20 11:21 11:22 11:23 11:24 11:25 11:25 11:25 11:26 11:27 11:28 11:29 11:30 11:31 11:32 11:33 11:34 11:35 11:36 11:37 11:38 11:39 11:39 11:39 11:40 11:41 11:42 11:43 11:44 11:45 11:46 11:47 11:48 11:49 11:50 11:51 11:52 11:53 11:54 11:55 11:56 11:57 12:1 12:2 12:3 12:3 12:4 12:5 12:5 12:6 12:6 12:7 12:8 12:9 12:10 12:11 12:12 12:12-15 12:13 12:16 12:17 12:18 12:19 12:20 12:21 12:22 12:23 12:24 12:25 12:26 12:26 12:27 12:28 12:29 12:30 12:31 12:31-32 12:32 12:33 12:34 12:35 12:36 12:36 12:37 12:38 12:39 12:40 12:41 12:42 12:43 12:44 12:45 12:46 12:47 12:48 12:48 12:49 12:50 13:1 13:2 13:2-27 13:3 13:4 13:5 13:6 13:7 13:8 13:9 13:10 13:11 13:12 13:13 13:13 13:13 13:14 13:15 13:16 13:17 13:18 13:19 13:20 13:21 13:22 13:23 13:24 13:25 13:26 13:27 13:27 13:28 13:29 13:30 13:31 13:32 13:33 13:33 13:34 13:35 13:36 13:37 13:38 14:1 14:2 14:3 14:4 14:5 14:6 14:6 14:6 14:6 14:6 14:6 14:6 14:6 14:7 14:8 14:9 14:10 14:11 14:12 14:13 14:13-14 14:14 14:15 14:16 14:17 14:18 14:19 14:19 14:20 14:21 14:22 14:23 14:24 14:25 14:26 14:27 14:27 14:28 14:29 14:30 14:31 14:31 14:31 15:1 15:1 15:1 15:2 15:3 15:3 15:4 15:5 15:5 15:6 15:7 15:8 15:9 15:10 15:11 15:12 15:13 15:13 15:14 15:15 15:15 15:15 15:16 15:17 15:18 15:19 15:20 15:21 15:22 15:22 15:22 15:23 15:24 15:25 15:26 15:27 16:1 16:2 16:3 16:4 16:5 16:6 16:7 16:8 16:9 16:10 16:11 16:11 16:11 16:12 16:13 16:14 16:14-15 16:15 16:16 16:17 16:18 16:19 16:20 16:21 16:22 16:23 16:24 16:25 16:26 16:27 16:28 16:29 16:30 16:31 16:32 16:33 17:1 17:1 17:2 17:3 17:3 17:4 17:5 17:5 17:6 17:7 17:8 17:9 17:10 17:11 17:11 17:12 17:13 17:13 17:14 17:14 17:15 17:16 17:16 17:17 17:18 17:19 17:20 17:21 17:21 17:21 17:21 17:22 17:23 17:23 17:24 17:25 17:26 18 18:1 18:2 18:3 18:3 18:4 18:4-5 18:6 18:7 18:8 18:9 18:10 18:11 18:11 18:12 18:12-13 18:14 18:15 18:16 18:17 18:18 18:18 18:19 18:20 18:21 18:22 18:23 18:24 18:25 18:26 18:26 18:28 18:28 18:29 18:30 18:31 18:32 18:33 18:33 18:34 18:35 18:36 18:36 18:36 18:37 18:38 18:39 18:40 19 19:2 19:3 19:4 19:5 19:6 19:6 19:6 19:7 19:8 19:9 19:10 19:11 19:12 19:13 19:14 19:15 19:15 19:15 19:15 19:16 19:16 19:17 19:17 19:17-18 19:19 19:20 19:21 19:22 19:23 19:24 19:25 19:26 19:26 19:27 19:28 19:29 19:30 19:30 19:31 19:31 19:32 19:32 19:33 19:34 19:35 19:36 19:36 19:37 19:38 19:38-39 19:40 19:41 19:42 20:2 20:3 20:4 20:5 20:6 20:7 20:8 20:9 20:10 20:11 20:12 20:13 20:14 20:15 20:16 20:17 20:17 20:17 20:18 20:19 20:20 20:21 20:21 20:22 20:22 20:23 20:24 20:25 20:26 20:27 20:28 20:29 20:29 20:29 20:30 20:31 21:1 21:2 21:3 21:4 21:5 21:6 21:7 21:8 21:9 21:10 21:11 21:12 21:13 21:14 21:15 21:16 21:17 21:18 21:19 21:20 21:21 21:22 21:23 21:24 21:25 21:25 21:25
Acts
1:8 1:8 4:11 4:13 4:27 4:27 4:32 5:20 5:29-30 5:36-37 7:43 7:52 8:26 9:4-5 12:13-15 13:10 15:20 16:3 17:23 18:18 19:2 20:7-9 20:35 21:24 21:26 21:26
Romans
1:1-5 1:3 1:3 1:4 1:8 1:14 1:20 1:25 1:26 1:32 2:4 2:15 2:16 2:16 2:16 2:25-26 2:29 2:29 3:2 3:25 3:25 3:25 3:25-26 3:29 4:3 4:11 4:17 4:17 5:3-5 5:13 6:4 6:4 6:4 6:4 6:9 6:10 6:12 6:12 6:12 7:1-2 7:2-3 7:3 7:3 7:8-9 7:12 7:14 7:14 7:23 7:23 8:3 8:3 8:6 8:8-9 8:11 8:15 8:15 8:16 8:19 8:20 8:20 8:22 8:24 8:29 8:29 8:31 8:32 8:32 8:35 8:35 9:5 9:11-14 9:25 10:6-8 10:6-8 10:10 10:10 10:15 11:5 11:25-26 11:33 12:5 13:7 13:12 13:12 13:13 14:2 14:9 14:23 14:23 15:19 15:24 16:25
1 Corinthians
1:1 1:5 1:10 1:12 1:21 1:21 1:23 1:24 1:24 1:26-27 1:27 1:28 1:30 1:30 1:30 1:30 1:31 2:2 2:4 2:4 2:6 2:7 2:7 2:7-8 2:9 2:9 2:9 2:9 2:10 2:11 2:11 2:12 2:13 2:14 2:14-15 2:16 2:16 3:1 3:2 3:13 3:19 4:5 4:5 4:9 4:13 4:19-20 5:4 5:7 5:8 5:8 5:11 5:28 6:3 6:17 6:17 6:20 7:2 7:5 7:5 7:5 7:6 7:6 7:7 7:12 7:17 7:29 7:31 7:39 7:39-40 8:3 8:5 8:8 8:8 8:11-12 9:10 9:19 9:20 9:20-22 10:1-4 10:4 10:4 10:11 10:13 10:26 10:28 10:31 11:1 11:28 11:30 11:30 12:4-6 12:8 12:12 12:12 12:18 12:21 12:25 12:25 12:26 12:27 12:27 12:27 12:28 12:31 13:1 13:2 13:2 13:4 13:5 13:5 13:7-8 13:9-10 13:10 13:11 13:11 13:11 13:12 14:8 14:15 14:32 14:32 15:15 15:20 15:20 15:20 15:22 15:22-24 15:25 15:25-26 15:26 15:26 15:41-42 15:45 15:52
2 Corinthians
1:1 1:21 3:3 3:6 3:7 3:7 3:7 3:10 3:14 3:16-17 3:16-17 3:18 4:4 4:4 4:7 4:10 4:10 4:10 4:16 4:18 4:18 4:18 5:4 5:6 5:10 5:10 5:10 5:10 5:16 5:19 5:21 5:21 6:2 6:16 6:18 10:17 11:2 11:6 11:29 11:29 12:1-5 12:3-5 12:4 13:3 13:3 13:4
Galatians
1:15 1:19 2:3 2:4 2:20 2:20 2:20 2:20 3:3 3:13 4:1 4:1-2 4:4 4:24 4:26 4:26 4:27 4:27 5:15 5:17 6:2 6:14 6:14 6:14 6:14 6:14
Ephesians
1:3-5 1:17 1:21 1:21 2:2 2:6 2:12 2:12 2:14 2:14 2:20 3:5 3:8 4:4-6 4:11 4:11 4:13 4:13 4:13 4:20 5:8 5:21 5:22-23 5:25 5:27 5:31-32 6:12 6:12 6:12 6:12 6:12 6:16
Philippians
1:23 2:6 2:6 2:7 2:7 2:7 2:8 2:8 2:9-11 3:3 3:8 3:8 3:19 3:20 3:20 3:20 3:21 3:21 4:3 4:3 4:13 4:13 4:13
Colossians
1:15 1:15 1:15 1:15 1:15 1:15 1:15-16 1:18 1:19 2:3 2:8 2:9 2:14 2:14-15 2:15 2:15 2:15 2:16 2:16 2:17 2:21-22 3:2 3:3-4 3:3-4 3:4
1 Thessalonians
1:1 2:7 2:14-15 5:5 5:12-13 5:17 5:23 5:23
2 Thessalonians
2:3 2:3 2:3-4 2:4 2:8 2:9 2:9-10 2:11-12 2:12
1 Timothy
1:7 3:1 3:1-2 3:10 3:12 3:15 4:1-3 4:5 4:10 4:10 4:13 4:13 4:16 4:16 5:9 5:21 6:5 6:10 6:16 6:20 6:20
2 Timothy
Titus
1:2 1:5-6 1:14 1:15 2:14 3:1 3:5 3:5
Hebrews
1:1-2 1:3-4 1:5 1:5 1:7 1:11 1:13 1:14 2:9 2:9 2:11 2:14 2:14-15 3:2 3:5 3:14 4:12 4:14 4:14 5:6 5:12 5:14 6:18 8:5 9:10 9:23 10:1 10:1 10:1 10:37 11:5 11:16 11:17 11:31 11:37 11:37 11:37 12:1 12:6 12:22 12:22-23 13:17
James
1:8 2:21 2:23 4:1 4:6 5:19-25 5:20
1 Peter
1:4 1:12 1:18-19 1:19 1:20 2:2 2:2 2:2 2:2 2:5 2:5 2:17 3:7 3:18-20 3:20 4:4 4:8 5:5 5:5 5:6 5:13
2 Peter
1:1 1:18 1:18 1:19 2:1-3 2:2 2:2 2:5 2:6-9 2:9 2:9 2:10 2:10 2:12 2:14 2:14 2:17 2:17 2:20 2:21 2:22 3:2 3:3 3:3-4 3:5-10 3:7 3:7 3:10 3:11 3:13 3:16 3:16 3:19
1 John
1:5 1:6 2:1 2:1-2 2:1-2 2:9 2:11 2:15 2:18 2:23 4:18 5:8 5:16
Jude
1:1 1:1 1:6 1:7 1:8 1:8 1:8 1:8 1:10 1:13
Revelation
1:17-18 1:18 3:7 3:12 5:1-5 5:6 6:10 7:2-5 7:3-4 10:4 10:9-10 14:1-5 14:6-7 16:5 16:7 19:11 19:11-16 21:2 22:12 22:13 22:13
Judith
Wisdom of Solomon
1 Maccabees
2 Maccabees
Sirach
i v 1 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 33 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 139 141 142 143 145 146 147 149 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 177 178 179 180 181 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 201 203 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 281 283 285 289 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 472 473 474 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500 501 502 503 504 505 506 507 508 509 510 511 512