The Diatessaron of Tatian (Cont.) ss 36-42

The Text of the Diatessaron. (Cont.)

Section XXXVI.

 1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever keepeth my word shall not see death Joh_8:51    

2 for ever. The Jews said unto him, Now we know that thou hast demons. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, Whosoever keepeth my word shall not Joh_8:52   

3 taste death for ever. Art thou haply greater than our father Abraham, who is Joh_8:53   

4 dead, and than the prophets, which are dead? whom makest thou thyself? Jesus said unto them, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing: my Father is he that Joh_8:54   

5 glorifieth me; of whom ye say, that he is our1 God; and yet ye have not known him: but I know him; and if I should say that I know him not, I should become Joh_8:55   

6 Arabic p. 137 a liar like you: but I know him, and keep his word. Abraham your father Joh_8:56   

7 longed to see my day; and he saw, and rejoiced. The Jews said unto him, Joh_8:57   

8 Thou art now not fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto Joh_8:58   

9 them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. And they take2 stones to stone him: but Jesus concealed himself, and went out of the temple. And he passed through them, and went his way. Joh_8:59 Joh_8:59 3   

10 And as he passed, he saw a man blind from his mother’s womb. And his Joh_9:1   

11 disciples asked him, and said, Our Master, who sinned, this man, or his parents, so Joh_9:2   

12 that he was born blind?4 Jesus said unto them, Neither did he sin, nor his parents: Joh_9:3   

13 but that the works of God may be seen in him.5 It is incumbent on me to do the deeds of him that sent me, while it is day: a night will come, and no man will be Joh_9:4   

14 able to busy himself. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Joh_9:5   

15 And when he said that, he spat upon the ground, and made clay of his spittle, and Joh_9:6   

16 smeared it on the eyes of the blind man, and said unto him, Go and wash thyself in Joh_9:7   

17 the pool6 of Siloam.7 And he went and washed, and came seeing. And his neighbours, which saw him of old begging, said, Is not this he that was sitting begging? Joh_9:8   

18 And some said, It is he; and others said, Nay, but he resembles him much. He Joh_9:9   

19, 20 said, I am he. They said unto him, How then were thine eyes opened? He answered and said unto them, A man named Jesus made clay, and smeared it on my eyes, and said unto me, Go and wash in the water of Siloam: and I went and Joh_9:10 Joh_9:11   

21 washed, and received sight.8 They said unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not. Joh_9:12   

22, 23 Arabic p. 138 And they brought him that was previously blind to the Pharisees. And the day in which Jesus made clay and opened with it his eyes was a sabbath Joh_9:13 Joh_9:14   

24 day. And again the Pharisees asked him, How didst thou receive sight? And he said Joh_9:15   

25 unto them, He put clay on mine eyes, and I washed, and received sight. The people9 of the Pharisees said, This man is not from God, for he keepeth not the sabbath. And others said, How can a man that is a sinner do these signs? And there came Joh_9:16   

26 to be a division amongst them. And again they said to that blind man, Thou, then, what sayest thou of him that opened for thee thine eyes? He said unto them, Joh_9:17   

27 I say that he is a prophet. And the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he was blind, and received sight, until they summoned the parents of him who received Joh_9:18   

28 sight, and asked them, Is this10 your son, of whom ye said that he was born blind? Joh_9:19   

29 how then, behold, doth he now see? His parents answered and said, We know Joh_9:20   

30 that this is our son, and that he was born blind: but how he has come to see now, or who it is that opened his eyes, we know not: and he also has reached his prime; Joh_9:21   

31 ask him, and he will speak for himself. This said his parents, because they were fearing the Jews: and the Jews decided, that if any man should confess of him that Joh_9:22   

32 he was the Messiah, they would put him out of the synagogue. For this reason Joh_9:23   

33 said his parents, He hath reached his prime; ask him. And they called the man a second time, him that was blind, and said unto him, Praise God: we know that this Joh_9:24   

34 man is a sinner. He answered and said unto them, Whether he be a sinner, I know Joh_9:25   

35 not: I know one thing, that I was blind, and I now see. They said unto him again, Joh_9:26   

36 Arabic p. 139 What did he unto thee? how opened he for thee thine eyes? He said unto them, I said unto you, and ye did not hear: what11 wish ye further to hear? Joh_9:27   

37 ye also, do ye wish to become disciples to him? And they reviled him, and said unto him, Thou art the disciple12 of that man; but as for us, we are the disciples of Joh_9:28   

38 Moses. And we know that God spake unto Moses: but this man, we know not Joh_9:29   

39 whence he is. The man answered and said unto them, From this is the wonder, Joh_9:30   

40 because ye know not whence he is, and mine eyes hath he opened. And we know that God heareth not the voice of sinners: but whosoever feareth him, and doeth Joh_9:31   

41 his will, him he heareth. From eternity hath it not been heard of, that a man Joh_9:32   

42 opened the eyes of a blind man, who had been born in blindness. If then this man Joh_9:33   

43 were not from God, he could not do that. They answered and said unto him, Thou wast all of thee born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they put him forth without. Joh_9:34   

44 And Jesus heard of his being put forth without, and found him, and said unto Joh_9:35   

45 him, Dost thou believe in the Son of God? He that was made whole answered Joh_9:36   

46 and said, Who is he, my Lord, that I may believe in him? Jesus said unto him, Joh_9:37   

47 Thou hast seen him, and he that speaketh to thee is he. And he said, I believe, my Lord. And he fell down worshipping him. Joh_9:38  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 cf. Peshitta. The Semitic omits our.

2 The Vatican ms. has took him, probably omitting stones, though Ciasca does not say so. Take is probably a copyist’s error change in diacritical points for took.

3 Reckoned to verse 59 in the Greek.

4 A different word in Arabic from that used in Mar_12:1 and Mar_12:6.

5 The Vatican 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.

6 The Arabic word properly means baptism. The Syriac has both meanings.

7 Lit. Shiloha, as in Syriac.

8 Lit. saw.

9 An easy clerical error for Some.

10 Lit. them, whether this be.

11 Or, why cf. note, Section 7, 3811.

12 Disciples is probably simply a misprint in Ciasca’s text.

 

 

Section XXXVII.

 

1 And Jesus said, To judge the world am I come, so that they that see not may Joh_9:39   

2 see, and they that see may become blind. And some of the Pharisees which were Joh_9:40   

3 with him heard that, and they said unto him, Can it be that we are blind? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should not have sin: but now ye say, We see: and because of this your sin remaineth.1 Joh_9:41   

4 Arabic p. 140 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever entereth not into the fold of the sheep by the door, but goeth up from another place, that man is a thief and a Joh_10:1   

5, 6 stealer. But he that entereth by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. And therefore2 the keeper of the door openeth for him the door; and the sheep hear his voice: and Joh_10:2 Joh_10:3   

7 he calleth his sheep3 by their names, and they go forth unto him. And when he putteth forth his sheep, he goeth before them, and his sheep3 follow him: because Joh_10:4   

8 they know his voice. And after a stranger will the sheep not go, but they flee from Joh_10:5   

9 him: because they hear not the voice of a stranger. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they knew not what he was saying unto them. Joh_10:6   

10 Jesus said unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the Joh_10:7   

11 sheep. And all that came are thieves and stealers: but the sheep heard them not. Joh_10:8   

12 I am the door: and if a man enter by me, he shall live, and shall go in and go out, Joh_10:9   

13 and shall find pasture. And the stealer cometh not, save that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: but I came that they might have life, and that they might have Joh_10:10   

14 the thing that is better.4 I am the good shepherd; and the good shepherd giveth Joh_10:11   

15 himself5 for his sheep. But the hireling, who is not a shepherd, and whose the sheep6 are not, when he seeth the wolf as it cometh, leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, Joh_10:12   

16 and the wolf cometh, and snatcheth away the sheep, and scattereth7 them: and the Joh_10:13   

17 hireling fleeth because he is an hireling, and hath no care for the sheep. I am the Joh_10:14   

18 good shepherd; and I know what is mine, and what is mine knoweth me, as my Father knoweth me, and I know my Father; and I give myself8 for the sheep. Joh_10:15   

19 And I have other sheep also, that are not of this flock: them also I must invite, and they shall hear my voice; and all the sheep shall be one, and the shepherd one. Joh_10:16   

20 Arabic p. 141 And therefore doth my Father love me, because I give my life, that I may Joh_10:17   

21 take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I leave it of my own choice. And I have the right to leave it, and have the right also to take it. And this commandment did I receive of my Father. Joh_10:18   

22 And there occurred a disagreement among the Jews because of these sayings. Joh_10:19   

23 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is afflicted with madness;9 why listen Joh_10:20   

24 ye to him? And others said, These sayings are not those of men possessed with demons. Can a demon haply open the eyes of a blind man? Joh_10:21   

25, 26 And the feast of the dedication came on at Jerusalem: and it was winter. And Joh_10:22 Joh_10:23   

27 Jesus was walking in the temple in the porch of Solomon. The Jews therefore surrounded him, and said unto him, Until when dost thou make our hearts anxious? Joh_10:24   

28 If thou art the Messiah, tell us plainly. He answered and said unto them, I told you, and ye believe not: and the deeds that I do in my Father’s name bear witness Joh_10:25   

29, 30 to me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep,10 as I said unto you. Joh_10:26 Joh_10:27   

31 And my sheep10 hear my voice, and I know them, and they come after me: and I give them eternal life; and they shall not perish for ever, nor shall any man snatch Joh_10:28   

32 them out of my hands.11 For the Father, who hath given them unto me, is greater Joh_10:29   

33 than all; and no man is able to take them from the hand of my12 Father. I and Joh_10:30   

34, 35 my Father are one. And the Jews took stones to stone him. Jesus said unto them, Many good deeds from my Father have I shewed you; because of which13 of them, Joh_10:31 Joh_10:32   

36 then, do ye stone me? The Jews said unto him, Not for the good deeds do we stone thee, but because thou blasphemest; and, whilst thou art a man, makest thy- Joh_10:33   

37 self God. Jesus said unto them, Is it not thus written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? Joh_10:34   

38 Arabic p. 142 And if he called those gods — for14 to them came the word of God (and it is Joh_10:35   

39 not possible in15 the scripture that anything should be undone) — he then, whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, do ye say that he blasphemeth; Joh_10:36   

40 because I said unto you, I am the Son of God? If then I do not the deeds of my Joh_10:37   

41 Father, ye believe me not.16 But if I do, even if ye believe not me, believe the deeds: that ye may know and believe that my Father is in me, and I in my Father. Joh_10:38   

42 And they sought again to take him: and he went forth out of their hands. Joh_10:39   

43 And he went beyond Jordan to the place where John was baptizing formerly; Joh_10:40   

44 and abode there. And many people came unto him; and they said, John did not Joh_10:41   

45 work even one sign: but all that John said of this man is truth. And many believed in him. Joh_10:42   

46 And there was a sick man, named Lazarus, of the village of Bethany, the brother Joh_11:1   

47 of Mary and Martha. And Mary was she that anointed with sweet ointment the feet of Jesus, and wiped them with her hair; and Lazarus, who was sick, was the Joh_11:2   

48 brother of this woman.17 And his sisters sent unto Jesus, and said unto him, Our Joh_11:3   

49 Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. But Jesus said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glorifying of God, that the Son of God may be glorified Joh_11:4   

50, 51 because of it. And Jesus loved Martha, and Mary, and Lazarus. And when he Joh_11:5 Joh_11:6   

52 heard that he was sick, he abode in the place where he was two days. And after that, Joh_11:7   

53 he said unto his disciples, Come, let us go into Judæa. His disciples said unto him, Our Master, now the Jews desire to stone thee; and goest thou again thither? Joh_11:8   

54, 55 Arabic p. 143 Jesus said unto them, Is not the day of twelve hours? If then a man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of the world. But if Joh_11:9 Joh_11:10   

56 a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no lamp in him. This said Jesus: and after that, he said unto them, Lazarus our friend hath fallen asleep; but Joh_11:11   

57 I am going to awaken him. His disciples said unto him, Our Lord, if he hath Joh_11:12   

58 fallen asleep, he will recover. But Jesus said that concerning his death: while they Joh_11:13   

59 supposed that he spake of lying down to sleep. Then Jesus said unto them plainly, Joh_11:14   

60 Lazarus is dead. And I am glad that I was not there for your sakes, that ye may Joh_11:15   

61 believe; but let us go thither. Thomas, who is called Thama,18 said to the disciples, his companions, Let us also go, and die with him. Joh_11:16  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 Or, is permanent.

2 Or, to him.

3 A different word (lit rams) from that used in the other verses, so in Peshitta. cf. Sin., which, however, differs somewhat; cf. also Section 54, 40 f.12.

4 Or, best thing. Vatican ms. omits from but I came.

5 Or, his life.

6 cf. note to Section 37, 62.

7 Or, to snatch . . . and scatter.

8 Or, my life.

9 Lit. epilepsy.

10 cf. Section 37, 6.

11 Or, hand; but probably dual, cf. Syr.

12 So Peshitta; but Sin. the. Borgian ms. omits the hand of.

13 Lit. which deed.

14 cf. Peshitta.

15 This in could more easily arise as a clerical error repetition in the Syriac text.

16 So Ciasca’s text, following Vatican ms. But this is probably a clerical error for the reading of Borgian ms, which omits ye.

17 cf. Peshitta

18 The Syriac word for Twin.

 

 

Section XXXVIII.

 

1, 2 And Jesus came to Bethany, and found him already four days in the grave. And Bethany was beside Jerusalem, and its distance from it was a sum of fifteen fur- Joh_11:17 Joh_11:18   

3 longs;1 and many of the Jews came unto Mary and Martha, to comfort their heart Joh_11:19   

4 because of their brother. And Martha, when she heard that Jesus had come, went Joh_11:20   

5 out to meet him: but Mary was sitting in the house. Martha then said unto Jesus, Joh_11:21   

6 My Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know now that, Joh_11:22   

7 whatever thou shalt ask of God, he will give thee. Jesus said unto her, Thy brother shall Joh_11:23   

8 rise. Martha said unto him, I know that he shall rise in the resurrection at the last day. Joh_11:24   

9 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: whosoever believeth in Joh_11:25   

10 Arabic p. 144 me, even though he die, he shall live: and every living one that believeth Joh_11:26   

11 in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She said unto him, Yea, my Lord: I believe that thou art the Messiah, the Son of God, that cometh into the Joh_11:27   

12 world. And when she had said that, she went and called Mary her sister secretly, Joh_11:28   

13 and said unto her, Our Master hath come, and summoneth thee. And Mary, when Joh_11:29   

14 she heard, rose in haste, and came unto him. (And Jesus then had not come into Joh_11:30   

15 the village, but was in the place where Martha met him.) And the Jews also that were with her in the house, to comfort her, when they saw that Mary rose up and went out in haste, went after her, because they supposed that she was going to the Joh_11:31   

16 tomb to weep. And Mary, when she came to where Jesus was, and saw him, fell at his feet, and said unto him, If thou hadst been here, my Lord, my brother had Joh_11:32   

17 not died. And Jesus came; and when he saw her weeping, and the Jews that were Joh_11:33   

18 with her weeping, he was troubled2 in himself, and sighed; and he said, In what Joh_11:34   

19 place have ye laid him? And they said unto him, Our Lord, come and see. And Joh_11:35   

20 the tears of Jesus came.3 The Jews therefore said, See the greatness of his love for Joh_11:36   

21 him! But some of them said, Could not this man, who opened the eyes of that Joh_11:37   

22 blind man, have caused that this man also should not die? And Jesus came to the place of burial, being troubled within himself. And the place of burial was a cave, Joh_11:38   

23 and a stone was placed at its door. Jesus therefore said, Take these stones away. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, said unto him, My Lord, he hath come to Joh_11:39   

24 stink for some time: he hath been4 four days dead. Jesus said unto her, Did not I say Joh_11:40   

25 Arabic p. 145 unto thee, If thou believest, thou shall see the glory of God? And they re- moved those stones. And Jesus lifted his eyes on high, and said, My Father, Joh_11:41   

26 I thank thee Since thou didst hear me. And I know that thou at all times hearest me: but I say this unto thee because of this multitude that is standing, that they Joh_11:42   

27 may believe that thou didst send me. And when he had said that, he cried with a Joh_11:43   

28 loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And that dead man came out, having his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped in a scarf. Jesus said unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Joh_11:44   

29 And many of the Jews which came unto Mary, when they saw the deed of Jesus, Joh_11:45   

30 believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees, and informed them of all that Jesus did. Joh_11:46   

31 And the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered, and said, What shall we do? Joh_11:47   

32 for lo, this man doeth many signs. And if we leave him thus, all men will believe Joh_11:48   

33 in him: and the Romans will come and take our country and people. And one of them, who was called Caiaphas, the chief priest he was in that year, said unto them, Joh_11:49   

34 Ye know not anything, nor consider that it is more advantageous for us that one Joh_11:50   

35 man should die instead of the people, and not that the whole people perish. And this he said not of himself: but because he was the chief priest of5 that year, he Joh_11:51   

36 prophesied that Jesus was to die instead of the people; and not instead of the people alone, but that he might gather the scattered children of God together. Joh_11:52   

37 And from that day they considered how to kill him. Joh_11:53   

38 Arabic p. 146 And Jesus did not walk openly amongst the Jews, but departed thence to a place near the wilderness, to a town6 called Ephraim; and he was there, going Joh_11:54   

39 about with his disciples. And the passover of the Jews was near: and many went Joh_11:55   

40 up from the villages unto Jerusalem before the feast, to purify themselves. And they sought for Jesus, and said one to another in the temple, What think ye of his Joh_11:56   

41 holding back from the feast? And the chief priests and the Pharisees had given commandment, that, if any man knew in what place he was, he should reveal it to them, that they might take him. Joh_11:57   

42 And when the days of his going up were accomplished, he prepared himself that Luk_9:51   

43 he might go7 to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers before him, and departed,8 and Luk_9:52   

44 entered into a village9 of Samaria, that they might make ready for him. And they Luk_9:53   

45 received him not, because he10 was prepared for going to Jerusalem. And when James and John his disciples saw it, they said unto him, Our Lord, wilt thou that we speak, and fire come down from heaven, to extirpate them, as did Elijah also? Luk_9:54   

46 And Jesus turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not of what spirit ye are. Luk_9:55   

47 Verily the Son of man did not come to destroy lives, but to give life. And they went to another village. Luk_9:56  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 Arabic mil, a somewhat indefinite distance.

2 This is the Syriac word cf. the versions, and below, Section 44, 44; see also Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary, ad loc.

3 So in Syriac versions.

4 Borgian ms. omits some time: he hath been.

5 So both mss, but the Vatican ms. had originally a reading equivalent to the text above with of omitted.

6 The Arabic word as printed following Vatican 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.

7 The present Arabic reading in going could pretty easily arise from that assumed in the translation above.

8 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.

9 cf. note, Section 1, 407.

10 Lit. his body.

 

 

Section XXXIX.

 

1 And Jesus six days before the passover1 came to Bethany, where was Lazarus, Joh_12:1   

2 whom Jesus raised from among the dead. And they made2 a feast for him there: Joh_12:2   

3 and Martha was serving; while Lazarus was one of them that sat with him. And Mar_14:3   

4 Arabic p. 147 at the time of Jesus’ being at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, great multitudes of the Jews heard that Jesus was there: and they came, not because of Jesus alone, but that they might look also on Lazarus, whom he raised from among the dead. Joh_12:9   

5, 6 And the chief priests considered how they might kill Lazarus also; because Joh_12:10 Joh_12:11   

7 many of the Jews were going on his account, and believing in Jesus. And Mary took a case of the ointment of fine nard, of great price, and opened it, and poured Joh_12:3 Mar_14:3   

8 it out on the head of Jesus as he was reclining; and she anointed his feet, and wiped them with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Joh_12:3   

9, 10 But Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples, he that was to betray him, said, Why was Joh_12:4 Joh_12:5   

11 not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given unto the poor? This he said, not because of his care for the poor, but because he was a thief, and the chest Joh_12:6   

12 was with him, and what was put3 into it he used to bear. And that displeased the rest of the disciples also within themselves, and they said, Why went this ointment Mar_14:4   

13 to waste? It was possible that it should be sold for much, and the poor be given Mat_26:9   

14 it. And they were angry with4 Mary. And Jesus perceived it, and said unto them, Leave her; why molest ye her? a good work hath she accomplished on me: for the Mar_14:5 Mat_26:10 Mar_14:6   

15 day of my burial kept she it. At all times the poor are with you, and when ye Joh_12:7 Joh_12:8   

16 wish ye can do them a kindness: but I am not at all times with you. And for this cause, when she poured5 this ointment on my body, it is as if she did it for my bur- Mar_14:7 Mat_26:12   

17 ial, and anointed my body beforehand. And verily I say unto you, In every place where this my gospel shall be proclaimed in all the world, what she did shall be told for a memorial of her. Mar_14:8 Mar_14:9   

18, 19 Arabic p. 148 And when Jesus said that, he went out leisurely to go to Jerusalem, And when he arrived at Bethphage and at Bethany, beside the mount which is Luk_19:28 Luk_19:29 Mat_21:1   

20 called the mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, and he said unto them, Go Mat_21:2 Mar_11:2   

21 into this village that is opposite you: and when ye enter it, ye shall find an ass tied, and Mat_21:2   

22 a colt with him,6 which no man ever yet mounted: loose him, and bring them7 unto me. And if any man say unto you, Why loose ye them? say unto him thus, We Luk_19:30 Mat_21:2 Luk_19:31   

23 seek them for our Lord; and straightway send them hither. All this was, that what was said in the prophet might be fulfilled, which said, Mat_21:3 Mat_21:4   

24 Say ye unto the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, Meek, and riding upon an ass, And upon a colt the foal of an ass. Mat_21:5   

25 And the disciples did not know this at that time: but after that Jesus was glorified, his disciples remembered that these things were written of him, and that this Joh_12:16   

26 they had done unto him. And when the two disciples went, they found as he had Mat_21:6 Luk_19:32   

27 said unto them, and they did as Jesus charged them. And when they loosed them, Mat_21:6 Luk_19:33   

28 their owners said unto them, Why loose ye them? They said unto them, We seek Luk_19:34   

29 them for our Lord. And they let them go. And they brought the ass and the colt, Mar_11:6 Mat_21:7   

30 and they placed on the colt their garments; and Jesus mounted it. And most of the multitudes spread their garments on the ground before him: and others cut branches Mat_21:8   

31 from the trees, and threw them in the way. And when he neared his8 descent from the mount of Olives, all the disciples began to rejoice and to praise God with Luk_19:37   

32 Arabic p. 149 a loud voice for all the powers which they had seen; and they said, Praise in the highest; Praise to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name Mat_21:9 9   

33 of the Lord; and blessed10 is the kingdom that cometh, that of11 our father David: Peace in heaven, and praise in the highest. Mar_11:10 Luk_19:38   

34 And a great multitude, that which came to the feast, when they heard that Jesus Joh_12:12   

35 was coming to Jerusalem, took young palm branches,12 and went forth to meet him, and cried and said, Praise: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, the Joh_12:13   

36 King of Israel. Certain therefore of the Pharisees from among the multitudes Luk_19:39   

37 said unto him, Our Master, rebuke thy disciples. He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If these were silent, the stones would cry out. Luk_19:40   

38, 39 And when he drew near, and saw the city, he wept over it, and said, Would that thou hadst known the things that are13 for thy peace, in this thy day! now that is Luk_19:41 Luk_19:42   

40 hidden from thine eyes. There shall come unto thee days when thine enemies Luk_19:43   

41 shall encompass thee, and straiten thee from every quarter, and shall get possession of14 thee, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee a stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. Luk_19:44   

42 And when he entered into Jerusalem, the whole city was agitated, and they said, Mat_21:10   

43 Who is this? And the multitudes said, This is Jesus, the prophet that is from Naza- Mat_21:11   

44 reth of Galilee. And the multitude which was with him bare witness that he called Joh_12:17   

45 Lazarus from the grave, and raised him from among the dead. And for this cause great multitudes went out to meet him, because they heard the sign which he did. Joh_12:18  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 cf. the Greek phrase.

2 Lit. he made cf. first note to Section 38, 437, last sentence.

3 Lit. fell cf. Section 25, 18.

4 Or, stake angrily to.

5 Lit. cast, as in Greek.

6 Sic.

7 Dual in Arabic.

8 The Syriac versions have the.

9 Or better Luk_19:38.

10 Or, and, Blessed.

11 The Arabic has to, but it probably represents the Syrian text with the meaning given above.

12 Lit. the heart or, pith of the palm. The word pith, which occurs also in the Aethiopic version Eze_27:25; Jubilees, Eze_16:1-63 and in Ibn-at-Tayyib s exposition, though not in the British Museum gospel text, is perhaps used here of the inner branches from its resemblance to the post-biblical Hebrew word employed in accounts of the Feast of Tabernacles.

13 Lit. are found, a rendering due to the Syriac.

14 So Ciasca’s text, following Vatican 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.

 

 

Section XL.

 

1 Arabic p. 150 And when Jesus entered the temple, they brought unto him blind and Mat_21:14   

2 lame: and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the Pharisees saw the wonders that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and Mat_21:15   

3 saying, Praise be to the Son of David: it distressed them, and they said, Hearest thou not what these say? Jesus said unto them, Yea: did ye not read long ago, From Mat_21:16   

4 the mouths of children and infants thou hast chosen my praise? And the Pharisees said one to another, Behold, do ye not see that nothing availeth us? for lo, the whole world hath followed him. Joh_12:19   

5 And there were among them certain Gentiles also, which had come up to wor- Joh_12:20   

6 ship at the feast: these therefore came to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, Joh_12:21   

7 and asked him, and said unto him, My lord, we wish to see Jesus. And Philip Joh_12:22   

8 came and told Andrew: and Andrew and Philip told Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto them, The hour is come nigh, in which the Son of man is to be glori- Joh_12:23   

9 fied. Verily, verily, I say unto you, A grain of wheat, if it fall not and die in the Joh_12:24   

10 earth, remaineth alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit. He that loveth his life1 destroyeth it; and he that hateth his life1 in this world shall keep it unto the life eter- Joh_12:25   

11 nal. If a man serve me, he will follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be Joh_12:26   

12 Arabic p. 151 also: and whosoever serveth me, the Father will honour him. Now is my soul troubled: and what shall I say? My Father, deliver me from this hour. But Joh_12:27   

13 for this cause came I unto this hour. My Father, glorify thy name. And a Joh_12:28   

14 voice was heard from heaven, I have glorified it, and shall glorify it. And the multitude that were standing heard, and said, This is thunder: and others said, An Joh_12:29   

15 angel speaketh to him. Jesus answered and said unto them, Not because of me Joh_12:30   

16 was this voice, but because of you. Now is the judgement of this world; and the Joh_12:31   

17 prince of this world shall now be cast forth. And I, when I am lifted up from the Joh_12:32   

18 earth, shall draw every man unto me. This he said, that he might shew by what Joh_12:33   

19 manner of death he should die. The multitudes said unto him, We have heard out of the law that the Messiah abideth for ever: how then sayest thou, that the Son of Joh_12:34   

20 man is to be lifted up? who is this, the Son of man? Jesus said unto them, Another little while is the light with you. Walk so long as ye have light, test the darkness overtake you; for he that walketh in the darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. Joh_12:35   

21 So long as ye have light, believe the light, that ye may be the children of the light. Joh_12:36   

22 And when certain of the Pharisees asked of Jesus, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered and said unto them, The kingdom of God cometh not Luk_17:20   

23 with expectation: neither shall they say, Lo, it is here! nor, Lo, it is there! for the kingdom of God is within you. Luk_17:21   

24 And in the daytime he was teaching in the temple; and at night he used to go Luk_21:37   

25 out, and pass the night in the mount called the mount of Olives. And all the people came2 to him in the morning in the temple, to hear his word. Luk_21:38   

26, 27 Then spoke Jesus unto the multitudes and his disciples, and said unto them, On the Mat_23:1 Mat_23:2   

28 Arabic p. 152 seat of Moses are seated the scribes and Pharisees: everything that they say unto you now to keep, keep and do: but according to their deeds Mat_23:3   

29 do ye not; for they say, and do not. And they bind heavy burdens, and lay them on the shoulders of the people; while they with one of their fingers will not come Mat_23:4   

30, 31 near3 them. But all their deeds they do to make a shew before men. And all the multitude were hearing that with pleasure. Mat_23:5 Mar_12:37   

32 And in the course of his teaching he said unto them, Guard yourselves from the Mar_12:38   

33 scribes, who desire to walk in robes, and love salutation in the marketplaces, and sitting in the highest places of the synagogues, and at feasts in the highest parts of Mar_12:39   

34 the rooms: and they broaden their amulets, and lengthen the cords of their cloaks, Mat_23:5   

35 and love that they should be called by men, My master, and devour widows’ houses, because4 of their prolonging’ their prayers; these then shall receive greater judge- Mat_23:7 Mar_12:40   

36 ment. But ye, be ye not called masters:5 for your master is one; all ye are brethren. Mat_23:8   

37 Call not then to yourselves any one6 father on earth: for your Father is one, who is Mat_23:9   

38 in heaven. And be not called directors: for your director is one, even the Messiah. Mat_23:10   

39, 40 He that is great among you shall be unto you a minister. Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and whosoever shall abase himself shall be exalted. Mat_23:11 Mat_23:12   

41 Woe unto you, Pharisees! Because ye love the highest places in the synagogues, and salutation in the marketplaces. Luk_11:43   

42 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye devour widows’ houses, because7 of your prolonging your prayers: for this reason then ye shall receive greater judgement. Mat_23:14   

43 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye have shut the kingdom of God before men. Mat_23:13   

44 Arabic p. 153 Woe unto you that know the law! for ye concealed the keys of know- ledge: ye enter not, and those that are entering ye suffer not to enter. Luk_11:52 Mat_23:13   

45 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because8 ye compass land and sea to draw9 one proselyte; and when he is become so, ye make him a son of hell twice as much10 as yourselves. Mat_23:15   

46 Woe unto you, ye blind! guides! Because ye say, Whosoever sweareth by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gold that is in the temple, Mat_23:16   

47 shall be condemned.11 Ye blind foolish ones: which is greater, the gold, or the Mat_23:17   

48 temple which sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever sweareth by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the offering that is upon it, shall be condemned.11 Mat_23:18   

49 Ye blind foolish ones: which is greater, the offering, or the altar which sanctifieth Mat_23:19   

50 the offering? Whosoever then sweareth by the altar, hath sworn by it, and by all Mat_23:20   

51 that is upon it. And whosoever sweareth by the temple, hath sworn by it, and by Mat_23:21   

52 him that is dwelling in it. And whosoever sweareth by heaven, hath sworn by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth upon it. Mat_23:22   

53 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye tithe mint and rue and dill and cummin and all herbs, and ye leave the important matters of the law, judgement, and mercy, and faith, and the love of God: this ought ye to do, and Mat_23:23   

54 not to leave that undone. Ye blind guides, which strain out a gnat, and swallow12 camels. Mat_23:24   

55 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, while the inside of them is full of injustice and wrong. Mat_23:25   

56 Ye blind Pharisees, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, then shall the outside of them be cleansed. Mat_23:26   

57 Arabic p. 154 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye resemble whited sepulchres, which appear13 from the outside beautiful, but within Mat_23:27   

58 full of the bones of the dead, and all uncleanness. So ye also from without appear unto men like the righteous, but within ye are full of wrong and hypocrisy. Mat_23:28   

59 One of the scribes answered and said unto him, Teacher, in this saying of thine Luk_11:45   

60 thou art casting a slur on us. He said, And to you also, ye scribes, woe! for ye lade men with heavy burdens, and ye with one of your fingers come not near14 those burdens. Luk_11:46   

61 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the tombs of the prophets, which your fathers killed, and adorn the burying-places of the righteous, Mat_23:29 Luk_11:47 Mat_23:29   

62 and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers Mat_23:30   

63 with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore, behold, ye witness against Mat_23:31   

64 yourselves, that ye are the children of those that slew the prophets. And ye also, Mat_23:32   

65 ye fill up the measure15 of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye children of vipers, where shall ye flee from the judgement of Gehenna? Mat_23:33  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 Or, soul; or, self.

2 i.e., used to come.

3 Or, touch.

4 The Syriac word means on the, pretext of as well as because of cf. Section 50, 115.

5 This word is not spelled in the ordinary way, Doubtless we should supply two diacritical points and read, with the Syriac versions, My Master.

6 cf. Peshitta.

7 Syriac, same as in Section 40, 35; Arabic different.

8 Adopting the reading of Borgian ms. cf. next verse.

9 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.

10 Doubtless the Arabic word should be read as a monosyllable, as in Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary.

11 See Section 10, 13.

12 The Arabic word as printed gives no suitable sense. Either the last radical has been omitted, or the last two radicals have exchanged places.

13 Lit. are seen.

14 Or, touch.

15 Lit. boundary or limit.

 

 

Section XLI.

 

1 Therefore, behold, I, the wisdom of God, am sending unto you prophets, and apostles, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall slay and crucify; and some of them ye shall beat in your synagogues, and persecute1 from city to Mat_23:34   

2 city: that there may come on you all the blood of the righteous that hath been poured upon the ground2 from the blood of Abel the pure to the blood of Zachariah the son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the temple3 and the altar. Mat_23:35   

3 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation,4 Mat_23:36   

4 Arabic p. 155 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, slayer of the prophets, and stoner of them that are sent unto her! how many times did I wish to gather thy children, as Mat_23:37   

5 a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Your house shall Mat_23:38   

6 be left over you desolate. Verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Mat_23:39   

7 And many of the rulers also believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they Joh_12:42   

8 were not confessing him, lest they be put5 out of the synagogue: and they loved Joh_12:43   

9 the praise of men more than the praising of God. And Jesus cried and said, Joh_12:44   

10 Whosoever believeth in me, believeth not in me, but in him that sent me. And Joh_12:45   

11 whosoever seeth me hath seen him that sent me. I am come a light6 into the Joh_12:46   

12 world, and so every one that believeth in me abideth not in the darkness. And whosoever heareth my sayings, and keepeth them not, I judge him not: for I came Joh_12:47   

13 not to judge the world, but to give the world life. 7 Whosoever wrongeth8 me, and receiveth not my sayings, there is one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, it Joh_12:48   

14 shall judge him at the last day. I from myself did not speak: but the Father which sent me, he hath given me commandment,9 what I should say, and what I Joh_12:49   

15 should speak; and I know that his commandment9 is eternal life. The things that I say now, as my Father hath said unto me, even so I say. Joh_12:50   

16 And when he said that unto them, the scribes and Pharisees began their evil-doing, being angry with him, and finding fault with his sayings, and harassing10 him Luk_11:53   

17 in many things; seeking to catch something from his mouth, that they might be able to calumniate him. Luk_11:54   

18 Arabic p. 156 And when there gathered together myriads of great multitudes, which almost trode one upon another, Jesus began to say unto his disciples, Preserve yourselves Luk_12:1   

19 from the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing Luk_12:2   

20 concealed, that shall not be revealed: nor hid, that shall not be known. Everything that ye have said in the darkness shall be heard in the light; and what ye have spoken secretly in the ears in the inner chambers shall be proclaimed on the roofs. Luk_12:3   

21, 22 This said Jesus, and he went and hid himself from them. But notwithstanding Joh_12:36 Joh_12:37   

23 his having done all these signs before them, they believed not in him: that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, who said, My Lord, who is he that hath believed to hear us? And the arm of the Lord, to whom hath it appeared? Joh_12:38   

24 And for this reason it is not possible for them to believe, because Isaiah also said, Joh_12:39   

25 They have blinded their eyes, and made dark their heart; That they may not see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, And turn, So that I should heal them. Joh_12:40   

26 This said Isaiah when he saw his glory, and spake of him. Joh_12:41   

27 And when Jesus went out of the temple, certain of his disciples came forward Mat_24:1   

28 to shew11 him the buildings of the temple, and its beauty and greatness, and the strength of the stones that were laid in it, and the elegance of its building, and that Mar_13:1 Luk_21:5   

29 it was adorned with noble stones and beautiful colours. Jesus answered and said Mat_24:2   

30 unto them, See ye these great buildings? verily I say unto you, Days will come, when there shall not be left here a stone upon another, that shall not be cast down. Luk_19:43 Luk_19:44 12   

31 And two days before13 the passover of unleavened bread, the chief priests and Mar_14:1   

32 the scribes sought how they might take him by deceit,14 and kill him: and they said, It shall not be at the feast, lest the people be agitated. Mar_14:2   

33 And when Jesus sat on the mount of Olives opposite the temple, his disciples, Simon Cephas and James and John and Andrew, came forward unto him, and said unto him Mar_13:3   

34 between themselves and him, Teacher, tell us when that shall be, and what is the sign Luk_21:7 Mat_24:3   

35 Arabic p. 157 of thy coming and the end of the world. Jesus answered and said unto them, Days will come, when ye shall long to see one of the days of the Son of Mat_24:4 Luk_17:22 Mat_24:4   

36, 37 man, and shall not behold. Take heed lest any man lead you astray. Many shall Mat_24:5 Luk_21:8   

38 come in my name, and say, I am the Messiah; and they shall say, The time is come Mar_13:6   

39 near, and shall lead many astray: go not therefore after them. And when ye hear of wars and tidings of insurrections, see to it, be15 not agitated: for these things must Luk_21:8 Mar_13:7 Mat_24:5 Luk_21:9   

40 first be; only the end is not yet come. Nation shall rise against nation, and king- Mat_24:7   

41 dom against kingdom: and great earthquakes shall be in one place and another, and there shall be famines and deaths and agitations: and there shall be fear and terror and great signs that16 shall appear from heaven, and there shall be great Luk_21:11   

42, 43 storms. All these things are the beginning of travail. But before all of that, they shall lay hands upon you, and persecute you, and deliver you unto the synagogues Mat_24:8 Luk_21:12   

44 and into prisons, and bring you before kings and judges for my name’s sake. And Luk_21:13   

45 that shall be unto you for a witness. But first must my gospel be preached unto all Mar_13:10   

46 nations. And when they bring you into the synagogues before the rulers and the authorities, be not anxious beforehand how ye shall answer for yourselves, or what ye Luk_12:11   

47, 48 shall say: because it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit. Lay it to your heart, not Mar_13:11 Luk_21:14   

49 Arabic p. 158 to be anxious before the time what ye shall say: and I shall17 give you under- standing and wisdom18 which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay. Luk_21:15   

50 And then shall they deliver you unto constraint, and shall kill you: and ye shall be Mat_24:9   

51 hated of all nations because of my name. And then shall many go astray,19 and they Mat_24:10   

52 shall hate one another, and deliver one another unto death. And your parents, and your brethren, and your kinsfolk, and your friends shall deliver you up, and shall Luk_21:16   

53, 54 slay some of you. But a lock of hair from your heads shall not perish. And by Luk_21:18 Luk_21:19   

55 your patience ye shall gain20 your souls. And many men,21 false prophets, shall arise, Mat_24:11   

56 and lead many astray. And because of the abounding of iniquity, the love of many Mat_24:12   

57 shall wax cold. But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. And Mat_24:13   

58 this, the22 gospel of the kingdom, shall be preached in all the world for a testimony to all nations; and then shall come the end of all. Mat_24:14  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 cf. Section 8, 34.

2 Or, earth.

3 Or, sanctuary.

4 See Section 1, 4910.

5 Lit. become.

6 The text as it stands ought to mean I am a light. 1 am come; but it is a word-for-word reproduction of the Peshitta, and should therefore doubtless be rendered as above.

7 Or, to save the world (cf. Section 1, 7815).

8 See Section 20, 2811.

9 Not the same word.

10 So Ciasca, following Vatican MS. The true reading, however, is probably that underlying the Borgian MS. If we restore diacritical points to the radical letters we get deceiving cf. Section 41, 31, an alternative meaning for the word laying wait for, used in the Peshitta. The Arabic follows the Peshitta very closely in this and the following verse.

11 Or, and shewed.

12 Or rather Mat_24:2, or Mar_13:2.

13 Lit. before two days would be cf. Sin. and above, Section 39, 1, note.

14 cf. Section 41, 1610.

15 Or, that ye be, if we suppose the present text to have resulted from the loss of the second of two alifs.

16 Or, omit that.

17 The Arabic text lacks a letter.

18 Borgian ms. reads you the fruits of wisdom.

19 See Section 25, 175.

20 Or, possess.

21 So the Arabic text; but it doubtless simply represents the Syriac, which here agrees with the Greek.

22 So the Arabic text; but it doubtless simply represents the Syriac, which here agrees with the Greek.

 

 

Section XLII.

 

1 But when ye see Jerusalem with the army compassing it about, then know that Luk_21:20   

2 its desolation is come near. Those then that are in Judæa at that time shall flee to the mountain; and those that are within her shall flee; and those that are in the Luk_21:21   

3 villages shall not enter her. For these days are the days of vengeance, that all that Luk_21:22   

4 is written may be fulfilled. And when ye see the unclean sign of desolation,1 spoken of in Daniel the prophet, standing in the pure place, he that readeth shall understand, Mat_24:15   

5, 6 and then he that is in Judæa shall flee in to the mountain: and let him that is on the Mat_24:16 Mar_13:15   

7 roof not go down, nor enter in to take anything from his house: and let him that is in Mar_13:16   

8 Arabic p. 159 the field not turn behind him to take his garment. Woe to them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! there shall be great Luk_21:23   

9 distress in the land, and wrath against this nation. And they shall fall on the edge of the sword,2 and shall be taken captive to every land: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the nations, until the times of the nations be ended. Luk_21:24   

10 Then if any man say unto you, The Messiah is here; or, Lo, he is there; believe Mar_13:21   

11 him not: there shall rise then false Messiahs and prophets of lying, and shall do signs and wonders, in order that they may lead astray even the elect also, if they Mat_24:24   

12 be able. But as for you, beware: for I have acquainted you with everything Mar_13:23   

13 beforehand. If then they say unto you, Lo, he is in the desert; go not out, lest ye Mat_24:26   

14 be taken: and if they say unto you, Lo, he is in the chamber; believe not. And as the lightning appeareth from the east, and is seen unto the west; so shall be the Mat_24:27   

15 coming of the Son of man. But first he must suffer much and be rejected by this Luk_17:25   

16 generation.3 Pray therefore that your flight be not in winter, nor on a sabbath: Mat_24:20   

17 there shall be then great tribulation,4 the like of which there hath not been from the Mat_24:21   

18 beginning of the world till now, nor shall be. And except the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would have lived: but because of the elect, whom he elected, Mar_13:20   

19 he shortened those days. And there shall be signs in the sun and the moon and the stars; and upon the earth affliction4 of the nations, and rubbing of hands for the con- Luk_21:25   

20 Arabic p.160 fusion5 of the noise of the sea, and an earthquake: the souls of men shall Luk_21:26   

21 go forth from fear of that which is to come upon the earth. And in those days, straightway after the distress of those days, the sun shall become dark, and the moon shall not shew its light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers Mar_13:24 Mat_24:29   

22 of heaven shall be convulsed: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and at that time all the tribes of the earth shall wail, and look unto the Son Mat_24:30   

23 of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and much glory. And he shall send his angels with the great trumpet, and they shall gather his elect from the four Mat_24:31   

24 winds, from one end of heaven to the other.6 But when these things begin to be, be of good cheer, and lift up your heads; for your salvation 7 is come near. Luk_21:28   

25 Learn the example of the fig tree: when it letteth down its branches,8 and put- Mat_24:32   

26 teth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is come; so ye also, when ye see these things begun to be, know ye that the kingdom of God hath arrived at the Mat_24:33   

27 door. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, until all these Mat_24:34   

28 things shall be. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my sayings shall not pass away. Mat_24:35   

29 Take heed to yourselves, that your hearts become not heavy with inordinate desire,9 and drunkenness, and the care of the world at any time, and that day come Luk_21:34   

30 upon you suddenly: for it is as a shock that shocks all the inhabitants that are on the Luk_21:35   

31 face of the whole earth. Watch at all times, and pray, that ye may be worthy to escape from all the things that are to be, and that ye may stand before the Son of Luk_21:36   

32 Arabic p. 161 man. Of that day and of that hour hath no man learned, not even the angels Mar_13:32   

33 of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. See ye, and watch and pray: for ye know Mar_13:33   

34 not when that time will be. It is as a man, who journeyed, and left his house, and gave his authority to his servants, and appointed every man to his work, and Mar_13:34   

35 charged the porter to be wakeful. Be wakeful then:10 since ye know not when the lord of the house cometh, in the evening, or in the middle of the night, or when the Mar_13:35   

36 cock croweth, or in the morning; lest he come unexpectedly, and find you sleeping. Mar_13:36   

37 The thing that I say unto you, unto all of you do I say it, Be ye watchful. Mar_13:37   

38 For as it was in the days of Noah, so shall the coming of the Son of man be. Mat_24:37   

39 As they were before the flood eating and drinking, and taking wives, and giving Mat_24:38   

40 wives to men, until the day in which Noah entered into the ark, and they perceived not till the flood came, and took them all; so shall the coming of the Son of man Mat_24:39   

41 be. And as it was in the days of Lot; they were eating and drinking, and selling Luk_17:28   

42 and buying, and planting and building, on the day in which Lot went out from Sodom, and the Lord rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them Luk_17:29   

43, 44 all: so shall it be in the day in which the Son of man is revealed.11 And in that day, whosoever is on the roof, and his garments12 in the house, let him not go down to Luk_17:30 Luk_17:31   

45 take them: and he that is in the field shall not turn behind him. Remember Lot’s Luk_17:32   

46 wife. Whosoever shall desire to save his life shall destroy it: but whosoever shall Luk_17:33   

47 destroy his life shall save it. Verily I say unto you, In that night there shall be two on Luk_17:34   

48 Arabic p. 162 one bed; one shall be taken, and another left. And two women shall be grind- Luk_17:35   

49 ing at one mill; one shall be taken, and another left. And two shall be in the Luk_17:36   

50 field; one shall be taken, and another left. They answered and said unto him, To what place, our Lord? He said unto them, Where the body is, there will the eagles Luk_17:37   

51, 52 gather. Be attentive now: for ye know not at what hour your Lord cometh. Know this: if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have been attentive, and would not make it possible that his house should be Mat_24:42 Mat_24:43   

53 broken through. Therefore be ye also ready: for in the hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh. Mat_24:44  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 So Vatican ms., following the Peshitta. Ciasca follows Borgian 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 Vatican ms.

2 This word has a Syriac meaning given to it. In Arabic it means war.

3 cf. Section 16, 2.

4 Same Arabic and Syriac word as in Section 41, 50.

5 So the Borgian ms. The Vatican ms., followed by Ciasca has grief.

6 Lit. the end of heaven unto its end.

7 Or, deliverance.

8 cf. Peshitta, which text the translator seems to have misread.

9 cf. Peshitta.

10 cf. Section 9, 21.

11 Or, appeareth.

12 cf. Section 14, 245.



The Diatessaron of Tatian (Cont.) ss 43-49

The Text of the Diatessaron. (Cont.)

Section XLIII.

 

1 Simon Cephas said unto him, Our Lord, is it to us that thou hast spoken this Luk_12:41   

2 parable, or also to every man? Jesus said unto him, Who, thinkest thou, is the servant, the master of the house,2 trusted with control,3 whom his lord set over his Luk_12:42 1 Mat_24:45   

3 household, to give them their food in its season? Blessed is that servant, whom his Mat_24:46   

4 lord shall come and find having done so. Verily I say unto you, He will set him Luk_12:44 Mat_24:47   

5 over all that he hath. But if that evil servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his Mat_24:48   

6 coming; and shall begin to beat his servants and the maidservants of his lord, and Luk_12:45 Mat_24:49   

7 shall begin to eat and to drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come Mat_24:50   

8 Arabic p. 163 in the day that he thinketh not, and in the hour that he knoweth not, and shall judge him, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites, and with those that are not faithful: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mat_24:51 Luk_12:46 Mat_24:51   

9 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be like unto ten virgins, those that took their Mat_25:1   

10 lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom and the bride. Five of them were Mat_25:2   

11 wise, and five foolish. And those foolish ones took their lamps, and took not with Mat_25:3   

12, 13 them oil: but those wise ones took oil in vessels along with their lamps. When then Mat_25:4 Mat_25:5   

14 the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But in the middle of the night there occurred a cry, Behold, the bridegroom cometh! Go forth therefore to Mat_25:6   

15, 16 meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and made ready their lamps. The foolish Mat_25:7 Mat_25:8   

17 said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But those wise answered and said, Perhaps4 there will not be enough for us and you: but go ye to Mat_25:9   

18 the sellers, and buy for yourselves. And when they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and those that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast: and Mat_25:10   

19 the door was shut. And at last those other virgins also came and said, Our Lord, Mat_25:11   

20 our Lord, open unto us. He answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, Mat_25:12   

21 I know you not. Watch then, for ye know not that day nor that hour. Mat_25:13   

22 It is as a man, who went on a journey, and called his servants, and delivered unto Mat_25:14   

23 them his possessions. And unto one he gave five talents,5 and another two, and another Mat_25:15   

24 Arabic p. 164 one; every one according to his strength; and went on his journey forthwith. He then that received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained Mat_25:16   

25, 26 other five. And so also he of the two gained other two. But he that re- Mat_25:17 Mat_25:18   

27 ceived the one went and digged in the earth, and hid the money of his lord. And after a long time the lord of those servants came, and took from them the account. Mat_25:19   

28 And he that received five talents came near and brought other five, and said, My lord, thou gavest me five talents: lo, I have gained other five in addition to them. Mat_25:20   

29 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: over a little hast Mat_25:21   

30 thou been faithful, over much will I set thee: enter into the joy of thy lord. And he that had the two came near and said, My lord, thou gavest me two talents: lo, Mat_25:22   

31 other two have I gained in addition to them. His lord said unto him, Good,6 thou faithful servant: over a little hast thou been faithful, over much will I set thee: enter Mat_25:23   

32 into the joy of thy lord. And he also that received the one talent came forward and said, My lord, I knew thee that thou an a severe man, who reapest where thou Mat_25:24   

33 sowest not, and gatherest where thou didst not scatter: and so I was afraid, and Mat_25:25   

34 went away and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast what is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest me Mat_25:26   

35 that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I did not scatter; it was incumbent on thee to put my money to the bank,7 and then I should come and seek it with its Mat_25:27   

36 gains. Take now from him the talent, and give it to him that hath ten talents. Mat_25:28   

37 Whosoever hath shall be given, and he shall have more: but he that hath not, even Mat_25:29   

38 Arabic p. 165 what he hath shall be taken from him. And the unprofitable servant, put him forth into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mat_25:30   

39, 40 Your loins shall be girded, and your lamps lit; and ye shall be like the people that are looking for their lord, when he shall return from the feast; so that, when Luk_12:35 Luk_12:36   

41 he cometh and knocketh, they may at once open unto him. Blessed are those servants, whom their lord shall come and find attentive: verily I say unto you, that he will gird his waist, and make them sit down, and pass through8 them and serve Luk_12:37   

42 them. And if he come in the second watch, or the third, and find thus, blessed are those servants. Luk_12:38   

43 But when the Son of man cometh in his glory, and all his pure angels with him, Mat_25:31   

44 then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: and he will gather before him all the nations, and separate them the one from the other, like the shepherd who separateth Mat_25:32   

45 the sheep from the goats; and will set9 the sheep on his right, and the goats on his Mat_25:33   

46 left. Then shall the King say to those that are at his right, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundations10 of the world: Mat_25:34   

47 I hungered, and ye gave me to eat; and I thirsted, and ye gave me to drink; and I Mat_25:35   

48 was a stranger, and ye took me in; and I was naked, and ye clothed me; and I Mat_25:36   

49 was sick, and ye visited me; and I was in prison, and ye cared for me. Then shall those righteous say unto him, Our Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? Mat_25:37   

50 or thirsty, and gave thee to drink? And when saw we thee a stranger, and took Mat_25:38   

51 thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? And when saw we thee sick, or imprisoned, and Mat_25:39   

52 cared for thee? The King shall answer and say11 unto them, Verily I say unto you, What ye did to one of these my brethren, the little ones, ye did unto me. Then Mat_25:40   

53 Arabic p. 166 shall he say unto those that are on his left also, Depart from me, ye cursed, Mat_25:41   

54 into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his hosts: I hungered, and ye fed me Mat_25:42   

55 not; and I thirsted, and ye did not give me to drink; and I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; and I was naked, and ye clothed me not; and I was sick, and im- Mat_25:43   

56 prisoned, and ye visited me not. Then shall those also answer and say, Our Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or naked, or a stranger, or sick, or im- Mat_25:44   

57 prisoned, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, When ye did it not unto one of these little ones, ye did it not Mat_25:45   

58 unto me also. And these shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous into eternal life. Mat_25:46  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 Borgian ms. omits Luk_12:42.

2 i.e., the steward.

3 Borgian ms. has trusted and faithful. Doubtless we should supply diacritical points to the reading of Vatican 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.

4 See Section 10, 17, and Section 4, 249.

5 cf. Section 27, 21.

6 A Persian word. The Vatican ms. omits it.

7 Lit. table cf. Peshitta.

8 cf. Peshitta and Greek.

9 Or, and setteth; but the Peshitta confirms the rendering given above.

10 cf. Section 17, 173.

11 Perfect tenses, as in Peshitta.

 

 

Section XLIV.

 

1, 2 And when Jesus1 finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days will be the passover, and the Son of man is delivered up to be Mat_26:1 Mat_26:2   

3 crucified. Then gathered together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders Mat_26:3   

4 of the people, unto the court of the chief priest, who was called Caiaphas; and they took counsel together concerning Jesus, that they might seize him by subtilty, and Mat_26:4   

5 kill him. But they said, Not during the feast, lest there take place a disturbance among the people; for they feared the people. Mat_26:5 Luk_22:2   

6 And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, who was of the number Luk_22:3   

7 of the twelve. And he went away, and communed with the chief priests, and the scribes, and those that held command in the temple, and said unto them, What Luk_22:4   

8 Arabic p. 167 would ye pay me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they, when they heard it, were pleased, and made ready2 for him thirty pieces of money.3 Mar_14:11 Mat_26:15   

9 And he promised4 them, and from that time he sought an opportunity5 that he might deliver unto them Jesus without the multitude. Luk_22:6   

10 And on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, and said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and make ready for thee that thou mayest eat the passover? Mar_14:12   

11 And before the feast of the passover, Jesus knew that the hour was arrived for his departure from this world unto his Father; and he loved his own in this world, Joh_13:1   

12 and to the last he loved them. And at the time of the feast, Satan put into the Joh_13:2   

13 heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to deliver him up. And Jesus, because he knew that the Father had delivered into his hands everything, and that he came Joh_13:3   

14 forth from the Father, and goeth unto God, rose from supper, and laid aside his Joh_13:4   

15 garments; and took a towel, and girded his waist, and poured water into a bason, and began to wash the feet of his disciples, and to wipe them with the towel where- Joh_13:5   

16 with his waist was girded. And when he came to Simon Cephas, Simon said unto Joh_13:6   

17 him, Dost thou, my Lord, wash for me my feet? Jesus answered and said unto Joh_13:7   

18 him, What I do, now thou knowest not; but afterwards thou shall learn. Simon said unto him, Thou shalt never wash for me my feet. Jesus said unto him, If I Joh_13:8   

19 wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Cephas said unto him, Then, my Joh_13:9   

20 Lord, wash not for me my feet alone, but my hands also and my head. Jesus said unto him, He that batheth6 needeth not to wash save his feet, whereas his whole Joh_13:10   

21 body is clean: and ye also are clean, but not all of you. For Jesus knew him that should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. Joh_13:11   

22 Arabic p. 168 So when he had washed their feet, he took his garments, and sat down, and Joh_13:12   

23 said unto them, Know ye what I have done unto you? Ye call me, Master, Joh_13:13   

24 and, Lord: and ye say well; so I am. If then I, now, who am your Lord and Master, have washed for you your feet, how needful is it that ye should wash one another’s feet! Joh_13:14   

25 This have I given you as an example, that as I have done to you so ye should do Joh_13:15   

26 also. Verily, verily, I say unto you, No servant is greater than his lord; nor an Joh_13:16   

27 apostle greater than he that sent him. If ye know that, ye are happy if ye do it. Joh_13:17   

28 My saying this7 is not for all of you: for I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture might be fulfilled, He that eateth with me bread lifted against me his Joh_13:18   

29 heel. Henceforth I say unto you before it come to pass, that, when it cometh to Joh_13:19   

30 pass, ye may believe that I am he. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and whosoever receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. Joh_13:20   

31 Who is the great one, he that sitteth, or he that serveth? is it not he that sitteth? Luk_22:27   

32 I am among you as he that serveth. But ye are they that have continued with me Luk_22:28   

33 in my temptations; I promise8 you, as my Father promised8 me, the kingdom, that ye may eat and drink at the table of my kingdom. Luk_22:29 Luk_22:30   

34 And the first day9 came, the feast of unleavened bread, on which the Jews were Luk_22:7   

35 wont10 to sacrifice11 the passover. And Jesus sent two of his disciples, Cephas and John, and said unto them, Go and make ready for us the passover, that we may eat. Luk_22:8   

36, 37 And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we make ready for thee? He said unto them, Go, enter the city; and at the time of your entering, there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water; follow him, and the place where he entereth, say Luk_22:9 Luk_22:10 Mar_14:13 Luk_22:10 Luk_22:11   

38 Arabic p. 169 to such an one, the master of the house, Our Master saith, My time is come, and at thy house I keep the passover. Where then is the lodging-place where Mat_26:11 Luk_22:11   

39 I shall eat with my disciples? And he will shew you a large upper room Luk_22:12   

40 spread and made ready: there then make ready for us. And his two disciples went out, and came to the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover as he had said unto them. Mar_14:15 Mar_14:16   

41 And when the evening was come, and the time arrived, Jesus came and reclined, Luk_22:14   

42 and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have Luk_22:15   

43 desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: I say unto you, that henceforth I shall not eat it, until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. Luk_22:16   

44 Jesus said that, and was agitated12 in his spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, Joh_13:21   

45 verily, I say unto you, One of you, he that eateth with me, shall betray me. And they were very sorrowful; and they began to say unto him, one after another of Mar_14:18 Mar_14:19   

46 them, Can it be I, Lord? He answered and said unto them, One of the twelve, Mar_14:20   

47 he that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, will betray me. And Io, the hand of Luk_22:21   

48 him that betrayeth me is on the table. And the Son of man goeth, as it is written of him: woe then to that man by whose hand the Son of man is betrayed! for it Mar_14:21   

49 would have been better for that man had he not been born. And the disciples Joh_13:22   

50 looked one on another, for they knew not to whom he referred; and they began to search among themselves, who that might be who was to do this. Luk_22:23  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 Borgian ms., the Lord Jesus.

2 Probably the letter that stands for and should be reseated, and the phrase rendered and appointed.

3 So Vatican ms. following Peshitta and Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary. Borgian ms., followed by Ciasca, has dirhams of money.

4 Lit. became responsible unto. Syriac versions as in text above cf. Section 44, 33.

5 The Arabic, lit. a stumbling or a cause of stumbling, doubtless represents the Syriac.

6 The Arabic word means swimmeth. The Syriac versions have is bathed, which Borgian ms. misreads bathed, and Vatican ms. followed by Ciasca corrupts into batheth, rendering it swimmeth.

7 Or, This my saying.

8 cf. Section 44, 94.

9 Vatican ms. has the word day on the margin, added by a late hand.

10 The misprint in the Arabic text has been overlooked in the list of Corrigenda.

11 Or, kill.

12 The Syriac word is retained. In Arabic it properly means become strong or proud cf. Section 38, 17.

 

 

Section XLV.

 

1, 2 Arabic p. 170 And one of his disciples was sitting1 in his bosom, he whom Jesus loved. To him Simon Cephas beckoned, that he should ask him who this was, con- Joh_13:23 Joh_13:24   

3 cerning whom he spake. And that disciple leaned2 on Jesus’ breast, and said unto him, Joh_13:25   

4 My Lord, who is this? Jesus answered and said, He to whom I shall dip bread, and give it. And Jesus dipped bread, and gave to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Joh_13:26   

5 And after the bread, Satan entered him. And Jesus said unto him, What thou Joh_13:27   

6 desirest to do, hasten the doing of it. And no man of them that sat knew why he Joh_13:28   

7 said this unto him. And some of them thought, because Judas had the box, that he was bidding him buy what would be needed for the feast; or, that he might pay Joh_13:28   

8 something to the poor. Judas the betrayer answered and said, Can it be I, my Mat_26:30   

9 Master? Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said. And Judas took the bread straightway, and went forth without: and it was still night. Joh_13:30   

10 And Jesus said, Now is the Son of man being glorified,3 and God is being glorified3 Joh_13:31   

11 in him; and if God is glorified in him, God also will glorify him in him, and straightway will glorify him. Joh_13:32   

12 And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and divided; and he Mar_14:22 Mat_26:26   

13 Arabic p. 171 gave to his disciples, and said unto them, Take and eat; this is my body. And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and blessed, and gave them, and said, Take Mar_14:23 Mat_26:27   

14, 15 and drink of it, all of you. And they drank of it, all of them. And he said unto them, This is my blood, the new covenant, that is shed for many for the Mar_14:23 Mar_14:24 Mat_26:28   

16 forgiveness of sins. I say unto you, I shall not drink henceforth of this, the juice of the vine, until the day in which I drink4 with you new wine in the kingdom of Mat_26:29   

17 God. And thus do ye in remembrance of me. And Jesus said unto Simon, Simon, Luk_22:19 Luk_22:31   

18 behold, Satan asketh that he may sift you like wheat: but I entreat5 for thee, that thou lose not thy faith:6 and do thou, at some time, turn7 and strengthen thy brethren. Luk_22:32   

19 My children, another little while am I with you. And ye shall seek me: and as Joh_13:33   

20 I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; I say unto you now also. A new commandment I give you, that ye may love one another; and as I have loved Joh_13:34   

21 you, so shall ye also love one another. By this shall every man know that ye are Joh_13:35   

22 my disciples. if ye have love one to another. Simon Cephas said unto him, Our Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered and said unto him, Whither I go, thou canst not now follow me; but later thou shall come. Joh_13:36   

23 Then said Jesus unto them, Ye all shall desert8 me this night:9 it is written, I Mat_26:31   

24 will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered. But after my Mat_26:32   

25 rising, I shall go before you into Galilee. Simon Cephas answered and said unto Mat_26:33   

26 him, My Lord, if every man desert thee, I shall at no time desert thee. I am with thee ready for imprisonment and for death. And my life will I give up for thee. Luk_22:33 Joh_13:37   

27 Arabic p. 172 Jesus said unto him, Wilt thou give up thy life for me? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Thou shall to-day, during this night, before the cock crow Joh_13:38 Mar_14:30   

28 twice, three times deny me, that thou knowest me not. But Cephas said the more,10 Even if it lead to11 death with thee, I shall not deny thee, my Lord. And in like manner said all the disciples also. Luk_22:34 Mar_14:31   

29 Then Jesus said unto them, Let not your hearts be troubled:12 believe in God, Joh_14:1   

30 and believe in me. The stations13 in my Father’s house are many, else I should Joh_14:2   

31 have told14 you. I15 go to prepare for you a place. And if I go to prepare for you a place, I shall return again, and take you unto me: and so where I am, there ye Joh_14:3   

32, 33 shall be also. And the place that I go ye know,16 and the way ye know.16 Thomas said unto him, Our Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how is the way for Joh_14:4 Joh_14:5   

34 us to the knowledge of that?17 Jesus said unto him, I am the way, and the truth, Joh_14:6   

35 and the life: and no man cometh unto my Father, but through me. And if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father: and from henceforth ye know18 him, Joh_14:7   

36 and have seen him. Philip19 said unto him, Our Lord, shew us the Father, and it suf- Joh_14:8   

37 ficeth us. Jesus said unto him, Have I been all this time with you, and dost thou not know20 me, Philip?19 whosoever hath seen me hath seen the Father; how then sayest Joh_14:9   

38 thou, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in my Father, and my Father in me? and the saying that I say, I say not of myself: but my Father who dwelleth in Joh_14:10   

39 me, he doeth these deeds. Believe that I am in my Father, and my Father in me: Joh_14:11   

40 Arabic p. 173 or else believe for the sake of the deeds. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever believeth in me, the deeds that I do shall he do also; and Joh_14:12   

41 more than that shall he do: I go unto the Father. And what ye shall ask in my Joh_14:13   

42 name, I shall do unto you, that the Father may be glorified in his Son. And if ye Joh_14:14   

43, 44 ask me21 in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will entreat of my Father, and he will send unto you another Paraclete, that he Joh_14:15 Joh_14:16   

45 may be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth: whom the world cannot receive; for it hath not seen him, nor known him: but ye know him; for he hath dwelt22 Joh_14:17   

46 with you, and is in you. I will not leave you orphans: I will come unto you. Joh_14:18   

47 Another little while, and the world seeth me not; but ye see me that I live, and ye Joh_14:19   

48 shall live also. And in that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. Joh_14:20  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 The Syriac versions have reclining.

2 Lit. fell.

3 A simple change of diacritical points would give the reading of the Greek and of the Syriac versions

4 Peshitta adds it. The reading of the Sinaitic is doubtful.

5 Past tense in Syriac versions.

6 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.

7 cf. Syriac versions.

8 The Arabic word is not unlike the word for stumble, and Borgian ms. omits me.

9 Vatican ms. omits this night.

10 Or, went on saying.

11 Lit. end in. Or, if I come to the point of.

12 The diacritical points in both Vatican followed by Ciasca and Borgian 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.

13 Or, ranks.

14 Or, should tell.

15 Probably the Arabic represents a Syriac For I.

16 Different words.

17 cf. Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary f. 352a and order of words in Peshitta not Sin.

18 Lit. have known.

19 Different forms, as in Peshitta.

20 More exactly, hast thou not come to know.

21 The Borgian ms. has me clearly cf. Peshitta. The Vatican ms. is ambiguous.

22 Probably a misreading of the Peshitta not Sin. or Cur., since the next clause also agrees with it.

 

 

Section XLVI.

 

1 Whosoever hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will Joh_14:21   

2 shew myself unto him. Judas (not Iscariot) said unto him, My Lord, what is the Joh_14:22   

3 purpose of thy intention to shew thyself to us, and not to the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, Whosoever loveth me will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and to him will we come, and make our1 abode with him. Joh_14:23   

4 But he that loveth me not keepeth not my word: and this word that ye hear is not my word, but the Father’s which sent me. Joh_14:24   

5, 6 This have I spoken unto you, while I was yet with you. But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom my Father will send in my name, he will teach you everything, and Joh_14:25 Joh_14:26   

7 Arabic p. 174 he will bring to your remembrance all that I say unto you. Peace I leave you; my peace I give unto you: and not as this world giveth, give I unto you. Joh_14:27   

8 Let your heart not be troubled,2 nor fearful. Ye heard that I said unto you, that I go away, and come unto you. If3 ye loved me, ye would rejoice, that I go away to my Joh_14:28   

9 Father: for my Father is greater than I. And now I say unto you before it come Joh_14:29   

10 to pass, that, when it cometh to pass, ye may believe me. Now I will not speak with you much: the Archon of the world will come, and he will have nothing in Joh_14:30   

11 me: but that the world may know that I love my Father, and as my Father charged me, so I do. Joh_14:31   

12 And he said unto them, When I sent you without purses, or wallets, and shoes,4 Luk_22:35   

13 lacked ye perchance anything? They said unto him, Nothing. He said unto them, Henceforth, whosoever hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise the wallet also: and whosoever hath not a sword, shall sell his garment, and buy for himself a Luk_22:36   

14 sword. I say unto you, that this scripture also must be fulfilled in me, that I should be reckoned5 with the transgressors: for all that is said of me is fulfilled in Luk_22:37   

15 me. His disciples said unto him, Our Lord, lo, here are two swords. He said Luk_22:38   

16 unto them, They are sufficient. Arise, let us go hence. And they arose, and praised, and went forth, and went, according to their custom, to the mount of Olives, he and his disciples. Joh_14:31 Luk_22:39   

17 And he said unto them, I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Joh_15:1   

18 Every branch that produceth not fruit in me, he taketh it: and that which giveth fruit, Joh_15:2   

19 he cleanseth it, that it may give much fruit. Ye are already clean because of the word Joh_15:3   

20 Arabic p. 175 that I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. And as the branch of the vine cannot produce fruit of itself, if it be not abiding in the vine; so too ye Joh_15:4   

21 also, if ye abide not in me. I am the vine, and ye are the branches: He then that abideth in me, and I in him, he giveth much fruit: for without me ye can- Joh_15:5   

22 not do anything. And if a man abide not in me, he is cast without, like a withered Joh_15:6   

23 branch; and it is gathered, and cast6 into the fire, that it may be burned. If ye abide in me, and my word abide in you, everything that ye desire to ask shall be Joh_15:7   

24 done unto you. And herein is the Father glorified, that ye may give much fruit; Joh_15:8   

25 and ye shall be my disciples. And as my Father loved me, I loved you also: Joh_15:9   

26 abide in my love. If ye keep my commands, ye shall abide in my love; as I have Joh_15:10   

27 kept my Father’s commands, and abode in his love. I have spoken that unto you, Joh_15:11   

28 that my joy7 may be in you, and your joy7 be fulfilled. This is my commandment, Joh_15:12   

29 that ye love one another, as I loved you. And no love is greater than this, namely, Joh_15:13   

30 that a man should give his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do all that Joh_15:14   

31 I command you. I call you not now servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: my friends have I now called you; for everything that I heard from Joh_15:15   

32 my Father I have made known unto you. Ye did not choose8 me, but I chose I you, and appointed you, that ye also should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should2 Joh_15:16   

33 abide; and that all that ye shall ask my Father in my name, he may9 give you. This Joh_15:17   

34 I command10 you, that ye love one another. And if the world hate you, know that Joh_15:18   

35 before you it hated me. If then ye were of the world, the world would love its own: but ye are not of the world: I chose you out of the world: therefore the world Joh_15:19   

36 Arabic p. 176 hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, that no servant is greater than his lord. And if they persecuted11 me, you also will they Joh_15:20   

37 persecute;11 and if they kept my word, your word also will they keep. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, for they have not known12 him Joh_15:21   

38 that sent me. And if I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: Joh_15:22   

39 but now they have no excuse for their sins. Whosoever hateth me, also hateth my Joh_15:23   

40 Father. And if I had not done the deeds before them that no other man did, they would not have had sin: but now they have seen and hated me and my Father Joh_15:24   

41 also: that the word may be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me for Joh_15:25   

42 nothing. But when the Paraclete is come, whom I will send unto you from my Father, even the Spirit of truth, which goeth forth from my Father, he shall bear witness of Joh_15:26   

43 me: and ye also bear witness, because from the beginning ye have been with me. Joh_15:27   

44, 45 I have said that unto you, that ye may not stumble.13 And they shall put you out of their synagogues: and there cometh an14 hour when every one that killeth Joh_16:1 Joh_16:2   

46 you shall think that he hath offered unto God an offering. And they will do that, Joh_16:3   

47 because they do not know me, nor my Father. I have said that unto you, so that Joh_16:4   

48 when its time is come, ye may remember it, that I told you. And this hitherto I said not unto you, because I was with you. But15 now I go unto him that sent me; and no Joh_16:5   

49 man of you asketh me whither I go. I have said that unto you now, and grief hath Joh_16:6   

50 come and taken possession of your hems. But I say the truth unto you; It is better16 for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Paraclete will not come unto you; Joh_16:7   

51 Arabic p. 177 but if I go away, I will send him unto you. And when he cometh, he will reprove the world for sin, and for righteousness, and for judgement: Joh_16:8   

52, 53 for sin, because they have not believed in me; and for righteousness, because I go Joh_16:9 Joh_16:10   

54 to my Father; and for judgement, because17 the Archon of this world hath been Joh_16:11   

55 judged. And further have I many things to speak unto you, but ye cannot tarry18 Joh_16:12   

56 now. Howbeit19 when the Spirit of truth is come, he will remind20 you of all the truth: he will say nothing from himself; but everything that he heareth, that shall Joh_16:13   

57 he say: and he shall make known unto you the things that are to be. And he shall Joh_16:14   

58 glorify me; for from me shall he take and shew you. All that my Father hath is mine: therefore said I unto you, that he taketh21 of mine, and shall shew21 you. Joh_16:15  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 Lit the cf. Syriac versions.

2 This word is quite unlike that used in Section 45, 29.

3 The Syriac form of the introductory particle is wrongly used, for in Arabic it has interrogative force.

4 The first letter of the Arabic word has lost its diacritical point.

5 A possible rendering of the Syriac he was reckoned.

6 The verbs may be active or passive, but are singular cf. Section 38, 43, note.

7 Two words from the same root.

8 Different words.

9 Or, shalt and will, respectively.

10 Or, have commanded.

11 cf. Section 8, 3413.

12 The Arabic text Vatican is grammatically inaccurate, and the Borgian ms.. has know not.

13 Lit. sway as one does in dozing.

14 Or, the, as in Borgian ms.

15 In the Greek and English Luk_12:5 begins at But.

16 Or, best.

17 Lit. that cf. Peshitta.

18 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.

19 Or, And.

20 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.

21 Same tense.

 

 

Section XLVII.

 

1 A little while, and ye shall not behold me; and a little while again, and ye shall Joh_16:16   

2 behold me; because I go to the Father. His disciples therefore said one to another, What is this that he hath said unto us, A little while, and ye shall not behold me; and a little while again, and ye shall behold me: and, I go to my Joh_16:17   

3 Father? And they said, What is this little while that he hath said? We know not Joh_16:18   

4 what he speaketh. And Jesus perceived that they were seeking to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye inquire among yourselves concerning this, that I said unto you, A little while, and ye Joh_16:19   

5 behold me not, and a little while again, and ye shall behold me? Verily, verily,1 I say unto you, that ye shall weep and grieve, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your grief shall turn2 to joy. Joh_16:20   

6 For, a woman when the time is come for her that she should bring forth, the arrival of the day of her bringing forth distresseth her: but whenever she hath brought forth a son, she remembereth not her distress, for joy at the birth of a man into the Joh_16:21   

7 world. And ye now also grieve: but I shall see you, and your hearts shall rejoice, Joh_16:22   

8 Arabic p. 178 and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. And verily, verily,3 I say unto you, All that ye ask my Father Joh_16:23   

9 in my name, he will give you. Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be complete. Joh_16:24   

10 I have spoken unto you now in aenigmas:4 but there will come an hour when a I shall not speak to you in aenigmas,4 but shall reveal unto you the Father plainly, Joh_16:25   

11 in that day when5 ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I shall Joh_16:26   

12 entreat the Father for you; for the Father loveth you, because ye have loved me, Joh_16:27   

13 and have believed that I came forth from my Father. I came forth from my Father, and came into the world: and I leave the world, and go unto my Father. Joh_16:28   

14 His disciples said unto him, Lo, thy speech is now plain, and thou hast not said one Joh_16:29   

15 thing in an aenigma. Now, lo, we know that thou knowest everything, and needest not that any man should ask thee: and by this we believe that thou camest forth Joh_16:30   

16, 17 from God. Jesus said unto them, Believe that an hour cometh, and lo, it hath come, and ye shall be scattered, every one of you to his place, and shall leave me Joh_16:31 Joh_16:32   

18 alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. This have I said unto you, that in me ye may have peace. And in the world trouble shall overtake you: but be of good courage; for I have overcome the world. Joh_16:33   

19 This said Jesus, and lifted up his eyes unto heaven, and said, My Father, the hour Joh_17:1   

20 is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee: as thou gavest him authority Joh_17:2   

21 over all flesh, that all that thou hast given him, he might give them7 eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they should8 know that thou alone art true God, and that he Joh_17:3   

22 Arabic p. 179 whom thou didst send is Jesus the Messiah.9 I glorified thee in the earth, Joh_17:4   

23 and the work which thou gavest me to do I have accomplished. And now glorify thou me, O Father, beside thee, with that glory which I had with thee Joh_17:5   

24 before the world was. I made known thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them to me; and they have kept Joh_17:6   

25, 26 thy word. Now they10 know that all that thou hast given me is from thee: and the sayings which thou gavest me I have given unto them; and they received them, and knew of a truth that I came forth from thee, and believed that thou didst send me. Joh_17:7 Joh_17:8   

27 And I ask for their sake: and my asking is not for the world, but for those whom Joh_17:9   

28 thou hast given me; for they are thine: and all that is mine is thine, and all that is Joh_17:10   

29 thine is mine: and I am glorified in them. And now I am not in the world, and they are in the world, and I come to thee. My11 holy Father, keep them in thy Joh_17:11   

30 name which12 thou hast given unto me, that they may be one, as we are. When I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: and I kept those whom thou gavest unto me: and no man of them hath perished, but the son of perdition; that Joh_17:12   

31 the scripture might be fulfilled. Now I come to thee: and this I say in the world, Joh_17:13   

32 that my joy may be complete in them. I have given them thy word; and the world Joh_17:14   

33 hated them, because they were not of the world, as I was not of the world. And I ask not this, that thou take them from the world, but that thou keep them from the Joh_17:15   

34, 35 evil one. They were not of the world, as I was not of the world. O Father, sanctify Joh_17:16 Joh_17:17   

36 them in thy truth: for thy word is truth. And as thou didst send me into the world, I Joh_17:18   

37 Arabic p. 180 also send them into the world. And for their sake I sanctify myself, that they Joh_17:19   

38 also may be sanctified in the truth. Neither for these alone do I ask, but for Joh_17:20   

39 the sake of them that believe in me through their word; that they may be all one; as thou art in me, and I in thee, and so they also shall be one in us: that the world Joh_17:21   

40 may believe that thou didst send me. And the glory which thou hast given unto Joh_17:22   

41 me I have given unto them; that they may be one, as we are one; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfect into13 one; and that the world may know that Joh_17:23   

42 thou didst send me, and that I14 loved them, as thou lovedst me. Father, and those whom thou hast given me, I wish that, where I am, they may be with me also; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before Joh_17:24   

43 the foundation15 of the world. My righteous Father,16 and the world knew thee not, Joh_17:25   

44 but I know thee; and they knew that thou didst send me; and I made known unto them thy name, and will make it known to them; that the love wherewith thou lovedst me may be in them, and I shall17 be in them. Joh_17:26  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 Not quite the usual formula, there being here no article.

2 The Arabic might also be rendered be turned, but the Syriac is intransitive.

3 Not quite usual formula, there being here no article cf. also 47, 5.

4 Not the usual word for proverb or parable cf. Syriac versions

5 So Vatican ms. and Peshitta. The Borgian ms., followed by Ciasca, has and a time when.

6 cf. Peshitta.

7 Lit. it or him.

8 In the Borgian ms. the sentence begins with that they might, the preceding clause being omitted.

9 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.

10 So Ciasca’s text. The Vatican ms. has I, with the Peshitta and probably Sinaitic.

11 So in Sinaitic. The Peshitta omits My.

12 Singular in both Arabic mss., as in the Peshitta. Ciasca prints the plural form. The Sin. passes directly from name to When.

13 Vatican ms. has as.

14 cf. Peshitta, as pointed in the editions.

15 cf. Section 17, 173.

16 The Arabic as it stands should mean My Father is righteous; but it is simply the ordinary Syriac reading, and is so rendered above.

17 Or perhaps may.

 

 

Section XLVIII.

 

1 This said Jesus, and went forth with his disciples to a place which was called Gethsemane,1 on2 the side that is in the plain3 of Kidron, the mountain,4 the place Joh_18:1   

2 in which was a garden; and he entered thither, he and his disciples. And Judas the Joh_18:2   

3 betrayer knew that place: for Jesus oft-times met with his disciples there. And when Jesus came to the place, he said to his disciples, Sit ye here, so that I may go and pray; Luk_22:40 Mat_26:36   

4, 5 Arabic p. 181 and pray ye, that ye enter not into temptations. And he took with him Cephas and the sons of Zebedee together, James and John; and he began to Luk_22:40 Mat_26:37   

6 look sorrowful, and to be anxious. And he said unto them, My soul is distressed unto Mat_26:38   

7 death: abide ye here, and watch with me. And he withdrew from them a little, Luk_22:41   

8 the space of a stone’s throw; and he kneeled,5 and fell on his face, and prayed, so Mar_14:35   

9 that, if it were possible, this hour might pass6 him. And he said, Father, thou art able for all things; if thou wilt, let this cup pass me: but let not my will be done, Mar_14:36 Luk_22:42   

10 but let thy will be done. And he came to his disciples, and found them sleeping; Mat_26:40 Mar_14:37   

11 and he said unto Cephas, Simon, didst thou sleep? Could ye thus not for one hour Mat_26:40   

12 watch with me? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptations: the spirit is Mat_26:41 Mar_14:38   

13 willing and ready, but the body is weak.7 And he went again a second time, and prayed, and said, My Father, if it is not possible with regard to8 this cup that it pass, Mat_26:42   

14 except I drink it, thy will be done. And he returned again, and found his disciples sleeping, for their eyes were heavy from their grief and anxiety; and they knew not Mar_14:40   

15 what to say to him. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed a third Mat_26:44   

16 time, and said the very same word. And there appeared unto him an angel from Luk_22:43   

17 heaven, encouraging him. And being afraid9 he prayed continuously:10 and his sweat Luk_22:44   

18 Arabic p. 182 became like a stream of blood, and fell on the ground. Then he rose from Luk_22:45   

19 his prayer, and came to his disciples, and found them sleeping. And he Luk_22:46 Mat_26:45   

20 said unto them, Sleep now, and rest: the end hath arrived,11 and the hour hath come; Mar_14:41   

21 and behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Arise, let us go:12 for he hath come that betrayeth me. Mar_14:42 Mat_26:46   

22 And while he was still speaking, came Judas the betrayer, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude carrying lanterns and torches13 and swords and staves, from the chief priests and scribes and eiders of the people, and with him the foot- Mat_26:47   

23 soldiers of the Romans.14 And Judas the betrayer gave them a sign, and said, He whom I shall kiss, he is he: take him with care,15 and lead him away.16 Mat_26:48 Mar_14:44   

24 And Jesus, because he knew everything that should come upon him, went forth Joh_18:4   

25 unto them. And immediately Judas the betrayer came to Jesus, and said, Peace, Mat_26:49 Mat_26:50   

26 my Master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Judas, with a kiss betrayest Luk_22:48   

27 thou the Son of man? Was it for that thou camest, my friend? And Jesus said Mat_26:50 Luk_22:52, Luk_22:52   

28 to those that came unto him, Whom seek ye? They said unto him, Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus said unto them, I am he. And Judas the betrayer also was standing Joh_18:4 Joh_18:5   

29 with them. And when Jesus said unto them, I am he, they retreated backward, and Joh_18:6   

30 fell to the ground. And Jesus asked them again, Whom seek ye? They answered, Joh_18:7   

31 Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus said unto them, I told you that I am he: and if ye seek Joh_18:8   

32 me, let these go away: that the word might be fulfilled which he spake, Of those Joh_18:9   

33 Arabic p. 183 whom thou hast given me I lost not even one. Then came those that were with Judas, and seized Jesus, and took him. Mat_26:50   

34 And when his disciples saw what happened, they said, Our Lord, shall we smite Luk_22:49   

35 them with swords? And Simon Cephas had a sword, and he drew it, and struck the servant of the chief priest, and cut off his right ear. And the name of that ser- Joh_18:10   

36 vant was Malchus. Jesus said unto Cephas, The cup which my Father hath given Joh_18:11   

37 me, shall I not drink it? Put the sword into its sheath: for all that take with17 the Joh_18:11 Mat_26:52   

38 sword shall die by the sword. Thinkest18 thou that I am not able to ask of my Mat_26:53   

39 Father, and he shall now raise up for me more than19 twelve tribes of angels? Then Mat_26:54   

40 how should the scriptures which were spoken be fulfilled, that thus it must be? Your Luk_22:51   

41 leave in this.20 And he touched the ear of him that was struck, and healed it. And in that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, As they come out against a thief are ye come out against me with swords and staves to take me? Daily was I with you in Mat_26:55   

42 the temple sitting teaching, and ye took me not: but this is your hour, and the power Luk_22:53   

43 of darkness. And that was, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Mat_26:56   

44 Then the disciples all left him, and fled. And the footsoldiers and the officers Joh_18:12   

45 and the soldiers21 of the Jews seized Jesus, and came. And a certain22 young man Mar_14:51   

46 followed him, and he was wrapped in a towel, naked: and they seized him; so he Mar_14:52   

47 Arabic p. 184 left the towel, and fled naked. Then they took Jesus, and bound him, and brought him to Annas first; because he was the father in law of Caiaphas, Joh_18:12 Joh_18:13   

48 who was chief priest that year. And Caiaphas was he that counselled the Jews, that it was necessary that one man should die instead of the people. Joh_18:14   

49 And Simon Cephas and one of the other disciples followed Jesus. And the chief Joh_18:15   

50 priest knew that disciple, and he entered with Jesus into the court; but Simon was standing without at the door. And that other disciple, whom the chief priest knew, Joh_18:16   

51 went out and spake unto her that kept the door, and she brought Simon in. And when the maid that kept the door saw Simon, she looked stedfastly at him, and said unto him, Art not thou also one of the disciples of this man, I mean Jesus the Joh_18:17   

52 Nazarene? But he denied, and said, Woman, I know him not, neither know I even Luk_22:57 Mar_14:68   

53 what thou sayest. And the servants and the soldiers rose, and made a fire in the Joh_18:18   

54 middle of the court, that they might warm themselves; for it was cold. And when Luk_22:55   

55 the fire burned up, they sat down around it. And Simon also came, and sat down with them to warm himself, that he might see the end of what should happen. Joh_18:18 Mat_26:58  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 Mat_26:36.

2 Vatican ms. has and on.

3 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 Joh_18:1-40, in Die vier Evangelien, arabisch, aus der Wiener Handschrift, edited by P. de Lagarde, 1864.

4 cf. Sinaitic Syriac and Luk_22:39.

5 Lit. fell on his knees.

6 Lit. let this hour pass. The Borgian ms. omits him.

7 Lit. diseased. The Arabic word is rare in the sense required by the context cf. Pesh..

8 This reading would perhaps more easily arise out of the Sinaitic than out of the Peshitta.

9 cf. Peshitta. Or, And although he was afraid.

10 The Peshitta hardly Cur. is capable of this interpretation.

11 cf. Syr., especially Peshitta.

12 cf. Section 4, 207.

13 Joh_18:3.

14 cf. Joh_18:3 Jerusalem Lectionary In Syriac Romans means soldiers. The Arabic footsoldiers might be man singular.

15 cf. Syriac versions. Obviously we must supply a diacritical point over the last radical, or read the middle one as dhal.

16 Lit. him to — . Borgian ms. probably means bear him away.

17 With is doubtless an accidental repetition of by the same Arabic particle in the next clause.

18 The introductory interrogative particle may represent an original Or.

19 Vatican ms. omits than, and has more only in the margin by another hand.

20 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.

21 cf. Section 11, 11.

22 Lit. one.

 

 

Section XLIX.

 

1, 2 And the chief priest asked Jesus about his disciples, and about his doctrine.1 And Jesus said unto him, I was speaking2 openly to the people; and I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, where all the Jews gather; and I have spoken nothing in Joh_18:19 Joh_18:20   

3 Arabic p. 185 secret. Why askest thou me? Ask those that have heard, what I spake unto Joh_18:21   

4 them: for they know all that I said. And when he had said that, one of the soldiers which were standing there struck the cheek3 of Jesus, and said unto him, Joh_18:22   

5 Dost thou thus answer the chief priest? Jesus answered and said unto him, If I Joh_18:23   

6 have spoken evil, bear witness of evil:4 but if well, why didst thou smite me? And Annas sent Jesus bound unto Caiaphas the chief priest. Joh_18:24   

7 And when Jesus went out, Simon Cephas was standing in the outer court warm- Joh_18:25   

8 ing himself. And that maid saw him again, and began to say to those that stood Mar_14:69   

9 by, This man also was there with Jesus the Nazarene. And those that stood by Mat_26:71 Mat_26:73   

10 came forward and said to Cephas, Truly thou art one of his disciples. And he Mat_26:72   

11 denied again with an oath, I know not the man. And after a little one of the servants of the chief priest, the kinsman of him whose ear Simon cut off, saw him; and Luk_22:58 Joh_18:26   

12 he disputed5 and said, Truly this man was with him: and he also is a Galilaean; Luk_22:59   

13 and his speech resembles.6 And he said unto Simon, Did not I see thee with him Mat_26:73 Joh_18:26   

14 in the garden? Then began Simon to curse,7 and to swear, I know not this man Mar_14:71   

15 whom ye have mentioned. And immediately, while he was speaking, the cock crew Luk_22:60   

16 twice. And in that hour Jesus turned, he being without, and looked stedfastly at Cephas. And Simon remembered the word of our Lord, which he said unto him, Luk_22:61   

17, 18 Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Simon went forth without, and wept bitterly. Mar_14:30, Mar_14:30 Luk_22:62   

19 Arabic p. 186 And when the morning approached, the servants of all the chief priests and the scribes and the elders of the people and all the multitude assembled, Luk_22:66   

20, 21 and made a plot; and they took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And they sought false witnesses who should witness against him, that they might put him to Mat_27:1 Mat_26:59   

22, 23 death, and they found not; but many false witnesses came, but their witness did not Mat_26:60 Mar_14:59   

24, 25 agree. But at last there came two lying witnesses, and said, We heard him say, I will destroy this8 temple of God that is made with hands, and will build another not Mat_26:60 Mar_14:57 Mar_14:58   

26, 27 made with hands after three days. And not even so did their witness agree. But Jesus was silent. And the chief priest rose in the midst, and asked Jesus, and said, Mar_14:59 Mat_26:63 Mar_14:60   

28 Answerest thou not a word concerning anything? what do these9 witness against Mat_26:62   

29, 30 thee? But Jesus was silent, and answered him nothing. And they took him up Mar_14:61 Luk_22:66   

31 into their assembly,10 and said unto him, If thou art the Messiah, tell us. He said Luk_22:67   

32 unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe me: and if I ask you, ye will not answer Luk_22:68   

33 me a word, nor let me go. And the chief priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Messiah, the Mat_26:63   

34, 35 Son of the living God. Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said that I am he. They all said unto him, Then thou art now the Son of God? Jesus said, Ye have said Mat_26:64 Luk_22:70   

36 that I am he. I say unto you, that henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting Mat_26:64   

37 Arabic p. 187 at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven. Then the Mar_14:63   

38 chief priest rent his tunic,11 and said, He hath blasphemed. And they all said, Why should we seek now witnesses? we have heard now the blasphemy from his mouth. Mat_26:65 Luk_22:71   

39, 40 What then think ye? They all answered and said, He is worthy of death. Then some of them drew near, and spat in his face, and struck him, and scoffed at him. Mar_14:64 Mat_26:66 Mar_14:65 Luk_22:63   

41 And the soldiers struck him on his cheeks,12 and said, Prophesy unto us, thou Mes- Mar_14:65 Mat_26:68   

42 siah: who is he that struck thee? And many other things spake they falsely,13 and said against him. Luk_22:65   

43 And all of their assembly arose,14 and took Jesus, and brought him bound15 to Joh_18:28   

44 the praetorium,16 and delivered him up to Pilate the judge; but they entered not into the praetorium, that they might not be defiled when they should eat the passover. Mar_15:1 Joh_18:28   

45 And Jesus stood before the judge. And Pilate went forth unto them without, and Mat_27:11 Joh_18:29   

46 said unto them, What accusation17 have ye against this man? They answered and said unto him, If he had not been doing evils, neither should we have delivered Joh_18:30   

47 him up unto thee. We found this man leading our people astray, and restraining from giving tribute to Caesar, and saying of himself that he is the King, the Messiah. Luk_23:2   

48 Arabic p. 188 Pilate said unto them, Then take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews said unto him, We have no authority to put a man to death: Joh_18:31   

49 that the word might be fulfilled, which Jesus spake, when he made known by what manner of death he was to die. Joh_18:32   

50 And Pilate entered into the praetorium, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art Joh_18:33   

51 thou the King of the Jews? Jesus said unto him, Of thyself saidst thou this, or Joh_18:34   

52 did others tell it thee concerning me? Pilate said unto him, Am I, forsooth,18 a Jew? The sons of thy nation19 and the chief priests delivered thee unto me: what Joh_18:35   

53 hast thou done? Jesus said unto him, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be Joh_18:36   

54 delivered to the Jews: now my kingdom is not from hence. Pilate said unto him, Then thou art a king? Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said that I am a king. And for this was I born, and for this came I into the world, that I should bear witness Joh_18:37   

55 of the truth. And every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate said unto him, And what is the truth? And when he said that, he went out again unto the Jews. Joh_18:38  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 cf. Section 6, 4018.

2 Peshitta, spake; Sin. omits the verse; Cur. lacking.

3 See Section 9 72.

4 Borgian ms. has the evil.

5 This is an alternative meaning of the Syriac word affirmed used in the Peshitta.

6 cf. Sinaitic Curetonian wanting. Vatican ms., which Ciasca follows, adds him or it.

7 Borgian ms., by adding diacritical points, gets asserted.

8 Syriac order, but not in agreement with the versions.

9 Vatican ms. has anything, when these.

10 The word usually means synagogue in this work.

11 The foreign word used in the Peshitta is preserved. The Sinaitic uses a Syriac word meaning garment.

12 See Section 9, 72.

13 See Section 7, 176.

14 cf. Luk_23:1

15 cf. Mat_27:2; Mar_15:1.

16 Arabic, diwan.

17 Lit. plea.

18 See Section 4, 249.

19 The Syriac word.



The Diatessaron of Tatian (Cont.) ss 50 – 59

The Text of the Diatessaron. (Cont.)

Section L.

1 And Pilate said unto the chief priests and the multitude, I have not found Luk_23:4   

2 against this man anything. But they cried out and said, He hath disquieted1 our people with his teaching in all Judæa, and he began2 from Galilee and unto this Luk_23:5   

3 place. And Pilate, when he heard the name of Galilee, asked, Is this man a Gali- Luk_23:6   

4 laean? And when he learned that he was under the jurisdiction of Herod, he sent him to Herod: for he was in Jerusalem in those days. Luk_23:7   

5 And Herod, when he saw Jesus, rejoiced exceedingly: for he had desired to see him for a long time, because he had heard regarding him many things; and he counted on3 Luk_23:8   

6 Arabic p. 189 seeing some sign from him. And he questioned him with many words; but Luk_23:9   

7 Jesus answered him not a word. And the scribes and chief priests were Luk_23:10   

8 standing by, and they accused him vehemently. And Herod scoffed at him, he and his servants; and when he had scoffed at him, he clothed him in robes of scarlet, Luk_23:11   

9 and sent him to Pilate. And on that day Pilate and Herod became friends, there having been4 enmity between them before that. Luk_23:12   

10, 11 And Pilate called the chief priests and the rulers of the people, and said unto them, Ye brought unto me this man, as the perverter of your people: and I have tried him before you, and have not found in this man any cause5 of all that ye Luk_23:13 Luk_23:14   

12 seek6 against him: nor yet Herod: for I sent him unto him; and he hath done Luk_23:15   

13 nothing for which he should deserve death. So now I will chastise him, and let Luk_23:16   

14, 15 him go. The multitude all cried out and said, Take him from us, take him. And Luk_23:18 Mar_15:3   

16 the chief priests and the eiders accused him of many things. And during their Mat_27:12   

17 accusation he answered not a word. Then Pilate said unto him, Hearest thou not Mat_27:13   

18 how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him not, not even one word: and Pilate marvelled at that. Mat_27:14   

19 And when the judge sat on his tribune, his wife sent unto him, and said unto him, See that thou have nothing to do with that righteous man: for I have suffered much in my dream7 to-day because of him. Mat_27:19   

20 And at every feast the custom of the judge was to release to the people one Mat_27:15   

21 prisoner, him whom they would. And there was in their prison a well-known pris- Mat_27:16   

22, 23 oner, called Barabbas. And when they assembled, Pilate said unto them, Ye have a custom, that I should release unto you a prisoner at the passover: will ye that I Mat_27:17 Joh_18:39   

24 Arabic p. 190 release unto you the King of the Jews? And they all cried out and said, Release not unto us this man, but release unto us Barabbas. And this Barabbas was a Joh_18:40   

25 robber, who for sedition8 and murder, which was in the city, was cast into the Luk_23:19   

26 prison. And all the people cried out and began to ask him to do as the custom was Mar_15:8   

27 that he should do with them. And Pilate answered and said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called the Messiah, the Mar_15:9 Mat_27:17   

28 King of the Jews? For Pilate knew that envy had moved them to deliver him up. Mat_27:18   

29 And the chief priests and the elders asked the multitudes to deliver Barabbas, and Mat_27:20   

30 to destroy Jesus. The judge answered and said unto them, Whom of the two will Mat_27:21   

31 ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate said unto them, And Mat_27:22   

32 Jesus which is called the Messiah, what shall I do with him? They all cried out Mar_15:13   

33 and said, Crucify him. And Pilate spake to them again, for he desired to release Luk_23:20   

34 Jesus; but they cried out and said, Crucify him, crucify him, and release unto us Luk_23:21   

35 Barabbas. And Pilate said unto them a third time, What evil hath this man done? I have not found in him any cause9 to necessitate death: I will chastise him and Luk_23:22   

36 let him go. But they increased in importunity10 with a loud voice, and asked him to crucify him. And their voice, and the voice of the chief priests, prevailed. Luk_23:23   

37 Then Pilate released unto them that one who was cast into prison for sedition and murder, Barabbas, whom they asked for: and he scourged Jesus with whips.11 Mar_15:15 Luk_23:25 Mat_27:26   

38 Then the footsoldiers of the judge took Jesus, and went into the praetorium, and Mat_27:27   

39 Arabic p. 191 gathered unto him all of the footsoldiers. And they stripped him, and put on Mat_27:28   

40 him a scarlet cloak. And they clothed him in garments of purple, and plaited Joh_19:2   

41 a crown of thorns, and placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and while they mocked at him and laughed, they fell down on their knees before him, and bowed Mat_27:29   

42 down to12 him, and said, Hail,13 King of the Jews! And they spat in his face, and took the reed from his hand, and struck him on his head, and smote his cheeks. Mat_27:30 Joh_19:3   

43 And Pilate went forth without again, and said unto the Jews, I bring him forth to Joh_19:4   

44 you, that ye may know that I do not find, in examining14 him, even one crime.15 And Jesus went forth without, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garments. Joh_19:5   

45 Pilate said unto them, Behold, the man! And when the chief priests and the soldiers16 saw him, they cried out and said, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate said unto them, Take him yourselves, and crucify him: for I find not a cause17 against Joh_19:6   

46 him. The Jews said unto him, We have a law, and according to our law he deserves Joh_19:7   

47 death, because he made himself the Son of God. And when Pilate heard this word, Joh_19:8   

48 his fear increased; and he entered again into the porch, and said to Jesus, Whence Joh_19:9   

49 art thou? But Jesus answered him not a word. Pilate said unto him, Speakest18 thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have authority to release thee, and have Joh_19:10   

50 authority to crucify thee? Jesus said unto him, Thou hast not any19 authority over me, if thou wert not given it from above: therefore the sin of him that delivered Joh_9:11   

51 me up unto thee is greater than thy sin. And for this word Pilate wished to release him: but the Jews cried out, If thou let him go, thou art not a friend of Caesar: for every one that maketh himself a king is against Caesar. Joh_9:12  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 Or, astray cf. Section 25, 175.

2 cf. Syriac versions.

3 Same word as in Section 10, 165.

4 Lit. and there woes.

5 The Arabic word may also, like the Syriac, mean thing, but hardly, as that does here, fault or crime. The Vatican ms., pointing differently, reads thing. The same confusion occurs at Section 40, 35 cf. a converse case in Section 25, 40.

6 So Ciasca’s text, following the Borgian ms. The Vatican ms. has plotted, which is nearer the Syriac access.

7 See Section 3, 12, note.

8 Ciasca’s text, following the Vatican ms., has disorder. Borgian ms. has division cf. heresies, Curetonian of Section 50, 37, which by addition of a diacritical point gives sedition; cf. Section 50, 37 Ciasca, following Vatican ms., and Peshitta both places.

9 Our translator has retained the Syriac word, which in this context means fault see Section 50, 115.

10 The word used in Vatican ms. means a repeated charge or attach. That in Borgian 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 Section 53, 55.

11 cf. Syriac versions.

12 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.

13 Lit. Peace.

14 This reading may be a corruption of a very literal rendering of the Peshitta.

15 cf. Section 50, 11.

16 cf. Section 11, 112.

17 See Section 50, 359.

18 Borgian ms., Why speakest; a reading that might be a corruption of the Peshitta.

19 Lit. even one (Pesh.).

 

 

Section LI.

 

1 Arabic p. 192 And when Pilate heard this saying, he took Jesus out, and sat on the tribune in the place which was called the pavement of stones, but in the He- Joh_9:13   

2 brew called Gabbatha. And that day was the Friday of the passover: and it had reached Joh_9:14   

3 about the sixth hour.1 And he said to the Jews, Behold, your King! And they cried out, Take him, take him, crucify him, crucify him. Pilate said unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests said unto him, We have no king except Joh_9:15   

4 Caesar. And Pilate, when he saw it, and2 he was gaining nothing, but the tumult was increasing, took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, and said, I Mat_27:24   

5 am innocent of the blood of this innocent man: ye shall know.3 And all the people Mat_27:25   

6 answered and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then Pilate commanded to grant them their request; and delivered up Jesus to be crucified, according to their wish. Joh_19:16   

7 Then Judas the betrayer, when he saw Jesus wronged, went and returned the Mat_27:3   

8 thirty pieces of money to the chief priests and the eiders, and said, I have sinned in my betraying innocent blood. And they said unto him, And we, what must we do? Mat_27:4   

9 know thou. And he threw down the money in the temple, and departed; and he Mat_27:5   

10 went away4 and hanged5 himself. And the chief priests took the money, and said, We have not authority to cast it into the place of the offering,6 for it is the price Mat_27:6   

11 of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with it the plain of the potter, for Mat_27:7   

12 the burial of strangers. Therefore that plain was called, The field of blood, unto Mat_27:8   

13 Arabic p. 193 this day. Therein7 was fulfilled the saying in the prophet which said, I took thirty pieces of money, the price of the precious one, which was fixed Mat_27:9   

14 by the children of Israel; and I paid them for the plain of the potter, as the Lord commanded me. Mat_27:10   

15 And the Jews took Jesus, and went away to crucify him. And when he bare his Joh_19:16 Mar_15:20   

16 cross and went out, they stripped him of those purple and scarlet garments which he Joh_19:17 Mat_27:31   

17 had on, and put on him his own garments. And while they were going with him, they found a man, a Cyrenian, coming from the country, named Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus: and they compelled this man to bear the cross of Jesus. Mat_27:32 Mar_15:21 Mat_27:32   

18 And they took the cross and laid it upon him, that he might bear it, and come after Jesus; and Jesus went, and his cross behind him. Luk_23:26   

19 And there followed him much people, and women which were lamenting and Luk_23:27   

20 raving.8 But Jesus turned unto them and said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not Luk_23:28   

21 for me: weep for yourselves, and for your children. Days are coming, when they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the womb’s that bare not, and the breasts Luk_23:29   

22 that gave not suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and Luk_23:30   

23 to the hills, Cover us. For if they do so in the green tree,9 what shall be in the dry? Luk_23:31   

24 And they brought with Jesus two others of the malefactors,10 to be put to death. Luk_23:32   

25 And when they came unto a certain place called The skull, and called in the Hebrew Golgotha, they crucified him there: they crucified with him these two Luk_23:33 Joh_19:17 Luk_23:33   

26 malefactors, one on his right, and the other on his left. And the scripture was Mar_15:28   

27 Arabic p. 194 fulfilled, which saith, He was numbered with the transgressors. And they gave him to drink wine and myrrh, and vinegar which had been mixed with the myrrh; and he tasted, and would not drink; and he received it not. Mar_15:23 Mat_27:34 Mar_15:23   

28 And the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and cast lots for them in four parts, to every party of the soldiers a part; and his tunic was Joh_19:23   

29 without sewing, from the top woven throughout. And they said one to another, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: and the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, They divided my garments among them, And cast the lot for my vesture. Joh_19:24   

30, 31 This the soldiers did. And they sat and guarded him there. And Pilate wrote on a tablet the cause of his death, and put it on the wood of the cross above his head.11 And there was written upon it thus: this is jesus the nazarene the nazarene, the king of the Mat_27:36 Joh_19:19   

32 jews. And this tablet12 read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city: and it was written in Hebrew and Greek and Latin. Joh_19:20   

33 And the chief priests said unto Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but, He it is Joh_19:21   

34 that13 said, I am the King of the Jews. Pilate said unto them, What hath been Joh_19:22   

35 written hath been written.14 And the people were standing beholding; and they Luk_23:35 Mat_27:39   

36 that passed by were reviling15 him, and shaking16 their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself if thou art the Son Mat_27:40 Mar_15:29 Mat_27:40   

37 Arabic p. 195 of God, and come down from the cross. And in like manner the chief priests and the scribes and the elders and the Pharisees derided him, and laughed one with Mat_27:41   

38, 39 another, and said, The saviour of others cannot save himself. If he is the Messiah, the chosen of God, and the King of Israel,17 let him come down now from the Mat_27:42 Luk_23:35 Mat_27:42   

40 cross, that we may see, and believe in him. He that relieth on God – let him deliver him Mat_27:43   

41 now, if he is pleased with him: for he said, I am the Son of God. And the soldiers Luk_23:36   

42 also scoffed at him in that they came near unto him, and brought him vinegar, and Luk_23:37   

43 said unto him, If thou art the King of the Jews, save thyself. And likewise the two robbers18 also that were crucified with him reproached him. Mat_27:44   

44 And one of those two malefactors who were crucified with him reviled him, and Luk_23:39   

45 said, If thou art the Messiah, save thyself, and save us also. But his comrade rebuked him, and said, Dost thou not even fear God, being thyself also in this Luk_23:40   

46 condemnation? And we with justice, and as we deserved, and according to our deed,19 have we been rewarded: but this man hath not done anything unlawful. Luk_23:41   

47 And he said unto Jesus, Remember me, my Lord, when thou comest in thy kingdom. Luk_23:42   

48 Jesus said unto him, Verily20 I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise. Luk_23:43   

49 And there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister,21 Joh_19:25   

50 Mary22 that was related to Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. And Jesus saw his mother, and that disciple whom he loved standing by; and he said to his mother, Joh_19:26   

51 Woman, behold, thy son! And he said to that disciple, Behold, thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto himself. Joh_19:27   

52 Arabic p. 196 And from the sixth hour23 darkness was on all the land unto the ninth Mat_27:45 Luk_23:44   

53 hour,23 and the sun became dark. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and said, Yail, Yaili,24 why hast thou forsaken me? Which25 is, My Luk_23:45 Mar_15:34   

54 God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of those that stood there, when they heard, said,26 This man called Elijah. Mat_27:47  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 Lit. six hours.

2 Or, that.

3 cf. Peshitta. Or, Ye know cf. Sinaitic.

4 Borgian ms. omits and he went away.

5 Lit. strangled.

6 cf. Section 32, 157.

7 Or, at that time.

8 Lit. being burned. The text is probably corrupt.

9 Lit. wood, cf. Syr. and Greek.

10 Or, others, malefactors.

11 Mat_27:37.

12 A different word from that in the preceding verse, in each case, the word used in the Peshitta Cur. and Sin. lacking.

13 The Syriac words, retained in Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary f. 366a, seem to have been transposed. Vatican ms. omits he, probably meaning but that he said.

14 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.

15 cf. Section 7, 176. Borgian ms. has jesting at.

16 The Arabic text has deriding (cf. Section 51, 37). Either with is accidentally omitted, or, more probably, we should correct the spelling to shaking (cf. Syriac versions).

17 Mat_27:37 or Mt.

18 Borgian ms. has boys, an easy clerical error.

19 Our deed might be read we have done, and perhaps our translator’s style would justify our writing as for to.

20 Borgian ms. has Verily, verily.

21 A single word in Arabic.

22 Vatican ms. has and Mary.

23 Lit. six hours and nine hours respectively.

24 In Vatican ms. the second word is like the first. The syllable Ya doubtless is the Arabic interjection O!.

25 The Borgian ms. omits from which to me.

26 Borgian ms. omits when they, and has and said.

 

 

Section LII.

 

1 And after that, Jesus knew that all things were finished; and that the scripture Joh_19:28   

2 might be accomplished, he said, I thirst. And there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and in that hour one of them hasted, and took a sponge, and filled it with that Joh_19:29 Mat_27:48   

3 vinegar, and fastened it on a reed, and brought it near1 his mouth to give him a Mar_15:36   

4 drink. And when Jesus had taken that vinegar, he said, Everything is finished. Joh_19:30   

5 But the rest said, Let be, that we may2 see whether Elijah cometh to save him. Mat_27:49 Luk_23:34   

6, 7 And Jesus said, My Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and said, My Father, into thy hands I commend3 my spirit. He said that, and bowed his head, and gave up his spirit. Luk_23:46 Joh_19:30   

8 And immediately the face of4 the door of the temple was rent into two parts from Mat_27:51   

9 Arabic p. 197 top to bottom; and the earth was shaken; and the stones were split to pieces; and the tombs were opened; and the bodies of many saints which slept, arose and Mat_27:52   

10 came forth; and after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and Mat_27:53   

11 appeared unto many. And the officer of the footsoldiers, and they that were with him who were guarding Jesus,5 when they saw the earthquake, and the things which came Mat_27:54   

12 to pass, feared greatly, and praised God, and said, This man was righteous; and, Luk_23:47 Mat_27:54   

13 Truly he was the Son of God. And all the multitudes that were come together to the sight, when they saw what came to pass, returned and smote upon their breasts. Luk_23:48   

14 And the Jews, because of the Friday, said, Let these bodies not remain on their crosses,6 because it is the morning of the sabbath (for that sabbath was a great day); and they asked of Pilate that they might break the legs of those that were Joh_19:31   

15 crucified, and take them down. And the soldiers came, and brake the legs of the Joh_19:32   

16 first, and that other which was crucified with him: but when they came to Jesus, Joh_19:33   

17 they saw that he had died before, so they brake not his legs: but one of the soldiers pierced7 him in his side with a spear, and immediately there came forth blood and Joh_19:34   

18 water. And he that hath seen hath borne witness, and his witness is true: and he Joh_19:35   

19 knoweth that he hath said the truth, that ye also may believe. This he did, that Joh_19:36   

20 the scripture might be fulfiled, which saith, A bone shall not be broken in him; and the scripture also which saith, Let them look upon him whom they pierced.7 Joh_19:37   

21 And there were in the distance all the acquaintance of Jesus standing, and the women that came with him from Galilee, those that followed him and ministered. Luk_23:49 Mar_15:41 Mat_27:56   

22 One of them was Mary Magdalene; and Mary the mother of James the little Mar_15:40   

23 Arabic p. 198 and Arabic Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee, and Salome, and many others which came up with him unto Jerusalem; and they saw that. Mat_27:56 Mar_15:40,Mar_15:41 Luk_23:49   

24 And when the evening of the Friday was come, because of the entering of the Mar_15:42   

25 sabbath, there came a rich man,5 a noble9 of Ramah,10 a city of Judah,11 named Joseph, and he was a good man and upright; and he was a12 disciple of Jesus, but Luk_23:50 Joh_19:38   

26 was concealing himself for fear of the Jews. And he did not agree with the accusers Luk_23:51   

27 in their desire and their deeds: and he was looking for the kingdom of God. And this man went boldly, and entered in unto Pilate, and asked of him the body of Luk_23:51 Mar_15:43   

28 Jesus. And Pilate wondered how he had died already: and he called the officer of Mar_15:44   

29 the footsoldiers, and asked him concerning his death before the time. And when Mar_15:45   

30 he knew, he commanded him to deliver up his body unto Joseph. And Joseph bought for him a winding cloth of pure linen, and took down the body of Jesus, Mat_27:58 Mar_15:46   

31 and wound it in they came and took it. And there came unto him Nicodemus also, who of old came unto Jesus by night; and he brought with him perfume13 Joh_19:38 Joh_19:39   

32 of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. And they took the body of Jesus, and wound it in the linen and the perfume, as was the custom of the Jews to bury. Joh_19:40   

33 And there was in the place where Jesus was crucified a garden; and in that garden Joh_19:41   

34 a new tomb cut out in a rock? Wherein was never man yet laid. And they left Joh_19:42   

35 Jesus there because the sabbath had come in, and because the tomb was near. And they pushed 15 a great stone, and thrust16 it against the door of the sepulchre, and Mat_27:60   

36 went away. And Mary Magdalene and Mary that was related to Joses came to Mar_15:47   

37 Arabic p. 199 the sepulchre after them,17 and sat opposite the sepulchre,18 and saw the Luk_23:55   

38 body, how they took it in and laid it there. And they returned, and ointment19 and perfume,20 and prepared21 it, that they might come and anoint him. Luk_23:56 Mar_16:1   

39 And on the day which was the sabbath day they desisted according to the command. Luk_23:56   

40, 41 And the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered unto Pilate, and said unto him, Our lord, we remember that that misleader said, while he was alive, After three days Mat_27:62 Mat_27:63   

42 I rise. And now send beforehand and guard the tomb22 until the third day,23 lest his disciples come and steal him by night, and they will say unto the people that he Mat_27:64   

43 is risen from the dead: and the last error shall be worse than the first. He said unto them, And have ye not guards?24 go, and take precautions as ye know how. Mat_27:65   

44 And they went, and set guards at the tomb, and sealed that stone, with the guards. Mat_27:66   

45 And in the evening of the sabbath, which is the morning of the first day, and in Mat_28:1 Luk_24:1   

46 the dawning25 while the darkness yet remained, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary and other women to see the tomb. They brought with them the Mat_28:1 Luk_24:1   

47 perfume which they had prepared, and said among themselves, Who is it that will Mar_16:3   

48 remove for us the stone from the door of the tomb? for it was very great. And when they said thus, there occurred a great earthquake; and an angel came down Mar_16:4 Mat_28:2   

49 from heaven, and came and removed the stone from the door. And they came and found the stone removed from the sepulchre, and the angel sitting upon the Luk_24:2 Mat_28:2   

50 stone. And his appearance was as the lightning, and his raiment white as the Mat_28:3   

51 snow: and for fear of him the guards were troubled, and became as dead men. Mat_28:4   

52 And when he went away, the women entered into the sepulchre; and they found Luk_24:3   

53 Arabic p. 200 not the body of Jesus. And they saw there a young man sitting on Mar_16:5   

54 the right, strayed in a white garment; and they were amazed.26 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear ye not: for I know that ye seek Jesus the Mat_28:5   

55 Nazarene, who hath been crucified. He is not here; but he is risen, as he said. Come and see the place where our Lord lay. Mat_28:6  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 cf. Section 12, 132.

2 Or, Let us.

3 Lit. lay down.

4 cf. Syriac versions and Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary. Vatican ms. omits the face of

5 This sentence is a good example of word-for-word translation of the Peshitta.

6 The word is probably plural.

7 Lit. ripped.

8 Mat_27:5.

9 Borgian ms. omits.

10 Luk_23:51.

11 Syriac versions.

12 Lit. the.

13 The preparation used in embalming.

14 Mar_15:46. Lit. a stone.

15 On the plural, which is to be found also in Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary, see Section 38, 438. The word chosen might be simply a clerical error for an original Arabic rolled.

16 Lit. cast cf. Sinaitic.

17 Dual. The clause from came is found verbatim in Sin. and Cur. at Luk_23:55. Here, after the word Luke of the reference, at the end of leaf 117 of Vatican ms., is a note by a later hand: “Here a leaf is wanting.” This second and last lacuna extends from Section 52, 37, to Section 53, 4.

18 Mat_27:61.

19 cf. Sinaitic.

20 The two Arabic words are practically synonymous cf. Luk_23:56, Pesh..

21 Luk_23:56.

22 The ms. omits the tomb.

23 Lit. three days.

24 The word might be taken as a collective noun, singular. But cf. Peshitta and Section 52, 51.

25 cf. Peshitta. The Arabic word is variously explained.

26 The diacritical points of the first letter must be corrected.

 

 

Section LIII.1

 

1 And while they marvelled at that, behold, two men standing above them, their Luk_24:4   

2 raiment shining: and they were seized with fright, and bowed down their face to Luk_24:5   

3 the earth: and they said unto them, Why seek ye the living one with the dead? He is not here; he is risen: remember what he was speaking unto you while he was in Luk_24:6   

4 Galilee, and saying, The Son of man is to be delivered up into the hands of sinners, Luk_24:7   

5 and to be crucified, and on the third day to rise. But go in haste, and say to his disciples and to Cephas, He is risen from among the dead; and lo, he goeth before Mat_28:7   

6 you into Galilee; and there ye shall see him, where2 he said unto you: lo, I have Mar_16:7 Mat_28:7   

7 told you. And they remembered his sayings; and they departed in haste from the Luk_24:8 Mat_28:8   

8 tomb with joy and great fear, and hastened and went; and perplexity and fear Mar_16:8   

9 encompassed them; and they told no man anything, for they were afraid. And Mary hastened, and came to Simon Cephas, and to that other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said unto them, They have taken our Lord from the sepulchre, and I Joh_20:2   

10 know not where they have laid him. And Simon went out, and that other disciple, Joh_20:3   

11 and came to the sepulchre. And they hastened both together: and that disciple Joh_20:4   

12 outran3 Simon, and came first to the sepulchre; and he looked down, and saw the Joh_20:5   

13 linen laid; but he went not in. And Simon came after him, and entered into the Joh_20:6   

14 Arabic p. 201 sepulchre, and saw the linen laid; and the scarf with which his head was bound was not with the linen, but wrapped and laid aside in a certain place. Joh_20:7   

15 Then entered that disciple which came first to the sepulchre, and saw, and believed. Joh_20:8   

16 And they knew not yet from the scriptures that the Messiah was to rise from among Joh_20:9   

17 the dead. And those two disciples went to their place. Joh_20:10   

18 But Mary remained4 at the tomb weeping: and while she wept, she looked Joh_20:11   

19 down into the tomb; and she saw two angels sitting in white raiment, one of them toward his pillow, and the other toward his feet, where the body of Jesus had been Joh_20:12   

20 laid. And they said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She said unto them, Joh_20:13   

21 They have taken my Lord, and I know not where they have left him. She said that, and turned behind her, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Joh_20:14   

22 Jesus. Jesus said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? And she supposed 5 him to be the gardener, and said, My lord, if thou hast taken him, Joh_20:15   

23 tell me where thou hast laid him, that I may go and take him Jesus said unto her, Mary. She turned, and said unto him in Hebrew, Rabboni; which is, being Joh_20:16   

24 interpreted, Teacher. Jesus said unto her, Touch me not;6 for I have not ascended yet unto my Father: go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and my God and your God. Joh_20:17   

25 And on the First-day on which he rose, he appeared first unto Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. Mar_16:9   

26 And some of those guards7 came to the city, and informed the chief priests of Mat_28:11   

27 Arabic p. 202 all that had happened. And they assembled with the elders, and took Mat_28:12   

28 counsel; and they gave money, not a little, to the guards, and said unto them, Say ye, His disciples came and stole him by night, while we were sleeping. Mat_28:13   

29 And if the judge hear that, we will make a plea with him, and free you of blame. Mat_28:14   

30 And they, when they took the money, did according to what they taught them. And this word spread among the Jews unto this day. Mat_28:15   

31 And then came Mary Magdalene, and announced to the disciples that she had seen our Lord, and that he had said that unto her. Joh_20:18   

32 And while the first8 women9 were going in the way to inform10 his disciples,9 Mat_28:8   

33 Jesus met them, and said unto them, Peace unto you. And they came and took Mat_28:9   

34 hold of his feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Fear not: but go and say to my brethren that they depart into Galilee, and there they shall see Mat_28:10   

35 me. And those women returned, and told all that to the eleven, and to the rest of the disciples; and to those that had been with him, for they were saddened and Luk_24:9 Mar_16:10   

36 weeping. And those were Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and the rest who were with them: and they were those that told the apostles. Luk_24:10   

37 And they, when they heard them say that he was alive and had appeared unto them, Mar_16:11   

38 did not believe them: and these sayings were before their eyes as the sayings of madness. Luk_24:11   

39 Arabic p. 203 And after that, he appeared to two of them, on that day, and while they were going to the village which was named Emmaus, and whose distance Mar_16:12 Luk_24:13   

40 from Jerusalem was sixty furlongs.11 And they were talking the one of them with the Luk_24:14   

41 other of all the things which had happened. And during the time of their talking and Luk_24:15   

42 inquiring with one another, Jesus came and reached them, and walked with them. But Luk_24:16   

43 their eyes were veiled that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What are these sayings which ye address the one of you to the other, as ye walk and are Luk_24:17   

44 sad? One of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered and said unto him, Art thou perchance alone a stranger to Jerusalem, since thou knowest not what was in Luk_24:18   

45 it in these days? He said unto them, What was? They said unto him, Concerning Jesus, he who was from Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, and powerful in Luk_24:19   

46 speech and deeds before God and before all the people: and the chief priests and Luk_24:20   

47 the elders delivered him up to the sentence of12 death, and crucified him. But we supposed that he was the one who was to deliver Israel. And since all13 these Luk_24:21   

48 things happened there have passed three days. But certain women of us also Luk_24:22   

49 informed us that they had come to the sepulchre; and when they found not his body, they came and told us that they had seen there the angels, and they14 said Luk_24:23   

50 concerning him that he was alive. And some of us also went to the sepulchre, and found Luk_24:24   

51 the matter as the women had said: only they saw him not. Then said Jesus Luk_24:25   

52 unto them, Ye lacking in discernment, and heavy in heart to believe! Was it not in all the sayings of the prophets that the Messiah was to suffer these things, and to Luk_24:26   

53 Arabic p. 204 enter into his glory? And he began from Moses and from all the prophets, Luk_24:27   

54 and interpreted to them concerning himself from all the scriptures. And they drew near unto the village, whither they were going: and he was leading them to Luk_24:28   

55 imagine that he was as if going to a distant region. And they pressed 15 him, and said unto him, Abide with us: for the day hath declined now to the darkness. And he went Luk_24:29   

56 in to abide with them. And when he sat with them, he took bread, and blessed, Luk_24:30   

57 and brake, and gave to them. And straightway their eyes were opened, and they Luk_24:31   

58 knew him; and he was taken away from them.16 And they said the one to the other, Was not our heart heavy within us, while he was speaking to us in the way, and interpreting to us the scriptures? Luk_24:32   

59 And they rose in that hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven Luk_24:33   

60 gathered, and those that were with them, saying, Truly our Lord is risen, and hath Luk_24:34   

61 appeared to Simon. And they related what happened in the way, and how they knew him when he brake the bread. Neither believed they that also. Luk_24:35 Mar_16:13  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 The Borgian 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.

2 Possibly the translator’s style would warrant the translation as.

3 Lit. hastened and preceded.

4 Probably an Arabic copyist’s emendation addition of alif for stood.

5 cf. Section 10, 16.

6 cf. Section 12, 13.

7 The Vatican ms. has a form that is distinctively plural. The Borgian ms. uses, with a plural adjective, the form found in Section 52, 43. In the next verse the relation of the mss. is reversed.

8 The word first is less correctly spelled in Borgian ms.

9 The Vatican ms. omits women and to inform his disciples.

10 Inform is dual and masc. in the ms., while the other verbs and pronouns are plural and feminine.

11 Lit. mils.

12 Borgian ms., to judgement and.

13 Borgian ms. omits all.

14 Masc. plural.

15 cf. Section 50, 3610.

16 Vatican ms. omits this clause.

 

 

Section LIV.

 

1 And while they talked together,1 the evening of that day arrived which was the First-day; and the doors were shut where the disciples were, because of the fear of the Luk_24:36 Joh_20:19   

2 Jews; and Jesus came and stood among them, and said unto them, Peace be with you: I am he; fear not. But they were agitated, and became afraid, and supposed that they Luk_24:36 Luk_24:37   

3 saw a spirit. Jesus said unto them, Why are ye agitated? and why do thoughts rise Luk_24:38   

4 Arabic p. 205 in2 your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that I am he: feel me, and know that a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me having that. Luk_24:39   

5 And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his feet and his side.3 Luk_24:40   

6 And they were until this time unbelieving, from their joy and their wonder. He Luk_24:41   

7 said unto them, Have ye anything here to eat? And they gave him a portion of broiled fish and of honey.4 And he took it, and ate before them. Luk_24:42 Luk_24:43   

8 And he said unto them, These are the sayings which I spake unto you, while I was with you, that 5 everything must be fulfilled, which is written in the law of Luk_24:44   

9 Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their Luk_24:45   

10 heart, that they might understand the scriptures; and he said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it is necessary6 that the Messiah suffer, and rise from among the Luk_24:46   

11 dead on the third day; and that repentance unto the forgiveness of sins be preached Luk_24:47   

12 in his name among all the peoples; and the beginning shall be from Jerusalem. And Luk_24:48   

13 ye shall be witnesses of that. And I send unto you the promise of my Father. And Luk_24:49 Joh_20:20   

14 when the disciples heard that, they were glad. And Jesus said unto them again, Joh_20:21   

15 Peace be with you: as my Father hath sent me, I also send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit: Joh_20:22   

16 and if ye forgive sins to any man, they shall be forgiven him; and if ye retain them against any man, they shall be retained. Joh_20:23   

17 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Thama, was not there with the disciples Joh_20:24   

18 when Jesus came. The disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen our Lord. But he said unto them, If I do not see in his hands the places of the nails, and put on them my fingers, and pass my hand over his side, I will not believe. Joh_20:25   

19 And after eight days, on the next First-day, the disciples were assembled again within, and Thomas with them. And Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood Joh_20:26   

20 Arabic p. 206 in the midst, and said unto them, Peace be with you. And he said to Thomas, Bring hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and bring hither Joh_20:27   

21 thy hand, and spread it on my side: and be not unbelieving, but believing. Thomas Joh_20:28   

22 answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus said unto him, Now since thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen me, and have believed. Joh_20:29   

23 And many other signs did Jesus before his disciples, and they are they which Joh_20:30   

24 are not written in this book: but these that7 are written also are that ye may believe in Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God; and that when ye have believed, ye may have in his name eternal life. Joh_20:31   

25 And after that, Jesus shewed himself again to his disciples at the sea of Tiberias; Joh_21:1   

26 and he shewed himself unto them thus. And there were together Simon Cephas, and Thomas which was called Twin,8 and Nathanael who was of Cana of Galilee, Joh_21:2   

27 and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of the disciples. Simon Cephas said unto them, I go to catch fish. They said unto him, And we also come with thee. And they went forth, and went up into the boat; and in that night they caught nothing. Joh_21:3   

28 And when the morning arrived, Jesus stood on the shore of the sea: but the disciples Joh_21:4   

29 knew not that it was Jesus. And Jesus said unto them, Children, have ye anything Joh_21:5   

30 to eat? They said unto him, No. He said unto them, Cast your net from the right side of the boat, and ye shall find.9 And they threw, and they were not able Joh_21:6   

31 to draw the net for the abundance of the fish that were come10 into it. And that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Cephas, This is our Lord. And Simon, when he heard that it was our Lord, took his tunic, and girded it on his waist (for he was Joh_21:7   

32 naked), and cast himself into the sea to come to Jesus. But some others of the disciples came in the boat11 (and they were not far from the land, but about two Joh_21:8   

33 Arabic p. 207 hundred cubits), and drew that net of fish. And when they went up on the Joh_21:9   

34 land, they saw live coals laid, and fish laid thereon, and bread. And Jesus Joh_21:10   

35 said unto them, Bring of this fish which ye have now caught. Simon Cephas therefore went up, and dragged the net to the land, full of great fish, a hundred and fifty-three Joh_21:11   

36 fishes: and with all this weight that net was not rent. And Jesus said unto them,. Come and sit down. And no man of the disciples dared to ask him who he was, for they knew that it was our Lord. But he did not appear to them in his own Joh_21:12   

37, 38 form. And Jesus came, and took bread and fish, and gave unto them. This is the third time that Jesus appeared to his disciples, when he had risen from among the dead. Joh_21:13 Joh_21:14   

39 And when they had breakfasted, Jesus said to Simon Cephas, Simon, son of Jonah, lovest thou me more than these? He said unto him, Yea, my Lord; thou Joh_21:15   

40 knowest that I love thee. Jesus said unto him, Feed for me my lambs. He said unto him again a second time, Simon, son of Jonah, lovest thou me? He said unto him, Yea, my Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He said unto him, Feed for Joh_21:16   

41 me my sheep.12 He said unto him again the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, lovest thou me? And it grieved Cephas that he said unto him three times, Lovest thou me? He said unto him, My Lord, thou knowest everything; thou knowest that I Joh_21:17   

42 Arabic p. 208 love thee. Jesus said unto him, Feed for me my sheep.13 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast a child, thou didst gird thy waist for thyself, and go whither thou wouldest: but when thou shall be old, thou shalt stretch out thy hands, and another shall gird thy waist, and take thee whither thou wouldest not. Joh_21:18   

43 He said that to him to explain by what death he was to glorify God. And when he Joh_21:19   

44 had said that, he said unto him, Come after me. And Simon Cephas turned, and saw that disciple whom Jesus loved following him; he which at the supper leaned14 on Joh_21:20   

45 Jesus’ breast, and said, My Lord, who is it that betrayeth thee? When therefore Cephas saw him, he said to Jesus, My Lord, and this man, what shall be in his Joh_21:21   

46 case?15 Jesus said unto him, If I will that this man remain until I come, what is Joh_21:22   

47 that to thee? follow thou me. And this word spread among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: but Jesus said not that he should not die; but, If I will that this man remain until I come, what is that to thee? Joh_21:23   

48 This is the disciple which bare witness of that, and wrote it: and we know that his witness is true. Joh_21:24  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

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, Supplement, etc., i., 247.

2 Lit. on cf. Pesh.

3 Borgian ms. has sides.

4 Borgian ms. omits and of honey.

5 Vatican ms., for.

6 Borgian ms. omits it is necessary.

7 cf. Peshitta.

8 Apparently the Vatican ms. means to translate the word. The Borgian ms. retains Tami, as both mss. did in Section 37, 61.

9 So Peshitta. Vatican ms. has a form that might possibly be a corruption of take.

10 Or, were taken.

11 Vatican ms. adds unto Jesus.

12 Lit. rams.

13 Lit. ewes. For the three words cf. Peshitta and Sinaitic.

14 cf. Section 45, 32.

15 Lit. of him.

 

 

Section LV.

 

1 But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain1 where Jesus had Mat_28:16   

2 appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but there were of Mat_28:17   

3 them who doubted. And while they sat there he appeared to them again, and upbraided them for their lack of faith and the hardness of their hearts, those that saw him when he was risen, and believed not.2 Mar_16:14   

4 Arabic p. 209 Then said Jesus unto them, I have been given all authority in heaven Mat_28:18   

5 and earth; and as my Father hath sent me, so I also send you. Go now into Joh_20:21 Mar_16:15   

6 all the world, and preach my gospel in all the creation; and teach3 all the peoples, and Mat_28:19   

7 baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; and teach them to keep all whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you all the days, unto Mat_28:20   

8 the end of the world. For whosoever believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but Mar_16:16   

9 whosoever believeth not shall be rejected. And the signs4 which shall attend those that believe in me are these: that they shall cast out devils in my name; and they Mar_16:17   

10 shall speak with new tongues; and they shall take up serpents, and if they drink deadly poison,5 it shall not injure them; and they shall lay their hands on the Mar_16:18   

11 diseased, and they shall be healed. But ye, abide in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be clothed with power from on high. Luk_24:49   

12 And our Lord Jesus, after speaking to them, took them out to Bethany: and he Mar_16:19 Luk_24:50   

13 lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And while he blessed them, he was separated from them, and ascended into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. Luk_24:51 Mar_16:19   

14, 15 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: and at all times they were in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. Luk_24:52 Luk_24:53   

16 And from thence they went forth, and preached in every place; and our Lord helped them, and confirmed their sayings by the signs which they did.6 Mar_16:20   

17 And here are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written every one of them, not even the world, according to my opinion, would contain the books which should be written.7 Joh_21:25  

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 Vatican ms. omits to the mountain.

2 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.

3 Or, make disciples of.

4 Not the usual word, although that is used in the Peshitta.

5 The Arabic translator renders it the poison of death.

6 cf. Peshitta.

7 In the Borgian ms. the text ends with folio 353a. On folios 354a-355a are found the genealogies, with the title, Book of the Genealogies of Jesus, that of Luke following that of Matthew without a break. Ciasca has told us nothing of the nature of the text. The Subscription follows on folio 355b.



The Diatessaron of Tatian (Cont.) Subscriptions

Subscriptions.

1. 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-Tayyib1 may God grant him favour, from Syriac into Arabic, from an exemplar written by ‘Isa2 ibn-‘Ali al-Motatabbib,3 pupil of Honain ibn-Ishak God have mercy on them both. Amen.

 

2. In Vatican ms.4

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.

 

Suggested Emendations.

 

We collect here a number of references to places where emendations of the Arabic text of varying degrees of importance and plausibility in the notes:

 

Section 8, 106, 138 9; Section 10, 144; Section 13, 158, 4213; Section 14, 4311; Section 15, 256 7, 309, 3512; Section 16, 193; Section 20, 259f.; Section 22, 4311; Section 24, 263, 327; Section 25, 348; Section 26, 214; Section 31, 113, 225; Section 34, 3212, 3713 14, 4115 16 17; Section 35, 576; Section 36, 92, 259; Section 38, 386 (427); Section 39 22, 4114; Section 40, 365, 458 9 10, 5412; Section 41, 116, 1610, 4917 18; Section 43, 223; Section 44, 823, 349; Section 45, 103 f., 238 9, (2912); Section 46, 124; Section 48, 2314 15 16, 3717; Section 51, 3514; Section 52, 5326; Section 53, 184.

 

[On the last part of note 3, p. 42, see Zahn’s review of Harris’s Fragments, in Theologisches Literaturblatt, Leipzig, 3 Jan 1896, col. 3.]

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 See note 1 to Introductory Note in Borgian ms. above, p. 42.

2 ms., by misplacing the diacritical signs, has Ghobasi.

3 The ms. has Mottayyib; but Ciasca, in an additional note inserted after the volume was printed, gives the correct form.

4 The Arabic text of this Subscription is given by Ciasca in his essay, De Tatiani Diatessaron arabica Versione, in I. B. Pitra’s Analesta Sacra, tom. iv., p. 466.



The Revelation of Peter – Introduction

Introduction.

The fragment here translated was discovered in 1886 by the French Archaeological Mission in an ancient burying-place at Akhmîm in Upper Egypt. It was published at Paris in 1892 (Bouriant, Memoires publies par les membres de la Mission Archeologique Francaise 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 Apocalypsos 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 Eclogoe Propheticoe, 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 care-taking 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 (Isa_34:4) and the Gospel (Mat_24:35). 

 

7. Sozomen (middle of fifth century), H. E., vii., 19, says: “For instance, the so-called Apocalypse of Peter which was esteemed as entirely spurious by the ancients, we have discovered to be read in certain churches of Palestine up to the present day, once a year, on the day of preparation, during which the people most religiously fast in commemoration of the Saviour’s Passion” (i.e., on Good Friday). It is to be noted that Sozomen himself belonged to Palestine.

 

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, 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 Catalogue Claromontanus.

 

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 Isa_66:24, Mar_9:44, Mar_9:48, and the parable of Dives and Lazarus in Luk_16:19. It is indeed Judaic in the severity of its morality and even in its phraseology (cf. the frequent use of the word righteous, and the idea that God and not Christ will come to judge sinners). But the true parallels for, if not the sources of, its imagery of the rewards and punishments which await men after death are to be found in Greek beliefs which have left their traces in such passages as the Vision of Er at the end of Plato’s Republic.

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.1 We are reminded of “the Elysian Fields and the world’s end where is Rhadamanthus of the fair hair, where life is easiest for men. No snow is there, nor yet great storm, nor any rain; but alway Ocean sendeth forth the breeze of the shrill West to blow cool on men” (Odyssey, iv.563), and of the garden of the gods on Olympus, which “is not shaken by winds, or ever wet with rain, nor doth the snow come nigh thereto, but most clear air is spread about it cloudless, and the white light floats over it” (Odyssey, vi., 43, Butcher and Lang’s translation). Perhaps the most striking parallel of all is afforded by the fragment of a dirge of Pindar: “For them shineth below the strength of the sun, while in our world it is night, and the space of crimson-flowered meadow before their city is full of the shade of frankincense trees, and of fruits of gold. And some in horses, and in bodily feats, and some in dice, and some in harp-playing have delight; and among them thriveth all fair-flowering bliss; and fragrance streameth ever through the lovely land, as they mingle incense of every kind upon the altars of the gods” (Pindar, E. Myer’s translation, p. 176). Beside this heaven the New Jerusalem of the canonical Apocalypse is austere. But it is the spiritual city. “For the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine on it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb were in the midst of it and the Lamb was the light thereof.”

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, Phaedo, p. 113; Aristophanes, Frogs, line 145), or where “wild men of fiery aspect … seized and carried off several of them, and Ardiaeus 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 translation). 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., 255 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 mediaeval 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 Akhmim 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.

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1

Cf. “… the island valley of Avilon;

Where falls not rain or hail or any snow.

Nor ever wind blows loudly; but it lies

Deep-meadowed, happy, fair wish orchard lawns

And bowery hollows crowned with summer seas.”

Tennyson, Passing of Arthur.



The Revelation of Peter (Cont.) The Apocalypse

The Apocalypse of Peter.

1. … many of them will be false prophets,1 and will teach divers ways and doctrines of perdition: but these will become sons of perdition.2 3. And then God will come unto my faithful ones who hunger and thirst and are afflicted and purify their souls in this life; and he will judge the sons of lawlessness.3

4. And furthermore the Lord said: Let us go into the mountain:4 Let us pray. 5. And going with him, we, the twelve disciples, begged that he would show us one of our brethren, the righteous who are gone forth out of the world, in order that we might see of what manner of form they are, and having taken courage, might also encourage5 the men who hear us.

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;6 7, for there came forth from their countenance a ray as of the sun, and their raiment was shining, such as eye of man7 never saw; for no mouth is able to express or heart to conceive the glory with which they were endued, and the beauty of their appearance. 8. And as we looked upon them, we were astounded; for their bodies were whiter than any snow and ruddier than any rose;8 9, and the red thereof was mingled with the white, and I am utterly unable to express their beauty; 10, for their hair was curly and bright and seemly both on their face and shoulders, as it were a wreath9 woven of spikenard and divers-coloured flowers, or like a rainbow in the sky, such was their seemliness.

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 aeon in which they are and have this glory?

15. And the Lord showed me10 a very great country outside of this world, exceeding bright with light, and the air there lighted with the rays of the sun, and the earth itself blooming with unfading flowers and full of spices and plants, fair-flowering and incorruptible and bearing blessed fruit. 16. And so great was the perfume that it11 was borne thence even unto us. 17. And the dwellers in that place were clad in the raiment of shining angels and their raiment was like unto their country; and angels hovered about them there. 18. And the glory of the dwellers there was equal, and with one voice they sang praises alternately to the Lord God, rejoicing in that place. 19. The Lord saith to us: This is the place of your high-priests,12 the righteous men.

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 dark13 like the air of the place.

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,14 burning and punishing them. 22. And there was a great lake, full of flaming mire, in which were certain men that pervert righteousness,15 and tormenting angels afflicted them.

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 defilement16 of adultery, were hanging by the feet and their heads in that mire. And I said: I did not believe that I should come into this place.

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,17 as it were clouds of darkness, afflicted them. And the souls of the murdered stood and looked upon the punishment of those murderers and said: O God, thy judgment is just.

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:18 and these were they who persecuted the righteous and delivered them up.

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 slandered19 the way of righteousness.

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.20

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 commandment21 of God.

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 defiled22 their bodies acting as women; and the women who were with them were those who lay with one another as a man with a woman.

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…23

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

1 False prophets. Cf. Mat_7:15; Mat_24:5, Mat_24:11. Cf. Pastor of Hermas, Mand. xi.

2 Sons of perdition. Cf. 2Pe_2:1-3; 2Pe_3:7, 2Pe_3:16; 2Th_2:3, and Ep. of Lyons and Vienne, Euseb. H. E. v.1.

3 Purify their souls. Cf. 2Pe_1:18. Sons of lawlessness. Cf. Pastor Hermas Vis. iii. 6.

4 Mountain. Cf. 2Pe_1:18

5 The righteous. Cf. 2Pe_1:1; 2Pe_1:19. What manner of. Cf. 2Pe_3:11. Encourage. Cf. Pastor Hermas Vis. iii. 3.

6 Not able to look. Cf. 2Co_3:7 ff.

7 Eye of man, etc. Cf. 1Co_2:9

8 Snow and rose. Cf. Bk. of Enoch cvi. 2.

9 Wreath. Cf. Ep. of Lyons and Vienne, ap. Euseb. H E. v 1, 36.

10 Apparently all the disciples are supposed to have had the vision of heaven, but Peter alone that of hell. Unfading. Cf. 1Pe_1:4.

11 Odour. Cf. Ep. of Lyons and Vienne, l. c. and Passion of S. Perpetua. ch. xiii.

12 High-priests. Cf. Didache 13.3.

13 Squalid. Cf. 2Pe_1:19. Punishment. Cf. 2Pe_2:9. Punishing angels. Cf. Pastor Hermas Sim. vi. 3. Dark. Cf. Jude Jud_1:6 and Jud_1:15.

14 Blasphemers. Cf. 2Pe_2:12; Pastor Hermas Sim. viii. 6; ix. 18. Fire. Cf.2Pe_3:7.

15 Mire. Cf. 2Pe_2:22. Pervert righteousness. Cf. Pastor Hermas Sim. viii. 6. Cf. Tit_2:14.

16 Cf. Jud_1:7. Defilement. Cf. 2Pe_2:10, 2Pe_2:14, 2Pe_2:17, 2Pe_2:20, and Jud_1:8. Cf. Pastor Hermas Sim. vi. 5.

17 Darkness. Cf. 2Pe_2:17. Worms. Cf. Isa_64:1-12:24 and Mar_9:48.

18 Restless worms. Cf. Isa_64:1-12:24 and Mar_9:48. Cf. Esdras, Ante-Nicene Lib., vol. xvi., p. 472; Pastor Hermas. Sim. ix. 19, viii. 6.

19 Slandered. Cf. 2Pe_2:2 and Jude, Jud_1:8, Jud_1:10.

20 False witnesses. Cf. Hermas. Mand. viii. 5.

21 The rich. etc. Cf. 2Pe_2:14. Cf. Pastor Hermas Vis. iii. 9; Sim. ix. 20; Sim. i. 8, and Mand. viii. 5. Commandment. Cf. 2Pe_2:21; 2Pe_3:2.

22 Defiled. 2Pe_2:10. Cf. Rom_1:26 ff.; Jud_1:8.

23 Way of God. 2Pe_2:2. Pastor Hermas. Vis. iii. 7; viii. 6; ix. 19, 22.



The Revelation of Peter (Cont.) Fragments

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].*

 

2. Clemens Alexandrinus, Eclog. 49. But the milk of the women running down from their breasts and congealing shall engender small flesh-eating beasts: and these run up upon them and devour them.25

 

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. Clemens Alexandrinus, 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.

 

 

FOOTNOTES

* The part of the quotation between square brackets is assigned by Harnack to Clement himself and not to the Apocalypse.

25 Cf. Esdras, Ante-Nicene Library, vol., p. 473.



The Visioin of Paul – Introduction

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 Apocalpses Apocryphae.

The Revelation of Paul was known to S. Augustine, who thus refers to it in his Tractate 98 on the Gospel of John, Section 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 compose , 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 (Cont.)

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.” — 2Co_12:1-5.

1. At what time was this revelation made? In the consulship of Theodosius Augustus the Younger and Cynegius,1 a certain nobleman then living in Tharsus, in the house which was that of Saint Paul, an angel appearing in the night revealed to him, saying that he should open the foundations of the house and should publish what he found, but he thought that these things were dreams.

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 waters2 also spoke against the sins of men saying: Lord God Almighty, all the sons of men have defiled thy holy name. And there came a voice saying: I know all things before they come to pass, for mine eye seeth and mine ear heareth all things, but my patience bears with them until they be converted. But if not I will judge them. Frequently also the earth3 too exclaimed to the Lord against the sons of men saying: Lord God Almighty, I above every other creature of thine am harmed, supporting the fornications, adulteries, homicides, thefts, perjuries and magic and ill-doings of men and all the evil they do, so that the father rises up against the son, and the son upon the father, the alien against the alien, so that each one defiles his neighbour’s wife. The father ascends upon the bed of his own son, and the son likewise ascends the couch of his own father; and in all these evils, they who offer the sacrifice to thy name have defiled thy holy place. Therefore I am injured above every creature, desiring not to shew my power to myself, and my fruits to the sons of men. Permit me and I will destroy the virtue of my fruits. And there came a voice and said: I know all things, and there is none who can hide himself from his sin. Moreover I know their impieties, but my holiness suffers them until they be converted and repent. But if they do not return unto me I will judge them.

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:4 for at that hour all the angels proceed to the Lord to worship him and to present the works of men, which every man has wrought from the morning till the evening, whether good or evil. And there is a certain angel who proceeds rejoicing concerning the man in whom he dwells. When therefore the sun5 has set in the first hour of night, in the same hour the angel of every people and every man and woman, who protect and preserve them, because man is the image of God: similarly also in the matin hour which is the twelfth of the night, all the angels of men and women, go up to God to worship God, and present every work which each man has wrought, whether good or evil. Moreover every day and night the angels show to God an account6 of all the acts of the human race. To you, therefore, I say, ye sons of men, bless the Lord God without fail all the days of your life.

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 theist 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. 

11. And the angel answered and said unto me: Follow me, and I will show you the place of the just where they are led when they are deceased, and after these things taking thee into the abyss, I will show thee the souls of sinners and what sort of place they are led into when they have deceased. And I proceeded back after the angel, and he led me into heaven, and I looked back upon the firmament, and I saw in the same place power, and there was there oblivion which deceives and draws down to itself the hearts of men, and the spirit of detraction, and the spirit of fornication, and the spirit of madness, and the spirit of insolence, and there were there the princes of vices: these I saw under the firmament of heaven: and again I looked back, and I saw angels without mercy, having no pity, whose countenance was full of madness, and their teeth sticking out beyond the mouth: their eyes shone like the morning star of the east, and from the hairs of their head sparks of fire went out, or from their mouth. And I asked the angel saying: Sir, who are those? And the angel answered and said unto me: These are those who are destined to the souls of the impious in the hour of need, who did not believe that they had the Lord for their helper, nor hoped in him.

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 we find nothing in thee. I see also thy divine helper and angel, and the spirit is rejoicing along with thee, because thou hast done the will of God on earth. And they led him along till he should worship in the sight of God. And when they had ceased, immediately Michael and all the army of angels, with one voice, adored the footstool of his feet, and his doom, saying at the same time to the soul: This is your God of all things, who made you in his own image and likeness. Moreover the angel returns and points him out saying: God, remember his labours: for this is the soul, whose works I related to thee, doing according to thy judgment. And the spirit said likewise: I am the spirit of vivification inspiring him: for I had refreshment in him, in the time when I dwelt in him, doing according to thy judgment. And there came the voice of God and said: In as much as this man did not vex me, neither will I vex him; for according as he had pity, I also will have pity. Let him therefore be handed over to Michael, the angel of the Covenant, and let him lead him into the Paradise of joy, that he himself may become co-heir with all the saints. And after these things I heard the voices of a thousand thousand angels, and archangels, and cherubim, and twenty-four elders saying hymns, and glorifying the Lord and crying: thou art just, O Lord, and just are thy judgments, and there is no acceptance of persons with thee, but thou rewardest unto every man according to thy judgment. And the angel answered and said unto me: Hast thou believed and known, that whatever each man of you has done, he sees in the hour of need? And I said: Yes, sir.

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 hall 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 judgment And the spirit likewise said: I am the spirit who dwelt in it from the time it was made, in itself moreover I know it, and it has not followed my will: judge it, Lord, according to thy judgment. And there came the voice of God to it and said: Where is thy fruit which thou has made worthy of the goods which thou hast received? Have I put a distance of one day between thee and the just man? Did I not make the sun to arise upon thee as upon the just? But the soul was silent, having nothing to answer: and again there came a voice saying: Just is the judgment of God, and there is no acceptance of persons with God, for whoever shall have done mercy, on them shall he have mercy, and whoever shall not have pitied neither shall God pity him. Let him therefore be handed over to the angel Tartaruch, who is set over the punishments, and let him place him in outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, and let him be there till the great day of judgment. And after these things I heard the voice of angels and archangels saying: Thou art just, Lord, and thy judgment is just.

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 weft thou, if thou hadst entered into these doors, for it is not allowed to any to enter except only to those who have goodness and innocence of body in all things. And I asked the angel about everything and said: Sir, tell me on what account these letters are put upon those tables? The angel answered and said unto me: These are the names of the just, serving God with their whole heart, who dwell on the earth. And again I said: Sir, therefore their names and countenance and the likeness of these who serve God are in heaven, and are known to the angels: for they know who are the servants of God with all their heart, before they go out of the world.

20. And when I had entered the interior of the gate of Paradise,7 there came out to meet me an old man whose countenance shone as the sun; and when he had embraced me he said: Hail, Paul, beloved of God. And he kissed me with a cheerful countenance. He wept, and I said to him: Brother, why dost thou weep? And again sighing and lamenting he said: We are hurt by men, and they vex us greatly; for many are the good things which the Lord has prepared, and great is his promise, but many do not perceive them. And I asked the angel, and said: Sir, who is this? And he said to me: This is Enoch, the scribe of righteousness. And I entered into the interior of that place, and immediately I saw the sun,8 and coming it saluted me laughing and rejoicing. And when it had seen (me), it turned away and wept, and said to me: Paul, would that thou shouldst receive thy labours which thou hast done in the human race. For me, indeed, I have seen the great and many good things, which God has prepared for the just, and the promises of God are great, but many do not perceive them; but even by many labours scarcely one or two enters into these places.

21. And the angel answered and said to me,9 Whatever I now show thee here, and whatever thou shalt hear, tell it not to any one in the earth. And he led me and shewed me: and there I heard words which it is not lawful for a man to speak. And again he said, For now follow me, and I will shew thee what thou oughtest to narrate in public and relate.

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 brighter10 than silver. And I said, Lord, what is this place? And he said to me, This is the land of promise. Hast thou never heard what is written: Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth? The souls therefore of the just, when they have gone out of the body, are meanwhile dismissed to this place. And I said to the angel, Then this land will be manifested before the time? The angel answered and said to me, When Christ, whom thou preachest, shall come to reign, then, by the sentence of God,11 the first earth will be dissolved and this land of promise will then be revealed, and it will be like dew or cloud, and then the Lord Jesus Christ, the King Eternal, will be manifested and will come with all his saints to dwell in it, and he will reign over them a thousand years, and they will eat of the good things which I shall now show unto thee.

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.12 Moreover in the single vines there were ten thousand thousand bunches and in each of these a thousand single grapes: moreover these single trees bore a thousand fruits. And I said to the angel, Why does each tree bear a thousand fruits? The angel answered and said unto me, Because the Lord God gives an abounding flood of gifts to the worthy, because they also of their own will afflicted themselves when they were placed in the world doing all things on account of his holy name. And again I said to the angel, Sir, are these the only promises which the Most Holy God makes? And he answered and said to me: No! there are seven times greater than these. But I say unto thee that when the just go out of the body they shall see the promises and the good things which God has prepared for them. Till then, they shall sigh, and lament saying: Have we emitted any word from our mouth to vex our neighbour even on one day? I asked and said again: Are these alone the promises of God? And the angel answered and said unto me: These whom you now see are the souls of the married13 and those who kept the chastity of their nuptials, containing themselves. But to the virgins and those who hunger and thirst after righteousness and those who afflicted themselves for the sake of the name of God, God will give seven times greater than these, which I shall now show thee.

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 ship14 and angels as it were three thousand were saying hymns before me till I arrived at the City of Christ. Moreover those who inhabited the City of Christ greatly rejoiced over me as I went to them, and I entered and saw the City of Christ, and it was all of gold, and twelve walls encircled it, and twelve interior towers, and each wall had between them single stadia in the circuit: And I said to the angel, Sir, how much is a stadium? The angel answered and said to me: As much as there is between the Lord God and the men who are on the earth, for the City of Christ is alone great. And there were twelve gates in the circuit of the city, of great beauty, and four rivers which encircled it. There was, moreover, a river of honey and a river of milk, and a river of wine and a river of oil. And I said to the angel: What are these rivers surrounding that city? And he saith to me: These are the four rivers which flow sufficiently for those who are in this land of promise, of which the names15 are: the river of honey is called Fison, and the river of milk Euphrates, and the river of oil Gion, and the river of wine Tigris, such therefore they are for those who when placed in the world did not use the power of these things, but they hungered for these things and afflicted themselves for the sake of the Lord God: so that when these enter into this city, the Lord will assign them these things on high above all measure.

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 are raised up. And I asked and said: For what cause were they admitted to the doors of the city? The angel answered and said unto me: Because of the great goodness of God, and because there is the entry of his holy men entering into this city: for this cause they are left in this place, but when Christ the King Eternal enters with his saints, as he enters just men may pray for these, and then they may enter into the city along with them: but yet none of them is able to have assurance such as they have who humbled themselves, serving the Lord God all their lives.

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 Jeremiah16 and Ezekiel and Amos, and Micah and Zechariah, the minor and major prophets, and they saluted me in the city. I said to the angel: What way is this? And he said to me: This is the way of the prophets, every one who shall have afflicted his soul and not done his own will because of God, when he shall have gone out of the world and have been led to the Lord God and adored him, then by the command of God he is handed over to Michael, and he leads him into the city to this place of the prophets, and they salute him as their friend and neighbour because he did the will of God.

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,17 and they saluted me: and I asked and said: What is this place, my Lord? The angel answered and said to me: All who are receivers of pilgrims, when they go out of the world, first adore the Lord God, and are delivered to Michael and by this way are led into the city, and all the just salute him as son and brother, and say unto him: Because thou hast observed humanity and the receiving of pilgrims, come, have an inheritance in the city of the Lord our God: every just man shall receive good things of God in the city, according to his own action.

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.18 But there was in this place a higher wall, and I asked and said: Is there in the City of Christ a wall which in honour exceeds this place? And the angel answering said to me: There is a second better than the first, and similarly a third than the second, as each exceeds the other, unto the twelfth wall. And I said: Tell me, Sir, why one exceeds another in glory? And the angel answered and said unto me: All who have in themselves even a little detraction or zeal or pride, something of his glory would be made void even if he were in the city of Christ: look backward!

And turning round I saw golden thrones placed in each gate, and on them men having golden diadems and gems:19 and I looked carefully and I saw inside between the twelve men thrones placed in another rank which appeared of much glory, so that no one is able to recount their praise. And I asked the angel and said: My lord, who is on the throne? And the angel answered and said unto me: Those thrones belong to those who had goodness and understanding of heart and made themselves fools for the sake of the Lord God, nor knew new Scriptures nor psalms, but, mindful of one chapter of the commands of God, and hearing what it contained they wrought thereby in much diligence and had a right zeal before the Lord God, and the admiration of them will seize all the saints in presence of the Lord God, for talking with one another they say, Wait and see the unlearned who know nothing more: by which means they merited so great and such a garment and so great glory on account of their innocence.

And I saw in the midst of this city a great altar, very high, and there was one standing near the altar whose countenance shone as the sun, and he held in his hands a psaltery and harp, and he sang psalms, saying Halleluia! And his voice filled the whole city: at the same time when all they who were on the towers and gates heard him they responded Halleluia! so that the foundations of the city were shaken: and I asked the angel and said, Sir, who is this of so great power? And the angel said to me: This is David: this is the city of Jerusalem, for when Christ the King of Eternity shall come with the assurance of His kingdom, he again shall go before him that he may sing psalms, and all the just at the same time shall sing psalms responding Halleluia! And I said, Sir, how did David alone above the other saints make a beginning of psalm-singing? And the angel answered and said unto me: Because Christ the Son of God sits at the right hand of His Father, and this David sings psalms before him in the seventh heaven, and as is done in the heavens so also below, because the host may not be offered to God without David, but it is necessary that David should sing psalms in the hour of the oblation of the body and blood of Christ: as it is performed in heaven so also on earth.

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.20 And I said, Sir, what is tecel cat. marith macha? And the angel answered and said unto me: Tecel cat. marith macha is: Let us all bless him together. I asked the angel and said, Sir, do all who say Alleluia bless the Lord? And the angel answered and said to me: It is so, and again, therefore, if any one sing Alleluia and those who are present do not sing at the same time, they commit sin because they do not sing along with him, And I said: My lord, does he also sin if he be hesitating or very old? The angel answered and said unto me: Not so, but he who is able and does not join in the singing, know such as a despiser of the Word, and it would be proud and unworthy that he should not bless the Lord God his maker.

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 rounded 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.21 For those spent the time of their life on earth passing some days in prayer, but others in sins and fornications, until their death. And I asked him and said: Who are these, Sir, immersed up to their knees in fire? He answered and said to me: These are they who when they have gone out of church throw themselves into strange conversations to dispute. Those indeed who are immersed up to the navel are those who, when they have taken the body and blood of Christ go and fornicate and did not cease from their sins till they died. Those who are immersed up to the lips are the detractors of each other when they assemble in the church of God: those up to the eyebrows are those who nod approval of themselves and plot spite against their neighbour.22

32. And I saw on the north a place of various and diverse punishments full of men and women,23 and a river of fire ran down into it. Moreover I observed and I saw pits great in depth, and in them several souls together, and the depth of that place was as it were three thousand cubits, and I saw them groaning and weeping and saying: Have pity on us, O Lord! and none had pity on them. And I asked the angel and said: Who are these, Sir? And the angel answered and said unto me: These are they who did not hope in the Lord, that they would be able to have him as their helper. And I asked and said: Sir, if these souls remain for thirty or forty generations thus one upon another, if they were sent deeper, the pits I believe would not hold them. And he said to me: The Abyss has no measure, for beyond24 this it stretches down below him who is down in it: and so it is, that if perchance anyone should take a stone and throw it into a very deep well and after many hours it should reach the bottom, such is the abyss. For when the souls are thrown in there, they hardly reach the bottom in fifty years.

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 another25 man whom they delivered up with haste and cast into the fiery river, and he was in it up to the knees: and there came the angel who was set over the punishments having a great fiery razor, and with it he cut the lips of that man and the tongue likewise. And sighing, I lamented and asked: Who is that, sir. And he said to me, He whom thou seest was a reader and read to the people, but he himself did not keep the precepts of God: now he also pays the proper penalty.

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,26 and worms27 consumed them. But I lamented and sighing asked the angel and said: Sir, who are these? And he said to me: These are those who exacted interest28 on interest and trusted in their riches and did not hope in God that He was their helper.

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 gnawing29 their tongues, and I asked: Sir, who are these. And he said to me: These are they who in church disparage the Word of God, not attending to it, but as it were make naught of God and His angels: for that cause they now likewise pay the proper penalty.

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 black faces in a pit of fire,30 and I sighed and lamented and asked, Sir, who are these? And he said to me: These are fornicators and adulterers who committed adultery having wives of their own: likewise also the women committed adultery having husbands of their own: therefore they unceasingly suffer penalties.

39. And I saw there girls having black31 raiment, and four terrible angels having in their hands burning chains, and they put them on the necks of the girls and led them into darkness: and I, again weeping, asked the angel: Who are these, Sir? And he said to me: These are they who, when they were virgins, defiled their virginity unknown to their parents; for which cause they unceasingly pay the proper penalties.

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,32 and did not hope in the Lord, for which cause they unceasingly pay the proper penalties.

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 fast33 before the appointed hour, for this cause they unceasingly pay these penalties.

And I saw other men and women hanging by their eyebrows and their hair,34 and a fiery river drew them, and I said: Who are these, my Lord? And he said to me:35 These are they who join themselves not to their own husbands and wives but to whores, and therefore they unceasingly pay the proper penalties.

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?36 And he said to me: These are they who committed the iniquity of Sodom and Gomorrah, the male with the male, for which reason they unceasingly pay the penalties.

40. And 37 I observed and saw men and women clothed in bright garments, having their eyes blind, placed in a pit, and I asked: Sir, who are these? And he said to me: These are of the people who did alms, and knew not the Lord God, for which reason they unceasingly pay the proper penalties. And I observed and saw other men and women on an obelisk of fire, and beasts tearing them in pieces, and they were not allowed to say, Lord have pity on us! And I saw the angel38 of penalties putting heavy punishments on them and saying: Acknowledge the Son of God; for this was predicted to you, when the divine Scriptures were read to you, and you did not attend; for which cause God’s judgment is just, for your actions have apprehended you and brought you into these penalties. But I sighed and wept, and I asked and said: Who are these men and women who are strangled in fire and pay their penalties? And he answered me: These are women who defiled the image of God when bringing forth infants out of the womb, and these are the men who lay with them. And their infants addressed the Lord God and the angels who were set over the punishments, saying:39 Cursed be the hour to our parents, for they defiled the image of God, having the name of God but not observing His precepts: they gave us for food to dogs and to be trodden down of swine: others they threw into the river. But their infants40 were handed over to the angels of Tartarus who were set over the punishments, that they might lead them to a wide place of mercy: but their fathers and mothers were tortured in a perpetual punishment.

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,41 putting on our garb, but the impediments of the world made them wretched, not maintaining agapoe, and they did not pity widows and orphans: they did not receive the stranger and the pilgrim, nor did they offer the oblations, and they did not pity their neighbour. Moreover their prayer did not even on one day ascend pure to the Lord God, but many impediments of the world detained them, and they were not able to do right in the sight of God, and the angels enclosed them in the place of punishments. Moreover they saw those who were in punishments and said to them: We indeed when we lived in the world neglected God, and ye also did likewise: as we also truly when we were in the world knew that ye were sinners. But ye said: These are just and servants of God, now we know why ye were called by the name of the Lord: for which cause they also pay their own penalties.

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?42 Art thou more pitiful than the Lord God who is blessed forever, who established judgment and sent forth every man to choose good and evil in his own will and do what pleases him? Then I lamented again very greatly, and he said to me: Dost thou lament when as yet thou hast not seen greater punishments? Follow me and thou shalt see seven times greater than these.

 

FOOTNOTES

1 Theodosius the Younger and Cynegius, Consuls, 388 a.d.

2 The waters not in Greek version; rivers in Syriac.

3 The earth not in Greek version, but in Syriac.

4 Cf. Testament of Abraham, Rec. B. iv.

5 Cf. Testament of Abraham, Rec. B, Section 4.

6 Cf. Testament of Abraham, Rec. A, Section 12.

7 Cf. Ascension of Isaiah ix. 9.

8 And the sun. Not in Greek: Elias in Syriac.

9 Not in Syriac.

10 Cf. Revelation of Peter, 15.

11 Cf. Enoch.

12 Cf. Papias. Ap. Iren. Haer. V. 33. 3, 4.

13 In Syriac, but not in Greek version.

14 The Greek has not the golden ship, the angels of the walls. They are given in the Syriac.

15 Not in the Greek, but given in the Syriac. Cf. Gen_2:11 ff.

16 Names not in the Greek. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Moses and all the Prophets in the Syriac.

17 Names not in the Greek or Syriac.

18 Not in Greek, which here has the altar in the city and David. Syriac is the same as the Latin.

19 Not in Greek. Cf. Ascension of Isaiah viii. 36

20 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.

21 Not in Greek or Syriac.

22 Not in the Greek or Syriac.

23 The Greek has here thieves and slanderers.

24 Passage probably corrupt.

25 Not in Greek but in Syriac.

26 Not in Greek. The Syriac has simply those who trusted in their riches.

27 Cf. Revelation of Peter, 27.

28 Cf. Revelation of Peter, 31

29 Cf. Revelation of Peter, 29

30 Cf. Revelation of Peter, 24. Not in the Greek. The Syriac has darkness the torment of patriarchs, bishops, etc.

31 Cf. Revelation of Peter xxi. 30. Not in Syriac.

32 Cf. Revelation of Peter, 30. Not in the Greek.

33 Not in the Greek.

34 Not in the Greek.

35 Cf. Revelation of Peter, 24.

36 Cf. Revelation of Peter, 32. Not in the Greek.

37 Not in the Greek. Whole section omitted in the Syriac.

38 Cf. Revelation of Peter xxi. 23.

39 Cf. Revelation of Peter, 26.

40 Cf. Revelation of Peter. Fragments 4, 5.

41 Not in the Greek.

42 Not in the Greek.



The Vision of Paul (Cont.)

The Vision of Paul.

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 a43 restless worm and in that place there was gnashing of teeth: moreover the worms were one cubit long, and had two heads, and there I saw men and women in cold and gnashing of teeth. And I asked and said, Sir, who are these in this place? And he said to me: These are they who say that Christ did not rise from the dead and that this flesh will not rise again. And I asked and said: Sir, is there no fire nor heat in this place? And he said to me: In this place there is nothing else but cold and snow:44 and again he said to me: Even if the sun should rise upon them, they do not become warm on account of the superabundant cold of that place and the snow.

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,45 all of us who are sinners.

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 Michael46 the archangel descending from heaven, and with him was the whole army of angels, and they came to those who were placed in punishment and seeing him, again weeping, they cried out and said, Have pity on as! Michael the archangel, have pity on us and on the human race, for on account of thy prayers the earth standeth. We now see the judgment and acknowledge the Son of God! It was impossible for us before these things to pray for this, before we entered into this place: for we heard that there was a judgment before we went out of the world, but impediments and the life of the world did not allow us to repent. And Michael answered and said: Hear Michael speaking! I am he who stands in the sight of God every hour: As the Lord liveth, in whose sight I stand, I do not intermit one day or one night praying incessantly for the human race, and I indeed pray for those who are on the earth: but they do not cease doing iniquity and fornications, and they do not bring to me any good while they are placed on earth: and ye have consumed in vanity the time in which ye ought to have repented. But I have always prayed thus and I now beseech that God may send dew and send forth rains upon the earth, and now I desire until the earth produce its fruits and verily I say, that if any have done but a little good, I will agonise for him, protecting him till he have escaped the judgment of penalties. Where therefore are your prayers? Where are your penances? Ye have lost your time contemptuously. But now weep and I will weep with you and the angels who are with me with the well-beloved Paul, if perchance the merciful God will have pity and give you refreshment. But hearing these words they cried out and wept greatly, and all said with one voice: Have pity on us, Son of God! And I, Paul, sighed and said: O Lord God! have pity on thy creature, have pity on the sons of men, have pity on thine image.

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, and I said: My Lord, is it this tree itself which makes the waters flow? And he said to me: That from the beginning, before the heavens and earth were manifested, and all things here invisible, the Spirit of God was borne upon the waters, but from the time when the command of God made the heavens and earth to appear, the Spirit rested upon this tree: wherefore whenever the Spirit blows, the waters flow forth from the tree. And he held me by the hand and led me near the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and he said: This is the tree by which death entered into the world, and receiving of it through his wife Adam ate and death entered into the world. And he shewed me another tree in the midst of Paradise, and saith to me: This is the tree of life.

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 endured for the sake of the sons of Israel were accounted as naught, and how greatsoever virtues I did in the midst of them these they did not understand, and I wonder that strangers and uncircumcised and idol-worshippers have been converted and have entered into the promises of God, but Israel has not entered; and now I say unto thee, brother Paul, that in that hour when the people hanged Jesus whom thou preachest, that the Father, the God of all, who gave me the law, and Michael and all the angels and archangels, and Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the just wept over the Son of God hanging on the cross. In that hour all the saints attended on me looking upon me and they said to me: See, Moses, what men of thy people have done to the Son of God. Wherefore thou art blessed, Paul, and blessed the generation and race which believed in thy word.

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 Lot47 who was found just in Sodom. And approaching48 he saluted me and said: Blessed art thou, Paul, and blessed the generation to which thou didst minister. And I answered and said to him: Art thou Lot who wast found just in Sodom? And he said: I entertained angels, as travellers, and when they of the city wished to violate them, I offered them my two virgin daughters who had not yet known men, and gave them to them saying: use them as ye will, but only to these men ye shall do no evil; for this cause they entered under the roof of my house. For this cause, therefore, we ought to be confident and know that if anyone shall have done anything, God shall repay him manifold when they shall come to him. Blessed art thou, Paul, and blessed the nation which believed in thy word.

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 become soiled: and I besought men at all times saying: Repent, for a deluge of waters will come upon you. But they laughed at me, and mocked my words; and again they said to me: But this is the time of those who are able to play and sin freely, desiring her with whom it is possible to commit fornication frequently: for God does not regard this, and does not know what things are done by us men, and there is no flood of waters straightway coming upon this world. And they did not cease from their sins, till God destroyed all flesh which had the breath of life in it. Know then that God loveth one just man more than all the world of the impious. Wherefore, blessed art thou, Paul, and blessed is the nation which believes through thee.

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.49 And they saluted me: and I said to them: Who are ye? And one of them answered and said: I am Elias, the prophet of God; I am Elias who prayed, and because of my word, the heaven did not rain for three years and six months, on account of the unrighteousness of men. God is just and true, who doeth the will of his servants: for the angels often besought the Lord for rain, and he said: Be patient till my servant Elias shall pray and petition for this and I will send rain on the earth.50

The end of the Vision of Saint Paul.

 

 

FOOTNOTES

 

43 Cf. Revelation of Peter, 27.

44 Not in the Greek.

45 Cf. Esdras, Ante-Nicene Library, vol. xvi., p. 469.

46 Gabriel in the Greek version.

47 Lot and Job, in the Syriac but not in the Greek.

48 For adpropians read adpropinquans.

49 Elias and Eliseus. Latin and Syriac. The Greek has Enoch and Elijah.

50 The Latin version here breaks off abruptly, as does also the Greek. In the Syriac 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 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 thee bitter torments.”

Then follows the story of the discovery of the Revelation at Tarsus in the reign of Theodosinsas given at the beginning of the Greek and Latin versions.