LETTERS OF CHRIST AND ABGARUS
Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History (i. 13) says he extracted these letters from the archives of Edessa relating to Abgar and translated them from Syriac word for word:
A copy of a letter written by King Abgarus to Jesus, and sent to him by Ananias, his footman, to Jerusalem, inviting him to Edessa
ABGARUS, king of Edessa, to Jesus the good Saviour, who appears at Jerusalem, greeting.
2 I have been informed concerning you and your cures, which are performed without the use of medicines and herbs,
3 For it is reported, that you cause the blind to see, the lame to walk, do both cleanse lepers, and cast out unclean spirits and devils, and restore them to health who have been long diseased, and raise up the dead;
4 All which when I heard, I was persuaded of one of these two, namely, either that you are God himself descended from heaven, who do these things, or the son of God.
5 On this account therefore I have wrote to you, earnestly to desire you would take the trouble of a journey here, and cure a disease which I am under.
6 For I hear the Jews ridicule you, and intend you mischief.
7 My city is indeed small, but neat, and large enough for us both.
The answer of Jesus by Ananias the footman to Abgarus the king, declining to visit Edessa
ABGARUS, you are happy, forasmuch as you have believed on me, whom you have not seen.
2 For it is written concerning me, that those who have seen me should not believe on me, that they who have not seen might believe and live.
3 As to that part of your letter, which relates to my giving you a visit, I must inform you, that I must fulfill all the ends of my mission in this country, and after that be received up again to him who sent me.
4 But after my ascension I will send one of my disciples, who will cure your disease, and give life to you, and all that are with you.
The Acts of the Apostle Thaddeus, One of the Twelve
This document contains an alternate version of THE LETTERS OF CHRIST AND ABGARUS
1 Lebbeus, who also is Thaddeus, was of the city of Edessa—and it is the metropolis of Osroene, in the interior of the Armenosyrians—a Hebrew by race, accomplished and most learned in the divine writings. He came to Jerusalem to worship in the days of John the Baptist; and having heard his preaching and seen his angelic life, he was baptized, and his name was called Thaddeus. And having seen the appearing of Christ, and His teaching, and His wonderful works, he followed Him, and became His disciple; and He chose him as one of the twelve, the tenth apostle according to the Evangelists Matthew and Mark.
2 In those times there was a governor of the city of Edessa, Abgarus by name. And there having gone abroad the fame of Christ, of the wonders which He did, and of His teaching, Abgarus having heard of it, was astonished, and desired to see Christ, and could not leave his city and government. And about the days of the Passion and the plots of the Jews, Abgarus, being seized by an incurable disease, sent a letter to Christ by Ananias the courier, to the following effect:--To Jesus called Christ, Abgarus the governor of the country of the Edessa, an unworthy slave. The multitude of the wonders done by you has been heard of by me, that you heal the blind, the lame, and the paralytic, and cure all those possessed of demons; and on this account I entreat your goodness to come even to us, and escape from the plots of the wicked Jews, which through envy they set in motion against you. My city is small, but large enough for both. Abgarus enjoined Ananias to take accurate account of Christ, of what appearance He was, and His stature, and His hair, and in a word everything.
3 And Ananias, having gone and given the letter, was carefully looking at Christ, but was unable to fix Him in his mind. And He knew as knowing the heart, and asked to wash Himself; and a towel was given Him; and when He had washed Himself, He wiped His face with it. And His image having been imprinted upon the linen, He gave it to Ananias, saying: Give this, and take back this message, to him that sent you: Peace to you and your city! For because of this I am come, to suffer for the world, and to rise again, and to raise up the forefathers. And after I have been taken up into the heavens I shall send you my disciple Thaddeus, who shall enlighten you, and guide you into all the truth, both you and your city.
4 And having received Ananias, and fallen down and adored the likeness, Abgarus was cured of his disease before Thaddeus came.
5 And after the passion, and the resurrection, and the ascension, Thaddeus went to Abgarus; and having found him in health, he gave him an account of the incarnation of Christ, and baptized him, with all his house. And having instructed great multitudes, both of Hebrews and Greeks, Syrians and Armenians, he baptized them in the name of the Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, having anointed them with the holy perfume; and he communicated to them of the un-defiled mysteries of the sacred body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and delivered to them to keep and observe the law of Moses, and to give close heed to the things that had been said by the apostles in Jerusalem. For year by year they came together to the Passover, and again he imparted to them the Holy Spirit.
6 And Thaddeus along with Abgarus destroyed idol-temples and built churches; ordained as bishop one of his disciples, and elders, and deacons, and gave them the rule of the psalmody and the holy liturgy. And having left them, he went to the city of Amis, great metropolis of the Mesechaldeans and Syrians, that is, of Mesopotamia-Syria, beside the river Tigris. And he having gone into the synagogue of the Jews along with his disciples on the Sabbath-day, after the reading of the law the high priest said to Thaddeus and his disciples: Men, where are you from? and why are you here?
7 And Thaddeus said: No doubt you have heard of what has taken place in Jerusalem about Jesus Christ, and we are His disciples, and witnesses of the wonderful things which He did and taught, and how through hatred the chief priests delivered Him to Pilate the procurator of Judea. And Pilate, having examined Him and found no case, wished to let Him go; but they cried out, If you let him go, you are not Caesar’s friend, because he proclaims himself king. And he being afraid, washed his hands in the sight of the multitude, and said, I am innocent of the blood of this man; you all see to it. And the chief priests answered and said, His blood be upon us and our children. And Pilate gave him up to them. And they took Him, and spit upon Him, with the soldiers, and made a great mock of Him, and crucified Him, and laid Him in the tomb, and secured it well, having also set guards upon Him. And on the third day before dawn He rose, leaving His burial-clothes in the tomb. And He was seen first by His mother and other women, and by Peter and John first of my fellow disciples, and thereafter to us the twelve, who ate and drank with Him after His resurrection for many days. And He sent us in His name to proclaim repentance and remission of sins to all the nations, that those who were baptized, having had the kingdom of the heavens preached to them, would rise up incorruptible at the end of this age; and He gave us power to expel demons, and heal every disease and every malady, and raise the dead.
8 And the multitudes having heard this, brought together their sick and those possessed of demons. And Thaddeus, having gone forth along with his disciples, laid his hand upon each one of them, and healed them all by calling upon the name of Christ. And those possessed of demons were healed before Thaddeus came near them, the spirits going out of them. And for many days the people ran together from different places, and beheld what was done by Thaddeus. And hearing his teaching, many believed, and were baptized, confessing their sins.
9 Having therefore remained with them for five years, he built a church; and having appointed as bishop one of his disciples, and elders, and deacons, and prayed for them, he went away, going round the cities of Syria, and teaching, and healing all the sick; because of this, he brought many cities and countries to Christ through His teaching. Teaching, therefore, and evangelizing along with the disciples, and healing the sick, he went to Berytus, a city of Phoenicia by the sea; and there, having taught and enlightened many, he fell asleep on the twenty-first of the month of August. And the disciples having come together, buried him with great honor; and many sick were healed, and they gave glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Lebbeus, who also is Thaddeus, was of the city of Edessa—and it is the metropolis of Osroene, in the interior of the Armenosyrians—a Hebrew by race, accomplished and most learned in the divine writings. He came to Jerusalem to worship in the days of John the Baptist; and having heard his preaching and seen his angelic life, he was baptized, and his name was called Thaddeus. And having seen the appearing of Christ, and His teaching, and His wonderful works, he followed Him, and became His disciple; and He chose him as one of the twelve, the tenth apostle according to the Evangelists Matthew and Mark.
2 In those times there was a governor of the city of Edessa, Abgarus by name. And there having gone abroad the fame of Christ, of the wonders which He did, and of His teaching, Abgarus having heard of it, was astonished, and desired to see Christ, and could not leave his city and government. And about the days of the Passion and the plots of the Jews, Abgarus, being seized by an incurable disease, sent a letter to Christ by Ananias the courier, to the following effect:--To Jesus called Christ, Abgarus the governor of the country of the Edessa, an unworthy slave. The multitude of the wonders done by you has been heard of by me, that you heal the blind, the lame, and the paralytic, and cure all those possessed of demons; and on this account I entreat your goodness to come even to us, and escape from the plots of the wicked Jews, which through envy they set in motion against you. My city is small, but large enough for both. Abgarus enjoined Ananias to take accurate account of Christ, of what appearance He was, and His stature, and His hair, and in a word everything.
3 And Ananias, having gone and given the letter, was carefully looking at Christ, but was unable to fix Him in his mind. And He knew as knowing the heart, and asked to wash Himself; and a towel was given Him; and when He had washed Himself, He wiped His face with it. And His image having been imprinted upon the linen, He gave it to Ananias, saying: Give this, and take back this message, to him that sent you: Peace to you and your city! For because of this I am come, to suffer for the world, and to rise again, and to raise up the forefathers. And after I have been taken up into the heavens I shall send you my disciple Thaddeus, who shall enlighten you, and guide you into all the truth, both you and your city.
4 And having received Ananias, and fallen down and adored the likeness, Abgarus was cured of his disease before Thaddeus came.
5 And after the passion, and the resurrection, and the ascension, Thaddeus went to Abgarus; and having found him in health, he gave him an account of the incarnation of Christ, and baptized him, with all his house. And having instructed great multitudes, both of Hebrews and Greeks, Syrians and Armenians, he baptized them in the name of the Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, having anointed them with the holy perfume; and he communicated to them of the un-defiled mysteries of the sacred body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and delivered to them to keep and observe the law of Moses, and to give close heed to the things that had been said by the apostles in Jerusalem. For year by year they came together to the Passover, and again he imparted to them the Holy Spirit.
6 And Thaddeus along with Abgarus destroyed idol-temples and built churches; ordained as bishop one of his disciples, and elders, and deacons, and gave them the rule of the psalmody and the holy liturgy. And having left them, he went to the city of Amis, great metropolis of the Mesechaldeans and Syrians, that is, of Mesopotamia-Syria, beside the river Tigris. And he having gone into the synagogue of the Jews along with his disciples on the Sabbath-day, after the reading of the law the high priest said to Thaddeus and his disciples: Men, where are you from? and why are you here?
7 And Thaddeus said: No doubt you have heard of what has taken place in Jerusalem about Jesus Christ, and we are His disciples, and witnesses of the wonderful things which He did and taught, and how through hatred the chief priests delivered Him to Pilate the procurator of Judea. And Pilate, having examined Him and found no case, wished to let Him go; but they cried out, If you let him go, you are not Caesar’s friend, because he proclaims himself king. And he being afraid, washed his hands in the sight of the multitude, and said, I am innocent of the blood of this man; you all see to it. And the chief priests answered and said, His blood be upon us and our children. And Pilate gave him up to them. And they took Him, and spit upon Him, with the soldiers, and made a great mock of Him, and crucified Him, and laid Him in the tomb, and secured it well, having also set guards upon Him. And on the third day before dawn He rose, leaving His burial-clothes in the tomb. And He was seen first by His mother and other women, and by Peter and John first of my fellow disciples, and thereafter to us the twelve, who ate and drank with Him after His resurrection for many days. And He sent us in His name to proclaim repentance and remission of sins to all the nations, that those who were baptized, having had the kingdom of the heavens preached to them, would rise up incorruptible at the end of this age; and He gave us power to expel demons, and heal every disease and every malady, and raise the dead.
8 And the multitudes having heard this, brought together their sick and those possessed of demons. And Thaddeus, having gone forth along with his disciples, laid his hand upon each one of them, and healed them all by calling upon the name of Christ. And those possessed of demons were healed before Thaddeus came near them, the spirits going out of them. And for many days the people ran together from different places, and beheld what was done by Thaddeus. And hearing his teaching, many believed, and were baptized, confessing their sins.
9 Having therefore remained with them for five years, he built a church; and having appointed as bishop one of his disciples, and elders, and deacons, and prayed for them, he went away, going round the cities of Syria, and teaching, and healing all the sick; because of this, he brought many cities and countries to Christ through His teaching. Teaching, therefore, and evangelizing along with the disciples, and healing the sick, he went to Berytus, a city of Phoenicia by the sea; and there, having taught and enlightened many, he fell asleep on the twenty-first of the month of August. And the disciples having come together, buried him with great honor; and many sick were healed, and they gave glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Apocalypse of the Mother of Christ Concerning the Chastisements
I. The all-holy mother of God was about to proceed to the Mount of Olives to pray; and praying to the Lord our God she said: In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; let the archangel Gabriel descend, that he may tell me concerning the chastisements and concerning things in heaven and on the earth and under the earth. And as she said the word the archangel Michael descended with the angels of the East and the West and angels of the South and the North, and they saluted the highly favored one and said to her: Hail, reflection of the Father, hail dwelling of the Son, hail command of the Holy Spirit, hail firmament of the seven heavens, hail firmament of the eleven strong holds, hail worship of the angels, hail loftier than the prophets unto the throne of God. And the holy mother of God said to the angel: Hail Michael, commander-in-chief, the minister of the invisible Father, hail Michael, commander-in-chief, associate of my Son, hail Michael, commander-in-chief, most dread of the six-winged, hail Michael, commander-in-chief, who rules through all things and art worthy to stand beside the throne of the Lord, hail Michael, commander-in-chief, who art about to sound the trumpet and awaken those who have been asleep for ages: hail Michael, commander-in-chief, first of all unto the throne of God.
II. And having greeted all the angels in like manner, the highly favored one prayed the commander-in-chief regarding the chastisements, saying: Tell to me all things on the earth. And the commander-in-chief said to her: If thou askest me, highly favored one, I will tell thee. And the highly favored one said to him: How many are the chastisements with which the race of man is chastised? And the archangel said to her: The chastisements are innumerable. And the highly favored one said to him: Tell me the things in heaven and on the earth.
III. Then the commander-in-chief, Michael, commanded the Western angels that revelation should be made, and Hades opened, and she saw those who were chastised in Hades: and there lay there a multitude of men and women, and there was a great lamentation. And the highly favored one asked the commander-in-chief: Who are these and what is their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy, are those who did not worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
IV. And she saw in another place a great darkness: and the all holy said: What is this darkness and who are they who are being chastised? And the commander-in-chief said: Many souls are lying in this darkness. And the all holy one said: Let this darkness be taken away in order that I may see this chastisement also. And the commander-in-chief said to the highly favored one: It is not possible, all holy, that thou shouldst see this chastisement also. And the angels guarding them answered and said: We have a command from the invisible Father that they shall not see the light till thy blessed Son shall shine forth. And plunged in grief the all holy lifted up her eyes to the angels touching the un-defiled word of the Father, and said: In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit let the darkness be taken away, that I may see this chastisement also. And straightway that darkness was lifted up and covered the seven heavens: and there lay a great multitude of both men and women, and there arose a great lamentation and a great cry began. And seeing them the all holy wept and said to them: What are ye doing, wretched ones? Who are ye? And how are ye found there? and there was no voice or hearkening. And the angels guarding them said: Why do ye not speak to the highly favored one? And those who were under chastisement said to her: O highly favored one, from eternity we see not the light, and we are not able to keep off that up there. And splashing pitch flowed down upon them: and seeing them the all holy wept. And again those who were being chastised said to her: How dost thou ask concerning us, holy lady, Mother of God? Thy blessed Son came to The earth and did not make enquiry concerning us, neither Abraham the patriarch, nor John the Baptist, nor Moses the great prophet, nor the Apostle Paul, and unto us their light shone not: and now, all holy Mother of God, the armor of the Christians, the bringer of great comfort on account of the Christians, how dost thou ask concerning us? Then the all holy Mother of God said to Michael, the commander-in-chief: What is their sin? And Michael, the commander-in-chief, said: These are they who did not believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and did not confess thee to be the Mother of God, and that the Lord Jesus Christ was born of thee and took flesh, and for this cause they are chastised there. And again weeping, the all holy Mother of God said to them: Why did ye so greatly err, wretched ones? Did ye not hear that the whole creation names my name? And having said these words the darkness felt over them as it was from the beginning.
V. And the commander-in-chief said: Whither wouldst thou go, highly favored one? to the West or to the South? And the highly favored answered: Let us go to the South. And immediately there appeared the cherubim and the seraphim and four hundred angels, and led out the highly favored one to the South, where came out the river of fire, and there there lay a multitude of men and women, some up to the girdle, others up to the neck, and others up to the crown of the head: and seeing them the all holy Mother of God cried out with a loud voice to the commander-in-chief and said: Who are these, and what is their sin who stand in the fire up to the girdle? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are they who inherited the curse of father and mother, and for this cause they are thus chastised here as accursed.
VI. And the all holy one said: And who are these standing in the fire up to the breasts? And the commander-in-chief said: These are whosoever cast off their wives and defiled them in adultery, and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
VII. And the all holy one said to the commander-in-chief: Who are these standing up to the neck in the flame of the fire? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are whosoever ate of the flesh of men. And the all holy one said: And how is it possible for one man to eat of the flesh of another? And the commander-in-chief said: Listen, all holy one, and I will tell thee: These are they whosoever brought down their own children out of their own wombs and cast them out as food for dogs, and whosoever gave up their brothers in the presence of kings and governors, these ate the flesh of man, and for this cause they are thus chastised.
VIII. And the all holy one said: Who are these set in the fire up to the crown? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are whosoever lay hold of the precious cross and swear to a lie: by the power of the cross of the Lord. The angels tremble and worship with fear, and men lay hold of it and swear to a lie and do not know what they testify: and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
IX. And in another place the all holy one saw a man hung by the feet, and worms devoured him. And she asked the commander-in-chief: Who is this and what is his sin? And the commander-in-chief said: This is he who took usury for his gold, and for this cause he is thus chastised here.
X. And she saw a woman hanging by her two ears, and all the beasts came out of her mouth and gnawed her in pieces: and the highly favored one asked the commander-in-chief: Who is she, and what is her sin? And the commander-in-chief said: She is she who turned aside into strange houses and those of her neighbors and spoke evil words to make strife, and for that cause she is thus chastised here.
XI. And seeing these things the all holy Mother of God wept and said to the commander-in-chief: It were well for man that he had not been born. And the commander-in-chief said: Verily, all holy one, thou hast not seen the great chastisements. And the all holy one said to the commander-in-chief: Come, Michael, great commander-in-chief, and lead me that I may see all the chastisements. And the commander-in-chief said: Where dost thou wish, all holy one, that we should go? And the highly favored one answered: To the West: and straightway the cherubim appeared and led the highly favored to the West.
XII. And she saw a cloud full of fire and in it there was a multitude of men and women. And the all holy one said: What was their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are they who on the morning of the Lord's day sleep like the dead, and for that reason they are thus chastised here. And the all holy one said: If anyone cannot rise, what shall he do? And the commander-in-chief said: Listen, all holy one: if anyone's house is fastened on the four sides and surrounds him and he cannot come out, he has forgiveness.
XIII. And she saw in another place burning benches of fire and on then, sat a multitude of men and women and burned on them. And the all holy one asked: Who are these and what is their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are they who do not rise up to the elder when they enter into the church of God, and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
XIV. And the all holy one saw in another place an iron tree and it had branches of iron, and on it there hung a multitude of men and women by their tongues. And seeing them the all holy one wept, and asked the commander-in-chief saying: Who are these and what was their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These are perjurers, blasphemers, slanderers, whosoever divided brothers from brothers. And the all holy one said: How is it possible to divide brothers from brothers? And the commander-in-chief said: Listen, all holy one, and I will tell thee about this: When some from among the nations desired to be baptized, he would say to them one word: Thou foul-feeding, unbelieving Gentile; because he thus blasphemer, he shall receive ceaseless retribution.
XV. And in another place the all holy one saw a man hanging from his four extremities, and from his nails blood gushed vehemently, and his tongue was tied in a flame of fire, and he was unable to groan and say “Lord, have mercy on me”. And when she had seen him the all holy one wept and herself said the “Lord, have mercy” thrice: and after the saying of the prayer, came the angel who had authority over the scourge and loosed the man's tongue: and the all holy one asked the commander-in-chief: Who is this wretched one who has this chastisement? And the commander-in-chief said: This, all holy one, is the steward who did not the will of God, but ate the things of the church and said: "He who ministers to the altar shall be nourished from the altar": and for this cause he is thus chastised here. And the all holy one said: Let it be unto him according to his faith. And again he tied his tongue.
XVI. And Michael, the commander-in-chief said: Come hither, all holy one, and I will show unto thee where the priests are chastised. And the all holy one came out and saw elders hanging by their twenty nails, and fire came out of their heads. And seeing them the all holy one asked the commander-in-chief: Who are these and what is their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are they who stand beside the throne of God, and when they sang of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, the pearls fell out, and the awful throne of heaven shook and the footstool of our Lord Jesus Christ trembled, and they did not perceive it: and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
XVII. And the all holy one saw a man and a winged beast having three heads like flames of fire: the two heads were towards his eyes and the third head towards his mouth. And seeing him the all holy one asked the commander-in-chief: Who is this, that he cannot save himself from the mouth of the dragon? And the commander-in-chief said to her: This, all holy one, is the reader who does not practice in his own habits according to what is worthy of the holy Gospel: and for this cause he is thus chastised here.
XVIII. And the commander-in-chief said: Come hither, all holy one, and I will show thee where the angelic and archangelic form is chastised. She proceeded and saw them lying in the fire and the sleepless worm gnawed them: and the all holy one said: Who are these, and what is their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are they who possessed the archangelic and apostolic form: hearken, all holy one, concerning this: on earth they were called patriarchs and bishops, and they were not worthy of their name: on earth they heard `Bless (the Lord) ye saints, 'and in heaven they were not called saints, because they did not act as bearers of the archangelic form: and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
XIX. And she saw women hanging by their nails, and a flame of fire came out of their mouth and burned them: and all the beasts coming out of the fire gnawed them to pieces, and groaning they cried out: Have pity on us, have pity, for we are chastised worse than all those who are under chastisement. And seeing them the all holy one wept, and asked the commander-in-chief, Michael: Who are these and what is their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These are the wives of elders who did not honor the elders, but after the death of the elder took husbands, and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
XX. And the all holy one saw after the same manner also a deaconess hanging iron, a crag and a beast with two heads devoured her breasts. And the all holy one asked: What is her sin? And the commander-in-chief said: She, all holy one, is an arch-deaconess who defiled her body in fornication, and for this cause she is thus chastised here.
XXI. And she saw other women hanging over the fire, and all the beasts devoured them. And the all holy one asked the commander-in-chief: Who are these and what is their sin? And he said: These are they who did not do the will of God, lovers of money and those who took interest on accounts, and the immodest.
XXII. And when she had heard these things the all holy one wept and said: Woe unto sinners. And the commander-in-chief said: Why dost thou lament, all holy one? Now verily thou hast not seen the great chastisements. And the highly favored one said: Come, Michael, the great commander-in-chief of the powers above, tell me how I may see all the chastisements. And the commander-in-chief said: Where dost thou wish that we should go, all holy one? to the East or towards the left parts of Paradise? And the all holy one said: To the left parts of Paradise.
XXIII. And immediately when she had spoken, the cherubim and seraphim stood beside her and led the highly favored one out to the left parts of Paradise. And behold, there was a great river, and the appearance of the river was blacker than pitch, and in it there were a multitude of men and women: it boiled like a furnace of forges, and its waves were like a wild sea over the sinners: and when the waves rose, they sank the sinners ten thousand cubits and they were unable to keep it off and say: Have mercy on us, thou just judge: for the sleepless worm devoured them, and there was no reckoning of the number of those who devoured them. And seeing the all holy Mother of God the angels who chastised them cried out with one voice: Holy is God who has compassion on account of the Mother of God: we give thee thanks, O Son of God, that from eternity we did not see the light, and to-day through the Mother of God we have seen the light: and again they shouted with one voice, saying: Hail, highly favored Mother of God: Hail, lamp of the inaccessible light: Hail to thee also, Michael, the commander-in-chief, thou that art ambassador from the whole creation: for we, seeing the chastisement of sinners are greatly grieved. And the all holy one, when she saw the angels humbled on account of the sinners, lamented and said: Woe to sinners and their neighbors. And the all holy one said: Let us see the sinners. And the highly favored one, coming with the archangel Michael and all the armies of the angels lifted up one voice saying: Lord have mercy. And after the making of the prayer earnestly, the wave of the river rested and the fiery waves grew calm, and the sinners appeared as a grain of mustard-seed: and seeing them the all holy one lamented and said: What is this river, and what are its waves? And the commander-in-chief said: This river is the outer fire, and those who are being tortured are the Jews who crucified our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, and who refused holy baptism, and those who commit fornication and sin against the sweet and passionless perfume of marriage, and he who debauches mother and daughter, and the poisoners and those who slay with the sword, and the women who strangle their offspring. And the all holy one said: According to their faith so be it unto them. And straightway the waves rose over the sinners and the darkness covered them. And the commander-in-chief said: Hearken, thou highly favored one: if anyone shall be cast into this darkness, his remembrance shall never be in the sight of God. And the all holy Mother of God said: Woe to sinners, because the flame of the fire is everlasting.
XXIV. And the commander-in-chief said: Come hither, all holy one, and I will show unto thee the lake of fire: and see thou where the race of the Christians is chastised. And the all holy one proceeded and saw: and some she heard, but others she did not see: and she asked the commander-in-chief: Who are these, and what is their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are those who were baptized and arrayed under the oracle of Christ, but worked the works of the devil and wasted the time of their repentance: and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
XXV. And she said: I pray, one request will I make of thee, let me also be chastised with the Christians, because they are the children of my son. And the commander-in-chief said: Rest thou in Paradise, holy lady, Mother of God. And the all holy one said: I pray thee, move the fourteen firmaments and the seven heavens, and let us pray for the Christians that the Lord our God may hearken unto us and have mercy on them. And the commander-in-chief said: As the Lord God liveth, the great name, seven times a day and seven times a night, when we lead up the hymn of the Lord, we make remembrance for the sake of sinners, and the Lord accounts us as naught.
XXVI. And the all holy one said: I pray thee, commander-in-chief, command the armies of the angels and let them place me on the height of heaven and let me into the presence of the invisible Father. And immediately the commander-in-chief commanded, and the chariot of the cherubim and seraphim appeared, and they exalted the highly favored one to the height of heaven and placed her in the presence of the invisible Father: And she stretched forth her hands to the undefiled throne of the Father and said: Have mercy, O Lord, on the Christian sinners, for I saw them being chastised and I cannot bear their complaint. Let me go forth and be chastised myself for the Christians. I do not pray, O Lord, for the unbelieving Jews, but for the Christians I entreat thy compassion. And there came a second voice from the invisible Father saying: How can I have mercy on them, when they did not have mercy on their own brothers? And the all holy one said: Lord, have mercy on the sinners: behold the chastisements, for every creature on the earth calls upon my name: and when the soul comes forth out of the body, it cries saying, "Holy Lady, Mother of God." Then the Lord said to her: Hearken, all holy Mother of God, if anyone names and calls upon thy name, I will not forsake him, either in heaven or on earth.
XXVII. And the all holy one said: Where is Moses? Where are all the prophets and fathers who never sinned? Where art thou, holy Paul of God? where is the holy Lord's Day, the boast of the Christians? where is the power of the precious and life-giving cross, which delivered Adam and Eve from the ancient curse? Then Michael and all the angels raised one voice saying: Lord, have mercy on the sinners. Then Moses also cried: Have mercy, Lord, on those to whom I gave thy law. Then John also called: Have mercy, Lord, on those to whom I gave thy Gospel. Then Paul cried: Have mercy, Lord, on those to whom I brought thy epistles in the Church. And the Lord God said: Hearken, all ye righteous: if according to the law which Moses gave, and according to the Gospel which John gave, and according to the epistles which Paul carried, they thus be judged. And they had nothing to say except, Have mercy, O just judge.
XXVIII. And the all holy Mother of God said: Have mercy, Lord, on the Christians, because they kept thy law and gave heed to thy gospel, but they were simple ones. Then the Lord said to her: Hearken, all holy one: if anyone did evil to them and they did not requite him the evil, thou sayest well that they attended to both my law and my gospel, but if he did not do them wrong and they requited him evil, how may I say that these are holy men? now they shall be rewarded according to their wrongdoing. Then all hearing the voice of the Lord had nothing to answer; and the all holy one, when she saw that the saints were at a loss, and their Lord did not hear, and his mercy was hidden from them, then the all holy one said: Where is Gabriel, who announced unto me the "Hail, thou that from eternity shalt conceive him who is without beginning like the Father," and now does not look upon sinners? Where is the great commander-in-chief? come hither, all ye saints whom God justified, and let us fall down in the presence of the invisible Father, in order that the Lord God may hear us, and have mercy on sinners. Then Michael, the commander-in-chief, and all the saints fell on their faces in the presence of the invisible Father, saying: Have mercy, Lord, on the Christian sinners.
XXIX. Then the Lord, seeing the prayer of the saints, had compassion and said: Go down, my beloved son, and because of the prayer of the saints let thy face shine on earth to sinners. Then the Lord came down from his un-defiled throne: and when they saw Him, those who were under chastisement raised one voice saying: Have mercy on us, King of ages. Then the Lord of all things said: Hearken, all ye sinners and righteous men: I made paradise and made man after my image: but he transgressed, and for his own sins was delivered to death: but I did not suffer the works of my hands to be tyrannized over by the serpent: wherefore I bowed the heavens and came down and was born of Mary, the holy un-defiled Mother of God, that I might set you free: I was baptized in Jordan in order that I might save the creature which had grown old under sin: I was nailed to the cross to free you from the ancient curse: I asked for water and ye gave me vinegar mingled with gall: I was laid in the grave: I trampled on the enemy: I raised up mine elect, and even thus ye would not hear me. But now, because of the prayer of my mother Mary, because she has wept much for your sake, and because of Michael my archangel, and because of the multitude of my saints, I grant you to have rest on the day of Pentecost to glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
XXX. Then all the angels and archangels, thrones, lord-ships, authorities, governments, powers, and the many-eyed cherubim and the six-winged seraphim and all the apostles and prophets and martyrs and all the saints raised one voice, saying: Glory to thee, O Lord: glory to thee, lover of men: glory to thee, King of ages: glory be to thy compassion: glory be to thy long suffering: glory be to thy unspeakable justice of judgment, because thou hast been long-suffering with sinners and impious men: Thine is it to pity and to save. To him be the glory and the power to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.
II. And having greeted all the angels in like manner, the highly favored one prayed the commander-in-chief regarding the chastisements, saying: Tell to me all things on the earth. And the commander-in-chief said to her: If thou askest me, highly favored one, I will tell thee. And the highly favored one said to him: How many are the chastisements with which the race of man is chastised? And the archangel said to her: The chastisements are innumerable. And the highly favored one said to him: Tell me the things in heaven and on the earth.
III. Then the commander-in-chief, Michael, commanded the Western angels that revelation should be made, and Hades opened, and she saw those who were chastised in Hades: and there lay there a multitude of men and women, and there was a great lamentation. And the highly favored one asked the commander-in-chief: Who are these and what is their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy, are those who did not worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
IV. And she saw in another place a great darkness: and the all holy said: What is this darkness and who are they who are being chastised? And the commander-in-chief said: Many souls are lying in this darkness. And the all holy one said: Let this darkness be taken away in order that I may see this chastisement also. And the commander-in-chief said to the highly favored one: It is not possible, all holy, that thou shouldst see this chastisement also. And the angels guarding them answered and said: We have a command from the invisible Father that they shall not see the light till thy blessed Son shall shine forth. And plunged in grief the all holy lifted up her eyes to the angels touching the un-defiled word of the Father, and said: In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit let the darkness be taken away, that I may see this chastisement also. And straightway that darkness was lifted up and covered the seven heavens: and there lay a great multitude of both men and women, and there arose a great lamentation and a great cry began. And seeing them the all holy wept and said to them: What are ye doing, wretched ones? Who are ye? And how are ye found there? and there was no voice or hearkening. And the angels guarding them said: Why do ye not speak to the highly favored one? And those who were under chastisement said to her: O highly favored one, from eternity we see not the light, and we are not able to keep off that up there. And splashing pitch flowed down upon them: and seeing them the all holy wept. And again those who were being chastised said to her: How dost thou ask concerning us, holy lady, Mother of God? Thy blessed Son came to The earth and did not make enquiry concerning us, neither Abraham the patriarch, nor John the Baptist, nor Moses the great prophet, nor the Apostle Paul, and unto us their light shone not: and now, all holy Mother of God, the armor of the Christians, the bringer of great comfort on account of the Christians, how dost thou ask concerning us? Then the all holy Mother of God said to Michael, the commander-in-chief: What is their sin? And Michael, the commander-in-chief, said: These are they who did not believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and did not confess thee to be the Mother of God, and that the Lord Jesus Christ was born of thee and took flesh, and for this cause they are chastised there. And again weeping, the all holy Mother of God said to them: Why did ye so greatly err, wretched ones? Did ye not hear that the whole creation names my name? And having said these words the darkness felt over them as it was from the beginning.
V. And the commander-in-chief said: Whither wouldst thou go, highly favored one? to the West or to the South? And the highly favored answered: Let us go to the South. And immediately there appeared the cherubim and the seraphim and four hundred angels, and led out the highly favored one to the South, where came out the river of fire, and there there lay a multitude of men and women, some up to the girdle, others up to the neck, and others up to the crown of the head: and seeing them the all holy Mother of God cried out with a loud voice to the commander-in-chief and said: Who are these, and what is their sin who stand in the fire up to the girdle? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are they who inherited the curse of father and mother, and for this cause they are thus chastised here as accursed.
VI. And the all holy one said: And who are these standing in the fire up to the breasts? And the commander-in-chief said: These are whosoever cast off their wives and defiled them in adultery, and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
VII. And the all holy one said to the commander-in-chief: Who are these standing up to the neck in the flame of the fire? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are whosoever ate of the flesh of men. And the all holy one said: And how is it possible for one man to eat of the flesh of another? And the commander-in-chief said: Listen, all holy one, and I will tell thee: These are they whosoever brought down their own children out of their own wombs and cast them out as food for dogs, and whosoever gave up their brothers in the presence of kings and governors, these ate the flesh of man, and for this cause they are thus chastised.
VIII. And the all holy one said: Who are these set in the fire up to the crown? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are whosoever lay hold of the precious cross and swear to a lie: by the power of the cross of the Lord. The angels tremble and worship with fear, and men lay hold of it and swear to a lie and do not know what they testify: and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
IX. And in another place the all holy one saw a man hung by the feet, and worms devoured him. And she asked the commander-in-chief: Who is this and what is his sin? And the commander-in-chief said: This is he who took usury for his gold, and for this cause he is thus chastised here.
X. And she saw a woman hanging by her two ears, and all the beasts came out of her mouth and gnawed her in pieces: and the highly favored one asked the commander-in-chief: Who is she, and what is her sin? And the commander-in-chief said: She is she who turned aside into strange houses and those of her neighbors and spoke evil words to make strife, and for that cause she is thus chastised here.
XI. And seeing these things the all holy Mother of God wept and said to the commander-in-chief: It were well for man that he had not been born. And the commander-in-chief said: Verily, all holy one, thou hast not seen the great chastisements. And the all holy one said to the commander-in-chief: Come, Michael, great commander-in-chief, and lead me that I may see all the chastisements. And the commander-in-chief said: Where dost thou wish, all holy one, that we should go? And the highly favored one answered: To the West: and straightway the cherubim appeared and led the highly favored to the West.
XII. And she saw a cloud full of fire and in it there was a multitude of men and women. And the all holy one said: What was their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are they who on the morning of the Lord's day sleep like the dead, and for that reason they are thus chastised here. And the all holy one said: If anyone cannot rise, what shall he do? And the commander-in-chief said: Listen, all holy one: if anyone's house is fastened on the four sides and surrounds him and he cannot come out, he has forgiveness.
XIII. And she saw in another place burning benches of fire and on then, sat a multitude of men and women and burned on them. And the all holy one asked: Who are these and what is their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are they who do not rise up to the elder when they enter into the church of God, and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
XIV. And the all holy one saw in another place an iron tree and it had branches of iron, and on it there hung a multitude of men and women by their tongues. And seeing them the all holy one wept, and asked the commander-in-chief saying: Who are these and what was their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These are perjurers, blasphemers, slanderers, whosoever divided brothers from brothers. And the all holy one said: How is it possible to divide brothers from brothers? And the commander-in-chief said: Listen, all holy one, and I will tell thee about this: When some from among the nations desired to be baptized, he would say to them one word: Thou foul-feeding, unbelieving Gentile; because he thus blasphemer, he shall receive ceaseless retribution.
XV. And in another place the all holy one saw a man hanging from his four extremities, and from his nails blood gushed vehemently, and his tongue was tied in a flame of fire, and he was unable to groan and say “Lord, have mercy on me”. And when she had seen him the all holy one wept and herself said the “Lord, have mercy” thrice: and after the saying of the prayer, came the angel who had authority over the scourge and loosed the man's tongue: and the all holy one asked the commander-in-chief: Who is this wretched one who has this chastisement? And the commander-in-chief said: This, all holy one, is the steward who did not the will of God, but ate the things of the church and said: "He who ministers to the altar shall be nourished from the altar": and for this cause he is thus chastised here. And the all holy one said: Let it be unto him according to his faith. And again he tied his tongue.
XVI. And Michael, the commander-in-chief said: Come hither, all holy one, and I will show unto thee where the priests are chastised. And the all holy one came out and saw elders hanging by their twenty nails, and fire came out of their heads. And seeing them the all holy one asked the commander-in-chief: Who are these and what is their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are they who stand beside the throne of God, and when they sang of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, the pearls fell out, and the awful throne of heaven shook and the footstool of our Lord Jesus Christ trembled, and they did not perceive it: and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
XVII. And the all holy one saw a man and a winged beast having three heads like flames of fire: the two heads were towards his eyes and the third head towards his mouth. And seeing him the all holy one asked the commander-in-chief: Who is this, that he cannot save himself from the mouth of the dragon? And the commander-in-chief said to her: This, all holy one, is the reader who does not practice in his own habits according to what is worthy of the holy Gospel: and for this cause he is thus chastised here.
XVIII. And the commander-in-chief said: Come hither, all holy one, and I will show thee where the angelic and archangelic form is chastised. She proceeded and saw them lying in the fire and the sleepless worm gnawed them: and the all holy one said: Who are these, and what is their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are they who possessed the archangelic and apostolic form: hearken, all holy one, concerning this: on earth they were called patriarchs and bishops, and they were not worthy of their name: on earth they heard `Bless (the Lord) ye saints, 'and in heaven they were not called saints, because they did not act as bearers of the archangelic form: and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
XIX. And she saw women hanging by their nails, and a flame of fire came out of their mouth and burned them: and all the beasts coming out of the fire gnawed them to pieces, and groaning they cried out: Have pity on us, have pity, for we are chastised worse than all those who are under chastisement. And seeing them the all holy one wept, and asked the commander-in-chief, Michael: Who are these and what is their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These are the wives of elders who did not honor the elders, but after the death of the elder took husbands, and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
XX. And the all holy one saw after the same manner also a deaconess hanging iron, a crag and a beast with two heads devoured her breasts. And the all holy one asked: What is her sin? And the commander-in-chief said: She, all holy one, is an arch-deaconess who defiled her body in fornication, and for this cause she is thus chastised here.
XXI. And she saw other women hanging over the fire, and all the beasts devoured them. And the all holy one asked the commander-in-chief: Who are these and what is their sin? And he said: These are they who did not do the will of God, lovers of money and those who took interest on accounts, and the immodest.
XXII. And when she had heard these things the all holy one wept and said: Woe unto sinners. And the commander-in-chief said: Why dost thou lament, all holy one? Now verily thou hast not seen the great chastisements. And the highly favored one said: Come, Michael, the great commander-in-chief of the powers above, tell me how I may see all the chastisements. And the commander-in-chief said: Where dost thou wish that we should go, all holy one? to the East or towards the left parts of Paradise? And the all holy one said: To the left parts of Paradise.
XXIII. And immediately when she had spoken, the cherubim and seraphim stood beside her and led the highly favored one out to the left parts of Paradise. And behold, there was a great river, and the appearance of the river was blacker than pitch, and in it there were a multitude of men and women: it boiled like a furnace of forges, and its waves were like a wild sea over the sinners: and when the waves rose, they sank the sinners ten thousand cubits and they were unable to keep it off and say: Have mercy on us, thou just judge: for the sleepless worm devoured them, and there was no reckoning of the number of those who devoured them. And seeing the all holy Mother of God the angels who chastised them cried out with one voice: Holy is God who has compassion on account of the Mother of God: we give thee thanks, O Son of God, that from eternity we did not see the light, and to-day through the Mother of God we have seen the light: and again they shouted with one voice, saying: Hail, highly favored Mother of God: Hail, lamp of the inaccessible light: Hail to thee also, Michael, the commander-in-chief, thou that art ambassador from the whole creation: for we, seeing the chastisement of sinners are greatly grieved. And the all holy one, when she saw the angels humbled on account of the sinners, lamented and said: Woe to sinners and their neighbors. And the all holy one said: Let us see the sinners. And the highly favored one, coming with the archangel Michael and all the armies of the angels lifted up one voice saying: Lord have mercy. And after the making of the prayer earnestly, the wave of the river rested and the fiery waves grew calm, and the sinners appeared as a grain of mustard-seed: and seeing them the all holy one lamented and said: What is this river, and what are its waves? And the commander-in-chief said: This river is the outer fire, and those who are being tortured are the Jews who crucified our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, and who refused holy baptism, and those who commit fornication and sin against the sweet and passionless perfume of marriage, and he who debauches mother and daughter, and the poisoners and those who slay with the sword, and the women who strangle their offspring. And the all holy one said: According to their faith so be it unto them. And straightway the waves rose over the sinners and the darkness covered them. And the commander-in-chief said: Hearken, thou highly favored one: if anyone shall be cast into this darkness, his remembrance shall never be in the sight of God. And the all holy Mother of God said: Woe to sinners, because the flame of the fire is everlasting.
XXIV. And the commander-in-chief said: Come hither, all holy one, and I will show unto thee the lake of fire: and see thou where the race of the Christians is chastised. And the all holy one proceeded and saw: and some she heard, but others she did not see: and she asked the commander-in-chief: Who are these, and what is their sin? And the commander-in-chief said: These, all holy one, are those who were baptized and arrayed under the oracle of Christ, but worked the works of the devil and wasted the time of their repentance: and for this cause they are thus chastised here.
XXV. And she said: I pray, one request will I make of thee, let me also be chastised with the Christians, because they are the children of my son. And the commander-in-chief said: Rest thou in Paradise, holy lady, Mother of God. And the all holy one said: I pray thee, move the fourteen firmaments and the seven heavens, and let us pray for the Christians that the Lord our God may hearken unto us and have mercy on them. And the commander-in-chief said: As the Lord God liveth, the great name, seven times a day and seven times a night, when we lead up the hymn of the Lord, we make remembrance for the sake of sinners, and the Lord accounts us as naught.
XXVI. And the all holy one said: I pray thee, commander-in-chief, command the armies of the angels and let them place me on the height of heaven and let me into the presence of the invisible Father. And immediately the commander-in-chief commanded, and the chariot of the cherubim and seraphim appeared, and they exalted the highly favored one to the height of heaven and placed her in the presence of the invisible Father: And she stretched forth her hands to the undefiled throne of the Father and said: Have mercy, O Lord, on the Christian sinners, for I saw them being chastised and I cannot bear their complaint. Let me go forth and be chastised myself for the Christians. I do not pray, O Lord, for the unbelieving Jews, but for the Christians I entreat thy compassion. And there came a second voice from the invisible Father saying: How can I have mercy on them, when they did not have mercy on their own brothers? And the all holy one said: Lord, have mercy on the sinners: behold the chastisements, for every creature on the earth calls upon my name: and when the soul comes forth out of the body, it cries saying, "Holy Lady, Mother of God." Then the Lord said to her: Hearken, all holy Mother of God, if anyone names and calls upon thy name, I will not forsake him, either in heaven or on earth.
XXVII. And the all holy one said: Where is Moses? Where are all the prophets and fathers who never sinned? Where art thou, holy Paul of God? where is the holy Lord's Day, the boast of the Christians? where is the power of the precious and life-giving cross, which delivered Adam and Eve from the ancient curse? Then Michael and all the angels raised one voice saying: Lord, have mercy on the sinners. Then Moses also cried: Have mercy, Lord, on those to whom I gave thy law. Then John also called: Have mercy, Lord, on those to whom I gave thy Gospel. Then Paul cried: Have mercy, Lord, on those to whom I brought thy epistles in the Church. And the Lord God said: Hearken, all ye righteous: if according to the law which Moses gave, and according to the Gospel which John gave, and according to the epistles which Paul carried, they thus be judged. And they had nothing to say except, Have mercy, O just judge.
XXVIII. And the all holy Mother of God said: Have mercy, Lord, on the Christians, because they kept thy law and gave heed to thy gospel, but they were simple ones. Then the Lord said to her: Hearken, all holy one: if anyone did evil to them and they did not requite him the evil, thou sayest well that they attended to both my law and my gospel, but if he did not do them wrong and they requited him evil, how may I say that these are holy men? now they shall be rewarded according to their wrongdoing. Then all hearing the voice of the Lord had nothing to answer; and the all holy one, when she saw that the saints were at a loss, and their Lord did not hear, and his mercy was hidden from them, then the all holy one said: Where is Gabriel, who announced unto me the "Hail, thou that from eternity shalt conceive him who is without beginning like the Father," and now does not look upon sinners? Where is the great commander-in-chief? come hither, all ye saints whom God justified, and let us fall down in the presence of the invisible Father, in order that the Lord God may hear us, and have mercy on sinners. Then Michael, the commander-in-chief, and all the saints fell on their faces in the presence of the invisible Father, saying: Have mercy, Lord, on the Christian sinners.
XXIX. Then the Lord, seeing the prayer of the saints, had compassion and said: Go down, my beloved son, and because of the prayer of the saints let thy face shine on earth to sinners. Then the Lord came down from his un-defiled throne: and when they saw Him, those who were under chastisement raised one voice saying: Have mercy on us, King of ages. Then the Lord of all things said: Hearken, all ye sinners and righteous men: I made paradise and made man after my image: but he transgressed, and for his own sins was delivered to death: but I did not suffer the works of my hands to be tyrannized over by the serpent: wherefore I bowed the heavens and came down and was born of Mary, the holy un-defiled Mother of God, that I might set you free: I was baptized in Jordan in order that I might save the creature which had grown old under sin: I was nailed to the cross to free you from the ancient curse: I asked for water and ye gave me vinegar mingled with gall: I was laid in the grave: I trampled on the enemy: I raised up mine elect, and even thus ye would not hear me. But now, because of the prayer of my mother Mary, because she has wept much for your sake, and because of Michael my archangel, and because of the multitude of my saints, I grant you to have rest on the day of Pentecost to glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
XXX. Then all the angels and archangels, thrones, lord-ships, authorities, governments, powers, and the many-eyed cherubim and the six-winged seraphim and all the apostles and prophets and martyrs and all the saints raised one voice, saying: Glory to thee, O Lord: glory to thee, lover of men: glory to thee, King of ages: glory be to thy compassion: glory be to thy long suffering: glory be to thy unspeakable justice of judgment, because thou hast been long-suffering with sinners and impious men: Thine is it to pity and to save. To him be the glory and the power to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.
On the Last Times, the Anti-Christ, and the End of the World A Sermon by Pseudo-Ephraem and Isidor of Sevilla
The English translation of the Latin text in C.P. Caspari's Briefe, Abhandlungen und Predigten aus den zwei letzten Jahrhunderten des kirchlichen Altertums und dem Anfang des Mittelater (Christiania, 1890, pp. 208-20) was provided by Cameron Rhoades, instructor of Latin at Tyndale Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, TX.
Section I Dearly beloved brothers, believe the Holy Spirit who speaks in us. We have already told you that the end of the world is near, the consummation remains. Has not faith withered away among mankind? How many foolish things are seen among youths, how many crimes among prelates, how many lies among priests, how many perjuries among deacons! There are evil deeds among the ministers, adulteries in the aged, wantonness in the youths—in mature women false faces, in virgins dangerous traces! In the midst of all this there are the wars with the Persians, and we see struggles with diverse nations threatening and "kingdom rising against kingdom." When the Roman empire begins to be consumed by the sword, the coming of the Evil One is at hand. It is necessary that the world come to an end at the completion of the Roman empire. In those days two brothers will come to the Roman empire who will rule with one mind; but because one will surpass the other, there will be a schism between them. And so the Adversary will be loosed and will stir up hatred between the Persian and Roman empires. In those days many will rise up against Rome; the Jewish people will be her adversaries. There will be stirrings of nations and evil reports, pestilences, famines, and earth quakes in various places. All nations will receive captives; there will be wars and rumors of wars. From the rising to the setting of the sun the sword will devour much. The times will be so dangerous that in fear and trembling they will not permit thought of better things, because many will be the oppressions and desolations of regions that are to come.
Section II We ought to understand thoroughly therefore, my brothers, what is imminent or overhanging. Already there have been hunger and plagues, violent movements of nations and signs, which have been predicted by the Lord, they have already been fulfilled (consummated), and there is not other which remains, except the advent of the wicked one in the completion of the Roman kingdom. Why therefore are we occupied with worldly business, and why is our mind held fixed on the lusts of the world or on the anxieties of the ages? Why therefore do we not reject every care of worldly business, and why is our mind held fixed on the lusts of the world or on the anxieties of the ages? Why therefore do we not reject every care of earthly actions and prepare ourselves for the meeting of the Lord Christ, so that he may draw us from the confusion, which overwhelms all the world? Believe you me, dearest brother, because the coming (advent) of the Lord is nigh, believe you me, because the end of the world is at hand, believe me, because it is the very last time. Or do you not believe unless you see with your eyes? See to it that this sentence be not fulfilled among you of the prophet who declares: "Woe to those who desire to see the day of the Lord!" For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins. And so, brothers most dear to me, it is the eleventh hour, and the end of the world comes to the harvest, and angels, armed and prepared, hold sickles in their hands, awaiting the empire of the Lord. And we think that the earth exists with blind infidelity, arriving at its downfall early. Commotions are brought forth, wars of diverse peoples and battles and incursions of the barbarians threaten, and our regions shall be desolated, and we neither become very much afraid of the report nor of the appearance, in order that we may at least do penance; because they hurl fear at us, and we do not wish to be changed, although we at least stand in need of penance for our actions!
Section III When therefore the end of the world comes, there arise diverse wars, commotions on all sides, horrible earthquakes, perturbations of nations, tempests throughout the lands, plagues, famine, drought throughout the thoroughfares, great danger throughout the sea and dry land, constant persecutions, slaughters and massacres everywhere, fear in the homes, panic in the cities, quaking in the thoroughfares, suspicions in the male, anxiety in the streets. In the desert people become senseless, spirits melt in the cities. A friend will not be grieved over a friend, neither a brother for a brother, nor parents for their children, nor a faithful servant for his master, but one inevitability shall overwhelm them all; neither is anyone able to be recovered in that time, who has not been made completely aware of the coming danger, but all people, who have been constricted by fear, are consumed because of the overhanging evils.
Section IV Whenever therefore the earth is agitated by the nations, people will hide themselves from the wars in the mountains and rocks, by caves and caverns of the earth, by graves and memorials of the dead, and there, as they waste away gradually by fear, they draw breath, because there is not any place at all to flee, but there will be concession and intolerable pressure. And those who are in the east will flee to the west, and moreover, those who are in the west shall flee to the east, and there is not a safer place anywhere, because the world shall be overwhelmed by worthless nations, whose aspect appears to be of wild animals more than that of men. Because those very much horrible nations, most profane and most defiled, who do not spare lives, and shall destroy the living from the dead, shall consume the dead, they eat dead flesh, they drink the blood of beasts, they pollute the world, contaminate all things, and the one who is able to resist them is not there. In those days people shall not be buried, neither Christian, nor heretic, neither Jew, nor pagan, because of fear and dread there is not one who buries them; because all people, while they are fleeing, ignore them.
Section V Whenever the days of the times of those nations have been fulfilled, after they have destroyed the earth, it shall rest; and now the kingdom of the Romans is removed from everyday life, and the empire of the Christians is handed down by God and Peter; and then the consummation comes, when the kingdom of the Romans begins to be fulfilled, and all dominions and powers have been fulfilled. Then that worthless and abominable dragon shall appear, he, whom Moses named in Deuteronomy, saying:-Dan is a young lion, reclining and leaping from Basan. Because he reclines in order that he may seize and destroy and slay. Indeed (he is) a young whelp of a lion not as the lion of the tribe of Judah, but roaring because of his wrath, that he may devour. "And he leaps out from Basan." "Basan" certainly is interpreted "confusion." He shall rise up from the confusion of his iniquity. The one who gathers together to himself a partridge the children of confusion, also shall call them, whom he has not brought forth, just as Jeremiah the prophet says. Also in the last day they shall relinquish him just as confused.
Section VI When therefore the end of the world comes, that abominable, lying and murderous one is born from the tribe of Dan. He is conceived from the seed of a man and from an unclean or most vile virgin, mixed with an evil or worthless spirit. But that abominable corrupter, more of spirits than of bodies, while a youth, the crafty dragon appears under the appearance of righteousness, before he takes the kingdom. Because he will be craftily gentle to all people, not receiving gifts, not placed before another person, loving to all people, quiet to everyone, not desiring gifts, appearing friendly among close friends, so that men may bless him, saying;-he is a just man, not knowing that a wolf lies concealed under the appearance of a lamb, and that a greedy man is inside under the skin of a sheep.
Section VII But when the time of the abomination of his desolation begins to approach, having been made legal, he takes the empire, and, just as it is said in the Psalm:-They have been made for the undertaking for the sons of Loth, the Moabites and the Ammanites shall meet him first as their king. Therefore, when he receives the kingdom, he orders the temple of God to be rebuilt for himself, which is in Jerusalem; who, after coming into it, he shall sit as God and order that he be adored by all nations, since he is carnal and filthy and mixed with worthless spirit and flesh. Then that eloquence shall be fulfilled of Daniel the prophet:-And he shall not know the God of their fathers, and he shall not know the desires of women. Because the very wicked serpent shall direct every worship to himself. Because he shall put forth an edict so that people may be circumcised according to the rite of the old law. Then the Jews shall congratulate him, because he gave them again the practice of the first covenant; then all people from everywhere shall flock together to him at the city of Jerusalem, and the holy city shall be trampled on by the nations for forty-two months, just as the holy apostle says in the Apocalypse, which become three and a half years, 1,260 days.
Section VIII In these three years and a half the heaven shall suspend its dew; because there will be no rain upon the earth, and the clouds shall cease to pass through the air, and the stars shall be seen with difficulty in the sky because of the excessive dryness, which happens in the time of the very fierce dragon. Because all great rivers and very powerful fountains that overflow with themselves shall be dried up, torrents shall dry up their water-courses because of the intolerable age, and there will be a great tribulation, as there has not been, since people began to be upon the earth, and there will be famine and an insufferable thirst. And children shall waste away in the bosom of their mothers, and wives upon the knees of their husbands, by not having victuals to eat. Because there will be in those days lack of bread and water, and no one is able to sell or to buy of the grain of the fall harvest, unless he is one who has the serpentine sign on the forehead or on the hand. Then gold and silver and precious clothing or precious stones shall lie along the streets, and also even every type of pearls along the thoroughfares and streets of the cities, but there is not one who may extend the hand and take or desire them, but they consider all things as good as nothing because of the extreme lack and famine of bread, because the earth is not protected by the rains of heaven, and there will be neither dew nor moisture of the air upon the earth. But those who wander through the deserts, fleeing from the face of the serpent, bend their knees to God, just as lambs to the adders of their mothers, being sustained by the salvation of the Lord, and while wandering in states of desertion, they eat herbs.
Section IX Then, when this inevitability has overwhelmed all people, just and unjust, the just, so that they may be found good by their Lord; and indeed the unjust, so that they may be damned forever with their author the Devil, and, as God beholds the human race in danger and being tossed about by the breath of the horrible dragon, he sends to them consolatory proclamation by his attendants, the prophets Enoch and Elijah, who, while not yet tasting death, are the servants for the heralding of the second coming of Christ, and in order to accuse the enemy. And when those just ones have appeared, they confuse indeed the antagonistic serpent with his cleverness and they call back the faithful witnesses to God, in order to (free them) from his seduction ...
Section X And when the three and a half years have been completed, the time of the Antichrist, through which he will have seduced the world, after the resurrection of the two prophets, in the hour which the world does not know, and on the day which the enemy of son of perdition does not know, will come the sign of the Son of Man, and coming forward the Lord shall appear with great power and much majesty, with the sign of the wood of salvation going before him, and also even with all the powers of the heavens with the whole chorus of the saints, with those who bear the sign of the holy cross upon their shoulders, as the angelic trumpet precedes him, which shall sound and declare: Arise, O sleeping ones, arise, meet Christ, because his hour of judgment has come! Then Christ shall come and the enemy shall be thrown into confusion, and the Lord shall destroy him by the spirit of his mouth. And he shall be bound and shall be plunged into the abyss of everlasting fire alive with his father Satan; and all people, who do his wishes, shall perish with him forever; but the righteous ones shall inherit everlasting life with the Lord forever and ever.
Section I Dearly beloved brothers, believe the Holy Spirit who speaks in us. We have already told you that the end of the world is near, the consummation remains. Has not faith withered away among mankind? How many foolish things are seen among youths, how many crimes among prelates, how many lies among priests, how many perjuries among deacons! There are evil deeds among the ministers, adulteries in the aged, wantonness in the youths—in mature women false faces, in virgins dangerous traces! In the midst of all this there are the wars with the Persians, and we see struggles with diverse nations threatening and "kingdom rising against kingdom." When the Roman empire begins to be consumed by the sword, the coming of the Evil One is at hand. It is necessary that the world come to an end at the completion of the Roman empire. In those days two brothers will come to the Roman empire who will rule with one mind; but because one will surpass the other, there will be a schism between them. And so the Adversary will be loosed and will stir up hatred between the Persian and Roman empires. In those days many will rise up against Rome; the Jewish people will be her adversaries. There will be stirrings of nations and evil reports, pestilences, famines, and earth quakes in various places. All nations will receive captives; there will be wars and rumors of wars. From the rising to the setting of the sun the sword will devour much. The times will be so dangerous that in fear and trembling they will not permit thought of better things, because many will be the oppressions and desolations of regions that are to come.
Section II We ought to understand thoroughly therefore, my brothers, what is imminent or overhanging. Already there have been hunger and plagues, violent movements of nations and signs, which have been predicted by the Lord, they have already been fulfilled (consummated), and there is not other which remains, except the advent of the wicked one in the completion of the Roman kingdom. Why therefore are we occupied with worldly business, and why is our mind held fixed on the lusts of the world or on the anxieties of the ages? Why therefore do we not reject every care of worldly business, and why is our mind held fixed on the lusts of the world or on the anxieties of the ages? Why therefore do we not reject every care of earthly actions and prepare ourselves for the meeting of the Lord Christ, so that he may draw us from the confusion, which overwhelms all the world? Believe you me, dearest brother, because the coming (advent) of the Lord is nigh, believe you me, because the end of the world is at hand, believe me, because it is the very last time. Or do you not believe unless you see with your eyes? See to it that this sentence be not fulfilled among you of the prophet who declares: "Woe to those who desire to see the day of the Lord!" For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins. And so, brothers most dear to me, it is the eleventh hour, and the end of the world comes to the harvest, and angels, armed and prepared, hold sickles in their hands, awaiting the empire of the Lord. And we think that the earth exists with blind infidelity, arriving at its downfall early. Commotions are brought forth, wars of diverse peoples and battles and incursions of the barbarians threaten, and our regions shall be desolated, and we neither become very much afraid of the report nor of the appearance, in order that we may at least do penance; because they hurl fear at us, and we do not wish to be changed, although we at least stand in need of penance for our actions!
Section III When therefore the end of the world comes, there arise diverse wars, commotions on all sides, horrible earthquakes, perturbations of nations, tempests throughout the lands, plagues, famine, drought throughout the thoroughfares, great danger throughout the sea and dry land, constant persecutions, slaughters and massacres everywhere, fear in the homes, panic in the cities, quaking in the thoroughfares, suspicions in the male, anxiety in the streets. In the desert people become senseless, spirits melt in the cities. A friend will not be grieved over a friend, neither a brother for a brother, nor parents for their children, nor a faithful servant for his master, but one inevitability shall overwhelm them all; neither is anyone able to be recovered in that time, who has not been made completely aware of the coming danger, but all people, who have been constricted by fear, are consumed because of the overhanging evils.
Section IV Whenever therefore the earth is agitated by the nations, people will hide themselves from the wars in the mountains and rocks, by caves and caverns of the earth, by graves and memorials of the dead, and there, as they waste away gradually by fear, they draw breath, because there is not any place at all to flee, but there will be concession and intolerable pressure. And those who are in the east will flee to the west, and moreover, those who are in the west shall flee to the east, and there is not a safer place anywhere, because the world shall be overwhelmed by worthless nations, whose aspect appears to be of wild animals more than that of men. Because those very much horrible nations, most profane and most defiled, who do not spare lives, and shall destroy the living from the dead, shall consume the dead, they eat dead flesh, they drink the blood of beasts, they pollute the world, contaminate all things, and the one who is able to resist them is not there. In those days people shall not be buried, neither Christian, nor heretic, neither Jew, nor pagan, because of fear and dread there is not one who buries them; because all people, while they are fleeing, ignore them.
Section V Whenever the days of the times of those nations have been fulfilled, after they have destroyed the earth, it shall rest; and now the kingdom of the Romans is removed from everyday life, and the empire of the Christians is handed down by God and Peter; and then the consummation comes, when the kingdom of the Romans begins to be fulfilled, and all dominions and powers have been fulfilled. Then that worthless and abominable dragon shall appear, he, whom Moses named in Deuteronomy, saying:-Dan is a young lion, reclining and leaping from Basan. Because he reclines in order that he may seize and destroy and slay. Indeed (he is) a young whelp of a lion not as the lion of the tribe of Judah, but roaring because of his wrath, that he may devour. "And he leaps out from Basan." "Basan" certainly is interpreted "confusion." He shall rise up from the confusion of his iniquity. The one who gathers together to himself a partridge the children of confusion, also shall call them, whom he has not brought forth, just as Jeremiah the prophet says. Also in the last day they shall relinquish him just as confused.
Section VI When therefore the end of the world comes, that abominable, lying and murderous one is born from the tribe of Dan. He is conceived from the seed of a man and from an unclean or most vile virgin, mixed with an evil or worthless spirit. But that abominable corrupter, more of spirits than of bodies, while a youth, the crafty dragon appears under the appearance of righteousness, before he takes the kingdom. Because he will be craftily gentle to all people, not receiving gifts, not placed before another person, loving to all people, quiet to everyone, not desiring gifts, appearing friendly among close friends, so that men may bless him, saying;-he is a just man, not knowing that a wolf lies concealed under the appearance of a lamb, and that a greedy man is inside under the skin of a sheep.
Section VII But when the time of the abomination of his desolation begins to approach, having been made legal, he takes the empire, and, just as it is said in the Psalm:-They have been made for the undertaking for the sons of Loth, the Moabites and the Ammanites shall meet him first as their king. Therefore, when he receives the kingdom, he orders the temple of God to be rebuilt for himself, which is in Jerusalem; who, after coming into it, he shall sit as God and order that he be adored by all nations, since he is carnal and filthy and mixed with worthless spirit and flesh. Then that eloquence shall be fulfilled of Daniel the prophet:-And he shall not know the God of their fathers, and he shall not know the desires of women. Because the very wicked serpent shall direct every worship to himself. Because he shall put forth an edict so that people may be circumcised according to the rite of the old law. Then the Jews shall congratulate him, because he gave them again the practice of the first covenant; then all people from everywhere shall flock together to him at the city of Jerusalem, and the holy city shall be trampled on by the nations for forty-two months, just as the holy apostle says in the Apocalypse, which become three and a half years, 1,260 days.
Section VIII In these three years and a half the heaven shall suspend its dew; because there will be no rain upon the earth, and the clouds shall cease to pass through the air, and the stars shall be seen with difficulty in the sky because of the excessive dryness, which happens in the time of the very fierce dragon. Because all great rivers and very powerful fountains that overflow with themselves shall be dried up, torrents shall dry up their water-courses because of the intolerable age, and there will be a great tribulation, as there has not been, since people began to be upon the earth, and there will be famine and an insufferable thirst. And children shall waste away in the bosom of their mothers, and wives upon the knees of their husbands, by not having victuals to eat. Because there will be in those days lack of bread and water, and no one is able to sell or to buy of the grain of the fall harvest, unless he is one who has the serpentine sign on the forehead or on the hand. Then gold and silver and precious clothing or precious stones shall lie along the streets, and also even every type of pearls along the thoroughfares and streets of the cities, but there is not one who may extend the hand and take or desire them, but they consider all things as good as nothing because of the extreme lack and famine of bread, because the earth is not protected by the rains of heaven, and there will be neither dew nor moisture of the air upon the earth. But those who wander through the deserts, fleeing from the face of the serpent, bend their knees to God, just as lambs to the adders of their mothers, being sustained by the salvation of the Lord, and while wandering in states of desertion, they eat herbs.
Section IX Then, when this inevitability has overwhelmed all people, just and unjust, the just, so that they may be found good by their Lord; and indeed the unjust, so that they may be damned forever with their author the Devil, and, as God beholds the human race in danger and being tossed about by the breath of the horrible dragon, he sends to them consolatory proclamation by his attendants, the prophets Enoch and Elijah, who, while not yet tasting death, are the servants for the heralding of the second coming of Christ, and in order to accuse the enemy. And when those just ones have appeared, they confuse indeed the antagonistic serpent with his cleverness and they call back the faithful witnesses to God, in order to (free them) from his seduction ...
Section X And when the three and a half years have been completed, the time of the Antichrist, through which he will have seduced the world, after the resurrection of the two prophets, in the hour which the world does not know, and on the day which the enemy of son of perdition does not know, will come the sign of the Son of Man, and coming forward the Lord shall appear with great power and much majesty, with the sign of the wood of salvation going before him, and also even with all the powers of the heavens with the whole chorus of the saints, with those who bear the sign of the holy cross upon their shoulders, as the angelic trumpet precedes him, which shall sound and declare: Arise, O sleeping ones, arise, meet Christ, because his hour of judgment has come! Then Christ shall come and the enemy shall be thrown into confusion, and the Lord shall destroy him by the spirit of his mouth. And he shall be bound and shall be plunged into the abyss of everlasting fire alive with his father Satan; and all people, who do his wishes, shall perish with him forever; but the righteous ones shall inherit everlasting life with the Lord forever and ever.
SERMON OF PSEUDO-EPHREM ON THE END OF THE WORLD (Syriac Version)
Translated from the text in Edmund Beck, ed., Des heiligen Ephraem des Syrers Sermones III (CSCO 320; Louvain: Secrétariat du Corpus SCO, 1972), 60-71; see also 79-94 for Beck’s translation. The text is based on two manuscripts: (1) Codex Vaticanus Sir. 566, and (2) Codex Dublinensis (Trinity College) B 5.19. Editio princeps: Thomas Josephus Lamy, ed., Sancti Ephraem Syri Hymni et Sermones (4 vols.; Mechliniae: H. Dessain, 1882-1902), 3:187-212.
A discourse of the holy saint Ephrem, the Syrian teacher, concerning the end, final consummation, judgment, and punishment; on the people of Gog and Magog; and about the Antichrist. O Son who by His grace humbled Himself And who was pleased to make Himself a human being; Who willingly experienced death at the top of the wooden cross on Golgotha: Grant me, my Lord, the ability to speak about the struggles which will take place in the created order; For peoples will fall upon each other and nations will destroy one another, evil will fortify itself on the earth and iniquity will increase throughout creation. Righteous rulers will perish and lawless ones will arise on the earth. Then a judgment will arise, and a weighing on the scale for those humans: the side containing the wicked will sink down; and that for the elect will rise up. Then spiritual entities will go forth and destroy the ends of the created order. It will happen, my brethren, just as it is written: a plague in a number of places, and a famine will occur in the created order; terrible struggles and conflicts. dust will be saturated with blood; the created order will be polluted from iniquity. Regions will be ravaged, and cities will be consumed by Sheol; nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. Lawlessness will be sovereign on earth and the defiled will pursue after the saints. People will openly apostatize and augment the left side; the righteous ones will suffer indignities from those who belong to the side of the sinners. It is due to this, my beloved ones that the final age has arrived. Lo, we have observed the signs, just as Christ inscribed for us: rulers will arise, one against another; there will be suffering on earth; nations will contend with nations and armies will fall upon one another. When the Nile, the river of Egypt, overflows and floods part of the land, certain regions will prepare themselves against the country of the Romans. Nations will contend with nations, and a kingdom with a kingdom. They will depart, moving from one land to another; those Romans who are put to flight. And the Assyrians will gain authority over the region of the Romans. The fruit of their loins they will subjugate and they will also ravish their women; they will be sowing and also reaping they will plant fruits in the ground; they will acquire vast riches and hoard treasures underground. But just as the Nile, the river of Egypt recedes again from what it flooded; so too will Assyria recede back to their own country. For the Romans once again will be found in their ancestral land. Then evil will increase on the earth and the land will be defiled with fornication. The cry of the persecuted and the wretched will rise up to heaven. Then a judgment will arise to cast them out of the land. The holy covenant will complain; a cry will rise up to heaven. A people will emerge from the wilderness, the progeny of Hagar, the handmaid of Sarah; who hold fast to the covenant with Abraham, the husband of Sarah and Hagar. Set in motion, he comes in the name of the ram, the herald of the Son of Destruction. A sign will appear in the heavens, the one our Lord spoke of in His gospel: luminaries will shine among the stars and the light of His face will gleam. Rulers will quake and tremble; the forces arrayed by them will fall. The peoples of the earth will be terrified when they behold the sign set in the heavens. They will prepare for battle and come together, all peoples and nationalities. They will wage war there and the ground will be drenched with blood. The nations will suffer defeat there, a marauding nation will prevail. The marauders will fly over the landscape, across plains and over the peaks of mountains. They will take women and children as captives, also men both elderly and young. The best of the males will be destroyed; the most desirable women will be removed. With strong spears and lances they will impale elderly men. They will separate a son from his father, a daughter from the side of her mother; they will separate a brother from his brethren, a sister from the side of her sisters. They will slay the bridegroom in his bedroom and expel the bride from her bridal chamber. They will take a wife away from her husband, and slaughter her as if she were a sheep; They will cast an infant away from its mother and drive the mother into captivity. The child will scream out on the ground: its mother hears, but what can she do? For it will be trampled by the hooves of horses, camels, and infantry! She tries to turn toward it, but they will not allow her; the child remains within the wild. They separate children from their mother as the soul is separated from the body. She watches while they divide them up, her beloved ones taken from the embrace of her bosom; Two of her children to two different masters, her own self to still another master; she has been allocated, and her children with her; for they are now slaves to robbers. Her children cry out with laments, their eyes burning with tears; she turns toward her beloved ones, the milk flowing forth from her breast: ‘Farewell, my beloved ones! May God go with you! The one who accompanied Joseph in his servitude among foreigners: May He accompany you, my children into the captivity where you are going!’ ‘Farewell, our mother! May God go with you! The one who accompanied Sarah into the palace of Abimelech the Gadarite: May He accompany your own self until the Day of Resurrection!’ The son will stand and watch while his father is sold into slavery. The eyes of both of them will burn with tears while they groan, one in front of the other. A brother will watch while his brother is killed and cast down on the ground, whereas he they drive off into captivity in order to serve among foreigners as a slave. They even put to death mothers who are holding their children to their breasts. Bitter is the sound of the infants who are groaning to satisfy their desire for milk. They will prepare roads in the mountains, highways in the middle of the plains; they will maraud until the very ends of the created order. They will establish rule over the urban centers. The provinces will suffer destruction, and they will multiply corpses on the earth. All peoples will be brought low before the marauder nation. And once the peoples have endured much on earth and hope that now peace has arrived, the Ishmaelites start exacting tribute and everyone will be fearful of them. Lawlessness will intensify on the earth and even obscure the clouds; wickedness will enclose the created order and waft up like smoke to the heavens. Then since wickedness will be rampant upon the earth, the Lord’s wrath will then stir up kings and mighty armies. For when He seeks to expunge it from earth, He sends out humans against humans to annihilate one another. Truly at that time He will summon the kings and mighty armies who are behind those gates which Alexander fashioned. Many rulers and peoples remain behind the gates. They look toward heaven and call on the name of God, that the Lord send His sign from within His heaven of glory and the Divine Voice summon them who are by those gates; so that they suddenly break down and collapse at the command of the Divinity. Numerous armies issue forth, as many as the stars which cannot be counted. As multitudinous as the sand by the sea, and exceeding the number of the stars in the sky. A full span was consumed from the lower crossbar; and from the upper crossbar another full span was consumed on account of the great quantity of their sharp spears with which they lacerated it. They issued forth, moving, spilling forth from there; kings and large armies and every people and language group emerging from behind those gates. Gog and Magog and Nūl and Agag, kings and mighty armies! Togarmah and Ashkenaz and Daypar, Pūìayē with Lūbayē. Amzartayē and Garmēdō‘, ¬alab with helmet-covered heads, Azmurtayē and Kūshayē, Hunayē and Parzayē, Diqlayē and Tūbalayē, Mūshkayē with Kūshayē. Allied to and coming with them were both the Medes and the Persians, Armenians and Turks And NamrūÐayē and MūshÐayē; The descendants of Ke’wan and Serug; The progeny of Yaqìan and the MaÐūnayē; Numerous armies and nations whose number cannot be calculated. They will burst forth and flood the earth, shaking the walls of the created order. A dust cloud will rise up over the earth, obscuring the sun above and covering creation with clouds and dark fogs, in accordance with what Ezekiel prophesied, the son of Buzi in his prophecy. For when the Huns come forth to wage war and to do battle, they will take hold of pregnant women and heap fire on top of them; they will come closer and mutter incantations over them, while roasting their children inside them! Splitting them open, they extract their fetuses when they are finished cooking inside of them. They draw near: then place them in basins, and pour water over them and dissolve their corpses there in those enchanted waters. They immediately take their swords and their bows with their spears and dip them in those waters for their arrows and their weapons. Every weapon to which are applied those magical potions appears as if there are hundreds, even thousands of cavalrymen who wield them. Moreover those hundreds of horsemen who set out and traverse the whole of the earth appear as if they are accompanied by six million. If one of them should fall off during battle while engaging in the fight, wherever he extends his hand suddenly a knife emerges! They eat the flesh of children and also drink the blood of women. Clothed in tanned skins, they mount the winds and tempests; and rapidly, in the blink of an eye, they lay waste to cities, topple their walls to the ground, and destroy the strong citadels. Moving quickly, they bind the swift and slaughter the vigorous men. They are quicker in motion than winds and tempests. Whenever news of them is heard on earth to wit ‘The Huns have set out and are coming!’ They blanket the whole of creation. Because they are sorcerers, they fly between heaven and earth. Their chariots are like the winds, and their swords and their lances are like terrifying bolts of lightning. Holding straps in their hands and two or three horses, each one of them leads with him some fifty or sixty men, traveling behind and in front of him like winds and tempests. The sound of the battle-cry of just one of them is like the roaring of lions. Indeed dread of the Huns will overpower the entire earth; they will cover the whole land like the waters during the days of Noah, and they will overwhelm the edges of the created order: there is no one who can withstand them. These are the ‘numerous peoples’ about whom Ezekiel spoke who will cover the whole land as if they were clouds. ‘Fish will shudder before them, as will the birds of the sky and wild beasts and vermin of the earth and every species in creation; high mountains will be thrust down and fortified towers will collapse, even the walls of the cities.’ On the earth will be a wasteland. For Ezekiel has prophesied that it will come to pass in the End of Days: They will burst out and come up from the land and cover the created order; Gog and Magog will prepare itself and arrive at the ‘hill country of Israel.’ Between the sea and Jerusalem He will place his encampment. Riders will fly off, descending upon Egypt and opposite India; leading away so many captives they cannot be numbered. People and riches, cattle and property which have now become his prey. Then Righteousness will summon Michael, the one who is leader of the host, to come down and destroy his encampment just as he destroyed the encampment of Sennacherib. The angel, receiving the command, will draw the terrible and powerful sword, and departing, he will destroy his force in the twinkling of an eye! Righteousness will pick up and hurl stones of fire upon the encampment. The slain on the ground will be as numerous as the sand which cannot be counted; People and pack-animals will perish, the entire encampment will be consumed. The blaze will extend unto the sea and to the islands. The bow will swerve from the hands of Gog, the wicked ruler; also his arrows will drop from his left hand: his entire encampment will be consumed. The inhabitants of Judaea will go out and loot his whole encampment. They will collect and pick up armament: lances, arrows, and bows. For seven years within a fire they will burn them, as it is written: ‘They will not need to gather wood from the field or thickets.’ Seven years they will throw in the fire shields and clubs, arrows, spears, and bows. They will prove sufficient for fueling the fire for seven years. Then the Lord will bring in His peace, which attests His glorification among the heavens. And once more the empire of the Romans will spring up and flourish in its place. It will possess the earth and its extremities, And no one will exist who opposes it. And when iniquity has become rife on earth and has polluted the whole of creation, then a judgment will arise which will entirely obliterate the people. The Son of Destruction, the Evil One, will emerge and come upon the earth. A deceiver of humanity, an instigator of trouble over the whole earth. On the day when he comes to it, when the Son of Destruction arrives on earth, the created order will be thrown into commotion, and terror will engulf the earth. The sun will become dark in its place, and the stars will fall from the height; all the luminaries will be quenched, darkness will cover the created order. The earth with its inhabitants will shake, and mountains and heights will quake; springs and fountains will dry up, and the waves in the sea will abate and the fish therein grow still. Rulers will stop rendering judgment and priests will tremble in the sanctuary and military power will collapse. Confusion will be on the earth and all human powers will be paralyzed, for the Evil One will be ready. He will come to and enter Jerusalem. He will rebuild and establish himself in Zion, and will make himself to be God and enter into the sanctuary to take a seat in accordance with what the Apostle wrote to us. The Jews will take pride in him; they will prepare themselves and come to him. And he moreover will blaspheme when he says: ‘I, even I, am the Father and the Son! the First and the Last! There is no other god apart from me!’ But at that time ten thousand Jews will denounce him: they will answer him in truth: ‘You are a deceiver for all creatures! For the one whom our ancestors restrained at the top of the wood on Golgotha is actually the redeemer of all creatures, and he was raised up to the One who sent him!’ Then the Evil One will be enraged and he will issue a command regarding those who denounced him that they should immediately die by the sword, and everyone will be too afraid to renounce him. Then he will begin to display wonders through deception in the heavens and on the earth, within the sea and on the dry land. He will summon the rain and it will fall; he will command the seed and it will sprout however he will not actually perform miracles; he will be employing magic. He will command the waves and they will cease, and the winds will be obedient to him. He will suspend fruits on the trees and cause water to gush from the ground. He will address the leprous and they will become clean, speak to the blind, and they will see light, he will call to the deaf and they will hear him, address even the mute and they will speak. He will effect all the wonders which our Lord performed within the created order, except that he will not be able to resurrect the dead, for he will not have authority over the spirits of the dead. Lightening-flashes will be his messengers, and are the sign of his advent; demons are his armies and the commanders of the devils are his pupils; he will dispatch the heads of his legions to distant lands where they will display marvelous powers and healings and mislead the whole of creation. Behold, the Apostle has penned a warning for us in his epistle to the Thessalonians: ‘Let no word or no letter trouble you that is not from us. For the rebellion comes first, also the Man of Sin and he will exalt himself over God, making himself to be God.’ And when the Accursed One comes and displays his mighty works and wonders, the nations will gather together and come as if they were going to see God. Groups and nations will join him, and every person will renounce their deity; everyone will say of him to their fellow that they should acknowledge him, the Son of Destruction! Peoples will fall upon one another, slaying each other with swords. The elect will flee from his presence to the peaks of mountains and hills, And there will be calamity on earth unlike any that came before. Fear will fall upon all people and they will be overcome with terror. Children will renounce their father and follow after the Evil One; Priests will abandon their altars to serve as his heralds. People will flee to cemeteries and hide themselves among the dead, pronouncing the good fortune of the deceased who had avoided the calamity: ‘Blessed are you for you were borne away to the grave and hence you escaped from the afflictions! But as for us, woe is us! For when we die, vultures will serve as escort for us!’ And if the days of that time were not shortened, the elect would never survive the calamities and afflictions. For Our Lord revealed and disclosed to us in his Gospel when He said: ‘Those days will be shortened for the sake of the elect and the saints.’ And when he has harassed the whole of creation, when the Son of Destruction has bent it to his will, Enoch and Elijah will be sent that they might persuade the Evil One. With a gentle question the saints will come before him, in order to expose the Son of Destruction before the assemblies surrounding him: ‘If you are indeed God, tell us what we ask of you: where is the place that you have hidden the elders Elijah and Enoch?’ The Evil One will respond and say to the saints at that time: ‘When I wish it, they are in the heights, or again should I choose, they are within the sea; for I have authority over habitations, since there is no other god apart from me and I can make anything on earth and also in heaven!’ They will answer the Son of Destruction as follows: ‘If you are truly God, call out to the deceased so that they will rise! For it is written within the books of the prophets and the apostles that when the Messiah reveals Himself, He will resurrect the dead from the graves. If you cannot show us this sign, then the One who was crucified is greater than you! For he roused and resurrected those who were dead, and was exalted in great splendor.’ Then the Evil One will become enraged with the saints at that time; he will draw his terrible sword and sever the necks of the righteous ones. But Gabriel will arise and descend with Michael as military commanders; they will resurrect those saints while the Evil One stands confused with his servants. They will approach and seize that Accursed One and the Lord will rebuke him from heaven; then He will destroy the Accursed One and all of his forces. Angels will suddenly approach and cast him into Gehenna, and all of those who believed in him will be thrust into the flames. Then the Lord will come from above in splendor and with a company of His angels, and between earth and heaven a throne-chariot will be fixed there. He will admonish the sea and it will dry up; the fish within it will perish. He will dissolve the heavens and the earth, and there will be only darkness and gloom. He will dispatch fire upon the earth, and it will burn there for forty days purifying it of iniquity and of pollution and of sins. A great throne will be adorned and the Son will be seated on the right; seats will be positioned for the twelve apostles of the Son; and couches will be decorated for the martyrs and a royal chamber for the righteous ones. The Watchers will blow trumpets and the dead will arise from the dust; fiery entities will suddenly go forth and assemble all the descendants of Adam. They will gather the wheat in a storehouse and throw the straw into the fire; the good will go forth into the Kingdom, and the bad will remain in Gehenna; the righteous will fly up to the height, and the sinners will burn in fire. The martyrs will float to the couch; the wicked will go out into darkness. And Christ will reign forever, He will be sovereign over each generation. To Him be the glory, and His mercy is over us for all time, amen, amen!
A discourse of the holy saint Ephrem, the Syrian teacher, concerning the end, final consummation, judgment, and punishment; on the people of Gog and Magog; and about the Antichrist. O Son who by His grace humbled Himself And who was pleased to make Himself a human being; Who willingly experienced death at the top of the wooden cross on Golgotha: Grant me, my Lord, the ability to speak about the struggles which will take place in the created order; For peoples will fall upon each other and nations will destroy one another, evil will fortify itself on the earth and iniquity will increase throughout creation. Righteous rulers will perish and lawless ones will arise on the earth. Then a judgment will arise, and a weighing on the scale for those humans: the side containing the wicked will sink down; and that for the elect will rise up. Then spiritual entities will go forth and destroy the ends of the created order. It will happen, my brethren, just as it is written: a plague in a number of places, and a famine will occur in the created order; terrible struggles and conflicts. dust will be saturated with blood; the created order will be polluted from iniquity. Regions will be ravaged, and cities will be consumed by Sheol; nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. Lawlessness will be sovereign on earth and the defiled will pursue after the saints. People will openly apostatize and augment the left side; the righteous ones will suffer indignities from those who belong to the side of the sinners. It is due to this, my beloved ones that the final age has arrived. Lo, we have observed the signs, just as Christ inscribed for us: rulers will arise, one against another; there will be suffering on earth; nations will contend with nations and armies will fall upon one another. When the Nile, the river of Egypt, overflows and floods part of the land, certain regions will prepare themselves against the country of the Romans. Nations will contend with nations, and a kingdom with a kingdom. They will depart, moving from one land to another; those Romans who are put to flight. And the Assyrians will gain authority over the region of the Romans. The fruit of their loins they will subjugate and they will also ravish their women; they will be sowing and also reaping they will plant fruits in the ground; they will acquire vast riches and hoard treasures underground. But just as the Nile, the river of Egypt recedes again from what it flooded; so too will Assyria recede back to their own country. For the Romans once again will be found in their ancestral land. Then evil will increase on the earth and the land will be defiled with fornication. The cry of the persecuted and the wretched will rise up to heaven. Then a judgment will arise to cast them out of the land. The holy covenant will complain; a cry will rise up to heaven. A people will emerge from the wilderness, the progeny of Hagar, the handmaid of Sarah; who hold fast to the covenant with Abraham, the husband of Sarah and Hagar. Set in motion, he comes in the name of the ram, the herald of the Son of Destruction. A sign will appear in the heavens, the one our Lord spoke of in His gospel: luminaries will shine among the stars and the light of His face will gleam. Rulers will quake and tremble; the forces arrayed by them will fall. The peoples of the earth will be terrified when they behold the sign set in the heavens. They will prepare for battle and come together, all peoples and nationalities. They will wage war there and the ground will be drenched with blood. The nations will suffer defeat there, a marauding nation will prevail. The marauders will fly over the landscape, across plains and over the peaks of mountains. They will take women and children as captives, also men both elderly and young. The best of the males will be destroyed; the most desirable women will be removed. With strong spears and lances they will impale elderly men. They will separate a son from his father, a daughter from the side of her mother; they will separate a brother from his brethren, a sister from the side of her sisters. They will slay the bridegroom in his bedroom and expel the bride from her bridal chamber. They will take a wife away from her husband, and slaughter her as if she were a sheep; They will cast an infant away from its mother and drive the mother into captivity. The child will scream out on the ground: its mother hears, but what can she do? For it will be trampled by the hooves of horses, camels, and infantry! She tries to turn toward it, but they will not allow her; the child remains within the wild. They separate children from their mother as the soul is separated from the body. She watches while they divide them up, her beloved ones taken from the embrace of her bosom; Two of her children to two different masters, her own self to still another master; she has been allocated, and her children with her; for they are now slaves to robbers. Her children cry out with laments, their eyes burning with tears; she turns toward her beloved ones, the milk flowing forth from her breast: ‘Farewell, my beloved ones! May God go with you! The one who accompanied Joseph in his servitude among foreigners: May He accompany you, my children into the captivity where you are going!’ ‘Farewell, our mother! May God go with you! The one who accompanied Sarah into the palace of Abimelech the Gadarite: May He accompany your own self until the Day of Resurrection!’ The son will stand and watch while his father is sold into slavery. The eyes of both of them will burn with tears while they groan, one in front of the other. A brother will watch while his brother is killed and cast down on the ground, whereas he they drive off into captivity in order to serve among foreigners as a slave. They even put to death mothers who are holding their children to their breasts. Bitter is the sound of the infants who are groaning to satisfy their desire for milk. They will prepare roads in the mountains, highways in the middle of the plains; they will maraud until the very ends of the created order. They will establish rule over the urban centers. The provinces will suffer destruction, and they will multiply corpses on the earth. All peoples will be brought low before the marauder nation. And once the peoples have endured much on earth and hope that now peace has arrived, the Ishmaelites start exacting tribute and everyone will be fearful of them. Lawlessness will intensify on the earth and even obscure the clouds; wickedness will enclose the created order and waft up like smoke to the heavens. Then since wickedness will be rampant upon the earth, the Lord’s wrath will then stir up kings and mighty armies. For when He seeks to expunge it from earth, He sends out humans against humans to annihilate one another. Truly at that time He will summon the kings and mighty armies who are behind those gates which Alexander fashioned. Many rulers and peoples remain behind the gates. They look toward heaven and call on the name of God, that the Lord send His sign from within His heaven of glory and the Divine Voice summon them who are by those gates; so that they suddenly break down and collapse at the command of the Divinity. Numerous armies issue forth, as many as the stars which cannot be counted. As multitudinous as the sand by the sea, and exceeding the number of the stars in the sky. A full span was consumed from the lower crossbar; and from the upper crossbar another full span was consumed on account of the great quantity of their sharp spears with which they lacerated it. They issued forth, moving, spilling forth from there; kings and large armies and every people and language group emerging from behind those gates. Gog and Magog and Nūl and Agag, kings and mighty armies! Togarmah and Ashkenaz and Daypar, Pūìayē with Lūbayē. Amzartayē and Garmēdō‘, ¬alab with helmet-covered heads, Azmurtayē and Kūshayē, Hunayē and Parzayē, Diqlayē and Tūbalayē, Mūshkayē with Kūshayē. Allied to and coming with them were both the Medes and the Persians, Armenians and Turks And NamrūÐayē and MūshÐayē; The descendants of Ke’wan and Serug; The progeny of Yaqìan and the MaÐūnayē; Numerous armies and nations whose number cannot be calculated. They will burst forth and flood the earth, shaking the walls of the created order. A dust cloud will rise up over the earth, obscuring the sun above and covering creation with clouds and dark fogs, in accordance with what Ezekiel prophesied, the son of Buzi in his prophecy. For when the Huns come forth to wage war and to do battle, they will take hold of pregnant women and heap fire on top of them; they will come closer and mutter incantations over them, while roasting their children inside them! Splitting them open, they extract their fetuses when they are finished cooking inside of them. They draw near: then place them in basins, and pour water over them and dissolve their corpses there in those enchanted waters. They immediately take their swords and their bows with their spears and dip them in those waters for their arrows and their weapons. Every weapon to which are applied those magical potions appears as if there are hundreds, even thousands of cavalrymen who wield them. Moreover those hundreds of horsemen who set out and traverse the whole of the earth appear as if they are accompanied by six million. If one of them should fall off during battle while engaging in the fight, wherever he extends his hand suddenly a knife emerges! They eat the flesh of children and also drink the blood of women. Clothed in tanned skins, they mount the winds and tempests; and rapidly, in the blink of an eye, they lay waste to cities, topple their walls to the ground, and destroy the strong citadels. Moving quickly, they bind the swift and slaughter the vigorous men. They are quicker in motion than winds and tempests. Whenever news of them is heard on earth to wit ‘The Huns have set out and are coming!’ They blanket the whole of creation. Because they are sorcerers, they fly between heaven and earth. Their chariots are like the winds, and their swords and their lances are like terrifying bolts of lightning. Holding straps in their hands and two or three horses, each one of them leads with him some fifty or sixty men, traveling behind and in front of him like winds and tempests. The sound of the battle-cry of just one of them is like the roaring of lions. Indeed dread of the Huns will overpower the entire earth; they will cover the whole land like the waters during the days of Noah, and they will overwhelm the edges of the created order: there is no one who can withstand them. These are the ‘numerous peoples’ about whom Ezekiel spoke who will cover the whole land as if they were clouds. ‘Fish will shudder before them, as will the birds of the sky and wild beasts and vermin of the earth and every species in creation; high mountains will be thrust down and fortified towers will collapse, even the walls of the cities.’ On the earth will be a wasteland. For Ezekiel has prophesied that it will come to pass in the End of Days: They will burst out and come up from the land and cover the created order; Gog and Magog will prepare itself and arrive at the ‘hill country of Israel.’ Between the sea and Jerusalem He will place his encampment. Riders will fly off, descending upon Egypt and opposite India; leading away so many captives they cannot be numbered. People and riches, cattle and property which have now become his prey. Then Righteousness will summon Michael, the one who is leader of the host, to come down and destroy his encampment just as he destroyed the encampment of Sennacherib. The angel, receiving the command, will draw the terrible and powerful sword, and departing, he will destroy his force in the twinkling of an eye! Righteousness will pick up and hurl stones of fire upon the encampment. The slain on the ground will be as numerous as the sand which cannot be counted; People and pack-animals will perish, the entire encampment will be consumed. The blaze will extend unto the sea and to the islands. The bow will swerve from the hands of Gog, the wicked ruler; also his arrows will drop from his left hand: his entire encampment will be consumed. The inhabitants of Judaea will go out and loot his whole encampment. They will collect and pick up armament: lances, arrows, and bows. For seven years within a fire they will burn them, as it is written: ‘They will not need to gather wood from the field or thickets.’ Seven years they will throw in the fire shields and clubs, arrows, spears, and bows. They will prove sufficient for fueling the fire for seven years. Then the Lord will bring in His peace, which attests His glorification among the heavens. And once more the empire of the Romans will spring up and flourish in its place. It will possess the earth and its extremities, And no one will exist who opposes it. And when iniquity has become rife on earth and has polluted the whole of creation, then a judgment will arise which will entirely obliterate the people. The Son of Destruction, the Evil One, will emerge and come upon the earth. A deceiver of humanity, an instigator of trouble over the whole earth. On the day when he comes to it, when the Son of Destruction arrives on earth, the created order will be thrown into commotion, and terror will engulf the earth. The sun will become dark in its place, and the stars will fall from the height; all the luminaries will be quenched, darkness will cover the created order. The earth with its inhabitants will shake, and mountains and heights will quake; springs and fountains will dry up, and the waves in the sea will abate and the fish therein grow still. Rulers will stop rendering judgment and priests will tremble in the sanctuary and military power will collapse. Confusion will be on the earth and all human powers will be paralyzed, for the Evil One will be ready. He will come to and enter Jerusalem. He will rebuild and establish himself in Zion, and will make himself to be God and enter into the sanctuary to take a seat in accordance with what the Apostle wrote to us. The Jews will take pride in him; they will prepare themselves and come to him. And he moreover will blaspheme when he says: ‘I, even I, am the Father and the Son! the First and the Last! There is no other god apart from me!’ But at that time ten thousand Jews will denounce him: they will answer him in truth: ‘You are a deceiver for all creatures! For the one whom our ancestors restrained at the top of the wood on Golgotha is actually the redeemer of all creatures, and he was raised up to the One who sent him!’ Then the Evil One will be enraged and he will issue a command regarding those who denounced him that they should immediately die by the sword, and everyone will be too afraid to renounce him. Then he will begin to display wonders through deception in the heavens and on the earth, within the sea and on the dry land. He will summon the rain and it will fall; he will command the seed and it will sprout however he will not actually perform miracles; he will be employing magic. He will command the waves and they will cease, and the winds will be obedient to him. He will suspend fruits on the trees and cause water to gush from the ground. He will address the leprous and they will become clean, speak to the blind, and they will see light, he will call to the deaf and they will hear him, address even the mute and they will speak. He will effect all the wonders which our Lord performed within the created order, except that he will not be able to resurrect the dead, for he will not have authority over the spirits of the dead. Lightening-flashes will be his messengers, and are the sign of his advent; demons are his armies and the commanders of the devils are his pupils; he will dispatch the heads of his legions to distant lands where they will display marvelous powers and healings and mislead the whole of creation. Behold, the Apostle has penned a warning for us in his epistle to the Thessalonians: ‘Let no word or no letter trouble you that is not from us. For the rebellion comes first, also the Man of Sin and he will exalt himself over God, making himself to be God.’ And when the Accursed One comes and displays his mighty works and wonders, the nations will gather together and come as if they were going to see God. Groups and nations will join him, and every person will renounce their deity; everyone will say of him to their fellow that they should acknowledge him, the Son of Destruction! Peoples will fall upon one another, slaying each other with swords. The elect will flee from his presence to the peaks of mountains and hills, And there will be calamity on earth unlike any that came before. Fear will fall upon all people and they will be overcome with terror. Children will renounce their father and follow after the Evil One; Priests will abandon their altars to serve as his heralds. People will flee to cemeteries and hide themselves among the dead, pronouncing the good fortune of the deceased who had avoided the calamity: ‘Blessed are you for you were borne away to the grave and hence you escaped from the afflictions! But as for us, woe is us! For when we die, vultures will serve as escort for us!’ And if the days of that time were not shortened, the elect would never survive the calamities and afflictions. For Our Lord revealed and disclosed to us in his Gospel when He said: ‘Those days will be shortened for the sake of the elect and the saints.’ And when he has harassed the whole of creation, when the Son of Destruction has bent it to his will, Enoch and Elijah will be sent that they might persuade the Evil One. With a gentle question the saints will come before him, in order to expose the Son of Destruction before the assemblies surrounding him: ‘If you are indeed God, tell us what we ask of you: where is the place that you have hidden the elders Elijah and Enoch?’ The Evil One will respond and say to the saints at that time: ‘When I wish it, they are in the heights, or again should I choose, they are within the sea; for I have authority over habitations, since there is no other god apart from me and I can make anything on earth and also in heaven!’ They will answer the Son of Destruction as follows: ‘If you are truly God, call out to the deceased so that they will rise! For it is written within the books of the prophets and the apostles that when the Messiah reveals Himself, He will resurrect the dead from the graves. If you cannot show us this sign, then the One who was crucified is greater than you! For he roused and resurrected those who were dead, and was exalted in great splendor.’ Then the Evil One will become enraged with the saints at that time; he will draw his terrible sword and sever the necks of the righteous ones. But Gabriel will arise and descend with Michael as military commanders; they will resurrect those saints while the Evil One stands confused with his servants. They will approach and seize that Accursed One and the Lord will rebuke him from heaven; then He will destroy the Accursed One and all of his forces. Angels will suddenly approach and cast him into Gehenna, and all of those who believed in him will be thrust into the flames. Then the Lord will come from above in splendor and with a company of His angels, and between earth and heaven a throne-chariot will be fixed there. He will admonish the sea and it will dry up; the fish within it will perish. He will dissolve the heavens and the earth, and there will be only darkness and gloom. He will dispatch fire upon the earth, and it will burn there for forty days purifying it of iniquity and of pollution and of sins. A great throne will be adorned and the Son will be seated on the right; seats will be positioned for the twelve apostles of the Son; and couches will be decorated for the martyrs and a royal chamber for the righteous ones. The Watchers will blow trumpets and the dead will arise from the dust; fiery entities will suddenly go forth and assemble all the descendants of Adam. They will gather the wheat in a storehouse and throw the straw into the fire; the good will go forth into the Kingdom, and the bad will remain in Gehenna; the righteous will fly up to the height, and the sinners will burn in fire. The martyrs will float to the couch; the wicked will go out into darkness. And Christ will reign forever, He will be sovereign over each generation. To Him be the glory, and His mercy is over us for all time, amen, amen!