II Corinthians 6:14–7:1, or the Fragment from the Lost Epistle of Paul Referred to in I Corinthians 5:9–11
Paul wrote at least one letter to the Corinthians before I Corinthians. Not only is this letter not included in the Bible, it has been lost altogether. Some have suggested that II Corinthians 6:14-7:1 is a fragment of the missing letter. It appears to be an insertion that interrupts the flow of the text.
1 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
2 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
3 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
4 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
5 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
6 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
The Epistle of the Apostles to Antioch
This small fragment is found in Acts 15:23-29. This version is based on the Western Text which does not include the words: ". . . and from things strangled".
1 The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:
2 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
3 It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
4 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.
6 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
7 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
The Oracle of the Potter to King Amenophis Translated As Accurately As Possible, Concerning What Will Happen in Egypt
The Oracle of the Potter is a Hellenistic Egyptian prophetic text, originally written in Demotic Egyptian in the 3rd century BC. However, there are only five remaining Greek manuscript copies of the document on papyrus (parts of two manuscripts were rewritten, likely in the 2nd century BC following the failed rebellion of Harsiesis in 132-130 BC) dated to the 2nd or 3rd centuries AD during the Roman rule of Egypt. A potter is the prophet and protagonist of the story, an allusion to Khnum, the "Lord of the potter's wheel" who fashioned the world in Egyptian mythology. The text was composed as anti-Ptolemaic propaganda: the potter tells the king Amenophis/Amenhotep, who writes everything down and reveals it to all men, of the future chaos and destruction that will follow the unfair, foreign rule of the Typhon/Set-worshiping "belt-wearers" (Greeks) whose city (Alexandria) will be deserted when they kill each other in the troubled times. Hephaestus/Ptah will return to Memphis along with Agathos Daimon/Shai (the patron god of Alexandria) who will abandon the belt-wearers' city. The story is comparable in style, tone, and subject matter to prophetic texts of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt, such as the Prophecy of Neferti.
1 [. . .] and lawless. The river will flow without enough water, with insufficient, so that the land [. . .] will be inflamed, but against nature. For in the time of the Typhonians they will say: "Wretched Egypt, you are wronged by terrible iniquities wrought against you."
2 The sun will be darkened, not wishing to look upon the evil things in Egypt. The land will not welcome the sowing of the seed. These [. . .] will be blasted by the wind. And the farmer did not sow on account of this, but tribute will be required of him. They are fighting in Egypt because of the lack of nourishment. What they till, another reaps and takes away.
3 In this generation there will be war and murder which will destroy brothers, and husbands and wives. For these things will come to pass when the great god Hephaistos wishes to return to the city, and the Girdle-wearers, being Typhonians, will destroy themselves [. . .] evil will be wrought. He will go on foot to the sea in wrath, and will trample on many of them because of their impiety. And out of Syria will come he who will be hateful to all men, and [. . .] being [. . .] he will come from Ethiopia [. . .] and from the realms of the impious into Egypt and he will be established in the city which will later be laid waste.
4 And for two years our [. . .] well [. . .]. The month of Amon and he said well. Their children will be defeated. And the land will be unsettled and not a few of those dwelling in Egypt will abandon their own land and go to a foreign place. Friends will murder friends. There will be weeping and their ills will be worse than those of the others. And men will perish at each others hands. Two of their number will pass on to the same place because of the one help. Much death will fall upon pregnant women.
5 The Girdle-wearers being Typhonians are destroying [. . .]. And then Agathos Daimon will abandon the city being established and will enter Memphis, and the foreign city which will be built will be emptied. And these things will take place at the conclusion of the evils when the falling of the leaves occurs in the Egypt of the foreigners. The city of the Girdle-wearers will be laid waste as in my furnace, because of the unlawful deeds which they executed in Egypt.
6 The statues transferred there will return to Egypt. The city by the sea will become a drying place for fishermen because Agathos Daimon and Knephis will have gone to Memphis, so that some who pass through will say: "This city, in which every race of men dwelt, was all-nourishing." And then Egypt will increase, when for fifty-five years he who is well disposed, the king, the dispenser of good, born of the Sun, established by the great goddess Isis, is at hand, so that those surviving will pray for the resurrection of those who died before, in order that they might share in the good things. At the end of these things trees will bear leaves and the forsaken Nile will be filled with water, and the winter having been stripped of its natural dress, will run its own cycle. And then the summer will take its own course, and the winds shall be well-ordered and gently diminished.
7 For in the time of the Typhonians the sun was darkened, having shone forth on evil customs and having exhibited the poverty of the Girdle-wearers. And Egypt [. . .].
8 Having spoken clearly up to this point, He fell silent. King Amenophis, who was grieved by the many disasters he had recounted, buried the potter in Heliopolis and placed the book in the sacred archives there and unselfishly revealed it to all men.
1 [. . .] and lawless. The river will flow without enough water, with insufficient, so that the land [. . .] will be inflamed, but against nature. For in the time of the Typhonians they will say: "Wretched Egypt, you are wronged by terrible iniquities wrought against you."
2 The sun will be darkened, not wishing to look upon the evil things in Egypt. The land will not welcome the sowing of the seed. These [. . .] will be blasted by the wind. And the farmer did not sow on account of this, but tribute will be required of him. They are fighting in Egypt because of the lack of nourishment. What they till, another reaps and takes away.
3 In this generation there will be war and murder which will destroy brothers, and husbands and wives. For these things will come to pass when the great god Hephaistos wishes to return to the city, and the Girdle-wearers, being Typhonians, will destroy themselves [. . .] evil will be wrought. He will go on foot to the sea in wrath, and will trample on many of them because of their impiety. And out of Syria will come he who will be hateful to all men, and [. . .] being [. . .] he will come from Ethiopia [. . .] and from the realms of the impious into Egypt and he will be established in the city which will later be laid waste.
4 And for two years our [. . .] well [. . .]. The month of Amon and he said well. Their children will be defeated. And the land will be unsettled and not a few of those dwelling in Egypt will abandon their own land and go to a foreign place. Friends will murder friends. There will be weeping and their ills will be worse than those of the others. And men will perish at each others hands. Two of their number will pass on to the same place because of the one help. Much death will fall upon pregnant women.
5 The Girdle-wearers being Typhonians are destroying [. . .]. And then Agathos Daimon will abandon the city being established and will enter Memphis, and the foreign city which will be built will be emptied. And these things will take place at the conclusion of the evils when the falling of the leaves occurs in the Egypt of the foreigners. The city of the Girdle-wearers will be laid waste as in my furnace, because of the unlawful deeds which they executed in Egypt.
6 The statues transferred there will return to Egypt. The city by the sea will become a drying place for fishermen because Agathos Daimon and Knephis will have gone to Memphis, so that some who pass through will say: "This city, in which every race of men dwelt, was all-nourishing." And then Egypt will increase, when for fifty-five years he who is well disposed, the king, the dispenser of good, born of the Sun, established by the great goddess Isis, is at hand, so that those surviving will pray for the resurrection of those who died before, in order that they might share in the good things. At the end of these things trees will bear leaves and the forsaken Nile will be filled with water, and the winter having been stripped of its natural dress, will run its own cycle. And then the summer will take its own course, and the winds shall be well-ordered and gently diminished.
7 For in the time of the Typhonians the sun was darkened, having shone forth on evil customs and having exhibited the poverty of the Girdle-wearers. And Egypt [. . .].
8 Having spoken clearly up to this point, He fell silent. King Amenophis, who was grieved by the many disasters he had recounted, buried the potter in Heliopolis and placed the book in the sacred archives there and unselfishly revealed it to all men.
The Children in the Oven
This text is only found in the Arabic Infancy Gospel (chapter 40), the Syriac History of the Virgin and also in the French and English medieval versions (in which the children are changed into pigs).
Arabic Version On another day the Lord Jesus went out into the road, and saw the boys that had come together to play, and followed them; but the boys hid themselves from Him. The Lord Jesus, therefore, having come to the door of a certain house, and seen some women standing there, asked them where the boys had gone; and when they answered that there was no one there, He said again, "Who are these whom you see in the furnace?" They replied that they were kids of three years old. And the Lord Jesus cried out, and said, "Come out hither, O kids, to your Shepherd." Then the boys, in the form of kids, came out, and began to dance round Him; and the women, seeing this, were very much astonished, and were seized with trembling, and speedily, supplicated and adored the Lord Jesus, saying, "O our Lord Jesus, son of Mary, Thou art of a truth that good Shepherd of Israel; have mercy on Thy handmaidens who stand before Thee, and who have never doubted: for Thou hast come, O our Lord, to heal, and not to destroy." And when the Lord Jesus answered that the sons of Israel were like the Ethiopians among the nations, the women said, "Thou, O Lord, knowest all things, nor is anything hid from Thee; now, indeed, we beseech Thee, and ask Thee of Thy affection to restore these boys Thy servants to their former condition." The Lord Jesus therefore said, "Come, boys, let us go and play." And immediately, while these women were standing by, the kids were changed into boys.
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Syriac Version And it came to pass that Jesus went out one day and saw a company of children playing together, and He went after them, but they fled before Him, and went into a furnace. And Jesus came after them, and stood by the door of a house, and said unto the women who were sitting there, Where are the children who came in here before Me?" And the women said unto Jesus, "No children came here." Then Jesus said unto them, "Then what are the beings that are inside the house?" And the women said unto Him, "They are goats." And Jesus said unto them, "Let the goats which are in the furnace go out to their shepherds;" and there came forth from the furnace goats which leaped round about Jesus, and skipped joyfully. And when the women had seen what had taken place, they wondered, and great fear laid hold upon them. Then the women rose up and did homage unto Jesus, and they made supplication unto Him, saying, "O Jesus, Thou Son of Mary, Thou good Shepherd of Israel, have compassion upon Thine handmaidens; for Thou didst come to heal and not to destroy." And Jesus answered and said unto them, "Verily the children of Israel are like unto the black folk among the nations, for the black ones seize the outer side of the flock and harass their Shepherd; even thus are the people of Israel." Then the women said unto Him, "Thy disciples could never hide themselves away from Thee, and they could never harass thee; for they perform Thy will, and they fulfil Thy commandments." And Jesus gave the word of command and said unto the goats, "Come, O ye children, My playfellows, and let us play together." And straightway, whilst these women were looking on, they were changed from the similitude of goats and became children again. And they went after Jesus and from that day the children were not able to flee from Jesus; and their parents admonished them, saying, "See that ye do everything that Jesus, the Son of Mary, commandeth you to do."
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The Oxyrhynchus Papyri of the Greek fragment of IV Ezra 15:57-59
Greek Fragment 57 Your children shall die of hunger, and you shall fall by the sword; your cities shall be wiped out, and all your people who are in the open country shall fall by the sword.
58 Those who are in the mountains and highlands shall perish of hunger, and they shall eat of their own flesh in hunger for bread and drink their own blood in thirst for water. 59 Unhappy above all others, you shall come and suffer fresh miseries. |
King James Version 57 Thy children shall die of hunger, and thou shalt fall through the sword: thy cities shall be broken down, and all thine shall perish with the sword in the field.
58 They that be in the mountains shall die of hunger, and eat their own flesh, and drink their own blood, for very hunger of bread, and thirst of water. 59 Thou as unhappy shalt come through the sea, and receive plagues again. |
The Birth, or Descent, of Mary
Reconstructed from Epiphanius, Heresy xxvi. 12
Zacharias saw a vision and in his fear, as he was about to tell the vision, his mouth was stopped. For he saw at the hour of incense, as he was burning incense, a man standing there who had the form of an ass. And when he went out and would have said: "Woe unto you! whom do ye worship?" he that was seen of him within the Temple shut his mouth, that he might not be able to speak. And when his mouth was opened, so that he could speak, then he revealed it to them and they slew him. And thus died Zacharias. For on this account the priest was commanded by the lawgiver himself to wear bells, that when he enters in to do his priestly office, he whom they worship may hear the sound of the bells and hide himself, that the likeness of his shape may not be detected.
The Gospel of the Seventy
Alfric (Les Ecritures Manichennes II, Paris, 177-180) believes that we possess a fragment of the Gospel of the Seventy in a Uyghur text, perhaps translated from Syriac, which was discovered at Bulayiq, in the north of Turfan, Iraq. The text is in Coq (“Ein Christliches und ein Manichaisches Manuskript-fragment” in Sitzungsber-ichte der Berliner Akademie der Wissenschaften, Phil.-hist. Klasse, 1909, 1205-1208):
[. . .] my son, thy way is [. . .] Hear now the command of God. Go not upon this way. For if thou dost go without hearing, thou shalt fall into the great ditch. If thou ask Why?, the Adversary lies in wait for thee, he thinks to destroy thee utterly. 18th saying: This is good: thus says Zavtai the Apostle: Thou art, O Son of man, like the cow which lowed from afar after her calf, which had gone astray. When that calf [. . .] heard the voice of its mother, it came running quickly [. . .] to meet its mother, it became free from suffering. So also thy which [. . .] afar will quickly with great joy. 19th saying: This is bad: thus says Luke the Apostle: Son of man, wash thy hands clean; before the evil have no fear; think pure thoughts; what thou dost possess of love for God, carry fully into effect [. . .].
The Manichean Gospel of the Twelve Apostles
Alfric (op. cit., 175) ascribes to it two extracts quoted by Al-Biruni (d.1048):
1 The apostles asked Jesus about the life of inanimate nature, whereupon he said: "If that which is inanimate is separated from the living element which is commingled with it, and appears alone by itself, it is again inanimate and is not capable of living, whilst the living element which has left it, retaining its vital energy unimpaired, never dies."
2 Since the apostles knew that the souls are immortal, and that in their migrations they array themselves in every form, that they are shaped in every animal, and are cast in the mold of every figure, they asked Messiah what would be the end of those souls which did not receive the truth nor learn the origin of their existence. Whereupon he said: "Any weak soul which has not received all that belongs to her of the truth perishes without any rest or bliss."
The Arabic Story of Peter and Paul [the Satan Fragment]
The Arabic Story of Peter and Paul does not seem to attach itself to any other legend of these Apostles. Nor is there to be historically listed a Roman emperor named Baramus [although the Praetorian Prefect Afranius Burrus, who with Seneca had charge of the education of Nero (emperor, 54-68AD) is no doubt the person indicated]. If the number of bishops said in folio 24a to have been ordained by the apostles in Rome were intended to rule the church in that city the statement would be in the highest degree remarkable, as showing the antiquity of the legend. But we suspect that the statement refers to the Catholic church of the world. It concludes with the following Interview Between Satan, Peter and Paul:
INTERVIEW BETWEEN SATAN, PETER AND PAUL
1 And Satan, when he saw that he was vanquished and conquered by the Apostles, summoned his potentates and said unto them: ‘What shall I do with the disciples of the Son of Mary, for they have vanquished us, and have frustrated us, and have spoiled all our devices?’ Then Satan changed his form and became like a naked Hindu man; and he sought after the Apostles for a distance of three miles; and he kept crying out in a feeble voice along their track, saying: ‘O Peter and Paul, disciples of the Lord Jesus the merciful Christ, take pity on me, and be good to me, lest I die for your sakes.’
2 And Paul turned, and beheld him naked, and he was far away on their track. And he said unto Peter: ‘Take pity, O my brother! Verily we will see why this man runs seeking us.’ And they waited for him; and he stood before them. And he was naked and inflamed like fire. And he was unable to speak from the eagerness of his diligence. And Paul said unto him: ‘Why dost thou run in our track? Dost thou not think that we will prove ourselves more right than Baramus in any way? By the living name of the Lord Jesus the Christ! We possess nothing in this world save the clothes we have on, wherewith we cover our bodies, nothing else. And if thou desirest it, we will give thee something of what we have on. And I shall do it.’
3 And the Enemy replied to the Apostles and said: ‘I entreat you, O my lords! By the mighty power which hath brought us low, have compassion me. I will go away from you; for a burning fire serveth you.’ And Peter said: ‘Swear unto us, that in the place whither thou goest, thou wilt not pursue us, nor disturb us, nor spoil what we are doing.’ And the Enemy swore and said: ‘Nay, and by the fire of Hell, prepared for me and for all my friends, the place where thou and thy friends shall be my foot shall never tread it.’ And the Apostles let him go.
4 And when he was a little way off from them, he changed his shape, and became a black bull; and hastened to butt Paul. And Paul was terrified at him; and began to embrace Peter. And he said: ‘O my father! Save me from this devil frightful in shape.’ And Peter said: ‘Be not dismayed, O my brother! By the power of our Lord Jesus the Christ, do thou pull a horn, and I a horn, and we will drag him down.’ And they each of them began to pull a different way. And then the cursed one cried out and said to the Apostles, ‘By the truth of Jesus the Savior, let me go. I will go quite away from you; for your power is great with your God.’
5 Peter said unto Satan: ‘May the Christ put thee to shame, and all thy potentates.’ And the cursed one said unto Peter: ‘Thou didst deny the Christ three times in one night, and say that thou knewest Him not. But as for me, what shall I do? For if I have fought with one of you about anything, and have overcome him, he goes and weeps in the presence of the Christ; and sobs and is forgiven.’
6 And Paul said unto the Enemy: ‘Blessed be the Christ, Who hath put thee to shame and hath confounded thy face; and hath put thee trampled beneath our feet; and in His name we have vanquished thee.’ Satan said unto Paul: ‘Be afraid, O bald pate, and meanest of all men! Thou thinkest that thou hast overcome me by thy strength; if the mercy of God had not saved thee from me, I would have destroyed thee by means of the sin whereto thou wast harnessed for the rest of thy life.’ Then Paul wept and sobbed before the Lord, till he said unto him, ‘By the mercy of the Lord thou wast saved from me, from the yoke of the sin wherein thou wast harnessed.’
7 Then they let Satan go. And Peter said unto him: ‘Thou dost swear and dost lie, that thou wilt not oppose us.’ The Enemy replied, laughing: ‘Give praise and glory to the Lord, Who giveth this power unto His servants who believe in His name; and who do His pleasure.’
8 And to our Lord be glory and majesty, and worship and honor henceforth, and always, and for evermore. Amen.
The Greek Acts of Peter and Andrew
The Greek Acts of Peter and Andrew was apparently designed as a short sequel to the Acts of Andrew and Matthias—to which it answers admirably. It is extant in Greek (imperfectly); in Old Slavonic (completely); and in Ethiopic (in a still shorter form, where it is called, however, the Acts of Saint Jude, and where Thaddaeus takes the place of Andrew). In Ethiopic it forms part of the Egyptian Cycle (or legends undertaken in Coptic, Arabic and Ethiopic, the three Oriental languages whose Christian production was originally in large part the result of the missionary efforts of the Patriarchate of Alexandria).
JAMES' VERSION
1 When Andrew left the city of the man-eaters, a cloud of light took him up and carried him to the mountain where Peter and Matthias and Alexander and Rufus were sitting. And Peter said: Have you prospered? Yes, he said, but they did me much hurt. Come then, said Peter, and rest awhile from your labors. 2 And Jesus appeared in the form of a little child and greeted them, and told them to go to the city of the barbarians, and promised to be with them, and left them. 3 So the four set out. And when they were near the city Andrew asked Peter: Do many troubles await us here? ‘I do not know, but here is an old man sowing. Let us ask him for bread; if he gives it to us, we shall know that we are not to be troubled, but if he says, I have none, troubles await us.’ They greeted him and asked accordingly. He said: If you will look after my plough and oxen I will fetch you bread. ‘Are they your oxen?’ ‘No, I have hired them.’ And he went off. 4 Peter took off his cloak and garment, and said: It is no time for us to be idle, especially as the old man is working for us; and he took the plough and began to sow. Andrew protested and took it from him and sowed, and blessed the seed as he sowed. And Rufus and Alexander and Matthias, going on the right, said: Let the sweet dew and the fair wind come and rest on this field. And the seed sprang up and the corn ripened. 5 When the farmer returned with the bread and saw the ripe corn he worshipped them as gods. But they told him who they were, and Peter gave him the Commandments. He said: I will leave all and follow you. ‘Not so, but go to the city, return your oxen to the owner, and tell your wife and children and prepare us a lodging.’ 6 He took a sheaf, hung it on his staff, and went off. The people asked where he got the corn, for it was the time of sowing, but he hastened home. 7 The chief men of the city heard of it and sent for him and made him tell his story. 8 And the devil entered them and they said: Alas! These are of the twelve Galilaeans who go about separating men from their wives. What are we to do? 9 One of them said: I can keep them out of the city. ‘How?’ ‘They hate all women, and specially unchaste ones: let us put a naked wanton in the gate, and they will see her and flee.’ So they did. 10 The apostles perceived the snare by the Spirit, and Andrew said: Bid me, and I will chastise her. Peter said: Do as you will. Andrew prayed, and Michael was sent to catch her up by the hair and suspend her till they had passed. 11 And she cried out, cursing the men of the city and praying for pardon. 12 And many believed at her word and worshipped the apostles, and they did many cures, and all praised God. 13 There was a rich man named Onesiphorus who said: If I believe, shall I be able to do wonders? Andrew said: Yes, if you forsake your wife and all your possessions. He was angry and put his garment about Andrew’s neck and began to beat him, saying: You are a wizard, why should I do so? 14 Peter saw it and told him to leave off. He said: I see you are wiser than he. What do you say? Peter said: I tell you this: it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Onesiphorus was yet more angry, and took his garment off Andrew’s neck and cast it on Peter’s and hauled him along, saying: You are worse than the other. If you show me this sign, I and the whole city will believe, but if not you shall be punished. 15 Peter was troubled and stood and prayed: Lord, help us at this hour, for thou hast entrapped us by thy words. 16 The Savior appeared in the form of a boy of twelve years, wearing a linen garment ‘smooth within and without’, and said: Fear not: let the needle and the camel be brought. There was a huckster in the town who had been converted by Philip; and he heard of it, and looked for a needle with a large eye, but Peter said: nothing is impossible with God; rather bring a needle with a small eye. 17 When it was brought, Peter saw a camel coming and stuck the needle in the ground and cried: In the name of Jesus Christ crucified under Pontius Pilate I command thee, camel, to go through the eye of the needle. The eye opened like a gate and the camel passed through; and yet again, at Peter’s bidding. 18 Onesiphorus said: You are a great sorcerer: but I shall not believe unless I may send for a needle and a camel. And he said secretly to a servant: Bring a camel and a needle, and find a defiled woman and some swine’s flesh and bring them too. And Peter heard it in the Spirit and said: O slow to believe, bring your camel and woman and needle and flesh. 19 When they were brought, Peter stuck the needle in the ground, with the flesh; the woman was on the camel. He commanded it as before, and the camel went through, and back again. 20 Onesiphorus cried out, convinced, and said: Listen. I have lands and vineyards, and 27 liters of gold and 50 of silver, and many slaves: I will give my goods to the poor and free my slaves if I may do a wonder like you. Peter said: If you believe, you shall. 21 Yet he was afraid he might not be able, because he was not so baptized; but a voice came: let him do what he will. So Onesiphorus stood before the needle and camel and commanded it to go through, and it went as far as the neck and stopped. And he asked why. ‘Because you are not yet baptized.’ He was content, and the apostles went to his house, and 1,000 souls were baptized that night. 22 Next day the woman that was hung in the air said: Alas that I am not worthy to believe like the rest! I will give all my goods to the poor and my house for a monastery of virgins. Peter heard it and went out to her, and at his word she was let down unhurt, and gave him for the poor 4 liters of gold and much raiment and her house for a monastery of virgins. 23 And the apostles consecrated a church and ordained clergy and committed the people to God. |
THE BODLEIAN MS 1 It came to pass when Andrew the apostle of Christ went forth from the city of the man-eaters, behold a luminous cloud snatched him up, and carried him away to the mountain where Peter and Matthew and Alexander were sitting. And when he saw them, they saluted him with great joy. Then Peter says to him: What has happened to you, brother Andrew? Have you sown the word of truth in the country of the man-eaters or not? Andrew says to him: Yes, father Peter, through your prayers; but the men of that city have done me many mischiefs, for they dragged me through their street three days, so that my blood stained the whole street. Peter says to him: Be a man in the Lord, brother Andrew, and come hither, and rest from your labour. For if the good husbandman laboriously till the ground, it will also bear fruit, and straightway all his toil will be turned into joy; but if he toil, and his land bring forth no fruit, he has double toil. 2 And while he was thus speaking, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to them in the form of a child, and said to them: Hail, Peter, bishop of the whole of my Church! Hail, Andrew! My co-heirs, be courageous, and struggle for mankind; for verily I say unto you, you shall endure toils in this world for mankind. But be bold; I will give you rest in one hour of repose in the kingdom of my Father. Arise, then, and go into the city of the barbarians, and preach in it; and I will be with you in the wonders that shall happen in it by your hands. And the Lord Jesus, after saluting them, went up into the heavens in glory. 3 And Peter, and Andrew, and Alexander, and Rufus, and Matthias, went into the city of the barbarians. And after they had come near the city, Andrew answered and said to Peter: Father Peter, have we again to undergo toils in this city, as in the country of the man-eaters? Peter says to him: I do not know. But, behold, there is an old man before us sowing in his field: if we go up to him, let us say to him, Give us bread; and if he give us bread, we may know that we are not to suffer in this city; but if he say to us, We have no bread, on the other hand, we shall know that suffering again awaits us. And when they came up to the old man, Peter says to him: Hail, farmer! And the farmer says to them: Hail you too, merchants! Peter says to him: Have you bread to give to these children, for we have been in want? The old man says to them: Wait a little, and look after the oxen, and the plough, and the land, that I may go into the city, and get you loaves. Peter says to him: If you provide hospitality for us, we shall look after the cattle and the field. The old man says: So be it. Peter says to him: Are the oxen your own? The old man says: No; I have them on hire. Peter says to him: Go into the city. And the old man went into the city. 4 And Peter arose, and girded up his cloak and his under-garment, and says to Andrew: It is not right for us to rest and be idle; above all, when the old man is working for us, having left his own work. Then Peter took hold of the plough, and sowed the wheat. And Andrew was behind the oxen, and says to Peter: Father Peter, why do you bring toil upon us, especially when we have work enough already! Then Andrew took the plough out of Peter's hand, and sowed the wheat, saying: O seed cast into the ground in the field of the righteous, come up, and come to the light. 5 Let the young men of the city therefore come forth, whom I found in the pit of destruction until today; for, behold, the apostles of Christ are coming into the city, pardoning the sins of those who believe in them, and healing every disease, and every sickness. Pray ye for me, that He may have mercy upon me, and that I may be delivered from this strait. 6 And many of the multitude believed in Christ, because of the saying of the woman; and they fell at the feet of the apostles, and adored them. And they laid their hands upon them. And they healed those in the city that were sick, and gave sight to the blind and, hearing to the deaf, and drove out the demons. All the multitude glorified the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 7 And there was a certain rich man in the city, by name Onesiphorus. He, having seen the miracles done by the apostles, says to them: If I believe in your God, can I also do a miracle like you? Andrew says to him: If you will forsake all that belongs to you, and your wife and your children, as we also have done, then you also shall do miracles. When Onesiphorus heard this, he was filled with rage, and took his scarf and threw it over Andrew's neck, and struck him, and said to him: You are a sorcerer. How do you force me to abandon my wife, and my children, and my goods? 8 Then Peter, having turned and seen him striking Andrew, says to him: Man, stop now striking Andrew. Onesiphorus says to him: I see that you are more sensible than he. Do thou then tell me to leave my wife, and my children, and my goods. What do you say? Peter says to him: One thing I say unto you: it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to go into the kingdom of heaven. 9 When Onesiphorus heard this, he was even more filled with rage and anger, and took his scarf off the neck of Andrew, and threw it upon the neck of Peter; and so he dragged him along, saying: Verily you are a great sorcerer, more than the other; for a camel cannot go through the eye of a needle. But if you will show me this miracle, I will believe in your God; and not only I, but also the whole city. But if not, you shall be grievously punished in the midst of the city. 10 And when Peter heard this, he was exceedingly grieved, and stood and stretched forth his hands towards heaven, and prayed, saying: O Lord our God, listen to me at this time; for they will ensnare us from Your own words: for no prophet has spoken to set forth this his explanation, and no patriarch that we might learn the interpretation of it; and now we seek for ourselves the explanation with boldness. Do not then, Lord, overlook us: for you are He who is praised by the cherubim. 11 And after he had said this, the Saviour appeared in the form of a child of twelve years old, wearing a linen garment; and He says to them: Be courageous, and tremble not, my chosen disciples; for I am with you always. Let the needle and the camel be brought. And after saying this, He went up into the heavens. And there was a certain merchant in the city who had believed in the Lord through the Apostle Philip; and when he heard of this, he ran and searched for a needle with a big eye, to do a favour to the apostles. When Peter learned this, he said: My son, do not search for a big needle; for nothing is impossible with God: rather bring us a small needle. And after the needle had been brought, and all the multitude of the city were standing by to see, Peter looked up and saw a camel coming. 12 And he ordered her to be brought. Then he fixed the needle in the ground, and cried out with a loud voice, saying: In the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, I order you, O camel, to go through the eye of the needle. Then the eye of the needle was opened like a gate, and the camel went through it, and all the multitude saw it. Again Peter says to the camel: Go again through the needle. And the camel went a second time. 13 When Onesiphorus saw this, he said to Peter; Truly you are a great sorcerer; but I do not believe unless I send and bring a camel and a needle. And he called one of his servants, and said to him privately: Go and bring me here a camel and a needle; find also a polluted woman, and force her to come here: for these men are sorcerers. And Peter having learned the mystery through the Spirit, says to Onesiphorus: Send and bring the camel, and the woman, and the needle. 14 And when they brought them, Peter took the needle, and fixed it in the ground. And the woman was sitting on the camel. Then Peter says: In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ the crucified, I order you, O camel, to go through this needle. And immediately the eye of the needle was opened, and became like a gate, and the camel went through it. Peter again says to the camel: Go through it again, that all may see the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, in order that some may believe in Him. Then the camel again went through the needle. 15 And Onesiphorus seeing it, cried out, and said: Truly great is the God of Peter and Andrew, and I from this time forth believe in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now then, hear my words, O Peter. I have grain lands, vineyards, and fields; I have also twenty-seven pounds of gold, and fifty pounds of silver; and I have very many slaves. I give my possessions to the poor, that I also may do one miracle like you. 16 And Peter was grieved lest the powers should not work in him, seeing that he had not received the seal in Christ. And while he was considering this, behold, a voice out of the heaven saying to him: Do to him what he wishes, because I will accomplish for him what he desires. Peter says to him: My son, come hither; do as we do. And Onesiphorus came up, and stood before the camel and the needle, and said: In the n [. . .] (The manuscript abruptly ends here). |
A Fragment of an Unknown Letter of Ignatius
The following fragment does not appear in any of the Ingatian material thus far considered. It was edited by Mosinger (Suppl. Corp. Ignat., 13ff) from the manuscript Vaticanus Aribacus 101—Mosinger also gives various readings from other Vatican manuscripts. An Ethiopic translation from the Arabic is edited by Dillmann in Cureton’s Corp. Ignat., 257ff: it is somewhat amplified. The English translation below takes into account both the Dillmann and Mosinger variants, but is from an Arabic manuscript discovered in Paris.
[The holy Ignatius, the Martyr, Patriarch of Antioch, being the second therein after Peter the chief of the Apostles, says in his Epistle:]
1 [. . .] God, the Creator of all natures, He it is that possesseth the ordering of nature, being the Trinity on Its throne; and He compriseth the whole; and the fullness thereof was in the womb of the Virgin. But the unity of the Godhead with Manhood is that of which we speak here, that which is in the Son, and does not belong to the other Persons.
2 He is hung upon the Cross, and forgiveth sins; He is in the grave, and raiseth up the dead; He cometh forth from the grave, and leaveth the clothes therein; He went into His disciples while the doors were shut, and gave them the salutation of peace. So the Father in the Son, and the Son in the Father, and the Holy Spirit, this is the Trinity, equal, indivisible, and immutable; three Persons, one Godhead, one Lordship, one essence: one power, one kingdom, one adoration, one glorification, one praise, is due to the Trinity; one glory, one counsel, one dominion, one might, one permanence, one thought, one will, belongeth to the Holy Trinity.
3 The Father is Father, and not Son; and the Son is Son, and not Father; and the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit, and changeth not unto Fatherhood nor Sonship. This Trinity is perfect on the throne of glory, being bound together by the unity of the one Godhead, which is the one light that shineth from the Trinity and filleth all creation and giveth light upon that which is beneath the earth, as it is written: Behold I fill the heavens and the earth, and they that are in the depth of Hell look upon my glory. But as for thee that sayest that the Godhead suffered and died, we believe that the Christ God suffered in body as a man, while he is impassable as God, and that he tasted death in the body, while he is undying as God.
4 Therefore, when thou hearest that God suffered for us, and the God the Word died on our behalf, understand that we join the Natures into a unity of Godhead and Manhood, and name them by this one name which beseemeth God, just as thou thyself art likewise of two natures, soul and body, and named by this one name which beseemeth man. And thy soul is immortal by nature, but thy soul is not Deity, yet is different from the body.
5 And the honor which we desire to give unto our souls, namely that they die not, how dost thou not desire to give it to the one Godhead which is in the Trinity, that which is in the only begotten Son of our Lord, Jesus Christ? Does thou not know that, when thou sayest that the Godhead died, thou slayest the Trinity and the body of the Lord in the grave, and makest it utterly like a dead body? because to the Trinity belongeth one essence, which is the one Divinity.
6 Where then now is He that conquered Death and led Hell captive? since thou makest Him like one that hath no power along with the dead, and no motion. Nay more, thou mayest find others among the Theomachi, who think thus of the body which God framed for Him of the flesh and blood of the Virgin, as He knoweth how as a maker, that it was a body without a soul, and they say that the Godhead was its soul. Dost thou think then that the Godhead went out of it, and the body died altogether?
7 Let them be put to shame now who thus speak this blasphemy, and let them hear the word of the Lord. Verily my soul is sorrowful even unto death. For whom, O Lord? For the people that perisheth [. . .].
[The holy Ignatius, the Martyr, Patriarch of Antioch, being the second therein after Peter the chief of the Apostles, says in his Epistle:]
1 [. . .] God, the Creator of all natures, He it is that possesseth the ordering of nature, being the Trinity on Its throne; and He compriseth the whole; and the fullness thereof was in the womb of the Virgin. But the unity of the Godhead with Manhood is that of which we speak here, that which is in the Son, and does not belong to the other Persons.
2 He is hung upon the Cross, and forgiveth sins; He is in the grave, and raiseth up the dead; He cometh forth from the grave, and leaveth the clothes therein; He went into His disciples while the doors were shut, and gave them the salutation of peace. So the Father in the Son, and the Son in the Father, and the Holy Spirit, this is the Trinity, equal, indivisible, and immutable; three Persons, one Godhead, one Lordship, one essence: one power, one kingdom, one adoration, one glorification, one praise, is due to the Trinity; one glory, one counsel, one dominion, one might, one permanence, one thought, one will, belongeth to the Holy Trinity.
3 The Father is Father, and not Son; and the Son is Son, and not Father; and the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit, and changeth not unto Fatherhood nor Sonship. This Trinity is perfect on the throne of glory, being bound together by the unity of the one Godhead, which is the one light that shineth from the Trinity and filleth all creation and giveth light upon that which is beneath the earth, as it is written: Behold I fill the heavens and the earth, and they that are in the depth of Hell look upon my glory. But as for thee that sayest that the Godhead suffered and died, we believe that the Christ God suffered in body as a man, while he is impassable as God, and that he tasted death in the body, while he is undying as God.
4 Therefore, when thou hearest that God suffered for us, and the God the Word died on our behalf, understand that we join the Natures into a unity of Godhead and Manhood, and name them by this one name which beseemeth God, just as thou thyself art likewise of two natures, soul and body, and named by this one name which beseemeth man. And thy soul is immortal by nature, but thy soul is not Deity, yet is different from the body.
5 And the honor which we desire to give unto our souls, namely that they die not, how dost thou not desire to give it to the one Godhead which is in the Trinity, that which is in the only begotten Son of our Lord, Jesus Christ? Does thou not know that, when thou sayest that the Godhead died, thou slayest the Trinity and the body of the Lord in the grave, and makest it utterly like a dead body? because to the Trinity belongeth one essence, which is the one Divinity.
6 Where then now is He that conquered Death and led Hell captive? since thou makest Him like one that hath no power along with the dead, and no motion. Nay more, thou mayest find others among the Theomachi, who think thus of the body which God framed for Him of the flesh and blood of the Virgin, as He knoweth how as a maker, that it was a body without a soul, and they say that the Godhead was its soul. Dost thou think then that the Godhead went out of it, and the body died altogether?
7 Let them be put to shame now who thus speak this blasphemy, and let them hear the word of the Lord. Verily my soul is sorrowful even unto death. For whom, O Lord? For the people that perisheth [. . .].