Coptic Apocrypha in the Dialect of Upper Egypt

Coptic Apocrypha in the Dialect of Upper Egypt

continued

Appendix: the Life of Pisentius, further texts

1 In the Memphitic version (ed. Amélineau, Paris, 1887) of the Life of Pisentius three incidents are recorded which find no mention in our manuscript. These are: 2 I. And it came to pass on a certain day, according to the Will of God, that he went forth, and came to the well in order to fill his water-pot with water. And he walked back, and as he was about to enter his cell he met two women who were seated by the path and were in sorrow. As soon as they saw him, they rose up, and ran after him to receive his blessing, and to kiss his holy hands. Now one woman had a violent pain in her head, and she was suffering so much down one side of her face that her eye projected from its socket, and seemed about to fall out; the other woman was dropsical and her whole body was swollen. And when the holy man saw that they were gazing intently upon him, he covered his head with his cowl, and casting his pitcher of water on the ground he fled. And the dropsical woman sank down on the path, for she was unable to run after him. And the holy man cried out, saying, 'Why dost thou run after me? O wrath, whither shall I go this day? Get thee gone from me, depart!' The woman said unto him, 'My father, I am ill, I suffer pain through my scourge. I beseech thee to stand still and to lay thy holy hands upon my head;

3 I believe healing would come to me.' And he said unto her, 'And what power can there be in my littleness? Get thee to the brethren, and they shall pray over thee, and thou shalt be healed. For as for me, I am a miserable sinner.' And meanwhile he did not stop running until he had entered his cell and shut the door. And the woman who had the pain in her head said, 'Although I am not worthy to kiss thy holy hands, O my father—now he knoweth that I am unworthy to touch him because of the multitude of my sins which I have committed—I may at least'—she said—'carry away a little of the sand from the place whereon he hath set his holy feet, for it may be that in some way or other the Lord will graciously bestow upon me healing through his holy prayers.' And the woman, by reason of the great faith which she had in him, carefully marked the places whereon the right foot of the holy man Abba Pisentius had fallen, and she took the sand therefrom, and placed it in her cloak, and she lifted it up to her forehead, and said, 'In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, graciously grant healing unto me through the prayers of my holy father Abba Pisentius.' And straightway the pain in her head ceased, and she walked along ascribing glory to God through the prayers of our father Abba Pisentius.

4 And when she had come [back] to the place where the dropsical woman was lying upon the ground, she said unto her, 'Didst thou reach the holy man? Didst thou receive a blessing at his hands? If thy hands have touched his holy hands, lay them upon me; I believe that I shall have relief from the whip of this disease which is upon me.' And the [other] woman said unto her, 'He did not lay his hand upon me. He ran away until he came to his cell, and he went into it and shut the door. And when I saw that I could not overtake him, I took the sand which had been under his right foot, and I lifted it up on my head, and by the grace of God, I had relief from my sickness.' And the dropsical woman through her great faith said, 'Give me also a little of that sand.' And she took it, and swallowed some of it, and it entered into her body, and her belly, which was swollen, subsided, and her whole body was healed. And they carried the [rest of the] sand to their houses, and laid it up therein as a blessing for them.

5 And after these things the woman who had had the pain in the head, who had a little son who was slow to grow, and he could neither walk nor speak, and who had laid up the sand of the holy man in her house—O the miracles of God, Who exalteth His chosen ones, and maketh them manifest—this woman [I say,] took some of the sand, and threw it into water, and washed the child therein, and made him drink some of it. And the parents of this child have testified to me that not a week had passed before his feet were made straight, and he walked well, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake like all other people. 6 11. One day he looked and he saw an elder shoot spittle from his mouth in the sanctuary (otsiksteriou), whilst the Mysteries were being administered to the people. And straightway he caused them to call him to him in the place wherein he took his rest. And the holy man Abba Pisentius said unto the elder, 'My son, what is this audacious act which thou hast committed? Thou hast spit in the holy place. Shew me what thou hast said in thy prayer. Dost thou not know that there are tens of thousands and tens of thousands of Angels, and Archangels, and Cherubim, and Seraphim standing close to thee by the altar, and saying with one voice these beautiful words, "Thou art holy, Thou art holy, Thou art holy, O Lord of Hosts! Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory"? Dost thou not know who these are who are standing here? Believe me, my son, another priest spat, as thou didst, in the sanctuary, and he came away and died.' And it happened that a brother who was a monk came to us to visit us from the Eve of the Sabbath to the dawn of Sunday, and he was an elder. And as we had charge of the altar we ordered that elder to perform the Offering. And he said the prayers until he came to the place where he should invoke the Holy Spirit to descend upon the Bread and the Chalice [without difficulty], but at that place he was seized with coughing, and he spat.

7 And straightway he became dumb, and he was unable to speak at all, and immediately he died. And I gave the order to another elder, whose name was Eliseos, to finish the Offering, and we received the Holy Mysteries. And when we had dismissed the assembly the brethren entreated me to pray for him that his heart might be quieted. And I prayed for him, saying, 'O Lord God Almighty, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Thou knowest, O Lord, that the nature of mankind is perishable, do Thou make the heart of this brother to return to him so that he may inform us as to what hath happened to him, in order that we may take good heed to ourselves for the rest of our days.' And whilst I was making my supplication to the Lord, a voice came unto me, saying, 'Through thy prayers, behold, I open his mouth so that he may tell thee what happened to him. Ask thy questions of him quickly, for behold his sentence (apophasis) hath gone forth from the Lord, and behold, the angels have drawn nigh to carry away his soul.' In truth when I heard these words fear seized me, and great affliction of heart came upon me, and I became like a man in the sea, with the waves casting me from side to side.

8 At length I began to speak to him, and I said, 'My son, thou elder, what is it that thou didst do this day [which caused] this great matter to come upon thee? make known thy sin, for the Lord is compassionate.' And the elder answered—now his body trembled through fear—and said, 'O my lord and father, entreat the Lord for my sake in order that I may find mercy. I swear by the fear which hath come upon me this day that I know of nothing which I have done except that a fit of coughing seized me, like [an ordinary] man, that phlegm (phlenesa) came to me, and that I spat it out. What it fell upon I know not. [Then] a little feather touched my ear, and I turned my face behind me. When thou didst pray for me, it was given to me to speak unto thee.' And I said unto him, 'In truth, my son, there are many men who are men by nature, but who are like the beasts, and do not know what manner of beings they are. Instead of thinking about that which cometh forth from thy mouth, it is for thee to order thy life well, and to remember the word of the prophet which saith, "Man being in honour knoweth it not, and he hath made himself like unto the senseless beasts, and hath imitated them.

9 And as for thee, thou didst stand by the table, thou didst spit, and thy spittle reached the wing of a Cherubim, who overthrew thee with his wing, and I think that thy sentence of doom hath gone forth.' When (aste) he had explained these things to me, I spake unto him the words [given] above. Then straightway he sent for his men, and they set him upon an ass, and they carried him to his house; and on the third day he died. 10 111. And it came to pass on a day whilst my father was still with me in the mountain of Tjêmi that my father said unto me, 'John, my son, rise up, follow me, and I will shew thee the place wherein I repose and pray (epernein) so that thou mayest visit me every Sabbath (sabbatou) and bring me a little food (trophe), and a little water to drink wherewith to support my body.' And my father rose up, and walked before me, and he was meditating on the Holy Scriptures of the Spirit (piei) of God. And when we had walked about three miles, at least so the distance appeared to me, we came to (aperapantai) a path which was in the form of a door which was wide open. And when we had gone inside that place, we found that it had the appearance of being hewn out of the rock, and there were six pilasters (steos) rising up against the rock. It was fifty-two cubits in length, it was four-cornered (tetragonou), and its height was in proportion [to its length and breadth]. There was a large number of bodies which had been mummified in it, and if thou wast merely to walk outside that place thou wouldst be able to smell the 'sweet smell' (i.e. spices), which emanated from these bodies. And we took the coffins, we piled them up one on top of the other—now the place was very spacious—…

11 The swathings wherein the first mummy, which was near the door, was wrapped, were of the silk of kings. And his stature was large, and the fingers of his hands and his toes were bandaged separately. And my father said, 'How many years ago is it since these [people] died? And from what nomes do they come?' And I said unto him, 'It is God [only] Who knoweth.' And my father said unto me, 'Get thee gone, my son. Sit in thy monastery, take heed to thyself, this world is a thing of vanity, and we may be removed from it at any moment. Take care for thy wretched state. Continue thy fastings scrupulously. Pray thy prayers regularly hour by hour, even as I have taught thee, and do not come here except on the Sabbath.' And when he had said these things unto me, I was about to come forth from his presence, when looking carefully on one of the pilasters, I found a small parchment roll. And when my father had unrolled it, he read it, and he found written therein the names of all the people who were buried in that place; he gave it to me and I put it down in its place.

12 And I saluted my father, and I came away from him, and I walked on, and as he shewed me the way he said unto me, 'Be thou diligent in the work of God so that He may shew mercy unto thy wretched soul. Thou seest these mummies; needs must that every one shall become like unto them. Some are now in Amenti,—those whose sins are many, others are in the Outer Darkness, and others are in pits and basins which are filled with fire, and others are in the Amenti which is below, and others are in the river of fire, where up to this present they have found no rest. Similarly others are in a place of rest, according to their good works. When a man goeth forth from this world, what is past is past.' And when he had said these things unto me, he said, 'Pray for me also, my son, until I see thee [again].' So I came to my abode, and I stayed there, and I did according to the command of my holy father, Abba Pisentius.

13 And on the first Sabbath I filled my water-pot with water, and [I took] a little soft wheat, according to the amount which he was likely to eat, according to his command (he gave [me] the order [to bring] two ephahs which he distributed over the forty days), and he took the measure and measured it, saying, 'When thou comest on the Saturday bring me this measure [full] with the water.' So I took the pitcher of water and the little soft wheat, and I went to the place wherein he reposed and prayed. And when I had come in to the abode I heard some one weeping and beseeching my father in great tribulation, saying, 'I beseech thee, O my lord and father, to pray unto the Lord for me so that I may be delivered from these punishments, and that they may never take hold of me again, for I have suffered exceedingly.' And I thought that it was a man who was speaking with my father, for the place was in darkness. And I sat down, and I perceived the voice of my father, with whom a mummy was speaking.

14 And my father said unto the mummy, 'What nome dost thou belong to?' And the mummy said, 'I am from the city of Ermant.' My father said unto him, 'Who is thy father?' He said, 'My father was Agrikolaos and my mother was Eustathia.' My father said unto him, 'Whom did they worship?' And he said, 'They worshipped him who is in the waters, that is to say Poseidôn.' My father said unto him, 'Didst thou not hear before thou didst die that Christ had come into the world?' He said, 'No, my father. My parents were Hellenes (thellekos), and I followed their life. Woe, woe is me that I was born into the world! Why did not the womb of my mother become my grave? And it came to pass that when I came into the straits of death, the first who came round about me were the beings "Kosmokrator", and they declared all the evil things which I had done, and they said unto me, "Let them come now and deliver thee from the punishments wherein they will cast thee. There were iron knives in their hands, and iron daggers with pointed ends as sharp as spear points, and they drove these into my sides, and they gnashed their teeth furiously against me. After a little time my eyes were opened, and I saw death suspended in the air in many forms.

15 And straightway the Angels of cruelty snatched my wretched soul from my body, and they bound it under the form of a black horse, and dragged me to Ement (Amenti). O woe be unto every sinner like myself who is born into the world! O my lord and father, they delivered me over into the hands of a large number of tormentors (aikoristes) who were merciless, each one of whom had a different form. O how many were the wild beasts which I saw on the road! O how many were the Powers which tortured me (egogeia ihtimoristes)! When they had cast me into the outer darkness I saw a great gulf, which was more than a hundred cubits deep, and it was filled with reptiles, and each one of these had seven heads, and all their bodies were covered as it were with scorpions. And there was another mighty serpent in that place, and it was exceedingly large, and it was a terrible sight to behold; and it had in its mouth teeth which were like unto pegs of iron. And one laid hold of me and cast me into the mouth of that Worm, which never stopped devouring; all the wild beasts were gathered together about him at all times, and when he filled his mouth all the wild beasts which were round about him filled their mouths with him.'

16 My father said unto him, 'From the time when thou didst 17 U U die until this day, hath no rest been given unto thee, or hast thou not been permitted to enjoy any respite from thy suffering?' And the mummy said, 'Yes, my father, mercy is shewn unto those who are suffering torments each Sabbath and each Lord's Day. When the Lord's Day cometh to an end, they cast us again into our tortures in order to make us to forget the years which we lived in the world. Afterwards, when we have forgotten the misery of this kind of torture, they cast us into another which is far more severe. When thou didst pray for me, straightway the Lord commanded those who were flogging (eramiktinou) me, and they removed from my mouth the iron gag which they had placed there, and they released me, and I came to thee. Behold, I have told you the conditions under which I subsist. O my lord and father, pray for me, so that they may give me a little rest, and that they may not take me back into that place again.' And my father said unto him, 'The Lord is compassionate, and He will shew mercy unto thee. Go back and lie down until the Day of the General Resurrection, wherein every man shall rise up, and thou thyself shalt rise with them.' God is my witness, O my brethren, I saw the mummy with my own eyes lie down again in its place, as it was before.

18 And having seen these things I marvelled greatly, and I gave glory unto God. And I cried out in front of me, according to rule, 'Bless me,' and then I went in and kissed his hands and his feet. He said unto me, 'John, hadst thou been here a long time? Didst thou not see somebody or hear somebody talking to me?' And I said, 'No, my father.' He said unto me, 'Thou speakest falsehood, just as did Gehazi when he uttered falsehood to the prophet, saying, "Thy servant went no whither. But since thou hast seen or heard, if thou tellest any man during my lifetime thou shalt be cast forth (i.e. excommunicated). And I have observed the order, and I have never dared to repeat it to this very day.'

The Life of Pisentius, from the Ethiopic Synaxarium

1 On the thirteenth day of month Hamlê died the holy man Bebâ Besendyôs, Bishop of the City of Keft. This holy man was a monk from his youth up, and he adopted the ascetic life, and he contended strenuously and fought with great zeal the fight of the monk. And he learned thoroughly and understood many Books [of Scripture], and among their number were the Psalms of David, and the Twelve Minor Prophets. And it came to pass that when he was reciting one of the Prophets, the Prophet whose Book he was reciting would come to him [and stand by his side] until he had finished reciting the Prophecy. And it is related concerning him, that when he was praying and lifted up his hands, his [ten] fingers became filled with light, even like unto ten bright lamps. And God wrought through him great and mighty miracles and wonders. He never at any time looked upon the face of a woman, but always kept his head bowed to the ground.

2 And there was a certain woman who was afflicted with sore disease in her belly. And she lay in wait for him one day near his cell, and she came upon him when he was unprepared, and he ran away, and the woman ran after him. And when she was unable to overtake him, she took a handful of the dust whereon his foot had trodden, and in faith swallowed it; and she was healed of her sickness immediately. And one day he saw three shining men, and they gave unto him keys, saying, 'It is for thee to administer the Church of God.' Then God chose him, and appointed him Bishop of the City of Keft. And it came to pass that [on a certain day] he was consecrating the Holy Offering, and he looked and saw our Lord on the altar, and with Him were His angels. And on a certain day a priest was reciting the words of the consecration of the Holy Offering before him, and when this priest was half-way through the Office, he spat out some spittle from his mouth as he was standing before the altar. And when the priest had finished the Office of Consecration, this Father Besendyôs rebuked him, saying, 'Hast thou no fear of God when thou art standing at this altar? Dost thou not know that the spittle which thou didst spit out of thy mouth fell upon the wing of the Cherub who was standing before the altar?' And great fear and trembling fell upon that priest, and they carried him away to his house, and he fell sick of a fever and died.

3 And this holy man possessed a fine voice, and he read beautifully, and no man was ever offended through his rebuke and admonition. And when the time had drawn nigh wherein he was to die, he had knowledge of this a few days before. And he summoned the congregation of monks, and he taught them, and rebuked them, and confirmed them in the Right Faith, and he gave unto them many commandments, and he committed his soul to the hand of God. And God made manifest many miracles through his body. And his servant carried off a little piece of the cloth wherein he was buried, and with it he used to heal every person who was sick, and who came to him in faith. May his prayer and blessing be with our king John! Salutation of Besendyôs, who saw the Prophets [standing by him] Until he finished reading the Prophecies written [by them];

4 And there was a report about him that he worked miracles. A woman was healed of her sickness, and recovered thoroughly By swallowing the dust from the print of his holy foot.

An Encomium on John the Baptist, ascribed to John Chrysostom

1 (Brit. Mus. MS. Oriental, No. 7024) The Encomium Which OUR HOLY FATHER SAINT APA JOHN, ARCHBISHOP OF CON-STANTINOPLE, WHO WAS GLORIOUS IN EVERY RESPECT, THE HOLY GOLDEN-MOUTH, PRONOUNCED TO THE GLORY AND HONOUR OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST, THE HOLY FORERUNNER AND KINSMAN OF THE CHRIST, THAN WHOM AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN BORN OF WOMEN NO GREATER HATH EVER RISEN UP, WHOM GOD EXALTED IN HONOUR AND GLORY, ABOVE ALL THE SAINTS, WHO EXCELLED THE ANGELS IN PURITY (OR, HOLINESS). [APA JOHN CHRY-SOSTOM] PRONOUNCED THIS ENCOMIUM IN CONNEXION WITH THE PASSAGE WHICH IS WRITTEN IN THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO [SAINT] MATTHEW WHEN HE EXPLAINED TO US THE MEANING OF THE WORDS WHICH ARE WRITTEN THEREIN, 'WHAT WENT YE OUT INTO THE DESERT TO SEE?' IN THE PEACE OF GOD! MAY HIS HOLY BLESSING COME UPON US, AND MAY WE ALL GAIN SALVATION TOGETHER. AMEN. My beloved, I wish to declare [unto you] some few of the exalted words and right judgements of the holy Baptist and glorious forerunner, Saint John, the kinsman of the Christ. But I find myself in serious trouble, because my halting tongue is incapable of declaring his might and his honour in the manner which they deserve. And moreover, our holy fathers, the God-bearing (i.e. inspired) Bishops who have lived before our time, that is to say Athanasius, and Theophilus, and Cyril, and Innocent, have declared many of thine exalted words, O John the Baptist, O thou than whom among those born of women, none hath arisen who is greater.

2 Who is there among our Fathers of olden time who hath not uttered encomiastic words concerning thee, O thou priest, and the son of a priest, thou prophet, and the son of a prophet, thou virgin and martyr, who art the equal of an angel, thou companion of the True Bridegroom, the Christ, O Saint John the Baptist! Verily thy name and the remembrance of thee have become a medicine and remedy which healeth sicknesses of every kind. I speak now concerning that John who fettered the tongue of his father through the act of his conception, and who again made the mouth of his father to be opened through his birth. For when Zacharias was asked, 'What dost thou wish him to be called?' he made a sign with his hand whereby he asked for a writing tablet, and he wrote these three letters which are wonder-worthy, namely IÔTA, and, and ALPHA. And whilst he was writing his mouth opened suddenly, and his tongue was set free, and he spake, and he gained strength, and he cried out with a loud voice, 'John is his name.' For in very truth the name of John is one which is worthy to be marvelled at, for it is the lamp of the whole world. But my tongue halteth exceedingly, and it will fail in recounting the myriads of his mighty deeds; nevertheless I desire to set out on my journey upon the sea of understanding.

3 Now therefore when the birthday of Herod, who is accursed, had come, the daughter of Herodias came into [the presence of Herod], and she danced and pleased him and those who were reclining with him, and he promised to give unto her whatsoever she asked; and the maiden went to her mother to inform her about what had happened. And she said unto the maiden, 'Ask for the head of John the Baptist, and let them give it to thee upon a dish.' Then the maiden returned to the Governor, and said unto him, 'Give me now the head of John the Baptist upon a dish'; and the Governor commanded that it should be given unto her. And he sent a scout to the prison [with an order] to remove the head of John, and he brought it back upon a dish; and [Herod] gave it to the maiden, and she took it and brought it to her mother. And his disciples went and took away his body and buried it, and they carried the report [of this matter] to Jesus.

4 Now when Jesus had heard [it] He departed to a desert place, and went into it by Himself, and when the multitude heard [this] they followed after Jesus. And when Jesus had seen the multitude He took pity upon them. And when the evening was come the disciples went unto Him, saying, 'This place is a desert. Dismiss the multitudes so that they may depart into the villages which are round about them, that they may buy for themselves that which they shall eat.' Then Jesus said unto them, 'Have ye nothing which I can give them to eat?' And they said unto Him, 'We have nothing at all in this place except five barley cakes and two fishes.' And Jesus said unto them, 'Bring them hither.' Then He commanded the multitudes to throw themselves down upon the grass, and He took the five cakes and the two fishes, and He lifted up His eyes to heaven, and blessed them, and brake them into pieces, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the multitudes, and they all ate and were satisfied. And the broken pieces which remained over filled twelve baskets. Now those who ate were five thousand men, without [reckoning] children and women.

5 Now I wish, O my beloved, to describe unto you the honour which the Christ [paid] to John, and also what manner of love it was which He shewed to him, for He was his companion and his kinsman, and how He loved him to such a degree that He fed with these five cakes and two fishes five thousand men without [reckoning] children and women. For the multitude was gathered together because of the lamentation for John, and Jesus wept and made lamentation for John, and He distributed alms (or, charity) for his sake: inasmuch as he was His kinsman and His companion. For this reason when the disciples had said unto Him, 'Send away the multitude that they may go and buy for themselves that which they may eat,' He was unwilling to make them depart fasting. Now take good heed to the Scripture at this point. In the first place observe that when Jesus had heard concerning John the Baptist, He went away, and that the multitude followed after Him quickly. And in the second place observe that when the compassionate and merciful Jesus had seen them, He felt deep pity for them, even like a good shepherd who hath always pity for his sheep. And when the disciples asked Him, saying, 'Send away the multitude that they may go and buy for themselves that which they may eat,' the Saviour said unto them, 'Assuredly

6 not,' and thought, 'What manner of thanks shall I receive from My kinsman if these people, who have come unto Me on account of him, are put to inconvenience in this way? If they go away fasting as they are at present they will sink from exhaustion by the wayside.' As the Patriarch Joseph distributed alms (or, charity) because of the death of Jacob his father, even so did Jesus, and He distributed alms for the sake of His kinsman John. Moreover, all classes of people have always been accustomed to distribute alms and gifts of food in charity on behalf of any of their kinsfolk whensoever any one of them died. 7 Now I wish to declare unto you another high and deep purpose also. The holy Evangelist saith, 'John heard of the works of the Christ, now he was in prison, [and] he called two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord, saying, Art thou He Who is to come, or are we to expect another?' And when they had come to Jesus, they said unto Him, 'It is John the Baptist who hath sent us unto Thee, saying, "Art thou He Who is to come or are we to expect another?"' Now at that time He had not healed the multitude, and He said unto the men whom John had sent to question Him, 'Depart ye and declare unto John the things which ye see, and the things which ye hear, namely, that the blind see, and the lame walk, those who are dead rise up, and to the poor the Gospel is preached; and blessed is he who shall not be offended in Me. I am He Who graciously bestowed thee upon Zacharias thy father and Elisabeth thy mother. I am He Who came unto thee whilst thou wast in the womb of Elisabeth thy mother. And when I Myself was in the womb of Mary, My mother, I saluted thee, and thou didst leap therein. Again, it was I Who came unto thee at the tenth hour of the night on the eleventh day of the month Tôbe; I received baptism at thy holy hands.

8 Verily, O John, since thou hast been held to be worthy to baptize Me, and art he who was worthy to attain to [this] honour, thou hast surpassed a noble in heaven [who enjoyeth] every kind of honour. I am He Who was to come, and it was I Who received baptism at thy hands. I am He Who shall take away the sin of the world. Thou, O John, art he whom I have chosen, I and My Father Who is in heaven, and the Holy Spirit. I have sent thee [as My] forerunner, and thou art he who maketh a way before Me. Moreover, speak thou unto the multitude saying, "Repent, for the Kingdom which is in the heavens hath drawn nigh,—that of which man thinketh not," even as he said, "Behold, I will do a work in your days, a marvellous work, and when ye shall hear thereof ye will not believe". And Jesus said unto the men who were sent by John to enquire of Him, "Depart ye, and declare the things which ye see, and the things which ye hear, namely, the blind see, the lame walk, those who are dead rise up, and to the poor the Gospel is preached. And blessed is he who shall not be offended through Me."

9 Now when these [enquirers] had departed He began to speak unto the multitude concerning John, saying, 'What did ye go out into the desert to see? Was it a reed, with the wind moving it? But what did ye go out to see? Was it a man arrayed in soft (or, delicate) apparel? Behold, those who wear soft apparel are in the houses of kings. But what did ye go out to see? Was it a prophet? Yea, I tell you that he is more than a prophet. For thus [runneth] that which is written concerning him: "Behold, I will send my angel before Thee, [and] he shall make straight Thy way." Amen I say unto you that among those who have been born of woman none greater than John the Baptist hath risen up; nevertheless, he that is less than he is greater than he in the Kingdom which is in the heavens.'

10 Now it is necessary for us to explain this passage to you, for very many of those who are not strong in the Scriptures in thinking about it say, 'Was it really a reed moving in the wind, or was it not?' Now every tree on the earth, whether it be palm tree, or fig tree, or sycamore tree, or the shb' tree, or the acacia tree, even to the grass of the field, is, as long as it is growing, moved by every wind, either to this side or to the other. Doth not every simple person know this, and more especially every one who is educated? But that [reed] about which the Saviour spoke was the wind instrument which is [placed] in the places of contest (?) and which sendeth forth so loud a sound, there being no one near them, that when those who are at a distance hear them they say, 'What hath happened? for the speaking reed is sounding?' And straightway they gather together to see what hath happened, and they find out that so-and-so the son of so-and-so hath been the victor in a contest, and that [the name of] so-and-so the son of so-and-so is written down in the gymnasium. It was for this reason that this wind instrument sounded in the place wherein the prophet was prophesying; and all the people gathered together that they might receive instruction. For this very reason it was that the Saviour said, 'What was it that ye went out into the desert to see? Was it a reed with the wind moving it? But what was it that ye went out into the desert to see? Was it a man arrayed in soft apparel? Behold, those who wear soft apparel are in the houses of kings.' Behold, O my beloved, I have explained this question to you, and now I will, by the will of God, expound the following tale to you.

11 Now at the time when the cataclysm of waters increased upon the earth in the days of Noah, the trees and the waters of the flood rolled over the body of Adam, and they carried it away and deposited it in the midst of Jerusalem, and the waters of the earth flowed over it and covered it. And when the Saviour had come and He was walking about that place, and was teaching, saying, 'If any man serveth Me My Father shall pay him honour; My Father, deliver Me from this hour'—at the very moment when the Saviour said these things the toe-nail of His right foot struck the head of Adam. And thus far is the story. 12 Now there is very much benefit to be derived by us from this story, but this is not the moment for [us to enjoy] it, because the banquet of the kinsman of the True Bridegroom, the Christ, is set before us. For if thou wilt consider thou wilt see that there are a multitude of men who shall cry out to the Christ in Amente, saying, 'Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy upon us.' And thou wilt hear also many cries of 'Lord, let Thy strength rise up! Come Thou to deliver us, O our good God.' And Thou, O man-loving Christ, through the multitude of Thy compassion, dost draw every one to Thyself this day. Thou hast redeemed those who were in Amente from the beginning. Thou hast drawn all sinners to Thee in life. The harlot Thou didst make a virgin, and didst forgive her sin. The thief Thou didst take into Paradise. The publican Thou didst make an evangelist. The persecutor [Paul] Thou didst make an apostle. Thou didst redeem those who were bound. Thou didst lift up those who had fallen. Thou didst gather together those who were scattered. Thou didst cry out unto every one with Thy mouth of God, 'Come ye unto Me, every one who is aweary, and is [over] burdened, and I will give you rest.'

13 And behold also this day wherein Thou dost command Thy holy Apostles, and dost say unto them, 'Ye shall begin [to preach] from Jerusalem even unto the ends of the world. Ye are the witnesses of the things which the Jews did unto Me. Go ye, preach ye to them the salvation of the remission of sins. Do not thrust away sinners from you, but receive ye them in penitence. To the publicans give repentance. As for the harlots, forgive ye them their sins.' O my beloved, observe ye the glory wherewith the Christ paid exceedingly great honour to His kinsman, the holy forerunner, John the Baptist. He paid honour to him in heaven, but He paid far greater honour to him upon the earth. 14 For it came to pass that when our Lord Jesus was born on earth in the rest-house (or, khán) in Bethlehem, the slaughter of the little children by the hands of Herod the Wicked took place. Moreover, when the Archangel Gabriel had warned Joseph in a dream, Joseph took the young Child Jesus, with His mother, and they departed into Egypt. Then, Elisabeth having seized John in trepidation, she fled with him into the desert. Moreover, when the officers of Herod were pursuing her and her child in order to slay him, she turned her eyes behind her and saw them coming close to her. Now when she and her son arrived at a rock in the mountains, she cried out, saying, 'O rock, admit me inside thee, and my son'; and straightway the rock opened its mouth, and when she reached the rock it received her, and it became unto her a monastery for meditation and a place of quiet wherein to dwell. Whensoever the need arose for her to go out to any place the rock used to open of itself, and after [she had gone out] to close of itself; through the dispensation of God it was a place which became large for their going out and for their coming in. Whensoever they asked for anything which they wanted, they found it [there]. If, for instance, it was locusts or wild honey [which they needed], they came in in this manner. And the door of [their] sleeping chamber (?

15 used to open by itself and to close by itself. Now if the days were the days of summer, the air always felt cool to them, and the heat never weighed heavily upon them. If the days were the days of winter, the air was always warm [therein], and the cold never caused them any suffering. And the same thing happened in the case of the wild animals which lived in the region round about them, and up to the day of the shewing forth of Saint John on the Jordan [they never molested Elisabeth]. 16 Moreover, let us return [to our subject] and describe unto you the praises and the honours which God most graciously bestowed upon His beloved one John, according to the statements that we have found in the ancient manuscripts which the Apostles wrote and deposited in the Library of the Holy City Jerusalem. Now it happened to me to be in Jerusalem, and whilst I was staying in the church, there was an old man there, a God-lloving presbyter, and he had authority therein; and I remained in that place in order that I might assist at the celebration of the festival of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus the Christ, and at the festival of the Holy Cross. Now I went through the books, and I had great enjoyment in this, and I found a little old volume [among them] which concerned the Apostles wherein it was written thus:

17 And it came to pass that we the Apostles were gathered together to our Saviour upon the Mount of Olives, after that He had made Himself to rise again from the dead. And He spake unto us and commanded us, saying: 'Go ye into all the world, and preach unto the people thereof the Gospel of the Kingdom.' 1 [And] He spake unto us concerning John the Baptist, and the honours which He had bestowed upon him in the heavens. And we said unto Him, 'What ought we to do to inform ourselves rightly about Thy beloved one, Thy kinsman John? Because Thou hast testified unto us, saying, I will bestow upon him the third heaven, and the untarnished gifts, and the good things which are therein instead of the blood which he poured out for me. Now therefore, O our Lord, inform us certainly concerning him, and instruct us about that heaven which Thou hast graciously bestowed upon John, Thy beloved one, and the good things which Thou hast prepared therein. Instruct us also about that same John concerning whom Thou hast said unto us, There is no one in the heavens who shall be compared unto him for the glory and the honours which My Father hath bestowed upon him.'

18 And at that moment our Saviour commanded, and brought down from heaven a cloud of light, and He mounted upon it, and He commanded us the Apostles also to mount upon it with Him. And He brought us up into the first heaven, and afterwards into the second heaven, and then He ascended Matt. xxviii. 19; Mark xvi. 15. to the third heaven, but He did not let us enter therein, and He carried us up to the fourth heaven, and to the fifth heaven, and to the sixth heaven, and then to the seventh heaven, but He would not let us enter therein. Now after He had shewn us all these things, He brought us again into the third heaven, and we marvelled at its beauty, and its splendid decoration, and its great glory. And we saw John the Baptist, and Zacharias his father, and Elisabeth his mother, arrayed in garments of great splendour, studded with jewels made of real kikas, and stones of various colours. Then our Saviour made us to stand before John, and He made John to stand in our midst, with Zacharias [his father] on his right hand, and Elisabeth his mother on his left hand. As for us, the Apostles, He made us to stand in order, beginning with our father Peter, and ending with Matthias.

19 And our Saviour walked in front of us, and He shewed unto us the whole heaven, and He shewed us the good things and the enjoyments which are prepared therein, and the untarnished gifts which He had bestowed upon His beloved John, so that he might bestow them on every one who celebrated upon the earth the festival of the Commemoration of John, who was His kinsman and His forerunner. I John, the brother of the Lord, who relate these things, swear unto you that I will not hide from you any one of the good things which I saw, or any of the things which were to be enjoyed, and which were prepared in the third heaven, and which God had bestowed graciously upon Saint John, in order that he might give them to every one who kept the festival of his commemoration upon earth. 20 At that time Paul, and Luke, and Mark were also with us. And afterwards the Good Saviour called to the Seven Archangels, from Michael the greatest of the Archangels, and the General of the forces of heaven, to Sedekiel, and He called unto us, the Apostles, one by one in turn, according to our names, from our father Peter, the greatest of the Apostles, to Mark the Evangelist, and He said unto us, 'O My Archangels and holy servants, O My Apostles, ye were witnesses of My Birth, and of My Passion, and of My Crucifixion, and in like manner I make you to be witnesses again. Behold, I give the third heaven to John the Baptist, My companion and My kinsman. And moreover ye shall preach throughout the whole world that every man who shall celebrate the commemoration of this My beloved one John on the earth, either by making an offering, or by alms, or by gifts of charity which are given to the poor, or to his shrine in his name, or who shall write in a book an account of his life in commemoration of him, and shall place it in a church, or who shall dress a table in thy shrine with noble coverings, thou, [O John,] shalt take them into the third heaven, which I have bestowed upon thee, and thou shalt array them in celestial apparel.

21 'I say unto thee, O My beloved John, who wast held to be worthy to baptize Me with thy holy hand, if any one shall make an offering of first-fruits to thy shrine in thy name, or if any one shall give food to a hungry person in thy name, or shall give to a thirsty person to drink [in thy name], or shall clothe a man who is naked in thy name, I will not allow them to be punished in Amente, but thou shalt take them into life for ever. And I will make My angels to clothe them with their wings of light, and I will bestow upon them the good things which are in My kingdom. My Father shall bless thy right hand, which thou didst lay on My head, My tongue shall bless thy mouth and thy tongue, wherewith thou didst say, "Behold the Lamb of God Who shall take away the sin of the world"; for I indeed am He. Amen, I say unto thee, O My kinsman John, that I will not punish in Amente any man who shall commemorate thee upon the earth for ever, neither shall his punishment [extend] to the river of fire which every man must pass over, whether he be righteous or whether he be a sinner. Behold, I will also bestow upon him this favour through thee—[the use of] the ferry-boat on this river of fire, which is a boat of gold; whosoever shall celebrate thy commemoration upon earth thou shalt transport across that river of fire in this boat.'

22 Then we, the Apostles, said unto our Lord, 'How many stadia [across] is the sea of that river of fire? Inform us so that we may be able to teach men how terrible a thing it is.' Our Saviour said unto us, 'I will inform you concerning the measure thereof, and the measure of the boat of gold, which I have given unto My beloved John. The sea of the river of fire is thirty from shore to shore, and from …1 thirty stadia, to each. And I have given the boat of gold to John My kinsman, for the passage over the river, so that he may be able to transport therein those who shall celebrate his commemoration upon the earth, if it be only by breaking a little bread, and the pouring out of a [little] cold water. And when they come to the end of the shore (?

23 where I am wont to baptize them in the river of fire, when any one who hath celebrated the commemoration of John shall come to be baptized, the waters of the river of fire shall become exactly like the waters of a bath, and like the hot water which a man applieth to his body in the place wherein he washeth himself; even so shall the river of life be. Therefore every man who shall celebrate thy commemoration upon earth, O John, My companion and My kinsman, whether with an offering, or with a gift of first-fruits, or with any gift whatsoever, which they shall give to thy shrine in remembrance of thy holy name, I command thee to transport him across the river of fire in the boat of gold which I have bestowed upon thee. And thou shalt take them into the third heaven, and shalt make them

24 1 Perhaps means from one part of the boat to the other; the passage is difficult. to enjoy the good things which are prepared there and which abide for ever.' And it came to pass that when our Good Saviour had said these things unto us, we rejoiced exceedingly at the great honours which God had bestowed upon John the Baptist. And again He said unto us, 'Come ye and I will teach you concerning the Paradise of the third heaven.' And He made us to walk through a meadow of asphodel in that place which produced fruits of all sorts, each according to its kind, and they exhaled sweet odours. And there were there likewise meadows with gently running streams, and all the trees which were in that place yielded fruit, each according to its kind, and they were all covered therewith from their roots to their crowns, and there were there asphodel, and cinnamon-trees, and amomum, and mastiche, and mouskhatôn, and they all exhaled sweet odours, and each one was the choicest of its kind.

25 And Thomas said unto the Saviour, 'Lord, behold Thou hast taught us concerning all the trees which have a sweet smell in Paradise, and the gently running streams, and the palm-trees; tell us now what quantity of dates (?) each palm beareth, and how large are the fruits which each tree yieldeth, and how many bunches of grapes grow on each vine.' The Saviour said, 'I will hide nothing from you about the things concerning which ye have questioned Me. As regardeth the vine concerning the fruit of which ye have asked, there are ten thousand bunches of grapes upon it, and each bunch will produce six métrités [of wine]. As regardeth the palm-trees in Paradise, each cluster yieldeth ten thousand dates, and each cluster is as long as a man is high. So likewise is it in the matter of the fig-trees; each shoot produceth ten thousand figs, and if three men were to partake of one fig each of them would be satisfied. On each ear of the wheat which is in Paradise there are ten thousand grains, and each grain produceth six measures of flour. And the cedars also are on the same scale, each tree produceth ten thousand [nuts], and is of a very great height. And the apple-tree and the thourakion-tree are of the same height; there are ten thousand apples on each shoot, and if three men were to partake of one apple each of them they would be satisfied.

26 'These are the good things which I have prepared for every one who shall celebrate the commemoration of My beloved one, and My kinsman John, upon the earth. Blessed is every one who shall be worthy to inherit these good things, which the eye hath not seen, nor hath the ear heard thereof, nor hath [the idea] thereof entered into the heart of man. These are the things which God hath prepared for those who love Him, and those who love John, His companion and His kinsman, to whose position and honour in the heavens and upon the earth no man, no, not one, hath succeeded, for he was held to be worthy to baptize the Son of God with his holy hands. And he saw the Holy Trinity: the Son was in his hands when he baptized Him; the Voice of the Father he heard, saying, "Thou art My Son, My beloved One, in Whom My wish shall be fulfilled"; and the Holy Spirit came down from heaven, and rested upon His Head in the form of a Dove.'

27 And again Peter spake unto the Saviour, saying, 'Our Lord and our God! Shew us what is the signification of these oars and these lamps.' The Saviour said, 'There is a lamp to every oar, and there are seven hollows, to each lamp seven hollows, which are filled and give light. Whosoever shall light a lamp in the shrine of Saint John, or before his image, shall be ferried over the river of fire [by these oars] in the boat of gold which I have bestowed upon John My beloved. And these lamps shall burn before them, and shall light them until they have passed over the roads of darkness, and shall take them into the third heaven, which I have given as an appanage to My beloved one John, and they shall inherit the good things which are therein for ever.' And when the Good Saviour had said unto us these things He mounted upon a cloud, and He commanded us to mount upon it with Him, and He brought us down, and set us on the Mount of Olives. Then He stood up and prayed with us, and He said unto us, 'Peace be with you.' And when He had said these things unto us, He went up into heaven with great glory, and the angels were singing hymns to Him.

28 Verily, O my beloved, there is none who can be compared with John the Baptist in the heavens, or on the earth, and there is no one who is more exalted than he in glory, according to what the mouth of the Christ, which cannot lie, said, 'Among those who have been born of women no one hath arisen who is greater than John the Baptist.' Behold, ye know the glory and the honour which God hath bestowed upon John the Baptist. Devote ye yourselves then diligently to charity, and to the giving of alms and offerings in his holy name. Ye know, O my brethren, that the life of man upon the earth is a vain thing. If thou wishest to be saved and to inherit the life which is for ever, make haste, redeem thy sins by alms and oblations, and [wipe out] thine iniquity by means of acts of lovingkindness to the poor, and to those who are needy, so that thou mayest enjoy thyself with the good things which are in the habitation of joy and gladness. And if thou hast committed sin, turn thou, repent, and He shall forgive thee thy sins. For God is the Compassionate, and the Merciful One, and He is a lover of mankind, and He is wont to shew His mercy upon those who shall turn unto Him. For He spake by the prophet Ezekiel, saying, 'I do not desire the death of a sinner, but that he should turn himself away from his evil ways, and should repent and live.' And again he said, When the wicked man hath turned himself away from his evil, and he doeth righteousness, I will not remember his iniquity which he hath committed,' saith the Lord, 'but he shall live by reason of the righteousness which he doeth.'

29 And again He saith in another place, 'Turn ye yourselves to Me, O ye sons who have wandered afar off, and I will heal your wounds.' And again He saith in another place, 'I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance.' Ye know, O my beloved, that charity is good, and that alms-giving is a choice gift; let therefore no man omit to do acts of charity and to give alms to the poor, and to those who are needy, according to his power. And ye must also make offerings to the church in the name of the saints. And by means of all these things let us give glory to God and to His holy forerunner, John the Baptist, the virgin, and martyr, and the kinsman of our Lord Jesus the Christ, Who hath bestowed upon him great honours, to Whom be all glory and all honour, which are His due, and to His Good Father, and to the Holy Spirit for ever and ever! Amen.