The Contendings of the Apostles, Part 2

The Contendings of the Apostles, Part 2

continued

The Contending of Saint Paul

1 In the Name of God the Father, Whose existence is without beginning, Whose rule hath no end, Whose Being cannot be sought out, Whose years cannot be measured; and in the Name of God the Son, Who was begotten by Him, Who existed before the world and shall endure for ever with Him, Who took upon Himself flesh from Mary the Virgin by His Father's will, but Whose Divine Nature was not changed into His fleshly nature, nor His fleshly nature into His Divinity; and in the Name of God the Holy Ghost, Who sprang from the Father, without His existence (or nature) being modified or changed; One God coequal, Three in Persons, and One in Divinity; we now begin to write the history of the contending of Saint Paul, by the help of His grace. Saint Paul was the tongue of sweet-smelling ointment which scented the church by the doctrine of his mouth. Saint Paul, whose course was beautiful, was the Apostle of the Gentiles, who cried unto them to repent. Saint Paul was the associate of our Lord Jesus Christ in His fetters, and in His punishments; he was always enduring tribulation in his journeyings on land and on sea, and he bore the marks of his suffering in his body. Saint Paul sprinkled wisdom from the fountain of his doctrines which watered those who believed, and he made the foolish wise with the knowledge of his understanding. Saint Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he sanctified the Church with the seal of the laying on of his hand, and he made it to increase by the graciousness of his sweetness. Saint Paul was the teacher of the Law and the ordinances which strengthened the believers by the word (or voice) of his sacred law, and he made them to rejoice in the report thereof

Chapter I.

2 True Is The WORD WHICH OUR LORD, AND GOD, AND REDEEMER, JESUS CHRIST, spake in His Holy Gospel, saying, "The first shall be last, and the last shall be first. It is a thing to be marvelled at [how] God [dealeth] with His saints, and how He magnifieth and honoureth those who are his chosen ones. He called Paul, the persecutor, unto Him, and He made him to become His Apostle; He sent forth the light of righteousness by his hand, and He made him worthy to bear the Gospel of His grace, and He made him to be the equal of those who were before him in preaching it. And He saith concerning him, "This is a chosen vessel who shall preach in My Name in all countries, and before kings, and princes, and nations, and peoples, and in all the countries over which the heavens extend; for the light of his doctrine shall illumine the hearts of all the believers who dwell upon the face of the earth. And he shall draw them out of the darkness into the light, and out of error into the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of His Good Father, and of the Holy Spirit. It was this man who became the keeper of the true medicine, and the physician for every kind of sickness and disease, and he healed the disease both of the body and of the soul through the might of God which dwelt upon him.

3 This man by his prayers and supplications made the blind to see, and the lame to walk, and the lepers to be cleansed, and the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak, and the dead to be raised up. It was unto this man that our Lord Jesus Christ appeared and spake openly several times, and He filled him with the heavenly gift, and poured out upon him the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, until at length he spake the languages of all countries. And He revealed unto him the knowledge which made foolish the wisdom of the wise through the miracles and wonders which no [man] could do except by the hand of God. He interpreted the books of the Prophets, and he revealed the power of the interpretation thereof unto every person, [and in every] place; and he was all things unto all men, until at length he withdrew their minds and their hearts from earthly things unto the kingdom of heaven. He it was who ascended unto the third heaven and saw the hidden mysteries of Christ by reason of his purity, and his virginity, and his striving, and his service, for which things God chose him and made him to be a preacher of the Gospel of His kingdom.

4 He it was who bore the cross of the sufferings of Christ, and he died daily through the tribulation which came upon him from the evil-doing Jews, for, said he, "I glory in my suffering so that the power of Christ may be made stronger in me." He it was who, after the end of his good fight, and after he had been crowned with the crown of righteousness by the hands of the righteous Judge, walked forward in the steps of his divine doctrine, that is to say, the preaching of the Holy Gospel, and he drew all men into the place of rest and into the habitation of joy, where there was life everlasting.

Chapter Ii.

5 11. Hearken now, O all ye Christ-loving people, whom the grace of Christ hath called into this holy church that ye may celebrate the festival of this chosen and praiseworthy man, the blessed and glorious preacher who maketh intercession on behalf of all of you with God, the great Lord, among the holy ones. Saint Paul was the interpreter of righteousness, and the teacher of the truth, whom God honoured with the mitre of the priesthood and with the crown of the angels. Hearken ye with the ears of your hearts and minds that I may relate unto you a few of the things concerning his striving from the time when God called him into His service, and appointed him to preach the Gospel of His grace, and, O my beloved, the history of this pure and chosen man is as follows. Saint Paul belonged to a noble and chosen family, and he was of the seed of Abraham, and of the children of Israel; he was of the tribe of Benjamin the Hebrew, and he was learned in the Scriptures, and in the doctrine of the Law of Moses. He was born at Tarsus of Cilicia, and there he grew up; he was a vigorous man of fine, upright stature, and his countenance was ruddy with the ruddiness of the skin of the pomegranate, his complexion was clear, his nose was high and large, his eyes were dark, and his cheeks were full, and bearded, and of the colour of a rose. He was educated with the greatest care and strictness by Gamaliel, the high-priest and Pharisee, the teacher of the Law, who admonished the Jews and made them to act cunningly towards the Apostles, until at length they meditated their slaughter. Now the kinsfolk of Paul called his name "Saul", which is a Hebrew name, and the interpretation of which is "given", that is to say, it is well-known that God "gave" him; and Luke doth not cease to mention him by this name in the "Acts of the Apostles" until after he made blind the magician who wished to turn the governor of Yâpûs from the faith, but after this Luke calleth him "Paul". Now the name "Paul" is interpreted as meaning "guide to the faith". Before Saul's conversion to the Christian faith he was a priest of the Law of Moses, and he lived, according to the ordinances, a life of righteousness, in perfect blamelessness and beyond all reproof, and he kept the Law of his fathers. He was a zealous observer of the Law of Moses, and an adversary of the churches of God, and an opponent of the Name of Jesus in his early manhood, and he inflicted severe affliction upon the men who held the Christian faith.

6 He used to go into the habitation[s] of the true believers, and drag out men and women alike and cast them into prison, and this he continued to do for a whole year after the beautiful summons of Christ had appeared unto him; and he made himself an adversary, and increased greatly his hostility thereunto, and he kept diligent watch upon them, and strove against the Christians with such might that at length weariness came upon him. And he saw the shedding of the blood of Stephen, who was one of the Seventy-[two disciples], and the chief of seven deacons, and he guarded the garments of those who stoned him, and he made himself a friend of those who wished to slay him. He obtained letters of authority from the priests of the Jews of the city of Jerusalem to the [priests of the] synagogues of Damascus, that they might give him help, because he had found therein certain men and women who [followed in] the path of the Apostles, and that he might be able to bind them and take them unto the holy sanctuary (i. e. Jerusalem). Thus speaketh Luke the Evangelist, who describeth his apostolic strife, from the beginning of his believing and teaching unto the end thereof, in the "Acts of the Apostles"; now he saith that afterwards, even up to the time of [his] martyrdom, his disposition was one which was tardy and delaying, and this statement is also found written in a certain book by Eusânas(?)...

Chapter Iii.

7 Luke the Evangelist saith:—And this Saul received power from the chief priests in Jerusalem, to persecute those who believed in Christ, from Jerusalem even unto the cities which were afar off, and he cast many of the saints into prison, and he bound them in chains, both men and women alike, and threw them into prison. And he went to the chief priests of Jerusalem and asked them for a letter of authority to the [men of the] city of Damascus and of the synagogues thereof, and for power to bind in chains any men or women whom he might find on the way and to bring them to Jerusalem. One day as he was journeying along the road about the time of noon, now he was nigh unto the city of Damascus, behold, there fell upon him suddenly a flash of lightning, and a light from heaven rose upon him; and he fell upon his face on the ground by reason of his exceedingly great fear. And he heard a voice from heaven which spake unto him in the Hebrew tongue, saying, "Saul, Saul, Acts of the Apostles ix. 2.

8 "why persecutest thou Me? It is ill for thee to kick and to smite thyself against the goad which is as sharp as a nail. And Saul answered and said, "Who art Thou, my Lord? And our Lord said unto him, "I am Jesus the Nazarene, Whom thou persecutest; but rise up, and stand upon thy feet, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what it is meet for thee to do. Now the men who were with Saul on the road stood still and held their peace, but they heard only a voice and saw nothing whatsoever. Then Jesus said unto him, "I have appeared unto thee that I may choose thee to be a minister unto Me, and a witness of what thou hast seen of Me. Know, moreover, that I will appear unto thee, and will deliver thee from among the nations and peoples unto whom I shall send thee to open their eyes, and to turn them from the darkness into the light, and from the works of Satan unto the knowledge of God, so that they may find forgiveness of their sins, and a portion with the saints, if they believe in Me. And now, rise up, and go into the city, and there shalt thou learn what it is meet for thee to do.

9 Then Saul rose up from the ground, and although his eyes were open he could not see, and the men [who were with him] held him by his hands, and led him along, and brought him into Damascus; and he remained there for three days without eating, and without drinking, and without sight. Now there was in the city of Damascus a certain disciple among the Apostles whose name was Ananias, and he was a God-fearing man according to that which is [written] in the Law. And our Lord appeared, and said unto him, "Ananias", and Ananias said, "Here am I, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, "Rise up, and depart, and pass through the street which is called Straight", now its name at this present is Marketplace, "and seek for a man of Tarsus, of the house of Judah, whose name is Saul, who prayeth. And behold, whilst Saul was praying, there appeared unto him in a dream a man whose name was Ananias, who came to him and prayed over him, and he laid his hand upon him so that he might receive his sight. And Ananias answered and said, "O Lord, behold I have heard concerning this man from many, and of all the evil which he hath wrought on Thy saints in Jerusalem, and having obtained power from the chief priests he hath come hither also that he may bind in fetters all those who call upon Thy Name.

10 Then our Lord said unto him, "Rise up, get thee out, and go unto him, for behold, I have made this man to be a chosen vessel for Me that he may go and bear My Name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel, and I will tell him how great suffering shall come upon him for My Name's sake. So Ananias departed unto him straightway, and he entered into the house and laid his hand upon Saul, and said unto him, "O Saul, my brother, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who appeared unto thee on the road, hath sent me unto thee that thine eyes may be opened, and that thou mayest see as thou comest along, and that the Holy Spirit may be fulfilled in thee. And straightway, at that very moment, a skin which was as fine as the web of a spider was torn asunder and fell from his eyes, and they were opened, and he saw forthwith. Then Ananias said unto Saul, "Behold, thou must know that the Lord God of our fathers hath chosen thee, and that thou mightest know His will appeared unto thee in the form of a lightning flash, and made thee to hear the voice of His mouth; and thou shalt be unto Him a witness before all men concerning what thou hast seen and heard. Rise up now, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, and know His Name.

11 Then straightway was Saul baptized, and he took food and ate, and grew in strength, and he dwelt in Damascus for a few days with the Apostles; and immediately he began to preach in the synagogues of the Jews, and he taught in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, saying, "This Christ is the Son of God; and all those who heard him marvelled and were astonished in their hearts. And they said concerning him, "Is not this the man who slew those who believed on this Name in Jerusalem and here? And did he not come hither for the purpose of putting them in chains, and carrying them to the high priest? Nevertheless Saul prevailed over and vanquished the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, and brought them [to the belief] that Jesus was the Christ. And after a few days the Jews took counsel together how they might kill him, and certain men told Saul what the Jews had planned, now they were watching the doors [of the house] by day and by night, and they kept a strict watch upon him also that they might kill him. Then his disciples took him by night and let him down in a basket from the top of the fortress, [and he departed; and when he had arrived in Jerusalem he prayed in the sanctuary.

12 Now whilst he was praying sleep fell upon him, and our Lord appeared unto him, and said, "Make haste, and get thee out from 'Jerusalem, for the people thereof will not receive testimony from thee concerning Me. And Saul said unto Him, "O my Lord, they know that I used to cast into 'prison and punish in the synagogues those who believed in Thee, and that when they shed the blood of Stephen, Thy martyr, I was standing there with a glad heart, and watching the clothes of those who had slain him.'" And our Lord said unto him, "Depart, for behold, I will 'send thee unto the nations which are afar off. Now whilst he was sitting in the sanctuary and preaching, the Jews who knew the Greek language were seeking for him and wishing to kill him; and when his disciples knew this, they took him down to Caesarea, and sent him to Tarsus. And when he had arrived at Jerusalem he terrified the Apostles, for they imagined that he would inflict punishments upon them, and they all were afraid of Saul when they saw him; for they knew him not, and they did not believe that he had joined himself unto the Apostles.

13 Then Barnabas took him and carried him to the Apostles, and he told them concerning him, and how our Lord had appeared unto him and taught him, and how he had seen Him on the road to Damascus, and how He had spoken with him, and how Saul had taught in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ in Damascus. And whilst Saul was dwelling with the Apostles in Jerusalem, and was teaching openly in the Name of our Lord Jesus, the heathen began to contend against him, and they also wished to kill him. Now when his brethren knew [this], they brought him out by night, and took him to Caesarea, and sent him to Tarsus, where he dwelt and preached in the Name of Jesus Christ. And all the churches of Judaea, and Galilee, and Samaria, dwelt in peace, and were stablished; and they advanced in the fear of God, and increased in the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

14 Now after these things Barnabas departed to seek after Saul, and when he had found him he took him and carried him with him to Antioch, where he continued to preach for a whole year; and he taught many, and they became Christians. Then Saul and Barnabas returned, and they went to the Apostles in Jerusalem, having completed their service; and they took with them John who was surnamed Mark. Now there were in the church in Antioch prophets, and elders, and Barnabas, and Simon who was surnamed Niger, and Lucius the Cyrenian, and Manasse, the son of the nurse of Herod the king, and Saul; and whilst they were serving God and were praying, the Holy Spirit said unto the brethren, "Separate for Me, and choose out Saul and Barnabas for the work unto which I have called them." Then they fasted, and prayed, and laid their hands upon them, and sent them away to preach in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ in the synagogues of the Jews, and having been sent away by the Holy Spirit, they wandered round about in all the islands, and they journeyed unto Sélé-wenkyâ (Seleucia), and they passed on to Cyprus, and came to Salaminia (Salamis); and they preached therein, and they declared the word of God in the Israelitish congregation. Now John and Mark the Evangelist were with them, and were ministering unto them. And when they had gone round about among all the islands, and had travelled through them, they came to a city the name of which is Yâfus, that is to say, Paphos, where they found a certain Jew who was a magician and a false prophet; he was a servant of the governor, and his name was Baryâsâ', that is to say, Baryâsôs (i. e., Bar-Jesus), and he was with the prefect Sergius. And he said unto the governor of Paphos (i. e. Sergius), "There is here a certain wise man whose name is Paul; send and call him. And he sent a messenger and called Saul and Barnabas, for he wished to hear from them the word of God, but the magician whose name is 'Almâs (Elymas), which is interpreted, "sorcerer", wished to keep back the prefect [from the faith].

15 And the Holy Spirit filled Saul, that is to say Paul, and he looked at him, and said unto him, "O thou who art filled with wickedness, and sin, and all evil, thou child of Satan, thou enemy of all righteousness, who dost refuse to leave off corrupting the way of God, remove thyself from being an enemy in the path of righteousness and integrity. And now I say unto thee, Behold, the hand of God shall come upon thee, and thou shalt become blind, and shalt B..41a."not see the sun until the season of thine appointed time "hath come. Then straightway his eyesight clouded over and became black, and he sought for some one to lead him, and the prefect, that is to say, the governor of Paphos, who had marvelled and been filled with astonishment, saw him, and believed in God.

Chapter Iv.

16 Then Paul And BARNABAS PASSED ON FROM FĀḲŪS (PAPHOS), WHICH IS OPPOSITE THE SEA, and they came to Pargên (Perga), which is in Pamphylia; and John left them and made his way to Jerusalem. And the Apostle Paul and Barnabas departed from Pargên (Perga) which is on the sea, and they came to Pargâ (Perga) a city of Ḳâmḳûlyâ, and they passed on from Pargâ (Perga) and came to Antioch, a city of Bêsidyâ (Pisidia): and they entered into a church on the Sabbath day, and sat down. And after they had read the Law and the Prophets, the chief priests sent unto them, and said unto them, "Brethren, if there be among you any man who is able to speak that which is good, let him tell it to the people. Then Paul rose up, and preached in the church in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and all the congregation hearkened unto his preaching, and rejoiced, and they gave thanks for the word of God, and all those whose portion is everlasting life believed. And the word of God spread abroad in all countries, and reached even unto the ends of the earth. Then certain Jews stirred up the men of that place to make an attack upon Paul and Barnabas, and they drove them out of their country; so they shook off the dust from their sandals upon them, and departed, and they passed on to the city of Lûḳânya (Lycaonia).

17 And the Holy Spirit rested upon the Apostles in full measure, and they rejoiced, and they did in the city of Lûḳânya (Lycaonia) even as they had done before, and many men, both among the Jews and the Greeks, believed; and they dwelt there a long time teaching, and they spoke in the Name of our Lord, Who made them to see the witnesses of His gracious word. And God wrought signs and wonders by the hands of the Apostles; now the people of the city were of two minds about them, and one half of them inclined to the Jews, and the other half to the Apostles. And the Jews and the heathen fought against their messengers, and heaped insult upon them, and stoned them with stones, and when the Apostles saw them [doing thus] they fled unto the city of Lûḳânya (Lycaonia), and Lestrân (Lystra), and Darbên (Derbe), and the borders thereof, and there they taught.

18 Now there was a certain man living in the city of Lestrân (Lystra) whose feet had been lame from his mother's womb, and he had never walked at any time; and he heard Saint Paul talking, and he thought that he would give him alms. And Saint Paul turned and looked at him, and he saw that he had within him living faith, and he said unto him with a loud voice, "In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, rise up, and stand upright on thy feet;" and straightway he rose up, and departed. And when the people saw what Saint Paul had done, they cried out in the language of their country, and said, "The gods in the form of men have come down [from heaven] unto us." And whilst they were living there teaching, behold, certain Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and persuaded the people to entreat them evilly, and they corrupted the hearts of the council to such a degree that they beat and stoned the blessed Paul, and dragged him along the ground, and cast him outside the city, and they believed that he was dead.

19 B..41b. Now when the evening had come, his disciples went to him, and he rose up, and came with them [into] the city. And on the morrow he departed and went forth with Barnabas to the city of Darbên (Derbe), and they preached therein, and many believed in their doctrine; and they returned to Lestrân (Lystra), and Lûkânyâ, and Antioch, and strengthened the souls of the disciples, and made them bold in the faith. And they appointed unto them priests in every church, and they prayed with fastings, and then committed them to the care of God in Whom they had believed. Then Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, and they entered into the church and related unto the believers what God had done by their hands, and how they had opened to the Gentiles the doors of the faith; and they dwelt with the disciples in Antioch for a long time.

20 Now there came unto the city of 'Atênâ (Attalia), where Paul and Barnabas had their habitation, certain men of the Jews, who said unto the brethren, "Except ye be circumcised ye shall not be saved"; and because of this thing there was contention between the brethren and the Apostle Paul and Barnabas. And the people came with the priests of Jerusalem unto the Apostles [and asked them] concerning this opinion, and when they had come unto them they told them everything which God had done for them. Then certain men who were of the sect of the Pharisees and who had become converted, said, "Ye must be circumcised, and we 'command you to observe the Law of Moses; and the Apostles and the priests gathered themselves together so that they might examine into the matter, and there was much contention among them on account thereof. 21 And Peter the master rose up and addressed them with many words, and James said, "I decree that 'they shall not in any way afflict those who have turned unto God among the heathen, but that He shall be served by them [as they please], provided they make themselves to be remote from sacrifices [offered] unto idols, and from [things] strangled in [their] blood.' And they agreed concerning this, and they wrote a writing in which these words were set down. 'Now it is the good pleasure of the Holy Spirit, and it is our good pleasure also, not to cast upon you any weight which is greater than this: —Ye must keep yourselves remote from blood, and [from things] strangled, and from fornication, and from offering up sacrifices unto idols. From the observance of these things, however, ye may not escape, and if ye keep yourselves from the things [afore mentioned] ye shall do well. Those who hate you make not to be your companions; keep these things, and peace be unto you. And they handed on the writing which they had with them unto the believing Jews, that is to say, to Baryásón, who is called Judas, and to Silas, and they sent them with Paul and Barnabas; and they came to Antioch and assembled the synagogue (or congregation), and delivered unto them the message, and when they had read it they rejoiced in the doctrine of Silas and Judas, for they were prophets.

22 And the Apostle Paul dwelt in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of God, and Silas also was anxious to live with the Apostles Paul and Barnabas; so they tarried in Antioch, and, together with many others, they taught and preached the word of God. And after a few days Paul said unto Barnabas, "Let us turn back and B visit the brethren who are in the [various] cities unto which we have preached the word of God, so that we may know in what condition they are." Now Barnabas wished to take with him John, who is surnamed Mark, but Paul was unwilling that he should do so, for Mark had left them in Pamphylia, and had not come with them in the work; and Barnabas went and brought Mark with them, and anger sprang up between them to such a degree that each separated from the other. Then Barnabas took Mark with him and they went to Cyprus, and the Apostle Paul chose Silas, and he departed from Antioch and began to journey round about in all Syria and Cilicia, and he confirmed the churches even unto Dêrbên (Derbe) and Lestrân (Lystra).

23 Now there was there a certain disciple [called] Timothy, the son of a Jewish widow, and his father was a Greek, and the Apostle Paul wished him to come with him; and Paul took him and circumcised him because the Jews who were living in those parts well knew that his father was a Greek. And they went round about through the cities and were giving orders unto the believers concerning the works which the Apostles and priests in Jerusalem had commanded to be done, and the churches were growing strong in the faith, and the numbers of the believers were added to daily. And Paul came unto 'Afrâkyâ (Phrygia), and the land of Galâtya (Galatia), and the coasts opposite Mêsendyâ (Mysia), and they went down to Terô'dâ (Troas); and a few days later, in the city of Terô'dâ (Troas), there appeared unto Saint Paul, in a vision of the night, a man of Macedonia who stood and made supplication unto him, and said, "Come over to us, with Silas and Barnabas, and help us." Then we departed on the Sabbath, and with us was Luke the historian of this work, and we went to Filrôs, wherein we took up our abode.

24 And having gone forth on the Sabbath outside the gates of the city by the river side, for there was the house of prayer situated, we sat down, and we began to speak unto the women who were there. Now there was among them a certain woman who sold linen, and she came from the city of Ta'tirón (Thyatira), and she feared God, for God had opened her ears, and she listened unto what Saint Paul said; now her name was Lydia. And when she had been baptized with all her people, she made supplication unto us, saying, "If ye hold me to be a woman that believeth in God, come ye into my house and dwell, O servants of God;" and she urged us greatly. And as we were going to prayer there met us a certain young woman who was under the power of a demon, and she brought to her owners much money, for she used to receive gifts, and she followed after Paul and Silas, crying out and saying, "These men are the servants of God, the Most High, and they teach the way of life." Now she acted in this wise for many days, and importuned Saint Paul; and he turned and said unto that spirit, "In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ I command thee, O evil devil, to go forth from this woman;" and straightway the devil left her. And the owners of the woman, seeing that no more moneys would be brought in to them by her, seized Paul and Silas, and, dragging them along the ground to the market place, brought them into the presence of the guards and magistrates, and said, "These men are making a commotion in our city, and they are Jews, and they are teaching us a religion which it is not seemly for us to practise, seeing that we are Romans. Then the people and the magistrates came together, and they began to beat them with staves, and they rent their garments in pieces, and when they had beaten them severely they cast them into prison and gave orders to the keeper of the gaol to keep them in strict custody; and the keeper of the gaol having been thus commanded, he shut them in the prison-house, and fettered their feet securely in the stocks. And at the time of midnight Paul and Silas prayed and glorified God, and those who were in the prison heard them, and their fetters were struck from off them. Then straightway the wall of the prison-house quaked with so mighty an earthquake that all the foundations thereof shook, and all the doors of the prison-house were opened immediately, and all the prisoners were set free. And when the keeper of the gaol saw that all the doors were opened, he drew his sword and wished to stab himself, for he thought that all the prisoners had escaped.

25 Then Saint Paul cried out and said unto him, "Do thyself no harm, for we are all here; and he brought a lamp and went, trembling, and did homage unto Paul and Silas, and he brought them outside, and said unto them, "My masters, what must I do to be saved? And he said unto him, "Believe on our Lord Jesus Christ, and be baptized, and thou and all thy house shall live; and he declared unto him, and all his house the word of God, and he took them straightway by night and washed their wounds, and he and all his people were baptized. Then straightway he took them up into his own house, and spread a table [for them], and he and all his house rejoiced and believed upon our Lord. And when the morning was come the 26 MM* magistrates sent their guards, saying, "Release these men, and let them go in peace;" and the keeper of the gaol told these words to Paul and Silas, saying, "The magi-B..43b." "strates have sent to release you, therefore depart ye in peace."

Chapter V.

27 . AND IMMEDIATELY THEY HAD GONE OUT OF THE PRISON-HOUSE THEY DEPARTED TO THESSALONICA, AND the Apostle Paul entered into a church wherein there were Jews. And he spake unto them from out of the Scriptures for three Sabbaths, and some of them believed, and other people joined themselves unto them; and many men among the Greeks believed, and of noble women also not a few. Then did the Jews rise up against them, and having gone that night to the city of Ḥalb many of the Jews and Greeks who lived in that city believed, both well-known men and women. Now when the Jews of Thessalonica knew that the Apostle Paul was declaring and preaching the word of God in the city of Ḥalb they came thereunto and stirred up the people against him. 28 Now after these things Paul went out from among them, and he departed unto the city of Ḥalb (Aleppo), which is one of the cities of Syria, and he found there by the roadside a man whose name was Kēwārestes. And Saint Paul said unto him, "Dost thou know what god the people of this city worship, or what they worship? And Kēwāreṣṭes answered and said unto him, "They worship the figure of a bird, a golden hawk. And Saint Paul said unto him, "Then hath neither the Nazarene nor any one of His disciples come into your city? And Kēwāreṣṭes said, "None of them hath ever come hither. Then Saint Paul said unto him, "Tell me, O my brother, for I am one of the messengers (or servants) of Lūsyūs (Lucius) the governor, and I have come to bind in chains all the people I find and to carry them off to the city of Iconium to the chief priests, and the Sadducees, and the elders of the people, that they may admonish them. And Kēwāreṣṭes answered and said unto Saint Paul, "It is not meet for any man to enter into this city until he hath received permission from Manāṣē (Manasseh), the son of Mardocheus, the prince of the city of Thessalonica, and behold, thou wilt find twelve men sitting and guarding the gates of the city of Aleppo.

29 And if any stranger cometh, and wisheth to enter into this city, they take him and carry him to the temple and offer him up to the god of this city. But rise up, and depart unto the city of 'Atēnā (Attalia(?)), and dwell there for seven days, because after to-morrow morning they will close the gates of the city until seven days be fulfilled. After this [time] go thou, and obtain a writing of permission from Manasseh, the son of Mardocheus, and he will give thee permission to enter into this city; but do not enter into this city without the people knowing who thou art, lest they offer thee up as a sacrifice to the god thereof, for I observe that thou art a man of fine and noble stature. Then Saint Paul said unto him, "Do thou for me an act of kindness and friendship, and give me one of the two garments which thou art wearing that I may put it on, and take me with thee into this city; and he shewed him the writing [which he had], and said unto him, "I have received this writing from the prefect of one thousand [men], and [from] Ananias the high-priest, and from the governor of the synagogue. And Kēwārestes an- swered and said unto him, "Come, for we may now go without [any] hesitation, and if I can find any way I will bring thee into this city; but let us hasten therein before they close the gates of the city, for they will not open them again for us, because the evening hath come and it is well nigh dark." So Saint Paul went with the man, and they hastened [to the city] before the guards closed the gates thereof, for as soon as they had closed the gates they departed to their own homes, and then they went back to the great iron gate nigh unto which the elders of the city and guards lived.

30 Meanwhile Saint Paul and Kēwārestes travelled along their way until they came to the city. Now the people of that city were degraded heathen, and their error was great, and at that time they were gathered together in their temple, for the season of the festival had arrived. And when Saint Paul and Kēwārestes had come [to the city], they passed through the gates from the first to the third, and they arrived at the great iron gate, [wishing] to enter therein; now Saint Paul was dressed in the garment which belonged to Kēwāreṣṭes, and [the guards] had lit candles and lanterns in the gate. And it came to B..44b. pass that when 'Areṣṭebén,' the captain of the guards, saw Saint Paul entering in the city with Kēwāreṣṭes, he laid hold of them, and said unto them, "For what purpose have ye come into this city at this time? Would ye hold in contempt the festival of the gods? Then one of the soldiers of those who were standing [there] looked into the face of Saint Paul, and knew that he was not one of the inhabitants of the city, and he told the captain of the guard so that he might seize them both. And 'Areṣṭós answered and said unto Saint Paul, "Whence hast thou come? And from what people art thou? And what wouldst thou in this city? And whom knowest thou here? Tell me the truth before thou diest a death of suffering.

31 Then Saint Paul answered and said unto him, "I am one of the servants who stand before Faḥeṣṭós, (Festus), the prefect of Jerusalem, and we have heard concerning this Nazarene, Who is called Christ, that He hath chosen twelve men and hath sent them out to preach [unto the people] in every place, and that they believe that He is the Son of God. And I, even B..45a I, have come from the Sadducees and from the high-priest Ḥannā (Ananias), and I have received from him authority to bind in chains any of His disciples whom I can find, wheresoever I find them, and to carry them 32 "to the high-priest and to the princes of the people." Then 'Aresṭōs bound Saint Paul and Kēwāresṭes and delivered them over to a certain officer called Timothy, who was of the men of Thessalonica, so that he might guard them until he came, and he said unto him, "When the morning hath come I will write unto Fāḫesṭōs concerning them, and I will enquire into their matter. And if there be witnesses for them that he hath sent them, then I shall know that what they say is true, and I will release them immediately, and will treat them well; but if they have no witnesses then we will offer up Paul as a sacrifice to the god of this city, for this day is the day of the festival [in his honour]. And as for Kēwāresṭes, who shewed him the road to this city, I shall know what to do unto him [as a reward for] his insolence (or audacity)."

33 Now the mother of Timothy was vexed with a deadly disease, and many people were gathered together unto her and were weeping; and straightway a young man came and told Timothy, saying, "Thy mother is dead. Then Timothy forthwith bound Saint Paul and Kēwāresṭes with iron fetters, and he shut them up in a house which was in his garden, and left them there and departed; and he found that his mother had yielded up her spirit, and he straightway rent his garments and cast dust upon his head and face. Now there were many people gathered together there, for his mother was the prophetess of the city. And behold, the angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison-house wherein Saint Paul and Kēwāresṭes were bound, and immediately the chains fell off their hands, and the fetters from their feet, and they melted away even as wax melteth before the face of the fire. And the angel of the Lord said unto Saint Paul, "Fear not, O Paul, for I will be with thee, and I will save and deliver thee in every place, and many people in this city shall believe in God through thee. But now, rise up and go to the place where the mother of Timothy is, and lay thy face upon her face, and the glory of God shall appear in this city before all these people; and the angel of the Lord departed from them.

34 Then Saint Paul and Kēwārestes rose up and went forth from the house wherein they had been fettered, and they departed to the place where the mother of Timothy was; now they had lit many lamps there. And Timothy saw Saints Paul and Kēwārestes standing among the people, and he feared greatly. And he said unto Saint Paul, "Is not [the wickedness] which thou hast committed in times past sufficient for thee but that thou must dare to transgress further? And why have ye escaped from my house so that I must fall into punishment because of you? Can ye not see what great sorrow hath come upon me? Ye have made a tumult among the people, and ye have loosed your fetters so that ye were able to escape; but when the morning hath come, and I have buried my dead, I shall know how to perform for you that which my heart desireth. Then Saint Paul answered and said unto him, "O Timothy, be patient for a little and thou shalt see the joy which shall come into thy house before all these people.

35 And straightway Saint Paul drew nigh unto the dead woman and, opening the bandage which was over her face, laid his own upon it, and said with a loud voice, "O our Lord Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the Son of the Living God, Who hast come into the world for the salvation of the living and the dead, give life unto the mother of Timothy, so that Thy glory, and the might of Thy holy Name may appear before all these people; and when Saint Paul had said these words, he turned towards her dead body, and said unto it, "O Badrônâ, arise! And straightway the woman arose, and opened her eyes, and Saint Paul took her by her hand, and lifted her up, and set her upon her bed. And it came to pass that when the people saw what had taken place, they all rose up, and cast themselves down in homage at the feet of Saint Paul, and they began to salute him, and they said, "God hath appeared in the form of a man, and hath come unto us. Now the time was midnight. Then Timothy took Saint Paul and Kêwâres'tes and brought them into his house, and he led them up into an upper chamber, and washed them with clean water, and set a table before them. And Timothy said unto Saint Paul, "Tell me, O my lord, who thou art, and whence thou comest, and which of the gods thou dost worship?

36 Then Saint Paul answered and said unto him, "I am a disciple of the disciples of our Lord Jesus the Nazarene, and I worship God the Father, and His only Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit the Paraclete." 37 And when the morning was come 'Aresțôs sent and brought Saint Paul from the prison-house in the house of Timothy, and Timothy went with the messengers; and Aresțôs said unto him, "Where are the two men whom I gave thee? Then Timothy answered and said unto him, "They are in my house. This man whose name is Paul is a righteous man, and he worshippeth a God Who is righteous, and good, and merciful, and is called Jesus the Nazarene. And straightway 'Aresṭōs became exceedingly angry, and he sent Timothy to prison. Now rumours went forth concerning Saint Paul, and that he had raised Timothy's mother from the dead. And when Saint Paul heard that Aresṭōs had cast Timothy into prison he rose up to go forth, but the woman who had been dead, the mother of Timothy, laid hold upon him, and would not let him go out. And she said unto him, "Sit thou here so that the people may not see thee and may not carry thee away and offer thee up as a sacrifice to the god of this city; but Saint Paul refused to do so, for he did not wish to do her pleasure, and all the people were entreating him, saying, "Desire not [this thing], O our lord, and deliver not thyself over to death.

38 Then the Holy Spirit said unto Saint Paul, "Rise up, and go round about this city, for this is the day wherein the people shall believe in thee, and shall receive thy preaching, which is the hope of salvation, and of the life which is incorruptible and which endureth for ever. And straightway Saint Paul rose up and went to the people, and said unto them, "Behold, here am I whom ye seek. What would ye with Kēwāresṭes? What is his crime? And why have ye seized him? And 'Aresṭōs said unto him, "Because he is thy companion, and he hath guided thee into this city; I must pass judgment upon him, for this day is the day of the festival of the god of this city; and he commanded them to chastise Kēwāresṭes, and to inflict punishment upon him. Then 'Aresṭōs sent messengers to call the priests of the temple, and he delivered Saint Paul unto them, saying, "Take ye this man who hath come into this city, and offer him up as a sacrifice to the gods, for they tell me that he is a disciple of Jesus Christ, Whom Herod, the son of Archelaus, slew in the days of Pontius Pilate; and straightway the priest brought Saint Paul into the temple.

39 And Kēwāresṭes answered and said unto 'Aresṭōs, "I beseech thee, O my lord, to send me also with this man, for I, even I, would die by the same death with him. For it was I who brought him into this city, and I would, moreover, give my body instead of his body, and my soul instead of his soul. Then 'Aresṭōs said unto him, "I can have no words whatsoever with thee; but I am innocent of thy blood, and behold, death and life are placed before thine eyes. And Kēwāresṭes said unto him, "Wilt thou pay no heed unto my wish that I might give myself in the place of this man? Then Kēwāresṭes made haste and entered into the temple, and he found Saint Paul there, whither they had brought him so that they might offer him up as a sacrifice unto their god; and they had decorated all the city, and they sent a herald round about bidding all the people to come together into the temple. And the guards came to 'Aresṭōs and entreated him to release Timothy from his bonds, saying, "This day is the day of the festival of the god of this city; and he sent soldiers immediately, and gave order to them to release him. Then 'Aresṭōs rose up, and came with all the guards and all the people into the temple, and the people filled the temple even to the doors, and their number amounted to eighteen thousand, without [reckoning] women and children.

40 And Kēwāreṣṭes drew nigh unto the priests, and said unto them, "I, even I, am of the disciples of Jesus, and by the death whereby Paul dieth I also will die. And it came to pass that, when Timothy saw Kēwāreṣṭes accusing himself and condemning himself to death because of Saint Paul before the priests in the temple, he also approached the priests, and said unto them, "I also am a follower of Jesus the Nazarene, of Whom Paul is a disciple, and whatsoever befalleth Paul shall befall me also. Then was 'Areṣṭōs wroth, and he straightway commanded them to bring fire, and pine wood, and fir wood, and pitch wood, and to build a great furnace in the temple beneath the throne of the statue of the god of the city, and to light a huge fire therein; and he also commanded them to bring out the figure of the golden hawk and to set it upon the throne opposite the fire, and they did even as he commanded them. And Areṣṭōs answered and said unto the people, "Behold, death and life are before all of you who are in this temple. Those of you who wish for life, let them come and bow down in worship before the god of this city, and those who will not bow down shall be cast into this fire."

41 Then straightway Saint Paul stood up in the middle of the temple, and having drawn nigh unto the fire he cast himself into the furnace of fire, and he stood up as all the people were looking at him, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Unto you I cry, O Timothy and Kēwāreṣṭes, ye two lost sheep which I have come to seek and to bring back into the field of the great flock, which is the flock of our Lord Jesus Christ, Come ye into this fire, for ye shall be the salvation of the people of this city, and through you their faith shall come into being. And straightway Timothy made haste, and separated himself from among the people, and he came and leaped into the fire, and stood up by the side of Saint Paul; and when Kēwārestes saw [him do thus] he also went down into the fire, and the Holy Spirit came upon him immediately, and he seized the figure of the golden hawk and cast it into the fire. Then straightway Paul, and Kēwārestes, and Timothy grasped each other by the hands, and they walked round about in the midst of the fire, on this side and on that.

42 And it came to pass that when the people saw what had taken place, they lifted up their hands towards heaven, and said, "There is no god in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, except God the Father, the Sustainer of the universe, and His only Son, Jesus Christ in Whose Name Paul hath preached, and the Holy Spirit. And Saints Paul, and Timothy, and Kēwārestes were standing in the midst of the fire, and their hands were spread out in the similitude of the sign of the cross, and at length the people of the city saw with their own eyes the similitude of the sign of the cross in the midst of the fire. Then were sorry all those who saw Paul and those standing with him in the midst of the fire, and they began to cry and to make supplication unto Saint Paul, saying, "We beseech thee, O Apostle of Christ, to come forth from the midst of this fire, for we believe that no god existeth except God the Father, and His only Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, Who sheweth His wonderful acts by means of His servants who believe in Him. And straightway Saints Paul, and Kēwārestes, and Timothy came forth from the fire without any pain having touched them, neither was the smell of fire on their apparel; nay, they were rejoicing even as a man who hath drunk wine.

43 And after these things 'Aresṭōs drew nigh unto Saint Paul, and bowed down at his feet, and saluted him, saying, "Forgive me, O Apostle of God, and remember not against me all the evil which I have done against thy holiness. Then Saint Paul took his hand, and lifted him up, and said unto him, "Ask God the Father to forgive thee thy sins, and the Son to put them away from thee, and the Holy Ghost to destroy thy evil error. And immediately 'Aresṭōs and his soldiers made haste, and brought out all his possessions, and he distributed them among the poor, and the needy, and the orphans, and those who were in want; and he, and Timothy, and Kēwārestes, became disciples of Saint Paul. And after these things the people said unto Saint Paul, "We beseech thee, O thou Apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ, to tell us where the figure of the golden hawk hath gone. And Saint Paul said unto them, "Behold, it is in the fire until this moment, for I have not sent it to abide in any other place whatsoever. Then they said unto him, "We wish to know if it is to be found in the fire. And Saint Paul said unto them, "Wait patiently for a little, and I will tell you everything which hath befallen it.

44 And," he continued, "send messengers and command [the guards] to open the gates of the city, and let all the people go forth and be baptized in the river which is on the eastern side of the city, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, for the remission of their sins. Then straightway 'Aresṭōs, and Timothy, and Kēwāresṭes opened the gates of the city, and Saint Paul and all the people who were following him went forth, and he took them to the river, and baptized them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, for the forgiveness of their sins. And there was great rejoicing throughout the whole city because they had received the preaching [of Saint Paul] and the glory of God had risen upon them; and after this all the people went forth from the river following Saint Paul. Then Saint Paul entered into the temple, and the seven priests who ministered unto the figure of the golden hawk fled and hid themselves from the sight of the people, for they did not wish to receive Christian baptism; and they went into the innermost recesses of the temple, and hid themselves in the corners of the building thereof. Now when all the people had come in, they sat down, and Saint Paul said unto them, "Where are your priests? And why have they not come to be baptized with Christian baptism?" Then they said unto him, "We do not know anything about them, or where they are;" and a great search was made for the priests among the people, who commanded the soldiers, saying, "Go ye, and seek for them, and when ye have found them bring them hither, so that we may cast them into the fire which is burning in the temple;" and straightway the soldiers went forth, and they walked about all the city seeking for them. Then Saint Paul said unto them, "Do not let the people depart until I reveal to them the matter of the image of the golden hawk which ye were wont to worship." Now the soldiers tarried in their search for the priests, and a great uproar arose in the city, and Saint Paul made a sign unto them with his hand that they should hold their peace, and sit down, and immediately the uproar among the people subsided, and they held their peace, even as doth a man who hath no companion [with whom to talk].

45 Then Saint Paul rose up, and stretching out his hands in the form of the Cross in the temple wherein the fire was still burning, he prayed these words, and said, "Bow down Thine ear to me, O Thou Who dost hearken unto the words of those who call upon Thee and who make supplication unto Thee, and hear the petition which I make unto Thee before all these people, so that they may believe in Thee, and may know that Thou art He Who hath sent me to preach in Thy Holy Name; for it is Thou Who dost reveal Thy wonders and dost make manifest to all the majesty of Thy mysteries, and dost show those who love [Thee] the greatness of Thy glory. And now, O Lord, teach all these Thy people the glory of Thy Godhead so that they may believe in Thee, and [may know] that Thou art the Son of God, and that Thy faith is the true one, and that they may find Thy gift which never passeth away. And shew Thou them the image of this golden hawk in the similitude of a lion, for Thou art able to do all things, and there is nothing too difficult for Thee, O Thou Who didst bring the world [into being] out of nothingness, that all these people may know that Thou art God, and that there is no other god besides Thee." And it came

46 Nn to pass that when Saint Paul had said these words, the image of the golden hawk came forth from the fire in the similitude of a lion, and stood in the midst of the temple, and when the people saw him they were all greatly moved, and they scattered themselves among their friends, and lifted up their voices, and glorified God, saying, "Great art Thou, O our Lord Jesus Christ, in the heavens and in the earth." Then Saint Paul rejoiced and was exceedingly glad in his heart by reason of the strength of their faith, and their right mind, and he made a sign unto them to hold their peace. And he said unto the lion which had come forth from out of the flame of fire, "Where are thy priests who serve thee?" 47 And the lion answered and said unto him, "Bear with me, O my lord, until I make known unto thee where they are;" and turning his face towards the innermost recesses of the temple, he went to where the priests were hidden, and he brought forth one of them whom he held in his mouth by the neck, and he dragged him along like a dead man, and cast him down in the midst of the temple. And he went back a second time, and brought out another of the priests from where they were hidden, and the priest was hanging from the lion's teeth like a young kid; and the lion did not leave one of them where they were hidden, but he brought out the seven priests, one after the other, and set them down in the middle of the temple. And the priests were exceedingly afraid, and, by reason of their exceedingly great fear, and through the severity of their fright, they became like unto dead men; and their bodies trembled at the terror of the lion, and they were greatly ashamed before the people.

48 And when the people saw this they lifted up their voices and glorified God, and they bowed down at the feet of the blessed Paul, and said, "Behold, God having put on 'flesh hath appeared unto us, and hath come unto us, so that He may heal and save those who have been smitten with the wounds of sin." And the people wished to slay the priests, but Saint Paul answered and said unto them, "Inasmuch as the gracious gift of life hath come to this 'city in abundance, let no man die [therein] this day." Then the priests rose up and bowed down at the feet of Saint Paul, and they said unto him, "Have compassion 'upon us, O Apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ, and forgive us our sins, and as thou hast done unto all the people of this city even so do thou unto us, and give us the sign of Christ, the gift which passeth not away;" and Saint Paul sent Kewâreses with them to give them Christian baptism in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, to Whom be praise for ever and ever. Amen. And the priests went back again to Saint Paul who was in the temple.

49 And after these things Saint Paul commanded the elders of the city to enlarge the temple, and to build him a church, and they did so, and then he taught them how to offer up the Offering, and how to participate in the Divine Mysteries; and he appointed Kewâreses to be their priest, and he made Timothy and 'Aresôs to be their deacons, and he made Aresôs to be the steward of the church. And Saint Paul dwelt with them in the city for a space of three months, and he admonished them, and taught them the commandments of God, and the ordinances and the words of the Prophets, and he NN* delivered over unto them also the glad tidings of the Gospel of our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ. Then after these things Saint Paul wrought many miracles, and wonders, and great and mighty deeds before them, and he opened the eyes of the blind, and those who were bent crooked he made to stand upright, and the deaf heard, and the dumb spake, and he cast out devils, and cleansed the lepers, and healed all men of the various kinds of diseases with which they suffered; and there was great joy in that city. And after these things he departed from them, and when they were setting him on his way their hearts were exceedingly sorrowful, from the least of them even unto the greatest; and they said unto him, "O Apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ, tarry not long away

50 B. "from us." So he departed from them, and went towards the desert, and the lion which came forth from the fire followed Saint Paul from the time he went out from the city of Aleppo to the desert. Then the lion which had been the idol of the people of the city said unto him, "I beseech thee, O Apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ, not to send me away into the punishment of Sheol, for thou thyself knowest that I have no body. I am afraid lest thou destroy me by the power which God hath given unto thee, and by the might whereby thou workest, for I am but dust, and foolish men took me from the earth and melted me into the image of [a golden] hawk, and made me their god, which I am not, and they burned incense before me, and I had no knowledge of anything whatsoever." And Saint Paul answered and said unto him, "Fear not, O lion, for inasmuch as thou hast served me thou shalt live in the desert until the day wherein I shall wish for thee;" so the lion took up his abode in the desert as Saint Paul had commanded him, and Saint Paul departed from that place and went to Accho.

Chapter Vi.

51 And It Came TO PASS THAT AS HE WAS JOURNEY-ING ALONG THE ROAD, OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST APPEAR-ED UNTO HIM, and said unto him, "Peace be unto thee, O My chosen one, Paul, thou shepherd of My Father's sheep, who seekest those which are lost that thou mayest bring them back into the great fold in the speech of the true preacher, which is the kingdom of My Father, and the holy and ancient church over which I have set thee, thee and thy brethren, to be the head, that thou mayest be strong to keep my testimony, and mayest endure patiently many tribulations for My Name's sake before nations and kings, and before the children of Israel, and that thy blood may be poured out many times upon the mountains, and in the streets, and in the market-places. Now, a great strife is prepared for thee in this city, and moreover, thou shalt obtain great glory by reason of the sufferings which thou shalt endure (literally receive) until thou hast delivered the people from the destruction of the error of Diabolos. Be strong, and fight boldly, and fear thou not, for thy reward with My Father shall be great, and thy crown and the apparel wherein thou shalt be gloriously arrayed shall be spotless for ever. Verily I say unto thee, O Paul, verily I say unto thee, that reports of thy name shall go forth into all the ends of the world.

52 I swear unto thee, O My beloved one, by the Name of My Father, and by Mine own Name, and by the Name of the Holy Spirit, that for everyone who shall build a church in thy Name and shall call upon My name therein I will build in the kingdom of heaven a house not made with hands, and I will destroy the writing of his debt, and I will make him fit to be a child of My kingdom which is in the heavens. All the churches in the world which are called after thy name I will make Mine angels to wait upon and guard; and, of all those who shall visit thy churches, and shall offer up prayers therein, I will receive their prayers, and will give them their earnest desires; and when those who minister in thy church have completed their ministrations with diligent care, I will make fair their work in purity and in righteousness. I will bless them, and their children after them, even as I blessed Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and I will multiply them and make them to be many.

53 And if any man shall make a gift to thy church, or shall endow it with either a Book of Gospels, or the Books of the Prophets, or the Books of the Apostles, or the Book of thy Contendings for reading therein, I will write his name in the book of life, and I will forgive him all his sins, and I will give him instead thereof thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and an hundredfold. And whosoever shall celebrate thy commemoration in the church, whether he shall beautify and adorn thy house, or he clothe the naked, or he feed the hungry, or he give drink to the thirsty, or he receive strangers, or he visit those who are sick and in prison, I will destroy the writing of his debt, and I will make him to become meet to receive a portion and an inheritance with thee in the kingdom of My Father which is in heaven. And having said these things unto him, our Lord ascended into the heavens as he was looking up after Him.

Chapter Vii.

54 Then paul with gladness and rejoicing jour. NOVED on his way, and arrived in the city at the tenth hour of the day, and the Jews who were there knew him; and he went and tarried in [the house of] a certain man whose name was Sakentes, who was one of the disciples. Then the Jews went to tell Felix, the governor, but they found him not, for he was not there, because he had departed unto another country by reason of some matter which appertained to his office; and when they found not Felix they told Pilate and Hérmógánes, the princes of the city, concerning Saint Paul. Now all the people of the city had heard of the fame of him, and how he was following Jesus Christ, and how he had forsaken the religion of the Jews and did preach the Gospel of the kingdom of heaven. And because of this thing all the Jews who were in Arabia, and those who dwelt in the land of Judah, were exceedingly angry with him, and they wished to slay him. Now when it was eventide the elders of the city sent messengers to close the gates and to chain and bolt them, B..51a. and they also set guards to watch them, so that no man might be able to escape in secret. And when Sakentes heard [this], he went and told Saint Paul, saying, "The elders of the city wish to slay thee; take heed, and know what to do.

55 And behold, they have set guards to watch the gates, and they are lying in wait to seize thee when thou art unaware. And Saint Paul answered and said, "May the help of my Lord Jesus Christ not be far from me! And let me be ready to deliver up my body and all my members that they may crucify them, and inflict punishment upon them, and hack one limb from another, and cast them forth into the fire, for the sake of the Name of Jesus Christ. Now it was midnight, and our Lord Jesus Christ appeared before Saint Paul, and said unto him, "Be strong, O My beloved one, and be of good courage, O My chosen one, for I will be with thee in all thy tribulation until thou dost overcome B..51a. all those who stand up against thee." 56 And when the morning was come, the elders sent messengers to seek for Saint Paul, and behold, a certain man came and said unto the elders, "I have seen the man in the house of Sakentes; he belongeth unto the men of Iconium who dwell in the street which is called Straight. Then straightway the elders gathered themselves together, and they called the apostles, and the centurion, and Judah, and told them to bring Saint Paul [to them], and they ran, and seized Saint Paul with Sakentes, and they carried them before the judge; and there was great joy among the elders of the city and among the people of the Jews who were there, for they had been seeking [to take] Saint Paul diligently every day. And they bound Saint Paul with iron fetters, and kept watch upon him until they could come to the hall of judgment. Now the elders had before this time been seeking for Saint Paul daily, for they imagined that he was overthrowing their religion when he preached in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then the elders commanded that a herald should go round about the city ordering all the people to gather themselves together into the hall of judgment; and they gathered themselves together, the small and the great, and male and female, in such numbers that their number was more than twelve thousand.

57 And the elders came into the hall of judgment and commanded them to bring Saint Paul [there], and they said unto the people, "Say by what means ye would wish to slay Paul; and some of them said, "Let us tie his hands and his feet, and cast him into the sea; and others said, "Let us light a fire and cast him into it, and burn him alive; and others said, "Let us bore holes in his feet, and fasten chains therein, and let us drag him round about through the streets of the city for seven days before we burn him with fire, and then let us cast him to the lions, so that they may devour his body. So the elders commanded them to bore holes in his feet, and they put chains therein, and they brought two oxen, and having fastened Saint Paul between them they suspended him [by] his feet, and dragged him about through the streets of the city over the sharp stones until his blood flowed like water. And when Sakentes saw Saint Paul tortured by such a cruel punishment, he answered and said unto the people, "How can ye do thus to the Apostle of Christ? Cease ye to do this wicked thing. Then the elders said, "Do thus even unto this man also, and unto every man whose heart shall feel compassion for him, and unto every man of this city who shall be sorry for him."

58 Then they took Sakentes and bound him with Saint Paul, and they drove the oxen out from the hall of judgment, and they dragged Saint Paul and Sakentes over sharp stones until their blood flowed like water, and until the flesh of their bodies was torn into shreds, and their bones appeared. And the two disciples wept and made supplication unto God, saying, "Give us strength, O our Lord Jesus Christ! O Thou in Whom is strength which cannot be overcome, turn not away thy face from us. Cast us not away, and reject us not, and neglect not us, Thy servants, who love Thee, and remember, O God, that we have delivered our bodies unto death for the sake of Thy holy Name. Then straightway the two oxen which were dragging them along turned into stone, and they and the man who was driving them became dried up figures, just where they stood, in the midst of the city, and they abide there to this day. Now when the people saw this thing they said among themselves, "These men perform their work after the manner of the Twelve magicians who follow Jesus the Nazarene; but works of this kind shall avail them naught, and they shall not be able to deliver them, and we must punish them according to the evil of their works.' Then straightway the people set free Saint Paul and Sakentes from between the two stone oxen, and some of them heaped insults upon their companions because of Saint Paul; but they were not able to make them afraid of the elders and magistrates of the city. And they took Saints Paul and Sakentes into the hall of judgment again, and the multitude stoned them with stones as they went;

59 and the guards went and told the prefect what had taken place, and when he had heard it he was exceedingly angry, and he rose up and came into the hall of judgment. Now as he was passing by he saw the two oxen which had been turned into stone, with their driver. And as he was standing in the street, Satan filled every member of his body with anger, and he gnashed his teeth, and he began to pluck the hair out of his head, and he cast himself upon the ground, and he was greatly moved, and he hastened on his way until he came to the hall of judgment. And all the people cried out to move him to wrath, and to give him the power to slay Saint Paul; but he answered them with authority, and said unto them angrily, Have patience for a little. Then he said unto Saint Paul, "O magician and seducer of the mind, I will neither eat, nor drink, and this hour shall not pass before I have removed thy soul from thy body, for thou hast, by thy sorcery, cast the evil eye upon me, and thou hast turned these two oxen into stone in the presence of all these people, whom thou hast wrought upon with the works of thy deceit, and thou dost wish some of them to forsake my religion, and to follow Jesus the Nazarene, and thou dost, moreover, wish to preach in His Name.

60 But after I have given the command and have made an end of the killing of thee, I will find means of bringing thy sorcery to naught, and of making the oxen to again become living bodies and perfect animals of the same form and appearance as they possessed in former times." 61 Then the governor commanded them to bring two bulls of brass, and to place the two disciples in them. And they brought bitumen, and pitch, and sulphur, and fat, and having mixed them together they smeared therewith the two brazen bulls both inside and outside, and they put them into a furnace and burned fire on them 62 B..52b.for three days and three nights, and all the Jews who were living there rejoiced thereat. And behold, our Lord Jesus Christ the Nazarene came down from heaven, and He entered into the furnace of fire, being followed by Michael and Gabriel, and He made it to remove itself from its place and to be in the middle of the hall of judgment. Now the time was midnight, and flashings of fire went forth from the furnace, and the brilliance of the fiery flame thereof rose upwards to a great height, and it went into all the city and passed through the houses and habitations of the people who were foes to the Apostles, and burned them up, and destroyed all their possessions. And the officers and the elders of the city rose up, together with the men who remained from the burning, and they besought God, saying, "O Lord God of heaven, let not the blood of these men come upon us. Since they came into the city by Thy command to preach Thy Holy Name, tell us, O Lord, what Thou B..53a."commandest us to do, and we will do it." And it came to pass that when all the people had said these words, and were crying out unto God, and weeping, behold, there came a voice from heaven like the voice of a trumpet, saying, "Gather yourselves together, O all ye people, in the hall of judgment, for there it is meet for you to know what ye shall do to deliver yourselves from this fire. But if ye tarry until the sun riseth the fire will not leave even one man of this city alive, nay, it shall consume from the greatest of them even unto the least, and every animal which is in this city."

63 Then straightway the lion which Saint Paul had left in the desert came quickly into the city and stood at the door of the hall of judgment, and the elders who had already come into the hall of judgment saw him standing in the fire; and they were afraid, and wished to take to flight, and when they turned round they saw behind them a great wall of fire surrounding the city. Then they were gathered together and came to the hall of judgment, but they were not able to enter therein through [their] fear of the lion which was standing [there]; and moreover, they could not return to the city to hide themselves from the lion which was standing [there], for the wall of fire was closing them in on every side. And looking up into heaven they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "O God, have mercy upon us, and deliver us from the mouth of this destroying lion, and save us from his claws. Now whilst all the people were thus crying out in sorrow and in tears, the lion cried out with his voice to them, and said, "Let him that is among you who would save himself, say, 'I believe in Thee, O my Lord Jesus Christ, in Whose Name Saint Paul preacheth'.

64 And it came to pass that when the people saw the lion speaking like a man, they marvelled and cast themselves down in homage upon their faces at the door of the hall of judgment, and they wept tears, and cast dust upon their heads, [saying], "We believe in Thee, O our Lord Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the Son of the Living God, to Whom the holy Virgin MARY gave birth. And when the people had made the profession of faith in this wise, the lion came to the hall of judgment and walked round about before them, and the hall of judgment was filled with men from the door to the very end thereof. Then the lion stood at the door of the hall of judgment where the fiery furnace was, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Rise up now, O Saints Paul and Sakentes, ye servants of the Most High God Jesus Christ, that the governors of the city and the people may know that ye are the servants of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then straightway Saints Paul and Sakentes rose up and came forth from the burning fiery furnace which was in the hall of judgment, and not a hair of their heads was singed, and there was no smell of fire upon their clothes whatsoever. And immediately all the people cried out, saying, "There is no god who sustaineth the universe except God, and His Son Jesus Christ the Nazarene, and the Holy Spirit, Whom Paul the Apostle preacheth.

65 And the people of the city believed, from the least of them even unto the greatest, and they went out from the city in a body, and took knives in their hands and cut down branches of palms, and branches of olive trees, and adorned the whole city. Then they went to Saint Paul, and he took them to the river and baptized them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; and he built a church for them; and he delivered unto them the books of the church, and he set Sakentes over them, and taught them all the divine ordinances, and offered up the pure Offering, and guided them into the light and into the holy commandment, that is to say, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to Whom, with His Good Father, and the Holy Spirit, be praise for ever and ever! Amen.

Chapter Viii.

66 And The Apostle PAUL WENT FORTH FROM THE CITY OF ACCHO AND CAME TO THE CITY OF 'ATÉNÁ (ATHENS),' AND HE SENT an epistle unto Silas and Timothy, [telling] them to come to him. Now the Apostle was suffering greatly within himself, and his spirit was wroth within him, for he saw all Athens filled with idols; and he used to converse daily with the Jews and with the wise men in the places of assembly and in the market-places, and they used to debate harshly with him. And there were some of the wise men who would have seized Paul, and some of them said of him, "What doth this sower of words of a new doctrine of devils wish to teach? For he saith that by the Name of Jesus the dead shall live." Then they took him to the house of their god, and said unto him, "Tell us, we beseech thee now, and let us have knowledge of this new doctrine which thou speakest and teachest; we want to know of a certainty what this matter is, for thou preachest unto

67 "us a new God Whom we know not. For all the people of the city of Athens and all those who sojourn here are sad, and they have nothing [else to do] except to produce some new thing, and they seek what they may say and declare." Then Saint Paul preached unto them Jesus Christ and His resurrection, and they took him and came with him to the house of the judge. And Saint Paul rose up and stood among them, and said unto them, "I see that ye are given up inordinately to the worship of idols. And behold, as I was going B. round about [the city] I saw in the houses of your objects of service an altar whereon was engraved, 'The hidden god'.' Is this the God Whom ye worship, knowing Him not? Now He it is Whom I preach unto you, and He is the God Who created the world and all that therein is, He is the God of the heavens and the earth, and He dwelleth not in the house or shrine which hath been made by the hands [of man], and no man can help Him, and He wanteth nothing, for He is the giver of life unto all men, and from one man, Adam, He hath created all [the people of] the world, that they may dwell upon the face of the earth. And by His commandment He set aside and made a beautiful habitation for men so that they might seek God and make enquiry for Him, for He is not of any one of us, and as for Him, in Him we move and on Him we depend."

68 And having said these words Saint Paul the Apostle went forth from their midst, and after he had spoken unto them he said nothing more, and many men among them joined themselves unto him, and believed; now with these were Dionysius, one of the council of 'Aryûs (Mars' [Hill]), and his wife, whose name was Dômâris (Damaris), was with him. Then Saint Paul went out from Athens, and he came and entered into Corinth, where he found a certain Jew whose name was 'Akilâ (Aquila), and whose city was Pantôn (Pontus). Now this Jew had recently arrived from Italy with Paraskilâ (Priscilla) his wife, for Claudius had given orders to drive the Jews from Rome, and they came to Saint Paul, for each of the two men was of the same trade, and they dwelt together and worked together at making the coverings for tents. And the work of Saint Paul's hands was that of a tentmaker, and he worked at the making of tents with his hands; and he fasted by night and by day, and he ate only that which was necessary [to keep him alive].

69 And the Apostle Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth, and he was speaking in the place of assembly (or synagogue) every Sabbath day. Then Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, and they found Saint Paul the Apostle in sore straits by reason of the.54b. opposition and blasphemies of the Jews; and he cast away his apparel and said unto them, "Henceforward I am innocent, and your blood be upon your own heads from this hour; I will go unto the Gentiles." And he went forth from his own habitation and entered into that of a certain man whose name was Titus; now this man had become a disciple, and his house was nigh unto the church, and he believed on our Lord, and he and the people of his house were Christians, as were also many of the Corinthians. 70 Then our Lord spake unto Saint Paul in a vision, saying, "Fear not, O Paul, but believe; speak the word and keep not silence, for I have been, and I will be, with thee. No man shall be able to do any evil against thee, and none shall be able to prevail over thee by means of any evil or harmful thing, and through thee many of the Gentiles shall turn unto Me. And Saint Paul dwelt there for a full year and six months, and he taught the people the word of God; and the Jews gathered themselves together [and went to complain of him] to the governor of Achaia, but he would not hearken unto their.55a. words, and he drove them away. Now when he had made an agreement with the brethren Saint Paul departed in a ship unto Sâma, and with him were Farisâkîlâ (Priscilla) and 'Apâlûs, and they arrived in Ephesus, where Saint Paul left them and departed by sea to Caesarea; and from that place he went on to Antioch, where he dwelt for some days. And again he set out and went round about through the borders of Phrygia, and Galatia, so that he might strengthen all the believers; and he went through the upper borders thereof, and returned to Ephesus. And he found [there] a few believers, and he began to ask them questions, and said unto them, "Have ye received the Holy Spirit since ye have believed?

71 And they answered and said unto him, "We have not so much as heard that the Holy Spirit existeth. Then he said unto them, "With what baptism, then, were ye baptized? And they said unto him, "With the baptism of John. Then he said unto them, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, and preached that men should believe in Him that was to come after him, that is, in Jesus Christ. Now when they heard these words they were baptized in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Saint Paul laid his hand upon them, and the Holy Spirit descended upon them. And they began to speak, every man in the language of his own country, and they prophesied, and they all were in number twelve men. And the Apostle Paul entered into the Church, and he sat down there talking and teaching openly for three months, and he debated with them, and he led men into the faith, and made them to believe through the work of the kingdom of God, although there were some who denied his doctrine and who persisted in condemning it. And again Saint Paul went down into the school of a certain man whose name was Terdânus (Tyrannus), and

72 Acts xix. 7. 00\* he dwelt with him for a space of two years, until all the Jews and Gentiles who lived in Asia had heard of the word of God. And God wrought great and mighty deeds by the hand of the holy Apostle Paul, and many wonders took place through him, and the people took the garments which were on his body, and his cloaks, and the cloth which was about his head, and they cut off pieces from the ends thereof and laid them upon the sick and they recovered, and they drove out devils, and the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ was magnified. And after these things Saint Paul dwelt in Asia for a long time.

Chapter Ix.

73 And it came to pass in those days that great tribulation [came] upon those who kept the law of god. Now there was there a certain silversmith whose name was Demetrius, and he made images of Artemis (Diana) in silver. And the people of the city had built a temple wherein they had set up an image of Artemis, and thither they brought all the sick folk who were in the city, and they laid them in the temple where they were healed by Artemis. Now when Saint Paul had come into the temple with a certain man whose name was 'Atrōfimās (Trophimus), he saw many people lying there, and he said unto Trophimus, "What is the matter with these folk who are lying inside the temple?" And Trophimus said unto him, "These are the sick folk whom, having fallen sick in this city, the people bring hither that they may be healed of their sicknesses by Artemis;"

74 and they went forth from the temple together. Then Saint Paul went to the keepers of the gates, and said unto them, "I wish to live with you for three days until 'I find certain men in search of whom I have come hither, and when I find them I will take them with me to Jerusalem to the chief priests that they may shut them up in prison.' Then the keepers of the gates said unto him, 'Trouble not thyself, for we will shut up in prison everyone we find, and we will send them to the chief priests that they may cast them into prison;' and straightway Saint Paul rose up and came into the city. And the keepers said among themselves, 'Verily this man is from the temple (or synagogue) of Dérsón; let us now receive him, and treat him well, before he goeth into his city, so that when we ourselves go to Jerusalem he may treat us well in return for what we have done for him.' Then Saint Paul dwelt seven days in the city before he found a means whereby he could preach openly in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now the people of that city were without any faith whatsoever. And Saint Paul made himself like unto them, and he feigned to be of their opinion, that he might be thought to be at one with them in their counsel.

75 Now he abode in the house of 'Atrófimós (Trophimus), and the guards of the city and the keepers of the gates did for him many acts of kindness. And it came to pass that when the seven days were ended, Saint Paul was sitting in the city of Ephesus and meditating within himself, saying, What shall I do to find a way whereby I may preach in this great city in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ?' Now Saint Paul knew by the Holy Spirit that he should receive much suffering in that city, and he said within himself, There are no other means left for me whereby I may convert these people except by making myself to be like unto one of the sick folk of this city. Shall not I first of all become a sick man that I may save those who are sick? And afterwards, that which God wisheth me to do I will do."

76 And in that same night wherein Saint Paul had been preaching in the house of Trophimus, he woke up at midnight, and cried out with a loud voice, like a man upon whom some great tribulation had come; and Trophimus rose up, and said unto him, "What hath happened unto thee?" And he said unto him, "My head is very sick, and all my members, and my body also." Then Trophimus said unto him, "Fear not, O my brother, for I will heal thee in the morning. When the day hath come I will take thee into the temple of the great queen Artemis, and she shall heal thee of all thy sickness, and shall remove the suffering which hath come upon thee;" and Saint Paul continued to groan and to cry out until the morning. And when the morning had come Trophimus rose up, and taking with him men carried Saint Paul, and placed him in the temple, and made him to lie with the sick folk. Then Trophimus departed to the watchmen [of the temple], and spake unto them, saying, "Take heed unto this wise man and teacher, for during the past night he well nigh died of his sickness. And behold, I have brought him and placed him in the temple." Then the watchmen rose up and came to comfort Saint Paul and to visit him. And Trophimus continued to minister unto him, and he made [his servants] to take out unto him some of his own possessions for his service, besides those which the nobles of the city expended upon him. And it came to pass that three days after Saint Paul had been laid out among the sick folk he said unto them, "How many days have ye lain here? And one of them said unto him, "I have been lying here for three years and seven months; and another said unto him, "It is three years since I was laid out here, and I have not had one day's relief [during] the whole time; nay, my disease hath increased, and my weakness is greater. Then Saint Paul said unto them, "As for me, it is three days since I lay down here, and I have found no relief whatsoever. Can it be that this god whom we worship is one who knoweth not him that payeth him honour? Or is it because he is deaf and cannot hear that he doth not help him that calleth upon him in his tribulation? If it be not thus we ought to have obtained relief from this sickness.

77 But as for me, I shall depart unto the city wherein they worship a God Whose Name is Jesus, and if ye were to call upon Him He would hearken unto you immediately, and would heal you of all your diseases, and would deliver you out of all the tribulation and affliction which have come upon you. For He illumineth the eyes of the blind, and He healeth the lame and maketh them to walk, and He maketh the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak, and He cleanseth the lepers, and He casteth out devils, and He raiseth the dead by His word, and He healeth every sickness whatsoever. But, what is greater than all these things, He raised up a dead man from out of the grave after [he had been dead] for four days, and gave him life. 78 "And, moreover, He blessed five loaves of bread and satisfied five thousand men therewith, besides women and children, and He filled twelve baskets with the broken fragments of what was left of them." Then all those who were in the temple marvelled at his words, and they said unto him, "Behold, thou hast been lying in this place for three days; hadst thou called upon the name of this Nazarene thou wouldst have been healed of thy sickness. Now we also, all of us, believe B. "in Him, and we know that He is the God Who can do everything, and we lift up our voices, saying, One is the God Who revealeth Himself unto those who believe in Him." And Saint Paul answered and said, "I beseech Thee, O God, my Lord Jesus Christ, and I believe in Thee, and that Thou art the Son of the Living God, Who wast born of the holy Virgin Mary." And when he had said these words straightway he cast aside the garment wherewith he was clothed, and he rose up from his couch quickly, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Behold, I am healed, and my pain hath departed;" and he began to walk about in the courtyard of the temple, and in all the ways thereof, and he preached to all those who were sick of divers kinds of diseases, saying, "I cried upon the Name of Jesus the Nazarene, and I have been healed of all my disease, and every one who calleth upon the Name of this Nazarene shall, like myself, be healed of all his disease, and he shall rise up sound and whole, and without wound or pain, even as He hath raised me up." Then straightway

79 B. all those who were in the temple marvelled, and they lifted up their voices, saying, "We believe in Jesus the Nazarene, the Son of the Living God, Who was born of the pure Virgin MARY." And whilst all the sick folk were saying these words, God sent Michael the Archangel from heaven, and he came into the temple and healed all the sick, and the great idol which was in the temple fell down upon its face. Then all the sick folk who were lying in the temple rose up, and they lifted up their voices, and glorified God, saying, "There is no god save Thee, O Father, Sustainer of all things, and Thine only Son our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, Thrice holy." And after this Saint Paul said unto all those who had been made whole, "Rise up, and let us go forth into the streets of the city, and let us preach in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, this [God] Who hath healed us from all sickness and disease." So Saint Paul went forth from the temple with all the sick who had obtained the grace of healing following after him, and they all cried out in the streets, saying, "There is no god except God the Father, and His only Son, Jesus" "Christ, and His Holy Spirit; and blessed be His Apostle, by whose hand we have found the gift of salvation and healing, and have recovered from our pain and sickness."

80 Now when Demetrius, the smith of the idol Artemis, [which was made] of silver in ancient days, saw that it had fallen on its face, he made haste and went to the elders of the city, and told them, saying, "Come and see this man who is called Saul, who is of the men of Tarsus in Cilicia, and who liveth in the house of Trophimus. Behold, it is [only] three days since he dwelt in the temple, but this night he rose up, and made Artemis, who is great among the gods, to fall down upon her face. And behold, he is going round about in the city and preaching in the Name of this Nazarene Who is called Jesus, concerning Whom he saith, He is the son of God. And when the elders of the city heard these words they were exceedingly angry, and having risen up they went quickly into the temple, following Demetrius, who was going before them and shewing them the way. Now Demetrius was a priest of the gods. And when they saw that she had fallen upon her face on the earth, they commanded the soldiers to go and seize Saint Paul wheresoever he might be, and to bring him to the hall of judgment. Then straightway the soldiers went and searched for him, and they found him in the street of the city, having gathered together much people unto him, and he was preaching unto them in the Name of Jesus Christ;

81 and some of them believed because of the sick folk who were healed, and some of them did not believe, but were disputing concerning the Law of Moses. Then the soldiers seized Saint Paul and placed him in the hall of judgment, and they scourged him severely until the blood ran from him like water; and there was a great tumult in the city because of him, and at length the people began to stone each other. And many men among their nobles and elders believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, but the Jews who were stirring up the elders were more in number than those who believed. Then the governor said unto Trophimus, "O thou destroyer, and enemy, why didst thou bring this deceiver and worker of iniquity into this city so that by craft of word and speech he might destroy us by his sorcery, and draw us into the doctrine of the Nazarene, the great goddess Artemis being [our] queen? We will slay thee with him, and we will mingle thy death with his. And the governor commanded the soldiers to let the lions loose, and straightway there went forth a lioness which was with young, and she was roaring loudly, and her they sent against Saint Paul.

82 Now as soon as the lioness had gone out she at once saw with her eyes our Lord Jesus Christ standing between the two of them, and the Lord opened her mouth and, standing among the men, she lifted up her voice, saying, "Woe be unto you, O ye judges of this city, who are like unto those who make themselves to be remote from the salvation of their own souls, for ye have delivered over unto death these two men who are not worthy of death; and having said these words the lioness began to lick and to kiss their feet; and then she went back into her own place. Then the people who were standing there cried out with a loud voice, saying, "There is no god except the God of Saint Paul; and many of the people believed in that hour. Now they wanted to stone the soldiers with stones, but because of fear of what would be done to them later they restrained themselves. And the judges commanded them to send against Paul and Trophimus another savage lion which was living in the days of Alexander, and was accustomed to rend men; and the prefect, and all his soldiers, and his companions, and all the men of the city, both those who believed and those who did not believe, were sitting there; and Demetrius the smith, who made image[s] of Artemis, was with all the accursed priesthood.

83 Now when the lion went out from his lair all the people of the city stood upon the platform of the temple because of [their] fear of the lion, and they were looking on from above the lion, which rushed out in great fury roaring as he went, and the sound of his roars made the hearts of men to quake. And the people said among themselves, "If this man teacheth the way of God, He will deliver him from the mouth of this savage and ravening lion, and we also can believe in his God, in Whose Name he preacheth, and we need not return to the worship and adoration of the image of Artemis. Now Saint Paul and Trophimus were bound in the hall of judgment, and all the people were watching them, and they hushed their voices (or words), and wished to see their end. 84 And it came to pass that when the lion went forth he began to go round the hall of judgment, and Saint Paul answered and said unto them, "Unto you I speak, and I would make known unto the company of the judges of this city, and unto all the Jews who live here and who serve gods of gold, and silver, and wood, and stone, that I preach unto you the way of life and salvation. And behold, I am bound in this hall of judgment, and this lion shall stand before me until God willeth and commandeth him to fulfil his work; may God's will, for which we all wait and hope, be done.

85 "Let now the priests of your goddess come, and let us stand up together in this hall of judgment, and let the priests of your Artemis make supplication and multiply their prayers unto her, [and we shall see] if she be able to deliver them, and shall know if her power can be made manifest. And let us beseech our Lord Jesus the Nazarene, both I and Trophimus, and if He deliver us from the mouth of this ravening lion which roareth, we will worship Him and believe that He is a God Who is able to deliver those who put their trust in Him. And these words were good in the sight of the men of the city and of all the governors, and they all declared that this thing should be [done]. Then the magistrates and judges commanded that Saints Paul and Trophimus should be released from their bonds, and the prefect said unto Saint Paul, "First of all thou shalt make supplication unto thy God, so that we may know and be certain of His power, before these people who are gathered together in the hall of judgment, and we will straightway B. fel. judge according to the right, even as it should be. Now the people were standing there quiet and were holding their peace, because they wished to hear and to see, for the hour had come and the time had drawn nigh wherein God, our Lord Jesus Christ, should be glorified.

86 Then Saint Paul stood up in the middle of the hall of judgment, and he stretched forth his hand[s] in the form of the cross, and said, "I entreat Thee, O my Lord Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the Son of the Living God, to open the hearts of all these people that they may know Thy divinity, O God, Who didst come from the right hand of Thy Father, and didst shew forth Thy great humility and patient endurance by Thine advent into the world in the flesh, and didst accept pain and death upon the wood of the Cross, so that Thou mightest deliver the beings whom Thou didst fashion and the work of Thy hands. And it came to pass that when Saint Paul had said these words, behold, the lion came into the hall of judgment to the place where Saints Paul and Trophimus were standing, and he did homage and bowed his head before them, and he lay down at the feet of Saint Paul like a gentle lamb. And when the magistrates and all the people of the city saw [this], they lifted up their voices, and cried out, saying, "One are God the Father, 'the Sustainer of all things, and His beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, and the Holy Spirit; He it is Who hath sent unto us His holy Apostle to preach unto us the way of salvation.

87 Then straightway the magistrates commanded Demetrius, the high-priest of Artemis, and the other accursed priests to come down into the hall of judgment, and the priests wept before Saint Paul, saying, "We beseech thee, O Apostle of our 'Lord Jesus Christ, do not deliver us into the mouth of this fierce, ravening, and destroying lion, that he may destroy us, and make an end of us, and rend us limb from limb. And behold, we believe and confess our Lord Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the Son of God.' And immediately Saint Paul pacified the hearts of the judges and of all the people, and when they saw the humility, and the breaking of heart of the priests, and their belief in God, and their true repentance, they would not allow the priests to be thrown to the destroying lion; and all the people of the city believed in our Lord Jesus the Nazarene, the salvation of the beings of heaven and of earth. And after these things there sprang up a fountain of water from the lair of the lion and it flowed into all parts of the temple, and straightway Saint Paul baptized all the people, from the least of them even unto the greatest, in that fountain of water, and he made them to be strong in the faith of the Holy Trinity, Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost. Now there was great joy in all the city of Ephesus.

88 Then Saint Paul built for them a church, and delivered unto them the Law of the Book of Moses, and the words of the preaching of the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And he opened their hearts to the knowledge of the Scriptures, and he taught them that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God, to Whom be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Then he appointed Trophimus to be [their] priest, and he taught him the divine mysteries, and the holy ordinances of the Church, and he offered up a pure Offering. This is to what he refers in his words which are written in his First Epistle to the men of Corinth, when he says that he was thrown to the lions at Ephesus. Now there is no place where it was more hopeless for a man to be thrown to the lions than at Ephesus; but there the lions did not attack Saint Paul according to their wont, and the Holy Spirit Who was in him made the lions to appear in his sight like a man in the claws of a lion, and made him to appear in their sight like a lion before a man. Glory be then unto Him Who maketh His wonders manifest by His saints. And they made the lions to abate their evil nature wholly, and made them to submit and be subject unto them.

89 Now when Saint Paul wished to go forth from the city of Ephesus, after all the people had believed through him, he called all those who believed, and comforted them, and saluted them with salutations of farewell. 90 And Saint Paul departed to Macedonia, and he arrived on the border of Dables (Greece), and he dwelt there for three months; and the Jews having taken counsel concerning him, he departed therefrom, wishing to travel through Macedonia. And those who were with him were many, Sosipater, of the city of Beroea, Aristarchus and Sakentes (Secundus) from Thessalonica, Gallius from Derbe, and Timotheus, and from Asia Tychicus and Trophimus; now those who were with him had gone back, and they waited for him in Troas. Now the Apostle Paul and Luke went forth from Philippi after they had passed a few days there for the eating of unleavened bread, and they departed by sea to Troas, and they dwelt there with them for seven days. And on the day of the Sabbath, which is the First Day of the week, as we were all gathered together and were blessing the table, Saint Paul spake the word of God unto the people, and on the second day of the week he lengthened his discourse until midnight; and there were many lamps there in the house wherein we were gathered together. And as he was sitting [there], a certain young man whose name was Eutychus, who was in the window, slumbered and fell into a deep sleep, and as Saint Paul was speaking unto them great words, he tarried there, and by reason of his slumber the young man fell down from the third storey to the floor; and they took up his dead body.

91 Then Saint Paul went down and fell upon him, and he embraced him and lifted up his dead body to him, and said unto them, "Trouble not yourselves, for his soul is in him; and in that same hour his spirit returned unto him, and the young man rose up alive and well. And when all those who were there had seen this they glorified God, the Lord of Saint Paul, who straightway departed to go into Yabes. Then Luke, and those who left with him, departed by sea, and they met with the Apostle 92 Paul in 'Aysûs (Assos), and they carried him into the 6ob ship, and when he had come to Milâṭû,' he sent messengers and made the elders of the church of Ephesus come to him. And he said unto them, "Ye know that in times past when I came unto Asia, I dwelt with you always, and I was serving God with exceedingly great humility and with tears. And ye know of the counsels which were taken concerning me by the Jews through hatred, and that I hid nothing of the good things, and that I made them known and revealed them unto you, in the market-places and in the houses, and that I spake unto Jews and Greeks alike, [giving] glory to the Father, and [putting] confidence in our Lord Jesus Christ. But henceforth I am constrained in the spirit, and am poured out in the Sanctuary (i. e., Jerusalem), and I know not what will come upon me therein. But the Holy Spirit speaketh unto me everywhere, and telleth me that there imprisonments and tribulations wait for me; but my spirit counteth as naught whatsoever the end of my course may be, so that I may fulfil the 6ob. charge which I have received from my Lord Jesus Christ to become a witness to the preaching of the grace of God. And I know now that ye will never again see my face, all of you among whom I have gone about and preached unto you concerning the kingdom; therefore I declare unto you this day, the Sabbath, that I am innocent of the blood of your community, and as regards it I have not kept back from your teaching anything of the good pleasure of God. Take heed now unto your souls and unto every flock over which the Holy Spirit shall appoint you as overseers, that ye watch the Church of Christ which He hath gotten by His blood. For I know that after I have turned back there shall come ravening wolves which shall not spare the flock, and from among you also there shall rise up men, who shall speak perverse words that they may turn aside the

93 "disciples, who will follow after them for this thing. Be ye watchful, and remember that for the past three years, by night and by day, I have not ceased [to pray] with tears for every man and for every woman among you. And I commit you unto the protection of God Almighty, and unto the word of His grace which is able to strengthen you, and to give you an inheritance with all the saints. Silver, or gold, or apparel, I do not desire from you, and ye know that for mine own needs and those who are with me I have toiled with mine own hands. And behold, I have made clear unto you everything, as was right, so that we may labour for and help those who are sick. And behold, remember the word of our Lord, Who said, 'Blessed is he who giveth more than he who receiveth.'" And when he had said these words Saint Paul knelt down upon his knees, and prayed, together with all those who were with him, and they embraced him, and there was a great weeping among them all, and they began to kiss him and to separate themselves from him.

94 Then he departed with those who were with him, and at length they arrived at Tirós (Tyre), where the crew unloaded the goods which were in the ship; and they found again the disciples who had told the Apostle Paul by the Holy Spirit that he should not depart and go up to Jerusalem. And they dwelt with him for seven days and then departed to Accho, and they saluted the brethren who were therein, and they encamped with them for a day; on the morrow they departed and came to Caesarea, and they encamped in the house of Philip, one of the seven preachers, where there were seven virgins who prophesied; and they dwelt with him for many days. Now a certain prophet whose name was Agabus came down from Judaea, and he came unto them and took the girdle of the Apostle, and he bound his own feet therewith, and spake thus, "Thus saith the Holy Spirit:—The owner of this girdle shall the Jews bind in this wise in the Sanctuary (Jerusalem). And they shall deliver him unto the men of the Gentiles;" and when Luke, and the disciples who were with him, and all the people of the country heard these words they besought the Apostle Paul not to depart to the Sanctuary (i. e., Jerusalem).

95 Then the Apostle Paul said unto them, "Why do ye weep and inflict pain upon my heart? Am I not willing to be bound, and imprisoned, and scourged, and not that only, but also to die in the Sanctuary for the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ?" So they left him, saying, "God's will be [done]." And Saint Paul came to the Sanctuary (Jerusalem), and the brethren received him with rejoicings, and they came with him to James with whom there were priests. And the Apostle began to narrate unto them everything which God had done among the Gentiles by His minister, and when they had heard [it] they glorified God, and said unto the Apostle, "O our brother, how few are those who have believed by the side of the thousands of Jews, all of whom hate the Law except those. Behold, it is said by them that thou dost teach that they should not circumcise their children, and that they should not perform the precepts of the Law. And, behold, there are

96 R..61b, "here with us two men, who think that they are pure. Take them, and purify thyself with them, and go forth and make them to go out, so that they may shave their heads; and when each one of them shall know what is said about thee he will [stand] idle, and thus thou shalt be in agreement with the Book of Moses, and with those who keep it;" so the Apostle Paul did thus, and entered into the temple. 97 And it came to pass that when the seventh day had come, and the Jews who had arrived from Asia saw him in the synagogue, all the people overpowered him, and laid hands upon him, and seized him; and all the people came together against him, and drew him outside the synagogue, and they said, "Ye men of Israel, help us. Behold, this is the man who worketh deceit, and who stirreth up men against the Book of Moses, and against this temple, and he teacheth every man in every place [to do likewise]; and a heathen man and a stranger hath he brought into the temple, and he hath defiled the sanctuary." Now they had seen Trophimus, of the city of Ephesus, in the city with them, and they imagined that the Apostle had brought him into the temple. And as the people were wishing to kill him the prefect of the soldiers came, and seeing the tumult went to him; and when the people saw him they left off beating Saint Paul. Then the prefect commanded that they should bind him with two iron chains, and take him into the hall of judgment, for he wished to examine him. And when the Apostle had come to the steps, the judge was told of [his] deeds, and they made mention before him of what [had happened] before and after [his conversion] to the faith; and there were with him the chief priests and the people, and many accusations were made against him, according to the testimony concerning him [given in] the Acts of the Apostles.

98 And it came to pass that when the night had come our Lord appeared unto the Apostle Paul, saying, "Be strong, and of good courage, O Paul, for as thou art a witness for Me in the Sanctuary (i. e., Jerusalem) even so shalt thou be a witness for Me in Rome." And when the morning had come more than forty men of the Jews gathered themselves together and swore oaths and conspired among themselves, saying that they would neither cat nor drink until they had slain the Apostle. Then they drew nigh unto the priests and elders and informed them of this thing, and they asked them to beseech the governor to have Saint Paul brought unto them, as they wished to know of a certainty concerning his acts; and they said unto them, "Let us kill him ourselves without his coming unto you." Now the son of the Apostle Paul's sister heard this, and he informed his mother's brother thereof, and he sent him to the governor and made known unto him concerning the matter of these men. Then straightway he summoned the magistrates and the two judges, and he said unto them, "Take with you two hundred Romans, and seventy horsemen and eighty bowmen, and get you gone to Caesarea, and take with you Paul to Philip the governor." And he wrote a letter to him, and sent it by their hands, informing him of the history of the acts of Paul, and they took him and came to the governor, and they brought the Apostle into his presence; and the governor read the letter, and began to ask him from what country he came.

99 And after five days there went down the chief priest, and the priests, and the orator, and they informed the governor concerning the acts of the Apostle; and he (i. e., Felix) made a sign unto him that he should speak, and Paul told him his story with them. Now when he had heard his speech the governor commanded that he should be taken care of and treated with respect, and that no man should keep him from his ministration. And it came to pass that when two years were ended, another governor was appointed to succeed the former governor, who, as he wished to shew a mark of kindness to the Jews before the arrival of the new governor, left the Apostle bound in prison. 100 Now the new governor dwelt in Caesarea, and after three years he went up to the Sanctuary (Jerusalem). And the nobles of the priests and the elders of the Jews told him concerning the acts of the Apostle, and they asked him to send for him and to have him made to stand before him; now they wished to go, each in his own way, to kill him there. Then the governor said unto them, "He is to be kept under guard in Caesarea, and I will return thither;" and there were some of them whom wished to make him take them with him so that they might relate to him the offences of the Apostle Paul, and [advise him] what he should do. And when the governor had returned unto Caesarea, he had the Apostle called, and the Jews surrounded him, and they made him to hear that they were not able to make him safe; and the Apostle had to plead for his life. Then the governor said unto him, "Dost thou wish to go up to the Sanctuary (Jerusalem) and be judged there?" And the Apostle said, "If I have been found to be a transgressor, death is meet for me, and I do not refuse to die; but if there be none of these things [against me] no man can give me [release] therefrom. I appeal unto Caesar." And the governor said unto him, "Unto Caesar thou shalt go." Now all these things happened after the Apostle Paul had gone out from the country of Asia (?), and had departed into many borders and preached therein in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the cities of the Jews.

101 Then the Jews took him to Festus, the governor, and Festus delivered him to Agrippa, and there was a great dispute between them. And after a few days Agrippa the king went down with Berenice to Caesarea to salute the governor, and the governor told him the matter of the Apostle and the Jews; and the king said, "Behold, I would myself like to hear the speech of this man. And straightway, on the morrow of that very day he had the Apostle Paul brought to the governor's house, where were the magistrates and the elders of the city, and the king said unto him, "Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then the Apostle straightway stretched out his hand, and he began to speak concerning himself, and he called to mind the accusations which the Jews had made against him, and he spake unto him many words concerning which the Book of the Acts of the Apostles beareth witness; and the Apostle spake at great length. And the governor answered and cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Behold, thou art mad, O Paul; too much [study of] books taketh away the under-standing. Then the Apostle said unto him, "I am not mad: nay, I speak the word of truth. For the king hath abundant knowledge concerning the things which have been done, and I know this, O king, even as thou knowest it thyself. And the king said unto him, "A very little more, and thou wouldst persuade me to become a Christian like unto thee.

102 Then the Apostle said unto him, "I make supplication unto God, not for thee only, but for all the people who are listening unto me this day, that they may become even as I am, except these bonds. Then the king, and the governor, and Berenice, and those who were with them rose up, and they began to say, "This man hath done nothing worthy of death, or of imprisonment; and the king said to the governor, "It would have been possible for this man to go [free], had it not been that he hath appealed to the protection of Caesar." 103 Then straightway the Apostle and the others who were in bonds with him were given over into the hand of the governor of the soldiers of Sèbèstèyà (Caesarea, i. e., Caesarea Sebaste), and they went down into a ship which was to be despatched to the coast of Asia. And on the morrow they came to Tyre, and the governor of the soldiers did an act of kindness to the Apostle, and permitted him to go about among his friends as he needed; now that governor was the captain of a hundred (i. e., centurion), and his name was Julius, and he was to take the Apostle Paul to the country of Rome. And from here also they departed and came to the city the name of which is Lábá, and here they dwelt for a long time until the fast of the Jews had passed by. And the Apostle was saying, "Our journey shall be [ac-companied] by much hurt and damage, not only of the lading of the ship, but also of our lives;" but the governor (i. e., centurion) was more obedient to the mandates of the sailors and the master of the ship than to those which were spoken by the Apostle. Then after a little there came forth the storm wind and seized the ship and no man was able to make it to resist the wind, and a mighty storm raised itself up against us for two days, and we cast our apparel (or goods) into the sea; and on the third day we cast adrift the tackling of the ship. Now it was the time of winter, and by day, for many days, the sun did not appear, and there was no moon, and the stars were not seen in the [heavens]; no man on the ship ate any food, and the hope of [saving] their lives was cut off.

104 And straightway the Apostle Paul stood up among them, and said unto them, "Had ye received my words some days ago, behold, we should have been saved from this tribulation; but now, be not sorrowful, for not one soul of you shall be destroyed, but only that which is in the ship. For in this night which is past the angel of God, Whose I am, and Whom I serve, appeared unto me, and said unto me, 'O Paul, thou must stand before Caesar, and these who are travelling with thee, behold, God hath given them unto thee.' Therefore be of good courage, for I believe by God that what I have spoken shall come to pass even as He said unto me. And immediately their hearts were strengthened, and fear was removed from them, and their hearts were set at rest. Then after eleven days they wandered about on the sea, and the sailors wished to escape from the ship, and the Apostle said unto the governor and the soldiers, "Unless these sailors remain in the ship ye shall not be able to live; and straightway the officer cut the ropes of the boat, and let her go free. And since the violence of the wind and storm had increased upon them, and seeing the weariness and pain of their hearts, the Apostle began to ask them to take meat, and to say unto them, "Behold, O my brethren, it is now the fourteenth day, since, through our fear, we have eaten any food whatsoever.

105 Take some food, then, for the support of your lives, for not one hair of any one of your heads shall be destroyed. And when he had said these words he took bread, and having given glory unto God before them, he divided the bread, and they ate, and they were all consoled and took meat. Now the number of all those who were in the ship was two hundred, threescore and seventeen souls. And when the day became light the sailors did not know what the land was unto which they had come, and they saw dry land at a distance, and they determined to bring the ship there if they were by any means able to do so. Then they cut the ropes of the anchors, but the sides of the ship were broken by the violence of the waves; and straightway the soldiers meditated slaying those who were in bonds, so that they might not escape, but Jul- ius the governor restrained them from this act, for he wished to save the Apostle Paul.

106 And after these things they were told that the island was Mélétyá (Melita, Malta), and with great toil they journeyed on until they reached it. Then the barbarians, that is to say, the heathen who lived thereon, appeared unto them, and they performed for them acts of great kindness and charity, and they kindled a fire for them whereat they might warm themselves because of the rain, and frost, and snow which were upon them, and they allowed them to warm themselves. And the Apostle Saint Paul gathered together and brought a great heap of pieces of wood which had been cast away, and threw them on the fire, and there went forth a hooded snake, that is to say, a viper, from out of the fire and bit his hand. And it came to pass that when the heathen saw the viper hanging on his hand they began to say, "This man is a murderer, whom although he hath escaped from the sea the justice of God will not allow to be saved and live; but Saint Paul freed his hand from the viper, and cast it into the fire, and no harm came upon him, although the heathen thought that he would immediately have swelled up and died. Now when they had waited a long time, and saw the miracle and that no harm whatsoever had come upon him, they said straightway, "This man is a god," and they marvelled exceedingly.

107 And the governor of that island received them into his house for three days joyfully, and he did for them many acts of great kindness and charity. Now at that time the father of the governor was sick of fever, and he had a disease in his bowels, and lay upon his bed. And Saint Paul came unto him, and laid his hand [upon him], and prayed for him, and healed him in the Name of God, and he also healed great numbers of men who were sick of divers diseases in that island, and Saint Paul and his companions found great favour in the sight of the people, who gave thanks unto them exceedingly, and paid them great honours, and when they departed from them gave them what was necessary. 108 Then, after three months they departed and travelled by sea in a ship and arrived in the country of Rome. And when the brethren heard of the coming of Saint Paul with his companions they went out to receive them; and when Saint Paul saw them his heart rejoiced and was exceedingly glad, and he offered up praise and thanksgiving unto God, and he took courage and went into Rome, and the centurion gave him leave to dwell where he pleased with the soldier who was guarding him. Then after three days the Apostle sent and called the elders of the Jews, and he addressed them and told them what had happened to him, saying, "I have come hither for the sake of the hope of Israel, being bound in this chain." And they appointed unto him a certain day, and they came unto him where he was dwelling quietly, and he discoursed unto them from the Law of Moses and the Prophets concerning our Lord Jesus Christ from morn until eve, and certain men among them hearkened unto him. And the Apostle hired a house with his own money, and dwelt therein in the city of Rome for two years; and he received strangers and shewed hospitality unto all those who came unto him, and he preached concerning the matter of the kingdom of God. And he was teaching the work of our Lord Jesus Christ openly, without any restraint, and this he ceased not to do until they persecuted him in the days of the Emperor Nero; and there was great joy in the city of Rome because of his coming therein when they saw the miracles and wonders which God wrought by his hand. For he healed the sick, each one of his disease, and he cast out unclean spirits in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the sign of the Holy Cross.

109 And there was a certain young man whose name was Batrik, who stood at the table of the Emperor, and gave him to drink, and he used to come by night to the place where Paul was and hearken unto his teaching. Now when he was not able to come into his presence because of the multitude of the people who were in the room, he would go to an upper place on the roof so that he might hearken unto his teaching; now once when he was there deep sleep overcame him, and he fell down from off this high place and died. And the rumour came unto the Emperor Nero that Baṭrīk was dead, and he sorrowed for him with a great sorrow, because he loved him dearly. And it came to pass that when Paul knew by the Holy Spirit what had happened, he said unto the brethren and unto the people who dwelt round about him, "The Enemy Satan wisheth to bring us into trial; go forth outside the door of the house, and ye shall find the young man lying there dead; lift him up, and bring him hither unto me. And they went forth and found the dead man even as he had said unto them, and they brought him unto Paul, the glorious helper. Now when the people saw that the dead man was Baṭrīk they were greatly moved, for they knew he was loved by the Emperor.

110 Then Paul said unto them, "O brethren, fear ye not, and be not moved, for in this hour shall your faith be made manifest. Rise up now, and let us beseech our Lord Jesus Christ to have compassion upon us, and to give life unto this dead man so that we all may not die. And Paul bowed down and knelt with his face to the ground for the space of one hour, and he prayed without ceasing, and made entreaty unto God, and lifted up himself in abundant supplication; and straightway the man that was dead rose up alive, and he had no pain in him, and Saint Paul sent Batrik unto the Emperor Nero. Now on the day wherein Nero heard of the death of Batrik he was in the bath, and when he returned and went into the palace he found that Batrik had made ready the table according to his wont. And before he could enter into the palace, all his officers went forth and told him the glad tidings that Batrik was alive, and that he had made ready the table according to his wont in the palace, and was standing there [waiting]. Then when the Emperor Nero saw Batrik, he said unto him, "O Batrik, thou art our life. Who made thee to live after thou wast dead?

111 And the gracious gift of the Holy Spirit filled the heart of Batrik, and he said unto the Emperor Nero his lord, "It was my Lord Jesus Christ, the God of gods, the God of olden time, the King of kings, who gave me back my life. Then the Emperor Nero said unto him, "Dost thou imagine that He will reign for ever, and that He will make all [other] kingdoms to pass away? And Batrik said unto him, "Yea, all the kingdoms which are beneath the heavens He will make to pass away, and He shall rule alone for ever, and there shall be no other god besides Him. Then Nero smote his hands together, and said, "And dost thou also, O Batrik, believe in Him? And Batrik answered and said unto him, "My lord, I do believe in Him, for He gave me life again after I had been dead. Now whilst he was saying these words there drew nigh unto the Emperor four of the officers who stood before him, and whom he loved, for he had bestowed more gifts upon them than upon any others of the officers who were in the palace, and they never left the presence of the Emperor; and their names were these, Lasayós, Yóstós, Kamitós, and Kemtis, the brother of the Emperor. And they said unto the Emperor, "Know, O Emperor, that this is the hour wherein we draw nigh that we may become soldiers of the heavenly Emperor, Who is the Most Ancient, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God;" now these words were hard to the Emperor, and he commanded that they should be scourged severely, and then cast into prison. Then the Emperor was exceedingly sorrowful, and his breast was straitened because of the people who believed in our Lord Jesus, and he made a decree, saying, "Whosoever shall believe in Jesus Christ, and shall make B. mention of His Name with his mouth, shall be slain."

112 And it came to pass that when all the soldiers had heard his decree they scattered themselves about through all countries, and they seized everyone who believed in our Lord Jesus Christ and brought him before the Emperor in bonds. Now there were certain noblemen who banded themselves together to watch Paul, and they brought his words unto the Emperor, and they informed him concerning his power, and where he could come upon him. And the Emperor looked at Paul who was bound, and said unto him, "Art thou the man who be- 'longeth unto the soldiers of the great and Most Ancient Emperor? Behold, thou hast come into my hand bound. Speak, I pray thee, and tell me who is He Whom thou teachest, and by Whom thou doest these works. Thou 113 Qq hast come into my city having acted with deceit, and thou wishest to turn aside [my] armies from my sovereignty." Then Saint Paul answered before all the people and said unto him, "Nay, not from thy kingdom only would we turn aside thine armies, but from all the world, for after this manner did our Lord command us B..66a. that we should not close the gates of life unto any person whatsoever; and it is meet that thou thyself shouldst belong unto His followers. And this [thy] kingdom and this [thy] glory will not deliver thee unless thou dost bow down and worship this Emperor; and if thou dost ask him He will give thee salvation, and He shall come to judge the world, and to give life unto all those who believe in Him; and the sinners who do not believe in Him He will punish, and will deliver them over unto everlasting judgment." Now the Emperor Nero did not believe what Paul said unto him, and he commanded his soldiers to bring bound unto him those who believed in Jesus Christ, and to burn them alive. And when the wicked Emperor had carried out his decree, he passed sentence of death upon the chosen ones who believed on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he burned them, and they completed their course and the fair beauty of their strife in the fire, and they received the crown of martyrdom with glory which never endeth from the hand of our Lord Jesus Christ, in Whose Holy Name they had believed.

Chapter X.

114 And at that time our lord jesus christb. APPEARED UNTO SAINT PHILIP WHEN HE WAS IN CAESA-REA, AND SAID UNTO HIM, "RISE UP, and go unto the cities of Lystra and Iconium, and behold, I send thee unto My servant Paul, that he may go with thee thither; and preach ye therein in My Name, for until this present the glad tidings of faith in My Name have not been heard in these two cities." And Saint Philip rose up and went to Saint Paul, and told him how our Lord had appeared unto him, and straightway their hearts gained strength, and they rose up, and stretched out their hands in the form of the cross, and they made supplication unto God, saying, "We make supplication unto our Lord, and God, and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the Merciful One, the Sustainer of all things, the Word of God the Father, by Whom the heavens and the earth were made and stablished for ever, until they must pass away by His command; Who made the sun and established the day; Who appointed the Moon and the stars for the night; Who fashioned the children of men in His ownB. image and likeness; O Thou Who didst come down from heaven and didst become man by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and didst deliver Thy handiwork and what Thine hands had fashioned in the abundance of Thy compassion and mercy, hear, O our God and Redeemer, our prayer and our petition, and look with the eye of Thy mercy upon our misery and tears, for Thou art our refuge, and our strength, and our strong place in all the exceedingly manifold tribu-

115 QQ* lations which come upon us. Have mercy upon us, O our God, by Thy strength, and by Thy right hand make smooth our way so that we may enter into these cities. And, O Lord, grant unto Thy servants the word of glory and preaching in them by [Thy] great power, so that we may publish abroad Thy Name, and may praise Thee openly with words, and with a joyful face, so that Thou mayest stretch out Thine hand and bestow healing, and power, and wonderful acts whereby Thy Holy Name may be praised, O Jesus, our strength, and our fortress, Jesus, our hope and our deliverer, Jesus, the horn of our salvation, Jesus, our boast and our life!" 116 And it came to pass that when the two disciples had said these words in their prayer and supplications, behold, our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto them, and filled them with His glory and power, and He made strong their hearts, and He spake unto them, saying, "Behold, I will put Diabolos to shame, and I will break in pieces all his powers under your feet, and I will rebuke him, and will keep him afar off from you, so that he shall never be able to appear before you. And I will be with you, and I will help you, so that all the men of the city may believe in My Name, through the mighty deeds and miracles which I shall perform by your hands, until the people of these cities shall say, 'These two men are gods in the form of men who have come unto us.'" And when the Redeemer had said these words unto them He gave them the salutation of peace, and ascended into heaven with great glory while they were looking at Him. Then straightway a cloud of light came, and carried the two of them away, and set them down on the river bank at Lystra. Now some of the men of that city had believed when the blessed Apostle Paul had come unto them in times past, and had healed Ṣawūs, and had raised him up in health and made him to stand upon his feet, and they had grown stronger in the faith by reason of the great many signs and wonders which he had made manifest here in the Name of our Lord; but there remained some of them who did not believe in the preaching of the Holy Gospel.

117 And it came to pass that when the two holy Apostles, Philip and Paul, had arrived on the river bank for the second time, they found the people who did not believe gathered together there, and worshipping their impure gods according to the ordinances of their polluted worship, and they wrought there openly the work of error and iniquity, and they ate and they drank. Then Philip and Paul began to preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to cry unto them the words of salvation, and when they would not hearken unto the preaching of the Gospel, and would not receive the Divine word, God'sent a mighty tumult upon them, through the prayers of these two chosen Apostles, and at length the hearts of all of them were converted unto the faith which is in His Holy Name, through the abundant signs and wonders which God wrought by the hands of the Apostles. And when they had gone into the city they told their companions who were left [therein] what had taken place; and they all went out to the river bank, and they found the pure Apostles, and our Lord sitting among them with His angels. Then straightway the people asked the Apostles and the men who were there, saying, "How were you saved, and how did your hearts obtain rest from the mighty dread and great tumult which came down upon you?

118 Then the Apostles answered and said unto them, "We were saved and we obtained the salvation of our souls when we believed in the Name of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of those who put their trust in Him. And the people said unto the Apostles, "We also desire that we may find Him, and that we may believe in Him, so that He may become unto us a Helper and a Saviour in all our affliction. Then the two Apostles answered and said unto them, "He shall come unto you this day, and ye shall see Him with your eyes; and straightway the hearts of the people of the city were glad, and they were filled with exceedingly great joy. And those people said, "We will neither take ourselves away from this place, 119 "nor go back into the city until He shall come unto us, and we shall find His compassion and His mercy. Now they were gathered together on the river bank, and behold, there came flashes of lightning, and mighty thunder, and a loud and terrifying voice. And it came to pass that when the people saw this they marvelled, and they lifted up their voices, and cried out, saying, "O our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Thou Son of the Living God, be Thou unto us a Helper, and Redeemer, for behold, we believe in Thy Holy Name, and we trust in Thee with all our hearts. O our God Jesus Christ, Thou Merciful One, look upon our faith in Thy mighty and Holy Name, for our hearts rejoice in Thy mercy and in Thy salvation. Our minds are right and strong in the faith of the preaching of Thine Apostles, and let our conversion and repentance be accepted by Thee. And when the people had said these words, our Lord had compassion upon them, for He saw their humility, and He accepted their conversion and repentance. Then He said unto the Apostles, "Go ye unto these people, and preach among them, saying, If there be among you any man who desireth God with all his heart, let him come and follow us to the river, and let him be baptized with Christian baptism for the remission of sins, and for the receiving of the gift of the grace of Christ.

120 And straightway all the people of the city of Lystra departed and followed after the pure Apostles until [they came to] the river, and Saints Paul and Philip baptized them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Then after these things the Apostles brought them all back into the city, and they built for them a church, and they appointed over them priests and deacons, and they delivered unto them the commandments, and laws, and ordinances of God, and the words of His Prophets, and they wrote down for them the glad tidings of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and they confirmed them in the right faith, and taught them the knowledge of the ordinances of the sanctification and participation in the Divine Mysteries. And the two blessed Apostles dwelt in that city for three months, and they admonished the people and taught them the way of faith and the divinity of God, to Whom be praise and thanksgiving for ever and ever! Amen.

Chapter Xi.

121 And After Those THINGS THE TWO APOSTLES DEPARTED FROM THE CITY OF LYSTRA BY NIGHT, and they came to the sea shore seeking for a ship which might take them to the city of Iconium; and they found the Lord there, for He had gone before them and had made ready a ship for them, and He sat therein in the guise of the master of the ship. And when our Lord saw them, He began to call unto them, saying; "Peace be unto you, brethren, whence have ye come that ye arrive here at this hour?" Then the Apostles, who did not know that He was the Lord Jesus Christ, said unto Him, "We are seeking for a ship which will take us to the city of Iconium, for we have need to be there for a little." And the Lord Saviour answered and said unto them, "I also wish to go there. Come ye and embark with Me in this ship, and if the Lord Jesus be pleased to give us fair winds for travelling we will journey together." Then the two Apostles answered and said unto the Man Who was the Lord Jesus, "Now that we have found the Name of the Lord Jesus in Thy mouth Thou wilt fulfil for us all our good pleasure, and our hope hath grown strong in God that He will not let us go from Him." And when the two Apostles had embarked in the ship they straightway lay down and slept, and when they awoke in the morning they found themselves on the sea shore of Iconium, whilst they were still lying down. And the two Apostles marvelled, and they bowed themselves on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, "We thank Thee, O God, for this great act of kindness which Thou hast done unto us."

122 Then the Apostles rose up, and set out on the road which would bring them into the city of Iconium, and one of them asked the other, saying, "What shall we do to find an opportunity for preaching in the Name of our Lord in this city, for the men thereof are depraved heathen? And Saint Paul answered and said, "Behold, a thought hath now come to me, and if thou wishest to perform it we will do so. Then Saint Philip said unto Paul, "What is it, O my brother? And Saint Paul answered and said unto Philip, "Let us hire a B. place in the market, and establish ourselves there as col 2. teachers, and we will tell the men of this city that we are men who are philosophers, which [word] is interpreted lovers of learning, and we will read learned books by day and by night until we find an opportunity for debating, and disputing, and conversing with them. And we will say unto them, 'Whosoever wisheth to make his son learn the wisdom and knowledge of the philosophers let him bring him unto us;' and [this will we do] until we see what God will do with us. Then Saint Philip answered and said unto Paul, "The plan which thou describest is good, O my brother; so the Apostles made a place for themselves in the market. And when those who passed along the road and those who were journeying through the streets, said unto them, "What is your handicraft?

123 the two Apostles answered and said, "We are learned men and philosophers. The Emperor (or king) was wroth with us, and drove us away, and we fled before his face, and came and took up our abode in this city, and we dwell here in this place in the market that your children may be instructed by us in the wisdom of the philosophers. Now the report of the Apostles went forth straightway in the city, and the people said, "These two men are of the philosophers, and behold, they have come into our city and dwell in the marketplace. Whosoever wisheth to be instructed and loveth the knowledge of the philosophers, let him go to them and be instructed, for with them he will find beautiful wisdom. Then straightway all the people of the city came unto them, and they gave their children to the Apostles, that they might teach them philosophy.

124 And it came to pass that when Diabolos, the accursed deceiver, knew that the two Apostles had arrived in the city of Iconium, he began to roar like a ravening lion, and the flame of the fire of envy burnt in his heart. And he gathered together all his hosts, and said unto them, "How can I wait patiently until this city shall have escaped from out of my hand? Let me rise up and depart unto the city of Iconium, and I will corrupt the col. 2. "hearts of the men thereof, and I will fill them with envy, and I will make them to torture the bodies [of the Apostles] with fire, and with punishments of divers kinds until they kill them. And the two disciples dwelt in the market-place that they might teach the children of the men of this city; and Saint Philip used to write texts for them to copy, and Saint Paul used to stand up and each them. And there was a certain governor in the city who was called Théwôdás, and his wife's name was Euphemia, and they had a little son whom they wished to send to the house of instruction with his companions the [other] children. Now his father Théwôdás was an evil and wicked man in all his acts and deeds, and a transgressor of the law, and he multiplied evil more than all the [other] men of the city.

125 And it came to pass that when they heard the report of Saints Philip and Paul, and that they were dwelling in the market-place and teaching learning unto the children of the men of the city, he said unto his wife, "I wish to send a message unto these two philosophers, Paul and Philip, [asking them] to eat bread in our house with us this day, and we will deliver unto them our son Theodore that they may teach and instruct him together with all the [other] children of the men of the city, for I hear concerning them that they are exceedingly wise and learned men. And behold, many of the men of this city have given their children unto them that they may teach them the knowledge of the wisdom of philosophy. Then Euphemia his wife answered and said unto him, "If thou wishest to send for them, do so. And straightway he sent unto them three soldiers of those whom he loved, and he said unto them, "Go ye into the market and call hither for me these two wise men and philosophers Paul and Philip, who teach the children of this city; so the three messengers rose up and went into the market, and they found Philip sitting and writing texts for the instruction of the children, whilst Saint Paul was standing up teaching them.

126 And the messengers said unto them, "Unto you we speak, O ye two men who are filled with learning and wisdom, rise up quickly, for Thêwôdâs the governor of this city inviteth you into his house, and he wisheth to entreat you courteously, and with love and mercy. Now this was the first public appearance of the two disciples in the city before they preached unto the people in the Name of the Lord. And the men of this city used to worship the image of a huge bull [made] of silver, and idols of gold. Then straightway Saints Paul and Philip rose up, and gave the children permission to go to their homes from the place of instruction, and they themselves departed with the messengers of the men of the city; and when they had arrived in the house of Thêwôdâs, he rose up and came to receive them and to pay them exceedingly great honour. And straightway he commanded [his servants] to make ready a table and to cook meats that they might partake of a meal, and he brought several fat oxen and slaughtered them, and twenty suck- ing lambs and kids of the goats, and thirty chickens; all these things he made ready for the table which he had laid for the Apostles. And he also invited all his friends, and acquaintances, and seven of the honourable nobles of the city to the table which he had prepared in his garden; and he slaughtered oxen, and sheep, and many kids.

127 And when the honourable nobles of the city had come to him, they said unto him, "What is the cause of this great table which thou hast prepared and of the joy which is in thy house this day? Then Thêwôdâs answered and said unto them, "I have made this great feast in my house for the sake of these two philosophers who have come into this city and who have entered into my house this day, for I want to give my son Theodore over to them, so that they may teach him wisdom which is like unto theirs. And the nobles of the city sat down to the feast with the Apostles, but the Apostles feigned only to eat and to drink, for they neither ate nor drank anything that day, and those who sat at the table did not know that the Apostles were neither eating nor drinking. And straightway Thêwôdâs called his son Theodore, and said unto him, "Rise up, and go and sit at the feet of these wise men; and he sat down by the feet of Saints Paul and Philip, and he began to kiss them, and they blessed him in the tongue of angels, but he knew not what they were saying. Now the youth was intelligent, and full of understanding, and used to discipline, and lowly, and submissive. Then Saint Philip said unto Thêwôdâs, the governor of the city, "Give the command, and let [the servants] bring a writing tablet, and ink, and a pen;

128 and the father of the child said, "This day let us eat, and drink, and sit down, and make merry, but to-morrow thou shalt do as is good in thy sight, and we will bring unto thee whatsoever thou desirest. Now Thêwôdâs was a well known man, for he was the governor of the city, and was the prince of the people. And when the morning had come he took hold of the hand of the child his son, and led him to the house of instruction, now he had with him a eunuch to guard him, and Thêwôdâs delivered them over to the Apostles; and the seven elders of the city also took their children to them that they might teach them the wisdom of philosophy and the path of instruction. Now the Apostles had contrived this plan so that they might draw the hearts of the men [to them], be it ever so little.

129 And it came to pass that when the men of the city saw that Thèwòdàs had taken his son, together with the children of the seven elders of the city, to the Apostles, they also took their children to them, so that they might teach them the mysteries of wisdom and learning. Then, seven days after the Apostles had been working, behold Satan arrived, and came into the city in the form of a man of rank who had journeyed from afar, and with him there were many devils who followed their master in the form of attendants; and he came into the market, to the place where the elders and all the men of the city had gathered themselves together and seated themselves, and he stood up, being arrayed in the apparel of kings, and spake unto one of the devils, and told [him to say] that he was a king's son. And he was wearing raiment of purple, and he had upon his head a splendid helmet of gold ornamented (i. e., set) with emeralds, and upon his neck a collar of gold, which was also ornamented with emeralds and cut jacinths that shone with an exceedingly great lustre on his lying form, and he held a roll of writing in his left hand, and a sceptre of gold in his right hand; and when Thèwòdàs and his companions, the councillors of the city, saw him, they marvelled at him exceedingly, and they rose up to receive him and to pay him honour. And he said unto him, "Whence comest thou? And whence art thou? And what seekest thou in this city? We observe, O young man, thou appearest to be a king's son. Then straightway the young man, who was called the son of the king, stretched out his hand and gave unto the governors of the city the roll of writing, and when they had opened the seal they found written therein as follows:—"I Daryânôs, the king of Médôn, have written this epistle unto Thêwôdâs and unto his companions, the princes of the city of Iconuim, in peace; and let this matter be well known unto you that I meditate concerning you great peace.

130 And behold, I have sent unto you 'Asmênâțôs my son, with this epistle in his haud, and also my chief counsellor Râmrâêl, who, after me, is second in my kingdom. Now, when they have brought this letter unto you, ye shall forthwith seek out and inflict punishments upon these two men who are called Paul and Philip; and ye shall seize them, and put them in fetters, for they are both slaves of mine, and they have escaped from me secretly, and I have sought them myself with diligence. And moreover, I give you authority over them, so that if ye desire ye may burn them in the fire; or if ye desire, throw them into sacks, and tie up the mouths of the sacks, and cast them into the sea. For they are sorcerers, and they have subverted my rule, and have wrought deeds of shame among my women, and scattered abroad my officers and soldiers, and overthrown my house, and plundered my city, and stolen my possessions, and blotted out my hope, and done away my goods, and destroyed my pasture (or flock), and they have made accusations against each other, and they have carried off mine handmaidens. And I have sent this epistle unto you, neither by the hand of a governor, nor by the hand of an envoy, lest ye might be offended by my words, but by the hand of my firstborn son and by that of my chief councillor, than whom there is none more honourable in my palace.

131 And I swear to you, by the glory of my kingdom, and by the might of my rule, and by the glory of mine honour, and by the majesty of the crown upon my head, and by mine honour, and by the life of my firstborn and only son, that, when ye have read this my epistle, if ye do not do unto these two men even as I have commanded in my epistle I will send and plunder your country, and will lay waste your cities and all your borders, and I will cover all your mountains and land with the feet of my soldiers and the hoofs of my horses. And I will lay waste all your lofty buildings and give [the people thereof over] to slaughter; and I will make your sons and daughters captives; and your beasts and animals shall be doomed to destruction, and I will give power [to my men] to defile your women. And if it be that ye do not wish to slay them with your own hands, flay the skin off their persons, and bind with chains of iron their necks and their hands, and put fetters on their feet, and send them unto me with my firstborn son, whom I have sent unto you with my letter, and with my chief councillor, than whom there is none greater in my palace, whom I have sent unto you.

132 And do not let me destroy you and punish both you and your country for the sake of these two sorcerers who have come unto you, that is to say, Paul and Philip, and no man shall require the shedding of their blood from you." 133 And it came to pass that when Thêwôdâs had read the epistle and all his companions, the princes of the city with him, they were greatly dismayed, and they bowed down straightway before Satan, who had taken the form of a king's son, and before the other deceiver who had taken the form of a chief councillor. Then they said unto him, "O our lord, thou king's son, live for ever! Thy servants hear thy commandments and they are ready to perform the words of the epistle." And Thêwôdâs and his companions the princes of the city commanded the soldiers who were standing before them, saying, "Go ye to the market, and seize these two men, that is to say, Paul and Peter, and bind them, and throw ropes round their necks and drag them on their faces from the market place until ye have brought them hither." Now the Apostles were not at that time in the market place, for it was the hour for eating, and they had given the children of the men of the city permission to go to their homes and to rest a little until the shadows of the sun should turn, when they were to come back again to the house of instruction and be taught. And Theodore, the son of Thêwôdâs the governor of the city, besought the holy Apostles Paul and Philip, saying, "Come ye with me that ye may eat bread and rest a little until the heat of the sun be less strong, and then ye shall go back again to the market place and teach the children." Now the soldiers returned [to Thêwôdâs] in great terror and consternation, and they said unto the princes, "We went to the house of instruction in the market place, but we could not find Paul and Philip." And again Diabolos spake unto the princes of the city, and said unto them in great wrath, being in a fierce passion, "I will devour your flesh, and will drink your

134 Rr blood, because ye treat lightly the words of my lord the king, and myself also do ye put to shame. Ye have sent your soldiers to seize these men, and behold, your soldiers have come and said, 'We cannot find them.'" Now the holy Apostles Paul and Philip, having given the children permission to depart to their homes, went daily from the house of instruction to the garden of Thêwôdâs, and they rested there until they went back to the house of instruction to teach the children again; and Euphemia, the wife of Thêwôdâs, ministered much unto Saints Paul and Philip, because she heard from them the words of the Gospel and the ordinances of life which they were teaching unto her. And the grace of the Holy Spirit had taken up an abode in her, and had made thoughts of good to rest in her heart, and she ceased not to sit at the feet of the pure Apostles, Paul and Philip, from the time of their coming into her house until they departed and returned to the market. And they declared unto her the precepts of salvation, that is to say, the precepts of the Law and the Prophets, and the words of the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.

135 And after this the princes of the city were greatly moved, and dismayed, and in great terror, having sought for Saints Paul and Philip, and having found them not in the market place, and straightway they seized the soldiers whom they had sent, and bound them that they might scourge them. Now there was a brazen image standing close by the place where the governors were sitting, and upon it they hung the soldiers, who were bound hand and foot, with their heads to the ground and the soles of their feet upwards—now the idol was in the market place—that they might scourge them. And they said unto them, "If ye can bring these two men hither, do so; and if ye cannot, then your souls (or lives) shall take the place of theirs;" so they delivered them over unto death. Now whilst the princes were inflicting these scourgings upon the soldiers, the men of the city came together unto them, not knowing for what purpose the messengers had come, and a man answered and said unto his fellow, "What have these men done that they are scourging them in this manner?" Then one of the servants of the governors answered, saying, "Seest thou not this great and exalted young man who is crowned with a crown of gold, and round whom the governors are standing? He is the son of the king of Médón, and the other who is standing on his right handB. is his chief councillor, and the minister of his power. And they have come into this city to seek for two men, that is to say, for Paul and Philip, who teach the children of this city wisdom and philosophy."

136 And it came to pass that when the men of the city had heard of the arrival of the son of the king of Médón in their city, their hearts were greatly moved, and they were sorrowful unto death, and they debated among themselves, saying, "Let us make haste to seek for these two men, and let us deliver them unto him without delay. Let us not treat his command lightly, lest he become enraged at us, and lest his anger wax strong in our city, and he burn it with fire, and send his soldiers against us, and blot out us, and our children, and our wives, and, moreover, he will plunder our possessions, 137 RR* and will lay waste our city, and will destroy the men [thereof] with a sharp sword. Then Satan changed his appearance again, and took upon himself the form of an old man who had passed his days among the men of the city, and he stood up among them, and said unto them, "I have seen Paul and Philip,, and with them were wine, and flesh, and fish, and Theodore, the son of Thêwôdâs, was going in front of them, and they were following him until they came to his house. And besides, I saw a certain woman who was of most beautiful form and face, and appearance, and Paul was holding her right hand, and Philip was holding her left. And when Satan had said these words in the hearing of all the multitude, they were filled with wrath against Saints Paul and Philip, and they knew not what had happened; and the rumour [of these things] went out into all the city until it reached the governor. And a certain man among the men of the city came and said unto Thêwôdâs, "Behold, all the multitude is crying out with a loud voice and saying that Paul and Philip are eating meat in thy house with Theodore thy son, and that they have brought with them a certain woman who is a harlot into thy house, and that they are eating and drinking with her.

138 And it came to pass that when Thêwôdâs, the governor of the city, heard these words, he was exceedingly angry, and his anger burned like fire, and he plucked out the hairs of his head and beard and cast them upon the ground, for Satan had hardened his heart, and had made the slaughter of Saints Paul and Philip, and of his son Theodore, to appear unto him in a fair light. Then Thêwôdâs rose up straightway, and said unto the governors who were gathered together there, "Sit ye down, and reveal not the matter, and let no man know aught thereof, whilst I go myself and find these two men; and, when I know and am certain of the truth of the word which hath been said concerning them, I will do unto them what I please." 139 Then immediately Satan went before Thêwôdâs into his house, and he made one of his servants to take the form of a woman of beautiful face and form, and having come [there] quickly she stood up in the porch of the palace, by the great seat which was in the garden. And when Thêwôdâs arrived, he found Satan, who had taken upon himself the form of a woman, standing in the porch of his court yard, and he said unto her, "O woman, what seekest thou here, and who hath brought thee into this house? If thou dost not tell me the truth thou shalt die by an evil death. Then the woman answered and said unto him, "I am a woman who is a harlot, and I am well known unto the men of this city, and I am the possession of those who take pleasure in fornication. Whosoever wisheth for me giveth me my hire and taketh me unto a place wherein a man eateth, and drinketh, and taketh his pleasure; and besides this thine handmaiden hath no knowledge of any other thing whatsoever. Whilst I was sitting in my house, behold, Euphemia, the wife of Thêwôdâs, sent unto me two young women who were her handmaidens, and they had with them two silver bracelets, saying, 'Take these, and rise up, and come unto me quickly in my house, for one of the envoys of the king seeketh my husband and he wisheth to take him to the king with him;

140 and I wish thee to be with him before he goeth where he will find rest and relief from sorrow.' And when these young women had come unto me, and had told me the message of Euphemia, I rose up and departed with them until I came unto a place in the market, and I found Theodore her son with the two wise men who teach the children of the men of this city; now the name of one of them was Paul, and of the other Philip, and with them were meat, and good drink, and cakes made of fine flour in abundance. And Theodore thy son answered and said unto the young women who were journeying with me, 'Hath my mother sent this woman, and did she call you?' And the young women said unto him, 'Yea', and immediately Philip gave her everything which he had with him, both meat and drink; now Paul took me by my hand and brought me here, and he also made me to go up into the upper part of the palace; and they found a place wherein to make merry secretly on cushions and a bed, and there we ate and drank and enjoyed ourselves each with the other.

141 Then again Euphemia said unto me, 'Rise up, and depart to thy house, for it is time to sit at meat, lest my husband come and find thee in my house, and be enraged at thee;' and Euphemia ate and drank with us, and we found pleasure, and we had great delight and enjoyment each with the other. And she said unto me, 'If my husband come and find thee here he will slay the two of us, and these two men, who have drunk with us.' Now when she had spoken unto me thus I rose up straightway, and departed." 142 And it came to pass that when Thêwôdâs heard these words from the mouth of Satan, who had taken upon himself the form of a woman, his heart was moved, and his soul was terrified, and he breathed loudly through his nostrils, and he was filled with wrath and fierce anger, and he said, "Everything which the son of the king of Mêdôn hath said is certainly true. Now know I of a truth that these men are sorcerers, and that they cast spells on men's wives and destroy their houses; and behold, there hath come upon me that which came upon him, and they have defiled Euphemia my wife by their sorceries. Woe is me! What shall I do? Henceforth I will leave this city and depart [therefrom], for after this I shall never be able to lift up my face in the presence of men, because of the great shame which hath come upon my house. Then turning to Satan, who had taken upon himself the form of a woman, he said unto her, "Get thee to thy house, for I will have no speech with thee, and thou shalt work no error with me. And straightway Satan departed from the house of Thêwôdâs, having taken upon himself his old form, and he came unto the place where the governors were gathered together, and he found Diabolos sitting in their midst; and he said unto him, "Behold, I have done everything which thou hast commanded me.

143 Then Diabolos answered and said unto his devils, "Be strong, and make yourselves mighty, O my comrades, for behold, the time when I shall gain the mastery over these two men, that is to say, Paul and Philip, [draweth nigh]. Verily I say unto you that when Peter, the chief of the Apostles, is dead, I shall have rest, and I shall be able to take vengeance upon the others, until I know who is able to set himself in opposition to me; and he was their father who waged war against me. Behold, he shall be removed from me by a cruel death, and I will never cease to fight against the others until I have made an end of them by an evil death." 144 Now when Thêwôdâs came in he found Saints Paul and Philip lying down asleep in the innermost part of the house, and his wife Euphemia was sitting at the feet of the Apostles with a bowl of water placed before her, and she was pouring water over their feet and washing them; and she was reading the words of good tidings, that is to say, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, for she was perfect and instructed in the words of the knowledge of the wise men Paul and Philip, and in their doctrine. And Thêwôdâs answered and said unto her in anger, "O thou wicked woman in whom there is no fair thing, and who art not good! And he also said unto his son Theodore, "Thou also shalt die before these two sorcerers, for thou didst bring them into my house which thou didst make a house of pollution and fornication. I swear by the greatness of the might of the gods of this city, and by the dominion of kings, that I will make thee to die with them. Then Euphemia answered and said unto her husband, "Art thou mad, or art thou possessed of a devil? What is this word which thou speakest concerning the servants of the Living and Most High God? And Thêwôdâs rose up straightway in anger against his wife, and strangled her forthwith, and she fell down quickly and died.

145 And it came to pass that when Saints Paul and Philip heard the noise of the outcry and high words, they awoke from their slumbers and looked up, and saw Thêwôdâs seizing his son, and dragging him along like a dead outcast; and seeing him dragging him along they looked again and saw Euphemia stretched out dead, and they marvelled greatly, and they knew not the reason of the matter. Then Saints Paul and Philip rose up, and laid hold upon Thêwôdâs, that they might ask him the reason of his words and why he was behaving thus, but he stretched out his hands and smote Saint Paul in the face. And he went and took a sword which was hanging up in the house, and having drawn it out from its sheath he plunged it into the side of his son, and his bowels came out, and he yielded up his soul straightway. After this Thêwôdâs turned to the Apostles, that is to say, to Saints Paul and Philip, and said unto them, "O sorcerers and deceivers, ye have made desolate my house, and according to what ye did unto the king of Mêdôn even so have ye done unto me; ye have made me childless, and ye have slain my wife, and ye have plundered my goods. I will not kill you at this moment, but I will go and bring hither your master and all the men of the city, so that they may see what hath befallen me, and may become witnesses against you;

146 and then I will do unto you according to what my heart desireth. Then Thêwôdâs shut the doors [of the house], and shot the bolts, and, taking the keys with him, departed, and he threw dust on his head, and cried out with so loud a voice that his words could be heard in all the city; and he came to the place where the governors were gathered together with Satan in their midst, and all the men of the city were following him and looking at him. 147 And it came to pass that when the nobles and governors saw him afar off they rose up to meet him with great trepidation and fear, and they said unto him, "What hath befallen thee that thou criest out and weepest in this wise?" And Théwôdás said unto them, "O my brethren, what trial is greater, and what weeping is more bitter, than that which hath come upon my house this day? Ask not what hath befallen me, for it is not seemly that I should declare unto you [the cause of] my weeping, and the greatness of my sorrow, and the bitterness of the tears which flow from mine eyes; but rise up, O my brethren, and see what hath befallen me. And let the son of the king and the chief counsellor come with you into my house that I may shew you what these sorcerers have done unto me, and because of them I have slain my wife and my son. Woe is me, for mine injury is mighty, and the tumult in my mind is great, and I know not what to do, for my only plan is this—I will shave off the hair of my head, and I will live henceforth as a wanderer in the desert; I will not enter into a house, and I will forsake the city. Behold, the lions shall find me and shall devour my flesh, for death is better in my sight than life which beareth such deep sorrow and such terrible disgrace." And when the councillors of the city heard his words they marvelled and were silent; and they said, "True then are the words of the king of Médôn who sent unto us an epistle by the hand of his son; and yet we have allowed these men to act thus evilly against us, and to destroy our city by their sorceries."

148 And straightway Satan entered in among the governors of the city and led astray their minds, and he filled them with the wickedness of anger against Saints Paul and Philip, and they knew not what would [arise] from this matter. Now whilst Thèwòdàs was with the governors, Saints Paul and Philip rose up, and they stretched out their hands, and cried unto God with abundant supplications for the salvation of the men of this city, and for the remission of their sins. And they also made supplication in prayer in the Hebrew tongue, saying, "O God, the Sustainer of all things, the Father of our Lord, and God, and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, reject not those who put their confidence in Thee, but put to shame him that putteth himself in opposition to us, and bring into disgrace the Enemy who fighteth against us. Look upon us, O God, for Thou art our God, and our strength, and our refuge, and our helper, and give us strength, O God, that we may gather Thy lost sheep into Thy pasture; O God, put to shame Satan and all his hosts, and break utterly all his might, that Thy Holy Name, which is more exalted than any other name, may be praised, O Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, and to Thee be praise for ever and ever. Amen."

149 And whilst Paul and Philip were praying, behold, our Lord Jesus Christ stood among them in the form of a young Man of beautiful appearance, and He said unto them, "Peace be unto you, O pure, and blessed, and glorious sheep; and straightway the Apostles bowed down with their faces [to the ground], and they embraced the feet of our Redeemer. Then the Lord raised them up, and kissed their faces, and said unto them, "O my brethren, fear not, for many tribulations shall come upon you in this city, but when [the people thereof] put you to the trial I will make many miracles to appear from you, and many of the Gentiles shall believe in Me through you. They shall deliver you over to death, and they shall crucify you, and they shall kindle fire upon your bodies several times; but fear not, for I will be with you, and I will strengthen you, and by your hands I will work many great signs and wonders, and, at length, all the men of this city shall believe in Me through you. Satan shall stand up before you, and shall oppose you face to face that he may cause you anguish. But I will put him to shame, and I will do away his strength, and I will disgrace him, and cast him beneath your feet; and I will make manifest unto everyone his shame, and disgrace, and infirmity, and abasement.

150 Be strong, O My beloved ones, for I will bring all his plots against you to naught, and I will stand by you until [your] last breath. Behold, I have already declared unto you everything which shall befall you. I will stretch out My hand and will heal your bodies, so that the punishments may not cause you pain, and I will slay your enemies, and will destroy those who are hostile unto you; and I will send the help of your angels. And when the Saviour had said these words unto them, He blessed them, and gave them the salutation of peace, and ascended with glory into the heights of heaven. 151 And after this Théwôdas and all the councillors of the city rose up, and also Satan, who had taken upon himself the form of the son of the king of Mèdón, the messenger of all sin, and all his hosts which he had collected [and went] into the lower part of the city, and with them were many soldiers, and guards, and all the men of the city. Now Satan tarried, and kept behind them, and he did not go with them because he was afraid of the word (or voice) of the Apostles; but Thèwòdàs went before the councillors, and magistrates, and judges, and there followed him the captain of a thousand, and the captain of a hundred, and all the men of the city who had assembled in the crowd went with him. And Thèwòdàs was weeping, and crying out, and scattering dust upon his head. Then when they came to his house he commanded the soldiers to kindle a fire and to burn down the room wherein were the Apostles, and the governors, and the magistrates, and the captain of a thousand, and the captain of a hundred tried to restrain him, saying, "Be patient, and keep thyself quiet for a little, and we will do unto them what is meet. Restrain thy tears a little, that we may find a way to escape from all these men who are following us, and we shall see what hath become of these two men, for, behold, their God was with them;

152 and we know that with Him they will perform many evils which shall be exceedingly greater than this. And straightway he ceased to cry, and quieted himself a little, and he took a key and opened the doors. Then immediately the Spirit of God seized Saints Paul and Philip, and brought them into the hall of judgment, and they found Diabolo s(and Satan) seated there in the form of two governors, and the nobles of the people were gathered together and they stood before him, and they knew immediately that he was Satan, and Satan was afraid and exceedingly terrified when he saw them. And when they had opened the gates, and had come through the first door into the palace—now they did not allow anyone to enter in with them except the governors of the city and their head men who had come with them—and when Diabolos, who had taken upon himself the form of the son of the king [of Médôn], and who was behind [the people], saw the Apostles, he went quickly into the house of Thêwôdâs, and entered with the governors into the palace. Now when they had come in they found the wife of Thêwôdâs stretched out dead, and her son Theodore likewise. And it came to pass that when the governors saw what had happened, they all cried out, and wept, and rent their garments, and scattered dust on their heads;

153 then when they had come in they could not find the Apostles in the house wherein they were wont to dwell, and they lit lamps and went round about in all the inner parts of the palace, but they could not find them, and Thêwôdâs became like a madman who hath lost his reason. Then the governors said unto Satan who was with them, "O lord the king, it was only with right that thy father sent thee hither about these two men, and now we know of a truth that they are sorcerers, for, as soon as they knew that we had come into this place to seek them, they would not let us find them by any means." And as the governors were conversing among themselves in this wise concerning Saints Paul and Philip, they said, "Where have they gone, and what hath become of them?" Then behold, a certain man came and cried out, saying, "These two philosophers whom ye have gone to seek in the house of Thèwòdàs are now sitting in the hall of judgment;" and when they heard this they marvelled greatly, and they returned quickly into the hall of judgment, and Thèwòdàs was going before them, and crying out and weeping. And the people scattered dust upon his head, and they also scattered it up in the air; and there was a great tumult in the city.

154 And it came to pass when they had come into the hall of judgment, that they found Saints Paul and Philip sitting [there] like the angels of God, and when Thèwòdàs saw them he became like a madman who hath lost his reason through unclean spirits, and he wanted to pierce his belly with his hand, and pour out what was therein on account of the exceedingly great sorrow which had come upon him. Then the governors answered and said unto him, "Sit down in thy place, and put away this weeping, and restrain thyself a little, and quiet thyself, and we will do unto the Apostles according to that which thy heart desireth. And the elders of the city commanded that they should put the Apostles in fetters, and bind their hands and their feet, and put chains round their necks, and make iron helmets which should cover their heads [and reach down] unto their necks. Then they made implements which were like unto hands, having palms and fingers of iron, and they put them on the hands of Paul and Philip, and [they reached] to the upper parts of their arms, and each of their hands had upon it a hand of iron, and they drove pegs (or nails) through them into their hands. And they also made images of shoulders in iron, into which reached as far as their necks, and they drove pegs (or nails) through them from before and from behind.

155 And they also made plates of iron which went round all their members, and covered over their bodies, so that nothing whatever of them could be seen; and they nailed the sides of them together with nails which resembled spikes of iron. And they also made iron shoes, and they drove spikes of iron through their feet until they penetrated them, and reached from their soles to their thighs. And they also made plates of iron which were like unto masks, and they covered over their faces with them, and the elders took exceedingly great pains not to leave any one of their members not covered over with iron. 156 Then the elders also brought men who were skilled in the art of making enchantments by means of drugs, and those who were learned in the art of roasting [men alive], and they said unto them, "See that ye do by means of your knowledge that which we set you to do concerning these two sorcerers who have wrought this great evil against the men of this city, because we wish to kill them by some evil death, and ye shall find with us a great reward and much honour." Then the men who were skilled in the art of making enchantments by means of drugs answered and said unto the governors, "Command ye that they bring here to us a talent weight of lead, and a great cauldron of brass, and seven pounds of clear oil, and let them mix with these grease, and wax, and ox fat, and large quantities of materials which will aid the fire in burning, such as bitumen, and pitch, and tar, and sulphur, and seven pounds of resin, and pieces of wood from cedar, and fir, and pine trees, and brush wood in very large quantities;" and the governors commanded that everything for which they asked should be brought unto them. Then they brought the materials, and melted them together in the great cauldron, and poured them inside the iron plates which were over the bodies of Saints Paul and Philip, until the plates of iron were made to stick to their bodies; and they also poured over the outside of the plates, within which were the bodies of the Apostles, the lead which they had melted, and it rose upwards from their feet even to their heads. Now in order that the lead might flow freely both on one side and on the other, they dug a pit, and, having made the Apostles to stand in it, they poured it over them.

157 Then the wise men took the Apostles out of the pit, and carried them and set them upon a pillar made of stout pine wood which was about five cubits high from the ground, and which was smeared with bitumen outside; and they nailed their feet to this wood with long spikes, and they set them in the gate of the garden which was entered by the four roads of the city, and they piled up wood round about the Apostles, that is to say, Paul and Philip. And on the outer face of the pile of wood which was heaped up round Saints Paul and Philip were vine branches and plants of flax, whereon the flowers still remained. Then Demetrius said unto the governors, "Send a herald round about all the city, so that all the people may see the Apostles before we burn them with fire;" and straightway the governors commanded them to appoint a herald, and to let them go round about in the great gate of the city and cry out, saying, "Unto thee we speak, O people of this city,

158 Ss men and women, great and small, come ye all to the garden which is entered by the four roads of the city, that ye may see suspended the two philosophers who came into this city; for we have found that they were sorcerers, and murder took place in this city because of them." Now when the people heard the words of the heralds, they cried out in the city, [saying], "Gather yourselves together, O all of you, and come ye to the place where the Apostles are." And the children who were being instructed in wisdom by the Apostles came and gathered round the Apostles Paul and Philip—now they were twelve in number—and they wept and beat their cheeks, and said, "Woe be unto us, O our masters, by reason of this punishment which hath come upon you. Whence have ye found this punishment of a cruel and evil death, the like of which no man hath at any time seen, for such a penalty as this hath never before fallen upon any man?"

159 Then when the people of the city were gathered together, the governors of the city commanded them to kindle 7Sb. the fire about the Apostles; and when they had set fire to the vine branches and to the plants of flax wherefrom the flowers had not been removed, the first burnt fiercely in the heap of wood inside which were Paul and Philip, and the flames of fire mounted up above their bodies by reason of the abundance of the pitch, and sulphur, and bitumen, and tar, and resin, and wax; and some of the oil and other materials burst into mighty flames and blazed up until the whole pile was one great mass of flame, and the men of the city cried out, saying, "Woe be unto these miserable men." Then the Apostles made supplication unto God, saying, "O our Lord Jesus Christ, cast us not away from Thee, and reject not Thy servants. Who shall have compassion upon the sons except their Father? Thou art our strength, and our refuge, and our helper in the day of our tribulation." Now all the people of the city wished to stone the councillors with stones, for the groanings of the Apostles and their supplications had come unto God, and the hearts of all the men of the city, were mercifully disposed towards them. And one of the governors answered and said unto the people, "Bear patiently a little, and we will inform you what will happen;" and the scribe of the city quieted the people and commanded them to sit down in patience in their places for a little.

160 And it came to pass that when the tumult had quieted the governors sent guards into the house of Thêwô-dâs, and brought out his wife and his son Theodore, who were dead, to the place where Satan, who had taken upon himself the form of the son of the king of Mêdôn, was sitting. Then the governors said unto the people, "Do not weep for these murderers, but shed your tears for these who have been slain by violence;" and when the people saw the wife of Thêwô-dâs and her son stretched out dead, they took stones and cast them at the Apostles. Then Satan stood up among them and hardened their hearts against the servants of God, that is to say, Saints Paul and Philip. And the wife of Thêwô-dâs and her son were stretched out dead, and all the men of the city were looking at them; and the governors thought that the Apostles Paul and Philip were dead, and they told the guards who were

161 SS* standing there to remove the fire from the bodies of the Apostles. Then Demetrius the smith drew nigh unto them and drew out the pegs and fastenings, wherewith they had nailed together the iron plates which surrounded the bodies of the Apostles; and when they opened the plates and removed them from their bodies their skin peeled off them and came away sticking to the plates, and it came off like the skin of an animal which is being flayed, and the blood of the Apostles dripped from their bodies upon the ground. Then the councillors of the city said unto them, "Are ye then still alive, O ye wicked and evil sorcerers, notwithstanding all these tortures which we have heaped upon your bodies?" And Saints Paul and Philip answered and said unto them, "We are not sorcerers as ye think, for we destroy the magical arts of Satan." Then the councillors commanded [the soldiers] to kindle the fire about them a second time, and when they had done so, behold, our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto them coming down from heaven, and He extinguished the flames of fire which were about them, and a cloud of light which was full of rain encircled the bodies of Saints Paul and Philip; and all those who saw this marvelled, and said, "If these men had deserved this sentence of death they would never have remained alive during all these days wherein they have kept fires lighted round about their bodies." Now the governors would not allow the people to bury the wife of Thêwôdâs and her son in the earth, but they commanded them to anoint their bodies with myrrh and aloes, so that they might not decay, until they saw what would happen to the Apostles.

162 Then the governors cried unto Demetrius the smith of Artemis, and said unto him, "We call upon thee as a man of wisdom and knowledge to slay these two men, for, behold, they are alive until this present." And Demetrius answered and said unto them, "I know no other way of inflicting a cruel death upon them except this which I have already wrought upon them; but now I will devise another plan which I will carry out upon them, which is as follows. Let the soldiers stand at a distance from the Apostles and shoot arrows into them now that their skins are stripped off, and their flesh shall be torn in shreds, and shall be destroyed, and they shall die immediately." So the councillors commanded the soldiers to shoot arrows into the bodies of the Apostles, but our Lord Jesus Christ guarded them and covered them, and did not permit one arrow to touch them; and the soldiers stood there, shooting arrows at them for a long time, but they were protected by God, and no harm touched them. Then straightway the councillors and all the people of the city marvelled, and said, "Verily these men must be great magicians, for they do not die; and behold, they are preserved from the fire, and the arrows do no harm to their bodies." And Demetrius the smith answered and said unto the councillors, "I would have you to know now that I have nothing else left to do unto them, and I can obtain no power over them to kill them; for fire will not consume them, and arrows will not touch their bodies. But if ye will hearken unto me, send for Alexander, the governor of Caesarea, and let him come [here], for he will be able to slay them."

163 And straightway the governors wrote a letter and gave it unto a centurion that he might take it to Caesarea, and bring Alexander, the governor thereof, to Iconium, that he might bring upon the Apostles the penalty of death; and when the centurion had departed to Caesarea he gave the letter to the governor. Now when Alexander the governor had read it he commanded them to make ready for him a ship wherein he might embark and depart to the city of Iconium, and he set out in the ship and in a few days arrived at the city of Iconium; and when he met the councillors they told him everything which had happened unto the Apostles. And they informed him, moreover, saying, "Behold, we have had these two men under guard for many days, and we bound their hands and their feet in fetters, and we have no other punishment left which we can inflict upon them; and we have been unable to gain the mastery over them, either by wood, or stones, or arrows, or iron, or fire. Behold, it is now many days since they have been bound, and they have neither eaten food nor drunk water; and their bodies have been exposed to the heat of the sun by day, and to frost by night. And on account of them Thêwôdâs killed his wife and his son." And it came to pass when Alexander the governor heard those things he marvelled at what the governors had said unto him, and he said, "I wish to see these men;" and they said unto him, "Thou shalt see them in the morning."

164 And when the morning had come on the following day, the councillors and Alexander the governor rose up and came to the hall of judgment. Then straightway Alexander the governor commanded his servant, saying, "Go unto these men, and loose their bonds, and bring them unto me; and the servant of Alexander went to draw out from their feet the spikes whereby they were nailed upon the wood, when suddenly his hand fell powerless and clave unto the pieces of wood whereunto the feet of the Apostles were nailed, and he was unable to move it in any direction. And when the men who had gone with him came [back] to the governor, they made the matter known unto him, saying, "We never saw any man who was mightier than these two sorcerers; and he answered and said unto them, "Behold, they do not deserve the penalty of death, for if they did they would not have remained alive during all these days, for although the fire blazed up against them they did not die. Peradventure it is the power of a god and not that of the children of men which worketh in them. Rise up, and let us go unto them, so that we may see their works thoroughly, and may know how to pass sentence upon them. Thereupon the councillors rose up, with Alexander the governor, and all the men of the city who had come unto him, and took their seats in the hall of judgment; and they came unto the Apostles;

165 and Alexander the governor commanded the governors, and all the men of the city who had come, to sit down, that he might [be able to] see the Apostles. Now Satan, who had taken upon himself the form of the son of the king of Médôn, had gone away to a distance from their place, for he was afraid of the voice of the Apostles Paul and Philip, and he went outside the city under the form of the chief councillor of the king of Médôn. 166 Then Alexander the governor rose up, and stood afar off, and looked at the Apostles, and he said unto them, "O ye men, tell me truly: who are ye? Whence come ye? And what is this report which I hear concerning you? Behold, the governors of the city say that 8ob. a murder took place in this city because of you. And the Apostles answered and said unto the governor, "We are the disciples of the Good God, Whose Name is called Jesus; and it is unseemly for us to seek after anything which appertaineth unto magic. We have killed no one, nay, it is our God Who at all times doeth good unto everyone who seeketh, and He it is Who maketh the lame to walk, and the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak, and the sick to be healed, and the devils to be expelled, and the dead to be raised; and He forgiveth the sins of those who turn unto Him with repentance. Then the governor answered and said unto the Apostles, "If ye can do these things, we wish to see signs of them proceed from you, and then I also will believe in your God. And the Apostles Paul and Philip said unto him, "Ask from us whatever sign thou art prased to ask, that thou mayest know that our God is the God of righteousness, Who hath the power to do everything, and Who is the Maker of all created things.

167 Then the governor answered and said unto the Apostles, "Behold, the wife 8ob. of Thêwôdâs and her son Theodore have died through you, and I desire that ye ask God to raise them up again, for we wish to know the power of your God. Now in former days this governor Alexander was dwelling in the city of Rome, and he was there before the Emperor Nero passed sentence of death upon Abbà Peter, the chief of the Apostles, and condemned him to be crucified; and Alexander was a good man and he feared God, and he had embraced the faith of Christ some time before, when he was in the city of Rome with the Emperor, Nero by the hand of Abbà Saint Peter. Then Philip and Paul answered and said unto Alexander the governor, "We see that thou art filled with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and behold, His gift resteth in all thy heart. If thy heart desireth this thing let them bring them (i. e., the dead bodies) unto us, that thou mayest see the might of our Lord Jesus Christ and that He may make His wonders to appear in the city. And straightway they sent the guards, and they brought the dead body of Euphemia the wife of Thêwôdâs, and the dead body of his son Theodore, and they were carrying them on a bed;

168 and their kinsfolk were following after them weeping, for they did not know that the Apostles wished to raise them up from the dead, but they thought that the governor wished to see them, and to pass a sentence of death and destruction upon Paul and Philip because of them. And when they had brought their dead bodies [there] they laid them before the Apostles. 169 And it came to pass at that time that the hand of the servant of Alexander, which had cleaved to wood under the feet of the Apostles, was healed, and was opened, and he made haste and prostrated himself and bowed down at their feet, which he kissed in the presence of all the people, saying, "Verily, these men are the servants of the Most High God, and they teach the doctrine of life." And after this their bonds were loosed, and the spikes which were driven through the soles of their feet, and by which they were fastened to the wood, were withdrawn, and immediately they walked on their feet to the place where the bodies lay. Then Paul and Philip stood up and stretched out their hands, and prayed, saying, "O our Lord Jesus Christ,

170 "Who didst raise up the daughter of Jairus after she was dead; and Who didst raise up the son of the widow, and didst lay hold upon his coffin and say unto him, 'O young man, I say unto thee, arise,' and straightway he rose up and Thou didst give him to his mother; O Thou Who didst raise up Lazarus by the call of Thy voice, saying, 'Lazarus, Lazarus, come forth,' whereupon straightway he came forth from the grave after [he had been there] four days; even so do Thou raise up these dead bodies that all the men of this city may believe in Thy Name, for unto Thee, and Thy Good Father, and the Holy Spirit, belongeth glory for ever and ever. Amen." And when they had finished their prayer, Paul took hold of the hand of Euphemia, and Philip of the hand of her son, and they said with one voice, "In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ the Nazarene, rise up sound and whole." Then straightway they opened their eyes, and the breath returned unto them, and when they had risen up they sat holding the hands of the Apostles, who made them to stand up before all the people.

171 And when the governor and all the men of the city saw [this], they fell down and worshipped at the feet of the Apostles, and they made entreaty unto them, saying, "O servants of the Most High God, remember not everything which we have done against you, but have mercy upon us; what shall we do to be saved from our sins, and how can we become worthy of the gift of the grace of Christ? Now Euphemia, the wife of Thēwōdás, and her son Theodore were sitting at the feet of the Apostles. And Paul and Philip said unto the councillors, "We only desire one thing, and that is for you to send and bring hither unto us your gods and their priests, so that we may try them and know whether they have any power in themselves or not. Then the councillors straightway sent after the priests, and when they had come they said unto them, "Go ye and bring hither your gods unto us. And the priests answered and said unto the councillors, "We are not able to move the gods from their places. Then the Apostles said unto the priests, "Then they are not gods, for if they were they could go wheresoever they desired; and the priests were filled with anger, and said unto the Apostles, "Your speech betrayeth that ye are deceivers.

172 For our gods declared aforetime, and told us, saying, 'Behold, these two men who have come into the city of Iconium are of the twelve sorcerers who follow Jesus the Nazarene, and they preach in His Name in every city, saying, These gods whom we worship are not gods.'" And whilst the priests were thus saying unto them, there came down upon them a stroke from heaven, that is to say, blackness, and mist, and smoke, and darkness which could be touched, and they became blind, and were in great tribulation, for they stumbled about and fell down among the people. Now when the councillors and Alexander the governor saw what had happened, they fell down at the feet of the Apostles, and they cried out, saying, "Verily your God is a God of righteousness, Who hath made the heavens, and the earth, and everything which is therein. Then the Apostles answered and said unto Theodore, the son of Thêwôdâs, whom he had raised from the dead, "Unto thee we speak, and unto thee we give the command, O young man, through whom and through whose mother salvation shall come unto the

173 B "men of this city, Rise up, and enter into the city, and cry out, raising high thy voice towards the temple, and say unto the gods, 'O ye gods of this city, unto you I speak. Thus say the Apostles of the God of righteousness, that is to say, Jesus Christ, Rise up quickly, and come unto the place wherein we are.'" And straightway the young man rose up and went to the temple where the idols were seated, and he spake unto them according as the Apostles had told him; and when the idols heard they came down from their thrones, and went after the young man and came to the place wherein were the Apostles. And when the councillors, and Alexander the governor, and all the men of the city saw the silver bull and the golden images going after the young man, they cried out, saying, "There is no god except Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, the God of Paul and Philip."

174 Then straightway the Satan Diabolos, who had taken upon himself the form of the son of the king of Mêdôn, came and stood in the midst of the councillors, and the second Satan also who was disguised as his chief councillor, and said, "Be ye not astonished at this 175 "poor deed which the two men have wrought, for indeed it is nothing but the work of sorcery. And again the Satan, who had taken upon himself the form of the son of the king of Médôn, said unto them, "If ye do not do unto them according to what my father wrote unto you concerning them, and if ye do not deliver them into my hand that I may take them to my city that I may do unto them according to my will, I will go unto my father without them; and when my father heareth that ye have not killed them he will be enraged at you, and he will send and destroy this city and will make an end of the people [thereof] with the sharp sword. Now when the councillors heard these words they were terrified and were greatly afraid, and they withdrew until they were alone, and said, "Let us consider what we shall do unto these two men; we do not wish to deliver them over into the hand of the king, because we have seen mighty deeds [come] from them, but, on the other hand, we are afraid of his wrath lest he send and lay waste this city according to what his son saith. And Alexander the governor answered and said unto the councillors, "Do nothing whatsoever until ye have spoken unto Paul and Philip, and what they say unto us that let us do. And moreover, I.B..82b.

176 will go unto the king [of Médôn] and will hold converse with him concerning this matter, and I will make you to be blameless, and their God in Whom ye have believed shall do what is good for you. Now the words were good in the sight of the councillors, and they called Paul and Philip, and said unto them, "Know ye that the king [of Médôn] hath sent his son into this city on your account? and the Apostles answered and said unto them, "We knew this from the time when ye put us in fetters, and placed us within the plates of iron, and the planks of wood, and nailed us to the wood; but now, do ye according to your desire so that ye may be blameless, and it will cause us no sorrow. Then the counsellors turned and told Diabolos and the Satans to go unto the Apostles; and when the Apostles saw Diabolos afar off they knew him. And Philip said, "Behold, he that stirreth up war cometh unto us; let us do that

177 "which God commandeth us;" and when Diabolos drew nigh unto Paul and Philip he knew their counsel, and straightway he took the form of a flame of fire, and departed, and turned his face away from them in the presence of the councillors and of the men of the city. And Philip rose up and cast his girdle about the neck of Satan, and holding him fast thereby he dragged him along, and Satan's appearance changed from the similitude of the son of the king of Médón into that of a black bull; then straightway he bound him to the silver bull and the golden images which the men of that city worshipped and believed in, and he tied them together. And Paul drew nigh and smote upon the ground with his foot, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and they went down into the depth of the abyss, whilst the councillors and all the men of the city were looking on at them. And when the people saw what had happened they lifted up their voices, saying, "Gods in the form of men have come unto us." Now the priests who had not believed became blind, and they besought the multitude to guide them unto the place where the Apostles were, that they might bring upon them the mercy of Christ and the gift of His grace. Then certain men among the multitude, taking them by their hands, led them to the place wherein the Apostles were, and the seven priests fell down at their feet, and said unto them, "Forgive us, O servants of the Living God the Lord, and reward not us according to all our shameful words." And when Paul and Philip saw their faith, they laid their hands upon their eyes, and straightway they could see, and they followed the Apostles, and ceased not to minister unto them.

178 Now when Thèwòdàs, the prince of the governors of the city, saw the mighty acts of God and His wonders which Paul and Philip were doing in the city, and when he saw his wife Euphemia and his son Theodore whom the Apostles had raised from the dead, he went into his house with his soldiers, and brought forth all his possessions and laid them at the feet of the Apostles, and he bowed down before them, and wept, saying, "Forgive your servant, and remember not all the evil which I have done against you, but let your mercy come unto me. Then the Apostles took hold of his hands, and said unto him, "Rise up, and fear not, for these things have come from God, so that all the men of this city may be saved. And straightway Paul and Philip smote the earth with their feet, and it opened, and a great spring of water welled up, and the Apostles baptized all the men of that city, and the councillors, and Alexander the governor. And they built a church for them and taught them the ordinances [thereof], and how to offer up the Offering, and taught them the divinity of God; and they appointed Theodore, the son of Thèwòdàs, to be their bishop, and they made the seven priests to be priests and deacons in the church. Now after the Apostles had lived in that city for three months all the people who dwelt therein believed.

179 And Paul and Philip blessed Alexander the governor and all the men of the city, and they commanded them to be strong in the right faith in the Name of God the Father, the Sustainer of all things, and in the Name of His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Name of the Holy Spirit, One God. And they made them to be strong in the faith and fear of God, and they ordained fasts at stated times for them, and they gave them the Law of Moses, and [the books of] the Prophets, and the Holy Gospel, and the Ordinances of the Apostles, and their Canons. Then the two Apostles Paul and Philip returned to Jerusalem, and all the men of the city accompanied them on their way and brought them to the sea, where the Apostles embarked in a ship. And Alexander returned to his city, praising God for the mighty deeds and wonders which he had seen [performed] by the blessed Apostles Paul and Peter. Praise be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, henceforth, and for ever and ever. Amen.

Chapter Xii.

180 And After This SAINT PAUL WENT FORTH FROM JERUSALEM to go and preach unto the Gentiles of the country into which he had entered, and as he was on his way, behold, our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto him, and said, "O Paul, My chosen one, behold, I have filled thee with the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, and thou shalt receive much suffering for My Name's sake, O My beloved Paul, yea more than that of all the [other] Apostles. I will not send thee unto any one stated portion [of the world], nor unto any one defined place, but I will send thee everywhere that thou mayest preach therein. Thy life shall be long in the world, and thou shalt find much labour among all peoples. Thou shalt be filled with the spirit of understanding and wisdom, which shall exceed that of Solomon, and the whole world shall be filled with thy doctrine and wisdom. Verily I say unto thee, O My chosen one Paul, that wheresoever My Gospel shall be preached in all the world, [the people] shall declare openly, after the manner of a herald, thy doctrines, and thy words, and thy ministrations, so that by them the whole world shall be taught and admonished, among the Jews, and Greeks, and Gentiles, and [the nations of] Persia, and the Barbarians, and [the peoples of] Ethiopia, and among all the heathen, for the whole world is the portion B..84a. of thy preaching, O My chosen one.

181 And among all those who believe thou shalt be called the tenth part and the third part in the number of the Apostles; and fear thou not, O My chosen one, for I will be with thee in every part of the world whithersoever thou goest. Thy brethren the Apostles shall sit upon twelve thrones, and shall judge the Twelve Tribes of Israel; and thou shalt be added unto their number, and thou shalt be the thirteenth [Apostle]. O My beloved Paul, I swear unto thee by Myself that all those who shall cry unto thee in their affliction, whether it be man or woman, I will deliver them out of their tribulation, and will make them to rejoice. And those who have committed sin, when having repented they cry unto Me, saying, 'O God of Saint Paul, forgive us our transgressions', I will forgive. And whosoever shall build a church in thy name, or shall commemorate thy festival, or shall give alms in thy name, or shall receive strangers, or clothe the naked in thy name, or shall write the history of thy strife, and give it to a church that they may read therein, or shall dedicate an offering and cause the same to be handed down [after him], will I bless, and I will bless the children of his house, and his goods, and I will give his reward unto him a hundredfold in this world, and in that which is to come life everlasting.

182 And having said these words [our Lord] saluted his mouth and ascended into the heavens in great glory. Then Saint Paul went on his way rejoicing, and having journeyed round about he came to the city which is called Gáhléyá, which is, being interpreted, "Folly".

Chapter Xiii.

183 Hearken Unto Me, O YE BELIEVING PEOPLE, AND I WILL RELATE UNTO YOU THE BLESSED STORY OF WHAT GOD WROUGHT BY THE HANDS OF SAINT PAUL, THE TONGUE OF OIL, THE LAMP OF THE CHURCH, THE HEALER OF OUR SOULS AND BODIES, WHO TRAVELLED INTO EVERY CITY (or COUNTRY) SEEKING AFTER THE SHEEP THAT WERE LOST, SO THAT HE MIGHT BRING THEM BACK INTO THE PASTURE OF GOD. 184 Now as Saint Paul was travelling about and preaching he passed by a great city, wherein was a lofty and mighty fortress (or palace) which was built of marble, and [the people thereof] had protected it with plates of red brass; now this city was exceedingly beautiful, and there were numerous streams and trees therein. Now when Saint Paul saw it he marvelled at the beauty thereof, and he said, "I would that I knew what god the people of this city worship; can it be that they worship idols?" And again he said, "Thou, O God, art compassionate unto those who serve Thee, and who worship Thee, and Thou pourest out Thy mercy upon Thy servants, good and bad [alike]." And as he was marvelling at the beauty of the city and at its exalted position, a certain man came out therefrom and walked about the ways thereof; and Saint Mâr Paul met him, and said unto him, "Peace be unto thee, brother;" and the man answered and said unto him, "And upon thee be peace." Then Saint Paul asked him, saying, "O my brother, what is this city called?" And he said unto him, "Its name is Gâḥlēyâ;" then Saint Paul said in his heart, "If the name of this city be Gâḥlēyâ, the people thereof must be fools, for the interpretation of [the name] Gâḥlēyâ is Folly". And again Saint Paul answered and said unto him, "My brother, whom do they worship in this city?" And the man said unto him, "They worship the great goddess Artemis." Now when Saint Paul heard this he was exceedingly sorry for the city, the people of which were unbelievers, and he said unto the man, "I wish to enter into the city," but the man said unto him, "The people of this city will not allow thee to enter, because thou art a stranger." And Saint Paul said unto him, "May not strangers enter therein?" and

185 TT* the man said unto him, "They may not enter in." Then Saint Paul said unto him, "Why may not strangers enter therein?" And the man said unto him, "Because we know that there have gone forth from Galilee twelve men who travel two by two in every country, and who preach a God Whose Name is Jesus, Whom the Jews crucified upon a wooden cross and slew. And these men command the rich to distribute their possessions among the poor, and they order him that hath a wife to put her away and to live in purity; for this reason the gates of this city are closed. And they have set guards on the upper part of the fortress, and have placed there instruments for casting stones the whole day long. Now these guards live on the upper part of the fortress, and they keep watch on this side and on that, and when they see a stranger drawing nigh unto the city they cast stones at him to prevent him from entering therein." And when Saint Paul heard this he sorrowed with a great sorrow for that city, and for those who dwelt in it; and the man went on his way.

186 Now whilst Saint Paul was pondering these things in his mind he saw two men on the road to the city, and he made haste to meet them, [and he found that] they were Peter and Andrew his brother; and behold, they had come from that city, and when he saw them he saluted them with a spiritual salutation, and said unto them, "Whence come ye?" And they said unto him, "From this city which thou seest, for we drew nigh unto the gates thereof and were wishing to enter therein. And the men there enquired of us, saying, 'Whence [come] ye?' and we said unto them, 'We are strangers;' and straightway the guards lifted up their slings and hurled stones at us and would not allow us to enter therein." And it came to pass that when Saint Paul heard these words from them, his mind woke up like a lion that roareth to rend prey, and he said unto them, "O my brethren, by the good pleasure of God I will contrive some means whereby I shall enter into this city, and I will make the men thereof to come forth and seek you, and they shall receive you, and shall also bring you into the city. And when God hath prepared the way for us, and we have entered therein, that which God hath spoken unto us we will speak, for our Lord and Master saith unto us in the Holy Gospel, 'Where two or three are gathered together in My Name there I will be also in the midst;' but go ye to these trees and rest there, until I go and obtain information about this city."

187 Then Peter and Andrew did according to what Saint Paul had told them. And by the good pleasure of God there came along two men by another road, and they had with them the apparel which the accursed priests and worshippers of the idols which are in the temple of Artemis wear therein; and Saint Paul said unto them, "My brethren, whither go ye?" And they said unto him, "We are men who make the apparel of the priests, and we are now travelling about from one temple of the gods to another, that we may sell our work unto the priests who live therein." Then Saint Paul said unto them, "And I on my part have come out of a temple, and am seeking to buy raiment such as that which ye have with you, for I am a priest;" and those men sold him raiment, and Saint Paul bought it from them and arrayed himself therein, and the men went on their way. Now when Saint Paul had arrayed himself in this apparel, his heart grew strong, and he went into this city, and he said, "O my Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst make the light to rise upon me when I was going into the city of Damascus, and didst hold converse with me, though I am utterly unworthy, do Thou prepare my way that I may come into this city, and may preach Thy Holy Name [therein]." Then Saint

188 Paul went on until he came to the city, and when he stood up by the gates the watchmen saw that he was dressed in the apparel of the priests, and they came down quickly, and opened the gates for him, and brought him into the city with honour, saying, "Come in, O our lord." And Saint Paul said unto them, "Let one of you come with me to [the governor in] the hall of judgment, for I have been sent unto him with the words of a message by those who have dominion in the temple of the king." Now one of the watchmen belonged to the servants of the governor of the city, and he went with Saint Paul until he brought him to the hall of judgment, and by the good pleasure of God he found the governor sitting at the council of magistrates in the midst of the city, and all the nobles of the city were gathered together unto him. And when they saw Saint Paul coming towards them dressed in the apparel of the priests they all rose up and received him. And they bowed down before him, thinking that he was [one] of the priests of the temple of the king, and they made him to sit upon a lofty throne, and they sat in a low place at his feet.

189 Then Saint Paul said unto them, "I am the chief of the priests, and I minister continually unto the gods who are in the temple of the king; and last night the gods appeared unto me, and sent me unto you, and commanded me to say that which I would say unto you." And the governor of the city and the nobles thereof answered and said unto him, "Speak, O master, and declare that which the gods have commanded thee, and we will hearken and be subject thereunto." Then Saint Paul said unto them, "The gods commanded me last night that I should speak unto you thus:—There shall come unto you two men of the men of Galilee, companions of the Galilean, against Whom the Jews rose up and Whom they slew; and these men shall declare unto you that this Galilean is God; and that He hath commanded them to make every man to separate himself from his wife; and that He hath commanded the rich to distribute their goods among the poor; and moreover, they will command [you] not to worship the gods of the king. And the gods have commanded me to pass a stern sentence of judgment upon them, and to drive them forth into the uttermost parts of the city as befitteth them." And the governor and the elders of the city said with one voice, "Have the gods appeared unto thee in very truth and spoken [thus]? Behold, these two men came to the city this morning and wished to enter in, but the watchmen prevented them from doing so, and cast stones at them."

190 Now when Saint Paul heard [these words], he rose quickly, being filled with wrath and anger, and he said unto them, "Send [men] with me to take me out of the city, that I may seek for them and may bring them back into this hall of judgment, and may bring upon them everything which the gods have commanded me." Then the governor sent his soldiers to seek for Peter and Andrew and to bind them and to bring them back into the hall of judgment, according as Saint Paul had commanded; and the soldiers went out quickly on the road upon which the watchmen told them that the two men had gone, and they went on seeking for them with deligence until they came unto the place wherein were the Apostles. And the soldiers said unto them, "Whence "are ye?" And Peter said unto them, "We are men of Galilee;" and when the soldiers heard these words from them, they laid hold upon the disciples, and bound them, and threw chains round their necks, and at length they brought them into the city. Then the rumour went abroad throughout the whole city that the two men had arrived who belonged to the twelve men from the country of Galilee, who led men astray from the worship of the gods, and who said that Jesus the Nazarene, Whom [the Jews] slew, is indeed God, and who command men to separate themselves from their wives, and who command the rich to distribute their goods among the poor. And all those who were in the regions round about the city, both men and women, and great and small, gathered themselves together and came into the hall of judgment. Now when Saint Paul saw the great number of the multitude, and that the soldiers had brought Peter and Andrew in bonds, he prayed within himself, saying,

191 "Behold, O my Lord Jesus Christ, Thou seest our poor estate, and Thou seest this beautiful city and that all the people who dwell therein are bound under the yoke of Satan the Enemy; we beseech Thee, O Lord, to help us, and do Thou turn them into the right faith. Thou hast said unto us, O Lord, with Thine own mouth of righteousness, that 'Wheresoever two or three are gathered together in My Name there will I be in their midst', and Thou hast said unto us Thy servants likewise, 'Behold, I send you forth like sheep among wolves, be ye wise as the serpent, and harmless as the dove.'" And when Paul had finished his prayer he turned his face towards Peter and Andrew, and said unto them, "What are your names? From what city are ye? Of what nation and tribe are ye? And for what purpose have ye come unto our city?" Then Peter and Andrew said unto him, "We are Galileans, and we have come from the holy city of Jerusalem; we are Twelve in number, and we are disciples of the Good God Whose Name is Jesus Christ. And our Lord hath commanded us and taught us to go forth into all the world and to preach the Holy Gospel." And Saint Paul said unto them, "Is it true [what] the gods have declared unto me concerning you, that ye will not cease from your evil work, that ye separate men from their wives, that ye command the rich to become poor, and that ye make a stir in all the world, saying, 'The great God, our God, hath sent us to preach the Gospel in all the world?' Tell us now, what is the Gospel? and declare unto us what is therein." Now Saint Paul said this wishing to make them to declare the Gospel, and to pour the words thereof into the ears of the multitude. Then Peter rejoiced at this, and opening his mouth he began to declare the Gospel from the beginning even unto the end, and Paul meanwhile made prayer and supplication unto God that He would open the hearts of the men of the city to the knowledge of Him, and that He would confirm the words of the Holy Gospel in their breasts. And when Peter had made an end of declaring the words of the Gospel, and how our Lord Jesus Christ came down into the world from heaven; and how He was conceived and brought forth by the Holy Virgin Mary; and how He was baptized and preached the Gospel of the kingdom of heaven, and worked miracles; and how He suffered in the flesh by His own will, and by the good pleasure of His Father and the Holy Spirit, that He might redeem us; and how He died, and was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day; and how He ascended into heaven, and sat at the right hand of His Father; and how He will come again in His glory, with all His angels, to judge the quick and the dead, and to reward every man according to his work; then he began to curse the idols which have no breath (or spirit) in them, saying, "They are graven stones, the work of the hand of man, and things which are made with implements of iron; they have mouths, and speak not; eyes have they, and see not; ears have they, and hear not; noses have they, and smell not; feet have they, and walk not; they speak not with their throats; and there is no breath in their mouths. May all those who make them become like unto them, and all those who put their trust in them!"

192 And Saint Paul said unto them, "Is it true, as I hear, that ye blaspheme the gods? I have just heard with mine own ears and I have seen with mine own eyes everything which ye have said in your perversity. Then Paul commanded that Peter and Andrew should be made to stand between four soldiers, and that they should scourge them with whips made of untanned leather, and meanwhile he wept with the eyes of his heart, and he made supplication, saying, "I beseech Thee, O God the Father, Thou Sustainer of all things, Thou Father of our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ, as Thou didst send Thine angel unto the city of Babylon and didst deliver the Three Children from the furnace of fire, even so at this present, O Lord, send Thine angel to these my fathers the disciples, and remove [them] out of the hands of these sinners so that the suffering of scourging may not come upon them, and so that Thy Holy Name may be glorified in this great city; to Thee be glory for ever and ever. Amen. And when Saint Paul had finished his prayer he saw the angel of God standing behind the backs of the saints, and in his hand was a golden staff upon which was a cross of precious stones, and he was holding back the stripes from the bodies of the saints.

193 Now when the soldiers were wearied with scourging them they cried out to the governor, and said unto him, "We cannot overcome these men, for to scourge them is as if we were to scourge stones and iron; and the governor said unto Saint Paul, "Send them to the prison-house, for the time for eating hath arrived. Then Saint Paul said unto him, "I swear by the gods of the king that I will neither eat nor drink this day, nor take any pleasure whatsoever, until I have taken the vengeance of the gods on these unbelieving men. And when the governor heard these words from him he went into his house, and left Saint Paul in the hall of judgment. 194 Now by the good pleasure of God there died at that hour one of the great princes of the nobles of that city whom the king loved exceedingly, and all the people of the city who worshipped idols were subject unto him. He was an exceedingly kind and merciful man, for he fed the hungry, and clothed the naked, and remitted to the debtor his debt when he had not wherewithal to pay; and he visited those who were in prison, and sent his servants unto them with everything which they wanted, for he had great riches; and he had also many children, and servants without number; and because of him (i. e., his death) there came into the city much grief that day. Now the disciples were in the prison-house; and Saint Paul ceased not to pray that night and to make supplication unto God that He would turn the hearts of the men of that city into submission unto Him, and in like manner Saints Peter and Andrew, who were in the prisonhouse, made unto God the whole night through petitions which were like unto those of Saint Paul. And when the light had risen the governor came with all the nobles of the city unto Saint Paul in the hall of judgment, and told him of their sorrow because their companion and friend had died. Then straightway Saint Paul gave thanks unto God in his heart, and said unto the governor, "The gods have given me power over these Galileans, and I shall be able to destroy them by a right judgment, for they say that their God doth raise the dead, and open the eyes of the blind, and make the lame to walk, and cleanse the lepers." Then Saint Paul commanded them to bring Saints Peter and Andrew from the prison-house, and he also commanded them to bring the dead man before them; and he said unto them, "Ye say that your God raiseth the dead and healeth every kind of sickness by your hands;" and the disciples said unto him, "Verily it is well known." And Saint Paul said unto them, "Behold, there is before you a dead man who died yesterday, and his people wish to bury B..88b. him; if ye beseech your God, and He maketh him to live again and to appear again unto his wife and children, we all will believe in your God, but if ye do not raise him up we will burn you with fire in this city." And the governor and all the nobles of the city who were with him spake even as Saint Paul spake. And Saint Peter said, "I can do this by the might of my God."

195 Then the governor ordered them to bring nigh the dead man, who was [lying] on the bier swathed ready for burial, before the holy disciples, and his wife, and his children, and his servants; and all the men of the city came likewise, and they were all weeping. And Saint Paul answered and said unto Saints Peter and Andrew, "Behold him that died! Beseech ye your God that He may raise him up." Then straightway Saints Peter and Andrew rose up, and having made the multitude to hold their peace, they stood by the bier of the dead man, and turned their faces towards the East, and they stretched out their hands to heaven, and cried out, B..88b. saying, "O our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, Who didst raise up Lazarus from the dead, after he had been [in the tomb] four days, as soon as Thou didst call unto him, saying, 'Lazarus, Lazarus, come forth!' and when he heard Thee he came forth alive; and Who didst also raise up the son of the widow of Nain, when he was [lying] on his bier and they were carrying him out to bury him, for Thou didst take hold of his hand, and didst raise him up, and didst give him to his mother alive, and she took him and brought him into her house rejoicing; hearken Thou unto the prayer and petition of Thy servants who call upon Thee. Of Thy good pleasure, O Lord, let the dead man who hath been set before us rise up, so that all this multitude may believe in Thy Holy Name. And unto Thee, and unto Thy Father, the Good and Merciful One, and unto the Holy Spirit, be glory for ever and ever. Amen." And Saint Paul also was making entreaty and supplication in his heart unto God for the salvation of the men of that city, and for the benefit of their souls. And it came to pass that, when the disciples had said "Amen," the dead man rose up from the bier, having come to life. Then Andrew made haste and loosed his burial swathings, and the dead man stood up before the governor and before the men of the city; and all the men who were gathered together marvelled greatly, and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Verily there is no god except the God of the strangers, Saints Peter and Andrew." And Saint Peter drew nigh unto the dead man, and made over him the sign of the cross, and said, "In the Name of Jesus, let there pass away from thee the fear of death and of the strength of the judgment which is therein."

196 Then the man who had been raised up from the dead fell upon his face at the feet of the holy disciples, and embraced them, saying, "Blessed be the hour wherein ye came into this city. And Saint Peter spake unto him, saying, "What didst thou see in Gehenna? Then the man who had been dead said, "It were better for man not to be born on the earth, for, by my faith, I say that I never saw any punishment greater than that of the worshippers of idols. When my soul went forth from my body the angels of wrath received it, and took it to the punishment of Gehenna. There I saw the chief of the angels of Gehenna, and the angels of punishment standing round about in fear and trembling, and their appearance was terrible. And "I saw also a river of flaming fire, and their chief commanded his servants to put my soul in the place where the worshippers of idols are punished until he could make them to know the power of God their Creator; so they took my soul straightway, without mercy, and they brought me unto that fearful place. And whilst I was undergoing punishment there I looked at you, O my lords, and saw you following a young man with an exceedingly bright face, and his radiance was brighter than that of the sun in his splendour.

197 In his right hand he held a staff of gold, on the top of which was a cross, and he came unto the place wherein I was. Then he stretched out the staff which was in his hand and with it he touched the fire, and the blazing fire changed its form, and darkness appeared; and the light appeared, and all those who were torturing me were scattered. And moreover, I heard the voice of a company of angels who were offering thanksgiving unto the Name of the Lord, saying, 'Blessed be the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.' Then the young man commanded one of those who were ascribing blessings unto Him to take me by my hand, and he delivered me over unto you as ye see me at this present. And I beseech you, O my masters, to dispose of me according to what ye wish, only I make supplication unto you that ye send me not back unto this punishment of torture. And it came to pass that when these words came to the ears of the multitude, they lifted up their voices and glorified God.

198 Then Paul made a sign to the multitude that they should hold their peace, and he said unto the disciples in the presence of the governor and of all the elders of the city, "Good is the work which ye have just per-B..89b. formed; ye have besought your God, and He hath raised up this dead man. But it is not meet that the king, or the judge, or the governor, should accept one witness, for only by the testimony of two or three shall everything be established. And Paul said unto the judge, "Is there in the city any man upon whom Satan hath a hold? Then the governor said unto him, "My brother hath a son whom for the last thirty years Satan hath kept dumb, and several times this Satan hath taken him up into a high place, wishing to hurl him down therefrom and to kill him. In like manner he wisheth to cast him into the fire and burn him, and similarly, he would throw him into the sea, and had it not been for the eight servants who guard him, four by day and four by night, this Satan would have destroyed him. Then Saint Paul said unto the disciples Peter and Andrew, "Heard ye what the governor hath said concerning his brother's son?

199 If now ye will ask your God to cast out this Satan and heal this young man, and if ye compel the earth to be subject unto you, and it open its mouth, and ye cast this Satan down into the depths of Sheol with all these men looking on, then I and the governor, and all these men, will believe in your God. And straightway the governor and all his men cried out, saying, "We believe in the God of these strangers who have raised up for us the dead man. Then Peter and Andrew stretched out their hands forthwith to heaven, and they made supplication, saying, "We beseech Thee, O God, the Father of our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ, to send to us in this hour Michael the Archangel, who grasped in his right hand the prophet Habakkuk and took him from the land of Judah into the pit [of lions] in Babylon of the Chaldees to Daniel the prophet. And he had with him food which he had prepared for his harvestmen who were in the land of Judah, and Daniel ate and drank, and Habakkuk returned unto his fields in that same hour.

200 Yea, O Lord, hear us in this hour, and send Thine angel to pass the sentence of doom upon the Satan who liveth in the son of the governor's brother, and give us strength, O Lord, and make us mighty to cast him out from this young man, and let us make him to have his abode in Gehenna, that these men may know that Thou art the God of heaven and of earth, and that their faith may 201 Uu be confirmed in Thee." And Saint Paul was meanwhile making petitions unto God in his heart similar to those which Peter and Andrew were making. And it came to pass that when they had said "Amen," they brought [unto them] the young man whom Satan had hold upon, and he was much moved and Satan was torturing him. And the angel of God vexed the Satan sorely, and the Satan made the young man to beat upon the ground with his feet, and to foam at the mouth like a wild boar, and he leaped upon the men and began to bite and tear their bodies, and to rend their garments; and when they saw the young man acting in this wise they all fled. Then Saint Andrew made haste and went forth from the place where the men were gathered together, and he made the sign [of the cross] on the ground round about them, saying, "In the Name

202 "of our Lord Jesus Christ, [let no one go forth from this multitude, neither man nor woman, and let them not remove themselves from the place wherein they are standing, and let them not take away the soles of their feet from this place into any other, until they have seen the wonderful thing which God will do. And it was with the people even as Saint Andrew said, for the feet of all the men clave to the ground where they were standing, and there fell upon them fear and dismay, and they marvelled more than they did at the man who was raised up from the dead. Then they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "We beseech Thee, O God of Andrew, to set us free, for the soles of our feet have become like unto dry stone; and Andrew said unto them, "When the young man hath been healed, and ye have seen Satan going forth from him and descending into Gehenna before you, then straightway shall ye be set free, and ye shall go where ye will. Fear ye not. And meanwhile Paul was beseeching God in his heart, and making supplication unto Him, that He would heal the young man. Then Saint Paul said unto Saints B..90b. Peter and Andrew, "Your work is right, but in the end ye must have three witnesses. As the first ye have raised up the dead man; and as the second ye made the feet of the men to cleave to the earth;

203 but when ye cast out the unclean Satan from this young man, and all the multitude shall see him going down into Gehenna, then will I myself believe, and I will deny the gods of the king, and I will forsake the priesthood and this honourable rank wherein I live, and I will bow down to your God and believe in your faith, I, and the governor, and the elders [of the city], and all [this] multitude. And straightway the governor and all the multitude cried out, saying, "We will believe in your God, and in your true faith, but we beseech you, O servants of God, to set loose our feet. Then Saint Peter answered and said unto Saint Andrew, "Dost B..91a thou wish to sow for me to reap? Or shall I sow and thou reap after me? And Saint Andrew said unto him, "Thou, O our father and master, shalt sow first of all, and I will reap after thee. Then Saint Peter drew nigh unto the young man whom Satan was making to move to this side and to that, and to go from one place to the other, at the same time making him to utter cries and to foam at the mouth like a [wild] boar, but the Satan which was dwelling upon him was unable to UU* flee, for the holy disciples were preventing him from departing, that the work of God might be made manifest in him.

204 And straightway Saint Peter cried out, saying, "In the Name of my Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who is from of old, Who was crucified upon the wood of the cross in the days of Pontius Pilate, come forth from this young man, and let thy form be made manifest before this multitude, that the people may see and 205 "know that there is no god except the Lord God, Who hath in truth made the heavens, and the earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and all the ordinances of the heavens, and the sea, and the rivers, and the springs, and all that move therein, and the light and the darkness, and creeping things, and beasts and cattle, all of which were made by Thy will and at Thine exalted command, and over which Thou didst make man to be governor, and didst bless him. And now, hearken Thou unto me, and shew Thy might unto this multitude, for unto Thee, and Thy Good Father, and the Holy Spirit be glory, now, henceforth, and for ever and ever." Now when Saint Peter had ended his prayer he said "Amen," and the young man fell down and became as one dead; and Satan went forth from him in the form of a great darkness wherefrom flashes of flame appeared, and his face, which resembled that of a boar, was exceedingly black, and fire went forth from his eyes. And great numbers of the people who were standing there became like dead men at the sight of his horrible appearance, but they were unable to depart from their places, for the word of Saint Andrew was working with great power. And Saint Peter turned his face to Saint Andrew his brother, and said unto him, "Behold, 'I have sown, do thou now reap;" and Saint Andrew said, "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and 'of the Holy Ghost, let this ground be cleft to its very foundations, and let Satan go down into the depth of Gehenna and never again come forth therefrom.' And in that same hour the earth was moved to its very foundations, and it opened itself, and the Satan went down into it, and the earth covered him up, and became as it was aforetime. Now whilst Saints Peter and Andrew [were doing] all these things, and all that happened there after was taking place, Saint Paul ceased not to make entreaty and supplication unto God. Then Saint Peter took hold of the young man by his hand, and raised him up, and he made over his face the sign of the cross in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and the heart and all the members of the young man had rest, and he bowed down with his face to the ground, and did homage unto the holy disciples.

206 Then Saint Paul made haste and stood up among the multitude, and he rent asunder the apparel of the chief priest in which he had dressed himself; and he cast it afar off from him, and he did homage at the feet of the holy disciples, and he saluted them, and made supplication unto them, saying, "O my lords, tell 'us the story of your belief and of the Divinity of your God, for He is the God of gods, and the God of heaven and of earth, and I believe in Him with my heart, and my soul, and my spirit.' And straightway the feet of the multitude were loosed, and every one of the people was able to depart whither he pleased. Then the governor and all the nobles of the city who were sitting with him, and all the men of the city, did homage to the holy disciples, saying, We beseech you, O our lords, to teach us your faith, and to bring us nigh unto your God, for He is the God of the heavens and of the earth." And the holy disciples answered and said unto them, "Say thus:—'We believe in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, coequal and undivided;'" and immediately all the men of the city cried out with a loud voice, saying, "We believe in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit, the coequal Trinity, the God of Saints Peter and Andrew." And Saint Paul was praying in his heart, with a right mind, saying, "I beseech Thee, O my Lord Jesus Christ, Who in days of old didst sent fire unto Elijah the Prophet and didst consume the messengers of Ahab the king, even so at this present, O Lord, send Thou fire from heaven and burn up the temple of Artemis from its roof even to its foundations." And in that same hour, when the men of the city were declaring their belief in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of His Good Father, and of the Holy Spirit with a loud voice, there was thunder in the heavens, and lightning appeared, and whilst the people were looking on fire came down from heaven and smote the four corners of the temple, and nothing was left thereof upon the face of the earth.

207 And after this Saint Peter said unto the people, "Come, let us depart to the eastern side of the city, unto the hollow place which is in the desert, beneath the tree which is in the open country, that all these men may be baptized therein; and we will beseech our Lord and God to make a spring of water to gush forth from the tree so that these men may be baptized therein in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and so that your faith and your hearts may be purified. Then all the men of the city followed the holy disciples to the eastern side of the city with Saint Paul going at their head in joy and gladness because of the conversion of the city to the knowledge of God. And the people of the city were giving thanks unto Saint Paul, saying, "Glory be to God through thee, for thou didst bring into our city these men who brought us out from the error wherein we dwelt through the abundant miracles which God hath wrought by their hands, and they have brought us out from the darkness into the light by means of their abundant wonders.

208 Now when they had arrived in the place behind the palace (or fortress) the disciples stood up before the multitude, and turned their faces towards the East, and they stretched out their hands towards heaven, saying, "We beseech Thee, O God, the Sustainer of all the world, and Thine Only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, Whom Thou hast given unto us, as Thou didst hearken unto Moses the Prophet, Thy servant, in the desert, and didst command him to smite the rock with the rod which was in his hand, and fountains of water gushed forth therefrom until they became rivers, and all the tribes of Israel that were in the desert in those days drank their fill, even so, O Lord, this day do Thou hearken unto Thy servants. And be pleased, O Lord, to make a spring of water to gush forth from the rock, and let it fill this desert and become a sea; and let the waters thereof be sweet, and let them neither change nor dry up until the end of the world. And let it be for a memorial of us Thy servants, and let great numbers of the men of this city who have believed in Thee be baptized therein."

209 And when they had finished praying they said, "Amen," and meanwhile Saint Paul was helping them by praying in his heart. Then Peter and Andrew drew nigh and together smote the rock with their feet, saying, "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, let there go forth from thee water which is sweet [to the taste], and pleasant of smell;" and immediately there burst from the rock great and abundant streams of water which welled up until they filled the desert, and they formed a vast pool of water. And the multitude marvelled exceedingly, and said, "Verily we have worshipped devils all the days of our life, and we knew it not. May God make His grace to abound towards us, and may He make long His compassion upon us, in such wise that He take not vengeance upon us quickly, and may He not reward us according to our works." Then the disciples said unto the multitude, "Let the people remove their garments and apparel, and let them go down unto the water, and plunge themselves therein three times, saying, 'We are baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;'" and the people did even as the holy disciples had commanded them, from their greatest even unto their least.

210 And when they were baptized Saint Peter commanded them to go into the city; and he then commanded the women to come to the fountain of water which had come forth out of the rock, and he baptized them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Now the water was of a most beautiful smell upon the bodies of those who were baptized, and it was more beautiful than the smell and perfume of flowers. And Saints Peter and Andrew blessed the rock wherefrom the stream of water had gushed forth until it rose up and became as it were a river to the city, and they said unto the rock, "Thou shalt never restrain the water which floweth out, and the flow thereof shall neither increase nor diminish for ever. And every one who shall go down into this water, whether they be suffering from any kind of disease, or whether they be tormented by unclean spirits, or whether they be in pain and suffering, if [any] life be left unto them in this world, if they believe in their hearts in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, they shall go forth from them healed of their sicknesses. And in that same hour all those who were sick were made whole and the blind saw, and the lame walked.

211 Then the holy disciples commanded the multitude to take pains to build a church, and every man among them brought according as he had the power; some brought gold, and some brought silver, and some brought materials for building; so they built for them a fine and beautiful church on the place whereon had stood the temple of Artemis, in the name of our holy Lady, the Virgin MARY. And they appointed the governor to be their bishop, and they changed his name and called him "Paul; and they appointed the young man who was healed of the Satan to be deacon; and the man whom they had raised from the dead they appointed to be priest; and they gave unto them the Holy Mysteries. And Saint Paul wrote for them the Gospels, and the Acts of the Apostles, and the Apostolic Epistles, and all the Canon; and he commanded them to fast on the sixth day of the week, and on the fourth day of the week, and to keep the honourable Forty Days' Fast; and they taught them all the ordinances of the Church. And they dwelt with them for a few days, until they had taught them everything which was necessary, and Saint Peter consecrated for them the bread for the Offering daily, and made them to offer up the Offering. And it came to pass that, when their faith had grown strong in God, the disciples wished to go forth from that city to fulfil their ministrations in the city (or country) wherein God had commanded them to enter, and Saint Paul besought the holy disciples before the multitude to take him with them into the city whereunto they were going. Then were the people who had believed sorry with a great sorrow, and they said unto the holy disciples, "It is not meet for you to go forth from our city, for we are a new plant which ye have planted; how can ye go forth and leave us to dry up without nourishment?" But the holy disciples began to make them to keep silence in peace, and at length their souls were able to bear their departure; then they departed from them, Saint Paul being with them, and they blessed the people of that city, and everything which was therein;

212 so the people accompanied them a short way on their journey, being sorrowful at their departure (or separation). And it came to pass that when they were afar off from them Saint Paul recognised as friends Saints Peter and B. Andrew, and he saluted them with a spiritual embrace, and the three of them rejoiced and were glad by reason of the saving of the men of that city. Then afterwards Saint Paul set out on his way alone, and he preached the Gospel to the people in every country wherein the disciples had not entered, and he taught them to have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and in His Good Father, and in the Holy Spirit, to Whom be glory, and honour, and thanksgiving, and service, and homage, now, henceforth, and for ever and ever. Amen.

Chapter Xiv.

213 And moreover [we will relate concerning] the preaching of paul in the island which is called manâfeket; may his prayer be with us! Amen. Now whilst Saint Paul was going about preaching in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, he came to an island which is called Manâfeket, and he wished to go therein and to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, but the people thereof prevented him from doing so. Now every one who dwelleth in this island hath a mark inscribed upon his apparel, and the mark readeth "Manâf-kân" (i. e., the people of Manâfeket); and if this name be not written on his apparel the people will not allow him to enter the island, because this name is not on his apparel. And Saint Paul meditated in his heart, and said, "It is good that I should write this name on my apparel so that I may convert the men of this island to the knowledge of God;" so he wrote the name "Manāfḳān" upon his apparel, and when the watchmen of the gates saw the sign written upon his apparel they permitted him to enter.

214 And it came to pass that when he had come into the city which is called Manāfeket (now they call the men [thereof] "Manāfḳān"), he said, "Let Thy will be [done], O my Lord and God;" and he went round about in the city to ask for food, but no man gave him anything whatsoever, because of the little mercy which was in their hearts. Then he came into a certain open place wherein were great numbers of sick folk who were lying on beds, men and women, children and babes. 215 Some children were ministering to their parents, and some parents were ministering to their children, and some brethren were ministering to their brethren. Now when Saint Paul saw this he marvelled greatly at what he saw, and then he asked one of the men of the city concerning the matter of these sick men, and the reason why they had left their homes and were gathered together in that place. And the man answered and said unto him, "They carry all the sick folk who are in this island and bring them into this open place, and they minister unto them until they die, and immediately [any of them] die they cast them to the dogs that they may devour them. Then Saint Paul said unto them, "Why do ye not leave them in their houses until they are healed? And why, when they are dead, do ye not cast their bodies into graves and bury them? And the man answered and said, "They bring them here for the following reason. No one of those who fall ill here, whether he be great or whether he be little, or whether he be male or female, ever riseth up from his [bed of] sickness until he dieth, and none of them is ever healed or riseth up from his couch, and at length when he dieth he is given unto the dogs that they may devour him. And Saint Paul the wise man said unto him, "This matter in this island is hard [to understand].

216 I have travelled over many roads, and I have entered great cities, but I never saw the like of this [in any of them]. For multitudes of men fall sick, but they abide in their houses until God willeth that they shall either die or live. Then the man answered and said unto him, "No man hath ever been seen in this island who having been sick riseth up healed, for however long his sickness may linger upon him he at length dieth, whether he be little or whether he be great. And Saint Paul said unto him, "If a stranger were to dwell in this island for a few days, and fall sick, and not recover from his sickness, how long would it be before he died? Then the man said unto him, "It hath never been heard of for a man to come and dwell with us in this island until he were even as we are, and wrote upon his apparel the name Manāfek, and then he would become even as we are in our divinity, and his acts would become even as ours. Then Saint Paul said unto him, "Which of the gods then do ye worship? And the man said unto him, "We worship the sun. Then Saint Paul the wise man said unto him, "Ye are called Manāfḳān, according to the name of your city, because ye worship the creature instead of the Creator. When the sun setteth, whom do ye worship?

217 Now God commandeth that ye shall not worship the sun, or the moon, or the stars which appear in the heavens." 218 And Saint Paul dwelt a few days there and was beseeching God to illumine the hearts of the men of this city and to convert them unto His commandments. Then after fourteen days Saint Paul went round about in the place where the sick were gathered together, and he said unto them, "My brethren, I am sick even as ye are sick, If "and I am afraid lest I die and be thrown to the dogs." 219 And they said unto him, "The disease which thou hast contracted shall make an end of thee, for after this thou shalt never rise up from thy bed, and at length thou shalt die, and they will throw thy body to the dogs to eat; and when these words had been said unto him Saint Paul made himself a sick man, and he begged for a bed whereon to lie. So they made ready a bed for him, even as they were wont to do for the sick, only he was not sick, and the might of disease was not upon him, but he was exceedingly sick in mind by reason of the error of the men of that island whom Satan had led astray from faith in God. And when he had lain down upon his bed he neither ate, nor drank, nor ceased to pray by night and by day with beseeching, and entreaty, and supplication, unto God for the souls which had gone astray, that He would convert them unto the knowledge of Him. Now after this those who ministered unto the sick brought him food to eat, and having eaten it he lay down again for seven days like a sick man, although he was not sick;

220 and he made prayer and entreaty unto God continually for the salvation of the men of that island which was called Manāfeket, and although he appeared to be sick like one of the sick folk he was not so, yet by reason of his constant vigil and ceaseless prayer his flesh wasted away greatly, and he appeared to be sick indeed. And when he had passed forty days in this manner upon the island, he had not answered any one of the people with a single word, and he had not mentioned the Name of God openly to any man, but he never ceased to make supplication unto God that He would hear his petition, and would prepare the men of that city to know Him and His Name. And sitting upon his bed he would say, "O my Lord Jesus Christ, hearken unto my petition, and heal me of my sickness, for I am suffering greatly. Then one of those who were sick answered and said unto him, "If in these few days, when thy sickness hath not been long upon thee, thou speakest in this wise, how much more should say this the sick folk who are gathered together [here], and upon whom their diseases have lingered for years, and who know that they will never be healed of their sicknesses until they die?

221 And on the morrow Saint Paul said, "O my brethren, this day have the pain and the sickness which are upon me become less by the might of Jesus Christ, and He hath given unto me healing; and they marvelled at his words. Then he waited yet another seven days, and on the morning after the seven days, that is to say, on the eighth day, he rose up from his bed, and turned his face towards the East, and prayed, saying, "O my Lord Jesus Christ, my God, Who sufferedst, and diedst, and roset from the dead, heal Thou me from my sickness, and all the men of this city, that they may know that there is no other god besides Thee, and that they may preach Thy Name openly in this island when Thou pourest out Thy mercy upon them." 222 And Saint Paul was going about among the sick folk of the island who were gathered together there because of their sickness, and when the sick people and those who were ministering unto them saw how he had risen up sound and whole from his sickness and from his bed, they marvelled greatly at what they saw, for in all the days of their life they had neither seen nor heard of such a thing. Then the fame of what had happened unto him went forth throughout all the island, saying, that a man who was a stranger had come unto them; that he had written upon his apparel the name which is inscribed upon the garments of every man who dwelleth in this island, or who taketh up his abode therein; and that no man having fallen sick hath ever been healed of his disease except this man; and that the like of the matter which was spoken of had never before been heard of. And the people who were sick asked Saint Paul, saying, "Declare unto us the way whereby we may be healed, and live. And Saint Paul said unto them, "No man can be healed except by believing on our Lord Jesus Christ, and everyone who believeth in His Holy Name shall be healed from all his sickness. Then the men who were sick said unto him, "Tell us how we can believe, so that we may be healed of this sickness;

223 and Saint Paul said unto them, "Say, We believe and put our confidence in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Three Persons, and One God. And we also believe that One of the Three Persons became incarnate of the Holy Virgin MARY for the salvation of Adam and his seed; that He was God Who was born of her in the flesh; that He was baptized in the river Jordan; that He went about in the world in all respects like a man, except that He was without sin; that He performed wonders, and healed the sick and suffering; that He was crucified upon the wood of the cross; that He died in the flesh; and rose from the dead, and [came forth] from the grave alive. Then straightway the sick folk believed with true faith, and in that same hour they were healed of their sicknesses and went about among the other sick folk who were left. And when they saw them, they all cried out together with a loud voice, saying, "We believe in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit; and we believe that Jesus Christ, Who is One Person of Three Persons, was born of the holy Virgin Mary, that He died in the flesh, and rose from the dead, the God of Saint Paul.

224 Then straightway all the sick folk rose up from their sick [beds] in that hour, and there was not left one of them upon his bed, but they were all sound and whole, and they were as if sickness had never come upon them. In this wise did all the people of that island believe. 225 And Saint Paul built for them a church, and he baptized them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and he appointed priests and deacons for them, and he wrote for them the Gospels, and all the Scriptures of the Holy Church, and he tarried with them for many days; and after he had strengthened their faith in God, and they were healed of their sicknesses, that is to say, the sickness of soul and body, they went back into their houses and were safe until they tasted death, and were buried in graves like all other men. And this is the meaning of Saint Paul's words in the Second (sic) Epistle to the men of Corinth, wherein he saith, "I became as it were a sinner unto sinners, though I was not a sinner against God, that I might gather sinners together; and I became as it were weak unto the weak, so that I might gather together the weak, and might strengthen and deliver them from the weakness of the Enemy;" verily, he was profitable unto many souls. And the men of that city became righteous because he called himself a wicked and a sinful man. Hear also the word of Saint Paul, who saith, "Who shall make me to forsake the love of Christ? shall suffering, or persecution, or hunger, or affliction? I have confidence that there is nothing which will make me to forsake the love of God, neither life, nor death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor height, nor depth; and nothing whatsoever shall be able to make me to be remote from God," to Whom be glory, and thanksgiving, to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now, henceforth, and for ever and ever. Amen.

Chapter Xv.

226 Hear Also, O BRETHREN, THE [STORY OF] THE PREACHING OF SAINT PAUL IN THE CITY OF WĀRIKŌN; AND HOW HE CALLED THE PEOPLE THEREOF UNTO THE FAITH IN OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST; AND HOW HE MADE MANIFEST MIRACLES AND WONDERS THEREIN; AND HOW OUR LADY THE VIRGIN MARY CAME UNTO HIM TO HELP HIM AND TO STRENGTHEN HIM IN [HIS] PREACHING; AND OTHER MATTERS APPERTAINING THERETO. 227 And after these things Saint Paul departed unto the city of Kartāgnā (Carthage), and he found me, Peter, dwelling therein. And when I had met him I enquired of him concerning the manner in which the men of Wārikōn had accepted the faith, and he said unto me, "O man who art fit for the instructing of the men of the world in the faith of God, when I had separated myself from thee there came unto me whilst I was asleep the angel who used to come to thee. And he said unto me, 'Depart thou unto a city which is on the border of heaven, that is to say, which is at the extreme limit of the bounds of the earth, and preach therein in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ'; and I asked him to help me by means of thee; and he said unto me, 'It is not meet for thee to say this thing. Nay, thou art a messenger who hath been commanded [what to do].

228 Depart thou unto the place whereunto I have told thee [to go], for Peter is making ready to dwell in the city of Kartāgnā, and in the country of Akrād,' so that our Lord Jesus Christ may set before them His treasures a second time.' So I departed unto this city, and, O holy teacher, the size thereof is so great that it resembleth Rome, only the buildings thereof are more beautiful, and the fruit and flowers are abundant, and the stream of water which passeth through it, and which is called Gargâ, is three hundred stadia wide. Now I came unto this city on the twenty-seventh day of the month Magâbit, and on that day the men of the city were celebrating a great festival, and they were making crowns of roses and wearing garlands, and placing them on the heads of the graven images, and they were offering up to them the first offerings of their wheat. Now there was a statue on the wall of the city with a talisman, and it was the guardian of the city, and whensoever the talisman saw a stranger coming into the city it used to cry out with a loud voice, saying, 'Behold, a stranger cometh unto you;' and when the men of the city heard these words from the talisman, they

229 B..97a. "used to go out and slay the stranger who was coming into their city. For their law was not to allow a stranger to enter into their city. Now when I had arrived in the stream (or lake) the talisman cried out in the language of the city, saying, 'Behold, a stranger hath come unto you.' And the men of the city heard the words of the talisman, for they were at that time gathered together for their festival on that day, and their king and his army came to seek me. And when I saw them from afar off I fled, and went into the caves which I found 1 I. e., March 23. 230 "in the mountain by the side of the sea, and in the cave wherein I was foxes and jackals had taken refuge; and when I had entered therein I wept with a great weeping, and hunger and thirst afflicted me sorely, for at that time hunger (i. e., famine) and great heat were [in the land]. And I dwelt in the cave until the night when I went out and drank water from the lake, and I stood up and prayed before our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. Now when the morning had come and I had gone forth from the cave, that talisman again cried out with a loud voice, like unto that of thunder, and proclaimed my coming. And when that talisman cried out it was customary for the waves of the lake to rise up and to become greatly agitated, even like the waves of the Red Sea, and the people of the city went forth to come unto me, and when I saw them, I fled again to the cave and I sat therein for a second day. Then having entered therein by reason of my fear I hid myself in the den wherein the foxes lived, and I besought God-Christ, and made supplication unto Him, and I took refuge in thy prayer, O Peter, thou master, and in the prayers of the brethren, and of our pure Lady, the mother of the Light, the whole night long."

231 "And in the time of morning I went forth to the lake, and the talisman cried out according to its wont, and it cried out to such an extent that it made the rocks and the mountains to quake, and the waves of the sea were greatly agitated, and the water thereof became red like blood, and the men of the city and their companies of soldiers went forth according to their wont, and the lake was filled with boats, and I ran and fled to the cave. And straightway I saw our Lady, the mother of the Light, standing upon the sea, and she said unto me, 'O Paul, whither goest thou, and whither fleest thou? Dost thou flee because thy Lord and God Christ hath commanded thee? Was it not He Himself Who said, Fear not those who can slay your bodies, but who have no power to slay your souls? Stand thou still then, and be strong before thine enemies, for I will be with thee, and mine hand shall not be remote from thee; be strong, and of good courage, and know that in this sea thou shalt baptize all the men of this city. Through thee they shall all believe, and with thee shall be their portion on the day of the resurrection; be not thou afraid of them. Know too, that if thou dost put thy hands into this lake it shall be subject unto thee and shall hearken unto thee.

232 Now, whilst I "was holding converse with the mother of the Light, who was filled with mercy and compassion, behold, I saw the boats filled with mighty warriors in whose hands were weapons of war, and they drew nigh unto me. And it came to pass that when I saw them, O noble master, I was afraid of them exceedingly, and I was greatly dismayed, but I took refuge in our Lady Mary, and she hid me; now I saw her not, but I heard a voice calling unto me from a cloud, saying, 'O Paul, baptize, and cease not.' Then I said with a loud voice, 'O my God, make the waters of this lake to be for the baptism of these lost sheep which Satan hath carried away captive and led astray; O my Lord Jesus Christ, let these men receive in this sea the seal of Thy Three Names.' And I also took a handful of the waters of this lake in my hand, and sprinkled it over these ships, wherein were one hundred and fifty thousand men; and when they arrived at the side of the lake where I was, they came forth from their ships seeking after me, and I stood up before them, even as the mother of the Light had commanded me, and I was not afraid of them, for I had placed my confidence in her help.

233 Now when they had drawn nigh and seen me, they all bowed down before me, and said unto me with one mouth, 'Peace be unto thee, O Saint Paul, the Apostle of our Lord Who became man.' And they held converse among themselves, and said, 'Hasten, O ye who are gathered together, that ye may see the wonders of God Who became man.' Then they said unto me, 'O Saint Paul, didst thou see that which we saw as we were sailing in the boats before we came to thee?' And I said unto them, 'What did ye see, O new children?' And they said unto me, 'We saw the gates of heaven opened, and a right hand which was like unto a flame of fire reached forth from heaven upon us with thy hand; and we saw a Woman of light whose face shone with a radiance which was seven times brighter than the light of the sun, and she rose up from the bottom of a cloud of water from which thou wast sprinkling us, and she embraced us with her arms, and she saluted us, and set upon our heads crowns of light.'"

234 "Now when I heard these things from them, O noble master, I rejoiced with an exceedingly great joy because they knew everything which God had done with us, and 'knew His help for us. And after this there came unto me many boats which were filled with mighty men of valour, and they had with them the weapons of war; and they said, O magician, know that we have with us the writings and the talismans wherewith the sages Hermes and Balanyós used to perform miracles and wonders.' Now when I had seen them and had heard this speech from them, I was not afraid, for I believed that my Lord and God Jesus Christ was with me, together with the intercession of our Lady, the pure Virgin Mary. And I cried out to Him, and said, 'O my Lord and God, as Thou didst have compassion upon the sheep unto which Thou didst aforetime make it manifest, even so do Thou now reveal to these [men] Thy power and Thy compassion

235 "also.' Then I took in my hand some of the water of the lake and again sprinkled them, and I said, 'Let this water be unto you in the place of baptism in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,' and when I had made petitions and prayed, the boats came to the side of the lake, and all the men came forth therefrom and bowed down before me. And they said unto me, 'Peace be unto thee, O Saint Paul, we praise thee, O Apostle of the God Who became man;' and they informed me that they themselves had seen the miracles even as their companions who had come before had seen them. And next the report of me was heard by the king of that city, and he and his soldiers embarked in the boats, wishing to come to me. 236 Now when their boats drew nigh unto me, I was afraid, and I lifted up my hands and my eyes to heaven, and I took refuge with my God, and I made the sign of the life-giving cross over the lake, and I said unto it, 'O lake, I command thee in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to be rent asunder and divided into parts, so that the land may be revealed, and so that the ships of these men may stand still in their places and may not come to me.' And before I had made an end of my petition the lake was divided into parts, and there were thirteen roads therein, and the boats stood upon the ground in the places where they were. Now when the soldiers saw this they drew their swords, and they found that they had become like pieces of wood.

237 Then I took in my hand some of the water of the lake, and sprinkled it over them also, and I said, 'In the Name of the Holy Trinity;' and these boats moved on without any water [to float upon], and immediately they were lifted up from the ground on which they rested in the lake the winds bore them along, and the men went forth from them, and they came to me, and embraced me, even as did those who came before, and the king and all the men of the city bowed down before me, and then I passed with them on the dry road to the city without the boats." 238 "And it came to pass that when I had entered the city I saw all the idols with garlands of roses in their hands, and with bundles of ears of corn cast before them as offerings; and when I saw this I was sorry with a great sorrow. Then the men of the city said unto me, 'O noble master, know that on this day we have a great festival to our idols; now in honour of whom dost thou command us to celebrate this festival? Shall it be in the Name of the Father? Or in the Name of the Son? Or in the Name of the Holy Ghost? For in these Names were we baptized.' And I taught them the faith wherein it was meet for them to worship God, and I wrote with mine own hand and commanded them to celebrate the festival in honour of our Lady Mary, the mother of the Light, by whose intercession they were saved from the domination of idols; and also a festival in honour of the day wherein the angel Gabriel announced unto our Lady Mary that she should conceive the Son of God in the flesh, and I made strong the true faith in their hearts.

239 Now the lake remained divided into parts for eight days, and the king of the city said unto me, 'O master, if thou dost command us to build upon this ground, and upon the places from which the waters of the lake have departed, and which have become dry land, we will at thy behest build churches which shall be for the men of this city fair memorials that shall endure for ever, and when the inhabitants shall see them they shall at all times remember what took place through the domination of idols, and they shall glorify God Who hath redeemed them;' so I gave the command even as they desired. Then were gathered together in the midst of the lake, and in the places which had been divided from the rest and become dry, eighteen thousand men, and they built many churches there, and among them was one large church, which was built in the name of our Lady Mary, the mother of the Light, the length of which was three thousand cubits, and the breadth thereof one thousand cubits, and the height thereof one hundred and fifty cubits, and it was built with lofty pillars.

240 "And when this church was completed, I put a ban upon the lake by the word of the Living God, Who existeth, that it might surround the church with water every year, but do no harm unto it. And when the time should come wherein the men of the city were wholly saved from the domination of idols, the water should be removed from the church, and the church should be revealed for three days so that the men of the city might keep the festival of the mother of the Light for a space of three days in that holy place; and that they might make offerings and remember what they were wont to do in error, and might declare the same from generation unto generation. Then I commanded them to break that talisman which used to announce the arrival of strangers in the city; and I commanded the lake to surround the walls of the city; and I made manifest unto them forty marvellous things which might dwell with them, and I placed them in a public place, so that they might not be hidden, before the eyes of the men of the city until the time of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ."

241 And when Saint Paul informed me concerning the marvellous things [which he had made manifest] for the city, I rejoiced exceedingly, and I besought our Lord Jesus Christ to take me to the city and shew it unto me so that I might see that which Saint Paul had described unto me.

Chapter Xvi.

242 How saint paul went to the city of wārikōn, and how he saw it, and confirmed the men thereof in the right faith. Saint Peter saith:— 1003. 243 "As I was standing in the harbour of Karṭāgenā a cloud overshadowed me, and there were upon it Uriel and Raphael, the two angels who used to appear unto me and reveal hidden things; and they said unto me, 'Ascend, O Peter;' and I said unto them, 'Whither shall I ascend?' And they said unto me, 'Above this cloud;' and I ascended upon the cloud, and found that it was spread out before me like the couch of a bridegroom's chamber; and it mounted upwards in the air, and I thought within myself that they were going to carry me to the city of Rome, and I asked the angels concerning the matter. And they said unto me, 'This is the city of Wārikōn, to the men of which Saint Paul taught the true faith, and which thou thyself didst desire to see.' And I heard therein a loud outcry, and many voices, saying, 'Come ye, and let us go forth and receive the foundation of the Church and the chief of the Apostles, the master Peter.' Then the cloud let me descend by the gates of the city wherein I saw multitudes of men who came forth to receive me; and in the hands of the priests were censers which were full of incense, and great numbers of lamps which were burning, and they drew nigh unto me, and they did homage unto me, and they besought me to pray over them, and I did even as they desired.

244 Then I enquired of them concerning their affairs, and they said unto me, 'We do not lack any good thing of our Lord Christ, but in our city there is no olive oil, for there are no olive trees therein; we therefore beseech thee to ask God, in Whose hand is mercy, that He will make olive trees to grow in our city [so that we may have olive oil] for Christian baptism, and for burning in lamps.' Then straightway I made supplication unto my Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God Who liveth, and I sought from Him that for which they had asked me; and immediately, by the command of God, the earth put forth in that city olive trees in abundance, and the number of those which grew there exceeded that of the olive trees of the country of Syria. And I also besought God to drive out from their country ravening and roaring lions, and wandering wolves, and dragons, and destructive and horrible beasts of every kind, and my Lord and God received me, [and granted me] everything which I had asked; and I dwelt in that city many days, and I rejoiced because of what I had seen therein."

245 And after this Saint Peter blessed them, and he departed from them and went upon that cloud whereon he had arrived; and when the people saw this they gave thanks unto our Lord Jesus Christ, and unto His Good Father, and unto the Holy Spirit, to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen, and Amen.

Chapter Xvii.

246 In the name of the father, and of the son and of the holy ghost, one god. HERE BEGINNETH THE MARTYRDOM OF THE HOLY AND BLESSED PAUL, THE APOSTLE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST; NOW THE END OF HIS MARTYRDOM TOOK PLACE ON THE FIFTH DAY OF THE MONTH HAMLÉ. IN THE PEACE OF GOD. AMEN. 247 Then Saint Paul put forward his doctrine and taught the multitude, saying, "O ye men, in whom is under-standing, hearken ye, and know, and understand what I say, so that ye all may know the mystery of the first creation, and of everything which took place in the matter of the first man whose nature I hold on behalf of the king. For this is not my life, and this [is not] my end, but that is life which is everlasting and which hath no end. And if thou commandest that they shall cut off my head I will appear unto thee again, and I shall be alive, so that thou mayest know the truth of my word, for I shall live in my King Jesus Christ, Who shall judge the living and the dead, and shall reward every man according to his work, whether it be good or whether it be evil. Now when the Emperor Nero heard these words from the speech of Saint Paul, he made a sign to his soldiers in wrath that they should kill him quickly; and when Kístós (Acestus) and Líyükós (Longinus) the nobles of the Emperor heard [this] they took him out to cut off his head. And they said unto Saint Paul, "Where is your King in Whom ye place your trust? Surely ye do not wish to let Him go free, and bear all these scourgings for him!

248 And Paul answered and said unto them, "O ye men whom error ruleth, and whose knowledge of God is little, turn ye, and repent, so that ye may be saved from the scourgings (or punishments) which shall come upon the wicked, but not in the way in which ye imagine; [and ye shall not be punished] as by an earthly king like yourselves who shall gather together his soldiers, but we shall be rewarded in the palace of the heavenly King for the sins of the world. And this King shall come and shall judge the world, and unto all those who believe in Him He shall give life everlasting. Now when the nobles of the Emperor heard these words, they bowed down unto him, saying, "Make us to become of those who follow this King, and then we will let thee go free whithersoever thou desirest. And Saint Paul said unto them, "I am neither afraid nor terrified at your punishments that I should flee from God, but I am the servant of my God, Jesus Christ, the Living King; and when I know that this [King] hath died the death which is everlasting, then will I do according to what ye say unto me. Nay, I shall live with my God for ever and ever. Amen. And I shall do His will, and I shall return unto Him, and I shall sit with Him when He cometh in the glory of the Father."

249 Then the nobles of the Emperor said unto him, "How wilt thou be able [to live] after they have cut off thy head? Wilt thou be able to come alive a second time?" Now whilst they were holding converse on these things the Emperor sent nine men to find out whether the nobles had cut off the head of Paul or not, and when they arrived they found him alive. And Paul said unto them, "Believe on the Living God, Who can save from death all those who believe in Him, and Who can endow them with the life which is for ever," and they answered and said unto him, "Behold, now thou must die, and when we see that thou hast raised thyself from the dead then we ourselves will believe;" and they returned to the Emperor. Now Kistôs (Acestus) and Lukôs (Longinus) were entreating Paul earnestly, saying, "Teach us the way of life;" and Paul said unto them, "On the morrow, at dawn, come ye to the grave wherein they shall have let down my body, and ye shall find two men standing [there] praying; now these shall be Titus and Lúkás (Luke), and they shall teach you the doctrine of salvation, and shall bring you as an offering unto our Lord Jesus Christ, our God in truth." And Paul looked towards the East among all those who were gathered together that they might see his martyrdom, and he stretched out his hands and prayed for a long space of time in the Hebrew language; and when he had finished his prayer he held converse with the people who were there in the words of faith in our Lord, and many of those who were gathered together there believed because of the graciousness of his words, and because of the light which was in his face, and the grace which dwelt upon him.

250 And the messengers returned unto the Emperor Nero, and they told him how they had found Paul hold- 10th. ing converse with Kistós (Acestus) and Lúkós (Longinus) and teaching them the faith; now the Emperor was exceedingly angry, and he sent a strong man with a sword to cut off the head of Paul quickly. And when the master of the sword came to him he bowed his holy head silently and held his peace, and he remained for a long time with his head bowed and the swordsman standing by him; but although he had drawn his sword from its sheath his hand trembled in such wise that he could not bring it down upon him. And after this he strengthened his heart, and he smote him a blow and the head of Saint Paul fell upon the ground; and there went forth from the body of Saint Paul milk and blood which came upon the swordsman and his apparel. Then those who were gathered together marvelled and glorified God Who had shewn this great act of grace unto His holy Apostle Paul.

251 And the master of the sword returned and told the Emperor everything which had taken place, and the Emperor Nero and all his judges, who were seated with him, were greatly dismayed. Now when it was the ninth hour of the day Paul appeared unto the Emperor, and said unto him, "I am the disciple of Jesus Christ who came to thy city, and I have taken from thee multitudes of the people to my King; and behold, I am alive and am not dead, and behold, there shall come upon thee evil because thou hast poured out the blood of many righteous folk, and after a few days everything which I have told thee shall come upon thee." And as Paul was saying these words he became hidden from them. Then the Emperor Nero ordered Yy 102a. 252 them to bring forth all who were in bonds in the prison-house of those who had believed in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ; [and among them were] Baṭrik (Patroclus) the Emperor's servant, and a man whose name was Bāryōs (Barnabas), and a man whose name was Lūkōs, and Kōstōs and Kisṭōs, the chosen [friends] of the Emperor, and they betook themselves at dawn to the grave of Paul, and when they had drawn nigh thereto they saw two men standing there praying, and Paul was standing between them in great joy and glory; and they were dismayed, and they trembled in great fear at the sight of his glory. And Titus and Lūkās (Luke) were afraid and took to flight when they saw these servants of the Emperor whom we have already mentioned, but they sought for them, and found them, and they said unto them, "We do not seek you to put you to death, but that ye may give us the life everlasting, even as Paul, who was in this very hour standing in your midst, commanded us." Now when Titus and Lūkās (Luke) heard these words from them, they rejoiced exceedingly, and declared unto them the word of doctrine; and they taught them the faith which is in our Lord Jesus Christ, and they gave unto them the doctrine of life for ever and ever. Amen.

253 Here endeth the Martyrdom of Saint Paul. May his prayer and blessing preserve our King John and our Queen Sabta Wangel, for ever and ever. Amen. The Twelve Apostles prayed, saying, "We have toiled and have been scourged for the sake of Thy Holy Name, what shall our reward be?" And our Lord said unto them, "Ye shall pass [into heaven] with freedom of speech." And the Apostles said, "Whosoever shall put his trust in our prayer, and shall celebrate our commemoration, and shall write the book of our contendings, what shall his reward be?" And our Lord said unto the Twelve Apostles, "Whosoever shall put his trust in your prayers, and shall celebrate your commemoration, and shall write the book of your contendings, and your martyrdoms, and your sufferings, shall pass with you [into heaven] with freedom of speech at the last day." And now, O our brethren, let us celebrate their commemoration, and put our trust in their prayers, so that we may find with them at the last day a portion which shall endure for ever and ever. Amen, and Amen. May God, through the prayers of the Apostles have mercy, alike upon him that wrote [this book], and upon him that had it written, and upon him that readeth it, and upon him that interpreteth it, and upon him that hearkeneth unto its words, for ever and ever. Amen, and Amen. So be it. So be it.

254 2542 cols. 1. 2. YY*