(NOTE: The electronic text obtained from The Electronic Bible Society was
not completely corrected. EWTN has corrected all mistakes found.)
MEMOIRS OF EDESSA AND ANCIENT SYRIAC DOCUMENTS
The Story concerning the King of Edessa
A Canticle of Mar Jacob the Teacher of Edessa
Extracts from Various Books concerning Abgar the King and Addaeus the
Apostle
The Teaching of Addaeus the Apostle
The Teaching of the Apostles
The Teaching of Simon Cephas in the City of Rome
ANCIENT SYRIAC DOCUMENTS
[Translated by the Rev. B. P. Pratten, B.A.]
RELATING TO THE EARLIEST ESTABLISHMENT OF CHRISTIANITY IN EDESSA AND THE
NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES.
FROM THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.(1)
THE STORY(2) CONCERNING THE KING OF EDESSA.(3)
Now the story relating to Thaddaeus was on this wise:--
While the Godhead of our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ was proclaimed
among all men by reason of the astonishing mighty-works which He wrought,
and myriads, even from countries remote from the land of Judaea, who were
afflicted with sicknesses and diseases of every kind, were coming to Him in
the hope of being healed, King Abgar(4) also, who was renowned among the
nations on the east of the Euphrates for his valour, had his body wasting
away with a grievous disease, such as there is no cure for among men. And
when he heard and was informed of the name of Jesus, and about the mighty
works which H e did,--for every one alike bore witness concerning Him,--he
sent a letter of request by a man belonging to him,(5) and besought Him to
come and heal him of his disease.
But our Saviour at the time that he asked Him did not comply with his
request. Yet He deigned to give him(6) a letter in reply: for He promised
him that He would send one of His disciples, and heal his sicknesses, and
give salvation(7) to him and to all who were connected with him.(8) Nor did
He delay to fulfil His promise to him: but after He was risen from the
place of the dead, and was received into heaven, Thomas(9) the apostle, one
of the twelve, as by an impulse from God, sent Thaddaeus,(10) who was
himself also numbered among the seventy(11) disciples of Christ, to Edessa,
to be a preacher and proclaimer of the teaching of Christ; and the promise
of Christ was through him fulfilled.
Thou hast in writing the evidence of these things, which is taken from
the Book of Records(12) which was at Edessa: for at that time the kingdom
was still standing.(13) In the documents, then, which were there, in which
was contained whatever was done by those of old down to the time of Abgar,
these things also are found preserved down to the present hour. There is,
however, nothing to prevent our hearing the very letters themselves, which
have been taken by us(14) from the archives, and are in words to this
effect, translated from Aramaic into Greek.
Copy of the letter which was written by King(1) Abgar to Jesus, and
sent to Him by the hand of Hananias,(2) the Tabularius,(3) to Jerusalem
"Abgar the Black,(4) sovereign(5) of the country, to Jesus, the good
Saviour, who has appeared in the country of Jerusalem: Peace. I have heard
about Thee,(6) and about the healing which is wrought by Thy hands without
drugs and roots. For, as it is reported, Thou makest the blind to see, and
the lame to walk; and Thou cleansest the lepers, and Thou castest out
unclean spirits and demons, and Thou healest those who are tormented with
lingering diseases, and Thou raisest the dead. And when I heard all these
things about Thee, I settled in my mind one of two things: either that Thou
art God, who hast come down from heaven, and doest these things or that
Thou art the Son of God, and doest these things. On this account,
therefore, I have written to beg of Thee that Thou wouldest weary Thyself
to come to me, and heal this disease which I have. For I have also heard
that the Jews murmur against Thee, and wish to do Thee harm. But I have a
city, small and beautiful, which is sufficient for two."
Copy of those things which were written(7) by Jesus by the hand of
Hananias, the Tabularius, to Abgar, sovereign of the country:--
"Blessed is he that hath believed in me, not having seen me. For it is
written(8) concerning me, that those who see me will not believe in me, and
that those will believe who have not seen me, and will be saved. But
touching that which thou hast written to me, that I should come to thee--it
is meet that I should finish here all that for the sake of which I have
been sent and, after I have finished it, then I shall be taken up to Him
that sent me; and, when I have been taken up, I will send to thee one of my
disciples, that he may heal thy disease, and give salvation to thee and to
those who are with thee."
To these letters, moreover, is appended the following also in the
Aramaic tongue:--
"After Jesus was ascended, Judas Thomas sent to him Thaddaeus the
apostle, one of the Seventy. And, when he was come, he lodged with Tobias,
son of Tobias. And, when the news about him was heard, they made it known
to Abgar: "The apostle of Jesus is come hither, as He sent thee word."
Thaddaeus, moreover, began to heal every disease and sickness by the power
of God, so that all men were amazed. And, when Abgar heard the great and
marvellous cures which he wrought, he bethought himself that he was the
person about whom Jesus had sent him word and said to him: When I have been
taken up, I will send to thee one of my disciples, that he may heal thy
disease. So he sent and called Tobias, with whom he was lodging, and said
to him: I have heard that a mighty man has come, and has entered in and
taken up his lodging in thy house: bring him up, therefore, to me. And when
Tobias came to Thaddaeus he said to him: Abgar the king has sent and called
me, and commanded me to bring thee up to him, that thou mayest heal him.
And Thaddaeus said: I will go up, because to him have I been sent with
power. Tobias therefore rose up early the next day, and took Thaddaeus, and
came to Abgar.
"Now, when they were come up, his princes happened to be standing(9)
there. And immediately, as he was entering in, a great vision appeared to
Abgar on the countenance of Thaddaeus the apostle. And, when Abgar saw
Thaddaeus, he prostrated himself before him.(10) And astonishment seized
upon all who were standing there: for they had not themselves seen that
vision, which appeared to Abgar alone. And he proceeded to ask Thaddaeus:
Art thou in truth the disciple of Jesus the Son of God, who said to me, I
will send to thee one of my disciples, that he may heal thee and give thee
salvation? And Thaddaeus answered and said: Because thou hast mightily(11)
believed on Him that sent me, therefore have I been sent to thee; and
again, if thou shalt believe on Him, thou shalt have the requests of thy
heart. And Abgar said to him: In such wise have I believed on Him, that I
have even desired to take an army and extirpate those Jews who crucified
Him; were it not that I was restrained by reason of the dominion of the
Romans.(12) And Thaddaeus said: Our Lord has fulfilled the will of His
Father; and, having fulfilled it, has been taken up to His Father. Abgar
said to him: I too have believed in Him and in His Father. And[1] Thaddaeus
said: Therefore do I lay my hand upon thee in His name. And when he had
done this, immediately he was healed of his sickness and of the disease
which he had. And Abgar marvelled, because, like as he had heard concerning
Jesus, so he saw in deeds by the hand of Thaddaeus His disciple: since
without drugs and roots he healed him; and not him only, but also Abdu,[2]
son of Abdu, who had the gout: for he too went in, and fell at his feet,[3]
and when he prayed over him he was healed. And many other people of their
city did he heal, and he did great works, and preached the word of God.
"After these things Abgar said to him: Thou, Thaddaeus, doest these
things by the power of God; we also marvel at them. But in addition to all
these things I beg of thee to relate to me the story about the coming of
Christ, and in what manner it was; and about His power, and by what power
He wrought those things of which I have heard.
"And Thaddaeus said: For the present I will be silent;[4] but, because
I have been sent to preach the word of God, assemble me tomorrow all the
people of thy city, and I will preach before them, and sow amongst them the
word of life; and will tell them about the coming of Christ, how it took
place; and about His mission? for what purpose he was sent by His Father;
and about His power and His deeds, and about the mysteries which He spake
in the world, and by what power He wrought these things, and about His new
preaching,[6] and about His abasement and His humiliation, and how He
humbled and emptied and abased Himself, and was crucified, and descended to
Hades,[7] and broke through the enclosure[8] which had never been broken
through before, and raised up the dead, and descended alone, and ascended
with a great multitude to His Father.[9]
"Abgar, therefore, commanded that in the morning all the people of his
city should assemble, and hear the preaching of Thaddaeus. And afterwards
he commanded gold and silver to be given to him; but he received it not,
and said: If we have forsaken that which was our own, how shall we accept
that of others?"
These things were done in the year 340.[10]
In order, moreover, that these things may not have been translated to
no purpose word for word from the Aramaic into Greek, they are placed in
their order of time here.
Here endeth the first book.
ANCIENT SYRIAC DOCUMENTS
A CANTICLE OF MAR[1] JACOB THE TEACHER ON EDESSA.[2]
EDESSA sent to Christ by an epistle to come to her and enlighten her.
On behalf of all the peoples did she make intercession to Him that He would
leave Zion, which hated Him, and come to the peoples, who loved Him.
She despatched a messenger to Him, and begged of Him to enter into
friendship with her. By the righteous king she made intercession to Him,
that He would depart from the Jewish people, and towards the other peoples
direct His burden.
From among all kings one wise king did the daughter of the peoples
find. Ambassador she made him. To her Lord she sent by him: Come Thou unto
me; I will forget in Thee all idols and carved images.
The harlot heard the report of Him from afar, as she was standing in
the street, going astray with idols, playing the wench with carved images.
She loved, she much desired Him, when He was far away, and begged Him to
admit her into His chamber.
Let the much-desired Bridegroom kiss me: with the kisses of His mouth
let me be blessed. I have heard of Him from afar: may I see Him near; and
may I place my lips upon His, and be delighted by seeing Him with mine
eyes.
Thy breasts are better to me than wine: for the fragrance of Thy
sweetness is life for evermore. With Thy milk shall I be nourished; with
Thy fragrance shall I grow sweet from the smoke of idols, which with its
rank odour did make me fetid.
Draw me after Thee into Thy fold: for I am a sheep gone astray in the
world. After Thee do I run, and Thy converse do I seek: that in me may be
completed that number of a hundred, by means of a lost one which is
found.[3]
Let Gabriel rejoice and be exceeding glad, with the company of all the
angels, in Thee, the Good Shepherd, who on Thy shoulders didst carry the
maimed sheep, that that number of a hundred might be preserved.
Thy love is better than wine; than the face of the upright Thy
affection. By wine let us be reminded of Thee, how by the cup of Thy blood
Thou didst grant us to obtain new life, and the upright did celebrate Thy
love.
A church am I from among the peoples, and I have loved the Only-
begotten who was sent by God: whereas His betrothed hated Him, I have loved
Him; and by the hands of Abgar the Black[4] do I beseech Him to come to me
and visit me.
Black am I, yet comely. Ye daughters of Zion, blameless is your envy,
seeing that the Son of the Glorious One hath espoused me, to bring me into
His chamber. Even when I was hateful, He loved me, for He is able to make
me fairer than water.
Black was I in sins, but I am comely: for I have repented and turned
me. I have put away in baptism that hateful hue, for He hath washed me in
His innocent blood who is the Saviour of all creatures.
Here end the Extracts from the Canticle on Edessa.[5]
ANCIENT SYRIAC DOCUMENTS
EXTRACTS FROM VARIOUS BOOKS CONCERNING ABGAR THE KING AND ADDAEUS THE
APOSTLE.
I. OF THE BLESSED ADDAEUS THE APOSTLE. FROM HIS TEACHING WHICH HE GAVE IN
EDESSA BEFORE ABGAR THE KING AND THE ASSEMBLY OF THE CITY.[1]
AND, when he had entered the sepulchre, he was raised to life again,
and came forth from the sepulchre with many. And those who were guarding
the sepulchre saw not how He came forth from the sepulchre; but the
watchers from on high--they were the proclaimers and announcers of His
resurrection. For, had He not willed, He had not died, because He is Lord
of death, the exit from this life; nor, had it not pleased Him, would He
have put on a body, inasmuch as He is Himself the framer of the body. For
that will which led Him to stoop to be born of the Virgin, likewise caused
Him further to descend to the suffering of death.--And a little after (we
read): For, although His appearance was that of men, yet His power, and His
knowledge, and his authority, were those of God.
II. FROM THE TEACHING OF ADDAEUS THE APOSTLE, WHICH WAS SPOKEN IN THE CITY
OF EDESSA.[2]
Ye know that I said unto you, that none of the souls which go forth out
of the bodies of men are under the power of death, but that they all live
and continue to exist, and that there are for them mansions and an abode of
rest. For the reasoning power of the soul does not cease, nor the
knowledge, because it is the image of the immortal God. For it is not
without perceptions, after the manner of the bodily frame, which has no
perception of that corruption which has acquired dominion over it.
Recompense, however, and reward it will not receive apart from its bodily
form, because what it experiences belongs not to itself alone, but to the
bodily form also in which it dwelt for a time. But the disobedient, who
have not known God, will then repent without avail.
III. FROM THE EPISTLE OF ADDAEUS THE APOSTLE, WHICH HE SPAKE IN THE CITY OF
EDESSA.[3]
Give heed to this ministry which ye hold, and with fear and trembling
continue ye in it, and minister every day, Minister ye not in it with
neglectful habits, but with the discreetness of faith. And let not the
praises of Christ cease out of your mouth, and let not any sense of
weariness come over you at the season of prayers. Give heed to the verity
which ye hold, and to the teaching of the truth which ye have received, and
to the teaching of salvation which I commit to you. Because before the
tribunal of Christ will it be required of you, when He maketh reckoning
with the pastors and overseers, and when He shall take His money from the
traders with the usury of what they have taught.[4] For He is the Son of a
King, and goeth to receive a kingdom, and He will return and come and make
a resuscitation to life of all men.
IV.
Addaeus[5] preached at Edessa and in Mesopotamia (he was from
Paneus[6]) in the days of Abgar the king. And, when he was among the
Zophenians, Severus the son of Abgar sent and slew him at Agel Hasna, as
also a young man his disciple.
V.
71. and Narcissus.[5] For they did not suffer that selection of the
Seventy-two to be wanting, as likewise neither that of the Twelve. This man
was of the Seventy-two: perhaps he was a disciple of Addaeus the apostle.
VI. FROM THE DEPARTURE [1] OF MARATH [2] MARY FROM THE WORLD, AND THE BIRTH
AND CHILDHOOD OF OUR LADY JESUS CHRIST. BOOK THE SECOND.
In the year three hundred and forty-five, in the month of the latter
Tishrin,[3] Marath Mary went out from her house, and went to the sepulchre
of Christ: because every day she used to go and weep there. But the Jews
immediately after the death of Christ seized the sepulchre, and heaped
great stones at the door of it. And over the sepulchre and Golgotha they
set guards, and commanded them that, if any one should go and pray at the
sepulchre or at Golgotha, he should immediately be put to death. And the
Jews took away the cross of our Lord, and those two other crosses, and that
spear with which our Saviour was struck, and those nails which they drove
into His hands and into His feet, and those robes of mockery in which He
had been clad; and they hid them: lest, as they said, any one of the kings
or of the chief persons should come and inquire concerning the putting to
death of Christ.
And the guards went in and said to the priests: Mary cometh in the
evening and in the morning, and prayeth there. And there was a commotion in
Jerusalem on account of Marath Mary. And the priests went to the judge, and
said to him: My lord, send and command Mary that she go not to pray at the
sepulchre and at Golgotha. And while they were deliberating, lo! letters
came from Abgar, the king of the city of Edessa, to Sabina the
procurator[4] who had been appointed by Tiberius the emperor, and as far as
the river Euphrates the procurator Sabina had authority. And, because
Addaeus the apostle, one of the seventy-two apostles, had gone down and
built a church at Edessa, and had cured the disease with which Abgar the
king was afflicted--for Abgar the king loved Jesus Christ, and was
constantly inquiring about Him; and, when Christ was put to death and Abgar
the king heard that the Jews had slain Him on the cross, he was much
displeased; and Abgar arose and rode and came as far as the river
Euphrates, because he wished to go up against Jerusalem and lay it waste;
and, when Abgar came and was arrived at the river Euphrates, he deliberated
in his mind: If I pass over, there will be enmity between me and Tiberius
the emperor. And Abgar wrote letters and sent them to Sabina the
procurator, and Sabina sent them to Tiberius the emperor. In this manner
did Abgar write to Tiberius the emperor:--
"From Abgar, the king of the city of Edessa. Much peace to thy Majesty,
our lord Tiberius! In order that thy Majesty may not be offended with me, I
have not passed over the river Euphrates: for I have been wishing to go up
against Jerusalem and lay her waste, forasmuch as she has slain Christ, a
skilful healer. But do thou, as a great sovereign who hast authority over
all the earth and over us, send and do me judgment on the people of
Jerusalem. For be it known to thy Majesty that I desire that thou wilt do
me judgment on the crucifiers."
And Sabina received the letters, and sent them to Tiberius the emperor.
And, when he had read them, Tiberius the emperor was greatly incensed, and
he desired to destroy and slay all the Jews. And the people of Jerusalem
heard it and were alarmed. And the priests went to the governor, and said
to him: My lord, send and command Mary that she go not to pray at the
sepulchre and Golgotha. The judge said to the priests: Go ye yourselves,
and give her what command and what caution ye please.
VII. FROM THE HOMILY COMPOSED BY THE HOLY MAR JACOB, THE TEACHER, ON THE
FALL OF IDOLS.[5]
To Edessa he made his journey, and found in it a great work:
For the king was become a labourer for the church, and was building it.
The apostle Addaeus stood in it like a builder.
And King Abgar laid aside his diadem and builded with him.
When apostle and king concurred the one with the other,
What idol must not fall before them?
Satan fled to the land of Babylon from the disciples,
And the tale of the crucifixion had got before him to the country of the
Chaldeans.
He said, when they were making sport of the signs of the Zodiac, that he
was nothing.
VIII. FROM THE HOMILY ABOUT THE TOWN OF ANTIOCH.[6]
TO Simon was allotted Rome,[7] and to John Ephesus; to Thomas India,
and to Addaeus the country of the Assyrians.[8] And, when they were sent
each one of them to the district which had been allotted to him, they
devoted themselves[9] to bring the several countries to discipleship.
ANCIENT SYRIAC DOCUMENTS
THE TEACHING OF ADDAEUS THE APOSTLE.[1]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ADDAEUS[2] said to him: Because thou hast thus believed, I lay my hand
upon thee in the name of Him in whom thou hast thus believed. And at the
very moment that he laid his hand upon him he was healed of the plague of
the disease which he had for a long time.[3] And Abgar was astonished and
marvelled, because, like as he had heard about Jesus, how He wrought and
healed, so Addaeus also, without any medicine whatever, was healing in the
name of Jesus. And Abdu also, son of Abdu, had the gout in his feet; and he
also presented his feet to him, and he laid his hand upon them, and healed
him, and he had the gout no more. And in all the city also he wrought great
cures, and showed forth wonderful mighty-works in it.
Abgar said to him: Now that every man knoweth that by the power of
Jesus Christ thou doest these miracles, and lo! we are astonished at thy
deeds, I therefore entreat of thee to relate to us the story about the
coming of Christ, in what manner it was, and about His glorious power, and
about the miracles which we have heard that He did, which thou hast thyself
seen, together with thy fellow-disciples.
Addaeus said: I will not hold my peace from declaring this; since for
this very purpose was I sent hither, that I might speak to and teach every
one who is willing to believe, even as thou. Assemble me tomorrow all the
city, and I will sow in it the word of life by the preaching which I will
address to you--about the coming of Christ, in what manner it was; and
about Him that sent Him, why and how He sent Him; and about His power and
His wonderful works; and about the glorious mysteries of His coming, which
He spake of in the world; and about the unerring truth[4] of His preaching;
and how and for what cause He abused Himself, and humbled. His exalted
Godhead by the manhood which He took, and was crucified, and descended to
the place of the dead, and broke through the enclosure s which had never
been broken through before, and gave life to the dead by being slain
Himself, and descended alone, and ascended with many to His glorious
Father, with whom He had been from eternity in one exalted Godhead.
And Abgar commanded them to give to Addaeus silver and gold. Addaeus
said to him: How can we receive that which is not ours. For, lo! that which
was ours have we forsaken, as we were commanded by our Lord; because
without purses and without scrips, bearing the cross upon our shoulders,
were we commanded to preach His Gospel in the whole creation, of whose
crucifixion, which was for our sakes, for the redemption of all men, the
whole creation was sensible and suffered pain.
And he related before Abgar the king, and before his princes and his
nobles, and before Augustin, Abgar's mother, and before Shalmath,[6] the
daughter of Meherdath,[7] Abgar's wife,[8] the signs of our Lord, and His
wonders, and the glorious mighty-works which He did, and His divine
exploits, and His ascension to His Father; and how they had received power
and authority at the same time that He was received up--by which same power
it was that he had healed Abgar, and Abdu son of Abdu, the second person[9]
of his kingdom; and how He informed them that He would reveal Himself at
the end of the ages[10] and at the consummation of all created things; also
of the resuscitation and resurrection which is to come for all men, and the
separation which will be made between the sheep and the goats, and between
the faithful and those who believe not.
And he said to them: Because the gate of life is strait and the way of
truth narrow, therefore are the believers of the truth few, and through
unbelief is Satan's gratification. Therefore are the liars many who lead
astray those that see. For, were it not that there is a good end awaiting
believing men, our Lord would not have descended from heaven, and come to
be born, and to endure the suffering of death. Yet He did come, and us did
He send[1] . . . of the faith which we preach, that God was crucified
for[2] all men.
And, if there be those who are not willing[2] to agree with these our
words, let them draw near to us and disclose to us what is in their mind,
that, like as in the case of a disease, we may apply to their thoughts
healing medicine for the cure of their ailments. For, though ye were not
present at the time of Christ's suffering, yet from the sun which was
darkened, and which ye saw, learn ye and understand concerning the great
convulsion[3] which took place at that time, when He was crucified whose
Gospel has winged its way through all the earth by the signs which His
disciples my fellows do in all the earth: yea, those who were Hebrews, and
knew only the language of the Hebrews, in which they were born, lo! at this
day are speaking in all languages, in order that those who are afar off may
hear and believe, even as those who are near. For He it is that confounded
the tongues of the presumptuous in this region who were before us; and He
it is that teaches at this day the faith of truth and verity by us, humble
and despicable[4] men from Galilee of Palestine. For I also whom ye see am
from Paneas,[5] from the place where the river Jordan issues forth, and I
was chosen, together with my fellows, to be a preacher.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
For, according as my Lord commanded me, lo! I preach and publish the
Gospel, and lo! His money do I cast upon the table before you, and the seed
of His word do I sow in the ears of all men; and such as are willing to
receive it, theirs is the good recompense of the confession of Christ; but
those who are not persuaded, the dust of my feet do I shake off against
them, as He commanded me.
Repent therefore, my beloved, of evil ways and of abominable deeds, and
turn yourselves towards Him with a good and honest will, as He hath turned
Himself towards you with the favour of His rich mercies; and be ye not as
the generations of former times that have passed away, which, because they
hardened their heart against the fear of God, received punishment openly,
that they themselves might be chastised, and that those who come after them
may tremble and be afraid. For the purpose of our Lord's coming into the
world assuredly was,[6] that He might teach us and show us that at the
consummation of the creation there will be a resuscitation of all men, and
that at that time their course of conduct will be portrayed in their
persons, and their bodies will be volumes for the writings of justice; nor
will any one be there who is unacquainted with books, because every one
will read that which is written in His own book.[7]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ye that have eyes, forasmuch as ye do not perceive, are yourselves also
become like those who see not and hear not; and in vain do your ineffectual
voices strain themselves to deaf[8] ears. Whilst they are not to be blamed
for not heating, because they are by[9] nature deaf and dumb, yet the blame
which is justly incurred falls upon you,[10] because ye are not willing to
perceive--not even that which ye see. For the dark cloud of error which
overspreads your minds suffers you not to obtain the heavenly light, which
is the understanding of knowledge.[11]
Flee, then, from things made and created, as I said to you, which are
only called gods in name, whilst they are not gods in their nature; and
draw near to this Being, who in His nature is God from everlasting and from
eternity, and is not something made, like your idols, nor is He a creature
and a work of art, like those images in which ye glory. Because, although
this[12] Being put on a body, yet is He God with His Father. For the works
of creation, which trembled when He was slain and were dismayed at His
suffering of death,--these bear witness that He is Himself God the Creator.
For it was not on account of a man that the earth trembled,[13] but on
account of Him who established the earth upon the waters; nor was it on
account of a man that the sun grew dark in the heavens, but on account of
Him who made the great lights; nor Was it for a man that the just and
righteous were restored to life again, but for Him who had granted power
over death from the beginning; nor was it for a man that the veil of the
temple of the Jews was rent from the top to the bottom, but for Him who
said to them, "Lo, your house is left desolate." For, lo! unless those who
crucified Him had known that He was the Son of God, they would not have had
to proclaim(1) the desolation(2) of their city, nor would they have brought
down Woe! upon themselves.(3) For, even if they had wished to make light of
this confession,(4) the fearful convulsions which took place at that time
would not have suffered them to do so. For lo! some even of the children of
the crucifiers are become at this day preachers and evangelists, along with
my fellow-apostles, in all the land of Palestine, and among the Samaritans,
and in all the country of the Philistines. The idols also of paganism are
despised, and the cross of Christ is honoured, and all nations and
creatures confess God who became man.
If, therefore, while Jesus our Lord was on earth ye would have believed
in Him that He is the Son of God, and before ye had heard the word of His
preaching would have confessed Him that He is God; now that He is ascended
to His Father, and ye have seen the signs and the wonders which are done in
His name, and have heard with your own ears the word of His Gospel, let no
one of you doubt in his mind--so that the promise of His blessing which He
sent to you may be fulfilled(5) towards you: Blessed are ye that have
believed in me, not having seen me; and, because ye have so believed in me,
the town(6) in which ye dwell shall be blessed, and the enemy shall not
prevail against it for ever.(7) Turn not away, therefore, from his faith:
for, lo! ye have heard and seen what things bear witness to His faith--
showing that He is the adorable Son, and is the glorious God, and is the
victorious King, and is the mighty Power; and through faith in Him a man is
able to acquire the eyes of a true mind,(8) and to understand that,
whosoever worshippeth creatures, the wrath of justice will overtake him.
For in everything which we speak before you, according as we have
received of the gift of our Lord, so speak we and teach and declare it,
that ye may secure(9) your salvation and not destroy(10) your spirits
through the error of paganism: because the heavenly light has arisen on the
creation, and He it is who chose the fathers of former times, and the
righteous men, and the prophets, and spoke with them in the revelation of
the Holy Spirit.(11) For He is Himself the God of the Jews who crucified
Him; and to Him it is that the erring pagans offer worship, even while they
know it not: because there is no other God in heaven and on earth; and lo!
confession ascendeth up to Him from the four quarters of the creation. Lo!
therefore, your ears have heard that which was not heard by you; and lo!
further, your eyes have seen that which was never seen by you.(12)
Be not, therefore, gainsayers of that which ye have seen and heard. Put
away from you the rebellious mind of your fathers, and free yourselves from
the yoke of sin, which hath dominion over you in libations and in
sacrifices offered before carved images; and be ye concerned for your
endangered(13) salvation, and for the unavailing support on which ye
lean;(14) and get you a new mind, that worships the Maker and not the
things which are made--a mind in which is portrayed the image of verity and
of truth, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit;
believing and being baptized in the triple and glorious names. For this is
our teaching and our preaching. For the belief of the truth of Christ
does not consist of many things.(1) And those of you as are willing to be
obedient to Christ are aware that I have many times repeated my words
before you, in order that ye might learn and understand what ye hear.
And we ourselves shall rejoice in this, like the husbandman who
rejoices in the field which is blessed; God also will be glorified by your
repentance towards Him. While ye are saved hereby, we also, who give you
this counsel, shall not be despoiled of the blessed reward of this work.
And, because I am assured that ye are a land blessed according to the will
of the Lord Christ, therefore, instead of the dust of our feet which we
were commanded to shake off against the town that would not receive our
words, I have shaken off to-day at the door of your ears the sayings of my
lips, in which are portrayed the coming of Christ which has already been,
and also that which is yet to be; and the resurrection, and the
resuscitation of all men, and the separation which is to be made between
the faithful and the unbelieving; and the sore punishment which is reserved
for those who know not God, and the blessed promise of future joy which
they shall receive who have believed in Christ and worshipped Him and His
exalted Father, and have confessed Him and His divine Spirit.(2)
And now it is meet for us that I conclude my present discourse; and let
those who have accepted the word of Christ remain with us, and those also
who are willing to join with us in prayer; and afterwards let them go to
their homes.
And Addaeus the apostle was rejoiced to see that a great number of the
population of the city stayed with him; and they were but few who did not
remain at that time, while even those few not many days after accepted his
words and believed in the Gospel set forth in(3) the preaching of Christ.
And when Addaeus the apostle had spoken these things before all the
town of Edessa, and King Abgar saw that all the city rejoiced in his
teaching, men and women alike, and heard them saying to him, "True and
faithful is Christ who sent thee to us"--he himself also rejoiced greatly
at this, giving praise to God; because, like as he had heard from Hanan,(4)
his Tabularius, about Christ, so had he seen the wonderful mighty-works
which Addaeus the apostle did in the name of Christ.
And Abgar the king also said to him: According as I sent to Christ in
my letter to Him, and according as He also sent to me, so have I also
received from thine own self this day; so will I believe all the days of my
life, and in the selfsame things will I continue and make my boast, because
I know also that there is no other power in whose name these signs and
wonders are done but the power of Christ whom thou preachest in verity and
in truth. And henceforth Him will I worship--I and my son Maanu,(5) and
Augustin,(6) and Shalmath the queen. And now, wherever thou desirest, build
a church, a place of meeting for those who have believed and shall believe
in thy words; and, according to the command given thee by thy Lord,
minister thou at the seasons with confidence; to those also who shall be
with thee as teachers of this Gospel I am prepared to give large donations,
in order that they may not have any other work beside the ministry; and
whatsoever is required by thee for the expenses of the building I myself
will give thee without any restriction,(7) whilst thy word shall be
authoritative and sovereign in this town; moreover, without the
intervention of any other person do thou come into my presence as one in
authority, into the palace of my royal majesty.
And when Abgar was gone down to his royal palace he rejoiced, he and
his princes with him, Abdu son of Abdu, and Garmai, and Shemashgram,(8) and
Abubai, and Meherdath,(9) together with the others their companions, at all
that their eyes had seen and their ears also had heard; and in the gladness
of their heart they too began to praise God for having turned their mind
towards Him, renouncing the paganism in which they had lived,(10) and
confessing the Gospel of Christ. And when Addaeus had built a church they
proceeded to offer in it vows and oblations, they and the people of the
city; and there they continued to present their praises all the days of
their life.
And Avida and Barcalba,(11) who were chief men and rulers, and wore the
royal headband,(12) drew near to Addaeus, and asked him about the matter of
Christ, requesting that he would tell them how He, though He was God,
appeared to them as a man: And how, said they, were ye able to look upon
Him? And he proceeded to satisfy them all about this, about all that their
eyes had seen and about whatsoever their ears had heard from him. Moreover,
everything that the prophets had spoken concerning Him he repeated before
them, and they received his words gladly and with faith, and there was not
a man that withstood him; for the glorious deeds which he did suffered not
any man to withstand him.
Shavida, moreover, and Ebednebu, chiefs of the priests of this town,
together with Piroz(1) and Dilsu their companions, when they had seen the
signs which he did, ran and threw down the altars on which they were
accustomed to sacrifice before Nebu and Bel,(2) their gods, except the
great altar which was in the middle of the town; and they cried out and
said: Verily this is the disciple of that eminent and glorious Master,
concerning whom we have heard all that He did in the country of Palestine.
And all those who believed in Christ did Addaeus receive, and baptized them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And
those who used to worship stones and stocks sat at his feet, recovered from
the madness(3) of paganism wherewith they had been afflicted. Jews also,
traders in fine raiment,(4) who were familiar with the law and the
prophets--they too were persuaded, and became disciples, and confessed
Christ that He is the Son of the living God.
But neither did King Abgar nor yet the Apostle Addaeus compel any man
by force to believe in Christ, because without the force of man the force
of the signs compelled many to believe in Him. And with affection did they
receive His doctrine--all this country of Mesopotamia, and all the regions
round about it.
Aggaeus, moreover, who(5) made the silks(6) and headbands of the king,
and Palut, and Barshelama, and Barsamya, together with the others their
companions, clave to Addaeus the apostle; and he received them, and
associated them with him in the ministry, their business being to read in
the Old Testament and the New,(7) and in the prophets, and in the Acts of
the Apostles, and to meditate upon them daily; strictly charging them to
let their bodies be pure and their persons holy, as is becoming in men who
stand before the altar of God. "And be ye," said he, "far removed from
false swearing and from wicked homicide, and from dishonest testimony,
which is connected with adultery; and from magic arts, for which there is
no mercy, and from sooth-saying, and divination, and fortune-tellers; and
from fate and nativities, of which the deluded Chaldeans make their boast;
and from the stars, and the signs of the Zodiac, in which the foolish put
their trust. And put far from you unjust partiality, and bribes, and
presents, through which the innocent are pronounced guilty. And along with
this ministry, to which ye have been called, see that ye have no other work
besides: for the Lord is the work of your ministry all the days of your
life. And be ye diligent to give the seal of baptism. And be not fond of
the gains of this world. And hear yea cause with justice and with truth.
And be ye not a stumbling-block to the blind, lest through you should be
blasphemed the name of Him who opened the eyes of the blind, according as
we have seen. Let all, therefore, who see you perceive that ye yourselves
are in harmony with whatsoever ye preach and teach."
And they ministered with him in the church which Addaeus had built at
the word and command of Abgar the king, being furnished with supplies by
the king and his nobles, partly for the house of God, and partly for the
supply of the poor. Moreover, much people day by day assembled and came to
the prayers of the service, and to the reading of the Old Testament, and
the New of the Diatessaron.(1) They also believed in the restoration of the
dead, and buried their departed in the hope of resuscitation. The festivals
of the Church they also observed in their seasons, and were assiduous every
day in the vigils of the Church. And they made visits of almsgiving, to the
sick and to those that were whole, according to the instruction of Addaeus
to them. In the environs, too, of the city churches were built, and many
received from him ordination to the priesthood.(2) So that even people of
the East, in the guise of merchants, passed over into the territory of the
Romans, that they might see the signs which Addaeus did. And such as became
disciples received from him ordination to the priesthood, and in their own
country of the Assyrians they instructed the people of their nation, and
erected houses of prayer there in secret, by reason of the danger from
those who worshipped fire and paid reverence to water.(3)
Moreover, Narses, the king of the Assyrians, when he heard of those
same things which Addaeus the apostle had done, sent a message to Abgar the
king: Either despatch to me the man who doeth these signs before thee, that
I may see him and hear his word, or send me an account of all that thou
hast seen him do in thy own town. And Abgar wrote to Narses,(4) and related
to him the whole story of the deeds of Addaeus from the beginning to the
end; and he left nothing which he did not write to him. And, when Narses
heard those things which were written to him, he was astonished and amazed.
Abgar the king, moreover, because he was not able to pass over into the
territory of the Romans,(5) and go to Palestine and slay the Jews for
having crucified Christ, wrote a letter and sent it to Tiberius Caesar,(6)
writing in it thus:--
King Abgar to our Lord Tiberius Caesar: Although I know that nothing is
hidden from thy Majesty, I write to inform thy dread and mighty Sovereignty
that the Jews who are under thy dominion and dwell in the country of
Palestine have assembled themselves together and crucified Christ, without
any fault worthy of death, after He had done before them signs and wonders,
and had shown them powerful mighty-works, so that He even raised the dead
to life for them; and at the time that they crucified Him the sun became
darkened and the earth also quaked, and all created things trembled and
quaked, and, as if of themselves, at this deed the whole creation and the
inhabitants of the creation shrank away. And now thy Majesty knoweth what
it is meet for thee to command Concerning the people of the Jews who have
done these things.
And Tiberius Caesar wrote and sent to King Abgar; and thus did he
write to him:--
The letter of thy Fidelity towards me I have received, and it hath been
read before me. Concerning what the Jews have dared to do in the matter of
the cross, Pilate(7) the governor also has written and informed Aulbinus(8)
my proconsul concerning these selfsame things of which thou hast written to
me. But, because a war with the people of Spain,(9) who have rebelled
against me, is on foot at this time, on this account I have not been able
to avenge this matter; but I am prepared, when I shall have leisure, to
issue a command according to law against the Jews, who act not according to
law. And on this account, as regards Pilate also, who was appointed by me
governor there--I have sent another in his stead, and dismissed him in
disgrace, because he departed from the law,(10) and did the will of the
Jews, and for the gratification of the Jews crucified Christ, who,
according to what I hear concerning Him, instead of suffering the cross of
death, deserved to be honoured and worshipped(11) by them: and more
especially because with their own eyes they saw everything that He did. Yet
thou, in accordance with thy fidelity towards me, and the faithful covenant
entered into by thyself and by thy fathers, hast done well in writing to me
thus.
And Abgar the king received Aristides, who had been sent by Tiberius
Caesar to him; and in reply he sent him back with presents of honour
suitable for him who had sent him to him. And from Edessa he went to
Thicuntha,(1) where Claudius, the second from the emperor, was; and from
thence, again, he went to Attica,(2) where Tiberius Caesar was: Caius,
moreover, was guarding the regions round about Caesar. And Aristides
himself also related before Tiberius concerning the mighty-works which
Addaeus had done before Abgar the king. And when he had leisure from the
war he sent and put to death some of the chief men of the Jews who were in
Palestine. And, when Abgar the king heard of this, he rejoiced greatly
that the Jews had received punishment, as it was right.
And some years after Addaeus the apostle had built the church in
Edessa, and had furnished it with everything that was suitable for it, and
had made disciples of a great number of the population of the city, he
further built churches in the villages(3) also--both those which were at a
distance and those which were near, and finished and adorned them, and
appointed in them deacons and elders, and instructed in them those who
should read the Scriptures, and taught the ordinances and(4) the ministry
without and within.
After all these things he fell ill of the sickness of which he departed
from this world. And he called for Aggaeus before the whole assembly of the
church, and bade him draw near, and made him Guide and Ruler(5) in his
stead. And Palut,(6) who was a deacon, he made eider; and Abshelama, who
was a scribe, he made deacon. And, the nobles and chief men being
assembled, and standing near him--Barcalba son of Zati,(7) and Maryhab(8)
son of Barshemash, and Senac(9) son of Avida, and Piroz son of Patric,(10)
together with the rest of their companions--Addaeus the apostle said to
them:--
"Ye know and are witness, all of you who hear me, that, according to
all that I have preached to you and taught you and ye have heard from me,
even so have I behaved myself in the midst of you, and ye have seen it in
deeds also: because our Lord thus charged us, that, whatsoever we preach in
words before the people, we should practise it in deeds before all men.
And, according to the ordinances and laws which were appointed by the
disciples in Jerusalem,(11) and by which my fellow-apostles also guided
their conduct, so also do ye--turn not aside from them, nor diminish aught
from them: even as I also am guided by them amongst you, and have not
turned aside from them to the right hand or to the left, lest I should
become estranged from the promised salvation which is reserved for such as
are guided by them.
"Give(12) heed, therefore, to this ministry which ye hold, and with
fear and trembling continue in it, and minister every day. Minister not in
it with neglectful habits, but with the discreetness of faith; and let
not the praises of Christ cease out of your mouth, nor let weariness of
prayer at the stated times come upon you. Give heed to the verity which ye
hold, and to the teaching of the truth which ye have received, and to the
inheritance of salvation which I commit to you: because before the tribunal
of Christ will ye have to give an account of it, when He maketh reckoning
with the shepherds and overseers, and when He taketh His money from the
traders with the addition of the gains. For He is the Son of a King, and
goeth to receive a kingdom and return; and He will come and make a
resuscitation to life for all men, and then will He sit upon the throne of
His righteousness, and judge the dead and the living, as He said to us.
"Let not the secret eye of your minds be closed by pride, lest your
stumbling-blocks be many in the way in which there are no stumbling-blocks,
but a hateful(13) wandering in its paths. Seek ye those that are lost, and
direct those that go astray, and rejoice in those that are found; bind up
the bruised, and watch over the fatlings: because at your hands will the
sheep of Christ be required. Look ye not for the honour that passeth away:
for the shepherd that looketh to receive honour from his flock--sadly,
sadly stands his flock with respect to him. Let your concern be great for
the young lambs, whose angels behold the face of the Father who is unseen.
And be ye not stones of stumbling before the blind, but clearers of the way
and the paths in a rugged country, among the Jews the crucifiers, and the
deluded pagans: for with these two parties have ye to fight, in order
that ye may show the truth of the faith which ye hold; and, though ye be
silent, your modest and decorous appearance will fight for you against
those who hate truth and love falsehood.
"Buffet not the poor in the presence of the rich: for scourge grievous
enough for them is their poverty.
"Be not beguiled by the hateful devices of Satan, test ye be stripped
naked of the faith which ye have put on."(1) ... "And with the Jews, the
crucifiers, we will have no fellowship. And this inheritance which we have
received from thee we will not let go, but in that will we depart out of
this world; and on the day of our Lord, before the judgment-seat of His
righteousness, there will He restore to us this inheritance, even as thou
hast told us."
And, when these things had been spoken, Abgar the king rose up, he and
his chief men and his nobles, and he went to his palace, all of them being
distressed for him because he was dying. And he sent to him noble and
excellent apparel, that he might be buried in it. And, when Addaeus saw it,
he sent to him, saying: In my lifetime I have not taken anything from thee,
nor will I now at my death take anything from thee, nor will I frustrate
the word of Christ which He spake to us: Accept not anything from any man,
and possess not anything in this world.(2)
And three days more after these things had been spoken by Addaeus the
apostle, and he had heard and received the testimony concerning the
teaching set forth in their preaching from those engaged with him in the
ministry, in the presence of all the nobles he departed out of this world.
And that day was the fifth of the week, and the fourteenth of the month
Iyar,(3) nearly answering to May. And the whole city was in great mourning
and bitter anguish for him. Nor was it the Christians only that were
distressed for him, but the Jews also, and the pagans, who were in this
same town. But Abgar the king was distressed for him more than any one, he
and the princes of his kingdom. And in the sad ness of his soul he despised
and laid aside the magnificence of his kingly state on that day, and with
tears mingled with moans he bewailed him with all men. And all the people
of the city that saw him were amazed to see how greatly he suffered on his
account. And with great and surpassing pomp he bore him, and buried him
like one of the princes when he dies; and he laid him in a grand sepulchre
adorned with sculpture wrought by the fingers--that in which were laid
those of the house of Ariu, the ancestors of Abgar the king: there he laid
him sorrowfully, with sadness and great distress. And all the people of
the church went there from time to time and prayed fervently; and they kept
up the remembrance of his departure from year to year, according to the
command and direction which had been received by them from Addaeus the
apostle,(4) and according to the word of Aggaeus, who himself became Guide
and Ruler, and the successor of his seat after him, by the ordination to
the priesthood which he had received from him in the presence of all men.
He too, with the same ordination which he had received from him, made
Priests and Guides in the whole of this country of Mesopotamia. For they
also, in like manner as Addaeus the apostle, held fast his word, and
listened to and received it, as good and faithful successors of the apostle
of the adorable Christ. But silver and gold he took not from any man, nor
did the gifts of the princes come near him: for, instead of receiving gold
and silver, he himself enriched the Church of Christ with the souls of
believers.
Moreover, as regards the entire state(5) of the men and the women, they
were chaste and circumspect, and holy and pure: for they lived like
anchorites(6) and chastely, without spot--in circumspect watchfulness
touching the ministry, in their sympathy(7) toward the poor, in their
visitations to the sick: for their footsteps were fraught with praise from
those who saw them, and their conduct was arrayed in commendation from
strangers--so that even the priests of the house of(8) Nebu and Bel divided
the honour with them at all times, by reason of their dignified aspect,
their truthful words, their frankness of speech arising from their noble
nature, which was neither subservient through covetousness nor in bondage
under the fear of blame. For there was no one who saw them that did not run
to meet them, that he might salute them respectfully, because the very
sight of them shed peace upon the beholden: for just like a net(9) were
their words of gentleness spread over the contumacious, and they entered
within the fold of truth and verity. For there was no man who saw them that
was ashamed of them, because they did nothing that was not accordant with
rectitude and propriety. And in consequence of these things their bearing
was fearless as they published their teaching to all men. For, whatsoever
they said to others and enjoined on them, they themselves exhibited in
practice in their own persons; and the hearers, who saw that their actions
went along with their words, without much persuasion became their
disciples, and confessed the King Christ, praising God for having turned
them towards Him.
And some years after the death of Abgar the king, there arose one of
his contumacious(1) sons, who was not favourable to peace; and he sent word
to Aggaeus, as he was sitting in the church: Make me a headband of gold,
such as thou usedst to make for my fathers in former times. Aggaeus sent to
him: I will not give up the ministry of Christ, which was committed to me
by the disciple of Christ, and make a headband of wickedness. And, when he
saw that he did not comply, he sent and brake his legs(2) as he was sitting
in the church expounding. And as he was dying he adjured Palut and
Abshelama: In this house, for whose truth's sake, lo! I am dying, lay me
and bury me. And, even as he had adjured them, so did they lay him--inside
the middle door of the church, between the men and the women. And there was
great and bitter mourning in all the church, and in all the city--over and
above the anguish and the mourning which there had been within the church,
such as had been the mourning when Addaeus the apostle himself died.
[Errors in chronology show this to be an interpolation: And,(3) in
consequence of his dying suddenly and quickly at the breaking of his legs,
he was not able to lay his hand upon Palut. Palut went to Antioch, and
received ordination to the priesthood from Serapion bishop of Antioch; by
which Serapion himself also ordination had been received from Zephyrinus
bishop of the city of Rome, in the succession of the ordination to the
priesthood from Simon Cephas, who had received it from our Lord, and was
bishop there in Rome twenty-five years in the days of the Caesar who
reigned there thirteen years.]
And, according to the custom which exists in the kingdom of Abgar the
king, and in all kingdoms, that whatsoever the king commands and whatsoever
is spoken in his presence is committed to writing and deposited among the
records, so also did Labubna,(4) son of Senac, son of Ebedshaddai, the
king's scribe, write these things also relating to Addaeus the apostle from
the beginning to the end, whilst Hanan also the Tabularius, a sharir of the
kings, set-to his hand in witness, and deposited the writing among the
records of the kings, where the ordinances and laws are deposited, and
where the contracts of the buyers and sellers are kept with care, without
any negligence whatever.
Here endeth the teaching of Addaeus the apostle, which he proclaimed in
Edessa, the faithful city of Abgar, the faithful king.
SYRIAC CALENDAR.
A NOTE BY THE TRANSLATOR.--The following list of the Syrian names of
months, in use in the empire and during the era of the Seleucidae, several
of which have been mentioned in these Documents, is taken from Caswinii
Calendarium Syriacum, edited in Arabic and Latin by Volck, 1859. The later
Hebrew names also are here added for comparison. It must, however, be
noticed that "the years employed in the Syrian Calendar, were, at least
after the incarnation, Julian years, composed of Roman months." (See L'Art
de verifier les dates: Paris, 1818, tom. i. p. 45.) The correspondence with
the Hebrew months, therefore, is not so close as the names would indicate,
since these commenced with the new moons, and an intercalary month, Veadar,
following their twelfth month Adar, was added.
SYRIAN. HEBREW.
October. . . Tishri prior. Tishri, or Ethanim.
November . . Tishri posterior. Bull, or Marcheshvan.
December . . Canun prior. Chisleu.
January. . . Canun posterior. Tebeth.
February . . Shubat. Shebat.
March . . . Adar. Adar.
April . . . Nisan. Nisan.
May. . . . Ajar. Zif, or Iyar.
June . . . Chaziran. Sivan.
July . . . Tamuz. Tammuz.
August . . . Ab. Ab.
September . . Elul. Elul.
ANCIENT SYRIAC DOCUMENTS
THE TEACHING OF THE APOSTLES.(1)
AT that time Christ was taken up to His Father; and how the apostles
received the gift of the Spirit; and the Ordinances and Laws of the Church;
and whither each one of the apostles went; and from whence the countries in
the territory of the Romans received the ordination to the priesthood.
In the year three hundred and(2) thirty-nine of the kingdom of the
Greeks, in the month Heziran,(3) on the fourth(4) day of the same, which is
the first day of the week, and the end of Pentecost(5)--on the selfsame day
came the disciples from Nazareth of Galilee, where the conception of our
Lord was announced, to the mount which is called that of the Place of
Olives,(6) our Lord being with them, but not being visible to them. And at
the time of early dawn our Lord lifted up His hands, and laid them upon the
heads of the eleven disciples, and gave to them the gift of the priesthood.
And suddenly a bright cloud received Him. And they saw Him as He was going
up to heaven. And He sat down on the fight hand of His Father. And they
praised God because they saw His ascension according as He had told them;
and they rejoiced because they had received the Right Hand conferring on
them the priesthood of the house of Moses and Aaron.
And from thence they went up to the city, and(7) proceeded to an upper
room--that in which our Lord had observed the passover with them, and the
place where the inquiries had been made: Who it was that should betray our
Lord to the crucifiers? There also were made the inquiries:(8) How they
should preach His Gospel in the world? And, as within the upper room the
mystery of the body and of the blood of our Lord began to prevail in the
world, so also from thence did the teaching of His preaching begin to have
authority in the world.
And, when the disciples were cast into this perplexity, how they should
preach His Gospel to men of strange tongues(8) which were unknown to them,
and were speaking thus to one another: Although we are confident that
Christ will perform by our hands mighty works and miracles in the presence
of strange peoples whose tongues we know not, and who themselves also are
unversed in our tongue, yet who shall teach them and make them understand
that it is by the name of Christ who was crucified that these mighty works
and miracles are done?--while, I say, the disciples were occupied with
these thoughts, Simon Cephas rose up, and said to them: My brethren, this
matter, how we shall preach His Gospel, pertaineth not to us, but to our
Lord; for He knoweth how it is possible for us to preach His Gospel in the
world; and we rely on His care for us, which He promised us, saying: "When
I am ascended to my Father I will send you the Spirit, the Paraclete, that
He may teach you everything which it is meet for you to know, and to make
known."
And, whilst Simon Cephas was saying these things to his fellow-
apostles, and putting them m remembrance, a mysterious voice was heard by
them, and a sweet odour, which was strange to the world, breathed upon
them;(9) and tongues of fire, between the voice and the odour, came down
from heaven(10) towards them, and alighted and sat on every one of them;
and, according to the tongue which every one of them had severally
received, so did he prepare himself to go to the country in which that
tongue was spoken and heard.
And, by the same gift of the Spirit which was given to them on that
day, they appointed Ordinances and Laws--such as were in accordance with
the Gospel of their preaching, and with the true and faithful doctrine of
their teaching:--
1. The apostles therefore appointed: Pray ye towards the east:(1)
because, "as the lightning which lighteneth from the east and is seen even
to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of man be:"(2) that by this we
might know and understand that He will appear from the east suddenly.(3)
2. The apostles further appointed: On the first day of the week let
there be service, and the reading of the Holy Scriptures, and the obla-
tion:(4) because on the first day of the week our Lord rose from the lace
of the dead and on the first day of the week He arose upon the world, and
on the first day of the week He ascended up to heaven, and on the first day
of the week He will appear at last with the angels of heaven.(5)
3. The apostles further appointed: On the fourth(6) day of the week let
there be service: because on that day our Lord made the disclosure to them
about His trial,(7) and His suffering, and His crucifixion, and His death,
and His resurrection; and the disciples were on account of this in
sorrow.(8)
4. The apostles further appointed: On the eve of the Sabbath,(9) at the
ninth hour, let there be service: because that which had been spoken on the
fourth day of the week about the suffering of the Saviour was brought to
pass on the same eve; the worlds and creatures trembling, and the
luminaries in the heavens being darkened.
5. The apostles further appointed: Let there be elders and deacons,
like the Levites;(10) and subdeacons,(11) like those who carried the
vessels of the court of the sanctuary of the Lord; and an overseer,(12) who
shall likewise be the Guide of all the people,(13) like Aaron, the head and
chief of all the priests and Levites of the whole city.(14)
6. The apostles further appointed: Celebrate the day of the
Epiphany(15) of our Saviour, which is the chief of the festivals of the
Church, on the sixth day of the latter Canun,(16) in the long number of
the Greeks.(17)
7. The apostles further appointed: Forty(18) days before the day of the
passion of our Saviour fast ye, and then celebrate the day of the passion,
and the day of the resurrection: because our Lord Himself also, the Lord of
the festival, fasted forty days; and Moses and Elijah, who were endued with
this mystery, likewise each fasted forty days, and then were glorified.
8. The apostles further appointed: At the conclusion of all the
Scriptures other let the Gospel be read, as being the seal(19) of all the
Scriptures; and let the people listen to it standing upon their feet:
because it is the Gospel of the redemption of all men.
9. The apostles further appointed: At the completion of fifty(20) days
after His resurrection make yea commemoration of His ascension to His
glorious Father.
10. The apostles appointed: That, beside the Old Testament, and the
Prophets, and the Gospel, and the Acts (of their exploits), nothing should
be read on the pulpit in the church.(21)
11. The apostles further appointed: Whosoever is unacquainted with the
faith of the Church and the ordinances and laws which are appointed in it,
let him not be a guide and ruler; and whosoever is acquainted with them and
departs from them, let him not minister again: because, not being true in
his ministry, he has lied.
12. The apostles further appointed: Whosoever sweareth, or (22) lieth,
or beareth false witness, or hath recourse to magicians and soothsayers and
Chaldeans, and putteth confidence in fates and nativities, which they hold
fast who know not God,--let him also, as a man that knoweth not God, be
dismissed from the ministry, and not minister again.
13. The apostles further appointed: If there be any man that is divided
in mind touching the ministry, and who follows it not with a steadfast
will(1), let not this man minister again: because the Lord of the ministry
is not served by him with a stedfast will; and he deceiveth man only, and
not God, "before whom crafty devices avail not,"(2)
14. The apostles further appointed: Whosoever lendeth and receiveth
usury,(3) and is occupied in merchandise and covetousness, let not this man
minister again, nor continue in the ministry.
15. The apostles further appointed: That whosoever loveth the Jews,(4)
like Iscariot, who was their friend, or the pagans, who worship creatures
instead of the Creator,--should not enter in amongst them and minister; and
moreover, that if he be already amongst them, they should not suffer him to
remain, but that he should be separated from amongst them, and not minister
with them again.
16. The apostles further appointed: That, if any one from the Jews or
from the pagans come and join himself with them, and if after he has joined
himself with them he turn and go back again to the side on which he stood
before, and if he again return and come to them a second time,--he should
not be received again; but that, according to the side on which he was
before, so those who know him should look upon him.
17. The apostles further appointed: That it should not be permitted to
the Guide to transact the matters which pertain to the Church apart from
those who minister with him; but that he should issue commands with the
counsel of them all, and that that only should be done which all of them
should concur in and not disapprove.(5)
18. The apostles further appointed: Whenever any shall depart out of
this world with a good testimony to the faith of Christ, and with
affliction borne for His name's sake, make yea commemoration of them on the
day on which they were put to death.(6)
19. The apostles further appointed: In the service of the Church repeat
ye the praises of David day by day: because of this saying: "I will bless
the Lord at all times, and at all times His praises shall be in my
mouth;"(7) and this: "By day and by night will I meditate and speak, and
cause my voice to be heard before Thee."
20. The apostles further appointed: If any divest themselves of mammon
and run not after the gain of money, let these men be chosen and admitted
to the ministry of the altar.
21. The apostles further appointed: Let any priest who accidentally
puts another in bonds s contrary to justice receive the punishment that is
right; and let him that has been bound receive the bonds as if he had been
equitably bound.
22. The apostles further appointed: If it be seen that those who are
accustomed to hear causes show partiality, and pronounce the innocent
guilty and the guilty innocent, let them never again hear another cause:
thus receiving the rebuke of their partiality, as it is fit.(9)
23. The apostles further ordained: Let not those that are high-minded
and lifted up with the arrogance of boasting be admitted to the ministry:
because of this text: "That which is exalted among men is abominable before
God;" and because concerning them it is said: "I will return a recompense
upon those that vaunt themselves."
24. The apostles further appointed: Let there be a Ruler over the
elders who are in the villages, and let him be recognised as head of them
all, at whose hand all of them shall be required: for Samuel also thus made
visits from place to place and ruled.(10)
25. The apostles further appointed: That those kings who shall
hereafter believe in Christ should be permitted to go up and stand before
the altar along with the Guides of the Church: because David also, and
those who were like him, went up and stood before the altar.(11)
26. The apostles further appointed: Let no man dare to do anything by
the authority of the priesthood which is not in accordance with justice and
equity, but in accordance with justice, and free from the blame of
partiality, let all things be done.
27. The apostles further appointed: Let the bread of the Oblation be
placed upon the altar on the day on which it is baked, and not some days
after--a thing which is not permitted.
All these things did the apostles appoint, not for themselves, but for
those who should come after them--for they were apprehensive that in time
to come wolves would put on sheep's clothing: since for themselves the
Spirit, the Paraclete, which was in them, was sufficient: that, even as He
had appointed these laws by their hands, so He would guide them lawfully.
For they, who had received from our Lord power and authority, had no need
that laws should be appointed for them by others. For Paul also, and
Timothy,(1) while they were going from place to place in the country of
Syria and Cilicia, committed these same Commands and Laws of the apostles
and elders to those who were under the hand of the apostles, for the
churches of the countries in which they were preaching and publishing the
Gospel.
The disciples, moreover, after they had appointed these Ordinances and
Laws, ceased not from the preaching of the Gospel, or from the wonderful
mighty-works which our Lord did by their hands. For much people was
gathered about them every day, who believed in Christ; and they came to
them from other cities, and heard their words and received them. Nicodemus
also, and Gamaliel, chiefs of the synagogue of the Jews, used to come to
the apostles in secret, agreeing with their teaching. Judas, moreover, and
Levi, and Peri, and Joseph, and Justus, sons of Hananias, and Caiaphas(2)
and Alexander the priests--they too used to come to the apostles by night,
confessing Christ that He is the Son of God; but they were afraid of the
people of their own nation, so that they did not disclose their mind toward
the disciples.
And the apostles received them affectionately, saying to them: Do not,
by reason of the shame and fear of men, forfeit your salvation before God,
nor have the blood of Christ required of yoU; even as your fathers, who
took it upon them: for it is not acceptable before God, that, while ye are,
in secret, with His worshippers, ye should go and associate with the
murderers of His adorable Son. How do ye expect that your faith should be
accepted with those that are true, whilst ye are with those that are false?
But it becomes you, as men who believe in Christ, to confess openly this
faith which we preach.(3)
And, when they heard these things from the Disciples, those sons of the
priests, all of them alike, cried out before the whole company of the
apostles: We confess and believe in Christ who was crucified, and we
confess that He is from everlasting the Son of God; and those who dared to
crucify Him do we renounce. For even the priests of the people in secret
confess Christ; but, for the sake of the headship among the people which
they love, they are not willing to confess openly; and they have forgotten
that which is written:(4) "Of knowledge is He the Lord, and before Him
avail not crafty devices."
And, when their fathers heard these things from their sons, they became
exceedingly hostile to them: not indeed because they had believed in
Christ, but because they had declared and spoken openly of the mind of
their fathers before the sons of their people.
But those who believed clove to the disciples, and departed not from
them, because they saw that, whatsoever they taught the multitude, they
themselves carried into practice before all men; and, when affliction and
persecution arose against the disciples, they rejoiced to be afflicted with
them, and received with gladness stripes and imprisonment for the
confession of their faith in Christ; and all the days of their life they
preached Christ before the Jews and the Samaritans.
And after the death of the apostles there were Guides and Rulers(5) in
the churches; and, whatsoever the apostles had committed to them and they
had received from them, they continued to teach to the multitude through
the whole space of their lives. They too, again, at their deaths committed
and delivered to their disciples after them whatsoever they had received
from the apostles; also what James had written from Jerusalem, and Simon
from the city of Rome, and John from Ephesus, and Mark from Alexandria the
Great, and Andrew from Phrygia, and Luke from Macedonia, and Judas Thomas
from India: (6) that the epistles of an apostle(7) might be received and
read in the churches that were in every place, just as the achievements of
their Acts, which Luke wrote, are read; that hereby the apostles might be
known, and the prophets, and the Old Testament and the New;(8) that so
might be seen one truth was proclaimed in them all: that one Spirit spoke
in them all, from one God whom they had all worshipped and had all
preached. And the divers countries received their teaching. Everything,
therefore, which had been spoken by our Lord by means of the apostles, and
which the apostles had delivered to their disciples, was believed and
received in every country, by the operation(1) of our Lord, who said to
them: "I am with you, even until the world shall end;" the Guides disputing
with the Jews from the books of the prophets, and contending also against
the deluded pagans with the terrible mighty-works which they did in the
name of Christ. For all the peoples, even those that dwell in other
countries, quietly and silently received(2) the Gospel of Christ; and those
who became confessors cried out under their persecution: This our
persecution to-day shall plead(3) on our behalf, lest we be punished, for
having been formerly persecutors ourselves. For there were some of them
against whom death by the sword was ordered; and there were some of them
from whom they took away whatsoever they possessed, and let them go.(4) And
the more affliction arose against them, the richer and larger did their
congregations become; and with gladness in their hearts did they receive
death of every kind. And by ordination to the priesthood, which the
apostles themselves had received from our Lord, did their Gospel wing its
way rapidly into the four quarters of the world. And by mutual visitation
they ministered to one another.
1. Jerusalem received the ordination to the priesthood, as did all the
country of Palestine, and the parts occupied by the Samaritans, and the
parts occupied by the Philistines, and the country of the Arabians, and of
Phoenicia, and the people of Caesarea, from James, who was ruler and guide
in the church of the apostles which was built in Zion.
2. Alexandria the Great, and Thebais, and the whole of Inner Egypt,
and all the country of Pelusium,(5) and extending as far as the borders of
the Indians, received the apostles' ordination to the priesthood from Mark
the evangelist, who was ruler and guide there in the church which he had
built, in which he also ministered.
3. India,(6) and all the countries belonging to it and round about it,
even to the farthest sea, received the apostles' ordination to the
priesthood from Judas Thomas, who was guide and ruler in the church which
he had built there, in which he also ministered there.
4. Antioch, and Syria, and Cilicia, and Galatia, even to Pontus,
received the apostles' ordination to the priesthood from Simon Cephas, who
himself laid the foundation of the church there,(7) and was priest and
ministered there up to the time when he went up from thence to Rome on
account of Simon the sorcerer, who was deluding the people of Rome with his
sorceries.(8)
5. The city of Rome, and all Italy, and Spain, and Britain, and Gaul,
together with all the rest of the countries round about them, received the
apostles' ordination to the priesthood from Simon Cephas, who went up from
Antioch; and he was ruler and guide there, in the church which he had built
there, and in the places round about it.(9)
6. Ephesus, and Thessalonica, and all Asia, and all the country of the
Corinthians, and of all Achaia and the parts round about it, received the
apostles' ordination to the priesthood from John the evangelist, who had
leaned upon the bosom of our Lord; who himself built a church there, and
ministered in his office of Guide which he held there.
7. Nicaea, and Nicomedia, and all the country of Bithynia, and of Inner
Galatia,(10) and of the regions round about it, received the apostles'
ordination to the priesthood from Andrew, the brother of Simon Cephas, who
was himself Guide and Ruler in the church which he had built there, and
was priest and ministered there.
8. Byzantium, and all the country of Thrace, and of the parts about it
as far as the great river,(11) the boundary which separates from the
barbarians, received the apostles' ordination to the priesthood from Luke
the apostle, who himself built a church there, and ministered there in his
office of Ruler and Guide which he held there.
9. Edessa, and all the countries round about it which were on all sides
of it, and Zoba,(12) and Arabia, and all the north, and the regions round
about it, and the south, and all the regions on the borders of Mesopotamia,
received the apostles' ordination to the priesthood from Addaeus the
apostle, one of the seventy-two apostles,(13) who himself made disciples
there, and built a church there, and was priest and ministered there in his
office of Guide which he held there.
10. The whole of Persia, of the Assyrians, and of the Armenians, and of
the Medians, and of the countries round about Babylon, the Huzites and the
Gelae, as far as the borders of the Indians, and as far as the land(14) of
Gog and Magog, and moreover all the countries on all sides, received the
apostles' ordination to the priesthood from Aggaeus, a maker of silks,(1)
the disciple of Addaeus the apostle.
The other remaining companions of the apostles, moreover went to the
distant countries of the barbarians; and they made disciples from place to
place and passed on; and there they ministered by their preaching; and
there occurred their departure out of this world, their disciples after
them going on with the work down to the present day, nor was any change or
addition made by them in their preaching.
Luke, moreover, the evangelist had such diligence that he wrote the
exploits of the Acts of the Apostles, and the ordinances and laws of the
ministry of their priesthood, and whither each one of them went. By his
diligence, I say, did Luke write these things, and more than these; and he
placed them in the hand of Priscus(2) and Aquilus, his disciples; and they
accompanied him up to the day of his death, just as Timothy and Erastus of
Lystra, and Menaus,(3) the first disciples of the apostles, accompanied
Paul until he was taken up to the city of Rome because he had withstood
Tertullus the orator.(4)
And Nero Caesar despatched with the sword Simon Cephas in the city of
Rome.(5)
ANCIENT SYRIAC DOCUMENTS
(1)THE TEACHING OF SIMON CEPHAS(2) IN THE CITY OF ROME.(3)
IN the third(4) year of Claudius Caesar, Simon Cephas departed from
Antioch to go to Rome. And as he passed on he preached in the divers
countries the word of our Lord. And, when he had nearly arrived there,(5)
many had heard of and went out to meet him, and the whole church received
him with great joy. And some of the princes of the city, wearers of the
imperial headbands,(6) came to him, that they might see him and hear his
word. And, when the whole city was gathered together about him, he stood up
to speak to them, and to show them the preaching of his doctrine, of what
sort it was. And he began to speak to them thus:--
Men, people of Rome, saints of all Italy, hear ye that which I say to
you. This day I preach and proclaim Jesus the Son of God, who came down
from heaven, and became man, and was with us as one of ourselves, and
wrought marvellous mighty-works and signs and wonders before us, and before
all the Jews that are in the land of Palestine. And you yourselves also
heard of those things which He did: because they came to Him from other
countries also, on account of the fame of His healing and the report of the
marvellous help He gave;(7) and whosoever drew near to Him was healed by
His word. And, inasmuch as He was God, at the same time that He healed He
also forgave sins: for His healing, which was open to view, bore witness of
His hidden forgiveness, that it was real and trustworthy. For this Jesus
did the prophets announce in their mysterious sayings, as they were
looking forward to see Him and to hear His word: Him who was with His
Father from eternity and from everlasting; God, who was hidden in the
height, and appeared in the depth; the glorious Son, who was from His
Progenitor, and is to be glorified, together with His Father, and His
divine Spirit, and the terrible power of His dominion. And He was crucified
of His own will by the hands of sinners, and was taken up to His Father,
even as I and my companions saw. And He is about to come again, in His own
glory and that of His holy angels, even as we heard Him say to us. For we
cannot say anything which was not heard by us from Him, neither do we write
in the book of His Gospel anything which He Himself did not say to us:
because this word is spoken in order that the mouth of liars may be shut,
in the day when men shall give an account of idle words at the place of
judgment.
Moreover, because we were catchers of fish,(8) and not skilled in
books, therefore did He also say to us: "I will send you the Spirit, the
Paraclete, that He may teach you that which ye know not;" for it is by His
gift that we speak those things which ye hear. And, further, by it we bring
aid to the sick, and healing to the diseased: that by the hearing of His
word and by the aid of His power ye may believe in Christ, that He is God,
the Son of God; and may be delivered from the service of bondage, and may
worship Him and His Father, and glorify His divine Spirit. For when we
glorify the Father, we glorify the Son also with Him; and when we worship
the Son, we worship the Father also with Him; and when we confess the
Spirit, we confess the Father also and the Son: because in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Spirit, were we commanded to baptize
those who believe, that they may live for ever.
Flee therefore from the words of the wisdom of this world, in which
there is no profit, and draw near to those which are true and faithful, and
acceptable before God; whose reward also is laid up in store, and whose
recompense standeth sure. Now, too,(9) the light has arisen on the
creation, and the world has obtained the eyes, of the mind, that every man
may see and understand that it is not fit that creatures should be
worshipped instead of the Creator, nor together with the Creator: because
everything which is a creature is made to be a worshipper of its Maker, and
is not to be worshipped like its Creator. But this One who came to us is
God, the Son of God, in His own nature, notwithstanding that He mingled(1)
His Godhead with our manhood, in order that He might renew our manhood by
the aid of His Godhead. And on this account it is right that we should
worship Him, because He is to be worshipped together with His Father, and
that we should not worship creatures, who were created for the worship of
the Creator. For He is Himself the God of truth and verity; He is Himself
from before all worlds and creatures; He is Himself the veritable Son, and
the glorious fruit(2) which is from the exalted Father.
But ye see the wonderful works which accompany and follow these words.
One would not credit it: the time lo! is short since He ascended to His
Father, and see how His Gospel has winged its flight through the whole
creation--that thereby it may be known and believed that He Himself is the
Creator of creatures, and that by His bidding creatures subsist. And,
whereas ye saw the sun become darkened at His death, ye yourselves also are
witnesses. The earth, moreover, quaked when He was slain, and the veil was
rent at His death. And concerning these things the governor Pilate also was
witness: for he himself sent and made them known to Caesar,(3) and these
things, and more than these, were read before him, and before the princes
of your city. And on this account Caesar was angry against Pilate because
he had unjustly listened to the persuasion of the Jews; and for this reason
he sent and took away from him the authority which he had given to him.
And this same thing was published and known in all the dominion of the
Romans. That, therefore, which Pilate saw and made known to Caesar and to
your honourable senate, the same do I preach and declare, as do also my
fellow-apostles. And ye know that Pilate could not have written to the
imperial government of that which did not take place and which he had not
seen with his own eyes; but that which did take place and was actually
done--this it was that he wrote and made known. Moreover, the watchers of
the sepulchre also were witnesses of those things which took place there:
they became as dead men; and, when those watchers were questioned before
Pilate, they confessed before him how large a bribe the chief-priests of
the Jews had given them, so that they might say that we His disciples had
stolen the corpse of Christ. Lo! then, ye have heard many things; and
moreover, if ye be not willing to be persuaded by those things which ye
have heard, be at least persuaded by the mighty-works which ye see, which
are done by His name.
Let not Simon the sorcerer delude you by semblances which are not
realities, which he exhibits to you, as to men who have no understanding,
who know not how to discern that which they see and hear. Send, therefore,
and fetch him to where all your city is assembled together, and choose you
some sign for us to do before you; and, whichever ye see do that same sign,
it will be your part to believe in it.
And immediately they sent and fetched Simon the sorcerer;(4) and the
men who were adherents of his opinion said to him: As a man concerning whom
we have confidence that there is power in thee to do anything
whatsoever,(5) do thou some sign before us all, and let this Simon the
Galilaean, who preaches Christ, see it. And, whilst they were thus
speaking to him, there happened to be passing along a dead person, a son of
one of those who were chiefs and men of note and renown among them. And all
of them, as they were assembled together, said to him: Whichever of you
shall restore to life this dead person, he is true, and to be believed in
and received, and we will all follow him in whatsoever he saith to us. And
they said to Simon the sorcerer: Because thou wast here before Simon the
Galilaean, and we knew thee before him, exhibit thou first the power which
accompanieth thee.(6)
Then Simon reluctantly drew near to the dead person; and they set down
the bier before him; and he looked to the fight hand and to the left, and
gazed up into heaven, saying many words: some of them he uttered aloud, and
some of them secretly and not aloud. And he delayed a long while, and
nothing took place, and nothing was done, and the dead person was lying
upon his bier.
And forthwith Simon Cephas drew near boldly towards the dead man, and
cried aloud before all the assembly which was standing there: In the name
of Jesus Christ, whom the Jews crucified at Jerusalem, and whom we preach,
rise up thence. And as soon as the word of Simon was spoken the dead man
came to life and rose up from the bier.
And all the people saw and marvelled; and they said to Simon: Christ,
whom thou preachest, is true. And many cried out, and said: Let Simon the
sorcerer and the deceiver of us all be stoned. But Simon, by reason that
every one was running to see the dead man that was come to life, escaped
from them from one street to another and from house to house, and fell not
into their hands on that day.
But the whole city took hold of Simon Cephas, and they received him
gladly and affectionately; and he ceased not from doing signs and wonders
in the name of Christ; and many believed in him. Cuprinus,(1) moreover, the
father of him that was restored to life, took Simon with him to his house,
and entertained him in a suitable manner, while he and all his household
believed in Christ, that He is the Son of the living God. And many of the
Jews and of the pagans became disciples there. And, when there was great
rejoicing at his teaching, he built churches there, in Rome and in the
cities round about, and in all the villages of the people of Italy; and he
served there in the rank of the Superintendence of Rulers twenty-five
years.(2)
And after these years Nero Caesar seized him and shut him up in prison.
And he knew that he would crucify him; so he called Ansus,(3) the deacon,
and made him bishop in his stead in Rome. And these things did Simon
himself speak; and moreover also the rest, the other things which he had in
charge, he commanded Ansus to teach before the people, saying to him:
Beside the New Testament and the Old let there not be read before the
people(4) anything else:(5) which is not right.
And, when Caesar had commanded that Simon should be crucified with his
head downwards, as he himself had requested of Caesar, and that Paul's head
should be taken off, there was great commotion among the people, and bitter
distress in all the church, seeing that they were deprived of the sight of
the apostles. And Isus the guide arose and took up their bodies by night,
and buried them with great honour, and there came to be a gathering-place
there for many.
And at that very time, as if by a righteous judgment, Nero abandoned
his empire and fled, and there was a cessation for a little while from the
persecution which Nero Caesar had raised against them. And many years after
the great coronation(6) of the apostles, who had departed out of the world,
while ordination to the priesthood was proceeding both in all Rome and in
all Italy, it happened then that there was a great famine in the city of
Rome.(7)
Here endeth the teaching of Simon Cephas.
Taken from "The Early Church Fathers and Other Works" originally published
by Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. in English in Edinburgh, Scotland, beginning in
1867. (ANF 8, Roberts and Donaldson). The digital version is by The
Electronic Bible Society, P.O. Box 701356, Dallas, TX 75370, 214-407-WORD.
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