11
But Papias says, word for word: “Some of them”—obviously meaning those angels that once were holy—“he assigned to rule over the orderly arrangement of the earth, and commissioned them to rule well.”
And next he says: “But as it turned out, their administration came to nothing. And the great dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, was cast out; the deceiver of the whole world was cast down to the earth along with his angels.”
12
. . . taking their cue from the great Papias of Hierapolis, who was a disciple of the Bosom-Friend, and Clement, from Pantaenus the priest of the Alexandrians, and Ammonius, the most learned scholar, those ancient and earliest interpreters who agree with each other in understanding the whole “six days” to refer to Christ and the church.
13
So then, the more ancient interpreters of the church—I mean Philo, the philosopher and contemporary of the apostles, and the famous Papias of Hierapolis, the disciple of John the Evangelist, Irenaeus of Lyons and Justin the martyr and philosopher, Pantaenus the Alexandrian and Clement the Stromateus, and their associates—interpreted the sayings about Paradise spiritually, and referred them to the church of Christ.
14
1 The blessing thus foretold undoubtedly belongs to the times of the kingdom, when the righteous will rise from the dead and reign, when creation, too, renewed and freed from bondage, will produce an abundance of food of all kinds from the dew of heaven and from the fertility of the earth, just as the elders, who saw John the disciple of the Lord, recalled having heard from him how the Lord used to teach about those times and say:
2 “The days will come when vines will grow, each having ten thousand shoots, and on each shoot ten thousand branches, and on each branch ten thousand twigs, and on each twig ten thousand clusters, and in each cluster ten thousand grapes, and each grape when crushed will yield twenty-five measures of wine. 3 And when one of the saints takes hold of a cluster, another cluster will cry out, ‘I am better, take me, bless the Lord through me.’ 4 Similarly a grain of wheat will produce ten thousand heads, and every head will have ten thousand grains, and every grain ten pounds of fine flour, white and clean. 5 And the other fruits, seeds, and grass will produce in similar proportions, and all the animals feeding on these fruits produced by the soil will in turn become peaceful and harmonious toward one another, and fully subject to humankind.”
6 Papias, a man of the early period, who was a hearer of John and a companion of Polycarp, bears witness to these things in writing in the fourth of his books, for there are five books composed by him. 7 And he goes on to say: “These things are believable to those who believe.” 8 “And,” he says, “when Judas the traitor did not believe and asked, ‘How, then, will such growth be accomplished by the Lord?”, the Lord said, ‘Those who live until those times will see.’”
15
They used to call those who practiced a godly innocence “children,” as Papias shows in the first book of the Expositions of the Lord, and also Clement of Alexandria in his Pedagogue.
16
When he says these things he is hinting, I think, at Papias, who was then bishop of Hierapolis in Asia and flourished in the days of the holy evangelist John. For this Papias, in the fourth book of his Expositions of the Lord, mentioned food among the sources of enjoyment in the resurrection. Later on Apollinarius believed this doctrine, which some refer to as the millennium . . . and Irenaeus of Lyons says the same thing in the fifth book of his Against Heresies and cites in support of his statements the above-mentioned Papias.
17
Indeed, [Stephen Gobarus follows] neither Papias, the bishop and martyr of Hierapolis, nor Irenaeus, the holy bishop of Lyons, when they say that the kingdom of heaven involves the enjoyment of certain material foods.
18
1 From Apollinarius: Judas did not die by hanging but lived on, having been cut down before he choked to death. 2 Indeed, the Acts of the Apostles makes this clear: “Falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and his intestines spilled out.” 3 Papias, the disciple of John, recounts this more clearly in the fourth book of the Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord, as follows:
4 “Judas was a terrible, walking example of ungodliness in this world, his flesh so bloated that he was not able to pass through a place where a wagon passes easily, not even his bloated head by itself. 5 For his eyelids, they say, were so swollen that he could not see the light at all, and his eyes could not be seen, even by a doctor using an optical instrument, so far had they sunk below the outer surface. 6 His genitals appeared more loathsome and larger than anyone else’s, and when he relieved himself there passed through it pus and worms from every part of his body, much to his shame. 7 After much agony and punishment, they say, he finally died in his own place, and because of the stench the area is deserted and uninhabitable even now; in fact, to this day one cannot pass that place without holding one’s nose, so great was the discharge from his body, and so far did it spread over the ground.”
19
Here begins the summary of the Gospel according to John:
“The Gospel of John was made known and given to the churches by John while he was still in the flesh, as a man of Hierapolis by the name of Papias, a beloved disciple of John, has related in the exoteric—that is, the last—part of his five books. Indeed, he wrote down the Gospel correctly as John dictated.”
17 SOURCE: Photius (9th cent.), Bibliotheca 232. TEXT: René Henry, Bibliothèque, vol. 5 (Paris: Belles Lettres, 1967), 77. 18 SOURCE: Apollinaris of Laodicaea (4th cent.). TEXT: Reconstructed from fragments compiled by various editors. Cf. E. Preuschen, Antilegomena, 2nd ed. (Giessen: Alfred Töpelmann, 1905), 97–99. 18.2 Acts 1:18. 19 SOURCE: Codex Vaticanus Alexandrinus 14 (9th cent.). TEXT: J. B. Pitra, Analecta Sacra, vol. 2 (Paris: Jouby & Roger, 1884), 160; cf. J. B. Lightfoot, Essays on the Work Entitled Supernatural Religion (London: Macmillan, 1889), 210.
20
For the last of these, John, surnamed “the Son of Thunder,” when he was a very old man (as Irenaeus and Eusebius and a succession of other trustworthy historians have handed it down to us) and about the time when terrible heresies had cropped up, dictated the Gospel to his own disciple, the virtuous Papias of Hierapolis, to complete the message of those before him who had preached to the peoples of the whole world.
21
1 But so great a light of godliness shone upon the minds of Peter’s listeners that they were not satisfied with a single hearing or with the oral teaching of the divine proclamation. So, with all kinds of exhortations they begged Mark (whose gospel is extant), since he was Peter’s follower, to leave behind a written record of the teaching given to them verbally, and did not quit until they had persuaded the man, and thus they became the immediate cause of the scripture called “The Gospel according to Mark.” 2 And they say that the apostle, aware of what had occurred because the Spirit had revealed it to him, was pleased with their zeal and sanctioned the writing for study in the churches. Clement quotes the story in the sixth book of the Hypotyposes, and the bishop of Hierapolis, named Papias, corroborates him. He also says that Peter mentions Mark in his first epistle, which they say he composed in Rome itself, as he himself indicates, referring to the city metaphorically as Babylon in these words: “She who is in Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, as does Mark, my son.”
22
. . . and the great Methodius . . . and also Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons, and Papias, bishop of Hierapolis; the first won the crown of martyrdom, while the latter two were men of apostolic character. . . . But we do not follow them whenever they treated the truth too lightly and were led to speak against the generally-accepted ecclesiastical teaching. We do not at all, however, take anything away from their patristic honor and glory.
19 exoteric Probably an error for exegetical. 20 SOURCE: A Greek catena on the Gospel of John. TEXT: Catena patrum graecorum in sanctum Ioannem, first published by B. Corder (Antwerp, 1630
). The catena is an anonymous commentary consisting of excerpts from the writings of various Greek Fathers. • Son of Thunder Cf. Mark 3:17. • to complete . . . preached Or to fill out what was lacking in those before him who had preached the word. 21 SOURCE: Eusebius, Church History 2.15. 21.2 She who is in Babylon . . . my son 1 Pet. 5:13. 22 SOURCE: Photius, Letter to Archbishop and Metropolitan Aquileias. TEXT: J. N. Baletta, Photii Epistolae (London: Nutt, 1864; reprint Hildesheim: Olms, 1978), 196–97; cf. J. Kürzinger, Papias von Hierapolis und die Evangelien des Neuen Testaments (Regensburg: Pustet, 1983), 120–21.
23
At this time there lived in Hierapolis a prominent teacher and author of many treatises; he wrote five treatises about the Gospel. In one of these treatises, which he wrote concerning the Gospel of John, he relates that in the book of John the Evangelist there is a report about a woman who was an adulteress. When the people led her before our Lord the Christ (to him be the glory), he spoke to the Jews who had brought her to him: “Whoever among you is himself certain that he is innocent of that of which she is accused, let him now bear witness against her.” After he had said this, they gave him no answer and went away.
24
1 And Papias spoke in the following manner in his treatises:
2 “Heaven did not endure his earthly intentions, because it is impossible for light to communicate with darkness. 3 He fell to earth, here to live; and when humankind came here, where he was, he did not permit them to live in natural passions; on the contrary, he led them astray into many evils. 4 But Michael and his legions, who are guardians of the world, were helping humankind, as Daniel learned; they gave laws and made the prophets wise. 5 And all this was war against the dragon, who was setting stumbling blocks for men. 6 Then their battle extended into heaven, to Christ himself. 7 Yet Christ came; and the law, which was impossible for anyone else, he fulfilled in his body, according to the apostle. 8 He defeated sin and condemned Satan, and through his death he spread abroad his righteousness over all. 9 As this occurred, the victory of Michael and his legions, the guardians of humankind, became complete, and the dragon could resist no more, because the death of Christ exposed him to ridicule and threw him to the earth— 10 concerning which Christ said, ‘I saw Satan fallen from heaven like a lightning bolt.’”
23 SOURCE: Agapius of Hierapolis (10th cent.), World History. TEXT: Josef Linder, “Papias und die Perikope von der Ehebrecherin (Joh 7,53–8,11) bei Agapius von Manbiğ,” Zeitschrift für Katholische Theologie 40 (1916): 191–99; cf. Kürzinger, Papias, 126–27. 24 SOURCE: Andrew of Caesarea, On the Apocalypse, at Rev. 12:7–9. TEXT: From the Armenian translation of Constantine of Hierapolis, published by F. Siegert, “Unbeachtete Papiaszitate bei armenischen Schriftstellern,” New Testament Studies 27 (1981): 605–14; cf. Kürzinger, Papias, 128–33.
11 In this sense the teacher understood not his first fall, but the second, which was through the cross; and this did not consist of a spatial fall, as at first, but rather of judgment and expectation of a mighty punishment. . . .
25
But concerning the aloe that people brought [to Jesus’ tomb; cf. John 19:39], some say that it was a mixture of oil and honey, but aloe is certainly a kind of incense. The Geographer and Papias report that there are fifteen kinds of aloe in India. . . .
26
The story of the adulterous woman, which the other Christians have written in their gospel, was written by a certain Papias, a disciple of John, who was declared and condemned as a heretic. Eusebius said this.
25 SOURCE: Vardan Vardapet (13th cent.), Explanations of Holy Scripture. TEXT: Siegert, “Papiaszitate;” cf. Kürzinger, Papias, 132–35. 26 SOURCE: Vardan Vardapet, Explanations of Holy Scripture. TEXT: Siegert, “Papiaszitate;” cf. Kürzinger, Papias, 134–37.
ADDITIONAL FRAGMENTS FROM IRENAEUS
1
But that the age of thirty years is the prime of a young man’s ability, and that this extends even to the fortieth year, everyone will admit; but after the fortieth and fiftieth years, it begins to verge toward advanced age. This was our Lord’s age when he taught, inasmuch as the Gospel and all the elders who lived with John, the Lord’s disciple, in Asia testify that John delivered this tradition to them. For he remained with them until the time of Trajan. And some of them saw not only John but other apostles as well, and heard this same account from them, and testify concerning the previously mentioned account.
2
Where then was the first man placed? In paradise, obviously, as it is written: “And God planted paradise eastward in Eden, and there he placed the man whom he had formed.” And from there he was expelled into this world, because of his disobedience. Therefore the elders, disciples of the apostles, also say that those who were translated were translated there (for paradise was prepared for righteous and inspired men; the apostle Paul was also carried there, and heard words unspeakable to us at least in this present life), and that those who are translated will remain there until the end of all things, as a prelude to immortality.
1 SOURCE: Irenaeus, Against Heresies 2.22.5. 2 SOURCE: Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5.5.1. • And God planted . . . formed Gen. 2:8. • heard words unspeakable 2 Cor. 12:4.
3
Now such being the state of the case, and since this number is found in all the good and old copies, and the very men who had seen John with their own eyes testify to it, and reason teaches us that the number of the name of the Beast, according to the reckoning of the Greeks (by the letters contained therein), is 666 . . . some, though I do not know how, have erred, following a particular reading, and have taken liberties with the middle number of the name, subtracting the value of fifty and choosing to have only one ten instead of six.
4
The blessing thus foretold undoubtedly belongs to the times of the kingdom . . . just as the elders, who saw John the disciple of the Lord, recalled having heard from him . . .
5
1 As the elders say, then will those who have been deemed worthy of an abode in heaven go there, while others will enjoy the delight of paradise, and still others will possess the brightness of the city; but in every place the Savior will be seen, to the degree that those who see him are worthy. 2 They say, moreover, that this is the distinction between the dwelling of those who bring forth a hundredfold, and those who bring forth sixtyfold, and those who bring forth thirtyfold: the first will be taken up into the heavens, and the second will dwell in paradise, and the third will inhabit the city. For this reason, therefore, our Lord has said, “In my Father’s house there are many rooms,” for all things are of God, who gives to all their appropriate dwelling. . . . The elders, the disciples of the apostles, say that this is the order and arrangement of those who are being saved, and that they advance by such steps, and ascend through the Spirit to the Son, and through the Son to the Father, the Son finally yielding his work to the Father, as it is also said by the apostle: “For he must reign until he puts all enemies under his feet.”
3 SOURCE: Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5.30.1. • this number . . . Cf. Rev. 13:18. • only one ten instead of six I.e., 616 instead of 666. 4 SOURCE: Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5.33.3 (see Fragments of Papias 14 above). 5 SOURCE: Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5.36.1–2. 5.1 then I.e., after the appearance of the new heaven and new earth. 5.2 In my Father’s house . . . rooms John 14:2. • For he must reign . . . feet Cf. 1 Cor. 15:25.
Index of Ancient Sources
Old Testament
* * *
Genesis
1 314
1:9 52
1:26–27 57
1:26 181, 183
1:27 83
1:28 57, 183
2:2–3 193
2:8 320
2:23 45
4:3–8 44
5:21–24 46 6–9 46 7 45
12:1–3 47
13:14–16 47
14:14 187
15:5–6 47
15:5 57
15:6 56, 192
17:5 192
17:23
187
18:1–15 47
18:27 50
19 47
19:26 47
22:1–19 47
22:1–10 56
21:1–7 47
22:17 57
25:21–23 191
26:4 57
27:28 315
27:41–28:5 44
28–29 56
37 44
48:9 192
The Apostolic Fathers in English Page 40