Miscellaneous Coptic Texts in the Dialect of Upper Egypt, Part 2

Miscellaneous Coptic Texts in the Dialect of Upper Egypt, Part 2

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XVIII. The Apocalypse of Paul (incomplete)

1 (Brit. Mus. MS. Oriental, No. 7022) …before it, saying unto it, 'O thou most wretched soul! The evil things which thou doest by day and by night I take daily into the presence of God, not through [my] will, but through the Will of God, Who commanded me, saying, "Cease not to minister unto them. Perhaps they will turn and repent." Behold, I have made myself a stranger unto thee this day. Let us [go] to the Judge of Truth.' And its spirit came forth from it, saying, 'O thou wretched soul, thou didst not give me rest during my little time which I passed in sojourning with thee. Or, O thou wretched soul, didst thou endure …or did thy heart turn? The breath of the breath of life of God was in thee. Let us [go] to the presence of the Judge of Truth. I will never forgive thee; and I have made myself a stranger unto thee this day, and do thou do likewise [to me].' Thus the spirit of the soul abuseth it (i. e. the soul), and its angel afflicteth it, and as soon as it standeth up the Powers shall snatch it up into heaven, [and inflict upon it] suffering after suffering. And sluggishness shall come forth from it, and scandal-mongering, and the spirit of rapine. And as for the Powers of the Darkness, some have the faces of lions and wear plates of armour filled with fire,

2 and have slaughtering swords in their hands. Some have the faces of bulls, and their hands are like unto the hands of men, and huge horns of fire project from their heads, and the spears which they hold in these hands they drive into the souls of sinners. Some have the faces of bears, and their eyes shoot out fire on all four sides. There is fury in their faces, and there are huge iron butchering knives in their hands, and they are ready to crush the souls (?) of the ungodly before they come forth from the body, and to inflict upon them sufferings during the agony of death. Some have the faces of serpents, and have smoke issuing from their mouths, and fumes, and fire. Some [have the faces of] ravens, and hold in their hands saw-like weapons wherewith they torture souls. Some have the faces of vipers, and have spears like unto those of fishermen, which they are ready to drive into the souls [of sinners], and to torture them with pitiless cruelty. Some have the faces of asses, and are arrayed in black armour, and hold in their hands shearing knives of fire which they thrust into the souls [of sinners] in furious anger. Some have the faces of crocodiles, and have in their hands huge knives, with which they secretly lop off the limbs of the souls [of sinners]. Some have the faces of wild beasts, and tongues of fire which project from their mouths, and their teeth are of iron. Those who are there seize the souls, and when they have chewed them up in their mouths they swallow them straightway; and afterwards they vomit them into

3 Then the Powers of Darkness go to the soul, and they say unto it, 'Whither wouldst thou go, O wretched soul? Wouldst thou go to heaven? Tarry hither that we may Text mutilated. see what is in thee. If thou dost not, no holy helper will accompany thee.' And I heard a voice up in the height, saying, 'Bring up hither this wretched soul, in order that it may know that the God Whom it hath despised doth exist.' And immediately the soul entered into heaven I heard angels and archangels who were in number tens of thousands of tens of thousands, saying, 'Boast not thyself, O soul, of all the works which thou hast done in the world.' And straightway the mouth of the soul was closed, and it was unable to utter a single word before God. And its angel said, 'Weep with me, O my fellow angels, because no rest shall be given unto the soul wherewith I sojourned.' And the angels answered and said, 'Away with it! Away with it! For from the moment wherein we saw it there hath been a foul smell in our midst.' And they took away the soul to enable it to pay worship unto the God Who created it in His own image and likeness. And its angel made a sign, saying, 'O Lord God

4 Almighty, I am the angel of this soul, and I brought unto Thee its deeds, both those belonging to the day and those belonging to the night; judge it according to its judgement.' And the spirit of the soul said, 'I am the spirit, the breath of life which sojourned with it; judge it according to its judgement.' And the voice of God came unto the soul, saying, 'Where are all the good works which thou shouldst have done? Have I separated Myself even from the unrighteous for a single day, and did not My Son speak unto the righteous and unto all My chosen ones?' And the mouth of the soul was closed, and it could not find a word to utter. And the voice of God came, saying, 'There is no acceptance of persons before God, and the Judgement of Truth is what shall be. He who hath done what is truth, unto him shall truth be done. He who hath shewn mercy, unto him shall mercy be shewn.' And they shall give the soul into the hand of Aftemeloukhos, the Angel who is over the punishments, and he shall cast it into the outer darkness, the place wherein there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, until the day of the Great Judgement. And I heard the voices of the angels and the archangels, saying, 'Righteous art Thou, O Lord, and Truth is Thy Name.'

5 And afterwards I Paul looked, and I saw another soul which had just been brought forth from the body, and two angels held it. And it was weeping and crying out, saying, 'Have mercy upon me, O Judge! This day is the seventh day since I died and was given into the hands of these two angels; but whither they are going to take me I know not.' And the Judge answered and said, 'What didst thou do in the world? Assuredly thy deeds were without mercy, for thou hast been given over into the hands of those who have no mercy. Thou hast not done that which is upright, and that which is upright will not be done unto thee in the hour of thy necessity. Confess the sins which thou hast committed in the world.' And the soul answered and said, 'Lord, I have not committed sin.' And when it had said, 'I have not committed sin,' the Judge said unto it, 'Dost thou think that this place is like the world, wherein each man committeth sin, and hideth his sin from his neighbour? When [souls] appear before the throne of God, the sins of each man, as well as his good deeds, become manifest.' And at that moment the mouth of the soul was stopped, and it was unable to find a single word to utter. And I heard the Judge of Truth saying, 'O angel of this soul, come into the midst.' And at that moment the angel came into the

6 midst, with the bill of indictment of its sins in his hand, and he said, 'My Lord, the sins which this soul hath committed since its youth are in my hand; dost Thou wish me, O my Lord, to recite its sins from the time when it was ten years old?' And the Judge said unto the angel of the soul, 'O angel, I do not seek to know what sins it hath committed since the time when it was ten years of age or fifteen; on the contrary, I only ask thee concerning the sins which it hath committed in this year, the year in which it died. I swear unto thee by Myself, and by My angels, and by My hosts, that if the soul repented in that same year in which it died, I will forget all the sins which it committed in the time that preceded it.'

7 And God called Uriël and Suriël, and said unto them, 'I wish you to bring these souls into the midst'; and straightway they brought them, and the soul looked at them, and recognized them. And God the Judge said unto the soul, 'Dost thou know these [souls] who have been brought into My presence?' And the soul answered and said, 'Yea, my Lord.' And God said unto the soul, 'What didst thou do unto them?' And the soul said, 'A year hath not yet passed since I slew [this soul], and shed its blood on the earth. And this other soul I slew by means of fornication. I took everything which it had by violence, and I rewarded it with a multitude of evils instead of all the good things which it had done unto me.' And the Judge answered, saying, 'If a man doeth violence to another man, and the man dieth, watch is kept until the man who hath done the violence cometh, and then they (the two souls) are presented before the Judge of Truth so that each one may receive according to his works.' And I heard a voice saying, 'Give this soul over into the hand of the governor of the abyss of Amente, and let him torture it until the day of the Great Judgement.' And I heard the tens of thousands of tens of thousands of the angels praising and blessing God, saying, 'Righteous art Thou, O Lord, and true are Thy judgements.'

8 And the angel answered and said unto me, 'O Paul, thou chosen one of God, hast thou seen all these things?' And I said, 'Yea, my lord.' And he said unto me, 'Follow thou me now, and I will take thee and shew thee the place of abode of all the angels.' Then I went with the angel, and ne he took me to the Third Heaven, and he set me by a gate, and I saw that that gate was of gold throughout. And I saw two pillars of gold before the gate, and there were tablets of gold, which were full of (i.e. covered with) writing upon the pillars. And the angel turned and said unto me, 'Blessed art thou, O Paul, for they shall take thee inside this gate. It is not permitted to every one to enter inside it, [and none doeth so] except the fortunate, and the innocent, and those who have in them no wickedness whatsoever.' And I said unto the angel, 'What are these things which are written upon these tablets?' And he said unto me, 'These are the names of all the righteous who serve God with all their heart.' And I said unto the angel, 'My lord, are their names really written in heaven before they have come forth from the world?' And the angel answered and said unto me, 'Not only are the names of those who serve God with their whole heart [written] in heaven, but the form [of each of them] is in heaven, and the angels recognize it, and they say, "This is [the form of] the man who serveth God with his whole heart," before he leaveth [this] world.'

9 And when the gate was opened, behold, an old man, whose face shone like the sun, drew nigh unto me straightway, saying, 'Hail, Paul, thou beloved of God!' And he smiled and [kissed] me at first, but afterwards he ceased to smile, and he wept. And I Paul was troubled, and I said unto him, 'My father, wherefore dost thou weep?' And he answered and said unto me, 'I am distressed in heart because of this name of "man". Many are the promises of God and His good gifts, but not very many men shall partake of them.' And I said unto the angel, 'Who is this, my lord?' And the angel answered and said unto me, 'This is Enoch, the scribe of righteousness.' And immediately I had passed inside that place I saw another being, namely, Helias (Elijah), who came and saluted me, and he was smiling; and afterwards he ceased to smile, and he wept. And he said unto me, 'O Paul, come and see, for the labours which thou hast wrought for mankind have been accepted from thy hands. Many are the good gifts of God and His promises, but not very many men shall partake of them; for only at certain seasons, and at certain times, one by one are they fit [to enter] these places.' And the angel answered and said unto me, 'The things which thou hast seen in this place thou shalt not reveal [whilst thou art] in the flesh; but follow thou me, and I will shew thee that which thou mayest make manifest.'

10 And he brought me out from this gate, and took me to the Second [Gate], and he led me into the firmament, and took me to the place where the sun riseth. And I looked and I saw the foundations of heaven which were [resting] upon a river of water, and the river of water was encircling the whole world. And I said unto the angel, 'My lord, what is this river of water which encircleth all this world?' And he said unto me, 'This is the river "Ocean".' And immediately I had gone beyond Ocean, I discovered that it was the light of the sun that illumined that country, and that the country was seven times brighter than silver. And I said unto the angel, 'What is this place?' And he said unto me, 'This is the country of inheritance. Hast thou never heard [the words], "Blessed are the meek in spirit, for it is they who shall inherit the earth?"' When the souls of the righteous come forth from their bodies to meet God they are placed in this country.' And I said unto the angel, 'Shall this country then appear after a time?' And the angel answered and said unto me, 'When the Christ shall appear in His kingdom, this country [also] shall appear above this, like a breath of the dew. God knoweth all His saints, and the Christ shall reign over [them] for a great number of years, and they shall eat of the good things of the country, the which I shall now shew you.'

11 And I looked out on that country, and [I saw] a river now flowing with milk and honey, and on this side of the river and on that were growing trees that were laden with fruit. And I looked to the east, and I discovered every kind of thing which God had created in that place. I saw palm trees growing there, and each one was wholly different from the other; some of them were thirty cubits in height, and some of them twenty, and some of them ten, and the ground whereon they were growing was seven times whiter than silver. From the root of each tree up to its heart there were ten thousand branches with tens of thousands of clusters, and there were ten thousand clusters on each branch, and there were ten thousand dates in each cluster. And thus was it also with the vines. Each vine had ten thousand branches, and each branch had upon it [ten thousand] bunches of grapes, and each bunch had in it ten thousand grapes. And there were other trees there, tens of thousands of tens of thousands of them, and their fruit was in the same proportion.

12 And again I said unto the angel, 'My lord, why is it that the fruits of these trees are tens of thousands of tens of thousands in number?' And he answered and said unto me, 'O Paul, thou beloved of the Christ, God giveth with all His heart unto those who are appointed to receive them (His gifts), that is to say, those who have suffered wrongfully for His Name's sake.' And again I said unto the angel, 'My lord, are these the promised things which [God] hath Prepared for His saints?' And he said unto me, 'There are things which are seven times better than these. I testify unto thee, O Paul, that when the righteous come out of the body, and see the promised things of God which have been prepared for them, they are wont to heave sighs and to weep, saying, Wherefore did the matter come forth from our months, or why was I angry with my neighbour one day?' And I said unto the angel, 'My lord, are there then other promised things which are superior to these?' And the angel said unto me, 'These promised things appertain to the world, and they are kept for men of holy marriage; but those who are chaste and are virgins shall receive the things which are seven times more splendid. As for the things which are there, I will shew them all to thee.'

13 And he took me to the eastern side of the river of good things, and I looked and I saw that the water of this river was very much whiter than milk, and I said unto the angel, 'My lord, what is this?' And he said unto me, 'This is the Archêerousa Lake. The City of the Saints which the Father built for His Only-begotten Son Jesus, the Christ, lieth to the east of all these. It is not permitted unto every man to enter therein. And the Archêerousa Lake hath been placed on this road for the following reason: If a man who is a fornicator or a sinner turneth away [from his sin] and repenteth, and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance, when he cometh 14 forth from the body he first of all worshippeth God, and then he is delivered over into the hand of Michael, and he washeth himself in the Archêerousa Lake, and he is then taken into the city to those who have never committed sin.' And I Paul marvelled, and I blessed God because of the things which I had seen. And the angel said unto me, 'Follow thou me, Paul, and I will take thee into the city of the Christ.' And when we had arrived at the Archêerousa Lake he made me embark in a ship of gold, with a prow of silver, and cordage and tackle of gold, and sails of silver; and the ship was inlaid with precious stones, and it was manned by three thousand angels. Then the angels sang to me, and they took me into the city of the Christ, and those who were in the city came forth to greet me with great joy. And I saw the city of the Christ, which shone with light that was seven times brighter than that of the sun. It was built wholly of gold, and was encircled by twelve walls [built of] precious stones; and there was a tower built inside each wall, and the circumference of each wall was one hundred stadia. And I said unto the angel, 'My lord, how great is the stadium of God?' And the angel said unto me, 'The stadium is equal to one stage on the road (or, a day's journey). And in the interior of the city there is every …' of this

15 world. And four rivers encircle the city. The river on the western side of the city is of honey, the river on the southern side of the city is of milk, the river on the eastern side of the city is of wine, and the river on the northern side of the city is of oil.' And I said unto the angel, 'What are these rivers which encircle the city?' And the angel answered and said unto me, 'The four rivers which encircle this city resemble the four rivers which are upon the earth. With that which floweth with honey the Phison is to be compared, with that which floweth with milk the Euphrates is to be compared, with that which floweth with wine the Geon (Gihon) is to be compared, and with that which floweth with oil the Tigris is to be compared. And since the righteous do not seek to obtain their freedom upon the earth, and since they suffer hunger, and are athirst, and endure violence for God's sake, for this reason God giveth unto them the good things that are in this city ten thousandfold.'

16 And when I had gone into that city I found great trees growing before the gate of the city, and there was no fruit upon them, and nothing except leaves. And certain of the men who were under the trees were naked, and whensoever the trees saw a man they bowed themselves down [before him], and then raised themselves up again. And when I saw them I wept. And I said unto the angel, 'What is the matter of A few words seem to be wanting in the manuscript. 17 with these [men] that they are not allowed in this city?' And the angel said unto me, 'It is not meet to weep for these more than for all the rest of the world.' And I said unto him, 'What is the matter with these [men]?' And he said unto me, 'These are men who are specially set apart. They do works and they fast, but they are more proud than all other men. They make themselves out to be the only people who are justified, and they treat with contempt those who are their neighbours. If they feel the desire they give salutation to men; if they do not feel the desire they salute no man, no matter who he may be. If they feel the desire they open their mouths to men, and if they do not feel the desire to do so they do not open them. If any one [of them] doeth a favour to a man he exalteth himself over him, saying, "I am he who nourished thee with my goods."' And I said unto the angel, 'Is it not then pride which hath corrupted them, and which doth not permit them to go into the city of the Christ?' And he said unto me, 'Pride is the root of every evil.

18 These have not made themselves like unto the Son of God Who came in humility.' And I said unto the angel, 'Wherefore do the trees bow themselves low and then raise themselves up?' And the angel answered and said, 'In times of old they were on [the earth], and they worshipped God, and one day they bowed themselves because of the disgrace of man, for they cannot endure the pride which is in him.' And I said unto the angel, 'How were they (the naked men) placed in front of the city?' And he said unto me, 'They were set in this place through the goodness of God. Furthermore, this is the road whereby the saints enter into the city. When the Christ, the King of the Worlds, shall appear at His [second] coming, all the righteous shall find favour with them (the saints), and they (the men) shall be taken into [the city] for a time, but they shall not enjoy full freedom in the same degree as those who have passed their whole time in serving God in all humility.' And the angel drew me to the river which is to the west of the city. In the gate I found Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and Amos, and Micah, and the Lesser and the Greater Prophets, and they saluted me inside the city. And I said unto the angel, 'Who are these, my lord?' And he said unto me, 'This is the Road of the Prophets.

19 Every man who loseth his soul for God's sake, and who doth not do what he willeth for the world's sake, when he cometh forth from the body he goeth into the presence of God, and worshippeth Him. And He delivereth him over into the hand of Michael, who taketh him into this city, [where] the Prophets salute him, saying, "He is our son, because he hath done the Will of God upon the earth; he shall inherit these things"...' 20 the good... of the Lord God took me to the river of milk which was to the south of the city, and I found all the little children whom Herod had slain for the sake of the Name of the Christ, and they all kissed me. And I said unto the angel, 'My lord, it is not permitted to every man to abide with these holy children, is it?' And the angel said, 'All those who keep their virginity, and are pure and without blemish, when they go forth from the body are taken to worship God, and they are then given into the hand of Michael, who bringeth them unto this place, and giveth them into the hands of this multitude of little children, who kiss them as their fellow members and brethren, and they receive an inheritance with them in the city of the Christ Jesus for ever.'

21 And [the angel] took me to the river of wine which is to the east of the city, and I found there Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and they kissed me. And I said unto the angel, 'Who are these?' And the angel said, 'When all those who have received strangers hospitably go forth from the body, they depart to the presence of God, and worship Him, and He giveth them into the hand of Michael, who taketh them into the city. And all the righteous salute each man on the way, saying, "O our son and brother, receive ye our hospitality. Come ye and inherit the city of the Lord our God, each according to his work." And each man findeth men to take them into the city of the Christ Jesus, Jerusalem.' And I looked and saw certain men in the gate singing psalms and hymns, and ascribing glory to God, and they were rejoicing greatly. And I said unto the angel, 'Who are these?' And he answered, saying, 'These are they who went to God without the hypocrisy of men in them. All those who rejoice and sing psalms and hymns to God with their whole hearts are brought into this gate, and are set in this city, and they are placed with the saints who sing to the Christ always.'

22 And [the angel] took me into the middle of the city, to the Twelfth Wall (or, tower), and I found it to be the most splendid of them all. There was such great glory in that Wall that no being of flesh could describe the magnificence and splendour thereof. And I said unto the angel, 'Is there not in this place one part which is the best of all?' And the angel said unto me, 'O Paul, thou chosen one of God, behold, the Second Wall is better than the First Wall, and the Third Wall is better than the Second Wall, and all the Walls are better, each than the preceding, up to the Twelfth Wall.' And I said unto the angel, 'My lord, make me to know the meaning of this matter, for I do not understand it.' And the angel said unto me, 'If there be any man in whom there existeth the least wish to slander, or to feel envy or pride, he is stripped of his honour in the city of the Christ.'

23 And, moreover, I saw certain thrones of gold which were set about in divers places, and there were crowns of glory lying on the top of the thrones. And I looked and I saw the Twelfth Wall, and I saw …the thrones, the magnificence of which I cannot possibly describe. And I said unto the angel, 'My lord, who are they who shall sit in this place on these thrones?' And the angel said unto me, 'They are the inept and useless men, and the simple-minded, who make themselves to be foolish for God's sake. They are those who know very little indeed of the Scriptures and the Psalms, in fact nothing except the passages which they hear from the Scriptures through men of God; nevertheless they perform many religious labours, their hearts being right with God. And the righteous who are within the city of the Christ marvel, saying, Look and see these ignorant folk who have no knowledge of the Scriptures, and how they have received

24 this great honour from God because of their foolishness!' And I Paul saw in the midst of the city a large altar which was of very great height, and there was a man standing before the altar, and his face was shining like the sun, and there was a harp of gold and a psaltery of gold in his hand, and he was crying out 'Hallelujah!' and those who were on the gate and those who were on the Wall were answering him and crying out 'Hallelujah!' and the foundations of the city were shaken. And I said unto the angel, 'My lord, who is this who is so mighty?' And the angel answered and said unto me, 'This is David, the father of the Christ according to the flesh. And this [city] is the heavenly Jerusalem, and when the Christ God sheweth Himself in His kingdom, David the king must play music so that the righteous may answer him and cry "Hallelujah!".' And I said unto the angel, 'My lord, why is David the only one who playeth a harp, and why do not all the righteous [play harps]?' And the angel said unto me, 'The Christ, our Lord, sitteth on the right hand of the Father in the heavens, and David playeth to Him in the Seventh Heaven, according to the manner in

25 which he played upon earth. Without David the Prophet it is impossible to offer up a sacrifice in any place. He playeth the harp over the flesh of the Christ and over His Holy Blood, according to the manner of his doing in heaven.' And I answered and said unto the angel, 'My lord, what is [the meaning of] "Hallelujah?"' And he said unto me, 'Paul, thou master of the Church, rightly dost thou enquire concerning everything. Now the word "Hallelujah" is the Hebrew for "Give glory unto God, Who hath created everything"; and the interpretation thereof is, "Let us bless God together." And I answered and said unto the angel, 'Then any man who saith "Hallelujah" blesseth God?' And he said, 'Yea, [and he also] saith, "Give glory to the Lord."' And I said unto the angel, 'Then he who saith "Hallelujah" hath no need to translate the word?' And the angel said unto me, 'If a man be suffering from sickness there is no blame [attached] to him if he doth not make answer, and if he hath waxed old there is no blame [attached] to him; but if he be strong and vigorous, and he answer not, this man is arrogant and contemptuous, and he is unworthy to bless Him Who created him.'

26 Then he brought me out of the city into the middle of a wood, and from thence to the Acherausian Lake. And he brought me through a good country to the river of milk and honey, and he brought me to the ocean that supporteth the sky, and he took me up into the sky. And the angel said unto me, 'Paul, Paul, dost thou know where thou art now?' And I said unto him, 'Yea, my lord.' And the angel answered and said unto me, 'Follow me, and I will shew thee where they take the souls of wicked men and sinners when they die.' And I went with the angel, and he took me to the place where the sun setteth, and I discovered the foundations of the heavens firmly laid on the river of water. And I said unto the angel, 'What is [this] river of water whereon the sky resteth firmly?' And he said unto me, 'This is the Ocean. This is the river that goeth round the whole world.' And when I had come beyond the Ocean, I saw nothing whatsoever, in that place except misery, and sighing, and sorrow of heart, and gloom, and darkness, and smoke (or, mist),

27 and destruction. And I Paul looked and I saw a large desolate region which had been dried up by a burning wind, and was awful to contemplate; and it was [full of] pits and deep holes in the ground. There was a pit which had been dug to a depth of one hundred cubits, there was a pit which had been dug to a depth of fifty cubits, there was a pit which had been dug to a depth of thirty cubits, there was a pit which had been dug to a depth of twenty cubits, and there was a pit which had been dug so deep that [its end] reached the confines of the abyss. There was a pit filled with dragons, there was a pit filled with ice (or, snow), there was a pit filled with pitch and sulphur which boiled up like [the water in] a boiling cauldron, and from which portions of pitch and sulphur

28 pā belched up [into the air] to a height of thirty cubits, there was a pit filled with worms (or, serpents), which stank exceedingly, there was a pit filled with some most horrible liquid, there was a pit filled with fire, the flame of which was like unto leeks in colour, there was a pit the smoke of which rose up to the very firmament, and there was a pit over which the angels of death presided. 29 And I Paul looked and I saw a great river of fire upon the surface of which rolled many waves. And there was a multitude of men and women immersed therein: some were immersed up to their knees, and some were immersed up to their waist, and some were immersed up to their lips, and some were immersed up to their hair. And I answered and said unto the angel, 'My lord, who are these in these rivers of fire?' And the angel answered and said unto me, 'These are they who never governed themselves, and those who never gave away a cup of cold water, and those who never joined themselves wholly to the righteous, and those who never joined themselves wholly to sinners; and they themselves destroyed their own lives upon earth. They were in the habit of passing a few days in worshipping God, and then they would pass a few days in committing sin and in fornication; and they ceased not from their sins until they died in the middle of them.' And I answered and said unto the angel, 'Who are these who are immersed up to their knees?' And the angel said unto me, 'These are they who used to go out of church and occupy themselves with works of various kinds, and commit sin daily. Those who are immersed up to their waists are those who used to receive the Body of the Christ and His Holy Blood, and go away and commit fornication, and ceased not from their sins. Those who are immersed up to their lips are those who used to slander the church and their own houses. Those who are immersed up to their hair are those who were wont to deride each other with crooked counsel, and to behave deceitfully towards each other.'

30 To the west of this river of fire there was a place of torture, which was filled with men and women, and the river of fire flowed on over them. And I Paul looked and I saw a hollow place which went downwards for a depth of thrice ten thousand cubits, and in it souls were heaped up one above the other, and one generation above the other, and they were all heaving sighs and weeping, and saying, 'Have mercy upon us, O Lord,' but no mercy whatsoever was shewn unto them. And I said unto the angel, 'Who are these, my lord?' And he answered, saying, 'These are they who never made God their helper in the time of tribulation.' And I said unto the angel, 'Since there are thirty or forty generations [heaped] one above the other, surely the depth of the pit must be very great?' And the angel said unto me, 'I testify unto thee, O Paul, that this pit goeth downwards, even to the very confines of the abyss, and that it boileth inside it, like [the waters of a boiling] cauldron.' And the angel said unto me, 'O Paul, I swear unto thee by God, that if thou wert to cast down into it a piece of stone it would scarcely reach the bottom in one hundred years.' And I Paul heaved a sigh, and I wept over the whole race of mankind. And

31 p the angel said unto me, 'Why dost thou weep, O Paul? Thou canst not be more merciful than God. For God knoweth that the Judgement will come, and therefore He waiteth patiently for each man until he hath performed his wish upon the earth.' Then I looked at the river of fire, and I saw an old man who was being dragged along, and they immersed him up to his knees. And the angel Aftemeloukhos came with a great fork of fire which had three prongs, and with it he dragged out the entrails of the old man through his mouth. And I said unto the angel, 'Who is this old man who is made to suffer so severely?' And the angel said unto me, 'This is an elder who did not fully act up to the name that had been conferred upon him. He ate, he drank, and he committed fornication, and then went to offer up the Sacrifice upon earth.'

32 And I looked and behold, I saw a little to the other side an old man, whom the Four Angels of wrath were dragging along, and they were running by him, and they immersed him in the river of fire up to his knees, and flashes of fire were beating upon his face like these storm winds, and they did not permit him to say, 'Have mercy upon me,' at all. And I said unto the angel, 'My lord, who is this?' And he said unto me, 'This is a bishop who did not fulfil satisfactorily the duties of his bishoprick. Although the august name of bishop had been conferred upon him, he did not even for one day give a right judgement, neither did he walk in the goodness of God, Who had conferred his title of bishop upon him, nor did he do good unto the widow and orphan. He was an enemy of man, and the things which appertained to God were not in his heart, and therefore he is rewarded according to his works.'

33 And I looked once again at my side, at the river of fire, and I saw another man who was being immersed up to his knees; his hands were stained with blood, the worms crawled out of his mouth and nostrils, and he was heaving sighs and weeping, saying, 'I am being treated more unjustly than all the others who are suffering torture.' And I said unto the angel, 'Who is this, my lord?' And the angel said unto me, 'This is a deacon who committed fornication with women who did not belong to him, and he did not act rightly before God. He ate the Offerings fearlessly, and he wasted himself in every kind of worthless manner. He held not in reverence the day wherein the title [of deacon] was conferred upon him, and the Blood of the Christ was in his hands. He destroyed his whole life, and he repented not until he died; for this reason he shall abide in these tortures which shall long endure.'

34 And again I looked at my side, at the river of fire, and I saw one by the side of whom [the angels of wrath] were running, and they dragged him along, and they immersed him in the river of fire up to his lips. And a pitiless angel came with a red-hot instrument, and he burned away his tongue and his lips little by little. And I heaved a sigh, and I wept, and I said unto the angel, 'Who is this, my lord?' And he said unto me, 'This is a reader whose duty it was to teach the people, but he did not act in accordance with the things which he read to them, and with the commandments of God.' And again I looked, and I saw pits by the river of fire wherein men and women were immersed, and the worms were eating them, and they were sighing and weeping; and I also wept and sighed. And the angel said unto me, 'O Paul, thou chosen one of God, what seest thou?' And I said unto the angel, 'Who are these, my lord?' And he said unto me, 'These are the people who took usury and devoted their minds to their riches, and did not make God their helper.' And

35 pe I Paul saw another region which had been parched by a hot wind, and it was very spacious, and there were men and women also there, and they were gnawing their tongues. And I said unto the angel, 'Who are these, my lord?' And he said unto me, 'These are they who used to slander the Church. They paid no heed to the Word of God, but provoked God and His angels; therefore they shall receive this torture which shall endure.' And I saw also a pool in the pit which was of the colour of blood. And I said unto the angel, 'My lord, who are those who have suffered [here]?' And he said unto me, 36 'This is the pool into which floweth the blood of those who suffer torture.' And I saw certain men and women who were immersed [in the blood] up to their knees, and certain others were immersed up to their lips. And I said unto the angel, 'Who are these, my lord?' And he said unto me, 'These are the magicians who worked enchantments on men and women, and they will be left here to suffer until they die.' And I looked again and I saw some other men who were immersed up to their waists, and they were exceedingly black, yea, seven times blacker than sackcloth, and they were low down in the valley of fire, and were suffering grievous torments. And again I heaved sighs and wept. And I said unto the angel, 'Who are these, my lord?' And he said unto me, 'These are the women who used to commit fornication with strange men, although they had their own husbands available, and the men who [used to commit fornication with strange women, although they] had their own wives available. Therefore shall they receive this torture which shall endure for ever.' And again I looked and I saw some tender virgins wearing filthy garments, and the Four Angels were stripping them. And they had collars (or, necklaces) of fire in their hands, and they were putting them on their necks, and they were being taken to places of darkness, and they were heaving sighs and weeping. And I said unto the angel, 'Who are these, my lord?' And he said unto me, 'These are they who defiled their virginity before they were given to [their] husbands and before they were of age to be married, neither did their parents know of their doings. Therefore do they receive this punishment which shall last for ever.'

37 And again I looked and I saw some men and women with their hands and feet cut off in a place of coldness, and worms were devouring them; and I heaved a sigh and wept. And I said unto the angel, 'Who are these, my lord?' And he said unto me, 'These are they who oppressed and wronged the poor and the orphans, and who did not make God their hope and help; therefore shall they receive this punishment for ever.' And I looked again and I saw some others who were exhausted through their craving for water, and whose tongues were parched with thirst, and who were not allowed to drink. And fruits from gardens had been set before them, but they were not permitted to eat thereof. And I said unto the angel, 'Who are these, my lord, who are not permitted either to eat or to drink?' And he said unto me, 'These are they who broke [their] fast before it had been kept by them; therefore they shall receive this punishment for ever.'

38 And I saw some men and some women suspended head downwards; and great torches of fire were burning before their faces, and dragon-serpents were girt about their bodies and were devouring them. And I said unto the angel, 'Who are these, my lord, who are suffering in this terrible manner?' And the angel said unto me, 'These are the women who used to beautify themselves with the paints and unguents of the Devil, and then go to church to find occasions for committing adultery, and not [to seek] their lawful husbands; and through their deceitful paints and unguents they made God their enemy. Therefore shall they receive this punishment which shall endure for ever.' And I Paul looked again and I saw other men and other P 39 P H women who were immersed [in fire], and [lying on] gridirons of fire. They were wearing black raiment, and they were blind, and they were [all] going to one pit, which was filled with fire. And I said unto the angel, 'Who are these, my lord?' And the angel said unto me, 'These are the godless heathen who never knew God; therefore shall they receive this punishment which shall last [for ever].' And I also saw some other men and women laid out upon gridirons of fire, and savage carnivorous beasts were tearing out their entrails and devouring them, and they were not once permitted to say, 'Have mercy upon us.' And the angel who was over the punishments, who was Aftemeloukhos, rebuked them, saying, 'Remember ye the Judgements of the Son of God, which were declared unto you, but unto which ye would not listen; they were described to you, but ye would not accept the report of the same. Therefore it is not the severity of the Judgement of the Son of God, but your own deeds which have brought you to this place of punishment.' And I heaved a sigh and I wept, and I said unto the angel, 'Who are these?' And he said unto me, 'These are the widows and the virgins who have killed the image of God, and who have abused their bodies by means of fornication; and with them, and suffering the same punishment, are the men who had carnal intercourse with them.

40 And their children whom they put to death made an accusation against them to the Angel who is over the Judgement, saying, "Mete out judgement on our parents for our sakes, for they destroyed the image of God. And although they bore Thy name, that is to say Christian', they did not perform Thy commandments; but they also cast us to their dogs, and to their swine, and did not permit us to grow up into righteous men and to serve God. And the little ones who had been slain were given to the Angel who was over the punishments so that he might take them to a place which was spacious, wherefrom they could see their parents who were enduring the punishments which shall last for ever.' 41 And I looked again and I saw some other men and women, and they were arrayed in pieces of sackcloth saturated with pitch and sulphur. And serpents of fire were coiling themselves round their necks, and their arms, and their feet, and the pitiless angels were dragging them along, and were thrusting into them the horns of fire which were on their foreheads, and they reviled them, saying, 'It was possible for you to know God, and to worship Him, and ye did not worship [Him].' And again I said unto the angel, 'Who are these, my lord?' And the angel said unto me, 'These are they who withdrew themselves from the world, and who donned the garb of the Christ, but the possessions of the world and the cares thereof made them miserable beings. They never performed an act of charity any day. They never shewed mercy to a widow and to an orphan on the same day. They never received a stranger into their houses. They never did a kindness to their neighbour. Never did a pure prayer of their own ascend to God from them. Never because of their anxiety about their possessions did they act in a right manner before God.'

42 And he who was over the punishments carried them from this side to that, and all those who were suffering punishments looked at them. And those who were suffering punishments said unto them, 'We are suffering punishments because when we were in the world Satan was with us, but what do ye here in this place?' And again [the Angel who was over the punishments] sent them to another place, and those who were suffering punishment there also said unto them, 'Right well do we know that we are sinners, whereas ye carry upon yourselves the Name of God, but it is only by word of mouth: therefore shall ye receive this punishment for ever.' And I heaved a sigh and I wept, saying, 'Woe to the race of men! Pol. pi Woe unto the sinner who is born into this world!' And the angel answered and said unto me, 'O Paul, why dost pix thou weep? Wouldst thou be more compassionate than God? God knoweth that there is judgement to come, and for this reason He alloweth each one to do what he pleaseth upon the earth.' And great grief fell upon me, and [I shed] tears. And the angel said unto me, 'Why dost thou weep, O Paul, before thou seest the Great Judgement? Follow thou me, however, and I will shew thee [punishments] which are seven times more [terrible] than these.'

43 Then he took me to the place where all kinds of punishments were inflicted. He took me to the pit of the abyss, and I found it sealed with seven seals of fire. And the angel who accompanied me said unto him that was over the pit of the abyss, 'Open the pit in order that Paul, the beloved of God, may see it, for he is to be permitted to see everything relating to the punishments which he wisheth to see.' And the angel said unto me, 'Withdraw thyself a little way because thou wilt not be able to bear the evil stench.' And immediately he uncovered the pit of the abyss the strong fumes of an evil stench rose up from the pit, and it was far worse than all the torturings. And I looked down into the pit, and I found that it was filled throughout and heaped up everywhere with masses of fire which were blazing in all directions, and I saw that it would be most difficult even for

44 one person to descend into it without the greatest danger. pix And the angel said unto me, 'When a man is cast down into this pit as a punishment, the remembrance of him never ascendeth before the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and before all the angels.' And I said unto the angel, 'Who are those who are cast down into this pit?' And he said unto me, 'Every one who saith that Jesus hath not come in the flesh, and that He was not brought forth by Mary, the Holy Virgin; and those who say that the bread and the wine over which the Name of God is pronounced are not the Body of the Christ and His Blood; and all those who deny their baptism, and who pollute their seal with violence; this shall be their place of habitation for ever.' Now the distance of each one from the other was a cubit of length.

45 At a distance from the foundation thereof I saw some men and women who were living among ice and snow, and were gnashing their teeth. And I said unto the angel, 'My lord, who are these who are living in this place of torment?' And he said unto me, 'These are they who say that the Christ hath not risen from the dead, and that this flesh [of ours] cannot rise [from the dead].' And I said unto the angel, 'Is there nothing at all except the gnashing of the teeth and ice, which those which are in this place possess? Is there no heat at all here?' And the angel said unto me, 'Nothing at all; ice and snow are the only things that exist in this place.' And I said unto the angel, 'If the sun were to rise upon them would they become warm?' The angel said unto me, 'If seven suns were to rise upon them they would never become warm, because of the ice and snow which are over them.' Then I spread out my hands, and I heaved a sigh, and I wept, saying, 'It is far better not to have begotten a wicked man upon the earth than to have done so.' And straightway when the men and women saw me weeping they all cried out, and those who were suffering punishments, both those who were inside and those who were outside, wept.

46 And I Paul looked and I saw the heavens opened, and I saw Michael, the [Arch]angel of the Covenant, come forth from heaven with all the hosts of the angels, and all the angels cast themselves down on their faces. And when all those who were suffering punishments saw them they wept, and they said unto him, 'Have mercy upon us, O Archangel of the Covenant, thou compassionate one, who dost pray for mankind at all times; the world is at peace through thee, O Michael. We see the Judgement, and we know the Son of God. If only it had been possible for thee to have healed 47 pix us before we came to this place which is full of suffering! We heard that the Judgement was to take place before we came forth from the body, and we did not occupy ourselves with the things of the world. Permit us, O Michael, to repent.' And Michael answered and said, 'Hear me, O ye who are suffering punishments, and hear Michael speak, who standeth at all times before God. As God liveth, Whom I serve, and as the Lord liveth before Whom I stand, neither a day nor a night hath passed wherein [I have] not prayed on behalf of the race of men. Michael prayeth in heaven, and meanwhile men carry on their plays and amusements upon the earth, and their fornications, and those who are upon the earth do not assist Michael. O men, ye passed all your time upon the earth and did not repent. I am he who maketh entreaty to the Lord until He sendeth to you dew out of heaven. I am he who prayeth unto God until the abyss openeth its mouth, and poureth out water upon the earth, and it giveth its fruits. I testify unto you that when a man doeth one small good thing, I become unto him a strong defence and helper, until he is delivered from punishments. Where now are your prayers? Where is your repentance? Where are your charities which ye have done? Ye have wasted your time which ye have passed upon the earth. Weep ye therefore, O men, and I myself will weep, and the angels also, and Paul also, the beloved of God, will weep with you. Perhaps He Who is compassionate will grant unto you a little respite.'

48 And again those who were suffering punishments lifted up their voices and wept, and again they heaved sighs, according to the commandment of Michael, saying, 'Have mercy upon us, O Son of the Living God.' And Paul himself also cried out, saying, 'O my Lord Jesus the Christ, have compassion upon Thy created beings.' Then Michael, followed by ten thousand angels, cast himself down before God, saying, 'Have compassion upon Thy created beings! Have compassion upon Thine image! Have compassion upon the sons of Adam!' And I looked and I saw heaven shake, even like a tree which is shaken by the wind. And when they had cast themselves down before the throne of God, I saw the Four and Twenty Elders and the Four Beasts cast themselves down. And I saw the altar and the veil cast themselves down, and I heard a voice, saying, 'Why do ye pray to Me and to My ministering angels?' And a voice [spake], saying, 'We make entreaty on behalf of mankind, and we await Thy loving-kindness and compassion.' And I saw the heavens open, and the Son of God came forth from heaven, and He had a crown upon His head. And when those who were suffering punishments

49 saw Him they cried out, saying, 'Have mercy upon us, O Son of the Living God. Thou hast given rest to the denizens of pie heaven, and to those who are upon the earth, grant rest even unto us; for from the moment wherein we saw Thee rest hath come to us.' And straightway the voice of the Son of God went forth among all those who were suffering punishments, saying, 'What good things have ye ever done upon earth that I should give you rest? They poured out My Blood for your sakes, but ye did not repent. They set a crown of thorns upon My Head, but ye did not repent. The hands which fashioned you had nails driven through them for your sakes, but ye did not repent. I asked for some water to drink, and they brought unto Me gall and honey. I was nailed to the Cross, but ye did not repent. They pierced My right side with a spear for your sakes, but ye did not repent. All My prophets and righteous men were put to death for your sakes, but ye did not repent. In all these things repentance was given unto you, but ye would not repent. But, for the sake of Michael and My beloved Paul, I do not wish to grieve you, and those (i. e. Michael and Paul) offer up offerings on your behalf, and on behalf of your children and brethren, for there is one among them who performeth My commandments. And because of My goodness, and

50 because I rose from the dead [on that day], I will give unto you rest upon the Lord's Day every week, and during the fifty days which follow the [day of the] Resurrection, whereon I rose from the dead.' Then all those who were suffering punishments cried out, saying, 'We bless Thee, O Jesus, the Son of the Living God, for the day of rest to us is worth more than the whole of our life which we led upon earth before we knew that such sufferings as these existed. If we had known that all these sufferings were to come upon us, we should not have bought, neither should we have sold, and we should have done nothing whatsoever upon the earth. For [what] benefit to us is it to be born into the world? Behold, verily [our life] is [like unto] the breath which each draweth into his mouth! With us [here] there are the tears which we shed, and the worm which is under us, and they cause us more suffering than the judgement under which we are.' And the Angel who was over the punishments rebuked them, saying, 'Why do ye weep and cry out? There is no mercy in us towards you, because ye did not make God your help and hope, and there is no mercy for you in the Judgement on the part of him that sheweth not mercy. Mercy shall reach you only on the night of the Lord's Day, because of Paul, the beloved of God, who hath been brought into this place.'

51 And the angel said unto me, 'Paul, thou chosen one of God, hast thou seen all these things?' And I said unto him, 'Yea, my lord.' And he said unto me, 'Follow thou me now, and I will take thee into Paradise, and all the righteous will behold thee with joy and gladness, for all the righteous are ready to come forth for thy sake.' And I accompanied the angel, and he caught me up in the spirit, and took me to Paradise. And the angel said unto me, 'O Paul, thou shalt see the place whereunto I shall take thee. Paradise is in that place, the place wherein Adam and his wife transgressed.' And when I had drawn nigh unto Paradise, I saw the beginnings of the four rivers in that place. And the angel made a sign to me, saying, 'This is Phison, which surroundeth the whole country of Eueilat (Havilah). [This is] Geôn (Gihon), which surroundeth the whole country of the peoples of Cush. This is Tigris, which floweth towards [the country of] the Assyrians. [This is] Euphrates, which floweth towards Mesopotamia.' And immediately I had gone into Paradise I saw a tree growing, and the root thereof poured forth water [like] a spring, and it supplied water to the four heads of the four rivers. And the Spirit of God blew upon the trees, and when the water flowed forth the Spirit cried out. And I said unto the angel, 'My lord, what is this tree which poureth out water?' And the angel answered and said unto me, 'At the time when as yet God had not made the heavens and the earth, nothing at all existed except water; and the Spirit of God used to come (i. e. breathe) upon the water. When God had made the heavens and the earth, the Spirit [breathed] first on the waters, and secondly on [this] tree, and when the Spirit breathed [upon it] the waters flowed out.'

52 And the angel took me by my hand, and brought me into the middle of Paradise. He shewed me the Tree of Knowledge of what is good and what is evil, and he said unto me, 'This is the tree through which death came into the world. This is the tree of [the fruit of] which Adam ate, and through which ultimately death came upon every man.' And he also shewed me [another] which was growing in the middle of Paradise, and he said unto me, 'This is the Tree of Life.' And there was a Cherubim with a revolving sword of fire by the tree. And as soon as I stood still to gaze at the beauty of the Tree of Life, I looked and I saw a virgin appear, and three angels who were singing to her. And I answered and said unto the angel, 'Who is this virgin, my lord?' And he said unto me, 'This is Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, who dwelleth amid this great

53 splendour.' And when she had drawn nigh unto me, she said unto me, 'Hail, Paul, thou beloved of God! Hail, beloved Paul, beloved of angels and men! Hail, Paul, who wast a herald of the truth in the heavens and upon the earth! All the righteous make entreaty to my Son, Jesus the Christ, Who is my Lord, saying, "Grant Thou our entreaty, and do Thou bring Paul up to Thyself, so that we may see him in the flesh, before he cometh forth from the body. And my beloved Son said unto them, "Be patient for a little time, and he shall be with you for ever. And they all said with one mouth, "Do not cause us grief, O our Lord. We desire to see in the flesh Paul, who hath received such a great measure of this great glory, and who supporteth these great ones and these little ones. When each one cometh into this kingdom he asketh whether this one (i. e. Paul) hath arrived in this place. And they say, "One is Paul who is on the earth. He preacheth the Christ with his sweet words, he draweth multitudes to the Christ, and he taketh them to Jerusalem, the city of the Christ. Behold, all the righteous are gathered together unto me that they may meet thee.

54 I swear by the right hand of my Son, O Paul, thou chosen one of God, that whosoever shall write down in words this Apocalypse, [describing] what thou hast seen in the heavens, shall never taste any torture whatsoever or any of these punishments which thou hast seen in Amente, with the exception of that which must of necessity accompany his departure from the body. Whosoever shall read it in faith, the bill of indictment of his sins shall be torn up and destroyed. Whosoever shall hear it read, and shall keep the commandments of my Son, him shall my Son bless in this world, and He shall shew mercy unto him on the day of his visitation. Many, many times blessed art thou, O Paul. Think not, O Paul, that thou art the only one for whose sake I have come forth, for I testify unto thee that I will be the first to come forth to all who shall do the will of my Son, and I will never permit them to be treated as strangers, and at length they shall meet my beloved Son in peace.'

55 And whilst the Virgin was holding converse with me, behold, three other beings came from a distance and they were beautiful in their forms, and their angels were singing to them. And I said unto the angel, 'Who are these, my lord, who rejoice at seeing me?' [And the angel] said [unto me], 'Then thou dost not recognize them, O Paul?' And I said, 'I do not, my lord.' [And the angel] said unto me, 'These are the Fathers of the people, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob.' And straightway when they saw me they saluted me, and they said unto me, 'Hail, Paul, beloved of God and man! Blessed is the man who is calumniated for God's sake!' And Abraham said, 'This is my son Isaac whom I offered up to God. Behold Jacob, the beloved of God. Because of our knowing God in the world, He did not punish us when we came to Him. Blessed be every man who shall believe through thee! They shall abide patiently on God with sufferings, and with the love of man (i. e. hospitality), and purity, and humility, and tender compassion, and faith towards God. Moreover, we will make a covenant with Him Whom thou proclaimest to this effect: We agree to minister unto all those men who shall believe through thee.'

56 Whilst he was speaking to me, I looked afar off, and I saw twelve other [beings], and I said unto the angel, 'Who are these, my lord?' And he said unto me, 'These are the Patriarchs.' And immediately they had come up to me they saluted me, and said unto me, 'Hail, Paul, beloved of God and man! God hath not caused us grief in letting us see thee in the flesh, before thou hast come forth from the body.' And each of them repeated his name to me, from Reuben to Benjamin. And Joseph said, 'I am Joseph whom they sold. I testify unto thee, O Paul, that notwithstanding all the sufferings which I have suffered, and all the wrong which they did unto me, I have never kept any evil feeling in my heart against them, even for a single day. Whosoever suffereth wrong for God's sake God shall repay many times over when he goeth forth from the body.'

57 And whilst this Joseph was talking to me I looked afar off and saw another being, whose angel was singing to him. And I said unto the angel, 'Who is this angel with the beautiful form?' And he said unto me, 'Dost thou not know this being?' And I said unto the angel, 'I do not, my lord.' And the angel said unto me, 'This is Moses the Law-giver, unto whom God gave the Law.' And when he had come up to me he saluted me and wept. And I said unto him, 'Wherefore dost thou weep? I have heard that thou art the meekest man who ever lived on the earth.' And Moses said unto me, 'I weep because my plants which I planted have neither taken root nor brought forth fruit. My sheep Fcl. which I pastured are scattered abroad like unto those who pivs have no shepherd at all. All the trouble which I took for the Children of Israel is wasted, and all the mighty deeds which I performed for them in the desert they have not understood. I marvel at the uncircumcised strangers and worshippers of idols who have entered into the inheritance of Israel. I testify unto thee, O Paul, that at the time when they crucified the Son of God, Michael, and Gabriel, and the angels, and Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the righteous were weeping. And whilst the Son of God was hanging upon the wood of the Cross they made signs unto me, saying, "Moses, look at thy people and see what they are doing to the Son of God." Blessed art thou, O Paul, and blessed are the people who shall hearken unto thee, and who shall believe at thy preaching.'

58 And whilst Moses was talking to me, behold, another twelve [beings] were approaching from afar, and when they came up to me they said unto me, 'Thou art Paul, beloved of God! Verily thou hast acquired glory both in the heavens and on the earth.' And I said unto them, 'Who are ye?' And they said, 'We are the Prophets.' And one of them said, 'I am Isaiah, whom Manasseh sawed in twain with a wood-saw.' Another said, 'I am Jeremiah, on whom the Children of Israel cast stones until they had killed him.' Another said, 'I am Ezekiel, whom the Children of Israel seized by my legs, and dragged over large stones (?) until my brains were shaken out of my head. Such were the sufferings which we endured, but I wished to save Israel. I testify unto thee [O Paul], that those who inflicted sufferings upon me were the Children of Israel. I used to cast myself down upon my face and pray for them from the morning following the Lord's Day until the whole week had passed, and I cast myself down upon my face until Michael came and set me upright upon the earth. Blessed art thou, O Paul, and blessed is the nation who shall believe through thee.'

59 Whilst he was saying these things unto me there came another angel who was exceedingly beautiful in his form. And I said unto the angel, 'Who is this, my lord, for as soon as he saw me he rejoiced?' The angel said unto me, 'This is Lot, [who lived] in the time of Sodom and Gomorrah.' And when he came up to me he saluted me, saying, 'Blessed art thou, Paul, and blessed is thy generation.' And he said unto me, 'I am Lot, who lived in the city of the ungodly, when the angels sojourned with me in the forms of strange men. When the people of my city rose up against them wishing to do evil unto them, I took my two daughters, who were virgins that had not yet known men, and I gave them unto them, saying, "Take them and do whatsoever ye please with them, only do no harm unto these strange men who have come in [under] my roof." And now, the things which each one shall do in this world shall God requite to him many, many times over. Blessed art thou, O Paul, and blessed shall the heathen be who shall believe through thee.'

60 And whilst this [angel] was talking to me, I looked, and, behold, another was coming from afar who was exceedingly pne pne beautiful [in his form], and his face was radiant and was bursting with smiles, and an angel was singing to him. And I said unto the angel, 'Is it so that an angel accompanieth each of the righteous?' And he said unto me, 'The angels of all of them sing unto them, and never leave them.' And when the angel had come up to me, he saluted me and said unto me, 'Noble art thou, O Paul, thou beloved of God and man. I am Job who suffered all these sufferings and strokes of ill-fortune, and under them I passed forty years. The sore which broke out in my body was like unto a grain of wheat for three days, and it resembled the hide of an ass, and the worms which came out from my sores when I measured them were the width of the palm of my hand in length. The Devil appeared unto me three times, saying,

61 [Fifty-two pages wanting] ' …and six months, for God loveth a righteous man more than all the world, [and] the angels come and make supplication before Him for rain. And God saith unto them, "Except ye persuade My servant Elijah and he entreat Me, I will not permit the rain to come upon the earth. The sufferings which each endureth for God's sake will God requite unto him twofold. Blessed art thou, O Paul, and blessed are the heathen who shall believe through thee."' And whilst this angel was speaking Enoch also came and saluted me, and he said unto me, 'The man who endureth suffering for God's sake God will not afflict when he goeth forth from the world.' 62 And whilst this Enoch was speaking with me, behold, two other angels came up together, and there was an angel who was running behind them, and was calling out to them, 'Stand (i. e. wait) for me, so that I may come and see Paul, the beloved of God; there will be redemption for us if we can see Paul whilst he is still in the body.' And I said unto the angel, 'My lord, who are these?' And he said unto me, This is Zacharias, and [this is] John his son.' And I said unto the angel, 'Then [who is] the other who is running behind them?' And he said unto me, 'This is Abel whom Cain slew.' And they saluted me, and they said unto me, 'Blessed art thou, O Paul, who art righteous in all thy works.' And John said, 'I am he whose head they cut off in prison for the sake of a woman who danced at a feast.' And Zacharias said, 'I am he whom they killed whilst I was offering up the Offering unto God. And when the angels came for the Offering they carried my body up to God, and no man found my body [or knew] whither it had been taken.' And Abel said, 'I am he whom Cain slew whilst I was offering up a sacrifice to God. The sufferings which we have endured for God's sake are nothing, and the things which we have done for God's sake we have forgotten.' And the righteous and all the angels surrounded me, and they rejoiced with me [because] they had seen me in the flesh.

63 And I looked and I saw another angel who was taller than they all, and who was exceedingly fair to behold. And I said unto the angel, 'Who is this, my lord?' And he said unto me, 'This is Adam, the father of you all.' And when Adam came up to me he saluted me with gladness, and he said unto me, 'Strength [to thee], O Paul, thou beloved of God, who hast made multitudes to believe in God and to repent, even as I myself have repented, and have received my glory from the Compassionate and Merciful One.' And after all these things I was caught up into a cloud, and carried into the Third Heaven. And I Paul was greatly afraid when I saw that the angel who was accompanying me changed his apparel (or, form), and that he burst into flames like a fire. And straightway a voice came to me, saying, 'O Paul, thou beloved of God, the things which thou hast seen in this place reveal not unto any man whatsoever, for the things which thou hast seen are things that are not commonly seen.'

64 And I looked and I saw a seal (cross?) hanging in a solitary place. There was a …in a voice of light; and there were seven eagles of light standing at the right side of the altar, and seven to the left of the same. And companies of singers were singing and ascribing blessing to the Father, and tens of thousands of tens of thousands of angels were standing before Him, and thousands of thousands of angels were surrounding Him, saying, 'Honourable is Thy Name and splendid is Thy glory, O Lord'; and the Cherubim and the Seraphim said, 'Amen.' And when I Paul saw them I quaked in all my members, and I fell down upon my face. And, behold, the angel who accompanied me came to me and raised me up, saying, 'Fear thou not, O Paul, thou beloved of God; rise up now and follow me, and I will shew thee thy place.' And the angel who accompanied me took me into the Paradise, and I saw a multitude of men walking about, and they were happy, and were singing and ascribing blessing to God. And they were exceedingly meek, and their faces shone like the sun, [only] seven times [brighter], and the hair of their heads was like unto white wool. There was in that place a vast number of glorious thrones, and the glory of each one of them was different, and the glory of each was greater than that which was next to it. And when I had come up to them straightway [those who sat on them] cried out 'Blessed art thou, O Paul! Blessed are the heathen who shall believe through thee, O thou who art worthy to be brought into these places whilst thou art in the flesh!' And they all saluted me, and I made answer to them, and I blessed God with them.

65 And I said unto the angel, 'My lord, what is this place, and who are these men?' And the angel said unto me, 'This is the holy country of the Lord, and these men are all the Prophets who shall live in this place until the Day of Judgement, together with those who have not defiled themselves in the world. And thine own throne shall be in this place, and needs must that thou shouldst see thy throne and thy house before thou goest down into the world. And in every place throughout all the world wherein thou shalt preach this Apocalypse, there shall be many who shall hear, and shall repent, and shall escape the tortures and punishments which thou hast seen.' And when I heard these things from the angel who accompanied me, I said unto him, 'My lord, indeed I do desire to be in this place, and I will not be disobedient (?). Now shew me my throne in this place.' And the angel took me into a tabernacle of light, and shewed me a throne of glory, before which two angels were singing. And I said unto the angel, 'My lord, unto whom doth belong this throne which is so splendidly glorious, and who are these angels who are singing before it?' And he said unto me, 'This is thy throne, O Paul, and these two angels are Uriël and Sūriël singing before thy throne. Knowest thou not, O Paul, that thy name is renowned among angels who cannot be counted for number? Knowest thou not that every man who shall endure suffering in this world for the sake of Christ's Name, and for mankind, doth God reward sevenfold, and that all the angels rejoice with him?'

66 And the angel who accompanied me shewed me a great number of magnificent trees, and there was a multitude of men round about the trees, and their raiment was glorious. And they all cried out to me, 'Hail, Paul, thou beloved of God and man!' and they all saluted me. And I said unto the angel, 'My lord, who are these?' And the angel said unto me, 'These are all the plants which thou hast planted in the world.' And the angel took hold of me, and he said unto me, 'Come, I am going to make thee to see the Paradise of heaven, and thy throne, and thy crown'; and I saw the Paradise, and it was exceedingly wonderful. Three walls surrounded the Paradise of heaven; two [of these] were of silver, and there was a wall of gold between the two walls of silver, one within the other. Each wall was fifty and

67 twenty and two cubits in height, and there was a curving (? path (? inside each wall, from east to west, and from north to south. And the Paradise was two hundred and forty-four thousand and four hundred measures along (? the wall. There were two hundred and forty-four thousand strong pillars in it, and each pillar was seventy-two cubits in height. There were eighteen hundred different kinds of vegetables (? therein, and twenty hundred [different kinds] of splendid flowering plants, and forty and five different kinds of sweet-smelling plants, and twelve cypress trees. A wall of stone of the colour of the leek surrounded it. There were twelve hundred gold lamps inside it, and round about it were sixteen [hundred? pillars of silver and marble, and its door was a single gem (?). On the right side of the door were three eagles, and on the left side were three eagles. And all the Paradise was [lighted with] caerulean blue light, and this light was like unto that of noonday wherein there is no greyness, and the light of God was in it always, and it lighted up every part of it. And the Paradise emitted the odour of garden herbs at the hour of dawn, and it emitted the odour of myrrh at the season of noonday, and when the sun set the sweet odours of all the trees which were in the Paradise flowed forth and spread themselves over the world during the night. The bases of the pillars were planted with malabathrum (cinnamon?

68 and real styrax plants, and branches of almond trees hung down over their capitals, and they were in number one hundred and forty thousand and eight hundred; and stones of great price were inlaid in them. And all the trees of the Paradise sang praises to God three times daily, namely, at dawn, at the hour of noon, and at eventide. And they all cried out and ascribed blessing to God, saying, 'He is holy, He is holy, He is holy,' three times. 'God, the Almighty, receiveth honour, and receiveth glory!' And the Paradise cried out and ascribed blessing to God. 69 And the angel answered and said unto me, 'O Paul, hast thou seen the Paradise of heaven and the glory thereof, of the splendour of which no man whatsoever hath been able to discover the end?' And I said unto him, 'Yea, my lord, I have, but I am afraid lest peradventure I may not be worthy to abide in this Paradise.' And the angel answered and said unto me, 'Be strong, O thou who shalt be strong, and thou shalt prevail over the Accuser who shall come in Amente. And thou shalt receive glory exceedingly great when thou shalt go down into the world again. And when the whole race of man shall hear the words of this Apocalypse very many shall repent and shall live. And, moreover, I will take thee and shew thee thy throne, and thy crown, and thy brethren the Apostles.'

70 And the angel took me before the veil in the holy country. And I saw a throne spread out, and there was lying upon the throne a garment, the preciousness of which was indescribable; and there were slabs of marble upon the throne. And I answered and said unto the angel, 'My lord, of what kind is the place of abode of my brethren, my fellow Apostles?' And the angel took me before the veil, and I saw a great number of thrones and a multitude of angels singing and glorifying God. And I saw a great number of garments and a great number of crowns laid before the throne; and a sweet odour came forth from that place. And the angel said unto me, 'This is the place [of abode] of thy brethren, thy fellow Apostles.' And I also saw a man wearing white apparel, and there was a harp in his hand, and he stood on the right-hand side of the veil; and he sang and played his harp, and the angels made answer to his songs. And I answered and said unto the angel, 'Who is this, my lord?' He said unto me, 'This is David singing praises.'

71 Pax And I saw in the holy country a place which was set with real sapphires, and that country was white like unto snow. And there was a great number of crowns and a great number of thrones therein; and all those who were in that place wore cloaks and tiaras, and a multitude of angels were singing praises to them. And I said unto the angel, 'Who are these?' He said unto me, 'These are the martyrs who suffered martyrdom for the Name of Christ, through the preaching of thyself and that of thy brethren the Apostles, and they receive very great honours.' And they came to me, and they kissed me, and they said unto me, 'Blessed art thou, O Paul, because thou art held worthy of these places, and we with thee, and because thou art held worthy to see these great wonders which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, and thou hast seen them in the body. Inasmuch as God hath seen the self-restraint under which thou livest, and thy toil and labour in preaching, He hath esteemed thee worthy of these great honours.' And I Paul walked in the Holy Spirit, and I blessed God, saying, 'I bless Thee, the God of the Universe, Who can only be seen in a mystery. Blessed be the glory of Thy Godhead, Honoured One, Who liveth in the honour of His majesty, and [in] His Only-begotten Son Jesus the Christ, our Lord, Who sustaineth the Universe, through Whom the Universe existeth.'

72 And the angel of the Lord lifted me up, and brought me [down] upon the Mount of Olives. There I Paul found the Apostles gathered together, and I saluted them, and I declared unto them everything that had happened to me, and the things which I had seen, and the honours which the righteous shall have, and the ruin and the uprooting that shall be to the wicked. Then the Apostles rejoiced and were glad, and they blessed God, and they commanded us, that is to say me, Mark, and Timothy the disciple of Saint Paul, the Doctor of the Church, to do into writing this holy Apocalypse, for the behoof and benefit of others who shall hear it. And whilst the Apostles were talking to us the Saviour appeared unto us from out of the chariot of the Cherubim, and He said, 'Hail, my holy disciples, whom I have chosen out of the world! Hail, Peter, crown of the Apostles! Hail, John, My beloved! Hail, all ye Apostles! The peace of My Good Father be with you.' Then He turned to our father and said unto him, 'Hail, Paul, glorious writer of Epistles! Hail, Paul, mediator of the Covenant! Hail, Paul, coping-stone and foundation of the Church! Hath thy heart been convinced by the things which thou hast seen?

73 Art thou satisfied to the full by the things which thou hast heard?' And Paul answered, 'Yea, my Lord, Thy grace and Thy love have performed for me great benefits.' And the Saviour answered and said, 'O beloved of the Father, Amen, Amen. I say unto you that the words of this Apocalypse shall be preached in the whole world for the profit of those who shall hear it, Amen, Amen. I say unto thee, O Paul, that the man who shall have provided for the making of a copy of this Apocalypse or shall do it into writing himself, and shall make it a testimony to the generations that shall come after, shall never be shewn by Me Amente and the bitter weeping thereof to the second generation of his seed. And the man who shall read it with faith, himself and his house will I bless, and on him who shall deride the words of this Apocalypse I will take vengeance; let not men read therein except on the holy days, because I have [therein] revealed unto you, O My holy members, all the mysteries of My God-head. Behold, I have already told you everything. Go now, depart, and preach ye the Gospel of My kingdom, notwithstanding that [the end of] your course and of your holy contests draweth nigh. And thou, O Paul, My chosen one, and thou, My beloved Peter, shall complete your course on the fifth day of the month Epêph, and shall be in My kingdom for ever. My power be with you!'

74 Paa And straightway He commanded the cloud to take upon itself the disciples, and to carry them each to the country which He had set apart for him. And He commanded them to preach the Gospel of the kingdom of heaven in every place for ever, through the grace and love for man of our Lord Jesus the Christ, our Saviour, unto Whom be glory, and unto His Good Father, and unto the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever! Amen.

Colophon

75 May this benefit be through Him to the God-loving brother, Psate, a native of the town of Mekra, in the nome of Ermont! May the Lord God of the holy Archangel Raphael and of Saint Paul the Apostle bless this same man Psate, and his wife, and his son, and his business undertakings; and may He make him to be a joint heir with His saints in His kingdom which is in the heavens for ever! Amen.