Miscellaneous Coptic Texts in the Dialect of Upper Egypt, Part 1

Miscellaneous Coptic Texts in the Dialect of Upper Egypt, Part 1

continued

IV. The Discourse of Apa Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus, on the Virgin Mary

1 (Brit. Mus. MS. Oriental, No. 6782) The discourse which saint apa epipha-nius, bishop of cyprus, pronounced on the holy virgin mary, who gave birth to god, on the day of her holy com-memoration, which is the twenty-first day of the month tôbe. IN THE PEACE OF GOD. AMEN. 2 Verily, O my beloved, the world was deprived of a great and holy gift on this day, and the heavens received a chosen and most glorious pledge. Furthermore, it is right, on my own authority, to deliver an oration on the glory of this holy Virgin Mary, in whose honour we are celebrating a festival this day, for He Who dwelleth in the heavens took up His abode in her holy womb, and she became a resting-place for God the Word, and a resting-place for the King of glory. Verily the type of this holy Virgin is a great matter which meriteth wonder. But I appeal unto thee, O holy Virgin, thou God-bearer, not to take into account my feebleness, for I am quite unable to reach the apse of thy virtues by means of my poor tongue, and still less by the limitation of my infirm mind. Nevertheless I beseech thee, O thou habitation of the Only-begotten of the Father, to lend me thy hand in the matter which I have undertaken, so that I may set out on my way into the great treasury of thy virtues, which is worthy of wonder, and that I may speak thus with my poor tongue, Walk round about Zion, and go round about her.' Verily this woman Mary is the true Zion, or rather, she is far more than Zion, and she is greater than the heavenly Jerusalem, the city which the Lord hath chosen, for men cannot rejoice in Zion in the same way as in the holy Virgin. Now Zion was a well-founded city, which was built of bricks and mortar by

3 the hands of men; but as concerning this Virgin, no man Knoweth where her foundations were laid, nor those of the building which was made in her by the hands of God, the great Artificer of heaven and earth, and of all things which are in them. Moreover, as concerning the Jerusalem of which the Psalmist spake, saying, 'Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, to the testimony of Israel,' what doth the phrase 'for thither do the tribes go up' mean except that the true Israel dwelleth in the Virgin, and that He delivereth all the tribes of the earth? And if thou dost say unto me, 'The Patriarchs were great men,' then I in reply say, 'They were great men, but they did not attain to the exalted state of this Virgin.' And if thou dost bring forward into the discussion the company of the Great Prophets, [I admit that] they were glorious in every particular, but they did not attain to the exalted honour of this Virgin. And if thou speakest to me about the

4 honour of the Martyrs, [I reply] that the honour of this Virgin is more exalted than theirs. And if thou speakest of the Apostles and sayest that they were great, I, nevertheless, say the same thing; their honour was not equal to that of this Virgin. And this is true not only as concerning men, but also as concerning all the angels of heaven, for with the exception of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, there is none whose honour is equal to that of the Virgin. But do not think that in saying these things I am disparaging the saints, for I am not; God forbid that I should do so. Nay, I would instruct you concerning the honour of this holy and spotless Virgin, and I would add to the words of the Holy Scriptures, in all conformity with them, so that thou mayest know the truth. Whether it be Prophet, or Patriarch, or Judge, or Apostle, or righteous King, in short, from Adam the first man, and the first created thing by the hands of God Almighty, until this present and until the end of the world, they were all made pure so that they might become pleasing unto Him Whom this Virgin brought forth, that is to say, unto Whom she gave birth, the Christ Jesus, our Lord. And he at Whom the Seraphim could not gaze, and into Whose face the angels were never able to look, did the holy Virgin dandle on her hands, and she put her breast into the mouth of God, without hesitation, and she made bold, and without fear called Him 'My Son', and He called her also 'My mother'.

5 But let not any man who may hear me uttering these things say in his simple mind, 'If this Virgin is so highly exalted as this, she cannot then possibly be of this earth, and she cannot have been begotten by a man, but she must have come from heaven, according to the mad words of those who go about publicly stirring up schism. On the contrary, let him believe with a certain mind that the Virgin really and truly belonged to this earth, and that she was produced, like all other folk, by a father and by a mother. And by the might of Him that provideth us abundantly with speech, that is to say, the Holy Spirit, we will [now] give proofs in words concerning the parents of this Virgin, and the parents of her parents, of whom there were more than forty-two generations before the birth of this Virgin. Hearken now therefore unto me with diligent attention, O ye God-loving people, and do ye give steadfast heed unto my words, so that we may open the great treasury which is filled with genuine pearls, and so that we may pour into the ears of your hearts words full of the benefits of the Holy Spirit of every kind. Take therefore into your hands the glorious Book of Saint Apa Matthew, which belongeth to the greatest of the famous voices of the Evangelists, this keen-minded man who searched deeply into hidden mysteries, this great and powerful man who hath revealed unto us the genealogy

6 of this holy Virgin. And let us understand also the word, which is full of holy mystery, of the teacher of the Gentiles, the herald of piety, the teacher Paul, who crieth out, saying, 'For it is evident that our Lord sprang from Judah, of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood [coming] from it.' From what is it evident, O thou wise man Paul? Explain to me in what way did our Lord spring from Judah. Who hath interpreted things in this way, O maker of tents? Tell me where thou hast found the matter made manifest in this way. If thou reliest upon the words of his father Jacob, who cried out, saying, 'A lion's whelp is Judah,' and again, 'A ruler shall never cease in Judah' [thou art in error], for in these passages he referreth to the kings and the generals who were to arise from the seed of Judah, the son of Israel.

7 The matter is certainly not thus, O my opponent. Now I have several proofs from the Holy Scriptures which would make the whole truth to be quite clear and certain, but inasmuch as this is not the time in which to call all the saints into the midst, because the hour is now far advanced, and further since I must speak very concisely, I shall limit myself to this one Gospel, and shall restore for myself the whole 8 truth from it. Afterwards I shall describe to you the life of this Virgin, and then I shall bring my discourse to an end. Read now in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, and hear [what] he saith: 'The Book of the generation of Jesus the Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.' From whom to whom, O Matthew? Thou sayest, 'from Abraham to David, fourteen generations,' and thou makest David the first [ancestor] towards Abraham. Listen now, and I will shew you. 'Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Isaac (sic) and his brethren; and Judah begat Phares and Zara by Thamar.' Pay great attention now to this passage in truth. Tell me now why he mentioneth Thamar in this passage. He doth not mention Sarah, the wife of Abraham, he doth not mention Leah, and Rachel, and Rebecca, those glorious women! and he doth not mention [the daughter of] Saua, the first wife of Judah, but he doth say 'by Thamar'. Of what kin was Thamar? Hearken, and I will tell thee. She was not descended from Israel, but from an alien people who knew not God. He saith, 'Judah took for his first-born son Er a wife whose name was Thamar. Afterwards Er died, and Onan his brother took her.

9 And Onan did evil before the Lord, and the Lord slew him.' And Judah said unto Thamar, 'Dwell thou in the house of thy parents, and remain a widow until my son Sélôm (Shelah) shall have grown up, and then I will take thee for him to wife.' And when very many days had passed by, and Thamar saw that his son Sélôm (Shelah) had grown up, and that he did not take her to wife, she was angry with Judah, since no one else had taken her to dwell with him. For at that time, when the husband of a woman died, from the hour of his death no man, except the brother of him that had died, was able to take her to wife. 10 And further, when Thamar saw that Judah had deceived her, and she heard that he was coming along the road to go to his sheep-shearing, she rose up, and putting off the garb of a widow which she was wearing, she dressed herself in the attire of a harlot, and covered her face, and sat down by the side of the highway. And when Judah saw her, he thought that she was a whore, for he did not recognize her because her face was covered. And when the words which he spake unto her, and those which she spake unto him, were ended, he gave her a pledge, and went in to her, and afterwards he departed on his way. And when he came among the sheep, he sent to her a young he-goat, but [his messenger] could not find her. And when subsequently the man asked, 'Where is the whore who was sitting here?' they said unto him, 'There is no whore here.' Verily the story is good, and its purpose is exceedingly beneficial; but this is not the moment in which to explain it in particulars, because we must not turn aside from our subject. Now take Thamar as the type of the Christian Church, and take Judah as the

11 type of the Father Almighty, and the three witnesses which he gave to Thamar become similitudes of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And the shepherd whom Judah sent to Thamar with the young he-goat is Moses, and the he-goat is the Law which he gave, which Thamar did not accept, but she held fast to that which she had. The Church saith, 'The faith of the Holy Trinity is sufficient to save me and my sons.' And after certain days a report was received by Judah, saying, 'Behold, Thamar, thy son's wife, is with child by fornication.' And when he heard of the matter, to speak briefly, he gave the command, 'Take her out, and burn her in the fire'; and they took her out to destroy her. And she took with her the three silent witnesses, which, however, spake more loudly than a multitude of witnesses, and these were

12 the staff, the signet ring, and the necklace, which are the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And she sent these to Judah, saying, 'Identify these things, and [say] whose they are. Deny not, by God, with the denial of thy tongue.' And when Judah saw them he recognized them, and he confessed, saying, 'They belong to me.' For he made no denial, neither did he desire the vain applause of men by putting to death his bride. If he had wished to do this of what avail would the testimony of the staff, and the ring, and the necklace have been? Was there then in the country no other staff, or ring, or necklace, save those of Judah? But Judah did not think thus, and he said, 'Thamar is more justified than I.' And add to this the fact that Judah did not recognize Thamar when he lay with her, and she had never lain with any man [before]. And through his absolution from this offence, and the confession of his penitence for what he had done, and his approval of the righteous judgement upon his offence, he obtained so high a degree of honour that kings were made to descend from his seed, and even the King of kings, the Christ, Who was pierced for us, [was descended] from him, according to the words of the wise man Paul. And Scripture saith: Afterwards Thamar brought forth two sons at the same time.

13 The first stretched out his hand, and the midwife bound round it a scarlet thread, and after he had withdrawn his hand, his brother came out, according to what the Evangelist saith, 'And Judah begat Phares and Zara by Thamar.' Now let us continue in the narrative a little further so that our discourse may come to an end, and we will complete our narrative with the wonderful words of the Evangelist Matthew, in order that we may know that, although the matter that has been mentioned was disreputable, it is shewn to have been one that was highly applauded. 14 And when he hath mentioned Thamar, Matthew is not wholly content, for having advanced a little further after these things he saith, 'Phares begat Esrôm; and Esrôm begat Aram; and Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naassôn; and Naassôn begat Salmôn; and Salmôn begat Boes of Rachab.' Now it is good for us to digress in our discourse a little at this point, so that we may find out who Rahab was, or from what place she came. There is no need for us to heap up many words, for all we have to do is to follow the Scriptures confidently. Who is Rahab, except Rahab the harlot, who received into her house the envoys of Joshua the son of Nun, who had sent them to spy out Jericho? And after many other words between her and those men, she delivered them out of the hand of [the people of] Jericho, and she said unto them, 'According as I have done this good unto you, and have delivered you, ye shall swear unto me that ye will spare me and the house of my father.' And they swore an oath to her, and they gave to her a sign, namely, that she was to tie a red cord to her window whereby she helped them to escape, for her house was on the wall. Behold, O ye who are listening, in what way the facts concerning these two women are similar. Rahab was a

15 harlot, who received every one into her house, and Thamar dressed herself in the garb of a whore. Likewise, Rahab tied a red cord to her window, and it became a protection for her, and a red thread was tied round the hand of the son of Thamar. After the Israelites took the city [of Jericho], they destroyed it, but they preserved the house of Rahab, and it was kept safe, and she herself was numbered among Israel, and is numbered to this day. She was the harlot whom Salmôn took to wife, and he begat Boes of her. And afterwards, Matthew saith, 'Boes begat Iôbêd of Ruth.' Verily how marvellous are these matters. Those who are sinners, according to the earth, are the princes of the Scriptures! Let us consider now in this place who Ruth was. Now Ruth was not an Israelitess, but she was descended from the children of Moab. And Moab was the eldest son of Lot, whom he begot of his own daughter, and he was descended from the seed of Sodom, through his mother, that is to say, the wife of Lot. Now I hear the Scriptures saying in a concise manner, 'Neither a Moabite nor an Ammonite shall enter the house of God,' and yet Ruth herself was a Moabitess, and she obtained such great honour that the Christ sprang from her seed! Verily the things that appertain to our lives are imaginings only.

16 And the Evangelist Matthew is not content with what is given above, but he continueth to the end, saying, 'And Iôbêd begat Jesse; and Jesse begat David; and David begat Solomon of the wife of Uriah.' Who now is this wife of Uriah except Bersabee (Bathsheba)? But because the name of Bersabe (sic) is not known unto all men, for this reason Matthew saith, 'The wife of Uriah,' and doth not mention her name, and the cause for this is very clearly manifest. And Matthew saith, 'David begat Solomon of the wife of Uriah; and Solomon begat Rehoboam; and Rehoboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asaph; and Asaph begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; and Ozias begat Ioatham; and Ioatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; and Ezekias begat Manasse; and Manasse begat Amos; and Amos begat Josias; and Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren at [the time of the] removal to Babylon. And after the removal to Babylon, Jechonias begat Zalathiel; and Zalathiel begat Zorobabel; and Sorobabel (sic) begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eleakim; and Eleakim begat Azor; and Azor begat Sadôk; and Sadôk begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; and Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Mathan; and Mathan begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, who brought forth the Christ Jesus from her body.'

17 Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David to the removal to Babylon are fourteen generations. Thou canst see what his result is, and how the matter concludeth, and that there are forty and two generations from Abraham to the Christ. Of all these generations which passed the Evangelist mentions no women except the four who have been referred to above, namely, Thamar, and Rahab, and Ruth, and Bersabee. And that he hath mentioned these is not due to the subject of the worship of God, but to the reason which we stated early in our discourse. Thamar was descended from the Philistines, and knew not God, and she, who was treated as a whore by Judah, and by whom she conceived, was not descended from the seed of Abraham the blessed. Rahab, likewise, was descended from a foreign tribe, and was of the race of the people of Jericho, but she was not rejected because of her sins. And Salmon, who consorted with her, and begat Boes of her, was descended from the tribe of Judah. And Ruth was descended from a Moabite, and from an abominable native of Sodom, and Boes was descended from a tribe of Israel, and derived his origin from the same tribe as Judah. And Bersabee was descended from the sons of Khet, who were denounced by God. And David was of royal rank, and was descended from the tribe of Judah, according to the statement in the table of genealogy in [the Gospel of] Saint Matthew the Evangelist.

18 Now these things happened in this wise in order that the righteous might not feel offended at sinners; and that those who have been begotten by righteous and well-conducted parents, who were properly married to suitable wives, might not be offended at those who were brought forth by light RĀ women, or who were begotten by parents irregularly married (who even themselves are in despair about themselves, and very often those who are of the circumcision of the seed of Abraham separate themselves from them), and that the matter might be evident to every one, namely, that it was for this reason, and many other good purposes, that the Christ was produced by women of this kind; and that & 2 those who were produced in sin, and those who were produced in righteousness, might be bound together in one communion, and that they all might have good hope. For He came to gather together those who were scattered, and those who were in despair about themselves, and He was produced by a virgin only, who produced Him from the seed of two kinds, which were bound together, that is to say, pious seed and impious seed. Now those who are in despair about themselves at this time, and who have been saved by mercy, are of the seed of righteousness, and these are they who are fixed firmly in the wall of the spiritual edifice, and are with all the others who are with the Stone in the corner.

19 And that he who is of the circumcision may not boast himself, He of His own accord made the Christ, the Tree of Life, to blossom for us. And in order that those of the seed of Israel who believe in Christ may know that He is the true Stone, the chosen one for the corner, that is to say, our Lord Jesus Christ, this same Christ came to us, and swept away the two walls from each other, that is to say, circumcision and uncircumcision, righteousness and lawlessness, and yoked them together in one union. 20 And this same Evangelist Matthew saith, 'Now the & 1 bringing forth of Jesus the Christ was in this wise.' O Matthew, who hast the mouth that declareth every pleasant thing about our Lord, tell me, what is [the meaning of] this phrase which thou sayest at the end, 'was in this wise'? Matthew saith: I say that Jesus was descended from two kinds [of men], the sinful and the righteous, the worshippers of God and those who knew not God. Therefore, true indeed & 2 is the saying of the Lord, 'I did not come to invite the righteous, but the sinners to repentance.' And according as His infinite mercy spreadeth over every one, He sheweth mercy to the righteous, He forgiveth the sinner, He loveth the righteous, He hath compassion on the sinner, He speaketh words of good cheer to the sinner, and He healeth his wounds which are putrefying and stinking. For this reason is it not

21 for thee to say, O man, 'Behold, the Word made Itself flesh, and dwelt with us, in order that He might shew mercy unto all men together, both the sinners and the righteous?' He rejecteth no man who goeth unto Him with repentance. And thou knowest that the harlot anointed His feet with unguent, and wiped them with her hair, and He blotted out her sins and iniquities. The Magi came to Him, they worshipped Him, and He made them citizens of the kingdom of heaven. And this holy Evangelist, who speaketh to us in this holy Gospel, himself beareth witness concerning Him, for he was a tax-gatherer, and when he forsook the collecting of taxes, He bestowed upon him the holy Gospel. And even the thief who had shed blood, as soon as he made supplication to Him in the hour of his necessity, saying, 'Remember me, O Lord,' straightway He took him to Paradise.

22 For this reason, O man, be not in despair concerning thyself. Whether thou art a fornicator, or a robber, or thou fallest into sin of any kind, only turn to the Lord, and He will forgive thee; for there is no sin which doth not become powerless before God, the Physician of our souls. Even though I wish to take my greatest fill of food at thy table, which is full of good things of all kinds of the Holy 23 Spirit, O Saint Matthew, yet I see another table, which is overladen, by my side, and it urgeth me to go to it, and to taste the sweetness of the food [upon it]. And if I be filled with the great number of things which I have eaten, and thou hast sated me with the sweetness of thy good things, O Matthew the Evangelist, yet I see thy fellow Evangelist, Luke, the physician and healer of all the sick by means of spiritual medicines, and he inviteth me and draweth me to the cup of his wisdom. For even the rich men of this world, because of the savour and sweetness of the meats that are prepared for them, are wont to eat thereof again and again, and they enjoy themselves fully and live delicately on the things that perish. I entreat thee, O Saint Luke the theologian, to forgive me because I have forgotten thee in my discourse up to now; nevertheless teach thou me thy spiritual words which thou hast framed concerning the Virgin, who is worthy of perpetual adoration. Luke saith, I have spoken thus: 'In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a Virgin, whose name was Mary.' And what is the sixth month, O great teacher, Luke the physician?

24 Turn back a little in this discourse, and thou wilt know what the sixth month is. 'And it came to pass that when the days of the ministration of Zacharias in the Temple had come to an end, he departed to his house. And after these days Elisabeth his wife conceived, and she hid herself for five months, saying, This is what the Lord hath done for me in the days when He looked to remove my reproach from among men.' So then it was in the sixth month after Elisabeth had conceived that Gabriel appeared to the Virgin. And the day on which Elisabeth conceived John, the lamp of the truth, was the seventh day of the month Athôr. Of this fact we are informed by certain Hebrew documents (or, copies), which are to be depended upon. And the day on which John was born was the twenty-seventh day of the month Epêp, and according to this John was, in his life in the flesh, six months older than our Saviour. The day on which the Virgin conceived the Living Word was the seventh day of the month Parmoute, according to the narrative found in the writings of the honourable and apostolic Saint Hippolytus the Roman.

25 And when Gabriel had gone into her presence at the first hour, he rejoiced and was glad, and he said, 'Hail, thou who hast found favour! The Lord is with thee. Hail, thou queen, and mother of the King! Hail, bearer of God! Hail, thou rational dove! Hail, thou ark that bearest up the Creator of all things! Hail, thou true vine, who hast made to flourish in her abode the grapes of the Father!' And Mary was disturbed at the address, and she pondered within herself what this salutation might mean. And the angel said unto her, 'Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God. For behold, thou shalt conceive, and thou shalt bear a Son, and thou shalt call His Name A JESUS. This Son shall be great, and He shall be called the Son of the Highest.' As soon as she heard the words, 'Thou shalt conceive,' the Virgin was disturbed greatly, and she was afraid, for she thought that she was looking at some lying phantom. And straightway she dropped the work which was in her hands, and she made haste to lower her eyes, and

26 she also began to pray quickly, and she offered up her petitions to God in very great agitation of mind, because it had never been her habit to hold converse with men, and because she was a little maiden, and was at that time only fifteen years of age. And Gabriel took away fear from her, and he spake unto her gently, saying, 'Why art thou troubled at my words, O Virgin? Knowest thou not that nothing is impossible 27 with God? Believe me, I am one of the Seven Arch-A angels who stand before God at all times, and Gabriel is my name. Open thy mouth, and receive into thee the cloud of light; and thou shalt conceive and bear a Son, and thou shalt call His Name JESUS, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of David His father. And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and there shall be no end to His kingdom. Receive my words, O holy Virgin, and dispute them not, lest the same sentence that fell upon Zacharias fall also upon thee. But if thou wishest to know and to test my words, rise up and go to Elisabeth; get thee to thy kinswoman, get thee to the barren old woman, get thee unto her in whom the way of women had ceased through old age. And when thou hast gone to her thou shalt see with thine own eyes the large size of her womb, and the young child leaping with joy in her body. And she is filled with the Holy Spirit, and she will declare unto thee the whole truth. For she hath conceived a child in her old age, and this is her sixth month.' And Mary answered and said unto the angel, 'How can this possibly happen to me, [for] I have never known man? If the barren woman hath conceived she hath done so in the natural order of things and by the law of marriage.

28 Now the thing that hath happened to Elisabeth is marvellous; but that which thou proclaimest to me is beyond all marvel and all thought.' And the angel continued to talk to Mary, and he said, 'It is the Holy Spirit that shall come upon thee, and it is the power of the Most High that shall overshadow thee.' And the Virgin was encouraged, saying, 'God can do everything.' And further, she said unto the angel, 'Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be unto me according to thy word.' But we will say no more on this point, because the time hath arrived when we must continue our discourse, and bring to an end our words about [these] holy mysteries. Let us, however, say with the blessed woman Elisabeth, 'Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit which is in thee. Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come unto me? Verily at all times blessed shalt thou be among women.' And again, 'Thou who hast carried the Blessed One shalt be blessed in heaven and upon the earth. Thy womb is blessed because it hath carried for nine months Him that filleth heaven and earth. Blessed are thy breasts wherewith thou I didst nourish the Creator for three years.

29 Blessed is thy mouth which hath held sweet converse with the Son of God.' If I were to begin to make mention of all thy members, the internal and the external, the whole period of my life would not suffice me for the declaration of all thy virtues. 30 But I beseech thee, O Virgin, who didst give birth to God, I to help me, Epiphanius, thy worthless servant, and to make supplication to Christ on behalf of all the people of my city, nay more, of the whole world, and to be nigh unto me at all times. For unto thee more than to all the saints belongeth the power to make supplication unto Him, so that He may fill the hungry with bread, and may heal the sick, and may lead those who have gone astray back into His holy fold. And unto us all together may He grant that we walk in the ways that please Him at all times, and that we may cast away from us the old man and his wickedness. Why dost thou distract thy mind so greatly, and labour for the things of men? Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. Three cubits of earth are all that remain to thee, and a few clods will be cast upon thee to preserve thy miserable carcase. Whose law dost thou transgress? Remember the judgement

31 of God and the moment when all the deeds which thou hast committed shall compass thee round about. What help wilt thou be able to obtain? The Judge Who shall preside will not accept possessions from thy hand and let thee go free. Riches shall have been unto thee a means of enjoyment and the cause of the punishment [that shall last] for ever. Thy glory and thy honour shall be [thy] betrayers. Thou shalt not find an advocate who will plead for thee. Thou shalt suffer anguish, and be in despair, and shalt be stupefied through fear. Behold the tears of the orphan whom thou hast oppressed! Behold the sighings of the widow whose house thou hast plundered! Behold the poor men whose wages thou hast filched! Behold the slaves whom thou hast oppressed mercilessly! In short, all the sins which thou hast committed thou shalt find inhabiting thy soul, even as thou hast made them to do. Remember the day wherein [thy] natural disposition shall be revealed in heaven. Remember the glorious presence of Christ, according to what our Saviour said, 'Those who have done what is good [shall have] the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil the resurrection of judgement.' What shall I say unto thee, O my beloved? Behold, the kingdom which is in the heavens is prepared, and so likewise is Gehenna. Let the [hope for the] enjoyment of the kingdom which is in the heavens spur thee on.

32 Let the threat of the fire of Gehenna stir thee up to turn away from the works of the Devil, and to walk in the ways that please the Lord at all times. Then shalt thou inherit the things that shall never pass away, the which eye hath not seen, nor the ear heard, nor hath the imagining of them entered into the mind of man, that is to say, the things which God hath prepared for those who love Him, through the grace and love of man of our Lord Jesus, the Christ, to Whom, as is meet, and to His Good Father, and the Holy Spirit, the Life-giver, be glory, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.

Colophon

33 O my fathers, and my brethren, and every one who shall read the volume of this book, do an act of grace, and pray for our God-loving sister, who loved to give charities and alms to the poor, [the name of the sister has been scraped off the vellum] because she undertook the preparation thereof with [the wages of] her own labour, and she gave it to the shrine of [the name of the church, &c., in all four lines, are scraped out] in order that the Archangel Michael, and Saint John, and the holy Virgin Mary, may entreat the Christ on her behalf, and may bless her, and [the names of her husband and family are scraped out] and moreover, when they shall come out of the body, according to what is ordained for every man, God may tear up the bill of indictment of their sins, and may write their names in the Book of Life, and may give unto them the things of heaven in the place of the things of earth, and the things of eternity in the place of the things of time, and may reward them one hundred fold in the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of all the righteous, for the gifts which they have made. So be it!

34 Of your charity remember me, the least of all men, whose name is not worthy of mention in this volume [three lines, including the scribe's name, erased]. Behold, repentance hath made me free! I made bold, and I wrote this book while I was in Rite Piom (?), in the seven hundred and sixth year of Diocletian (A. D. 990).

V. The Discourse of Cyril, Archbishop of Rakote, on the Virgin Mary

1 (Brit. Mus. MS. Oriental, No. 6782) The Discourse Which OUR HOLY FATHER, WHO WAS GLORIOUS IN EVERY WAY, APA CYRIL, ARCHBISHOP OF RAKOTE (ALEXANDRIA), PRONOUNCED IN HONOUR OF SAINT MARY, THE PERPETUAL VIRGIN, THE GOD-BEARER IN VERY TRUTH, WHEREIN HE MADE MANIFEST THE GREAT GLORY AND HONOUR WHICH SHE HATH RECEIVED FROM GOD. IN THE PEACE OF GOD! AMEN. O MY beloved, ye God-loving people, open ye the ears of your hearts, and hearken unto [the story of] the honour of the mother of God, the Queen of all women, the true Bride, whom the Son of God held in high esteem. He came and dwelt in her womb for nine months, and she bore Him for our sakes in Bethlehem. She wrapped Him in strips of ragged stuff, she laid Him in a cattle manger; and the boasts looked upon Him and recognized Him, and they protected Him. Thou didst stretch out thy right arm, thou didst take Him and make to lie on thy left arm. Thou didst bend thy neck, and let thy hair fall down over Him. Thou didst kiss His mouth in the same way as the Father kissed His mouth in heaven, and thou didst seat Him upon thy knees. He lifted up His eyes to thy face. He stretched out His hand, He took thy breast, and He drew into His mouth the milk which was sweeter than manna. The savour of thy sacrifice was sweeter unto Him than the savour of the sacrifice of Noah. Having drunk from thy spotless breasts, He called thee 'My mother'.

2 Come ye and behold God calling Mary 'My mother' and kissing her mouth. And as she kissed His mouth she called Him always 'My Lord, and my Son'. She worshipped Him, for when she used to give Him her breast she bowed down her head toward Him, whilst He stood up like a tower; and afterwards she worshipped Him, saying, 'My Lord, and my Son.' Then after these things she used to take hold of His hand and lead Him along the roads, saying, 'My sweet Son, walk a little way,' in the same manner as all other babes are taught to walk. And He, Jesus, the Very God, followed after her untroubled, He clung to her with His little fingers, He stopped from time to time, and He hung on to the skirts of Mary His mother—He upon Whom the whole universe hangeth! He would lift His eyes up to her face—He upon Whom the whole universe hangeth and through Whom it is kept in good order—and she would catch Him up to herself, and lift Him up in her arms, and walk along with Him.

3 Come, O all ye women, and look upon Mary, and see God, Who clave her side, lifting His face up and kissing her! Walk, walk, O daughter of Sion, I mean thee, O Mary. Behold, the King, the Christ, is on thee, for the King, the Christ, is with thee, He is sitting in thine arms! The Father hath made Himself a fellow worker with thee. The Son hath made Himself a kinsman of thine. The Holy Spirit hath made Himself inseparable from thee. The angels are subject unto thee, for He loveth thee, and hath sojourned with thee because of thy purity. For thou alone among all women hast found favour with God, for the Lord is with thee. Lift up thine hands and thine arms into the height. Take from God the Father the Image of His Son and carry it on thine head. The Holy Spirit shall guide thee on thy way, and thou shalt walk through all the world, and preach, and say, 'O ye people, know ye Him, for He is the Only Son of God, Whom I have brought forth.' 10

4 O Mary, I know that thou wast overjoyed in thine own manner. For unto every [other] woman who hath made a petition to Him God hath given according to the measure of mankind. But unto thee, O thou who hast asked Him to grant thee wisdom, God hath given thee His Gift, which is His Son. Thou didst hunger, and He gave thee milk in thy breasts in the heavens. Thou thyself wast brought forth by Eve, but thou didst bring forth God, the King of beings celestial and of beings terrestrial. Thou wast of no account in the world and in the affairs thereof, but God hath bestowed upon thee the heavens and the earth. When thou didst bow the knee to thy Son, and didst worship Him, straightway the angels worshipped thee. 5 O Mary, nine and thirty years didst thou complete, and God glorified thee. Declare unto me this mystery, O Mary. ii She saith: 'Hearken, and I will tell thee. From my childhood upwards I lived a quiet life. I was of no account in the world and in the affairs thereof. My womb grew large without [the help of] a man, and my breasts became full of milk. I never held converse with any young man. I suffered no pain when I brought forth. I was not frightened. I saw my Child. I did not know whence I had conceived Him. I knew that He Whom I had brought forth was God. Gabriel, the Archangel, was afraid, although he had announced these happenings unto me, for he knew that they were something new. I, however, was not afraid; on the contrary, I rejoiced, for I experienced gladness. When he saluted me he trembled, but I was filled with joy.' 'He came,' saith Mary, 'he opened my mouth, he went down into my womb. And the holy Archangel clave to me, he 11a directed me, and he ministered unto that which was inside my innermost part. When I used to sing a hymn at eventide angels sang with me. When also I used to bow my knees at dawn the powers (or, hosts) of heaven would worship that which was in my innermost part. At the third hour the Trinity would give me strength until the sixth hour of the day, and joy and gladness were with me. When I ate the manna of pearls came to me, and again when the sun was about to set it was the manna of the sweet smell [that came]. I did not know that He, unto Whom I was singing the hymns, was He to Whom all the world ascribed glory, [an ignorance] which I shared with all those whom I knew.

6 And the whole world ascribed glory to me, and they cried out, saying, 'Right well is it, O Virgin, who hast declared unto us the advent to us of our Saviour, the Christ! Right well is it that thou art held worthy to be the throne of God! Right well is it that thou hast delivered the whole world through thy childbirth! Right well is it, O virgin maiden, that God abideth with thee! Right well is it, O mother of all the monks and of all the nuns!' Thou hast set free all mankind who were fast bound in the Devil's hand. Thou didst hate the married life, and yet thou art made the mother of the True Bridegroom. Thou didst mortify thy body with ascetic exercises, and thy spirit rejoiced, for God was with thee. Since He Who is uprightness loveth thee, then there remaineth nothing that is not subject unto thee. Since thy

7 legs carried God when He was in thy pure womb, then most assuredly they shall become pillars in the midst of the heavenly Jerusalem. Since thy legs carried God when He was a little Child, then most assuredly thou art at this moment standing before the altar of sacrifice of thy Son. Since thou didst cover His face with thy garments to shield it from the wind and snow, then most assuredly the Cherubim and the Seraphim shall stand by the altar of sacrifice, and cover thy face with the splendour of their wings. Since thou didst carry Him in thy bosom, and didst hold Him on thy knees, then assuredly thou art sitting now upon a throne of glory, and the Cherubim and the Seraphim are standing and singing hymns to Him Whom thou didst bring forth. Since thou didst nourish Him with the milk which was in thy virgin breasts, then assuredly His Body of God and His

8 precious Blood shall be placed in thy mouth. Of what kind is the honour which shall be shewn to thee, O thou woman unto whom are subject the denizens of heaven, and the beings of earth, and the starry luminaries, and the angels who are in the heights, because of Him Who dwelt in thee? Hearken unto Him, Who is on the right hand of His Father in the heavens, calling Mary 'My mother'. He obeyed Joseph as a father, with all obedience in everything. The angels acted as servants for Him, but He was subject to His mother according to the flesh. All these things shall be thine, O Mary, thou perfect Virgin. Come, O all ye women who desire virginity, emulate the example of Mary, the mother of thy Lord. Consider ye her coarse and meagre food and her sleeping on the ground. She craved for none of the things of this world. The mention of

9 her was always in the mouths of the priests. She never washed herself in a [public] bath. She never adorned herself with face-paint, and eye-paint, and powder. She never decked herself out in brightly coloured raiment, as do all [other] women who love fine clothes. She never tasted wine. She used to sit always with her face turned towards the east, for she was always awaiting the Creator of the world. She never met and talked to any one, except her father, and her mother, and her brethren. For this reason, when Gabriel spake unto her, she was troubled at his words, and said, 'How can this possibly happen to me, seeing that I have never known a man?' And Gabriel said unto her, 'It is the Holy Spirit that shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; therefore He to Whom thou shalt give birth, O Mary, shall deliver from captivity the race of Adam, through His Body of God and His precious Blood. He to Whom thou shalt give birth, O Mary the Virgin, hath fashioned every one with His divine Hands.'

10 How can the remembrance of thee be hidden? Or, how canst thou be forgotten, O wise Virgin? Thy name shall be proclaimed throughout all the world over the holy table by bishops and presbyters, saying these words, 'We commemorate Thy holy birth of Mary the Virgin.' Blessed art thou, O Mary, thou who art the object of the boasting of the angels, thou subject of the talk of the Archangels, thou subject of the hymn of the Cherubim and Seraphim, thou woman who art praised by all the saints! On the day wherein thou didst give birth to the Son of God, Who hath existed for ever, and Who hath neither beginning nor end, we heard the hymns of joy and blessing among the hosts of heaven, who said, 'Glory to God in the highest! His peace be upon earth in men of His will.' All peoples saw the glory of God to Whom thou didst give birth. Therefore blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy body, O thou whose womb hath received into itself this indescribable [Being]! Blessed art thou, O Virgin, the entrance to whose womb carrieth Him to Whom heaven is a throne and the earth a footstool, even as He said, 'Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.' As for thee, thy womb served both as heaven and earth, for the entrance thereto received into itself Him that filleth heaven and earth. Who is like unto thee, O wise Virgin? O what a thing is this at which to marvel and to be amazed! In heaven He had no mother, and on earth He was without a father! He was God in heaven, and on earth He was the Only-begotten!

11 O holy Virgin, I cannot content myself in heaping blessings upon thee; my heart cannot understand the greatness of thine exaltedness, O thou who didst carry in thy womb Him before Whom the Seraphim stand up! What tongue of flesh can declare the majesty of thine exaltedness, O thou cruse of oil wherein the fire burned, and was not consumed, O thou place of sojourn of God and His habitation, O thou concerning whom the prophets proclaimed, saying, 'This is the gate of the Lord, wherein the righteous enter!' The Lord looked out of heaven upon the world, and among the whole race of women He found none like unto thee, and for this reason His Only-begotten Son sojourned in thee. Hail, mother of the Lord, who hast found favour with God! Hail, blessing, and joy and gladness! Hail, palladium of the True King! Hail, laboratory of the True Physician! Hail, thou who didst bring forth to us Life, thyself being a Virgin!

12 O my beloved, what a hidden mystery is this which was revealed from heaven! In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth in six days, and rested from all His labours on the seventh day, and on the seventh day of the new month, according to the Law (i. e. reckoning of the Romans), that is to say, the seventh day of the month Parmoute, our Lord came down from heaven, and took [upon Himself] flesh of this Virgin. O wise Virgin, I beseech thee to bring the favour of God, Who is thy Son, upon us, and may He forgive us our sins, and deliver us from all the crafts of the Adversary the Devil. Take us all to thyself, lest the Devil take delight in us, and draw us down into the Gehenna of fire. O Mary, do thou draw nigh unto the King, the Christ, [so] that He may receive thy supplication on our behalf, for He is thy Son and thy Beloved, and thou didst bear Him, and He called thee 'My mother'. Verily, O Mary the Virgin, thy honour is greater than that of all the other women in the world. He Who breathed breath into every created being called thee 'My mother'! Thou art more exalted than the Cherubim and the Seraphim, thou art more blessed than the Thrones, because the Christ loved thee. He sojourned with thee because thou art Saint Mary, the perpetual Virgin. And she will do these things for us with her beloved Son, Jesus the Christ, our Lord, so that...

13 [The rest is wanting]

VI. The Teaching of Apa Psote, Bishop of Psoï

1 (Brit. Mus. MS. Oriental, No. 7597) The teaching of our holy father apa psote, the great bishop of psoï, which he pronounced on the first day of the week, when arianus, the governor of thebaïs, had sent messengers to him to cut off his head. HE BESOUGHT THE IMPERIAL VELETARIUS AND THE SOLDIERS OF THE GOVERNOR TO PERMIT THEMSELVES TO BE INSTRUCTED BY HIM, AND HE PASSED THE WHOLE NIGHT IN PREACHING A HOMILY TO THE PEOPLE. I SALUTE you, O my beloved sons and daughters, and I salute you at the same time with the salutation of God. I command you this day with the commandments of life, to make you to walk in them at all times, so that ye may continue to perform my intention; for I know by this that I shall never return again to you in the flesh. O my beloved sons, fight the good fight, for the contest in this world is of various kinds. Woe unto the man who shall continue to follow his evil works, but especially let there be woe unto those who devote their whole attention to the things which they are going to leave behind them, whether it be buildings, or estates, or any work of oppression. Now behold, ye see me this day. Whether I have done what is good, or whether I have committed acts of violence or deeds of evil, behold, messengers have been sent hither for me, to take me away from you, by the impious king. I testify to you that from my childhood upwards the angel of the Lord hath appeared unto me several times whilst I was pasturing my father's sheep, and he never ceased to recite the Scriptures to me in my abode until I knew them all by heart.

2 Behold now, moreover, through the command of the Good God, I already know that my blood shall be shed for the sake of the sweet Name of my Lord Jesus the Christ, according as these things have been revealed unto me. But I am afraid of the road whereby I shall depart to God, and of the Powers that stand on it, because I am flesh and blood, like every other man, and no one is sinless in the sight of God. And the laws which are laid down for us in the Statutes of the Church are found written down for us, and they say, 'It is right that a bishop should not be blameworthy in anything'. Now who is there whom God could not reprove for his sins? For Scripture saith, 'How long will they speak the same words of scoffing?' Whatsoever a man shall utter he must account for at the impartial tribunal of God Almighty, the place where neither name nor apparel shall be of any use to us, and where each man shall receive according to his works. O my children, know ye the repentance whereunto ye are to cling, and according to the works of which ye are to walk, for the ways of going to God are difficult and bring [us] into tribulation; for 'narrow is the gate' through which the Lord leadeth His chosen, according to the word of the stone of truth, Matthew the Evangelist.

3 And there is especially the great terror of the difficulty and of the great abomination of this river of fire, whereon roll waves upon waves [of flame], and of the burning flames from which no man can escape. For whether a man be righteous or a sinner, all must be dipped in this river of fire before they can reach the awful throne. O this river of fire which is full of trembling and horror! O this throne of terror! Every one must stand before it in fear, and trembling, and anxiety, and perturbation, and the knocking of the knees together. 4 Woe unto me, O my sons, for before I stand naked before the throne my evil deeds shall stand there before me, in the order in which I committed them, and I shall see them! Woe unto me at that moment when He Who seeth truly, and Who knoweth everything beforehand, shall pass sentence of judgement upon me! Woe unto me when He Who is without anger shall be wroth with me, and shall say unto me, 'Alas for this old man and his grey hairs!' Alas for this name [of monk], and this Christian garb! even [the rank of] bishop will not benefit me at all. Behold, our sins shall stand before us, one after the other, even as we committed them. Then what shall we say? Shall we not keep silence? Shall not we fail to find a word to utter on that day? Is there any kind of denial which we can set before Him? What shall we do? If we deny our wickedness, then shall the angels who shall stand by that awful throne with us contradict us through our own angels who will act as our opponents, saying, 'Thou didst commit this sin on such and such a day, and in such and such a way, and I was standing by thee.' Woe unto every man whose angel shall reveal his character before the throne of the Christ, and before God and His angels, and before the hosts of heaven!

5 Woe unto the bishop who doth not instruct his people thoroughly, and his city, and his diocese, for assuredly these things shall be required of him! And also, [woe be unto the bishop] who shall forget (or, neglect) the churches of God which are deserted, and the widows, and the orphans! Woe unto the abbot who shall permit a rich man to lead him into shame, who shall destroy the truth, and shall pervert judgement, and shall hesitate to give a decision according to the word of truth, and who shall ignore those whom he seeth, and those who are brought unto him! Woe unto the judge who shall pervert judgement for the sake of a gift, and who shall accept the person of the rich man, and condemn the poor man who hath nothing to give [him]. Woe unto those [priests] who shall deceive laymen, and who shall appoint themselves to any work connected with the church, whilst pretending that they only wish to act as judges on its behalf, or to decide about certain of the ordi-

6 nances thereof! Let the laity drive such a man out of this occupation, and let him not offer up any decision on your behalf before God. Woe unto him that acteth deceitfully, as, for example, the head of the congregation, that is to say, the father of the monastery, who shall sell the works of God for money, or anything else, or who, knowing that there are certain brethren who rail at God, spareth them, and doth not expel them from the congregation! Woe unto the presbyter who doth neglect his people, and doth neither rebuke them nor teach them the things that would do good to their souls; assuredly the souls of his people shall be required of him, and he will have to defend them! Woe unto the deacon who shall profane the altar, and who shall devour the possessions of the Church, and shall perform the works (i. e. service) of God apathetically! Woe unto the layman who shall commit fornication, or who shall have union with the erring woman, or who shall look upon their forms shamelessly, or who shall cast the results of their lust upon the earth, and those whose hands shall serve them as wives, and those who shall pollute themselves with the irrational beasts. Men of this kind are those who pollute the temple of God. These are they whom God shall destroy by the breath of His mouth and by the smoke of His wrath.

7 My sons, do not by any means be envious of these, so that God may not abominate you speedily. Be not careless in anything, for all the carelessnesses of this world turn into punishments in the world which is to come. And we all know that our flesh is weak, and that our miserable souls are not able to bear the stripes which God shall lay upon us in the Righteous Judgement of our sins. If we continue in our sins God shall inflict pain upon us, more especially in the punishments which He shall bring upon us. O my sons, the end of each will come to him, and I shall find mine own end this day. For I know that they will take me to the feet of the governor, and that he will pass judgement upon me for the sake of the Name of my Lord, to force me to renounce Him, but it shall never happen that I will renounce Him! I am prepared for him (i.e. the governor) to cut off my head for the Name of my True King and Saviour, Jesus the Christ. For this reason I adjure you, O my beloved sons, to continue to remember me, according to the love of God, and to continue to do diligently the things that are good for your own salvation; for the salvation of every man [consisteth] in the performance of the Law of God.

8 For he who performeth the Law is a friend of God, whether he be in this world or in the next; whosoever transgresseth the Law is an enemy of God, whether he be in this world or in that which is to come. Ye yourselves have heard the voice of the Gospel: in one place it blesseth, and in another it curseth, and is angry, and revileth. In one place [we have] 'Blessed are the poor', that is to say, those who have not put the Law of God behind them. 9 Woe unto those whom the world hath deceived by means of the things of vanity, that is to say, woe unto thieves, and murderers, and whoremongers, and adulterers, and magicians, and sorcerers, and necromancers, and soothsayers, and those who divine by means of cups! These are they whose hope is in the men who are magicians, and they set their minds upon them, saying that they will be able to endow them with strength in their tribulation. O ye silly, ignorant, and senseless men, tell me how [the matter standeth]. If God wisheth to bring an illness upon a man as a trial and as a lesson to him, is it not for the man, who is but dust and ashes, to bear it? Or, is he to turn backwards the commandment of God? But the guile and deceits of the Devil are the things that draw a man backwards, and they smile at him, one after the other, for the Devil wisheth to take him down into the pit into which he was forced to descend because of [his] disobedience. Behold now, ye see me in your midst this day, and I wish to fill myself with [the sight of] your gladness, and the sight of your sweet faces. O my sons, in a very short time now the soldiers of the governor will seize me, according to his order. And behold, the governor will come from Siût (Lycopolis), and go to Tkôou (Antacopolis), and they will take me to him; and they will take off my head in that place for the sake of the Name of Emmanuel, which, being interpreted, meaneth 'God with us'.

10 Strive ye earnestly, O my sons, so that ye may walk in the ways of the Lord, and put not His commandments behind your backs in the smallest degree, lest ye bring upon me, as well as upon yourselves, a sentence of doom which can never be removed. For, it is written, 'The disobedient is a son of perdition,' and perdition belongeth unto the Devil and his demons. And the kingdom of God is in the heavens, and it is that which He hath prepared for those who shall do His Will, even as He saith in the Gospel according to Matthew, 'Behold, Thy mother and Thy brethren are standing outside wishing to see Thee.' And He said, 'Whosoever shall do the Will of My Father Which is in the heavens, the same is My brother, and My sister, and My mother.' Similarly, He might have inverted the words and said of those who shall put the Law and the Prophets behind their backs, 'Whosoever shall not do the Will of My Father Which is in the heavens, the same is My enemy. And as he hath hated Me, even so will I hate him. And as he hath denied Me in this world, I will deny him before the angels in the world that is everlasting. And as he hath forgotten to keep My Law, I also will forget him when he is in the darkness wherein there is no ray of light whatsoever.'

11 For He said with His mouth wherein there is no lie, 'Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world; for the world shall pass away, and the desires thereof.' For as it is in the case of a man to whom a span of life hath been allotted, now he is not told 'thou shalt die at such and such a moment', neither is he told 'thy neighbour shall die at such and such a time', even so is it in the case of the world, for no one knoweth when the period of its duration shall be fulfilled, and the time of its end shall come, save Him Who hath defined the completion of the period, that is to say, God Almighty. Nothing whatsoever shall remain when the world hath passed away except God, the Master of the Universe, 12 the Lord of everything which hath been and which shall be. And blessed are those who shall die in the Lord now, henceforth, and for ever. But woe unto those who shall die in [their] wickedness, for no other opportunity for repentance shall be afforded to them! nay, the sin, and the wickedness, and the other kinds of impiety which they have committed are the things that shall condemn them, and it is death that shall walk before them. For Scripture saith in the Psalms, 'Death shall shepherd them.' And again, 'He who hateth the righteous committeth sin.' It saith too in the Catholic [Epistle], 'He who hateth his brother is a slayer of man.' Then how great will be the condemnation of him that hateth Him Who created him! Every man who committeth sin hateth the God Who hath created him, and those who do not hate the Christ Jesus do not commit sin. I declare unto you a true saying: If ye examine your own understanding [ye will find that] every man who is a sinner is a hater of his own soul.

13 In what way doth a man [shew that] he hateth his own soul? Now very often a man saith unto me, 'No man ever hated his own soul.' I myself know this quite well, but direct thy attention to me, O simple brother. A certain man saith this day, 'I cherish my soul,' and he eateth and drinketh all his days. And when he dieth his soul is taken away and made into material for the blazing fire and into food for worms, because of the sins which he committed during the time when he was in the world. Now he saith in his folly, 'I love my soul,' yet notwithstanding he loveth to commit sin against it daily. And he knoweth not that the things which he doeth daily are written down in the books which never grow old, and cannot be destroyed, for they are books of the spirit, and in these our sins are written down one by one. And since every sin hath a different character, and the gravity of each varieth, even so the characters of the punishments and their severity are different, to say nothing of the monsters with horrible faces which are on the roads, and the merciless avengers, and the dekans, who are without form, and who preside over [the infliction of] punishment. With mercilessness and very great frenzy they strip the skin off each man.

14 Remember the father of every sinner, [the Devil]. He goeth round and about, and raveneth like a lion; he wandereth about with his nets, and he cometh in many forms, and he wisheth to swallow up our souls. And the snares of death are in his hands when he cometh into the heart of a man, and he sendeth therein the passion of wickedness. And he hasteneth impudently to a man in his early years, and he cometh with an apology before the face of those who are older. Afterwards he cometh in the lust of the eye, and in jealousy (or, envy) of heart. He cometh also in avarice (?), and in pride, and in vainglory, and in lasciviousness, and in gluttony, and in wantoning, and in the love of the Sacrament, [and] in arrogance, [and] in fornications, and in adulteries, and in magic, and in sorcery. All these things are wont to attack a man during the first and second periods of his life. And when he cometh to the third period, that is to say, to old age, the Devil attacketh him with babbling, and littleness of heart (or, lack of courage), and the swearing of false oaths, as his strength faileth and he knoweth that it is old age that cometh [upon him]; and he maketh him to crave for food, and to suffer from hunger and thirst like the dogs. These and other such like things doth the Devil make to come upon man in the third period of his life. But blessed is the man whom the Devil shall tempt, and who shall overcome the Devil with repentance, for great shall be his reward from God on the day of his coming forth from the body.

15 O my beloved sons, behold, ye see that the lights have burned low, and that the sun hath begun to rise. Let us offer up the Holy Offering, for the time hath arrived for us to partake of the Holy Mysteries, the Body and Blood of the Christ, before I am taken from you. For, behold, the Imperial Veletarius said unto the soldiers of the governor, 'Let us take him and depart, for daylight hath appeared.' And when the blessed Apa Psote, the bishop, had said these things he made the Sign of the Cross over the people three times, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. And he administered the Holy Mysteries to them, and gave them the Benediction; and he dismissed them, and they went to their houses glorifying his Lord Jesus, the Christ, to Whom be glory, and to His Good Father, and to the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.