The Contendings of the Apostles, Part 1

The Contendings of the Apostles, Part 1

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The Martyrdom of Saint Philip in Phrygia

1 Here beginneth the Martyrdom of the blessed Apostle Philip who nobly ended his contending on the eighteenth day of the month Hadar. In the peace of God. Amen. May his prayer and his blessing be with [his] handmaiden, Walatta Madhan. 2 And it came to pass that as Philip was entering into the country of Africa (Phrygia?), and was going to the inhabitants of that country, he preached unto them a new God, Whose Name was not known unto them, that is to say, Jesus; and they made haste to come unto him so that they might hear his words. Now when they heard him preaching in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, the God of heaven and of earth, the multitudes answered and said unto him, "Who is Jesus Christ? We have never heard of Him except from thee; and they were wont to worship the gods [of the heathen] and devils. Then Philip answered and said unto them, "Hearken unto me, O ye men who are gathered together here, for I see that the grace of God will be with you. The God Whom I preach unto you is God Almighty. and besides Him there is no other god; He is the Living God, and He giveth life unto all those who believe in Him. And there is a Son with the Father, and a Holy Spirit, Who proceeded from the Father, but the Spirit and the Father and the Son are One, that is to say, One God. [He existed] before all days, and He shall endure for ever; He is the First, and He is the Last, and He is invisible. It is He Who created all things by His wisdom;

3 it is He Who created the sea, and the rivers of water, and all that therein is, and they are in subjection unto Him. It is He Who is the Maker of all things which are visible, as well as of those which are invisible. And aforetime He took dust from the ground and made from it a man in His own form and appearance, and called him 'Adám', and He blessed him, and made him the father of all created things which talk. And He said unto him, 'Increase and multiply, and fill the face of the earth with thy seed, and rule over all those who dwell therein." 4 Then the multitudes said unto Philip, "Where is the God Who hath created all things concerning Whom thou speakest?" And Philip said unto them, "He dwelleth in the heavens, and in the earth, and in all the men who do His will." And it came to pass that, when Satan saw how [valiantly] Philip was contending, and how he was turning the people to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, he made haste and sowed the thought of evil in their hearts and multiplied wickedness within them; and he made them to attack the Apostle Philip, and they shut him up in the prison house and wished to kill him. Now the eyes of all those who lifted up their hands against Philip became blind. And when the people saw this wonderful thing they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "The God of Philip is One God. Why will ye slay this blessed disciple through whom God hath brought us out from the darkness into the light of [the [true] faith?" In this wise did the multitude deliver Philip out of the hands of those who wished to slay him.

5 And Philip went forth and preached the Name of Christ in all that country through which he travelled round about; and he was preaching the word of God the whole day long. And he healed all those who were sick, and at length all the people of the city, and of the regions round about gathered themselves together unto him, and he taught them, and made them to believe, and he preached unto them the kingdom of heaven. For when the blind drew nigh unto him he made their eyes to see; and he made straight the legs of the lame by his word; and when he went round about those who were deaf they heard; and the dumb spake by the might of our Lord Jesus Christ which dwelt in him; and the [lepers were cleansed when he stretched out his hands and made supplication unto God on their behalf; and those who were possessed of devils drew nigh unto him, and he drove them out from them by the [sign of the most honourable Cross; and he gave thanks unto God for the gift of grace

6 .59b..60a. which He had given him; and he healed all those who were sick through any disease whatsoever. 7 And it came to pass that when the nobles of the city saw Philip working all these miracles which God Almighty had made manifest through him, and how [the people] were relieved from suffering of every kind, and how their beloved ones, and their sons, and their daughters, and their acquaintances were rejecting their gods and entering into the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, because Philip had commanded them [so to do], because of these things, I say, those who did not believe in the preaching of Philip gathered themselves together, and they held meetings secretly, and certain men among those who came to those meetings decided to lay hold upon Philip, and to shut him up in prison, and to kill him secretly, so that the whole country might not be destroyed. And they were making a boast to the king that they would not allow an alien to enter into their city, and to destroy their Law (or religion), and they tarried in his presence until this thing was accomplished; and he sent [men] to slay [the Apostles] who were destroying (or corrupting) their city. Then the king said unto them, "Why are ye doing nothing whilst this man is leading astray the people, and paying no heed unto my command?" Then those men made an agreement together concerning this matter, and they laid hold upon Saint Philip and shut him up in prison. And they spake words of cursing and blasphemy against him, but the Apostle laughed in their faces and rejoiced. Then said they unto each other, "See how he laugheth and jesteth at us, and [how] he wisheth to lead us astray, and to make us to depart from the right way, even as he did the people whom he made to forsake the imperial gods, and to separate themselves from their wives!"

8 And it came to pass that when Philip heard their words, he said unto them, "Indeed, [I speak] my words that I may perfect [my work] upon you, and not that I should offend you, but that ye may turn unto God, Who will give you remission of your sins, and will make you worthy of His kingdom which never passeth away." Then one of them answered and said unto them, "Kill him, for if we let him go he will lead us astray." Therefore was their wrath kindled, and they laid hold upon him and raised him up on a cross (now they placed his head downwards and his feet upwards), and they tied him [to it], so that he could not move his body. Then they scourged him sorely and inflicted severe tortures upon him, and they ceased not to beat him with cruel blows until he yielded up his spirit on the cross. Then they took his body down from the cross, and they gathered together in crowds and spake among themselves, saying, "Let us kindle a great fire and cast his body into it, so that we may consume him utterly and he may no more be found."

9 Now when they had lit the fire wherein they were going to cast the body of the saint, our Lord Jesus Christ sent His angel, and he took the holy body out of their hands at noontide from the city; and all those who dwelt therein saw his body as it ascended with joy, and with great glory, and honour, until it went up from their sight into heaven, and the angel brought the body of Philip to Jerusalem, and hid it in a tree (or wood). And it came to pass that, when all the people saw this wonderful thing, and they remembered the multitude of wonderful deeds and miracles which God had wrought through him, and all the sick folk whom he had healed, they lifted up their voices, both men and women, and said, "The God of Philip, the servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, is One God; He is God, the God of heaven and of earth, He is the Mighty One, and He is the exalted God, Who is honoured both by the denizens of heaven, and by the beings of of earth. And the men of the city and of the regions round about it believed in our Lord Jesus Christ, from the least of them even unto the greatest; and the God-fearing men of the city sent messengers into the heights of the mountains, and they continued to go round about in the desert for many days seeking the body of Saint Philip;

10 and the men of the city fasted and prayed, and made supplication unto God that He would restore it unto them. Now when God saw their faith and their repentance, and that the evilness of their works had passed away, He sent unto them the angel that he might tell them where [the body of] Philip the Apostle was, and that they might take it and deposit it in the city. And it came to pass that when they saw it they rejoiced with great joy, and they brought it into the city with glory, and thanksgiving, and honour; and they swathed it in fine linen and laid it in a new and beautiful sarcophagus. Now the consummation of the martyrdom of Saint Philip took place on the eighteenth day of the month Ḥadār. In the peace of God the Father. Amen. Glory and honour be unto our Lord Jesus Christ, and unto His Father, and unto the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Preaching of Saint Andrew and Saint Philemon among the Kurds

1 Here beginneth the Preaching of the blessed disciple Andrew, the Apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the story of what happened unto him in the cities of 'Almāḍpā (Almāḍpō, i. e., the Kurds), and in the city of Eḗḍpā (Eydia). In the peace of God the Father. Amen. Now when the disciples were about to go forth into the world and to preach the story of the kingdom of heaven, our Lord appeared unto them, and held converse with them, and spake unto them, saying, "Peace be unto you, O My beloved brethren, ye heirs of the kingdom! Know ye that I will never separate Myself from you, and that I will give you strength." Then He turned unto Matthias, and said unto him, "Go thou unto the City of the Cannibals; and Andrew thy brother shall go unto the country of Lḗḍyā (Lydia), and shall preach therein; and Philemon, the son of Philip, shall go down there also, for I have in that city many people whom I have chosen." And the Apostles answered and said unto our Lord, "O Lord, be Thou with us in whatsoever place we go to preach;" and our Lord gave them the salutation of peace, and went up into heaven whilst they were looking at Him.

2 Then straightway Peter went unto the place whereto our Lord had commanded him [to go]. And Matthias asked Andrew to allow the two men Rufus and Alexander to go with him unto the city of Tīṭārān, and Andrew and Philemon went unto the country of Lydia. Now Philemon had a beautiful voice, and his speech was soft, and [in respect of these] there was no man like unto him; and he taught unto all [men] the wisdom and the power of the Holy Spirit which had come down upon him, and among the disciples there was none like unto him, with the exceptions of Peter and John. 3 And it came to pass that when the Apostles were gathered together they chose [these] two [men] to stand up and declare the praise of God Almighty, so that [when the people] heard the sweetness of their words [they might believe]. So Andrew went with Philemon unto Lydia, where one half of [the people of] the city had believed through Peter, and the other half had not. And Andrew came into the church of the Christians which was in the city of Lydia, and two [men] came and received him, and they carried branches of trees in their hands for joy. Now when Andrew had come into the church and had taken his seat upon the bishop's throne, he commanded Philemon to go up into the pulpit, and to sing praises, and to cry out Hallelujah, so that the people might receive the word from him. And when the priests of the heathen heard the sound of the [singing of the] Christians, they said unto each other, "What is happening in the city this day? And the people said, "A disciple of Jesus Christ is in the church of the Christians, and he is teaching them, and commanding them to reject the gods [of the heathen], and not to enter into their temples. Then the priests took their swords and came unto the church where they heard the sound of the singing, so that if they (i. e., the disciples of Christ) cursed their gods they (i.

4 e., the heathen priests) might go in and cut off [their heads]. And it came to pass that they heard the sweet voice of Philemon declaiming and saying thus, "The gods of the heathen are [made] of gold and silver, [and are] the work of the hand of man. They have mouths, but speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; ears have they, but they hear not; noses have they, but they smell not; hands have they, but they feel not; feet have they, but they walk not; they speak not with their throats, and there is no breath in their nostrils. Like unto them are all those who made them, and even so are those who put their trust in them." 5 And it came to pass that, when the priests heard these words from the voice of Philemon, and the sweetness of his preaching, they wept and came into the church, and embraced his feet. And when he saw the multitude he said unto Andrew, "O father, these men are of the priests of the temple." Then Andrew made a sign to the people to keep silence until the song of praise was ended; now when [the Christians] saw men having swords they were exceedingly afraid of them, and they held their peace until he had made an end of his song of praise. And Andrew stood up, and first of all prayed a prayer on their behalf, and when he had finished his prayer he said unto the priests of the temple, "Sit down." Then Andrew said unto them, "O my children, whom I would take to my breast, tell me now, I pray, how is that ye have entered into this church in this wise this day? For on every other day whenever Christians pass you [in the streets] ye take good heed that ye do not touch them even with your garments. I desire you to tell me that which is in your heart." And all the priests answered and said unto him, "O father Andrew, we will

6 "declare it unto thee truthfully. When we heard of thy coming into this city to teach, and heard also the sound of many people gathered together, we enquired what was happening in this city this day, and they told us of thy arrival in the city. Then fifty men of our number made an agreement together to come and see and hear whether ye were heaping abuse upon our gods [or not], and, if ye were so doing, to slay every one who was in the church; and behold, we have arrived according to what we have said. But when we heard the sweetness of the voice of this youth our hearts were carried away [from our purpose] and we have come to thee. And now we beseech thee, O disciple, to give unto us this day [instruction], even as thou hast given it unto this multitude, so that those who have drawn nigh unto thy God may become worthy of Him, and we hope that we may never be absent from this youth."

7 And it came to pass that when Andrew heard these words from them, he rose up and kissed the head of Philemon, saying, "Verily thou art he concerning whom the Holy Spirit spake aforetime, saying, 'The people shall be gathered together unto him that hath a sweet voice.' Verily it is meet that thou shouldst be called the 'Saviour of souls;' and as our Lord changed our names and made others for us, even so shall it be with thee." Now when the people saw Andrew kissing the head of Philemon, they all came unto him, and embraced him; and when Andrew saw the people thronging about him and pressing him, he commanded them to go forth unto an open place, and they went to the sea-shore. Then Andrew answered and said unto those who believed, "Whosoever among you is wishful to please God, let him come unto me that he may be washed by my hand;" so all the people came unto him, and he baptized them all in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Now the number of those who were baptized was four thousand, four hundred souls; and besides these the fifty priests also were baptized.

8 Now after these things Satan came into the city and found two young men who were fighting together and struggling each to overcome the other, and the son of John, the priest, smote the other young man, and he fell down, and died immediately. Then the father of the dead man laid hold upon John the priest, and said unto him, "Deliver to me thy son that I may kill him in the stead of my son whom he hath killed; and if thou dost not, I will deliver thee unto Rāwēkās, the governor, that he may kill thee in the stead of thy sén who hath killed mine." Then John wept with a great weeping before the multitude. And the people answered and said unto him, "What dost thou wish, O father, that we should do for thee? If they seek money from thee then will we give it for thy sake. Or, do they wish thee to give thyself up for the murder?" Then John answered and said unto them, "I want neither gold nor silver from you, but I want the elders of the people to give a pledge for me', whilst I go unto Andrew [to ask him] to raise the man from the dead."

9 Then the people went with John the priest unto the father of the young man who was dead, and they said unto him, "We will keep John secure for thee whilst he goeth to the city of Lydia unto Andrew, the Apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ, [to entreat him] to come and raise up alive for thee thy son who is dead"; and the father of the dead man did for them even as they wished," and he sat down and mourned for his son. And John went unto Andrew the Apostle, and he found him baptizing the people, and he fell down and did homage to him. Then he said unto him, "Have compassion on my old age, and let me not die this evil death." And Andrew answered and said unto him, "Believe in God, and be not afraid, and tell me all that hath befallen thee;" and John told him all that had happened unto him, and how it had come upon him. And Andrew answered and said unto him, "It is not possible for me to go with thee at this season because of these people whom I am baptizing, but take Philemon with thee,

10 * Literally, "to redeem me." * l. e., he accepted the pledge of the elders of the city. "and he shall raise up for thee him who hath died." And Andrew sent Philemon with him to raise up the young man from the dead, and they went forth from Andrew into the city. 11 Now as they were journeying along, Satan, having taken upon himself the form of an old man, came unto the governor of the city, and cried out unto him, saying, "O Rûkôs (Raukas), dost thou sit here [and do nothing] whilst a man is murdered and cast forth? Rise up, now, and enquire in this city who it is that hath slain [him]. If thou art unwilling [to do this], behold, I myself will go unto the king and tell him concerning the matter. And it came to pass that when Rûkôs (Raukas) heard these words he rose up in great anger, and he told those who were round about him to bring him an animal whereon he could ride outside the city; and he departed, being angry with a great anger. Now when the men of the city heard that the governor had come, no man remained therein except him who had died. Then John and Philemon came from Andrew, and they found the multitude outside the city; and the people said unto John the priest, "Thou hast tarried long in thy coming, and we are afraid, for behold, the governor will make [the men of] the city prisoners. Now when John heard these words, he wept bitterly, and said, "Woe is me. What shall I do? For I sorrow very greatly because of the dead man who lieth unburied. And Philemon answered and said unto him, "Weep not, for I will go and raise him up;

12 but the people said unto him, "Come thou not into the city, that the governor may not slay thee. And Philemon said unto them, "It is not possible for me to disobey my master, therefore I will go and raise up the dead man, even as my master hath commanded me; and do ye sit down here, and when ye hear that the governor hath slain me send ye [word] to my master that he may come and raise me up, and the young man who is dead with me." 13 And Philemon went into the city and came unto the place where the governor was, and he cried out, saying,. "O Rôkôs (Raukas), thou governor, thou hast been appointed unto this city to destroy it; where are the men of the city who did not [come forth to] receive thee when thou didst come thereunto?" And it came to pass that when the governor heard his voice, he commanded the captain of his guard to seize him, and to crucify him in the place where punishments were inflicted; and the governor said unto them, "It may be that this man slew him that hath died, and that, in consequence thereof, his blood will not let him hold his peace." Then Philemon answered and said unto Rôkôs the governor, "Why dost thou inflict punishment upon me? I am little (i. e., young, or of no account), and I have not transgressed, and nothing [worthy of] punishment hath been found in me. Now, I was with my father Adam when he was in Paradise, before Eve went forth from his side. Where is my teacher Andrew that he may see the things which they are going to do unto his disciple? Is there no compassion in thy heart, O governor, when thou seest how little (or young) I am? Hast thou no son, so that [in thinking of him] thou canst shew compassion upon me? Know thou that however much thou lovest thy son my father loveth me more."

14 Then Philemon turned his face towards the captain and his soldiers, and said unto them, "Is there not one merciful man among you who will have compassion upon me, and will go unto the city of Lydia to my master Andrew, and will speak unto him, saying, 'They have crucified thy disciple and are torturing him?'" And it came to pass that when the captain and the soldiers heard these words they wept bitterly at the sound of Philemon's [sweet] voice. Then Philemon spake again unto them, and said, "Is there not even a bird in this city which I can send unto the city of Lydia, to my master Andrew, [to ask] him to come to me that I may see him before I die? Now when he had said these words many birds gathered themselves together, and they spake unto Philemon, even as they used to speak with Noah in days of old, and said unto him, "Behold, here we are, send whichever one of us thou pleasest. Then a little bird drew nigh unto him, and said unto him, "I am smaller in body than all the other birds; let me go unto thy teacher that I may bring him unto thee. And Philemon said unto her, "As for thee, thou art a whore. Haste not to come back to me, but if thou canst find one of thy kith and kin abide with him, and haste not to return unto me.

15 Then a raven drew nigh unto him, and said unto him, "I will go unto him; and Philemon said unto the raven, "In days of old when thou wast sent forth by Noah thou didst not return unto him who sent thee forth; therefore I shall not send thee. And Philemon called unto the dove, and said unto her, "O beautiful wanderer, who by reason of thy sweet gentleness wast named by God above all [other] birds; who didst bring tidings unto Noah when he was living in the ark in the days of the Flood; and who wast blessed by our father Noah, the righteous man; go thou unto the city of Lydia to my master Andrew, and tell him to come and see his son Philemon, for they have crucified him, and are torturing him. And the dove answered and said unto him, "Be of good courage, and fear not; behold, Andrew shall come and shall himself hear thy words."

16 And it came to pass that when Rōkōs (Raukas) heard [these words] he rose up quickly, and with his own hands he released Philemon from his punishment, and he said unto him, "Verily, if there were ten dead men in this city I would leave off making enquiries concerning [who killed] them, for thy sake." Now when Satan heard that Rōkōs had believed, he cried out unto his devils and evil spirits, and said unto them, "Behold, our beloved Rōkōs and all the men of the city have rejected (or denied) us. Now I command one of you to go into the house of Rōkōs and to lay hold upon his wife, and to make her to act like a mad woman, and cause her to become like one who hath no understanding, and he shall give her orders to rise up against her own son and to slay him." And in that same hour Satan did even as Diabolus, the accursed one, had commanded him; and he went into the house of the governor, and made the woman to become like one who was mad and who had no understanding, and he ordered her to slay her child. And it came to pass that when her servants knew what she had done they gathered themselves together, and seized her, and placed her in a strong place, and they sent messengers unto their lord and told him what his wife had done, and how she had slain her child. Then Rôkôs the governor said unto those who were round about him, "Even if the house had fallen upon them, and all those who were in my abode were dead, I would not separate myself from this young man." And Rôkôs the governor went back to Philemon, and said unto him, "O my lord, hast thou not heard what this messenger hath said? I entreat thee to go with me to my dwelling-place, but if thou wilt not, then I will not go." Then Philemon answered and said unto him, "Let us finish the matter whereon we are now occupied, and after this we will go to thy house." And Philemon cried unto the dove and said unto her, "Go thou into the house of Rôkôs, and say unto those who are therein, Do nothing of any kind whatsoever in my dwellingplace until I come;" and the dove went as he had commanded her, and brought her message [to the house]. And it came to pass that when the people heard the dove speaking they were struck with exceedingly great astonishment.

17 And Philemon asked the governor to send for the men of the city to come, so that he might raise him that was dead; and the governor sent the captain and his soldiers, and they brought the people, and when they had come they all went together unto the place where the dead man was. And Philemon found Andrew in the city, and he said unto him, "Come, O my master, that thou mayest raise the dead man;" and Andrew said unto him, "Verily I say unto thee that thou shalt raise him." Then Philemon came into the place wherein was the man that was dead, and he bowed his knees even upon the ground, and made supplication unto God Almighty, saying, "Hear Thou me, O Lord my God, Thou Good Shepherd, Who hast not left us to be possess-ions in the hands of the Adversary, but hast delivered us by Thy precious Blood; hear Thou me, Thy servant; I entreat Thee, according to the multitude of Thy mercy, to let this young man be raised from the dead." And saying these words he lifted himself up, and cried out with a loud voice, "In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ the Nazarene, rise up, O young man;" and the young man rose up quickly from the dead. And when the people saw that the young man had risen up and was alive, their faith was increased, and they became strong [in their belief] in our Lord Jesus Christ.

18 Then Philemon made known unto Andrew concerning the wife of the governor and concerning the murder of her son; and Andrew, and Philemon, and all those who were gathered together there went unto the abode of Rôkôs, and the widows and orphans followed after them asking them to give them gifts. And it came to pass that when Andrew came into the house of the governor, he found the child of the governor [lying dead,] and many people were standing round about him and weeping for him, and the dove was standing by the A side of his head. Then Andrew said unto the dove, "How many are thy days?" And she said unto him, "Sixty years [are] the days [of my life]." Then Andrew said unto her, "Since thou hast obeyed the voice of Philemon my disciple, depart thou into the desert, and thou shalt be free of the work of the men of this world, and no man shall have power over thee;" so the dove went forth into the desert, even as Andrew had commanded her.

19 Then Andrew cried unto him that was dead, saying, "In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ Who hath sent us into the world to preach His holy Name, rise up and live in this same hour; and he that was dead rose up, and he bowed himself down between (i. e., beneath) the hands of Andrew. And Andrew lifted him up, and said unto him, "Believe in our Lord, O my son; and he who had been made to live [again] answered and said unto him, "Behold, I have believed. But I entreat thee, O my father Andrew, to give me permission to declare everything which I have seen". Then Andrew said unto him, "Speak. And the young man answered and said unto his father, "O father, give thou a portion of thy riches unto the poor, and to the orphans, and to the widows, and to those who are in want. Wilt thou not pay back a little of that which it is meet for thee to pay back for the gracious gift of God which hath come down upon thee? And wilt thou not give unto those who are in affliction for thy soul's sake? I declare unto thee, O my father, that in that same hour wherein my mother rose up and killed me, many most pleasant things happened unto me. There came unto me many men who had wings which were like unto the wings of eagles, and they took my soul and cast it into a place called 'Gehenna'.

20 And I saw a great house which was a building of sulphur and bitumen, and the number of those who were building it was forty; and there were with them [men with] lighted (or brilliant) lamps. And these builders were surrounded by those who were giving them orders concerning the building, and who said, 'When will this house be finished? for we have been ordered to burn it with these lamps.' And the builders said unto them, 'What is this? Ye would not surely burn down the house before it is finished?' And they said unto them, 'By what time will the building thereof be finished?' And they said, 'By the time the master of the house shall die, and then they will burn him therein.'" 21 "Then the angel, who had my soul in his keeping, said unto me, 'Hast thou seen these [beings]?' And I said unto him, 'Yea.' And I asked him, saying, 'For whom hath this house of sulphur and bitumen been built?' And he answered and said unto me, 'Dost thou see this great house?' And I said unto him, 'Yea, my lord.' And he said unto me, 'This is the sin which thy father hath committed, and this house will continue to be built for him until the time when he shall die, and then they will cast him into it, and consume him.' 172a. And when I heard these things concerning thee, I wept exceedingly, and I said, 'Woe is me! Woe is me! How can I inform my father of these things?' Now as I 'was weeping, he who was with me said unto me, Weep not.' And as he was conversing with me there came an aged man, and one hundred men were following after him; and there was with him a young man, the days of whose life were twelve years, and his aspect was most beautiful, and he conversed with those who were building in a language which I knew not. And after this he ordered them to pull down the house, and he also commanded the angel who was going with me to take me forth into an exceedingly wide and open place.

22 Then two men came, each of whom had in his hands a threefold rod of gold which he laid upon the great house in thy name; now the breadth and the height of the house were equal, and the length of each side (literally face) was twelve rods. And the angel said, { 'Fill [the house]'. And a builder answered and said, 'I cannot fill it now, for the grain hath not yet come into the granary; when the grain hath come into the granary I shall be able to fill it a hundred times over.'" 23 And Andrew said unto Rōkōs, "Hearken unto that which thy son saith. Had any other man spoken these words unto thee thou wouldst not have believed him; but he is thy son." Then Rōkōs answered and said unto Andrew, "I beseech thee, O man of God, to take all my possessions and to give them unto those who are in want, and to those who are poor and in misery." And Andrew answered and said unto him, "Rise up, and take my disciple into thy house, so that he may heal thy wife;" so Philemon did even as Andrew had commanded him. And he went unto the habitation of Rōkōs, and found his wife standing like a pillar and holding in her hands a black hairy [devil] who wished to escape from her, but she was unwilling to let him go. Then Philemon took hold of her right hand, and brought her unto the place where Andrew was, and she was holding the black hairy devil with her left hand. And it came to pass that when the multitude saw the black [devil] they were greatly moved, and they cried

24 M out, and became like a flock of sheep among which a wolf hath entered. Then Andrew said unto the multitude, "Fear ye not, but come nigh unto me and make strong your hearts, so that we learn who he is." And Andrew commanded the woman to let him go, and he made over her face the sign of the Cross, and laid his hands upon her head, and said, "In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, in Whose Name we preach, let everything which moveth in thy body hold its peace, and let thy understanding return unto thee;" then the woman became quiet, and she sat down close by (literally, between the hands of) the disciple. Then the disciple turned his face to the black [devil], and said unto him, "With what "work hast thou laid hold upon this woman?" And the black [devil] said unto him, "I will tell thee truly. When a strong young man who dwelleth with a feeble king cometh against him into battle, because the young man is strong he gaineth the victory over the feeble king in the fight; and it is not to be wished that the king should vanquish the young man, on the contrary, it is to be wished that the young man should conquer the king. But although I [like the king] have great power among the fiends and devils, behold, I have come into thy hand (or power)." And Andrew said unto him, "What shall I say concerning thee, O thou foul author of evil works? The time for thee to go forth hath come; but thou shalt be crucified, and thou shalt [not] go forth unto the outside of this city until tomorrow." And Andrew, having first of all prayed and made an end of his prayer, administered unto the believing people the Holy Mysteries, and sent them away in peace.

25 And it came to pass that when the morning had come, the people gathered themselves together, and Andrew came and cried out unto that black [devil], saying, "O thou foul and evil being, thou spirit of darkness, I say unto thee, 'Make manifest thy acts in the presence of this multitude of people, so that they may see thee.'" And the black [devil] answered and said unto Andrew, "It is not thou who shalt judge me and shalt do unto me this thing. Nevertheless my deeds are evil, for I have destroyed my glory and have blotted out mine honour." Then Andrew said unto him, "O thou foul being of darkness, how was it that thou didst possess honour?" And the black [devil] said unto him, "Thou callest me 'black [devil]', and black indeed I am, but thou knowest well that my nature was not thus at the time when I was created; but thou wishest to shew this multitude who I am. Woe is me, for who will deliver me from this plight in which I am?" And he began to call upon the names of the powers which are in the height. Then Andrew said unto him, "Thou shalt keep silence and thou shalt not speak, except to declare unto this multitude who thou art." And the black [devil] answered and said unto him, "I am one of the two hundred angels whom God Almighty sent to inspect col 2. the earth, and when we had seen it, we loved it, and we did not return unto Him that sent us; now I am their chief, and my name is Makár." And Andrew said unto him, "Hold thy peace, lest the abundant trouble [which thou hast caused], and thine error, and the loss

26 M* [which thou hast inflicted] come back upon thee, and thy pride shall be unto thee the cause of thy "destruction. What sayest thou, O unclean spirit? In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, depart thou into Gehenna, and never again shalt thou make thy appearance [upon this earth];" and in that same moment he was no more seen. And Rōkōs the governor said unto Andrew, "Dost thou command me to give my possessions unto the poor and unto those who are in want and in misery?" Then he caused all his possessions to be brought unto Andrew, and he gave them away according to his word. Then a rumour came unto the king, saying, "Rōkōs the governor hath distributed his riches among the poor, and he hath "left the office which he held, and he neither overseeth the people of the city nor judgeth among them, but saith, As far as I am able I will judge [my own self, for in times past I have erred]." Now when the nobleman Selkiyōs saw that the king was wishing to remove Rōkōs, and to kill him, he spake unto the king and entreated him to desist from his desire. And [the king] said unto him, "If it be that he hath turned into a good man, and hath become one of the servants of the God, Who worketh miracles and marvellous things in the country of the Hebrews, perhaps thou mayest have power over him. But write unto him [and ask him] if he desireth [this] faith, [and if he doth] he must give up unto thee all his possessions, and they must come into the king's treasury."

27 Then straightway Selkiyōs wrote a letter and sent unto Rōkōs by messengers, but when the messengers arrived with the letter at his house they could not find him in his dwelling; then they sought for him, and a certain man guided them and told them where he was, saying, " He is with a certain man whose name is Andrew, and he teacheth a new doctrine, and it is not the doctrine of Rome." Then they came on to the road of the city, and they found Rōkōs and Andrew casting devils out of a man who had been possessed of them for [seventy] years; now when the messengers of the king saw this miracle they also believed in God, and they gave the letters unto Rōkōs, and he read them. And it came to pass that when he heard that they were going to take all his possessions and place them among the treasures of the king, Andrew laughed and said unto Rōkōs, "O Rōkōs, is thine heart grieved because the king desireth to take all thy possessions?" And Rōkōs answered and said unto him, "Thou thyself knowest whether I [am grieved or not]. But I will not separate myself from thee, and I will not leave any place whatsoever into which thou goest. What need have I of the things which perish, and which turn unto corruption, and which cause him that gathereth them together to be destroyed?" Then Andrew said unto him, "All the waters are gathered together again in the sea, and yet the sea is not filled; and everything which a man putteth into the belly goeth out into the desert place."

28 And as Andrew was holding converse with Rōkōs, he heard a voice near him which commanded him to send away the people, and it commanded him to go forth and to depart unto the city which was before him; and he knew that [it was the voice of] a great and honourable message. Then after these things [he returned unto the city], and they (i. e., the people) revealed unto him that there was great fear therein on account of the king, [who was wroth] because of the messengers who had believed, [for he feared] lest the believers would be strengthened …in my name, and that they shall know that I am with them, and that I will be in them. And Andrew blessed the people, saying, "May the Lord God make you to be strong in the right faith, and may He make you to be strong in His perfection!" Then the people made answer unto him, saying, " Depart in 'peace, but let not thy habitation be far from us. And we have heard the voice which cried unto thee, and [seen] how great fear hath come upon this city through the king, [who is wroth] by reason of the messengers who have believed." Then Andrew made strong their hearts, and said unto them, "Fear ye not, for God Almighty in Whom ye have believed is mighty, and He hath the power to protect you;" and thus saying he went forth from them in peace, giving praise unto God. May his prayer and his blessing be with us, and may it protect us for ever and ever! Amen.