Author:

DSS 4q521

F.2 + F.4 col.2

(…. For the heavens) and the earth shall listen to His Messiah and all which is in them shall not turn away from the commandments of the holy ones.

Strenghten yourselves, O you who seek the Lord, in his service. Will you not find the Lord in this, all those who hope in their heart? For the Lord seeks the pious and calls the righteous by name.

Over the humble His spirit hovers, and He renews the faithful in His strength. For He will honor the pious upon the Throne of His eternal kingdom, setting prisoners free, opening the eyes of the blind,
raising up those who are bowed down.

And forever I shall hold fast to the hopeful and pious (…) (…) shall not be delayed (…) and the Lord shall do glorious things which have not been done, just as He said. For He shall heal the critically wounded, He shall revive the dead, He shall send good news to the afflicted. He shall (… the ….), He shall lead the (…), and the hungry he shall enrich (?) (…) and (…)

F.7 + F.5 col.2

(…) see all that the Lord has made, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them and every reservoir of water and the streams. (…) those who do good before the Lord (shall bless … and not) as these who curse. They shall be destined to die, when the One who revives raises the dead of His people. Then we shall give thanks and relate to you the righteous acts of the Lord that (…) those
destined to die. And He shall open graves (..) and (…) and (…) so commit your works (…) and a bridge of (…) the accursed shall be little esteemed(?) (…) and the heavens shall meet (…) and all the angels (…)

Online Text for History of the Rechabites

Not available.
Online Resources for History of the Rechabites

Jewish Encyclopedia: Rechabites
Abstract by Alan Turnbull
Tyndale Notes
The Provenance of the “History of the Rechabites”
Abstract: Is the History of the Rechabites Really a Jewish Composition?
Offline Resources for History of the Rechabites

The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Volume Two
The Apocryphal Old Testament
Information on History of the Rechabites

James Charlesworth writes (The Pseudepigrapha and Modern Research, pp. 224-226):

The nature of the present monograph precludes a discussion of the literary history of this work. For the present a brief outline of an hypothesis must suffice. The work consists of twenty-two chapters (cf. James, pp. 96-108; and Craigie, pp. 220-24) of which possibly the first and certainly the last were appended later because only they are written in teh third person, while chapters two to twenty-one are in the first person. It is not surprising to perceive accretions appearing at the end and beginning of a text; in fact the Armenian recension (cf. Zanolli, p. 153) even adds to chapter one the idea that Yovsimios lived on a mountain on Schizia, an island at the end and beginning of a text; in fact the Armenian recension (cf. Zanolli, p. 153) even adds to chapter one the idea that Yovsimios lived on a mountain on Schizia, an island in the Ionian Sea. Also belonging to this latest level is the last sentence of chapter twenty-one, which defines the work as Zosimus’ testament (he diatheke aute). Chapters nineteen to twenty-one were appended earlier to the work, because Zosimus’ name does not appear in them and the narrative is out of character for this powerless monk. These chapters appear to be a remnant of an early account of Jesus’ conquest of the Devil (ho Diabolos) during the forty days of temptation, because forty days are mentioned more than once, bcause only the traditions attributed to Jesus aptly fit the Devil’s lamentation (“Woe is me that by one man I have lost the world [These chapters are under the influence of Rom 5.], for he has conquered me by his prayer.”), and because the judgment of the Devil suggests Jesus’ authority (“Then I dismissed him, dispatching [him] and the demons with him into the eternal fire.”). Attributing chapters nineteen to twenty-one to another literary stratum explains why Zosimus’ tablets (tas plakas) are called “the book” (ten biblon) in chapter nineteen, and why Satan (chaps. 6, 18) is called the Devil only in chapters nineteen, twenty, and twenty-one. Chapters two and fifteen-b through eighteen are earlier prefixed and suffixed additiosn to the core because the name Zosimus appears in them nine times. These appear to be by the same scribe since the river is called Eumeles only in chapters two and fifteen-b. Either the scribe of this stratum was a Christian, or his work was redacted by a Christian. The remainder of the document, chapters three through fifteen-a, is the core inw hich the name of Zosimus does not occur and which appears to be Jewish with frequent indications that the original was composed in a Semitic language (viz. “lamented with great lamentation,” chps. 6 and 7; “rejoiced with great joy,” chp. 7). In the core, which is an apocalypse, the seer is called “a man of God” (chp. 4), “the man of vanity” (chp. 5), or simply “man” (chp. 6). The allocation of chatpers one and six to two different literary strata explains the contradiction between Zosimus’ unworthiness (ouk ei axios) and the man’s worthiness (kai katexiosen me). The parallels in the core with The Lost Tribes indicate that it may have been composed around A.D. 100. Behind these chapters, however, there seems to be a very ancient core, chapters seven through nine, which concerns the history and present abode of the descendants of Rechab, the son of Jonadab, who were not scattered over the earth but are in a place encircled by an abyss and a cloud (chp. 9). Chapters six and ten, with their impressive similarities, appear to reveal that the evolution moved centrifugally from chapters seven through nine. Since the ancient core, the Rechabite text, claims that God turned away his anger from Jerusalem (chps. 7 and 8) and that God’s mercy came to Jerusalem (chp. 7), it would be unwise to ignore the possibility that this oldest section is a Jewish work that predates the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

If the above analysis is generally correct, then it is possible that the ancient core and the core, because of their Semitic flavor and concern for Jerusalem, were written somewhere in Judaea. This suggestion is corroborated, but of course not proved, by the superscription in a British Library Syriac Manuscript of the work (B. M. Add. MS 12174, f. 209v); “But it was translated from Hebrew into Greek, and then from Greek into Syriac by the Holy Mar Jacob of Edessa.” It is difficult, therefore, to agree with K. Kunze (no. 1475), who claims that this work was composed in Greek in the sixth century. We can be relatively certain that the original is Jewish and has been redacted by Christians (so also G. Graf, Geschichte, p. 214; J.-C. Picard, no. 1476; Nau, RevSem 6 [1898] 265; L. Ginzberg, Legende, vol. 6, p. 409).

The above hypothesis may be outlined as follows:

V. Testament of Zosimus (chps. 1 and 22)
IV. Jesus’ Conquest of the Devil (chps. 19-21)
III. Christian Additions (chps.2,15b-18)
II. Apocalypse (chps. 3-6, 10-15a)
I. Rechabite Text (chps. 7-9)

An unexpected confirmation of some of this hypothesis comes from the Syriac tradition. This version ends with chapter 16 and is entitled “The History of the Blessed Sons of the Rechabites” (B. M. Add. MS 12174, f. 209v).

James Charlesworth writes: “The date of the History of the Rechabites is the crucial issue, and it is related to the Jewish or Christian character of the various sections. In its present form the work may date from the sixth century A.D., as M. R. James contended. Comparison of the Syriac manuscripts reveals that the document, like many pseudepigrapha (viz. 4Ezra), has received interpolations by Christians; the same observation results from a mere cursory examination and comparison of the Greek manuscripts, and by the recognition that the Greek is expanded by chapters 19 through 23, which are certainly Christian. The Ethiopic, moreover, has been extensively expanded by scribes who were obviously Christian. Some of the present document is Christian, but the Christian interpolations—sometimes found in only one manuscript—raise the possibility that 12:9a-13:5c and 16:1b-8 are not original but a Christian insertion into an earlier document. This hypothetical earlier writing could be a Christian revision of inherited Jewish traditions, or it could be a Christian expansion of an original (partly preserved) Jewish document. James, A. Zanolli, Nau, G. Graf, L. Ginzberg, J.-C. Picard, and B. McNeil have perceived evidence of a Jewish original behind the present Christian document. Nau even used such terms as ‘the Christian translator,’ ‘the primitive text,’ ‘the Hebrew text,’ and ‘the Hebrew author.’ Working with only the Greek document generates the impression that the beginning and end are Christian and that the central chapters, 3-15, are originally Jewish. Focusing upon the Syriac document leaves the impression that only 12:9a-13:5c and 16:1b-8 are clearly Christian and appear to be interpolated, because they interrupt the flow of thought and contain intrusive ideas. The mention of the name ‘Zosimus’ in the latter section (16:8) suggests that perhaps all passages connected with this name may be from a later stratum, hence chapters 7:12-16:1a, which do not identify the traveler as ‘Zosimus,’ would be earlier and possibly Jewish. It is only in these chapters, and specifically in 8-10, that mention is made of the Rechabites and their history in Jerusalem during the days of Jeremiah. At this stage in our work it is best to suggest only that sections of this document are Jewish or heavily influenced by Jewish traditions, and that they may antedate the second century A.D.” (The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, vol. 2, pp. 444-445)

Estimated Range of Dating: 40-80 A.D.

Chronological List of Early Christian Writings
Online Text for The Lost Sayings Gospel Q

The Contents of Q
A Synopsis for Q
Gregory Riley: NRSV Translation of Q according to Funk/Miller
The Critical Text of Q
Burton Mack’s Translation
J.D. Tabor: The Q Source Based on Luke
Stevan Davies: Q Sayings in Luke
Stevan Davies: Q // Thomas Parallels
The Five Gospels Parallels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Thomas; English)
Four-Color Synopsis (Matthew, Mark, Luke; Greek)
Online Resources for The Lost Sayings Gospel Q

The Existence of Q
The Synoptic Problem (Defense of the Two Source Hypothesis)
The Two Source Hypothesis (Summary by Stephen Carlson)
The Case Against Q (Against the Two Source Hypothesis)
Review of Goodacre’s The Case Against Q by Kloppenborg Verbin
NT Gateway: Q (Excellent Collection of Links)
The Current State of Q (By Nancy R. Heisey)
The Canonical Status of Q (By Mahlon Smith)
Testing Temptation: The Meaning of Q 11:4b (By Jeffrey Gibson)
Jesus’ Death in Q (By David Seeley)
Blessings and Boundaries: Interpretations of Jesus’ Death in Q (by David Seeley)
The Search for a No-Frills Jesus (By Charlotte Allen)
The Real Jesus of the Sayings “Q” Gospel (By James M. Robinson)
The Gospel of Q (By B.A. Robinson)
Q & Its Late Dating (By Bernard Muller)
William Arnal’s Summary of Kloppenborg’s Q Stratification
The Sayings Gospel Q: a Bibliography (By Rick Fowler)
Offline Resources for The Lost Sayings Gospel Q

John S. Kloppenborg, The Formation of Q: Trajectories in Ancient Wisdom Collections (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press 1987).
Burton L. Mack, The Lost Gospel: The Book of Q & Christian Origins (San Francisco, CA: HarperCollins 1993).
Christopher M. Tuckett, Q and the History of Early Christianity: Studies on Q (Edinburgh: T & T Clark 1996).
Marcus J. Borg, The Lost Gospel Q : The Original Sayings of Jesus (Publishers’ Group West 1999)
John S. Kloppenborg Verbin, Excavating Q: The History and Setting of the Sayings Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press 2000)
Mark Goodacre, The Case Against Q: Studies in Markan Priority and Synoptic Problem (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Pr Int 2002)
Recommended Books for the Study of Early Christian Writings
Information on The Lost Sayings Gospel Q

According to the Two Source Hypothesis accepted by a majority of contemporary scholars, the authors of Matthew and Luke each made use of two different sources: the Gospel of Mark and a non-extant second source termed Q. The siglum Q derives from the German word “Quelle,” which means “Source.” Q primarily consists of the “double tradition” material, that which is present in both Matthew and Luke but not Mark. However, Q may also contain material that is preserved only by Matthew or only by Luke (called “Sondergut”) as well as material that is paralleled in Mark (called Mark/Q overlaps). Although the temptation story and the healing of the centurion’s son are usually ascribed to Q, the majority of the material consists of sayings. For this reason, Q is sometimes called the Synoptic Sayings Source or the Sayings Gospel. Some scholars have observed that the Gospel of Thomas and the Q material, as contrasted with the four canonical gospels, are similar in their emphasis on the sayings of Jesus instead of the passion of Jesus.

Arguments in favor of the Two Source Hypothesis can be found in the essay on The Existence of Q.

On the matter of whether Q was written, Tuckett writes (The Anchor Bible Dictionary, v. 5, p. 568): “The theory that Q represents a mass of oral traditions does not account for the common order in Q material, which can be discerned once Matthew’s habit of collecting related material into his large teaching discourses is discounted (Taylor 1953, 1959). Such a common order demands a theory that Q at some stage existed in written form.”

C. M. Tuckett comments on the argument that variations between Matthew and Luke are due to variant translations of an Aramaic Q (op. cit., pp. 567-568):

It is doubtful if more than a very few cases of variation between Matthew and Luke can be explained in this way. The Semitic nature of Q’s Greek does not demand an Aramaic Vorlage; influence from LXX is quite conceivable in a Greek-speaking Jewish-Christian milieu. Many of the alleged translation variants turn out to be simply cases of synonyms, and the differences between Matthew and Luke can often be explained just as well as due to the redactional activity of the evangelists (Kloppenborg 1987). For example, in Luke 11:41, Luke’s “give alms” may well be LkR (Lukan redaction), reflecting Luke’s concern for almsgiving. In other parts of the Q material, the verbal agreement between Matthew and Luke amounts to virtual verbal identity in Greek (Luke 3:7-9; 11:9-10 and pars.). In these instances the measure of verbal agreement seems to demand a common Greek source. Further, some features of Q’s Greek can be shown to be characteristic of a source originally written in Greek and uncharacteristic of translation Greek (Turner 1969). This suggests that much of the Q material was available to Matthew and Luke in Greek form.

Udo Schnelle comments on the provenance of Q (The History and Theology of the New Testament Writings, p. 186):

The History and Theology of the New Testament Writings: Buy at amazon.com! The Sayings Source presumably originated in (north) Palestine, since its theological perspective is directed primarily to Israel. The proclamations of judgment at the beginning and end of the document are directed against Israel (cf. Luke 3.7-9Q; Luke 22.28-30Q), numerous logia are centered on Palestine by their geographical references and the cultural world they assume (cf. only Luke 7.1Q; 10.13-15Q), the bearers of the Q tradition understand themselves to be faithful to the Law (cf. Luke 16.17Q; Luke 11.42Q), and Q polemic is directed against Pharisees (cf. e.g. Luke 11.39b-44Q).

Helmut Koester comments on the provenance of Q (Ancient Christian Gospels, p. 164):

Ancient Christian Gospels: Buy at amazon.com! Q 10:13-15 announces the coming judgment explicitly with the view to two Galilean towns, Chorazin and Bethsaida: even Tyre and Didon will be better off in the coming judgment. And the same saying threatens that Capernaum will be condemned to Hades. Except for the lament over Jerusalem (Q 13:34-35) and the localization of John the Baptist’s activity in the area of the Jordan (Q 3:3), these are the only names of places which occur in Q. It is, therefore, tempting to assume that the redaction of Q took place somewhere in Galilee and that the document as a whole reflects the experience of a Galilean community of followers of Jesus. But some caution with respect to such conclusion seems advisable for several reasons. One single saying provides a very narrow base. Polemic against the Pharisees cannot confirm Galilean provenence – Greek-speaking Pharisees could be found elsewhere in the diaspora, viz., Paul who persecuted the church in Greek-speaking synagogues, probably in Syria or Cilicia. Even the sayings used for the original composition of Q were known and used elsewhere at an early date: they were known to Paul, were used in Corinth by his opponents, employed perhaps in easter Syria for the composition of the Gospel of Thomas, and quoted by 1 Clement in Rome at the end of the 1st century. The document itself, in its final redacted form, was used for the composition of two gospel writings, Matthew and Luke, which both originated in the Greek-speaking church outside of Palestine.

Udo Schnelle writes about the dating of Q (op. cit., p. 186):

The Sayings Source was composed before the destruction of the temple, since the sayings against Jerusalem and the temple in Luke 13.34-35Q do not presuppose any military events. A more precise determination of the time of composition must remain hypothetical, but a few indications point to the period between 40 and 50 CE: (1) Bearers of the sayings tradition, which possibly extends all the way back to pre-Easter times, included both wandering preachers of the Jesus movement as well as local congregations. Thus the conditions in which the Sayings Source originated included both continuity with the beginnings and with the developing congregational structures across the region. (2) The Sayings Source presupposes persection of the young congregations by Palestinian Jews (cf. Luke 6.22-23 Q; Luke 11.49-51 Q; Luke 12.4-5 Q; 12.11-12 Q). About 50 CE Paul mentions in 1 Thess. 2.14-16 a persecution of Christians in Judea that had already taken place. The execution of James the son of Zebedee by Agrippa I (cf. Acts 12.2) occurred around 44 CE. (3) The positive references to Gentiles in Q (cf. Luke 10.13-15Q; Luke 11.29-31Q; Matt. 8.5-13 Q; Matt. 5.47 Q; Matt. 22.1-10 Q) indicate that the Gentile mission had begun, which is probably to be located in the period between 40 and 50 CE.

Burton Mack writes about Mark and Q (The Lost Gospel, pp. 177-179):

The Lost Gospel: The Book of Q & Christian Origins: Buy at amazon.com! Mark wrote his story of Jesus some time after the war and shortly after Q had been revised with the Q3 additions. If we date Q3 around 75 C.E. to give some time for the additions obviously prompted by the ware, Mark can be dated between 75 and 80 C.E. . . . For Mark, Q was extremely useful, for it had already positioned Jesus at the hinge of an epic-apocalyptic history, and it contained themes and narrative material that could easily be turned into a more eventful depiction of Jesus’ public appearance. Q provided Mark with a large number of themes essential to his narrative. He was taken with the epic-apocalyptic mythology, the theme of prophetic prediction, and the announcment of judgment upon the scribes, Pharisees, and “this generation.” The figure of the son of man intrigued him, as did the notion that the kingdom of God would be fully revealed only at the eschaton when the son of man (or Jesus, according to Mark) (re)appeared. Q also provided material that could easily be turned to advantage as building blocks in a coherent narrative account. The John-Jesus material was a great opener. The figure of the holy spirit was ready-made to connect the Q material on John and Jesus with the miracle stories Mark would use. Q’s characterization of Jesus as the all-knowing one could be used to enhance his authority as a self-referential speaker in the pronouncement stories Mark already had from his own community. The notion of Jesus as the son of God could be used to create mystique, divide the house on the question of Jesus’ true identity, and develop narrative anticipation, the device scholars call Mark’s “messianic secret.” The instruction for the workers in the harvest could be turned into a mission charge, and the theme of discipleship could be combined and given narrative profile by introducing a few disciples into the story. The apocalyptic predictions at the end of Q could then become instructions to the disciples at that point in the story where Jesus turns to go to Jerusalem. And, as scholars know, there are a myriad of interesting points at which the so-called overlaps between Mark and Q show Mark’s use of Q material for his own narrative designs.

Udo Schnelle comments on the relationship between Q and Mark (op. cit., p. 195):

The common material in Q and Mark (cf. Mark 1.2; 1.7-8; 1.12-13; 3.22-26, 27-29; 4.21, 22, 24, 25; 4.30-32; 6.7-13; 8.11, 12; 8.34-35; 8.38; 9.37, 40, 42, 50; 10.10-11; 10.31; 11.22-23; 12.37b-40; 13.9, 11, 33-37) has repeatedly led to the hypothesis of a literary dependence of Mark on Q. But if Mark had known Q, his criteria for selecting the material he used, and especially the sayings he omitted, cannot be explained. The reasons given remain hypothetical (Mark as supplement to the sayings source, Q as supplement to Mark, a critical debate by Mark with the Christology of the sayings source), and fail to make plausible the considerable differences in the literary configuration and theological orientation between Q and Mark. A direct literary connection between Mark and Q must be regarded as improbable. The text complexes they share point rather to independent access of each to old Jesus-traditions, but contacts between the two streams of tradition at the pre-redactional level are not to be excluded.

Tuckett observes (op. cit., pp. 570-571):

A much discussed feature of Q arises out of Q’s version of the mission charge. Here the Q missionaries are told to take absolutely nothing for their journey, not even the basic necessities of life such as food or clothing. Elsewhere, too, Q sayings seem to presuppose an extremely radical break with past personal ties. The Q Christians are told that they must “hate” their own families (Luke 12:46 par.); they are told that they must take up their cross (Luke 14:27 par.). They are not to worry about their daily needs (Luke 12:22-34 par.) since God will provide for them. They are to be followers of the Son of Man, who has nowhere to lay his head; and they are to break with their past in such a radical way that they are not even to go home to bury a member of their own family (Luke 9:57-60 par.). These sayings have led to the plausible theory that behind Q lies a group of Christians who obeyed these instructions to the letter. Hence Q presupposes the existence of wandering prophets or charismatics who made a radical break with their own homes and went about preaching the message of the kingdom (Hoffmann 1972; Theissen 1979). However, the presence of sayings like 10:2 par. may suggest that the final stage of Q also presupposes a group of settled Christians providing backup support for the wandering preachers (Zeller 1982, 1984).

Udo Schnelle summarises the stratification proposed by Kloppenborg (op. cit., pp. 188-189):

J. S. Kloppenborg proposes to explain the origins of Q in terms of a three-stratum model. In his view the oldest layer of Q was composed of ‘wisdom speeches,’ including the nuclear elements of the Sermon on the Plain/Mount and the Missions Discourse, as well as Luke 11.2-4, 9-13 Q; Luke 12.2-12, 22-34 Q; Luke 13.24-14.35 Q, and others. At a later stage this complex was combined with, and partly reshaped by, materials that treat the proclamation of judgment against Israel (preaching of the Baptist, the nobleman of Capernaum, the Baptist’s question, the Beelzebul controversy, the demand for signs, the Q apocalypse). The third and final stratum was provided by the temptation story, which presents Jesus as a model for one’s relationship to God.

Helmut Koester states (op. cit., p. 150):

The original version of Q must have included wisdom sayings as well as eschatological sayings. It cannot be argued that Q originally presented Jesus as a teacher of wisdom without an eschatological message. The close relationships of the Gospel of Thomas to Q cannot be accidental. Since the typical Son of man sayings and announcements of judgments which are characteristic of the redaction of Q are never paralleled in the Gospel of Thomas, it is evident that its author had no knowledge of the final version of Q, nor of the secondary apocalyptic interpretation that the redactor of Q superimposed upon earlier eschatological sayings. The Gospel of Thomas is either dependent upon Q’s earlier version or upon clusters of sayings employed in its composition.

Helmut Koester observes (op. cit., p. 159):

For the followers of Jesus whose tradition is represented in the original composition of Q, the turning point of the ages is the proclamation of Jesus. In the sayings of Jesus, his followers find the continuation of this announcement. These sayings are not only reassurance of the eschatological moment, they are also the rule of life for the community of the new age insofar as Jesus continues to speak in sayings of wisdom and in rules for the community. Jesus may indeed have been viewed as the heavenly Wisdom. This is especially evident in Q 10:21-22 which defines the relationship of Jesus to the Father in terms of the established sapiental concept of Wisdom and God. If Q 13:34-35, the lament over Jerusalem, should belong to the original composition of Q, Jesus is also the one who sends Wisdom’s envoys.

Just as the departure of Wisdom or of her envoy does not constitute a change in the urgency of the message, so too Jesus’ death would not be seen as a crisis of his proclamation. The disciples are already called to follow in the steps of Jesus, in their discipleship (Q 9:57-62) as well as in their task to carry on his proclamation (Q 10:2-12). Jesus’ departure would make this call even more urgent. The ages have already begun to turn through Jesus’ announcement. Any emphasis upon Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection would e meaningless in this context. Thus Q can not be seen as a teaching supplement for a community whose theology is represented by the Pauline kerygma. Q’s theology and soteriology are fundamentally different.

Helmut Koester states (op. cit., p. 165): “On the other hand, the Synoptic Sayings Source is an important piece of evidence for the continuation of a theology of followers of Jesus that had no relationship to the kerygma of the cross and resurrection. It is evident now that this was not an isolated phenomenon. The opponents of Paul in 1 Corinthians 1-4, the Gospel of Thomas, the Dialogue of the Savior, and the opponents of the Gospel of John in the Johannine community all shared this understanding of the significance of Jesus’ coming.”

Tuckett writes (op. cit., p. 571)

Recent studies have shown how fruitful a redaction-critical approach to Q can be. At first sight such work may appear to be extremely hypothetical, being based on what some would argue is a very questionable presupposition (the very existence of Q as a single document). However, the very distinctiveness of the Q material as shown by the recent redaction-critical studies of Q is in itself an indication that this material did exist as a separate entity at some stage in the development of the synoptic tradition. Theories about the theology of Q, if successful, may therefore provide support for the hypothesis of the existence of Q. Q may also alert us to the great variety within primitive Christianity. It shows us a version of the Christian faith which is perhaps less cross centered than, say, Paul or Mark; but it is nonetheless real for that.

Archive Notes

This is a word for word quotation of Ptolemy’s letter, preserved by Epiphanius in his work Against Heresies, 33.3.1 – 33.7.10. It relates the Gnostic view of the Law of Moses, and the situation of the Demiurge relative to this law. (The translation presented here is unfortunately inferior to the fine modern translation provided by Bentley Layton in The Gnostic Scriptures.)

Ptolemy’s Letter to Flora

The Law was ordained through Moses, my dear sister Flora, has not been understood by many persons, who have accurate knowledge neither of him who ordained it nor of its commandments. I think that this will be perfectly clear to you when you have learned the contradictory opinions about it.

Some say that it is legislation given by God the Father; others, taking the contrary course, maintain stubbornly that it was ordained by the opposite, the Devil who causes destruction, just as they attribute the fashioning of the world to him, saying that he is the Father and maker of this universe. Both are completely in error; they refute each other and neither has reached the truth of the matter.

For it is evident that the Law was not ordained by the perfect God the Father, for it is secondary, being imperfect and in need of completion by another, containing commandments alien to the nature and thought of such a God.

On the other hand, one cannot impute the Law to the injustice of the opposite, God, for it is opposed to injustice. Such persons do not comprehend what was said by the Savior. For a house or city divided against itself cannot stand [Matt 12:25], declared our Savior. Furthermore, the apostle says that creation of the world is due to him, for Everything was made through him and apart from him nothing was made. [John 1:3] Thus he takes away in advance the baseless wisdom of the false accusers, and shows that the creation is not due to a God who corrupts but to the one who is just and hates evil. Only unintelligent men have this idea, men who do not recognize the providence of the creator and have blinded not only the eye of the soul but also of the body.

From what has been said, it is evident that these persons entirely miss the truth; each of the two groups has experienced this, the first because they do not know the God of justice, the second because they do not know the Father of all, who alone was revealed by him who alone came. It remainds for us who have been counted worthy of the knowledge of both these to provide you with an accurate explanation of the nature of the Law and the legislator by whom it was ordained. We shall draw the proofs of what we say from the words of the Savior, which alone can lead us without error to the comprehension of reality.

First, you must learn that the entire Law contained in the Pentateuch of Moses was not ordained by one legislator – I mean, not by God alone, some commandments are Moses’, and some were given by other men. The words of the Savior teach us this triple division. The first part must be attributed to God alone, and his legislation; the second to Moses – not in the sense that God legislates through him, but in the sense that Moses gave some legislation under the influence of his own ideas; and the third to the elders of the people, who seem to have ordained some commandments of their own at the beginning. You will now learn how the truth of this theory is proved by the words of the Savior.

In some discussion with those who dispute with the Savior about divorce, which was permitted in the Law, he said Because of your hard-heartedness Moses permitted a man to divorce his wife; from the beginning it was not so; for God made this marriage, and what the Lord joined together, man must not seperate. [Matt 19:8] In this way he shows there is a Law of God, which prohibits the divorce of a wife from a husband, and another law, that of Moses, which permits the breaking of this yoke because of hard-heartedness. In fact, Moses lays down legislation contrary to that of God; for joining is contrary to not joining.

But if we examine the intention of Moses in giving this legislation, it will be seen that he did not give it arbitrarily or of his own accord, but by the necessity because of the weakness of those for whom the legislation was given. Since they were unable to keep the intention of God, according to which it was not lawful for them to reject their wives, with whom some of them disliked to live, and therefore were in the danger of turning to greater injustice and thence to destruction, Moses wanted to remove the cause of dislike, which was placing them in jeopardy of destruction. Therefore because of the critical circumstances, choosing a lesser evil in place of a greater, he ordained, on his own accord, a second law, that of divorce, so that if they could not observe the first, they might keep this and not turn to unjust and evil actions, through which complete destruction would be the result for them. This was his intention when he gave legislation contrary to that of God. Therefore it is indisputeable that here the law of Moses is different from the Law of God, even if we have demonstrated the fact from only one example.

The Savior also makes plain the fact that there are some traditions of the elders interwoven in the Law. For God,he says, Said, Honour your father and your mother, that it may be well with you, But you , he says addressing the elders, …have declared as a gift to God, that by which you have nullified the Law of God through the tradition of your elders. Isaiah also proclaimed this, saying, This people honours me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, teaching precepts which are the commandments of men. [Matt 15:4-9].

Therefore it is obvious that the whole Law is divided into three parts; we find in it the legislation of Moses, of the elders, and of God himself. This division of the entire Law, as made by us, has brought to light what is true in it.

This part, the Law of God himself, is in turn divided into three parts: the pure legislation not mixed with evil, which properly called Law, which the Savior came not to destroy but to complete [Matt 5:17] — for what he completed was not alien to him but needed completion, for it did not possess perfection; next the legislation interwoven with the inferiority and injustice, which the Savior destroyed because it was alien to his nature; and finally, the legislation which is allegorical and symbolic, an image of what is spiritual and transcendent, which the Saviour transferred from the perceptible and phenomenal to the spiritual and invisible.

The Law of God, pure and not mixed with inferiority, is the Decalogue, those ten sayings engraved on two tables, forbidding things not to be done and enjoining things to be done. These contains pure but imperfect legislation and required the completion made by the Savior.

There is also the law interwoven with injustice, laid down for vengeance and the requital of previous injuries, ordaining that an eye should be cut out for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, and that a murder should be avenged by a murderer. The person who is the second one to be unjust is no less unjust than the first; he simply changes the order of events while performing the same action. Admittedly, this commandment was a just one and still is just, because of the weakness of those for whom the legislation was made so thay would not transgress the pure law. But it is alien to the nature and goodness of the Father of all. No doubt it was appropiate to the circumstances, or even necessary; for he who does not want one murder comitted, saying, You shall not kill and then commanded a murder to be repaid by another murder, has given a second law which enjoins two murders although he had forbidden one. This fact proves that he was unsuspectingly the victim of necessity.

This is why, when his son came, he destroyed this part of the law while admitting that it came from God. He counts this part of the law as in the old religion, not only in other passages but also where he said, God said, He who curses father or mother shall surely die.

Finally, there is the allegorical (exemplary) part, ordained in the image of the spiritual and trascendent matters, I mean the part dealing with offerings and circumcision and the sabbath and fasting and Passover and unleavened bread and other similar matters.

Since all these things are images and symbols, when the truth was made manifest they were translated to another meaning. In their phenomenal appearance and their literal application they were destroyed, but in their spiritual meaning they were restored; the names remained the same but the content was changed. Thus the Savior commaned us to make offerings not of irrational animals or of the incense of this worldly sort, but of spiritual praise and glorification and thanksgiving and of sharing and well-doing with our neighbors. He wanted us to be circumcised, not in regard to our physical foreskin but in regard to our spiritual heart; to keep the Sabbath, for he wishes us to be idle in regard to evil works; to fast, not in physical fasting but in spiritual, in which there is abstinence from everything evil.

Among us external fasting is also observed, since it can be advantageous to the soul if it is done reasonably, not for imitating others or from habit or because of a special day appointed for this purpose. It is also observed so that those who are not yet able to keep the true fast may have a reminder of it from the external fast. Similarely, Paul the apostle shows that the Passover and the unleavened bread are images when he says, Christ our passover has been sacrificed, in order that you may be unleavened bread, not containing leaven (by leaven he here means evil), but may be a new lump. [1 Cor 5:7]

Thus the Law of God itself is obviously divided into three parts. The first was completed by the Savior, for the commandment, You shall not kill , You shall not commit adultery, you shall not swear falsely are included in the forbiding of anger, desire and swearing. The second part was entirely destroyed, for An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth interwoven in with injustice, was destroyed by the Savior through its opposite. Opposites cancel out, For I say to you, do not resist the evil man, but if anyone strikes you, turn the other cheek to him.

Finally, there is the part translated and changed from the literal to the spiritual, this symbolic legislation which is an image of transcendent things. For the images and symbols which represent other things were good as long as the Truth has not come; but since the Truth has come, we must perform the actions of the Truth, not those of the image.

The disciples of the Savior and the Apostle Paul showed that this theory is true, speaking of the part dealing with images, as we have already said, in mentioning The passover for us and the Unleavened bread; for the law interwoven with injustice when he says that the law of commandments in ordinances were destroyed [Eph 2:15]; and of that not mixed with anything inferior when he says that The law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good [Rom 7:12]. I think I have shown you sufficiently, as well as one can in brief compass, the addition of human legislation in the Law and the triple division of the Law of God itself.

It remains for us to say who this God is who ordained the Law; but I think this too has been shown you in what we have already said, if you have listened to it attentively.

For if the Law was not ordained by the perfect God himself, as we have already thaught you, nor by the devil, a statement one cannot possibly make, the legislator must be some one other than these two. In fact, he is the demiurge and maker of this universe and everything in it; and because he is essentially different from these two and is between them, he is rightly given the name, intermediate.

And if the perfect God is good by nature, in fact he is, for our Savior declared that there is only a single good God, his Father whom he manifested; and if the one who is the opposite nature is evil and wicked, characterized by injustice; then the one situated between the two is neither good nor evil or unjust, but can properly be called just, since he is the arbitrator of the justice which is his.

On the one hand, this god will be inferior to the perfect God and the lower than his justice, since he is generated and not ungenerated — there is only one ungenerated Father, from whom are all things [1 Cor 8:6], since all things depend on him in their own ways. On the other hand, he will be greater and more powerful than the adversary, by nature, since he has a substance of either of them. The substance of the adversary is corruption and darkness, for he is material and complex, while the substance of the ungenerated Father of all is incorruption and self-existent light, simple and homogeneous. The substance of the latter produced a double power, while the Savior is an image of the greater one.

And now, do not let this trouble you for the present in your desire to learn how from one first principle of all, simple, and acknowledgedby us and believed by us, ungenerated and incorruptible and good, were constituted these natures of corruption and the Middle, which are different substances, although it is characteristic of the good to generate and produce things which are like itself and have the same substance.

For, if God permit, you will later learn about their origin and generation, when you are judged worthy of the apostolic tradition which we too have received by succession. We too are able to prove all our points by the teaching of the Savior.

In making these brief statements to you, my sister Flora, I have not grown weary; and while I have treated the subject with brevity, I have also discussed it sufficiencly. These points will be of great benefit to you in the future, if like fair and good ground you have received fertile seeds and go on to show forth their fruit.

Archive Notes:

Irenaeus, in his work The Detection and Overthrow of Falsely So-Called Gnosis (written c. 180, also called Adversus Heraeses or “Against Heresies”), recorded a commentary written by the Valentinian teacher Ptolemy (second century) on the Prologue to the Gospel of John (Irenaeus, Adversus Heraeses 1.8.5). In this commentary, Ptolemy interpreted the prologue of John’s gospel (John 1:1-14) as it related to the first octet of Aions, the initial “outflow” of divine emanation from the First Source. This emanational structure can be shown graphically as follows:

Parent – Loveliness
/ \
Only-Begotten – Truth
/ \
Word – Life
/ \
Human Being – Church
The full Valentinian Gnostic myth, with its many variations and psychological subtleties, is too complex a topic for this introduction. For further discussion, see the Gnostic Society Library section Valentinus and the Valentinian Tradition: Valentinian Theology. Another Gnostic text from the Johannine tradition, The Apocryphon of John, gives a cognate mythological vision of this initial series of emanation.

Ptolemy’s Commentary On The Gospel of John Prologue

Translation by Bentley Layton

John, the disciple of the Lord, intentionally spoke of the origination of the entirety, by which the Father emitted all things. And he assumes that the First Being engendered by God is a kind of beginning; he has called it “Son” and “Only-Begotten God.” In this (the Only-Begotten) the Father emitted all things in a process involving posterity. By this (Son), he says, was emitted the Word, in which was the entire essence of the aions that the Word later personally formed.

Now since he is speaking of the first origination, he does well to begin the teaching at the beginning, i.e with the Son and the Word. He speaks as follows: “The Word was in the beginning, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. It was in the beginning, with God.” [Jn 1:1] First, he distinguishes three things: God; beginning; Word. Then he unites them: this is to show forth both the emanation of the latter two, i.e. the Son and the Word, and their union with one another, and simultaneously with the Father. For the beginning was in the Father and from the Father; and the Word was in the beginning and from the beginning. Well did he say, “The Word was in the beginning”, for it was in the Son. “And the Word was with God.” So was the beginning. “And the word was God”; reasonably so, for what is engendered from God is God. This shows the order of emanation. “The entirety was made through it, and without it was not anything made.” [Jn 1:3] For the Word became the cause of the forming and origination of all the aions that came after it.

But furthermore (he says), “That which came into being in it was Life.”[Jn 1:4] Here he discloses a pair. For he says that the entirety came into being through it, but Life is in it. Now, that which came into being in it more intimately belongs to it than what came into being through it: it is joined with it and through it it bears fruit. Indeed, inasmuch as he adds, “and Life was the light of human beings”, [Jn 1:4] in speaking of human beings he has now disclosed also the Church by means of a synonym, so that with a single word he might disclose the partnership of the pair. For from the Word and Life, the Human Being and the Church came into being. And he called Life the light of human beings because they are enlightened by her, i.e. formed and made visible. Paul, too, says this: “For anything that becomes visible is light.” [Eph 5:13] So since Life made the Human Being and the Church visible and engendered them, she is said to be their light.

Now among other things, John plainly made clear the second quartet, i.e. the Word; Life; the Human Being; the Church.

But what is more, he also disclosed the first quartet. describing the Savior, now, and saying that all things outside the Fullness were formed by him, he says that he is the fruit of the entire fullness. For he calls him a light that “shines in the darkness” [Jn 1:5] and was not overcome by it, inasmuch as after he had fitted together all things that had derived from the passion they did not become acquainted with him. And he calls him Son, Truth, Life, and Word become flesh. We have beheld the latter’s glory, he says. And its glory was like that of the Only- Begotten, which was bestowed on him by the Father, “full of grace and truth”. [Jn 1:14] And he speaks as follows: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us; we have beheld its glory, glory as of the Only-Begotten from the Father.” [Jn 1:14] So he precisely discloses also the first quartet when he speaks of the Father; Grace; the Only-Begotten; Truth. Thus did John speak of the first octet, the mother of the entirety of aions. For he referred to the Father; Grace; the Only-Begotten; Truth; the Word; Life; the Human Being; the Church.

Estimated Range of Dating: 140-160 A.D.

Chronological List of Early Christian Writings
Online Text for Fragments of Ptolemy

Ptolemy’s Commentary on the Prologue of John
Ptolemy’s Letter to Flora
Online Resources for Fragments of Ptolemy

Catholic Encyclopedia: Ptolemy the Gnostic
Offline Resources for Fragments of Ptolemy

Recommended Books for the Study of Early Christian Writings
Information on Fragments of Ptolemy

In the preface to his work, Irenaeus states: “I intend, then, to the best of my ability, with brevity and clearness to set forth the opinions of those who are now promulgating heresy. I refer especially to the disciples of Ptolemaeus, whose school may be described as a bud from that of Valentinus.”

Here is Irenaeus in Against Heresies 1.8.5.

Further, they teach that John, the disciple of the Lord, indicated the first Ogdoad, expressing themselves in these words: John, the disciple of the Lord, wishing to set forth the origin of all things, so as to explain how the Father produced the whole, lays down a certain principle,-that, namely, which was first-begotten by God, which Being he has termed both the only-begotten Son and God, in whom the Father, after a seminal manner, brought forth all things. By him the Word was produced, and in him the whole substance of the Aeons, to which the Word himself afterwards imparted form. Since, therefore, he treats of the first origin of things, he rightly proceeds in his teaching from the beginning, that is, from God and the Word. And he expresses himself thus: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; the same was in the beginning with God.” [John 1:1-2] Having first of all distinguished these three-God, the Beginning, and the Word-he again unites them, that he may exhibit the production of each of them, that is, of the Son and of the Word, and may at the same time show their union with one another, and with the Father. For “the beginning” is in the Father, and of the Father, while “the Word” is in the beginning, and of the beginning. Very properly, then, did he say, “In the beginning was the Word,” for He was in the Son; “and the Word was with God,” for He was the beginning; “and the Word was God,” of course, for that which is begotten of God is God. “The same was in the beginning with God”-this clause discloses the order of production. “All things were made by Him, and without Him was nothing made;” [John 1:3] for the Word was the author of form and beginning to all the Aeons that came into existence after Him. But “what was made in Him,” says John, “is life.” [John 1:3-4] Here again he indicated conjunction; for all things, he said, were made by Him, but in Him was life. This, then, which is in Him, is more closely connected with Him than those things which were simply made by Him, for it exists along with Him, and is developed by Him. When, again, he adds, “And the life was the light of men,” while thus mentioning Anthropos, he indicated also Ecclesia by that one expression, in order that, by using only one name, he might disclose their fellowship with one another, in virtue of their conjunction. For Anthropos and Ecclesia spring from Logos and Zoe. Moreover, he styled life (Zoe) the light of men, because they are enlightened by her, that is, formed and made manifest. This also Paul declares in these words: “For whatsoever doth make manifest is light.” [Eph. 5:13] Since, therefore, Zoe manifested and begat both Anthropos and Ecclesia, she is termed their light. Thus, then, did John by these words reveal both other things and the second Tetrad, Logos and Zoe, Anthropos and Ecclesia. And still further, he also indicated the first Tetrad. For, in discoursing of the Saviour and declaring that all things beyond the Pleroma received form from Him, he says that He is the fruit of the entire Pleroma. For he styles Him a “light which shineth in darkness, and which was not comprehended” [John 1:5] by it, inasmuch as, when He imparted form to all those things which had their origin from passion, He was not known by it. He also styles Him Son, and Aletheia, and Zoe, and the “Word made flesh, whose glory,” he says, “we beheld; and His glory was as that of the Only-begotten (given to Him by the Father), full of grace and truth.” [compare John 1:14] (But what John really does say is this: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us; and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”) Thus, then, does he [according to them] distinctly set forth the first Tetrad, when he speaks of the Father, and Charis, and Monogenes, and Aletheia. In this way, too, does John tell of the first Ogdoad, and that which is the mother of all the Aeons. For he mentions the Father, and Charis, and Monogenes, and Aletheia, and Logos, and Zoe, and Anthropos, and Ecclesia. Such are the views of Ptolemaeus.

Irenaeus also refers to the views of Ptolemy in Against Heresies 1.12.

1. But the followers of Ptolemy say that he [Bythos] has two consorts, which they also name Diatheses (affections), viz., Ennoae and Thelesis. For, as they affirm, he first conceived the thought of producing something, and then willed to that effect. Wherefore, again, these two affections, or powers, Ennoea and Thelesis, having intercourse, as it were, between themselves, the production of Monogenes and Aletheia took place according to conjunction. These two came forth as types and images of the two affections of the Father,-visible representations of those that were invisible,-Nous (i.e., Monogenes) of Thelesis, and Aletheia of Ennoea, and accordingly the image resulting from Thelesis was masculine, while that from Ennoea was feminine. Thus Thelesis (will) became, as it were, a faculty of Ennœa (thought). For Ennoea continually yearned after offspring; but she could not of herself bring forth that which she desired. But when the power of Thelesis (the faculty of will) came upon her, then she brought forth that on which she had brooded. 2. These fancied beings (like the Jove of Homer, who is represented as passing an anxious sleepless night in devising plans for honouring Achilles and destroying numbers of the Greeks) will not appear to you, my dear friend, to be possessed of greater knowledge than He who is the God of the universe. He, as soon as He thinks, also performs what He has willed; and as soon as He wills, also thinks that which He has willed; then thinking when He wills, and then willing when He thinks, since He is all thought, [all will, all mind, all light, ]155 all eye, all ear, the one entire fountain of all good things. 3. Those of them, however, who are deemed more skilful than the persons who have just been mentioned, say that the first Ogdoad was not produced gradually, so that one Aeon was sent forth by another, but that all the Aeons were brought into existence at once by Propator and his Ennoea. He (Colorbasus) affirms this as confidently as if he had assisted at their birth.Accordingly, he and his followers maintain that Anthropos and Ecclesia were not produced, as others hold, from Logos and Zoe; but, on the contrary, Logos and Zoe from Anthropos and Ecclesia. But they express this in another form, as follows: When the Propator conceived the thought of producing something, he received the name of Father. But because what he did produce was true, it was named Aletheia. Again, when he wished to reveal himself, this was termed Anthropos. Finally, when he produced those whom he had previously thought of, these were named Ecclesia. Anthropos, by speaking, formed Logos: this is the first-born son. But Zoe followed upon Logos; and thus the first Ogdoad was completed. 4. They have much contention also among themselves respecting the Saviour. For some maintain that he was formed out of all; wherefore also he was called Eudocetos, because the whole Pleroma was well pleased through him to glorify the Father. But others assert that he was produced from those ten Aeons alone who sprung from Logos and Zoe, and that on this account he was called Logos and Zoe, thus preserving the ancestral names. Others, again, affirm that he had his being from those twelve Aeons who were the offspring of Anthropos and Ecclesia; and on this account he acknowledges himself the Son of man, as being a descendant of Anthropos. Others still, assert that he was produced by Christ and the Holy Spirit, who were brought forth for the security of the Pleroma; and that on this account he was called Christ, thus preserving the appellation of the Father, by whom he was produced. And there are yet others among them who declare that the Propator of the whole, Proarche, and Proanennoetos is called Anthropos; and that this is the great and abstruse mystery, namely, that the Power which is above all others, and contains all in his embrace, is termed Anthropos; hence does the Saviour style himself the “Son of man.”

In the Qumran commentaries on the Psalter, the Teacher of Righteousness, the Wicked Priest, and the Man of the Lie are on center stage (see the Introduction for an initial discussion of these figures). The largest surviving fragments of 4Q171 preserve a running commentary on Psalm 37, which deals with the necessity of the righteous to keep faith in God despite the apparent successes of the wicked. God will ensure that both righteous and wicked get their due: for the righteous, a reward for their faithfulness; for the wicked, punishment.

The Yahad members and their leader, the Teacher of Righteousness, represent the righteous of the psalms, while their enemies, the Wicked Priest and the Man of the Lie, who have persecuted them, represent the wicked. The psalm and its attendant commentary are shot through with a passionate desire to see the injustices of the world put right, tempered with a recognition that patience is required for the suffering that is inevitable while waiting for God to act. These commentaries, then, have an eschatological fervor that the more historical commentaries, such as text 4 (A Commentaries on Habakkuk) and text 21 (A Commentary on Nabum) only occasionally display.

The righteous, who belong to the sect, must endure suffering, but may expect that a final judgment will set all accounts right.

4Q171 Frags. 1-2 Col. 1 20[“He will make your innocence shine like the light and your justice like noonday” (37:6). [ . . . ] the will of 22[ . . . ] lunatics have chosen 23[ . . . ] those who love dissolution and lead astray 24[ . . . ] wickedness through the power of [God].
25[“Be] silent before [the LORD and] wait for him, and do not be jealous of the successful man 26who does wicked deeds” (37:7).

[This refers] to the Man of the Iie who led many people astray with deceitful 27statements, because they had chosen trivial matters but did not listen to the spokesmen for true knowledge, so that Col. 2 1they will perish by sword, famine, and pestilence.
“Renounce your anger and abandon your resentment, don’t 2yearn to do evil, because evildoers will be wiped out” (37:8-9a).

This refers to all who return 3to the Law and do not hesitate to repent of their sin, because all who refuse 4to repent of their faults will be wipecl out.
“But those who trust in the LORD are the ones who will inherit the earth” (37 9b).
This refers Sto the company of His chosen, those who do His will.

The sect’s eschatological timetable allowed that there would beforty yearsfrom the time of their Teacher’s death to the final eschatological showdown between Good and Evil.

“Very soon there will be no wicked man; 6look where he was, he’s not there” (37:10).
This refers to all of the wicked at the end of 7the forty years. When they are completed, there will no longer be any wicked person 8on the earth.
“Then the meek will inherit the earth and enjoy all the abundance that peace brings” (37:11).
This refers to 9the company of the poor who endure the time of error but are delivered from all the snares of “Belial. Afterwards they will enjoy all the [ . . . ] of the earth and grow fat on every 11human luxury].

The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes [his teeth against him. But the LO]RD laughs at him; for he knows l3his day is coming” (37:12-13).

This refers to the cruel Israelites in the house ofJudah who ‘4plot to destroy those who obey the Law who are in the society of the Yahad. But God will not leave them in their power.

Ephraim and Manasseh are already present as code names in the Commenta~ry on Nahum. They represerlt the religio-politicalfactions that side with the sect’s enemies. The reference to “the Priest” is obscureÑis he the same as the Teacher of Righteousness or a dfferent leader?

“The wicked have drawn a sword, they have bent their bows, to strike down the poor and needy, to slaughter those who live honestly. May their sword pierce themselves, may their bows break!” (37:14-15).

This refers to the wicked of”Ephraim and Manasseh,” who will try to do away ‘8with the Priest and the members of his party during the time of trial that is coming upon them. But God will save them ‘9from;1 their power and afterwards hand them over to the wicked Gentiles for judgment.
Better is the little the righteous man has than the great abundance of the wicked” (37:16).

[ . . . This refers to] 22the one who obeys the Law who does not [. . .]
23for wicked things, for “the arms [of the wicked will be broken, but supporting the righteous] 24is the LORD” (37:17).

[“The LORD cares about the life of the pure; what belongs to them will last forever” (37: 18)
.] [This~refers to those with whom] 2sHe is pleased [ . . . ]

“Returning from the wilderness” may mean that some of the sect were in exile but would return at the Last Days.

26 “They [will no]t be put to shame in [an evil time”] (37:19a).

[This refers to] Col. 3 the ones who return from the wilderness, who will live a thousand generations in virtue. To them and their descendants belongs all the heritage of 2Adam for ever.
“In a time of famine, they wil1 have plenty, but the wicked will perish” (37:19b-20a).
This means that He will sustain them in famine during the time of e[rro]r, but many 4will perish from famine and pestilence, all who did not go forth [ . . . ] to jo[in] the company of His chosen.

Those who love the LORD are as magnificent as rams” (37:20b).

This refers to [the company of His chosen] who shall be leaders and princes, [like leaders ofl 6sheep among their flocks.

Al1 shall vanish like smoke (37:20c)

This refers to the wicked princes who oppressed His holy people, and who shall scatter like smoke that dissipates in the wind.

Control over the Temple Mount and the sacrifices made at the Temple was an important ambition of the Qumran group.

“The wicked borrow and do not repay; 9but the righteous give generously, for those whom (]od blesses will inherit the earth, but: those whom He curses will be exterminated” (37:21-22).
This refers to the company of the poor, w[ho will ge]t the possessions -of all [ . . . ], who will inherit the lofty mount of Is[rael and] enjoy His holy mount. [“Those whom He curses] I will be exterminated”: these are the cruel Jews, the w]icked of Israel who will be exterminated and destroyed forever.

[“A man’s path] is ordained by the LORD; he delights in all His ways. If he stu[mbles, he shall not] fall, because the L[ORD holds his hand”] (37:23-24).
This refers to the priest, the Teacher of R[ighteousness, whom] l6God [ch]ose to be His servant [and] ordained him to form Him a company [ . . . ] 7[his] way He smoothed for the truth.
[“I have been young], and now I am old, but I have not [seen a righteous man] 18abandoned and his children be~gging food. [Al1 the time] he is lending generously, and his chil[dren are blessed”] (37:25-26).

19[This] refers to the Teacher of [Righteousness . . . ]

Col. 4 “. . . judg[ment, and will not forsake his devotees. For]ever they are protected. But the descendants of the w[icked will be exterminated”] (37g.28).

[This refers to] the cruel 2[Israelites . . . ] the Law.

“The righteo[us will inherit the earth and dwell for]ever on it” (37:29).

[This refers to . . . ] for a thousand~[generations].

3[“The righteous man utters] wisdom, his tongue speaks 4[justice, in lhis heart is God’s Law: that’s why his steps are sure” (37:30-31).

This refers to] the truth that the [Teacher] spoke 5[ . . . ] he declared it to them.

The wording of the following comment implies that the Teacher was in danger from the Wicked Priest, but still alive, at the time of composition. The writer is confident that the Teacher will live through this time of trial. The mention of the “Law that the Teacher sent to the Priest” is intriguing, and scholars have suggested that this “Law” may 6e text 84, A Sectarian Manifesto, or text 131, The Temple Scroll.

“The wicked man observes the righteous man and seeks [to kill him. But the LO]RD [Wi11 not leave him in his power and will not co]ndemn hlm when he comes to trial” (37:32-33).

This refers to the wicked [Pri]est who ob[serv]es the [Teach]er of Righteous[ness and seeks] to kill him [ . . . ] and the Law 9that he sent to him, but God will not le[ave him in his power] and will not [condemn him when] he comes to trial. But to the [wicked God will give] his just [de]serts, by putting him into the power of the cruel Gentiles to do with him [what they want].

[“Look to the L]ORD and obey his rules; then He will honor you so that you will inherit the earth. You will look on] while the wicked are: exterminated” (37:34).

[This refers to . . . ] who will see judgement passed on the wicked with [the company of] His chosen they will rejoicw in a sure heritage [forever].
l3[“I once saw a wicked man, cruel and stretched [out like a stately tree. But] when I passed by his home again, he was gone. I [looked for him] lbut he was l4[nowhere to be found”] (37:35-36).

[This refers to] the Man of the Lie, [who . . . ] against God’s chosen~people [and sought to put an end to [ . . . ] 15[ . . . ] judgment [ . . . ] he defiantly presumed 16[ . . . ]

[“Take note of the pure, observe] the honest, [for there is a future for the man] of peace” (37:37).

This refers to [ . . . ] 17[ . . . ] of peace.

“Sinners i8perish as one, and the future [of the wicked will be cut short”] (37:38).

[This refers to . . . ] they will perish and be exterminated 19from the company of the Yahad.

“The [deliverance of the righteous is the LORD’S work; He is their stronghold in time of trouble. The LORD helps them and] 20rescues them and saves them from the wicked [and delivers them because they trusted in Him”] (37:9-40).

[This refers to . . . ] God will deliver them and save them from the power of the wi[cked . . . ]

Since the commentary on Psalm 45 comes immediately after that on Psalm 37, it is evident that the writer did not attempt to comment on every verse of the Psalter.

23″To the choirmaster, on [Shosan]im. [For the sons of Korah, a wisdom psalm, a song of love . . . “] (45: heading).

[This refers to . . . t]hhey are the seven divisions of 24the captivity of Is[rael . . . ]

My heart is [astir] with a good message: [I address my poem to: the king”] (45:1a).

[This refers to . . . ho]ly soirit, for[ . . . ] books of [ . . . ]

“My tongue is the pen of 27[an adept scribe”] (45:1b).

[This refers to] the Teacher of [Righteousness . J! ] God [gave] with an eloquent tongue [ . . . ]

Frag. 13 3″God spoke [in His holiness, I will joyfully divide Shechem] 4[and the valley of Succ]oth I will measure. [Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine, Ephraim is my chief fortress”] (60:6-7).

[This refers to Gile]ad and the half-tribe [of Manasseh . . . ] 6they shall be gathered [ . . . ]

4Q173 Frag. 1 2[“. . . vain] for you [to get up early, stay up late, eat your meals in worry, for truly] 3[He gives his friends sleep”] (127:2).

[This refers to those] who seek [ . . . ] 4[ . . . secr]et things to the Teacher of Righteousness [ . . . ]
5[the pr]iest for the ti[me] to come [ . . . ]

7[“Now children are a perpetual gift from the LORD”] (127:3).

[This refers to] those who inherit the possessions [ . . . ]

A very fragmentary interpretation of Psalms was found in Cave 1. The few legible pieces speak, like the HabakFuk interpretation, of the “Kittim.”

lQ16 Frag. 3 2[ . . . ] they had recognized [ . . . ] 3[ . . . ] “Kings of great armies flee, [flee away; even the housewife shares the spoil” (68:12).]

[This refers to]J[ . . .3 the beauty of [ . . .3 5[ . . . ] who will share [ . . . ]

Frag. 8 2[ . . . ~`In the midst maidens beating tambour]ines; in assemblies bless God” (68:25-26).

3[This refers to . . . ] the convocation to bless the Name [ . . . ]

Frag. 9 [“From Your temple overlooking Jerusalem, kings bring You] tribute” (68:29).

This refers to all the rul[ers ofl 2[the Kittim . . . ] before him in Jerusalem.

“You have rebuked [the swamp beast,] that herd of bulls, the Gentile heifers; he tramples on bars ofl silver” (68:30).
The “swamp beast” refers to 4[ . . . the] Kittim [ . . . ]

The Protevangelion is traditionally ascribed to St. James the Brother of God. The contents of the book are consistent with the traditions of the Orthodox Eastern Church, but the Western Churches in general have not accepted these traditions. In the Roman Church, a legend grew up that St. Joseph was, like the Most Holy Theotokos, a life-long virgin, so the portrayal of him here as a widower with children was not accepted. The Protestant Churches do not believe in the perpetual virginity of the Most Holy Theotokos, and prefer to view the brothers and sisters of the Lord as the biological children of St. Joseph and the Theotokos, rather than — as presented here — the children of St. Joseph by a previous wife. Allusions to the Protevangelion, or at least to the traditions it records, are numerous in the writings of the Holy Fathers. The Protevangelion is not part of the Holy Scriptures.
Find chapter numbers:
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

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CHAPTER ONE
In the history of the twelve tribes of Israel we read there was a certain person called Joachim, who being very rich, made double offerings to the Lord God, having made this resolution: “My substance shall be for the benefit of the whole people, and that I may find mercy from the Lord God for the forgiveness of my sins.” 2 But at a certain great feast of the Lord, when the children of Israel offered their gifts, and Joachim also offered his, Reuben the high priest opposed him, saying, “It is not lawful for you to offer your gifts, seeing you have not begotten any issue in Israel.” 3 At this Joachim, being concerned very much, went away to consult the registries of the twelve tribes, to see whether he was the only person who had begotten no issue. 4 But upon inquiry he found that all the righteous had raised up seed in Israel: 5 Then he called to mind the patriarch Abraham, how God in the end of his life had given him his son Isaac; and upon this he was exceedingly distressed, and would not be seen by his wife, 6 but retired into the wilderness, and fixed his tent there, and fasted forty days and forty nights, saying to himself, “I will not go down either to eat or drink, till the Lord my God shall look down upon me, but prayer shall be my meat and drink.”

CHAPTER TWO
In the meantime his wife Anna was distressed and perplexed on a double account, and said, “I will mourn both for my widowhood and my barrenness.” 2 Then drew near a great feast of the Lord, and Judith her maid said, “How long will you thus afflict your soul? The feast of the Lord is now come, when it is unlawful for anyone to mourn. 3 Take therefore this hood which was given by one who makes such things, for it is not fit that I, who am a servant, should wear it, but it well suits a person of your greater character.” 4 But Anna replied, “Depart from me, I am not used to such things; besides, the Lord has greatly humbled me. 5 I fear some ill-designing person has given you this, and you have come to pollute me with my sin.” 6 Then Judith her maid answered, “What evil shall I wish you when you will not hearken to me? 7 I cannot wish you a greater curse than you are under, in that God has shut up your womb, that you should not be a mother in Israel.” 8 At this Anna was exceedingly troubled, and having on her wedding garment, went about the ninth hour to walk in her garden. 9 And she saw a laurel tree, and sat under it, and prayed to the Lord, saying, 10 “O God of my fathers, bless me and regard my prayer as you did bless the womb of Sarah, and gave her a son, Isaac.”

CHAPTER THREE
And as she was looking towards heaven she perceived a sparrow’s nest in the laurel, 2 and mourning within herself, she said, “Woe is me! Who begot me? And what womb did bear me, that I should be thus accursed before the children of Israel, and that they should reproach and deride me in the temple of my God? Woe is me! To what can I be compared? 3I am not comparable to the very beasts of the earth, for even the beasts of the earth are fruitful before You, O Lord! Woe is me! To what can I be compared? 4 I am not comparable to the brute animals, for even the brute animals are fruitful before You, O Lord! Woe is me! To what am I comparable5 I cannot be compared to these waters, for even the waters are fruitful before You, O Lord! Woe is me! to what can I be compared? 6 I am not comparable to the waves of the sea; for these, whether they are calm or in motion, with the fishes which are in them, praise You, O Lord! Woe is me! To what can I be compared? 7I am not comparable to the very earth, for the earth produces its fruits, and praises You, O Lord!”

CHAPTER FOUR
Then an angel of the Lord stood by her and said, “Anna, Anna, the Lord has heard your prayer. You shall conceive and bring forth, and your progeny shall be spoken of in all the world.” 2 And Anna answered, “As the Lord my God lives, whatever I bring forth, whether it is male or female, I will devote it to the Lord my God, and it shall minister to Him in holy things, during its whole life.” 3 And behold, there appeared two angels, saying to her, “Behold, Joachim you husband is coming with his shepherds. 4 For an angel of the Lord has also come down to him, and said, ‘The Lord God has heard your prayer; make haste and go from here, for behold, Anna your wife shall conceive.'” 5 (And Joachim went down and called his shepherds, saying, “Bring me hither ten she-lambs without spot or blemish, and they shall be for the Lord my God. 6 And bring me twelve calves without blemish, and the twelve calves shall be for the priests and the elders. 7 Bring me also a hundred goats, and the hundred goats shall be for the whole people.”) 8 And Joachim went down with the shepherds, and Anna stood by the gate and saw Joachim coming with the shepherds. 9 And she ran and, hanging about his neck, said, “Now I know that the Lord has greatly blessed me; 10 for behold, I who was a widow am no longer a widow, and I who was barren shall conceive.”

CHAPTER FIVE
And Joachim abode the first day in his house, but on the morrow he brought his offerings and said, 2 “If the Lord is propitious to me, let the plate which is on the priest’s forehead make it manifest.” 3 And he consulted the plate which the priest wore, and saw it, and behold, sin was not found in him. 4 And Joachim said, “Now I know that the Lord is propitious to me, and has taken away all my sins.” 5 And he went down from the temple of the Lord justified, and he went to his own house. 6 And when nine months were fulfilled to Anna, she brought forth, and said to the midwife, “What have I brought forth?” 7 And she told her, “A girl.” 8 Then Anna said, “The Lord has this day magnified my soul.” And she lay in her bed. 9 And when the days of her purification were accomplished, she gave suck to the child, and called her name Mary.

CHAPTER SIX
And the child increased in strength every day, so that when she was nine months old, her mother put her upon the ground to try if she could stand, and when she had walked nine steps, she came again to her mother’s lap. 2 then her mother caught her up, and said, “As the Lord my God lives, you shall not walk again on the earth till I bring you into the temple of the Lord.” 3 Accordingly she made her chamber a holy place, and allowed nothing uncommon or unclean to come near her, but invited certain undefiled daughters of Israel, and they drew her aside. 4 But when the child was a year old, Joachim made a great feast, and invited the priests, scribes, elders, and all the people of Israel. 5 And Joachim then made an offering of the girl to the chief priests, and they blessed her, saying, “The God of our fathers bless this girl, and give her a name famous and lasting through all generations.” And all the people replied, “So be it. Amen.” 6 Then Joachim a second time offered her to the priests, and they blessed her, saying, “O Most HighGod, regard this girl and bless her with an everlasting blessing.” 7 Upon this, her mother took her up and gave her the breast and sung the following song to the Lord: 8 I will sing a new song to the Lord, my God, for He has visited me, and taken away from me the reproach of my enemies, and has given me the fruit of His righteousness, that it may now be told the sons of Reuben, that Anna gives suck.” 9 Then she put the child to rest in the room which she had consecrated, and she went out and served them. 10 And when the feast was ended, they went away rejoicing and praising the God of Israel.

CHAPTER SEVEN
But the child grew, and when she was two years old, Joachim said to Anna, “Let us lead her to the temple of the Lord, that we may perform our vow, which we have vowed to the Lord God, lest He should be angry with us, and our offering be unacceptable.” 2 But Anna said, “Let us wait the third year, lest she should be at a loss to know her father.” And Joachim said, “Let us then wait.” 3 And when the child was three years old, Joachim said, “Let us invite the daughters of the Hebrews, who are undefiled, and let them take each a lamp, and let them be lighted, that the child may not turn back again, and her mind be set against the temple of the Lord.” 4 And they did thus till they ascended into the temple of the Lord. And the high priest received her, and blessed her, and said, “Mary, the Lord God has magnified your name to all generations. And to the very end of time, the Lord by you will show his redemption to the children of Israel.” 5 And he placed her on the third step of the altar, and the Lord gave to her grace, and she danced with her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her.

CHAPTER EIGHT
And her parents went away filled with wonder, and praising God, because the girl did not return back to them. 2 But Mary continued in the temple as a dove educated there, and received her food from the hand of an angel. 3 And when she was twelve years of age, the priests met in a council, and said, “Behold, Mary is twelve years of age. What shall we do with her, for fear lest the holy place of the Lord our God should be defiled?” 4 Then the priests replied to Zachary the high priest, “Stand at the altar of the Lord, and enter into the holy place, and make petitions concerning her, and whatever the Lord shall manifest to you, do that.” 5 Then the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies and, taking away with him the breastplate of judgment, made prayers concerning her. 6 And behold, an angel of the Lord came to him and said, “Zachary, Zachary, go forth and call together all the widowers among the people, and let every one of them bring his rod, and he by whom the Lord shall show a sign shall be the husband of Mary.” 7 And the criers went out throughout all Judaea, and the trumpet of the Lord sounded, and all the people ran and met together.

8 Joseph also, throwing away the hatchet, went out to meet them, and when they were met, they went to the high priest, taking every man his rod. 9 After the high priest had received their rods, he went into the temple to pray. 10 And when he had finished his prayer, he took the rods, and went forth and distributed them, and there was no miracle attending them. 11 The last rod was taken by Joseph, and behold, a dove proceeded out of the rod, and flew upon the head of Joseph. 12 And the high priest said, “Joseph, you are the person chosen to take the Virgin of the Lord, to keep her for him.” 13 But Joseph refused, saying, “I am an old man, and have children, but she is young, and I fear lest I should appear ridiculous in Israel.” 14 then the high priest replied, “Joseph, fear the Lord your God, and remember how God dealt with Dathan, Korah, and Abiram, how the earth opened and swallowed them up, because of their contradiction. 15Now therefore, Joseph, fear God, lest the like things should happen in your family.” 16 Joseph then, being afraid, took her to his house, and Joseph said to Mary, “Behold, I have taken you from the temple of the Lord, and now I will leave you in my house. I must go to mind my trade of building. The Lord be with you.”

CHAPTER NINE
And it came to pass, in a council of priests, that it was said, “Let us make a new veil for the temple.” 2 And the high priest said, “Call together to me seven undefiled virgins of the tribe of David.” 3 And the servants went and brought them into the temple of the Lord, and the high priest said to them, “Cast lots before me now, who of you shall spin the gold thread, who the blue, who the scarlet,, who the fine linen, and who the true purple.” 4 then the high priest knew Mary, that she was of the tribe of David, and he called her, and the true purple fell to her lot to spin, and she went away to her own home. 5 But from that time Zachary the high priest became dumb, and Samuel was placed in his stead till Zachary spoke again. 6 But Mary took the true purple, and spun it.

7 And she took a pot, and went out to draw water, and heard a voice saying to her, “Hail, you who are full of grace, the Lord is with you. You are blessed among women.” 8 And she looked around to the right and to the left to see from where the voice came, and then, trembling, went into her house, and laying down the water-pot she took the purple, and sat down in her seat to work it. 9 And behold, the angel of the Lord stood by her, and said, “Fear not, Mary, for you have found favor in the sight of God.” 10 When she heard it, she reasoned within herself what that sort of greeting meant. 11 And the angel said to her, “The Lord is with you, and you shall conceive,” 12 to which she replied, “What! Shall I conceive by the living God, and bring forth as all other women do?” 13 But the angel replied, “Not so, Mary, but the Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you; 14 therefore, that which shall be born of you shall be holy, and shall be called the Son of the Living God, and you shall call his name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. 15 And behold, your cousin Elizabeth, she also has conceived a son in her old age, 16 and this is now the sixth month with her, who was called barren, for nothing is impossible with God.” 17 And Mary said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

18 And when she had wrought her purple, she carried it to the high priest, and the high priest blessed her, saying, “Mary, the Lord God has magnified your name, and you shall be blessed in all the ages of the world.” 19 Then Mary, filled with joy, went away to her cousin Elizabeth, and knocked at the door. 20 When Elizabeth heard it, she ran and opened to her, and blessed her, and said, “How is this come to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 21 For lo! as soon as the voice of your greeting reached my ears, that which is in me leaped, and blessed you.” 22 But Mary, being ignorant of all those mysterious things which the archangel Gabriel had spoken to her, lifted up her eyes to heaven, and said, “Lord! What am I, that all the generations of the earth should call me blessed?” 23 But perceiving herself daily to grow big, and being afraid, she went home, and hid herself from the children of Israel. And she was sixteen years old when all these things happened.

CHAPTER TEN
And when her sixth month was come, Joseph returned from his building houses abroad, which was his trade, and entering into the house, found the Virgin grown big. 2 Then, smiting upon his face, he said, “With what face can I look up to the Lord my God? Or what shall I say concerning this young woman? 3 For I received her a Virgin from the temple of the Lord my God, and have not preserved her such! Who has thus deceived me? 4 Who has committed this evil in my house and, seducing the Virgin from me, has defiled her? 5 Is not the history of Adam exactly accomplished in me? 6 For in the very instant of his glory, the serpent came and found Eve alone, and seduced her. 7 Just after the same manner it has happened to me.” 8 Then Joseph, arising from the ground, called her and said, “O you who have been so much favored by God, why have you done this? 9 Why have you thus debased your soul, who were educated in the Holy of Holies, and received your food from the hand of angels?” 10 But she, with a flood of tears, replied, “I am innocent, and have known no man.” 11 Then said Joseph, “How does it come to pass that you are with child?” 12 Mary answered, “As the Lord my God lives, I do not know by what means.”

13Then Joseph was exceedingly afraid, and went away from her, considering what he should do with her. And thus he reasoned with himself: 14 “If I conceal her crime, I shall be found guilty by the law of the Lord; 15 and if I reveal her to the children of Israel, I fear lest — she being with child by an angel — I shall be found to betray the life of an innocent person. 16 What, therefore, shall I do? I will privately dismiss her.” 17 Then the night was come upon him, when behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said, 18 “Do not be afraid to take that young woman, for That which is within her is of the Holy Spirit, 19 and she shall bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. 20 Then Joseph arose from his sleep, and glorified the God of Israel, who had shown him such favor, and preserved the Virgin.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
Then came Annas the scribe, and said to Joseph, “Why have we not seen you since your return?” 2 And Joseph replied, “Because I was weary after my journey, and rested the first day.” 3 But Annas, turning about, perceived the Virgin big with child. 4 And he went away to the priest and told him, “Joseph in whom you placed so much confidence is guilty of a notorious crime, in that he has defiled the Birgin whom he received out of the temple of the Lord, and has privately married her, not revealing it to the children of Israel.” 5 Then said the priest, “Has Joseph done this?” 6 Annas replied, “If you send any of your servants, you will find that she is with child.” 7 And the servants went, and found it as he said. 8 Upon this, both she and Joseph were brought to their trial, and the priest said to her, “Mary, what have you done? 9 Why have you debased your soul, and forgotten your God, seeing you were brought up in the Holy of Holies, and received your food from the hands of angels, and heard their songs? 10 Why have you done this?” 11 To which, with a flood of tears, she answered, “As the Lord my God lives, I am innocent in His sight, seeing I know no man.” 12 Then the priest said to Joseph, “Why have you done this?” 13 And Joseph answered, “As the Lord my God lives, I have not been concerned with her.” 14 But the priest said, “Do not lie, but declare the truth. You have privately married her, and not revealed it to the children of Israel, and humbled yourself under the Mighty Hand, that your seed might be blessed.” 15 And Joseph was silent. 16 Then said the priest, “You must restore to the temple of the Lord the Virgin whom you took from there.” 17 But he wept bitterly. And the priest added, “I will cause you both to drink the water of the Lord, which is for trial, and so your iniquity shall be laid open before you.” 18 Then the priest took the water, and made Joseph drink, and sent him to a mountainous place. 19 And he returned perfectly well, and all the people marveled that his guilt was not revealed. 20 So the priest said, “Since the Lord has not made your sins evident, neither do I condemn you.” 21 So he sent them away. 22 Then Joseph took Mary, and went to his house, rejoicing and praising the God of Israel.

CHAPTER TWELVE
And it came to pass that there went forth a decree from the Emperor Augustus, that all the Jews should be taxed, who were of Bethlehem in Judaea. 2 And Joseph said, “I will take care that my children are taxed, but what shall I do with this young woman? 3 To have her taxed as my wife I am ashamed, and if I tax her as my daughter, all Israel knows she is not my daughter. 4 When the time of the Lord’s appointment shall come, let Him do as seems good to Him.” 5 And he saddled the ass, and put her upon it, and Joseph and Simon followed after her, and came near Bethlehem, within three miles. 6 Then Joseph, turning about, saw Mary sorrowful, and said within himself, “Perhaps she is in pain through That which is within her.” 7 But when he turned about again, he saw her laughing, and said to her, 8 “Mary, how does it happen that I sometimes see sorrow and sometimes laughter and joy in your face?” 9 And Mary replied to him, “I see two people with my eyes, the one weeping and mourning, the other laughing and rejoicing.” 10 And he went again across the way, and Mary said to Joseph, “Take me down from the ass, for That which is in me presses to come forth.” 11 But Joseph replied, “Where shall I take you? For the place is desolate.” 12 Then Mary said again to Joseph, “Take me down, for That which is within me mightily presses me.” 13 And Joseph took her down. 14 And he found a cave there, and led her into it.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
And leaving her and his sons in the cave, Joseph went forth to seek a Hebrew midwife in the village of Bethlehem. 2 “But as I was going,” said Joseph, I looked up into the air, and I saw the clouds astonished, and the fowls of the air stopping in the midst of their flight. 3 And I looked down towards the earth, and saw a table spread, and working people sitting around it, but their hands were upon the table, and they did not move to eat. 4 They who had meat in their mouths did not eat. 5 They who lifted their hands up to their heads did not draw them back, 6 and they who lifted them up to their mouths did not put anything in, 7 but all their faces were fixed upwards. 8 And I beheld the sheep dispersed, and yet the sheep stood still. 9 And the shepherd lifted up his hand to smite them, and his hand continued up. 10 And I looked to a river, and saw the kids with their mouths close to the water, and touching it, but they did not drink.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Then I beheld a woman coming down from the mountains, and she said, ‘Where are you going, O man?’ 2 And I said to her, ‘I go to inquire for a Hebrew midwife.’ 3 She replied to me, ‘Where is the woman who is to be delivered?’ 4 And I answered, ‘In the cave, and she is betrothed to me.'” 5 Then said the midwife, “Is she not your wife?” 6 Joseph answered, “It is Mary, who was educated in the Holy of Holies, in the house of the Lord, and she fell to my lot, and is not my wife, but has conceived by the Holy Spirit.” 7 The midwife said, “Is this true?” 8 He answered, “Come and see.” 9 And the midwife went along with him, and stood in the cave. 10 Then a bright cloud overshadowed the cave, and the midwife said, “This day my soul is magnified, for my eyes have seen surprising things, and salvation is brought forth to Israel.” 11 But of a sudden the cloud became a great light in the cave, so that their eyes could not bear it. 12 But the light gradually decreased, until the infant appeared, and sucked the breast of his mother Mary. 13 Then the midwife cried out, and said, “How glorious a day is this, wherein my eyes have seen this extraordinary sight! 14 And the midwife went out from the cave, and Salome met her. 15 And the midwife said to her, “Salome, Salome, I will tell you a most surprising thing, which I saw. 16 A virgin has brought forth, which is a thing contrary to nature.” 17 To which Salome replied, “As the Lord my God lives, unless I receive particular proof of this matter, I will not believe that a virgin has brought forth.”

18 Then Salome went in, and the midwife said, “Mary, show yourself, for a great controversy has arisen about you.” 19 And Salome tested her with her finger. 20 But her hand was withered, and she groaned bitterly, 21 and said, “Woe to me, because of my iniquity! For I have tempted the living God, and my hand is ready to drop off.” 22 Then Salome made her supplication to the Lord, and said, “O God of my fathers, remember me, for I am of the seed of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. 23 Make me not a reproach among the children of Israel, but restore me sound to my parents. 24 For You well know, O Lord, that I have performed many works of charity in Your name, and have received my reward from You.” 25 Upon this an angel of the Lord stood by Salome and said, “The Lord God has heard your prayer; reach forth your hand to the Child, and carry Him, and by that means you shall be restored.” 26 Salome, filled with exceeding joy, went to the child, and said, “I will touch Him.” 27 And she purposed to worship Him, for she said, “This is a great King who is born in Israel.” 28 And straightway Salome was cured. 29 Then the midwife went out of the cave, being approved by God. 30 And lo! a voice came to Salome, “Declare not the strange things which you have seen, till the Child shall come to Jerusalem.” So Salome also departed, approved by God.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Then Joseph was preparing to go away, because there arose a great disorder in Bethlehem by the coming of some wise men from the east, 2 who said, “Where is the king of the Jews born? For we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod heard this, he was exceedingly troubled, and sent messengers to the wise men, and to the priests, and inquired of his officials, 4 and said to them, “Where do you have it written concerning Christ the King, or where should He be born?” 5 Then they say to him, “In Bethlehem of Judaea, for so it is written: ‘And you, Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not the least among the princes of Judah, for out of you shall come a Ruler who shall rule my people Israel.'” 6 And having sent away the chief priests, he inquired of the wise men, and said to them, “What sign was it you saw, concerning the King who is born?” 7 They answered him, “We saw an extraordinarily large star shining among the stars of heaven, and so outshining all the other stars that they became invisible, and we knew thereby that a great King was born in Israel, and therefore we have come to worship him.” 8 Then Herod said to them, “Go and make diligent inquiry, and if you find the Child, bring me word again, that I may come and worship Him also.” 9 So the wise men went forth, and behold, the star which they saw in the east went before them, till it came and stood over the cave where the young Child was with Mary His mother. 10 Then they brought forth out of their treasures, and offered to Him gold and frankincense, and myrrh. 11 And being warned in a dream by an angel that they should not return to Herod through Judaea, they departed into their own country by another way.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Then Herod, perceiving that he was being mocked by the wise men, and being very angry, commanded certain men to go and to kill all the children who were in Bethlehem, from two years old and under. 2 But Mary, hearing that the children were to be killed, being under much fear, took the Child, and wrapped Him up in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in an ox-manger, because there was no roiom for them in the inn. 3 Elizabeth also, hearing that her son John was about to be searched for, took him and went up into the mountains, and looked around for a place to hide him; 4 and there was no place to be found. 5 Then she groaned within herself, and said, “O mountain of the Lord, receive the mother with the child.” 6 For Elizabeth could not climb up. 7 And instantly the mountain was divided and received them. 8 And there appeared to them an angel of the Lord, to preserve them.

9 But Herod made search after John, and sent servants to Zachary, when he was at the altar, and said to him, “Where have you hidden your son?” 10 He replied to them, “I am a servant of God, and a servant at the altar; how should I know where my son is?” 11 So the servants went back, and told Herod everything, at which he was incensed, and said, “Is ot this son of his likely to be king in Israel?” 12 Therefore he sent his servants again to Zachary, saying, “Tell us the truth, where is your son? For you know that your life is in my hand.” 13 So the servants went and told him all this. 14 But Zachary replied to them, “I am a martyr for God, and if he shed my blood, the Lord will receive my soul. 15 Besides, know that you shed innocent blood.” 16 However, Zachary was murdered at the entrance of the temple and altar, and about the partition. 17 But the children of Israel knew not when he was killed.

18 Then at the hour of salutation the priests went into the temple, but Zachary did not, according to custom, meet them and bless them, 19 But still they continued waiting for him to salute them. 20 And when they found he did not come in a long time, one of them ventured into the holy place where the altar was, and he saw blood lying upon the ground, congealed. 21 Then, behold, a voice from heaven said, “Zachary is murdered, and his blood shall not be wiped away, until the avenger of his blood comes.” 22 And when he heard this, he was afraid, and went forth and told the priests what he had seen and heard. And they all went in, and saw the fact. 23 Then the roofs of the temple howled, and were rent from the top to the bottom, 24 and they could not find the body, but only blood made hard like stone. 25 And they went away, and told the people that Zachary was murdered, and all the tribes of Israel heard of it, and mourned for him, and lamented three days. 26 Then the priests took counsel together concerning a person to succeed him. 27 And Simeon and the other priests cast lots, and the lot fell upon Simeon. 28 For he had been assured by the Holy Spirit, that he should not die, till he had seen Christ come in the flesh.

I, James, wrote this history in Jerusalem. And when the disturbance was, I retired into a desert place until the death of Herod. And the disturbances ceased at Jerusalem. That which remains is, that I glorify God that He has given me such wisdom to write to you who are spiritual, and who love God, to whom be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Note: The manuscripts of the Protevangelion give various ages for the Most Holy Virgin, ranging from twelve to seventeen. The translation of which this is a revision gives fourteen, but the oldest manuscripts, and the greatest number, give sixteen. (Click here to return to the text.)
Note: The water of the Lord. See Numbers 5.11-28: “11 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 12 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say to them, If any man’s wife trespass against him, 13 And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner; 14 And the spirit of jealousy be come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled: 15 Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, to bring iniquity to remembrance. 16 And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the Lord: 17 And the priest shall take the holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water: 18 And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse: 19 And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man hath lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse: 20 But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband: 21 Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell; 22 And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen. 23 And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water. 24 And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter. 25 Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman’s hand, and shall wave the offering before the Lord, and offer it upon the altar: 26 And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water. 27 And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people. 28 And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean, then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.” (King James Version) (Click here to return to the text.)

Back to True Orthodox Writings

The first portion of the present work records the name of the priestly course serving in the Temple on New Year’s Day. New Year’s Day, according to the Qumran calendars, fell on the first day of Nisan, which equates to about March 20 or 21 in modern terms. This was the day of the vernal equinox. Even the proper day for New Year’s Day was a matter of strife among Second-Temple Jewry, for some held that the year should begin on the first day of Tishri, that is, the seventh month.

The beginning of 1. 2, “in the sixth week,” does not fit the New Year pattern, so additional information must have been included. but we can only guess what it could have been.

[In the third year,] the course of Mijamin serves on the first of the f[irst] month [ . . . ] in the sixth week. In the [fourth] year, [the course of Shecaniah serves on the first of the first month . . . ] 3In the {second year} f[ifth] year, the course of Jeshebeab serves on the [first of the first month . . . ]