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Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus

Estimated Range of Dating: 130-200 A.D.

Chronological List of Early Christian Writings
Online Text for Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus

English Translation by J. B. Lightfoot
Roberts-Donaldson English Translation
Online Resources for Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus

Roberts-Donaldson Introduction
Wace Introduction
Kirsopp Lake’s Introduction
Handbook of Patrology: The Letter to Diognetus
Geoff Trowbridge’s Introduction
Catholic Encyclopedia: Epistle to Diognetus
The Christian Life in the Epistle to Diognetus
Offline Resources for Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus

Recommended Books for the Study of Early Christian Writings
Information on Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus

Robert M. Grant describes the epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus (The Anchor Bible Dictionary, v. 2, p. 201):

A late 2d century apology addressed to a certain Diognetus who is otherwise unknown. Diognetus was a tutor of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, who admired him for his freedom from superstition and sound educational advice (Meditations 1.6), but he is not likely to be the recipient, or even the assumed recipient, of this apology from around A.D. 200. The work itself survived (with other writings ascribed to Justin) only in a 13th century manuscript, formerly at Strasbourg but burned during the invasion of 1870.
It is widely believed that the last two chapters were added at a later time. There are two schools as to its dating, one which favors a date approximately 130 CE and the other which favors a date approximately 200 CE or even later in the third century. I am not sure if there is evidence to resolve the question.

This work is an apology for the Christians, although the term Jesus or Christ is nowhere found in it, as the author seems to prefer the use of the term “the Word.”

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A Liturgy

4Q409

This manuscript contains the remnant of a hymn praising God for the festivals of the holy year. The calendar followed is a subspecies of the solar version known from other Dead Sea Scrolls. This variant on the theme adds several festivals that the Bible never explicitly mentions. These additions are particularly important when trying to get a clear picture of the Qumran calendrical writings as a whole, since most of them do not include the new festivals.Just a few other calendrical works among the scrolls seem to support them (note in particular The Sabbaths and Festivals of the Year, text 64, and the Temple Scroll, text 131). Thus, in respect to these extra festivals, the scrolls are at odds, pointing to the complexity of the historical situation in which they arose.

The beginning of the calendrical recital is missing. Preserved portions include or imp:ly the following festivals: the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, which falls on the fifeenth day of the third month, “the Feast of First Fruits of Wine, the third day of the fifth month; the Feast of Oil, the twenty-second day of the sixth month; the Feast of Wood Offering, the twenty-third day of the sixth month; the Day of Memorial, the first day of the seventh month; the Day of Atonement, the tenth day of the seventh month (presumably; the relevant lines are damaged and reconstruction is uncertain); and the Feast of Booths, the fifteenth day of the seventh month. Of these festivals, the First Fruits of Wine and Qil and the Feast of Wood Offering do not appear in the Bible, at least not clearly (Neh. 10:34 alludes to wood offering, but not to a full-blown festival for it). These, then, were the controversial entries objects of heated debate, no doubt, because of their extrabiblical nature.

Frag. 1 Col. 1 [ . . . Praise and bless on the da]ys of the fi[rst fruits:] 2[of wheat, of fresh wine and fresh oil, with the] new [cereal of ~fering, 3[and bless His holy name. Prai]se and bless on the days of 4[the festival of woods, with the offering of] woods as a sacrifice, 5[and bless His name. Praise and bless] on the day of remembrance with a blast 6[on the ram’s horn. Bless the Lor]d of all. Praise 7[and bless . . . and bles]s His holy name. 8[ ., . and bles]s the Lord of all 9[ . . . Praise and bless] on these days 10[ . . . ] Praise and bless and give thanks “[ . . . Praise and bless and] give thanks with tree branches [ . . . ]

A Liturgical Calendar

4Q334 

Basic to any calendar is the idea of order. Because there is order in the universe the sun, moon, and stars move on orderly and more or less predictable paths a calendar is possible. Such an orderly creation calls for an ordeirly response, and that is what this text represents. Even what might seem the least orderly and by nature most spontaneous type of human expression praisc here has order imposed upon it.

This intriguing and orderly liturgical writing records the number of “songs” (Hebrew shirot) and “words of praise” (divre tishhuhot) for each of two daily services. In the following reconstruction the letter “x” signifies an unknown number indicating the number of songs or praises, according to context. The Liturgical :£alendar is clearly a methodical work, but only one aspect of the method is still apparent: the number of “words of praise” that are sung during the day is double the date of the month (note particularly frag. 2, II. 4-5).

Record for the eighth, ninth, and tenth days of an unknown month.

Frag. 2 on the ~eighth of the month, in the evening, e]ight [s]ongs, and forty [x w]ords of prai[se]. 2[During the day, x songs, and] sixtee[n words of [praise].

[On the nint]h of the month, in the evening, 3[eight songs3 and fort[y-tw]o words of praise. [During the d]ay, [x] songs, 4[and eighteen words of praise.]

On the tenth of the [month,] in the evening, eight songs 5[and forty-x words of praise. During the day, x songs,] and twent[y] wor[ds of piraise.

The Litany of the Angels

A

 …. the angels that minister to the Presence of God1s Glory1 in that compartment of heaven2 where abide [the beings who possess (true)] knowledge.3 They fall4 before the [cherubim and intone their blessings.5 While they are soaring aloft,6 there sounds a murmur of angel voices [ ],7 and the lifting of their wings is accompanied by a clamor of joyous song. It is the murmur of angels blessing the Chariot-like Throne8 above the firmament of the cherubim,9 while they themselves, from be-low the place where the Glory dwells, go acclaiming in joyous song the [splendor of that radiant expanse (Whenever the wheels (of that Chariot) are in motion,10 angels of sanctificafion11 dart to and fro12 all around it, between its glorious wheels. Like fiery apparitions are they,18 spirits most holy, looking like streams of fire, in the likeness of burnished metal14 or of lustrous ware; clothed in garments opalescent, a riot of wondrous hues, a diffusion(?)15 of brightness; live angelic spirits,16constantly coming and going beside the glorious wonderful Chariot.17 Amid all the noise of their progress sounds also that murmured intonation of blessings, and whenever they come round, they shout their holy hallelujahs.) When (the angels) soar aloft, they soar in wondrous wise; and when they alight,18 they stay standing.19

Then the sound of the paean is hushed, and the murmur of angelic benedictions pervades all the camps20 of those godly beings. Anon, from the midst of their every contingent,21 they [give forth] a sound of praise, as, in [holy] wor(ship), each of their several ranks22 breaks forth into joyous song, one after another, in their several stations.23

B

4

Next, with seven words1 of nobility2 the fourth of the arch-princes3 blesses4 in the name of His5 kingly nobility all who have walked uprightly; and with seven words of [ ] he blesses all who have laid foundations for [nobility]; and with seven words of vindication6 he blesses all those godly beings who have upreared the structure of true knowledge;7 that they may be blessed with His glorious mercy.
.

5
Next, with seven words of sublime truth the fifth of the arch-princes blesses in the name of His mystical powers8 all who have [led lives of] purity; and with seven words of [ ] he blesses all who have been eager to do His will; and with seven words of majesty he blesses all who have acknowledged His majesty;9 that they may be blessed with [ ] majesty.
.

6
Next, with seven words of His mystical prowess the sixth of the arch-princes blesses in the name of angelic prowess10 all who have shown prowess of mind;11 and with seven mystical words he blesses all whose way has been blameless;12 that they may take their stand beside the beings eternal;13 and (again) with seven mystical words he blesses all who have waited on Him;14 that they may obtain in return15 the mercy of His tender love.

7
(Finally,) with seven words of His mystical holiness the seventh of the arch-princes blesses in the name of His holiness all the saintly beings among those who have laid foundations for (true) knowledge; and with seven mystical words he blesses all who have avouched the sublimity of His judgments;16 that they may be blessed with stout shields; and with seven words of [ ]17 he blesses all who have enlisted in the cause of righteousness,18 who have sung continually the praises of His glorious kingdom;19 that they may be blessed with peace.20

THEREUPON all the arch-princes (in concert) [acclaim the praise of] the God of the angels, and all the [ . . . ]

Leviticus

This scroll was discovered in 1956, when a group of Ta`amireh Bedouin happened on Cave 11, but it was first unrolled fourteen years later, at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Inscribed in the scroll are parts of the final chapters (22-27) of Leviticus, the third book in the Pentateuch, which expounds laws of sacrifice, atonement, and holiness. This is the lowermost portion (approximately one-fifth of the original height) of the final six columns of the original manuscript. Eighteen small fragments also belong to this scroll. The additional fragments of this manuscript are from preceding chapters: Lev. 4, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18-22.

The Leviticus Scroll was written in an ancient Hebrew script often referred to as paleo-Hebrew. The almost uniform direction of the downstrokes, sloping to the left, indicates an experienced, rapid, and rhythmic hand of a single scribe. The text was penned on the grain side of a sheep skin. Both vertical and horizontal lines were drawn. The vertical lines aligned the columns and margins; the horizontal lines served as guidelines from which the scribe suspended his letters. Dots served as word-spacers.

 

Lev. 23:22-29

  1. (22)[…edges of your field, or] gather [the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger; I the LO]RD [am]
  2. your God.
  3. (23)The LORD spoke to Moses saying: (24)Speak to the Israelite people thus: In the seventh month
  4. on the first day of the month, you shall observe complete rest, a sacred occasion commemorated with load blasts.
  5. (25)You shall not work at your occupations; and you shall bring an offering by fire to the LORD.
  6. (26)The LORD spoke to Moses saying: (27)Mark, the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day
  7. of Atonement. It shall be a sacred occasion for you: you shall practice self-denial, and you shall bring an offering
  8. by fire to the LORD; (28)you shall do no work throughout that day. For
  9. [it is a Day of Atonement on which] expiation is made on your behalf [before the LO]RD your God. (29)Indeed, any person who

The Letter of the Law: Ordinances

Cp. Deuteronomy 23.25-26

If any man thereof construct a threshing floor or a wine press, anyone belonging to the community of Israel who comes upon it and himself has nothing may feed himself from it and gather for himself and [his] hou[sehold]. Within the field he may eat to his satisfaction, but he may not bring anything to deposit it (there).

Cp. Exodus 30:11-16

Regarding the assessment of half a shekel which everyone is to furnish to coverage for his own person, (for this) there is to be a single [scale of value] throughout his life: the shekel is to be estimated as twenty gerahs, in accordance with the standard used for sacred purposes. (Thus) the 600,000 men (with Moses in the Wilderness) would have had to pay (a total of) one hundred talents each of the three (customary divisions of the armed forces), half a talent; and a contingent of fifty men, half a mina, i.e. 25 shekels …

(There follows a specification of equivalencies, but the text is too fragmentary for translation.)

Ephah and bath are equivalent.

…………………………………………………………………………………… 15

Cp. Leviticus. 25.42

They may not serve as slaves to Gentiles, (living) among foreigners, [for when the LORD brought them out of the land of] He enjoined upon them the commandment that they should not be sold as a slave is sold

[For the settlement of legal disputes there shall be a council of te[en] laymen and two priests, and it is to these twelve that recourse must be had …

If within (the community of) Israel, a capital charge be preferred, these men’s opinion must be sought.

Cp. Joshua 1.18

Anyone who offers defiance and takes the law into his own hands, is to be put to death.

Cp. Deuteronomy 22.5

A woman is not to put on the accoutrements of a man; and a man is not to clothe himself in the cloak of a woman, nor wear a woman’s shift; for that is an abomination.

Cp. Deuteronomy 22.14-21

If a man impugn the virtue of an Israelite virgin, alleging that he married her [under false pretenses], she shall be reliably examined, and if he has not lied about her, she shall be put to death. But if (it be shown that) he has borne [false] witness against her, he shall be fined two minas, and he may not divorce her for the rest of his life …

(The rest is fragmentary)

Acts and Martyrdom of St. Matthew

About that time Matthew, the holy apostle and evangelist of Christ, was abiding in the mountain resting, and praying in his tunic and apostolic robes without sandals; and, behold, Jesus came to Matthew in the likeness of the infants who sing in paradise, and said to him: Peace to you, Matthew! And Matthew having gazed upon Him, and not known who He was, said: Grace to you, and peace, O child highly favoured! And why have you come hither to me, having left those who sing in paradise, and the delights there? Because here the place is desert; and what sort of a table I shall lay for you, O child, I know not, because I have no bread nor oil in a jar. Moreover, even the winds are at rest, so as not to cast down from the trees to the ground anything for food; because, for the accomplishing of my fast of forty days, I, partaking only of the fruits falling by the movement of the winds, am glorifying my Jesus. Now, therefore, what shall I bring you, beautiful boy? There is not even water near, that I may wash your feet.

And the child said: Why do you say, O Matthew? Understand and know that good discourse is better than a calf, and words of meekness better than every herb of the field, and a sweet saying as the perfume of love, and cheerfulness of countenance better than feeding, and a pleasant look is as the appearance of sweetness. Understand, Matthew, and know that I am paradise, that I am the comforter, I am the power of the powers above, I the strength of those that restrain themselves, I the crown of the virgins, I the self-control of the once married, I the boast of the widowed, I the defence of the infants, I the foundation of the Church, I the kingdom of the bishops, I the glory of the presbyters, I the praise of the deacons. Be a man, and be strong, Matthew, in, these words.

And Matthew said: The sight of you hast altogether delighted me, O child; moreover also, your words are full of life. For assuredly your face shines more than the lightning, and your words are altogether most sweet. And that indeed I saw you in paradise when you sang with the other infants who were killed in Bethlehem, I know right well; but how you have suddenly come hither, this altogether astonishes me. But I shall ask you one thing, O child: that impious Herod, where is he? The child says to him: Since you have asked, hear his dwelling-place. He dwells, indeed, in Hades; and there has been prepared for him fire unquenchable, Gehenna without end, bubbling mire, worm that sleeps not, because he cut off three thousand infants, wishing to slay the child Jesus, the ancient of the ages; but of all these ages I am father. Now therefore, O Matthew, take this rod of mine, and go down from the mountain, and go into Myrna, the city of the man-eaters, and plant it by the gate of the church which you and Andrew founded; and as soon as you have planted it, it shall be a tree, great and lofty and with many branches, and its branches shall extend to thirty cubits, and of each single branch the fruit shall be different both to the sight and the eating, Revelation 22:2 and from the top of the tree shall flow down much honey; and from its root there shall come forth a great fountain, giving drink to this country round about, and in it creatures that swim and creep; and in it the man-eaters shall wash themselves, and eat of the fruit of the trees of the vine and of the honey; and their bodies shall be changed, and their forms shall be altered so as to be like those of other men; and they shall be ashamed of the nakedness of their body, and they shall put on clothing of the rams of the sheep, and they shall no longer eat unclean things; and there shall be to them fire in superabundance, preparing the sacrifices for offerings, and they shall bake their bread with fire; and they shall see each other in the likeness of the rest of men, and they shall acknowledge me, and glorify my Father who is in the heavens. Now therefore make haste, Matthew, and go down hence, because the departure from your body through fire is at hand, and the crown of your endurance.

And the child having said this, and given him the rod, was taken up into the heavens. And Matthew went down from the mountain, hastening to the city. And as he was about to enter into the city, there met him Fulvana the wife of the king, and his son Fulvanus and his wife Erva, who were possessed by an unclean spirit, and cried out shouting: Who has brought you here again, Matthew? or who has given you the rod for our destruction? for we see also the child Jesus, the Son of God, who is with you. Do not go then, O Matthew, to plant the rod for the food, and for the transformation of the man-eaters: for I have found what I shall do to you. For since you drove me out of this city, and prevent me from fulfilling my wishes among the man-eaters, behold, I will raise up against you the king of this city, and he will burn you alive. And Matthew, having laid his hands on each one of the demoniacs, put the demons to flight, and made the people whole; and they followed him.

And thus the affair being made manifest, Plato the bishop, having heard of the presence of the holy Apostle Matthew, met him with all the clergy; and having fallen to the ground, they kissed his feet. And Matthew raised them, and went with them into the church, and the child Jesus was also with him. And Matthew, having come to the gate of the church, stood upon a certain lofty and immoveable stone; and when the whole city ran together, especially the brethren who had believed, began to say: Men and women who appear in our sight, heretofore believing in the universe, but now knowing Him who has upheld and made the universe; until now worshipping the Satyr, and mocked by ten thousand false gods, but now through Jesus Christ acknowledging the one and only God, Lord, Judge; who have laid aside the immeasurable greatness of evil, and put on love, which is of like nature with affectionateness, towards men; once strangers to Christ, but now confessing Him Lord and God; formerly without form, but now transformed through Christ;— behold, the staff which you see in my hand, which Jesus, in whom you have believed and will believe, gave me; perceive now what comes to pass through me, and acknowledge the riches of the greatness which He will this day make for you. For, behold, I shall plant this rod in this place, and it shall be a sign to your generations, and it shall become a tree, great and lofty and flourishing, and its fruit beautiful to the view and good to the sight; and the fragrance of perfumes shall come forth from it, and there shall be a vine twining round it, full of clusters; and from the top of it honey coming down, and every flying creature shall find covert in its branches; and a fountain of water shall come forth from the root of it, having swimming and creeping things, giving drink to all the country round about.

And having said this, and called upon the name of the Lord Jesus, he fixed his rod in the ground, and straightway it sprung up to one cubit; and the sight was strange and wonderful. For the rod having straightway shot up, increased in size, and grew into a great tree, as Matthew had said. And the apostle said: Go into the fountain and wash your bodies in it, and then thus partake both of the fruits of the tree, and of the vine and the honey, and drink of the fountain, and you shall be transformed in your likeness to that of men; and after that, having gone into the church, you will clearly recognise that you have believed in the living and true God. And having done all these things, they saw themselves changed into the likeness of Matthew; then, having thus gone into the church, they worshipped and glorified God. And when they had been changed, they knew that they were naked; and they ran in haste each to his own house to cover their nakedness, because they were ashamed.

And Matthew and Plato remained in the church spending the night, and glorifying God. And there remained also the king’s wife, and his son and his wife, and they prayed the apostle to give them the seal in Christ. And Matthew gave orders to Plato; and he, having gone forth, baptized them in the water of the fountain of the tree, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And so thereafter, having gone into the church, they communicated in the holy mysteries of Christ; and they exulted and passed the night, they also along with the apostle, many others having also come with them; and all in the church sang the whole night, glorifying God.

And when the dawn had fully come, the blessed Matthew, having gone along with the bishop Plato, stood in the place in which the rod had been planted, and he sees the rod grown into a great tree, and near it a vine twined round it, and honey coming down from above even to its root; and that tree was at once beautiful and flourishing, like the plants in paradise, and a river proceeded from its root watering all the land of the city of Myrna. And all ran together, and ate of the fruit of the tree and the vine, just as any one wished.

And when what had come to pass was reported in the palace, the king Fulvanus, having learned what had been done by Matthew about his wife, and his son, and his daughter-in-law, rejoiced for a time at their purification; but seeing that they were inseparable from Matthew, he was seized with rage and anger, and endeavoured to put him to death by fire. And on that night in which the king intended to lay hands on Matthew, Matthew saw Jesus saying to him: I am with you always to save you, Matthew; be strong, and be a man.

And the blessed Matthew, having awoke, and sealed himself over all the body, rose up at dawn, and proceeded into the church; and having bent his knees, prayed earnestly. Then the bishop having come, and the clergy, they stood in common in prayer, glorifying God. And after they had ended the prayer, the bishop Plato said: Peace to you, Matthew, apostle of Christ! And the blessed Matthew said to him: Peace to you! And when they had sat down, the apostle said to the bishop Plato, and to all the clergy: I wish you, children, to know, Jesus having declared it to me, that the king of this city is going to send soldiers against me, the devil having entered into him, and manifestly armed him against us. But let us give ourselves up to Jesus, and He will deliver us from every trial, and all who have believed in Him.

And the king, plotting against the blessed Matthew how he should lay hands on him, and seeing also that the believers were very many, was very much at fault, and was in great difficulty.

Therefore the wicked and unclean devil who had come forth from the king’s wife, and his son, and his daughter-in-law, put to flight by Matthew, having transformed himself into the likeness of a soldier, stood before the king, and said to him: O king, why are you thus put to the worse by this stranger and sorcerer? Do you not know that he was a publican, but now he has been called an apostle by Jesus, who was crucified by the Jews? For, behold, your wife, and your son, and your daughter-in-law, instructed by him, have believed in him, and along with him sing in the church. And now, behold, Matthew is going forth, and Plato with him, and they are going to the gate called Heavy; but make haste, and you will find them, and you shall do to him all that may be pleasing in your eyes.

The king having heard this, and being the more exasperated by the pretended soldier, sent against the blessed Matthew four soldiers, having threatened them, and said: Unless you bring Matthew to me, I shall burn you alive with fire; and the punishment which he is to undergo, you shall endure. And the soldiers, having been thus threatened by the king, go in arms to where the Apostle Matthew and the bishop Plato are. And when they came near them, they heard their speaking indeed, but saw no one. And having come, they said to the king: We pray you, O king, we went and found no one, but only heard the voices of persons talking. And the king, being enraged, and having blazed up like fire, gave orders to send other ten soldiers— man-eaters— saying to them: Go stealthily to the place, and tear them in pieces alive, and eat up Matthew, and Plato, who is with him. And when they were about to come near the blessed Matthew, the Lord Jesus Christ, having come in the likeness of a most beautiful boy, holding a torch of fire, ran to meet them, burning out their eyes. And they, having cried out and thrown their arms from them, fled, and came to the king, being speechless.

And the demon who had before appeared to the king in the form of a soldier, being again transformed into the form of a soldier, stood before the king, and said to him: You see, O king, this stranger has bewitched them all. Learn, then, how you shall take him. The king says to him: Tell me first wherein his strength is, that I may know, and then I will draw up against him with a great force. And the demon, compelled by an angel, says to the king: Since you wish to hear accurately about him, O king, I will tell you all the truth. Really, unless he shall be willing to be taken by you of his own accord, you labour in vain, and you will not be able to hurt him; but if you wish to lay hands on him, you will be struck by him with blindness, and you will be paralyzed. And if you send a multitude of soldiers against him, they also will be struck with blindness, and will be paralyzed. And we shall go, even seven unclean demons, and immediately make away with you and your whole camp, and destroy all the city with lightning, except those naming that awful and holy name of Christ; for wherever a footstep of theirs has come, thence, pursued, we flee. And even if you shall apply fire to him, to him the fire will be dew; and if you shall shut him up in a furnace, to him the furnace will be a church; and if you shall put him in chains in prison, and seal up the floors, the doors will open to him of their own accord, and all who believe in that name will go in, even they, and say, This prison is a church of the living God, and a holy habitation of those that live alone. Behold, O king, I have told you all the truth. The king therefore says to the pretended soldier: Since I do not know Matthew, come with me, and point him out to me from a distance, and take from me gold, as much as you may wish, or go yourself, and with your sword kill him, and Plato his associate. The demon says to him: I cannot kill him. I dare not even look into his face, seeing that he has destroyed all our generation through the name of Christ, proclaimed through him.

The king says to him: And who are you? And he says: I am the demon who dwelt in your wife, and in your son, and in your daughter-in-law; and my name is Asmodæus; and this Matthew drove me out of them. And now, behold, your wife, and your son, and your daughter-in-law sing along with him in the church. And I know, O king, that you also after this wilt believe in him. The king says to him: Whoever you are, spirit of many shapes, I adjure you by the God whom he whom you call Matthew proclaims, depart hence without doing hurt to any one. And straightway the demon, no longer like a soldier, but like smoke, became invisible; and as he fled he cried out: O secret name, armed against us, I pray you, Matthew, servant of the holy God, pardon me, and I will no longer remain in this city. Keep your own; but I go away into the fire everlasting.

Then the king, affected with great fear at the answer of the demon, remained quiet that day. And the night having come, and he not being able to sleep because he was hungry, leaped up at dawn, and went into the church, with only two soldiers without arms, to take Matthew by craft, that he might kill him. And having summoned two friends of Matthew, he said to them: Show to Matthew, says he, that I wish to be his disciple. And Matthew hearing, and knowing the craft of the tyrant, and having been warned also by the vision of the Lord to him, went forth out of the church, led by the hand by Plato, and stood in the gate of the church.

And they say to the king: Behold Matthew in the gate! And he says: Who he is, or where he is, I see not. And they said to him: Behold, he is in sight of you. And he says: All the while I see nobody. For he had been blinded by the power of God. And he began to cry out: Woe to me, miserable! what evil has come upon me, for my eyes have been blinded, and all my limbs paralyzed? O Asmodæus Beelzebul Satan! all that you have said to me has come upon me. But I pray you, Matthew, servant of God, forgive me as the herald of the good God; for assuredly the Jesus proclaimed by you three days ago through the night appeared to me altogether resplendent as with lightning, like a beautiful young man, and said to me, Since you are entertaining evil counsels in the wickedness of your heart in regard to my servant Matthew, know I have disclosed to him that through you will be the release of his body. And straightway I saw him going up into heaven. If therefore he is your God, and if he wishes your body to be buried in our city for a testimony of the salvation of the generations after this, and for the banishing of the demons, I shall know the truth for myself by this, by you laying on hands upon me, and I shall receive my sight. And the apostle having laid his hands upon his eyes, and saying Ephphatha, Jesus, he made him receive his sight instantly.

And straightway the king, laying hold of the apostle, and leading him by the right hand, brought him by craft into the palace; and Plato was on Matthew’s left hand, going along with him, and keeping hold of him. Then Matthew says: O crafty tyrant, how long do you not fulfil the works of your father the devil? And he was enraged at what had been said; for he perceived that he would inflict upon him a more bitter death. For he resolved to put him to death by fire. And he commanded several executioners to come, and to lead him away to the place by the seashore, where the execution of malefactors was wont to take place, saying to the executioners: I hear, says he, that the God whom he proclaims delivers from fire those who believe in him. Having laid him, therefore, on the ground on his back, and stretched him out, pierce his hands and feet with iron nails, and cover him over with paper, having smeared it with dolphins’ oil, and cover him up with brimstone and asphalt and pitch, and put tow and brushwood above. Thus apply the fire to him; and if any of the same tribe with him rise up against you, he shall get the same punishment.

And the apostle exhorted the brethren to remain undismayed, and that they should rejoice, and accompany him with great meekness, singing and praising God, because they were deemed worthy to have the relics of the apostle. Having therefore come to the place, the executioners, like most evil wild beasts, pinned down to the ground Matthew’s hands and feet with long nails; and having done everything as they had been bid, applied the fire. And they indeed laboured closely, kindling it all round; but all the fire was changed into dew, so that the brethren, rejoicing, cried out: The only God is the Christians’, who assists Matthew, in whom also we have believed: the only God is the Christians’, who preserves His own apostle in the fire. And by the voice the city was shaken. And some of the executioners, having gone forth, said to the king: We indeed, O king, by every contrivance of vengeance, have kindled the fire; but the sorcerer by a certain name puts it out, calling upon Christ, and invoking his cross; and the Christians surrounding him play with the fire, and walking in it with naked feet, laugh at us, and we have fled ashamed.

Then he ordered a multitude to carry coals of fire from the furnace of the bath in the palace, and the twelve gods of gold and silver; and place them, says he, in a circle round the sorcerer, lest he may even somehow bewitch the fire from the furnace of the palace. And there being many executioners and soldiers, some carried the coals; and others, bearing the gods, brought them. And the king accompanied them, watching lest any of the Christians should steal one of his gods, or bewitch the fire. And when they came near the place where the apostle was nailed down, his face was looking towards heaven, and all his body was covered over with the paper, and much brushwood over his body to the height of ten cubits. And having ordered the soldiers to set the gods in a circle round Matthew, five cubits off, securely fastened that they might not fall, again he ordered the coal to be thrown on, and to kindle the fire at all points.

And Matthew, having looked up to heaven, cried out, Adonai eloi sabaoth marmari marmunth; that is, O God the Father, O Lord Jesus Christ, deliver me, and burn down their gods which they worship; and let the fire also pursue the king even to his palace, but not to his destruction: for perhaps he will repent and be converted. And when he saw the fire to be monstrous in height, the king, thinking that Matthew was burnt up, laughed aloud, and said: Has your magic been of any avail to you, Matthew? Can your Jesus now give you any help?

And as he said this a dreadful wonder appeared; for all the fire along with the wood went away from Matthew, and was poured round about their gods, so that nothing of the gold or the silver was any more seen; and the king fled, and said: Woe’s me, that my gods are destroyed by the rebuke of Matthew, of which the weight was a thousand talents of gold and a thousand talents of silver. Better are the gods of stone and of earthenware, in that they are neither melted nor stolen.

And when the fire had thus utterly destroyed their gods, and burnt up many soldiers, there came to pass again another stranger wonder. For the fire, in the likeness of a great and dreadful dragon, chased the tyrant as far as the palace, and ran hither and thither round the king, not letting him go into the palace. And the king, chased by the fire, and not allowed to go into his palace, turned back to where Matthew was, and cried out, saying: I beseech you, whoever you are, O man, whether magician or sorcerer or god, or angel of God, whom so great a pyre has not touched, remove from me this dreadful and fiery dragon; forget the evil I have done, as also when you made me receive my sight. And Matthew, having rebuked the fire, and the flames having been extinguished, and the dragon having become invisible, stretching his eyes to heaven, and praying in Hebrew, and commending his spirit to the Lord, said: Peace to you! And having glorified the Lord, he went to his rest about the sixth hour.

Then the king, having ordered more soldiers to come, and the bed to be brought from the palace, which had a great show of gold, he ordered the apostle to be laid on it, and carried to the palace. And the body of the apostle was lying as if in sleep, and his robe and his tunic unstained by the fire; and sometimes they saw him on the bed, and sometimes following, and sometimes going before the bed, and with his right hand put upon Plato’s head, and singing along with the multitude, so that both the king and the soldiers, with the crowd, were struck with astonishment. And many diseased persons and demoniacs, having only touched the bed, were made sound; and as many as were savage in appearance, in that same hour were changed into the likeness of other men.

And as the bed was going into the palace, we all saw Matthew rising up, as it were, from the bed, and going into heaven, led by the hand by a beautiful boy; and twelve men in shining garments came to meet him, having never-fading and golden crowns on their head; and we saw how that child crowned Matthew, so as to be like them, and in a flash of lightning they went away to heaven.

And the king stood at the gate of the palace, and ordered that no one should come in but the soldiers carrying the bed. And having shut the doors, he ordered an iron coffin to be made, put the body of Matthew into it, and sealed it up with lead; through the eastern gate of the palace at midnight put it into a boat, no one knowing of it, and threw it into the deep part of the sea.

And through the whole night the brethren remained before the gate of the palace, spending the night, and singing; and when the dawn rose there was a voice: O bishop Plato, carry the Gospel and the Psalter of David; go along with the multitude of the brethren to the east of the palace, and sing the Alleluia, and read the Gospel, and bring as an offering the holy bread; and having pressed three clusters from the vine into a cup, communicate with me, as the Lord Jesus showed us how to offer up when He rose from the dead on the third day.

And the bishop having run into the church, and taken the Gospel and the Psalter of David, and having assembled the presbyters and the multitude of the brethren, came to the east of the palace at the hour of sunrise; and having ordered the one who was singing to go upon a certain lofty stone, he began to praise in singing of a song to God: Precious in the sight of God is the death of His saints. And again: I laid me down and slept; I arose: because the Lord will sustain me. And they listened to the singing of a song of David: Shall he that is dead not rise again? Now I shall raise him up for myself, says the Lord. And all shouted out the Alleluia. And the bishop read the Gospel, and all cried out: Glory to You, Thou who hast been glorified in heaven and on earth. And so then they offered the gift of the holy offering for Matthew; and having partaken for thanksgiving of the undefiled and life-giving mysteries of Christ, they all glorified God.

And it was about the sixth hour, and Plato sees the sea opposite about seven furlongs off; and, behold, Matthew was standing on the sea, and two men, one on each side, in shining garments, and the beautiful boy in front of them. And all the brethren saw these things, and they heard them saying Amen, Alleluia. And one could see the sea fixed like a stone of crystal, and the beautiful boy in front of them, when out of the depth of the sea a cross came up, and at the end of the cross the coffin going up in which was the body of Matthew; and in the hour of the piercing on the cross, the boy placed the coffin on the ground, behind the palace towards the east, where the bishop had offered the offering for Matthew.

And the king having seen these things from the upper part of the house, and being terror-struck, went forth from the palace, and ran and worshipped towards the east at the coffin, and fell down before the bishop, and the presbyters, and the deacons, in repentance and confession, saying: Truly I believe in the true God, Christ Jesus. I entreat, give me the seal in Christ, and I will give you my palace, in testimony of Matthew, and you shall put the coffin upon my golden bed, in the great dining-room; only, having baptized me in it, communicate to me the Eucharist of Christ. And the bishop having prayed, and ordered him to take off his clothes, and having examined him for a long time, and he having confessed and wept over what he had done, having sealed him, and anointed him with oil, put him down into the sea, in the name of Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost. And when he came up from the water he ordered him to put on himself splendid garments, and so then having given praise and thanks, communicating the holy bread and mixed cup, the bishop first gave them to the king, saying: Let this body of Christ, and this cup, His blood shed for us, be to you for the remission of sins unto life. And a voice was heard from on high: Amen, amen, amen. And when he had thus communicated in fear and joy, the apostle appeared and said: King Fulvanus, your name shall no longer be Fulvanus; but you shall be called Matthew. And you, the son of the king, shall no longer be called Fulvanus, but Matthew also; and you Ziphagia, the wife of the king, shall be called Sophia; and Erva, the wife of your son, shall be called Synesis. And these names of yours shall be written in the heavens, and there shall not fail of your loins from generation to generation. And in that same hour Matthew appointed the king a presbyter, and he was thirty-seven years old; and the king’s son he appointed deacon, being seventeen years old; and the king’s wife he appointed a presbyteress; and his son’s wife he appointed a deaconess, and she also was seventeen years old. And then he thus blessed them, saying: The blessing and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ shall be with you to time everlasting.

Then the king, having awakened out of sleep, and rejoiced with all his house at the vision of the holy Apostle Matthew, praised God.

And the king, having gone into his palace, broke all the idols to pieces, and gave a decree to those in his kingdom, writing thus: King Matthew, to all those under my kingdom, greeting. Christ having appeared upon earth, and having saved the human race, the so-called gods have been found to be deceivers, and soul-destroyers, and plotters against the human race. Whence, divine grace having shone abroad, and come even to us, and we having come to the knowledge of the deception of the idols, that it is vain and false, it has seemed good to our divinity that there should not be many gods, but one, and one only, the God in the heavens. And you, having received this our decree, keep to the purport of it, and break to pieces and destroy every idol; and if any one shall be detected from this time forth serving idols, or concealing them, let such an one be subjected to punishment by the sword. Farewell all, because we also are well.

And when this order was given out, all, rejoicing and exulting, broke their idols to pieces, crying out and saying: There is one only God, He who is in the heavens, who does good to men.

And after all these things had come to pass, Matthew the apostle of Christ appeared to the bishop Plato, and said to him: Plato, servant of God, and our brother, be it known unto you, that after three years shall be your rest in the Lord, and exultation to ages of ages. And the king himself, whom after my own name I have called Matthew, shall receive the throne of your bishopric, and after him his son. And he, having said Peace to you and all the saints, went to heaven.

And after three years the bishop Plato rested in the Lord. And King Matthew succeeded him, having given up his kingdom willingly to another, whence there was given him grace against unclean demons, and he cured every affliction. And he advanced his son to be a presbyter, and made him second to himself.

And Saint Matthew finished his course in the country of the man-eaters, in the city of Myrna, on the sixteenth of the month of November, our Lord Jesus Christ reigning, to whom be glory and strength, now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen.

The Passing of Mary

In that time before the Lord came to His passion, and among many words which the mother asked of the Son, she began to ask Him about her own departure, addressing Him as follows:—O most dear Son, I pray Thy holiness, that when my soul goes out of my body, Thou let me know on the third day before; and do Thou, beloved Son, with Thy angels, receive it.  Then He received the prayer of His beloved mother, and said to her:  O palace and temple of the living God, O blessed mother, O queen of all saints, and blessed above all women, before thou carriedst me in thy womb, I always guarded thee, and caused thee to be fed daily with my angelic food, as thou knowest:  how can I desert thee, after thou hast carried me, and nourished me, and brought me down in flight into Egypt, and endured many hardships for me?  Know, then, that my angels have always guarded thee, and will guard thee even until thy departure.  But after I undergo suffering for men, as it is written, and rise again on the third day, and after forty days ascend into heaven, when thou shalt see me coming to thee with angels and archangels, with saints and with virgins, and with my disciples, know for certain that thy soul will be separated from the body, and I shall carry it into heaven, where it shall never at all have tribulation or anguish.  Then she joyed and gloried, and kissed the knees of her Son, and blessed the Creator of heaven and earth, who gave her such a gift through Jesus Christ her Son.

In the second year, therefore, after the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, the most blessed Virgin Mary continued always in prayer day and night.  And on the third day before she passed away, an angel of the Lord came to her, and saluted her, saying:  Hail, Mary, full of grace! the Lord be with thee.  And she answered, saying:  Thanks to God.  Again he said to her:  Receive this palm which the Lord promised to thee.  And she, giving thanks to God, with great joy received from the hand of the angel the palm sent to her.  The angel of the Lord said to her:  Thy assumption will be after three days.  And she answered:  Thanks to God.

Then she called Joseph of the city of Arimathæa, and the other disciples of the Lord; and when they, both relations and acquaintances, were assembled, she announced her departure to all standing there.  Then the blessed Mary washed herself, and dressed herself like a queen, and waited the advent of her Son, as He had promised to her.  And she asked all her relations to keep beside her, and give her comfort.  And she had along with her three virgins, Sepphora, Abigea, and Zaël; but the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ had been already dispersed throughout the whole world to preach to the people of God.

Then at the third hour there were great thunders, and rains, and lightnings, and tribulation, and an earthquake, while queen Mary was standing in her chamber.  John the evangelist and apostle was suddenly brought from Ephesus, and entered the chamber of the blessed Mary, and saluted her, and said to her:  Hail, Mary, full of grace! the Lord be with thee.  And she answered:  Thanks to God.  And raising herself up, she kissed Saint John.  And the blessed Mary said to him:  O my dearest son, why hast thou left me at such a time, and hast not paid heed to the commands of thy Master, to take care of me, as He commanded thee while He was hanging on the cross?  And he asked pardon with bended knee.  Then the blessed Mary gave him her benediction, and again kissed him.  And when she meant to ask him whence he came, and for what reason he had come to Jerusalem, behold, all the disciples of the Lord, except Thomas who is called Didymus, were brought by a cloud to the door of the chamber of the blessed Mary.  They stood and went in, and saluted the queen with the following words, and adored her:  Hail, Mary, full of grace! the Lord be with thee.  And she eagerly rose quickly, and bowed herself, and kissed them, and gave thanks to God.  These are the names of the disciples of the Lord who were brought thither in the cloud:  John the evangelist and James his brother, Peter and Paul, Andrew, Philip, Luke, Barnabas, Bartholomew and Matthew, Matthias who is called Justus, Simon the Chananæan, Judas and his brother, Nicodemus and Maximianus, and many others who cannot be numbered.  Then the blessed Mary said to her brethren:  What is this, that you have all come to Jerusalem?  Peter, answering, said to her:  We had need to ask this of thee, and dost thou question us?  Certainly, as I think, none of us knows why we have come here to-day with such rapidity.  I was at Antioch, and now I am here.  All declared plainly the place where they had been that day.  And they all wondered that they were there when they heard these things.  The blessed Mary said to them:  I asked my Son, before He endured the passion, that He and you should be at my death; and He granted me this gift.  Whence you may know that my departure will be to-morrow.  Watch and pray with me, that when the Lord comes to receive my soul, He may find you watching.  Then all promised that they would watch.  And they watched and prayed the whole night, with psalms and chants, with great illuminations.

And when the Lord’s day came, at the third hour, just as the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles in a cloud, so Christ descended with a multitude of angels, and received the soul of His beloved mother.  For there was such splendour and perfume of sweetness, and angels singing the songs of songs, where the Lord says, As a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters, that all who were there present fell on their faces, as the apostles fell when Christ transfigured Himself before them on Mount Thabor, and for a whole hour and a half no one was able to rise.  But when the light went away, and at the same time with the light itself, the soul of the blessed virgin Mary was taken up into heaven with psalms, and hymns, and songs of songs.  And as the cloud went up the whole earth shook, and in one moment all the inhabitants of Jerusalem openly saw the departure of St. Mary.

And that same hour Satan entered into them, and they began to consider what they were to do with her body.  And they took up weapons, that they might burn her body and kill the apostles, because from her had gone forth the dispersions of Israel, on account of their sins and the gathering together of the Gentiles.  But they were struck with blindness, striking their heads against the walls, and striking each other.  Then the apostles, alarmed by so much brightness, arose, and with psalms carried the holy body down from Mount Zion to the valley of Jehoshaphat.  But as they were going in the middle of the road, behold, a certain Jew, Reuben by name, wishing to throw to the ground the holy bier with the body of the blessed Mary.  But his hands dried up, even to the elbow; whether he would or not, he went down even to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, weeping and lamenting because his hands were raised to the bier, and he was not able to draw back his hands to himself.  And he began to ask the apostles that by their prayer he might be saved and made a Christian.  Then the apostles, bending their knees, asked the Lord to let him loose.  And he, being healed that same hour, giving thanks to God and kissing the feet of the queen of all the saints and apostles, was baptized in that same place, and began to preach the name of our God Jesus Christ.

Then the apostles with great honour laid the body in the tomb, weeping and singing through exceeding love and sweetness.  And suddenly there shone round them a light from heaven, and they fell to the ground, and the holy body was taken up by angels into heaven.

Then the most blessed Thomas was suddenly brought to the Mount of Olivet, and saw the most blessed body going up to heaven, and began to cry out and say:  O holy mother, blessed mother, spotless mother, if I have now found grace because I see thee, make thy servant joyful through thy compassion, because thou art going to heaven.  Then the girdle with which the apostles had encircled the most holy body was thrown down from heaven to the blessed Thomas.  And taking it, and kissing it, and giving thanks to God, he came again into the Valley of Jehoshaphat.  He found all the apostles and another great crowd there beating their breasts on account of the brightness which they had seen.  And seeing and kissing each other, the blessed Peter said to him:  Truly thou hast always been obdurate and unbelieving, because for thine unbelief it was not pleasing to God that thou shouldst be along with us at the burial of the mother of the Saviour.  And he, beating his breast, said:  I know and firmly believe that I have always been a bad and an unbelieving man; therefore I ask pardon of all of you for my obduracy and unbelief.  And they all prayed for him.  Then the blessed Thomas said:  Where have you laid her body?  And they pointed out the sepulchre with their finger.  And he said:  The body which is called most holy is not there.  Then the blessed Peter said to him:  Already on another occasion thou wouldst not believe the resurrection of our Master and Lord at our word, unless thou went to touch Him with thy fingers, and see Him; how wilt thou believe us that the holy body is here?  Still he persists saying:  It is not here.  Then, as it were in a rage, they went to the sepulchre, which was a new one hollowed out in the rock, and took up the stone; but they did not find the body, not knowing what to say, because they had been convicted by the words of Thomas.  Then the blessed Thomas told them how he was singing mass in India—he still had on his sacerdotal robes.  He, not knowing the word of God, had been brought to the Mount of Olivet, and saw the most holy body of the blessed Mary going up into heaven, and prayed her to give him a blessing.  She heard his prayer, and threw him her girdle which she had about her.  And the apostles seeing the belt which they had put about her, glorifying God, all asked pardon of the blessed Thomas, on account of the benediction which the blessed Mary had given him, and because he had seen the most holy body going up into heaven.  And the blessed Thomas gave them his benediction, and said:  Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

And the same cloud by which they had been brought carried them back each to his own place, just like Philip when he baptized the eunuch, as is read in the Acts of the Apostles; and as Habakkuk the prophet carried food to Daniel, who was in the lions’ den, and quickly returned to Judæa.  And so also the apostles quickly returned to where they had at first been, to preach to the people of God.  Nor is it to be wondered at that He should do such things, who went into the virgin and came out of her though her womb was closed; who, though the gates were shut, went in to His disciples; who made the deaf to hear, raised the dead, cleansed the lepers, gave sight to the blind, and did many other wonderful things.  To believe this is no doubtful matter.

I am Joseph who laid the Lord’s body in my sepulchre, and saw Him rising again; and who, before the ascension and after the ascension of the Lord, always kept his most sacred temple the blessed ever-virgin Mary, and who have kept in writing and in my breast the things which came forth from the mouth of God, and how the things mentioned above were done by the judgment of God.  And I have made known to all, Jews and Gentiles, those things which I saw with my eyes, and heard with my ears; and as long as I live I shall not cease to declare them.  And her, whose assumption is at this day venerated and worshipped throughout the whole world, let us assiduously entreat that she be mindful of us in the presence of her most pious Son in heaven, to whom is praise and glory through endless ages of ages.  Amen.

The Gospel of the Nativity of Mary

Chapter 1.

The blessed and glorious ever-virgin Mary, sprung from the royal stock and family of David, born in the city of Nazareth, was brought up at Jerusalem in the temple of the Lord. Her father was named Joachim, and her mother Anna. Her father’s house was from Galilee and the city of Nazareth, but her mother’s family from Bethlehem. Their life was guileless and right before the Lord, and irreproachable and pious before men. For they divided all their substance into three parts. One part they spent upon the temple and the temple servants; another they distributed to strangers and the poor; the third they reserved, for themselves and the necessities of their family. Thus, dear to God, kind to men, for about twenty years they lived in their own house, a chaste married life, without having any children. Nevertheless they vowed that, should the Lord happen to give them offspring, they would deliver it to the service of the Lord; on which account also they used to visit the temple of the Lord at each of the feasts during the year.
Chapter 2.

And it came to pass that the festival of the dedication was at hand; wherefore also Joachim went up to Jerusalem with some men of his own tribe. Now at that time Issachar was high priest there. And when he saw Joachim with his offering among his other fellow citizens, he despised him, and spurned his gifts, asking why he, who had no offspring, presumed to stand among those who had; saying that his gifts could not by any means be acceptable to God, since He had deemed him unworthy of off-spring: for the Scripture said, Cursed is every one who has not begot a male or a female in Israel. He said, therefore, that he ought first to be freed from this curse by the begetting of children; and then, and then only, that he should come into the presence of the Lord with his offerings. And Joachim, covered with shame from this reproach that was thrown in his teeth, retired to the shepherds, who were in their pastures with their flocks; nor would he return home, lest perchance he might be branded with the same reproach by those of his own tribe, who were there at the time, and had heard this from the priest.
Chapter 3.

Now, when he had been there for some time, on a certain day when he was alone, an angel of the Lord stood by him in a great light. And when he was disturbed at his appearance, the angel who had appeared to him restrained his fear, saying: Fear not, Joachim, nor be disturbed by my appearance; for I am the angel of the Lord, sent by Him to you to tell you that your prayers have been heard, and that your charitable deeds have gone up into His presence. Acts 10:4 For He has seen your shame, and has heard the reproach of unfruitfulness which has been unjustly brought against you. For God is the avenger of sin, not of nature: and, therefore, when He shuts up the womb of any one, He does so that He may miraculously open it again; so that that which is born may be acknowledged to be not of lust, but of the gift of God. For was it not the case that the first mother of your nation— Sarah— was barren up to her eightieth year? And, nevertheless, in extreme old age she brought forth Isaac, to whom the promise was renewed of the blessing of all nations. Rachel also, so favoured of the Lord, and so beloved by holy Jacob, was long barren; and yet she brought forth Joseph, who was not only the lord of Egypt, but the deliverer of many nations who were ready to perish of hunger. Who among the judges was either stronger than Samson, or more holy than Samuel? And yet the mothers of both were barren. If, therefore, the reasonableness of my words does not persuade you, believe in fact that conceptions very late in life, and births in the case of women that have been barren, are usually attended with something wonderful. Accordingly your wife Anna will bring forth a daughter to you, and you shall call her name Mary: she shall be, as you have vowed, consecrated to the Lord from her infancy, and she shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from her mother’s womb. She shall neither eat nor drink any unclean thing, nor shall she spend her life among the crowds of the people without, but in the temple of the Lord, that it may not be possible either to say, or so much as to suspect, any evil concerning her. Therefore, when she has grown up, just as she herself shall be miraculously born of a barren woman, so in an incomparable manner she, a virgin, shall bring forth the Son of the Most High, who shall be called Jesus, and who, according to the etymology of His name, shall be the Saviour of all nations. And this shall be the sign to you of those things which I announce: When you shall come to the Golden gate in Jerusalem, you shall there meet Anna your wife, who, lately anxious from the delay of your return, will then rejoice at the sight of you. Having thus spoken, the angel departed from him.
Chapter 4.

Thereafter he appeared to Anna his wife, saying: Fear not, Anna, nor think that it is a phantom which you see. For I am that angel who has presented your prayers and alms before God; and now have I been sent to you to announce to you that you shall bring forth a daughter, who shall be called Mary, and who shall be blessed above all women. She, full of the favour of the Lord even from her birth, shall remain three years in her father’s house until she be weaned. Thereafter, being delivered to the service of the Lord, she shall not depart from the temple until she reach the years of discretion. There, in fine, serving God day and night in fastings and prayers, she shall abstain from every unclean thing; she shall never know man, but alone, without example, immaculate, uncorrupted, without intercourse with man, she, a virgin, shall bring forth a son; she, His hand-maiden, shall bring forth the Lord— both in grace, and in name, and in work, the Saviour of the world. Wherefore arise, and go up to Jerusalem; and when you shall come to the gate which, because it is plated with gold, is called Golden, there, for a sign, you shall meet your husband, for whose safety you have been anxious. And when these things shall have so happened, know that what I announce shall without doubt be fulfilled.
Chapter 5.

Therefore, as the angel had commanded, both of them setting out from the place where they were, went up to Jerusalem; and when they had come to the place pointed out by the angel’s prophecy, there they met each other. Then, rejoicing at seeing each other, and secure in the certainty of the promised offspring, they gave the thanks due to the Lord, who exalts the humble. And so, having worshipped the Lord, they returned home, and awaited in certainty and in gladness the divine promise. Anna therefore conceived, and brought forth a daughter; and according to the command of the angel, her parents called her name Mary.
Chapter 6.

And when the circle of three years had rolled round, and the time of her weaning was fulfilled, they brought the virgin to the temple of the Lord with offerings. Now there were round the temple, according to the fifteen Psalms of Degrees, fifteen steps going up; for, on account of the temple having been built on a mountain, the altar of burnt-offering, which stood outside, could not be reached except by steps. On one of these, then, her parents placed the little girl, the blessed virgin Mary. And when they were putting off the clothes which they had worn on the journey, and were putting on, as was usual, others that were neater and cleaner, the virgin of the Lord went up all the steps, one after the other, without the help of any one leading her or lifting her, in such a manner that, in this respect at least, you would think that she had already attained full age. For already the Lord in the infancy of His virgin wrought a great thing, and by the indication of this miracle foreshowed how great she was to be. Therefore, a sacrifice having been offered according to the custom of the law, and their vow being perfected, they left the virgin within the enclosures of the temple, there to be educated with the other virgins, and themselves returned home.
Chapter 7.

But the virgin of the Lord advanced in age and in virtues; and though, in the words of the Psalmist, her father and mother had forsaken her, the Lord took her up. For daily was she visited by angels, daily did she enjoy a divine vision, which preserved her from all evil, and made her to abound in all good. And so she reached her fourteenth year; and not only were the wicked unable to charge her with anything worthy of reproach, but all the good, who knew her life and conversation, judged her to be worthy of admiration. Then the high priest publicly announced that the virgins who were publicly settled in the temple, and had reached this time of life, should return home and get married, according to the custom of the nation and the ripeness of their years. The others readily obeyed this command; but Mary alone, the virgin of the Lord, answered that she could not do this, saying both that her parents had devoted her to the service of the Lord, and that, moreover, she herself had made to the Lord a vow of virginity, which she would never violate by any intercourse with man. And the high priest, being placed in great perplexity of mind, seeing that neither did he think that the vow should be broken contrary to the Scripture, which says, Vow and pay, nor did he dare to introduce a custom unknown to the nation, gave order that at the festival, which was at hand, all the chief persons from Jerusalem and the neighbourhood should be present, in order that from their advice he might know what was to be done in so doubtful a case. And when this took place, they resolved unanimously that the Lord should be consulted upon this matter. And when they all bowed themselves in prayer, the high priest went to consult God in the usual way. Nor had they long to wait: in the hearing of all a voice issued from the oracle and from the mercy-seat, that, according to the prophecy of Isaiah, a man should be sought out to whom the virgin ought to be entrusted and espoused. For it is clear that Isaiah says: A rod shall come forth from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall ascend from his root; and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of wisdom and piety; and he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord. Isaiah 11:1-2 According to this prophecy, therefore, he predicted that all of the house and family of David that were unmarried and fit for marriage should bring there rods to the altar; and that he whose rod after it was brought should produce a flower, and upon the end of whose rod the Spirit of the Lord should settle in the form of a dove, was the man to whom the virgin ought to be entrusted and espoused.
Chapter 8.

Now there was among the rest Joseph, of the house and family of David, a man of great age: and when all brought there rods, according to the order, he alone withheld his. Wherefore, when nothing in conformity with the divine voice appeared, the high priest thought it necessary to consult God a second time; and He answered, that of those who had been designated, he alone to whom the virgin ought to be espoused had not brought his rod. Joseph, therefore, was found out. For when he had brought his rod, and the dove came from heaven; and settled upon the top of it, it clearly appeared to all that he was the man to whom the virgin should be espoused. Therefore, the usual ceremonies of betrothal having been gone through, he went back to the city of Bethlehem to put his house in order, and to procure things necessary for the marriage. But Mary, the virgin of the Lord, with seven other virgins of her own age, and who had been weaned at the same time, whom she had received from the priest, returned to the house of her parents in Galilee.
Chapter 9.

And in those days, that is, at the time of her first coming into Galilee, the angel Gabriel was sent to her by God, to announce to her the conception of the Lord, and to explain to her the manner and order of the conception. Accordingly, going in, he filled the chamber where she was with a great light; and most courteously saluting her, he said: Hail, Mary! O virgin highly favoured by the Lord, virgin full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you above all women, blessed above all men that have been hitherto born. Luke 1:26-38 And the virgin, who was already well acquainted with angelic faces, and was not unused to the light from heaven, was neither terrified by the vision of the angel, nor astonished at the greatness of the light, but only perplexed by his words; and she began to consider of what nature a salutation so unusual could be, or what it could portend, or what end it could have. And the angel, divinely inspired, taking up this thought, says: Fear not, Mary, as if anything contrary to your chastity were hid under this salutation. For in choosing chastity, you have found favour with the Lord; and therefore you, a virgin, shall conceive without sin, and shall bring forth a son. He shall be great, because He shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth; and He shall be called the Son of the Most High, because He who is born on earth in humiliation, reigns in heaven in exaltation; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end; Luke 1:32-33 forasmuch as He is King of kings and Lord of lords, Revelation 19:16 and His throne is from everlasting to everlasting. The virgin did not doubt these words of the angel; but wishing to know the manner of it, she answered: How can that come to pass? For while, according to my vow, I never know man, how can I bring forth without the addition of man’s seed? To this the angel says: Think not, Mary, that you shall conceive in the manner of mankind: for without any intercourse with man, you, a virgin, wilt conceive; you, a virgin, wilt bring forth; you, a virgin, wilt nurse: for the Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you, Luke 1:35 without any of the heats of lust; and therefore that which shall be born of you shall alone be holy, because it alone, being conceived and born without sin, shall be called the Son of God. Then Mary stretched forth her hands, and raised her eyes to heaven, and said: Behold the hand-maiden of the Lord, for I am not worthy of the name of lady; let it be to me according to your word.

It will be long, and perhaps to some even tedious, if we insert in this little work every thing which we read of as having preceded or followed the Lord’s nativity: wherefore, omitting those things which have been more fully written in the Gospel, let us come to those which are held to be less worthy of being narrated.
Chapter 10.

Joseph therefore came from Judæa into Galilee, intending to marry the virgin who had been betrothed to him; for already three months had elapsed, and it was the beginning of the fourth since she had been betrothed to him. In the meantime, it was evident from her shape that she was pregnant, nor could she conceal this from Joseph. For in consequence of his being betrothed to her, coming to her more freely and speaking to her more familiarly, he found out that she was with child. He began then to be in great doubt and perplexity, because he did not know what was best for him to do. For, being a just man, he was not willing to expose her; nor, being a pious man, to injure her fair fame by a suspicion of fornication. He came to the conclusion, therefore, privately to dissolve their contract, and to send her away secretly. And while he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, you son of David, fear not; that is, do not have any suspicion of fornication in the virgin, or think any evil of her; and fear not to take her as your wife: for that which is begotten in her, and which now vexes your soul, is the work not of man, but of the Holy Spirit. For she alone of all virgins shall bring forth the Son of God, and you shall call His name Jesus, that is, Saviour; for He shall save His people from their sins. Therefore Joseph, according to the command of the angel, took the virgin as his wife; nevertheless he knew her not, but took care of her, and kept her in chastity. Matthew 1:18-24 And now the ninth month from her conception was at hand, when Joseph, taking with him his wife along with what things he needed, went to Bethlehem, the city from which he came. And it came to pass, while they were there, that her days were fulfilled that she should bring forth; and she brought forth her first-born son, as the holy evangelists have shown, our Lord Jesus Christ, who with the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost lives and reigns God from everlasting to everlasting.

The Last Days

Many people today are agitated about the dawning of a new millennium. Thoughts are turning with new urgency to what that change may portend. Similarly, the author of this text thought that events on earth were moving toward a climax, and he wanted to know what was going to happen. He was concerned not just for himself, but also for the group that he belonged to (apparently the Yahad mentioned in various texts above), which he called the “House of Judah.” To find out what the future would bring, he turned to various passages in the Scriptures. For the most part, he considered portions of the Prophets, for among Second-Temple Jewry it was everywhere and by everyone ~agreed that prophecy meant predicting the future. Where better to find the answers, then?

Yet some of his selections might seem surprising. Why consult Psalms, and why certain parts of the book of Genesis? The answer is that our author thought the men he believed wrote those parts of the Bible were prophets. David, to whom he doubtless attributed Psalms, was acknowledged to have been among the prophets (cf. text 127). Moses. also. author of Genesis had been a phrophet — indeed, the preeminent prophet in the history of Israel. Therefore, when David or Moses wrote in the future tense, it was not some indefinite expression of hope or vague musing; it was prophecy, and fair game for the interpretive methods that could crack open a verse and reveal its hidden meaning.

One verse led our author to another, mostly on the basis of analogy. Finding a given word used in one biblical portion, he would then turn to another verse where the; same word was used. (How well he knew the Bible!) Comparing the verses, he could then extract more information than just one verse would give him, for he would assume that because of their similar usage the verses were describing the same future person, institution, or situation. This approach is essentially the classical technique of Protestant Christianity, “Scripture interprets scripture.” The: type of rabbinic biblical interpretation known as midrash operated by ;~ similar methods. The rabbis employed one principle they called gezerah shawah, literally “similar category.” This type of inference by analogy meant that when words of similar or identical meaning occurred in any two given parts of the Law, then bothÑno matter how different they might seemÑwould be of identical application.

Applying this sort of analysis, our author grouped verses that he believed spoke of the Last Days. He extracted predictions about his community’s enem~es. He also discovered that two future heroes should arise from his group’s ranks: an inspired interpreter of the Bible he called “the Interp~reter of the Law,” and a messianic deliverer, scion of Israel’s greatest king, “the Shoot of Dav~d.” He further teased out information about a future temple, the “Temple of Adam:’ The name derived from a pattern commonly seen in Israel’s Prophets: the end shall be like the beginning. (Cf. Isaiah, for example: “The lion will lie down with the lamb.”) Some scholars have seen in this temple a reference to the notton of community as temple.

This is the idea that the author’s group would somehow come to form, as it were, a temple; the apostle Paul speaks of Christians ~n JUSt such terms in the book of Ephesians. But that notion does not seem to be intended here, though it is found in the scrolls (text 5). ~ The present text is clearly sectarian in language and concept and aligns with a number of the other biblical commentaries found among the scrolls. Note especially texts 4, 19, and 22 (peshers on Habakkuk, Isaiah, and Psalms). Its method is different, of course. Rather than commenting on a single biblical book from beginning to end, this text comments on the Bible thematically. For another sectarian work taking the same tack, compare text 130, The Coming of Melchizedek.

Quotation and interpretation of bouteronomy 33, Moses’final blessing upon the Israelites. What remains concerns the blessings of Levi, Benjamin, Zebulun, and Gad.

Col. 1 9[“Of Levi he said: Give to Levi Your Thummim, and Your Urim to Your loyal one, whom You tested at Mass]ah, with whom You con[tesited at the waters of Meribah; who s[aid] ‘¡[of his father and mother, “I regard them not”; he ignored his kin, and :did not] acknow[ledge his children]. For [they observed Your wo]rd, [an] kept your] covenant. [They teach Jacob Your ordLinances, and Israel Your lawi they place incense! before You, and whole burnt offerings on Your altar. Bless his substance, O LORD, and accept the work of his hands; crush the loins of his adversaries, of those that hate him, so that they never] rise again”‘ (Deut. 33:8-11).
[ . . . The] Urim and the Thummim belong to the man who [ . . . ] For he sai[d] ‘5[ . . . the] land, because [ . . . ]
[ . . . And of Benjamin he sa]id: “The beloved of the LO[RD] [rests ~n safetyÑthe High God surrounds him all day long the beloved rests between his shoulders” . . . ] (Deut. 33:12).

Col. 2 ‘And the g;lory [ . . . i]t refers to the righte[ous] sacrif~ce [ . . . ] 2the goodness of the la[nd . . . ]
And of Gad he sa[id: ‘Blessed be the enlargement of Gad! Gad lives like a lion; he tears at arm and scalp. He chose the best for himself, for there the al1otmen] 4Of a commander [was reserved; he came at the head of the ]people he executed the justice of the LORD, and His ordinances for Israel’ . . . ] (Deut. 33:20-21).
concerning the captives, [ . . . ] the hidden [ . . . ] 6to rescue [ . . . ] everything that He commanded us. They carried out the entire [ . . . ]

The author describes a time of trial for his community, the House of Judah, to be followed by a glorious era. This time offuture glory shall witness heightened purity, triumph over the community’s enemies, a new temple, an inspired interpreter of Scripture, and a messiah descended from David.

[ . . . ] who swallow up the offspring of 13[ . . . en]raged against them in his zeal i4[ . . . ] This is the time when Belial shall open his mouth ‘5[ . . . to bringl trials [a]gainst the House ofJudah, cultivating animosity against them 16[ . . . ] and he shall seek with all his might to disperse them “[ . . . th]at he brought them to be.

[ . . . the House of Ju]dah, but the God of I[sra]el sh[all] ‘9[be with them as He said through the prophet: “And I will appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place,tandl be disturbe\d no more; and] Col. 3 [no] enemy [shall overtake them ag]ain, [nor] evildoer [afflict] them any [mo]re, as formerly, from the time that 2[I appointed judges] over My people Israel” (2 Sam. 7:10-1 la). This “place” is the house that [they shall build for Him] in the Last Days, as it is written in the book of 3[Moses: “A temple of the LORD are you to prepare with your hands the LORD will reign forever and ever” (Exod. 15:17-18). This passage descrlbes the temple that no [man with a] permanent [fleshly defect] shall enter 4nor Ammonite, Moabite, bastard, foreigner, or alien, forevermore. Surely His holiness Sshall be rev[eal]ed there; eternal glory shall ever be apparent; there. Strangers shall not again defile it, as they formerly defiled 6the Templle of I]srael through their sins. To that end He has commanded that they build Him a Temple of Adam (or Temple of Humankind), and that in it th~ey sacrifice to Him 7proper sacrifices.

As for what He said to David,”I [will give] you [res] from all your enemies” (2 Sam. 7:1 lb), this passage means that He will give them rest ~from [al]1 8the children of Belial, who cause~them to stumble, seeking to destroy the[m by means-o] their [wickedness]. They became party to the plan of Belial in order to cause the S[ons] of 9Li[gh] to stumble. They plotted wickecl schemes aga~nst them, [so that they might fall pr]ey to Belial through guilty error.
Moreover the LORD decl[ares] to you that He will make you a house,” and that “I will raise up your offspring after you, and establish the thi one of his kingdom [fore]ver. I will be a father to him, and he will be My son”

(2 Sam. 7:1 lc, 12b, 13b-14a). This passage refers to the Shoot of David, who is to arise with 12the Interpreter of the Law, and who will [arise] in Zi[on in the La]st Days, as it is written, “And I shall raise up the booth of David that is fallen” (Amos 9:11). This passage describes the fallen Branch of David, [w]hom He shall raise up to deliver Israel.

The author finds scriptural mention of his community, then turns his mind to thefinal war against the Gentiles and the time of persecution awaiting the House ofJudah.

The interpretation of “Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked” (Ps. l:la): The meaning is, [th]ey are those who turn aside from: the path of [the wicked], as it is written in the book of Isaiah the prophet in reference to the Last Days,”And it came to pass, while His hand was strong upon me, [that He warned me not to walk in the way o] ‘6this people” (Isa. 8:11). These are they about whorn it is written in the book~ofEzehel the ~ prophet, namely, “They shall ne[ver again defile themselves with] ~7the* idols” (Ezek. 37:23). They are the Sons of Zadok, and the m[e]n of the[i]r council who pu[rsue righ]teousness and follow them to join the Yahad.
[“Why] do the nations [con]spire, and the peoples plo[t in vain? The kings of the earth s]et themselves, [and the ru]lers take counsel together against the LORD and His ‘9[anointed” (Ps. 2:1).

The m]eaning [is that the ~ na]tions~ [shall set ~themselves] and con[spire vainly against] the chosen of Israel in the Last Days. Col. 4 That will be the time of persecution that is to co[me upon the House of J]udah, to the end of sealing~up [the wicked in consuming fire and destroying all the children og 2Belial. Then shall be left behind a remnant of [chosen on]es, the pre[des]tined. They shall perform the whole of the Law, [as God commanded through] 3Moses. This is the [time of whic]h it is written in the book of Daniel the prophet, [“The wicked] will act ever more wicked[ly and shall not understand.] 4aBut the righteous will [be purlfied, dea]nsed, and refined” (Dan. 12:10).

So, the people who know God shall be steadfast. These are [the men o 1 4truth, [who shall instruct many] following the persecution that is to desc[end] upon them [in that time . . . ] s . . . in its descent :[: . . . ] ~~6[ev]il, just as [ . . . ] to the wicked [ . . . ] 7[I]srael and Aaron [ . . . ] Col. 5 2″Listen to the soun[d of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I lift m~y prayer. O LoRD, in the morning

You hear my voice” (Ps. 5:2-3a). The] 3meaning concerns the Last D[ays . . . ] Col. 6 ,[written in the book of Isa]iah the prop[het,”They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not pIant and another eat;] 2[for like the days of a tree] shall the days ~of Nly people be, [and] My ch[osen shall long enjoy~ the work of their hands. They shall] no[t labor in vain,] 3[or bear children for calam]ity; for [they shall be] offspring [blessed by the LORD” (Isa. 65:2~23). For] they are [ . . . ] ~~