From
the Exposition of the Oracles of the Lord. 1
[The writings of Papias in common circulation are five in number, and these
are called an Exposition of the Oracles of the Lord. Irenaeus makes mention
of these as the only works written by him, in the following words: "Now
testimony is borne to these things in writing by Papias, an ancient man, who
was a hearer of John, and a friend of Polycarp, in the fourth of his books;
for five books were composed by him." Thus wrote Irenaeus. Moreover, Papias
himself, in the introduction to his books, makes it manifest that he was not
himself a hearer and eye-witness of the holy apostles; but he tells us that
he received the truths of our religion2 from those who were acquainted with
them [the apostles] in the following words: ]
But I shall not be unwilling to put down, along with my interpretations,
whatsoever instructions I received with care at any time from the elders,
and stored up with care in my memory, assuring you at the same time of their
truth. For I did not, like the multitude, take pleasure in those who spoke
much, but in those who taught the truth; nor in those who related strange
commandments, but in those who rehearsed the commandments given by the Lord
to faith, and proceeding from truth itself. If, then, any one who had
attended on the elders came, I asked minutely after their sayings,-what
Andrew or Peter said, or what was said by Philip, or by Thomas, or by James,
or by John, or by Matthew, or by any other of the Lord's disciples: which
things Aristion and the presbyter John, the disciples of the Lord, say. For
I imagined that what was to be got from books was not so profitable to me as
what came from the living and abiding voice. II.
[The early Christians] called those who practised a godly guilelessness,
children, [as is stated by Papias in the first book of the Lord's
Expositions, and by Clemens Alexandrinus in his Paedagogue.] III.
Judas walked about in this world a sad example of impiety; for his body
having swollen to such an extent that he could not pass where a chariot
could pass easily, he was crushed by the chariot, so that his bowels gushed
out. IV.
[As the elders who saw John the disciple of the Lord remembered that they
had heard from him how the Lord taught in regard to those times, and said]:
"The days will come in which vines shall grow, having each ten thousand
branches, and in each branch ten thousand twigs, and in each true twig ten
thousand shoots, and in every one of the shoots ten thousand clusters, and
on every one of the clusters ten thousand grapes, and every grape when
pressed will give five-and-twenty metretes of wine. And when any one of the
saints shall lay hold of a cluster, another shall cry out, `I am a better
cluster, take me; bless the Lord through me.' In like manner, [He said] that
a grain of wheat would produce ten thousand ears, and that every ear would
have ten thousand grains, and every grain would yield ten pounds of clear,
pure, fine flour; and that apples, and seeds, and grass would produce in
similar proportions; and that all animals, feeding then only on the
productions of the earth, would become peaceable and harmonious, and be in
perfect subjection to man." [Testimony is borne to these things in writing
by Papias, an ancient man, who was a hearer of John and a friend of
Polycarp, in the fourth of his books; for five books were composed by him.
And he added, saying, "Now these things are credible to believers. And Judas
the traitor," says he, "not believing, and asking, `How shall such growths
be accomplished by the Lord? 'the Lord said, `They shall see who shall come
to them.' These, then, are the times mentioned by the prophet Isaiah: `And
the wolf shall lie, down with the lamb, 'etc. (Isa. xi. 6 ff.)."] V.
As the presbyters say, then15 those who are deemed worthy of an abode in
heaven shall go there, others shall enjoy the delights of Paradise, and
others shall possess the splendour of the city; for everywhere the Saviour
will be seen, according as they shall be worthy who see Him. But that there
is this distinction between the habitation of those who produce an
hundred-fold, and that of those who produce sixty-fold, and that of those
who produce thirty-fold; for the first will be taken up into the heavens,
the second class will dwell in Paradise, and the last will inhabit the city;
and that on this account the Lord said, "In my Father's house are many
mansions: " for all things belong to God, who supplies all with a suitable
dwelling-place, even as His word says, that a share is given to all by the
Father, according as each one is or shall be worthy. And this is the couch
in which they shall recline who feast, being invited to the wedding. The
presbyters, the disciples of the apostles, say that this is the gradation
and arrangement of those who are saved, and that they advance through steps
of this nature; and that, moreover, they ascend through the Spirit to the
Son, and through the Son to the Father; and that in due time the Son will
yield up His work to the Father, even as it is said by the apostle, "For He
must reign till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that
shall be destroyed is death." For in the times of the kingdom the just man
who is on the earth shall forget to die. "But when He saith all things are
put under Him, it is manifest that He is excepted which did put all things
under Him. And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son
also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may
be all in all." VI.
[Papias, who is now mentioned by us, affirms that he received the sayings of
the apostles from those who accompanied them, and he moreover asserts that
he heard in person Aristion and the presbyter John.Accordingly he mentions
them frequently by name, and in his writings gives their traditions. Our
notice of these circumstances may not be without its use. It may also be
worth while to add to the statements of Papias already given, other passages
of his in which he relates some miraculous deeds, stating that he acquired
the knowledge of them from tradition. The residence of the Apostle Philip
with his daughters in Hierapolis has been mentioned above. We must now point
out how Papias, who lived at the same time, relates that he had received a
wonderful narrative from the daughters of Philip. For he relates that a dead
man was raised to life in his day. He also mentions another miracle relating
to Justus, surnamed Barsabas, how he swallowed a deadly poison, and received
no harm, on account of the grace of the Lord. The same person, moreover, has
set down other things as coming to him from unwritten tradition, amongst
these some strange parables and instructions of the Saviour, and some other
things of a more fabulous nature. Amongst these he says that there will be a
millennium after the resurrection from the dead, when the personal reign of
Christ will be established on this earth. He moreover hands down, in his own
writing, other narratives given by the previously mentioned Aristion of the
Lord's sayings, and the traditions of the presbyter John. For information on
these points, we can merely refer our readers to the books themselves; but
now, to the extracts already made, we shall add, as being a matter of
primary importance, a tradition regarding Mark who wrote the Gospel, which
he [Papias] has given in the following words]: And the presbyter said this.
Mark having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately
whatsoever he remembered. It was not, however, in exact order that he
related the sayings or deeds of Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor
accompanied Him. But afterwards, as I said, he accompanied Peter, who
accommodated his instructions to the necessities [of his hearers], but with
no intention of giving a regular narrative of the Lord's sayings. Wherefore
Mark made no mistake in thus writing some things as he remembered them. For
of one thing he took especial care, not to omit anything he had heard, and
not to put anything fictitious into the statements. [This is what is related
by Papias regarding Mark; but with regard to Matthew he has made the
following statements]: Matthew put together the oracles [of the Lord] in the
Hebrew language, and each one interpreted them as best he could. [The same
person uses proofs from the First Epistle of John, and from the Epistle of
Peter in like manner. And he also gives another story of a woman who was
accused of many sins before the Lord, which is to be found in the Gospel
according to the Hebrews.] VII.
Papias thus speaks, word for word: To some of them [angels] He gave dominion
over the arrangement of the world, and He commissioned them to exercise
their dominion well. And he says, immediately after this: but it happened
that their arrangement came to nothing.28 VIII.
With regard to the inspiration of the book (Revelation), we deem it
superfluous to add another word; for the blessed Gregory Theologus and
Cyril, and even men of still older date, Papias, Irenaeus, Methodius, and
Hippolytus, bore entirely satisfactory testimony to it. IX.
Taking occasion from Papias of Hierapolis, the illustrious, a disciple of
the apostle who leaned on the bosom of Christ, and Clemens, and Pantaenus
the priest of [the Church] of the Alexandrians, and the wise Ammonius, the
ancient and first expositors, who agreed with each other, who understood the
work of the six days as referring to Christ and the whole Church. X.
(1.) Mary the mother of the Lord; (2.) Mary the wife of Cleophas or Alphaeus,
who was the mother of James the bishop and apostle, and of Simon and
Thaddeus, and of one Joseph; (3.) Mary Salome, wife of Zebedee, mother of
John the evangelist and James; (4.) Mary Magdalene. These four are found in
the Gospel. James and Judas and Joseph were sons of an aunt (2) of the
Lord's. James also and John were sons of another aunt (3) of the Lord's.
Mary (2), mother of James the Less and Joseph, wife of Alphaeus was the
sister of Mary the mother of the Lord, whom John names of Cleophas, either
from her father or from the family of the clan, or for some other reason.
Mary Salome (3) is called Salome either from her husband or her village.
Some affirm that she is the same as Mary of Cleophas, because she had two
husbands.
