5670 B72 F94 m "^ N^ '^ ^Cl.> i*^I^S '*f^ ^4». '^#' '<\ "fK. ^*lf^ •M'^t^ ;.-J^ ?^^:^ ■V:^4_- QforneU HmuKtattg library 3ti!ata. Sfwn ^ntfe BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND THE GIFT OF HENRY W. SAGE 1891 Cornell University Library PJ 5670.B72F94 Stephen bar Sudaili, the Syrian mystic 3 1924 026 820 047 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924026820047 STEPHEN BAR SUDilLI THE SYRIAN MYSTIC AND THE BOOK OF HIEEOTHEOS. 1. L. FROTHINQHAM. h. LEYDEN. - ia. J. BRILL. 1:886. - STEPHEN BAR SUDAILI THE SYRIAN MYSTIC AND THE BOOK OF HIEEOTHEOS. STEPHEN BAR SUDAILI THE SYRIAN MYSTIC THE BOOK OF HIEEOTHEOS. A. L. PKOTHINGHAM. Je. LEYDEN, - E. J. BRILL. 1886. L U (I i; i! i: 1^ u UNI VI:- u:m'i Y MlJkAUY -^^ A^t ^^l ^M Priuted by x. j. bkill, Leiden. ^ '' TABLE OF CONTENTS. Introduction : the myatico-pantheistic schools of Egypt and Syria p. 1. Ch. I. The writings of Pseudo-Dionysios ; their spread in Syria, and long-continued influence through the Middle-Ages „ 2. Ch. II. Stephen Bar Sudaili, the East-Syrian mystic. Was he the author of the Book of Hierotheos and the master of Pseudo-Dionysios? „ 6. Ch. III. Letter- of Jacob of Sarug to Stephen Bar Sudaili, supporting against him the Church doctrine of the eternity of punishment. Syriao text and translation „ 11. Oh. IV. Letter of Philoxenos or Senaiaa of Mabug to Stephen and Orestes concerning Bar Sudaili; exposing his pantheistic doctrine of the consubstantiality of God and the material Universe , and the redemption of all existence by assimilation to the divine principle. Syriac text and translation „ 29. Ch. V. The philosophic system of Bar Sudaili, as expounded in the preceding letters, compared with the Book of Hierotheos and the Dionysian fragments of Hierotheos „ 49. Ch. VI. Biography of Bar Sudaili. His birth at Edeaaa. Pro- bability of his temporary residence in Egypt: docu- ments confirming thia hypothesis. His return to Edeasa and subsequent residence in or near Jeru- salem, shortly after A. D. 500 „ 56. VI. TABLE or CONTENTS. Ch. VII. Bar Sudaili considered by Syrian writers, — e. g. Kyriakos of Antioob , .John of Dara , and Gregory Bar =Bbraia, — to be the author of the Book of Hierotheos p. 63. Ch. VIII. The Book of Hierotheos preserved in a Syriac MS. of the British Museum. Is this Syriac text the original, or a version from a lost Greek original? Reasons for considering the assertion of a Greek original to be a part of the fraud . . ,,69. Ch. IX. The high position given by Pseudo-Dionysios to his master Hierotheos. He claims only to expand and present to the uninitiated the ideas of his master. A comparison of the two writers .... . . ,, 74. Ch. X. The question of priority : was the Book of Hierotheos produced in view of the Dionysian writings, or was it an original and anterior production ? . . . „ 81 . Ch. XL The commentaries of Theodosios of Antioch and Gre- gory Bar "^Ebraia on the Book of Hierotheos . . . „ 84. Ch. XII. Summary of the «Book of Hierotheos on the Hidden Mysteries of the Divinity » . . ... ,,91. Book I. On the Good , the Universal Essence , and distinct existences ,, 92. Book II. The various species of motion: the ascent of the mind towards the Good , during which it must endure the sufferings of Christ . . . ,, 96. Book III. The resurrection of the mind , the vicis- situdes of its conflict with the powers of evil , and its final identification with Christ . . . ,, 100. Book IV. The mind becomes one , first with Christ, then with the Spirit and the Father , and finally becomes absorbed .... , 102. Book V. All nature becomes confounded with the Father; all distinct existence and God himself passes away; Essence alone remains . . . . „ 110. During the first centuries of Christianity, East Syria and Egypt were the two great centres of false mysticism and pantheism , and between them there ever existed the closest relations. Although Egyptian thought and the Valentinian system exercised a great influence over Syrian thought, yet the latter possessed certain special characteristics ; for while the Alexandrian schools threw their universal eclecticism into the mould of Greek thought, and gave a philosophical char- acter to their speculations, the Syrian schools were distin- guished by a vivid faijcy and a bold speculation, to which they did not seek to give a philosophical or a logical form. On the other hand, if we try to connect by analogy the Syrian Gnostics and mystics with preceding systems of thought, we easily perceive the close relation in which they stood lo the later Persian system , to the debased Ghaldaean worship, and to the Jewish Kabbala , which probably flourished in their very midst among the Jewish settlements of Babylonia. The doctrines of Bardesanes and of Manes preserved great force and influence in the East Syrian Church, even until the middle of the fourth century, when S. Ephraem wrote and labored against them with all the influence he could wield , as heresies which had deep root among all classes. From this time forward Syrian mysticism took a more eccle- siastical form , and pantheistic doctrine became subtly infused into the orthodox forms of belief, producing a steadily pro- gressive inversion of the Christian faith. Frothingham , Bar Sudaili. I. THE WRITINGS OF PSEUDO-DIONYSIOS. After the epoch of S. Ephraem (t 373) we do not hear of any prominent movement in the mystical school of Syria until the last years of the fifth century or the first of the succeeding, when there suddenly appeared a body of writings purporting to be by Dionysios the Areopagite , the convert of Saint Paul ^). It has been for some time generally recog- nized that they were the work of this period *) , and, in all probability, written by some follower of Proclus^), who may have been a Syrian monk *) ; a theory supported by the fact that, although eagerly received and studied by the whole East, these writings were brought forward and most power- fully supported by the Syrians. All mystics recognized these works to be the production of a master-mind, worthy of becoming their guide in pantheistic speculation. The extent to which they were used can be appreciated on consulting Syriac mss., where Dionysios is adduced as authority in most controversial writings, especially by the Monophysites. But it was not only the mystical schools and the Eastern 1) S. Dionysii Areopagitae Opera omnia stud, et op. Balth. Corderii: Migne , Patr. Graeoae T. Ill and IV. Darboy (I'abb^) , (Euvrea de Saint Denis 1' Areopagite. Paris 1845. Cf. J. Dulac, OEuvres de Saint Denis I'Ar^opagite. Paris 1865. 2) Gieseler, A text-book of Churcb history, New-York 1857, vol. I, p. 468. Schaif, History of the Christian Church, vol. Ill, p. 604. Baur, Gre- schichte der Kirche, T. II, p. 59 — 65. Gfrorer, Allgemeine Kirchenge- schichte, 1840. II Buch. p. 902. Dorner, Doctrine of the person of Christ: Div. II, vol. I, p. 157 and 422. etc. etc. 3) Engelhardt, Banr, GfriSrer, Sohaflf, etc. Dorner connects him with the Monophysites. 4) Gfr5rer, ibid. p. 912. Gieseler, ibid, considers him to have flour- ished in Egypt and to coincide with Cyrill in the doctrine of the person of Christ!! We.stcott (Contemp. Review, May 1867) thinks that the Pseudo-Dionysian writings .jwere composed A.D. 480 — 520 , either at Edessa or under the influence of the Edessa School". This judgment is founded on the relation to Bar Sudaili. heretics that supported the Pseudo-Dionysian writings. The orthodox at first protested against them at the Council of Constantinople in 533, and denied Iheir genuineness, by the mouth of Hypatius, who attributed them to the Apollinarists ; but it was not long before they accepted them as genuine, for, besides an affinity for such speculation being wide-spread at this time, they could find in these works many arguments and proofs in favor of Church institutions and ecclesiastical authority; and from these two causes the Pseudo-Dionysian writings were accepted even by the Popes , as by Gregory the Great i), Martin I ^), and Agatho ^). Almost contemporaneously with the appearance of the Dio- nysian writings there appeared also a Syriac version of them, rendered necessary by the favor they were obtaining through- out Syria. The author of this version was Sergius the archiater or physician of Ras'ain_(t 536), the famous Aris- totelian and writer on medicine *). It is a characteristic phe- nomenon that a follower of Aristotle should find the greatest of false mystics a congenial spirit, and should become thor- oughly impregnated with his doctrines : that it was so with Sergius is shown even more clearly by the long introduction which he prefixed to his version of the Pseudo-Dionysios ^), where he shows himself to be not a simple translator but an original thinker in mysticism. Of course the Alexandrian school was the link between the two. In this connection it is interesting to note a passage in a contemporary work, the ecclesiastical history attributed to Zacharias Rhetor, in which Sergius is characterized as an eloquent man and learned //in 1) In his 34tli homily, on the Gospel of S. Luke, ch. 15. 2) Acta Synodi Lateran. a. 660. 3) Letter to the Emp. Constantine for the Council of Constantinople, a. 680. 4) This version is contained in Brit. Mus. Add. 12.151 and 12.152, etc. 5) Brit. Mus. Add, 22.370. 4 Greek literature and in the doctrine of Origen" »). The Origenistic revival of the beginning of the sixth century was in perfect accord with the theories of the Pseudo-Dionysios ; still it is interesting to note this further connection. The writers who have undertaken to trace the develop- ment of the influence of the Pseudo-Areopagite have confined themselves to Greek and Latin literature , and have neglected the very important part taken by Syrian writers in this move- ment. It was in reality as important as either of the for- mer, and can boast nearly as many noteworthy representa- tives. Contemporary with the scholia of John of Scythopolis , for example, who was the first Greek commentator of Dio- nysios, we find the version and scholia of Sergius of Ras'ain, already mentioned; and while the next Greek commentator is the noted Maximus, who flouris'hed in the seventh cen- tury, Syria is represented again in the sixth century itself by the monk Joseph Huzaja , who wrote a a>aij:ocucui AZ.a& //Commentary on Dionysios" ^). Afterwards, and not quite a century later than Maximus, appear the commentaries of Phocas bar Sergius of Edessa ') and John bishop of Dara *). This latter treats only of the Celestial and Ecclesiastical Hierarchies and does not confine itself to the office of a commentary, but holds forth original views in various chap- ters. During the latest period of Syriac literature we find the commentary of Theodore bar Zarudi of Edessa ^). It would not be possible in the present incomplete state of our ac- quaintance with Syrian literature to give a satisfactory account 1) Land, Anecdota Syriaca T. Ill, p. 289. 2) "Ebed Yeshu, Catal. of Syrian writers, in Assem. Bib Or T III P. I, p. 103. 3) W. Wright , Catal. of the Syriac mss. of the Brit. Mus. T II p 493 The MS. is dated A.D. 804. 4) Assemani Catal. Codd. Syr. T. II, p. 530: cf. Bib. Or. T. 11 p. 120 5) W. Wright, op. cit., p. 500. MS, Add 22.370, of the XIV or XV century! of the early Syrian writers who have mentioned Dionysios or followed his doctrines. Still we can mention during the sixth century such distinguished men as Severus of Antioch, Isaac of Nineveh ^) , John of Apamea '') and Peter of Galli- nicus, Patriarch of Antioch '). At the time when, with the opening of a new period in the ninth century, religious thought took a new form and scholastic theology began its rule, the influence of the Pseudo- Dionysios increased rather than waned , and it continued throughout the constructive period of Scholasticism. He was made the authority, the starting-point, of most of the theo- ries put forth , in one form by the founder of Scholasticism John Erigena, and in others by the school of St. Victor, by the German mystics Eckhart and Tauter, and by Thomas Aquinas himself. A writer has remarked that, if the writings of Dionysios had been lost, they could be almost reconstituted from the works of Aquinas *). To read Buenaventura, espe- cially his tract vltinerarium mentis in Deum", carries one back to Dionysios as his immediate inspiring source. Now Pseudo-Dionysios confesses to having had two teachers in the faith , S. Paul and one named Hierotheos ^) ; the for- 1) Besides his mention of Dionysios' Celest. Hierarcliy (cf. Assam. B. 0. 1 , 451) in his sermon »De materia quam exigit anima ut a oorporeis cogitationibus etc.", there are indications that Isaac was himself a mys- tical writer. 'Ebed Yeshu in his catal. gives the titles of two of his writ- ings which were evidently of this character: 1) jjOl.i rC'iao.i .Iv. »on the government of the spirit", and 2) r'eair<' r^\r<'''i A^. »on the Divine mysteries". 2) See in Cod. Syr. Vat. XCIII his treatises and letters: 1) on spirit- ual government; 2) on the incomprehensibility of God; 3) on spiritual communion with God. 3) He quotes Dionysios (Div. Names ch. I and V) in his Libri contra Damianum L. II, ch. 41 and 47; see Cod. Syr. Vat. GVIII f. 282 sqq. 4) J. Dulac, Oeuvres de S. Denys I'Ar^opagite , traduites du greo, p. 105. 5) Divine Names II, 11. mer is of course a fiction , the latter may have more reality. Hierotheos is praised by him in the most glowing terms, as divine, as an inspired mystic, whose writings are a second Bible , dsvTsqa loyta ') , and whose knowledge of divine things was far above his own. The fragments of his writings given by Pseudo-Dionysios are interesting: they are taken from his 'EqcotixoI vjuvoi , Erotic Hymns ^) , and from a work entitled Gsoloyr/.ai 6T0i,x^t-oiOSig, The Elements of Theology ^). If, as is well known, the whole of scholastic theology and of mediaeval mysticism is founded on the doc- trines of the Pseudo-Dionysios, of what extraordinary interest would it not be to discover the very source of these doctrines , their origin in a form more abstract than that given by the Pseudo-Areopagite! Hence it was often asked by the followers of the latter: who was this Hierotheos? what were his writ- ings? what is known of him? These questions remained unanswered, for nothing could be gleaned concerning such a man except from the Dionysian writings themselves. Then the question naturally followed: did such a person ever exist? was he not a mere Dionysian figment? *). We hope to give in the following pages an answer to some of these questions, and will present in outline an un- published work , hitherto unknown to students of this subject, claiming to be written by Hierotheos , and which may or may not be really by the master of the Pseudo-Dionysios. H. STEPHEN BAR SUDAILl. To the very period now almost unanimously assigned to 1) Div. Names, oh. Ill, § II. 2) Div. Names, cli. IV, § XV, XVI, and XVII. 3) Div. Names, oh. II, § X, and probably Eccl. Hier. ch. II, p. 1. 4) Dallaeus , Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita. the production of the Pseudo-Dionysiana belongs a prominent and interesting figure in the Syrian Church , that of the mystic Stephen Bar Sudaili. The connection of these two phenomena is not by any means fortuitous , but the materials available up to the present have been so few that his posi- tion and individuality have never been clearly defined '). Among the letters of Philoxenos of Mabug is one written to Abraham and Orestes, priests of Edessa , concerning Bar Sudaili ^) : this document is the principal source from which we derive our information regarding him , for the letter of Jacob of Sarug addressed to Bar Sudaili himself adds but little ^) , and the few other notices we have been able to collect referring to the latter do so in but few words. Bar Sudaili is important, not only as a prominent repre- sentative of the mystical school of East Syria, but as being connected with an interesting literary and religious question, the solution of which has never been attempted: that is, whether or no he is the author of the Book, of Hierotheos , and in what relation this work stands to the writings of the Pseudo-Dionysios, who asserts Hierotheos to have been his master *). To collect and present all the available ma- terial relating to this subject is what I will attempt to accom- plish in a short while , so that competent judges may have the opportunity of forming their opinion on the question. In order to do this I hope to publish before long the complete 1) Asseman being the common source of all that has been said on Bar Sudaili, the^only difference is in the variety of construction placed upon his words. 2) See page 28. 3) See page 10. 4) The probable identity of Bar Sudaili and Pseudo-Hierotheos has been assumed, on the sole authority of Bar 'Bbraia, e. g. by Zookler in his article on B. S. in Herzog's Real Encyk. (T. XV. p. 203—5), who is followed in the Cyclop, of Messrs Clintock and Strong (vol. X, p. 8— 9). 8 text of the Book of Hierotheos in the so-called Syriao ver- sion of a supposed Greek original now lost. The unique copy of this version has long lain unnoticed among the treasures of the British Museum. For the present I will limit myself to giving, in this essay, the letters of Philoxenos and Jacob of Sarug with a translation, and an abstract of the Book of Hierotheos, together with a few extracts which will il- lustrate its principles and the form of its thought and lan- guage. As a necessary introduction to this analysis will be given, as far as is possible, the chain of judgments on and references to the Book of Hierotheos which are found among Syrian writers. The conditions necessary to the formation of a judgment, from the intrinsic evidence, on the probability of Bar Sudaili being the author are, after examining the analysis and refu- tation of the doctrines of Bar Sudaili in the letters of Phi- loxenos arid Jacob of Sarug, in the first place, to compare these doctrines with those of the Book of Hierotheos, and, in the second place, to decide whether there is a per- fect correspondence between the latter and the fragments of the //Elements of Theology" and the //Erotic Hymns" of Hie- rotheos quoted by the Pseudo-Dionysios in his book on the '/Divine Names" and in his //Eccles. Hierarchy". Finally we must see whether there are any other documents which connect Bar Sudaili with the supposed Hierotheos. The two letters concerning Bar Sudaili have been known principally through the full analysis of that of Philoxenos given by Asseman in his //Bibliotheca Orientalis" '); and many church 1) T. II, p. 30 aqq.; of. T. I, p. 803. historians, such as Neander ^) , Gfrorer ^) , Dorner ^) , etc., have, on the strength of this, assigned to Bar Sudaili an important position, as illustrating the mystical side of Monophy- sitism and the influence of the Origenistic revival. His pan- theism , which is fully recognized by them , can now be made to appear in a still clearer light by the publication of the texts themselves. The letter of Philoxenos bishop of Hiera- polis is written in an exquisitely pure Syriac, and will be all the more welcome that the writings of this purest of Syriac writers, though very extensive, have been entirely neglected and remain inedited. The letter of Jacob of Sarug , though it does not furnish many additional data , and does not show much theological acuteness, is a good specimen of his flowery diction and persuasive language. 1) General History of the Christian Religion and Church, v. II,p. 555—557. 2) Allgemeine Kirchengeschiohte , 1840, T. H, p. 902. 3) Doctrine of the Person of Christ, diy. II, vol. I, p. 132. 10 «rel'saj»i ore' ridx'-u^x..-* r^xJ^i—=> AurC ^cbi.t v^ iiajt. >icul& Ktnlri'.i rC^'Siuis.l JriAix-oia v^tau K'relo . ri'cn.iri's rr /^sal^ ^*3 Klierj . rc4\ii\^ >.'t.^i^X «r«l3CV^ caa ^i=jeta.Avso.T* ^ocn rdlu^ . tono^K' rcla^cncv rx^o!^o .tJu.-io^ in r. a) C relar 6) C adds ,zalo . rtf'Avi.cvT^ rdz^J art «T,»^A»A\r«' ■us^i»A>r«'* . KliVAs r<:ii.'ia> tcnojovu ^so />j3oijk. . ril»V5oa ctmwI.t.t >^i.'93 >a-x- . rt'.-aiSiairS'.i K'i-i^i. coicoaxs ,sasas3h\rt >wo K'iAa.w.'wi >x2wCV.J^\ ,iaj3aac\ . rdJsaAM ►a.A ^ca»s rdLiia A\.^Ji . Kl^j-oi.i cniona,i=) cn_\ AviJ»iaA>f<' ._ r.:»i.l KlAiPC ^so i\A'S3r<'.-i rcn riiSk.A\t<' /) C ►floi^o. g) C jii-^. h) C ^i.iao'i&^\930' i) C i.x^o,'^. k) C i3cn»A\r<'.i. C re*.!.*^. m) With this word begins 14,587. n) C rcUilnV 13 sions , as to the treasure-trove of a dream , which in sleep en- riches him who is asleep , so that he rejoices in a ^discovery which does not exist. When he awakes, he is ashamed and repents for making the mistake of rejoicing in unreal possessions. Awake' Awake! prudent soul! put on the strength of the arm of the Lord: flee from the vain visions of the nie:ht, and come, rejoice in the heautiful light of day. Cast away from thee the possessions which dreams give unto thee , and despise error, the corrupter of minds, which in vain visions bestows wealth upon lovers of a sleep full of every harm. Night vanishes, dreams are exposed; the world passes away, and its riches are made vile; and error, which the serpent in- troduced , is exposed by the light of the Gross. The desire of wealth and power, which reigned from the tree of knowl- edge , has been destroyed by the fruit which dawned from the tree of life. The guardian of Paradise has been removed , that the keys of the Garden might be given to the thief who was deemed worthy of the right hand. The lance of the Gherub has been taken away and the way to Paradise is open. The planter of Paradise has been wounded by the lance in the place of the thieving gardener, and he has opened the garden that those who were expelled might return to their place. The great law- giver descended from heaven, became the teacher of the world, and the creation was illuminated with his doctrine, (which is) that no man covet riches which he has not: „provide neither gold nor silver nor brass in your purses, neither two coats, nor 14 os^oia^ao . rw ijjL'99.-t ^.^ci^-Kdx pell . reiTsa issK" .^,^|V«^A> r«li »oli3(<'o . ^oA.-f oji^ivipeLl i^.tA>p^ . eoAvri=» rel'SSCuX crA nC'iJrir^A . co-a ici.u^ t<'A r:i-Z. rS'iiMO r.i rC^AS >iflo Opt* . r<'A>ftA»J '" A^WA^a pc'iviAj p^'i^uani ^cico p<'i_x_^ . p«'iai.i i_*_^ p<'4\ia.».sa= . nr'icu i\,>raA_a. ') BC pS'^riMia. m) B ji>i^»' n) B omAo. o) B ooA , C ofA. ;)) pd^Ktw^. 15 stave, nor scrip; and salute no man by the way" '). The way is fearful, for its pathways are full of snares. Pass on! leave the world and be not taken up with its affairs. The Lord says: „Talie therefore no thought for the morrow; sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" ^). Remember Lot's wife') and hasten your coarse lesl; the world ensnare you with its evils. If beauty comes to thee, despise it: if thou findest riches, tread them under foot: cast possessions behind thee: look not after power: let thy country, thy house and thy family be strangers to thee. The Garden is open and awaits thee : advance in haste to the beautiful bride-chamber. Lay not up unto thyself a treasure upon earth*), for the earth is destined to destruction. Thou art called to heaven; give not thyself over to earthly things: paradise awaits thee; what willst thou among thorns? God begot thee of water and spirit, and brought thee up by the blood of His Son, and called thee to be His heir. Let thy nature move thee to love the Father who numbered thee among His sons. Oh ! work like a la- borer , and receive as thy wages the kingdom of Heaven. Oh! fear as a servant, and flee from the fire which threat- ens sinners. Minister unto the Father with a child's love. Do good, that thou mayest inherit the Kingdom: hate evil, that thou mayest be delivered from the fire. For on the fiery passage alms become a bridge to the givers of them , and he who has divided his possessions among the poor easily passes the gulf that is placed between the two sides. 1) Matthew X, 9: Luke X, 4: note transpositions and omissions. 2) From Matthew VI, 34. 3) Luke XVII, 32. 4) Matt. VI, 19. 16 A\i_3 rc'.icnJi .^_^ivsa pCA >_a casa . >ap<'.i icno^^'is r<'A< cqA ■i'SOK'.t pAaiK' p3 .2>J»lxi.-i .'r^ nil no As*, ^oralxla ,-»^LiA.i ^r«lJL*» . ^aVs^iil re'icncu.i r«!isa'»,p«A rCl\ . rdafti^ rellcn^ kAo . rdsAoz. ^Xl^OJEii oooA ruo . r<'jt»i'i ca_l AuK" ■**<. *^.-. ih^^r^n ca^iA\ .iMA>A09a KliAvu "'Apd;^ .K'ia^ oA Aurs' ^ pel.^ r3v^ ri'AxVa rcluAv^ r«l\ . rdiai^^t pel:^iA\ .■iuA\AfP«':i pdi_i.o . ea_i ,oi ^. m) C ooA Areli^. n) B rcoaA*Hsj >i\t-i oAa . ^ coj^sasaoa Kliivu » . ? jcnaitsax- ^j>cn\QA\o rs'-in A.^rcno.vrcla .^'^ ""ti \ re'Ax-ai »eo '"re'Aujj.l . rdsaiojL co,\ AvAi rcUcn^ *• Aa^j .• tik' A.3^^ p^io^.\ aainr^Kfa .rfi&^aVAo Klsaso.re' piA^ ^^ul.i .^rdiix. "U\^ a) B kA.-i cA. h) B issr*'. c) B rdlr^ Jw.-u. (f) C ^eol'.tasaVi. e) B »_Jii>S^^A\. /) C rcHruPtf: g) C inserts ^coA i_S3r<'. h) B ^.»HaJk.r< 2) C ^qa\. t) C inserts ^__octA TSSKb. 1) C >fio'-iiv93. m) C inserts .,t<'A\a\^ »m1& ^tiAtb ah\. n) C 0&\is. o) C ioserts rcdsoflo ^28.1 ^^Ojenl vnv^. p) C inserts ,ct3. 5) C tcnCUJC^az;:^. r) Here begins the extract in Add. 17,193. s) D r<'<)^a\*x.. t) CD r^.»x'ils^. «) Aa:^.i. v) C erron. —tr '•'<-, w) C omits. x) C en A 4u\- y) C correctly r&v&.i vyrS* T«^-\^f ^oaa rclV^ii.i T:i\ ^ori_=3 ^Jl^^^r^:^ rt'i )T.a .ricuAa . I -'I'-T. H-fia-^ r^ioA=3 Kboru KI-^m Jilx. Hfio^.s.l . rVsA .kVm aW ^oi^ j3r«'A» pcA.i rctil^u . >UA.T a) D r^V-^jre'.'i. &) C Aaj. c) AD read erron. ArVsA.i rCJca^ cA\.rea^C^. A^* » .^ t<'A\re:I^ KdOli. >a1 Auk* . >:afloaAir^ .lAucrS' ^OAK' ^nAs^ Klieo.-i* ri'.ico ,co ''r<'Aflarj4u KtoArJll ,*jl_LA )a_V_;^ r a) C ocn r.z-^-i' ^) C rVsAi (<''icaa rdien ^i^.i. g) C re'A^cu^AS. r) C . ^isA.i kII-m Axi. ^(n\ .K^oxAkA ,m\sa±a^Kb. jo) BC Kll^en. 23 according to the inclination of his mind to continue in sin he justly falls into everlasting hell. For the rich man who filled his barns with many fruits said thus unto his soul: „Eat, drink, and be merry; thou hast much goods laid up for many years" '). And thus his mind was bent on making merry for many years; his life therefore is cut off, but not his sin , for his mind was bent upon giving itself up to enjoyments forever. It is therefore justice which condemns this man to eternal fire, for, as far as his will was concerned, he would have lived forever in gluttony. Thus also the righteous man justly inherits eternal life, because, as far as his will was concerned, he contemplated serving God forever, although his life was, beyond his control, cut off by death from the course of righteousness. Job also , so admirable in the midst of temptations, is my witness; for, while he was attacked with ulcers and his body was cor- rupted with sore boils, the ulcers of his body mingled to- gether , and his members made putrid by the discharge from his sores, he spoke thus in the intensity of his anguish: vUntil I die mine integrity shall not depart from me. My righteousness I hold fast and will not let it go" *) , and 1) Luke XII, 19. 2) Job XXVII, 5—6: » and mine integrity etc.", an erroneous repetition 24 K'l^a&lsa ''ofA J3.1V299 rcil.i r>\.-| .^ocolAa^o .rii>A.i " r ^ vsiAuJftsjs >.sJ^o . PC'A^'iiai- iAua f._^-is,i rCAxiiJ^ .r. e) B Kltcn. /) B inserts ,cn. g) B vv^OJL&. A) BC A^-^rdAAO. i) Here ends extract D (Add. 17,193). k) C omits KlJLCO. I) BC .i>.aiv-ll. m) BC jaoi^io. n) BC (. J) C cixj^it. c) C K'^xoaAss. d) C ,oen. e) B inserts ,cn. /) C ,^0_l».iAv_J.l. g) BC r^i.sors'.l. A) B inserts »__5S3. C >enCtf»*»Ha. k) C ^\Am. CxXt^^t^^. m) C omits ■ I 'm * 'h i 27 neither cease forever. Direct the faculties of thy mind so that without ceasing they do good worlis. As thou desirest to enter into the eternal kingdom which has no end, reflect, tremble, and fear the everlasting fire prepared for the wicked , who will be condemned by a judgment which has no end. Let this word of the terrible judge be present in thy mind which saith : //These shall go into fire everlasting , and the righteous unto life everlasting" '). May He by His goodness and love make thee worthy to be numbered among those to whom it is said, //I was an hungered and ye gave me meat, I was thirsty and ye gave me drink", and with them mayest thou be a guest in the abode of light in life everlasting. Amen. 1) Matthew XXV, 46. 28 .osiopi's relz.Lx.a rd^ooiKb poenirsr*' i^ft-i XxL.e\ : ._A\cA p3 X\r^ r^l3\ ^o.anM ocb K'^j^flo rda^iao i.i—z. cnJL.i »i-Si. ., ri'ixJsSja-. A An ^.T j .^oaAxoI ^iss ra30SaiJ3s.i .^i\^^T<'iur<^iu.i ^s.-CO oebo • O'i.iAuc-pS'.i ^^CUctj.i rc'AuA^pdsa rSlJLir^ jAz.! p<1ip^ ^_i-l.i ocoiK'.i i-v.^^ i3J»r<' : Qiui^.i . cni^flo ia^ orA A^iAvso . reiisAiA .Sirs' i.TJt.ao : ^^a^4>cv,i .1o.m13 o.i.1 ocb .KlV^fioo rcls.iT,i rdi^cu rtla^i^s >^\^^ KWOm_&-1_u ^-IW Tt^.3MO rcnaiut<' rt-MO rdMbLlLno .r<\:su.xs>i r<'.iOCTi*:io «'\oi^ oocAo&.io . rc^isj voa^Kh rtfls-.t-oi r^ lA rq ^K'i^^.i »crio . fiv^ r^liSk . ^i-i , ftii rCit^ )o.va) O.TcnooK'.i ^AiK* p«l\s »carj . »__ajp^ vi^Kto . ^ >\ . iTw Acq r^lsaojc. xu h\o\ isarc'.i vyK* K'.tjjl^p^ •. ooi-»."lo K'.l.Tii.l kIiaA jia ^_oca*Aut<'.T r^ .t^ ri3 kLxjk' >i=j .^^vocni K'l^o^rtd.i rol.i T*\^ ooAv^.t* rr<' ooA» KLio . rdaj^sa ^ ."l-M ^*<\\ >iiT*a col^ reiicn.i rc'niii.o p^.icva.sw V^ .^ ri'Au'ia.i .iO.M.V=i ol . rclLiAaa Axi^sa Kbooio .• rclJ990..l-a . »_»» poJw .t-M roAu'<' y\ ^ Tocn rc'^coi^ ^i\-a ^-sa.i .^.^^ i-MrCn .a^ixA. rc'.icn pc'^cuiinnrq ^clA.i . ^xalo-X. »crAjt»j pelio n^=3^ ^^oAupc* ^ji-rv. r«lAi ^..oAopc' f i^\a ^pcb .»p«'ctAr<'s f^a>r^\&V93 pi'iiiaa'U.l . ■isare'.i v^nf iii^^AAAvflors' . -\A^ . Ofl*i_i>^re' rtL.T».w.. ^ pCAxcu^^tAvsos r«iswA ennaai o-^ ptfbcai.-i ,«i3 re'.^u=3.^ ooaoien.i A!^^ »:ta^ i^AxcUMKb .K'.ipdi. rdir*" ja'S'^ Ktoa .r«iien r di ^AA » . rOr^ rClls3A«.»i rcAvAA\s pclsacuio TMSao pslusacu pdipS" »cn'i^3.i ooAo . io.swfiorC' Twsao pclx:73Ct>.i A ruo ^v=) ».>1z.iop^^ is.1 rd\^ oo^ . rc'colK' )a^ p«!lliA .Tu ^.oml ^ocn cnm^sa vy(<' r^.iocn* »p«li.»icv»a »cb iAvsi ^ ^.JS'S vare's p^^^iv^ t*-^p<1iaco 87 before the consummation one thing, and the consummation itself another ; we would ask, from what Holy Book, or prophet, or apostle, or teacher, has he received this doctrine of a division into three orders? For he understands, as he saysj by the sixth day motion, having taken the term motion from the monk Evagriusi); by the Sabbath, that Christ will be all and in all men; and by the first day, that God will be all in all. He furthermore shows that it is less for man to be united to Christ than to be in God. He imagined, then, that he could confirm these three (stages) by the words which Our Lord spoke to the Pharisees, which it is certain were not a figure, an allegory, a parable, or a mystery, but the narration of an action imagined by the Pharisees, as is shown by reading them. "The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him. Get ihee out and depart hence, for Herod desireth to kill thee. And He said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox , Behold I cast out devils and I perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless I must work ^) today and tomorrow, and on the day following I will go (hence) '), for it cannot be tha* a Prophet perish out of Jerusalem" *). Now if, according to his researches , today , the sixth day , be an allegory of this world , and tomorrow, the Sabbath , a type of rest , and the third day , the first of the week , a symbol of the con- summation; what then comes after the consummation? Is Our Lord again to be crucified? but by whom? for accord- ing to his doctrine even the Jews will have become of one nature with God. Now it is thus written, that Our Lord said, after ^/ today 1) Kivijtrig. Evagrius Ponticus was a disciple of Gregory Nazianzen. 2) The expression work instead of walk is in the Peshitta, but not in the Curetonian Gospels. 3) The Curetonian version reads K'.Tlr*' %»»sn iovao. 4) Luke XIII, 31—33. 38 rellsaax. .lA . »^njLX,iot<' ^ ial ."»=3r^ rtlaj."! KV>AT*a ^ Aj».o . 7iW*» PCfao.T rcl3.A^ cos ■UmpS'.'i ,ch\ rdlsaxi.i Ai. ». r^lJCJK'.i cni-3 jjL.o&x-z_i.i x'^'- ^ A»i>K'."i »<'4\i_Mf<' »en »k— >x>cn .- r^Lx-iK'.i cni-nA axxa, ^n »iA».i relM.i )cn A_^a »r 1 Aia_ss^ ^jsa "pxsia . rdJr^' pd-ire's ...o-^sA* t.-| o-i-a ^i T.i -ns r<'^i_»t^ rC&UkOoA ^^oenA^al ^_50 oaucxciM.-un cia^ . tiIa ». vyJ^n-su rel=i^ oo.ioico.i rd.a.'sn vA A\ jao^.i OT-sor^ . ^r .1^ f^.icn A^o . oA .A \^" MtAXsa A(\!^xi3.1 orAo . KlAfiasao .icVmIs oon t<\,it.a ^om . rcAik.^ »>A cA\ . jjL Msq kA itasai.i crA yx»ab\ ocni KlXa\ ^.tq »."t3.i.O •K'.iKlJL rC^r^ J3,a03 r^eo.l . trf rdJri' 4u»n v^AcoA^^<'.^ ^cn AAA> rd*_Li. A^ isoi o^ . »( yiXya Aw r«iii.=> ocn.t Kliavs • rcAAAxs rdsacuo 'iw.'sno r^isoa* i^ k:1.1 : r^-^nooo* ^jsa .aA-AygSa p3AAJ[i3 Q,Tivaa\ ^±3^ ^_^3\ r^:9i,^ . cb^cv-i ^ i » * i\x.a »/^_oi20t<'A».t rj_\ r^JL=ao_* ribcoi.! >cn . K^A^.i rcl»(vA relAso&uu.i >cno . rc'^oirtlMO :t.x.3 p/»*it'71-i ^.TSol^ K'ocmi .mo . A ^ i A^ K'cn-XrC .' K'<^.to±a2>.±'3 x-is ^oco «ll Ax&.i^.i ocii vyK" . kAxjix. K'.iOT .j;^^ . rcLwijJcsa t-iAaso A_&.t ,ctj Ktuisan i -i a> rcllo .(<..t< ru .t& Ax^cn ^ca=3 .&Lo . K'v^XD crA oqj (?)i»oco . ^^^^:iln ^_aicb ^»3 relri— .3A10 . r rd^^.z.O'ia r<'^ol&A> rclLssn k'i^.tm r«ii^cu rd oajjtf'ion.i rtlijp<' >^clA oA\rc'.i . >cna9ax£o.'i ^_^>ca_i_sa ronol.i^l ^Swo . (<'A>oAu«<'a 000 rdlxii ia ^xA A^.i .K'AxiWK' Ami .cuA^io reVelL^go kI^vmA .^.-vt^r^b : r^^.icv^ >^» 43 For these and like things were accomplished by the cru- cifixion and death of Christ, which took place on the sixth day; who also cried out and said: //All is finished". This is what this man calls the evil world. Furthermore, as Our Lord taught that the consummation was on the sixth day , because He then fulfilled all things , this man by defin- ing it to be on the first day of the week openly teaches contrary to the word of Our Lord. Our Lord therefore on the sixth day suffered and died and destroyed the dominion of suffering and of death ; on the seventh day He was in the grave, and put an end also to the power of corruption, and visited the souls held captive in Sheol. And on the first day of the week He rose from the dead, and proved by His own resurrection that of all mankind , and the begin- ning of a new world in which there is no seventh and first day of the week, as this man says, but it is all first day. But be (Bar Sudaili) not being able to see these things him- self, nor willing to learn them from those who were able, wrote this book in which he consulted his own vain thoughts and not the Holy Scriptures , and constructed a new doctrine full of wickedness and impiety, in an insipid and foolish language. For although he is not even able to command a language worthy of writing , still , being desirous of making a display, he came forward as an inventor of heresies. I will not, furthermore, omit the following fact, although it is apparent from his writings. There came unto me trust- worthy men who said that on entering his cell they found written by him on the wall: //All nature is €onsubstantial with the Divine Essence"; and on account of their strongly accusing him of blasphemy, and it becoming known to many monks who murmured at it, he was afraid and removed it from the wall; but secretly put it into his writings. 44 1:^ .-vA r^\^^ rslio . lA»aA< rd\ .ctal isarS'.T >=a.VJ aiA» ^ii°>\mitS3 pS^scx,^ rdiHMK" ^:\ ^A.r^.i / v\Au»3 col isswiJi Klion A\s>5 ca=a^ cix.ii:! rdiiK' rtii"i»rc' ApS" , Alsaa 19^ rdx.cn.1 ^ ■AjK' ipiVeLj-^no T ._^>oa.Aur<' rellos »1 tVM^r^ red . rslaaa^i rrfJirdx-i^ „^amh\aii£LX. vyri" ^.OaA^qX a^^ A.iAcn ^^K|^ r^i\T-^,rc:a .^^^aOoAu.t ^cn.i K'^CU*^ f^r<' .iAjjA.3 cnX.io . rdiovuo t^'i'ii ^ .^^-JK' rS'in rtilaAxA-i Ape*.! ptfla^rc' . rdisix^ iurC^^ ivci.l ^1 >cn . t^'^\ »a cniz& orA^.i pc^nT.ftalo .^ kIjsq-Im »cniorc:!b AK".! .^..oerA TWpi'.i ii\^ Ax^'sai. .oo'taA\»<'^A\.i A.Vk&ttn v^^.n cOk..\*o .-cixuLM^ »_^^ ^i.'U. rdz.can .oA pQ.nfflft«\r^ rdLlr^ . iurix^. pDJLZ.ior^.1 r^jsoxso coA ^AASk^o&ucsa r^A.i >a}o .- (<'<^aisa*ca AJ!^'sa.'i rcAu-icUk.\ oAo -Kllcn rCA^ AAa -U.^ ClA .r^hn^^xs r^h\aixM^ts r^vVjAo Ti\^ KLaiiA . ^cas Aajsoson ^cn Jiirti* tia ^.oooa^rC'.i . rd^ir^.i rC'^vAo rC'vaLiiCl^o rdainvAO jc^&io90 .Khcnsal ^.t^^x^ ^.t cucn .^snr^ r^'oArCi t<^u& AO^o .^ rtCAiA ."u* rdMoio r^hsa rdsspS' >cooAv.r<'.t vyK*.! .^.V^s . cnd^o^K'.'i rdiA^ is PCbcD K'^Ajssn cnv^^ •^rtf' K* \ \on cnAu.^:u* rcA ^-m t^Ai, \ ra re'.icn ^oA ^r^ ^i A1 that he had dared to imagine such hlasphemies, for I had only met with his commentaries on a few of the Psalms, in which he also glorifies himself and ascribes to himself revelations and visions, and (says) that to him alone is it given to understand the Scriptures correctly. In them he also calls the Scriptures dreams , and his commentaries the interpretation of dreams. Afterwards he craftily devised to send his books to you and to write to you , in order to deceive the simple people there (at Jerusalem) ; for I have heard that he says to them , thdt even in Edessa is his heresy received , and is furthermore much praised by us, — until some of the monks there hap- pened upon the letter which I had written, of which I now send you a copy, and found that (on the contrary) he was strongly censured by me. When therefore you shall have received these letters of mine, that which you know to be just write unto him, and reprove him, and that not feebly but forcibly. I myself would write to the bishop of Jeru- salem ') respecting him , were it not for differences concern- ing the faith , and that the fact of our not being of the same communion is a middle wall (of partition) between us ^). For this man has sinned not a little , and the offences which he has committed are not small; for he says that dogs, pigs, serpents, scorpions, mice, and other reptiles of the earth, are consubstantial with God: that is will become so. He also strives to persuade others to believe likewise, and says thus: //As the Father and the Son and the Spirit are of one nature, and as the body of the Word is consubstantial with his divinity", through ignorance he also blasphemes -concerning this part (of Church doctrine), adding, //all creation also will 1) Elias, Patriarch of Jerusalem, 2) Ephesians II, 14. 48 r^U& rdlL^ i\^3 KheoAi.T rC'.vAvi- KAuisJ J^ AK".! . TWrSh . rfV«,'i'\x.o Kl&cvmo . r mh\. m cn_l ix-jK'.'i am r^_AO en 1 i I i^T> r^.icno . re'.ir^JL.i Acux. Jy3 ^_^u,fla^ Jia»^."» p<'Acn3.T »isjt<'.i ,m ^ . T»r«' « ^^aSiTT*! r^*'"'*'' ^ r^\h r^.lr^'-i^.7 A-arCb : r^ •< » * i r^i-^no^ i-ao oooKl^^n « LuO.->o 2) Cod. Syr. Vat. XLIX, f. 58. It anathematizes rdia^ftJrdlo ^jsal cnJk Kbeo rt^s\,.i ^isarCi ,,^^cra\o . r^iK".!©- \s. ^x\cn ^JS3 rtl.li_»»pC 'px-'S3 OK* . r^^\»tr< rdjsso^ ^craJiK'o 3) Ed. Abbeloos and Lamy, p. 215. Cf. Assem. B. 0., T. II, p. 327. 60 Bar Sudaili derived a part at least of his doctrines. On this point we find an interesting fact noted by Philoxenos in these words: ,,He desired. . . . to originate heresies himself also, like John the Egyptian, whom for a short time he even followed" ^). His master then , before he came forward as an original thinker, was a John of Egypt. At this period the monophysite monk John II (509—517) was Patriarch of Alexandria ; but as his relations with Severos of Antioch and the Syrian Monophysites were intimate , it is hardly possible that Philoxenos should have referred to him. Bar ^Ebraia in- cludes a John of Egypt in his enumeration of the Monophy- sites who flourished under Sergios of Antioch ^) ; but I have not met with any other notice which could with safety be referred to him. The John of Alexandria spoken of in Zacha- rias Rhetor as a heretic and falsifier of writings is, in all probability , another and an earlier writer '). In no case could we identify this John with the Syrian John of Egypt, bishop of o^flaaK', whose life is given by John of Asia*); for, besides the fact that he flourished at a slightly later period , had he held the opinions which a master of Bar Sudaili must have had and which Philoxenos indicates , John of Asia , be- longing to the same party as Philoxenos , would never have enumerated him among his saintly personages. It is hardly necessary , however , to question the opinions of this master of Bar Sudaili: the mystical pantheism of the monks of Egypt and Syria from the IV to the VI century , as well as the intimate relations between the two countries , are facts too well-known to require proof In both there flourished every degree of pantheism and pan-nihilism , from the gross and 1) See pp. 32-3. 2) Assemani B. 0., T. II, p. 827. 3) Land, Anecdota Syriaca, T. II, p. 177. 4) Land, op. cit. T. Ill, p. 130. 61 material form of the Euchites to the spiritualized forms of the kabbalistic5, Neo-pl atonic and Origenistic sects. Late re- searches tend to show that much of this was engrafted from the old Egyptian sects, with slight transformations required by the new dispensation. How much of this earlier form was embodied in the so-called Hermetic books it is difficult to determine, as they seem to be the work of such different periods. Stephen bar Sudaili was undoubtedly in many points a follower of Origen and the Alexandrian school , but his thought was dominated by gnostico-kabbalistic elements. Having boldly proclaimed his doctrines , he sought to propagate them by numerous writings. Philoxenos shows him to have been a learned man , much devoted to the study of Scripture , which he interpreted in a kabbalislic manner, carrying probably to excess the mania for this kind of exegesis, which was in vogue among the followers and imitators of Origen ; although it did not originate with the latter, but is found even more elaborated in the writings of Philo. Although Philoxenos speaks of letters , commentaries , books , and other writings of Bar Sudaili , he gives details only regarding an early one, the first which came into his hands, a commentary on the Psalms. In it Stephen claimed to have direct revelations and lo be an inspired man , to whom alone was revealed the true sense of Scripture : he called them dreams and his commentaries on them the interpretations of dreams. Philoxenos indicates that in this work Bar Sudaili had not yet developed his pantheism. The question naturally arises, was he acquainted with the Book of Hierolheos and did he make use of it in his criticisms? It seems as if this were not the case: otherwise the language of Philoxenos would have been entirely different. As it is, the phraseology 62 shows that he had other sources of information. He refers in particular to a book in which Stephen sets forth his doc- trines (pp. 4i2 — 43) in a language which, he says, is en- tirely inadequate to the subject, "insipid and fooiish". From this book he extracts most of the statements which he con- demns. What other works of Bar Sudaili he may have seen , it does not appear. Had he known of the imposture perpetrated by Stephen, he would not have failed to publicly accuse him of it: the secret character of the Book of Hierotheos must for some time have prevented its existence being generally known, even if it had been already written at that time. From several passages in Philoxenos it appears that Bar Sudaili must have made numerous and active disciples (though he seeks to deny it) , and have kept up continuous relations with Edessa, where he boasted of having adherents. We find that Philoxenos himself, before becoming acquainted with Stephen's most reprehensible doctrines, wrote to him a letter — now lost — which he sent by one of Stephen's disciples named Abraham: and the reason which induced Philoxenos to write to Abraham and Orestes at Edessa was, that they had received from Bar Sudaili letters and other works , sent to them through some of his followers ; by which he wished to seduce them, and probably others, to adopt his pernicious doctrines. Thus much have we been able to collect respecting Bar Sudaili: now it will be necessary, in order to complete his biography, to pass to the question of his identity with Pseudo- Hierotheos. 63 VII. m mm considered by Syrian writers to be THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK OF HIEROTHEOS. It has already been stated by Asseman ^) that Gregory Bar 'Ebraia the monophysite patriarch (XIII cent.) asserted the great work of Bar SudaiH to have been that entitled the Book of Hierotheos. The passage referred to is in his work entitled, rdjcscLu A\T-i-sa ^). In giving an enumeration of heresies on the Incarnation , he assigns the last place to Bar Sudaiii , saying'): //Thirtieth heresy; that of Stephen 1) B. 0., T. II, p. 290—291. 2) K^uj^.i^^ KlooK'^iL *V^ T^z.:icnodur<' r c'n i ^ icn rS'Ai'nc' .10^ // The patriarch Kyriakos (says) : The book entitled (that) of Hierotheos is not by him but probably by the heretic Stephen Bar Sudaili". Bar 'Ebraia might have quoted another writer, who also lived in the VIII and IX centuries , John bishop of Dara , whose testimony is of the greater value in that he was a noted mystic and a student of the writings of preceding mystics, especially those of Pseudo-Dionysios. Beside his book on the Celestial and Ecclesiastical Hierarchies, already mentioned , he wrote an important work on the soul ') and another on the resurrection of the body*). The latter, 1) This ia the opinion of Neander, Dorner, and all who have treated the subject. 2) Cod. Syr. Vat. CXXXII, f. 32: of. Assemani B. 0., T. II, p. 302, and Catal. T. Ill, p. 199. 3) Assem. B. 0., T. II, pp. 219, 505. 4) Cod. Syr. Vat. C. Cf. Assem. Cat. T. II, p. 530. Frothingham, Bar Sudaili. 6 66 entitled rcUvBiri" r^-issrOsa reljiLlr*' re'H-ii;^.'! T., iiFour books on the resurrection of human bodies", is a work of great interest and learning: in it he devotes a chapter (1. IV, c. 21) to supporting the eternity of Paradise and Hell*). The opening sentence is worth quoting: i/Diodoros of Tarsos in the book which he wrote on the (Economy, and Theodore his disciple and the master of Nestorios , say in many places that there is an end to condemnation. The same course is also taken by the work called the Book of Hiero- theos, luhich is in reality not by him but was skilfully writ- ten by another in his name, that is by Stephen bar Sudaili. Gregory of Nyssa also, in his book r/(rrci_i iur^i Kiss oeb >1 AupC i*\^ r«l\ ^cAo .r«'A\OAia*oo.T rsAvi= >ia ^ai.i \j\tr^ r^joa KlaAv^.i VyA^cA Klx.cn KllCO .^K* . oA\^A>r^ K'XK'iX ■i«Nm*J3.1 .■'-t«^ KliCO KlssAx^.T VO.TOO.^ A\iJ»A\I,K' K'.icn A^SQO ji.a JjJOCJSS K'.ICO CQ=J ^.MLi^LZ.:t K'\K'H «/yK' CVA . jaJC^K" KlXtltB K'.icr) Aio._\ t^culj-MbSs KLja-^-Oj.-i Klsa^K' kiIk* . kLik* •:• KliK* .sTomsn .... »the holy and mystical doctrine , hidden in alle- gories , of the blessed Hierotheos. I will endeavor to interpret to you , as you in the goodness of your heart have asked , this holy and divine teaching. For the labors and fatigue in searching after this book never discouraged you, neither were you stopped by the lack of it, nor by the pains you were obliged to take to remove the veil from off the words of the Teacher. I do not therefore wish to defraud you of this profit. Even if it is a laborious work , yet will we derive from it a most glorious illumination. ^ etc. etc. 87 Besides the general introduction , each one of the five books is preceded by a particular one. To the text of the chapters the commentary is attached in two different ways in different parts of the MS. : either the whole chapter of the text is first given, and then repeated in short sections, each with a separate commentary, or else, in order to avoid repetition, the latter system alone is used without first giving the whole text. As a scientific , thorough and systematic work , this commentary is remarkable, and gives a favorable idea of the possibilities of Syrian learning. There is nothing in any part of Theodosios' writings to indicate that he did not believe implicitly in the authorship of a genuine first-century Hierotheos: we will soon have to refer to the probable sincerity of this belief. Bar "Ebraia also interested himself in the Book of Hiero- theos, and sent emissaries throughout the East to procure a copy: he finally obtained one, which, strange to say, is the identical copy now preserved in the British Museum ') , and that to which we are indebted for our knowledge of the work. From this MS. he drew up a compendium, to which he added a running commentary, derived principally from that of Theodosios. He took however great liberties with the text, and showed the true unscrupulousness of an Eastern in distorting it for the purpose of softening its anti-christian tone and hiding its real character ^). The worst part of the process to which he submitted the book was the entire change he made in the order of the chapters, placing near 1) See the note on the last page of the MS. , where the fact is no- ticed and an account of the search is given. Cf. Wright's Gat. vol. Ill, supplem. 2) Ms. copies of this work exist in Paris (Bib. Nat. Fonds Syr. 227), in Oxford, and in the British Museum (Syr. MS. 850; Wright, Cat. p. 893 and Add. 1017). 88 each other those which belonged to the beginning and end, and uniting in one others which had not the slightest re- lation. As we have already remarked that, in the Book of Hierotheos, all the parts are mutually dependent, it may well he imagined that the compendium of Bar 'Ebraia, being made in this manner, is devoid of all order and rational sense , and gives no idea of the scope of the original. The excuse he gives in his introduction is , that he found the primitive order to have been inverted and the text corrupted by the translator ! '). 1) A\\jicn rO-ei^flo rdiai .tas r^AiMoi ^_a*»t<' ops' jj.1 .^S rc'cnJsa.x^n Kll^w^o.vo «