Papias, Fragments

Fragmenta

I think that he misunderstood the apostolic narrations, not having perceived what was mystically said by them in types. 2.13 for he appears to be very

Of pantaenus the priest of the alexandrians, and of the most wise ammonius, the ancient commentators from before the [first] councils, who understood

Thomas was allotted parthia, and john, asia, among whom having also spent time he died in ephesus.

I think that he misunderstood the apostolic narrations, not having perceived what was mystically said by them in types. 2.13 For he appears to be very small in mind, as can be said, judging from his words; yet he has become the cause of a similar opinion for very many of the churchmen after him, who put forward the antiquity of the man, such as Irenaeus and any other who has appeared holding similar views. 2.14 And in his own writing he also transmits other narrations of the Lord's words from Aristion, who was mentioned before, and the traditions of John the presbyter, to which, having referred those who love to learn, we will now of necessity add to his previously stated words a tradition, which he set forth about Mark, who wrote the gospel, through these words: 2.15 And the presbyter used to say this: Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately, but not in order, whatever he remembered of the things said or done by the Lord; for he neither heard the Lord nor followed him, but later, as I said, Peter, who would adapt his teachings to the needs of the moment, but not as making an arrangement of the Lord's oracles, so that Mark did not err at all in writing some things as he remembered them; for he made it his one concern not to omit anything he had heard or to falsify anything in them. These things, then, are related by Papias about Mark. 2.16 And about Matthew, these things are said: Matthew, then, compiled the oracles in the Hebrew dialect, and each interpreted them as he was able. 2.17 And the same man made use of testimonies from the first epistle of John and likewise from that of Peter, and he also set forth another story about a woman accused of many sins before the Lord, which the Gospel according to the Hebrews contains. And let these things of necessity be noted by us in addition to what has been set forth.

3.1 From Apollinaris: Judas did not die by the noose, but survived, having been taken down before he suffocated. And the Acts of the Apostles make this clear, that "falling headlong he burst open in the middle, and all his bowels gushed out." Papias, the disciple of John, relates this more clearly, saying thus in the fourth book of the Exegesis of the Lord's Oracles: 3.2 A great example of impiety walked in this world, Judas, having become so bloated in his flesh, that he was not able to pass where a wagon passes easily, not even the very mass of his head alone. For they say that the eyelids of his eyes became so swollen, that he could not see the light at all, and his eyes could not be seen even by a doctor <with> an instrument; so great a depth they had from the outer surface. And his private parts appeared more disgusting and larger than all unseemliness, and through it, from his whole body, were borne flowing fluids and worms for a spectacle, through his necessary functions alone. 3.3 And after many torments and punishments, when he died, they say, in his own place, from the stench the place became desolate and uninhabited until now, and not even to this day can anyone pass that place unless he blocks his nostrils with his hands. Such a discharge flowed from his flesh and upon the earth. 4.1 And Papias says thus, verbatim: And to some of them, namely of the divine angels of old, he gave rule over the arrangement of things on earth, and he commissioned them to rule well. And he says next: But it happened that their arrangement came to nothing. However, concerning the divine inspiration of the book (of the Revelation of John etc.), we consider it superfluous to prolong the argument, since the blessed Gregory, I mean the Theologian, and Cyril, and furthermore also the more ancient Papias, Irenaeus, Methodius, and Hippolytus attest its trustworthiness. Having taken the starting-points from the most excellent Papias, the Hierapolitan, who was a pupil of the one [+ ἐν ξοδδ] who leaned on the breast, and of Clement and

ἡγοῦμαι τὰς ἀποστολικὰς παρεκδεξάμενον διηγήσεις ὑπολαβεῖν, τὰ ἐν ὑποδείγμασι πρὸς αὐτῶν μυστικῶς εἰρημένα μὴ συνεωρακότα. 2.13 σφόδρα γάρ τοι σμικρὸς ων τὸν νοῦν, ὡς αν ἐκ τῶν αὐτοῦ λόγων τεκμηράμενον εἰπεῖν, φαίνεται· πλὴν καὶ τοῖς μετ' αὐτὸν πλείστοις οσοις τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν τῆς ὁμοίας αὐτῷ δόξης παραίτιος γέγονεν, τὴν ἀρχαιότητα τἀνδρὸς προβεβλημένοις, ωσπερ ουν Εἰρηναίῳ καὶ ει τις αλλος τὰ ομοια φρονῶν ἀναπέφηνεν. 2.14 καὶ αλλας δὲ τῇ ἰδίᾳ γραφῇ παραδίδωσιν ̓Αριστίωνος τοῦ πρόσθεν δεδηλωμένου τῶν τοῦ κυρίου λόγων διηγήσεις καὶ τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου ̓Ιωάννου παραδόσεις, ἐφ' ας τοὺς φιλομαθεῖς ἀναπέμψαντες, ἀναγκαίως νῦν προσθήσομεν ταῖς προεκτεθείσαις αὐτοῦ φωναῖς παράδοσιν, ην περὶ Μάρκου τοῦ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον γεγραφότος ἐκτέθειται διὰ τούτων· 2.15 Καὶ τοῦθ' ὁ πρεσβύτερος ελεγεν· Μάρκος μὲν ἑρμηνευτὴς Πέτρου γενόμενος, οσα ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἀκριβῶς εγραψεν, οὐ μέντοι τάξει, τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου η λεχθέντα η πραχθέντα· ουτε γὰρ ηκουσεν τοῦ κυρίου ουτε παρηκολούθησεν αὐτῷ, υστερον δέ, ὡς εφην, Πέτρῳ, ος πρὸς τὰς χρείας ἐποιεῖτο τὰς διδασκαλίας, ἀλλ' οὐχ ωσπερ σύνταξιν τῶν κυριακῶν ποιούμενος λογίων, ωστε οὐδὲν ημαρτεν Μάρκος, ουτως ενια γράψας ὡς ἀπεμνημόνευσεν· ἑνὸς γὰρ ἐποιήσατο πρόνοιαν, τοῦ μηδὲν ων ηκουσεν παραλιπεῖν η ψεύσασθαί τι ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ταῦτα μὲν ουν ἱστόρηται τῷ Παπίᾳ· περὶ τοῦ Μάρκου. 2.16 περὶ δὲ τοῦ Ματθαίου ταῦτ' ειρηται· Ματθαῖος μὲν ουν ̔Εβραΐδι διαλέκτῳ τὰ λόγια συνετάξατο, ἡρμήνευσεν δ' αὐτά, ὡς ην δυνατὸς εκαστος. 2.17 Κέχρηται δ' ὁ αὐτὸς μαρτυρίαις ἀπὸ τῆς ̓Ιωάννου προτέρας ἐπιστολῆς καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Πέτρου ὁμοίως, ἐκτέθειται δὲ καὶ αλλην ἱστορίαν περὶ γυναικὸς ἐπὶ πολλαῖς ἁμαρτίαις διαβληθείσης ἐπὶ τοῦ κυρίου, ην τὸ καθ' ̔Εβραίους εὐαγγέλιον περιέχει. καὶ ταῦτα δ' ἡμῖν ἀναγκαίως πρὸς τοῖς ἐκτεθεῖσιν ἐπιτετηρήσθω.

3.1 ̓Απολιναρίου· Οὐκ ἀπέθανε τῇ ἀγχόνῃ ̓Ιούδας, ἀλλ' ἐπεβίω καθαιρεθεὶς

πρὸ τοῦ ἀποπνιγῆναι. καὶ τοῦτο δηλοῦσιν αἱ τῶν ἀποστόλων Πράξεις, οτι πρηνὴς γενόμενος ἐλάκησε μέσος, καὶ ἐξεχύθη τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ. τοῦτο δὲ σαφέστερον ἱστορεῖ Παπίας ὁ ̓Ιωάννου μαθητὴς λέγων ουτως ἐν τῷ δ' τῆς ἐξηγήσεως τῶν κυριακῶν λόγων· 3.2 Μέγα δὲ ἀσεβείας ὑπόδειγμα ἐν τούτῳ τῷ κόσμῳ περιεπάτησεν ὁ ̓Ιούδας πρησθεὶς ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον τὴν σάρκα, ωστε μηδὲ ὁπόθεν αμαξα ῥᾳδίως διέρχεται ἐκεῖνον δύνασθαι διελθεῖν, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ αὐτὸν μόνον τὸν τῆς κεφαλῆς ογκον αὐτοῦ. τὰ μὲν γὰρ βλέφαρα τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ φασὶ τοσοῦτον ἐξοιδῆσαι, ὡς αὐτὸν μὲν καθόλου τὸ φῶς μὴ βλέπειν, τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς δὲ αὐτοῦ μηδὲ ὑπὸ ἰατροῦ <διὰ> διόπτρας ὀφθῆναι δύνασθαι· τοσοῦτον βάθος ειχον ἀπὸ τῆς εξωθεν ἐπιφανείας. τὸ δὲ αἰδοῖον αὐτοῦ πάσης μὲν ἀσχημοσύνης ἀηδέστερον καὶ μεῖζον φαίνεσθαι, φέρεσθαι δὲ δι' αὐτοῦ ἐκ παντὸς τοῦ σώματος συρρέοντας ἰχῶράς τε καὶ σκώληκας εἰς υβριν δι' αὐτῶν μόνων τῶν ἀναγκαίων. 3.3 μετὰ πολλὰς δὲ βασάνους καὶ τιμωρίας ἐν ἰδίῳ, φασί, χωρίῳ τελευτήσαντος, ἀπὸ τῆς ὀδμῆς ερημον καὶ ἀοίκητον τὸ χωρίον μέχρι τῆς νῦν γενέσθαι, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ μέχρι τῆς σήμερον δύνασθαί τινα ἐκεῖνον τὸν τόπον παρελθεῖν, ἐὰν μὴ τὰς ῥῖνας ταῖς χερσὶν ἐπιφράξῃ. τοσαύτη διὰ τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εκρυσις ἐχώρησεν. 4.1 Παπίας δὲ ουτως ἐπὶ λέξεως· ̓Ενίοις δὲ αὐτῶν, δηλαδὴ των͂ πάλαι θείων ἀγγέλων, καὶ τῆς περὶ τὴν γῆν διακοσμήσεως εδωκεν αρχειν, καὶ καλῶς αρχειν παρηγγύησε. καὶ ἑξῆς φησίν· Εἰς οὐδὲν δὲ συνέβη τελευτῆσαι τὴν τάξιν αὐτῶν. Περὶ μέντοι τοῦ θεοπνεύστου τῆς βίβλου (τῆς ̓Αποκαλύψεως ̓Ιωάννου σξιλ.) περιττὸν μηκύνειν τὸν λόγον ἡγούμεθα, τῶν μακαρίων Γρηγορίου φημὶ τοῦ θεολόγου καὶ Κυρίλλου, προσέτι δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀρχαιοτέρων Παπίου, Εἰρηναίου, Μεθοδίου καὶ ̔Ιππολύτου ταύτῃ προσμαρτυρούντων τὸ ἀξιόπιστον. Λαβόντες τὰς ἀφορμὰς ἐκ Παπίου τοῦ πάνυ, τοῦ ̔Ιεραπολίτου, τοῦ [+ ἐν ξοδδ] τῷ ἐπιστηθίῳ φοιτήσαντος, καὶ Κλήμεντος καὶ