appearance

Then Satan drew near the cave in this fair appearance, and said:--

"But God never spoke the words thou hast told me; and ye are not God's angels, nor yet sent from Him. But ye are devils, come to me under the false appearance of angels . Away from me; ye cursed of God!"

"Yet again, O God, when Thou hast put us asunder from each other, the devils will deceive us with their apparitions, and destroy our hearts, and defile our thoughts towards each other. Yet if it is not each of us towards the other, it will, at all events, be through their appearance when they show themselves to us." Here Adam ended his prayer.

But Jared remained wondering at their appearance, and at the speech of the elder to him.

And there appeared to me two men, exceeding big, so that I never saw such on earth; their faces were shining like the sun, their eyes too were like a burning light, and from their lips was fire coming forth with clothing and singing of various kinds in appearance purple, their wings were brighter than gold, their hands whiter than snow.

And I saluted them and was seized with fear and the appearance of my face was changed from terror, and those men said to me:

THEY showed me the treasure-house of the dew, like oil of the olive, and the appearance of its form, as of all the flowers of the earth; further many angels guarding the treasure-houses of these things, and how they are made to shut and open.

AND I looked and saw other flying elements of the sun, whose names are Phoenixes and Chalkydri, marvellous and wonderful, with feet and tails in the form of a lion, and a crocodile's head, their appearance is empurpled, like the rainbow; their size is nine hundred measures, their wings are like those of angels, each has twelve, and they attend and accompany the sun, bearing heat and dew, as it is ordered them from God.

THE men took me on to the fifth heaven and placed me, and there I saw many and countless soldiers, called Grigori, of human appearance, and their size was greater than that of great giants and their faces withered, and the silence of their mouths perpetual, and there was no service on the fifth heaven, and I said to the men who were with me:

ON the tenth Heaven, Aravoth, I saw the appearance of the Lord's face, like iron made to glow in fire, and brought out, emitting sparks, and it burns.

And Michael did thus, as the Lord told him. He anointed me, and dressed me, and the appearance of that ointment is more than the great light, and his ointment is like sweet dew, and its smell mild, shining like the sun's ray, and I looked at myself, and was like one of his glorious ones.

AND the Lord called up one of the older angels, terrible and menacing, and placed him by me, in appearance white as snow, and his hands like ice, having the appearance of great frost, and he froze my face, because I could not endure the terror of the Lord, just as it is not possible to endure a stove's fire and the sun's heat, and the frost of the air.

AND the Lord called up one of the older angels, terrible and menacing, and placed him by me, in appearance white as snow, and his hands like ice, having the appearance of great frost, and he froze my face, because I could not endure the terror of the Lord, just as it is not possible to endure a stove's fire and the sun's heat, and the frost of the air.

Therefore was Joseph comely in appearance, and goodly to look upon, because no wickedness dwelt in him; for some of the trouble of the spirit the face manifesteth.

And the eldest of them said unto me: Thou art not a slave, for even thy appearance doth make it manifest.

And I said to the angel who was with me; for the glory of my appearance was undergoing transformation as I ascended to each heaven in turn: 'Nothing of the vanity of that world is here named.'

And he raised me up into the sixth heaven, and there were no (angels) on the left, nor a throne in the midst, but all had one appearance and their (power of) praise was equal.

O my son! whosoever is elegant in his dress, he is the same in his speech; and he who has a mean appearance in his dress, he also is the same in his speech.

At the same time he ordered them to press into service all the manifold forms of art, for he was a man of the most lofty conceptions and nature had endowed him with a keen imagination which enabled him to picture the appearance which would be presented by the finished work.

For it was triangular in shape and the style of the work was exactly the same on each of the sides, so that whichever side they were turned, they presented the same appearance.

It had the appearance of a shoe and was eight fingers broad.

Upon this there was a mosaic, worked in the form of a rhombus, having a net-like appearance and reaching right up to the brim.

In the middle, small shields which were made of different precious stones, placed alternately, and varying in kind, not less than four fingers broad, enhanced the beauty of their appearance.

For, when these vessels had been completed and placed side by side, first a silver bowl and then a golden, then another silver, and then another golden, the appearance they presented is altogether indescribable, and those who came to see them were not able to tear themselves from the brilliant sight and entrancing spectacle.

We were greatly astonished, when we saw Eleazar engaged in the ministration, at the mode of his dress, and the majesty of his appearance, which was revealed in the robe which he wore and the precious stones upon his person.

Their appearance created such awe and confusion of mind as to make one feel that one had come into the presence of a man who belonged to a different world.

The abysses were dissolved before the Lord: and darkness was destroyed by His appearance:

But this said he to me: The ladder which thou sawest, which had twelve steps having two human faces which changed their appearance—now this ladder is this age, and the twelve steps are the times of this age, and the twenty-four faces are the kings of the lawless heathen of this age. Under these kings will be tried . . . of thy sons: they will rise up against the lawlessness of thy descendants and will lay this place waste through four descents of the sins of thy descendants, and of the substance of the forefathers will be built this palace in the temple of the name of thy God and thy fathers; but through the wrath of thy descendants will it be desolate until the fourth descent of this age: for thou didst see four visions.

And Abraham said to Isaac his son: Go, my beloved son, into the inner chamber of the house and beautify it. Spread for us there two couches, one for me and one for this man that is with us this day. Prepare for us there a seat and a candlestick and a table with abundance of every good thing. Beautify the chamber, my son, and spread under us linen and purple and fine linen. Burn there every precious and excellent incense, and bring sweet-smelling plants from the garden and fill our house with them. Kindle seven lamps full of oil, so that we may rejoice, for this man that is our this day is more glorious than kings or rulers, and his appearance surpasses all the sons of men. And Isaac prepared all things well, and Abraham taking the archangel Michael went into the chamber, and they both sat down upon the couches, and between them he placed a table with abundance of every good thing. Then the chief captain arose and went out, as if by constraint of his belly to make issue of water, and ascended to heaven in the twinkling of an eye, and stood before the Lord, and said to him: Lord and Master, let your power know that I am unable to remind that righteous man of his death, for I have not seen upon the earth a man like him, pitiful, hospitable, righteous, truthful, devout, refraining from every evil deed. And now know, Lord, that I cannot remind him of his death. And the Lord said: Go down, chief-captain Michael, to my friend Abraham, and do whatever he says to you, and eat with him whatever he eats. And I will send my Holy Spirit upon his son Isaac, and will put the remembrance of his death into the heart of Isaac, so that even he in a dream may see the death of his father, and Isaac will relate the dream, and you shall interpret it, and he himself will know his end. And the chief-captain said, Lord, all the heavenly spirits are incorporeal, and neither eat nor drink, and this man has set before me a table with abundance of all good things earthly and corruptible. Now, Lord, what shall I do? How shall I escape him, sitting at one table with him? The Lord said: Go down to him, and take no thought for this, for when you sit down with him, I will send upon you a devouring spirit, and it will consume out of your hands and through your mouth all that is on the table. Rejoice together with him in everything, only you shall interpret well the things of the vision, that Abraham may know the sickle of death and the uncertain end of life, and may make disposal of all his possessions, for I have blessed him above the sand of the sea and as the stars of heaven.

So Michael turned the chariot and brought Abraham to the east, to the first gate of heaven; and Abraham saw two ways, the one narrow and contracted, the other broad and spacious, and there he saw two gates, the one broad on the broad way, and the other narrow on the narrow way. And outside the two gates there he saw a man sitting upon a gilded throne, and the appearance of that man was terrible, as of the Lord. And they saw many souls driven by angels and led in through the broad gate, and other souls, few in number, that were taken by the angels through the narrow gate. And when the wonderful one who sat upon the golden throne saw few entering through the narrow gate, and many entering through the broad one, straightway that wonderful one tore the hairs of his head and the sides of his beard, and threw himself on the ground from his throne, weeping and lamenting. But when he saw many souls entering through the narrow gate, then he arose from the ground and sat upon his throne in great joy, rejoicing and exulting. And Abraham asked the chief-captain, My Lord chief-captain, who is this most marvelous man, adorned with such glory, and sometimes he weeps and laments, and sometimes he rejoices and exults? The incorporeal one said: This is the first-created Adam who is in such glory, and he looks upon the world because all are born from him, and when he sees many souls going through the narrow gate, then he arises and sits upon his throne rejoicing and exulting in joy, because this narrow gate is that of the just, that leads to life, and they that enter through it go into Paradise. For this, then, the first-created Adam rejoices, because he sees the souls being saved. But when he sees many souls entering through the broad gate, then he pulls out the hairs of his head, and casts himself on the ground weeping and lamenting bitterly, for the broad gate is that of sinners, which leads to destruction and eternal punishment. And for this the first-formed Adam falls from his throne weeping and lamenting for the destruction of sinners, for they are many that are lost, and they are few that are saved, for in seven thousand there is scarcely found one soul saved, being righteous and undefiled.

Then the Most High said, Call me hither Death that is called the shameless countenance and the pitiless look. And Michael the Incorporeal went and said to Death, Come hither; the Lord of creation, the immortal king, calls you. And Death, hearing this, shivered and trembled, being possessed with great terror, and coming with great fear it stood before the invisible father, shivering, groaning and trembling, awaiting the command of the Lord. Therefore the invisible God said to Death, Come hither, you bitter and fierce name of the world, hide your fierceness, cover your corruption, and cast away your bitterness from you, and put on your beauty and all your glory, and go down to Abraham my friend, and take him and bring him to me. But now also I tell you not to terrify him, but bring him with fair speech, for he is my own friend. Having heard this, Death went out from the presence of the Most High, and put on a robe of great brightness, and made his appearance like the sun, and became fair and beautiful above the sons of men, assuming the form of an archangel, having his cheeks flaming with fire, and he departed to Abraham. Now the righteous Abraham went out of his chamber, and sat under the trees of Mamre, holding his chin in his hand, and awaiting the coming of the archangel Michael. And behold, a smell of sweet odor came to him, and a flashing of light, and Abraham turned and saw Death coming towards him in great glory and beauty. And Abraham arose and went to meet him, thinking that it was the chief-captain of God, and Death beholding him saluted him, saying, Rejoice, precious Abraham, righteous soul, true friend of the Most High God, and companion of the holy angels. Abraham said to Death, Hail you of appearance and form like the sun, most glorious helper, bringer of light, wondrous man, from whence does your glory come to us, and who are you, and whence do you come? Then Death said, Most righteous Abraham, behold I tell you the truth. I am the bitter lot of death. Abraham said to him, Nay, but you are the comeliness of the world, you are the glory and beauty of angels and men, you are fairer in form than every other, and do you say, I am the bitter lot of death, and not rather, I am fairer than every good thing. Death said, I tell you the truth. What the Lord has named me, that also I tell you. Abraham said, For what are you come hither? Death said, For your holy soul am I come. Then Abraham said, I know what you mean, but I will not go with you; and Death was silent and answered him not a word.

Then the Most High said, Call me hither Death that is called the shameless countenance and the pitiless look. And Michael the Incorporeal went and said to Death, Come hither; the Lord of creation, the immortal king, calls you. And Death, hearing this, shivered and trembled, being possessed with great terror, and coming with great fear it stood before the invisible father, shivering, groaning and trembling, awaiting the command of the Lord. Therefore the invisible God said to Death, Come hither, you bitter and fierce name of the world, hide your fierceness, cover your corruption, and cast away your bitterness from you, and put on your beauty and all your glory, and go down to Abraham my friend, and take him and bring him to me. But now also I tell you not to terrify him, but bring him with fair speech, for he is my own friend. Having heard this, Death went out from the presence of the Most High, and put on a robe of great brightness, and made his appearance like the sun, and became fair and beautiful above the sons of men, assuming the form of an archangel, having his cheeks flaming with fire, and he departed to Abraham. Now the righteous Abraham went out of his chamber, and sat under the trees of Mamre, holding his chin in his hand, and awaiting the coming of the archangel Michael. And behold, a smell of sweet odor came to him, and a flashing of light, and Abraham turned and saw Death coming towards him in great glory and beauty. And Abraham arose and went to meet him, thinking that it was the chief-captain of God, and Death beholding him saluted him, saying, Rejoice, precious Abraham, righteous soul, true friend of the Most High God, and companion of the holy angels. Abraham said to Death, Hail you of appearance and form like the sun, most glorious helper, bringer of light, wondrous man, from whence does your glory come to us, and who are you, and whence do you come? Then Death said, Most righteous Abraham, behold I tell you the truth. I am the bitter lot of death. Abraham said to him, Nay, but you are the comeliness of the world, you are the glory and beauty of angels and men, you are fairer in form than every other, and do you say, I am the bitter lot of death, and not rather, I am fairer than every good thing. Death said, I tell you the truth. What the Lord has named me, that also I tell you. Abraham said, For what are you come hither? Death said, For your holy soul am I come. Then Abraham said, I know what you mean, but I will not go with you; and Death was silent and answered him not a word.

Then Abraham arose, and went into his house, and Death also accompanied him there. And Abraham went up into his chamber, and Death went up with him. And Abraham lay down upon his couch, and Death came and sat by his feet. Then Abraham said, Depart, depart from me, for I desire to rest upon my couch. Death said, I will not depart until I take your spirit from you. Abraham said to him, By the immortal God I charge you to tell me the truth. Are you death? Death said to him, I am Death. I am the destroyer of the world. Abraham said, I beseech you, since you are Death, tell me if you come thus to all in such fairness and glory and beauty? Death said, Nay, my Lord Abraham, for your righteousnesses, and the boundless sea of your hospitality, and the greatness of your love towards God has become a crown upon my head, and in beauty and great peace and gentleness I approach the righteous, but to sinners I come in great corruption and fierceness and the greatest bitterness and with fierce and pitiless look. Abraham said, I beseech you, hearken to me, and show me your fierceness and all your corruption and bitterness. And Death said, You can not behold my fierceness, most righteous Abraham. Abraham said, Yes, I shall be able to behold all your fierceness by means of the name of the living God, for the might of my God that is in heaven is with me. Then Death put off all his comeliness and beauty, and all his glory and the form like the sun with which he was clothed, and put upon himself a tyrant's robe, and made his appearance gloomy and fiercer than all kind of wild beasts, and more unclean than all uncleanness. And he showed to Abraham seven fiery heads of serpents and fourteen faces, (one) of flaming fire and of great fierceness, and a face of darkness, and a most gloomy face of a viper, and a face of a most terrible precipice, and a face fiercer than an asp, and a face of a terrible lion, and a face of a cerastes and basilisk. He showed him also a face of a fiery scimitar, and a sword-bearing face, and a face of lightning, lightening terribly, and a noise of dreadful thunder. He showed him also another face of a fierce stormy sea, and a fierce rushing river, and a terrible three-headed serpent, and a cup mingled with poisons, and in short he showed to him great fierceness and unendurable bitterness, and every mortal disease as of the odor of Death. And from the great bitterness and fierceness there died servants and maid-servants in number about seven thousand, and the righteous Abraham came into indifference of death so that his spirit failed him.

And Michael went and came to Abraham, and found him sitting before his oxen for ploughing, and he was exceeding old in appearance, and had his son in his arms. Abraham, therefore, seeing the archangel Michael, rose from the ground and saluted him, not knowing who he was, and said to him: The Lord preserve you. May your journey be prosperous with you. And Michael answered him: You are kind, good father. Abraham answered and said to him: Come, draw near to me, brother, and sit down a little while, that I may order a beast to be brought that we may go to my house, and you may rest with me, for it is toward evening, and in the morning arise and go wherever you will, lest some evil beast meet you and do you hurt. And Michael enquired of Abraham, saying: Tell me your name, before I enter your house, lest I be burdensome to you. Abraham answered and said, My parents called me Abram, and the Lord named me Abraham, saying: Arise and depart from your house, and from your kindred, and go into the land which I shall show unto you. And when I went away into the land which the Lord showed me, he said to me: Your name shall no more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham. Michael answered and said to him: Pardon me, my father, experienced man of God, for I am a stranger, and I have heard of you that you went forty furlongs and brought a goat and slew it, entertaining angels in your house, that they might rest there. Thus speaking together, they arose and went towards the house. And Abraham called one of his servants, and said to him: Go, bring me a beast that the stranger may sit upon it, for he is wearied with his journey. And Michael said: Trouble not the youth, but let us go lightly until we reach the house, for I love your company.

How is he made, by adaptation of man, valuable to outward appearance!

And lo! his fatness is already withered and perished, he is fallen from the height to the ground, he hath come from great estate to littleness, and the appearance of his countenance hath vanished, and he] Barisat himself is burnt up by fire and reduced to ashes and is no more; and thou sayest: "To-day I will make another which to-morrow shall make ready my food!"

And I rose up and saw him who had grasped me by my right hand and set me up upon my feet: and the appearance of his body was like sapphire, and the look of his countenance like chrysolite, and the hair of his head like snow, and the turban upon his head like the appearance of the rainbow, and the clothing of his garments like purple; and a golden sceptre was in his right hand.

And I rose up and saw him who had grasped me by my right hand and set me up upon my feet: and the appearance of his body was like sapphire, and the look of his countenance like chrysolite, and the hair of his head like snow, and the turban upon his head like the appearance of the rainbow, and the clothing of his garments like purple; and a golden sceptre was in his right hand.

And I saw on the air] on the height, to which we ascended a strong light, which it was impossible to describe, and lo! in this light a fiercely burning fire for people, many people of male appearance, all (constantly) changing in aspect and form, running and being transformed, and worshipping and crying with a sound of words which I knew not.

And as the fire raised itself up, ascending into the height, I saw under the fire a throne of fire, and, round about it all-seeing ones, reciting the song, and under the throne four fiery living creatures singing, and their appearance was one, each one of them with four faces.

And such was the appearance of their countenances, of a lion, of a man, of an ox, of an eagle: four heads [were upon their bodies] [so that the four creatures had sixteen faces]; and each had six wings; from their shoulders, [and their sides] and their loins.

And they were standing under a tree of (the Garden of) Eden, and the fruit of this tree was like the appearance of a bunch of grapes of the vine, and behind the tree was standing as it were a serpent in form, having hands and feet like a man's, and wings on its shoulders, six on the right side and six on the left, and they were holding the grapes of the tree in their hands, and both were eating it whom I had seen embracing.

And I glorified God afresh who gave me this authority, and ordered another demon to come before me. And there came seven spirits, females, bound and woven together, fair in appearance and comely. And I Solomon, seeing them, questioned them and said: "Who are ye?" But they, with one accord, said with one voice: "We are of the thirty-three elements of the cosmic ruler of the darkness." And the first said: "I am Deception." The second said: "I am Strife." The third: "I am Klothod, which is battle." The fourth: "I am Jealousy." The fifth: "I am Power." The sixth: "I am Error." The seventh: "I am the worst of all, and our stars are in heaven. Seven stars humble in sheen, and all together. And we are called as it were goddesses. We change our place all and together, and together we live, sometimes in Lydia, sometimes in Olympus, sometimes in a great mountain."

And I Solomon took from the mine of that stone 200 shekels for the supports of the table of incense, which was similar in appearance. And I Solomon glorified the Lord God, and then closed round the treasure of that stone. And I ordered afresh the demons to cut marble for the construction of the house of God. And I Solomon prayed to the Lord, and asked the hound, saying: "By what angel art thou frustrated?" And the demon replied: "By the great Brieus."

When I Solomon heard this, I marvelled at her appearance, for I beheld all her body to be in darkness. But her glance was altogether bright and greeny, and her hair was tossed wildly like a dragon's; and the whole of her limbs were invisible. And her voice was very clear as it came to me. And I cunningly said: "Tell me by what angel thou art frustrated, O evil spirit?" By she answered me: "By the angel of God called Afarôt, which is interpreted Raphael, by whom I am frustrated now and for all time. His name, if any man know it, and write the same on a woman in childbirth, then I shall not be able to enter her. Of this name the number is 640." And I Solomon having heard this, and having glorified the Lord, ordered her hair to be bound, and that she should be hung up in front of the Temple of God; that all the children of Israel, as they passed, might see it, and glorify the Lord God of Israel, who had given me this authority, with wisdom and power from God, by means of this signet.

And I again ordered another demon to come before me. And the came, rolling itself along, one in appearance like to a dragon, but having the face and hands of a man. And all its limbs, except the feet, were those of a dragon; and it had wings on its back. And when I beheld it, I was astonied, and said: "Who art thou, demon, and what art thou called? And whence hast thou come? Tell me."

OF WIDOWS. For Satan seeketh an occasion whereby to ensnare, as he did of old in the case of Cain. For there are some who say, We are widows, but do not do the works that befit widows, even as Cain did toward his brother that which befitted not. These then are they that have no knowledge. For it is not by being called widows that they shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven, but by a right faith and by good works. But she that taketh the name of a widow, and doeth the work of Satan, belieth the name ( ) so that she shall find eternal condemnation. Behold we hear that there are among the widows some that are evil and envious and slanderers, and that cause strife amongst the brethren. These are not of Christ, for they have not kept the word of admonition. If there be one of the sisters, and (others of them) see men give her alms, whether money, or raiment, or food, or drink, and (if) she then rejoice and find rest, they ought to say thus: [iii., 13.] Blessed be the Lord our! God, Who hath granted rest and joy to the widow, our beloved sister, O Lord send blessing and honour on him who hath given to this widow, and increase his substance in righteousness and in purity, and remember him with Thy goodness, in the greatness of Thy compassion and mercy. And to this bishop also give Thou a double honour, who hath taught and exhorted those that have given unto us: give him the crown of glory when he shall depart this life. And in like manner let this widow pray and entreat along with them for those that have shewn mercy towards her. (iii., 14.] And now also let her give to the destitute from that which she hath received; and for this cause shall her works be well-pleasing before God, as it is written, saying, ‘Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth, and let thine alms be secret.” Thus let the widow pray for them that have given unto her and bestowed alms upon her, for she is as the sanctuary, and thy Father, who seeth thee in secret, shall reward thee openly. But widows who walk not after the commandment of God are envious of him who hath given alms to their sister, (and) they ask, and say, Who is it that hath shown this mercy towards her? And then when they understand and know, they go to him that hath given alms to their sister to trouble him, and say unto him, Why hast thou given first unto her, while we are far more destitute than she? For they are foolish who say thus, thinking it is a gift from man, whereas the gift of favour is from God. But if she was manifestly in want, they ought not to go to trouble him that showeth mercy, but rather is it right that they should remain at home, and fall down on their faces, and repent and pray to God. For God sheweth mercy to them that proclaim His goodness. Our Lord saith, “When ye enter into a house, say, Peace be to this house, and if a son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it; and, if not, your peace shall return to you.” [iii., 15.] But if peace find not (a place) prepared (for her) where she may rest, she abideth not there, but returneth to him that sent her. In like manner the unrighteous curse shall not come on him that hath not sinned, but shall rather return on him that uttered it. He that hath cursed another without cause, hath cursed himself, as Solomon saith. In like manner ye also shall be requited even as ye have done unto others. For it is said, ‘“‘ He hath digged a pit, and hollowed it out, and he shall fall into the pit which he made. And his toil shall return on his own head, and his wickedness shall descend upon his own pate.” For he that diggeth a pit for his neighbour shall fall,into it, and he that feareth a curse, let him not curse another; and what he hateth for himself let him not do to his neighbour. Wherefore, O bishop, do thou as a master admonish those women that despise widows, and bear patiently with the angry, and visit the sick, and rejoice with the elect who bless and curse not, and command them to do not that which is evil, but to make peace. Whether it be a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, or whosoever it be of those set in authority, let there not proceed from his mouth cursing, lest he inherit a curse instead of a blessing. The bishop ought to admonish and teach and command the people that no word of cursing proceed from their mouths. But let him show care for priests, and deacons, and virgins, and widows, and the people. [iii., 16.] Wherefore, O bishop, prove the deacons who do service with thee, and help them in doing good, that they may be ready to minister unto the people, and let a deaconess also be appointed to minister unto the women, an elect and pure woman who is blameless. For a deacon ought not to minister unto the women, lest there arise an evil report from those that believe not. Therefore let there be a deaconess as a minister to the women, and let her anoint them with oil, and clothe them after baptism. And do thou, O bishop, anoint the foreheads of them that are baptized, men and women, with holy oil according to the ordinance of holy baptism. And after this, O bishops and presbyters, they do good and (make) peace. pray for them that are under you, and baptize them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And then let the deacon take the men, and let the deaconess also take the women, that the seal which they receive, which no man may (break), may be holy and pure. And after they have been baptized, let the bishop anoint them with the oil of balsam, for they have been baptized into the death of Christ. [ili., 17.] The oil of balsam is the strength of faith, for when a man cometh forth from the water, he is in the likeness of Christ whom the Father raised from the dead. This is He who is over all; our Lord Jesus Christ is the only-begotten Son the Lord of life, and the Paraclete is the Spirit of truth who was sent by the Father to teach all things. (iii., 18.) But let them that are baptized be far from transgression and be pure from sin, and let them be friends of God and enemies of the devil, and fellow-heirs of Christ and adversaries of Satan and his devices. And they shall be pure without stain, and shall be called the sons of Christ. Moreover let them pray and entreat the Father that they may be one congregation together with the faithful, and say thus, Our Father which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come. And thy will be done, as in heaven so also on earth. Give us to-day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses and our iniquities, as we also forgive him that hath trespassed against us. And bring us not into temptation, but save us and deliver us from all evil. For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. [ili., 19.) The deacons then must needs be pure and good, without blame, as the bishop; and serve continually in the Holy Church, and minister unto God with a good ministry, and fulfil their office in wisdom with one -heart and one spirit, and understand the reward of their service, and not be puffed up in ministering to the destitute. Even as our Lord Jesus Christ came, not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life ransom for many. And moreover He refused not to give His life in place of His friends. And if the Lord of glory and the Lord of heaven and earth endured all this patiently for our sakes, how then are ye puffed up in ministering to the poor and needy? Ye ought in everything to be imitators of our Lord Jesus Christ, who endured to become a servant, and accepted poverty and want, and humbled Himself, and bore the sufferings of the Cross for our sakes. In like manner do ye also do service to the poor your brethren, and be imitators of Christ. But he among you that desireth to be chief, let him be your servant. So our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled in word and in deed all that was written, and became the servant of many. He took a towel, and poured water into a bason, and first washed the feet of His disciples and (then) wiped them with the towel wherewith His loins were girded. He did thus that we might love one another, and taught us to love our neighbours as ourselves.‘? And if our Lord and Saviour humbled Himself, and did thus, how then are ye puffed up and slothful to do good to the destitute and afflicted? Do service, then, in perfect love without murmuring, or accepting of persons. Howbeit do not this for outward appearance, but for God’s sake, that ye may receive the reward of your toil from Him at the last day. The deacons ought to seek to satisfy the desires of the poor, before they ask them. Moreover let them do service unto the bishop, and be of one mind (with him), and account him as father and teacher and monitor. [iii., 20.) And behold we command that a bishop be ordained by three bishops, and if not, by two. But by one bishop it is not possible to give ordination: for by the testimony of three or two (witnesses) let every word be established. Presbyters and deacons and others set in authority in the Church shall be ordained by one bishop. To presbyters and to deacons it is not given to ordain a layman; but let the presbyter teach, and baptize, and bless the people, and burn incense, and offer up the sacrifice. And as for the deacon there is nothing that he may do except minister to the bishop and the presbyters; and let him fulfil aright his ministry. -

Concerning the ordination of Bishops and the ordinance of the Oblation (Kuerban). It is seemly that the bishops should be ordained, as we said before, and we command all the people in common, that he may be a man choice and honest and holy in everything, who has been chosen from the people. When they have named (him) and are content (with him) all the people shall assemble; the presbyters, and the deacons, and the bishops (also), who shall assemble on the day of the sabbath. And he who is greatest shall ask of the presbyters and deacons who are among them, saying: Is this one he who pleased you that he should be your chief? If they say altogether: Yes, he to shall ask them again and say to them again: Is this one worthy of the honourable office, and has he done rightly with all honesty, and has he virtue before (lit. from) God, and did he observe justice with man ? Is he able to order the men of his own house well, and has he conducted his life in truth ? Has nothing been found against him ? And if all of them should answer together and say: Yes, thus (it is) in truth and not in partiality, and God the Father and Christ his Son and Holy Spirit, the Spirit of righteousness, the Paraklitos, (being) judge of all; he shall ask them again even a third time, and say: Is this one worthy in truth and in right of this office; from the mouth of two or (lit. and) three every word shall be established. And if they say three times: Yes, he is worthy, they shall all spread forth their hands, and if they do thus with one consent, there shall be silence, and one great one of the great bishops shall rise up, and two other bishops with him, with the rest of the bishops all standing, and the presbyters also at the altar, praying quietly, and the deacons bearing the holy Gospel spread open upon the head of him who is to be ordained. And the bishops shall sit down upon seats and they shall say: He is worthy of it And then all shall salute him with the kiss of the Lord, and they shall read the Holy Scriptures. And when they have finished the reading from the Gospel, the bishop who was sealed ' shall salute (lit kiss) all the Church and say: May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And all shall say: With thy spirit. When he has finished saying, then all the people shall say the words of joy, and when it is finished, then he shall give them instruction and speak, (and the deacon) shall go up on a high place, and cry and say: Let not any stand here except the Faithful. Likewise when the bishop has finished all the prayer which it is proper for him to say for the sick (and) the rest, the deacon shall say to them: Kiss one another with a holy kiss. And all the priests shall kiss the bishop: and of the lay people, man shall kiss man, and woman shall kiss woman: and the young children shall stand just below the bema, and another deacon shall stand with them, that they may not quarrel with one another; and other deacons shall go to guard the men and women, that there may be no disturbance among them, and that they may not beckon one to another, nor look about, nor go to sleep. The subdeacons shall stand at the door of the women, and other deacons shall stand at the door of the men; that no one may go out, and that they let not the door be opened at the time of the holy Oblation (Kuerban), nor enter the doors of the Faithful, And the subdeacon shall bring water to the priests, that they may wash their hands as a likeness of those who are holy in their souls, and (that) we lifted (them) up to God. And the deacons shall close the gates, and no other shall come in, and he shall say: Let none of the catechumens stand here, or be here at all, lest they should hear the word and partake of the Mystery, and let there not stand any except the Faithful, nor let any of the heretics stand here. O ye women, guard lest your children should run about here and there, or be disorderly, or lest their days should be few. And let not any bear malice in his heart against another, nor any stand here who is not worthy of God: and they shall stand in fear and trembling, that they may be worthy of this work. And after this the deacon shall bring the bread of the sacrifice to the bishop into the house of the sanctuary, and the presbyters shall stand on the left hand, 3° as the likeness of the Apostles who stood with their Teacher. The deacons shall stand on either side at the altar, and they shall hold the flabella made of anything of beautiful appearance, or of feathers of peacock, or of cotton fabric of beautiful appearance, that they may drive away little flying creatures, lest any of them should fall into the cup. And thus the chief priest shall pray over the sacrifice, that the Holy Spirit may descend and dwell upon them; upon the bread that it may become the Body of Christ, and upon the cup that it may become the Blood of Christ. And then the bishop shall say the coming of the Holy Spirit, and when he has finished the prayer which is proper to be said thus, the bishop himself shall first communicate, and after him the presbyters, and afterwards the deacons, and afterwards likewise the subdeacons, and after them the readers, and after them all the people shall receive. The bishop shall administer, saying: This (is) the bread which came down from the heavens, this is the Body of Christ. And he who receives shall say: Amen. And then the deacon shall administer the cup and say: This is the Blood of Christ, and this is the cup of life. And he who receives shall say: Amen and Amen. They shall sing psalms until all have received the Oblation, and when all the people have received, afterwards they shall administer to the women. And after the singers have finished singing the psalms, then the deacon shall chant, saying: We have received of the precious Body which is the Body of Christ, and we thank him that he makes us worthy to partake of the precious and holy Mystery. After this the bishop shall give thanks and pray for those who have eaten the Body of Christ and for those who have drunk of the Blood of Christ And when he has finished praying, the deacon shall say: Bow your head before God, that he may bless you. And when further he has done that with which they are blessed, the deacon shall say: Go away in peace. And as for the fragments, if any are left, the presbyters and deacons shall take care that nothing is left of the Oblation, and they shall take great care that not much should be left, lest they be guilty of great error and sin, like the sons of Aaron and the children of Ela whom the Holy Spirit destroyed, because they profaned the sacrifice of God; how much more they who profane the Body of Christ and his precious Blood, and esteem it temporal food of flesh, whereas it is spiritual to those who receive it in purity. And this we command you, bishops, presbyters, and deacons, concerning the service of the holy Mystery.

Concerning the ordination of Bishops and the ordinance of the Oblation (Kuerban). It is seemly that the bishops should be ordained, as we said before, and we command all the people in common, that he may be a man choice and honest and holy in everything, who has been chosen from the people. When they have named (him) and are content (with him) all the people shall assemble; the presbyters, and the deacons, and the bishops (also), who shall assemble on the day of the sabbath. And he who is greatest shall ask of the presbyters and deacons who are among them, saying: Is this one he who pleased you that he should be your chief? If they say altogether: Yes, he to shall ask them again and say to them again: Is this one worthy of the honourable office, and has he done rightly with all honesty, and has he virtue before (lit. from) God, and did he observe justice with man ? Is he able to order the men of his own house well, and has he conducted his life in truth ? Has nothing been found against him ? And if all of them should answer together and say: Yes, thus (it is) in truth and not in partiality, and God the Father and Christ his Son and Holy Spirit, the Spirit of righteousness, the Paraklitos, (being) judge of all; he shall ask them again even a third time, and say: Is this one worthy in truth and in right of this office; from the mouth of two or (lit. and) three every word shall be established. And if they say three times: Yes, he is worthy, they shall all spread forth their hands, and if they do thus with one consent, there shall be silence, and one great one of the great bishops shall rise up, and two other bishops with him, with the rest of the bishops all standing, and the presbyters also at the altar, praying quietly, and the deacons bearing the holy Gospel spread open upon the head of him who is to be ordained. And the bishops shall sit down upon seats and they shall say: He is worthy of it And then all shall salute him with the kiss of the Lord, and they shall read the Holy Scriptures. And when they have finished the reading from the Gospel, the bishop who was sealed ' shall salute (lit kiss) all the Church and say: May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And all shall say: With thy spirit. When he has finished saying, then all the people shall say the words of joy, and when it is finished, then he shall give them instruction and speak, (and the deacon) shall go up on a high place, and cry and say: Let not any stand here except the Faithful. Likewise when the bishop has finished all the prayer which it is proper for him to say for the sick (and) the rest, the deacon shall say to them: Kiss one another with a holy kiss. And all the priests shall kiss the bishop: and of the lay people, man shall kiss man, and woman shall kiss woman: and the young children shall stand just below the bema, and another deacon shall stand with them, that they may not quarrel with one another; and other deacons shall go to guard the men and women, that there may be no disturbance among them, and that they may not beckon one to another, nor look about, nor go to sleep. The subdeacons shall stand at the door of the women, and other deacons shall stand at the door of the men; that no one may go out, and that they let not the door be opened at the time of the holy Oblation (Kuerban), nor enter the doors of the Faithful, And the subdeacon shall bring water to the priests, that they may wash their hands as a likeness of those who are holy in their souls, and (that) we lifted (them) up to God. And the deacons shall close the gates, and no other shall come in, and he shall say: Let none of the catechumens stand here, or be here at all, lest they should hear the word and partake of the Mystery, and let there not stand any except the Faithful, nor let any of the heretics stand here. O ye women, guard lest your children should run about here and there, or be disorderly, or lest their days should be few. And let not any bear malice in his heart against another, nor any stand here who is not worthy of God: and they shall stand in fear and trembling, that they may be worthy of this work. And after this the deacon shall bring the bread of the sacrifice to the bishop into the house of the sanctuary, and the presbyters shall stand on the left hand, 3° as the likeness of the Apostles who stood with their Teacher. The deacons shall stand on either side at the altar, and they shall hold the flabella made of anything of beautiful appearance, or of feathers of peacock, or of cotton fabric of beautiful appearance, that they may drive away little flying creatures, lest any of them should fall into the cup. And thus the chief priest shall pray over the sacrifice, that the Holy Spirit may descend and dwell upon them; upon the bread that it may become the Body of Christ, and upon the cup that it may become the Blood of Christ. And then the bishop shall say the coming of the Holy Spirit, and when he has finished the prayer which is proper to be said thus, the bishop himself shall first communicate, and after him the presbyters, and afterwards the deacons, and afterwards likewise the subdeacons, and after them the readers, and after them all the people shall receive. The bishop shall administer, saying: This (is) the bread which came down from the heavens, this is the Body of Christ. And he who receives shall say: Amen. And then the deacon shall administer the cup and say: This is the Blood of Christ, and this is the cup of life. And he who receives shall say: Amen and Amen. They shall sing psalms until all have received the Oblation, and when all the people have received, afterwards they shall administer to the women. And after the singers have finished singing the psalms, then the deacon shall chant, saying: We have received of the precious Body which is the Body of Christ, and we thank him that he makes us worthy to partake of the precious and holy Mystery. After this the bishop shall give thanks and pray for those who have eaten the Body of Christ and for those who have drunk of the Blood of Christ And when he has finished praying, the deacon shall say: Bow your head before God, that he may bless you. And when further he has done that with which they are blessed, the deacon shall say: Go away in peace. And as for the fragments, if any are left, the presbyters and deacons shall take care that nothing is left of the Oblation, and they shall take great care that not much should be left, lest they be guilty of great error and sin, like the sons of Aaron and the children of Ela whom the Holy Spirit destroyed, because they profaned the sacrifice of God; how much more they who profane the Body of Christ and his precious Blood, and esteem it temporal food of flesh, whereas it is spiritual to those who receive it in purity. And this we command you, bishops, presbyters, and deacons, concerning the service of the holy Mystery.

For let us learn what the sacred word says in the book of Wisdom: My son, keep my words, and hide my commandments with you. Say unto Wisdom, You are my sister; and make understanding familiar with you: that she may keep you from the strange and wicked woman, in case such a one accost you with sweet words. For from the window of her house she looks into the street, to see if she can espy some young man among the foolish children, without understanding, walking in the market-place, in the meeting of the street near her house, and talking in the dusk of the evening, or in the silence and darkness of the night. A woman meets him in the appearance of an harlot, who steals away the hearts of young persons. She rambles about, and is dissolute; her feet abide not in her house: sometimes she is without, sometimes in the streets, and lies in wait at every corner. Then she catches him, and kisses him, and with an impudent face says unto him, I have peace-offerings with me; this day do I pay my vows: therefore came I forth to meet you; earnestly I have desired your face, and I have found you. I have decked my bed with coverings; with tapestry from Egypt have I adorned it. I have perfumed my bed with saffron, and my house with cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning; come, let us solace ourselves with love, etc. To which he adds: With much discourse she seduced him, with snares from her lips she forced him. He goes after her like a silly bird. And again: Do not hearken to a wicked woman; for though the lips of an harlot are like drops from an honey-comb, which for a while is smooth in your throat, yet afterwards you will find her more bitter than gall, and sharper than any two-edged sword. And again: But get away quickly, and tarry not; fix not your eyes upon her: for she has thrown down many wounded; yea, innumerable multitudes have been slain by her. If not, says he, yet you will repent at the last, when your flesh and your body are consumed, and will say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart has avoided the reproofs of the righteous! I have not hearkened to the voice of my instructor, nor inclined mine ear to my teacher. I have almost been in all evil. But we will make no more quotations; and if we have omitted any, be so prudent as to select the most valuable out of the Holy Scriptures, and confirm yourselves with them, rejecting all things that are evil, that so you may be found holy with God in eternal life.

For God, being a God of mercy from the beginning, called every generation to repentance by righteous men and prophets. He instructed those before the flood by Abel and Sem, and Seth, also by Enos, and by Enoch that was translated; those at the flood by Noah; the inhabitants of Sodom by hospitable Lot; those after the flood by Melchizedek, and the patriarchs, and Job the beloved of God; the Egyptians by Moses; the Israelites by him, and Joshua, and Caleb, and Phineas, and the rest; those after the law by angels and prophets, and the same by His own incarnation of the Virgin; those a little before His bodily appearance by John His forerunner, and the same by the same person after Christ's birth, saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; those after His passion by us, the twelve apostles, and Paul the chosen vessel. We therefore, who have been vouchsafed the favour of being the witnesses of His appearance, together with James the brother of our Lord, and the other seventy-two disciples, and his seven deacons, have heard from the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by exact knowledge declare what is the will of God, that good, and acceptable, and perfect will which is made known to us by Jesus; that none should perish, but that all men with one accord should believe in Him, and send unanimously praise to Him, and thereby live forever.

For God, being a God of mercy from the beginning, called every generation to repentance by righteous men and prophets. He instructed those before the flood by Abel and Sem, and Seth, also by Enos, and by Enoch that was translated; those at the flood by Noah; the inhabitants of Sodom by hospitable Lot; those after the flood by Melchizedek, and the patriarchs, and Job the beloved of God; the Egyptians by Moses; the Israelites by him, and Joshua, and Caleb, and Phineas, and the rest; those after the law by angels and prophets, and the same by His own incarnation of the Virgin; those a little before His bodily appearance by John His forerunner, and the same by the same person after Christ's birth, saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; those after His passion by us, the twelve apostles, and Paul the chosen vessel. We therefore, who have been vouchsafed the favour of being the witnesses of His appearance, together with James the brother of our Lord, and the other seventy-two disciples, and his seven deacons, have heard from the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by exact knowledge declare what is the will of God, that good, and acceptable, and perfect will which is made known to us by Jesus; that none should perish, but that all men with one accord should believe in Him, and send unanimously praise to Him, and thereby live forever.

And some of the sons of men caused their wives to drink a draught that would render them barren, in order that they might retain their figures and whereby their beautiful appearance might not fade.

And the king looked at these men and they were clothed in princely dresses as the garments of kings, and had the appearance and majesty of kings.

In those days there was in the land of Shinar a wise man who had understanding in all wisdom, and of a beautiful appearance, but he was poor and indigent; his name was Rikayon and he was hard set to support himself.

And Rikayon considered within himself what he should do in the town until the king made his appearance, and how he might maintain himself there.

And they made Rikayon Pharaoh prefect under Oswiris king of Egypt, and Rikayon Pharaoh governed over Egypt, daily administering justice to the whole city, but Oswiris the king would judge the people of the land one day in the year, when he went out to make his appearance.

And the three men saw what Paltith did to the poor man, and they said to her, It is thou then who hast supported him, and therefore has he not starved, nor changed in appearance nor died like the rest.

A very old man from the land of the Philistines came hither to seek thee, and thus was his appearance and figure; I did not ask him who he was, and seeing thou wast not here he spoke unto me and said, When Ishmael thy husband returneth tell him thus did this man say, When thou comest home put away this nail of the tent which thou hast placed here, and place another nail in its stead.

A very old man from the land of the Philistines came to seek thee, and thus was his appearance and figure; I did not ask him who he was, and seeing thou wast not at home he said to me, When thy husband cometh home tell him, thus saith the old man, Put away the nail of the tent which thou hast placed here and place another nail in its stead.

And she said to him, An old man came here from the land of the Philistines and thus was his appearance, and he asked after thee and thou wast not here, so I brought out bread and water, and he ate and drank and his heart was comforted.

And the young woman was of very comely appearance, she was a virgin, and Rebecca was ten years old in those days.

And when Isaac came to Gerar, the people of the land saw that Rebecca his wife was of a beautiful appearance, and the people of Gerar asked Isaac concerning his wife, and he said, She is my sister, for he was afraid to say she was his wife lest the people of the land should slay him on account of her.

And Jacob had two hundred drove of cattle, and his cattle were of large size and of beautiful appearance and were very productive, and all the families of the sons of men desired to get some of the cattle of Jacob, for they were exceedingly prosperous.

And amongst them was a young damsel of beautiful appearance and well favored, whose name was Bunah, and Simeon took her for a wife, and the number of the males which they took captives and did not slay, was forty-seven men, and the rest they slew.

And when the sons of Jacob saw that there was no appearance of war, they all assembled and went to the city of Shechem, and the sons of Jacob remained in Shechem.

And these Midianites ran to the pit to drink water, for they thought that it contained water, and on coming before the pit they heard the voice of Joseph crying and weeping in the pit, and they looked down into the pit, and they saw and behold there was a youth of comely appearance and well favored.

And the Midianites saw that Joseph was of a comely appearance and well-favored; they desired him in their hearts and were urgent to purchase him from his brethren.

They were going along the road, and the Midianites repented of what they had done, in having purchased the young man, and one said to the other, What is this thing that we have done, in taking this youth from the Hebrews, who is of comely appearance and well favored.

And they said, Four hundred pieces of silver we desire for him, and Potiphar said, I will give it you if you bring me the record of his sale to you, and will tell me his history, for perhaps he may be stolen, for this youth is neither a slave, nor the son of a slave, but I observe in him the appearance of a goodly and handsome person.

And Joseph was eighteen years old, a youth with beautiful eyes and of comely appearance, and like unto him was not in the whole land of Egypt.

And Zelicah said unto him, How goodly are thy appearance and form, truly I have looked at all the slaves, and have not seen so beautiful a slave as thou art; and Joseph said unto her, Surely he who created me in my mother's womb created all mankind.

And the young woman was of a comely appearance, and a woman of sense, and she had been the wife of Malkiel the son of Elam, the son of Shem.

And the damsel was of a comely appearance, and she went in the sanctified ways of the children of Jacob; she lacked nothing, and the Lord gave her wisdom and understanding.

And seven other kine, lean fleshed and ill favored, came up after them, and the seven ill favored ones swallowed up the well favored ones, and still their appearance was ill as at first.

And five thousand men, with drawn swords glittering in their hands, and they went marching and playing before Joseph, and twenty thousand of the great men of the king girt with girdles of skin covered with gold, marched at the right hand of Joseph, and twenty thousand at his left, and all the women and damsels went upon the roofs or stood in the streets playing and rejoicing at Joseph, and gazed at the appearance of Joseph and at his beauty.

Joseph then built for himself a very magnificent house like unto the houses of kings, before the court of the king's palace, and he made in the house a large temple, very elegant in appearance and convenient for his residence; three years was Joseph in erecting his house.

Father, thou hast not seen his palace and his throne, and all his servants standing before him; thou hast not seen that king upon his throne in his pomp and royal appearance, dressed in his kingly robes with a large golden crown upon his head; thou hast not seen the honor and glory which God has given unto him, for there is not like unto him in all the earth.

And Pharaoh seeing that all Joseph's brethren were valiant men, and of beautiful appearance, he greatly rejoiced.

And the king Azdrubal had a very beautiful daughter, whose name was Ushpezena, and all the men of Africa embroidered her likeness on their garments, on account of her great beauty and comely appearance.

And when Pharaoh saw this thing he was astonished at it, and he was greatly terrified at the report, for their appearance was like the appearance of the children of God.

And when Pharaoh saw this thing he was astonished at it, and he was greatly terrified at the report, for their appearance was like the appearance of the children of God.

And when a woman kneaded her dough and cooked her victuals, their appearance was turned to that of blood.

And the children of Moab were afraid of the children of Israel, and the children of Moab took all their daughters and their wives of beautiful aspect and comely appearance, and dressed them in gold and silver and costly garments.

And at that sorrowful moment Cain was born, and when Adam saw that the face of Cain was ill-tempered (or, sullen) and his appearance evil he was sad.

And then Abel was born, and when Adam saw that his appearance was good and his face good-tempered he said, "This is my son, the heir of my kingdom."

And the spies came to the watchmen of the city of Jerusalem, and they found King Solomon there, and they made obeisance to him, and they said unto him, "Hail, may the royal father live! [Our] country is disturbed because there hath come into it a merchant who resembleth thee in form and appearance, without the smallest alteration or variation.

He resembleth thee in noble carriage and in splendid form, and in stature and in goodly appearance; he lacketh nothing in respect of these and is in no way different from thyself.

Peradventure he will find out for himself whether thou art his own son or his brother; for in thine appearance and in thy conversation (or, manner) thou art in no way different from him.

And when they came nigh unto the place where the horses were exercised and trained, Joas (Benaiah), the son of Yodae, went on in front, and came to the place where Solomon was, and he told him that [the son of the Queen] was well- favoured in his appearance, and that his voice was pleasant, and that he resembled him in form, and that his whole bearing was exceedingly noble.

Verily he is an Israelite of the seed of David, fashioned perfectly in the likeness of his father's form and appearance; we are his servants, and he shall be our king."

And the King's handmaiden said unto her, "My lady hath brought forth a child that hath not the appearance of a man but of a wingless eagle, and she hath commanded me to throw it into the river.

And when the Egyptians saw Abraham and Sarah they marvelled at the beauty of their appearance, for they imagined that they had been brought forth by the same mother.

Even as Isaiah, the man of keen words among the Prophets, saith, "He was a humble man, and His appearance was rejected, like a root He hid Himself in parched ground, He came in the flesh, a being of the earth, [though He was] the Sustainer of the universe and the Saviour of the universe."

But when I was in the twenty-sixth year of my age, it happened that I took a voyage to Rome, and this on the occasion which I shall now describe. At the time when Felix was procurator of Judea there were certain priests of my acquaintance, and very excellent persons they were, whom on a small and trifling occasion he had put into bonds, and sent to Rome to plead their cause before Caesar. These I was desirous to procure deliverance for, and that especially because I was informed that they were not unmindful of piety towards God, even under their afflictions, but supported themselves with figs and nuts. Accordingly I came to Rome, though it were through a great number of hazards by sea; for as our ship was drowned in the Adriatic Sea, we that were in it, being about six hundred in number, swam for our lives all the night; when, upon the first appearance of the day, and upon our sight of a ship of Cyrene, I and some others, eighty in all, by God's providence, prevented the rest, and were taken up into the other ship. And when I had thus escaped, and was come to Dieearchia, which the Italians call Puteoli, I became acquainted with Aliturius, an actor of plays, and much beloved by Nero, but a Jew by birth; and through his interest became known to Poppea, Caesar's wife, and took care, as soon as possible, to entreat her to procure that the priests might be set at liberty. And when, besides this favor, I had obtained many presents from Poppea, I returned home again.

Now, as soon as Jonathan and his companions heard of my coming, they took all their own friends, and John with them, and retired to the house of Jesus, which indeed was a large castle, and no way unlike a citadel; so they privately laid a band of armed men therein, and shut all the other doors but one, which they kept open, and they expected that I should come out of the road to them, to salute them. And indeed they had given orders to the armed men, that when I came they should let nobody besides me come in, but should exclude others; as supposing that, by this means, they should easily get me under their power: but they were deceived in their expectation; for I perceived what snares they had laid for me. Now, as soon as I was got off my journey, I took up my lodgings over against them, and pretended to be asleep; so Jonathan and his party, thinking that I was really asleep and at rest, made haste to go down into the plain, to persuade the people that I was an ill governor. But the matter proved otherwise; for, upon their appearance, there was a cry made by the Galileans immediately, declaring their good opinion of me as their governor; and they made a clamor against Jonathan and his partners for coming to them when they had suffered no harm, and as though they would overturn their happy settlement; and desired them by all means to go back again, for that they would never be persuaded to have any other to rule over them but myself. When I heard of this, I did not fear to go down into the midst of them; I went, therefore, myself down presently to hear what Jonathan and his companions said. As soon as I appeared, there was immediately an acclamation made to me by the whole multitude, and a cry in my commendation by them, who confessed their thanks was owing to me for my good government of them.

But now Herod was under immediate concern about a most important affair, on account of his friendship with Antony, who was already overcome at Actium by Caesar; yet he was more afraid than hurt; for Caesar did not think he had quite undone Antony, while Herod continued his assistance to him. However, the king resolved to expose himself to dangers: accordingly he sailed to Rhodes, where Caesar then abode, and came to him without his diadem, and in the habit and appearance of a private person, but in his behavior as a king. So he concealed nothing of the truth, but spoke thus before his face: "O Caesar, as I was made king of the Jews by Antony, so do I profess that I have used my royal authority in the best manner, and entirely for his advantage; nor will I conceal this further, that thou hadst certainly found me in arms, and an inseparable companion of his, had not the Arabians hindered me. However, I sent him as many auxiliaries as I was able, and many ten thousand [cori] of corn. Nay, indeed, I did not desert my benefactor after the bow that was given him at Actium; but I gave him the best advice I was able, when I was no longer able to assist him in the war; and I told him that there was but one way of recovering his affairs, and that was to kill Cleopatra; and I promised him that, if she were once dead, I would afford him money and walls for his security, with an army and myself to assist him in his war against thee: but his affections for Cleopatra stopped his ears, as did God himself also who hath bestowed the government on thee. I own myself also to be overcome together with him; and with his last fortune I have laid aside my diadem, and am come hither to thee, having my hopes of safety in thy virtue; and I desire that thou wilt first consider how faithful a friend, and not whose friend, I have been."

Archelaus went down now to the sea-side, with his mother and his friends, Poplas, and Ptolemy, and Nicolaus, and left behind him Philip, to be his steward in the palace, and to take care of his domestic affairs. Salome went also along with him with her sons, as did also the king's brethren and sons-in-law. These, in appearance, went to give him all the assistance they were able, in order to secure his succession, but in reality to accuse him for his breach of the laws by what he had done at the temple.

In Perea also, Simon, one of the servants to the king, relying upon the handsome appearance and tallness of his body, put a diadem upon his own head also; he also went about with a company of robbers that he had gotten together, and burnt down the royal palace that was at Jericho, and many other costly edifices besides, and procured himself very easily spoils by rapine, as snatching them out of the fire. And he had soon burnt down all the fine edifices, if Gratus, the captain of the foot of the king's party, had not taken the Trachonite archers, and the most warlike of Sebaste, and met the man. His footmen were slain in the battle in abundance; Gratus also cut to pieces Simon himself, as he was flying along a strait valley, when he gave him an oblique stroke upon his neck, as he ran away, and brake it. The royal palaces that were near Jordan at Betharamptha were also burnt down by some other of the seditious that came out of Perea.

These men are despisers of riches, and so very communicative as raises our admiration. Nor is there any one to be found among them who hath more than another; for it is a law among them, that those who come to them must let what they have be common to the whole order,--insomuch that among them all there is no appearance of poverty, or excess of riches, but every one's possessions are intermingled with every other's possessions; and so there is, as it were, one patrimony among all the brethren. They think that oil is a defilement; and if any one of them be anointed without his own approbation, it is wiped off his body; for they think to be sweaty is a good thing, as they do also to be clothed in white garments. They also have stewards appointed to take care of their common affairs, who every one of them have no separate business for any, but what is for the uses of them all.