Fragments

THE WRITINGS OF PAPIAS THAT ARE COMMONLY CIRCULATED NUMBER FIVE: and they are called an Exposition of the Oracles of the Lord. Irenaeus mentions these as the only works written by him, in the following words: "Now testimony is given to these matters in writing by Papias, an ancient man who was a hearer of John and a friend of Polycarp, in the fourth of his books; for five books were composed by him." Thus wrote Irenaeus. Moreover, Papias himself, in the introduction to his books, makes it clear that he was not a hearer and eyewitness of the holy apostles; but he tells us that he received the truths of our religion from those who were acquainted with them [the apostles] in the following words.

BUT I WILL NOT HESITATE TO INCLUDE: along with my interpretations, whatever instructions I carefully received at any time from the elders, and stored up with care in my memory, assuring you at the same time of their truth. For I did not, like most people, enjoy those who spoke a lot, but those who taught the truth; nor those who shared strange commandments, but those who repeated the commandments given by the Lord to faith, and proceeding from truth itself. If, then, anyone who had interacted with the elders came, I asked specifically about their sayings—what Andrew or Peter said, or what was said by Philip, or by Thomas, or by James, or by John, or by Matthew, or any other of the Lord’s disciples: which things Aristion and the presbyter John, the disciples of the Lord, say. For I believed that what was to be gained from books was not as valuable to me as what came from the living and enduring voice.

THE EARLY CHRISTIANS REFERRED TO THOSE WHO PRACTICED A GODLY GUILELESSNESS AS CHILDREN: as mentioned by Papias in the first book of the Lord’s Expositions, and by Clemens Alexandrinus in his Pædagogue.

Judas walked in this world as a sad example of impiety; for his body swelled so much that he couldn’t pass where a chariot could easily pass, and he was crushed by the chariot, causing his bowels to gush out.

AS THE ELDERS WHO HAD SEEN JOHN: the disciple of the Lord, remembered hearing from him how the Lord taught about those times, He said: “The days will come when vines will grow, each having ten thousand branches, with each branch having ten thousand twigs, each true twig having ten thousand shoots, each shoot having ten thousand clusters, and each cluster having ten thousand grapes. Every grape when pressed will produce twenty-five metretes of wine. And when any saint picks a cluster, another will say, ‘I am a better cluster, take me; bless the Lord through me.’ In the same way, He said, a grain of wheat will produce ten thousand ears of grain, with every ear having ten thousand grains, and every grain yielding ten pounds of clear, pure, fine flour; apples, seeds, and grass will produce similarly; and all animals, feeding only on the earth's produce, will be peaceable and harmonious, perfectly subject to man.”

These things are recorded in writing by Papias, an ancient man who heard John and was a friend of Polycarp, in the fourth of his five books. He added, saying, “Now these things are believable to believers. And Judas the traitor, not believing, asked, ‘How shall such growths happen by the Lord?’ The Lord replied, ‘Those who come will see them.’ These are the times mentioned by the prophet Isaiah: ‘And the wolf shall lie down with the lamb,’ and so on.”

AS THE ELDERS SAY: those who are deemed worthy of a place in heaven shall go there, others shall enjoy the delights of Paradise, and others shall possess the splendor of the city; for everywhere the Saviour will be seen, according to how worthy they are who see Him. There is a distinction between the dwelling of those who produce a hundredfold, those who produce sixtyfold, and those who produce thirtyfold. The first group will be taken up into the heavens, the second will dwell in Paradise, and the last will inhabit the city.

This is why the Lord said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions:” for everything belongs to God, who provides all with a suitable dwelling place, just as His word says, that a share is given to each according to their worthiness. This is the place where they shall recline who are invited to the wedding feast. The elders, who are the disciples of the apostles, say that this is the order and arrangement of those who are saved, and that they advance through steps of this nature; they ascend through the Spirit to the Son, and through the Son to the Father; in due time, the Son will yield His work to the Father, as the apostle says, “For He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet.

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” For in the kingdom times, the just person on earth shall forget to die. “When He says all things are put under Him, it is clear that the One who put all things under Him is excepted. When all things are subdued unto Him, then the Son will also be subject to the One who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all.”

PAPIAS: whom we mentioned earlier, claims that he received the sayings of the apostles from those who were with them, and he also asserts that he personally heard Aristion and the presbyter John. He frequently mentions them by name, and in his writings, he shares their traditions. Our notice of these details may prove useful. It may also be worthwhile to add to Papias's statements already given, other passages of his where he describes some miraculous deeds, saying that he learned of them from tradition. The stay of the Apostle Philip with his daughters in Hierapolis has already been mentioned. We should now highlight how Papias, who lived at the same time, says that he received an extraordinary account from the daughters of Philip, reporting that a dead man was raised to life in his day. He also mentions another miracle regarding Justus, also known as Barsabas, who consumed a deadly poison but was unharmed, due to the grace of the Lord.

Papias also notes other things as coming to him from unwritten tradition, including some unusual parables and teachings of the Saviour, and some other more fanciful items. Among these, he says there will be a millennium after the resurrection of the dead, when the personal reign of Christ will be established on this earth. He also records, in his own writings, other narratives given by the previously mentioned Aristion concerning the Lord’s sayings, and the traditions of the presbyter John. For further information on these topics, we refer readers to the books themselves; but now, in addition to the extracts already made, we will add, as a matter of primary importance, a tradition regarding Mark, who wrote the Gospel, which Papias stated in these words: The presbyter said this: Mark, having become Peter's interpreter, accurately wrote down everything he remembered. However, he did not recount the sayings or deeds of Christ in exact order. For he neither heard the Lord nor followed Him directly. But later, as I mentioned, he accompanied Peter, who adjusted his teachings to the needs of his listeners, without intending to provide a systematic account of the Lord’s sayings. Therefore, Mark did not err in writing some things as he remembered them. For he took particular care not to omit anything he heard and not to include anything fictitious in his accounts.

This is what Papias reports about Mark; regarding Matthew, he made the following statements: Matthew compiled the oracles of the Lord in the Hebrew language, and each person interpreted them as best as they could. The same individual uses examples from the First Epistle of John and the Epistle of Peter similarly. He also provides another story of a woman accused of many sins before the Lord, which is found in the Gospel according to the Hebrews.

PAPIAS SAYS VERBATIM: To some of them [angels] He gave dominion over the arrangement of the world, and He instructed them to exercise their dominion well. And he says immediately after this: but it happened that their arrangement came to nothing.

REGARDING THE INSPIRATION OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION: we consider it unnecessary to add another word; for the blessed Gregory Theologus and Cyril, as well as even older figures like Papias, Irenæus, Methodius, and Hippolytus, have given entirely satisfactory testimony to it.

DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM PAPIAS OF HIERAPOLIS: the illustrious disciple of the apostle who leaned on the bosom of Christ, along with Clemens, Pantænus the priest of the Church of the Alexandrians, and the wise Ammonius, the ancient and foremost interpreters, who were in agreement with each other, understood the work of the six days as referring to Christ and the whole Church.

1. Mary, the mother of the Lord; 2. Mary, the wife of Cleophas or Alphaeus, who was the mother of James the bishop and apostle, Simon, Thaddeus, and Joseph; 3. Mary Salome, the wife of Zebedee, mother of John the evangelist and James; 4. Mary Magdalene. These four Marys are found in the Gospel. James, Judas, and Joseph were sons of an aunt (2) of the Lord. James and John were also sons of another aunt (3) of the Lord. Mary (2), the mother of James the Less and Joseph, and the wife of Alphaeus, was the sister of Mary, the mother of the Lord, whom John refers to as of Cleophas, either after her father, family clan, or for another reason. Mary Salome (3) is called Salome, possibly due to her husband or her village. Some claim that she is the same as Mary of Cleophas, because she had two husbands.