STEPHEN BAR SUDAILI

THE SYRIAN MYSTIC

AND

THE BOOK OF HIEEOTHEOS.

STEPHEN BAR SUDAILI

THE SYRIAN MYSTIC

AND;
:

tilt

;..:,',.
'

:'

'>

THE BOOK OP HIEROTHEOS.

BY

A.

L.FKOTHINGHAM.
t

LEYDEN. -

E.

1886.

J.

BRILL.

JR.

it

till

Printed by x.

J.

BKILL, Leiden.

660873

TABLE OP CONTENTS.

Introduction: the mystico-pantheiatic schools of Egypt

and Syria
Ch.

I.

The

writings

Syria,

p.

of

Pseudo-Dionysios

and long-continued

their

influence

spread

in

the

through

2.

Middle-Ages
Ch.

II.

1.

Stephen Bar Sudaili, the East-Syrian mystic.

Was

he

the author of the Boot of Hierotheos and the master

of Pseudo-Dionysios?

Ch.

III.

Letter

of

Jacob

6.

of Sarug to

supporting against

Stephen Bar Sudaili,

him the Church doctrine

eternity of punishment. Syriac text

Ch.

IV. Letter of Philoxenos or Xenaias of

and Orestes concerning Bar

of the

and translation

Mabug

Sudaili;

to Stephen

exposing his

God

pantheistic doctrine of the consubstantiality of

and the material Universe

and the redemption of

by assimilation to the divine

Syriac text and translation
all existence

Ch.

V. The philosophic system of Bar Sudaili

in the preceding letters,
of
,

Ch.

Hierotheos

and

the

principle.
29.

as

expounded
compared with the Book
,

Dionysian fragments

of

Hierotheos

VI. Biography

11.

49.

of Bar Sudaili. His birth at Edessa.

Pro-

bability of his temporary residence in Egypt: documents confirming this hypothesis. His return to
Edessa and subsequent residence in or near Jeru-

salem, shortly after A. D. 500

........

56.

TABLE Or CONTENTS.

VI.

Ch.

VII. Bar Sudaili

considered by Syrian
of Antiocb

Kyriakos
c

Bar

John of Dara

e.

g.

and Gregory

be the author of the Book of

to

Bbraia,

writers

Hierotheos

p.
f

63.

Ch. VIII. The Book of flierotheos preserved in a Syriac MS. of

the British

Museum.

or a version

Is this

Syriac text the original,

from a lost Greek original

for considering the assertion of a

Reasons

Greek original

to

be a part of the fraud

Ch.

IX. The high position given by Pseudo-Dionysios to his

master Hierotheos.

X. The question of priority

produced

XL The
XII.

.......

74.

was the Book of Hierotheos

view of the Dionysian writings, or

in

an original and anterior production?

it

81.

commentaries of Theodosios of Antioch and Gre-

gory Bar
Ch.

claims only to expand and

comparison of the two writers.

was
Ch.

He

the uninitiated the ideas of his master.

to

present

Ch.

,,69.

Ebraia on the Book of Hierotheos

of the

Summary

Book of Hierotheos on the Hidden

Mysteries of the Divinity

Book

I.

On

84.

91.

the Good, the Universal Essence, and

92.

distinct existences

Book

II.

The various

of the
it

Book

species of motion: the ascent

mind towards the Good, during which

must endure the

III.

The

sufferings of Christ

resurrection of the

situdes of its conflict with the

and

its final identification

first

,,

96.

vicis-

powers of

with Christ

Book IV. The mind becomes one

mind, the

evil
.

,,100.

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

two great centres of false mysticism and

and between them there ever existed the closest

were

Egypt

pantheism

relations.

centuries of Christianity, East Syria and

first

the

Although

Egyptian

and the

thought

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 charto their

acter

vivid fancy and

by a

guished

speculations, the

they did not seek

On

the

other

to

hand,

Syrian schools were distin-

a bold speculation,

which

to

give a philosophical or a logical form.

if

we

try

to connect by analogy the

Syrian Gnostics and mystics with preceding systems of thought,

we

the later Persian system, to

and

to the

Jewish Kabbala, which probably flourished in their

very midst

The

the

among

doctrines of Bardesanes and of

in the East

Manes preserved great

Syrian Church, even until

middle of the fourth century, when

and labored
wield

From

the Jewish settlements of Babylonia.

and influence

force

as

against

heresies

them with
which

all

the

S.

Ephraem wrote

influence he could

had deep root among

this time forward Syrian

siastical

into

which they stood to

the debased Ghaldaean worship,

easily perceive the close relation in

all

classes.

mysticism took a more eccle-

form, and pantheistic doctrine became subtly infused

the orthodox forms of belief, producing a steadily pro-

gressive inversion of the Christian faith.

Frothi&gtam

Bar

[Sudaili.

THE WRITINGS OF PSEUDO-DIONYSIOS.

I.

the

After
of

of S.

Ephraem
in the
movement
any prominent
the

until

last

years

when

succeeding,

Paul

of the

It

*).

not hear

mystical school

of Syria

373)

century or the

fifth

first

of the

there suddenly appeared a body of writings

has been

nized that they were the

probability,

we do

(f

be by Dionysios the Areopagite

to

purporting

Saint

epoch

the convert of

some time generally recog-

for

work of

this period

2
)

written by some follower of Proclus

have been a Syrian monk

*)

and,

),

in all

who may

a theory supported by the fact

and studied by the whole

East, these writings were brought forward and most powerthat,

fully

eagerly received

although

supported by the Syrians.

works

to

becoming

be

the

production

All

of a

mystics recognized these

master-mind, worthy of

their guide in pantheistic speculation.

The extent

were used can be appreciated on consulting

Syriac mss., where Dionysios is adduced as authority in most

which

to

they

by the Monophysites.
was not only the mystical schools and the Eastern

controversial writings, especially

But

1)

it

S. Dionysii

Areopagitae Opera omida stud, et op. Balth. Corderii:

TIT and IV. Darboy (1'abbd), (Euvres de Saint

Migne, Patr. Graecae T.

Areopagite. Paris 1845.

Dulac, (Euvres de Saint Denis I'Are'opagite. Paris 1865.
2) Gieseler, A text-book of Church, history, New- York 1857, vol. I, p. 468.
Schaff, History of the Christian Church, vol. Ill, p. 604.
Baur, Ge-

Denis

1'

Cf. J.

schichte der Kirche, T. II, p. 59

1840. II Buch. p. 902.

schichte,

Christ: Div. II, vol. I, p. 157

3) Engelhardt,

65. Gfrorer, Allgemeiue KirchengeDorner, Doctrine of the person of

and 422.

Baur, Gfrorer, Schaff,

etc. etc.
etc.

Dorner connects him with

the Monophysites.
4) Gfrorer, ibid. p. 912. Gieseler, ibid, considers him to have flourished in Egypt and to coincide with Cyrill in the doctrine of the person

Westcott (Contemp. Review, May 1867) thinks that the

of Christ
Pseudo-Dionysian writings were composed A.D. 480520 either at Edessa
or under the influence of the Edessa School". This judgment is founded
!

on the relation

to

Bar

Sudaili.

The

that supported the Pseudo-Dionysian writings.

heretics

orthodox

at

first

protested

them

against

at the Council of

Constantinople in 533, and denied their genuineness, by the

mouth of Hypatius, who attributed them to the Apollinarists

hut 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

and proofs

in

many arguments

favor of Church institutions and ecclesiastical

and from these two causes the Pseudo-Dionysian

authority;

writings were

the Great

*),

even

accepted

Martin

),

by the Popes

as

by Gregory

3
).

and Agatho

Almost contemporaneously with the appearance of the Dionysian writings there appeared also a Syriac version of them,

rendered necessary by the favor they were obtaining through-

out

The author

Syria.

archiater

or

physician

of

this

of Ras'ain

nomenon

that a follower of Aristotle should find the greatest

of false mystics a congenial spirit, and should

become

oughly impregnated with his doctrines: that

was

is

Sergius

the

a characteristic phe-

It is

).

was Sergius

536), the famous Aris-

(1

and writer on medicine

totelian

version

shown even more

clearly

it

so

thor-

with

by the long introduction

which he prefixed to his version of the Pseudo-Dionysios 5),

where he shows himself to be not a simple translator but
an original thinker in mysticism.
school
is

was

Of course the Alexandrian

the link between the two.

In this connection

it

interesting to note a passage in a contemporary work, the

ecclesiastical history attributed to Zacharias Rhetor, in \yhich

Sergius

1)

2)

is

characterized as an

eloquent

In his 34*h homily, on the Gospel of

Acta Synodi Lateran. a. 660.

3) Letter to the

Luke,

Emp. Constantino for the Cotmcil

4) This version is contained in Brit.

5) Brit.

S.

man and

Mus. Add. 22.370.

learned

//in

ch. 15.

of Constantinople, a. 680.

Mas. Add. 12.151 and 12.152,

etc.

Greek

and

literature

doctrine

the

in

of Origen"

The

*).

Origenistic revival of the beginning of the sixth century

was

in perfect accord with the theories of the Pseudo-Die nysios

still

it

interesting to note this

is

The

further connection.

who have undertaken

writers

ment of the influence of

to trace the develop-

the Pseudo-Areopagite have confined

and have neglected

the very important part taken by Syrian writers in this movement. It was in reality as important as either of the forthemselves to Greek and Latin literature

and can boast nearly as

mer,

many noteworthy

representa-

Contemporary with the scholia of John ofScythopolis,

example, who was the first Greek commentator of Dio-

tives.

for

nysios,

we

already
the

is

find the

version and scholia of Sergius of Ras'ain,

mentioned;

and while the next Greek commentator

noted

flourished in the seventh cen-

represented again in the sixth century

is

Syria

tury,

who

Maximus,

itself

by the monk Joseph Huzaja who wrote a a>cufiocucu:i jix.a&

2
Afterwards, and not quite
//Commentary on Dionysios" ).
,

than Maximus,

a century later

and John bishop of Dara 4 ).

of the Celestial and Ecclesiastical

Phocas bar Sergius of Edessa

This

latter

Hierarchies

treats

and

only

does

not

commentary, but holds

ters.

During the

latest

appear the commentaries of

confine

be

possible

in

the

the

period of Syriac literature

present

quaintance with Syrian literature

1)

to

office

of a

forth original views in various

chap-

commentary of Theodore bar Zarudi

not

itself

of

Edessa

we

).

find the

It

would

incomplete state of our acto

give a satisfactory account

Land, Anecdota Syriaca T. Ill, p. 289.

Yeshu, Catal. of Syrian writers, in Assem. Bib. Or. T.

2) 'Ebed

Ill,

P. I, p. 103.
3)

W. Wright

The MS.
4)

5)

is

Catal. of the Syriac mss. of the Brit.

Mus. T.

II, p.

493.

dated A.D. 804.

Assemani Catal. Codd. Syr. T. II, p. 530: cf. Bib. Or. T.II, p. 120.
W. Wright, op. cit., p. 500. MS. Add J52.370, of the XIV or XV century.

who have mentioned Dionysiosor

mention during the
Still we can

of the early Syrian writers

followed

his

doctrines.

sixth century such distinguished

of Nineveh

Isaac

nicus

l
)

John of Apamea

At

the

the ninth

and Peter of

new

time when, with the opening of a

century,

increased

ries

religious thought

than

rather

took a

new form and

the influence of the Pseudo-

waned

and

continued

it

in

He was

of most of the theo-

the authority,, the starting-point,

put forth

Gaili-

period in

throughout the constructive period of Scholasticism.

made

).

scholastic theology began its rule

Dionysios

as Severus of Antioch

Patriarch of Antioch

men

one form by the founder of Scholasticism

John Erigena, and

by the school of St. Victor,

by the German mystics Eckhart and Tauler, and by Thomas
Aquinas himself. A writer has remarked that, if the writings
others

in

of Dionysios had been lost

from the works of Aquinas

his

cially

back

to

Now

tract

they could be almost reconstituted

4

).

//Itinerarium

To read Buonaventura,

espe-

mentis in Deum", carries one

Dionysios as his immediate inspiring source.

Pseudo-Dion ysios confesses

in the faith,

having had two teachers

to

S.Paul and one named Hierotheos

the for-

mention of Dionysios' Celest. Hierarchy (cf. Asaem. B. 0.

De materia quam exigit anima ut a corporeis
are indications that Isaac was himself a mysthere
cogitationibus etc.",
tical writer. 'Ebed Yeshu in his catal. gives the titles of two of his writ1) Besides his

I, 451) in his

sermon

ings which were evidently of this character:

on the government of the

spirit",

and

2)

1) jjoi.i

nS*T3O.i

Kl*orAr<' ri'tr^H A%-

Ay
on

the Divine mysteries".

2) See in Cod. Syr. Vat. XCIII his treatises and letters: 1) on spiritual government; 2) on the incomprehensibility of God; 3) on spiritual

communion with God.

3) He quotes Dionysios (Div. Names ch.
Damianum L. II, ch. 41 and 47; see Cod.

4) J. Dulac, Oeuvres de S.
5) Divine

Names

II, 11.

and V) in his Libri contra

Syr. Vat. CVIII f. 282 sqq.
Denys rAre"opagite traduitea du grec, p. 105.
I

mer

of course a fiction

is

Hierotheos
as divine

the latter

praised by him

is

in

as an inspired mystic

may have more

reality.

the most

glowing terms,
whose writings are a second

and whose knowledge of divine

devrega hoyia ')
things was far above his own. The fragments of his writings

Bible,

by Pseudo-Dionysios are interesting:

given

from

his

work

entitled

'EgaTixoi vjuvoi

Erotic

If,

).

as is

well

trines of the
Pseudo-Dionysios, of
it

of the latter:

what

unanswered,

more

a form

Pseudo-Areopagite!

man

is

taken

and from a

The Elements of
of scholastic

founded on the doc-

what extraordinary

interest

not be to discover the very source of these doctrines

their origin in

ings?

known, the whole

theology and of mediaeval mysticism

would

Hymns

Osokoyucai ffTot%siG>0si

Theology

they are
2

Hence

who was

it

this

abstract than that given by the

was

for

often asked

by the followers
Hierotheos? what were his writ-

known of him?

is

These

questions

remained

nothing could be gleaned concerning such a

except from the Dionysian

Then

writings themselves.

the question naturally followed: did such a person ever exist?

was he not a mere Dionysian figment?

We

hope

to

give

in

the

4
).

following pages

an

answer

to

some of these questions, and will present in outline an unpublished 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.

II.

STEPHEN BAR SUDAILI.

To the very period now almost unanimously assigned

1) Div.
2) Div.

ch. IV,

8)

ch. II,

Names,
Names,
Diy. Names,

ch. Ill,

to

II.

XV, XVI, and XVII.

X, and probably Eccl.

4) Dallaeus, Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita.

Hier. ch. II, p.

1.

the production of the Pseudo-Dionysiana belongs a prominent

and

interesting

available

of these two

have been so few that

to the present

up

his posi-

and individuality have never been clearly defined

tion

the

Among

letters of

Abraham and Orestes

Sudaili

we

that of the

Church,

not by any means fortuitous, but the materials

is

phenomena

Syrian

The connection

Stephen Bar Sudaili.

mystic

to

the

in

figure

2
:

derive

Philoxenos of
,

document

this

little

),

regarding him

our information

and

concerning Bar

Bar Sudaili

for

the letter of

himself adds

but

few other notices we have been able

the

do so

collect referring to the latter

Bar Sudaili

').

one written

the principal source from which

is

Jacob of Sarug addressed to

3

Mabug

priests of Edessa

is

in

to

hut few words.

important, not only as a prominent repre-

is

sentative of the mystical school of East Syria, but as

being

connected with an interesting literary and religious question

the

solution

of which

whether or no he
and in
the

what

is

his master

*).

terial relating to

To

never

been attempted:

the author of the

relation

Pseudo-Dion ysios,

has

work

this

who

collect

plish in a short while, so

that

what

the

all

will

ma-

available

attempt to accom-

competent judges

may

have

the opportunity of forming their opinion on the question.

order to do this

1)

Asseman being the common source of

is

all

that has

been said on

in the vuriety of construction placed

his words.

2) See
3)

In

hope to publish before long the complete

Bar Sudaili, the only difference

upon

Hierotheos to have been

and present
is

Book of Hierotheos

stands to the writings of

asserts

this subject

that is,

page 28.

See page 10.

4) The probable identity of Bar Sudaili and Pseudo-Hierotheos has

been assumed, on the sole authority of Bar 'Ebraia, e. g. by Zockler in
his article on B. S. in Herzog's Real Encyk. (T. XV. p. 2035) who is
,

followed in the Cyclop, of Messrs Clintock and Strong (vol.

p.

9).

text of Ihe

Book of Hierotheos

the

in

Greek original now

sion of a supposed

lost.

of this version has long lain unnoticed

of the British Museum.

The unique copy

the

among

For the present

treasures

will limit

of Sarug with a translation,

and an

with a few

of Hierotheos, together

and the form of

lustrate

its

guage.

As a necessary introduction

principles

given, as far as
to

is

possible

Book of

the

among Syrian writers.

The conditions necessary

the

abstract of
extracts

to

myself

and Jacob

this essay, the letters of Philoxenos

to giving, in

references

Syriae ver-

so-called

which

Book

will

il-

thought and lan-

its

analysis will be

this

the chain^of judgments on and

which

Hierotheos

to the

found

are

formation of a judgment,

from the intrinsic evidence, on the probability of Bar Sudaili

being the author are, after examining the analysis and refutation

of

the

doctrines of Bar Sudaili in

and Jacob of Sarug,

loxenos

the second

fect

the first place,

in

place,

to

decide

correspondence between the

whether there

latter

compare

is

per-

and the fragments of

the //Elements of Theology" and the //Erotic

rotheos

to

those of the Book of Hierotheos, and,

these doctrines with

in

the letters of Phi-

Hymns"

of Hie-

quoted by the Pseudo-Dionysios in his book on the

'/Divine

we must

Names"

and

in

his

//Eccles.

see whether there are

Hierarchy".

Finally

any other documents which

connect Bar Sudaili with the supposed Hierotheos.

The two

letters

concerning Bar Sudaili have been

principally through

by Asseman

in his //Bibliotheca Orientalis" );

1) T. II, p. 30 sqq.;

known

the full analysis of that of Philoxenos given

of.

T. I, p. 303.

and many church

such

historians,

Neander

as

on the strength of

have,

important position

Gfrorer

) ,

*)

as illustrating the mystical side of

sitism and the influence of the Origenistic

theism

which

appear in a

to

is

fully recognized

texts themselves.
polis
all

is

the

clearer

still

written in

The

more welcome

neglected and remain

it

His pan-

now be made

publication of the

Philoxenos bishop of Hiera-

letter of

the

that

writings

extensive,

very

inedited.

does not furnish

show much

the

etc.,

an exquisitely pure Syriac, and will be

Syriac writers, though

though

by

can

Monophy-

revival.

by them

light

Bar Sudaili an

assigned to

this,

Dorner

The

many

this

of

have

letter of

been entirely

Jacob of Sarug

additional data

theological acuteness,

is

purest of

and does not

a good specimen of his

flowery diction and persuasive language.

1)

General History of the Christian Religion and Church,

v. II, p.

2) Allgemeine Kirchengeschichte 1840, T. II, p. 902.

3) Doctrine of the Person of Christ, div. II, vol. I, p. 132.
,

555

557

10

/'I_>\"_*
(

r<JLrf

.10.*

la

J ~\
M
pdl^JLflorC

oanv

,i*-.

TSQ.l

>03

ca_l r^i.TS&g Kla^cni .v-^o

r<Sa*iv^.

vy re' cr

ocn

1) In the text,

A. D. 603 (A.

G-.

A, we follow
914):

as the

beginning

supplied from B. M. Add. 17,163

l)from the

latter

(f.

MS. marked B,

Add.

Mus.

Brit.

is

14,587

wanting

(f.

in this

1), dated
MS.,

it is

The various readings are taken

23#).

also assigned to the

VII

cent.

2)

from

C, the Yat. Syr. 107 (60, b, 1), which belongs to the VIII cent.; and
3) from D the long extract in B. M. Add. 17 193 dated A. D. 874 (f. 98).
,

The

a)

title in

Klar

omits.

ena&vK'.

e)

is

died*

6)

.=3CXn^*

C adds

,03.

c]

^so.l tcnoi.lKla.

K^xrL^ con ^acn*^90.l

A)

C A.^o.i.

iQ.l cnL.i *-& coL.i

omits.

V)

/) C rdsaVik..

omits.

1)

d)

g)

B cncuVin.

11

III.

LETTER OF MAR YA'OCB TO STEPHEN BAR SDDA1LL

It

well for thee

is

God, and

friend of

that in the

love of

the

shalt

reap

the

for

excellent things

daily

time

come

will

this

laborer sows

the

the seed but the

does he

sow,

that he

works,

thy intelligent soul

for

God thou sowest

when

for

his mind's eye, not

for

honorable

and be not anxious regarding the

good sowing,

and

is

it

hope of God

unto

thou walkest in glorious

that

that thou

fruits of

thy

he considers,

in

furrows

full

of fruits;

gather the

may

fruits.

comprehends the new world, it despises

the possessions of the old world and hastens to divide them
For,

when

among

the soul

the needy,

the abode

of

light,

it

is

be for

where good

things

But

workers of good.
or flowers:

may

that

they

this troubled

it

world

as

are
is

treasure in

given

to

the

as grass, hay,

shadow which recedes and hastens

to pass

and remove the day-light (?); a lovely flower, whose beauty

soon withers and perishes.
Its riches are a dream and its
possessions a

deceptive

vision.

Error attaches to

its

posses-

12
ocn\

i-i.x. r^A.i

rf i

rcr.u.Vjn.a

>xrAcv

K'.T-JA-J.t

r<$xz.aiS)t

A-a*.

r^^J^.i

r^T<M

arc*

encnftia

/K'icvsw rdaca*

<

sai'i

>.

ca\

cal

>

TKr.rC'

r<lxjj.i

.'.'

va!*-

rdlLK' p9

jj^.i.l

K'irtl&.a crA

'.tA.iBK'^ociA ^"ci3oaA\r<'.'i
,cn r^lini.

Klaai^.t ca*jt5Ooi
.

Kbcno

>cn

r<l\.i

cnialcua

KlAo

d)

C n^-li\*3.

C ixJw^K'.l.

jai-i*..

V)

e)

6)

C K*.TMJ.I

ii^.i\rc'

^jao'i&^?90-

Z)

C K'ruLa.

o)

C Kll.Tn4v3.

m) With,
j?)

this

v^.1.1.

,14^.^^
i)

c)

/) C vJoai^a.

*2w<x^.

word begins 14,587.

fc)

g}

C oca.^r^.1.
n)

llAlo\.

sions

as to the treasure-trove of a

him who

riches

which does nol

is

exist.

repents for

making
Awake' Awake!

arm of

the Lord:

and come,

asleep

dream

which

in sleep en-

so that he rejoices in a discovery

When

he awakes, he

ashamed and

is

the mistake of rejoicing in unreal possessions.

prudent soul! put on the strength of the

flee

from the vain visions

of the night,

rejoice in the beautiful light of day.

Cast

away

from thee the possessions which dreams give unto thee, and
error,

despise

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 introduced

is

wealth and power, which

edge

reigned from the

has been destroyed by the

tree of

life.

the keys of

The

exposed by the light of the Cross.

fruit

tree

desire of

of knowl-

which dawned from the

The guardian of Paradise has been removed that

the Garden might be given to the thief who was
,

deemed worthy of the

right hand.

The

lance of the Cherub 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,

who were

and he has opened the garden that those

expelled might return to their place.

giver descended from heaven,

The

became the teacher

great law-

of the world,

and the creation was illuminated with his doctrine, (which

that no

man

is)

covet riches which he has not: w provide neither

gold nor silver nor brass in your purses, neither two coats, nor

14

cdsolxao

rc'raiv

ncdsoi^ r^Acv

ciaci&

aa^.

re^p

OT*IV

crA

vN

9
-

vA

rdfla*.ii^

inil**

ca-X Khcn&t.i vvixia

."V-M^^

KlA

vy~=Ji
ocn

vA
ins. vyrc' A*>i OK*
or*"

rdi

m
ocn

^
a)
d)
<7)

/)

^ ^ ./'Klnll^ oalxio
-^^Ao pa

C cb^'-ioLSk^nci.

G rLLLn.

e)

C AxaiacnT

h]

BC K&vsau'in.

oral.

p)

KliiL

V)

B ^QA^jjrCla,

rt'isaa.s*..!

BC

^ii*r>.

m) B

&vi&\.l-

C K'isaa.a
i)

oca\o i n

c)

AK!

v^caAr^
n) B ooaAo.

/) C omits.
)

B Ai<xA_a.
o)

aa.1

15
and salute no man by the way"

slave, nor scrip;

way

is fearful, for its

the

world

pathways are

full

The

').

of snares. Pass on! leave

and be not taken up with

its

The Lord

affairs.

says: ,,Take therefore no .thought for the morrow; sufficient

unto the day

and hasten your coarse

If

evils.

riches,

lest

comes

beauty

to

them under

tread

the evil thereof"

is

Remember

).

Lot's wife

world ensnare you with

the

it:

thee, despise

if

3
)

its

thou findest

foot: cast possessions behind thee:

look not after power: let thy country, thy house and thy family

be strangers

The Garden

to thee.

advance in haste

the beautiful bride-chamber.

to

unto thyself a treasure upon earth

Thou

to destruction.

over

to

paradise

God begot

thou among thorns?

),

art called to

things:

earthly

open and awaits

is

thee:

Lay not up

for the earth is destined

heaven; give not thyself

awaits thee;

what

willst

thee of water and spirit, and

brought thee up by the blood of His Son, and called

to

Let thy nature move thee

be His heir.

who numbered

among His

thee

sons.

Oh

to love the

work

thee

Father

like a

la-

and receive as thy wages the kingdom of Heaven.

Oh! fear as a servant, and flee from the fire which threat-

borer

ens sinners.

Do good,
that
fiery

Minister

unto the Father with a child's love.

that thou mayest inherit the

thou

be

delivered

mayest
passage alms become

and he

who has

divided

easily passes the gulf that

1)

Matthew X, 9: Luke X, 4: note

From Matthew VI

3)

Luke XVII,

4) Matt.

VI,

32.

19.

34.

possessions

fire.

among
the

evil,

For on the

givers

placed between

2)

from the

bridge to the

his
is

Kingdom: hate
of

them

the

two

poor
sides.

transpositions and omissions.

16
frUaeWnx.ni'a c^uacn r^qp-o

A^rdsol

>1

.^o^xacrucv

rc'.'icaA

caA isaK'.i KtrAr^

.'i

mA

r^ia

rellcn

\.i

g\s,\.i

a)

caA

*.

C ^As;

^)

rC'Asaflo.i

ACV1 .Twrc^
s)

inserts

aco

^))

^3

c)

C rr^IwO.

o.
C

m) C
omits.

^V=ar<'.

r^ V

K'T2k

col

^cvi

C ca*i&O.

rtf\

ll

>oeo

V)

e)

,\v

rdzai caA
.

i_^.o

.TtlnJiifio

^icoa A^LM&U r\.i .i^'ji^t.a r^v\QA\

rd\

jajsou.i

pa

t)

C rA.1
z)

insert

Ar<l^..

r^nn&

omits.

M)

^UQcb.

Ola.

C pordo.T

caA
j)

BC

/)
fc)

n)

cZ)

omits.

^)

C rd&axM.l rcAl.

B i<Acu^.l.

rcAc\a?9.

T3r!

BC

u)

r)

o)

if

was an hungered and ye gave me meat I was thirsty

and ye gave me drink I was sick and ye visited me naked
and ye clothed me. I was in prison and ye came unto me.
//For

Therefore come in peace,

would

not

long

and hasten

lation,

him, "Come
and be

fear

do

ye blessed of

word

this

to

so

my

full

Father"

of

Who

*).

conso-

every

and distribute

disperse

the

among

may hear God saying unto

peace"? And who is there that would not

his possessions,

all

needy

for

in

with terror and trembling and hasten to

filled

he be joined unto those to

lest

good works,

that he

whom

the

Judge says: //Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting hell".

Life everlasting, and hell everlasting: there is no end to
terrible

and no

life,

is

termination

on the right hand there

night-darknesa on the

The bridegroom
is

to

closed,

be

bride

and

is

left

hell.

To the

day-light

no evening, and

is

there

is

the outer

to

no morning.

enters and the door of the bride-chamber

who knock, lest the

time when the honor

not opened unto those

covered with

shame

at

the

of the bride-chamber should be guarded

door of the ark arid opened

it

Noah

).

closed the

not unto fornicators that they

might be protected with him from the great deluge.

judgment has been rendered supplication is of no
,

When

of the

the door

which

When
avail.

bride-chamber has been closed, the

open unto the invited guests who entreat,

But He answers and
saying: //Lord, Lord, open unto us".

bride

will not

says unto them:

//I

know you

2)

From Matthew XXV, 34-35*

From Matthew XXV, 10-12.

3)

Here

1)

K"&UA

not at all"

).

He

did

not

seems to be a mistake of the copyist for rclou

the bridegroom".
'

Frothingham, Bar Sudaili.

18

oi
>

\ \

^i
\

>

rdA

A i

n^xjsa rdA.i rdtvr

r<lX

/K'in*K' coa

%.

pn

bifio

*\oi Kto

rC'Ox^jj.l K'orJCXlso.t

,.*

ao
>cn

.i

rrfart

\t<

rc&alAo~r5i*unc'

&)
e)

7t)

B
r<

m) C
o)

inserts

KlAsoAo SO.I

to)

Aui.

o)

*)

rdarC'Jw.T*.

fe)

g)

Olcal

d)

inserts

inserts

..r^rs^ >jjA^ ^n\ya

iiflK*.

O^f.

n)

C en A Au\-

u)

C AcuJ.l.
y)

v)

correctly

Z)

5)

s)

^} C inserts >eb.

Here begins the extract in Add. 17,193.

*)CD rtUuJkla.l.

omits.

c)

rcHn*rc!

C f*cnv

inserts

r)

&z..

VsoK'.

/)

erron.

Kliix.O.

19
will not

say,

know you not". The

virgins, who had willingly

open unto you, but

bridegroom answered the foolish

r/l

allowed the light of their lamps to go out,

accepted

defile not

know you

the chamber of the bridegroom

honor of the bride should be guarded therein

smoke

who

behold the guests

for

Come

wise

virgins.

come

in peace,

remove the

are with the bridegroom

in

peace

ye blessed

the poor

come,

inherit

come

the

in

peace

).

terrible thing to
It

is

for

kingdom prepared
and

the fire prepared for the devil

my

Father

ye sowers of good works

the excellence of your good deeds.

most

of

ye givers of alms; come in peace, ye feed-

ers of

God"

the

guest-chamber are illuminated with the lights of the

in the

when

of your extinguished lamps from the door of the bride-

chamber,

is

not";

not your supplications, for they will not be

//Raise

that is:

i>l

an

offence

fall

full

you on account

Depart
all

ye cursed

his ministers"

*}.

of

into
//It

hands of the living

into the

of foolishness that, for the

enjoyments of a short while, a man should be led into entering hell, to which there is no end. They work iniquities
during

have no
nights.

certain
limit

small

number of days

of days or years,

Perhaps thou wilt say:

1)

2)

Hebrews X,

paraphrase of Matthew
81.

but their torments

for there

How

XXV 3441.
:

are no days or

can a just judge,

for

20
rfcri

.l

003.1

oc

.i.i'vsa.l

ocrio

ooo

.1

ocal.i

t^V

.i

r<hcas

T.

^i

IT, 3

rcbcai

Kdr\OAi\

,iV<\.i

ooao

s
acui

K'.t-u.l

rdi&cn red

Kl\ K'

o) I)

rdiJlrs'n.

omits.

e)

serts ,eio.

^jp^O.
P>

&)

BC ^1^U.
BCD correctly

B os^OAklbaa.
s)

9)

omits.

AS.
/) B

K'.lixau.
h)

m)

i)

e)

insert

omils.

v*.f

AD

nf^OJA

.*^

vO-i^.

read erron.

&urlrl&.

ja.l.l\J^9.1.

cb.
r)

n)

AKt

inserts

^)

g]

omits.

omits.

Kil&cn

o)

d)

iia

D
in-

21

committed during ten,

sins

condemn the sinner

years,

is

judge

rectitude

fop if

lasting fire

it

number

righteous,

thou

of

But the
lover of

be not just that He should cast into ever-

him who has sinned during a short time,

written; then also

who

like

forever into hell?

to fall

and his judgments

just

or

twenty

is

it

not just

that

He

And

if

seems

it

to

him

should cause

has been righteous during a short time to

everlasting kingdom.

as is

inherit

the

thee that the sinner

should be judged according to the number of years during which

he has sinned,

it

enjoy happiness

would then follow that the righteous should

also according

the

to

he

who

practised

remain in the kingdom

leave

for

ten

years

only ten years

would

and
also

and would then

it.

If the
(in

for

the fire for only ten

in

righteousness

of years dur-

So that he who sinned

ing which he practised righteousness.

during ten years would remain

number

first

be just

(proposition)

consequence), then

and the second

who was on

the thief

also right

the right

hand

could have been but a single hour in the Garden of Eden,

for

he burned with

Christ to

remember him

It is not

opinion

(which

is

is)

so, friend,

he had

in his
it

is

when he besought

kingdom.

not so; not according to thine

the righteous judgment of the just

that these should go

righteous into eternal

if

but for an hour

faith

lived

life.

forever,

The
would

into eternal

sinner

who

God governed,
fire,

and the

repents

have sinned forever,

not,

and

22

003
icnflaSua

Kilo

pn
.

'a&fio&^Kh

icocvljj

\s \

rtlacn.i* K'.ica

ndjuw

Kfcvoo

ft

30.00 -n

i:

rc^V

>

>co

co^CMiwxn pa

s \

r cni 13

^s

cvo

Kfc\cn

OCO

a)

<\ i

inserts

KlgM.

6)C

AurHfik.
>_ac_^_J
,

Pdxjj.l.

Aun

rslLsa.i.

d)
ry)

inserts

C Kll&ooo-

adds ,cp.

o)

B rc^cxiikO

q)

C K^<xi2hoa.

Z)

C r<$tcu&.
C

C r<Li&cn.

e)

p]

/j)

w)

omits but inserts after

w)

C poLA.i rC'icUrs

)alsA.i rtlL-w d\i*

BC

rC^OSW.

w)

BD

P^tni'ln.

rtllcn

^&U3.

AurdirdA

rclflL.1V

s)

^)

/)

m) C pdl^cn.t.

C AJ^SQO.

r)

c)

BD CVito^nK'

G 0.0 Klii-.i

/O

\snrt w

C i*O3^\-

u)

BC

28
the

according to

he justly

for

with

many

fruits said

and be merry;

thou hast

years"

for

for

mind

his

enjoyments forever.
this

he

man
would

righteous
as

to eternal

his

have

man

will

justly

by death from

therefore

life

in

forever

up

hut not

off,

itself

up to
which condemns

giving

was concerned

Thus

life,

also the

because, as far

the

life

was,

course

Job also, so

of righteousness.

was attacked with

cut off

his control,

beyond

is

my

witness;

ulcers and his body

the ulcers of his

was

body mingled

for,

corto-

and his members made putrid by the discharge from

sores , he spoke thus in the intensity of his anguish

gether

//Until I

die

righteousness

1)

cut

gluttony.

eternal

inherits

rupted with sore boils,

his

is

for, as far as his will

admirable in the midst of temptations,

he

laid

was concerned, he contemplated serving God

forever, although his

while

much goods

therefore justice

is

fire,

lived

thus unto his soul:

was bent upon

It

man who

thus his mind was bent on making

years; his

many

sin,

And

).

to continue in sin

For the rich

many

merry
his

barns

drink,

,,Eat,

mind

into everlasting hell.

falls

his

filled

of his

inclination

mine
I

integrity

hold

Luke XII, 19.

XXVII, "56:

2) Job

fast

shall

and

not depart from me.

will

and mine integrity

not

etc.",

let

it

go"

My
and

an erroneous repetition

24

^cn.i

iiftx.

.TSa

rtf.raiAcut.

vvVAiop

rt^A.l

__^^*\a

.
(

r<

-i

i\

re* i

cos rdjxJ.t

.'^n

<<.%^.

V^

^sa

s.i

,s\.t

rdia\ a^.l

fa
co.1 Au*A.i

.r^ici^t r<luAc\&

vvi^ifioa.-i

g^

>^\C\

KdusacL* A >\ n.i

l^a

reL^cni Acre'

ntvn rtllo

s.

^ rdx.cn
^1 T*^g.

>Vv\i

rc&itkT.

\co vOa^.1 \

rdlai Klls^iaSk

p9

K^a^Asa

r<lAJ=ax..i

PCbiArf .1

A&O

a)

ptlAirc.
e)

5)

o)

C rdXACO.l.

B Klx.cn.
z)

Kl-x.cn.

Z)

C KLSiiA

/)

inserts ,cn.

BC CUUK?
g)

v\^\<Mk.

Here ends extract D (Add. 17,193).

BC ^.oiv-3.1
.

c)

p)

m)

BC

jaoiiwicv.

BC J-X.OcK-X.Kh.

n)
q]

fc)

inserts
Ji)

BC

C omits

BC KLuuLl.
omits.

r)

25
*

What judge
mine integrity shall never depart from me.
would not award the everlasting kingdom to this steadfast
mind, thus bent on the course of righteousness that he might
forever!

live

Therefore

Lord
ness

is

it

is

meet

for

us

to say,

and thy righteous2

are upright ) and in

and upright are thy judgments

above

all

art thou,

//Righteous

blame.

*)

Thy ways
them are no stumbling-blocks". Justly does the sinner fall into
fire everlasting, because his thoughts were bent on sinning
for ever, neither did he turn unto repentance. The righteous
because they
worthy of eternal life
souls and
minds to walk forever in the

are

also

their

devoted

way

of

righteousness.

We

ought

good works
but

little

however
that

labor;

we

while

we may
which

yet

receive

an excellent

for

kingdom of heaven

end.

man

lest

torments.

eternal

bring upon ourselves

thee,

and

strive

after

sow

to

what

to

through them

we

But thou,

is

for

ought)

(We

hasten thy course after excellent things

behind

few days, the

of but

life

no

has

have time

a great recompense

from pleasures of short duration,

flee

is

pious

//forget

before

what

thee"

).

Let not the good thou hast done dwell upon thy mind, lest
it

prevent thee from doing what thou hast

every

day

that the

sun

of goods works to do

1)

rises

upon thee make

3) Philip. Ill,

13.

to do.

But

a beginning

them, and every day complete them,

Psalm CXIX, 137.

Psalm CXLY, 17. Revel. XV,

2) Of.

still

3.

26
rdl.l.l

.vOAX.ii
vOAX.i &fd^.ol *ct&\J99Q

,0000

a rdLx.

AUK* -\j\i&so

ACIX.&.I

rdl

rdbaicvz. ctA

Ti-JC. Kt\cr)C\ .ttlsaicLz. cnuA

cn

pa

.Vs.\.i

rdJLA

r^ n Vaio .^n \\

r^mii

\.i

iurt'

ni'icocui

*r

a)
e)

BC

pn \. T.&v

inserts

inserts

9 co.

^__isa.

m) C omits

&)

f)

c)

G ^O..X*.l^US.l.

C icnOSOMHa

z)

t*^Av

C ca^.i\.

fy

G n&a&\aa.
g)

BC

d)

K'i-SOt^.l.

b\t\ i.

F)

G ,oca.
K)

27
neither cease

forever.

Direct the

faculties of

thy

mind so

do good works. As thou desirest

to enter into the eternal kingdom which has no end, reflect,
that without ceasing they

tremble, and fear the everlasting

who

will

fire

prepared for the wicked,

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

righteous unto

life

everlasting"

').

fire

everlasting

May He by

and the

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

1)

Matthew XXV,

46.

life

everlasting.

Amen.

28

tt*

T V T n pe!\flo ir<'cv
<

even

cnJu.i KlJbrc'.i ch

<\

paix.ior^.t K'i^r^Lrj rdx.cn

,\i\n

r^.lOoao rdaiwA ^K*

1)

107

The only known copy

(f.

60

r.

K'crAr*' dial

same Vatican MS.

of this letter is in the

to 63 v.) -which furnishes us the various

for the letter of Jacob of Sarug.

unfortunately, the close

is

wanting.

The copy seems

readings

marked

to he very correct)

IV.
LETTER OF MAR XENAIAS OF MABCG
to

Abraham and Orestes

Stephen

presbyters

of Edessa

concerning

Bar Sudaili the Edessene,

have learned that Stephen the scribe, who departed from

among us some time since, and now resides in the country
I

of Jerusalem

sent to you

some time ago

followers of his

with letters and books composed by him; taking care at the

same time

that

the arrival of those

whom

he had sent, as

was astutely desirous of accomplishing,

For he thought that, were I
should be concealed from us.

well

what he

as

to learn

men and

that he had sent to you

He has

hopes might be disappointed.

whence I know not, but

reputed not only a heresy,

it

and teaches

it

like

for

he

is

the

put forth in a book

worthy of being
but worse than Heathenism and.
is

openly assimilates the creation to God,

is

necessary

for

everything to become
Scriptures,

and even

teaching that every

man may

as he pleases, and dissuading Heathen, Jews,

and here-

him.

destroys
sin

that

to

which

and foolish doctrine,

Judaism, because

insanely imagined

certainly from Satan,

Father and cause of every heresy

an impious

also writings, his

It

faith

also

falsities

the

in Christianity,

Holy

30

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io i<Wis\o

Ki coirs'

ooo i-^&.i

rf s
rcbcn.i

T,,<VT

,v \

..^-^

i>*iq rd\c\

.i

,ca=>

T?3r<'.t

rc'aAr<ll=j

r^calrf cn^iio
H

> oass

vyri'

vyr^ cos

pC^acolr^ K'.T-M

rfacni r^axa.tjj

r^a^uK*

K'.t-w

\ir<l=j

31

from

from Christian instruction and

tics

God.

makes of no

It

effect

converted to

being

holy Baptism

and the giving of

the Divine mysteries, and labors and struggles for righteous-

For

ness.

measure
the

gelists

apostle Peter

i)

insanity is, that

with

God.

tant

and

but

has

the

to

preach-

the Apostles and Evan-

to

that everything

been

just

most

detailed is

if

even

impor-

then

for

and converted

from Heathenism to Christianity

of one nature

is

reprehensible

completely

have in vain worked

Apostles

same

will be accorded

especially full of an impiety akin to

is

he says,

most

only

receive the

and to Simon Magus,

what

What

will

same honor

then the

all

not

words,

impious

the traitor Judas,

to

And

his

Judgment,

of retribution

er Paul and

to

according

be no

there

will

to

if,

the

nations

all

without instruction

and baptism they are to be equals of the Aposand are to become consubstantial with God, the Lord

in the faith
tles,

Hence there

of the Universe.

who

died

who were

for

Christ

and

is

those

no difference between those

who

confessors of the faith

killed

for

them,

will receive nothing

they

more,

and they who killed them nothing less, because all together,
as he says, will arrive at one perfection; and as the members of the body are of the
as the

body

itself,

These things may

unity

known

the

first

all

is

the

possible

Divinity

that

men

then the

1)

The

antithesis

are

the

we

other.

by the mystery of
God will be
as he says
,

one divinity.

If

then

should become consubstantial with

dispensation of the flesh and the In-

carnation were superfluous.

omitted in our copy.

each other and

one with

he says

day of the week when

in all: one nature, one substance,

the

it

be

in

as

means and even says,

so, as he

God and with Him

in

same nature

From misunderstanding,

which must haye followed

therefore,

seems to have

been

32
..!

i rdico

>cn

ndisAcu ja^io K'.l-a

3 >eo

A^.i

"n

rd-x-^i

onua rdA^ A^.cv

rda-i(\x.c\

r^iK'

A-^.

*.reLaiu&

i.,i 7)

>cn

A An

ac

.i

.Tktss icx

>ooinc\

Ktvoraj.i

C\cb

aSQ.Ta Qaifloicn oq

7at<!ai rdscn

.i^^v^.

cn-an

r^.i.V-^ievx.

rrtn\rrl= r^cvco )Q.T=O AA.I

^ur^ Kbcoi A

^ *a KlA.l

.cncs^x*r<'.n

^l Olcn
.

Aaca

33
this saying of the apostle

he has

//that

imagined and

foolishly

doctrine, which perhaps

foolish

for

among demons;

all in

this

produced

all"

and

impious

would not even be accepted

to
they would tremble simply

think

God may be

hear that they were to become consubstantial with God; for

also concerning them , as well as all the angelic host which,
did not fall, does he assert,
stantial

with the Divinity and Godhead.

know how
preceded

understand

to

it,

this

And

as he did not

to

perceive what

or

saying

able to consider all the things

was he

neither

become consub-

that they will

the
Holy Scriptures on the reward of
Neither did he
righteous and the punishment of the wicked.

which are said

know how
tion,

in the

and the crea-

distinguish between the Divinity

to

and that

not

is

it

the Divinity through

for

possible

change to become the creation, or creation the Divinity.

Furthermore he does not accord with the doctors who have
interpreted this saying in an

being puffed up

desired,

and proud man, to orginate herJohn the Egyptian, whom for a

like a vain

himself also,

esies

He

orthodox manner.

like

short time he even followed.

have also found in his writings that he has imagined another false doctrine, founded on what it is written in the Gospel
I

Our Lord

that

said: //Today

and on the third day

that

the

Sabbath
tion

day of the

and the

mation,

the

(he calls)
first

week, and he
rest

day of the

calls

which comes

week

1) I Corinth.

Lnke XIII,

XV,
32.

Frothingham, Bar

it

evil;

after the

he says

because then God will become

everything will be in God

2)

work miracles,
be perfected" ).
He fancies
this world was established on
I

shall

speaking in a parable

sixth

and tomorrow

all

is

in

and the
comple-

the consumall;

that is,

one nature and one substance

28.
It is differently

Sudaili.

quoted later: see p. 37.

3

so

34
.

r<l=>^.io

ia K'i-aft KiaK' .ao&t KlAcv

ndjcn.i

it^n,

rc'riruLo
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cvl

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r<'^Arc' ^_oea\A

ix^ or^

^Acn rdA.^K'.t OK'

Tra
."Uiao

iAv_=i

A\rc*

pafls

^.i x_n

i^jrc' oqp.i

rdiijAcv

(sic)

rc".T=p

^cn.i

^ooovM.i
rc'.icn

rdiTMrC PCtoiai.
^c\oo ^cxjjia i*

j
rc'.icn

pas^.

rt*.iocaJt\

\^^

rc^\eainfia2a

cnix>
i.

.A&rc' Kii rc^xlso.i rc^oxmr).!

.KfcaWs r^AKdso vyK*

K^i_wKh Kd\4XAj ten

^.Kb
,03

Kilo

^aea.iure'rcdrc'

rcta\r'.i

35
no longer be, He who creates and those who

that there will

receive

his

creative

whom He

those

Spirit; for, if

creatures

who

he raves that the Creator and

how must

only of the

not

all

his

other will become one

not consubstantial persons of

become one person

also

to

no longer be Father,

will

are distinct from each

nature and person,

confusion,

and there

loves;

Son and

necessity

He who shows benevolence

action;

Thus there would be a

the

with

creation

Sub-

Divine

stance, but also of the Persons one with another.

But

in that he says that these three

seventh and

he

parables,
to

either

manner

week

days of the

first

has

all

(the

or

of interpretation,

are mysteries

alternative:

this

posited

that

believe

days alone

days)

not

else

it

are
to

to

is

the sixth

types and

necessary

receive

this

believe that those

are as he says.

he appoints after the

Following the Jewish doctrine,

surrection two retributions, one of

the

other

perfection

one

which he

liberty

and the

together with other names which he has

plied

curred,
rest

who

of a

give

wicked
is

it

and sinners will hunger and

themselves up

written

that

of the dead they

Our Lord

1) Of.

ing

is

God"

one thing and

Hebrews

2) Matth.

III

XXII,

power

do not

are as the angels of

is

to

every

bodily

said:
of

an interpolation.

delight,

//Ye do err,

God

the just

and the

for

in

not

knowing

the resurrection

eat nor drink, neither marry, but

2

).

But regarding

the kingdom another

and IV.
and Mark XII,

2930

thirst;

Concerning which belief

every torment.

suffer

the Scriptures nor the

rest

divinity

contrived and ap-

during which the righteous will

thousand years,

will

and

say that after the resurrection there will be a

eat and drink,

will

other

re-

For to the Jews alone had this theory oc-

them.

to

calls rest

2425;

his belief, that

;

and the glory

the eating and drink-

Kluocix.

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ftiA&t

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irc'

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rdion.i

'

37
before the consummation one
itself

or

we would

another;

ask, from

what Holy Book,

has he received this

or teacher,

apostle,

and the consummation

thing,

OP prophet,

doctrine of a

For he understands, as he saysj

by the sixth day motion, having taken the term motion from
the monk EVagrius *)
by the Sabbath that Christ will be all
division into three orders?

and

in

men; and by the

all

He furthermore shows

spoke

that

it

three

these

to

(stages)

the Pharisees

an allegory,

is

God

less for

will

man

be

to

all in all.

be united

that he could

by the words which Our Lord

which

day, that

He imagined, then,

than to be in God.

to Christ

confirm

first

certain

it is

were not a figure

a mystery, but the narration of

a parable, or

an action imagined by the Pharisees, as

rs

shown by reading

"The same day there came certain of the Pharisees,

Get ihee out and depart hence for Herod
saying unto him
And He said unto them, Go ye, and
desireth to kill thee.
them.

that fox

tell

and

Behold

and

tomorrow,

Nevertheless

must work
I

out

Prophet perish
his

this

researches,

world

the third

third

the

the day following

to

cast out devils and I perform cures today

go (hence)

*).

day

first

of the

what then comes

summation;
Our Lord again

to

be

week
after

on

cannot be tha*

Now

if,

according

a type of rest

the Jews will

and

symbol of the con-

the consummation?

crucified? hut by

ing to his doctrine even

and

the sixth day, be an

allegory of

and tomorrow, the Sabbath

the

for it

),

of Jerusalem"

today,

perfected.

today and tomorrow,

3

will

be

shall

day

whom?

for

Is

accord-

have become of one

nature with God.

Now

it

is

thus written, that Our Lord said, after

//today

was a disciple of Gregory Nazianzen.

The expression work instead of walk is in the Peshitta, but not

1) K/w/ovs. Evagrius Ponticus

.

2)

in the Curetonian Gospels.

3)

The Curetonian

4)

Luke XIII, 31-33.

version reads

38
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.

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scnisai

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so Kll

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39
and tomorrow and the third day
cause

therefore evident that

that

He should be

and likewise He

He would be

Man ,

Now

was

the

//By

//The hour

other:

be glorified"
of

also

also

//be-

and that

by the consummation

z
)

and

be crucified there. He said that

.

in order to fulfil

then shall ye

which consummates"

cross

also

come

know

that

ye have
I

);

and

Son of Man should

that the

When

the prophets had been killed,

all

to

is

should take place

this

perfected through the cross,

said:

is

He means

crucified,

where

in Jerusalem,

this

shall be perfected",

cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem"

it

it is

what

up the Son

lifted

do nothing of myself"

3
).

envy
they saw
that Our Lord taught and performed miracles and was glorified of all men, wished to expel him from among them
the

unto some

to

that they should not be thus vexed.

other place,

But, as praise from

because

burning with

Pharisees,

men was

all

given

to

him, they thought

thee out and

intimidate and terrify him, and said: 0Get

depart hence, for Herod desireth

unto them

that

He were

except

to

kill

thee".

willing

But He said

He would not

die,

and that neither Herod nor they would be able to kill him
Therefore, when He derides
except at the time He chose.

Herod and

calls

him

fox,

He

indicates that he

temptible and despicable, and unable to kill

time

which He has determined

at

that fox

Behold

is

Him

but conbefore the

ye and

tell

cast out devils and perform cures today

and

to

die:

//Go

He hereby
indicates the three years which He passed among the Jews
from His baptism to His crucifixion in which He also teaches
tomorrow, and the third day

shall be perfected".

that

He worked

miracles

for in the thirty years

which preceded

2)

There seems to be no such expression in Scripture.

John XII, 23.

3)

From John

1)

YIII, 28.

40

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ocn.i

rdiaia

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ncut

isaK*

KUr^

,cu

pa

Klsacuo

~sa
r^

Aa&cn
.l

AV.PC*

a.'UQ

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cosoxa r^K'i

1.1

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p^.n

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ocb

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T**

rd\o

41
His baptism
OP

it

manifested any

years, which

He gave any

not written that

is

miracle.

He says

But

instruction

that

three

after

today, tomorrow and the third day, at the

time that He chooses He will go up to Jerusalem, and there
are

be crucified

will

by the Jews,

//for

And

prophet perish out of Jerusalem".

Jerusalem, Jerusalem,

that

chickens

house

is

not

shall

Blessed

is

children

together

that a

He adds:

to this

//O

the prophets and stonest

killest

how

them which are sent unto thee;

gathered thy

be

cannot

it

often

hen

as a

would

doth

gather

have
her

under her wings, and ye would not! Behold your

left unto
you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye
see

me

until

the

he that cometh

in

day come when ye shall say,

x
the name of the Lord" ).

Therefore, whether or no there be in these words a symbol

or type or anything which allegorically and mystically teaches
the things which appear unto this

man

read ye and consider

by these three words he

and decide among yourselves:

his vain opinion
as he imagines
sustains
for

of the three dispensations of the sixth

first

For he

days of the week.

(respectively)

calls

and the change

the seventh and the

today and tomorrow

the evil world and liberty,

God

and the being

will be all
on the third day is that
being in Christ on the seventh day (Sabbath)

fected

were not so already by baptism

that Christ is all and in all men.

in

all.

per-

All

as if they

he believes to indicate
If this

be on the seventh

day then nothing took place on the sixth, and Christ was
not made flesh and born, and did not suffer and die neither
,

was the power of death and the reign of corruption destroyed.

1) Matthew XXIII, 3739; Luke XIII, 34-35. rdsocu
the day come", is not found in the Peshitta, but in the Curetonian
version otherwise the Peshitta for Luke XIII is followed except 3
:

for

42

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.i

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.

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.i

Kilo

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.Ti=9

pa KlAo

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.

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For these and like things were

the cru-

accomplished by

and death of Christ, which took place on the sixth

This
day; who also cried out and said: //All is finished".
is what this man calls the
evil world.
Furthermore, as
cifixion

Our Lord taught that the consummation was on the sixth

day because He then fulfilled all things this man by defining it to be on the first day of the week openly teaches
,

Our Lord therefore on

contrary to the word of Our Lord.

and destroyed the dominion

the sixth day suffered and died

of suffering and of death

on

day He was in

the seventh

the grave, and put an end also to the power of corruption,

and

visited

the souls

held

captive

in

And on the

Sheol.

day of the week He rose from the dead, and proved

by His own resurrection that of all mankind and the beginning of a new world in which there is no seventh and first
first

day of the week, as this man says, but it is all first day.
But he (Bar Sudaili) not being able to see these things himself, 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

language worthy of writing

a display, he
will not,
is

came forward

furthermore,

not even able

is

still

as

to

an

inventor of heresies.

although

There came unto

apparent from his writings.

being desirous of making

omit the following fact,

worthy men who said that on

written by him on the wall:

command

me

entering his cell they

j^/All

nature

is

it

trust-

found

consubstantial

with the Divine Essence"; and on account of their strongly

accusing him of blasphemy, and

monks who murmured

at it,

becoming known to many

he was afraid and removed it

from the wall; but secretly put

it

it

into his writings.

44

col

a orA
az.'t.i.i

r<lz.cn.i

\r<

j.

&iXa

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(

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oco

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(

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45
related

They

me

before

who was

that to a certain Jew,

by the sepulchre of the Patriarchs of the house of Abraham,

he said this word
coming up and sitting by him //Fear
:

not, neither be concerned that thou art called crucifier, for

thy

lot

Abraham

with

is

:"

of

instead

//

saying

thy

por-

tion".

Concerning various other blasphemies which he raved

and

men, who disputed with him on this

and were with him for a long time, but are now in

subject

the

of Antioch

province

count

has

other

uttered,

extreme

of the

seemed

me

to

have

spoken

us

to

but on ac-

of these blasphemies

shamefulness

it

that they should be stated

not suitable

in this letter.
If

he has

therefore

or has

learned,

either

unto you

sent

careful lest they fall into

unto you,

written

as I have

blasphemous books, be

his

any person's hands and especially into

those of nuns dwelling within church-precincts, lest they be

led

astray

women.

the

through

For

the

wise

simplicity

and weakness natural to

must

as is written,

the stumbling-block out of the

wounds and become

stumble and

Write

fall

also to

the

all,

way"

),

//take

up

he receive

lest

many
others who

companion of many

).

him

if it

seem proper

to

you

that

he cease

from his blasphemies on an ineffable, pure, incomprehensible

do not know that he

and holy doctrine. Concerning which

has yet a single disciple, for, of the

many arguments which

when he applies them,

he has collected from the Scriptures,

he does not discover the (real) force, but he imagines

that

they support his view.

remember

him a

by means
of one of his disciples, Abraham by name; a copy of which
also I now send unto you. At that time I did not well know
I

1) Isaiah

LVII,

that

14.

2) Cf. Isaiah YIII, 15.

once wrote

to

letter

46
cols*

Klicoi rdiat ocas &uacn ^..T. rdl

..

o^

.is

r*x.cn

ieu.t

KVicn ^iaoa*d\r^

ncuAa

crA.ic

rdso

1S& cnL.i
i nix- co

coisAcx.

:i

Kilo cna ordAO

.crA

cn^oA oaa^ks rdAan

rdAt<* ^tLaJdlAj

caA
culo

rslico

Kl^M

Aj,La it_\^

alsA
>i=>

^caa

cuA

.\Marr*w.i

^Acn

^ooaiAur^.t .rd^ir^n rc^ixlci

cuco

T^JK*

ocn.i

rc'colrc'.i

rdaK* cno^K'.t
.l

rdli& ia rcbco K'AxLso.t

47
he had dared to imagine such blasphemies, for I had
only met with his commentaries on a few of the Psalms,
in which he also glorifies himself and ascribes to himself
that

and

revelations and visions,

also

understand

to

given

the

that

(says)

Scriptures

him alone

to

In

correctly.

is

them he

the Scriptures dreams, and his commentaries

calls

it

the

interpretation of dreams.

Afterwards he

and

write to

to

there (at Jerusalem)

is

have heard that he says

his heresy received

to

you

and

is

to

them

furthermore

some of the monks there haphad written, of which I now

until

praised by us,

books

order to deceive the simple people

for I

that even in Edessa

much

in

you,

send his

devised to

craftily

pened upon the letter which I

send you a copy, and found that (on the contrary) he was
When therefore you shall have
strongly censured by me.

which you know to be

and reprove him and that not feebly
just write unto him
I
but forcibly.
myself would write to the bishop of Jeruthat

received these letters of mine,

salem ^respecting him, were

ing the faith

communion
For this

is

man

and that the

not for differences concern-

it

fact of

a middle wall

(of

has sinned not a

our not being of the same

partition)

little

he has committed are not small;

for

between us

*).

and the offences which

he says that dogs, pigs,

serpents, scorpions, mice, and other reptiles of the earth, are

consubstantial with God: that

to persuade others

the

Father and

and as the
divinity",

the

body

through

this part (of

to

of

is

Ephesians II, 14,

so.

He

also strives

Son
the

Word

doctrine),

1) Elias, Patriarch of Jerusalem.

2)

become

and says thus: //As

and the Spirit are of one nature,

believe

ignorance

Church

will

likewise,

is

consubstantial with

his

he also blasphemes concerning

adding,

//all

creation also will

48
Kfcvorxki rc'iu&i*. reftuia

rc"nV

Wo

rd&cuaia

.iflk

rdlo^BCi Kls/iuQ

Art'.i

.rcdo&vaa r^'-u^o
iK'

^K.! ac

CTO.A

oa-A

OL.O A

&

become consubstantial with

cians and murderers

martyrs

adulterers

and virgins

and magipersecutors and

Divine nature"

the

crucifiers

,u

and apostles
,

the chaste and those

who

he says, will be changed and become

and there will be no one who shall
consubstantial with God
satisfy their lusts, all,

excel, neither any one

shall be lacking

seems either that at this point a sheet of the MS. was lost before
was bound, or that the MS. from which this copy was made was a

1) It
it

who

defective one.

V.
THE PHILOSOPHIC SYSTEM OF BAB SODAILI,

The

of Jacob of Sarug

letter

it

entirely:

evidently

written at a

had not yet thrown off the mask

makes no mention of pantheistic doctrines, but

when Bar

period

was

Sudaili

simply upholds the church doctrine of the eternity of punish-

ment against Bar

Sudaili's

In doing so he falls

theory of

its

temporal duration.

Jacob of Takrit (XIII century) remarks

*),

the error of the Semi- Pelagians, that the just received

into

eternal bliss because

have continued
said

rectly

resembles

to

God foreknew

in

righteousness.

be

that

of the

This

would

of

the

always

view cannot be coralthough

Semi-Pelagians,

in the cooperation

it

that they

it

two elements of grace

and good works.

Philoxenos has confined himself, in his letter, to treating
in

general

that

terms of one part only of Bar Sudaili's system

which seemed

to

him most

his doctrine of salvation.

ding

1)

to

him

pernicious, his pantheism and

His system was openly pantheistic

more philosophically, Pan-nihilistic;

or, to speak
,

The passage

all

is

for,

accor-

nature even to the lowest forms of animal

in his

KWMxflo.l r<i=3&i& >Book

(written in 1281), part III, ch. 39:

cf.

Jacques de Sarug, p. 125.

Frothingham, Bar Sudaili.

Abbeloos,

Assem. B.

of Treasures"

0., T.II, p.

240; and

S.

50
l

creation, being simply an emanation from the Divinity- Chaos

finally returns

to it;

God himself

place,

and, when the consummation has taken

passes

away and everything

swallowed

is

up in the indefinite chaos which he conceives to be the first

principle and the end of being, and which admits of no
Let

distinction.

examine the

us

ticed in Philoxenos'

of

trines

letter,

they are

as

summary given

that

Bar Sudaili //openly assimilates the creation

him"

that

2
:

it

).

motion:

2.

complete

this

with

is

period

is

when

the

consummation

distinction

Nature,

God

evil,

as

but

God and

is

personality

the

3.

brought into

is

and

in

all

men";

finally,

all

nature

confusion of

the

or

not

away

of the
,

all

Godhead

and there

is

).

things,

God

between

only

persons

passes

all

which belongs

to

with the universal essence

disappears,

between

and

existence

all

who

Christ

becomes of the same nature

This

to

read

A11 nature is consubstantial with

the period of rest and liberty:

this is

we

place,

Secondly, there are three periods of existence:

during

union

first

in

everything to become like

for

necessary

present world, which

the

In the

further on.

formula was,

his

the Divinity"
1.

is

be no-

disclosed

the

teaches

to

and compare them with the doc-

Book of Hierotheos

the

features

salient

and
5

itself ):

no longer

Father, Son, and Spirit. Even the devils are finally redeemed,

and included
doctrine

nature
the

in the general indistinction

and confusion 6 ). This

of universal redemption and return into

the

common

dnoxaTaGTccats
doctrine

of the

great

was, as

is

the divine

well

known,

Alexandrian and Antio-

chene schools. Both Origen and Theodore of Mopsuestia, like

-

His first principle is identical with the

sap%ict or source of diviof
nity
Pseudo-Dionysios.
2) P. 28.
3) P. 42.
4) P. 32 aeq.
5) P. 34.
6) P. 32.
1)

51
Bar

Suilaili

that

present;

three periods to

assign

when

all

existence

is

rational existence

united

in Christ;

the

and

dnoxaraGTaGis', the only difference

being that with Theodore this was final whereas with Origen this process was continually repeated. The same doctrine

the

absorption or

final

was taught by Gregory of Nyssa on

the one

hand and Dio-

doros of Tarsos on the other.

The Book of Hierotheos

the grades of nature

fallen

of

evil

Satan

spirits

is

taught in detail:
,

had excited much

gians ), and that
110.

we even

comment and
it

2)

standall

the lowest, including also the

that this point in

to

The redemption

).

tary of Theodosios

1) See p.

down

same

the

from the Good comprehends

emanation

In it, the

point.

takes precisely

of the hell-sphere

commen-

see, from the

the

and

Book of Hierotheos

among

reprobation

theolo-

was considered by them, asbyPhiloxComm. on Book

IY, ch. 17, which

r^^uj^.i K&&2L^x As. On the repentance

rc&uil rf'i.i rf\\ \*:aq aocn.f

is

entitled

of those below".

KLxiLla

rdaco Aa- oiatflo

A^. r^aoo

Kbeo KlA

r<hcn

>c

Now many among the mystical

divines of the

church of God have considered that Hierotheos when he

wrote this chapter

on the repentance of those below" meant the repent-

52
>

enos, a dangerous point, for Theodosios vainly endeavors

This fact

clear Hierotheos from the charge.

from

tance

of impor-

the criticisms of Philoxenos

connection with

its

itself is

to

on Bar Sudaili.

The

three

phases

of

or

natural

condition

in

The second

itself.

rational

nature,

before

reaching the

which

it

Christ

self;

for

third

state

the

chaos

original

God

is

himself:

disappear, and

becomes

rise,

still

when

place

from

the

possesses

mind

or

with

identified

experience during

the acts of Christ and

all

first

long experience and purification

consummation,

nothing

when

is

its

final

all

performs

takes

its

through

Christ and goes through

principle, but

first

The

which the mind aspires

that during

is

motion towards the

evil

Bar Sudaili

the development of individual souls.

as

with

in

Hierotheos, not only as world-periods but

in

appear

clearly

which Philoxenos finds

periods

but

completely absorbed into

nature

is

which

all

even

originally sprang,

Father

in

this

all

distinction vanishes

The

Mind.

Universal

the

absorption

Christ him-

is

Son

and Spirit

*).

seem unnecessary; a
of the Book will show even more
reading
w of the summary
u
further

Any

details

this

at

clearly the complete identity of

as

it

is

stated

Hierotheos.

what

is,

the

If

so

by Philoxenos,

to

analogy
the

speak ,

point

Bar Sudaili's doctrine, so

went

the

that of

with
only

so

far

common ground

far

Book of

as to cover

of pantheistic

mysticism, there would be nothing remarkable or conclusive

in

such a coincidence.

a strong

argument

for

What would seem, however,

the

identity of the

to

be

two writers,

ance of demons. But our teacher did not say these things of the repentance of demons, nor had he any such thing in mind: on the contrary it
was of those men whose evil had led them into the abode of demons.
This fact is clear and evident that he spoke of the repentance of men ,
,

from his saying,"

etc.

1)

See

summary

of

Book

of Hierotheos.

53

found

three world-periods,

the

besides

had

writer

the //consummation": what other mystic

both on

in

ever

the form of doctrine

is

dared

such

reach

to

of logical

depth

blasphemy as to assert in so many words that //the Father,

Son, and Spirit", that God, will cease to exist? This is, of
course

but the logical consequence of the Pseudo-Dionysian

doctrine of an emanated Trinity

beginning

so

is,

must

who

Antiochene doctors

first

It

duced. As

use

sufficient.

remains

Between

fj

the

support

in accord

their

with what has been deto

give here their

be compared

to

full

with passages of

is

The

divinity of Jesus (rov

the all-including cause, above intelligence

maintains the harmony of the parts

It

whole, being above both the parts and the whole.

this

conception and that of Christ as the universal

given

in

all

things, the harmony

Eccles.

motion of the

Hier.

(ch.

II,

4)

mind towards the divine

is

of love as a unitive force

Divine Names, ch. II, 10.

moving

2)

all

evident.

shows that
is the love

of God"; and the fragments from the Erotic hymns

1)

of

few words of description will be

The extract from the Elements of Theology ) is a

extract

'the first

are evident at

essence and the union of

The

such

is

us to see whether the Dionysian frag-

for

of Hierotheos

and substance.

and the

for

would be out of place

it

'IriGov OSOTYIS)
,

and

Alexandrian

striking personal similarities

definition of the. nature of Christ.

life

the

dnoxavaGraais

of Scripture

which would have

the Book

those of

Many

ments of Hierotheos are

text,

as the

both lay claim to direct divine revelations; both

extensive

theories.

//

Origen says,

and Pseudo-Hierotheos

Bar Sudaili

sight:

make

in

teach the

a consequence expressed.

between

for, as

the end be"; but nowhere in these

more than

writings, any

3
)

treat

beings //from the Good

Divine Names, ch. IV,

1517.

54
doiun

the last of beings and from the last of beings up

to

Good a.

to the

There

are

many

corresponding

passages

in

Hierolheos: he descrihes the motion of glorifying and loving,

as

which belongs

that

who have

the supplication of those

seems

such

fallen. //All rational

essences

and love the essence from which they were separated//.

glorify
It

and separate existence, as

to distinct

at first difficult to explain

doctrines

Bar

unheard of,

as

Philoxenos pours

and stigmatizes his

and worse than Judaism or Hea-

on

invectives

fierce

why

Sudaili,

thenism. Although they were expressed in hold language by

Bar Sudaili, yet, besides being in accord with the prevailing

and Egyptian monasticism, how many
spirit of East-Syrian

famous teachers and doctors of the church had supported the

same doctrine!
Sabellios

\Vhile

is

it

presented in different forms by

Marcellus of Ankyra

),

),

etc., -it

is

upheld by the

by Clement, Origen, and Didy3

mos
by Gregory Nazianzen ) and Gregory of Nyssa
by
Nemesios, Synesios, and others, and later by the School of
whole Alexandrian

School,

Anlioch

headed

be

hardly

pantheism.

If

too

Bar

Sudaili,

The

plained

from

stain

of a

moderate mystical

severity

the

on approaching the most sacred

Christian faith, Philoxenos

subtle a theologian

cences.

the

even S. Ephraem can

none of these theologians used the same freedom

the

of

East-Syrians

from

cleared

of language as
precincts

the

Among

Mopsueslia.

and Theodore of

of Tarsos

Diodoros

by

not

shown

principles

freedom of his language

must have been

to

have seen beyond their

to

Stephen

of his

cannot then be ex-

thought,

which was such as

Meander, I, pp. 598 and 600.

Adversus Marc.: see Dorner, I. 2,

reti-

but
to

from

the

throw oblo-

1) See
2)

3) E. g. his
I.

p.

606).

hymn

p.

282.

published in notes to Dionysios (Op. om. ed. Migne,

55
quy on

the whole mystical school and to draw upon

reprobation

the

of ecclesiastical

plausibility

of which

authority.

may appear

it

the

Another explanation,
would be
further on
,

beginning of the wellknown Origenistic revival in the first part of the VI century.

Bar

Sudaili's

connection

with

the

56

VI.
BIOGRAPHY OF BAR SDDAILL

The biographical information concerning Bar

disposal

is

very meagre. Philoxenos

shows him

us that he was a

tells

native of Edessa and a r^iajto or scribe

Sudaili at our

and Jacob of Sarug

have been a monk of considerable repute for

sanctity and good works in fact , the terms of praise which
he bestows on Bar Sudaili indicate that, until then, the latter
to

enjoyed the

favor of the Monophysite party,

he had not only begun

more openly, but was

to

show

though already

his anti-christian

sentiments

also cherishing ambitious aims. In all

probability

Bar Sudaili passed a portion of his early career

in

for

Egypt,

Philoxenos

mentions his having followed

for

some time the leadership of John the Egyptian. If his identhere would be some
tity with Pseudo-Hierotheos be granted
,

interesting

matic

traces

extracts

of

part of his

this early

passing

under

the

name

life.

Three dog-

of Hierotheos

are

preserved, in either Arabic or Etbiopic versions; the originals

seem

to

have been

well-known

1)

Fides

The Arabic

and 12),

in

in

Coptic.

Patrum

*)

Two

of these appear in the

a work compiled

probably in

version is found in the Vatican (Arabic Cod. 101 ff. 11

(Medic. Palat. Library C.LXIX) and in the Viet.

Florence

Ernanuel Lib. at Rome. The Ethiopia text is preserved in the Brit. Mus.
and in the Library of the Univ.
Ethiopic Cod. 14 Add. 16,219 f.

78,

of Tubingen.

57
the XI cent.

tome

Romanum

of his Spicilegium

III

them was given by Mai

Latin version of

704)

(p.

')

in

but both

the Arabic and Ethiopia texts have remained inedited. These

fragments, which contain declarations concerning the nature

of Christ

nophysite
tained
f.

Of more

).

397)

although perceptibly Mo-

a confession of faith

interest is

con-

thearchy

and mystical tinge is added to its Moand many expressions remind us of Bar Sudaili

pantheistic

those

especially

is

they

which the

in

from

clearly

was

at

language of these fragments

the

time when

at

the Monophysite

height; and the probabilities are in

its

The

favor of their having been written

by Bar Sudaili.

two show him

Monophysite,
later,

have been at

to

and the

when

of the

).

were written

controversy

nature

all-containing

taught

appears

what

an Arabic MS. of the councils (Arab. Vatic. 409

which seems not to have been noticed by Mai. Here

nophysitism

that

colorless

in

a strong

It

somewhat

are

his

them

first

a prudent but evident

first

must have been produced somecreed had become more mystical. There
last

and they must without any

doubt be referred to a residence in Egypt. It was in Edessa

are no traces of

in

Syriac

however that he began to show

probable that he was still in that
adressedto him the present
written

the

to

letter.

him the previous

from

the

opposition

he

city

when Jacob

of Sarug

also Philoxenos

may have

letter

copy of which he enclosed

bility

personal

Then

).

views:

his

which he
Soon

met with

after,
in

refers to,

it

is

and

in all proba-

his native city

nullum in1) Mai published it -without pledging himself in any way,

terponens de iis judicium".
2) Compare their phraseology with that of Jacob of Sarug e. g. in his
,

letter to the

monks of

Bassus.

3) I intend to publish the text of these documents with that of the

Book of Hierotheos.

4) See pp.

4447.

58
was obliged to leave Edessa and betake himself
to Palestine
where the greater freedom of thought allowed
was abundantly used by the Origenislic monks, who were
Bar Sudaili

growing numerous and

a monastery,

we

as

bold.

At or near Jerusalem he entered

see from the letter of Philoxenos: that

was ever an abbot seems

he

on the part of Neander

the

Gfrorer

them.

from

assertion

to be a gratuitous

We

assumption
and those who have copied

have no record of his being

some were,

expelled from this monastery, as

of his

scandalously

in

consequence

views, but there can be no

pantheistic

doubt that they became well-known, not only from his writings
cell,

the

but also from the words he wrote on the wall of his

nature

,,A11

consubstantial with the Divinity". About

is

same time we hear of

monks from

of four

the expulsion

the

new Laura

consent of the archbishop Elias

in his letter,

*)

speaks of appealing:

been surprising

if

to

it

of

career

his

between

certainty,

for Origenistic

which may be
the

years

whom

As

also Philoxenos,

in

refers

the

in

Jerusalem

is

same

the only

dated with approximate

494 and 512, from the con-

and Elias

(485518),

Philoxenos

the

would not therefore have

cordance of dates between Jacob of Sarug

Philoxenos

views,

Saba, with

of S.

Bar Sudaili had been treated

manner. The period of his residence

part

of

(b.

454,

Jerusalem

d.

522)

(494513).

the impossibility of his communica-

to

ting with the Patriarch of Jerusalem on account of their division in

his

faith

letter

contest

we

are inclined to narrow the period at which

was written

to

between 509 and 512, when the

between the two parties was

chronological indication

1) Cyrillus

Scy thopolitji

at its

might be found

Vita

S.

Sabae.

in

height.

the

Another

59
,,Confession of faith", of Philoxenos

*)

if

the period at which

was written could be exactly determined; for in the anathema at the close he enumerates rrfs*.i rdL.icy. -is ,,the
it

impious Bar Sudaili". This confession

the

at

up

held in

synod of Sidon,

may have
512

been drawn

513, of which

Philoxenos was the prime mover. In the profession of faith

demanded

among

the

Jacobites

we

their receiving
o orders,
*

and

Sudaili

man

Ebraia,

Sudaili

the

for

error;

at

the anathematism of Bar

Stephen had evidently become a

Stephen

Edessa
of

would

f.

83

about

evidence
left

until

of

This

is

at

certainly an

is

Edessa,

the middle

of great interest to

cf.

makes Bar

),

542.

and

years of the century

Mus. Add. 17216:

1) Brit.

Severos,

already

could hardly have lasted

be

History

under the Antiochene patriarch

other

had

first

Ecclesiastical

our

all

during the

his

in

successor

with

variance

CLIX,

also read

followers.

flourish

Sergios,

It

of priests and deacons on

of importance and influence.

Bar

seen

his

as

we have

and his career

it.

know from what

source

Wright's Cat., II, 533. Cod. Syr. Vat.

T.

A-inoA
:

oYVfta

urd^.*x.ict

rein* on* a .....

i*jcx_*a

2) Cod.

Syr.

Vat.

XLIX,

f.

58.

It

anathematizes

orA rcbcn

3) Ed.

Abheloos and Lamy. p. 215.

Cf.

Assem. B.

0., T.II, p. 327.

60
Bar Sudaili derived a part

we

point

John

like

On

least of his doctrines.

this

an interesting fact noted by Philoxenos in these

find

n He desired.

words:

at

originate heresies himself also,

to

Egyptian, whom for a short time he even

before he came forward as
His master then

the
l

followed"

).

an original thinker, was a John of Egypt. At this period the

monk John

monophysite

II

Patriarch

of

Severos of Antioch and

Alexandria; but as his relations with

the Syrian Monophysites

was

517)

(509

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-

who

sites

flourished

under Sergios of Antioch

2
)

but

met with any other notice which could with

referred to him. The John of Alexandria spoken of

not

rias

Rhetor

as

of

ftNyfirifrK',

in

Zacha-

).

In

no case could

John with the Syrian John of Egypt, bishop

this

identify

safety be

heretic and falsifier of writings is, in all

probability, another and an earlier writer

we

have

whose

life

is

given

John

by

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,

same party as Philoxenos, would never have

enumerated him among his saintly personages. It is hardly
to

longing

necessary

the

however

to

question the opinions of this master

of Bar Sudaili: the mystical pantheism of the

and

Syria

intimate

1)

3)

4)

of

the

relations

well-known
degree

from

to

IV

to

between

monks

of Egypt

the VI century, as well as the

the two countries, are facts too

require proof. In both there flourished every

pantheism

and pan-nihilism

See pp. 323.

2) Assemani B.
Land, Anecdota Syriaca, T. II, p. 177.
Land, op. cit. T. Ill, p. 130.

from the gross and

0., T. II, p. 327.

61
form

material
the

Neo-platonic and Origenistic sects. Late

kabbalistic,

searches tend to
the

old

Euchites to the spiritualized forms of

the

of

show that

much

of this

re-

was engrafted from

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

be

to

work of such

the

different

periods.

Stephen bar

was undoubtedly

Sudaili

in

points a

many

follower of Origen and the Alexandrian school, but his thought

was dominated by gnostico-kabbalistic elements. Having boldly

he sought to propagate them by
proclaimed his doctrines
,

numerous writings. Philoxenos shows him

learned

man

much

have been a

to

devoted to the study of Scripture

which

he interpreted in a kabbalistic manner, carrying probably

excess

the

mania

for

kind of exegesis

this

which was

vogue among the followers and imitatorstof Origen

it

did not originate with the latter, but

to

in

although

found even more

is

elaborated in the writings of Philo^

Although Philoxenos speaks

and

other

writings

of Bar

regarding an early one

a

commentary on

direct revelations

the

of letters

Sudaili,
first

the Psalms,

and

to

commentaries books
,

he

gives details

which came

fn it

Stephen claimed

be an inspired

man

was revealed the true sense of Scripture

dreams and his commentaries on them the
dreams.

Philoxenos indicates

that

into his

in this

to

only

hands

to

have

whom

alone

he called them

interpretations of

work Bar Sudaili

had not yet developed his pantheism. The question naturally

arises, was he acquainted with the Book of Hierotheos and
did he

make use

of

it

in

his

criticisms?

It

seems

as

if

were not the case: otherwise the language of Philoxenos

would have been entirely different. As it is, the phraseology
this

62
shows that he had other sources of information. He
a book in which

to

particular

trines (pp. 4,2

to

inadequate

tirely
this

43)

in

the subject,

What

known

doc-

his

says,

foolish".

en-

is

From

may have

publicly accuse

to

the secret character of the Book of Hierotheos

it:

some time have prevented

known, even

From

if it

existence

its

had been already written

Philoxenos

passages in

several

seen

of the imposture perpetrated

by Stephen, he would not have failed

for

and

insipid

other works of Bar Sudaili he

does not appear. Had he

of

he

which,

language

forth

book he extracts most of the statements which he con-

demns.
it

sets

Stephen

refers in

it

him

must

being generally
at that time.

appears that Bar

Sudaili must have made numerous and active disciples (though

he seeks to deny
with
find

with

Philoxenos

that

Stephen's

disciples

and have kept up continuous relations

where he boasted

Edessa,

a letter

it),

merst

himself,

of

before

reprehensible

having adherents.

becoming

We

acquainted

doctrines, wrote to

him

which he sent by one of Stephen's

now
named Abraham: and the reason which induced
lost

Philoxenos to write to Abraham and Orestes at Edessa was,

that

received from

they had

works, sent

to

Bar Sudaili

them through some

letters

and other

of his followers; by which

he wished to seduce them, and probably others,

to

adopt his

pernicious doctrines.

Thus much have we been

Sudaili

now

it

will

able to collect respecting

Bar

be necessary, in order to complete his

biography, to pass to the question of his identity with PseudoHierotheos.

63

VII.
BAR SUDAILI CONSIDERED BY SYRIAN WRITERS TO BE
THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK OF HIEROTHEOS.

has

It

Bar

been

already

Ebraia

the great

the

monophysite patriarch

work of Bar Sudnili

<hi_u5a

entitled, rtLz.icLn

of heresies

Bar

on

T.H,

2) rt&ui&t.i^.

3)

pn \

that

Gregory

(XIII cent.)

asserted

*)

IV
.

foundation',

).

have been that entitled the

referred

In

to is in

giving

the Incarnation, he assigns

Sudaili, saying'

1) B. 0.,

to

The passage

Book of Hierotheos.

the

stated by Assetnan

p.

):

//

enumeration

the last place to

that

of Stephen

cf.

A^sa rx..icU3

Asseman,
i=>

&\iisa

at the end of

ibid.

rtLirs'ft

flof<i

>cb

&vA^.i oauuaoicn

s\

A % n

work

290291.

r.fior<duL

ri'JL.'K' .ia*

Thirtieth heresy;

an

his

AL& K'crxAri' reboali

rdJcnrt

r<Lx..i-n.n

rfiiaz.

vJMKl^

even

crL-.i.n

c\cn

64
bar

He affirmed that
and that
hell}

Sudaili

torments

(of

forever

but

there will be

be

will

be

shewn even

He

also wrote

purified

wicked

the

by

fire.

an end

to the

not

suffer

will

Thus will mercy

demons, and everything will return into

the Divine nature, as Paul says, i/God will be all in all".
to

a book in support of

and

this opinion,

called

by the name of Hierotheos, the master of the holy Dio-

it

nysios

many

as if

it

were by the holy Hierotheos himself; which

also think".

a second passage

In

tical

History

the

in

section of his Ecclesias-

first

Bar

Ebraia

speaks

of

Stephen

but adds

nothing new, except that he mentions his Scripture-commentaries.

His

words are

n At this time Stephen bar Sudaili

became notorious as a monk in Edessa.

own

He

interpreted the

and affirmed that

there will be an end to the torments of hell, and that sinners and even demons will be justified; laying down as the
Scriptures

foundation

according

of his

to

his

ideas,

that,

teaching

as Paul says,

r/God will

be all in all".

These few words represent in an absolutely exact manner

the teachings of Bar Sudaili as related by Philoxenos, but
the

most important point

Bar Sudaili attempted

to

is

the categorical assertion

palm

off his principal

work

that

as that

of Hierotheos, the supposed master of Dionysios the Areopagite.

Were

1) Ed.

this statement only the expression of

Abbeloos and Lamy,

p. 222. 2)

rdufior^

ArC' rdlsava ooaa

rdnJcocA isaK' rdsxAaxa

Kfcairc" Kttcrtt.i ,cb

.\s>.

SA

Bar Ebraia's

rc'.fpdi.

COT <yi

AK*.!
1

65
one

opinion,

personal

but

could

considerable hesitation

feel

who

accepting the conclusions of a writer

in

now
him

the
*).

of his
a

whom

centuries after the one

seven

has

assertion

The

Bar 'Ebraia quotes

and

until

supposed to rest entirely with

been

of the VIII century

och (793

criticises

when

case assumes a different aspect

writings

writer

he

more than

lived

in

another

support of his view

Patriarch

Kyriakos

in
,

of Anti-

This passage occurs in the Nomocanon or

817).

rd&osua

rrt'i*giK

i/The Book of Directions concerning ecclesiastical Canons

laws".

civil

In ch.

VII,

sect.

2
)

in

and

which he enumerates

the canonical and apocryphal Scriptures, etc., after speaking

of apocryphal revelations of the apostles John

he gives
in these

a sentence

terms :

of Kyriakos

SL&X.T.I

ocb rd=v^,

Paul

Peter

etc.,

on the book of Hierotheos

.

r<La>iir<i& oocuLicto

oop
-.
t/The patriarch Kyriakos
rdru^icn rdL're' .10-.
The book entitled [that] of Hierotheos is not by him

>coo<kr<'
(says)

but probably by

the heretic Stephen

Bar SudaUi".

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-Dion ysios.

Beside

his

book on the Celestial and Ecclesiastical Hierarchies, already

mentioned,

and

he

wrote

an

important

work

on

another on the resurrection of the body

4
).

the

soul

The

latter,

1) This is the opinion of Neander, Dorner, and all who have treated
the subject.
2) Cod. Syr. Vat. CXXXII, f. 32: cf. Assemani B. 0., T. II, p. 302,

and

Catal. T. Ill, p. 199.

4) Cod. Syr. Vat. C. Cf.

Frothingham, Bar

Sudaili.

3)

kssem. B.

0., T. II, pp. 219, 505.

Assem. Cat. T. II, p. 530.

5

66
entitled
a Four

of great
(1.

IV,

Hell

human

books on the resurrection of

c.

and learning:

interest
to

21)

the

supporting

The opening sentence

).

Tarsos

in

Theodore

the
his

in

is

it

bodies", is a

he devotes a chapter

eternity

and

of Paradise

worth quoting: uDiodoros of

which he wrote on the (Economy, and

and the master of Nestorios, say in
disciple
book

The same

places that there is an end to condemnation.

many

work

course is also taken by the work called the Book of Hierotheos

ten

which

is

another

by

Sudaili.

in

his

Gregory

of

and in that

him but was

in reality not by

to his sister

name,

that is

Nyssa also, in
Makrina and in
,

teaches the
the

first

by

dogma of apokatastasis
principle, and says that

skilfully writ-

Stephen bar

his book rditdvisa

other compositions

that is, the return into

there will

an end

be

to

future torments. However, all the doctors of the church, Greeks

as well as Syrians

with the sole exception of this saint

say
2

unanimously, that there will be no end to the torments of hell )."

1) Cod. C.
2)

f.

69, v. Cf. ibid. p.

K&cmmiftrwii ocn Kla&vaca

QOkia^&ii! casia rtHicnn

caa

5378.

caL.i.i

oocifioi^.t

oca

^sa

ooc

co.-

rdi*iA ndsaloix. ^ur

.

feQKdxTiK'.i r^-in^via.i even

^\ CU2.cn

ca-L.i

r<^i

rdl*no, i_a

^i-50

rell^JfloK'.i acba

even

.i

ocn

co

67
same chapter John

the

In

of Dara quotes,

authorities in favor of the eternity of

of Jacob

from
the

of Sarug
1.

p. 18,

16

to

as the extract, in Add.

17,193, of which we
letter

centuries after Bar Sudaili,

must have been

writers

and

it

is

a continuous

easy

D.

two and three

These two authorities flourished between

church

extends

10, and covers nearly

have given the various readings under the

there

the letter

extract

long

other

1.

of the text, to p. 24,

same ground

punishment

His

Stephen.

among

to

perceive

tradition

that

among Syrian

on the subject; a tradition which

is

the

of

greatest authority even taken by itself, and if in accord with

the intrinsic evidence would

clear,

seem

to be incontestable.

It

is

from what precedes, that this work took a very promi-

nent position, and exercised a strong influence over the

dif-

ferent schools of thought.

Having reached
I

this

made every attempt

point in

my

to discover traces of the

rotheos. Father P. Halloix wrote

life

Book

*)

but in

it

of Hie-

of Hierotheos for his

of lives of Eastern church writers of the

collection

centuries

researches on Bar Sudaili

first

two

were used only the fragments quoted

rda&Q

u&

KlaJcu

1) Illustriam Ecclesiae Orientalis

Scriptoram

vitge et

oc
documenfca. Duaci

1633, p. 600634. The so-called life is made up of quotations from

mediaeval writers. The commemoration in the Menaei of the Greek church

shows what superstitious reverence was accorded to the shadowy perof Hierotheos. known to them only through the medium of

sonality

Dionysios.

68
by Pseudo-Dionysios
independent

the

testimony,

other references were valueless as

for

they

were

derived from the

all

Pseudo-Dionysian writings. Halloix had no knowledge whatever

of any

Book of Hierotheos,

or

of a possible connection be-

tween Pseudo-Hierotheos and Bar Sudaili

.

plicitly

in

the existence of a

among Greek and

however
unique

that

MS.

of

Latin

there

the

first

MSS. were

still

existed

but believed im-

century writer. Researches

also of

no

at the

British

book of Hierotheos

avail.

found,

Museum

in Syriac.

It

was

described, but erroneously, in Rosen and Forshall's catalogue

commentated by Theodosios Patriarch of

Antioch, the second alone being the case. This work I was
as

translated

and

enabled to copy.

69

VIII,
THE BOOK OF HIEROTHEOS,

As already remarked

of S.

disciple

to

gite,

Legend

whom

of the

first

have been writ-

to

century, Hierotheos,

Paul and teacher of Dionysios the Areopa-

work

the

also

us

tells

Book pretends

man

ten by a certain holy

a

this

he

that

is

supposed

was the

first

to

be addressed.

bishop

of

Athens,

Dionysios, and that he afterwards went to Spain,

where he remained as bishop. Dionysios says that he was
before

present

with

became noted

To return
Syriac,

tury

for

apostles

our

to

subject:

in

work

unique

at the

1)

the

MS.

after

commentary by
IX cen-

).

Museum

This

is

compendium

of the

3
).

and an introduction by Theo-

Add. (Rich) 7,189. Of. the Cat. of Rosen and Forshall, p. 74.
Wright's remarks supplementary to the Cat. of R. and F.

2) Cf.

the

Ebraia succeeded in

soon have occasion to speak

a letter

only in

procuring, and from which he composed a

will

extant

the British

great part, to the XIII century

work, of which we

and

close of the

MS. of

very copy which, after great labor, Bar

In

is

an extensive

with

in

death of the Virgin

hymns.
this

patriarch of Antioch

(887896),

belonging

the

at

his beautiful

connection

in

Theodosios

the

the close of vol. Ill of his Catalogue.

at

70
dosios,

and immediately preceding the introductory chapter

of the

text

a short preface or rather dedication hy the

is

person, real or supposititious,

Greek

into Syriac:

ctoordL^

is

it

//Philios", at

Theodosios

The Syriac

of completing

translation

this

is

Ras

gios of

the

at

postscript

same

Philios, in

and sending him his trans-

in

pure and easy

the

necessities ot

comparison with the

which the strained and

in

language

is

work of such an

apparent at every

man

able

as Ser-

ain.

Book of Hierotheos be considered the work of Bar

the

If

is

it

though

adds

to the

very evident

unidiomatic character of the

point,

in

itself:

letter.

of Dionysios,

translation

Syriac

also

of being fettered by

trace

dedication in the

this

remarkably idiomatic

itself is

and shows no
a

translator

with an accompanying

to

volume, addressed

of the

which he speaks
lation

whose request he undertook the work.

have been the author of the translation.

he

The same anonymous

end

addressed to his Maecenas, a certain

does to the text of the work

as he

no case could

work from

translated the

appends a commentary

same manner

the

who

two hypotheses naturally present themselves for the

explanation of the linguistic purity we have mentioned.
Sudaili,

We may

1)

Greek

of

region
2)
is

but

the
sary

the

real

in

he

suppose

fictitious,

original.

to render

that

order

Bar Sudaili wrote

to

foster his

translated

it

the

work

propaganda

that the existence of a

in

the

in

himself into Syriac

or

Greek original

and that the Syriac text we possess is

This fiction of a Greek text was neces-

the imposture credible

because

if

Book of Hierotheos mast have been written

In this case

were

that

Edessa

we may
purely

allow

genuine

in Greek.

the pretended translator's introduction and note

fiction

of Bar Sudaili along with the text, and

we

71

would not need

to be surprised at the
non-appearance of the

supposed Greek

original.

most plausible,

after

valid

so

is

In

text.

Cyrilli

1)

1600 we

This

Alexandriae

value

its

in the balance.

existing at Constanti-

find the following title

work of

//Explicatio.

):

Hierotheum Areo-

in S.

being a reliable

to this

an imposture,

Cyril is necessarily

more than a half-century before Bar Sudaili

and Pseudo-Dionysios
written by

MSS.

of Greek

There are two objections

he lived

as

can hardly weigh

it

Arciepiscopi

pagitam."
proof.

that

catalogue

nople towards
S.

have found an apparent one, but

questionable

Latin

a careful study of the text: the only

would be the existence of any traces of a

objection

Greek

This latter supposition seems the

some monk,

and

consequently

a follower of

may have been

it

Bar Sudaili's doctrine,

as an additional prop to the stage-work of his fiction.

There

2)

some confusion between the persons

of Hierotheos and Dionysios in evidence of which we will give a
seems

have

to

existed

passage from Pseudo-Dionysios quoted

(IX

1)

T.

century)

as

by Hierotheos

2
)

an early Syriac MS.

in

and furthermore

in

this

Apparatus Sacer. Coloniae Agrippinae 1608.

under
the heading: Ex catalogo Librorum variis
p'. 46,
extantium
qui sunt graece MS. quique a GramConstantinopoli

Antonii

Possevini,

II; in fine,

in locis

matico fuere exhibiti.

2) Brit.

Mus. Add.

17,191

IX

(of

or

f.

cent.)

64:

r^ T

.T-D.l

cn
r<t\on^\.i

K'^xz&iao r^-.vi=3cv

r<l*-3

-A^JSO

r^.ir^laL

Ax.
K'.tcn

OcruaCXjL..l

This passage

is in reality

from Divine Names,

ch.

72

we

same catalogue of Constantinople MSS.

sancti Hierothei, sive Dionysii Areopagitae,

//Liber

Atheniensis Theologicus

Here

the confusion

ent

both

read the

et

personages

legendary

for it is

both

and

bishops of Athens,

to

have

lived in

of this

confirmation

In

ings.

Spain.

we may

that at the council of Constantinople in

writings were

nysian

pat-

Paul,
then

is

comment-

have treated of the Pseudo-Dionysian writ-

after all

may

S.

It

quite natural to suppose that this Pseudo-Cyrillian

ary

*).

supposed to

been members of the Areopagos, disciples of

have

Episcopi

Mystica Theologia"

evident, and the reason

is

were

Hierarchia

title:

refer

532

to

the

when

fact

the Dio-

brought forward, their supporters

first

had quoted them: this fact was disputed by the orthodox and the quarrel became quite warm.
We have already noticed the great difficulty experienced
that

alleged

S.

Cyril
,

by Bar
theos

Ebraia

but

in

copy

of the

at first surprising to find

is

it

procuring a

Theodosios

and

rienced the

same

his

friend

Book of Hiero-

that the patriarch

Lazaros, bishop of Kyros, expefour centuries before

difficulty nearly

him:

were most desirous of becoming acquainted

with the work, of taking it as their guide, and of unfolding
both

its

them

of

mysteries

and

to his friend Lazaros,

as

Theodosios informs

us in his letter

Our

they finally succeeded.

surprise,

however, ceases when we read the opening chapters of the

book itself, and perceive the frank and bold clearness with

which

the

theistic

xai

vote,

xcti

"Or<

xtxi

4>u%aig

is

7rapvfyi<rrx<r6<xi

xai

trupeia-i

KTrfararts.

1)

his anti-christian

ovte xaxius a'tV;ov

xai avev a-ui^otTO^

elvui

develops

That he

system.

27.

IV,

author

Ant. Possevini

ibid.

xuxov

conscious,

ry

$%%

KKXIKV
,

y r%$

all

and ultra-pan-

the time, of the

TO rapa, Sytov ex rov SVVKTOV

wtrnep ev dotipofft
'e%eu<;

ruv

'

rouro

yp

e<rrt

oixsitav ayotftwv ao-Qsveies

73
he runs

peril

evident from the oft-repeated injunction

is

under

the severest penalties, not to disclose the mysteries of the book

before

minds"

//impure

Syrian translator in

the

is

orthodox). Both the pretended

e.

to

keynote

the

Book of Hierotheos,. and the

would

not

boldness

the

reason

of the

the

for

one,

obtaining

beyond

pass

and Theodosios

in his

most emphatically.

This

his introduction,

reiterate this caution

commentary,
secrecy

(i.

assurance that

but

also

the

doctrines

the circle of the initiated explains

language.

scarcity

method of teaching of the

We

of copies

why

the

now

and

for

see not only the

the difficulty in

book occupied so excep-

a position.

tional

We

could hardly expect to find any general acquaintance

work the knowledge and use of which was kept

confined as much as possible to the narrow circle of esotewith

ric

even

mystics:

sought

ports,

been

generally

obtain

baffled

who were

initiated,

all

against

to

inimical hands, attracted

if

possession

by the discretion and secrecy of the

familiar

disclosers

of it,

by vague rethey must have

of

its

with the anathemas

mystical doctrines.

launched
Theodosios

himself, however, leads us to conclude that before his time

number of theologians had commentated the work, but

he omits to mention any of them by name. It is possible
a

that he refers,

among

others, to Kyriakos and John ofDara,

whom we

have already quoted.- This is all the more probable, because he speaks of these theologians as objecting to
Hierotheos'

which

is

doctrine

precisely

of the

redemption

of

the

hell-sphere

what Kyriakos and John of Dara

do.

IX.
THE POSITION GIVEN TO HIEROTHEOS BY PSEUDO-

Turning to other writings which relate to our book, we

must pause to consider the position given by Pseudo-Dionysios
to

we have

master Hierotheos:

his

already alluded to the

terms of great reverence and admiration which he uses with

to

regard

him.

completely with

cism, the

The

portrait

he gives of Hierotheos

what we know of Bar Sudaili: the mysti-

celestial visions, the abstruse

the study of Scripture.

and condensed thought,

will here translate the chapter in

to his

Pseudo-Dionysios explains his relations

here

is

it

illustrious

suitable

to

explain

Certainly

ises

on

had he claimed

theological

tions developed the

had the

#And

*).

wherefore, inasmuch as our

we have,

as if these

were not

written others beside the present theological treat-

ise.

all

master

which

master Hierotheos has made an admirable collec-

tion of 'Theological Elements',

sufficient,

tallies

folly or

sum

to write

systematically

treat-

questions, and had in special exposiof all theology,

we would never have

the stupidity to consider ourselves better able

than he to treat of theological matters in a clear and divine

manner

1)

or to talk at random,

Divine Names, ch. Ill, 2

by repeating the same things super3.

75
fluously

and moreover show ourselves unjust towards a teacher

and friend by whom,

we were

after S. Paul,

instructed,

most excellent doctrine and expositions.

plagiarizing his

since he, in reality explaining divine things in a

to

mature minds,

way

suited

enounced unto us certain synoptic

state-

ments, which in one included many, he as

me and

who

others,

by
But

it

were encouraged

myself are teachers of newly-initi-

like

ated souls, to unfold and interpret, in a language suited to

and universal meditations of the

us, the synoptic

power of so

me

and didst return

to do so,

do

sublime. Therefore

mature intelligences
as

man. Thou

great a

we

manner

unto those

Therefore have

their

the

that

we

are

to

those

crators

and

fall

it

divinely

inspired.

food

is

for

the

perfect

be to furnish such to others

and understanding of the

acquaintance with
to

priests.

has

teacher
into

the crowd,

synoptic teaching require a mature power,

them

to

suited

is

this

However,

observed by us, never

divine

above

truly said that the direct vision of spiritual

truths leading up

we

who

suited to us. For, if solid

and

hook as being too

his

will transmit divine things to those like us in a

what supreme perfection must

truths

me

assign this teacher of perfect and

second Scriptures, analogous

"We however

but

*)

to

spiritual

hast often thyself urged

to

has

the

inferior

conse-

most carefully

been

take in hand the things which this

with

explained

sufficient clearness,

tautology by giving the same explanation of a

passage which he has already cited. For

inspired hierarchs

(when we

among our

knowest

as thou

divinely-

together with

him and many of our holy brothers had come together

the contemplation

when James

1)

Timothy,

lest

of the life-giving and God-receiving

the brother of

to

whom

God

the Divine

for

body,

and Peter the supreme and

Names

is

addressed.

76
venerable chief of theologians were present

the contemplation, that

after

hymns,
of the

thearchic

the theologians,

who

there said
I

the

all

sing

powerful goodness

he excelled,

you know,

after

other initiated, being entirely beside him-

and feeling communion with that

ecstasy,

all

knew him or

heard and saw him, whether they

fore should

that

hierarchs should

be divinely inspired and a divine psalmist. But where-

to

not,

as

was decided

he was praising in hymns. He was considered by

which
those

able, to

infirmity)
all

an

in

all

self,

was

as each one

the

all

it

speak to you of the divine things which were

for

unless

my memory

me

betrays

feel certain

have often heard from you fragments of these divinely

such zeal did you

enthusiastic psalmodies,

feel in

searching

diligently after divine things.

//But, passing over these mysteries, both because they are

mentioned

not

be

are

well-known

to

common crowd and

the

to

you,

when

was necessary

it

with the multitude and to draw as

own

sacred
in

great light

aware

use

(lit.

of not

we

did

not

the

sufficiently

our

part of

of

purity

attempt even

to

greater

and the rest

to confer

as possible

of time, in

sun) in the face

being

many

surpassed

of demonstration,
that

so

the

in

teachers,

acuteness

courses

how he

doctrine,

holy

because they

mind,

of sacred dis-

to

such a

look

For we are conscious and

able

either

to

comprehend

those divine things which are intelligible, or to express and

explain those divines
left

doctrines

so far behind by the

knowledge

theological truth, that through

have even

We

of these

excessive

divine

timidity

being

men

in

we would

concluded not to hear or say anything on divine

philosophy, had
neglect

which are expressible

what

it

we
is

not

perceived that

possible for us to

were persuaded of

this

it

know

was not

right to

of divine things.

not only by the natural aspira-

77
of intelligences

tions

far as is

contemplation, in so

with

filled

always

desire for the

the

allowed, of supernatural things,

but also by the very excellent disposition of the divine ordi-

nances
us

which while

it

forbids to

meddle with what

is

above

both as being superior to our worth and as unattainable

yet bids us to learn with zeal whatever

is

allowed and given

communicate generously to others. Persuaded then by this, and not desisting or shrinking from that
and
search after divine things which is within our reach
to us, urging us to

who

not hearing patiently that those

are not able to contem-

plate the things above us should remain without help

we have

undertaken to write, not pretending to teach anything new,

interpreting and

but

and applied

minute

by investigations more
distinct parts
what had been said

showing
to

forth,

,.

synoptically by Hierotheos". In another place (Div.

Names

II,

Dionysios says, as a preface to his quotation from Hiero-

9)

theos'

Elements of Theology

//

this

has been unfolded in a

supernatural manner by our illustrious teacher in his Elements

of Theology, which he
in

gians,

Scripture

and

in

conceived

part

part received from

a

by

was taught by some more divine

not only learning but experiencing

dkld

y.al

nad&v rd

with them

made
and

perfect

faith

The

investigation

of

in

in

the

if

6eZa}

inspiration, by

and by his sympathy

we may

unteachable

divine things (ov [tovov

so express ourselves

and mystical

union with

them".

text of the quotations

from Hierotheos will be given

with the text of the Book of Hierotheos

parison.

theolo-

through his frequent exercise and practice therein

in part

scientific

pious

They have already been

In regard to these fragments

it

for the

sake of com-

referred to on p. 6.
will

not be out of place

78
an error committed by Dorner '). He makes an
elaborate statement of the
Christology of Pseudo-Dion ysios
refer

to

to

and

founds

//Elements
clusions

of Theology"

because

Christ

cerning

is

theological

mystical.

on

entirely

We

the
in

the

in

must simply be

important,

more

it

transferred

language

This

is

of Dionysios himself con-

form and in thought

quite a different

and

is ontological

seek in vain in the Book of Hierotheos for any

have remarked,

this could

from a work

Names";

but, as

we

be no argument against the iden-

Hierotheos with Bar Sudaili

have been prudent

it

All his con-

to Hierotheos.

of the quotations given in the //Divine

tification of

Names.

the Divine

while that of his master

from Hierotheos'

quotations

no case would

for in

Stephen's disciple to give passages

for

which the

sect

desired

keep as secret as

to

possible.

We
the

find perhaps the earliest

appearance

of the

mention of Hierotheos,

Dionysian

in

writings,

giving a portrait of the famous Severos

scribes

him

as //learned

on

commentaries

almost

This historian

contemporary history of Zacharias Rhetor.

in

the

after

of Antioch

in the Holy Scriptures,

de-

and in the

them by ancient writers, by Hierotheos

and Dionysios Titus and Timothy , disciples of the apostles

and after them by Ignatios, Clement, and Irenaios, etc." 2 ).

would seem probable that Zacharias, who, it must be

added, was himself quite a religious philosopher, points to

It

something more being known, of the writings which passed

under the name of Hierotheos, than the few fragments given

by Pseudo-Dionysios. This passage would then be interesting,
as

it

would show

that

Severos

who was

1) History of the doctrine of the Person of Christ

2)

Land, Anecdota Syriaca T.

Ill, p. 228.

D. II

a supporter of

v. I. p.

157 sqq.

79
Dionysian doctrines

Were

known

the writings of Severos better

thrown on

be

favored also those of Pseudo-Hierotheos.

the

his

of

subject

more

relation

light

the

to

might

mystical

school.

We

have already mentioned the spurious //Explicatio S.

Gyrilli" on Hierotheos, and the probable confusion between
and

Dionysios

marked that
Dailly

*)

his

the

that

was an

Hierotheos

name.

invented

time

that

at

it

be

may

re-

spoken of by Pseudo-Dionysios
for

latter himself,

may have suggested

tion

connection

this

has been already suggested by the learned

it

none but the

is

master: in

It

is

Hierotheos

in his opinion

that

likely

this

explanation

from the entire lack of informa-

itself

any

regarding

of this

person

name

or

works written by or attributed to him, with the single

exception of what we read in Pseudo-Dionysios.
any

would seem impossible for any one after reading even

an outline of the Book of Hierotheos, to accept for a moment
The intellectual position of the
this theory of identification.
It

two minds

entirely different

is

monk, whose thought

sophic

system
his

great

naivete

feels

it

to

freshness;

genius,

be

the

who

it

and
is

a simple

is

from any philo-

drawing his theories

expressing

them

with

the divine seer, and not

speaks.

genuine

excited religious imagination

mind,

distinct

entirely

consciousness,

and

the philosophic

one

Pseudo-Hierotheos

claiming direct vision

own

from

is

On reading

out-pouring

and the

but of no eclectic or imitator.

his

of a strongly-

work of an
It

is

book

true

we

original

find in

his system ideas

from both the Christian and pagan schools

of Alexandria

especially from Origen

1)

as well as traces

Joannes Dallseus, De scriptis quae Dionysii Areopagitae et Ignatii

Geneva 1666.

Antiocheni nominibus circumferuntur.

80
kabbalistic and gnostic systems and perhaps even of

of the

the

Ghaldaean

early

cosmogony:

into a perfectly symmetrical

ordination to the ideal

him there
are

is

are

unfolded
,

marshalled

and harmonious whole,

to

peculiar

revelations

as

they

in

as

absolute

as

things

and

which

sub-

With

Hierotheos himself.

never any attempt at discussion.

successively

tainties

but

His theories

undeniable

cer-

he has known

and seen.

On

the other hand, although Pseudo-Dionysios shows

same

of the

spirit

in his Mystical

much

Theology and Divine Names

yet even here there appears the logical element so conspic-

uous

in

his

writings

which

classifies

him

in

different

branch of the mystical school from that of Pseudo-Hierotheos

as

well as

in far closer

connection with the Neo-Platonists.

We

might say, that the one has a considerable affinity with

the West-Syrian school of Antioch , and that the other belongs
to

the

East-Syrian

the former,

the

school of Edessa: for these represented,

intellectual

development, and the

analogical side.

latter,

and logical side of the Syrian

its sentimental, symbolical and

81

X.
THE

OF THE PRIORITY OF HIEROTHEOS

PSTION

TO DIONYS10S.

This

discussion of another question

the

to

already have occurred

may
to

leads

suppose that

view

in

cisely

and

Dionysios,

Book of Hierotheos

.the

dependent on the

of no independent value?
a

that

sible

sustain

his

follower

it

not natural

was produced

Would

it

and consequently
not have been quite pos-

of Dionysios

latter,

should

have

fancied

to

Hierotheos

Were

this the case,

the author of a work of this kind would naturally have

made

correspond with the indications in Dionysios: would in

to

likelihood have entitled his

all

to

master's position by bringing out a work which

should bear out his relation

it

pre-

references to Hierotheos in Pseudo-

the

of
is

the reader. Is

to

which

work

the

2rot-

Osohoyi'/tal

Xei&eets or Principles of Theology, and with

it

would have

incorporated, as a proof of authenticity, the passages quoted

from that book

referred

the

in

more than once by name

Dionysios. Supposing

kind

Names. He would

Divine

would

imitative,

in

it

it

to be an

to

not also be natural to find

the

same

style

beloved

his

artificial

of thought

also

disciple

production of this
it

as

work

entirely

the Dionysian

writings, but lacking their power and originality?

FrotHngLam, Bar

Sudaili.

have

82

Now we

find

not

only

theos:

of

nothing-

the

is

title

and does

different,

but there

treat ne-

it

the ontological and

cessarily of a different order of ideas

cosmological

Book of Hiero-

the

this in

all

no sign of the passages quoted

is

by Dionysios. Even the name of Dionysios is not mentioned,

though the work seems to be dedicated to him he is only
:

referred to as //my son" or //my friend"

no trace of any attempt

connect

to

Dionysian writings. Besides this

of

is

throughout

with the Pseudo-

itself

what has already been noted

the difference in intellectual standpoint, style and

regarding

form

There

).

is

thought

of imitation:

two stand

to

for

sufficient,

it

preclude the idea

to

think,

which the

clear that the relation in

is

each other as presenting

the one, sentimental

and analogical forms, and the other, intellectual and logical

forms of the same ideas, gives, according to the natural
development of schools
In

relation

this

the priority to

reference must be

Hierotheos.

made

made by Dorner, which

cious conjecture

a very saga-

to

markable because he had such meagre materials

which to base
teacher

of

all

says:

wrote the work

things

into

the

given by Barhebraeus.
of the
tated.

and

Dionysius;

Barsudaili

of

He

it.

It

is

under
in

Among

the

name

nature.

Such

may have

vailed

in

many

bridge

'to

Neo-Platonism

Paul

is

is

transition

the account

translated and

commen-

a fiction to

been led by the Origenism which pre-

of the

monasteries,
,

which formed

and

may have

given rise

spread of Neo-Platonism in a Church form

1) S.

of Hierotheus

the Monophysites the writings

possible that Barsudaili's fiction,

he

hand on

at

which he taught the

much used,

which

re-

vHierotheus was professedly the

divine

Areopagite were

more

Ihe

all

is

spoken of by name as his master.

to

the

under the name

83
t

of the holy disciple of Hierotheus"

the

recognizes

relation

true

Dorner

In this passage

).

the two writers, and

between

now amply

this position of his is

confirmed. Gfrb'rer also in

Church History draws similar conclusions in his remarks

on the Pseudo-Dionysian writings. Who was Pseudo-Dionyhis

sios?

his

In

This

Syrian.

a follower of Proklos, and by birth

opinion
latter

position

he

attempts

to

prove

the

by

between Dionysios and Hierotheos.

relations

then

Taking

not singular that

of

silence

this

is

it

should not have mentioned this

Dionysios

work

most important
explained,

granted the priority of Hierotheos

for

his

master?

was necessary

As

we have

to the

already

preservation of

the secret character of the book.

A
the

comparison of dates does not throw any

way

of the priority of Hierotheos.

difficulties in

Bar Sudaili

have flourished during the last decade of the

tury and the beginning of the sixth, while the
to

of

the

probably

appearance
during

the earliest, the

of
of

532

of the

Pseudo-Dionysian

fifth
first

censigns

writings occur

the

second decade of the sixth century at

first

certain date being that of the Council

33. That they were already

532 seems

we know

certain

known

before this date

and Sergios' Syriac version was pro-

bably slightly anterior.

History of development of the doctrine of the Person

1) Dorner J. A.
of Christ. Edinb. 1861. D. II. v. I. p. 42223.
,

84

XL
COMMENTARIES OS THE BOOK OF HIEROTHEOS,

To
book

return

extenso

in

of importance:

the

the

for

first

Ebraia.

latter

still

is

to

us two works

commentary of Theodosios of
an abridgment of the work by

These two are of very unequal value,

more an

is

remaining

treated this

the

is

second

Gregory Bar

find

who have

writers

Syrian

we

the

and

Antioch,

the

to

than

imitation

work of any

original merit.

The physician
of Antioch

Romanos, on becoming Jacobite Patriarch

887, took the name

in

great

works seem

theos

and

to

Theodosios: his two

of

have been his commentary on Hiero-

a treatise on medicine

x
).

He must have been an

enthusiastic follower of the mystico-pantheistic school, as also

his

and

friend
to

Lazaros of Kyros at whose

whom

addresses

to

he dedicated his work. The

Lazaros

would be of great
the

be

1)

MS.

are

request he undertook

so

satisfactorily

at

the

interest:

beginning

of

letter

his

unfortunately the

which he

commentary

first

sheets of

defaced that but a small portion of

deciphered.

In

it

it

can

he recounts how both he

H. Zotenberg, Les sentences symboliques de The'odose, patriarche

d'Antioche. Paris 1877, p.

89.

85
and his friends desired
Hierotheos
the

way

order

in

to

that

of salvation.

It

this.

to

which

sons

1)

led

&vrkiai

this letter will

just

their

work

esolike

be given in a note

).

rtktr^io rdauruo

Klicn

>._

-^-

i&\.l.

va

oco

ia^va rd.i

Kaa A Kb
rcjcn

vvo.l

^n.io

rdilAjoi rdicn
.

-o

A&trtf'

Jl2.

K'.i

vyK*.i.i

>~A

rdsa^Ml.T KL-a^r^.i

K^u^i^ >A

>c

KlaJ,
i a.*a^1

vtVUxsjA

Klu

been said and to show the rea-

Theodosios to undertake his commentary

'f&ififia.ict

ot

on

their leader

as a divine revelation,

few passages from

what has

become

Church should adopt as

so to speak,

illustrate

should

copy of the Book

a significant fact that the highest

is

dignitaries of the Syrian

teric Bible,

it

procure

vyi^.l

>a.Tio.l

rfiisaK*.!

cn

86
Immediately
Theodosios

view

of

the

and enters

letter

a long introduction

is

by

explains his

an elaborate and interesting in-

into

the mystical and philosophical terms used

of all

text

the

for

the

which he summarizes the book

in

it,

terpretation
in

following

which are valuable not only

interpretations

understanding

of

work, but often

the

also philolo-

gically.

The commentary of Theodosios

about

pies

He

is

used,

to
-4

the

and

does

often

In

them from

in

and occu-

very

all

the expressions

mystical

and

fanciful

opinion, the most abstruse doctrines in the

his

would

under words which

veiled

are

so

volume of 134? pages.

very careful to define and explain

manner.
book

of

three-quarters

very detailed

is

the

suffice to

hide

but to //pure minds" //be easy

uninitiated,

of interpretation."

oeb

rsdrf

KLaK*

T\T53 >&O\ jjraa ens AK*

i

K&iQJa*cn.i rc&ua
Klx.cn Klscn

ra&x*A.i

nc'.ico

A>0._\

>i=i

^<xAj_wu?3

vvK'

Kllco

K'tK'i

Ax^saAiz.K' K'.icn

^I>M\T.I

....

Atcu.i

AK* .aAx&^K'

vxnaeA

COTJ

rc'.icn

1 AUK*

re^

r^rc*!

vyr^ CU .jiz&r^ rdr.To

flp.i

r^lSOAtf rdirc*

the holy and mystical doctrine, hidden in alle-

of the blessed Hierotheos. I will endeavor to interpret to you

gories
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

illumination.

laborious
etc. etc.

work

yet will

we

derive from

it

a most glorious

87
Besides the general introduction

each one of the

To the

preceded by a particular one.

is

text of the
chapters

the

commentary is attached in two different ways

either the whole chapter of
parts of the MS.

in different

the

first

and then repeated

given,

books

five

text is

short sections, each with

in

a separate commentary; or else, in order to avoid repetition,

the latter system alone

As

text.

scientific
is

commentary

used without

thorough

and systematic

this

learning.

that he did not believe implicitly in

we

of a genuine first-century Hierotheos:

the authorship

will

soon have to

the probable sincerity of this belief.

to
c

Bar

work

nothing in any part of Theodosios' writings to

is

indicate

refer

giving the whole

first

remarkable, and gives a favorable idea of the

possibilities of Syrian

There

is

Ebraia

also interested himself in the

Book

of Hiero-

theos, and sent emissaries throughout the East to procure a

he

copy:
the

to

this

that of Theodosios.
text,
in

and

showed
it

distorting

tone

for

and hiding

process

to

1)

ticed

its

the

true

in

is

*)

derived

to

which

principally from
liberties

with the

unscrupulousness of an Eastern

the purpose of softening

real character

).

the

its

anti-christian

The worst
book

was

part of the
the

entire

the order of the chapters, placing near

See the note on the last page of the MS., where the fact is noand an account of the search is given. Of. Wright's Cat. 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).

our knowledge of the

He took however great

which he submitted

change he made

for

say,

Museum

MS. he drew up a compendium,

added a running commentary,

he

to

which, strange

which we are indebted

From

work.

one,

copy now preserved in the British

identical

and that

obtained

finally

each other those which belonged to the beginning and end,

and

lation.

we

As

the

parts

well be imagined that the

made
sense

in
,

excuse

this

slightest re-

have already remarked that, in the Book of

all

Hierotheos,

which had not the

one others

in

uniting

manner,

is

are

mutually dependent,

of

may

of Bar Ebraia , being

compendium
devoid

it

all

order and rational

and gives no idea of the scope of the original. The

he gives in his introduction is, that he found the

primitive order to have been inverted and the text corrupted

by the

translator

l
!

).

1)

K'.icno

ooLacx* ^uJia

rdiiru^

rtllr^

ncfcvcoo

Ainjao.i

rsa vynfo

r^.T*ca>.

crA r<liorrk.i rc^v&o^a .Tw .Tu

.-l&a

ArA

.^J.x^.'i

v^K*

orA
rc*.ieo

cos Ktvco

89
a

is

It

we have

seen

was the

real

sinuate

the

in

it,

It

fact

author, does not mention or even in-

this

compendium

perhaps

his

that

possible

Book of Hierotheos dated from

yet he had not laid eyes on

were so

If this

stress

any

Bar

or in his introduction

but on the contrary speaks of the work as genuine.

is

taste.

as

who,

Ebraia,

states emphatically in other places that

Sudaili

to

circumstance that Bar

singular

on

it

inimical

to

position

the

an earlier period, when as

and found

so

it

much

to his

he had obvious reasons for not laying

authorship by the anathematized Bar Sudaili.

its

This raises, however, another important question: did Theodosios

the

attributed to

on the

silence

the

question

to

be a

work

as

authenticity,

considering

was the author, or even that

him ? I do not consider his com-

that Bar Sudaili

work was

plete

the

know

JC.O cnitsa^. *SQ

lx.

pn

and

his

open acceptance of

sound proof of his good

that

faith

in

of a first-century Hierotheos.

v
.TA.

Know, my

spiritual brother, that

having for a long time studied and considered the Book of the illustrious, wise and learned Hierotheos, I have found it to be a great and
wonderful book: but I perceived that its books and chapters were confused, lengthened and corrupted, as also were some of its sentences,
and that this had been done not by the above-mentioned writer but

by the

translator.

therefore desired to translate it from

and decided

also to put (its chapters) in order ,

Syriac
each one in the place it ought to occupy and to which
,

and opinion,

it

was

suited.

such as

to arrange

in our

judgment

In doing this, however, we have not corlearned (author) nor the words of the com-

rupted the words of the

mentator, not having changed or added any thing of our
only a few words

Greek into

and

&&

and **1 and

Ar^ and

own

except

other similar ones.

as well as some
Still we have removed some things of small importance
perverted chapters and sections', and things like the theory of astrology,
although there were perverse sentences in many places which agreed
have arranged the chapters of this book according to the
with it.
,

We

P3conoiny of the

life of

Our Lord, beginning with

his

baptism,"

etc. etc.

90

We

have seen

it

to

be a fact

well

known

in

the Syrian

and religious world of that period, that the Book

was attributed to Stephen. Now of this fact such a man as
literary

Theodosios

could not

known

Kyriakos

been

to

quite

knowledge;

natural
for

as

Church

to take, as

pantheist.

very

of Dara.

and John
for

even

garded

have been ignorant when

at

him
that

to

repudiate

time

questionable

step

it

But

it

it

was well

would have

and conceal such

would have been

for

re-

the leaders of the

their spiritual guide, an openly-reprobated

91

XII.

SUMMARY OF THE BOOK OF HIERQTHEOS ON THE

HIDDEN MYSTERIES OF THE DIVINITY.

It
to

give

ideas:

strange,
possible

the

author,

limits of a

many unusual, and

endeavor to give,

will

a correct idea of the

of

wording

of so

full

we

still

of

summary

satisfactory

condensed style, and

few pages
a work written in such

would not be possible within the

work

using

all

be done only

of

the

to

be

full

MS.

is

of

when we

r<ff nrt

publish the text

not given on the

is

A^.a

The Book of

ua.i.

den mysteries

or a compa-

first

a>aK& i*K'
<

the holy Hierotheos on the hid-

of the Divinity

(lit.

of the house of God).

It

is

real

theological

epic,

in

mystical scenes through which the soul passes in

towards the One are developed in a vivid manner

writer

sheet

rc^a^xji

x.:wJ!

It

number

divided into five books, each of which contains a

chapters.

itself.

but appears from the introductory commentary

r^v-A.i-^

t^coW

have

which contain similar doctrines

work

of the

title

far as

We

a very similar language.

earlier writings

this can

The

with

us

not the exact

if

purposely avoided attempting a critical analysis

rison

as

to

which the
its

ascent

as if the

saw //heaven open and the angels of God ascending

92
and

upon the Son of man". The writer himself

to have more than once attained to the highest

descending

professes

point of mystic union with the Arch-Good.

To describe the contents

we

find

universes

during this

ultimate

identification

of

mind

the

as

mind

the

search

in

rises into

into

absorption

the

the experience of the

to

with

Christ;

the Son

but

kingdom unto the Father, and

lost in the

end, being

of perfection

intelligent

nature

all

complete union
essence.

primitive

mind

is its absolute

finally

resigns

distinct existence

the

comes

chaos of the Good.

BOOK
Every

ma-

Finally comes the description of the various

life.

The key-note

to an

at the beginning

then comes, what occupies almost the entire

of existence

and

with

primordial essence of the spiritual and

work, the experience

phases

few words

the statement regarding absolute existence, and the

emanation from
terial

in a

FIRST.

determined, known and com-

is

prehended by the essence which is above it]

and

determines,

and comprehends the essence which is below it; but

the pure mind alone belongs the vision above and below ').

knows
to

Not

even

to

the

intelligence

of angels

are

the

wonderful

mysteries of pure and holy minds revealed.

1) In Hierotheos the
is

the

first,

(K'ft^l rtlflooK*)
order of emanation
:

(see

p.

the

first

and all-embracing
,

it

t<ftv=L\p,

principle.

The Universal Essence

the Unity, or the Nee-Platonic One,

contains within

is

does

second in

itself the principles of distinction

riofc
appear to be different from what
out of the Good.

95), and
fall

Arch-Good (K&VjSfc.to

indefinite

is

termed

93
The Good, which we
providing

is

the universal constituting,

and sustaining power of the Universe from which

;

existences

distinct

all

glorify,

which their being

came

to

sustained

is

be

through

and

to

separation
by
which they constantly
,

desire to return.

Distinctions

were

established

from the Universal Essence

The Good being uniform could not produce

anything not uniform: therefore, when the fall from the Good

in

wiso.

this

place, distinct orders of existence did not immediately

took

come
on

into

the

being, for uniformity cannot produce distinction:

contrary,

of the Divine Nature

man

comes from the distinct orders

distinction
,

all

from

the distinct

and unequal na-

and of the animals that crawl upon the earth,

and of birds and of beasts and of fishes, and also of the
distinct beings that are under the earth, and those which
tures of

suffer

many

torments in hell

).

Unto

all

these the measure

of their descent from the Good determines the extent of their

2

fall

).

When

the fall

from

the

Good happened

to

all things

a quiet and silence extended itself over all: they

were then like that which is not 3 ) perhaps they possessed
at

once,

s.

{.Sue.

1.1

K&CUjj.tc* rdauK*.!

2)

3) Compare, with this idea of the emanation of matter and evil from
God, the same idea as expressed in the Zohar: this is one of the strongest coincidences which can be traced and one of the clearest traces of
,

94
And I openly say with
entire frankness
that they were Tohu and Bohu a )
After innumerable ages had passed, the Good was moved
a confused sense

of their place

(?)

pour forth

to

its

love, and

to

brood over these unconscious

minds, in order that they should acquire the motion of life

and consciousness ; then there was born in them a new heart

and a new

know good and

spirit to

endowed them with

Good)

evil

2
)

and

free-will,

that

is

it

(the

then established

the position of each essence according to the measure ol its

love.
this

also

It

took

made

Christ

when

place

the

head and ruler over them, and

mind

received reason

3
).

To some

Kabbalism in Hierotheoa. According to the Zohar, the En-Soph or anbefore the manifesbefore it had put on a form
cient of ancients
tation of the Sephiroth,
produced formless worlds which were emitted from it like sparks. These could not subsist but fell, because the
,

Adam Kadmon

(as individualizing the 10 Sephiroth), which was to mebetween the creation and the En-Soph, had not yet been created.
These worlds fell and were little above nothing representing passive existence and the feminine principle, where all is resistance and inertia, as

diate

in

matter (Tohu and Bohu). When the universal form of man (Adam
the mediator) was established, these ancient fallen worlds fur-

Kadmon

nished the material element in the existing created universe (see Franck,
La Kabbah, pp. 206, 207 and passim). This resistant passive principle
is

individualized in

sensible essence (see

Hierotheos by the unredeemable and irrational in-

page 104).

ocn

io
3)

d\^=Uh.

rcd\.T

^ocnl^ A^. rc'scua^o Klx.i

rdiooo JL=ub caa.i

/am rdiava

Klal

Kljjuataal ^.i col

>c\cn

^Acon ....

95
minds

however , was

left

by the Good

essence (as the powers of

irrational

evil)

their unconscious

but even they

be redeemed. One essence, also, immediately

will eventually

on receiving consciousness began

to

itself to the

oppose

Good

were assigned the places under the earth.

Universal Essence (from which all minds were

and unto

The

is

came

it

all

as

called universal,

di-

existed after se-

it

and before this ordered distinction

that which was separated from the Good,

paration from the Good

for to

it

separated)

rectly

and

and from it came forth every nature which appears separately

and distinctly. For all minds were then confusedly mingled
in it, without distinction

and without consciousness; and, when

they acquired the consciousness of distinction

J

it

from

they came forth

remained within

Those however which

the limits

of this essence acquired a superior consciousness ; and

does

it

them

reach

reveal to divine minds

to

pertain

the glorious

when

to

them

they (the minds)

and holy doctrines of the divine

mysteries

).

1) The same idea seems

Names V, 5) when he says

sing

the

essence

be expressed by Pseudo-Dionysios (Div.

that God, *pre-possessing and super-possesand preeminence of being, caused the universal

anteriority

(TO sJvou ism}

to

to pre-exist;

and from the universal essence

itself

caused being, of whatever kind it be, to exist". Dionysios, by saying that

the universal essence pre-existed, means that it came into being before

and particular existence. Of. Div. N. XI, 6. In this simple

presentation of the same ideas is exhibited, better than by any comment, the radical difference between the thought of the seer Hierotheos
and the philosopher Dionysios.
2) That is, during the ascent of the minds towards the Good.
all distinct

3) L. I,

ch. 8.

orx.AuK' icon

act)

\rf .'Auiofor^
^.,*gft

rix.icx& 73.100

oaisaa

002 KliGcn

acrAA

^.^-20 Kll io

^*.i

r<fcl-\:i

96
As

number

to the

rable; but

orders,

they are innume-

be distinguished, as S. Paul says, into nine

may

each

of celestial essences

with

three divisions, and again each of these

containing nine distinctions. All have received different offices ;

some are
illuminates

some helpers, some

sanctifiers,

guides.

and influences the essence below

knowledge of the one above

it

Each one

but has no

it.

BOOK SECOND.

What

is

the glory by which

natural

or

without

words,

which
to

is

supernatural?

and

above

be nothing

we must

To me

it

seems right

understand ivithout

to

words

and

[the Good],

glorify

but the mysterious silence

speak

knowledge, that

this

knoivledge:

to

apprehend

and mystical

quiet

which destroys consciousness and dissolves forms. Seek therefore , silently and mystically that perfect and primitive union
,

with the essential Arch-Good

).

relix.-ia&.i

Kdx2*..i*

aija .i&o

ocvcn

97
and

Motion

Arch-Good.

the

descendent

The

of Nature

Natural motion belongs

who have

those

but

are

still

who

those

many mo-

but there are

):

some ascendent, and others descendent.

tions,

of

gloiify

motion, as has been said, was a

first

out

one,

we

are the acts by which

purification

the

developed condition

fully

not yet received the meat of knowledge

on

fed

to

milk.

is

found in

natural condition) desire to live in

in

(while

Post-natural motion

an ordered manner, and comprises many divisions, like the

angelic and super-angelic. Extra-natural motion appertains

who have

those

to

sphere,

a tendency towards evil in the natural

then called sinners, and afterwards beasts

and are

and animals. Super-natural motion

the

grees

instead

post-natural:

still

of

the

extra-natural

for

it

and

acquired

still

it

desires because

Ultra-natural motion

belongs

minds which have completely

Good

above

is

and being governed by forms (as the latter is), it is

and silent perturbation, a proceeding without a way^

not confusedly mingled.

is

which

having many divisions and de-

and a knowledge raised above forms;

it

that

is

certain

left

to

is

demons and

beyond
those

to

the whole nature of the

union

with

the

Prince

(of

Darkness)

There

1)

).

exist in

the space between earth and heaven

For the explanation of this we must

identification

in

Hierotheoa

of nature

with the arch-good (rTOY&aJL

first

principle,

within

which

call attention to the absolute

(rdX*A)

0UXXi)

three

i.

e.

universal nature

or agatharchy (oyadp;g/a)

the

in the beginning contained all things undistinguished

itself.

six motions, three are vital and three destructive: the

former are, in order of progression, the natural, post-natural and supernatural (compare with the xta-piot, Treptxfopios &nd virepxfopioi; of Dionysios);

2)

Of these

the latter are,

and the

the original motion out of the Good, the extra-natural

ultra-natural.

Frothingham, Bar Sudaili.

98
essences

demons, each

of
to

according

The lower

measure of

the

has received

its

place

departure from the Good.

its

upper, and wages a fiercer

the

than

darker

is

which

of

war against minds during their ascendent motion. While the

mind possesses natural motion, it is combated by the first

when

of these essences;

when

ascends

it

post-natural, by the two lower: and

of them, for they desire to

make

overwhelmed by

is

it

(supernaturally),

like

it

all

unto themselves.

Ascent of the mind.

Now

the end of the labor of minds

is

for

God does

to

bring them back unto himself. Those

(unto

the

ces

of

their

not desire that minds should fall, and wishes

its

otherwise

and body,
they

will

that

To do

their

is

as if dead,

the mind, which

is

carried

thing
to
it

on

oppose

earth. All
it;

but

is in

all

tra-

must purify

garments may be clean;

When

and the soul

the
is

mind

as-

absorbed in

up and becomes oblivious

the essences of
it

this, they

in the ascent.

fall

the body

cends,

desire to rise

and remove from themselves

essence,

the opposing principle.

soul

who

must unite the Good-Nature which

Father)

them with

this glorious ascent,

of every-

demons gather together

vanquishes them, and the Lord raises

with the hand of his goodness up to the firmament

the angelic hosts cry out

Lift up your heads

and

ye gates
and the king of glory shall enter l )
When the mind is made worthy to ascend above the firmament, which is the middle wall of separation, it is like
:

1)

Psalm XXIV,

7.

99
new-born child which passes from darkness unto

the labor of

During

own

its

natural desire for absorption

from

ceives

its

mind

ascent the

and which

communicate successively
As the mind rises

of their knowledge.

and

fier

sanctifier

of

with those through which

strengthened by

unto
,

it

re-

passes,

becomes the

it

it

the mysteries

it

essences below

the

light.

and by the aid

through which

essences

various

the

is

puri-

and partakes,

it,

passes, of the sacrament of the

it

communicates unto them the perfection of its intelligence and receives from them the mysteries
of their order. These essences
recognizing in it the supreme
Eucharist, by which

it

nature of the Good, assemble also to offer

ing

passed the

the

place

multitude

called

of heavens,

which

distinction,

Then proceeding on

labors.

of the Cross

place
its

and

passion

here

mind

the

its

it

way,

suffer crucifixion

arrives in

in the

it

rest

from

reaches the holy

understands that

it

Hav-

the boundary separa-

own: here does

ting the upper world from our

its

is

adoration.

it

it

is

to

endure

same manner that

mind undergoes all that Christ

cannot be perfected. Then is the mind crucified

Christ suffered; for unless the

it

suffered,

in the centre by the angels

are

turned

into

separated from
the latter on

This

its

who from being

,

its

are crucified

left.

Then

is

sin

the former on

sufferings of the cross

For

grades

separating

the

its

right and

vanquished and destroyed.

and symbolically.

may have

to

be endured more

than once, nay ten or even twenty times; as

are

worshippers,

haters: while the soul and body, being

to be understood figuratively

is

The

it

its

many

as there

mind from the primary essence.

minds do not descend into bodies from one essence

1
alone, but from many ): these essences are more or less

1)

all

This

is

strongly Origenistic.

100

Thus those

perfect according to their descent from the Good.

minds which descended from the essence of the Father need

one

but

from

of

that

the

by

purification

those

cross;

which

descended

Son need two, and from the Holy

the

Spirit

three; and thus through the entire legion of essences. Minds

come

from the essence of demons.

consummated, the mind is laid in the

into the body also

When

all

rest

to

pulchre

is

se-

there for three days.

BOOK THIRD.

On
its

mind

the third day the

purified

soul

in the

former

life

itself

are subjected unto it, having been

life

its

and reunites unto

body, which in this new, unchange-

and

and immortal

able,

rises

subjectors.

Although by

this experience

mind has become greatly purified, yet, as its sins have

been many, it must undergo many purifications. The Goodthe

principle
its

in

it

and by

essence,

of the

has a

angels.

Now

still
it

greater desire to unite itself unto

becomes transfigured before the eyes

does

it

acquire the motion of union

).

Nevertheless the root of evil and opposition has not yet been
eradicated from

pear

it,

but, gathering

and grows up into an immense

branches

cast

darkness

over

forces

its

begins to re-ap-

whose wide-spreading
minds and shade them

tree

divine

from the perfect light of the Good. In the long and terrible

mind many times cuts down and

destroys the branches of the tree, but it ever shoots anew
combat which follows

with

1)

equal

That

is

strength

the

from the undestroyed

of identification with Christ.

root.

Finally by

101

mind

divine illumination the

lowest regions

and

ted,

down below

must descend

it

where the roots of the

to the

tree of evil are

plan-

Then begins for the mind a sorthrough the regions by which it had ascended,
them.

eradicate

rowful return

mons

sees that

the earth. There

combats with the

it

of the North, South, East and

West, and,

fierce de-

finally, is

vanquished and slain by them. Immediately however Christ,

the

is

mind,

great

revealed,

and descending brings

the

infernal

to

It

regions.

life

again

opens

and

the

raises

up the mind from

versed.

It

the Spirit and of

there

this

not

the

obtains

fire

of the spiritual baptism of

without which there

of

adoration

of divine

power

stitutes.
is

is

is

but

doeth

all

and makes

mind

the

given unto

are asleep

is

made

now no

longer

and

high-priesthood,
is

his will,

to

according
alive,

now

it

orders and con-

no longer adored, bat minds, for Christ

is

no God beside

who

creates

all,

Christ

nothing

power

the Son,

is

of

judge

After

life.

the heavenly hosts, for

all

worthy of union with the Good. The mind

is

no

is

no obstacle to the mind being in everything

like unto but identical with Christ, and it re-

the

mind, but

formerly tra-

it

is

merely

ceives

made worthy

then

is

makes

swiftly and peacefully

second ascent through the regions which

its

of Sche'ol,

gates

me

me

in

purified,

which

can say:

Heaven and in earth

all

and, there

),

Lord of those who

).
and not of those who are awakened 3)
For Christ

is

the

1)

Matthew XXVIII

3)

Kl^i^n

18.

rdsoen rdXrc'

2) Isaiah

XLV

5 etc.

rfniT-a ,ODO^UK"

>:v=73

rdA
ctc

102

Then
the

which

the mind,

angelic
of

charist,

which the

shadow. After

this

no longer vision,

is

terrestrial

communicates unto

but the type and faint

is

again unto the place where there

rises

it

Christ,

holy of holies, the spiritual Eu-

the

in

hosts,

now

is

be united unto the tree of

to

life,

unto

the Universal Essence.

BOOK FOURTH.
The Universal Essence has been
only

partially

in

receives

parts

unto

doctrines

not

in its operations.

It

is

the mind in mystery and silence, and the

contemplated by
latter

essence

its

previously defined, but

from

complete love and union.

it

mind

the

three

mysterious

and

It

also

im-

unspeakable

that of the distinction of minds;

coming of the mind into the body; and

what becomes of the nature of all things.
that of the

In

all

mind instructed by the High-Priest

this is the

the Universal Essence,

tion

who

lays

the

of silence. Leaving him,

upon

it

of

the solemn injunc-

mind continues

its

ascent

accompanied by all the essences perfected and sanctified by

minds which are perfected must pass through all
it. For all
the

stations

Good,

and through

now reached
suffered
to

and receive

the

the

Tree

of

the forms which are below the

which they

Paradise,
fall>

all

and

Life,

where

had

Adam

fallen.

The mind has

by the

first distinction

shown by the watch the way

unto which it desires to unite itself,
it

is

would be the consummation of visions and the perfection of mysteries. But now the Adversary Satan knowing
for

this

103
its

desire,

of Life, and
dition

am

Man

revealed as the

is

God

as

sitting

himself into the semblance of the Tree

changes

Sm,

of

God

in the temple of

Son of Perand saying :

the
l
)

came down from heaven ; whoso eateth

2
of me shall live for ever ). The mind therefore being dehastens to unite itself unto this evil essence
ceived
which
I

the bread which

unto

appears

mind,

great

having

from

separated

nally

the

itself

with

Christ, the

is

with

it

Fi-

by Christ, approaches unto and unites

the Tree of Life and possesses quiet and rest.
the Tree of Life

that

Christ

is

but

say that

it

above him.

is

When

mind

the

desires

remain in thy place.

which

Son

with
as

man

and

the

all

Thessal. II

John VI,

51.

it.

this

it

place,

is

demons

the enemies of the Lord,

the

earth

for the Fa-

downward course

and

this

The divine mind

essences

of

enters the gates of

demons gather themselves

Syriac. text reads:

oDTa

GOO

cnTM A^. ia<<Laa

rdksxx.

John

22.

Sa.i

time

that the adversative nature cannot,

3.

The

told:

but has committed all judgment unto

knows

it

oppose

first,

She'ol,

2)

for

pass

then receives a mystic sword, with

again takes a

It

).

joy,

at

1) II

to

the places under

to

no

ther judgeth
the

It

to exterminate the

by descending

3)

fire,

mind.

the Good-nature of the

led

mind,

Men say

it

Then

ground and burns

the

to

it

of Life.

take vengeance on this deceptive

to

revealed,

he stamps

nature:

Tree

the

as

it

.s&u

rctrArC'

ntoij*! rdlK* KliK'

vyK'

,&ol

(.

Q&I

104
together to combat against

but they are overthrown and

and the minds suffering torments are delivered,

destroyed,

The

enlightened and forgiven.

and purified,

minated

it

so that they are

Now

no whit

the celestial regions.

itself

the whole of the adversative nature:

appeared to

to be united

the Son

of

what had

it is

and so cuts

Life,

to perdition

orders

it

judgment and

down.

it

now

the Divine Mind and saved; but, as

to
,

less bright

wishes also to

it

and sees that

minds which had been slaves

All the

for

Tree

the

as

it

illu-

has the mind cast out from

than

destroy the head of opposition

are

infernal regions also

desire

is

meet

adjudges torments

to

and

demons, and descends further to the place of

the Prince of darkness, and finally to the Sun and the Moon
sinners

this infernal sun

tional beings in

has passed She

where

there

below

all

a gift of the

is

this place
s

in order that the ra-

should not perish.

and the lowest abyss,

ol

is

Good

no

longer vision.
are

places,

Now when

Still

When

the mind

reaches the place

it

lower

the roots of evil, which

in the place
it

is

moved

mind destroys demons, it is meant that it destroys them in itself and not
in their essence; and when it destroys these roots, it means
to destroy.

that

the

desires

to

the

obtain

earth

under the earth

or

l
:

resurrection or

those
life.

who

It

is

name

neither

in

Gehenna,

is

the rebel-

that is

does

are imprisoned in
irrational,

it

it

named
possess

cannot

unconscious,

life-

and insensible, and has received the name of Not-being.

less,

the beginning

1)

alone.

mind has thus decreed judgment

see the Insensible Essence, which

anything of nature

In

Good

essence. This does not possess any

lious

on

said that the

will be united unto the

it

After
it

is

it

i.

e.

it

of the Good:

bore no fruits, and, after being proved,

cf.

p.

97 n.

1.

105
was condemned and

it

man

then animal

beast

demon

insensible and contumacious

its

Nature.

it,

yet does
All

mind, as

it

and finally became

left its

Good and

hand unto

stretches out its

not submit.

it

now

is

devil

to being

first

having entirely

mind

the

Although

from being mind

fell

under the earth

places

ascent, sees

its

begins

the

in

fulfilled

whom

those

all

the

it

has

moved with great desire to

become the Father, to raise them all from the dead, and
to have mercy upon them. Then will it extend its goodness
slain

before

lying

unto

all

Then

comes

there

Come from

Mind,

which

truly

are ye

and

they

with

and make them

all like itself.

breath, and breathe

the four winds,

live

may

resurrection

).

All

the minds which

Essence are raised and approach the Divine

from

descended

a wonderful voice before the

these slain that they

upon

is

both good and evil

crying:

them:

unto

says

bone of

bones

my

are united unto

Ye

it

are

and

brethren: for

my

of

flesh

order that they

in

my flesh
may ascend
)

it.

When
below

Divine Mind

the

all

this,

greatly that this

had seen on high.

and cries

it

descends

the

wings

Now

that

it

does

fills

it

of

to

my

hell,

comprehend

the whole uni,

thou art

there also art thou.

understanding

same

the

is

If I ascend up into heaven

and if I descend

I raise

passed

theory of Essence,

true

there,

it

marvels

it

formless:

essence which

verse

has

essences and sees a luminous essence whose divine

all
is

light

the

and

it,

like those

And if
of the

eagle, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there
shall thy

hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold

1) Ezechiel

XXXVII

2)

Genesis II

3)

Psalm

9.

23.

CXXXIX 8-10.
,

106
The mind approaches and
essence,

and

breadth

and encloses

looks

unites itself unto this luminous

and below,

above
in

itself

longer ascend or descend, for

The mind has now

left

it

the

Father glorify thy

glorify thee
rified

2
]

It

everything.
is

all-containing

name

it

this also do perfect

minds pass beyond,

named.

every name that is

For when distinction*}

1) This

is

the

has

it

no longer

Son that thy Son

a person loving

for it implies

).

will

for all distinction of the glorifier

now no

of Christ, for

has passed away. Love also (the Spirit)

distinction,

will
1

passed distinction, reason, and word, and

be said:

length and the

the

also

may

and the glo-

is still

a sign of

and one loved;

for

they go beyond

arose, all perfect and holy minds

Ultima Thule of Pantheistic absorption.

What follows is

not posterior in time, but simply contemplates the same result from a
different standpoint.
2)

John XVII,

3)

We

entitled
is

taken.

1.

give as a specimen the entire 218* chapter of the fourth book,

raCU> A^.

love", from

rtLraCUu

JUKlA.iO

rill re'

On

.nij*so

which the passage here quoted

cnQ&vr<' rCii^a.lQ r<iaCU*>

K^cu.TjjA.i

rzn

cvca\

Kto

oc
.rcbcx**.!

OOD rc>t< r^aCLoa oc

Klaco Klsajc. >cno^uK'

107
were both

glorified

coo

and

glorifiers: glorified by

so rdr.t

rdsjox.

usarc

men and an-

ji.i\

,i=j

J3CXSLZ.

rdiK* Kbcreal K^CU.TMO Kftcauia rdacu

.

.i

cos

Kllr<llo

jlA

.J53

^.1
.

TJ^O ^oo

c>&U

>4ji

rcfocal

ocp ^rC' KlJVwr^

'

rJGcn

-iu*w ore'

rdl.to

om.i

AUK'
>cn

rgT

^i.'UK'

iAx rClAnC' .T-w rct\co

n.-Ur^
oca-ire'

omo

jua

108
gels

the

and by the superior and inferior essences and glorifying

Good alone which was above them. Now when distinction
,

removed

is

whom
in

they are glorified and are no longer glorifiers

should they glorify

it?

correct to use the

it

granting

Good

as the

for

and they
expressions in it and
is

in them

in them, for one is the nature and one the person of them
and of it; granting it correct to me the terms of them

and of
for

no

it.

distinction

distinction

therefore

blotted

is

who can

and

let

which no longer
Neither

any longer be named heirs,

out from them, and when there is

Neither will they

does

inherit

from another ?

Come now

us glorify with unutterable glory the mind

glorifies but is glorified.

mind receive permanently the name of

the

,030 AuK' i

pa v*i&

Kill

rtfn.t

oco*<krc'

reLaocn

As\.i

02*330 oK"

103 ji.il

^_r

cars

^Olcoo ,00=3
00=3.1

ooLic ^ooaLi.i

01=73

j3.i\

^K*

calj.ia

^ocaL.n

ca\,

003

109
Divinity

mercy and

this implies

for

mind undergoes during

the

To

desire.

this process is

describe

what

beyond the power

words.

of

It will then begin

'),

by a new and holy brooding

man

a new world , and will create a new

less,

and according

to

its

earth with

its

measure :

it

will

that cannot

be

create

in its image image-

will

measure the dust of the

number

spoken?

or

the drops of the sea

And who

and weigh the mountains in a scale

of it.

to

likeness likenessless. It will mete

and

out heaven with its span,

).

name

it,

will speak

that cannot be

named'? Let us, with the apostle, marvel at a mystery and

say:

nOh

standing

when

and the riches,

the depth

above

the

name of

the

divinity

wisdom and underof the perfect mind

For man cannot comprehend

perfected.

its

judgments

ways are inscrutable ). For who hath known

mind? or who hath been its counsellor?*)
and

its

~
.

coAviva

r^.iTttir.

.uQSOXAO

K&osaa

.i

aK*
rOoco.i

,cocui3

pc&cvorArz'.i nc'ca^icuc.

,cocu_..i

rdi.i

^n A^A.i

^sa r^A ^-i-^T-JrC'

. .

2) Isaiah

XL

12.

Romans XI, 33

3)
4) Isaiah

XL,

14.

34.

its

<<&.T_U r^Lzaia

X^a

"^

&***

HO
This
it

is

but a small part of the glories of the Mind

all

accomplishes

and

is

when

confusedly mingled with the Good

the universal Creator.

We

must now point out the distinction between union 1 )

and absorption 2), and show whether Christ be united or
absorbed.

Union that which

In

appear very distinct

not throw off

all

is

distinguished

does

not

but those things which are united can-

distinction

for in

them

exists the principle

which distinguishes. On the contrary, in those things which

are absorbed nothing appears which distinguishes or makes

To

we

Therefore to Christ

other.

absorption can no

name

name

the

give

our union.

of

be given.

BOOK FIFTH.
these

All

have

doctrines,

which are unknown even

disclosed unto thee,

my

this

account, despised of men.

will

be confused

or

be

destroyed,

and confused.
pass
will

with
but

son, even though

Know

the cognates

be, on

the Father: that nothing will perish

all

Thus God

then, that all nature

will

will

return, be sanctified, united

be

in

all

away and the damned return. All

cease. God will pass away, and

2) r^oiCX&jjajj

to angels,

all.

hell will

orders and distinctions

will cease to

Christ

the only definition in Payne-Smith

rdi^Ciajj and

Even

is

commixtio

rdficaCX** are rendered by confusio.

two meanings seem inseparable from the root

but

The

therefore I have rendered

the verb always by confusedly mingled: in the noun it seemed more exmore completely the author's meaning, to

pressive, as well as rendering

use the term absorption*

HI
and the

be,

will

Spirit

no longer be called

spirit.

Essence

alone will remain.

In
its

the

same way

laws, so also

My
and

come

let

son

sceptre of

all

irrational

all

preserve

them be

that

that

my

sign

rational nature is governed

.

nature obeys

words

its

right hand.

by

laws.

place them around thy neck,

on thy forehead", for the time has

should pass away: unto thee do

my

special

bequeath the