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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Ο Παπίας Ιεραπόλεως & το έργο του /
Papias of Hierapolis & his work


In the first half of the second century, Papias, an obscure bishop of Hierapolis, wrote a five volume treatise called An Exposition of the Lord's Reports (Κυριακῶν Λογίων Ἐξηγήσις; Kyriakôn Logiôn Exêgêsis). Although this work is now lost, isolated fragments have been preserved in quotations and references by Irenaeus (c. 185), Eusebius (c. 300), and others. The following fragments relate to Papias's testimony on the authorship of the gospels: 

[Στο πρώτο μισό του δεύτερου αιώνα, ο Παπίας, ένας επίσκοπος της Ιεράπολης για τον οποίο δεν έχουμε σαφείς πληροφορίες, έγραψε μια πεντάτομη πραγματεία που ομονάστηκε Κυριακῶν Λογίων Ἐξηγήσις (Εξήγηση των Λογίων [δηλ. συλλογών με τους λόγους] του Κυρίου). Μολονότι το έργο του έχει πλέον χαθεί, μεμονωμένα αποσπάσματα έχουν σωθεί σε παραθέσεις και αναφορές του Ειρηναίου (π. 185), του Ευσέβιου (π. 300), και άλλων. Τα ακόλουθα αποσπάσματα σχετίζονται με τη μαρτυρία του Παπία σχετικά με την συγγραφή των ευαγγελίων:]

Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.39.1-7,14-17 (c. 325):
1 ... τοῦ δὲ Παπία συγγράμματα πέντε τὸν ἀριθμὸν φέρεται, ἃ καὶ ἐπιγέγραπται λογίων κυριακῶν ἐξηγήσεως. τούτων καὶ Εἰρηναῖος ὡς μόνων αὐτῷ γραφέντων μνημονεύει, ὧδέ πως λέγων· ταῦτα δὲ καὶ Παπίας ὁ Ἰωάννου μὲν ἀκουστής Πολυκάρπου δὲ ἑταῖρος γεγονώς, ἀρχαῖος ἀνήρ, ἐγγράφως ἐπιμαρτυρεῖ ἐν τῇ τετάρτῃ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ βιβλίων. ἐστιν γὰρ αὐτῷ πέντε βιβλία συντεταγμένα. 1 ... And of Papias there are five treatises in circulation, and which were entitled, An Exposition of the Lord's Reports. Irenaeus also mentions these as his only writing, using the following words: And these things Papias, who has been a hearer of John and a colleague of Polycarp, an early man, corroborates in writing in the fourth of his books. For there were five books that he composed.
2 Καὶ ὁ μὲν Εἰρηναῖος ταῦτα· αὐτός γε μὴν ὁ Παπίας κατὰ τὸ προοίμιον τῶν αὐτοὺ λόγων ἀκροατὴν μὲν καὶ αὐτόπτην οὐδαμῶς ἑαυτὸν γενέσθαι τῶν ἱερῶν ἀποστόλων ἐμφαίνει, παρειληφέναι δὲ τὰ τῆς πίστεως παρὰ τῶν ἐκείνοις γνωρίμων διδάσκει δι' ὧν φησιν λέξεων· 2 So wrote Irenaeus. Yet Papias himself, according to the preface of his volumes, in no way presents himself to have been a listener and eyewitness of the holy apostles, but teaches that he had received the articles of the faith from those who had known them, for he speaks as follows:
 3 Οὐκ ὀκνήσω δέ σοι καὶ ὅσα ποτὲ παρὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καλῶς ἔμαθον καὶ καλῶς ἐμνημόνευσα συγκατατάξαι ταῖς ἑρμηνείας, διαβεβαιούμενος ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἀλήθειαν. οὐ γὰρ τοῖς τὰ πολλὰ λέγουσιν ἔχαιρον ὥσπερ οἱ πολλοί, ἀλλὰ τοῖς τἀληθῆ διδάσκουσιν, οὐδὲ τοῖς τὰς ἀλλοτρίας ἐντολὰς μνηνεύουσιν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς τὰς παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου τῇ πίστει δεδομένας καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς παραγιγνομένας τῆς ἀληθείας·  3 But I will not hesitate to supplement at any time for you too the interpretations with whatever I learned thoroughly and remembered thoroughly from the presbyters, since I am confident in the truth on their account. For unlike many I was not delighted with those who say many things but with those who teach the truth, or with those who remember not the commandments of others but those given by the Lord to the faith and derived from truth itself.
 4 εἰ δέ που καὶ παρηκολουθηκώς τις τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις ἔλθοι, τοὺς τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἀνέκρινον λόγους, τί Ἀνδρέας ἢ τί Πέτρος εἴπεν ἢ τί Φίλιππος ἢ τί Θωμᾶς ἢ Ἰάκωβος ἢ τί Ἰωάννης ἢ Ματθαῖος ἢ τις ἕτερος τῶν τοῦ κυρίου μαθητῶν ἅ τε Ἀριστίων καὶ ὁ πρεσβύτερος Ἰωάννης, τοῦ κυρίου μαθηταί, λέγουσιν. οὐ γὰρ τὰ ἐκ τῶν βιβλίων τοσοῦτόν με ὠφελεῖν ὑπελάμβανον ὅσον τὰ παρὰ ζώσης φωνῆς καὶ μενούσης.  4 But whenever someone who had followed the presbyters came along, I would carefully ask about the words of the presbyters, what Andrew or what Peter had said or what Philip or what Thomas or James or what John or Matthew or any other of the disciples of the Lord, and which Aristion and the presbyter John, disciples of the Lord say too. For I did not assume that whatever comes from books is as helpful to me as what comes from a living and lasting voice.
5 Ἔνθα καὶ ἐπιστῆσαι ἄξιον δὶς καταριθμιοῦντι αὐτῷ τὸ Ἰωάννου ὄνομα, ὧν τὸν μὲν πρότερον Πέτρῳ καὶ Ἰακώβῳ καὶ Ματθαίῳ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἀποστόλοις συγκαταλέγει, σαφῶς δηλῶν τὸν εὐαγγελιστήν, τὸν δ' ἕτερον Ἰωάννην, διαστείλας τὸν λόγον, ἕτέροις παρὰ τὸν τῶν ἀποστόλων ἀριθμὸν κατάτασσει, προτάξας αὐτοῦ τὸν Ἀριστίωνα, σαφῶς τε αὐτὸν πρεσβύτερον ὀνομάζει· 5 It is also worth calling attention here to his listing the name of John twice, as he includes the first John with Peter and James and Matthew and the remaining apostles, clearly indicating the evangelist, but the other John, with separate wording, he places among the others outside the number of the apostles, and putting Aristion before him, he clearly calls him a presbyter;
6 ὡς καὶ διὰ τούτων ἀποδείκνυσθαι τῆν ἱστορίαν ἀληθῆ τῶν δύο κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν ὁμωνυμίᾳ κεχρῆσθαι εἰρηκότων δύο τε ἐν Εφέσῳ γενέσθαι μνήματα καὶ ἐκάτερον ἔτι νῦν λέγεσθαι· οἷς καὶ ἀναγκαῖον προσέχειν τὸν νοῦν, εἰκὸς γὰρ τὸν δεύτερον, εἰ μή τις ἐθέλοι τὸν πρῶτον, τὴν ἐπ' ὀνόματος φερομένην Ἰωάννου ἀποκάλυψιν ἑορακέναι. 6 so, by these words, he substantiates the story of those saying that two men were in Asia of the same name and that there were two tombs in Ephesus both still said to be John's. It is also necessary to turn our attention to this: for it is likely that the second, unless someone should prefer the first, beheld the revelation that is circulated under the name of John.
7 καὶ ὁ νῦν δὲ δηλούμενος Παπίας τοὺς μὲν τῶν ἀποστόλων λόγους παρὰ τῶν αὐτοῖς παρηκολουθηκότων ὁμολογεῖ παρειληφέναι, Ἀριστίωνος δὲ καὶ τοῦ πρεσβύτερου Ἰωάννου αὐτήκοον ἑαυτόν φησι γενέσθαι· ὀνομαστὶ γοῦν πολλάκις αὐτῶν μνημονεύσας ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῦ συγγράμμασιν τίθησιν αὐτῶν παραδόσεις. ... 7 And the Papias being explained now admits that he had received the words of the apostles from those who followed them, and declares that he was an ear-witness of Aristion and the presbyter John. At any rate, he hands down their traditions in his treatises, often mentioning them by name. ...
14 Καὶ ἄλλας δὲ τῇ ἰδίᾳ γραφῇ παραδίδωσιν Ἀριστίωνος τοῦ πρόσθεν δεδηλωμένου τῶν τοῦ κυρίου λόγων διηγήσεις καὶ τοῦ πρεσβύτερου Ἰωάννου παραδόσεις· ἐφ' ἃς τοῦς φιλομαθεῖς ἀναπέμψαντες, ἀναγκαίως νῦν προσθήσομεν ταῖς προεκτεθείσαις αὐτοῦ φωναῖς παράδοσιν ἣν περὶ Μάρκου τοῦ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον γεγραφότος ἐκτέθειται διὰ τούτων· 14 And in his own writing he also hands down other accounts of the aforementioned Aristion of the words of the Lord and the traditions of the presbyter John, to which we refer those truly interested. Of necessity, we will now add to his reports set forth above a tradition about Mark who wrote the gospel, which he set forth as follows:
15 καὶ τοῦθ' ὁ πρεσβύτερος ἔλεγεν· Μάρκος μὲν ἑρμηνευτὴς Πέτρου γενόμενος, ὅσα ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἀκριβῶς ἔγραψεν, οὐ μέντοι τάξει τὰ ὐπὸ τοῦ κυρίου η λεχθέντα ἢ πραχθέντα. οὔτε γὰρ ἤκουσεν τοῦ κυρίου οὔτε παρηκολούθησεν αὐτῷ, ὕστερον δὲ, ὡς ἔφην, Πέτρῳ· ὃς πρὸς τὰς χρείας ἐποιεῖτο τὰς διδασκαλίας, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὥσπερ σύνταξιν τῶν κυριακῶν ποιούμενος λογίων, ὥστε οὐδὲν ἥμαρτεν Μάρκος οὕτως ἔνια γράψας ὡς ἀπεμνημόσευσεν. ἐνὸς γὰρ ἐποιήσατο πρόνοιαν, τοῦ μηδὲν ὧν ἤκουσεν παραλιπεῖν ἢ ψεύσασθαί τι ἐν αὐτοῖς. 15 And the presbyter would say this: Mark, who had indeed been Peter's interpreter, accurately wrote as much as he remembered, yet not in order, about that which was either said or did by the Lord. For he neither heard the Lord nor followed him, but later, as I said, Peter, who would make the teachings anecdotally but not exactly an arrangement of the Lord's reports, so that Mark did not fail by writing certain things as he recalled. For he had one purpose, not to omit what he heard or falsify them.
16 ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἱστόρηται τῷ Παπίᾳ περὶ τοῦ Μάρκου· περὶ δὲ τοῦ Ματθαῖου ταῦτ' εἴρηται· Ματθαῖος μὲν οὖν Ἑβραΐδι διαλέκτῳ τὰ λόγια συνετάξατο, ἡρμήνευσεν δ' αὐτὰ ὡς ἧν δυνατὸς ἕκαστος. 16 Now this is reported by Papias about Mark, but about Matthew this was said, Now Matthew compiled the reports in a Hebrew manner of speech, but each interpreted them as he could.
17 κέχρηται δ' ὁ αὐτὸς μαρτυρίαις ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰωάννου πρότερας ἐπιστολῆς καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Πέτρου ὁμοίως, ἐκτέθειται δὲ καὶ ἄλλην ἱστορίαν περὶ γυναικὸς ἐπὶ πολλαῖς ἁμαρτίαις διαβληθείσης ἐπὶ τοῦ κυρίου, ἣν τὸ καθ' Ἐβραίους εὐαγγέλιον περιέχει. καὶ ταῦτα δ' ἡμῖν ἀναγκαίως πρὸς τοῖς ἐκτεθεῖσιν ἐπιτετηρήσθω. 17 He himself used testimonies from the first epistle of John and similarly from that of Peter, and had also set forth another story about a woman who was accused of many sins before the Lord, which the Gospel according to the Hebrews contains. And let these things of necessity be brought to our attention in reference to what has been set forth.

Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.15.2 (c. 325):

2 Κλήμης ἐν ἕκτῳ τῶν Ὑποτυπώσεων παρατέθειται τὴν ἱστορίαν, συνεπιμαρτυρεῖ δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ Ἰεραπολίτηςἐ πίσκοπος ὀνόματι Παπίας, τοῦ δὲ Μάρκου μνημονεύειν τὸν Πέτρον ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ ἐπιστολῇ, ἣν καὶ συντάξαι φασὶν ἐπ' αὐτῆς Ῥώμης, σημαίνειν τε τοῦτ' αὐτόν, τὴν πόλιν τροπικώτερον Βαβυλῶνα προσειπόντα διὰ τούτων, Ἀσπάζει ὑμᾶς ἡ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι συνεκλεκτὴ καὶ Μάρκος ὁ υἱός μου. 2 ... Clement in the sixth of the Hypotyposes [Outlines] cites the story, and the bishop of Hierapolis named Papias joins him in testifying that Peter mentions Mark in the first epistle, which they say he composed in Rome herself, and that he indicates this, calling the city more figuratively Babylon by these: "She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings and so does my son Mark." [1 Pet. 5:17]

Epitome (Codex Baroccianus 142) of Philip of Side, Ecclesiastical History (5th cen.):

Παπίας Ἰεραπόλεως ἐπίσκοπος ἀκουστὴς τοῦ θεολόγου Ἰωάννου γενόμενος, Πολυκάρπου δὲ ἑταῖρος, πέντε λόγους κυριακῶν λογίων ἔγραψεν. Papias, who was bishop of Hierapolis, hearer of John the theologian, and colleage of Polycarp, wrote five volumes on the Lord's reports.
ἐν οἷς ἀπαρίθμησιν ἀποστόλων ποιούμενος μετὰ Πέτρον καὶ Ἰωάννην, Φίλιππον καὶ Θωμᾶν καὶ Ματθαῖον εἰς μαθητὰς τοῦ κυρίου ἀνέγραψεν Ἀριστίωνα καὶ Ἰωάννην ἕτερον, ὃν καὶ πρεσβύτερον ἐκάλεσεν. Within which, making an enumeration of the apostles, after Peter and John, Philip and Thomas and Matthew to the disciples of the Lord he listed Aristion and another John, whom he called a presbyter.
ὥς τινας οἴεσθαι, ὅτι <τούτου> τοῦ Ἰωάννου εἰσὶν αἱ δύο ἐπιστολαὶ αἱ μικραὶ καὶ καθολικαὶ, αἱ ἑξ ὀνόματος Ἰωάννου φερόμεναι, διὰ τὸ τοὺς ἀρχαίους τὴν πρώτην μόνην ἐγκρίνειν. So some suppose that of John are the two short and catholic epistles, which are circulated from the name of John, on account of the early persons' approval of the first alone.
τινὲς δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν τούτου πλανηθέντες ἐνόμισαν. καὶ Παπίας δὲ περὶ τὴν χιλιονταετηρίδα σφάλλεται, ἐξ οὗ καὶ ὁ Εἰρηναῖος. And some who are misled consider the revelation to be his. And Papias was mistaken about the millennium, and due to him Irenaeus too.
Παπίας ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ λόγῳ λέγει, ὅτι Ἰωάννης ὁ θεολόγος καὶ Ἰάκωβος ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων ἀνῃρέθησαν. Papias in the second volume says that John the theologue and James his brother were killed by Jews.
Παπίας ὁ εἰρημένος ἱστόρησεν ὡς παραλαβὼν ἀπὸ τῶν θυγατέρων Φιλίππου, ὅτι Βαρσαβᾶς ὁ καὶ Ἰοῦστος δοκιμαζόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ἀπίστων ἰὸν ἐχίδνης πιὼν ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ χριστοῦ ἀπαθῆς διεφυλάχθη. Papias reported as he received from the daughters of Philip that Barsabas who is also Justus, challenged by unbelievers, drank the venom of a viper in the name of Christ and was protected unharmed.
ἱστορεῖ δὲ καὶ ἄλλα θαύματα καὶ μάλιστα τὸ κατὰ τὴν μητέρα Μαναΐμου τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστᾶσαν. περὶ τῶν ὐπὸ τοῦ χριστοῦ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάντων, ὅτι ἕως Ἀδριανοῦ ἔζων. He also reports other wonders and especially the raising of the mother of Manaemus from the dead. In reference to those raised by Christ from the dead, that they lived until Hadrian [emperor 117-136].

Interpolation (Codex Coislinianus 305) in George the "Sinner," Chronicon (9th cen.):

Μετὰ δὲ Δομετιανὸν ἐβασίλευσε Νερούας ἔτος ἐν, ὃς ἀνακαλεσάμενος Ἰωάννην ἐκ τῆς νήσου ἀπέλυσεν οἰκεῖν ἐν Ἐφέσῳ. μόνος τότε περιὼν τῷ βίῳ ἐκ τῶν δώδεκα μαθητῶν καὶ συγγραψαμένος τὸ κατ' αὐτὸν εὐαγγέλιον· μαρτυρίου κατηξίωται. After Domitian [emperor 81-96], Nerva ruled for a year, who, having recalled John from the island, released him to dwell in Ephesus. At the time he was the sole survivor of the twelve apostles and composed the gospel according to himself: he was held worthy of martyrdom.
Παπίας γὰρ ὁ Ἰεραπόλεως ἐπίσκοπος αὐτόπτης τούτου γενόμενος ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ λόγῳ τῶν κυριακῶν λογίων φάσκει, ὅτι ὐπὸ Ἰουδαίων ἀνῃρέθη. For Papias, bishop of Hierapolis, who was his eyewitness, in the second volume of the Lord's Reports alleged that he was killed by Jews.
πληρώσας δηλαδὴ μετὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ περὶ αὐτῶν πρόρρησιν καὶ τὴν ἑαυτῶν ὁμολογίαν περὶ τούτου καὶ συγκατάθεσιν· εἰπὼν γὰρ ὁ κυρίος πρὸς αὐτούς· δύνασθε πιεῖν τὸ ποτήριον ὃ ἐγὼ πίνω; καὶ κατανευσάντων προθύμως καὶ συνθεμένων· τὸ ποτήριον μου, φησί, πίεσθε καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα, ὁ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι, βαπτισθήσεσθε. καὶ εἰκότως· ἀδύνατον γὰρ θεὸν ψεύσασθαι. Having clearly fulfilled, with his brother, the prediction of Christ about them and their own agreement about this and submission: for the Lord said to them, "Can you drink the cup I will drink?" [Mark 10:38f.] and they gave their assent willingly and agreed: You shall drink, I say, my cup and you shall be baptized with the baptism I am baptized. And reasonably: for God cannot lie.
οὕτω δὲ καὶ ὁ πολυμαθὴς Ὠριγένης ἐν τῇ κατὰ Ματθαῖον ἑρμηνείᾳ διαβεβαιοῦται, ὡς ὅτι μεμαρτύρηκεν Ἰωάννης, ἐκ τῶν διαδόξων τῶν ἀποστόλων ὑποσημαινάμενος τοῦτο μεμαθηκέναι. καὶ ὁ πολυΐστωρ εὐσέβειος ἐν τῇ ἐκκλ. ἱστορ. φησί· Θωμᾶς μὲν τὴν Παρθίαν εἴληχεν· Ἰωάννης δὲ τὴν Ἀσίαν, πρὸς οὓς καὶ διατρίψας ἐτελεύτησεν ἐν Ἐφέσῳ. Thus, the learned Origen also affirmed in his commentary of Matthew, that John was martyred, having intimated that he learned this from the sucessors of the apostles. And indeed the well-read Eusebius in the Hist. Eccl. [III, 1] says: Thomas was allotted Parthia; but John Asia, where he resided and died in Ephesus.

Jerome, Illustrious Lives 18 (c. 400):

Papias, Johannis auditor, Hierapolitanus in Asia episcopus, quinque tantum scripsit volumina, quae praenotavit: Explanatio sermonum Domini. In quibus, cum se in praefatione adserat non varias opiniones sequi, sed apostolos habere auctores, ait: Papias, hearer of John, bishop of Hierapolis in Asia, wrote just five volumes, which he titled: Exposition of the Lord's Reports. In which, when he asserted that he does not follow various opinions but holds the apostles as authorities, he said:
Considerabam quid Andreas, quid Petrus dixissent, quid Philippus, quid Thomas, quid Jacobus, quid Johannes, quid Matthaeus vel alius quilibet discipulorum Domini, quid etiam Artistion et senior Johannes, discipuli Domini loquebantur. Non enim tantum mihi libri ad legendum prosunt, quantum viva vox et usque hodie in suis auctoribus personans. I would look at what Andrew, what Peter had said, what Philip, what Thomas, what James, what John, what Matthew or any other of the disciples of the Lord, as well as what Aristion and the elder John, disciples of the Lord, were saying. For books to be collected are not so useful to me as a voice that is living and resounding in its masters until this day.
Ex quo apparet ex ipso catalogo nominum, alium esse Johannem qui inter apostolos ponitur, et alium seniorem Johannem quem post Aristionem enumerat. Hoc autem dicimus propter superiorem opinionem, qua a plerisque rettulimus traditum duas posteriores epistulas Johannis non apostoli esse, sed prebyteri. Hic dicitur mille annorum Judaicam edidisse δευτέρωσιν, quem secuti sunt Irenaeus et Apollinaris et caeteri, qui post resurectionem aiunt in carne cum sanctis domimum regnaturum. Tertullianus quoque in libro de spe fidelium et Victorinus Petabionenses et Lactantius hac opinione ducuntur. From which, it appears from his own catalog of names that there is one John who is placed among the apostles and another elder John whom he listed after Aristion. We say this, however, on account of the above opinion, that, insofar as we report a tradition from very many, the two latter epistles of John are not of the apostle but of the presbyter. He is said to have perpetuated a Jewish tradition of the thousand years, which Irenaeus and Apollinaris etc. follow, who say that the Lord will reign in the flesh with the saints after the resurrection. Tertullian also in the book On the Hope of the Faithful and Victorinus of Pettau and Lactantius are said to be of this opinion.

Catena of the Greek Fathers on John (ed. B. Corder, Antwerp, 1630):

Ύστατος γὰρ τούτων Ἰωάννης ὁ τὴς βροντῆς υἱὸς μετακληθείς, πάνυ γηραλέου αὐτοῦ γενομένου, ὡς παρέδοσαν ἡμῖν ὁ τε Εἰρηναῖος καὶ Εὐσέβιος καὶ ἄλλοι πιστοὶ κατὰ διαδοχὴν γεγονότες ἱστορικοί, κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ αἱρέσεων ἀναφυεισῶν δεινῶν ὑπηγόρευσε τὸ εὐανγγέλιον τῷ ἑαυτοῦ μαθητῇ Παπίᾳ εὐβιότῳ τῷ Ἰεραπολίτῃ πρὸς ἀναπλήρωσιν τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ κηρυξάντων τὸν λόγον τοῖς ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἔθνεσιν. For the last of them was John who was renamed a son of thunder, when he was very old, as passed down to us by both Irenaeus and Eusebius and other believers who became historians in succession, at that time the terrible heresies were re-emerging dictated the gospel to his own respectable disciple Papias of Hierapolis for the satisfaction of those who preached the word before him to the nations throughout the whole world.

An Old Latin Prolog to John from Codex vaticanus Reg. lat. 14 (9th cen.):

Evangelium Iohannis manifestum et datum est ecclesiis ab Johanne adhuc in corpore constituto; sicut Papias nomine, Hieropolitanus, discipulus Johannis carus, in exotericis, id est in extremis quinque libris retulit; descripsit vero evangelium dictante Johanne recte. verum Marcion haereticus cum ab eo fuisset improbatus eo quod contraria sentiebat, abjectus est a Johanne. Is vero scripta vel epistolas ad eum pertulerat a fratribus qui in Ponto fuerunt. The Gospel of John was made public and given to the churches by John when he was still alive; as Papias by name, of Hierapolis, dear disciple of John, recalled in the "exoteric", that is the outside, five books; he in fact wrote down the gospel correctly as John was dictating. Yet Marcion the heretic when he had been rejected by him because he supposed contrary matters, was expelled by John. He even brought writings and letters to him from the brothers who were in Pontus.

Alternative punctuation, see
Rupert Annand, "Papias and the Four Gospels," SJT 9 (1956): 46-62

... descripsit vero evangelium dictante Johanne recte verum. Marcion haereticus cum ab eo fuisset improbatus eo quod contraria sentiebat, abjectus est. A Johanne is vero scripta vel epistolas ad eum pertulerat a fratribus qui in Ponto fuerunt.

... he in fact wrote down the gospel as John was directly stating the truth. Yet Marcion the heretic when he had been rejected by him because he supposed contrary matters, was expelled. He even brought him the writings and letters by John from the brothers who were in Pontus.



* Stephen C. Carlson,
«External Evidence: Papias»
[Εξωτερικές Αποδείξεις: Παπίας],
January 20, 1999 (rev. August 07, 2003)

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