Cook, Arthur B.: Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 2,1): Zeus god of the dark sky (thunder and lightning): Text and notes (Cambridge, 1925)

and the Soul-Ladder 133

Now that formula stood next to the profession:

I have entered with quick feet upon the lovely Crown.

It would seem, then, that the initiate posed as the very consort
of the chthonian Queen1. As such he had every right to mount
her ladder, the ladder that led to Elysium. The ' child of Earth
and starry Sky2' must needs be free of either world.

The soul-ladder appears again in that most pathetic and im-
pressive document The Passion of Saint Perpetua3 (March 7), who
was done to death in the arena at Carthage c. 203 A.D. When in
prison, she prayed, at her brother's request, that the future might
be revealed to her, and had by way of answer the following vision :

' I beheld a bronze4 ladder of wondrous size, reaching even to the sky, and so
narrow that only one could mount it at a time. And in the sides of the ladder
were fixed all manner of iron implements—swords, lances, hooks, knives—so
that any who mounted carelessly or without looking upwards was torn and his
flesh caught by the iron implements. And under the very ladder lay a snake of
wondrous size, plotting against them that ascended and frightening them from
the ascent. Now the first to go up was Saturus, who at the time of our arrest was
not there, but later had given himself up on account of us. And he came to the
top of the ladder and turned and said to me : " Perpetua, I await thee. But see
that yonder snake bite thee not." And I made answer : "He will not hurt me in
the name of Jesus Christ." And under the very ladder he put forth his head
slowly, as though he feared me, and I, as if I were treading the first step, trod
upon his head. And I went up and beheld an immense garden, and in the
midst of the garden a white-haired man sitting, clothed like a shepherd, tall,
milking his sheep. And standing round about him were many thousands clad
in white raiment. And he raised his head and looked upon me and said to me :

i<7r6 t'ov Tvaarhv eiaeBvv.' inroKpivercu 5e Kal xas rrjs Atjovs tioiVas. LKerripiai yovu avriKa
Arjous Kal xoXrjs Trocris Kal KapdiaXyiai. i(p' oh Kal ti rpayocrKeXes pJip.i)fxa Tradaivop-evov irepi
rots didv/xois, OTLirep 6 Zeus, diKas awoTivvus tt}s fiias rrj Arip-r/rpi, rpayov opx^Li airoreixtliv,
t(3 koXtti^ ravT7)s Karedero wcnrep 5rj Kal eavrov. eirl iraaiv ai rod Alovvuov TipLal Kal rj klutls
(kvcttls codd. A.B.) Kal ra troXvofxcpaXa ivoirava, Kal oi tcj 2a/3afi'aj reXov/xefOL, Kal ol
pi.7)TpLa'£ovTes ((tterptfoires cod. A. G. Gaulminus tentaverat ix^Tpi'^ovres), KAciSuwes (so
G. Gaulminus for KXr)b~6ves codd. A.B.) re Kal Mt/iaXXo^es, Kal ris yx&v Xe'/3?7S Qeo-irpuoreios,
Kal Aubwvalov xaX/ceZo^ ' Kal Ko/3i'//3as aXXos, Kal Kovpys erepos, 5aip.6vcov ixL^rnxara. ecp' oh
•i) Bai/j3ci; tovs firipovs avao~vpa/jJi>ri, Kal 6 yvvaiKews KTeh' ovtu yap ovo/j-d^ovai tt)v aidui
aiaxvv°lJ-ev0L- KaL oi'rajs ei> atV%p(p rrjv TeXerr/c KaraXuovatv. Cp. throughout supra i.
392 ff-

1 Supra i. 649 n. 7. 2 G. Murray in Harrison Proleg. Gk. Rel? p. 659 ff.

:i J. Rendel Harris—S. K. Gifford The Acts of the Martyrdom of Perpetua and
Felicitas London 1890 (Latin and Greek texts), J. Armitage Robinson The Passion of
S. Perpetua Cambridge 1891 (Latin and Greek texts), A. Fillet Histoire de Saiute
Perpetue et de ses compactions Lille—Paris 1885 (Latin texts), cap. 4. I have translated the
longer Latin text, which is admittedly the oldest source. J. Armitage Robinson op. cit.
p. 19 f. prints in parallel columns the Long Latin, the Short Latin, and the Greek
Version.

4 The variants are : scalam cod. A. scalam auream cod. B. scalam aeream cod. C.
KX'ip.aKa x&Xkt)v cod. Harris., cp. CKaXav xa^kv" menol. Basil. (J. Armitage Robinson op,
cit. p. 21 f.). A friend of Armitage Robinson cj. scalam curiam.