DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49369#0074
56 NOTE ON OTHER FRAGMENTS OF THE ACTS OF PAUL
the Magdala Collection of Ethiopia MSS. in the British Museum, six MSS. (cii.—
cvii.) contain long lives of Paul prefixed to the Martyrdom. In the title of the
chapter next before the Martyrdom, mention is-made of the city Warikon. The
rest of the life, which is doubtless translated from the Arabic, seems to be based on
the canonical Acts.
Fourthly, the Saints Zenais and Philonilla (11 Oct.) are described in their
Acts as disciples of S. Paul. These Acts are, for the rest, not to our purpose ; but
possibly the names were borrowed from the lost book. This book may also be the
same whence the name of Petronius as a disciple of Paul was drawn by the author of
the Acts of S. Hermione, daughter of Philip, which are epitomised in the Menaea on
Sept. 4. Lastly, the Acts of S. Aquila should be examined ; they are contained in
Cod. Par. Gr. 1219, ft. 37—45. The very cursory examination which I was able
to make yielded nothing of interest; but it is to these Acts of Apostolic men and of
supposed members of the band of the Seventy Disciples, that we must look for
further light on the lost Acts of the Apostles.
One quite mediaeval Western book supplies what may be an extract from the
Acts of Paul. I owe the knowledge of it to Mr Webb, Fellow of Magdalen College,
Oxford. John of Salisbury, in the Policraticus, a work finished in 1156 (iv. 3), in
speaking of the duties of a king, introduces the stories of the self-sacrifice of
Codrus and Lycurgus ; and proceeds thus : ‘ His quidem exemplis eo libentius utor,
quod Apostolum Paulum eisdem usum dum Atheniensibus praedicaret inuenio.
Studuit praedicator egregius lesum Christum, et hunc crucifixum, sic mentibus
eorum ingerere, ut per ignominiam crucis liberationem multorum exemplo gentium
prouenisse doceret. Sed et ista persuasit fieri non solere nisi in sanguine iustorum
et eorum qui populi gererent magistratum. Porro ad liberationem omnium, scilicet
ludaeorum et gentium, nemo sufficiens potuit inueniri, nisi ille cui in hereditatem
datae sunt gentes et praefinita est omnis terra possessio eius. Hunc autem alium
esse non posse quam filium omnipotentis Dei asseruit, quum praeter Deum gentes
et terras omnes nemo subegerit. Dum ergo sic crucis ignominiam praedicaret ut
gentium paulatim euacuaretur stultitia, sensim ad Dei uerbum Deique sapientiam,
et ipsum etiam diuinae maiestatis solium, uerbum fidei et linguam praedicatoris
erexit. Et ne uirtus Euangelii sub carnis infirmitate uilesceret, a scandalo
ludaeorum gentiumque stultitia, opera crucifixi, quae etiam famae testimonio
roborabantur, exposuit; quum apud omnes constaret quod ea non posset facere
nisi Deus. Sed quia multa in utramque partem crebro fama mentitur, ipsam
iuuabat famam quod discipuli eius maiora faciebant, dum ad umbram discipuli
a quacunque infirmitate sanabantur aegroti. Quid multa? Astutias Aristotelis,
Chrysippi acumina, omniumque philosophorum tendiculas resurgens mortuus
confutabat.’
In this interesting passage we have the abstract of a sermon delivered by Paul
at Athens: and it is certainly not the sermon which is recorded in Acts xviii.
Nor is there, so far as I know, any source whence it could come save the apocryphal
Acts of Paul—unless it were the Praedicatio Pauli, a work whose existence does not
seem quite clearly established. It seems not unlikely that, if the Acta Pauli
contained much didactic matter, as Frag. 3 seems to indicate that they did,
the name Praedicatio Pauli might reasonably be given to them in a Latin version.
The use of examples from Greek history, which forms the excuse for John of
Salisbury’s quotation, finds a parallel in a passage quoted by Clement of Alexandria
the Magdala Collection of Ethiopia MSS. in the British Museum, six MSS. (cii.—
cvii.) contain long lives of Paul prefixed to the Martyrdom. In the title of the
chapter next before the Martyrdom, mention is-made of the city Warikon. The
rest of the life, which is doubtless translated from the Arabic, seems to be based on
the canonical Acts.
Fourthly, the Saints Zenais and Philonilla (11 Oct.) are described in their
Acts as disciples of S. Paul. These Acts are, for the rest, not to our purpose ; but
possibly the names were borrowed from the lost book. This book may also be the
same whence the name of Petronius as a disciple of Paul was drawn by the author of
the Acts of S. Hermione, daughter of Philip, which are epitomised in the Menaea on
Sept. 4. Lastly, the Acts of S. Aquila should be examined ; they are contained in
Cod. Par. Gr. 1219, ft. 37—45. The very cursory examination which I was able
to make yielded nothing of interest; but it is to these Acts of Apostolic men and of
supposed members of the band of the Seventy Disciples, that we must look for
further light on the lost Acts of the Apostles.
One quite mediaeval Western book supplies what may be an extract from the
Acts of Paul. I owe the knowledge of it to Mr Webb, Fellow of Magdalen College,
Oxford. John of Salisbury, in the Policraticus, a work finished in 1156 (iv. 3), in
speaking of the duties of a king, introduces the stories of the self-sacrifice of
Codrus and Lycurgus ; and proceeds thus : ‘ His quidem exemplis eo libentius utor,
quod Apostolum Paulum eisdem usum dum Atheniensibus praedicaret inuenio.
Studuit praedicator egregius lesum Christum, et hunc crucifixum, sic mentibus
eorum ingerere, ut per ignominiam crucis liberationem multorum exemplo gentium
prouenisse doceret. Sed et ista persuasit fieri non solere nisi in sanguine iustorum
et eorum qui populi gererent magistratum. Porro ad liberationem omnium, scilicet
ludaeorum et gentium, nemo sufficiens potuit inueniri, nisi ille cui in hereditatem
datae sunt gentes et praefinita est omnis terra possessio eius. Hunc autem alium
esse non posse quam filium omnipotentis Dei asseruit, quum praeter Deum gentes
et terras omnes nemo subegerit. Dum ergo sic crucis ignominiam praedicaret ut
gentium paulatim euacuaretur stultitia, sensim ad Dei uerbum Deique sapientiam,
et ipsum etiam diuinae maiestatis solium, uerbum fidei et linguam praedicatoris
erexit. Et ne uirtus Euangelii sub carnis infirmitate uilesceret, a scandalo
ludaeorum gentiumque stultitia, opera crucifixi, quae etiam famae testimonio
roborabantur, exposuit; quum apud omnes constaret quod ea non posset facere
nisi Deus. Sed quia multa in utramque partem crebro fama mentitur, ipsam
iuuabat famam quod discipuli eius maiora faciebant, dum ad umbram discipuli
a quacunque infirmitate sanabantur aegroti. Quid multa? Astutias Aristotelis,
Chrysippi acumina, omniumque philosophorum tendiculas resurgens mortuus
confutabat.’
In this interesting passage we have the abstract of a sermon delivered by Paul
at Athens: and it is certainly not the sermon which is recorded in Acts xviii.
Nor is there, so far as I know, any source whence it could come save the apocryphal
Acts of Paul—unless it were the Praedicatio Pauli, a work whose existence does not
seem quite clearly established. It seems not unlikely that, if the Acta Pauli
contained much didactic matter, as Frag. 3 seems to indicate that they did,
the name Praedicatio Pauli might reasonably be given to them in a Latin version.
The use of examples from Greek history, which forms the excuse for John of
Salisbury’s quotation, finds a parallel in a passage quoted by Clement of Alexandria