SAHIDIC FRAGMENTS

OF THE LIFE OF THE VIRGIN.

FRAGMENT I.

cf. Ro x 18

......she laid her Son in it, when she had brought Him cf. Lc 117 forth in a strange land. But we enquired of our fathers the apostles, whose sound went out into all the earth and their Ps xvIII 5 words reached unto the ends of the world, whilst they were teaching us our salvation; and they told us the life of this Virgin, even as they saw with their eyes and became ministers Lc 1 2 of the word: since we were taught by them, and seeing with the eyes is believed more than hearing with the ears".

"But let no evil thought come up into our heart against the true Queen, as the godless Jews who blasphemed her with their tongue that ought to be cut off and their mouth that ought to be closed, whilst she was still living; and after her death they wished to burn her holy body, because of their hatred against her. But do not say as the heretics that a power caught her away, or say as......that she was taken up in her body into heaven. Cursed is he who shall say that the Virgin was not born as we are. 10 Cursed is he who shall say that Joseph had intercourse with the Virgin before she conceived Christ. "Then again after she bare

9

The words and seeing with the eyes is believed more than hearing with the ears are marked in the margin of the MS as a quotation. A similar quotation is found in Evodius' On the Falling asleep of the Virgin (ïv 25), translated below b The MS has him

оп • минса тресхпод сговорі й петнахоос хє птатапаламване птпарѳ'єнос симпное ей пессома • 12 ала асмог поє проме пĪмат Нтатю ймос. '2' отсперма Проме итпон. 13 Пани | сот ерої та тинете пити мищах. ката е стелющ оп пстптагма плєлєїоте папостолос, 5 Сотм тенот татамоти: 14Нети отрюме свой от тефан пода пмедщомпт пяпо свой оñ Гаков піна. До ébol 2м пренос патета прро пщире піссаї при тполіс Леєм. 15А по отшло свол теше мпєїма хє пта тпар

ѳенос хпо мпєсшир'є 2м пка2 плесеюте• ката ѳЄПТА 10 Cod. Borg, пuaxe tamon ze aareña · ore/koλ gi beoλeem ne: 1oHern cxѴІІ р. 5 orpwme de ¿boλ gū irenoc.arw inorne iaareña · ¿neypan пе Покім. "Петроме птєїмїнє · неурал пщорп пе клешпас. 182 печеіоте і пад посоїме псемин епесран пе Аппа • свол он о Тнотнє піссії пеĪот пала прро. 15 19 Аппа деле отабрия те мпєсхпє щире снег отде 2000т.оте соїме, то петмой понт смате стве під паї же примао гар не о плота ми прат мп птан емен петпакаиропомеї имоот. Панна петбейщ щопе • стреспот граї своем ептот петремит · 20 мпхоеската пломос имотсис. 2ой педони єго • б ппасха пліотаї · тескопнпоста. Нтере плаос де cwo2 прие еёщоют мппасха Анна 2000 мп їакїм атпот сора євєѳлеєм°. Ахе тстпноја де плетом поте поїлим ecor corwM мппес хаTM 25 оакїм адхї 25 паппа · атпот • єдраг єпрпе. Не томе ми петерно. педоотт мп петерно... Єрщал алпа 2wn égorn evćgime щасоварвер имос споти. 27хе мпєрход ерої хе птє отабрил хє пле потщине побнє ёрон • птє пен200тт местом хє апера

р. 6

26

па

23

• Punctum sup м ut vid

Him, cursed is he who shall say that the Virgin was taken up into the heavens in her body. 12 But she died like all men, and was conceived by man's seed as we are. 13 But hear me and I will shew you the word, even as we read in the works of our fathers the apostles. Hear now and I will

tell you.

16*

14There was a man from the tribe of Judah, the third born from Jacob who is Israel; and from the offspring of David the king, the son of Jesse the citizen of Bethlehem. 15 The matter is manifest thus far that the Virgin bare her son in the land of her fathers, even as the word told us that David was from Bethlehem. 16 Now there was a man from the Ap XXII offspring and the root of David, whose name was Joakim. "As for such a man, his name formerly was Cleopas. 18 His parents took for him an honourable wife, whose name was Anna, also of the root of Jesse the father of David the king. cf. Is XI 10*; Mt I 19 And Anna was barren, she never bare a child, neither male nor female. 20 And they were very sad of heart because of cf. 1 Sa 1 this thing; for they were rich in gold and silver and cattle, of. Ge XIII with no one to inherit them.

b

6

6*

2; xv 3

VII 2*

21 But the time came for them to go up to Bethlehem, to give their tithes to the Lord according to the law of cf. Le 11 22 Moses. 22 And the passover of the Jews was at hand, even Jn 11 13* the feast of tabernacles. 23 Now when the people was cf. vI 4*; gathered together to the temple to sacrifice the passover, Anna also and Joakim went up to Bethlehem. For it wasb the custom of those round about Jerusalem to gather together of. Ro xv to eat the passover. Joakim took Anna, and they went up into the temple, the women by themselves and the men by themselves.

25

26 When Anna drew nigh unto a woman, she would thrust her far away, saying, "Touch me not, for thou art barren, lest thy sickness pass over to us, and our husbands hate

a

According to the narrative in Genesis Judah is the fourth son of Jacob: cf. Ge xxIx 32-35 Or his first name was (lit. is) Cleopas ? Or went

b Lit. is

e Or to go

d Lit. are

19*

р. 7

р. н

тщире йтеон. 282 мес он 20

34

Перхо плещах потот го єград пішакім. 2ато єрщал ĪwARIM · сотм Гепєїхпо птєїміне шаут мне го песнт єтєуштни пурімє. пушш свой сухо ммос. 30хє плоттє пєквал пат.arw пекмаахе с тм єнєїхпіо птєїмїнє · êтот имоот паї · мп 5 таєвіни поімє• зала палтос пеплове пє • єпщооп 2ñ пімка2. пара петє пол тирот пє. 32Отої пал• отлов пе пелонне • пара пєґлаос тиру єлоблєв ммон птєїдє тира... 33 Ппоттє мпєровшек єпєпсопс· мп пеппоблєб. *Наї мел петле ммоот· пере пєїмакарїос хоммоот. о щаптотхек ппасха éhol geн олимп опашадом. єтлобнев ммоот. 35Дой агпот спєтні оп отпов патли мп owl понт · єрє пхоєїс о плаштє пат.. Дош атпот єтстлагшин • псота мпєвот пармоттє· ATW АТПОТ Єпетні йсозмити ипармотте "Граї де 27 Ткєромпє етинг. 15 адла по шакім єтгорома птещи ден поме 20. єтрє алла • птпарѳєнос. Ноє єщхє доїхñ отпнен моот. єїс отброомпє потовщ• єсоно гїхñ отпэн ммоот. Ессамоот свой понте сол итетно acorwg 2

39

38

Тапн пішакім· асою єскотє gixwg: ArwayTworn iї го шакім адхо мпорома єаппа TeqQIMе • асерщпире Емате. "Нтерессик 2wwc 2а поінну птєгощи | пошт. Дотсавос он єзгрома. 42поє єщхє петлат същия єурнт гїх песпотот потпрен ймоотере отброомпє потовещ ом понт мпщни сол 2 пщни&covog 2їх небіх 25 Arw acorwg giren kodnō · acow ectneï ¿pwc палла потлоб плат. #Астшоти асхи мпєсдорома єїйакім . Граї є оñ сота мпєвот пармоттє· Acw is алпа. ébol 2м песперма пішакім. #маротхіщіпє тєпот.

Палла.

us, because we have become childless as thou. 28 In the same manner also the men were saying the like words against Joakim. 29 And when Joakim heard such taunts as these, he would cover his face with his raiment and weep and cry out, saying, "God, Thine eyes see and Thine ears hear such taunts as these, which they bring against me and my unhappy wife. "But altogether our sins, as we are in these griefs, are more than those of all that belong to us. 22 Woe to us! Our mourning is greater than that of all this people, as we are reproached in all this manner. 33 God, forget not our supplication and our reproach. These and the like things these blessed ones were saying, until they completed the passover in sorrow and groanings, being reproached. And they went to their house in great sorrow and distress of heart, the Lord being their protector. And they went to the synagogue on the first of the month Parmoute, and they went to their house on the fifteenth of Parmoute.

37

39

34

Now in the coming year alsod Joakim saw a vision in the night, forty days before Anna conceived the Virgin. 38 As though he were by a spring of water, and behold a white dove sitting by a spring of water, drinking water from it. It flew straightway and sat on the head of Joakim and kept going round about him. "And Joakim arose and told the vision to Anna his wife, and she wondered greatly. When she herself fell asleep on this same night, she also was shewn a vision. As though a tree were seen planted by the banks of a spring of water, a white dove being in the midst of the tree. 43 It flew from the tree and sat on the hands of Anna; and it sat on her bosom, and kept kissing the mouth of Anna a great while. She arose and told her vision to Joakim.

45 And on the first of the month Parmoute Anna conceived from the seed of Joakim. "Let now the godless and

Lit. would put his face down into d Or in the next year that came under sleep

b Lit. sorrows • Or protection

• Lit. is Lit. they were seeing a tree

Lit. came (or was borne) h Lit. heart