Ethiopic Text
1The Second Coming of Christ and the Resurrection of the Dead, which Christ revealed to Peter — those who died because of their sins, because they did not keep the commandment of God their creator. 2 And Peter pondered on this, that he might perceive the mystery of the Son of God, the merciful one, the lover of mercy. 3 When the Lord was seated on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him.[1] 4 We each begged and entreated him, saying to him: Tell us what are the signs of your coming and of the end of the world, so that we may perceive and mark the time of your coming, and instruct those who come after us — to whom we preach the word of your gospel, and whom we set over your church — so that when they hear it, they may take heed to themselves and mark the time of your coming. 5 Our Lord answered us, saying: Take care that no one deceives you, and that you do not become doubters and serve other gods. Many will come in my name, saying: I am the Christ. Do not believe them, and do not draw near to them. For the coming of the Son of God will not be plain to see; but as the lightning that shines from the east to the west, so will I come on the clouds of heaven with a great host in my majesty. With my cross going before my face I will come in my majesty, shining sevenfold brighter than the sun, with all my saints, my holy angels. And my Father will set a crown on my head, that I may judge the living and the dead and repay every person according to their works. 6 Learn a parable from the fig tree: as soon as its shoot has come forth and its twigs have grown, the end of the world will come. 7 And I, Peter, answered and said to him: Explain to me about the fig tree, so that we may understand it. The fig tree sends forth shoots throughout all its days, and every year it brings forth its fruit for its master. What then does the parable of the fig tree mean? We do not know it. 8 The Lord answered and said to me: Do you not understand that the fig tree is the house of Israel? It is like a man who planted a fig tree in his garden, and it bore no fruit. He sought its fruit for many years, and when he found none, he said to the keeper of his garden: Pull up this fig tree, so it does not make our ground unfruitful. And the gardener said to God: Let us rid it of weeds, dig the ground around it, and water it. If then it bears no fruit, we will at once remove its roots from the garden and plant another in its place. Have you not understood that the fig tree is the house of Israel? Truly I tell you, when its twigs have sprouted in the last days, false Christs will come and stir up expectation, saying: I am the Christ, who has now come into the world. And when Israel perceives the wickedness of their deeds, they will turn away from them and deny him, even the first Christ whom they crucified, and in this they sinned a great sin. But this deceiver is not the Christ. And when they reject him, he will slay with the sword, and there will be many martyrs. Then the twigs of the fig tree, that is, the house of Israel, will sprout forth: many will become martyrs at his hand. Enoch and Elijah will be sent to teach them that this is the deceiver who must come into the world and do signs and wonders to deceive. Therefore those who die at his hand will be martyrs, and will be counted among the good and righteous martyrs who have pleased God in their life.[2] 9 He showed me in his right hand the souls of all people, and on the palm of his right hand the image of what will be accomplished at the last day: how the righteous and the sinners will be separated, how those who are upright in heart will fare, and how the evildoers will be rooted out for all eternity. We saw how the sinners wept in great affliction and sorrow, until everyone who saw it with their eyes wept too — whether righteous or angels — and he himself also. 10 And I asked him, saying to him: Lord, allow me to speak your word concerning the sinners: it would be better for them if they had not been created. The Savior answered and said to me: Peter, why do you speak this way, that not to have been created would be better for them? You are resisting God. You would not have more compassion than he does for his own image, for he created them and brought them forth out of nothing. Now because you have seen the lamentation that will come upon the sinners in the last days, your heart is troubled; but I will show you their works, by which they have sinned against the Most High.[3] 11 See now what will come upon them in the last days, when the day of God and the day of the decision of the judgment of God comes. From the east to the west all the children of men will be gathered together before my Father, who lives forever. And he will command hell to open its bars of adamant and give up all that is in it. 12 He will command the wild beasts and the birds to restore all the flesh that they have devoured, because he wills that all people should appear; for nothing perishes before God, and nothing is impossible with him, because all things are his.[4] 13 For all things come to pass on the day of decision, on the day of judgment, at the word of God: and as all things were done when he created the world and commanded all that is in it and it was done — so also will it be in the last days; for all things are possible with God. Therefore he says in the scripture: Son of man, prophesy upon the bones and say to the bones: bone to bone in joints, sinews, nerves, flesh and skin and hair on them, and soul and spirit.[5] 14 And soul and spirit will the great Uriel give them at the commandment of God; for God has set him over the rising again of the dead at the day of judgment.[6] 15 Consider the grains of wheat that are sown in the earth. People sow them as things dry and without soul, and they live again and bear fruit, and the earth restores them as a pledge entrusted to it.[7] 16 And this that dies, that is sown as seed in the earth and will become alive and be restored to life, is man. 17 How much more will God raise up on the day of decision those who believe in him and are chosen by him, for whose sake he made the world? The earth will restore all things on the day of decision, for it also will be judged with them, and the heaven with it. 18 This will come at the day of judgment upon those who have fallen away from faith in God and who have committed sin: floods of fire will be let loose; and darkness and obscurity will rise up and clothe and veil the whole world. The waters will be changed and turned into coals of fire, and all that is in them will burn, and the sea will become fire. Under the heaven there will be a sharp fire that cannot be quenched, that flows to fulfill the judgment of wrath. And the stars will fly into pieces by flames of fire, as if they had never been created, and the powers of the heaven will pass away for lack of water and will be as though they had never been. The lightnings of heaven will be no more, and by their enchantment they will terrify the world. The spirits of the dead bodies will be like them and will become fire at the commandment of God. 19 As soon as the whole creation dissolves, those who are in the east will flee to the west, and those in the west to the east; those in the south will flee to the north, and those in the north to the south. In all places the wrath of a fearful fire will overtake them, and an unquenchable flame driving them will bring them to the judgment of wrath, to the stream of unquenchable fire that flows, flaming with fire; and when its waves part from one another, burning, there will be a great gnashing of teeth among the children of men. 20 Then they will all see me coming on an eternal cloud of brightness, and I will sit upon the throne of my glory at the right hand of my Heavenly Father; and he will set a crown on my head. When the nations see it, they will weep, every nation apart. 21 Then he will command them to enter into the river of fire, while the works of every one of them stand before them, repaying each according to his deeds. As for the elect who have done good, they will come to me and not see death by the devouring fire. But the unrighteous, the sinners, and the hypocrites will stand in the depths of darkness that will not pass away, and their punishment is the fire. Angels bring forward their sins and prepare for them a place where they will be punished forever, each according to his transgression. 22 Uriel, the angel of God, will bring forth the souls of those sinners who perished in the flood, and of all who dwelt in idols, in every molten image, in every object of devotion, and in pictures, and of those who dwelt on all hills and in stones and by the wayside, whom people called gods. They will burn them together in everlasting fire; and after all of them with their dwelling places are destroyed, they will be punished eternally.[8] 23 Here begins the description of torments, which we have in another text in the Akhmim fragment. 24 Then men and women will come to the place prepared for them. They will be hung up by the tongues with which they have blasphemed the way of righteousness. Unquenchable fire is spread under them, so that they cannot escape it. 25 In another place there is a pit, great and full. In it are those who have denied righteousness; and angels of punishment chastise them, and there they kindle the fire of their torment upon them. 26 And again, there are women: they hang them by their neck and by their hair, and cast them into the pit. These are the ones who plaited their hair, not to make themselves beautiful but to turn them to sexual immorality, so that they might ensnare the souls of men to destruction. And the men who lay with them in sexual immorality will be hung by their loins in that place of fire; and they will say to one another: We did not know that we would come to everlasting punishment. 27 The murderers and those who have made common cause with them will be cast into the fire, in a place full of venomous beasts; and they will be tormented without rest, feeling their pains, and their worms will be as many in number as a dark cloud. And the angel Ezrael will bring forth the souls of those who have been slain, and they will see the torment of those who slew them, and say to one another: The judgment of God is righteousness and justice. We heard, but we did not believe, that we would come into this place of eternal judgment. 28 Near this flame is a pit, great and very deep, and into it flows from above every kind of torment, foulness, and discharge. Women are swallowed up in it to their necks and tormented with great pain. These are those who have caused their children to be born prematurely, and have corrupted the work of God that created them. Across from them is another place where their children sit alive, and they cry out to God. Flashes of lightning go forth from those children and pierce the eyes of those who, for the sake of sexual immorality, caused their destruction.[9] 29 Other men and women will stand above them, naked; and their children stand across from them in a place of delight, sighing and crying out to God because of their parents, saying: These are the ones who have despised and cursed and transgressed your commandments and delivered us to death. They cursed the angel that formed us, hung us up, and begrudged us the light which you have given to all creatures. The milk of their mothers flowing from their breasts will congeal, and from it will come flesh-devouring beasts, which will come forth and turn and torment them forever with their husbands, because they forsook the commandments of God and slew their children. As for their children, they will be delivered to the angel Temlakos. And those who slew them will be tormented eternally, for God wills it so. 30 Ezrael the angel of wrath will bring men and women, half of their bodies burning, and cast them into a place of darkness — the hell of men. A spirit of wrath will chastise them with every kind of torment, and a worm that does not sleep will devour their entrails. These are the persecutors and betrayers of my righteous ones. 31 Beside those who are there will be other men and women, gnawing their tongues; and they will torment them with red-hot iron and burn their eyes. These are the ones who slander and doubt my righteousness. Other men and women whose works were done in deceit will have their lips cut off, and fire will enter their mouth and their entrails. These are the false witnesses, those who caused the martyrs to die by their lying. 32 Beside them, in a place close by, on the stone there will be a pillar of fire, and the pillar is sharper than swords. There will be men and women clothed in rags and filthy garments, and they will be cast on it, to suffer the judgment of a torment that does not cease. These are those who trusted in their riches and despised the widows and the woman with fatherless children before God. 33 Into another place close by, full of filth, they cast men and women up to their knees. These are those who lent money and took interest. 34 Other men and women cast themselves down from a high place and return again and run, while demons drive them. These are the worshippers of idols. The demons drive them up to the top of the height, and they cast themselves down. They do this continually and are tormented forever. These are those who have cut their flesh as messengers of a man, and the women who were with them. And these are the men who defiled themselves together as women. 35 Beside them will be a brazier; and beneath them the angel Ezrael will prepare a place of much fire. All the idols of gold and silver, all idols, the work of human hands, and the likenesses of images of cats and lions, of creeping things and wild beasts, and the men and women who prepared those images, will be in chains of fire and will be punished because of their error before the idols. This is their judgment forever. 36 Beside them will be other men and women, burning in the fire of the judgment, and their torment is everlasting. These are those who have forsaken the commandment of God and followed the persuasions of demons. 37 Parts of these two sections are in the Bodleian Fragment. At this point the Akhmim fragment ends, and the Ethiopic continues: 38 There will be another place, very high. There will be a furnace and a brazier where fire will burn, and the fire will come from one end of the brazier. The men and women whose feet slip will go rolling down into a place where there is fear. And while the fire that is prepared flows, they climb up and fall down again, and continue to roll down. They will be tormented this way forever. These are those who did not honor their father and mother, and of their own accord withdrew themselves from them. Therefore they will be punished eternally. 39 The angel Ezrael will also bring children and young women to show them those who are tormented. They will be punished with pains, with hanging up, and with a multitude of wounds that flesh-devouring birds will inflict on them. These are those who boast in their sins, and do not obey their parents, and do not follow the instruction of their fathers, and do not honor those older than themselves. 40 Beside them will be girls clothed in darkness for a garment, and they will be severely punished, and their flesh will be torn to pieces. These are those who did not keep their virginity until they were given in marriage; and with these torments they will be punished, and will feel them. 41 And again, there are other men and women, gnawing their tongues without ceasing, and tormented with everlasting fire. These are the slaves who were not obedient to their masters; this is their judgment forever. 42 Close by this place of torment will be men and women, mute and blind, whose clothing is white. They will crowd one upon another, and fall on coals of unquenchable fire. These are those who give alms and say: We are righteous before God — yet they have not sought after righteousness. 43 Ezrael the angel of God will bring them forth out of this fire and establish a judgment of decision. This then is their judgment: a river of fire will flow, and all who are judged will be drawn down into the middle of the river. And Uriel will set them there. 44 There are wheels of fire, and men and women hung on them by the force of their whirling. Those who are in the pit will burn: these are the sorcerers and sorceresses. Those wheels will be in the judgment by fire without number.[10] 45 After this, the angels will bring my elect and righteous, who are perfect in all uprightness, and bear them in their hands, and clothe them with the garments of the life that is above. They will see their desire on those who hated them, when he punishes them, and the torment of every one will be forever according to his works. 46 And all those who are in torment will say with one voice: Have mercy on us, for now we know the judgment of God, which he declared to us beforehand, and we did not believe. And the angel Tatirokos will come and chastise them with yet greater torment, and say to them: Now you repent, when it is no longer the time for repentance, and nothing of life remains. And they will say: The judgment of God is righteous, for we have heard and perceived that his judgment is good; for we are repaid according to our deeds. 47 Then I will give my elect and righteous the washing and the salvation for which they have asked me, in the field of Akrosja, which is called Aneslasleja. They will adorn with flowers the portion of the righteous, and I will go and rejoice with them. I will cause the peoples to enter into my everlasting kingdom, and show them the eternal life on which I have made them set their hope — even I and my Father who is in heaven.[11] 48 I have spoken this to you, Peter, and declared it to you. Go forth therefore and go to the city of the west, and enter into the vineyard which I will tell you of, so that by the sufferings of the Son who is without sin the deeds of corruption may be sanctified. As for you, you are chosen according to the promise I have given you. Spread my gospel therefore throughout all the world in peace. Truly people will rejoice: my words will be the source of hope and of life, and suddenly the world will be carried away. 49 Here begins the section describing paradise, which in the Akhmim text precedes that about hell. 50 My Lord Jesus Christ our King said to me: Let us go to the holy mountain. And his disciples went with him, praying. There were two men there, and we could not look upon their faces, for a light came from them, shining brighter than the sun; and their clothing also shone, and cannot be described, and nothing in this world is sufficient to compare to them. Their sweetness was such that no mouth is able to express the beauty of their appearance, for their aspect was astonishing and wonderful. In a word, I cannot describe it: he shone in his appearance brighter than crystal. Like the flower of roses was the color of his aspect and of his body. On their shoulders and on their foreheads was a crown of nard woven of fair flowers. Their hair was like the rainbow in the time of rain. And such was the beauty of their countenance, adorned with every kind of ornament. When we saw them on a sudden, we marveled. And I drew near to the Lord Jesus Christ and said to him: My Lord, who are these? He said to me: They are Moses and Elijah. And I said to him: And Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and the rest of the righteous fathers? He showed us a great garden, open, full of fair trees and blessed fruits, and the odor of perfumes. The fragrance of it was pleasant and came all the way to us. And of that tree I saw much fruit. And my Lord and God Jesus Christ said to me: Have you seen the companies of the fathers? 51 As is their rest, so also is the honor and the glory of those who are persecuted for my righteousness' sake. And I rejoiced and believed, and understood that which is written in the book of my Lord Jesus Christ. And I said to him: My Lord, do you want me to make three tabernacles here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah? And he said to me in anger: Satan makes war against you, and has veiled your understanding; and the good things of this world prevail against you. Your eyes therefore must be opened and your ears unstopped, that you may see a tabernacle, not made by human hands, which my heavenly Father has made for me and for the elect. And we saw it and were full of gladness. 52 Suddenly there came a voice from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased — keep my commandments. And then a great and exceedingly white cloud came over our heads and bore away our Lord and Moses and Elijah. And I trembled and was afraid; and we looked up and the heaven opened, and we saw men in the flesh, and they came and greeted our Lord and Moses and Elijah, and went into another heaven. And the word of the scripture was fulfilled: This is the generation that seeks him, and seeks the face of the God of Jacob. And there was great fear and commotion in heaven, and the angels pressed one upon another, that the word of the scripture might be fulfilled which says: Open the gates, you princes.[12] 53 After this, the heaven was shut that had been open. 54 And we prayed and went down from the mountain, glorifying God, who has written the names of the righteous in heaven in the book of life.
Patristic Quotations
2From Clement of Alexandria's so-called Prophetical Extracts, a series of detached sentences excerpted from some larger work, generally thought to be his Hypotyposes or Outlines: a. The Scripture says that the children who have been exposed by their parents are delivered to a care-taking angel, by whom they are educated and made to grow up; and they will be, it says, like the faithful of a hundred years old in this life. b. Therefore Peter also says in the Apocalypse: A flash of fire leaping from those children and striking the eyes of the women. 2 From the same source: The providence of God does not fall only on those who are in the flesh. For example, Peter in the Apocalypse says that the children born prematurely, who would have been saved if they had lived — these are delivered to a care-taking angel, that they may share in knowledge and obtain the better dwelling, having suffered what they would have suffered if they had been in the body. But the others, those who would not have been saved had they lived, will only obtain salvation as beings who have been injured and had mercy shown to them, and will continue without torment, receiving that as a reward. But the milk of the mothers, flowing from their breasts and congealing, says Peter in the Apocalypse, will produce small flesh-devouring beasts, and these running upon them devour them: teaching that the torments come about because of the sins. 3 From the Symposium of Methodius of Olympus, third century. He does not name his source. We have also received in inspired writings that children born prematurely — even if they are the offspring of adultery — are delivered to care-taking angels. For if they had come into being contrary to the will and ordinance of that blessed nature of God, how could they have been delivered to angels to be nourished in all rest and tranquility? And how could they have confidently summoned their parents before the judgment seat of Christ to accuse them, saying: O Lord, you did not begrudge us this light that is common to all, but these exposed us to death, despising your commandment. 4 From the Apocritica of Macarius Magnes, fourth century, of whom we know little. His book consists of extracts from a pagan opponent's attack on Christianity — Porphyry and Hierocles are named as possible authors of it — and his own answers. The pagan writer says: As an additional point, let this also be cited from what is said in the Apocalypse of Peter. He introduces the Heaven, to be judged along with the earth, this way: The earth, he says, will present all people to God to be judged on the day of judgment, being itself also judged along with the heaven that surrounds it. 5 From the same source: And this again he says, which is a statement full of impiety: Every power of heaven will be melted, and the heaven will be rolled up like a book, and all the stars will fall like leaves from the vine, and like the leaves from the fig tree. 6 In an old Latin homily on the Ten Virgins, found and published by Dom Wilmart, is this sentence: The closed door is the river of fire by which the ungodly will be kept out of the kingdom of God, as is written in Daniel and in Peter, in his Apocalypse. That company of the foolish will also arise and find the door shut — that is, the fiery river set against them.