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The Vision of Paul
Anonymous
Salutation / Introduction About this work A pseudonymous apocalypse describing Paul’s guided journey through realms of judgment and blessedness, elaborating rewards, punishments, intercession, and the moral consequences of earthly life beyond the grave.
Author Anonymous
Traditional attribution Paul the Apostle
Date Late 4th century, with later recensions
Origin Eastern Mediterranean (uncertain)
Genre Apocalypse The text survives in multiple recensions and languages whose dates and contents differ.
The Vision of Paul .
Here Begins the Vision of
Section 1 ›
Saint
Paul
the
Apostle
.
“ But I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord : I know a man in Christ fourteen years ago ( whether in the body , I know not ; or out of the body , I know not , God knoweth ) snatched up in this manner to the third heaven : and I know such a man , whether in the body or out of the body I know not , God knoweth ; how that he was snatched up into Paradise and heard secret words which it is not lawful for men to speak ; on behalf of such a one will I glory ; but on mine own behalf I will not glory , save in my infirmities . ” — 2 Cor . xii . 1 – 5 .
And he took me down from the third heaven , and led me into the second heaven , and again he led me on to the firmament and from the firmament he led me over the doors of heaven : the beginning of its foundation was on the river which waters all the earth . And I asked the angel and said , Lord , what is this river of water ? and he said to me , This is Oceanus ! And suddenly I went out of heaven , and I understood that it is the light of heaven which lightens all the earth . For the land there is seven times brighter than silver . And I said , Lord , what is this place ? And he said to me , This is the land of promise . Hast thou never heard what is written : Blessed are the meek : for they shall inherit the earth ? The souls therefore of the just , when they have gone out of the body , are meanwhile dismissed to this place . And I said to the angel , Then this land will be manifested before the time ? The angel answered and said to me , When Christ , whom thou preachest , shall come to reign , then , by the sentence of God , the first earth will be dissolved and this land of promise will then be revealed , and it will be like dew or cloud , and then the Lord Jesus Christ , the King Eternal , will be manifested and will come with all his saints to dwell in it , and he will reign over them a thousand years , and they will eat of the good things which I shall now show unto thee .
And then he took me up from that place where I saw these things and behold , a river , and its waters were greatly whiter than milk , and I said to the angel , What is this ? And he said to me : This is the Acherousian Lake where is the City of Christ , but not every man is permitted to enter that city ; for this is the journey which leads to God , and if anyone is a fornicator and impious , and is converted and shall repent and do fruits worthy of repentance , at first indeed when he shall have gone out of the body , he is led and adores God , and thence by command of the Lord he is delivered to the angel Michael and he baptizes him in the Acherousian Lake — thus he leads them into the City of Christ alongside of those who have never sinned . But I wondered and blessed the Lord God for all the things which I saw .
And turning round I saw golden thrones placed in each gate , and on them men having golden diadems and gems : and I looked carefully and I saw inside between the twelve men thrones placed in another rank which appeared of much glory , so that no one is able to recount their praise . And I asked the angel and said : My lord , who is on the throne ? And the angel answered and said unto me : Those thrones belong to those who had goodness and understanding of heart and made themselves fools for the sake of the Lord God , nor knew new Scriptures nor psalms , but , mindful of one chapter of the commands of God , and hearing what it contained they wrought thereby in much diligence and had a right zeal before the Lord God , and the admiration of them will seize all the saints in presence of the Lord God , for talking with one another they say , Wait and see the unlearned who know nothing more : by which means they merited so great and such a garment and so great glory on account of their innocence .
And I saw in the midst of this city a great altar , very high , and there was one standing near the altar whose countenance shone as the sun , and he held in his hands a psaltery and harp , and he sang psalms , saying Halleluia ! And his voice filled the whole city : at the same time when all they who were on the towers and gates heard him they responded Halleluia ! so that the foundations of the city were shaken : and I asked the angel and said , Sir , who is this of so great power ? And the angel said to me : This is David : this is the city of Jerusalem , for when Christ the King of Eternity shall come with the assurance of His kingdom , he again shall go before him that he may sing psalms , and all the just at the same time shall sing psalms responding Halleluia ! And I said , Sir , how did David alone above the other saints make a beginning of psalm - singing ? And the angel answered and said unto me : Because Christ the Son of God sits at the right hand of His Father , and this David sings psalms before him in the seventh heaven , and as is done in the heavens so also below , because the host may not be offered to God without David , but it is necessary that David should sing psalms in the hour of the oblation of the body and blood of Christ : as it is performed in heaven so also on earth .
The angel answered and said unto me : Dost thou understand why thou goest hence ? And I said : Yes , sir . And he said to me : Come and follow me , and I will show thee the souls of the impious and sinners , that thou mayest know what manner of place it is . And I proceeded with the angel and he carried me by the setting of the sun , and I saw the beginning of heaven founded on a great river of water , and I asked : What is this river of water ? And he said to me : This is Ocean which surrounds all the Earth . And when I was at the outer limit of Ocean I looked , and there was no light in that place , but darkness and sorrow and sadness : and I sighed .
And I saw there a fervent river of fire , and in it a multitude of men and women immersed up to the knees , and other men up to the navel , others even up to the lips , others moreover up to the hair . And I asked the angel and said : Sir , who are those in the fiery river ? And the angel answered and said to me : They are neither hot nor cold , because they were found neither in the number of the just nor in the number of the impious . For those spent the time of their life on earth passing some days in prayer , but others in sins and fornications , until their death . And I asked him and said : Who are these , Sir , immersed up to their knees in fire ? He answered and said to me : These are they who when they have gone out of church throw themselves into strange conversations to dispute . Those indeed who are immersed up to the navel are those who , when they have taken the body and blood of Christ go and fornicate and did not cease from their sins till they died . Those who are immersed up to the lips are the detractors of each other when they assemble in the church of God : those up to the eyebrows are those who nod approval of themselves and plot spite against their neighbour .
And I looked closely and saw alongside of him another man whom they delivered up with haste and cast into the fiery river , and he was ( in it ) up to the knees : and there came the angel who was set over the punishments having a great fiery razor , and with it he cut the lips of that man and the tongue likewise . And sighing , I lamented and asked : Who is that , sir . And he said to me , He whom thou seest was a reader and read to the people , but he himself did not keep the precepts of God : now he also pays the proper penalty .
And after that I looked and saw another place , very narrow , and it was like a wall , and fire round about it . And I saw inside men and women gnawing their tongues , and I asked : Sir , who are these . And he said to me : These are they who in church disparage the Word of God , not attending to it , but as it were make naught of God and His angels : for that cause they now likewise pay the proper penalty .
And again I saw men and women with very black faces in a pit of fire , and I sighed and lamented and asked , Sir , who are these ? And he said to me : These are fornicators and adulterers who committed adultery having wives of their own : likewise also the women committed adultery having husbands of their own : therefore they unceasingly suffer penalties .
And again I observed there men and women with hands cut and their feet placed naked in a place of ice and snow , and worms devoured them . But seeing them I lamented and asked : Sir , who are these ? And he said to me : These are they who harmed orphans and widows and the poor , and did not hope in the Lord , for which cause they unceasingly pay the proper penalties .
And I observed and saw others hanging over a channel of water , and their tongues were very dry , and many fruits were placed in their sight , and they were not permitted to take of them , and I asked : Sir , who are these ? And he said to me : These are they who break their fast before the appointed hour , for this cause they unceasingly pay these penalties .
And I saw other men and women hanging by their eyebrows and their hair , and a fiery river drew them , and I said : Who are these , my Lord ? And he said to me : These are they who join themselves not to their own husbands and wives but to whores , and therefore they unceasingly pay the proper penalties .
And I saw other men and women covered with dust , and their countenance was like blood , and they were in a pit of pitch and sulphur and running down into a fiery river , and I asked : Sir , who are these ? And he said to me : These are they who committed the iniquity of Sodom and Gomorrah , the male with the male , for which reason they unceasingly pay the penalties .
And after that I saw men and women clothed with rags full of pitch and fiery sulphur , and dragons were coiled about their necks and shoulders and feet , and angels having fiery horns restrained them and smote them , and closed their nostrils , saying to them : Why did ye not know the time in which it was right to repent and serve God , and did not do it ? And I asked : Sir , who are these ? And he said to me : These are they who seem to give up the world for God , putting on our garb , but the impediments of the world made them wretched , not maintaining agapæ , and they did not pity widows and orphans : they did not receive the stranger and the pilgrim , nor did they offer the oblations , and they did not pity their neighbour . Moreover their prayer did not even on one day ascend pure to the Lord God , but many impediments of the world detained them , and they were not able to do right in the sight of God , and the angels enclosed them in the place of punishments . Moreover they saw those who were in punishments and said to them : We indeed when we lived in the world neglected God , and ye also did likewise : as we also truly when we were in the world knew that ye were sinners . But ye said : These are just and servants of God , now we know why ye were called by the name of the Lord : for which cause they also pay their own penalties .
And sighing I wept and said : Woe unto men , woe unto sinners ! why were they born ? And the angel answered and said unto me : Why dost thou lament ? Art thou more pitiful than the Lord God who is blessed forever , who established judgment and sent forth every man to choose good and evil in his own will and do what pleases him ? Then I lamented again very greatly , and he said to me : Dost thou lament when as yet thou hast not seen greater punishments ? Follow me and thou shalt see seven times greater than these .
But hearing these things I stretched out my hands and wept , and sighing again , I said : It were better for us if we had not been born , all of us who are sinners .
When they had thus spoken , I saw other twelve coming from afar in honour , and I asked : Sir , who are these ? And he said : These are the patriarchs . And coming near they saluted me and said : Hail , Paul , well - beloved of God and men : the Lord did not vex us , that we might see thee yet in the body , before thou goest out of the world . And each one of them reminded me of his name in order , from Ruben to Benjamin : and Joseph said to me : I am he who was sold ; but I say to thee , Paul , that all the things , whatever my brothers did to me , in nothing did I act maliciously with them , nor in all the labour which they imposed on me , nor in any point was I hurt by them on that account from morning till evening : blessed is he who receives some hurt on account of the Lord , and bears it , for the Lord will repay it to him manifold , when he shall have gone out of the world .
And as these passed by , I saw another , beautiful of countenance , and I asked : Sir , Who is this ? Who when he had seen me , rejoiced and said to me : This is Lot who was found just in Sodom . And approaching he saluted me and said : Blessed art thou , Paul , and blessed the generation to which thou didst minister . And I answered and said to him : Art thou Lot who wast found just in Sodom ? And he said : I entertained angels , as travellers , and when they of the city wished to violate them , I offered them my two virgin daughters who had not yet known men , and gave them to them saying : use them as ye will , but only to these men ye shall do no evil ; for this cause they entered under the roof of my house . For this cause , therefore , we ought to be confident and know that if anyone shall have done anything , God shall repay him manifold when they shall come to him . Blessed art thou , Paul , and blessed the nation which believed in thy word .
When , therefore , he had ceased talking to me , I saw another coming from a distance , very beautiful of countenance , and smiling , and his angels saying hymns : and I said to the angel who was with me : Has then each of the just an angel for companion ? And he said to me : Each one of the saints has his own ( angel ) assisting him , and saying a hymn , and the one does not depart from the other . And I said : Who is this , Sir ? And he said : This is Job . And approaching , he saluted me and said : Brother Paul , thou hast great praise with God and men . And I am Job , who laboured much for a period of thirty years from a plague in the blood ; and verily in the beginning , the wounds which went forth from my body were like grains of wheat . But on the third day , they became as the foot of an ass ; worms moreover which fell four digits in length : and on the third ( day ) the devil appeared and said to me : Say something against God and die . I said to him : If such be the will of God that I should remain under a plague all the time of my life till I die , I shall not cease from blessing the Lord , and I shall receive more reward . For I know that the labours of that world are nothing to the refreshment which is afterwards : for which cause blessed art thou , Paul , and blessed the nation which believed through thee .
The End of the Vision of Saint Paul .
Notes 10 Cf. Rev. of Peter. 15.
11 Cf. Enoch.
19 Not in the Greek. Cf. Ascension of Isaiah viii. 36.
21 Not in Greek or Syriac.
22 Not in the Greek or Syriac.
25 Not in the Greek but in the Syriac.
29 Cf. Rev. of Peter, 29.
30 Cf. Rev. of Peter, 24. Not in the Greek. The Syraic has darkness the torment of patriarchs, bishops, etc.
32 Cf. Rev. of Peter, 30. Not in the Greek.
33 Not in the Greek.
34 Not in the Greek.
35 Cf. Rev. of Peter, 24.
36 Cf. Rev. of Peter, 32. Not in the Greek.
41
45 Cf. Esdras, Ante-Nicene Lib., vol. xvi., p. 469.
47 Lot and Job, in the Syriac but not in the Greek.
48 For adproprians read adpropinquans.
