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OF THE TEACHING OF THE APOSTLES, AND OF THE PLACES OF EACH ONE OF THEM, AND OF THEIR DEATHS3.
NEXT we write the excellent discourse composed by Mâr Eusebius of Caesarea upon the places and families of the holy apostles.
Know then that the apostles were twelve and seventy. When the p. 104 apostles had received the gift of the Holy Spirit, on the day following they fasted this feast of the apostles (which we keep)1; but the Malkâyê (Melchites)2 say that the apostles fasted eight days after. Their names are as follows.
Simon, the chief of the apostles, was from Bethsaida, of the tribe of Naphtali. He first preached in Antioch, and built there the first of all churches, which was in the house of Cassianus, whose son he restored to life. He remained there one year, and there the disciples were called Christians. From thence he went to Rome, where he remained for twenty-seven years; and in the three hundred and seventy-sixth year of the Greeks, the wicked Nero crucified him head downwards.
Andrew his brother preached in Scythia and Nicomedia and Achaia. He built a church in Byzantium, and there he died and was buried.
John the son of Zebedee (Zabhdai) was also from Bethsaida, of the tribe of Zebulun. He first preached in Asia (Ephesus), and was afterwards cast into exile in the island of Patmos by Tiberius Caesar. He then went to Ephesus, and built in it a church. Three of his disciples went with him: Ignatius, who was afterwards bishop of Antioch, and who was thrown to the beasts in Rome; Polycarp, who was afterwards bishop of Smyrna, and was crowned by fire; and John, to whom he committed the priesthood and the bishopric after him. When John had lived a long time, he died and was buried at Ephesus; and John, the p. 105 disciple of the Evangelist, who became bishop of Ephesus, buried him1; for he commanded them that no one should know the place of his burial. The graves of both of them are in Ephesus; the hidden one of the Evangelist, and the other of his disciple John, the author of the Revelation; he said that everything he had written down, he had heard from John the Evangelist.
James, the brother of John, preached in his city Bethsaida, and built a church there. Herod Agrippas slew him with the sword one year after the Ascension of our Lord. He was laid in Âkâr, a city of Marmârîkâ2.
Philip also was from Bethsaida, of the tribe of Asher. He preached in Phrygia, Pamphylia and Pisidia; he built a church in Pisidia, and died and was buried there. He lived twenty-seven years as an apostle3.
Thomas was from Jerusalem, of the tribe of Judah. He taught the Parthians, Medes and Indians4; and because he baptised the daughter of the king of the Indians, he stabbed him with a spear and he died5. Habbân the merchant brought his body, and laid it in Edessa, the blessed city of Christ our Lord6. Others say that he was buried in Mahlûph, a city in the land of the Indians7.
Matthew the Evangelist was from Nazareth, of the tribe of Issachar. He preached in Palestine, Tyre and Sidon, and went as far as Gabbûlâ1. He died and was buried in Antioch, a city of Pisidia2.
Bartholomew was from Endor, of the tribe of Issachar. He preached in inner Armenia, Ardeshîr3, Ketarbôl4, Radbîn, and Prûharmân. After he had lived thirty years as an apostle, Hûrstî6 the king of the Armenians crucified him, and he was buried in the church which he built in Armenia.
Jude, the son of James, who was surnamed Thaddaeus (Taddai), who is also Lebbaeus (Lebbai), was from Jerusalem, of the tribe of Judah. He preached in Laodicea and in Antaradus and Arwâd7. He was stoned in Arwâd, and died and was buried there8.
Simon Zelôtes was from Galilee, of the tribe of Ephraim. He preached in Shemêshât (Samosâta), Pârîn (Perrhê), Zeugma, Hâlâb (Aleppo), Mabbôg (Manbig), and Kenneshrîn (Kinnesrîn). He built a church in Kyrrhos, and died and was buried there9.
James, the son of Alphaeus (Halphai), was from the Jordan, of the tribe of Manasseh. He preached in Tadmor (Palmyra), Kirkêsion p. 107 (Kirkîsiyâ), and Callinîcos (ar-Rakkah), and came to Batnân of Serûg (Sarûg), where he built a church, and died and was buried there1.
Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, was from the town of Sekharyût of the tribe of Gad, though some say that he was of the tribe of Dan. He was like unto the serpent that acts deceitfully towards its master, because like a serpent, he dealt craftily with his Lord. Matthias, of the tribe of Reuben, came in in his stead. He preached in Hellas, and in Sicily, where he built a church, and died and was buried in it2.
While James the brother of our Lord was teaching the Jews in Jerusalem, they cast him down from a pinnacle of the temple; and while his life was yet in him, a fuller of cloth smote him upon the head with a club and beat it in; and afterwards they stoned him with stones3.
John the Baptist was of the tribe of Levi. Herod the tetrarch slew him, and his body was laid in Sebastia.
Ananias (Hananyâ) the disciple of the Baptist taught in Damascus and Arbêl4. He was slain by Pôl, the general of the army of Aretas5, and was laid in the church which he built at Arbêl (Irbil).
Paul of Tarsus was a Pharisee by sect, of the tribe of Ephraim6. When he had been baptised by Ananias, he wrought many miracles, and taught great cities, and bore and suffered dangers not a few for the name of Christ. Afterwards he went to Peter at Rome. When they divided the world between them, and the heathen fell to Paul's lot, and the Jewish nation to Peter, and they had turned7 many to the truth of Christ, Nero commanded that they should both die a cruel death. Then Simon asked to be crucified head downwards, that he might kiss that part of the cross where the heels p. 108 of his Master had been. As they were going forth to be slain, they gave the laying on of hands of the priesthood to their disciples, Peter to Mark, and Paul to Luke. When Peter had been crucified, and Paul slain, together with many of those who had become their disciples, Mark and Luke went forth by night, and brought their bodies into the city. Now Paul's head was lost among the slain, and could not be found. Some time after, when a shepherd was passing by the spot where the slain were buried, he found Paul's head, and took it upon the top of his staff, and laid it by his sheep-fold. At night he saw a fire blazing over it, and he went in (to the city) and informed the holy bishop Xystus (Sixtus) and the clergy of the church; and they all recognised that it was Paul's head. Xystus said to them, 'Let us watch and pray the whole night, and let us bring out the body and lay the head at its feet; and if it joins again to its neck, it will be certain that it is Paul's.' And when they had done so, the whole body was restored, and the head was joined to its neck as if the vertebrae had never been severed; and those who saw it were amazed and glorified God. From his call to the end of his life was thirty-five years; he went about in every place for thirty-one years; for two years he was in prison at Caesarea, and for two years at Rome. He was martyred in the thirty-sixth year after the Passion of our Lord, and was laid with great honour in the magnificent royal catacombs in Rome. They celebrate every year the day of his commemoration on the twenty-ninth of the month of Tammûz1.
Luke the physician and Evangelist was first of all a disciple of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, and was afterwards baptised by Philip in the city of Beroea2. He was crowned with the sword by Hôros3, the judge (or governor) of the emperor Tiberius, while he was preaching in Alexandria, and was buried there.
Mark the Evangelist preached in Rome, and died and was buried there4. Some say that he was the son of Simon Peter's wife, others p. 109 that he was the Son of Simon; and Rhoda was his sister. He was first called John, but the Apostles changed his name and called him Mark, that there might not be two Evangelists of one name.
Addai was from Paneas, and he preached in Edessa and in Mesopotamia in the days of Abgar the king; and he built a church in Edessa. After Abgar died, Herod1 Abgar's son slew him in the fortress of Aggêl2. His body was afterwards taken and carried to Rome; but some say that he was laid in Edessa.
Aggai his disciple was first of all a maker of silks for Abgar, and became a disciple. After Abgar's death, his son reigned, and he required of Aggai to weave silks for him; and when he consented not, saying, 'I cannot forsake teaching and preaching to return to weaving,' he smote him with a club upon his legs and brake them, and he died3.
Thaddaeus (Taddai) came after him at Edessa, and Herod, the son of Abgar, slew him also; he was buried at Edessa.
Zacchaeus (Zaccai) the publican4 and the young man whom our Lord brought to life were both slain together while they were preaching in Mount Hôrôn.
The Jews smote Simon the leper while he was teaching in Ramah, and he died (there).
Joseph the Senator taught in Galilee and Decapolis; he was buried in his town of Ramah.
Nicodemus the Pharisee, the friend of our Lord, received and honoured the Apostles in Jerusalem; and he died and was buried there5.
Nathaniel was stoned while he was teaching in Mount Hôrôn1, and died.
Simon the Cyrenian was slain while he was teaching in the island of Chios.
Simon the son of Cleopas became bishop of Jerusalem. When he was an old man, one hundred years of age, Irenaeus the chiliarch crucified him.
Stephen the martyr was stoned with stones at Jerusalem, and his body was laid in the village of Kephar Gamlâ.
Mark, who was surnamed John, taught at Nyssa and Nazianzus. He built a church at Nazianzus, and died and was buried there. Some say that he is the Evangelist, as we have mentioned.
Cephas, whom Paul mentions3, taught in Baalbec, Hims (Emesa) and Nathrôn (Batharûn). He died and was buried in Shîrâz4.
Barnabas taught in Italy and in Kûrâ; he died and was buried in Samos5.
Titus taught in Crete, and there he died and was buried1.
Sosthenes taught in the country of Pontus and Asia. He was thrown into the sea by the command of Nonnus the prefect.
Criscus (Crescens) taught in Dalmatia; he was imprisoned in Alexandria, where he died of hunger and was buried.
Justus taught in Tiberias and in Caesarea, where he died and was buried.
Andronicus taught in Illyricum, where he died and was buried.
The people of Zeugma slew Rufus while he was teaching in Zeugma.
Patrobas taught in Chalcedon, and he died and was buried there.
Hermas the shepherd taught in Antioch, and he died and was buried there.
Narcissus taught in Hellas, and he died and was buried there3.
Asyncritus went to Beth-Hûzâyê (Khûzistân)4, and there he died and was buried.
Aristobulus taught in Isauria, and there he died and was buried.
Onesimus5 was the slave of Philemon, and he fled from him and went to Paul, while he was in prison; because of this Paul calls him 'the son whom I have begotten in my bonds.' His legs were broken in Rome.
Apollos the elect was burnt with fire by Sparacleus (?), the governor of Gangra.
Olympas, Stachys and Stephen were imprisoned in Tarsus, and there they died in prison.
Junias was captured in Samos, and there he was slain and died.
Theocritus died while teaching in Ilios, and was buried there.
Martalus (?) was slain while teaching the barbarians.
Niger taught in Antioch, and died and was buried there.
They dragged Lucius1 behind a horse, and thus he ended his life.
While Alexander was teaching in Heracleôpolis, they threw him into a pit and he died.
Milus3, while he was teaching in Rhodes, was thrown into the sea and drowned.
Silvanus and Hêrôdiôn (Rhôdiôn) were slain while they were preaching in the city of Accô.
Silas4 taught in Sarapolis (Hierapolis ?), and died and was buried there.
Timothy taught in Ephesus, and died and was buried there.
Manael was burnt with fire while teaching in Accô, and died.
The Eunuch whom Philip baptised, the officer of Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, went to Ethiopia and preached there. Afterwards, while he was preaching in the island of Parparchia (?), they strangled him with a cord.
Jason6 and Sosipatrus were thrown to the wild beasts while they were teaching in Olmius (?).
Demas taught in Thessalonica, and there he died and was buried.
Omius (Hymenaeus) taught in Melitene, and there he died and was buried.
They threw Thraseus into a fiery furnace, while he was teaching at Laodicea.
Bistorius (Aristarchus ?) taught in the island of Kô, and there he died and was buried.
Abrios (?) and Môtos (?)11 went to the country of the Ethiopians, and there they died and were buried.
Levi was slain by Charmus12, while he was teaching in Paneas.
Nicetianus (Nicetas) was sawn in two while teaching in Tiberias1.
While John and Theodorus were preaching in the theatre of Baalbec, they threw them to the beasts.
The prefect Methalius (?) slew Euchestion (?) and Simon in Byzantium.
Ephraim (Aphrem) taught in Baishân, and he died and was buried there.
Justus was slain at Corinth.
James taught and preached in Nicomedia, and he died and was buried there.
2 In the Oxford MS. chap. liii, fol. 182 a.
3 See the lives of the apostles and disciples by Pseudo-Dorotheus, edited by Du Cange in the Chronicon Paschale, Paris, 1868, p. 164; Hanmer, Eusebius, pp. 532 foll., London, 1636; Cave, Lives of the Apostles, Cary's ed., Oxford, 1840; Pseudo-Epiphanius, De Prophetis, eorumque obitu ac sepultura, Migne, Patrologiae p. 104 Ser. Gr., vol. 43, col. 393 foll.; Tillemont, Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire ecclés., Paris, 1701, 4to; Lipsius, Die Apokryphen Apostelgeschichten, Braunschweig, 1884; and Brit. Mus. Add. 14,601, fol. 163 b.
1 The Nestorian Fast of the Apostles begins on Whit-Monday and ends on June 29th. See Badger, The Nestorians and their Rituals, vol. ii, p. 188; Assemânî, Bibl. Orient., t. iii, pt. i, p. 501.
2 The orthodox Christians, who accept the doctrines on the natures of our Lord as laid down by the Council of Chalcedon. For the origin of the name, etc., see Renaudot, Historia Patriarcharum Alexandrinorum Jacobitarum, p. 119; and Assemânî, Bibl. Orient., t. i, p. 507; t. iii, pt. i, p. 354, col. 2.
1 See Butler, Lives of the Saints, vol. ii, Dec. 27.
2 This sentence is omitted by the Oxford MS. Dorotheus and Pseudo-Epiphanius say that he was bnried in Judaea, though some MSS. of the former have ἐν πόλει τη̑ς Μαρμαρικη̑ς {Greek: en pólei ths Marmarikhs}, the original of the Latin 'in arce Marmarica.' Μαρμαρική {Greek: Marmarikh} is the most eastern land of N. Africa. Isidore of Seville says: 'Jacobus filius Zebedaei frater Joannis quartus in ordine. Hispaniae et occidentalibus locis evangelium praedicavit et in occasum mundi lucem praedicationis infudit. Hic ab Herode tetrarcha gladio caesus occubuit sepultus in Azimarmaria [arce marmaria].' See Lipsius, Apostelgeschichten, ii. 2, pp. 208, 209, and 214, note 1; Acta Sanctorum, vol. xxxiii, July 25; Tillemont, Mémoires, p. 512.
3 See Acta Sanctorum, vol. xiv, May 1; Lipsius, Apostelgeschichten, ii. 2, p. 26.
4 Oxford MS. in India and Sind and Persia.
5 See Wright, Apoc. Acts, vol. ii, p. 297; Acta Thomae, ed. M. Bonnet, p. 83 sqq.; Lipsius, Apostelgeschichten, i, p. 236.
6 See Assemânî, Bibl. Orient., t. i, pp. 49, 399, and 403; Socrates, Hist. Eccles., iv. 18; Bar-Hebraeus, Chron. Eccles., ed. Abbeloos and Lamy, i. 31, and iii. 4 foll.
7 The Oxford MS. says that he was buried in India. See Lipsius, Apostelgeschichten, i, p. 246; Butler, Lives of the Saints, Dec. 21.
1 al-Jabbûl, a town in Coelesyria.
2 See Tillemont, Mémoires, i, pp. 391 foll.; Acta Sanctorum, xlviii, Sept. 21; Lipsius, Apostelgeschichten, ii. 2, p. 127.
3 According to the Armenian Acts of Bartholomew (Lipsius, Apostelgeschichten, ii. 2, p. 94), he went first to Golthon in Armenia, and, in the 29th year of Sanatruk came back to the hill Artaschu; he next went to Her and Zarevant, and afterwards to Urbianos, where he was martyred.
4 {Ketarbôl} was a place between Baghdâd and `Ukbarâ, celebrated for its wine; but this can hardly come into account.
6 According to other MSS., Rhûstnî or Hêrôstnî. The king of Armenia in the time of Bartholomew was called Sanadrog (Sanatruk). Florival, Moïse de Khorène, ii, p. 233. See also Lipsius, Apostelgeschichten, ii. 2, pp. 59, 99, and 104; and Acta Sanctorum, xxxix, Aug. 24.
7 The latter name is more correctly Ruwâd. Antaradus is now called Antartûs.
8 See Lipsius, Apostelgeschichten, ii. 2, pp. 142-200; and Acta Sanctorum, lx, Oct. 28.
9 See Lipsius, Apostelgeschichten, ii. 2, p. 147; Acta Sanctorum, lx, Oct. 28.
1 See Lipsius, Apostelgeschichten, ii. 2, pp. 229-257; Acta Sanctorum, xiv, May 1.
2 See Lipsius, Apostelgeschichten, ii. 2, pp. 258-269.
3 See Lipsius, Apostelgeschichten, ii, 2, p. 231; Acta Sanctorum, xiv, May 1.
4 So we read instead of Arîl, following the Oxford MS. Solomon was probably copying from an Arabic MS., in which the difference would be very slight.
5 The MS. C has Aristus.
6 The MS. A has: Paul of Tarsus was of the tribe of Benjamin; he was a Pharisee by sect.
7 Reading in the plural with the MS. B.
1 See Acta Sanctorum, xxvii, June 30.
2 Oxford MS., Aleppo.
3 See Lipsius, Apostelgeschichten, ii. 2, pp. 356-360; Acta Sanctorum, lvi, Oct. 18.
4 See Lipsius, Apostelgeschichten, ii. 2, pp. 323-325; Acta Sanctorum, xii, April 25.
1 In Brit. Mus. Add. 14,601, fol. 164 a, col. 1, line 17, he is called Severus.
2 Egil, or Engil, ###, ’Αγγιληνή {Greek: 'Aggilhnh}, north of Âmid.
3 See The Doctrine of Addai, ed. Phillips, p. 49.
4 The Oxford MS. gives the name of this martyr only: a blank space has been left in it for about eight lines.
5 The Oxford MS. says that when the crucifiers knew that Nicodemus had become a Christian, they seized his property and slew him; and that his brother Gamaliel buried him in Kephar Gamlâ. It then gives the following account of Gamaliel. Gamaliel was a friend of the crucifying Jews, but was afterwards baptised together with his son: he lived for twenty years after this. When p. 110 they died, they were buried by the side of Nicodemus in Kephar Gamlâ, where Stephen was buried. Many years after (about A.D. 415), God revealed their place of burial to one of the saints (Lucian), and they sought for the remains of the bodies by digging, and found them; and there they built a church. Foll. 187 b, 188 a. See also Migne, Biog. Chrét., ii. 73; Wright, Cat. Syr. MSS., iii, p. 1047, i. 8.
1 Oxford MS. in the mount of Hebron, the city of David.
3 Galat. ii. 9; 1 Cor. i. 12. For a discussion of the identity of this Cephas with Simon Peter, see P. M. Molkenbuhr, Dissertatio script. crit. An Cephas . . . fuerit Simon Petrus, 4to, 1785.
4 Oxford MS. He preached the Gospel to the people of Baalbek, Hims and Batharûn, and taught the people of Sarmîn; he was buried at Kurâmah (?). Sarmîn approaches the reading of B, C; it is in the district of Aleppo. Shirâz is perhaps a mistake for Shaizar.
5 The Oxford MS., like B and C, makes no mention of Barnabas. See also Lipsius, Apostelgeschichten, ii. 2, pp. 270-320; Acta Sanctorum, xxii, June 11.
1 See Lipsius, Apostelgeschichten, ii. 2, pp. 401-406; Acta Sanctorum, i, Jan. 4.
3 The Oxford and Vatican MSS., as well as B and C, make no mention of Narcissus.
4 The Arabic name is Ahwâz. Oxford MS., `Irâk.
5 The Vatican MS. omits Onesimus.
1 A has Luke.
3 Vat. MS. Linus.
4 The Vat. MS. omits Silas.
6 The Oxford MS. omits Jason.
11 The Vat. MS. omits these names.
12 The Vat. MS. omits this name.
1 The Oxford MS. makes no mention of this martyr.