THE 'BOOK OF THE GLORY OF KINGS'
KEBRA NAGAST
Translated from the Ethiopic
by SIR E. A. WALLIS BUDGE M.A., LITT.D., D.LITT., LIT.D. F.S.A.
MCMXXXII
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON : HUMPHREY MILFORD
91. This is what ye shall eat: the clean and the unclean
And this is what ye shall eat: the clean and that which is not clean. The ox, the sheep, the goat, the ram, the stag, the gazelle, the buffalo, the deskĕna antelope, the we‛elâ antelope, the oryx, the zĕrât gazelle, and every creature with a cleft hoof and nails eat ye, and the creatures that chew the cud. And these which ye shall not eat among those that chew the cud and have a cleft hoof are the camels and the hare and the kârgĕlyôn (coney ?), for they chew the cud but their hoofs are not cleft. The wolf and the pig ye shall not eat, for their hoofs are cleft but they do not chew the cud: ye shall not eat what is unclean. Whatsoever is in the waters with fins and scales eat ye; whatsoever is unclean therein eat ye not. Among birds everything that is clean eat ye, but ye shall not eat the following: the eagle, the vulture, the ’êlyâṭân eagle, the osprey, the hawk, and the like, the raven, ostrich, the owl, the sea-gull, the heron, the swan, the ibis, the pelican, the hawk, the hoopoe, the night raven, the hornbill, the water-piper, the water-hen, and the bat; these are unclean. And ye shall not eat the locust nor anything of his kind, nor the ’aḳâṭân nor anything of his kind, nor the grasshopper nor anything of his kind, nor the field locust nor anything of his kind. Of the things that fly (or, spring) and have two or four or six feet, their flesh is unclean, ye shall not eat thereof. And ye shall not touch their dead bodies, and whosoever toucheth them shall be unclean until the evening.
"Now these things we have declared unto you in order that ye may keep and perform the fear of God so that ye may be blessed in this your country, which God hath given unto you because of the heavenly ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of God, for because of her have ye been chosen. And our fathers have been rejected, because God took from them ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of God, to keep you and your seed for ever. And He will bless the fruit of your land, and He will multiply your cattle, and will protect them in everything wherein they are to be protected.
"And as for thee, O my Lady, thy wisdom is good, and it surpasseth the wisdom of men. There is none that can be compared with thee in respect of thy intelligence, not only in the matter of the intuition of the women who have been created up to this present, but the understanding of thine heart is deeper than that of men, and there is none who can be compared with thee in the abundance of thine understanding, except my lord SOLOMON. And thy wisdom so far exceedeth that of SOLOMON that thou hast been able to draw hither the mighty men of ISRAEL, and the Tabernacle of the Law of God, with the ropes of thine understanding, and thou hast overthrown the house of their idols, and destroyed their images, and thou hast cleansed what was unclean among thy people, for thou hast driven away from them that which God hateth.
"And as concerning thy name, God hath prepared it (especially), for He hath called thee 'MÂKĔDÂ', whereof the interpretation is 'Not thus'. Consider thou (the people) of thy nation with whom God was not well pleased, and thou wilt say 'Not thus (is it) good, but it is right that we should worship God'; 'Not thus is it good to worship the sun, but it is right to worship God,' thou wilt say. 'Not thus is it good to enquire of the diviner, but it is better to trust in God,' thou wilt say. 'Not thus is it good to resort to the working of magic, but it is better to lean upon the Holy One of ISRAEL,' thou wilt say. 'Not thus is it good to offer up sacrifices to stones and trees, but it is right to offer up sacrifices to God,' thou wilt say. 'Not thus is it good to seek augury from birds, but it is right to put confidence in the Creator,' thou wilt say.
"And besides, inasmuch as thou hast chosen wisdom she hath become to thee a mother; thou didst seek her, and she hath become unto thee a treasure. Thou hast made her a place of refuge for thyself, and she hath become to thee a wall. Thou hast desired her eagerly, and she hath loved thee above everything. Thou hast placed thy confidence in her, and she hath taken thee to her bosom like a child. Thou hast loved her, and she hath become unto thee as thou didst desire. Thou hast laid hold upon her, and she will not let thee go until the day of thy death. Thou hast been sorrowful on her account, and she hath made thee to rejoice for ever. Thou hast toiled for her sake, and she hath made thee vigorous for ever. Thou hast hungered for her sake, and she hath filled thee with food for ever. Thou hast thirsted for wisdom, and she hath given thee drink in abundance for ever. Thou hast suffered tribulation for the sake of wisdom, and she hath become unto thee a healing for ever. Thou hast made thyself deaf for the sake of wisdom, and she hath made thee to hear for ever. Thou hast made thyself blind for the sake of wisdom, and she hath illumined thee more than the sun for ever. And all this hath happened from God because thou hast loved wisdom for ever. For wisdom, and knowledge, and understanding are from the Lord. Understanding and knowledge, and the beginning of wisdom, and the fear of the Lord, and knowledge, and the perception of good, and sympathy, and compassion that existeth for ever, all these things thou hast found, O my Lady, with the God of ISRAEL, the Holy of the holiest, the Knower of hearts, Who searcheth out what is in the heart of man; from Him everything is. And it came to pass by the Will of God, that ZION hath come unto this country of ETHIOPIA, and it shall be a guide to our King DAVID, the lover of God, the guardian of her pavilion, and the director of the habitation of His glory."
92. How they renewed the kingdom of DAVID
And AZARIAH said, "Bring hither the jubilee trumpets, and let us go to ZION, and there we will make new the kingdom of our lord DAVID." And he took the oil of sovereignty and filled the horn (therewith), and he anointed DAVID with the unguent, that is to say, with the oil of sovereignty. And they blew horns and pipes and trumpets, and beat drums, and sounded all kinds of musical instruments, and there were singing and dancing and games, and (displays) with horses and shield (-men), and all the men and women of the people of the country of ETHIOPIA were present, small and great, and the little Blacks, six thousand in number, and virgin women whom AZARIAH had chosen for the women of ZION by the law, whom DAVID the King had destined for (the service of) the table and banquets in the royal fortress when he should go up thereto (clad in) raiment of fine gold. And in this wise was renewed the kingdom of DAVID, the son of SOLOMON the king of ISRAEL, in the capital city, in Mount MÂKĔDÂ, in the House of ZION, when the Law was established for the first time by the King of ETHIOPIA.
And then when he had completed the stablishing of the Law, they made, according to what they had seen in JERUSALEM, the Law in the House of ZION for the nobles of the kingdom, and for those who were inside, and for those that were outside, and for the people, and for the islands, and for the cities, and for the provinces; and for all the inhabitants and for all their tribal kinsfolk they made ordinances in the same manner. And thus the eastern boundary of the kingdom of the King of ETHIOPIA is the beginning of the city of GÂZÂ in the land of JUDAH, that is, JERUSALEM; and its boundary is the Lake of JERICHO, and it passeth on by the coast of its sea to LÊBÂ and SÂBÂ; and its boundary goeth down to BÎSÎS and ’ASNÊT; and its boundary is the Sea of the Blacks and Naked Men, and goeth up Mount KÊBÊRÊNÊYÔN into the Sea of Darkness, that is to say, the place where the sun setteth; and its boundary extendeth to FÊNÊ’ÊL and LASÎFÂLÂ; and its borders are the lands (near) the Garden (i.e., Paradise), where there is food in plenty and abundance of cattle, and (near) FÊNÊḲÊN; and its boundary reacheth as far as ZÂWÊL and passeth on to the Sea of INDIA; and its boundary is as far as the Sea of TARSÎS, and in its remote (?) part lieth the Sea of MEDYÂM, until it cometh to the country of GÂZÂ; and its boundary is the place where (our enumeration) began. And moreover, the dominion of the King of ETHIOPIA belongeth to him and to his seed for ever.
93. How the Men of RÔMÊ destroyed the Faith
And after they had waited for three months—now ZION came into the country of ETHIOPIA at the beginning of the first month in the language of the HEBREWS, and in Greek TÂRMÔN and in GĔ’ĔZ (ETHIOPIC) MÎYÂZYÂ, on the sixth (or, seventh) day—they wrote down the Law and the names, and they deposited (the writing) for a memorial for the later days, so that what was right should be done for the pavilion (of ZION) thereby, and so that the glory of the kings of ETHIOPIA and the glory of the kings of RÔMÊ might be well known. For the kings of ETHIOPIA and the kings of RÔMÊ were brethren and held the Christian Faith. Now first of all they believed in an orthodox manner in the preaching of the Apostles up to (the time of) CONSTANTINE, and ’ĔLÊNÎ (HELENA) the Queen, who brought forth the wood of the Cross, and they (i.e., the kings of RÔMÊ) continued (to believe for) one hundred and thirty years.
And afterwards, SATAN, who hath been the enemy of man from of old, rose up, and seduced the people of the country of RÔMÊ, and they corrupted the Faith of CHRIST, and they introduced heresy into the Church of God by the mouth of NESTORIUS. And NESTORIUS, and ARIUS, and YABÂSÔ (?) were those into whose hearts he cast the same jealousy as he had cast into the heart of CAIN to slay his brother ABEL. In like manner did their father the Devil, the enemy of righteousness and the hater of good, cast jealousy, even as DAVID saith, "They speak violence in the heights of heaven, and set their mouths in the heavens, and their tongue waggeth on the earth." And those same men who know not whence they came, and know not whither they are going, revile their Creator with their tongues, and blaspheme His glory, while He is God, the Word of the Lord. He came down from the throne of His Godhead, and put on the body of ADAM, and He is God the Word. And in that body He was crucified so that He might redeem ADAM in his iniquity, and He went up into the heavens, and sat upon the throne of His Godhead in that body, which He had taken. And He shall come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and shall reward every man according to his work, for ever and ever. Amen.
And we believe thus and we adore the Holy Trinity. And those who do not believe thus are excommunicated by the Word of God, the King of heaven and earth, both in this world and in that world which is to come. And we are strong in the Orthodox Faith which the Fathers the Apostles have delivered unto us, the Faith of the Church. And thus ETHIOPIA continued to abide in her Faith until the coming of our Lord JESUS CHRIST, to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
94. The first war of the King of ETHIOPIA
And after three months they (i.e., DAVID and his soldiers) rose up to wage war from the city of the Government, with MÂKĔDÂ his mother and ZION his Lady. And the LEVITES carried the Tabernacle of the Law, together with the things that appertained to their office, and they marched along with great majesty, and as in times of old when God on Mount SINAI made ZION to come down in holiness to MOSES and AARON, even so did AZARIAH and ’ÊLMÎYÂS bear along the Tabernacle of the Law. And the other mighty men of war of ISRAEL marched on the right side of it and on the left, and close to it, and before it and behind it, and although they were beings made of dust they sang psalms and songs of the spirit like the heavenly hosts. And God gave them beautiful voices and marvellous songs, for He was well pleased to be praised by them.
And they came from the city of the Government, and encamped at MÂYA ’ABAW, and on the following morning they laid waste the district of ZÂWÂ with ḤADĔYÂ, for enmity had existed between them from olden time; and they blotted out the people and slew them with the edge of the sword. And they passed on from that place and encamped at GÊRRÂ, and here also they laid waste the city of vipers that had the faces of men, and the tails of asses attached to their loins.
And (the Queen) returned and encamped in the city of ZION, and they remained therein three months, then their wagons moved on and came to the city of the Government. And in one day they came to the city of SÂBÂ, and they laid waste NÔBÂ; and from there they camped round about SÂBÂ, and they laid it waste as far as the border of EGYPT. And the majesty (or, awe) of the King of ETHIOPIA was so great that the King of MĔDYÂM and the King of EGYPT caused gifts to be brought unto him, and they came into the city of the Government, and from there they encamped in ’AB‛ÂT, and they waged war on the country of INDIA, and the King of INDIA brought a gift and a present (or, tribute), and himself did homage to the King of ETHIOPIA. He (i.e., DAVID) waged war wheresoever he pleased; no man conquered him, on the contrary, whosoever attacked him was conquered. And as for those who would have played the spy in his camp, in order to hear some story and relate it in their city, they were unable to run by the wagons, for ZION herself made the strength of the enemy to be exhausted. But King DAVID, with his soldiers, and the armies of his soldiers, and all those who obeyed his word, ran by the wagons without pain or suffering, and without hunger or thirst, and without sweat or exhaustion, and travelled in one day a distance which (usually) took three months to traverse. And they lacked nothing whatsoever of the things which they asked God through ZION the Tabernacle of the Law of God to give them, for He dwelt with her, and His Angel directed her, and she was His habitation. And as for the king who ministered to His pavilion—if he were travelling on any journey, and wished something to be done, everything that he wished for and thought about in his heart, and indicated with his finger, everything (I say) was performed at his word; and everyone feared him. But he feared no one, for the hand of God was with him, and it protected him by day and by night. And he did His Will, and God worked for him and protected him from all evil for ever and ever. Amen.
This I found among the manuscripts of the Church of SOPHIA in CONSTANTINOPLE. And the Archbishops who were there said unto him (DOMITIUS ?), "This is what is written from the days of SOLOMON the King." And DOMITIUS of ANTIOCH said, "Yea, that which is written up to the day of the death of SOLOMON is to be accepted, and that which hath been written by other prophets after his death is to be accepted likewise."
95. How the honourable estate of the King of ETHIOPIA was universally accepted
Now through the KEBRA NAGAST we know and have learned that of a surety the King of ETHIOPIA is honourable, and that he is the King of ZION, and the firstborn of the seed of SHEM, and that the habitation of God is in ZION, and that He there breaketh the might and power of all his enemies and foes. And after him the King of RÔMÊ was the anointed of the Lord because of the wood of the Cross. And as concerning the kingdom of ISRAEL—when the Pearl was born of them, and of the Pearl again was born the Sun of Righteousness, Who hid Himself in her body—now had He not hidden Himself in the body of a man He could not have been seen by mortal eyes—and having put on our body He became like unto us, and He walked about with (men). And He wrought signs and wonders in their midst. He raised their dead, and He healed their sick folk, and He made the eyes of their blind to see, and He opened the ears of their deaf folk, and He cleansed the lepers, and He satisfied the hungry with food, and He performed many miracles, some of which are written down and some of which are not, even as saith JOHN the Evangelist, the son of ZEBEDEE, "If everything which JESUS did were written down, the whole world would not be able to hold all the writings that would have to be written."
And when the wicked children of ISRAEL saw all this they thought that He was a man, and they were envious of Him because of what they saw and heard, and they crucified Him upon the wood of the Cross, and they killed Him. And He rose from the dead on the third day, and went up into heaven in glory, (and sat) on the throne of the Godhead. And He received from the Father a kingdom incorruptible for ever and ever over the beings of the spirit, and the beings of earth, and over every created being, so that every tongue shall adore His Name, and every knee bow to Him; and He shall judge the living and the dead and reward every man according to his work. So therefore when the JEWS shall see Him they shall be put to shame, and shall be condemned to the fire which is everlasting. But we who believe in the Orthodox Faith shall be upon our throne, and we shall rejoice with our teachers the Apostles, provided that we have walked in the way of CHRIST and in His commandments. And after the JEWS crucified the Saviour of the world, they were scattered abroad, and their kingdom was destroyed, and they were made an end of and rooted out for ever and ever.
And all the saints who were gathered together said, "Assuredly, in very truth the King of ETHIOPIA is more exalted, and more honourable than any other king upon the earth, because of the glory and greatness of the heavenly ZION. And God loveth the people of ETHIOPIA, for without knowing about His Law, they destroyed their idols, whereas those unto whom the Law of God had been given made idols and worshipped the gods which God hateth. And in the later times when He was born to redeem ADAM He wrought signs and wonders before them, but they did not believe in Him, neither in His preaching nor in the preaching of His fathers. But the people of ETHIOPIA believed in one trustworthy disciple, and for this reason God hath loved exceedingly the people of ETHIOPIA."
And the Bishops answered and said unto him (GREGORY), "Well hast thou spoken, and thy word is true, and what thou hast expounded and interpreted to us is clear. Even as PAUL saith, 'Hath not the seed of ABRAHAM exalted the seed of SHEM?' They are all kings of the earth, but the chosen ones of the Lord are the people of ETHIOPIA. For there is the habitation of God, the heavenly ZION, the Tabernacle of His Law and the Tabernacle of His Covenant, which He hath made into a mercy-seat through (His) mercy for the children of men; for the rains and the waters from the sky, for the planted things (or, vegetation) and the fruits, for the peoples and the countries, for the kings and nobles, for men and beasts, for birds and creeping things."
And GREGORY the Bishop, the worker of wonders, answered and said unto them, "Verily, salvation hath been given unto all of us Christian people, unto those who have believed in our Lady MARY, the likeness of the heavenly ZION. For the Lord dwelt in the womb of the Virgin, and was brought forth by her without carnal union. And the Ten Words (Decalogue) of the Law were written by the Finger of God, and made (i.e., placed) in ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of God. And now, come ye, and we will declare from the Law of MOSES the prophecies of the Prophets our Fathers, the holy men of olden time, and the prophecies concerning CHRIST our Redeemer, so that the generations of posterity may hear the interpretation (or, explanation) of the story, and we will relate unto them the narrative of the interpretation of the Scriptures. We will begin then with the beginning of the Book, and we will make (you) to understand in the Spirit, as DAVID saith, through the Holy Spirit, 'In the beginning the Book was written because of me.'"
And one answered and said, "What is the beginning of the Book?" And they answered and said unto him, "It is the Law which was written concerning CHRIST, the Son of God. And it saith, 'In the beginning God made the heavens and the earth' and they existed from olden time. Now the earth was formless, but there were mixed together darkness, and winds, and water, and mist, and dust; all of these were mixed together. And the Spirit of God hovered above the waters. This meaneth that by the Word of God the heavens and the earth were created; and these words mean that the Spirit of God dwelt over all creation."
96. Concerning the Prophecy about CHRIST
Moreover MOSES proclaimed in the Law and said, "A prophet like myself shall rise up for you from your brethren, and hearken ye unto him; and every soul that will not hearken unto that prophet ye shall root out from among the people." And this he said concerning CHRIST the Son of God. And he also prophesied concerning His Crucifixion, and said, "When the serpents afflicted the children of ISRAEL they cried out to MOSES, and MOSES cried out to God to deliver them from the serpents. And God said unto him, Make an image of brass of a serpent and suspend it in a place where it can be known as a sign, and let every one whom a serpent hath bitten look upon that image of brass, and he shall live. And when they failed to look at it they died, and those who looked on it and believed lived." And in like manner was it with CHRIST; those who paid no heed to Him and did not believe in Him perished in SHEÔL, and those who believed and hearkened unto Him inherited the land of everlasting life, where there will never be pain or suffering.
And now we will make known unto you how they paid no heed to CHRIST, the Word of God. When the children of ISRAEL spake against MOSES, saying, "Is it that God hath spoken to MOSES only? How is it that we also do not hear the Word of God that we may believe on Him?" And God, Who knoweth the hearts of men, heard the murmuring of the children of ISRAEL, and He said unto MOSES, "Thou dost ask forgiveness for thy people, and yet they murmur against thee, saying, Why doth not God speak with us? And now, if they believe in Me, let them come hither to Me with thee. And tell them to purify themselves, and to wash their apparel, and let the great men of ISRAEL go up to hear what commands I will give them, and let them hear My voice and perform the commandments which I shall give them." And MOSES told the children of ISRAEL what he had been commanded, and the people bowed low before God, and they purified themselves on the third day. And the seventy elders of ISRAEL went up into Mount SINAI, and they departed from the encampment and ascended Mount SINAI. And they were distant from each other the space of the flight of an arrow, and they stood still, each facing his neighbour. Now, though there were many of them and they used their endeavours, they were not able to ascend into the cloud with MOSES, and fear and trembling seized upon them, and the shadow of death enveloped them; and they heard the sound of the horn and pipes, and (they felt) the darkness and the winds. And MOSES went into the cloud and held converse with God, and all the great men of ISRAEL heard that Voice of God, and they were afraid and quaked with terror, and because of the overwhelming terror which was in their hearts they were unable to stand up. And when MOSES came forth they said unto him, "We will not hear this word of God so that we may not die of terror. And behold, we know that God holdeth converse with thee. And if there be anything that He would say unto us, do thou hearken thereto and declare it unto us. Be thou unto us a mouth in respect of God, and we will be unto Him His own people." Do ye not see that they denied CHRIST and said, "We will not hearken to that Voice so that we may not die in terror"? Now CHRIST was the Word of God, and therefore when they said, "We will not hearken to that Voice," they meant, "We do not believe in CHRIST."
And again MOSES spake unto God and said, "Shew me Thy Face." And God said unto MOSES, "No one can look upon My Face and live, but only as in a mirror. Turn thy face to the west and thou shalt see in the rock the mirroring of My Face." And when MOSES saw the shadow of the Face of God, his own face shone with a brightness which was seven times brighter than the sun, and the light was so strong that the children of ISRAEL could not look upon his face except through a veil. And thereupon he saw that they did not desire to look upon the Face of God, for they said unto him, "Make unto us a veil so that we may not see thy face." And having said these words it is evident that they hated the hearing of His words and the sight of His Face.
And moreover, when ABRAHAM took his son ISAAC up into Mount ḲARMĔLĔWÔS (CARMEL), God sent down from heaven a ram for the redemption of ISAAC. And ISAAC was not slaughtered, but the ram which had come down from heaven was slaughtered. Now ABRAHAM is to be interpreted God the Father, and ISAAC is to be interpreted as a symbol of CHRIST the Son. And when He came down from heaven for the salvation of ADAM and his sons, the Godhead which had come down from heaven was not slain, but His body which He had put on for our sakes, that earthly body which He had put on from MARY, was slain. Can ye understand and know that likeness and similitude for the earthly being ISAAC, the son of ABRAHAM, who was an offering of the will of his father? The heavenly ram became a redemption (or, substitute), and the son of ABRAHAM was redeemed. And as for Him Who came down, the Son of God, He became the redemption of the Godhead, His body for the earthly, and He died in His body, the Godhead suffering in no wise and remaining unchanged; and the mortal became living in the Resurrection with the Godhead. And it is clearly manifest: in that CHRIST, the Son of God, hath redeemed us, He hath magnified us men. And we must honour especially, both upon the earth and in heaven, this our Lady MARY the Virgin, the Mother of God.
And, hearken ye to this explanation concerning the first man, who is our father ADAM. EVE was created from a man, from a bone in his side, without carnal embrace and union, and she became his companion. And having heard the word of guile, from being the helpmeet of ADAM she became a murderess by making him to transgress the command. And in His mercy God the Father created the Pearl in the body of ADAM. He cleansed EVE'S body and sanctified it and made for it a dwelling in her for ADAM'S salvation. She (i.e., MARY) was born without blemish, for He made her pure, without pollution, and she redeemed his debt without carnal union and embrace. She brought forth in heavenly flesh a King, and He was born of her, and He renewed his life in the purity of His body. And He slew death with His pure body, and He rose without corruption, and He hath raised us up with Him to immortality, the throne of divinity, and He hath raised us up to Him, and we have exchanged life in our mortal body and found the life which is immortal. Through the seduction of ADAM we suffered affliction, and by the patient endurance of CHRIST we are healed. Through the transgression of EVE we died and were buried, and by the purity of MARY we receive honour, and are exalted to the heights.
And EZEKIEL also prophesied concerning MARY and said, "I saw a door in the east which was sealed with a great and marvellous seal, and there was none who went into it except the Lord of hosts; He went in through it and came forth therefrom." Hear ye now this explanation: When he saith, "I saw a door," it was the door of the gate of heaven, the entrance of the saints into the kingdom of the heavens. And when he saith that it was "in the east" he referreth to her purity and her beauty. Men call her the "Gate of Salvation", and also "the East" whereunto the saints look with joy and gladness. And the "closedness" of which he speaketh referreth to her virginity and her body. And when he saith that she was sealed with "a great, wonderful seal", this showeth plainly that she was sealed by God, the Great and Wonderful, through the Holy Ghost. And when he saith, "None goeth through it except the Lord of hosts, He goeth in and cometh out," (he meaneth) the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Creator of the angels and men and the lords. The Lord of hosts is the fruit of the Godhead, Who put on our body from her, CHRIST. He went into and came forth from her without polluting her.
And MOSES also prophesied concerning MARY, saying, "I saw a bramble bush on Mount SINAI which the devouring fire consumed not." And the signification of this fire is the Godhood of the Son of God; and the bramble bush, which burned without the leaves thereof being shrivelled, is MARY.
97. Concerning the Murmuring of ISRAEL
And once again the children of ISRAEL murmured concerning the ministration of the priests before the Lord, saying, "Are we not ISRAEL, we the seed of ABRAHAM, and why cannot we also offer up sacrifice like them in the Tent of Witness by the Tabernacle of the Law of God, the holy ZION, with censers and incense and the holy instruments? Why should MOSES, and his brother AARON, and their children alone do this? Are we not people whom God hath chosen as much as they are, and shall we not do His Will?" And when MOSES heard (this) he said unto them, "Do ye whatsoever ye will." And the elders of ISRAEL went and had made seventy censers wherewith to cense ZION and to praise God, and they took incense and coals in the censers, and went and came into the Holy of Holies to offer up incense. And immediately they threw the incense into the censers, at the first swing of them fire came forth from the censers, and they were burned up straightway and melted away. And as wax melteth before the face of the fire, even so did they melt away; and as grass withereth when flame approacheth it, even so were they consumed, together with their instruments, and there was nothing left of them except their censers. And God said, "Sanctify to Me these censers for My Tent" (or, Pavilion), and they shall be used for My offerings, for they are consecrated by the death of those men."
Now the censer is MARY, and CHRIST, the Son of God, the Godhead, is the coals, and the odour of the incense is the perfume of CHRIST, and through the perfume of Him Apostles, and Prophets, and Martyrs, and Monks, have rejected the world and inherited the kingdom of heaven. And the chains of the censers are the ladder which JACOB saw, to which (the angels) clung as they went up and came down; and upon the perfume of the incense the prayers of the pure go up to the throne of God.
And when the flame had burned up the sinners, the people who were kinsmen of these who had been destroyed reviled MOSES and AARON, and said unto them, "Ye have made our elders to perish"; and they took up stones to stone MOSES and AARON. And God was exceedingly wroth with ISRAEL, and He abominated as a filthy rag the counsel of DATHAN and ABIRAM, the sons of KORAH. And the Word of God made a sign to the earth, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, together with all their companions, and their wives, and their children, and their beasts. They went down into SHEÔL alive, and the earth shut herself up over them. And as for the people who had been associated with them and had heard their revilings (of MOSES) God sent upon them a plague, and they died forthwith. And MOSES and AARON came with incense and censers, and they wept before God, and entreated Him for forgiveness for the people, saying, "Remember, O Lord, ABRAHAM Thy friend, and ISAAC Thy servant, and ISRAEL Thy holy one, for we are their seed, and the children of Thy people. Cool Thy wrath in respect of us, and make haste to hear us, destroy us not, and remove Thy punishment from upon Thy people." And God the Merciful saw the sincerity of MOSES, and had compassion upon them.
And God spake unto MOSES and said unto him, "Speak thou to this people and say unto them, 'Sanctify ye yourselves, and bring ye for each of the houses of your fathers a rod,' and write ye (the name) upon it so that ye may know their rods, thou and thy brother AARON. Now of your houses let AARON write upon his rod, but upon thine own rod make no mark, for it shall be a perfect miracle for the children of thy people, a vindication for the wicked, and a sign of life for all those who believe. If thou didst write (thy name) now with them, they would say unto thee, 'This hath been a worker of miracles from of old by the word of God'; let them say this when I have shown them a miracle by it (i.e., the rod). But for the house of thy father write upon the rod of AARON."
98. Concerning the Rod of MOSES and the Rod of AARON
And MOSES spake these words unto them, and they brought a rod into each of the houses of their fathers which they had chosen for purity, and there were twelve rods. And MOSES wrote upon their rods the names of their fathers: on the rod of AARON was written the name of LEVI, and on the rod of KARMÎN was written the name of JUDAH, and on the rod of ADÔNYÂS was written the name of REUBEN, and on the rod of every man of all the houses of ISRAEL was written in like manner the name of his father. And God said unto MOSES, "Carry (the rods) to ZION, to the Tent of Witness, and shut them up therein until the morning, and (then) take them out before the men and give unto each of them his rod, according to the houses of their fathers whose names are written on the rods, and the man on whose rod a mark shall be found is he whom I have chosen to be priest to Me." And MOSES told the people these words, and they did according as God had commanded them. And then, when the morning had come, MOSES took the rods, and all the elders of ISRAEL and AARON came. And MOSES came before them, and he lifted up the rods and brought them before all the people, and the rod of AARON was found with the fruit and flower of an almond which emitted a fragrant perfume. And MOSES said unto them, "Look ye now. This is the rod which the Lord your God hath chosen, fear ye Him and worship Him"; and all the people bowed down before God.
Now this rod is MARY. And the rod which without water burst into bloom indicateth MARY, from whom was born, without the seed of man, the Word of God. And that He saith "I have chosen, I will make manifest a miracle, and he shall be priest to Me," meaneth that God chose MARY out of all the congregation of ISRAEL, even as DAVID her father prophesied, saying, "The Lord loveth the gates of ZION more than all the habitations of JACOB," and he further said, "Marvellous is His speech concerning thee, O city of God." And when he saith, "more than all the habitations of ISRAEL" and "her gates" (he referreth to) the silence of her mouth, and the purity of her lips, and the praise which goeth forth from her mouth, like honey which floweth from her lips, and the purity of her virginity which was without spot or blemish or impurity before she brought forth; and after she had brought forth she was pure and holy, and so shall it be, even as it was, unto all eternity. And in the heavens she goeth about with the angels a pure thing; and she is the rod of AARON. She liveth in ZION with the pot which is filled with manna, and with the two tables that were written with the Finger of God. And the heavenly, spiritual ZION is above them, the ZION, the making and constitution of which are wonderful, of which God Himself is her Maker and Fashioner for the habitation of His glory.
And God spake unto MOSES (saying), "Make a Tabernacle of wood which is indestructible (by worms and rot), and cover it over with plates of fine gold, every part thereof." And the gold is the fineness of the Godhead that came down from heaven, for the Godhead comprehendeth all heaven and earth; and in like manner is plated with gold the Tabernacle, the abode of the heavenly ZION. And the Tabernacle is to be interpreted as MARY, and the wood which is indestructible is to be interpreted as CHRIST our Redeemer. And the Gômôr, which is the pot of gold inside the Tabernacle, is to be interpreted as MARY, and the manna which is in the pot is to be interpreted as the Body of CHRIST which came down from heaven, and the Word of God which is written upon the two tables is to be interpreted as CHRIST, the Son of God. And the spiritual ZION is to be interpreted as the light of the Godhead. The spiritual Pearl which is contained in the Tabernacle is like a brilliant gem of great price, and he who hath acquired it holdeth it tightly in his hand, grasping it and hiding it in his hand, and whilst the gem is in his hand its owner goeth into the Tabernacle, and he is an inmate therein. And he who possesseth the Pearl is interpreted as the Word of God, CHRIST. And the spiritual Pearl which is grasped is to be interpreted as MARY, the Mother of the Light, through whom "’AKRÂTÔS", the "Unmixed", assumed a body. In her He made a Temple for Himself of her pure body, and from her was born the Light of Light, God of God, Who was born of His own free will, and was not made by the hand of another, but He made a Temple for Himself through an incomprehensible wisdom which transcendeth the mind of man.
And on another occasion, when God brought ISRAEL out of EGYPT, they thirsted for water in KÂDÊS, and they murmured and wept before MOSES; and MOSES went to God and made Him to know this. And God said unto him, "Take thy rod and smite this rock"; and MOSES smote the rock lengthwise and breadthwise in the form of the Cross, and water flowed forth, twelve streams. And they drank their fill of the water, their people and their beasts, and when they had drunk that rock followed after them. And the rock is to be interpreted as CHRIST, and the streams of water as the Apostles, and that which they drank as the teaching of the Apostles, and the rod is the wood of the Cross. And the rock is stable, as it saith in the Gospel, "He who buildeth upon a rock shall not be moved by the demons." And again He saith, "I am the gate," and again He saith, "I am the door." And observe ye that when speaking He distinguished between his disciples even as He did between those who (came) after them, the Bishops and the Christian Community. "Thou art the rock," He said unto PETER, "and upon thee I will build the Christian people." And again He said, "I am the Shepherd of the sheep," and He said unto him thrice, "Feed my sheep." And again He said "I am the stem of the vine," and unto them He said, "Ye are its branches and its clusters of fruit."
And the rod of MOSES by means of which he performed the miracle is to be interpreted as the wood of the Cross, whereby He delivered ADAM and his children from the punishment of devils. And as MOSES smote the water of the river therewith, and turned it into blood, and slew their fish, in like manner CHRIST slew Death with His Cross, and brought them out of SHEÔL. And as MOSES smote in the air with his rod, and the whole land of EGYPT became dark for three days and three nights with a darkness which could be felt so that (the EGYPTIANS) could not rise from their couches, so also CHRIST, being crucified upon the Cross, lightened the darkness of the hearts of men, and rose up from the dead on the third day and third night. And as the rod of MOSES changed itself and transformed itself by the Word of God, being dry yet possessing life, and possessing life yet became a dry thing, even so CHRIST with the wood of His Cross made life for the Christian people who believed on Him, and with the Sign of the Cross made them to drive away devils. For the demons and the Christians became changed; the spiritual beings became reprobates, and through transgressing the commandment of their Lord they became exiled ones by the might of His Cross. And we have become spiritual beings through receiving His Body and Blood in the place of those spiritual beings who were exiled, and we have become beings worthy of praise who have believed in His Cross and in His holy Resurrection. And as MOSES smote the mountains by stretching out his hands with his rod, and brought forth punishments by the command of God, even so CHRIST, by stretching out His hands upon the wood of the Cross, drove out the demons from men by the might of His Cross. When God said unto MOSES, "Smite with thy rod," He meant, "Make the Sign of the Cross of CHRIST," and when God said unto MOSES, "Stretch out thy hand," He meant that by the spreading out of His hand CHRIST hath redeemed us from the servitude of the enemy, and hath given us life by the stretching out of His hand upon the wood of the Cross.
And when AMALEK fought with ISRAEL, MOSES went up into the mountain, and AARON was with him; they went up to pray because AMALEK was prevailing. And God commanded MOSES and said unto him, "Stretch out thy hand until ISRAEL obtaineth the power (over AMALEK)." And it saith in the TÔRÂH that the hands of MOSES were held out until the sunset; but the hands of MOSES became heavy, and being aweary he dropped his hands that had been stretched out, and then ISRAEL ceased to prevail and their enemies overcame them. And when MOSES kept his hand up and stretched out straight, AMALEK was overcome, and ISRAEL put to flight and vanquished their enemy AMALEK. And when AARON and HÔR (HUR) saw this, they piled up stones on the right and on the left of MOSES, and they made the hands of MOSES to rest on the stones which they had built up, and AARON on his right and HÔR on his left held MOSES up with their shoulders, so that his hands might not drop from their stretched out position.
And now I will explain this to you. The war of AMALEK against ISRAEL is the war of believers against the demons, and before CHRIST was crucified the demons conquered the believers. But when He stretched out His hand on the wood of the Cross because of the sin of ADAM and his children, and when He stretched out His hand and His palm was pierced (with the nails), those who were sealed with the Sign of the Cross of CHRIST conquered them (i.e., the demons). The stretching out of the hand of MOSES indicateth the Cross of CHRIST; and that AARON and HÔR builded up stones indicateth the wood of the Cross and the nails. And AARON indicateth the thief on the right, and HÔR the thief on the left; and AMALEK indicateth the demons, and the king of AMALEK indicateth SATAN. And as concerning that they (the AMALEKITES) were conquered, this indicateth that we have conquered the demons and SATAN by the Resurrection of CHRIST and by His Cross.
And again when ISRAEL went out of EGYPT they came to bitter water, and they lacked drink because the water was bitter; and first of all they murmured because of the bitterness of the water. And God said unto MOSES, "Lift up thy rod, and cast it into the water, and sign it with the Sign of the Cross right and left." Now mark what followeth. Had God said unto him, "Let it become sweet," then would the water not have become sweet? But He made manifest that by the Sign of the Cross everything becometh good, and bitter water becometh sweet, and that by the might of the Cross of JESUS CHRIST every polluted thing becometh good and pleasant.
And here I will declare unto thee yet other matters from the rest of the Prophets concerning His Crucifixion. DAVID saith, "They have pierced for me my hands and My feet"; now this referreth clearly to the nails of His hands and His feet. And again he saith, "They made me drink vinegar for my thirst," and this showeth clearly that He drank vinegar because of the sin of ADAM. The Breath of Life that had breathed upon ADAM drank vinegar, and the Hand that had founded the earth was pierced with a nail. He Who for the sake of ADAM abased Himself was born, and took the form of a servant.
99. Concerning the Two Servants
Now (it is said) that a certain king had two slaves: the one was arrogant and strong, and the other was humble and weak. And the arrogant slave overcame the humble one, and smote him and all but slew him, and robbed him, and the king upon his throne saw them. And the king descending seized the arrogant slave, and beat him, and crushed him, and bound him in fetters, and cast him into a place of darkness. And he raised up his humble and weak slave, and embraced him, and brushed away the dust from him, and washed him, and poured oil and wine into his wounds, and set him upon his ass, and brought him into his city and set him up on his throne, and seated him on his right hand. Now the king is in truth CHRIST, and the arrogant servant whom I have mentioned is SATAN, and the humble servant is ADAM. And when CHRIST saw how the arrogant servant overcame the humble one, and cast him down in the dust, He came down from His throne and raised up ADAM, His servant, and bound SATAN in fetters in the terror of SHEÔL. And He seated the body of ADAM upon the throne of His Godhead, and magnified him, and exalted him, and honoured him; and he was praised by all the beings whom He had created, the angels and the archangels, thousands of thousands, and tens of thousands of thousands of spiritual beings. For He brought low the arrogant and raised up the humble, and reduced the arrogant to shame and exalted to honour the humble, and rejected the arrogant and loved the humble, and scorned the haughty and had pity on the lowly. He cast down the arrogant from his high place, and lifted the poor up out of the dust. He snatched away the mighty one from his honour, and raised up the poor from corruption, for with Him are honour and disgrace. Whom He wisheth to honour He honoureth, and whom He wisheth to disgrace He disgraceth.
100. Concerning the Angels who rebelled
And there were certain angels with whom God was wroth—now He, the Knower of the heart knew them—and they reviled ADAM, saying, "Since God hath shown love to him He hath set us to minister unto him, and the beasts and creeping things, and the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, and all fruits, and the trees of the field, and the heavens and the earth also; and He hath appointed the heavens to give him rain, and the earth to give him fruits. And the sun and the moon also hath He given him, the sun to give him light by day and the moon to give him light in the night season. He hath fashioned him with His fingers, and He hath created him in His own image, and He hath kissed him and breathed upon him the spirit of life; and He saith unto him, 'My son, My firstborn, My beloved.' And He hath set him in a garden to eat and enjoy himself without sickness or suffering, and without toil or labour, but He hath commanded him not to eat from one tree. And being given all these things by God, ADAM hath transgressed and eaten of that tree, and he hath become hated and rejected, and God hath driven him out of the Garden, and from that time ADAM hath abandoned his hope, for he hath transgressed the commandment of his Creator."
And God answered the angels who reviled ADAM in this wise, and He said unto them, "Why do ye revile ADAM in this wise? For he is flesh, and blood, and ashes and dust." And the angels answered and said unto Him, "May we declare before Thee the sin of ADAM?" And God said unto them, "Declare ye (his sin), and I will hearken unto you, and I Myself will answer you in respect of ADAM My servant." For God had worked on behalf of ADAM. And God said, "I created him out of the dust, and I will not cast away that which I have fashioned. I brought him forth out of non-existence, and I will not make My handiwork a laughingstock for his enemies." And those angels said, "Praise be unto Thee, O Lord. For Thou, the Knower of hearts, knowest that we have reviled ADAM because he hath transgressed Thy commandment that he was not to eat of one tree after Thou hadst made him lord over everything which Thou hast created, and hadst set him over every work of Thy hands. And if Thou hadst not told him, and if Thou hadst not commanded him not to eat of one tree there would have been no offence (on his part); and if he had eaten because of a lack of food there would have been no offence (on his part). But Thy word made him to know, and Thou didst say, 'As surely as thou eatest of this tree thou shalt die.' And he, after hearing this, made bold and ate. Thou didst not let him lack sweet fruits to eat from the Garden, and Thou didst not let him lack one to comfort him and a companion like unto himself. And these things we say and make known unto Thee, and we have revealed unto Thee how he hath transgressed Thy commandment."
And the Merciful One and the Lover of mercy answered them on behalf of ADAM, and said unto them, "You have I created out of fire and air with the one intent (that ye should) praise (Me). Him have I created of twice as many elements as you—of dust and water, and of wind and fire; and he became (a being) of flesh and blood. And in him are ten thoughts (or, intentions), five good, and five bad. And if his heart inciteth him to good, he walketh with good intent; and if the Devil seduceth him, he walketh with him on an evil path. As for you, ye have no other object in your minds but praise of Me, with the exception of that arrogant one who produced evil, and became an evil being, and was driven forth from your assembly. And now, why do ye magnify yourselves over ADAM? If ye were as he is, and I had created you of water and dust, ye would have been flesh and blood, and ye would have transgressed My commandment more than he hath done, and denied My word." And the angels said unto Him, "Praise be unto Thee, O Lord! Far be it from us! We will not transgress Thy commandment, and we will not oppose Thy word; for we are spiritual beings for life, and he is a creature of dust (doomed) to folly. And now try us well, and put us to the test so that Thou mayest know whether we are able to keep Thy word."
And when they had vaunted themselves in this manner God, the Lover of men, said unto them, "If now ye go astray so far as this in transgressing My word, the wrong will be upon your own heads, (for) JAHANNAM (or, hell), and fire, and sulphur, and fervent heat, and whirlwind shall be your habitation until the Great Day: ye shall be kept in chains which can neither be loosened nor broken for ever. But if ye keep truly My word, and ye do My commandment, ye shall sit upon My right hand and upon My left. For everyone who hath conquered is mighty, and he who is conquered shall be overpowered. Now SATAN hath no power whatsoever, for he hath only what he maketh to germinate in the mind; and he cannot grasp firmly, and he cannot perform anything, and he cannot beat, and he cannot drag, and he cannot seize, and he cannot fight; he can only make thoughts to germinate silently in the mind. And him who is caught by the evil mind he prepareth for destruction; and if (a man) hath conquered the evil mind he findeth grace and hath a reward which is everlasting. And to you, according to what ye wish, there shall be upon you the mind of a man and the body of a man. But take good heed to yourselves that ye transgress not My word and break not My commandment; and defile not ye yourselves with eating, or drinking, or fornication, or with any other thing whatsoever; and transgress ye not My word."
And straightway there were given unto them with His word flesh, and blood, and a heart of the children of men. And they were content to leave the height of heaven, and they came down to earth, to the folly of the dancing of the children of CAIN with all their work of the artisan, which they had made in the folly of their fornication, and to their singings, which they accompanied with the tambourine, and the flutes, and the pipes, and much shouting, and loud cries of joy and noisy songs. And their daughters were there, and they enjoyed the orgies without shame, for they scented themselves for the men who pleased them, and they lost the balance in their minds. And the men did not restrain themselves for a moment, but they took to wife from among the women those whom they had chosen, and committed sin with them. For God hath no resting-place in the hearts of the arrogant and those who revile, but He abideth in the hearts of the humble and those who are sincere. And He spake in the Gospel, saying, "Woe be unto those who make themselves righteous, and despise their neighbours." And again He saith, "God loveth the humble, and He holdeth lightly those who magnify themselves."
And straightway God was wroth with them, and He bound them in the terror of SHEÔL until the day of redemption, as the Apostle saith, "He treated His angels with severity. He spared them not, but made them to dwell in a state of judgement, and they were fettered until the Great Day." The word of God conquered, Who had fashioned ADAM in His likeness (or, form), and those who had reviled and made a laughingstock of ADAM were conquered. And the daughters of CAIN with whom the angels had companied conceived, but they were unable to bring forth their children, and they died. And of the children who were in their wombs some died, and some came forth; having split open the bellies of their mothers they came forth by their navels. And when they were grown up and reached man's estate they became giants, whose height reached unto the clouds; and for their sakes and the sakes of sinners the wrath of God became quiet, and He said, "My spirit shall only rest on them for one hundred and twenty years, and I will destroy them with the waters of the Flood," them and all sinners who have not believed the word of God. And to those who believed the word of their fathers, and did His Will, no injury came from the waters of the Flood, but He delivered them, saying, "If thou believest My word thou canst save thyself from the Flood." And NOAH said, "O Lord, I believe Thy word, make me to know by what means I can be saved." And God said unto him, "Thou canst be saved from the water by wood." And NOAH said, "How, O Lord?" And God said unto him, "Make thyself a four-sided ark, and build it with the work of the carpenter, and make for it three storeys inside, and go into it with all thy house." And NOAH believed the word of God, and made (the ark), and was saved.
Now hearken ye unto me, and I will explain to you concerning this thing. When God gave the command He could have given unto NOAH a wing like the eagle and transported him to the country of the living, with all his house, until His anger with the sinners who had not believed the word of God and the word of their fathers, had abated, or He could have lifted him up into the air, or He could have commanded the water of the Flood—(which was) like a wall—not to approach the one mountain where He would make NOAH to dwell with his sons and not to submerge the beasts and cattle which he wanted. But know ye this—God was well pleased that by means of wood which had been sanctified the salvation of His creation should take place, that is to say, the ark and the wood of the Cross. God said unto NOAH, "Make that whereby thou shalt be saved," that is to say, the Tabernacle of the Church; and when He said unto him, "Make it foursided," He showed that the Sign of the Cross was fourfold. Now the four corners of the ark are the horns of the altar; and He commanded MOSES to make the ark out of indestructible wood. He said, "I will sanctify thee by that heavenly and spiritual work of My hand. And do thou sanctify thyself from filth, and impurity, and fornication, and vindictiveness, and falsehood, together with thy brother and thy house. And sacrifice unto Me a clean sacrifice with cleanness, and I will accept thee after thou hast sanctified thyself and thy house; command all the people to sanctify themselves, for My holy things (must be offered) by holy ones. And this thou shalt seek, the Tabernacle of My Covenant which I have created for My praise. And if ye come with purity of heart, with love, and with peace, without mockery and reviling, and if ye will make right your hearts in respect of Me and your neighbours, I will hear your prayers, and I will listen to your petitions about everything which ye submit to Me, and I will come and be with you, and I will walk among you, and I will dwell in your hearts, and ye shall be unto Me My people, and I will be your God in truth."
