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ACTS OF PAUL

271

The text of the Coptic MS. is miserably defective, and the restoration of it, in the episodes which are preserved in it alone, is a most difficult process: Professor Carl Schmidt has done practically all that can be expected, with infinite labour and great acuteness. In treating the defective episodes I shall follow him closely, but shall not attempt to represent all the broken lines.


I

The first extant page of the Coptie MS. seems to be p. 9.

p. 9. Paul went into (the house) at the place where the (dead) was. But Phila the wife of Panchares (Anchares, MS., see below) was very wroth and said to her husband in (great anger): Husband, thou hast gone . . . . the wild beasts, thou hast not begotten . . . . thy son . . . . where is mine?

p. 10 (he hath not) desired food . . . . to bury him. But (Panchares) stood in the sight of all and made his prayer at the ninth hour, until the people of the city came to bear the boy out. When he had prayed, Paul (came) and saw . . . . and of Jesus Christ . . . . the boy . . . . the prayer.

p. 11 (a small piece only). . . . . multitude . . . . eight days . . . . they thought that he raised up the (boy). But when Paul had remained

p. 12. They asked? him? . . . . the men listened to him . . . . they sent for Panchares . . . . and cried out, saying: We believe, Panchares, . . . . but save the city from . . . . many things, which they said. Panchares said unto them: Judge ye whether your good deeds (?)

p. 13 . . . . is not possible . . . . but to (testify) . . . . God who hath . . . . his Son according to . . . . salvation, and I also believe that, my brethren, there is no other God, save Jesus Christ the son of the Blessed, unto whom is glory for ever, Amen. But when they saw that he would not turn to them, they pursued Paul, and caught him, and brought him back into the city, ill-using (?) him, and cast stones at him and thrust him out of their city and out of their country. But Panchares would not return evil for evil: he shut the door of his house and went in with his wife . . . . fasting . . . . But when it was evening Paul came to him and said:

p. 14. God hath . . . . Jesus Christ.

These are the last words of the episode. The situation is a little cleared by a sentence in the Greek Acts of Titus ascribed to Zenas (not earlier than the fifth century?): ‘They arrived at Antioch and found Barnabas the son of Panchares, whom Paul raised up.’ Barnabas may be a mistake, but Panchares is, I doubt not, right: for the Coptic definite article is p prefixed to the word, and the Coptic translator
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