Acts of John
Encyclopedia
The Acts of John is a collection of narratives and traditions concerning John the Apostle
, well described as a "library of materials" http://www.gnosis.org/library/actjohn.htm, inspired by the Gospel of John
, long known in fragmentary form. As a description of acts attributed to one of the major apostles who had put their words down into the New Testament, together with the Acts of Paul
it is considered one of the most significant of the apostolic Acts in the New Testament apocrypha
.
, a companion of John, who was associated with several 2nd century "Acts
." Conventionally, the Acts of John was ascribed to Prochorus
, one of the Seven Deacons
discussed in Acts of the Apostles
. Most scholars have dated the Acts of John to somewhere within the latter half of the 2nd Century. It may have originated as a Christianized wonder tale, designed for an urban Hellenic audience accustomed to such things as having one's portrait painted (the setting for one episode), living in that part of the province of Asia.
Though likely popular within the early centuries of Christianity, the Acts of John was eventually rejected by the orthodox church for its [docetic] overtones. After this decision made by the Second Council of Nicaea
in the 8th Century, most of the existing copies of the apocryphal book were destroyed, undoubtedly destroying most of the copies in existence at the time.
However, although the Acts of John was condemned as heretical, a large fragment survives in Greek manuscripts of widely varying date. In two medieval Greek versions, the magical survival of John when put to tortures will be familiar to any reader of hagiography
: "He was brought before Domitian, and made to drink poison, which did not hurt him: the dregs of it killed a criminal on whom it was tried: and John revived him; he also raised a girl who was slain by an unclean spirit
." (James 1924, Introduction).
The surviving Latin fragments, by contrast, seem to have been purged of unorthodox content, according to their translator M. R. James
: the Latin fragments contain episodes now missing in the Greek. The Stichometry of Nicephorus gives its length as 2500 lines. An on-line translation http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0827.htm presents the confrontation of John and Domitian
during Domitian's persecution of Christians, described as instigated by a letter of complaint from the Jews.
and subsequent resurrection
of Jesus
described by early Christian writings and traditions. Specifically, the account narrates two journeys of John, son of Zebedee
, to Ephesus
, filled with dramatic events, miracles, and teachings attributed to the apostle.
Existing copies of the manuscript begin in section 19, in which a small group that includes both the author of the work and John is approaching Ephesus, only to be met by Lycomedes, a notable and powerful figure within the city. Lycomedes recounts a vision he received from the God
of John, telling him that a man from Miletus
was coming to heal his wife, Cleopatra, who had passed away seven days before from illness. Upon arrival, Lycomedes curses his situation and, despite John's pleas to have faith that his wife will be brought back to life by the power of God, falls dead out of grief. The entire city of Ephesus is stirred by his death and comes to his house to see his body. John then asks Christ to raise the two of them from the dead in order to prove Christ's
own might, quoting Matthew 7:7 in his request. Both Cleopatra and Lycomedes are resurrected, leaving the people of Ephesus in awe of the miracle that was performed before them.
Later, during a festival celebrating the birthday of the Greek goddess Artemis
, the people of Ephesus attempt to kill John because he wears black, rather than white, to her temple
. John rebukes them, threatening to have his God kill them if they are unable to convince their goddess to make him die on the spot with her divine power. Knowing that John has performed many miracles in their city, the people at the temple beg John not to destroy them. John then changes his mind, using the power of God instead to break the altar of Artemis in many pieces, damage the offerings and idols within the temple, and collapse half of the structure itself on top of its priest, killing him. Upon seeing this destruction, the people immediately see the error of their ways and acknowledge the God of John as the only true God.
In a more comical account mentioned in the narrative, John, the author, and their companions stay overnight at an inn plagued with a bedbug infestation. Immediately after laying down, the author and the other men with him see that John is troubled by the bugs and hear him tell the insects, "I say to you, you bugs, be considerate; leave your home for this night and go to rest in a place which is far away from the servants of God!" The next morning, the author, joined by two of his traveling companions, Verus and Andronicus, awakes to find the bugs gathered in the doorway, waiting to return to their home in John's mattress. The three men wake John, who allows the creatures to return to the bed because of their obedience to the will of God.
Immediately following John's encounter with the bedbugs, the traveling party journeys to the house of Andronicus in Ephesus in section 62. Here, the reader learns that Andronicus is married to Drusiana, a devout believer in God who remains chaste even in marriage out of piety. However, her celibacy does not prevent the advances of Callimachus, a prominent member of the Ephesian community and "a servant of Satan." Shortly after learning this, Drusiana falls sick and dies because she believes she has contributed to Callimachus's sin. While John is comforting Andronicus and many of the other inhabitants of Ephesus over the loss of Drusiana, Callimachus, determined to have Drusiana as his own, pays Andronicus's steward, Fortunatus, so that he may gain access to her tomb and rape her corpse. However, Callimachus discovers that the tomb is guarded by a poisonous snake, which bites and kills Fortunatus. Callimachus still attempts to rape the corpse of Druisiana, only to find that a beautiful youth, protecting the body of Druisiana. The youth commands Callimachus to, "die, that you may live."
The next day, John and Andronicus enter the tomb of Drusiana and are greeted by the beautiful youth, which the narrative later identifies with Christ, who tells John he is supposed to raise Drusiana back to life before ascending into Heaven. John does so, but not before resurrecting Callimachus in order to learn what had occurred the previous night. Callimachus recounts the events of the night and is repentant of his misgivings, surrendering to the will of Christ. After both Callimachus and Drusiana are resurrected, Drusiana, feeling sorry for the other aggressor involved in the conspiracy to molest her dead body, is granted the ability to raise Fortunatus back from the dead against the wishes of Callimachus. Fortunatus, unwilling to accept to Christ, flees from the tomb and eventually dies due to blood poisoning brought about by the snake from the initial bite.
In the final portion of the text, John offers a long and mysterious discourse to the people of Ephesus concerning the nature of Christ and faith.
It also contains the episode at the Last Supper
of the Round Dance of the Cross initiated by Jesus, saying, "Before I am delivered to them, let us sing a hymn to the Father and so go to meet what lies before us". Directed to form a circle around him holding hands and dancing, the apostles cry "Amen" to the hymn of Jesus.
Embedded in the text is another hymn (sections 94 – 96), "which no doubt was once used as a liturgical song (with response) in some Johannine communities" (Davis). In the summer of 1916 Gustav Holst
set his own translation from the Greek (Head), influenced by G.R.S. Mead, as The Hymn of Jesus for two mixed choirs, a semi-chorus of female voices, and a large orchestra
(Trippett).
Most of its docetic
imagery and overt gnostic
teachings are concentrated in a few chapters (94–102 and 109), which may be interpolations, or they may simply reflect the diverse nature of the sources that were drawn upon to assemble this episodic collection, which falls in the genre of Romance
.
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
, well described as a "library of materials" http://www.gnosis.org/library/actjohn.htm, inspired by the Gospel of John
Gospel of John
The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...
, long known in fragmentary form. As a description of acts attributed to one of the major apostles who had put their words down into the New Testament, together with the Acts of Paul
Acts of Paul
The Acts of Paul is one of the major works and earliest pseudepigraphal series from the New Testament also known as Apocryphal Acts, an approximate date given to the Acts of Paul is 160 CE. The Acts were first mentioned by Tertullian. Tertullian found it heretical because it encouraged women to...
it is considered one of the most significant of the apostolic Acts in the New Testament apocrypha
New Testament apocrypha
The New Testament apocrypha are a number of writings by early Christians that claim to be accounts of Jesus and his teachings, the nature of God, or the teachings of his apostles and of their lives. These writings often have links with books regarded as "canonical"...
.
History
The traditional author was said to be one Leucius CharinusLeucius Charinus
Leucius, called Leucius Charinus by the Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople in the ninth century, is the name applied to a cycle of what M. R. James termed "Apostolic romances" that seem to have had wide currency long before a selection were read aloud at the Second Council of Nicaea and rejected...
, a companion of John, who was associated with several 2nd century "Acts
Acts of the Apostles (genre)
The Acts of the Apostles is a genre of Early Christian literature, recounting the lives and works of the apostles of Jesus. The Acts are important for many reasons, one of them being the concept of apostolic succession...
." Conventionally, the Acts of John was ascribed to Prochorus
Prochorus (deacon)
Prochorus was one of the Seven Deacons chosen to care for the poor of the Christian community in Jerusalem . According to the later tradition he was one of the Seventy Apostles sent out by Jesus in Luke 10....
, one of the Seven Deacons
Seven Deacons
The Seven Deacons were leaders elected by the Early Christian church to minister to the people of Jerusalem. They are described in the Acts of the Apostles, and are the subject of later traditions as well; for instance they are supposed to have been members of the Seventy Disciples who appear in...
discussed in Acts of the Apostles
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...
. Most scholars have dated the Acts of John to somewhere within the latter half of the 2nd Century. It may have originated as a Christianized wonder tale, designed for an urban Hellenic audience accustomed to such things as having one's portrait painted (the setting for one episode), living in that part of the province of Asia.
Though likely popular within the early centuries of Christianity, the Acts of John was eventually rejected by the orthodox church for its [docetic] overtones. After this decision made by the Second Council of Nicaea
Second Council of Nicaea
The Second Council of Nicaea is regarded as the Seventh Ecumenical Council by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic Churches and various other Western Christian groups...
in the 8th Century, most of the existing copies of the apocryphal book were destroyed, undoubtedly destroying most of the copies in existence at the time.
However, although the Acts of John was condemned as heretical, a large fragment survives in Greek manuscripts of widely varying date. In two medieval Greek versions, the magical survival of John when put to tortures will be familiar to any reader of hagiography
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
: "He was brought before Domitian, and made to drink poison, which did not hurt him: the dregs of it killed a criminal on whom it was tried: and John revived him; he also raised a girl who was slain by an unclean spirit
Unclean spirit
In English translations of the Bible, unclean spirit is a common rendering of Greek pneuma akatharton , which in its single occurrence in the Septuagint translates Hebrew ....
." (James 1924, Introduction).
The surviving Latin fragments, by contrast, seem to have been purged of unorthodox content, according to their translator M. R. James
M. R. James
Montague Rhodes James, OM, MA, , who used the publication name M. R. James, was an English mediaeval scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge and of Eton College . He is best remembered for his ghost stories, which are regarded as among the best in the genre...
: the Latin fragments contain episodes now missing in the Greek. The Stichometry of Nicephorus gives its length as 2500 lines. An on-line translation http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0827.htm presents the confrontation of John and Domitian
Domitian
Domitian was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96. Domitian was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty.Domitian's youth and early career were largely spent in the shadow of his brother Titus, who gained military renown during the First Jewish-Roman War...
during Domitian's persecution of Christians, described as instigated by a letter of complaint from the Jews.
Content
As with the other works of the Acts of the Apostles genre, the text pertains to narratives set within the framework of the years following the crucifixionCrucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
and subsequent resurrection
Resurrection of Jesus
The Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus states that Jesus returned to bodily life on the third day following his death by crucifixion. It is a key element of Christian faith and theology and part of the Nicene Creed: "On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures"...
of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
described by early Christian writings and traditions. Specifically, the account narrates two journeys of John, son of Zebedee
Zebedee
Zebedee is a name which may refer to:-People:* Zebedee , father of James and John* Zebedee Armstrong , an American outsider artist...
, to Ephesus
Ephesus
Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era...
, filled with dramatic events, miracles, and teachings attributed to the apostle.
Existing copies of the manuscript begin in section 19, in which a small group that includes both the author of the work and John is approaching Ephesus, only to be met by Lycomedes, a notable and powerful figure within the city. Lycomedes recounts a vision he received from the God
God in Christianity
In Christianity, God is the eternal being that created and preserves the universe. God is believed by most Christians to be immanent , while others believe the plan of redemption show he will be immanent later...
of John, telling him that a man from Miletus
Miletus
Miletus was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia , near the mouth of the Maeander River in ancient Caria...
was coming to heal his wife, Cleopatra, who had passed away seven days before from illness. Upon arrival, Lycomedes curses his situation and, despite John's pleas to have faith that his wife will be brought back to life by the power of God, falls dead out of grief. The entire city of Ephesus is stirred by his death and comes to his house to see his body. John then asks Christ to raise the two of them from the dead in order to prove Christ's
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
own might, quoting Matthew 7:7 in his request. Both Cleopatra and Lycomedes are resurrected, leaving the people of Ephesus in awe of the miracle that was performed before them.
Later, during a festival celebrating the birthday of the Greek goddess Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
, the people of Ephesus attempt to kill John because he wears black, rather than white, to her temple
Temple of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis , also known less precisely as the Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to a goddess Greeks identified as Artemis and was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was situated at Ephesus , and was completely rebuilt three times before its eventual destruction...
. John rebukes them, threatening to have his God kill them if they are unable to convince their goddess to make him die on the spot with her divine power. Knowing that John has performed many miracles in their city, the people at the temple beg John not to destroy them. John then changes his mind, using the power of God instead to break the altar of Artemis in many pieces, damage the offerings and idols within the temple, and collapse half of the structure itself on top of its priest, killing him. Upon seeing this destruction, the people immediately see the error of their ways and acknowledge the God of John as the only true God.
In a more comical account mentioned in the narrative, John, the author, and their companions stay overnight at an inn plagued with a bedbug infestation. Immediately after laying down, the author and the other men with him see that John is troubled by the bugs and hear him tell the insects, "I say to you, you bugs, be considerate; leave your home for this night and go to rest in a place which is far away from the servants of God!" The next morning, the author, joined by two of his traveling companions, Verus and Andronicus, awakes to find the bugs gathered in the doorway, waiting to return to their home in John's mattress. The three men wake John, who allows the creatures to return to the bed because of their obedience to the will of God.
Immediately following John's encounter with the bedbugs, the traveling party journeys to the house of Andronicus in Ephesus in section 62. Here, the reader learns that Andronicus is married to Drusiana, a devout believer in God who remains chaste even in marriage out of piety. However, her celibacy does not prevent the advances of Callimachus, a prominent member of the Ephesian community and "a servant of Satan." Shortly after learning this, Drusiana falls sick and dies because she believes she has contributed to Callimachus's sin. While John is comforting Andronicus and many of the other inhabitants of Ephesus over the loss of Drusiana, Callimachus, determined to have Drusiana as his own, pays Andronicus's steward, Fortunatus, so that he may gain access to her tomb and rape her corpse. However, Callimachus discovers that the tomb is guarded by a poisonous snake, which bites and kills Fortunatus. Callimachus still attempts to rape the corpse of Druisiana, only to find that a beautiful youth, protecting the body of Druisiana. The youth commands Callimachus to, "die, that you may live."
The next day, John and Andronicus enter the tomb of Drusiana and are greeted by the beautiful youth, which the narrative later identifies with Christ, who tells John he is supposed to raise Drusiana back to life before ascending into Heaven. John does so, but not before resurrecting Callimachus in order to learn what had occurred the previous night. Callimachus recounts the events of the night and is repentant of his misgivings, surrendering to the will of Christ. After both Callimachus and Drusiana are resurrected, Drusiana, feeling sorry for the other aggressor involved in the conspiracy to molest her dead body, is granted the ability to raise Fortunatus back from the dead against the wishes of Callimachus. Fortunatus, unwilling to accept to Christ, flees from the tomb and eventually dies due to blood poisoning brought about by the snake from the initial bite.
In the final portion of the text, John offers a long and mysterious discourse to the people of Ephesus concerning the nature of Christ and faith.
It also contains the episode at the Last Supper
Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
of the Round Dance of the Cross initiated by Jesus, saying, "Before I am delivered to them, let us sing a hymn to the Father and so go to meet what lies before us". Directed to form a circle around him holding hands and dancing, the apostles cry "Amen" to the hymn of Jesus.
Embedded in the text is another hymn (sections 94 – 96), "which no doubt was once used as a liturgical song (with response) in some Johannine communities" (Davis). In the summer of 1916 Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets....
set his own translation from the Greek (Head), influenced by G.R.S. Mead, as The Hymn of Jesus for two mixed choirs, a semi-chorus of female voices, and a large orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
(Trippett).
Most of its docetic
Docetism
In Christianity, docetism is the belief that Jesus' physical body was an illusion, as was his crucifixion; that is, Jesus only seemed to have a physical body and to physically die, but in reality he was incorporeal, a pure spirit, and hence could not physically die...
imagery and overt gnostic
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
teachings are concentrated in a few chapters (94–102 and 109), which may be interpolations, or they may simply reflect the diverse nature of the sources that were drawn upon to assemble this episodic collection, which falls in the genre of Romance
Romance (genre)
As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
.
See also
- Acts of the Apostles (genre)Acts of the Apostles (genre)The Acts of the Apostles is a genre of Early Christian literature, recounting the lives and works of the apostles of Jesus. The Acts are important for many reasons, one of them being the concept of apostolic succession...
- DocetismDocetismIn Christianity, docetism is the belief that Jesus' physical body was an illusion, as was his crucifixion; that is, Jesus only seemed to have a physical body and to physically die, but in reality he was incorporeal, a pure spirit, and hence could not physically die...
- John the ApostleJohn the ApostleJohn the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
- Leucius CharinusLeucius CharinusLeucius, called Leucius Charinus by the Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople in the ninth century, is the name applied to a cycle of what M. R. James termed "Apostolic romances" that seem to have had wide currency long before a selection were read aloud at the Second Council of Nicaea and rejected...
Further Reading
- Jan N. Bremmer (editor), The Apocryphal Acts of John (1995) brought together a series of eleven essays by various authors on the Acts of John and a bibliography (Kampen, Netherlands: Pharos). On-line as a series of pdf files
External links
- Early Christian Writings: Acts of John e-text consisting of 115 brief chapters, translated by M.R. James, and introductory material (1924).
- Glenn Davis, "The development of the Canon of the New Testament": Acts of John
- Gnostic Scriptures and Fragments: Acts of John
- David Trippett, "Gustav Holst (1874–1934)"
- Head, Raymond. "The Hymn of Jesus: Holst's Gnostic Exploration of Time and Space", July 1999
- Church Fathers: Acts of John: abbreviated translation of the Latin version