The odes and Psalms of Solomon, published from the Syriac version

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Odes and Psalms of Solomon, published fr

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THE ODES AND PSALMS

OF

SOLOMON

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS

aonHon: FETTER LANE, E.G.

C. F. CLAY, Manager

ffiUinbutgl) : loo, PRINCES STREET

ISerlin; A. ASHER AND CO.

ILtvjig: F. A. BROCKHAUS

iieto gork: G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS

Bomtiag anS Calcutta: MACMILLAN AND CO., Ltd.

All rights reserved

*

J.. * " . • « •

'?iuJii(^[lSt^^

Facsimile: Odes of Solomon xxvi. 13 — 14, xxvii., xxviii. i — 4

THE ODES AND PSALMS

OF

SOLOMON

PUBLISHED FROM THE
SYRIAC VERSION

•/

BY

J. RENDEL HARRIS, M.A.

Hon. D.Litt. (Dubl.), Hon. LL.D. (Haverford), Hon. D.Theol. (Leiden),
Hon. LL.D. (Birmingham), Hon. Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge

SECOND EDITION

REVISED AND ENLARGED

WITH A FACSIMILE

Cambridge :

at the University Press

1911

nAnpoycOe eN nNeyMATi, AAAoyNTed saytoTc vpaAmoTc ka! y'^noic
ka) ({JAdTc nNeyMATiKdvTc, $Aont6c k&I yAAAoNxec ti^ KApAf^ yMciN tC}5

KYPIt<i.

, Ad Ephes. v. 19.

OY r*-? eCTiN H BdkCiAeiA toy 06OY Bpcocic ka! nocic, AAAi Aikaiocynh

K&) eipHNH KAf x^-P*- eN nNeYMATi Ari^jJ-

^i^ ^«»»2. xiv. 17.

CONTENTS

PAGES

Preface to First Edition . ... vii

Preface to Second Edition viii

Bibliographical Notes ix — xii

Brief Summary of Criticisms . ... xiii — xxxii

Supplementary Note on recent Criticisms . . xxxiii — xxxvii

Introduction ... .... i — 89

Translation of the Odes ..... 90 — 140

Translation of the Psalms ..... 141 — 156

Syriac Text of the Odes and Psalms . ^ — mi

Facsimile: Odes of Solomon xxvi. 13 — xxviii. 4 . To face Title

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION

IT is not easy to produce a satisfactory edition of a work
whicii has come down to us in a single document, especially
when the document itself is late in date, and represents not the
original text, but a version of the same, made by some unknown
hand. Obscurities are sure to exist in a text so scantily attested
and of such an uncertain tradition. In spite, however, of these
inherent difficulties, I hope that the translation and editing of
the.se new Odes of Solomon (with their associated and already
known Psalms of Solomon) will be satisfactory ; for, although
late in date, the text is very well preserved, and the translation
from the Greek into the Syriac appears to have been carefully
and conscientiously made. If we could come across some more
traces of the newly-recovered work in the writings of the Fathers,
or if, by good hap, we might find the lost Latin or a copy of
the original Greek, much that is obscure in our presentation of
the Odes would disappear. Meanwhile we have done our best
with the material as we found it and as we were able to reinforce
it : our thanks are due to scholarly friends who have assisted us
with their keen revising eyes or their nimble emendating brains.
My learned lady friends Mrs Lewis and Mrs Gibson have given
me much assistance with the proofs : Mr Glover has criticised
obscure passages and inadequate arguments : and Professor
Nestle has made some brilliant suggestions for the betterment of
the text, and traces of his skilled hand may be seen at several
points, of which I note especially Ode 7. 12, Ode 38. 14, Ps. v. 16,
Ps. vii. 4, and Ps. xvii. 31. I think it is very likely that a skilled
Coptic scholar could also do something to improve either the
text or the translation in those Odes which have been transferred
to the text of the Pistis Sophia.

RENDEL HARRIS

Chetwynd

Selly Oak

October 1909

o. S.

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

THE first edition of tliis book having been exhausted sooner
than I had anticipated, I have decided not to delay the
production of a new edition, which should, as far as possible,
remove the errors of the former, and incorporate the results of
the searching criticism to which the Odes and the manner of
their presentation have been subjected.

In response to a number of appeals, I have added a facsimile
of the unique manuscript from which I have worked. Then, as
far as conviction ruled, I have accepted a number of textual
betterments from scholars in England, France and Germany.
In the case of the Psalms of Solomon, I have added the readings
of the curious fragment of these Psalms, preserved in a MS. in
the Cambridge University Library, to which Dr Barnes has
drawn attention. In the case of the Odes, the text and the
translation and the theories connected therewith have been
compared with those of Harnack-Flemming, Zahn, Ungnad-
Stark, Batiffol-Labourt, Barnes, Bernard, Diettrich, Charles,
Clemen, Gunkel, Haussleiter, Mead, Menzies, Nestle, Schulthess,
Spitta and others. As the range of interpretation is very wide,
and critical consent still seems to be somewhat remote, I have
added a new section to review the work done on the Odes by
the scholars referred to, and to give some estimate of its value
in the most important cases. With these corrections and ex-
pansions I hope the second edition will be as welcome as and
not less useful than the first.

RENDEL HARRIS

Selly Oak

February 191 1

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

In preparing the second edition for the press, it will be
convenient to give in the first place, a bibliography of the most
important reviews and notices of the Odes, which I have come
across : the list makes no pretence at completeness ; but it will
serve to indicate the currents of opinion, and special attention
will be given to those articles or reviews which are important for
the resolution of the problems connected with the Odes, by
marking them with an asterisk.

Dr J. Vernon Bartlet in British Weekly for Feb. 25, 1909. (Announce-
ment of Discovery of the Odes.)
Rendel Harris in Contemporary Review for April, 1909, ^ An Early

Christian Hymn-book.^
J. M. Leendertz in 'EX^ctw t; ^atriXiia. a-ov for May 6, 1909 (Utrecht).

(Notice of Discovery etc.)
Prof Nestle in Kirchlicher Anzeiger fur Wiirttemberg No. 49, 1909.

(Notice of Discovery.)
Louis Maries in Etudes par les Peres de la compagnie de Jisus for

June 20, 1909. (Notice of Discovery and of Article by R. H. in

Contemporary Review.)
Rendel Harris. An Early Christian Psalter, London (Nisbet and Co.),

1909. Contains the greater part of the Odes in English with a

brief introduction.
Rendel Harris in The Quest. 1910, pp. 288—305. Text of lecture on

'An early Judaeo-Christian Hymn-book' given before the Quest

Society.
G. R. S. Mead in The Quest. 1910, pp. 561—570. Review of Rendel

Harris' Odes and Psalms of Solomon.
G. R. S. Mead in The Quest. 1910, vol. ii. pp. 166—169. Review of

Harnack's Ein jiidisch-christliches Psalmbuch.
Harnack in Sitzungsberichte der konig. preuss. Akademie for 1909.

No. 51. Berlin. Notice of Discovery.

X BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

' Times'' Literary Supplement for Dec. 2, 1909. Brief Review,

Schiirer in Theol. Literaturzeitung ior Jan., 1910, pp. 6, 7. Review

Record for Htc. 17, 1909. (Brief Notice.)

Nestle in Theol. Lit.-Blatt for Jan. 7, 1910. Review of the Odes.

The Christian World for ]a.n. 13, 19 10. Review.

W. B. Brash in The Methodist Times for Jan. 13, 1910. Review.

Dr James Moffatt in British Weekly for Feb. 24, 1910. Review.

The Athenaeum {or 'iz.n. 15, 1910. Review.

R. S. Franks in the British Friend {or Jan., 19 10. Review.

H. Ramette in Le Chretien Libre, pp. 457 — 460. Review.

Expository Times {or Feb., 1910. Editorial Notice.

Wohlenberg in Schleswig-LIolstein-Lauenburgisches Kirchen- u. Schidblatt

for Feb. 12, 1910, No. 7.
The Outlook for April 2, 1910. Review. (New York.)
Evening Bulletin for April 13, igio. Account of Discovery. (Phila-
delphia.)
The Guardian for April 14, 19 10. Review o{ Early Christian Psalter.
The Guardian for April 29, T910. Review of Odes and Psalms.
Buonaiuti in Rivista Storico-critica delle Scienze Teologiche for March,

1910 (pp. 188 — 200). (Rome.)
Daily News for March 11, 1910. Brief Review.
' Times' Literary Supplement for April 7, 1910. A Church Hymnal oj

the First Century. Review (by Dr R. H. Charles).
H. Hansen in Der Alte Glaube for April 8, 19 10. Review, with transla-
tion of three selected Odes into German verse.
British Weekly for April 27, 1910. Notice of Dr Harnack's book on

the Odes.
Great Thoughts for May 7, 1910. Review.
*Harnack and Flemming, Ein judisch-christliches Psalmbuch aus dem

ersten Jahrhundert : in Texte u. Untersuchungen ill. 5. 4. Leipzig

(Hinrichs) 1910.
Nairne in Guardian for June 3, 19 10, p. 778. Review.
Dr Johannes Haussleiter in Theologisches Literaturblatt {or ]\ine 10, 1910.

Der judenchristliche Charakter der Oden Salomos.
J. M. Leendertz. Die Oden von Salome. Amsterdam (Portielje) 1910.
Dr Johannes Leipoldt in Allgemeine Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirchen-

zeitung for July 8, 19 10. Die Lieder Salomos.
Dr David S. Schaff in the Presbyterian Banner (America) for June 2,

1910. A Christian Hymn-Book of the First Century.
Dr Barnes in Expositor for July, 1910, pp. 52 — 63. An Ancient

Christian Hymn-Book.
Dr Barnes in Journal of Theological Studies for July, 1910, pp. 573 sqq.

The Text of th£ Odes of Solomon and pp. 615 sqq. Review of

Harnack on the Odes.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTES XI

*G. Diettrich in Die Reformation for May 8, June 5, Aug. 7, and Aug. 14,

1 9 1 o. Einejiidisch-christliche Liedersammlung aus dem apostolischen

Zeitalter.
J. A. Montgomery in Biblical World, xxxvi. 93 — 100. The recently

discovered Odes of Solomon.
A. Wabnitz in Revue de Theologie et des questions religieuses xix. 351 —

367. Un Psautier judeo-chritien du 1"' siicle.
Kennedy in Expository Times, July, 1910, p. 444. Review of Harnack

on the Odes.
Dr R. H. Charles in Revie^v of Theology and Philosophy for October,

1910, pp. 220 — 223. Review of Harnack's book.
R. H. Strachan in Expository Times for Oct., 1910. The newly recovered

Odes of Solomon and their bearing on the Problem of the Fourth

Gospel.
Dr T. K. Cheyne in Hibbert Journal for Oct., 1910, pp. 208 — 212.

Review of the Odes and Psalms and of Harnack's Jiidisch-

christliches Psalmbuch.
The Churchman for Oct., 1910. Review.
R. Bultniann in Monatschrift fiir Pastoral Theologie Oct., 1910.

Ei?i jiidisch-christliches Psalmbuch aus dem ersten Jahrhundert.
*Batiffol and Labourt in Revue Biblique ioi Oct., 1910, pp. 484 — 500;

and for Jan., 191 1, pp. i — 57. Les Odes de Salomon. (Not yet

completed.)
F. Spitta in Monatschrift filr Gottesdienst und kirchl. Kunst for 19 10,

pp. 245 sqq. ; 273 sqq.
F. Spitta in Zeitschrift filr die neutestamentlich^ Wissenschaft {Preuschen's

Zeitschrift), Heft 3, 1910, pp. 193 — 290. Zum Verstdndnis der

Oden Salomos.
F. Spitta in Monatschrift fiir Pastoral Theologie for Dec, 1910,

pp. 91 — loi. Die Oden Salomos und das neue Testament.
W. Stark in Zeitschrift fiir wissenschaftliche Theologie lii. N.F. xvii. 4.
*Prof W. A. Menzies in the Interpreter for Oct., 1910, pp. i — 22.

The Odes of Solomon.
Methodist Quarterly Review (American) for Oct., 1910. Review of the

Odes and Psalms and of Harnack's Jiidisch-christliches Psalmbuch.
Bousset in Theologische Rundschau for Nov., 19 10. Brief notice of

Odes etc.
M. J. Lagrange in Revue Biblique Internationale for Oct., 1910, pp.

593 — 596. Notice and Review.
Dr J. H. Bernard in Spectator for Oct. 22, 19x0. Notice of

Discovery etc.
Kirsopp Lake in Theologisch Tijdschrift for 1910, xlv. pp. 89 — 92.

Review.
*Dr J. H. Bernard m Journal of Theological Studies for Oct., 19 10.

xii BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

Methodist Quarterly Review (American) for Jan., 191 1. Review of

Harnack.
Clemen in Theologische Rundschau, pp. i — 19, Jan., 191 1. Die

neuentdeckten Oden Salomos.
*F. Schulthess in Zeitschrift fur die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft

{Preuschen's Zeitschrift), Heft 3, 1910, pp. 249—258. Textkritische

Bemerkiingen zu den syrischen Oden Salomos.
*H. Gunkel in Zeitschrift fiir die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft (Preu-
schen's Zeitschrift), Heft 3, 1910, pp. 291—328. Die Oden Salomos.
*Wellhausen in Gottingische gelehrte Anzeigen for Sept., 1910, pp. 629 —

642. Review.
S. Reinach in Revue Moderniste Internationale for Dec, 1910, pp.

457 — 458 (Geneva), a letter from S.R. d. propos des Odes de

Salomon.
H. Bohmer in Kirchliche Rundschau filr d. evang. Gemeinden Rheinlands

und Westfakns for 1910, pp. 215 sqq. : 238 sqq. : 266 sqq. : 297 sqq.
*Th. Zahn in Neue kirchliche Zeitschrift for 1910, pp. 667 sqq. :

747 sqq.
*Ungnad and Stark in Kleine Texteftir theologische und philosophische

Vorlesungen und Uhingen. Bonn, 1910. Die Oden Salomos.
B. Yldi!&.&'\n Deutsche Rundschau Jan., 191 1. Die Oden Salomos.
H. Hansen. Die Oden Salomos in deutschen Nachdichtungen. Giitersloh

(Bertelsmann) 191 1.
Viteau and Martin, Les Psaumes de Salomon. Paris (Letouzey et

Ane) 1911.
* Arthur C. Headlam in Church Quarterly Review for Jan. 1911,

pp. 272 — 302. Review.
Meyer: Grosses Konversations- Lexicon, 6. Aufl. 22. Bd. Jahres-Supple-
ment 1909 — 1910.

p. 396. Harris, James Rendel. . . . 77/^ Odes of Solomon, 1909.

p. 638. Oden Salomos, eine Sammlung von 42 Jiidischen Psalmen
in christlicher Bearbeitung etc., etc.
Salomon Reinach in Revue de I'Histoire des Religions, 19 10. (Annates

du Mush Guimet.) Les Odes de Salomon.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF RECENT CRITICISMS

In the previous edition a first attempt was made to elucidate
the various problems which were presented by the new book of
Odes. The Psahns which were attached to them were treated
in a rapid manner, as there did not seem any necessity to go
over again in detail the various critical results at which scholars
had arrived with regard to their origin. It is sufficient to say
that no considerations have been adduced which should invalidate
the reference of the Solomonic Psalms to the period of the Roman
Invasion of Judaja by Pompey, and of the years that followed
the desecration of the Temple'. With regard to these Psalms
the critics have been moving in converging paths to a conclusion
from which there is no appreciable dissent. With regard, however,
to the Odes and their place in the history of literature and of
religion, no signs of such convergence or consent are yet to be
seen. On every side doubts are expressed as to the explanations
which I proposed. If, for example, it was suggested that they
were Judso-Christian in origin, the contradiction comes from
two opposite sides, one school affirming that they are not Christian,
the other that they are not Jewish. If, again, the suggestion is
made that the time of their composition is the latter part of the
first century A.D., the contentions have to be met that they are
(i) nearly a hundred years earlier or (2) nearly a hundred years
later than the time proposed. If I suggest that the Odes
frequently betray a Johannine vocabulary, but at the same time
decline to recognise actual loans from the Fourth Gospel, pre-
ferring to believe that the vocabulary in question is the theological
language of a time and school which are not very remote from
the time and school of thought of the author of the Fourth
Gospel, one has to face the objections, on the one side that the
theology is not that of a Christian but of a Jewish mystic,
on the other side that it is the regular Christian theology of the
Church after it has been charged to saturation with the thought

1 Prof. Cheyne, in the Hibbert Journal, expresses a hope that I shall see my way
to the abandonment of the identification of Pompey with the great dragon, and to the
desertion of the chronology which is marked by the allusions to his death on the
Egyptian shore. I am not to be allured from so certain a piece of critical investiga-
tion into the by-path? of ancient astrology.

xiv BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS

and expressions of St John. On the one side there is the
alluring hypothesis that we have discovered the missing link,
from which the Fourth Gospel itself depends, on the other side,
the Odes are by invisible links dependent from the feet of
St John. Rarely has so much variety of opinion been provoked
by the publication of a new document from the lost library of
the Early Church : even the Teaching of the Apostles did not
evoke so many nor so varied suggestions. Indeed, on looking
over what has been said on the subject, up to the time of the
preparation of this second edition, there does not seem to be
anything about which everyone seems agreed unless it should be
that the Odes are of singular beauty and of high spiritual value,
and that they are probably of Syro-Palestinian origin. Well !
that is something gained, for it means that we are moving still
further away from the old belief that the origins of the Fourth
Gospel are to be sought in Alexandria and that every presenta-
tion of the doctrine of the Logos must have passed through the
moulding hands of Fhilo.

Let us then see what has been said on the subject of the Odes
by recent writers. We begin, both chronologically and for other
reasons, with Dr Harnack : he was almost the first in the field', and
for most of us who are engaged in historical and critical investi-
gations into Christian origins and history, he is il maestro di color
che sanno. Harnack's book betrays in its preface the thesis that
he means to defend, that the Odes of Solomon are a Jewish
Psalm-book composed near the beginning of the Christian era
and worked over again at no very distant date by a Christian
hand. That is, Harnack accepts most of my arguments that
there is little or nothing in many of the Odes that is so distinctly
Christian as not to be equally well described as Jewish, and in
those cases where the Christian hand must be recognised it is
the hand of an interpolator. Without conceding the absolute
unity of the collection, for we both agree that this unity may be
broken in one or two cases by possible later intrusions, Harnack
affirms that the general and obvious unity of style, by which the
compositions are characterised, must be qualified by regarding
the Odes as emanating from one hand or school, and passing

1 He was partly anticipated by Diettrich, the first of whose remarkable articles in
Die Reformation was written and published before Harnack's work saw the light.
We shall attend to these articles later on.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS "xy

through another. Like myself, Harnack does not love the
hypothesis of interpolations, but it is a hypothesis to which one
must sometiines resort. In particular, at the time when one
great religion is passing into another, and the books are, of
necessity, passing over with the migrant people, it' is in the
highest degree likely that Christian editions will be produced of
favourite Jewish books. We have, in fact, proof positive of such
transfers in the case of the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles and its
dependence upon the Jewish Doctrine of the Ttvo Ways, and in the
Christian additions "which can be dissected out of the text of the
Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs. Something of the same
kind, but perhaps not quite so early, has happened in the famous
Christian expansions of the text of Jdsephus ; and, for a much
less probable, but not impossible, parallel, we might refer to
those attempts which have been made to dissect original Jewish
writings out of the Apocalypse of John, in which case the
hypothesis of Vischer that we should treat the expression ' God
and the Lamb ' as an interpolated expansion of the Divine Name,
has a seductive simplicity which, if I remember rightly, bewitched
even Harnack himself, who confesses not to love hypotheses of
interpolation. ' '

There is, however, not the least need to apologize for the use
of such hypotheses, if the criticism of the text breaks down for
want of' them. After all, it does not mean, in the present case,
more than the substitution of two authors for one : it is not a
case of multiplied redaction like that which is affirmed for the
Pentateuch or Isaiah. Two authors are not too many for this
little book ; if two are intelligible where one is unintelligible,
by all means let us have two : only let us keep in reserve the
caution that it will always be easy to prove a document to be
Jewish when you have dissected out of it everything that- is
Christian.

Certainly I have no right, a priori, to object to the extension
which Harnack makes of my first thesis, seeing that I had already
set aside certain Odes which discussed the Virgin Birth and the
descent into Hades, as belonging to a relatively later stratum of
thought than the main collection ; and if one may resort to the
hypothesis of interjection for whole Psalms, how can one
reasonably object to the hypothesis of interpolation in selected
Ps&lms ; the interpolator has been admitted into the argument
o. s. c

xvi BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS

on the greater scale, how can he be prohibited on the smaller
scale? Is it likely that the man who issues a new hymn-
book, with which he incorporates some compositions of his
own, will carefully keep his editorial hands off the rest of the
collection ? Such is not the method of the modern compilers of
hymn-books, who have less reason to tamper with the texts that
they appropriate than people' had in the rapidly changing beliefs
of the early centuries.

If Harnack is right, however, a curious phenomenon presents
itself My hypothesis of a Judseo-Christian composer, who
betrays few of the external- signs of Christianity, because of the
elevation of his personal experience above the levels of ritual
practices and dogmatic definitions, is replaced by Harnack by
the hypothesis of a Jewish composer who is as free from definite
traces of Judaism as my assumed writer was of the corresponding
elements of Christianity. The man who had no Eucharist (so
far as his language goes) is replaced by a man without a Passover.
The man without a doctrine of penitence is replaced by a man
who has no doctrine of sacrifice and no Day of Atonement. The
man who moves so lightly amongst the early Christian orders, as
not to refer to a bishop, while apologizing for his own priesthood
and apparently confounding deacons with evangelists, has to be
replaced by a Jew, who loves the Temple but has not a word
to say of the associated priesthood and ritual ! At first sight this
looks very unlikely, and it is made more so, by the necessary
deduction that the assumed non-ritualistic, undogmatiCj mystical
Jew suffered interpolation at the hands of an equally non-ritual-
istic, undogmatic and mystical Christian. At first sight, I say,
this seems to be an improbable collocation : but it is not really
so : for we start with the assumption of a mystical writer whose
affinities are not with priesthoods or sacraments : one mystic is
hereby conceded and perhaps a school : at all events, the Fourth
Gospel offers striking analogies of similar spiritual elevation and
detachment. If, however, this mystical writer be conceded he
must be either Jew or Christian, and there is no serious difiicultv
in the use by a Christian mystic of a previously existing Jewish^
mystic. If such Jewish mystics existed, they must in many
cases have passed over, or evolved into Christian mystics and
this almost makes the apparent duality of the hypothesis "of
Harnack into a unity again. The parts divided. are so nearly.

BRIEF SUMMARY. DF CRITICISMS "xvu

one, that they easily re-CQmpose intq a close and ultimate
connexion.

Having said so much, 1 hope I have made it clear that I am
animated by no hostility towards Harnack's treatment of the
subject. One cannot' read the book in which his theory is
presented without admiration for the acuteness of its criticism,
and the fertility of its ijlustration. Whether it be right or
wrong, it is certainly a notable piece of work. Let us now
take one or two cases in detail, in order that we may see the
hypothesis in its actual application to the supposed interpolated
Odes.

In the middle of the 3rd Ode, Harnack marks an inter-
polation in the 9th verse, as follows :

8. I have been united to Him, for the Lover has found the

Beloved :
$. (And because I love him that is the Son, I shall myself become

a Son) :

10. For he that is joined to Him that is immortal, will also himself

become immortal,

11. And he who has pleasure in the Living One, will himself

becorne living.

Here Harnack's argument is that immortality comes from
union with God, and that the allusion to the Son of God disturbs
the sequence. He objects to my erasure of the plural points, so
as to read ' Living One' for ' Life,' and thinks the parallelism is
sufficient between Life and 'the Immortal.' Thus the Ode
becomes Jewish and not Christian except in the interpolated
sentence. But with regard to the erasure of the plural points, it
should be noticed that they would almost certainly be added if
absent, that the parallelism is improved by their absence, that
the title 'the Living One' (0 fc5i^) is a characteristic early name
for Christ.^ It is involved again in Ode 8. 24, where the
parallelism shows that the terms 'the Beloved,' 'the one that
lives,' and ' the one that was saved (!) ' all belong to Christ.
Accordingly Zahn says of this passage,

' " Wer an den Lebendigen Wohlgefallen hat." Der Parallelis-
mus membrorum empfiehlt es, mit Harris das Pluralzeichen...zu
■ ignorieren.'

The' words 'has pleasure in,' if we have rightly understood
the Syriac, should correspond to a Greek ewSo/ee'co which is again

XVlll BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS

appropriate to a person, and as the account of the Baptism of
Jesus shows, to a particular person. But if the expression ' the
Living One' stands (especially when we remember the Johan-
nine 'because I live ye shall live also,' and kindred passages),
then it follows that Christ is referred to in the original Ode, or
the alternative to this conclusion would be that the interpolation
is more extended than a single verse. The latter alternative is
very improbable.

The concluding sentence of the Ode with reference to the
' Spirit of the Lord which does not lie,' is rightly parallelled by
Harnack with the nyjrevBrj<; de6<; of Tit. i. 2, where notice again
that it is immortality that is the gift involved in God's veracity ;
' the hope of eternal life is what God promised before the world
began.' The Christian doctrine of immortality is that ' God has
given unto us eternal life, and this life is in His Son ' ( i Joh. v. ii).
I see no reason to erase the reference to the Sonship in the
one case which might not be applied in the other: nor any
breach of continuity in a reference to the Son in one case which
might not be equally affirmed in the other.

It would, of course, be unfair to discuss a great hypothesis
like Harnack's from the standpoint of a single interpolation :
the third Ode, for example, might be Christian and be at the
same time, a thing apart : but in so far as common authorship
in the main body of the Odes is conceded, the proof that one of
them is Christian is a proof of the Christianity of the collection.

There are other cases of interpolation in the remaining Psalms
where Harnack affirms it, which need to be examined in detail.
For the present, however, let us keep to this third Ode, and
discuss it in the light of another hypothesis which has been
brought forward.

Professor Menzies of St Andrew's University has made a
variation upon Harnack's original suggestions. He feels on the
one hand the difficulty of resort to interpolation, and on the other
hand the general strength of the argument that these Odes
are fundamentally Jewish. Accordingly Menzies proposes in a
striking article in the Interpreter to discard the theory of inter-
polation, and explain the apparently Christian allusions from the
standpoint of Judaism. Let the reference to the Son stand : but
interpret the Son as the ideal Israel, in harmony with the doctrine
of the Old Testament that Israel is God's first-born son, whom

BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS XIX

He called out of Egypt, carried in the wilderness, &c. The third
Ode now reads as follows :

Because I love, Israel (the Son of God)

I shall myself become an Israelite (i.e. a Son of God).

The language is that of a Jewish proselyte, who has come, as
the Talmud says the disciples of Hillel did, ' under the wings of
the Shekinah.' Professor Menzies affirms that this note of
proselytism is characteristic of the Odes, and in that way having
turned the argument to his own account which I made of the
proselytism of the writer, he describes the whole collection. by
the name of Psalms of the Proselytes. The advantage of this
new hypothesis is , obvious ; it gets rid of the resort to inter-
polations and restores to the collection a substantial unity ; it
mediates, between the Jewish mystics of Harnack and my own
Judaeo-Christian proselyte author, by the suggestion of the Jewish
proselytes, and it opens up before the imagination a field of
spiritual life , in connexion with the propaganda of Judaism,
which is almost entirely a terra incognita.

As I want to do justice to Professor Menzies' argument, I
will try to show how it may be made to illuminate certain other
passages, and in particular, let us look a little closer into this
same Ode. In the ea,rlier part of the Ode we find the following
statement :

Ode 3. V. 5. I love the Beloved and my soul loves Him ;
V. 6. And where His rest is, there also am I.
V. 7. And I shall be no stranger there,

For with the Lord Most High and Merciful, there is
no grudging.

Evidently the writer is speaking of spiritual privileges into
which he has been introduced by God's grace and' liberality.
What is this divine Rest of which he speaks t It seems natural
to refer to the terms in which God's dweUing in the Sanctuary
is spoken of in the Old Testanient, such as Ps. cxxxii. 14, ' Here
is my rest, here will I dwell, for I have desired it' : or Ps. cxxxii.
8, ' Arise, O Lordj into thy resty thou and the ark of thy strength,'
or to Isaiah Ixvi. i, 'What house will ye build -me, or what is
the place of my rest?' God's i-est is, then, the Jewish temple^ ;

' We might compare Isho'dad on John xiv. i ; ' He calls mansions.. -.the abiding
rests; because all rests and enjoyments are ours in dwellings.'

XX. BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS

artd.the writer of the Ode is. expressing :the privilege which he has
obtained by his proselytism, of passing beyond the jniddle wall
of partition, from the Court of the Gentiles to the Court of the
Israelites. It is precisely the situation which St Paul describes
in spiritual language in Eph. ii. ig,

' Ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but fellow-citizens of
the saints, and of the household of God. . .the whole building groweth
to a7i holy temple in the Lord.'

The reference to the Sanctuary, however it is to be explained,
is a mark of the third Ode, just as it is in the much-disputed
Ode which follows it. And if in the third Ode the Sanctuary
(whether spiritual or literal) is the place of God's rest, in the
fourth Ode, it is forcibly described as the place of God's heart.
For it is God's promise to Solomon that ' my eyes and my heart
shall be there continually' (2 Chron. vii. 16) which is re.sponsible
for the curious expression, ' Thou hast given Thy heart to thy
believers.' Here again we see that the Temple is in the view
(whether near or far) of the writer.

These instances will suffice to show the strength of Prof.
Menzies' hypothesis. It enables us, as we have said, to~ avoid
interpolation ; it emphasises the language of the proselyte which
.had been previously detected in the Odes ; and it makes it
unnecessary to explain away, as so many have done, the evident
affection of the writer for the actual temple at Jerusalem^.

I have discussed this particular Ode at length in order to give
a clear idea of the theory of Prof. Menzies and the way it
mediates between Prof Harnack's view and my own. The
difficulty in accepting it lies in the fact that it does not explain
many of the passages which Harnack had got rid of by the
theory of interpolation. The simple case of the third Ode does
not find parallels in the rest of the book. How, for example,
would one read the Jewish proselyte into the following passage
in which Harnack hadconceded a Christian element?

1 This question of the reality of the allusions to the Temple comes up most
definitely in the 4th Ode, where it has to be discussed. If we do not allow a real
seferbnee to the Temple, as I am disposed to maintain, we must say with Zahri
{Die bden Salomos, p. 753) 'Dadurch wird klar, dass er nicht an ein von Men-
schenhanden bereitetes Gotteshaus mit Vorhofen und Altaren denkt, wie der alte
Psalmist, sondern an ein geistliches Haus.'

BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITtClSMS ixxi

Ode 31. (He opened His mouth and spake grace ind ijoy : -
And He spake a new song of praise to His name:
And He lifted up His voice to the Most High,
And offered to. Him the sons that were with him. Cf. Joh.

And His face was justified, for them had His holy Father F"-' '^^^'•

given Him.)
Come forth, ye tliat have been afflicted-

Surely 'Harnack must be right in marking this passage as
Christian : and unless the whole Ode is to be counted Christian,
an interpolation must be assumed. There is no place for a
Jewish proselyte here.

It seems, then, that the amendment moved by Professor
Menzies to Harnack's interpretation is not of sufificient scope to
cover the difficult passages. In some respects it is a brilliant
suggestion, but it is inadequate. In one feature it is, I
believe, nearer to the truth than Harnack's own exposition, in
that it realised the traces of proselytism which are in the Odes.
These are hardly appreciated by Harnack. For example, he
passes very rapidly by the allusions to the Creation that does
not keep Sabbath (with its obvious consequence in the de-
sabbatizing of proselytes). Harnack has brushed this argument
on one side, too hastily as I think, and others have followed
him. His argument is as follows: the words 'do not keep
sabbath' in the illustrative sentence quoted from Justin haVe
nothing corresponding to them in the Ode ; and therefore an
anti-judaic polemic is not to be thought of. In fact the Ode is,
like others, of Jewish origin. Upon which I remark, that the
Sabbath is involved in the previous sentence that ' God rested
from all his works,' and therefore a definite Sabbatic reference
with regard to the motion of the luminaries was not required :
arid further there is no doubt that the reference to the motion of
Sun, Moon and Stars on the Sabbath day is one of the chief
anti-judaic arguments of the early Church. For example; take
Gregory of Nyssa, Testimonia adverstis Judaeos, 13, in a section
headed ■jrepi rov a-a^^ari^eiv and we find that the argument
against the Sabbath concludes with these words :

TTW? ^e ^X-to? KOI (TeXijvr) koi dcrrpa rov
capiafievov Spofiov i/creXei Kol tw aa^^drm ;

Xxii BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS

The. writer is using up earlier material in the shape of anti-
judaic testimonies : and the parallelism between this particular
testimony and the language of the sixteenth Ode is so striking
that we must convict the Ode of an anti-judaic tendency.

Harnack fails also, as I did to some extent myself, to
emphasise and interpret the repeated allusion to a circumcision
that was spiritual and not carnal. It is not sufficient in such a
connexion to say that circumcision of the heart is a common-
place of the Old Testament and of the prophets. Why does
the writer introduce it, not in the manner of exhortation,
but as a personal experience, unless he is speaking more
proselytoriini ? The ordinary Jewish mystic (supposing the
species to have been discovered) is not likely to break out
into song on this note.

Then the references made by the Odist to his being of
another race need a closer examination. In Ode 41 Harnack
isolates the remarkable passage contained in vv. 8 — 10, as an
interpolation; but while admitting that the passage reminds one
of the ' new creature in Christ ' of whom Paul speaks, he makes
the strange statement that the interpolator this time is a Jew.
This Jewish interpolator is followed by a Christian interpolator
in the passage from v. 12 to the end (' The Saviour who makes
alive and does not reject our souls, the man who was humbled '
&c.). It would surely have been simpler to admit that the
language was that of a proselyte, and not to make this fantastic
variation from the original Jewish author to a second Jewish
interpolator, followed in his turn by a Christian annotator. The
solution is too cumbrous to be the real one : but this must not
be allowed to prejudice our judgment in other cases, in which
the dissecting knife appears to be used with extraordinary skill.
Whatever the final judgment may be as to the value of Harnack's
solution, there can be no doubt that it is criticism of a very high
order.

I now turn to a third hypothesis, in some ways more
remarkable than either the doubtful one of Harnack or the
rejected one of -Menzies. In the Journal of Theological Shidies
for October 1910, Dean Bernard has launched the theory that
these Odes are not Jewish (whether mystic or proselyte) nor
Judaso-Christian, but sin^ply Christian ; that they are songs of

BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS xxili

newly-baptized persons, or proper to be sung over such, and
that they belong to a much later date than has been supposed.
Bernard suggests 1 50 A.D., which is the time to which Zahn and
others would refer them, but I gather from him privately that he
thinks this date too early, and is rather disposed to press the
close of the second century as their time of composition. In
some respects this solution has points of contact with Professor
Menzies, for Psalms of the Baptized is a Christian way of writing
Psalms of the Proselytes, in the period when baptism was adult
baptism, and in that sense every believer was a proselyte.
Bernard's hypothesis, however, sweeps away all that Harnack
has said on the subject, and a good deal of my own reasoning.
For it is clear that if the date be far on in the second century, all
references to a pre-Johannine school of Christian or of Jewish
thought may be swept on one side. At such a date the paral-
lelisms with St John are equivalent to quotations, and no other
explanation needs to be made of them. We are not likely to
find the missing link in the ancestry of St John's Gospel from a
Christian semi-liturgical book of songs at the end of the second
century.

What, then, are the reasons from which Dr Bernard proceeds ?
For it must be said at once that the case is argued with such
learning and force as to make the article to which we refer the
most remarkable that has yet appeared. The case is as follows.
Bernard points out that a number of striking passages in the
Odes can be at once illustrated from the early baptismal rituals.
For example, it seems certain that in the early Syrian Church
and in the closely associated Armenian Church, baptized persons
were arrayed in white robes, and crowns, or garlands, were
placed on their heads. The white raiment is well known, but
the crowns, which are not a feature of Western religion, as far as
it is known to us, have been lost sight of. It is these crowns,
according to Bernard, that are alluded to in such passages as
the first Ode, ' The Lord is on my head like a crown, and I shall
not be separated from Him.' The same figure recurs in the 5th,
9th, 17th and 20th Odes. The white garments are also exactly
parallelled by the allusions in the Odes to the putting on of
brightness or clothing oneself with light. In the Odes this
bright raiment is spoken of as an exchange for ' the coat of skin'
in the third chapter of Genesis ; and Dr Bernard shows that this
o. s. d

xxiv BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS

very allusion is found in the early descriptions of Baptism, as,
for instance, in the following passage from Jerome,

'Praeceptis Dei lavandi sumus, et cum, parati ad indumentum
Christi, tunicas pelliceas deposueriraus, tunc induemur veste linea,
nihil in se mortis habente, sed tota Candida.' (Ep. ad Fabiolam,
LXIV. 20.)

Dr Bernard goes on to argue that the Odes also contemplate
Baptism when they refer to the ' Seal ' on the one hand, and to
the ' Living Water ' on the other. With regard to the ' Seal,'
Dr Bernard thinks he has a less strong case for identification
with Baptism than with regard to the ' Living Water.' I think
he entirely underestimates the value of his own argument, when
he says that the references to the Seal are ' few in number, and
their meaning is not as clear as is that of the Living Water.'
The history of the ' Seal ' is obscure, nor can it easily be said
when it passed from being a mark of ownership to a sacramental
sign, but that it did become a talisman is certain, and there
is much to be said for the belief that this talismanic virtue
of baptism is reflected upon the language of the Odes. For
example, in the Acis of Paul and Thecla the talismanic force of
baptism is implied in Thecla's words to Paul, ' Give me only the
sign of God, and no temptation shall touch me.' But this is
exactly parallel to Ode 4. 7, 8,

' Who is there that shall put on thy grace and be hurt ? For
thy seal is known &c.'

Another curious illustration may be taken from Cyprian's
Testimonia (il. 10) where Cyprian explains that Goliath was
killed by a blow on his forehead because his head had riot been
sealed. ' By this seal we also are always safe and live^!

There is, therefore, much to be said for Dr Bernard's conten-
tion that the ' seal ' in the Odes does sometimes refer to baptism
even if it should not turn out to be always used in this sense

But it is just at this point that the difficulty of the inter-
pretation lies : while it may be freely granted that the ascription
of talismanic virtue to the waters of baptism is early, and that it
becomes almost universal (as may be seen by its prevalence even
to the present day), it must not be overlooked that the Seal and its
talismanic value are also both pre-Christian. We need only tu
V See also a similai; reference from Lagtantius on p. 8<j infra.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS XXV

to the Psaims of Solomon in support of this statement. Thus in
Psalms of Solomon. XV. 8, we are told that 'the sign of the Lord
i§ upon the righteous for their salvation' ; and in the same way
in XV. lo, 'the mark of perdition is upon the forehead (of sinners).'
Granted that this may be based on the signing and sealing in
the ninth chapter of Ezekiel, it is nevertheless clear that Ezekiel
could be interpreted, and actually was interpreted, mystically
before Christian baptism was even thought of. We must there-
fore be on our guard against reading back a late baptismal
gnosis into early Christian or Jewish records.

An even more remarkable case for the need of caution occurs
in Bernard's identification of the dragon with seven heads in
Ode 22. 5. This dragon is supposed to be latent in the waters
of baptism, as originally in the river Jordan, according to a
passage in Job (xi. 18) where Leviathan will take the Jordan
into his mouth; Bernard quotes appropriately from Cyril of
Jerusalem, Cateckeses iii. 1 1 :

hpdKwv r^v iv Tot? iiBacri Kara tov 'ico/3, o Se^^o/teros
Toy ^lopSdvTjv iv rw aTOfian avTOv.

To the various allusions to this dragon who lurks in the
midst of the waters which Bernard collects from the Eastern
Baptismal rituals, I add the following passage of Bar Salibi from
his commentary on Matthew':

' Baptizatus est...ut confringeret caput draconis spiritalis qui in
aquis reptabat, quem etiam olim immersit per Pharaonem.'

Here is again the dragon lurking in the water of Jordan whose
head is broken when Christ is baptized : and I find that Bar
Salibi has taken this passage from an earlier Syriac writer,
Moses Bar Kepha; for in a MS. of that writer in my possession,
in which the meaning of baptism is discussed, there occurs the
following passage :

.rtlnsacuao rCl=>ax=> r^-»^^X ^_A^tS1

i.e. ' And again, it was in order that he might bruise, the htad
of the spiritual dragon because he lurked in the waters: in the

' /.c.in trans, p. 98.

Xxyi BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS

same way as erst he typically drowned that dragon, by means of
Pharaoh the Egyptian, in the Red Sea.' In this way Bernard's
•argument is re-ihforced, so far as the belief is affirmed (especially
the belief of Oriental Christians) that the devil lurks in the
waters of baptisiti, and requires to have his head broken (i) by
Christ, (ii) by the insufflation and chrism of the water.

But here again caution would be wise ; for the dragon with
seven heads is not a Christian conception arrived at by applying
baptismal gnosis to the Old Testament; we see him again
in the Psalms of Solomon, where by almost every critic he is
recognised as the equivalent of Pompey and not of the devil or
his counterpart the Leviathan of Job : he appears also in the
Apocalypse certainly at a time anterior to the development of
any. baptismal gnosis : and when we look more closely at the
language of the twenty-second Ode, we get quite a different kind
of dragon from the mystical one of Bernard {Draco aqiiatilis
Bernardi). He is indeed a water-snake ; but his nearest zoologi-
cal representative lies in quite another direction than the book
of Job or even the ninety-first Psalm. For this dragon has a
wicked poison which has to be eliminated, and when his heads
have been broken, the roots have to be destroyed. So it is a bona
fide hydra which is in the imagination of the Odist. One has
only to recall the story of Hercules and the Lernaean Hydra,
the battle with the hydra-heads, the searing of the roots, and the
lavages wrought by the poison of the creature, to make it a fair
suggestion that Bernard has mistaken the species, and that what
he saw was really a Hydra spiritalis Harrisii, an older form
zoologically than the ecclesiastical specimen to which Dr Bernard
introduced us. The baptismal metaphors may turn out to have
been borrowed from an earlier stratum of Christian thought, as
well as from the Old Testament.

Perhaps the most striking of Dr Bernard's illustrations will
be found in . the quotations which he brings to bear on the
obscurities at the beginning of the 24th Ode, where the abysses
cry out with terror at the Baptism of the Lord. Dr Bernard
observes that ' all Eastern Baptismal rites bring in the idea that
the waters were terrified at the coming of Christ for Baptism.'
The Scriptural basis for this belief is Ps. Ixvii. 17, 18, 'The
waters saw thee and were afraid, the abysses were troubled.'
Bernard gives many striking patristic and liturgical parallels

BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS ixxvii

for these beliefs ; and, taken all together, they make a very
strong impression. His whole argument must be carefully
studied. I have only tcJuched on a few points in the briefest
manner.

If it should turn out that there is good ground for Dr Bernard's
contention, the whole question of the date will have to be re-
considered, and, in part, the history of the baptismal rite will have
to be re-written. It will not follow, even then, that the date of the
Odes is as late as Dr Bernard suggests. Take, for instance, the
single point, which he so forcibly expounds, that the baptized
in early ritual wore crowns. A reference to Hermas will show
that there was a controversy in the early Church of the West
as to whether baptized people should be crowned or not, and
it is decided in the negative, because the crown belongs properly
to the Martyrs. Thus in Similitude VIII (the great willow) the
angel gives slips of willow to be planted by the believers, and
scrutinizes the result of the planting. Those who put forth
shoots and bring forth fruit are crowned with garlands of palm.
Those who put forth shoots without fruit are not crowned ; but
all alike have the white raiment and the seal. The meaning
of this is that all baptized people are not crowned ; the crown
belongs to the martyrs, ' those who have wrestled with the
devil and overcome him.' And the suggestion arises that the
garlanding of baptized people which Dr Bernard detects in the
Eastern rituals was' discontinued in the West at a very early
period, or never definitely adopted.

Something of the same kind goes on with regard to another
form of honour. The Odist speaks of becoming one of the men
on the right hand, whatever may be covered by that term (cf
Ode 19, ' They who receive in its fulness are the ones on the right
hand '). And in the Visions of Hermas we have a scene in which
he wishes to sit at the right hand of the Church, but is refused that
position, because that place belongs to those who have actually
suffered for the name. So Hermas (see the account in Vis. Ill)
has to. sit on the left hand. It seems clear that there'has been
a transfer of some kind of honour from the ordinary believers to
the Martyrs. The case is like the previous one.

I should not, therefore, be surprised to find that Bernard's
case for a late dating of the Odes will have, even from his own
point of view, to be revised. He will certainly be in diflficulties;

xxviii BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS

over the interpretation of the references to the Sanctuary in the
fourth Ode, which are too definite and too Jewish to be got rid
of. Perhaps we shall see more clearly the essential Judaism
of this Ode, if we examine a little more closely the proof of the
unchangeableness of the Sanctuary which the Rabbis deduce
from Exod. xv. 17. We shall be able to show that this passage
of Exodus was actually in the mind of the writer, and that he
is commenting on the following sequence :

eiaayaycoi/ KaTai^vrevcrov avTovi 649 6/30? K\r]povofj,i.a<; aov.
et? erobfJLOV KarotKrjTijpiov aov o KaTrjpTiO'co, K.vpie.
dyiaafia, K-vpie, rjToifjLaa-av ai ')(eipi<; aov.
K-vpioii ^aaiKevfov tov alwva Koi eV alwva Koi en.

Let us see how Philo would comment on this passage :
the treatise De Plantatione § 47 sqq. introduces the text as
above : he begins with an explanation in terms of the Stoic
philosophy, that the highest life is that which is in accordance
with nature and that this is what is meant by being planted in
the mountain of the Lord's inheritance. He then reverts from
his philosophical speculations to the earlier doctrine that the
sanctuary was made, as a reflexion from holy things, an imita-
tion of an archetype ; after which he continues as follows :

' But in order that no one should suppose that the Creator
has need of any of the things that are made, he subjoins the
following most necessary addition, " Reigning for eternity and
beyond eternity," for a king is in need of no one, but his subjects
are in everything in need of him ! '

It will be seen that this at once explains why the Ode which
began with ' No man changeth thy holy place,' should go on with
' Thou hast given us thy fellowship, it was not that thou wast in
need of us, but that we are in need of thee.'

Philo and the Odist are both working over the same Rab-
binical gnosis on the fifteenth chapter of Exodus. And it is
from the Jewish side of Philo's mind and not from the
Hellenistic and philosophical, that the parallel is made. We
see, then, that it is right to ascribe a Jewish background to the
fourth Ode. In fact, the weak point of Bernard's argument lies
just there, that the Jewish background of the Odes is too patent
to. be neglected. The ultimate origin of the coats of light in
place of coat's of skin must be Jewish ; the mere allegorisatibn

BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS xxix

of Genesis by Christian hands is insufficient to explain a belief
which, as I have shown, can be illustrated from the great Jewish
and leading Gnostic teachers, and is perpetuated in the Kabbala
and in folk-lore. A Christian allegorisation of Genesis cannot be
responsible for all this. At the same time, it is well known that
all the early Christian teachers used up Genesis by the way of
gnosis and allegory in their teachings of redemption by Christ.

In this way it will be seen that Jewish expositions are
necessary to the right understanding of the references to the
unchangeable sanctuary, whatever meaning be attached to it :
even if a reference to Jerusalem's fortunes be denied or to any
other temple, the explanation of the fixity of the sanctuary is
to be sought in Jewish writers, as I think I have pointed out.

While I am writing on this point a remarkable confirmation
comes to light of the early belief in the pre-existence of the
Sanctuary at Jerusalem, and its consequent inviolability, which
I hold to underlie the language of the opening verses of the
fourth Ode. In an odd quarter, too, the evidence allLided to
riiakes its appearance. The last number of vi«//^n?/(3i' (Heft i.
iQii) contains an account by the Carmelite father Anastase
Marie, of Bagdad, of his recovery of the sacred books of the
Yezidees from their hiding place in the mountain of ^injar, in
the Mesopotamian plane between Mosul and Aleppo, about due
south from Mardin. These Yezidees, commonly known as devil-
worshippers, appear to have been originally devoted to the wor-
ship of the Demiurgos as against that of the true God, and
they represent the survival of an early Oriental sect, perhaps of
Jewish origin. For however much they may disown the Jews
in these newly-found documents, and affirm their racial priority
to them, it is clear that they believed in the pre-existence of
Jerusalem, as the following passage will show:

Yezidi Black-book {Anihropos I.e. p. 37) :

XVII. ' The Lord then descended to Jerusalem, and ordered
Gabriel to bring a little earth from the four cardinal points of the
earth^. He did so. To this earth he added air, fire and water,
and thus created the first man. He gave him a soul, taken from
his own almightiness. He ordered Gabriel to put Adam in Para-
dise, etc'
' Which four points are, according to early Fathers, latent in the four letters of
the name of Adam.

XXX BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS

Here the pre-existence of Jerusalem to the creation of man
is clearly involved. We have an excellent parallel to the
doctrine that ' thy holy place thou didst design before thou didst
make (other) places'.'

All of this makes a late date impossible, nor will the position
of honour given to the Odes in the Pistis Sophia be explicable,
unless the early date of the Odes be conceded, or unless
Dr Bernard succeeds in lowering the date of the Pistis Sophia
as well as that of the Odes.

I have stated Bernard's case rapidly, with inevitable omission
of many of his striking parallels and illustrations, and without
trying to break the force of his criticism by drawing attention
to its exaggerations. Dr Bernard does not seem to be aware
(or was not aware, until I drew his attention to it) that his case
had been anticipated. In a series of articles published in Die
Reformation Dr Diettrich had anticipated Bernard in detecting
references to baptismal customs and had equally anticipated
Harnack in the assumption of a Jewish background for the
Odes. In the first of the series of articles, published as far back
as May 1910, Diettrich held that the later stratum was definitely
Christian and the earlier was Essene ; but, after the first article
was out, he had read Harnack's criticisms and. reviewed the
whole matter more closely, coming to the conclusion that the
later Odist was not an orthodox Christian but that he belonged
to a little-known group of Eastern heretics whom Diettrich
proposed to identify. It is unfortunate that the separate articles
appeared in such an out-of-the-way corner, and that they were
too summarily set aside as fantastic by those German critics
who read them. Diettrich had the advantage, from his studies
on the Nestorian Baptismal Liturgy, of recognizing any parallels
that might exist between the Odes and the Ritual, just as
Bernard was helped by Conybeare's publication of the Ritual
of the Armenians. Moreover, his excellent Syriac scholarship
contributes frequently to the right understanding of the meaning
of some difficult passages. Whether Bernard and Diettrich have
reached the final explanation of the parallels between the Odes
and the Eastern Rituals is the matter that has now to be
decided. In a recent criticism in the Theol. Tijdschrift Mr Lake

1 Is it possible that the original language of the Ode was ' thy holy place thou
didst design before thou madest man ' ?

BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS XXXl

has thrown out, independently, the same suggestion as Diettrich
and Bernard, that the Odes are not a case of ' Mystic' but of
' Sacramental Mystic ' ; that is the problem that at present is
before us. The remaining question, after this problem is solved,
will be the residual Judaism of the Odes. If Bernard is right
that the Odes are all Christian, and late as well as Christian, the
Jewish background has to be denied or explained away: if
Diettrich is right that the Odes are strongly coloured by
Essenism, then much of Bernard's argument will be weakened ;
the ' white robes ' in which the singer is assumed to be clad, will
be Essene drapery, and the songs before sunrise, which Bernard
refers to the Easter baptisms, will be illustrated from the well-
known solar adorations of the ascetics of the Jordan valley and
the Dead Sea. I reserve my own judgment as to whether such
explanations are at all required. They may all be vitiated by
over-subtlety. I do not, however, wish to spoil so interesting a
debate by summing it up prematurely.

Of the many other tracts and discussions which have
hitherto appeared, it must suffice to refer briefly to two or
three.

The revision of the Syriac text by Schulthess in Preuschen's
Zeitschrift is excellent, and contains some of the best things
that have been said linguistically and with reference to the
translation. I am pleased to find that, while recognizing the
excellence of Flemming's translation (as I myself am forward
to do) he points out that my renderings are not always to be
rejected for Flemming's. Some of the differences between us
were due to unfortunate misprints or transcriptions, which I
have done my best to remove in the present edition. With
Schulthess should be taken the valuable reviews of my book
and of Harnack's by Wellhausen in the Gottingische gelehrte
Anzeigen for September 1910. As was to be expected, the
criticism of the text is searching and the interpretations pro-
posed are acute. W. will not allow that the Odes are Jewish ;
even the reference to the unchangeable sanctuary is to be
treated as ideal, and the Odes furnish no definite historical date.
They know nothing of the Law, but only of the yoke of Love.
Their idea of God is as un-Jewish as possible ; the initiation
by circumcision is replaced by that through the Spirit. The
community to which the writer belongs is grounded on inward,

O.S.

XXxii BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS

rather than outward, fellowship. The transitions in the Odes
from the speaking believer to the speaking Christ are illustrated
by Bacchic parallels. While the Odes are as little to be classed
as Gnostic as the Fourth Gospel itself, they show some Gnostic
tendencies, and W. suggests that we might compare the Mandaean
hymns, which I have not yet been able to do.

A number of other criticisms lie before me. In the same
number of Preuschen's Zeitschrift to which I have referred for
Schulthess' discussion of the text of the Odes, there will be found
an article by Spitta (one of several which he has written), in
which, according to his metier, he dissects the Odes into Jewish
and Christian elements, and arrives independently at conclusions
not differing very widely from those of Harnack. This is
followed by a very interesting article by Gunkel, who discards
Harnack's hypothesis in favour of a reference to a heretical
Christian sect, to which there was a secret initiation, as betrayed
by the language of Ode 8, which Bernard explains by the
theory oi disciplina arcani. Finally Preuschen himself promises
to prove that the Odes are the work of the great Gnostical Mystic
Valentinus. It is not difficult to imagine some of the arguments
that will be brought forward. It is clear that it will be some
time before these investigations are concluded and the final
grains of truth gathered from the miscellaneous heap of opinions.

Meanwhile, we ought not to lose sight of the spiritual value
of the recovered document, which cannot be seriously affected
by the variety of the solutions that may be offered as to the
time and place of its production. Dr A. C. Headlam's article
in the Church Quarterly Review, which has just come to my
hands, expresses this duty, in a very able and sympathetic
discussion.

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE ON RECENT
CRITICISMS.

In the pages that precede I have attempted to give some
view of the critical debate that has been in progress with regard
to the right interpretation and correct chronology of the Odes.
It has been difficult to obtain a correct representation of what is
really a moving picture. As I left the matter in the foregoing
summary Dr A. C. Headlam's article in the Church Quarterly
Review had just appeared and had delighted me by its apprecia-
tion of the spiritual value of my book of songs, and by its just
handling of many of the points that had to be decided. It also
seemed to me to be very judicious in its estimate of what one
may call the Baptismal Parallels of Dean Bernard, for while
recognising much that was forcible in the criticism, Headlam
also suggested that the elevated tone of the writer's experience
implied a certain priority over the highly evolved Gnosis to
which Bernard drew attention. The baptismal cult was, in fact,
reposing upon an earlier stratum, and there was no need to
chronologically- depress the Odes to the level, say, of the
Nestorian Liturgy, As the Odes themselves would say,
"That which is earlier shall not be changed by those that
are younger than itself." Dr Headlam's actual language is as
follows : f

" The writer of the Odes is thinking primarily of th'e new life
he is expenencing and not of Baptism. No doubt he had been
baptized. No doubt Baptism may have provided language to'
express his own spiritual experience, but it is not of Baptism that
he is thinking. Further, in some cases this reference to Baptism isi
forced and unreal. It would be far truer to say that language
which is here as elsewhere used of the Christian life as a whole
was quite naturally introduced into baptismal services and songs
and so obtained a specialized. use. This particular development of
' his theory on which Dr Bernard insists is probably more than^
doubtful."

xxxiv SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE ON RECENT CRITICISMS

There has also just reached me an article by S. Reinach in
the Revue de I'Histoire les Religions {Annales du Musee Giiimet)
for 1910, in which there is contained a brilliant survey of the
question of the Odes, expressed with the acuteness and insight
that one would naturally expect from such a quarter. I have
no wish to re-analyse the analysis of M. Reinach, but there is
one passage in which he appears to say something like what we
just now quoted from Headlam. On p. 15 of the reprinted
article which M. Reinach has kindly sent me, after discussing
Bernard's hypothesis in detail, he says :

"Dans I'hypothese oil les Odes de Salomon auraient etd
adoptees par I'Eglise chrdtienne, ou par telle partie judaisante
de cette Eglise, on comprendrait que cette litt^rature dont le
merite n'est pas mediocre, etit exerce de I'influence sur le langage
metaphorique usite pour le sacrement de bapteme."

If I understand this rightly, it runs parallel to Dr Headlam's
suggestion, but at the same time runs farther, into the terra
incognita of the history of baptismal symbols, and into a branch
of literature that corresponds to it, and is itself equally unknown.
M. Reinach does not commit himself to any definite position,
but makes a half promise that when the translators have come
to some closer agreement as to the rendering, and the inter-
preters are a little nearer to one another and to the meaning, he
may return to the subject again. As far as 1 am concerned, he
will be sure of a hearty welcome.

It is clear that M. Reinach is right that we have to go
a good way in the acceptance of the Bernard parallels ("les
ressemblances si ing^nieusement signal^es"). Accordingly I
pick up the threads of the argument again, and turn once more
to the loom..

It was suggested a little way back that the treatment of the
dragon with seven heads was too exclusively made from the
standpoint of the Baptismal ritual, and that there was in the
figure a pre-Christian origin (as shown by the Psalms of
Solomon) and perhaps a pagan parallel of great antiquity, for
which the closest correspondence would be found in the Lernaean
Hydra of Hercules. This, at all events, helped us to explain
the, destruction of the wicked poison of the dragon, and of his
roots. Thus there would be more dragons involved than the

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE ON RECENT CRITICISMS ' XXXV

Leviathan who would swallow up the Jordan, or the Pharaoh
who pursues the Israelites in the Red Sea.

To be quite fair td Bernard's hypothesis, we will show that
the virus of the dragon in the midst of the waters was actually
exorcised in the watiers of baptism, according to early Christian
belief, and we shall also suggest that the dragon in the Jordan
still exists in the local folk-lore.

For the first of these points it is sufficient to refer to Cyprian
Ep. Ixviii (Hartel, p. 764), where Cyprian says definitely :

" diaboli nequitiam pertinacem usque ad aquam salutarem
ualere, in baptismo autem omne nequitiae suae uirus amittere, quod
exemplum cernimus in rege Pharaone " :

here we have the baptismal parallel to the language of Ode 22
" Thy right hand destroyed his wicked poison." Cyprian con-
tinues with the argument that serpents and dragons lose their
poison when they pass from dry places into waters :

" nam si scorpii et serpentes qui in sicco praeualent, in aquam
praecipitati praeualere possunt sua uenena retinere, possunt et
spiritus nequam, qui scorpii et serpentes appellantur et tamen per
nos data a Domino potestate calcantur, permanere ultra in hominis
corpore, in quo baptizato et sanctificato incipit spiritus sanctus
habitare."

Perhaps this contribution to the history of the virus of the
dragon may not be unacceptable to Dr Bernard.

The second point, as to the existence of a folk-lore belief in
the dragon that lurks in the Jordan, was gathered from my
own experience. I was one day, when travelling in the East,
planning to rid myself of the discomforts of travel by a bath in
the Jordan, the river being at that time in flood. It was certainly
a dangerous experiment, even for a good swimmer, and I was
deterred from it by the natives who used, amongst other more
valid arguments, the statement that there was a whale in the
waters into which I proposed to plunge. The whale was, of
course, the Biblical tartnin (Arabic tinm), and can be equated
with serpent or dragon or sea-monster. The Palestinian folk-lore,
therefore, retains the belief that there is a dragon in the Jordan.
I have no means of deciding whether this belief is older, or
younger than the belief of the baptismal rituals : but it .should
certainly be connected with it.

XXXvi SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE ON RECENT CRITICISMS

In order to test Bernard's hypothesis more closely, for the
value of a hypothesis depends on the number of things it
explains, I propose to try whether it will help us to understand
the very difficult thirty-eighth Ode.

The opening of this perplexing and discontinuous Ode has
perplexity and discontinuity of its own :

"I went up into the light of truth as if mto a chariot:
And the truth took me and led me and guided me across pits

and gulleys :
And from the rocks and the waves it preserved me :
And it became to me a haven of salvation."

Here we have a chariot flying across pits and ravines, after
which we have, what is not usual in chariot riding, the risk of
rocks and waves, and finally the chariot arrives — in harbour.
This is perplexing. Is it impossible that the chariot can be
a .ship ?

The Syriac word (markeba) which we have translated
" chariot " does sometimes mean "ship," as the lexicons will
show (v. Payne Smith ad voc). This rendering is probably
due to Arabic influence, for in Arabic markab means inter alia
a ship (as a reference to the story of Sindbad the Sailor will
show). Perhaps the Odes have been translated into Syriac at
a later age than the. golden age of Syriac literature, and then
the word we are discussing is an Arabism. Let us, then,
translate it as ship. We are now on the way to the rocks and
waves and haven at the close of the passage. The " pits and
ravines " must now be marine and not terrene : they are the
gaping and yawning depths of the sea sailed over : so we
translate :

" I went up into the light of Truth, as into a ship :
And the Truth took me and led me and guided me over the

hollows and yawning depths (of the sea) :
From the rocks and the waves it preserved me :
And it became to me a haven of salvation."

That is certainly much more reasonable than going to sea in
a chariot. The perplexity and discontinuity of the opening is
gone.

But what is the ship ? Does he mean the Ark ? If so, we
are again in contact with a baptismal symbol, for the. earliest

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE ON RECENT CRITICISMS XXXVll

figure borrowed from the Old Testament to illustrate baptism is
the Ark of Noah, in which few, that is eight, souls were saved
by water (i Pet. iii. 20). And Justin carries on the argument by
quoting {Dial. 138) a passage which he says comes from Isaiah,
to the effect that God says to Jerusalem, " At the flood of Noah
I saved thee " : and this mystery of human salvation took place
at the flood, says Justin. We should, therefore, naturally expect
that a person who is writing a book of baptismal hymns would
not neglect the typology of the Ark of the Flood.

But here also the difficulty will be felt that the mode of
criticism is perilously near the line of over-subtlety and unre-
strained imagination. A poet who was working up baptismal
symbols would probably not neglect Noah's Ark, but would he
express himself so obscurely? and would the "disciplina arcani"
cover such obscurity ? Perhaps Dr Bernard will tell us when he
writes next on the subject.

CORRFXTION
P. 121,1. 33, for See Preface to this edition read See above, pp. xxv sq.

INTRODUCTION

The present volume contains an important addition to our
knowledge of the literature which immediately anticipates or
directly follows the time of Christ. It contains, on the one
hand, a hitherto unknown version of the Psalms of Solomon,
a collection which has often been studied, from the standpoints
both of the higher and lower criticism, and which is, by common
consent, referred to the middle of the first century B.C. ; and on
the other hand it presents a new collection which I have called,
for the sake of distinction, and in harmony with the references
in ancient writers, by the name of the Odes of Solomon ; they
are here edited and translated from a Syriac MS. in my own
possession : and it will probably be no rash prediction to say that
their value and antiquity will be at once recognized by students
and critics, and that they will be assigned, either wholly or in
part, to the first century of the Christian era. The reasons for
this belief will appear presently, but, apart altogether from the
question of a half-century more or less In the dating of a
document, it lies outside controversy that the new Odes are
marked by a vigour and exaltation of spiritual life, and
a mystical insight, to which we can only find parallels in the
most illuminated periods of the history of the Church. They
differ, in this respect, by the whole breadth of the firmament,
from the extant Psalms of Solomon, with which they are
associated in our MS. In these there is little originality, and
not much hope : the hard experiences through which Jerusalem
passed at the hands of the Romans in the Invasion of Pompey
have left a gloom over the sky even in the moments of temporary
relief and in the time of exultation over the fall of the great
oppressor: what life and light there is may be traced to the
severe morality of the traditional Pharisees, and to the Messianic
hopes for whose development their times of affliction were the
appropriate and necessary nidus; and so far are they from

o. s. I

2 INTRODUCTION

religious originality in the expression of personal or national
experience, that many of the Psalms in question are little more
than centos and expansions from the canonical Hebrew Psalter.
In the Odes, on the other hand, we have few quotations or
adaptations from previous writings, whether Jewish or Christian ;
there is little that can be traced to the Old Testament, almost
nothing that is to be credited to the Gospels or other branches
of the Christian literature. Their radiance is no reflection from
the illumination of other days : their inspiration is first-hand
and immediate ; it answers very well to the summary which
Aristides made of the life of the early Christian Church when
he described them as indeed ' a new people with whom some-
thing Divine is mingled.' They are thus altogether distinct
from the extant Psalms of Solomon which are bound up with
them in our MS. Whatever we may have to say of these latter
is limited to the interest which arises in the discovery of an
Eastern Version of a book whose Greek text is peculiarly difficult
to edit, and whose original Hebrew text has altogether dis-
appeared. We shall show that the new Syriac version is itself
a translation of the Greek ; we shall point out in what ways, if
any, it serves to the betterment of the Greek text, and whether
it gives any assistance to the detection of the lost Hebrew text.

Our chief interest, however, will be with the Odes. We
shall discuss the quotations and fragments of these which are
found in early Christian writers : we shall try to determine the
limits of time within which the composition of the Odes must
lie, as well as the locality or Church from which they emanate :
we shall try to find out also how they became attached to the
Psalms, and whether they were originally composed in Greek ;
and we shall add a brief comrtientary and notes to the Odes as
translated. In this way we hope to clear up some perplexities
in the historical tradition, while leaving, no doubt, a number of
unsolved problems to those who shall follow after us.

The MS. from which our texts come is a paper one of quite
The Syriac ^ late period : its age may be between three and
■^s. four hundred years: but as it is imperfect both at

the beginning and ending, and so has lost both its preface and
colophon, we cannot tell how it was described by the person
who made the copy, nor can we say anything definite about the
date. It has been lying on my shelves for some time, perhaps

DESCRIPTION OF MS. 3

for as long as two years, along with a heap of leaves from various
Syriac MSS. written on paper, which came from the neighbour-
hood of the Tigris. In spite of its relatively late date, the text
is a good one : it is carefully, if somewhat coarsely written, and
is furnished with occasional vowels in the Nestorian manner, to
which there have been added, probably by a later hand, sundry
Greek vowels in the Jacobite manner. As we have said it is
incomplete both at the beginning and the end : we can, however,
make out pretty clearly what the original MS. was like.

The book is arranged in quires of ten leaves : of the first
quire three leaves are missing: these three leaves contained the
first and second Odes and the beginning of the third Ode. The
Odes then run continuously till the fourth quire, where they
stop on the verso of the fourth leaf: thus the Odes occupy
roughly thirty-four leaves. Then the extant Psalms begin :
they occupy the remaining six leaves of the fourth quire (say
six leaves plus), the fifth quire, and the sixth quire, of which the
last leaf is gor\e,flus whatever was needed to complete the book
from a seventh quire : and since the extant portion of the Psalms
in our Syriac MS. takes us up to Ps. xvii. 38 there is not much
to add from a seventh quire. Suppose we say that the Psalms
occupied twenty-six leaves, and that three more leaves are
required to complete the text, we have then approximately

Odes = 34 leaves

Psalms = 28 leaves

or Psalms and Odes = 62 leaves'-

Now let us turn to the accounts given us by ancient writers
Psalms of the extent of the books in question : first of all

and Odes ^g know that the 18 Psalms of Solomon once

compared. , • , r^

stood m the great Codex Alexandrinus : for in
the index to the MS. we find as follows:

'ATroKd\vy^i<i 'laavvov
KXrifievTOf l-rrt.cTToX.ri a
KXj^/iei'TOs iirt(TTo\rj
I ofiov ^i^Xia —
'^aXfiol "2,0X0 fx.wvro'i or]'.

^ I have made a slight correction here, following Harnack's estimate of the missing
matter.

4 INTRODUCTION

Here the eighteen Psalms stand just outside the accepted
Christian books of the N.T., in the very penumbra of canonicity.
Next turn to the Synopsis Sanctae Scripturae which passes
under the fi'ame of Athanasius : here we find as follows, after
the enumeration of the Antilegomena of the Old Testament :

avv eKeivoi<; Be Koi ravra ■>]pi,dfjLrivTat.'
MaKKa^aiKa ^i^Xia S'
YlToXefxalKci
"^aXfiol Kal (phrj [1. coSai.]' ^o\ofji,u)VTO<;

Zwcravva.

\

Here we find the Psalms in the company of the Odes, and
forming a part of the disputed writings of the Old Testament :
from the supplementary manner in which they are introduced,
following an unknown book on Egyptian history, we may
perhaps describe their position as the penumbra of uncanon-
icity, or, rather of deuterocanonicity. The Psalms and Odes
are here (say in the sixth century) definitely grouped together.

Next take the Stichometry of Nicephorus, the Patriarch of
Constantinople in the beginning of the ninth century : here we
find as follows :

1. Three books of Maccabees.

2. The Wisdom of Solomon.

3. Ecclesiasticus.

4. The Psalms and Odes of Solomon, containing 2100

verses (o-rt'^ot ,^p').

5. Esther.

6. Judith.

7. Susanna.

8. Tobit.

Here we find our two books again grouped together, and
very well placed amongst the Apocrypha of the Old Testarnent :
they do not seem to have lost any dignity between the sixth
and ninth centuries ; and they have been carefully measured
after the manner of books which are likely to be transcribed
and whose contents must therefore be estimated on some
recognized scale.

1 Zahn tries to justify the singular, by reference to the LXX. of i K. viii. 53 oi)k
Idoi aSrri yiypaTTTixi, iv /3l;8^i((; rij^ ifSris;

STICHOMETRY OF THE ODES S

In the same connexion we have a list of books which is
found attached to the Quaestiones et Responsiones of Anastasius
the Sinaite, and is commonly known as the Catalogue of the
Sixty Books. After the sixty canonical books, we have a list
of nine deuterocanonical books, and then a list of twenty-five
definitely apocryphal writings ; amongst these last we find

8. AvaXrjyjrci Mwiitreo)?.

10. HXlov dTroKaXvyfrit. etc.

Here we cannot be certain whether Psalms means Psalms
and Odes, nor is any estimate made of the extent of the
composition. The book is not in such good company as it is
in the Catalogue of Nicephorus.

Assuming the correctness of the statement that the Odes
and Psalms contain 2100 verses, let us now turn

Stichometry. '

to the Greek texts of the eighteen Psalms, and see
what the scribes say about their compass. The Vatican MS.
(Cod. R of Gebhardt's edition of the Psalm^) says that the book

contains o-xt ■yjrv' : the Copenhagen MS. (Cod. H) says e-Tn] ,a ;
and the Paris MS. (Cod. P) says eTrrj TpoaKovra. Here, as
Gebhardt says. Cod. P has misread ^ as A' ; so we have two
statements as to the length of the book. One statement says
verses, the other verses of Homer, but since that is what verses
mean in a stichometric reckoning, there is no discrepancy
here except in the numbers. If we imagine that the scribe
of Cod. R has misread the sign for 900, ~^, as i/r, we haye
950 verses for R, which agrees closely with the reckoning in
Cod. H. Suppose we say then that the 18 Psalms equal 950
verses. But then we are told by Nicephorus that the Psalms
and Odes together make 2100 verses : we have then the ratio of
Odes to Psalms 1150 to 950 or 23 to 19. Our estimate of the
relative lengths in the Syriac was 34 to 28 or 17 to 14. The
former estimate is 121 to i, the latter 1-21 to i, which is so
exact as to make the verification that our new Odes are those
of which Nicephorus and the other Canonists speak, so far as
statistics can make the demonstration.

It will be observed that Nicephorus has divided the Solomonic
literature into two parts, the Canonical books, viz. : Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes and Canticles, and the Antilegomena which include

6 INTRODUCTION

the Wisdom of Solomon, perhaps Ecclesiasticus, and the Psalms
and Odes of Solomon ; that is, there are three canonical books
of Solomon, and at least two sub-canonical books. We put
it in that way, because there is evidence in some quarters
that Ecclesiasticus was also reckoned amongst the books of
Solomon. If, however, it is not so reckoned, we have five books
of Solomon.

Now let us turn to the Cheltenham Stichometry as published
by Mommsen^-

Here we have the Solomonic writings introduced as follows :

Psalmi David CLI. ver. V.

Salomonis ver. v D.

profetas maiores ver. XVI. CCCLXX. numero IIII.

This is a little perplexing ; at first sight it seems as if the

Cheltenham list had only one book of Solomon,

The five qj. several books reckoned as one, and that the

eiTchurch. total extent of this book or books is 5500 verses.

But, as Preuschen^ has suggested, the real reckoning

for Solomon has got into the next line, and we should read

Salomonis lib. V. ver. vTT. cccxx.
profetas maiores numero IIII.

If this restoration be correct, we should have the Cheltenham
list in evidence for five books of Solomon, but without any clue
to the identification of the five books, or any means of compari-
son with the stichometry of the Psalms and Odes as given by
Nicephorus.

Now, that Preuschen is correct as regards the numbers may
be seen from the fact that the figure 7320 agrees with the count

which we find in Vulgate MSS.^

For here w

Proverbs

1740 verses

Ecclesiastes

800

Canticles

280

Wisdom

1 700 „

Ecclesiasticus

2800 „

Total

7320

' Mommsen, Zur laleinischen Stichometrie in Hermes, Bd xxi. pp. 142 — igfi.
Cf. Saaday in Sliidia Biblica-, iii. pp. 217 — 303.

^ Preusclien, Analecta, p. 138 ff. ^ Sanday, I.e. p. 266.

THE ODES AND THE CANON 7

This justifies Preuschen's restoration, and shows that five
books of Solomon were reckoned amongst the Canonical and
deuterocanonical books, but the Psalms and Odes of Solomon
are not amongst the five. For our purposes, therefore, we may
dismiss the Cheltenham catalogue. The date of this catalogue
is soon after A.D. 359, and it is North African in origin : we may
say that at this date the Psalms of Solomon were not recognized
in Carthage.

The very same thing follows from the consideration of the
list of Canonical Scriptures contained in the Acts of the
Council of Carthage in 397, for the entry in the list of Canonical
Books,

Salomonis libri quinque
can hardly be referred to any other grouping than that which
we have already described. The tradition of the Church is
steady that there are five books of Solomon. Thus we find in
Innocentius, writing at the beginning of the fifth century,

'prophetarum libri sexdecim, Salomo7tis libri quinque,
Psalterium\'
and in Cassiodorus, writing at the middle of the sixth century^
' Psalterium librum unum ; Salomonis libros quinque
i.e. Proverbia, Sapientiam, Ecclesiasticum, Ecclesiasten,
Canticum Canticorum ' ;
and so in other places. Isidore of Seville, in the early part of
the seventh century, divides the five Solomonic writings into
groups of three and two respectively, and explains that the two
which he detaches (Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus) were really the
works of Jesus the son of Sirach, but have been credited to
Solomon on the ground of style^ :

' Duo quoque illi egregii et sanctae institutionis libelli,
Sapientiam dico et alium qui vocatur Ecclesiasticus ;
qui dum dicantur a Jesu fiho Sirach editi, tamen propter
quandam eloquii similitudinem Salomonis titulo sunt
praenotatiV

1 Ad Exsiiperium[G2X^2cai, Bibl. vol. viii. pp. 561 ff.).
3 De instit. div. lilt. c. xiv.

3 Isidore, De ordine libb. S. Script., P.L. Ixxxiii. 155 ff.

■> For the persistence of the tradition as to the five Solomonic books, see Nestle,
Zeits(hrifif. altt. Whs. (1907), 27, 294 ff-

8 INTRODUCTION

There are no further references that I know of to the
Psalms or Odes of Solomon in the lists of canonical books which
have come down to us, unless there should be a cryptic allusion
to them in the new book of Psalms written for Marcion, which
the Muratorian Canon condemns (Saec. ii. — iii.), or the ilraX/iot
IStmTiKol. which the Council of Laodicea (c. 360 A.D.) prohibits
from being used in the Church\ In the latter case we have the
opinion of John Zonaras in favour of the identification. But
Zonaras in the twelfth century was probably, like ourselves,
engaged in speculation. On the other hand, if we might describe
yj/'aXfjiol ISoaiTiKol, as meaning Psalms of personal experience, the
term would exactly suit our collection of Odes.

Having now proved that we have the two books of Solomonic
Lactantius Psalms and Odes in substantially the same compass

and the Odes. ^j^^(- ^^^y ^ygrc known to the ancient Stichometers,
we now pass on to consider what light is thrown on the matter
by actual quotations from the book of Odes which are extant.
We begin with a passage from Lactantius, which was first
noticed by the learned Whiston^ In the Divine Institutes
(Bk iv. c. 12) we have the following passage:
S- ^^

' Salomon in ode undevicesima^ ita dicit : ^nfirmatus est

-<-^ uterus Virginis et accepit foetum et gravata est, et facta
^""^ est in multa miseratione mater virgo.' '

And in the Epitome of the Divine Institutes the passage is
introduced by the words Apud Salomonein ita scriptuin est. These
references to a 19th Ode betray a knowledge of the book from
which the quotation was taken : on turning to the 19th Ode in
our collection we find the very words quoted by Lactantius the
actual Syriac text being as follows :

1 Origen's Canon, as. contained in Euseb. iir. E. vi. 25, has an entry of three
Solomonic books, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Canticles ; with regard to this last he
says ''4^(r;Ua g.crfji,dTUV, 06 yap us Tra.paXaii^a.voml rives," ^(ruara pcr/idrwi/. But this is
only an alternative title which Origen condemns ; it has no suggestion in it of other
Songs or Canticles. [In the Latin Vulgate of Sixtus V (1590) the title was first
Canticum and is everywhere in the headings of the pages pasted over as Cantica
(Nestle).] Origen is expressly enumerating the twenty-two books of the Hebrew
Canon. The alternative title for Canticles is actually found in the Synopsis of
Chrysostom, in John of Damascus {Defide orihodoxa iv. 17) and elsewhere.'

^ Authentick Records, i. 155.

^ So in the Cambridge MS; Gg. 4. 24 and in all MSS. in the apparatus of Brandt's
edition; but in the MS. Kk. 4. 17 of the same University the reference is wanting. -

LACTANTIUS AND THE ODES 9

.^.iIaO ptf'i^-i ivaiaaio
. K'rtlJu^flo Klsau'ia rfAxXaivs r^j^r^ ^OOOQ

The only discordance is in the first word of the passage,
which is certainly wrong in the Latin\ and very difficult to
interpret in the Syriac. It is clear, however, that Lactantius is
working from a book of Odes arranged in the same order as
ours : if he had both Psalms and Odes in his collection, then the
Odes preceded the Psalms. And further, since Lactantius
quotes in Latin, the book was extant in a Latin translation in
his time ; for when Lactantius quotes Greek books, as in the
case of the Sibylline verses, he quotes in Greek and does not
offer a translation. From which it appears that by the begin-
ning of the fourth century the Odes of Solomon must have been
translated into Latin^

Ryle and James in their edition of the eighteen Psalms of
Solomon drew attention, following Whiston, to this passage of
Lactantius, and made the correct inference from it that there
must have been more Solomonic matter at one time accessible
to Christian scholars than the eighteen Psalms. And since the
Ode quoted by Lactantius is undoubtedly Christian, they sug-
gest that the original collection of Psalms of Solomon was
fitted with an Appendix of Odes of Solomon, the added matter
being approximately equal in length to the original collection,
and either Christian or marked by distinctly Christian inter-
polations. So far they were undoubtedly right, as our MS.
incontestably shows. Only our book presents the matter of the
Appendix in a different light : here it is the Odes that have the
first place and the Psalms that are appended ; and possibly this
was also the case with Lactantius' book of Solomon. We shall
show, presently, that there is reason to believe that the two
books came together in both orders, in different lines of tradition,

1 I am inclined to believe it is simply a mistake for ' insinuatus. ' Just above
Lactantius says, 'Descendens itaque de caelo sanctus ille spiritus dei sanctam virginem
cujus utero se insinuaret elegit.' Harnack points out, by reference to Ronsch, Itala
u. Vulgata p. 371 that the word infinnatus is only used of sick people in the time of
Lactantius. The Ode expressly denies sickness to the Virgin. For further sugges-
tions see notes to text and translation.

2 We shall show later that there is some probability that Lactantius has been
influenced by our fourth Ode in a passage of Div, Inst, iv. 27.

o. s. ^

lO INTRODUCTION

and that there was current not only a book of Odes and Psalms
but also a book of Psalms and Odes\

And aow let us pass on to a more interesting question, the
^, „, \ existence of extracts from the Odes of Solomon in

The Odes and . , „ .

the pistis that cuHous Gnostic book, preserved in the Coptic

Sophia. ^^^ ^^j.g gxactly, Thebaic) language, and known

as the Pistis Sophia. These extracts will be important, not
only because they give us, in the form of a version, a good deal
of matter that coincides with what we have recovered from the
Syriac, but because they present this matter at an earlier time
than that of Lactantius, from whom our first quotation was made,
and the writer who made these quotations in the latter part of
the third century was not only quoting from the Odes of Solomon,
but from those Odes as forming a part of his accepted Biblical
text. We shall endeavour to make these points clear, and also
to show that in the Biblical text from which the writer quoted
the Odes of Solomon were preceded by the Psalms of Solomon.
If we can establish these points, the antiquity of the Odes will
be made out, for it is on the one hand clear that they are
traditional companions of the Psalms of Solomon for a con-
siderable length of time and on the other hand it is quite
improbable that a book written, say, as late as the end of the
second century, should be a part of the accepted Egyptian
canon in the latter part of the third century^. To get into the
canon at all, in any of the great centres of Christian life, a
book must have a measure of antiquity on its side : those
books which secured such canonicity, Clement's Epistle, or
Barnabas' Epistle or the Shepherd of Hermas, obtained their
position by the presumption of antiquity, and even then were
not easily rooted in the positions that they acquired, as the history
of the Canon will show. Let us, then, try to establish the points
to which we have referred above : and first with regard to the
date of the Pistis Sophia from which the extracts have been
made.

The best investigation into the Pistis Sophia is the one

• Note that the five apocryphal Psalms published by Wright from the Syriac in
Proc. S. Bibl. Arch, for 1887 have nothing to do with our collection.

^ [Harnack puts the point equally strongly: Die Oden Salomos p. g: ' dass iro-end
eine Provinzialkirche ein nach der Mitte des j. Jahrhunderts entstandenes Schriftsttick
in das A.T. aufgenommen hat, ist ganz unwahrscheinlich.']

THE ODES AND THE PISTIS SOPHIA II

made by Harnack in Bd vii. of his Texte u. Untersuchnngen
in 1891. His treatise is divided into five sections : (i) the
relation of the Pistis Sophia to the N.T. ; (ii) the relation of the
Pistis Sophia to the O.T. ; (iii) the biblical exegesis of the
author; (iv) its general Christian and catholic elements; and
(v) a discussion of the character, origin, time and place of
production of the work in question. Under this last head
Harnack comes to the conclusion that the book is of Egyptian
origin, and that it was written in the second half of the third
century ; that its Gnosticism is Ophite in character, and betrays
an origin in a Syrian rather than an Egyptian school ; i.e., it is
an imported Gnosticism developed on Egyptian soil, and that
the actual school from which it emanated can be detected from
allusions made by Epiphanius in his treatise on Heresies. He
tells us of certain Gnostics who had a Gospel according to
Philip, from which he makes a quotation which is quite in the
manner of the Pistis Sophia, in which Philip appears as the
principal scribe of the discourses ; they had also inter alia, books
called the Longer and Shorter Questions of Mary : and as a
large part of the Pistis Sophia is taken up with questions
addressed to Jesus by Mary Magdalene and her women friends,
it is natural to regard at least a part of the Pistis Sophia (as we
call it) as coinciding with the books spoken of by Epiphanius.
But since Epiphanius gives us an extract from the Longer
Questions which cannot be identified with the Pistis Sophia
(it is in fact, to judge from the extract, an obscene book, though
it has many points of contact with the Pistis Sophia, which
definitely contradicts its obscenity), we are led to the conclusion
that the Pistis Sophia is identical, either wholly or in part, with
the Shorter Questions of Mary.

In discussing these Gnostic heretics, Epiphanius tells us that
in his early youth he came under their influence in Egypt, and
that he was mercifully preserved from entanglement with them.
He read their books, understood the sense of them, and then,
like the virtuous Joseph from the house of Potiphar, he made
his escape from their seductions and denounced the sect to the
bishops of the province, and had the heretics expelled from the
city in which he had met them. (See Epiphanius, Haer. 26,
c. 17, 18.)

We thus succeed in locating in Egypt a group, or rather two

12 INTRODUCTION

related groups of heretics, who may be described as Ophites or
as Sethites (Epiphanius uses several names to describe the
same groups) ; to one of these bands of Egyptian heretics the
Pistis Sophia may be referred : and we thus get a fairly accurate
idea of the place, time and character of the people to whom the
book must be referred.

It must not be supposed that all of Harnack's arguments
under these heads are valid. For instance on

The Odes , , „ . .

not Gnostic p. loi he shows that the Gnostic writer uses an

and not Egyptian calendar, for he makes Tesus to be trans-

Egyptian. °'^ ' . •'

figured before His disciples on the 15th of the

month Tybi, when the moon is full ; this suggests the use of

an Egyptian calendar : and then he goes on to say that Egypt

is also betrayed by the fact that the book quotes the Gnostic

Odes of Solomon^, which are probably of Egyptian origin, and

allude to the inundation of the Nile. It is instructive to enquire

how the Odes of Solomon came to be suspected of Gnosticism,

and of references to Egyptian events.

Amongst the passages quoted by the Coptic writer from the
Odes of Solomon there is one which can be identified at once
with the sixth Ode in our collection ; it describes a great over-
flow or inundation of the water of life, which has for its first
objective point, if not its actual point of departure, the Temple
at Jerusalem, and which flows out over all lands, bringing healing
and strength.

The Psalm is a very beautiful one, and thoroughly Christian.
But because it happens to describe the breaking out of the
waters by the Greek word diroppoia, which the Coptic has care-
fully transliterated, and because this is a favourite word in the
Pistis Sophia to describe a Gnostic Emanation, it has been
assumed that the Ode was Gnostic and that the illustration of
the efflux was borrowed from the rising waters of the Nile.
In support of this it may be urged that the waters were fought
by a professional class of water-restrainers, and that those who

1 [As soon as Harnack came to the knowledge of the complete collection of Odes
he withdrew the Gnostic epithet : see p. 103 note 2. 'Haretisch-Gnostisches ist auch
nicht zu finden. Friiher, als man nur fiinf kannte und diese in der Beleuchtung der
Pistis Sophia, habe ich, wenn auch nicht ohne Bedenken, an Gnostisches gedacht.
Allein, wie auch Harris richtig gesehen hat — die voUstandige Sammlung zeigt, dass
der Verfasser nicht zu den Gnostikein gerechnet werden kann (oder nur so, wie auch
Johannes zu ihnen gehort). ']

THE ODES NOT GNOSTIC 13

drank of them were, according to the Coptic, a people who lived
on the dry sand. It might, therefore, be maintained that this
language suited Egypt better than Palestine. It is difficult,
however, to see how Jerusalem comes in, if the scenery of the
Ode is Egyptian, and it would have been better to express the
matter more cautiously, as was done by Ryle and James in
their first attempt on the problem of the Odes. Their lan-
guage was as follows^: 'Ode iii. {i.e. the third of the quoted
Coptic Odes) is also Christian, and the employment of the term
diToppoia seems to stamp it as Gnostic. But we cannot see that
there is anything unmistakably Gnostic in the doctrine. The
imagery employed is that of Ezek. xlvii.^ and of our Lord's
words concerning the living water : and , the thing described
appears to be the preaching of the Gospel, which no human
effort can avail to hinder, and which brings life and health to
a thirsty heathen world. If our theory of these Odes is correct,
we have here a hymn of the second century at latest, and one
filled with Johannine phraseology and ideas.'

Thus far Ryle and James ; and I think we must say that
their judgment is a sound one. There is no reason to take
diroppoia in a Gnostic sense, nor do the remaining Psalms of
our collection encourage the belief in a Gnostic origin : they are
as Gnostic as the New Testament, no more and no less. Of
course I do not mean that the author of the Pistis Sophia will
take this colourless view of diroppoia. His business is to write
a book dealing with Gnostic philosophy, and with the Effluxes
and Emanations that cause the different strata of the spiritual
world : so he will naturally employ the word diroppoia in his own
sense, and will build a castle of cloudy words upon it. But we
have no reason to follow him in any such architecture nor even to
accept his foundation. Consequently we do not regard Harnack's
case as made out with regard to the Gnostic character of the
Odes of Solomon. If Gnostics could write such beautiful praises
of God as we have in our recovered volume, we can only say
' Would God all the Lord's people were Gnostics ! ' But this
they never were nor ever can be in the Valentinian, or Ophite
or Sethian sense. With this deduction from the argument,

1 I.e. p. 1 60.

^ [This should not be so strongly stated : we shall see later that the real parallel is
with the 35th chapter of Isaiah.]

14 INTRODUCTION

Harnack's general inferences from the Ode which we have been
discussing are so just that we are tempted to examine his
analysis a little. more closely.

Let us, in view of the importance of the matters at issue,
set down a translation of the sixth Ode" as it stands

The sixth

Ode not in Syriac, and see what Harnack says by way of

^"°^''=-' interpretation.

'As the hand moves over the harp, and the strings speak,
so speaks in my members the Spirit of the Lord, and I speak
by his love. For he destroys everything foreign, and every-
thing that is bitter : thus it was from the beginning and will be
to the end, that nothing should be His adversary, and nothing
should stand up against Him. The Lord has multiplied the
knowledge of Himself, and is zealous that those things should
be known, which by His Grace have been given to us^ And
the praise of His name He gave us : our spirits praise His holy
Spirit.

' For there went forth a stream and became a river great and
broad : it flooded and broke up everything, and it brought
[water] to the Temple : and the restrainers of the children of
men were not able to restrain it, nor the arts of those whose
business it is to restrain waters : for it spread over the face of
the whole earth and filled everything ; and all the thirsty upon
earth were given to drink of it : and thirst was relieved and
quenched : for from the Most High was the draught given.
Blessed then are the ministers of that draught who are entrusted
with that water of His : they have assuaged the dry lips and
the will that had fainted they have raised up : and souls that
were near departing they have caught back from death ; limbs
that had fallen they straightened and set up : they gave
strength for their coming (?) and light to their eyes : for
every one knew them in the Lord and they lived by the water
of life for ever. Hallelujah.'

The first thing that we notice when we transcribe the Ode is
that the passage in the Pistis Sophia is only an extract ; nearly
■half of the Ode has been neglected. Consequently the word
airoppoia which is supposed to be the key to the character of
the Psalm, is not in its opening sentence at all, but has been

^ Cf. I Cor. ii. 12.

THE ODES NOT GNOSTIC IS

caught up by! the Gnostic writer out of the middle of it. It is
certainly not the key-word. The "Psalmist (or Odist) is telling
in very beautiful language the power of the Lord and the scope
of His Gospel. There is nothing Gnostic about this living
water : there is not, even, anything Ecclesiastic about it, though
Harnack wished to interpret it of the water of Baptism^ : one
might as well say the fourth chapter of John's Gospel was Gnostic
and that when the Lord promised the Samaritan woman the water
of life, he wanted to baptize her ! I submit that the interpretation
of the Ode is affected (i) by regarding it in its entirety, (ii) by
regarding it in connexion with the main body of the Odes : and
that when this is done, the supposed Gnosticism of the Ode
vanishes away. Harnack, in fact, did not positively commit
himself on the point, and the greater part of his judgment is
valid : thus on page 43 he says :

' bas Lied ist ohne Zweifel christlichen Ursprungs und
„. „. damit ist auch die christliche Herkunft der vier

The Odes-

probably ubrigeu Odcn, als zu einer Sammlung ,geh5rig,

erwiesen.' I should not go quite so far, nor quite
so fast as that. ' Ferner weist die Ode auf Agypten : denn
offenbar hat der Verfasser das Bild der grossen Fluth von der
Uberschwemmung des Nils genommen, der bis iiber die Hauser
steigt, und das durstige Wustenland trankt' This, as I have
said, is extremely doubtful : Harnack tries to make it easier by
suggesting that i/ao? should be corrected to Xads, which would
get rid of the Temple at Jerusalem, but it is not a necessary
emendation. The Temple is, as we shall see elsewhere, very
much in the field of view of the Odist. ' Endlich scheint mir
auch der gnostische Ursprung sehr wahrscheinlich, wenn auch
nicht sicher.' Here Harnack is wisely hesitant.

Again on page 45 Harnack sums up the case for the five
Odes incorporated in the Pistis Sophia : (i) that the composer
found them in his collection of Old Testament writings ;
(ii) that they are of Gnostic origin : but he adds at once that
the Gnostic character does not stand out clearly, and that the
Christian piety of the Ode is powerfully expressed and not
discoloured by Gnostic language : a statement which is much

1 [Harnack withdrew this interpretation in his complete study of the Odes. See
p. 32. 'An die Taufe ist nicht zu denken !' Bernard, as we shall see, would retain
and emphasise the baptismal allusion.]

l6 INTRODUCTION

strengthened when we read the Ode in its entirety and not
merely the part excerpted in the Pistis Sophia.

Further Harnack admits (p. 46) that if the Odes are Gnostic,
their Gnosticism is separated by a deep gulf from that of the
Pistis Sophia ; which is certainly a just statement : and that, since
at the time of the composition of the Pistis Sophia the Odes
must have been of considerable antiquity, we may perhaps refer
them to the first half of the second century. With this I have
little fault to find ; only I suggest that they may be 50 years
earlier than Harnack's upper limit'.

In order to understand more clearly what the writer of the
Use of the Pistis SopMa has been doing with the matter that

Odes in the he has borrowed from the Odes of Solomon, we
IS js op la. jj^yg^ |.j.y ^q ggj- ^ bctter understanding of the
Gnostic book itself At first sight this is a very repellent task,
for the book appears to be mere useless jargon. Harnack
evidently thought as much when he first began to study it, for
he says :

' In der That kann man kaum etwas Verwirrteres und
Ermiidenderes lesen als diese mit den Ausgeburten der gnosti-
schen Phantasie bedeckten Blatter, die bei fliichtigerem Studium
zum Zwecke der Verbreitung des systematischen Blodsinns
geschrieben zu sein scheinen.'

The impression that the writer is busied with the propaga-
tion of systematic imbecility is certainly the result of a cursory
or preliminary study ; but there is method in the madness and
meaning in the aberration, and after a while one begins to pick
up threads of continuity and to see what the writer is aiming at.
And then the underlying Christianity begins to assert itself
through its Gnostic superincumbent weight. Let us see if we
can get at the writer's argument.

Jesus is sitting with His disciples, male and female, on the
Mount of Olives. It is the twelfth year after the Resurrection ; for

1 The same arguments are repeated by Harnack in his Chronologie der altchrist.
Literatur, ii. 193, where he discusses the date of the Pistis Sophia and the related
Gnostic writings in the Codex Brucianus. Here again he dates the Pistis Sophia in
the second half of the third century, following the lines of his previous investigation.
He remarks again on the use of the Odes of Solomon as an ancient book ranking
with the Old Testament, but says they are of Gnostic origin : ' Die fiinf Oden
Salomos, die das Euch neben den alt-testamentlichen Psalmen zitiert, sind selbst
gnostischen Ursprungs, und werden doch wie alte Urkunden behandelt. Wir haben
hier also einen Gnostizismus, der tiber einem alteren auferbaut ist. '

THE ODES AND THE PISTIS SOPHIA 17

eleven years Jesus has been teaching His disciples the mysteries
of the Kingdom of God : at the end of that time He has ascended
to the place of the Prime Mystery (which is the Gnostic expres-
sion for the Supreme God) ; this ascension took place while
they were sitting with Him on the Mount of Olives. He was
suddenly transfigured before them. A Light-Power, or Glory of
the Supreme Being, descends from the twenty-fourth or highest
mystery and surrounds Jesus with splendour. The disciples
were amazed and terrified at the sight. While they gazed on
Him, Jesus ascended into Heaven. After a while Jesus, out of
compassion for their fears, for they thought the end of all things
was at hand, descended again and appeared to the disciples.
He begins to teach them further the secrets of the Kingdom.
He explains to them their own miraculous births, the miraculous
birth of John the Baptist, and His own incarnation. He tells
them the story of His ascent through the various heavens and
the orders of spiritual beings, ' thrones, dominations, princedoms,
virtues, powers.' They proceed to interrogate Him on various
points. The company consists of Peter, John, Andrew, Philip,
Thomas, Matthew, James, Bartholomew and Simon the Kanaan-
ite : Mary the Magdalene and Mary the Mother of Jesus, Martha
and Salome are all mentioned. The chief place is given to the
enquiring women, especially to Mary Magdalene, the lowest place
to Simon Peter. Between Mary Magdalene and Peter there is
something like a feud. Peter complains that the women talk
too much and that the men don't get a chance : and Mary
complains that Peter hates our sex and wants to suppress us.
Jesus mediates gently between them : advises Mary to make
place for the brethren ; but when the dispute breaks out again,
Jesus definitely takes the side of the women, and Peter is sup-
pressed \ The meaning of this is that there has been a conflict
over the place of women in the ministry of the Church : it is
even possible that the hostility of Peter may imply the attitude
of the Roman Church towards the prophesying woman of the
early centuries. At all events there has been an acute situation

^ The crisis in the feud between the men and women will be found in P.S. i6i.
' Progressa Maria dixit: mi domine, meus vovs est voepos omni tempore, ut progrediar
omni vice : dicam solutionem verborum, quae dixit, dXXa timeo Petrum, quod aireiXu
mihi et edit nostrum genus. Haec Se quum locuta esset, dixit ei primum /iucmj/jioj' :
unumquemque qui impletus fuerit ircei/jiiaTt luminis, ut progressus proferat solutionem
horum, quae dico, nuUus KioKvireiJ

o. s. 3

lo INTRODUCTION

created, which has found its reflection in the Gnostic circles in
which our book was produced.

Jesus answers a number of enquiries as to the worlds through
The sorrows which He has passed, and then we come to what is
of Sophia. ^jjg kernel of the first part of the book, the account

of the sorrows of Sophia, or, as she is called in the book, Pistis
Sophia. Jesus relates how He found Sophia sitting below the
thirteenth Aeon. She was mourning over her inability to rise
further. Her path was blocked by fearful forms, named Trpo^oXal
avOaSov'i or Emanations of the Self-willed. They and the rulers
of the upper regions prohibit her advance and ascent. One of
them had the face of a lion, half flame and half darkness. They
chase poor Sophia back into Chaos. But in the midst of her
affliction, she sees Jesus passing by, and to Him she addresses
a series of Repentances and Hymns. Jesus relates these suc-
cessively to His disciples. The method of the composition
must now be carefully studied : we shall find the key in the
lock.

Sophia makes her penitence, let us say, from one of the
canonical Psalms. But in using this, she carefully alters every
possible term in a Gnostic sense : instead of God, she says
Prime Mystery or Light of Truth ; instead of my adversaries,
she says the Emanations of the Self-willed ; by a series of
. substitutions of this kind she turns the Psalm

Gnostic Tar-

puTilso'hla '"^° ^ Gnostic Targum, in which you can only
detect the original by the expressions which re-
main unaltered and by the general tenor of the confession.
When Jesus has reported to the disciples what Sophia has said.
He turns to the disciples and asks, ' Who knows what Sophia
said?' It is a game of guessing. Mary Magdalene or some
other of the company springs forward, begs permission to speak,
and then says, ' This is what your Light-Power (the Light-Power
is a substitute for the Divine Name) prophesied through David
in the 69th Psalm,' or whatever the portion of Scripture may be
that has been selected for disguise. Jesus gives an approbation
and a blessing to the successful guesser. Sometimes, to make
the matter still clearer, the Gnostic Targum is gone over again in
detail with the text and explained sentence by sentence, so that
we have the matter treated three times over : viz. the LXX. text
the Gnostic Targum, and the detailed commentary upon the

GNOSTIC TARGUMS ON THE ODES 19

text with the Targum. It is of the utmost importance that the
method of the composition should be clearly grasped : if this is
understood, the major part of the Pistis Sophia will become
intelligible. To make this quite clear we will transcribe a short
passage : here is an extract from one of the first prayers of
repentance which Sophia utters' :

Serva me propter dp-^ovra'i, qui oderunt me : nam tu scis
afflictionem meam et cruciatum meum, et fractam meam vim,
quam abstulerunt a me. Sunt coram te qui plantarunt me in
haec mala omnia. X/sw iis icaTa voluntatem tuam. Vis mea
prospicit e medio %aov? atque e medio tenebrarum. Exspectavi
meam av^vyov, ut veniens pugnaret pro me, et baud venit.
Atqu2 exspectaveram, ut veniens daret mihi robur, et hand
repert eam. Et quum quaererem lucem, dederunt m.ihi cali-
ginem : et quum quaererem meam vim, dederunt mihi vKrjv.
Nunc igitur, lumen luminum, caliginem et vKrjv duxerunt super
me TTpo/BoXao avdaSov;. Sunto iis insidiae et involvunto eas ;
et retribuas iis, ut aKavSaXo^aia-iv, ne veniant in tottov sui
avOaSovi;. Manento in tenebris, ne videant lucem. Contemplantor
%aos omni tempore, neve intuentor in altitudinem. Adduc in eas
suam vindictam et apt>rehendito eas tuum iudicium.

Probably without the aid of the Virgin Mary, who in this
case is the successful guesser, one could have identified the
following verses of the 68th (69th) Psalm :

19. €V6Ka T&v e')(dp53v fiov pvaai fie •

20. cri) yap ycvco(TK€i,<; tov oveiBia-fiov fiov Koi Trjv ala-)(yvr]v
fjbov Kal Trjv ivTpOTTrjv /xov. ivavnov aov Trdvrev oi 6\i^ovTe<; fj,e.

21. oveiBicrfiov TrpoaeBo/crjcrev rj '^V)(rj fiov Kal TaXaiircoplav
Kal vire/Meiva avXXvjrov/j.evov, Kal ovp^ VTrrjp^ev, Kal irapa-
KuXovvra Kal ov'^ evpov.

22. Kal 'iSiOKav et? to ^pwfid fiov ')(pXrjV, Kal el's rrjv Sii^av
fiov eTTOTicrdv fie 6^o<;.

23. yevrjdrfTW i] Tpdire^a avrwv evwiriov avTwv et? TrayiSa'
Kal eh avrairoSotriv Kal et? aKavBaXop.

24. aKOTKrdTjTcoaav 01 6(j)6aXfiol avTwv tov fir) ^Xeireiv Kal
TOV vwTOV aiiTwv Std iravTo'; avyKafiyjrov.

25. BK'xeov eV avTOv<! Trjv opyrjv aov. Kal 6 0vfi6<i t^? opyrji
GOV KaTaXd^oi avTov<;.

Now if we go over the Penitence of Sophia, with these texts

' P. S. ed. Schwartze and Petermann, p. 50 of MS.

20 INTRODUCTION

from the Psalms, we shall easily pick up out of the Penitence the
disjecta membra Psalmistae.

I have italicized some of the words, which are either
unchanged or almost unchanged. The rest, as I have said,
is Gnostic Targum.

The importance of the underlying equivalence of the
Targum and text is evident. We are dealing with Biblical
matter ; Psalm after Psalm is treated in this way, and some-
times short passages of the Gospels are similarly treated. It is
not even necessary that the discourse be limited to a single
Targum. Sometimes two or three occur of short passages.
For us, however, the important thing is that the Odes of
Solomon are treated just like the Canonical Psalms, with which
they stood in an equal honour in the Bible of the author of the
Pistis Sophia. This position of unassailed honour and un-
doubted confidence marks the antiquity and the prestige of
the Odes of Solomon. And as there is no such thing as a
Gnostic Bible, these Odes cannot be Gnostic Odes, as was at
first surmised.

It is clear, moreover, that in editing the portions of the Odes
which occur in th-e Pistis Sophia we shall have to edit the
Targums as well as the texts. We must print the excerpted
matter in double form, and in cases where there is a detailed
commentary, in triple form. And in this way we can finally
make a Coptic apparatus to the Syriac text of the Odes.

One curious result will be arrived at almost immediately.
The second of the passages taken from the Odes

The missing _ _, , r i 7-1 •

first Ode of Solomou by the author of the Pistis Sophia is

recovered. ^ ^

definitely stated to be from the nineteenth Ode.
It does not find any place in our collection. Neither does it
agree, except in its opening sentence, with its Targum. On
the other hand the Targum does agree with the fifth of the
Syriac Odes. It is easy to see what has happened. The
Targum was made on the fifth Ode, but when the author
came to transcribe the Ode on which he had been commenting,
he took out of his Psalter another Ode with a similar opening.
This must, then, be one of the missing Odes at the beginning of
our book. And since it is numbered 19, it will be the first of
our collection, and will have followed directly on the eighteen
extant Psalms of Solomon. The Gnostic author had, therefore,

RECOVERY OF FIRST ODE 21

both the Psalms and the Odes in his Bible ; and the Psalms
stood before the Odes, and not as in our MS. and perhaps in
Lactantius' Bible, after the Odes : this is an important dis-
covery, and the study of the text with its Targum has led to
the recovery of part of the missing matter at the beginning of
our MS.

To make this clear I transcribe the Targum side by side
with the Syriac text, in order to show their coincidence:

The Hymn of Sophia as contained

in the Gnostic Targum of

the Pistis Sophia, 115, 116. The Syriac Odes of Solomon,

Incepit v/AV€V€iv vis dXiKpivrp Ode 5, ad fin.

luminis, quae in a-ofj^ia. "Y/xvivovcra For my hope is upon the Lord,

8c meae vi luminis, quae est corona and I will not fear : and because

eius capiti, cecinit v/tvov 8c dicens, the Lord is my salvation, I will

Lumen est corona meo capiti et not fear : and he is a garland on

haud ero absque ea, ut ne privent my head, and I shall not be moved:

me 7rpb/3oXai au6a8ovs et, quum Even if everything should be

motaefuerintvXaiomnes,egoh€ haud shaken, I stand firm, and if all

movebor, et quum perierint meae things visible should perish, I

v\ai omnes, ut maneant in chao, shall not die: because the Lord

quas videbunt irpoPoXat avda8ovi, is with me and I am with Him.

ego Se haud peribo, quod lumen est Hallelujah.
mecum, atque etiam ego ero cum
lumine.

Remembering the method of composition of the Targum,
there can be no doubt that it is the fifth Ode which is being
commented on. It is equally clear that the Ode which is set as
the text to the Targum and which is introduced as the 19th
Ode of Solomon does not coincide with it.

It runs as follows' :

Dominus super caput meum sicut corona, neque ero absque
eo (ea). Plexerunt mihi coronam veritatis, et ramos in me
germinare fecit. Nam non similis est coronae aridae quae non
germinat ; sed vivis super caput meum, et germinasti super
caput meum : fructus tui pleni et perfecti sunt, pleni salute tua.

Clearly this is not the right Psalm, except as regards the

opening sentence. Probably the mistake arose in the first

instance with the Targumist who copied a line out of a wrong

Ode, and thus made the way for copying the whole Ode from a

' Schmidt's rendering in Texte u. Untersuch. vii. 1. yj.

22 INTRODUCTION

wrong place. The inference is that we have recovered the
missing first Ode.

It is not uncommon in our book of Odes for the openings to
be similar or to be repeated. The most striking example will
be the short 27th Ode, which appears again almost bodily at the
beginning of the 42nd Ode. The coincidences are important,
as suggesting the same hand at different parts of the book.

As our object is not so much the interpretation of the Pistis
The Odes in Sopkia, as the elucidation of the Syriac Odes, we
sTphiatoi- ™^^^ collect the matter which is quoted from the
lected. Odes in the Pistis Sophia, in order that the texts may

be compared. It will be convenient to do this in one place, rather
than under the heading of the separate Psalms that may be
quoted. For the text of the Odes, we have two translations,
that of Schwartze-Petermann, and that which is emended from
the original translation (Woide-Miinter) by Schmidt, and is
given in Harnack's Texte u. Untersjichungen, Bd vii. We may
quote these as S.-P. and W.-M.-S. . We print these translations
side by side. It is to be observed that Schmidt did not revise
the Gnostic Targums when correcting the text of the Odes for
Harnack, no doubt because their importance was not sufficiently
recognized. But he went on to publish a complete translation
into German of the Pistis Sophia, as well as of other Gnostic
books preserved in Coptic. We shall have to refer to this
enlarged and emended translation, but I do not think it
necessary to give the German text of the quoted and com-
mented Odes in fulP- [A complete German revision has been
made by Schmidt for Harnack's edition, and will be found pp.
14 — 20.]

ODE I.
The text is introduced as follows :

Respondens Se Maria, mater Jesu, dixit : Mi domine, tua vis
luminis iirpoipTjTevae de his verbis olim per Salomonem in eius
decima nona ode et dixit :

' Thei'e has also been a French edition by Amelineau, which has been employed
by Mead in his English edition of the Piiits Sofhia. But as Amelineau is
impossible in his paleography, and, I believe, an unsafe guide in other respects, I do
not refer to him. I am not engaged upon the Pistis Sophia, except indirectly.

Schmidt's German edition appeared in 1905 under the auspices of the Prussian
Academy of Sciences, with the title KopHsch-Gnostische Schi-iften.

THE ODES IN THE PISTIS SOPHIA

S.-P. p. Ii6.
Dominus super meum caput
sicut corona, neque eroabsque eo.
Plexerunt mihi coronam dXrjdeias.
Et fecit tuos K\a8ov5 germinare
in me, quod non tulit coronam
aridam, baud germinantem, dkXa
vivis super meum caput et proger-
minas super me : tui Kapiroi pleni
sunt et perfecti, pleni sunt tua
salute.

W.-M.-S. pp. 37, 38.
Dominus super caput meum
sicut corona, neque ero absque eo
(ea). ' Plexerunt mihi coronam
veritatis, et ramos tuos in me
germinare fecit. Nam non similis
est coronae aridae, quae non ger-
minat, sed vivis super caput meum,
et germinasti super caput meum :
fructus tui pleni et perfecti sunt,
pleni salute tua.

ODE s.

The Gnostic Targum on the closing verses of this Ode has
been already given : I repeat it- for completeness below : the
Targum on the rest of the Ode, and the text corresponding to it,
are also found in the Pistis Sophia, as indicated. The text is
introduced as follows :

Factum Se est, quum Jesus finisset dicere haec verba suis
IJi,a9r)Tat,<;, progressa Salome dixit : mi domine, mea vis dvayica^ei,
me ad dicendam solutionem verborum, quae dixit irtcrTK cro(f>ia.
Tua vis €'n-po<j>r)Teva-€v olim per Salomonem dicens :

S.-P. p. 114. W.-M.-S. p. 37.

Manifestabo me tibi, domine, Gratias tibi agam, quia tu es

quod tu es meus deus. Ne sine me, deus meus. Ne relinquas me,

domine, amplius, quod tu es mea
JAttis : dedisti mihi meum ius gratis
[P tuum indicium] et servor a te :
labuntor persequentes me, neve
vidento me. Nubes caliginis ob-
tegito eorum oculos atque nebula
a.epo<;, esto caligo iis, neve vidento
diem, ut ne prehendant me : esto
impotens eorum consilium, et quae
deliberarunt, veniunto in eos: me-
ditati sunt consilium neve esto [P
et non factum est] iis. vicerunt
[P et vicerunt] eos validi, et quae
pararunt collapsa sunt infra eos.
Est mea eXTns in domino, et haud
timebo, quod tu es meus deus,

domine, quia tu es spes mea.
Dedisti mihi indicium gratis, et
liberatus sum a te. Cadant per-
sequentes me, et non videant me.
Nubes fumi tegat oculos eorum et
nebula aeris obtenebret eos, neve
videant diem, ne prehendant me :
consilium eorum fiat inefficax, et
quae consultarunt, veniant super
eos : meditati sunt consilium, neve
succedat illis. Et vicerunt eos
potentes^ et quae praeparaverant
malitiose, descenderunt in eos.
Spes mea est in domino, et non
timebo, quia tu es deus meus,
servator meus.

meus cru)T7]p.

1 Schmidt, ' Und sie sind besiegt, obwohl sie machtig sind.'

24 INTRODUCTION

ODE s.

The Gnostic Targum. S.-P. p. 113.

Cecinit vfxvov et clamavit sursum ad me dicens : vfivevaw
sursum ad te, lumen, quod volo venire ad te, vfiveva-oo tibi, lumen,
nam tu es metis servator. Ne sine me in chao, libera me, lumen
altitudinis, nam tu es, cui vfivevo). Misisti mihi tuum lumen a te
et servasti me. Duxisti me in Totrovi superiores chaus. Colla-
buntor [P delabuntor\ igitur in roirovi inferiores chaus irpo^oXai
av6ahov<i, quae persequuntur me, neve veniunto in tottov; superiores
tit videant me. Et magna caligo obtegito eas, et venito iis obscura
caligo ; neve vidento me in lumine tuae vis, quam misisti mihi ad
servandam me : ut ne prehendant iterum me ; et eorum consilium
quod cxcogitarunt ad auferendam meam vim, ne fiat illis, et sicut
[P KaTa modum, quo] dixerunt mihi, auferre meum lumen mihi,
aufer suum quoque loco mei ; et dixerunt auferre meum lumen
totum, neque poterant auferre id, quod tua vis luminis est mecum
propterea quod consilium ceperunt sine tuo statute, lumen,
propter hoc non potuere auferre lumen meum, quod eirKnevcra
lumini, non timebo, et lumen est mens servator, neque timebo.

S.-P. IIS, 116.

'Tfivevovcra Se meae vi luminis, quae est corona eius capiti,
cecinit vfivov Be dicens. Lumen est corona meo capiti, et hand ero
absque ea^, ut ne privent me -irpo^oKai, avdaBov<; et, quuin inotae
fuerint vXat, omnes, ego Se haud movebor, et quum perierint meae
vkai omnes, ut maneant in chao, quas videbunt irpo^oKai, av6ahov<i
ego Se haud peribo, quod lumen est mecum, atque etiam ego ero ctim
lumine.

ODE 6.

The text of this Ode is introduced as follows :

Progressus Petrus dixit : mi domine, de solutione verborum
quae dixisti, tua vis luminis eTrpo(j>rirevae olim per Salomonem
in eius a>Sat<;.

S.-P. 131. W.-M.-S. Ic. p. 38.

Egressa diroppoia facta est Egressa est emanatio et facta

magnum flumen latum : attraxit est magnum flumen dilatatum.
COS omnes, et conversam super Attraxit eos omnes et conversa est
' Schmidt, 'und nicht werde ich von ihm weichen.'

THE ODES IN THE PISTIS SOPHIA

25

templum haud potuerunt capere
in clausis et in locis aedificatis,
neque potuerunt capere earn rexvai
capientium illos. Duxerunt earn
super terram totam, atque pre-
hendit eos omnes. Biberunt ver-
santes super arenam aridam.
Eorum sitis soluta est et ex-
stincta, quum dedissent iis potum
ab excelso. MaKupioi sunt SiaKovot
potus illius, quibus concredita est
aqua domini. Converterunt labia
arida, sumserunt vigorem animi
[P in me] hi, qui erant soluti :
prehenderunt (i.e. confirmarunt)
i/ruxo-s, eicientes halitum, ut ne
morerentur : erexerunt fieXr] col-
lapsa : dederunt robur suae Trap-
p-Tjo-ia, atque dederunt lucem suis
oculis, quod isti omnes cognovere
se in domino, atque servati sunt
aqua vitae usque ad aeternum.

super templum'. Non potuerunt
earn capere in locis munitis et
aedificatis : neque potuerunt earn
capere artes eorum qui inter-
cipiunt (aquas). Duxerunt^ earn
super omnem terram, et ipsa
comprehendit eos omnes. Bib-
erunt qui habitabant in arena
arida : sitis eorum soluta est et
exstincta, cum daretur illis potus
ab Altissimo. Beati sunt diaconi
potus illius, quibus credita est
aqua domini. Converterunt labia,
quae arida erant, accipiebant
gaudium cordis, qui soluti erant :
comprehenderunt animas, halitum
inmittentes, ne morerentur. Re-
stituerunt membra quae cecide-
rant, dederunt robur parrhesiae
eorum, et lucem oculis eorum.
Nam omnes illi se cognoverunt in
domino et salvati sunt per aquam
vitae aeternam''.

ODE 6.

Tke Gnostic Targum. S.-P. pp. 128 — 130.

Ego igitur et altera vis, exiens a me, necnon -if^x^ quam
accepi a Sabaothe a'-^aOw, venerunt ducentes se invicem, factae
S2tnt d-TToppota una luminis, existens lumen quam maxima.
Vocavi Gabrielem desuper ab alwcnv atque etiam Michaelem
per KeXevcriv mei patris, primi fivcrTr]piov introspicientis, dedi
eis a-rroppoiav luminis, feci eos descendere in chaos, ut ^orjdma-i,
■n-iarei ao^ia et uti ferrent vires luminis, quas abstulerunt ab ea
•jrpo^okai avdahovi, ut auferrent eas ab illis et darent TnaTei
(TO(f)ia ; et tempore, quo duxerunt airoppoiav luminis desuper in
chaos, resplenduit quam maxime in chao toto et dilatata est m
eius [P eorum] joiroi'i omnibus ; et quum vidissent magnum
lumen diroppoi,a<; illius irpo^oXai av6a8ov<;, timuerunt super se
invicem, atque diroppoia ilia extraxit iis vires omnes luminis,
quas abstulerunt a inareb a-o(f>ia neque eToXixTjaav irpo^oXai,

1 Schmidt, 'gegen den Tempel.' ^ Schmidt, 'er wurde...gefuhrt.'
^ Sqhmidtj'Wasser ewigen Lebens.'

o. s. 4

26 INTRODUCTION

avdahovi prehendere dtroppoiav luminis illius in chao tenebrarum,
neque prehenderuM earn reyyv ctvOaBov; dominantis in irpo^oXa^.
Et Gabriel et Michael attulerunt airoppoiav luminis in corpus uXi??
TTto-Tecu? a-ocjjia'; et iniecerunt in earn lumina eius omnia, quam
[P quae] abstulerunt ab ea, atque accepit lumen totum aafia
v\r}^ [P + eius] : atque etiam acceperunt lumen eius vires
omnes, quae in ea, hae quae acceperunt suum lumen et cessarunt
indigere luminis ; nam acceperunt suum lumen, quod abstulerunt
ab iis, propterea quod dederiint lumen Us a me. Et Michael et
Gabriel, qui BiijKovrjaav mihi, duxerunt d-rroppotav luminis in
chaos daturam iis /jivarripia luminis : kis concredita est a-rroppoia
luminis : hanc, quam dedi iis, intuli in chaos. Et Michael et
Gabriel non sumserunt quidquam luminis sibi in luminibus
7n(TT€Q)<: a-o(fiia^, quae abstulerunt a Trpo^oXat,'; avOaBov<;. Factum
igitur est, quum diroppoia luminis intulisset in Tnanv aocpiav suas
vires omnes luminis, quas abstulerunt [P abstulit s. abstulerat]
a 7rpo/3oXat9 av6aSov^ facta est lux tota, atque etiam vires
luminis, quae sunt in Trio-ret crocfiia, quas haud abstulerunt
TTpo^oXau avOaSov;, hilares redditae sunt iterum et impletae
sunt luminis, et lumina, quae iniecerunt in inaTiv a-o<piav, vivifi-
carunt aco/j^a eius vX???, in qua nullum lumen, Aaec quae peritura
est aut haec quae perit, et constituerunt eius vires omnes, quae
erant solvendae, et dederunt iis vim luminis^ Factae sunt iterum,
sicut erant ab initio. Atque etiam exaltatae sunt in aladfjiret
luminis, et vires omnes luminis ao^ia<; cogtiovere se invicem per
aiToppoiav luminis, et servatae sunt a lumine diToppoia<i illius.

I have indicated some of the points where the Ode crops
out : the broad stream of water has been replaced by an diroppoia
of light, and this makes it difficult to follow the sequence of the
Ode, satisfied thirst having been replaced by illumination. But
the detailed commentary which follows will make it all clear.

ODE 6.

The detailed Commentary. S.-P. 131 135.

Peter explains the meaning of a prophecy which the vis
luminis had formerly made through Solomon.

Audi igitur, mi domine, proferam verbum in irappr^aia Kara
modum quo tua vis lirpo^r^Tivas per Salomonem : " d-^oppoia
1 Schmidt, 'und sie nahmen sich eine Lichtkraft u.s.w,'

THE ODES IN THE PISTIS SOPHIA 27

egressa facta est magnimi fliimen latum" quod est drroppoia
luminis dilatata est in chao, in roTroc<; omnibus Trpo/SoXcov avOa-
Bov<; ; atque verbum iterum, quod tua vis dixit per Salomonem,
" attraxit eos omnes, duxit eos super templum" quod est hoc,
attraxit vires omnes luminis a 7r/3o/3oXat9 av6aBov<; quas abstule-
runt in [a] Tncnei aocpia, et iniecit eas in tticttcv a-ojaav altera
vice ; atque verbum rursus, quod tua vis dixit, " haud potuerunt
capere earn \locd\ clansa neque loca aedijicatal' quod hoc est :
wpo^oKat, avdaSovf haud potuerunt prehendere diroppoiav luminis
in septis tenebrarum: chaus, atque verbum iterum, quod dixit :
-' diixeritnt earn} super terram omnem, et implevit res omnes" quod
hoc est : quum Gabriel et Michael duxissent eam [P earn super]
(xajxa TncTTeo)'; crocjiLa'i, intulit in eam lumina omnia, quae
abstulerunt ab ea Trpo/SoXai avOa^ovj atque splenduit [pr. factum
est lumen] awfia eius vXr}'^ ; atque verbum, quod dixit : " biberunt
versantes in arena arida" quod est, acceperunt lumen quae sunt
omnia in Trto-ret ao^ia quorum lumen abstulerunt {i.e. abstulerant)
prius^ {i.e. antehac); atque verbum quod dixit " sitis eorum
soluta est et exstincta" quod hoc est : eius vires cessarunt
indigere luminis, quod abstulerunt [P om. quod abstulerunt],
quoniam dederunt {i.e. datum est) iis lumen [P + suum], quod
abstulerunt ab iis. Atque iterum Kwra modum [P + quoque] quo
dixit tua vis, " dederunt iis potum ^ ab excelso," quod hoc est :
dederunt Uimen iis ex diroppoi.a luminis, quae exiit a me, primo
fjLvcTTrjpia), et Kara modum, quo dixit tua vis : " fiaKapioi, sunt
hiaKovoi potus illius" quod est verbum, quod dixisti : Michael et
Gabriel, 8iaKovrjaavTe<;, duxerunt d-n-oppoiav luminis in chaos,
atque etiam duxerunt eam sursum. Dabunt iis fivaTrjpia lumi-
nis altitudinis, quibus concredita estcmoppoia luminis, atque etiam
Kara modum, quo dixit tua vis: ^' verterunt labia arida," quod
hoc est : Gabriel et Michael haud sumserunt sibi e luminibus Trto--
reea? cro^tay, quae eripuerunt Trpo0o\ai<; avdaBov;, aXXa iniecerunt
ea in iricrTiv a-o(j)iav; atque iterum verbum, quod dixit: '' acceperunt
vigorem*" in me qui sunt soluti" quod est hoc : aliae vires omnes
TTiaTeax; aoipLa^, quas haud abstulerunt irpo^oXai avdaSov<;, valde
praeditae sunt vigore' et impletae lumine a suo socio lumine,
quod iniecerunt ea in illas. Et verbum, quod tua vis dixit :

1 Schmidt, 'er wurde...gefuhrt.' ^ Schmidt, 'frliher genommen war.'

3 Schmidt, 'es wurde...gegeben.' '' Schmidt, ' Herzensfreude. '

^ Schmidt, ' sind sehr frohlich geworden. '

28 INTRODUCTION

" vivificarunt •v/ru%a9 eiicientes halitum, ut ne morerentur'' quod hoc
est : quum iniecissent lumina in Trta-nv aocpiav vivificarunt crw/ta
eius i/Xt?? a quo lumina sua abstulere prius, hoc, quod erat
periturum. Atque iterum verbum, quod tua vis dixit : " con-
stituerunt fieXr] quae collapsa sunt, aut ut ne collaberentur" quod
hoc est : quum intulissent in cam eius lumina, constituere {i.e.
erexere) eius vires omnes, quae erant dissolvendae ; atque etiam
Ka-ra modum, quo tua vis luminis dixit : " dederunt robur eariim
irapprjaia " ; quod hoc est : receperunt iterum illorum lumen
atque factae sunt, sicut fuerunt prius : atque etiam verbum,
quod dixit " dederunt lumen eomm oculis" quod hoc est : ac-
ceperunt aladtja-tv in lumine et cognoverunt diroppotav luminis,
quod pertineat ad altitudinem. Atque etiam verbum, quod
dixit : " isti omnes cognoverunt se in domino" quod hoc est : vires
omnes TrtcrTeo)? a-otpiwi cognovere se invicem per airoppoiav
luminis : atque etiam verbum, quod dix.it," servati stmt aqua vitae
tisque ad aeternum^" quod hoc est : servatae sunt per diroppoiav
luminis totius : atque verbum, quod dixit : " attraxit eos omnes
d-noppoia luminis et attraxit eos super tempkim'^" quod est : quum
cmoppoia luminis accepisset lumina omnia 7r4o-T6&)?o-o(^(a?,et quum
eripuisset ea a Trpo^okaK avdaBov;, iniecit ea in Tnariv aro(j)iav,
atque conversa est, exiit a chao, ^ascendit in perfectionem [P vel
" super te "] quod tu es templum ^ Haec est solutio verborum
omnium, quae dixit tua vis luminis per oden Salomonis, Factum
igitur, quum primum fiva-Trjpiov audisset haec verba, quae dixit
Petrus, locutum est ei : evye, p.aKapt.o'i Petre, haec est solutio
verborum quae dixerunt [i.e. dicta sunt].

ODE 22.

This Ode is introduced as follows :

Respondens he primum fivar'^piov dixit : Ke\evco tibi, Mathaee,
ut proferas solutionem vp-vov, quern dixit TricrTi<} ao<f>t.a. Respon-
dens Se Mathaeus dixit : de solutione vfivov quem dixit Trto-rt?
cro(f>ia tua vis luminis eTrpo(j)'r}Tevaev olim in aiBrj Salomonis :

S.-P. pp. 155, 156- W.-M.-S. p. 39.

Qui deduxit me in locis ex- Is, qui duxit me deorsum e

celsis super caelum, et duxit me locis altis, caelestibus, et duxit me

' Schmidt, 'Wasser ewigen Lebens.'

'' Schmidt, 'riss alles an sich, und zog (?) es liber den Tempel.'

■'~^ Schmidt, 'und kam Uber Dich, der Du der Tempel bist.'

THE ODES IN THE PISTIS SOPHIA

29

sursum iri locis quae in funda-
mento inferiori: qui abstulit ibi
haec, quae in medio, et docuit me
ea, qui dispersit meos inimicos, et
meos dvriStKovs, qui dedit mihi
i^ovaiav super vincula ad solvenda
ea, qui cTrarafe serpentem cum
septem capitibns meis manibus.
Constituit me super eius radicem,
ut evellerem eius o-Trcpfia atque tu
eras mecum, adiuvans me, in omni
loco circumdedit me tuum nomen.
Dextra tua perdidit venenum
huius, qui dicit malum. Tua
manus stravit viam tuis ttio-tois.
Redemisti eos e Ta<j)OL<; et trans-
tulisti eos e mediis cadaveribus.
Sumsisti ossa mortua, induisti iis
(Tiofia et qui haud movent se,
dedisti eis ivepysiav vitae. Via
tua facta est perniciei expers,
atque tua facie duxisti [P tua
facies, Duxisti] tuum almva in
perniciem, ut dissolverentur omnes
et fierent novi, et uti tuum lumen
sit duplicatum [P fundamentum]
iis omnibus. Construxisti tuam
opulentiam per eos et facti sunt
habitaculum sanctum.

in loca, quae in fundamento in-
feriori. Is, qui abstulit ibi haec,
quae in medio sunt, et docuit me
ea. Is, qui dispersit inimicos
meos et adversarios meos. Is,
qui dedit mihi potestatem super
vincula ad solvenda ea. Is qui
percussit serpentem septem capita
habentem manibus meis : con-
stituit me super radicem eius, ut
exstinguerem semen ejus. Et tu
eras mecum, adsistens mihi. Omni
in loco circumdedit me nomen
tuum. Dextra tua perdidit -vene-
num male loquentis. Manus tua
planavit viam fidelibus tuis. Liber-
asti eos e sepulcris et transtulisti
eos e medio cadaverum. Accepis-
ti ossa mortua, induisti iis corpus,
et, qui non movent se, dedisti eis
ivepyeiav vitae. Via tua facta est
expers perniciei, et etiam facies
tua : duxisti aeona tuum in per-
niciem' ut dissolverentur omnes
et renovarentur. ^Et ut lumen
tuum duplicaretur iis omnibus^,
superstruxisti divitias tuas super
eos, effecti sunt habitaculum
sanctum*.

ODE 22.

T/ze Gnostic Targum. S.-P. 153 — 155.

Pergens he adhuc Tria-Ti'i ao(f>ia, v/jLvevcre rursum ad me
dicens : " v/Mvevm sursum ad te hoc. Tuo statute eduxisti me ab
Miovi excelso, qid supra caelum, et deduxisti me ad Toirovi in-
feriores, atque etiam tuo statuto liberasti me e to-ttok inferioribus,
et per te abstulisti vXtjv ibi, quae est in meis viribus luminis, et vidi
earn, atque tu dispersisti z. me mpo^oKa-i avdaBov;, quae affligebant
me et erant inimici mihi, atque dedisti mihi e^ovcriav ut solverer

^ Schmidt, 'Du hast Deinen Aeon liber das Verderben gefiihrt.'
^"^ Schmidt, ■' und Dein Licht ihnen alien Fundament sei.'
2 Schmidt, 'Du hast Deinen Reichtum auf sie gebaut.'

30 INTRODUCTION

e vinadis irpo^oXoiv Adamae, et eTraTu^di serpentem bdsilisaim
cum septem capitibus. Proiecisti [P eiecisti] eum meis manibus,
et constituisti me super eius vKr\v. Perdidisti earn, ut ne awepfxa
suum surgeret inde ad hoc tempore, atque hi es qui eras mecum,
dans mihi vim in his omnibus, et tuum lumen circumdedit me in
TOTtoK omnibus, et per te reddidisti Trpo^oKai omnes av6aSov<;
impotentes, quod abstulisti vim sui luminis ab eis ef direxisti
meam viam ad educendam me ex chao, et transtuhsti me e tenebris
vXiKaK et abstuHsti meas vires omnes ab iis, 'quarum lumen
abstulere'. Iniecisti in eas lumen purum, et meis (jbeKeaiv omni-
bus, quibus nullum lumen, dedisti lumen purum ex lumine
altitudinis, et direxisti viam iis, et lumen tuae faciei factum mihi
est vita, pernicie vacua. Duxisti me sursum super chaos, locum
(tottov) chaus et perniciei, nt dissolverentur omnes vXai, quae in
eo, quae sunt in tottw illo, et uti fiant novae meae vires omnes
tuo lumine, et ut tuuin lumen sit in iis omnibus. Posuisti lumen
tuae diroppoia': in me. Facta sum lumen purgatum." Hie
iterum est secundus vfji,vo<; quern dixit wio-tk ao<f)ia.

ODE 22.

Tke detailed Commentary.

Matthew then goes on to show in detail the parallelism
between the Ode of Solomon and the hymn of the Pistis Sophia.

S.-P. pp. 156 — 160.

Haec, igitur, mi domine, est solutio vfivov quern dixit Trto-rt?
a-o(j)ia. Audi igitur, dicam eam ingenue. Verbum quod tua vis
dixit per Salomonem : " qui deduxit me e locis excelsis quae super
caelum, atque etiam duxisti me sursum in locis, quae in funda-
mento inferiori," ipsum est verbum, quod dixit itlo-tk ao(f>ia :
v/j,v€v(o sursum ad te hoc. Tuo statuto duxisti me ex hoc alavi
excelso, qui super caelum, et duxisti me in tottov? inferiores,
atque etiam servasti me tuo statuto, duxisti me sursum in roTrot?
inferioribus. Et verbum, quod tua vis dixit per Salomonem :
" qui abstulit ibi haec, quae in medio, et docuit me ea,'' ipsum est
verbum, quod dixit Triam a-oijyia : atque etiam per te abstulisti -
vXrjv quae in media mea vi, et vidi eam : atque etiam verbum,

'~^ Schmidt, 'deren Licht genommen war.'
2 Schmidt, 'hast. .. reinigen lassen.'

THE ODES IN THE PISTIS SOPHIA 3 1

quod tua vis dixit per Salomonem : " qui dispersit meos inimicos
et meos dvTiSiKovi," ipsum est verbum, quod dixit Tna-Tif a-o(l>ia :
et tu es, qui dispersisti a me ■7rpo^oXa<; omnes avdaSov; quae
afiBigebant me, et quae erant inimici mihi ; et verbum, quod
tua vis dixit: " qui dedit mihi suam a-o^iav super vincula ad
solvenda ea": ipsum est verbum, quod dixit ttio-tk a-ocfiia ; [+ et P]
dedit milii suam (7o<l>iav ut solverer e vinculis irpo^oXav illarum ;
et verbum, quod tua vis dixit : " qui eiraTa^e serpeniem cum. septem,
capitibus meis manibus et constituit me super eius radicem,, ut
evellerem eius cnrep^a" ipsum est verbum, quod dixit TriaTi<;
(ro<j)ia : et eTraTa^av serpentem cum septem capitibus meis mani-
bus et constituisti.me super eius vXrjv, perdidisti eum, ut ne eius
airepfia surgeret inde ab hac hora ; et verbum, quod tua vis
dixit : " et tu mecum eras, adiuvabas me" ipsum est verbum,
quod dixit ttio-tk cro(f)ia : et tu eras mecum, dans vim mihi in
his omnibus ; et verbum quod tua vis dixit : " et tuum nomen
circumdedit me in omni loco" ipsum est verbum, quod dixit
TTto-TW cro(j)ta : et tuum lumen circumdedit me in eorum locis
omnibus; et verbum, quod tua vis dixit: " et tua dextera
perdidit venemmi huius qui dicit malum" ipsum est verbum,
quod dixit iruTTi'i aocjiia ; et per te factae sunt impotentes
■n-po^oXai av6ahov<i, quod abstulisti lumen vis suae ab iis ; et
verbum, quod tua vis dixit : " tua manus stravit viam tuis
■Ki,<TTOi<i" ipsum est verbum, quod dixit inaTK ao<f)oa ; direxisti
meam viam ad educendam me e chao, quod iiTiixrevffa tibi ;
et verbum, quod tua vis dixit : " redemisti eos e Ta<f>oiii et
transtulisti eos e mediis cadaveribus" ipsum est verbum, quod
dixit TTtcTTf? ao<j)ia : et redemisti me e chao et transtulisti me
e tenebris vXiKai<; quae ipsae sunt irpo^oXai caliginis, quae in
chao, e quibus suum lumen abstulisti ; et verbum, quod tua vis
dixit : " sumsisti ossa mortua, induisti eis aaifia, et hi, qui non
■movent se, dedisti iis ivepr^eiav vitae" ipsum est verbum, quod dixit
TTtcTTt? ao(f>ia : et abstulisti meas vires omnes, in quibus nullum
lumen, et [om. et P] indidisti eis lumen purum, et meis fieXeatv
omnibus, in quibus nullum lumen movetur, dedisti eis lumen vitae
tua altitudine ; et verbum quod tua vis dixit : " tua via facta est
pernicie vacua et tua fades" ipsum est verbum, quod dixit Tn,crTi<;
ao<j)ia: et direxisti viam [+tuam P] mihi, et lumen tuae faciei facta^
mihi est vita, pernicie vacua ; et verbum, quod tua vis dixit:

^ factum P.

32 . INTRODUCTION

" duxisti tuum alwva in perniciem, ut dissolverentur ut'fierent novi
omnes" ipsum est verbum, quod dixit Tria-Ti<; (TO(f>ia: 'duxisti me,
tuam vim, in chaos et in perniciem', ut dissolverentur vXai omnes,
quae sunt [+ sursum P] in tottm iilo, et ut fierent novae meae vires
omnes lumine'; et verbum, quod tua vis dixit, " ei timm lumen
duplicatum [P fundamentum] est^ its omnibus" : ipsum est verbum,
quod dixit iriari,^ ao^ia : et tuum lumen est in iis omnibus : et
verbum quod tua vis luminis dixit per Salomonem : " posuisti
'^tuam opulentiam^ in eo, et factus est habitaculum sanctum ": ipsum
est verbum, quod dixit Trto-rt? cro^ia : firmasti lumen tuae atrop-
poi,a<; super me, et facta sum lumen purum. Haec igitur, domine
mi, est solutio vfivov, quem dixit jnaTK ao<^ia.

ODE 25.
The text of this Ode is introduced as follows :
Respondens 8e primum /iva-rrjpiov dixit Thomae : KeXevto tibi,
ut proferas solutionem vfjuvov, quem vfivevaev sursum ad me
TTKjri'i (To4>ia. Respondens Se Thomas dixit : mi domine, de
vfivto quem dixit Trtart? quod liberata est a chao : tua vis luminis
iiT po<f)7jT€V(rev olim per Salomonem, filium Davidis, in eius coSat? :

S.-P. p. 150. W.-M.-S. /.(. p. 39.

Servatus sum e vinculis. Fugi Liberatus sum e vinculis. Fugi

ad te, domine, quod fuisti mihi ad te, domine : quia fuisti mihi ad

dextraservansme,atqueservansme dextram, salvans me. [Et salvans

et adiuvans me, eKwXwo-as pugnan- me] et adiuvans me, prohibuisti

tes contra me, neque apparuerunt, adversaries meos, neque se mani-

quod tua fades mecum erat ser- festaverunt, quod tua facies mecum

vans me tua x«P'ti. Affecta sum est, liberans me gratia tua. Accepi

ignominia coram multitudine,atque contumeliam coram multitudine,

proiecerunt me. Fui sicut plum- et eiecerunt me : fui sicut plumbum

bum coram iis. Facta mihi est coram iis. Fuit mihi robur per te

vis a te adiuvans me, quod posu- adiuvans me. Quia posuisti lu-

isti lucernas. ad dexteram mihi et cernas ad dextram meam et ad

ad sinistram mihi, ui: ne quidquam sinistram meam, ne neutra parte

circa me esset luminis expers. luminis expers essem. Texisti me

'Eo-KEiracras me sub umbra tuae sub umbra gratiae tuae et ''superavi

misericordiae et fui super vestes vestimenta pellicea". Dextra tua

1-1 Schmidt, 'Du hast raich, Deine Kraft, uber das Chaos hinaufgefuhrt und iiber
das Verderben.' _ ,^ ;

, ■ 2 Schmidt, 'ist ihnen alien Fundament (geworden).'

■'"' Schmidt, 'Deinen Reichtum. '

^-* Schmidt, 'ich wurde iiberhoben den-aus Fellen gemachten Kleidern.'

THE ODES IN THE PISTIS SOPHIA 33

pelliceas. Tua dextra exaltavit exaltavit rae, et abstulisti infirmi-

me et abstulisti infirmitaterri a' me : tatem porro a me. Fui corro-

Factus sum validus tua veritate, boratus veritate tua, purgatus

purgatus tua SiKmoa-vvr]. Remoti iustitia tiia. Procul remoti sunt

sunt a me pugnantes contra me, a me adversarii mei, et iustificatus

et iustificatus sum tua xPV'^'''°'''W-! sum iustitia tua, quia requies tua

nam tua quies est ad aeternum est in saecula saeculorum.
aeternitatis.

ODE 25.

Tke Gnostic Targum. (S.-P. 148, 149.)

Pergens Se iterum in sermone primum fivarrjpiov dixit
/j,adr]Tat,i; : Factum est, quum duxissem Triariv ao(f>cav sursum in
chao, exclamavit iterum dicens: " Servata sum in chao, et soluta e
vinculis caliginis. Veni ad te, lumen, quodfuisti lumen ex omni
parte mihi servans me, et ddiuvans me. Et ■rrpo^oXa'; av0aSov<s quae
ptcgnant contra me, iKa)}<.vcra<; tuo lumine, et haud potuerunt
adpropinquare mihi, quod erat tuum lumen mecum, et servabatms.
tua [P me in tua] airoppota luminis, quoniam <yap irpQ^oKat,
\^ + aiidahov<i\ affligentes me abstulerunt meam vim a me,
iniecerunt me in orcos (chaos Plur.) nullum lumen habentem.
Fui sicut vKt) gravis coram lis: Atque post haec vis aTroppoiaf
venit mihi a te servans me. Splenduit ad sinistram mihi et ad
dextram. mihi ; et circumdabat me, ex omni parte mihi erat, utne
tdlum fiepo<; quo fui, essem [P esset\ sine lumine, et pbtexit [P
obtexistt] me lumine tuae ditoppoi.a'i et purgasti in me omnes
meas i/Xd? malas, et fui super meas vXa? omnes propter tuUm
lumen ^et tuam a-rroppoiav luminis. Ista exaltavit me^ et absttdit
me irpo^oKai^ av0aSo'v<; 6Xi0ov&ai'i me. Atque fui confisa tuo
lumini, nee non lumen purum [P lumini puro] tuae aTrpppoia^,
et remotae sunt a me irpo^oXat avOaSov; quae affligebant me, et
facta sum lux tua magna vi, quod tu servas omni tempore.

ODE 25.

The detailed Commentary.

. Thomas explains that he will interpret openly the words
of the Pistis Sophia, and proceeds to speak iv irapprjcria, as
follows :

'"' Schmidt, 'und Dein Lichtabfluss ist es, der mich erhbht...hat.'
O. S. e,

34 INTRODUCTION

S.-P. 150—153.
Verbum igitur, quod tua vis luminis dixit per Salomonem :
" Servatus sum e vinculis. Fugi ad te, domine'' ipsum est
verbum, quod dixit iriaTi'i a-o(f>ia : soluta sum e vinculis caliginis,
veni ad te, domine [P lux] : et verbum, quod dixit tua vis :
" Fuistt mihi dextra servans me et adiuvans me''; ipsum iterum
est verbum, quod dixit iriari'i ao(f)ia : factus es lumen ex omni
parte mihi et adiuvans me : et verbum quod tua vis luminis
dixit " eK(oXvaa<i pugnantes contra me, et hand apparuerunt"
ipsum est verbum, quod dixit '7riaTi<; ao^ia: et ■irpo^o\a<; avdaSov<;
quae pugnant contra me, eVtoXuo-a? tuo lumine, et haud potuerunt
adpropinquare mihi " : et verbum, quod tua vis dixit, " guod tua
fades mecum erat servans me tua yapni]' ipsum est verbum,
quod dixit Trtan<; (70J>ta : quod tuum lumen erat mecum ser-
vans me tua diroppota luminis : et verbum quod tua vis dixit,
"'^contemner eorum miiltitudine et proiecerunt me^" ipsum est
verbum, quod dixit -n-to-Tt? ao^ia ; afflixerunt me irpo^oXai
avdaSovi et abstulerunt meam vim a me, et contemta sum
coram iis et proiecerunt me in chao expertem luminis. Et
verbum, quod tua vis dixit : "/m stent plumbum coram iis,"
ipsum est verbum, quod dixit Trto-rt? cro</».a: quum abstulissent
mea lumina a me, facta sum sicut vXtj gravis coram iis. Et
verbum, [ + rursus P] quod tua vis dixit, " et facta mihi est vis a
te adiuvans me'' ipsum [ + quoque P] est verbum, quod dixit 7r«7Tt?
cro(j)ia: et post haec vis luminis venit mihi a te servans me": et ver-
bum quod tua vis dixit : "posuisti lucernas ad dextram mihi et
ad sinistram mihi, ut ne quidquam circa me esset luminis expers''
ipsum est verbum, quod dixit Trto-rt? cro<f>ia, Tua vis luminis
[P + splenduit] ad dextram mihi et ad sinistram mihi et circum-
dans me ab omni parte, ut ne quidquam circa me esset luminis
expers: et verbum quod tua vis dixit: " eo-zceTratra? me umbra
tuae misericordiae'' ipsum iterum est verbum, quod dixit ■n-i<TTi.<i
ao(f>ia : et obtexisti me lumine tuae dTroppoi,a<;; et verbum quod tua
vis dixit : '"'fui super vestes pelliceas^" ipsum iterum est verbum,
quod dixit iricrTi'i ao<f>ia : et eiecerunt a me meas uXa? omnes
malas, et ^elevavi eas'* tua lumine ; et verbum, quod tua vis dixit
per Salomonem : "tua dextra exaltavit me et abstulit infirmitatem

1-' Schmidt, 'ich wurde veraclitet im Angesichte vieler und hinausgestossen.'
2~^ Schmidt, 'ich wurde iiberhoben den aus Fallen gemachten Kleidern.'
'"^ Schmidt, 'ich erhob mich Uber sie.'

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE OP THE ODES 35

a me," ipsum est verbum, quod dixit itktti,^ iro^ia : et tua diroppoia
luminis haec est, quae exaltavit me tuo lumine, et abstulit a me
irpo^oXai; av6aSov<; O\i^ova-a<; me ; et verbum, quod tua vis
dixit: "/actus sum validtis tua veritate etpurgatus tua SiKaioawy,"
ipsum est verbum, quod dixit itio-tk ao<f>ia : facta sum valida
tuo lumine et sum lumen purgatum tua diroppoia : et verbum,
quod tua vis dixit: " remoti sunt a me pugnantes mecum',' ipsum
est verbum, quod dixit viaTif ao<\>ia: remotae sunt a me irpo-
/3o\at av6aSov<i, hae quae affligebant me, et verbum quod tua
vis luminis dixit per Salomonem : " et mstificatus sum tua XPV-
a-TOTrjTi, quod tua quies est ad aeternum aeternitatis " : ipsum est
verbum, quod dixit Trurrt? ao^ia : servata sum tua ■)(^pri<TTOTr)Ti
quod tu servas unumquemque. Haec igitur, o mi domine, est
solutio tota p,eTavoia<i quam dixit Trto-rt? aofjiia quum servata
esset in chao et soluta est e vinculis caliginis.

These, then, are the extracts and comments on the Odes of
Solomon which are contained in the Pistis Sophia.

We will now examine what light they throw on the original
form of the text, and we will also enquire as to the

Original , ^

laneuage of language in which the book was originally circulated.
We begin by comparing the Odes quoted in the
Coptic book with their Syriac equivalents.

The presumption is that the Coptic is a direct translation
from the Greek : the number of Greek words that are embedded
in the Coptic at once suggests this, and it is natural to carry
back these Greek words into the text from which the Coptic is
derived.

A little caution is necessary, for it will be remembered that
Greek words are often used in the Coptic to redeem the
language from its linguistic poverty, and it will also be found
that the Coptic does not always directly transliterate a Greek
word : it sometimes translates by another and more familiar
Greek word. But with some reserve of this kind, the Greek
elements in the text are sufficient evidence that the book was
taken from the Greek to the Egyptian language ; and we know
that the Psalms and Odes had a wide circulation amongst
Greek-speaking peoples. The Pistis Sophia, in which the Odes
are embedded, dates from the third century, and the author of
the Pistis had, as we have shown, the Odes bound up with his
Canonical Psalter ; at the time intimated there was no Coptic

36 INTRODUCTION ,

[Thebaic] Bible from whicii the extracts could have been made ;
so we may be sure the Odes were taken from a Greek Bible,
and, with almost equal certainty, that the Pistis Sophia itself
was a Greek book. Detailed examination leads to the same
result

Suppose we examine the parts of the sixth Ode which we
have preserved both in Coptic and in Syriac : this is the Ode
in which Harnack thought we could detect both Gnostic and
Egyptian elements, the supposed Gnostic feature being the use
of the word diroppoia, and the supposed Egyptian feature being
a sudden inundation, which sweeps over, a whole country and
defies professional attempts to regulate it. Near the end of the
Ode is a beautiful passage describing the way in which the
ministers of the water of life have assuaged the thirst of the
world: they have given ease to dry lips, strength to paralysed
wills and weak limbs. Then the writer adds

" Members which had fallen they made straight and set
up. They gave strength for their coming and light to
their eyes."
There is something awkward about this word ' coming ' : and
when we turn to the Coptic we find

" Restituerunt membra quae ceciderant. Dederunt
robur "Trapprjcria eorum et lucem oculis eorum."

This is almost as unintelligible as the former ; what does he
mean by " strength for freedom of speech ' ? However we have
found out that the Greek behind the Coptic read rfj 7rqt/3/3J?oria
avToov; and it is not difficult to infer that the Syriac has
rendered a Greek text t^ Trapova-ua avrwv. Now which of
these is correct .? Neither of them makes good sense. But if
we wpte

rfi irapeaei avruv or t^ ■n-apoKvcrei uvtmv
"they gave them strength for their paralysis,"

we can make the passage intelligible, and explain both the
Coptic and Syriac readings'* .

'The key to the passage is Is. xxxv. 3 = Hfeb, xii. 12; liTxiJiraTe . . .y6varai
w.apa\e\vn4va (Is.), and cf. rd TcapaXeXv/iiva. ydvara duopSua-are (Heb.).

For a similar confusion between TrapovHaand irapprtaia we may compare the words
ofVafentinuSiqxioted in'-Clem. A\ex. Strem. ii. 22 : eh S^ icTi.v~i.ya.ebs- ov irappricta-n
Sici ToO vlov 0(n'^j)u(r(S,- where Grabe, Spu. 2 conjectures ■wapovala.

GREEK TEXT OF THE ODES 37

This suggests that the Syriac as well as the Coptic has a
Greek text behind it. We shall examine this point more in
detail presently.

We are not limited to the occurrence of the single Greek
word Trapprja-ia (whether it be the right word or only a corrup-
tion) ; nor to the favourite word dtroppoia which the Pistis
Sophia has caught at, on account of its Gnostic associations.

The Syriac tells us that the flood could not be restrained by
the professional restrainers, nor by the arts of those who make
the management of floods their business. The Coptic text
tells us

baud potuerunt capere in clausis et in locis aedificatis,
neque potuerunt capere eam rexvai capientium illos.

Here the Syriac is somewhat at variance from the Coptic,
but it is clear that 'capere' stands for the Syriac 'restrain,'
and that rexvai is the Greek word for the Syriac 'arts of the
restrainers.'

The Gnostic Targum has also worked in rex^ai in the
following form :

neque iroX/jirjcrav prehendere airoppoiav neque

prehenderunt eam rexvy ■■■■.■■

Here 'prehendo' is the same as 'capio,' and stands for the
Syriac ' restrain.' Texvai seems to come from the original
Greek. I should have said that iroXfirja'av came from the same
source, if it were not that the text and the comment have
'potuerunt' in harmony with the Syriac.

Another bit of the original Greek is picked up in the clause
which answers to the Syriac,

' Blessed are the ministers of that draught'
Here the Coptic gives us, Ma/capioi sunt SiuKovot, potus illius,
and the Comment, as well as the Targum, explains that the
ministers are Michael and Gabriel, ol SiaKovrja-avTef. So that
we can restore the words MaKapioi elaiv ol SiaKovoi ovtoi to the
Greek. And so in other cases.

But this raises the question whether the Greek is the last
stage. Were the Odes written in Greek ? Or may we say, as
for the eighteen Psalms, that they were translated into Greek
from an original Hebrew ? The possibility must at all events be
kept in mind. But we can only advance by slow stages. The

38 INTRODUCTION

next step should be to confirm the suggestion that the Syriac
has been translated from a Greek base by discussing the case
for the eighteen Psalms.

Here we should naturally expect dependence on the Greek.
The Syriac of Fo^ '* '^ now clearly made out, as Ryle and James
d'^epenS'^he have shown, that the original Hebrew of these
Greek. Psalms was done into Greek at a very early period.

For the Greek version of the nth Psalm is used by the author
of the book of Baruch in his fifth chapter, and this chapter is
quoted at length by Irenaeus. So it would be unreasonable to
put the Greek of the eighteen Psalms later than the middle of
the first century, when it is employed by Baruch writing,
probably, not later than the end of the first century.

So the Greek of these Psalms is available for translation into
Syriac at a very early date ; we have to determine from the
evidence before us whether it was so translated from the Greek.
Let us see whether the Syriac confirms any conjectures either
in Greek or in Hebrew that the editors have thought necessary
to the understanding or betterment of the text. It does not
confirm Hilgenfeld's brilliant suggestion of opimv for opecov in
Ps. ii. 30 : the Syriac has 'mountains' and agrees with the Greek
tradition. In Ps. ii. 20 Gebhardt's emendation of KaTea-n-aaev to
KaTeaTrda-Orj is confirmed by the Syriac jiaa^A^K'o, which is
rather a free translation. In Ps. v. 4 Gebhardt conjectures

ov yap Xij-^erai [rty] aKvXa Trapa dvSp6<; hvvarov
and the word added is confirmed by the Syriac, which adds
r<'-xJV> (a son of man, a man) : but then the Copenhagen MS.
has ffKvXa dvOpasiro';, and the Syriac might just as well be a
translation of this.

In Ps. viii. 3 Hilgenfeld's emendation

Kill eiira [ei/] rfj KaphLa fiov

is not confirmed by the Syriac, which follows the MSS. in
omitting iv.

In Ps. X. I Fritzsche made a striking emendation to the first
couplet,

Ma«:apto? dvrjp ov 6 icvpio<s ejxvrjcrO'r) iv i\eyfiQ),
Kot eKV/c\.a>9rj aTrb oBov irovqpa'i iv (idariyt

by reading iKtoKvOr) for eKVKkmdr).

SYRIAC TEXT OF THE PSALMS 39

The Syriac confirms this conjecture, which Gebhardt has
discarded in favour of a misunderstood Hebrew text. If this is
not a successful emendation on the part of a scribe, the Syriac
at this point takes precedence of the existing Greek texts : but
that does not mean that it is not dependent on a Greek text.
In Ps. xvi. 9 the Greek text

TO, epya twv '^^eipcov fiov Karevdvvov ev tottm (tov
is altered in the Syriac to evooTriov a-ov which seems a better, as
well as an easier reading.

In Ps. xvii. 1 6 [14] where Gebhardt has emended
[/fa^w? Kal TO. eOvr] ev rat? iroXeai] tov adevovi avTO)v
for TOW 6eov<; avrmv of Cod. R the Syriac reads ' to their gods '
with the rest of the Greek MSS.

In Ps. xvii. 23 [21] Gebhardt emends

et9 TOV Kaipov ov etXou av, 0eo?
for the current Greek

eh TOV Kaipov ov etSe? [tSe?, olSe?, otSa?].
The Syriac has Aur^r^V*», which answers most nearly to eZSe?.
This is one of the places where Felix Perles found a trace of
the original Hebrew, which had been corrupted from my to
ny^^ i-e. from 'thou hast appointed' to 'thou hast known.'
Most of the proposed emendations seem to me to be more
ingenious than necessary. The Syriac, at all events, does not
endorse them.

In Ps. xvii. 32 [30] the Syriac renders ev iTria-r/fifp by ov.rilii^,
which throws light on the same expression in Ps. ii. 6, where the
Syriac seems to have left the words untranslated, but there
Felix Perles conjectured that they stood for an original Hebrew
''hil- The Syriac seems, while itself following the Greek in
Ps. xvii. 32, to support this restoration of Perles for the Hebrew

in Ps. ii. 6.

In Ps. xvii. 37 [33] Gebhardt has added conjecturally the

word Xaot? in

/cot iroXXok [Xaots] ov avvd^ei eXTTiSas ek v/^epav iroXep^ov.

The Syriac has ' and he shall not hope in a multitude for the
day of war,' and so does not favour the emendation. So far,
then, as these passages go, there is not much ground for taking
the Syriac outside the grouping of the Greek MSS., and erecting

40 INTRODUCTION

it into a separate authority. There are one or two passages to
be considered in which the Syriac gives us either an independent
conjecture, or something nearer to the original text.
In Ps. i. 6 the difficult

Koi ovK fjve'^Kav

Singular read- \ ,

s^ria"/"'^ of the MSS. is replaced by eis^.-u t<A.i, and the

sentence connected with the previous etirav by
omission of the intervening matter, so as to read

' And they spake what they did not understand ' ;

whether this was arrived at in the first instance by substituting
eyvooKav for ijveyKav is not quite clear : but the whole treatment
of the text is too drastic to allow us to believe that the Syriac is
the original. Another suggestion is that the Syriac translator
read koi ovk eyvcov, and took it for a 3rd person plural instead
of a 1st person singular.

In Ps. ii. 29 [25] the difficult

Tov elireiv ttjv v-rreprj^aviav tov hpdKOVTo<i

appears in the Syriac as 0-i5ai,soi which makes excellent sense,
from whatever quarter it is derived. Perles conjectures that the
original Greek was Taireivovv: it is just conceivable that the
Syriac might stand for a translation of this.
In Ps. ii. 41 [37] for

eyXo^ijTo? Kvpio<; et? tov alwva ivwiriov SovXcov avrov

the Syriac has the equivalent of vtto t&v SovXwv uvtov, and a
glance at the previous line of the Greek will show that ivwirtov has
been accidentally borrowed from there, so that we may replace
vvo Twv on the faith of the Syriac, which at this point establishes
a better Greek text.

In Ps. iv. 25 [21, 22] for

/cat TTapoopyicrav tov 6e6v koI napw^vvav
e^apai avTov<i airo tj}? 7^?

the Syriac reads

KoX irapuip^iaav (_OV^ir<'] tov Oeov
Kal irapapyoa-dr} [acn»t9\T^aj i^apat ktL
Here the translator seems to have taken a slight liberty
with his text, by translating the same word in two different

SYRIAC "READINGS 4I

ways-, unless we prefer the explanation that' Trapa^vvOr) stood in
his copy, instead of irapapyiadr].
In Ps. viii. 23 [20] the clause

diraiXea'ev kp')(pvTa'; avrow Koi irdvra ao<f)6v

has for its last words

' because he is wise in counsel ' ;
it is, however, only a blunder in the Syriac text itself: read jao
for -jA^^Q and you have the equivalent of the Greek.

The same thing has happened in Ps. x. 9 [8], where the
Syriac reads

' The salvation of the Lord is upon the house of Israel
for an eternal Kingdom ' :

a very slight change restores r^A^o.^olso for r^^oaJLsn and
gives us the Greek craxppoawrjv as in Codd. H (R). This must,
in its turn, be corrected to ev^poa-vvrjv with Codd. J L C.

Here the Syriac follows a corrupt Greek text, and has itself
been corrupted. For more violent changes in the Syriac we
may take the following :

Ps. ii. 37 [33]

evXoiyeire top 6e6v, 01 ^o^ovfievoi

Tov Kvpiov ev eTriaTTJfirj-

OTi TO eXeo? Kvpiov iirl tov<; (f>o^ov/j,evov^

avTov fiera Kpi/jLUTOf-

The Syriac reads ev crxvf^ciTi for ev eTri<TTij/j,rj : but the
parallelism shows that the Greek is right, and perhaps the
Syriac r^JOi^sor^ should be corrected to redL^oxo.

In Ps. V. 8 [6] for fi-ij ^apiivj}^ rrjv x^^P^ ""<"' *^' '?/*«'> the
Syriac has

' let not thy hand be delayed from us ' ;

which appears to answer to

ixfj Ppahivrfi rrjv %ef/3a erov dff ijfioijv,

the error being due to a false transcription of the Greek. For
the correctness of the Greek, we may compare Ps. Sol. ii. 24 and

o. s. 6

42 INTRODUCTION

the Biblical parallels cited by Ryle and James [Judg. i. 35 :
I Sam. V. 6 : Ps. xxxi. (xxxii.) 4].

In the difificult passage Ps. xv. 8, 9 [7]
Xf/i09 Kol pofji(f>at,a koX ddvaro<; diro Sikulcov fiUKpav,
^ev^ovTai yap to? SicoKo/xevoi iroXefiov airo ocnajv,
the Syriac boldly says in the second clause, that

' they shall flee as death flees away from life.'
Perles compares Lev. xxvi. 36

Kal (f>ev^ovTai, &>? (fjevyovTe'; airo iroKefiov

which suggests that a-Ko has dropped from our text, and gives
the original Hebrew.

The Syriac variation is very vivid, but I am afraid it is an
evasion of a difficult text : the parallelism would be spoilt by
saying that ' death flees from the righteous, as death flees from
life.' The Greek seems to be right as it stands, and to mean
'they shall flee from the saints as fugitives of war [are wont
to flee].'

In Ps. xvii. 1 1 [9] Gebhardt edits

ovK ^Xirjcrev avToiii; 6 deot.
e^7]p€vv'rj(7€v TO a-Trepfxa avrcov
Kal OVK d^fJKev avTwv eva.

The Syriac has a series of imperatives, or of futures equivalent to
imperatives : so that we ought to have in the Greek, if that were
the original of the Syriac,

OVK i\er)(TeK avTovj, ffe6<;.

eTTiaKeyfrov [? e^epevvr^aov] to (nrepfia avrdiv,

Kal OVK d^rjaeit; avrwv eva,

and since the MSS. have e\er)aei, and two of them have
e^epevvTjaov we may, by the Syriac, bring the Greek into closer
agreement with what must have been its original form.

So far, then^ our investigation has not taken us sensibly out
of range of the Greek MSS. There are one or two obscurities
still to be cleared up, but the above are the principal cases. Here
is one microscopic, but significant error. In Psalm v. 16 the
Syriac translator has definitely blundered over the word ov in

Kal ov ecTTlv rj eX,7rls eVt ere,
ov tpelo'erat ev Bofiari.

RELATION OF SYRIAC TO GREEK 43

Here he reads the first ov as a negative, and is obliged to
discard the second. Cod. R also reads ovk for the first ov.

We may, then, conclude that the Syriac translator of the
Psalms has worked from a Greek text ; arid we will presently
try to find out its nearest affinity amongst the existing MSS.

In one or two cases the translator makes very successful
paronomasiae in his translation, such as might almost deceive
the very elect into a belief that he had recovered a play on
words of the original Hebrew.

For example in Ps. xi. 6, 7 [5]

oi Bpvfiob eo'Kbacrav avroi'i ev rfj irapoSS avTwv,
irav ^vKov evcoSiai dvereiXev avTolt 6 0e6<;.

For the second line the Syriac reads

As it does not seem possible that .jjl.tk' can be a direct
translation of avereiXev we are almost obliged to believe that
the writer has introduced a paronomasia : ' every tree of sweet
breath God caused to breathe upon them.' It cannot be
original, for as Perles points out\ Baruch read evireiXev (cf
Bar. V. 8, irav ^v\ov evtoStat toJ ^laparjX TrpocrTcuyfiarL), and this
can only be a variant of dvereiXev.

Another similar case will be found in Ps. ix. 9 [5]

o iroi.wv eKetjfjLocrvvTjv Orjiravpl^ec ^corjv

avT(^ irapd /cvpiai,
which the Syriac renders by

As this ^nr^Lfls r<'i\saxflo cannot be a Hebrew form of
speech, we are obliged to admit that the play on words is due
to the ingenuity of the translator.

Now let us see whether we can get a rough idea of the place
which the Syriac text of the Psalms of Solomon
Jhe^syriaf occupies amongst the Greek MSS.
irps°ata'li^to The edition of Ryle and James is based upon

Ms^"'"'' four MSS. of which the chief is the very beautiful

Copenhagen MS. But since the other three (at
Paris, Vienna and Moscow respectively) have been shown by

' Zur Erkldrimg der Psalmen Salomos, p. 9.

44

INTRODUCTION

Gebhardt to be derived from the Copenhagen MS., the text of
Ryle and James is reduced to a single authority, for the other
three may be neglected.

To this MS. Gebhardt adds four more, one from the Vatican,
two from Mount Athos, and one from Monte Cassino. We have
thus eight MSS. as follows :

C = Codex Casanatensis 1908.

H = Codex Hauniensis 6: (the Copenhagen MS.)t

J = Cod. 555 of the Monastery at Iveron.

L = a MS. in the Monastery of the Laura.

M=a, Moscow MS.: Library of the Holy Synod 147.

P = Paris Gr. 2991 A.

R= Vatican Gr. 336.

V= Vienna: Theol. Gr. 11.

The relations between these eight MSS. Gebhardt reduces
to the following scheme :

[V

R /^ ^ ^^H h

V /^ P

C M

Here z is the archetype : j, x, w are uncial MSS. which make
connecting links between the existing texts, and v, u and h are
similar links in the shape of ininuscule MSS.

The first thing we notice is that in numbering the Psalms,
H proceeds as follows :

Psal. Sol. I = a'

2 = ^'

3 = ...thus missing one in the count.

4 = 7'

•■ •■• S = S'

6 = 6'

7 = 5-'

8 = t'

9 = ^' thus missing a numeral:

after which the count is regular.

GROUPING OF MSS. OF PSALMS 45

This error in the numbering of Ps. 5 has led its copy V astray,
which has no number by the first hand, but has a wrong
number S' on the margin by a later hand.

Now turn to the Syriac MS. ; we have

Psal. Sol. I = Psalm 43 of the Syriac.

2= 44

3= 45 •

4= 47

&c. = &c.

all the numbers being now one in excess.

It will be seen that the Syriac numeration has gone wrong
very nearly at the same place as Cod. H, and in correcting an
error in one direction, the scribe has made a continuous line
of errors in another direction. This suggests that Syr. and H
are not very widely removed from one another. Now let us
examine some special readings.

In Ps. i. 3 we have

R L Syr. for TroWrjv)

J H TTOKVV ) '

In Ps. i. 4 we have

R J L Syr. against H (BieXdoi).
In Ps. ii. I we have L H Syr. for Kari^aXe )
R J for KaTe^aWe] '

this suggests that the Syriac comes on the diagram somewhere
between x and w.
In Ps. ii. 24 [22]

iKavcoa-ov, Kvpie, rov ^apvveadai X^^P"' ""^^
eirl ^lepova-aXrj/i ev kiraiyai'yy edvdov.

Here eTrayayrj is clearly right, but some MSS. have diraytoy^ :
the Syriac has it correctly : thus the MSS. divide R J L and
Syr. against H.

In the same connexion it is somewhat perplexing to find
both R and Syr. in what seems to be a common error, reading
' Israel ' for ' Jerusalem.' One would' have expected the same
reading to turn tip in J, but perhaps it was corrected by the
scribe. If Gebhardt's diagram is correct, it looks as if R and
Syr. might be the original reading and not an error at all.

In Ps. iv. 3 R and the Syriac are together in reading
a/jLapTccXcov against J L C H (dfiapTidov).

46 INTRODUCTION

In Ps. iv. lo [8] we have J L C H Syr, (vo/uov fiera ^oXov)
against R (fiovov /xeTa SovXov).

In Ps. viii. 24 [21] the Syriac seems to involve
a with R against a? of J L C H.

In Ps. viii. 26 [22] Syr. and R are again together in reading
e/Miavev.

In Ps. xvi. 12 the Syriac omits a clause by homoioteleuton,
in company with L.

In Ps. xvii. 8 [6] the Syriac reads dWdry/j-aTO(; with R J L
against H {d\aXdy/jiaTo<;).

In Ps. xvii. 23 [2 1 J the Syriac reads eiSe? with R J L against
H and the rest.

These are the most striking of the non-singular readings of
the Syriac, and they show clearly that the version belongs to an
earlier strain of text than Cod. H, and that its place is with the
group R J L, being perhaps intermediate between J and L. The
singular readings and free translations on the part of the Syriac
give us no assistance in regard to the grouping of the MSS.,
and we must leave the matter in the approximate manner
explained above.

It must be clear from the foregoing that we cannot expect
to get any nearer to the original language of the Psalms by
means of the Syriac. The original Hebrew must be sought in
the emendations to the Greek text made by Wellhausen, Geiger,
Ryle and James, and Perles. [Dr Barnes has discovered in the
Cambridge University MS. Add. 2012 (a volume containing
two short works of Bar Hebraeus followed by a collection of
prayers), the Syriac text of the Psalm of Solomon xvi. 6 — 13.
The Psalm, which is wrongly numbered as the 59th in our
collection, is actually numbered 58, which shows that the arrange-
ment in our MS., viz. Odes and Psalms numbered continuously,
beginning with Odes, is not unique. I have added the readings
of this fragment. Cod. C, to the text.]

Let us turn in the next place to the Odes, and see whether

we can trace their linguistic history. Here we

text of'tife^ have no Greek text extant, but we have the Coptic

odes taken r • r^ ^ ^ t

from the text ot ccitam Odes and there are Greek words

Greek. i i i i i

embedded ; we have also traces of a Latin version,
which we may assume, provisionally, to have been made from
the Greek ; and we have the Syriac version.

SYRIAC ODES FROM THE GREEK 47

In Ode 6, v. i6, we have tried to explain the variation between
a Coptic = trappria-la and a Syriac = vapovala by reference to
a misread Greek word.

We can frequently detect Greek compounds in their awk-
ward Syriac substitutes ; for example, in Ode 7, v. 26, ' excellent
beauty of the Lord ' is an attempt to render the Greek /xeyaXo-
irpeireia} . The constantly recurring- r^'-la.Aj r^tA, ' without cor-
ruption,' stands for a^OapTO'i and a^Oapcria.

A good instance is in Ode 9, v. 3, where the literal rendering

' His thought is everlasting life,

And without corruption is your perfection'

probably stands for

Kou, iv d^dapcna to Teko'i vfiwv,

and should therefore be translated,

' And your end is immortality.'
A somewhat similar case is the frequently repeated ^nfiou r^-l
which stands for the Greek d(j)dovo<;, d^d6v(0'i\ An interesting
example will be found in Ode 11, v. 6, where we read that ' speak-
ing waters touched my lips from the fountain of God without
grudging' {i.e. abundantly). In the passage just quoted I was
at first tempted to emend ' the speaking waters ' to ' waters of
a flood,' but it is clear that this must not be done : the expression
is the same as in Ignatius ad Rom. 7, vBap i^wv koX \aKow,
which Lightfoot too hastily altered to ^wv koX aXkofievov and
thus made a direct Johannine parallel. For ' talking water '
there are sufficient literary and folk-lore parallels.

Lightfoot quotes from Jortin [Eccl Hist. i. 356] the reference
to Anacreon 11 (13),

Ba^VT](f>opoio ^OL^ov \dXov ■jrt,6vTe<; vBaip,

for the expression 'talking water' and for the prophetic in-
spiration that was supposed to be produced by drinking it :
but objects to Jortin's inference that, as there was one of these
' speaking ' fountains at Daphne, the famous suburb of Antioch,

1 We may compare with the LXX. of Ps. Ixvii. (Ixviii.) 34 and the Peshitta.

^ An interesting parallel to this series of translations will be found in Irenaeus
(■247) where the Latin-text shows a doulile translation: 'sine invidia largiter ion&m
hominibus.'

SP INTRODUCTION

The recurrence of the theme ' the fruit of the lips' suggests
that this group of Psalms, should be credited to a common
author.

-The sixteenth Ode_ from which we just quoted is one of a
group that begins with a similitude, something like those which
we find in the Songs of Degrees in the Canonical Psalter. For
instance we have :

Ode 14. ' As the eyes of a son to his father, so are
my eyes, O Lord, at all times towards Thee.'

The parallel to this is Ps. cxxiii. 2, ' As the eyes of servants to
the hands of their masters, and as the eyes of a maid to the
hand of her mistress, so are our eyes to the Lord our God.'
Very similar is Ode 15.

'As the sun is a joy to them that, seek for its day-
- break, so is my Joy the Lord,' with which we may
compare Ps. cxxix. (cxxx.) 6, ' more than they that watch
; for the morning.'

Ode 16 begins something in the same way :

' As the work of the husbandman is the ploughshare :
and the work of the steersman is the guidance of the
ship : so also my work is the Psalm of the Lord : my
craft and my occupation are in His praises.'

With these three Odes we may probably take Ode 28 :

''As the wings of doves over their nestlings, and the
mouths of their nestlings towards their mouths, so also
are the wings of the Spirit over my heart.'

Suppose we group these four together, viz. 14, 15, 16, 28:
of these we have already 14 and 16 in the group 8, 12, 14, 16 : so
the six Odes 8, 12, 14, 15, 16, 28, belong together and' have a
common authorship.

Next let us try the association and repetition of ideas : one
of the harshest symbols employed by the Odes is the figure
of milk from the breasts of God : we have the following coin-
cidences :

Ode 8. 'My own breasts I prepared for them that
they might drink my holy milk and live thereby.'
Ode 14. ' With thee are my breasts and my delight'

UNITY OF AUTHORSHIP OF ODES St

Ode 19 contains a parallel in extended form in
which Christ is the cup that contains the milk from the
breasts of the Father.

With this we must probably take

Ode 35. 'I was carried like a child by its mother,
and he gave me milk, the dew of the Lord.'

The same connexion between the milk and the dew of the
Lord is found in Ode 4

' Distil thy dews upon us and open the rich fountains
that pour forth milk and honey.'

Here then is a group of Odes, 4, 8, 14, 19, 35,^ which
appear to belong together: but of these 8 and 14 are- in the
previous group, which must now be enlarged to

4, 8, 12, 14, IS, 16, 19. 28, 35.

In this way then, we may form the Odes into groups, as
a preliminary test for authorship. Here are some more sug-
gestions for grouping.

In Ode 6 we begin with

' As the hand moves over the harp, and the strings
speak, so speaks in my members the Spirit of the Lord.'

From the use of an opening similitude, it may be suggested
that this belongs with the similitudes in Odes already quoted :
but the actual figure of the hand and the harp recurs : the very
next Ode has

Ode 7. ' They shall go forth to- meet Him and shall
sing to Him with the harp of many notes ' :

and this Ode also opens with a similitude.
In Ode 14 we have

'Open to me the harp of thy Holy Spirit, that with
all its notes I may praise Thee, O Lord.'

In Ode 26

' His harp is in my hands and the Odes of His rest
shall not be silent.'
These four odes may be taken together, and attached to the
previous group, which now contains

4, 6, 7, 8, 1.2, 14, IS, 16, 19, 26, 28, 3S.

52 INTRODUCTION

Ode 7 and Ode lo are connected by the use of a curious
expression, ' the traces of the Light ' ; thus

Ode 7. ' He set over it the traces of His Light.'
Ode 10. ' The traces of the Light were set upon their
heart'
Ode 4 and Ode 8 are connected by their reference to the
seal of God which is set on His creatures :

Ode 4. ' Who is there that shall put on thy grace and
be hurt ? For thy seal is known.'

Ode 8. ' On their faces I set my seal ' &c.

Ode 3 and Ode 8 are connected by the fact that both of
them speak of Christ as {a) the Beloved, {b) the Living One.

Ode 3 and Ode 17 have a common feature in that they speak
of believers as the members of Christ.

Odes I, 5, 9 (?), 17 and 2o(?) contain the doctrine of the
crown of life which does not wither.

Odes 17, 21, 40 and 41 speak of the transfiguration of the
face of the believer : e.g.

Ode 17. 'I received the face and the fashion of a
new person.'

Ode 21. 'The exultation of the Lord increased on'
my face.'

Ode 40. ' My face exults with His gladness.'

Ode 41. ' Let our faces shine in His light.'

We have now, tentatively, grouped together Odes

I. 3, 4, S. 6, 7, 8, gQ), 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19,
2o(i'), 21, 26, 28, 35, 40, 41.

No doubt other coincidences and parallels may be detected :
the net result of this is the recognition that the majority of the
Odes come from a single hand, or if we prefer it, from the same
school. The doubtful member, in my judgment, is Ode 19 which
is far too grotesque to be by the same hand as the other
compositions. It appears to me to be an imitation of the other
Psalms that speak of the breasts of God. It is tritheistic as well
as grotesque. There will be some short Psalms that do not
readily furnish material for identification, but even these short
Odes will sometimes be capable of grouping; thus the figure of
the Cross in prayer is found in Ode 27, and reappears in a

HISTORICAL ALLUSIONS 53

longer composition Ode 42. It is very difficult, however, to
believe that this 42nd Ode belongs to the main body of the
collection.

Setting aside such small compositions and such as are late or
discordant, I believe it will be found that the internal evidence
will throw nearly all the Odes together, and that those which
are thus grouped will be found to be Christian compositions,
although at first sight many of them might seem to be Jewish,
or not definitely marked one way or the other. Their internal
parallelisms enable us to say with confidence that they are
either Christian or at least Judaeo-Christian compositions.

Several of the longer Odes do not admit of grouping with
the others : amongst these we note

Ode 22, which contains an account of the victory over
the dragon with seven heads.

Ode 23, which records the descent from heaven of
a mysterious letter, inscribed with the name of the
Trinity.

Ode 38, which records the preservation of the writer
from various errors and deceits.

Ode 39, which explains the dangers which attend the
rapid rise of great rivers, and how the believers walk
firmly on their waves, following the footsteps and example
of Christ.

These are also, in all probability. Christian ; but the question
of their authorship must be reserved and examined in detail.

We now proceed to examine the historical allusions in the
book of Odes.

The first thing that strikes us is the poverty of historical

background compared with that in the extant

allusions in Psalms of Solomon. In these known Psalms it is

the Odes. . . , , . . , . . , . ,

impossible to miss the historical situation which
provoked them : they were made under the stress of national
exigency, and the troubles stand out from the Psalms with their
dates on them. Pompey is written large over several of the
Psalms, and when Rome is not expressly mentioned it is
distinctly felt. The great dragon of the Psalms of Solomon is
a classified specimen. We can tell him a mile away.

Not only so, but when the history is recognized, the theology

54 INTRODUCTION

also becomes patent. The Pharisaism of the Psalms is trans-
parently clear, and the Messianism that went with it. So that
it was with justice that some critics labelled the compositions
Psalms of the Pharisees. That does not mean that all these
Psalms are necessarily by one hand nor that all of them are
decidedly marked. Some of them are, in fact, cofourless, and
in that sense, dateless : but the collection, as a whole, is
identified, both historically and theologically. The case of the
Odes is very different. If there are any national disasters
behind the songs, they have been lost in the songs. There is
not a sad note, and there is hardly a vindictive note in the whole
collection. And on the theological side, the leading characteristic
is experience, and not dogma : and experience is much harder
to date than dogma, and shows fewer of the weather-marks of
evolution. Sometimes, indeed, the expressions of the Odists
rise to such a height that they catch from the object of their
Faith something that is everlasting rather than evolutionary.
It is difficult to date a man who has disclosed the fact that he is
supremely happy and that God has made his face to shine with
the light of heaven. The only way in which we could date such
a phenomenon would be to say that, if he is not an isolated
specimen, the songs must proceed from some time of general
spiritual elevation ; and since it is historically verifiable, that
the experimental time of the bloom of Church life is the first
age (for one hardly expects to find people generally rejoicing
with ' an unspeakable and glorified joy,' say, in the time of
Constantine), then these hymns or odes must belong to the first
days of the Church : but even that way of dating them is some-
what indefinite.

When we go in search of special historical details, we do not

get a very rich harvest. The most important cases
t^o^founT""^' "lUst be carefully examined. The first case is
lanauary ^^'^ 4> which has a reference to a proposal or

suggestion to change the Sanctuary of God from
Jerusalem to some other position, and it is a noble protest from
a standpoint, which at least in part is a Jewish standpoint,
against the suggestion. The Ode begins as follows :

' No man, O God, changes thy holy place : and it is
not possible that he should change it and put it in

HISTORICAL ALLUSIONS 55

another place: because he has no power over it: for thy
sanctuary was designed before thou didst make other
places : that which is the elder shall not be altered by
that which is younger than itself

Now here it is clear that some change in the value of the
Sanctuary at Jerusalem is threatened at the hands of man. The
writer does not mean the same thing as the author of the
seventh of the extant Psalms of Solomon, where he prays God
not to remove His tabernacle from amongst them, lest the enemy
should tread the inheritance of the Sanctuary. It is at the hands
of man that the Sanctuary is threatened, and the writer is
confident that the Lord himself has never changed and. never will
change.

His thoughts turn to the origin of the holy place. That
holy place had a pre-existence and a corresponding eternity :
it was a ' Sanctuary from the beginning.' Here we are certainly
face to face with Jewish beliefs ; the writer of the Ode may be
shown on other grounds to be a Christian, but on this point he
is betrayed as having Jewish sympathies. And his views with
regard to the Temple are not merely Jewish in a general sense,
but highly evolved.

The first theories of the Heavenly Sanctuary appear to have
been almost Platonic in character : there was a pattern in the
mount : according to that pattern or idea the visible thing was
fashioned ; but the idea was eternal, and pre-existent. This
Platonic idea Underwent change at the hand of later Rabbins,
who came to teach that the actual Sanctuary had been created
before other things, and had been caught away to Heaven and
disappeared.

Accordingly we find in the Apocalypse of Baruch, c. 4, that
the Lord explains the doctrine of the Sanctuary to the prophet,
in language which depreciates the earthly sanctuary :

' Dost thou think that this is that city of which I said.
On the palms of my hands have I graven thee .' It is not
this building which is now built in your midst : it is that
which will be revealed with Me, that which was prepared
beforehand here from the time when I took counsel to
make Paradise, and showed it to Adam before he sinned,

56 INTRODUCTION

but when he transgressed the commandment, it was
removed from him, as also Paradise.'

Here, then, we have the view of a first-century writer who is
amazed at the desolation of Zion, and like our Odist, is con-
cerned with the problem of the deserted Sanctuary: he concludes
that it has been caught away, as Paradise was. The real city of
God is that which was made at the beginning ; like Paradise,
it was only here temporarily ; what is left is not the real thing.

Now our Odist does not go so far in despair as the writer of
the Apocalypse, of whom he may have been a contemporary.
He believes the Sanctuary was made at the very beginning
before other things, but still holds to the belief that Jerusalem
is the Holy City and the Temple the true Sanctuary. He does
not go so far even as the Epistle to the Hebrews, in drawing a
distinction between the tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and
that which was made by man.

His position appears to be very closely that of the great
Jewish Rabbis, who taught the pre-existence of the Sanctuary
and its priority to the rest of the works of God, and who do not
appear to have explained this pre-existence according to the
theory of Ideas, for in that case where would the priority have
been of the Temple amongst other works of God ? Their method
of teaching can be seen from

Bereshith Rabbah, 20 :

' Seven things were created before the world : Thorah,
Gehenna, the Paradise of Eden, the Throne of Glory, the
Sanctuary, Repentance and the Name of Messiah.'

Very nearly to the same effect is the dictum of Rabbi Meir
in Pirqe Aboth vi. 10:

' Five possessions possessed the Holy One, blessed is
He, in His world and they are these : Thorah, one
possession: Heaven and Earth, one possession: Abraham,
one possession : Israel, one possession : the Sanctuary,
one possession.'

The Scriptural proofs of these statements are important : the
case of the Sanctuary is proved as follows :

' The Sanctuary, whence is it proved .'' Because it is
written, " The place, O Lord, which thou hast made for

HISTORICAL ALLUSIONS 57

thee to dwell in, the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy
hands have established" (Exod. xv. 17): and it saith,
" And he brought them to the border of his Sanctuary,
even to this mountain, which his right hand had
possessed " ' (Ps. Ixxviii. 54).

That will suffice to show the nature of the Scripture proofs
employed : and it is clear that the same beliefs were in the mind
of the writer of our Ode. The question then arises as to the
situation which provoked his expression of faith.

In the case of the Apocalypse of Baruch, to which we have
referred as a parallel, it is clear that it is the desolation of
Jerusalem by Titus which is the historical background : and it
is some similar situation which is reflected in this fourth Ode.
Only the language in this latter case seems to imply that some
deliberate suggestion or attempt had been made by man to
move the Sanctuary : and against this the writer protests. The
agent who makes or suggests the change cannot be the Roman
conqueror : he might carry away the holy vessels, but that does
not remove the Sanctuary, any more than it was moved in the
days of Nebuchadnezzar. So it must be a suggestion coming
from Jewish or quasi-Jewish quarters. And the difficulty lies in
this : it is hardly possible that in the time of the last Jewish
wars, any body of Jewish believers could have cherished the
thought of a temple anywhere else than at Jerusalem. If the
temple was gone, it was gone back to Heaven and to God : it was
not to be sought elsewhere. It is not easy to believe that in
A.D. 70 or in A.D. 135, under the hand of Titus, or at the time
of Bar Cochba, the Jews would have thought of another temple.

For this reason I suggest that the writer is referring to an
attempt which had been made in earlier days to provide an
alternative Sanctuary to that at Jerusalem.

We know of at least three such attempts to change the
Holy Place ; one, the Samaritan temple on Gerizim, another the
Sanctuary at Assouan, whose officials were in friendly relations
with both Jerusalem and Gerizim, the third the temple of Onias
at Leontopolis in Egypt, said to be actually modelled on the
temple at Jerusalem, and designed as a substitute for it. Of
these the Sanctuary on Gerizim was destroyed by John
Hyrcanus in B.C. 128 ; the Sanctuary at Assouan was wrecked

o. s. 8

58 INTRODUCTION

by the Egyptians, after the retreat of Cambyses ; the temple of
Onias actually outlasted the temple at Jerusalem, and was
destroyed in A.D. 73 by the Roman general PauHnus in con-
sequence of the fears of the Romans that this temple also might
become a rallying point for sedition and revolt. And I have
suggested that it is the destruction of this temple, and not the
Jerusalem temple, that provokes the protest of the fourth Ode.
Unless it can be shown that there is a probability that some one
actually proposed building a new temple, soon after the great
Jewish disasters, elsewhere than at Jerusalem, it seems to me
that this is the likeliest solution : and it furnishes an exact
historical date.

There can be no doubt as to the writer's affection for the
temple at Jerusalem : but he does not wail or lament : he is satis-
fied with the unchangeableness of God and the immutability of
His promises. If he had been a Jew, he could not have displayed
such equanimity: compare, for example, the language of the
Apocalypse of Baruch or of Fourth Ezra, to see how the real
Jew would feel. It may be inferred that the writer of the
Ode is a Judaeo-Christian. If his date was not, as I suggest,
soon after A.D. 70, the only other possible date seems to be soon
after A.D. 135V

The importance of the temple at Leontopolis, in connexion
with the desecration of the temple at Jerusalem by Antiochus
Epiphanes, as a factor in the decentralization of the Jewish
religion, is indicated by Harnack in his History of Dogma.

' The spread of Judaism in the world, the secularization and
apostasy of the priestly caste, the desecration of the Temple,
the building of the Temple at Leontopolis, the perception
brought about by the spiritualizing of religion in the Empire of
Alexander the Great, that no blood of beast can be a means
of reconciling God — all these circumstances must have been
absolutely dangerous and fatal, both to the local centralization
of worship, and to the statutory sacrificial system^.'

In view of this luminous statement, it is not difficult to

1 The desecration of the Temple by Pompey in B.C. 63 is not a possible situation ;
for no serious interruption of the Temple Worship took place, and therefore no acute
religious problem was provoked. Nor can our Odes be referred to so early a period.
We have shown that they belong, almost entirely, if not absolutely, to the Christian
period.

'^ Harnack : I.e. i. 69 note, Eng. trans.

THE UNCHANGEABLE SANCTUARY 59

imagine the resentment of a Palestinian Jew against Leonto-
polis, nor the expression of such resentment in song, when the
offensive institution had been swept away.

We shall get a good idea of the theological position of the
writer amongst the early Christian sects and schools, if we
contrast his position with (i) that of the Ebionites on the one
hand, and (ii) that of the author of the epistle of Barnabas on the
other^ Irenaeus tells us, for example, that the Ebionites per-
severe in the customs of the law and in the Jewish mode of life,
and adore Jerusalem as if it were the house of God\ Without
pressing too closely the language of Irenaeus concerning the
Ebionites, which may be Coloured by polemical exaggeration,
there is certainly a common ground between the writer of the
fourth Ode and the Ebionites, in their affectionate religious
attachment to the ancient Sanctuary.

Now turn to the sixteenth chapter of the very anti-judaic
epistle which passes under the name of Barnabas. Barnabas
begins by telling us that the poor wretches (sc. the Jews) are
in error about the temple, which they take to be a house of God.
They have almost consecrated God in a shrine, as the Gentiles
do. He then quotes prophecies to show the vanity of the Jewish
belief In the course of these quotations he has to explain
Isaiah xlix. 17, 'Behold those that have destroyed this temple
shall build it again,' and affirms that this is actually taking place
at the hands of the Romans, who had wrecked the temple
because the Jews had made war against them. But instead of
drawing the Ebionite conclusion from this (to us) obscure
historical allusion, he flies off to prove that the only real temple
of God is a redeemed soul. It is clear that the writer of the
fourth Ode, while accepting the spiritual interpretation of life,
would never express himself like Barnabas.

As Dr Taylor says", ' those who felt with Barnabas would
have looked with disfavour upon the rebuilding of the temple
at Jerusalem.' [For a further discussion of the Unchangeable
Sanctuary see what is added in the preface.]

There is another way in which we can see that the position
of the writer of the fourth Ode is not that of the normal
Christian of Gentile extraction. One of the commonest exercises

^ Iren. (ed. Mass. 105).

^ Pi'ri/e Aboth : ed. ii. p. 153.

6o INTRODUCTION

of the early Christian was the demonstration to the orthodox
Jew by means of Testimonies from the Old Testament — that his
religion was no longer acceptable to God. From the traces of
these early collections of Testimonies which have come to light,
it is easy to see that they involved special statements under the
heads ' that the Jews were to lose Jerusalem,' and ' that the old
temple should pass away and a new one take its place.' The
new temple was to be a spiritual one, but whether the new
temple was Christ or the believer, is not quite clear. The writer
of the fourth Ode is prepared with spiritual interpretations of
the older religion, he spiritualizes the priesthood (if it be the
same hand as wrote Ode 20) and p'erhaps the rite of circum-
cision (cf Ode 11), but he is not prepared to say that the old
Sanctuary was to pass away. His position, therefore, is an
intermediate one, not wholly Gentile, though with strong Gentile
leanings, and, as we said above, much nearer to the doctrine of
the Ebionites than to that of the epistle of Barnabas.

In connexion with the foregoing argument, it may be

proper to examine the references made in the Odes

reference to ^° ^^^ prevalence of wars, and to determine whether

wars which the Writer is speaking of actual wars or only of

have occurred. r o j

spiritual conflicts. When we read the eighteen
Psalms of Solomon, the noise of war is common ; we can see
the engines moved up for the siege, we can hear the thud of the
battering rams. These Psalms open in affliction : ' instead of
peace,' says the writer, ' there was heard the sound of war.'

' Distress and the sound of wars,' so another Psalm begins,
' mine ears have heard, the sound of the trumpet, and the noise
of slaughter and destruction.' When this writer says war he
means war, and there is no alternative. But the case is not
so clear in the Odes. The references to war are few, and
obscure.

In Ode 8 we have :

' The right hand of the Lord is with you, and He is
your helper : and peace was prepared' for you, before ever
your war was.'

How shall we explain this allusion? Does it simply mean
Predestined "^^^^ ^^^ Divine foresight had seen to the end of the
Peace. man's spiritual troubles and had designed for him

WARS SPIRITUAL OR CARNAL? 6l

the happy issue out of them ? The objection to this is (i) that
it is somewhat forced ; (ii) that the language is evidently ad-
dressed to a community of persons who have passed through
affliction together ; and are spoken of as those who have been
despised, whose righteousness has now been exalted. But if it
is addressed to a community, the distresses can hardly be
spiritual : and it is possible, though I should not like to affirm
it positively, that the persons addressed are those Judaeo-
Christians at Pella, who escaped from the siege of Jerusalem
by flight, in harmony with the evangelic precepts. The Ode
to which we have been referring finds a striking parallel in
Ode 9, where we have as follows :

' For I announce to you peace, to you His saints : that
none of those who hear may fall in war, and that those

again who have known Him may not perish There

have been wars on account of the crown. Put on
the crown in the true covenant of the Lord. And all
those who have conquered shall be written in His book.
For their book is victory.'

Is this spiritual or carnal warfare ? the concluding sentences
sound like the language of the Apocalypse, ' To him that over-
cometh,' and in that case, are spiritual. But the opening
sentences sound like an exemption from actual strife and its
dangers : and this might again be compared with the condition
of the Judaeo-Christians at Pella.

When we turn to Ode 29 we have again allusion to victory
over one's enemies, and to war made by the word of the Lord.
But as this Ode is definitely Christian, and its language is parallel
to the vigorous expressions of Paul about the casting down of
imaginations and the bringing of every thought into the captivity
of obedience to Christ, we may be sure that the warfare and the
victories are spiritual. Examine the following sentences :

' From the mouth of death he drew me back, and
I laid my enemies low, and He justified me by His grace :
for I believed in the Lord's Messiah.'

These are certainly spiritual statements : justification by
grace through faith in Christ is the record of spiritual experi-
ence, and the victories must be interpreted in the same sense :
and so must the following :

s

62 INTRODUCTION

Ps.cx. 2 'He gave me the rod of His power:

1 Cor. that I might subdue the imaginations of the peoples :

and the power of the men of might to bring them
low:
to make war by His word,
and to take victory by His power :
And the Lord overthrew my enemy by His word :
and he became like the stubble that the wind carries
away.'

So far, then, as this 29th Ode is concerned, it is a Christian
and a spiritual product, and relates to a warfare that is not
carnal.

We come now to a much more difficult Psalm of conflict,
The fight with ^hc story of a triumph over a dragon with seven

the Dragon. j^g^jg

In the twenty-second Ode the Lord is praised because

' He overthrew by my hands the dragon with seven
heads :

Thou hast raised me up over his roots, that I might
destroy his seed :

Thy right hand destroyed his wicked poison, &c. &c.'

Then follows an account of the raising of an army of dead
bodies, something like the scene in Ezekiel's valley of dry
bones.

The Ode is a striking one and attracted the attention of the
author of the Pistis Sophia, who found in the dragon with seven
heads one of the Emanations that threatened the upward pro-
gress of Sophia. When Sophia escapes from these Emanations,
she does it to the music of the ninety-first Psalm, in which it is
promised that the believer shall tread on the lion and the dragon.
And the Pistis Sophia says (p. 140):

'Conculcabat irpo^oK'qv cum facie basilisci serpentis, cui
septeni erant capita ; et conculcabat vim cum facie leonis et
cum facie BpaxovTOii. Feci ina-nv aotpiav manere stantem
super Trpo/BoXrjv avdaBovi, quae habet faciem basilisci ser-
pentis, aii sunt septem capita!

and (p. 147)

THE DRAGON WITH SEVEN HEADS 63

' Atque verbum quod tua vis luminis dixit per

Davidem : meabis super serpentem et basiliscum

super hos, qui sunt facie serpentis, et super hos, qui
facie basilisci serpentis, qnibus septem sunt capita!

And then the Ode of Solomon is quoted and commented on.
The Pistis Sophia, therefore, has annexed this dragon with
seven heads and given him a spiritual interpretation. We may
say that the dragon was the cause of the quotation of the Ode.
As far as natural history goes, he is a lay figure. But is this
the original idea } We remember that in the eighteen Psalms
of Solomon, the dragon is palpable and tangible : he is Pompey
himself, and not a spiritual force or opposing influence.

Then there is an even closer parallel to our Ode, in the
almost contemporary twelfth chapter of the Apocalypse ; a
dragon with seven heads and ten horns persecutes the woman
who brings forth the man-child. And the same dragon appears
to be intended in the seventeenth chapter, where it is ridden by
the mystical Babylon that makes war with the saints. The
dragon stands for the power of Antichrist^, exhibited especially
in the adverse action of imperial Rome. This, then, is the nearest
parallel to the situation in our Ode.

Now the situation cannot be reduced to an actual war, as
when Rome subdues Jerusalem under Pompey, for in these wars
Rome always wins : so it must be some other form of conflict,
either the passive resistance and triumph of the saints in times
of persecution, or the conflict between truth and error, which
results in the defeat of heretical teaching.

The Odist refers to the conflict as a personal one carried on
from place to place by himself:

' Thou hast raised me up over his roots to destroy his
seed : thou wast there and didst help me ; and in every
place thy name was blessed by me: thy right hand
destroyed his wicked poison.'

This is the story, not of a persecution, but of a conflict

1 Thus Irenaeus, in denouncing the Gnostic leaders, such as Simon Magus, and
Carpocrates, calls them expressly the precursors of the dragon, who is by his magic
going to cast down from Heaven the third part of the stars; that is, Simon and
Carpocrates are rehearsals of the coming Antichrist. See Irenaeus (ed. Mass. 164).

64 INTRODUCTION

between truth and error : and the dragon with seven heads
stands, not for a world-power nor an aggressive world-ruler, but
for the Antichrist who is spreadmg the poison of false doctrine
and must be confuted from city to city. A parallel situation
would be the conflict between Peter and Simon Magus in the
Clementine Homilies. Who this Antichrist is, in the mind of
the writer, or what is the special form of error that is combated,
we have not sufficient information to decide : and for that reason
must leave the historical situation somewhat obscure.

The next Ode to be discussed, in the hope of finding some
points of contact with history, is the twenty-third : and it is the
most difficult of all the Odes to interpret, and quite unlike any
of the other compositions in the series.

After some opening sentences, affirming that Joy, Grace and
Love are the marks of the elect of God, we are in-

The

mysterious formed that a letter was mysteriously sent down

letter

from heaven to earth, as if it had been shot from a
bow. People rushed to read it ; but it was talismaned by a seal,
which none dared to break. Like the tables of the law, it was
wholly written by the finger of God and the name of the Trinity
was on it.

A mysterious wheel (?) protects the letter from venturesome
or hostile hands. This wheel with the sign upon it went
down to the feet, along with the head. Perplexing as this
language is, it appears to be explained of Christ's descent into
Hades : for in Ode 42, where there is an account of Christ's
under-world triumph, we are informed that death cast Him up, and
let go the feet zvith the head. "Christ is the head, and the feet are
those members of His who are imprisoned in Hades. This
explains our statement about the head going down to the feet.
It seems, then, that the mysterious letter has something in it
relating to the Descensus ad Inferos.

We may compare it with the little book in Apoc. v., which
is sealed so that no one can open it, and read it : here there
are seven seals, which are to be broken successively. Another
suggestive parallel would be the letter in the Bardesanian
Hymn of the Soul, which is sent to rouse the King's Son in
Egypt 1.

' See Ails of Tliomas for the Hymn, and the translation of it in Burkitt, Early
Eastern Christianity.

THE MYSTERIOUS LETTER 65

This letter was also talismaned with a powerful seal :

' This was my letter, sealed with the King's own seal
on the cover,

Lest it should fall in the hands of the fierce Baby-
lonian Demons.'

It flew rapidly as an eagle :

' High it flew as the Eagle, King of the birds of the
heaven,

Flew and alighted beside me, and spoke in the speech
of my country.'

Such flying letters are not uncommon in Apocryphal litera-
ture: one such is sent by Baruch to Babylon, and carried by an
eagle. The machinery is not unlike that in our Ode.

We have not, however, succeeded in finding a historical
situation for this Ode and the implied document. ,

It does not seem to belong to the main body of the I
collection ; it may, however, be connected with the forty- '
second Ode, and both of them may belong to a later period
than the rest of the book.

We referred above to the suggestions furnished in Ode 22
„. . . of a conflict with Antichrist in the form of

The deceiver

and his bride, gome heretical teaching, whose poison was being
widely diffused. This suggestion finds some further confirmation
in Ode 38, where the writer refers to his pursuit of Truth and
the protection which it gave him from the poisons and plagues
of Error. He came across a mysterious Bridegroom and Bride,
who are corrupting the whole world, and giving them to drink
from a cup which, in Circean manner, makes away with their
understanding. The Odist escapes by Divine Grace, and by
his passion for Truth. But who are these that furnish the
blandishments that our writer succeeds in resisting? It cannot
be the language of a mere crusader in favour of celibacy, though
we know there was a strong tendency in the early Church,
especially in the East, to regard all married life as a form of
corruption that was to be avoided. But here a mysterious
Bridegroom and Bride spread a seductive table before the world,
and after they have intoxicated their victims, they forsake
them as soon as they have robbed them of their understanding.
This can hardly be th? language of a general hostility to
o. s. 9

66 INTRODUCTION

marriage. And it seems more natural to regard the seducers
in the Ode as real people, who are bewitching the world. One
thinks of 'thy wife Jezebel' in Apoc. ii. 20, of Simon Magus,
and his ' lost sheep ' Helena, or some other of the many Anti-
christs with whom the Church had to contend in the first and
second centuries. The description in the Ode is too shadowy
for a more exact identification.

In one passage in the Odes the writer speaks of himself m
language which suggests that he was by birth
jeworGentiie? ^ Qg^^jje^ ^nd that he was looked upon by those
to whom he had joined himself with astonishment. The Ode to
which we refer is the forty-first, where in the midst of a noble
strain of Christian exultation and confession of Christ and the
great day that has dawned in Him, we find :

' Let us exult with the joy of the Lord. All that
see me will be astonished : for I am from another race :
the Father of Truth remembered me.'

The writer is explaining his position in a Christian com-
munity as a Gentile amongst Jews. He explains his faith in
a Saviour who 'makes alive and does not reject our souls.'

The language suits the first century better than the second,
and the Church in Palestine better than that in Asia Minor,
Greece or Egypt.

In another Ode, Christ Himself makes something like an
Christ receives apology for the reception of the Gentiles. Thus in

Gentiles. Qde lO:

' I was strengthened and made mighty and took the

world captive The Gentiles were gathered together

who were scattered abroad. And I zvas unpolluted by my
love They became my people for ever and ever.'

There can be no doubt that this Ode is Messianic, and that,
to put it in the lowest possible terms, it is explanatory of the
coming in of the Gentiles. No such explanation, or, if we prefer
it, apology, would be natural in Corinth or in Ephesus. It belongs
farther East, and seems to me to savour, in any case, of the first
century. Certainly the Gentile could not feel himself isolated,

THE COAT OF SKIN 6/

nor have to be apologized for in the great Churches of the West,
nor in the second century, when Gentile bishops began to appear
in Jerusalem itself

There is another direction in which the writers of the Odes
The coat of show a curious contact with Judaism.
^'""' It is well known that the teaching of the earliest

Christians and of the philosophically minded Jews of the first
century made a special study of the story of creation in the first
chapters of Genesis, which they systematically allegorised. We
have a statement of Anastasius the Sinaite that all the early
Christian exegetes, from Papias onward, interpreted the Hexa-
hemeron, or Six days of Creation, by reference to Christ and the
Church'. And those who did not make this direct mystical
reference, especially the great Alexandrines, followed Philo in
a general allegorisation of the narrative. Many of these ex-
planations, whether Jewish or Christian, are well known. But
there is one case which is more obscure. The clothing of Adam
and Eve with coats of skins at the time of their expulsion from
Paradise was a point that required explanation, and taxed the
ingenuity of Philo himself In his Questions upon Genesis he
first apologizes for the homely occupation attributed to the Most
High, and argues that at any rate simple leather garb is superior
to purple and fine linen, and then he boldly breaks away from
the literal explanation and says that the coat of skin simply
means the human body, which is the receptacle for the Mind
and the Life which God had already created.

Now this interpretation is not confined to Philo'', for there is a
steady stream of Rabbinical opinion which has coloured the
folk-lore of Eastern Europe that Adam had before his fall
a nature clothed in light, like God Himself ' whose robe is the
light,' and that after his fall the light was replaced by the
ordinary integument. It will be interesting to trace this belief,
which agrees with that of Philo so far as to make the coat of
skin to be the human body, and to see whether it has left its
mark on early Christian circles of thought.

The origin of the belief appears to be indicated by a various

1 See Routh, Rell. i. 15.

2 We find it, for example, ■ in the Encratite Cassianus in the second century,
according to the testimony of Clement of Alexandria (Strom, iii. 14), X'™""' 5^
Sepfiarivovs TjyeiraL 6 KaffffLavbi to. trciyuara.

68 INTRODUCTION

reading of the passage, Gen. iii. 21, which is credited to a MS.
belonging at one time to Rabbi MeirS viz. that instead of

"liy riiJriD = coats of skin
we should read

liN nijnO = coats of light.

We could then translate the passage, ' And for Adam and his
wife Jahveh Elohim had made coats of light and had clothed
them.' It is quite possible that this may be the origin of the
Rabbinical conceit as to the 'Light-Body' of Adam. And
the opinion is strongly reflected upon European folk-lore. It
appears also in Gnostic circles : for we find in the Bardesanian
Hymn of the Soul which is embedded in the Acts of Thomas,
that the Prince who forgets the Imperial Palace whence he
came, in his journey to Egypt to find the Pearl of great price,
had left behind him in the homeland the robe of glory with
which he had been adorned. The account tells us

' They took off from me the glittering robe, which in
their affection they had made for me, and the purple toga
which was measured and woven to my stature.'

He puts on the disguise of an Egyptian dress and forgets his
race and his country. When the young Prince comes to himself
in the far country, he gets possession of the pearl, and promptly
strips off from him the filthy and unclean dress in which he was
clad. On his way home, the robe came to meet him ; it fitted
him closely and seemed to be a mirror of himself It was, in
fact, his double, and had grown, with his growth, during his long
absence.

Prof Burkitt points out that this Heavenly Robe represents
the Body Celestial, it is ' our house which is from heaven ' :

' That which St Paul desired was no fixed " house " or
"habitation" but a Heavenly Form. So here, too, the Robe is no
article of clothing, but a Bright Form. The Syriac word means
Tlie Bright or The Shining thing. It is "put off" and "put on"
by the Soul 2.'

Here, then, we have a companion to the belief in the Body of

1 So in Midrash Rabboth :

' In the Thorah of Rabbi Meir they found it written. Coats of light : these
are the garments of the first Adam.'
- JJurkitt, Early Eastern Christianity, p. -215.

THE COAT OF SKIN 6g

Light which belonged to Adam before he fell from celestial to
terrestrial life. The two ideas, that of the pre-existent soul that
has to leave heaven for earth, and that of the unfallen creation
of God, whose environment is changed from a coat of light to a
coat of skin, are evidently worked out on parallel lines.

Now it is not difficult to recognise the traces of the clothing
of the Old Adam and the clothing of the original Man, who
is also the New Adam, in the New Testament. We have, for
example, the instruction to put off the Old Man, and to put on
the New Man, or to put on (it is the language of clothing) the
Lord Jesus Christ. But what we want now to examine is
whether there are any similar traces in our Odes. Is there
any doctrine of a Light-Body or of a Skin-Body? Let us see.
For instance, in Ode 25, we have

' In me there shall be nothing that is not light : and I
was clothed with the covering of Thy Spirit, and I cast i
away from me fnj raiment of skin! -"'

Here we have the very figure of the third chapter of Genesis,
explained in a spiritual manner of the conversion and regenera-
tion of the Soul.

Something similar to this appears in Ode 21,

' I put off darkness and clothed myself with light.'

Very nearly the same idea is involved in Ode 11,

' I forsook the folly which is spread over the earth,
and I stripped it ofif and cast it from me : and the Lord
renewed me in His raiment (cf Ps. civ. 2) and possessed
me by His light.'

And notice that this re-creating act of God is immediately
followed by the statement of Paradise Regained : we are
engaged in an allegory of the third chapter of Genesis. I think
it will be admitted that the writer (or writers) of the Odes knew
the allegorical explanation of the coat of skin with which Adam
was clad. If this be conceded, then we must again recognise
that we are moving in Jewish circles, for it is very unlikely that,
at the early date required for our Odes, a Jewish conceit could
have penetrated very far into the Gentile world. The ' coat of

70 INTRODUCTION

skin' is a significant proof of the Jewish or semi-Jewish author-
ship of the Odes'. [It appears again in the Kabbala, as
Mr G. R. S. Mead points out to me. Zohar ii. 229 b : ' When
Adam was in the Garden of Eden, he was dressed in the celestial
garment, which is a Garment of Heavenly Light. But when he
was expelled from the Garden of Eden and became subject to
the wants of this world, what is written? The Lord God
(Elohim) made coats of skins to Adam and his wife and clothed
them (Gen. iii. 21), for, prior to this, they had Garments of Light
— Light of that Light which was used in the Garden of Eden.'
For further allusion to the coats of light see Sepher HayyasJiar
in Migne, Diet, des Apocryphes, torn. ii. coll. 1 102 — IISO.J

This allegorical treatment of the particular case in question
could not have continued very long in use in the Church,
because of the complication with the story of the fig-leaves ; if
the coat of skin is the human body, what are the fig-leaves }
Evidently the allegory will have over-reached itself It will
survive, however, in folk-lore and in Gnosticism.

It may, perhaps, be objected that the interpretation of the
coats of skins as equivalent to human bodies might just as well
be Gnostic as Judaeo-Christian. For instance, we have quoted
above the language of Cassian the Gnostic for this very belieP.
But we have not only detected the equation of the coat of skin
with the human body ; we have also found traces of the belief
in a coat of light which has been lost when the coat of skin was
acquired, and have connected this belief with a various reading,
or a Rabbinical conceit, in the text of Gen. iii. 21. So that,
while it is quite likely that some early forms of Gnosticism
depend directly upon Palestinian teaching, we ought also to
allow that the language of our Odes on this subject is very near
to the source of the Gnosis, which is very nearly the same thing
as saying that it is not Gnostic. We will illustrate this by
showing another case of allegorisation of the text of Genesis,

1 For the curious developments of this belief in an original light-body of Adam
which are current in Eastern Europe, we may consult Dahnhardt, Natursagen ii. 225.
The coat of light was held to be of the nature of horn, and this bright integument
fell away when Adam and Eve sinned. All that remains of it is the human nails !

2 We might also have quoted Valentinus, the prince of the Gnostics ; for accord-
ing to Irenaeus' account of Valentinus' cosmogony, the Demiurge first fashioned the
dpBponros xo'^i^s from some invisible and fluid substance, and then clothed him in the
'coat of skin' which is t6 aiVSijroc crapKtov (cf. Iren. ed. Mass. p. 27).

PARADISE REGAINED 7 1

which might be claimed as Gnostic, if it were not a recognised
fact that the allegorising of these early chapters of Genesis is
common to all the early Christian fathers.

In Ode II we have a beautiful sketch of the recovery of the
lost Paradise, and of the blessedness of those who
RiSiJfed and ^re planted in that land (being considered as ' trees
hlrbs"^"^ of righteousness, the planting of the Lord') or who

live by the fruit of the trees (being considered as
those who have returned to the privileges of the unfallen Adam).
Incidentally it is stated that such persons ' have turned from
wickedness to God's delights, and have turned back the bitter-
ness of the trees from them, when planted in God's land.'

The metaphor is confused ; on the one hand the believers
are the trees, on the other hand they are the denizens of
Paradise, who will have nothing to do with the bitterness of the
trees. Disentangling the similitudes we see that the entry into
Paradise goes along with an avoidance of certain bitter trees or
products of trees. Can we find out what this means?

The early interpreters of Genesis had to face a Divine
injunction to eat of every tree in the Garden, with one single
exception of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. But
this injunction raised the question as to whether all the trees,
herbs and fruits were fit to eat. What about the bitter herbs ?
The answer could only be, either that there were no bitter herbs,
or else that they were to be avoided as uneatable, being made
for some other uses. The author of the Ode to which we refer
evidently takes the latter view : there are bitter herbs, but they
are to be avoided. He does not think them useless, for nothing
is useless in the Paradise of God. Now this doctrine of the
avoidance of the bitter herbs had been credited to our Lord
Himself, in a conversation between Himself and Salome, which
has been preserved for us by Clement of Alexandria from the
Gospel according to the Egyptians. The passage is strongly
Encratite. Salome asks how long death is to rule over men,
and receives the answer that it is as long as women bear
children. ' Then,' rejoined Salome enquiringly, ' I did well in not
having any children ? ' to which suggestion our Lord replies,
' Eat every herb, but shun the bitter herb.' It is certain that
this reply is based upon the language of Genesis, e.g. Gen. i. 29
' Behold ! I have given you every herb, whose seed is in itself

72 INTRODUCTION

on the face of the whole earth and all the trees... to you they
shall be for food': and Gen. ii. 9 'And the Lord God had
brought forth from the ground every tree that was fair to the
sight and pleasant to the taste,' &c. It is clear, then, that the
language of Jesus in the passage cited from the Gospel accord-
ing to the Egyptians, refers to the Garden of Eden. What, then,
is meant by shunning the bitter herb? If we examine the
passage in which Clement of Alexandria discusses the meaning
{Strom, iii. 9), we shall find that he is opposing a school of
Encratites, who said that the bitter herb was marriage.
Clement, himself, who is Anti-encratite will have none of this :
he challenges the opinion and affirms that marriage is not a sin,
nor is there anything bitter about the rearing or producing of
children. So he rejects the Encratite doctrine. In so doing, he
has shown us that the doctrine existed and that it was a wide-
spread interpretation. What shall we say, then, of the writer of
our eleventh Ode? If he says that the saints restored to the life
of Paradise have nothing to do with the bitter trees, must we not
allow that he, too, is allegorising and that he holds Encratite
views with regard to marriage ? Such views were wide-spread
in the early Christian Church, and survived in Gnostic circles, as
in the Old Syrian Church, and amongst the followers of Tatian,
but I do not see that they need to be especially labelled Gnostic,
since they spring quite naturally out of the allegorical treatment
of the first chapters of Genesis, or attached themselves easily to
that particular form of interpretation'.

This case of the ' bitter herbs ' and the previous one of the
'coat of skin,' are the closest points of contact of primitive
teaching with Gnosticism. I do not see that we need to
definitely attach the Gnostic label.

We shall see presently that the writer of the main body of
the Odes does not keep the Sabbath and gives very early
Christian reason for his neglect of that Jewish duty.

We may now go on to discuss the traces of Christian
Scriptures in our book of Odes, and the dogmatic and eccle-
siastical position of the writer or writers involved.

1 Vi^e may compare the Acts of Thomas, where the King's son and his bride are
persuaded by our Lord to renounce maniage, and 'the care of children, the end of
whom is bitter sorrow.' The bride explains to her mother, 'I have not had intercourse
with a husband, the end whereof is bitter repentance.'

NEW TESTAMENT QUOTATIONS 73

When we examine the Odes to see how far they are under
Use of the influence of the Scriptures of the Old Testa-

cnptures. ment, we find the problem is quite different from

that which presents itself in the eighteen Psalms. In these the
use of the Old Testament is patent both in language and in
quotation, as one can see by examining the portions of the
Psalms which are printed in uncial type by Ryle and James, in
order to mark the coincidence of language with the Old Testa-
ment. Moreover certain parts of the prophets, especially the
latter part of Isaiah, have been closely studied and followed :
and it is the recognition of this fact that has suggested to Felix
Perles some of his most attractive emendations through the
supposed original Hebrew'.

But in the case of the Odes we are at a loss : we cannot tell
what Greek lies behind the Syriac, except in a very few cases :
and this makes linguistic identifications difficult and almost
impossible: nor does the examination of the ideas which the
writer expresses lead to a large harvest of coincidences with the
Canonical Psalter or the Hebrew Prophets. Perhaps this is
natural, in view of the originality of the writer, with whom it
was easier to say inspired things than to report them.

When we turn to the New Testament, the result is equally
surprising : the name of the Gospel is not found, nor the name
of Jesus : direct historical references are limited to those events
which are recorded in the Creed, to which we may perhaps add
an oblique allusion to Christ's power to walk on the waters,
with a possible allusion to the Dove at the Baptism. Not a
single saying of Jesus is directly quoted, though there seem to
be one or two indirect references. For instance Christ's yoke is
spoken of in Ode 42 (' my yoke was over those that love
me') and there is one passage in Ode 22, which looks like a
reflexion from the words ' on this rock I will build my church '
(Matt. xvi. 18)^: only in this case if coincidence were more
than accidental, the Ode has the substitution of Kingdom for
Church, which suggests for it priority over the Evangelic
language.

Setting aside for the moment the question of the use of

1 Perles: Zur Erkldrung ckr Psalmen Salomos. Berlin, 1903.

2 I.e. 'That the foundation of everything might be thy rock : and on it thou didst
build thy Kingdom.'

O. S. 1°

74 INTRODUCTION

Johannine writings, and of the Apocalypse, we find next to
nothing from the Pauline Epistles : there is a sentence in
Ode 3,

'The Lord is zealous that those things should be
known, which by His grace have been given to us,'

which may perhaps be an echo of i Cor. ii. 12 'that we may
know the things which are freely given us of God.' We have also
some doubtful references to Rom. viii. 35, 36 in Ode i ('I shall
not be separated from Him') and Ode 5 (' If everything should
be shaken, I stand firm') and Ode 28 ('The sword shall not
divide me from Him, nor the scimitar '), and there are occasional
allusions to salvation and justification by Divine Grace. There
are also frequent allusions, which have a Pauline ring, to Christ
as the Head, to whom believers are the members. The figure
is worked out so as to include the souls in Hades, who are
Christ's ieet\

Frequent allusions to a living crown can be illustrated from
I Pet. V. 4 and from Jac. i. 12 and Apoc. ii. 10, but no direct
quotations can be established. They may all run back into
'. a primitive Logion, ' I will give thee a crown of life.'

The chief coincidences with the Apocalypse are in the title of
Ode 3. II. 'the Living One' (Apoc. i. 17) given to Christ (but this was
J, '^ ■ also at the beginning of the book of Sayings of Jesus''') : in some
of the expressions of victory over spiritual enemies, and the
possession of Paradise and its trees, as well as in the allusion to
an opposing dragon with seven heads, and perhaps to the story of
the Sealed Book. It is doubtful if any of these parallelisms can
be pressed to the point of established quotation: the dragon
with seven heads is, perhaps, the best case for an identification :
but it will be remembered that dragons are a common feature
of apocalyptical machinery in the period to which the Odes
must belong.

It is when we come to the Gospel and Epistles of John

I that we find the community of ideas to be the most pronounced.

/ We have clear statements that Christ is the Word, that He is

' before the foundation of the world ; that He bestows living

' As in Ode 42.

2 U. 'These are the [wonderful] words which Jesus the Living One spake':
a form of introduction which is imitated in the Coptic Book of Jeu.

CHRISTOLOGY OF THE ODES 75

water abundantly ; that He is the door of everything ; that He
stands to His people in the relation of Lover to Beloved : that
they love Him because He first loved them (for so we may
interpret the language of Ode 3 : 'I should not have known
how to love the Lord, if He had not loved me '), that their love
to the Christ makes them His friends (Ode 8). These and
similar phrases betray a Johannine atmosphere : but do they
betray the use of the Fourth Gospel ? The problem is, on a
wider scale, something like that which arises in the discussion
whether Valentinus the Gnostic used the Fourth Gospel. Hip-
polytus tells us in his Refutation of Heresies (p. 185) that
Valentinus taught that ' God the Father was all love, but love
is not love where there is no object of love. So the Father
begat two emanations, vov'i and a\rj6eia^.' Now is that a case
of the Fourth Gospel or not } The serious critic would hesitate
to affirm it ; yet the language is very like that of our third
Ode ; and it would probably be wise to hold the judgment
in suspense with regard to the use of the Fourth Gospel in the
Odes, especially when it is so difficult to trace any other Gospel
quotation or incident, or Saying of Jesus. But I think it will
be conceded that we are in a Johannine atmosphere.

One coincidence has been detected between the Odes and the
Ignatian Epistles, in the allusion to ' talking water ' ; but there
is no need to assume quotation on either side, the language
being sufficiently explained by the folk-lore of the time.

The net result of these comparisons is to place the collection
of Odes at a very early period in the history of the Christian
Church. One or two of them had already been referred to the
early part of the second century, on account of the almost
canonical use made of them in the Pistis Sophia. The main
body of the Odes, when studied, takes us in the same direction,
only perhaps somewhat further.

We come now to the question of the underlying doctrines
Dogmatic of which Can be traced in the Odes. We have al-
the Odes. j.g^jy alluded to Christ's pre-existence^ to His

pre-eminence in the Churchy and to the spiritual union between
Himself and believers^. We have also pointed out some refer-

1 'K-^ivi] yip, (pTJcriv, rfv oXos, 17 &k ayairri ovK iiTTiv a.y6.ir7i, ihv ^r) J to
ir/airiiixivov. ' As in Ode 28, Ode 41, &c.

3 As in Ode 31, Ode 33, &c. * As in Ode 3, Ode 42, &c.

•j6 INTRODUCTION

ences to His yoke, and to the foundation of His Kingdom, and
to His power to walk upon the stormy waters.

One of the strongest expressions with regard to the nature of
Christ will be found in Ode 41, where He is called ' the Son of
the Most High, who appeared in the perfection of His Father,
...the Word that was before-time in Him, the Messiah or Christ
who is truly one, and was known before the foundation of the
world.' In the words 'The Christ is truly one,' taken in
connexion with the other statements as to His pre-existence,
we have suggestions of controversy, over a division in the
nature of Christ, of which, perhaps, the earliest known trace is
in the first Epistle of John' (irav irvevfjia fj-rj ofioXoyei rov
'Itjo-oOj') where the various reading, Xvei for firj ofioXoyei, if not
primitive, is certainly very early. This Ode cannot come from
a Docetic, nor can it easily be referred to an Adoptionist
source^.

An equally pronounced Christology may be detected in
Ode 29 where the writer says,

' I believed in the Lord's Messiah,
And it appeared to me that He is the Lord.'

We must not too hastily assume that all these statements
come from one hand, and we must be prepared to find, along
with variety of authorship (if that can be made out), a variety
also of theological definitions. There are some Odes which are
a little hard of explanation on orthodox lines, because they
appear to use Adoptionist language'. But if this suggests
subordination of Christ to the Father, in another Ode it is the
Holy Spirit that is subordinate, for we are told (Ode 24) that
' the Dove fluttered over the Messiah, because He was her
head*.' Again in the Ode previously quoted (Ode 36} it
appears to follow that the Holy Spirit was the Mother of
Jesus, which we know to have been a feature of Ebionite belief.
These variations suggest that theology had not fixed her land-

' I John iv. 3.

' Cf. Novatian, De Trinitate 30. Irenaeus (M. 206 et passim) : 'Non ergo alterum
Filium novit evangelium nisi hunc qui ex Maria est, qui et passus est, sed neque
Christum avolantem ante passionem ab Jesu.'

* As in Ode 36.

* In later ages this would be known as the heresy of Macedonius, but the language
here is innocent of heretical intention.

CHRISTOLOGY OF THE ODES 77

marks nor laid down her definitions. On the other hand, it is
clear that the Odes do not regard Christ as a mere man, but as
a pre-existent being and as the Divine Logos. One Ode has
the doctrine of the Trinity under a grotesque form worthy of
the Middle Ages. But this Ode we are unwilling to class ;
with the rest of the book.

In regard to the points of early Christian belief which
occur in the Odes, it is clear that the Crucifixion is definitely
alluded to, less clearly the Resurrection ; but what surprises us
is the extraordinary emphasis upon the Virgin Birth and the
Descent into Hades. The former of these is in a state of
evolution beyond the Canonical Gospels : the birth is explained
as painless^, and unexpected : we are on the very verge of the
details which occur in the apocryphal Gospels of the Infancy.

The other Article of the Creed, the Descent into Hades, is
also treated with picturesque detail, very much as in the Gospel
of Nicodemus. Just as in the latter gospel^ Hades complains of
the inward pain which he feels and which intimates an ap-
proaching discharge of imprisoned souls, so in Ode 42 we are
told that ' Hades saw me and was miserable : death cast me tip,
and many along with me.' But the prayer of the Souls in
Hades is very fine, and has no vulgar suggestions of Jonah and
the Whale about it, such as we find in the byways of Patristic
literature.

It will, perhaps, be said that the advanced state of evolution
of these two dogmas renders it impossible that the collection
should be referred to the end of the first century^ There is,

' Here, at all events, we are in the region of folk-lore; the Chinese legend of the
birth and conception of Hou-tsi, the founder of the dynasty of Tchii, runs on the
same line. His mother brought him forth as a tender lamb without efifort, without
pain and without pollution. See amongst the Chinese Classics, the Shi-King III. ii. i,
which has been Englished as follows :

' Lo ! when her carrying time was done,
Came like a lamb her first-born son,
No pains of labour suffered she —
No hurt, no pain, no injury.'
Cf. Ev. Ps. Matihaei, c. 1 3 ' Nulla pollutio sanguinis facta est in nascente, nuUus
dolor in parturiente.'

^ Tischendorf, Evan. Apocrypha, p. 396 'Contremui perterritus pavore, et omnia
officia mea simul mecum conturbata sunt.'

B. H. Cowper, Apoc. Gospels, p. 305 'For lo ! I see that all I have ever swallowed
are in commotion and my belly is in pain' 0onah ii. 2); which is taken from the
Greek Descensus, see Tisch. I.e. p. 327.

^ The Descent into Hades is a first century doctrine. Hamack says of it : ' the
notion of a descensus ad /w/i'rMa... commended itself on the groimd of Old \

I

78 INTRODUCTION

however, an alternative suggestion, that the forty-second Ode,
for instance, may be a later product : for it has not been demon-
strated that all the Odes come from the same hand or time.

The organic life of the Church can -hardly be detected in the
book of Odes. The Church itself is not mentioned,
Order and unlcss it should be in the reference to a Pure

Virgin in Ode 33 who stands and proclaims the
invitation of the Gospel. The figure of the Pure Virgin is well
known^ to have been a common one in the first and second
centuries, and has influenced the New Testament itself But
the Pure Virgin may equally well be the Divine Wisdom who
stands and calls menl

There is also the implication of corporate unity in the figure of
the Head and the members' : this may be directly derived from
St Paul. Of Church officials there are only, {a) the writer of Ode 20
who calls himself a priest of God and defines his priesthood as
any mystic might, as the offering to God of the sacrifice of his
thought, and {b) there are a body of persons engaged in carrying
the water of life to the thirsty, who are called Blessed Ministers
or Blessed Deacons (Ode 6) : we may compare the language of
Perpetua concerning ' Tertius and Pomponius, blessed deacons who
ministered to us,' who bribed the gaolers and obtained us relief
But the writer of the Odes does not necessarily mean anything
so highly evolved as the ministry of the African Church at the
beginning of the third century. His ministers have a commission
to preach the word and are counted happy in so doing.

Of Sacraments the Odes do not seem to know much^ The
only directions in which one could look for refer-
sacraments. ^^^^^ ^^ Baptism would be (i) the Living Water,
(ii) the allusion to the Seal. Of the former it is unnecessary to
speak. It is frankly impossible that the living water which the
thirsty are invited in the Scriptures to come and take freely can

Testament prediction. In the first century, however, it still remained uncertain,
lying on the borders of those productions of religious fancy which were not at once
able to acquire a right of citizenship in the communities.' Hist, of Dogma, i. 202
Eng. tr. ' ' '

' e.g. 2 Cor. xi. i, and cf. Hegesippus in Euseb. H. E. iv. 22. In the letter of
the Churches of Lyons and Vienna (c. 12) the Virgin Mother is the Church (xai
iveyiviTa TroXXj) X"-?^ '''V irapdivifi fi^riTpi).

'^ Cf. Proverbs viii. i, 2. » As in Ode i, Ode 17, &c.

* [Unless Diettrich and Bernard should be right that the whole of the hymns are
charged with references to Baptism : see preface for details of the argument.]

THE SEAL OF GOD'S OWNERSHIP 79

be any outward affusion : but perhaps something ought to be
said of the Seal, because although, in the New Testament, this
is a term used of the gift of the Holy Spirit, it is often employed
by Patristic writers to denote baptism and the baptized {e.g. in
the epitaph of Abercius and elsewhere).

In the Odes we have plenty of reference to seals : we have
the abysses of Hades sealed up with the Lord's seal in Ode 24 :
we have the mysterious Letter from Heaven sealed with a magic
seal in Ode 23 ; and we have in Ode 4 a statement of the
talismanic power of the Seal of God, which angels as well as
men possess and which all creation knows and fears. And in
Ode 8 the Lord says He has set His seal upon the faces of His
people, just as we have in the Apocalypse (vii. 3, xiv. i). But
in the Apocalypse, as Dr Swete points out, the seal is not
sacramental. Perhaps it was a taboo-mark of some Jewish sect.
If there is any scriptural reference in this doctrine of the
Seal, it must be sought in Ezekiel ix., and the ink-mark which
an angelic scribe is told to set on the righteous^ The seal is
alluded to in the extant Psalms of Solomon (Ps. Sol. xv. 6)
where we are told that ' the sign (<ri?/xetoy) of God is upon the
righteous for Salvation.' It is, therefore, a pre-Christian con-
ception. Here Perles very naturally compared Ezekiel ix. 6
and supplied the Haggadic explanation from Shabbath 55% as
follows :

' God spake to Gabriel : Go and stamp on the fore-
head of the righteous a mark of ink, that the destroying
angels may have no power over him'' : and on the forehead
of the hypocrites a mark of blood, that the destroying
angels may acquire power over them.'
From this talismanic sign (with which the archangels are
here entrusted), there was developed, as is well known, the
doctrine of the talismanic virtue of the sign of the cross in
baptism. But this development (arising out of an interpretation
of the use of the letter Tau as the sign in Ezekiel) is, I think,
later than what we have in the Odes^ There does not seem,
therefore, to be any definite allusion to Baptism. We can see

1 In the East it is still common to seal with ink.

2 Cf. Ode 4. 7, 8 'who is there that shall put on thy grace and be hurt? for thy
seal is known.'

3 We have it in Tert. Adv. Marc. iii. 22 where the letter Tau is explained to be
'the very form of the Cross which was foretold to be the sign upon our foreheads.'

86 INTRODUCTION

the later interpretation very clearly in Lactantius, Div. Inst. iv.
27, who says that the gods cannot approach those in whom
they see the heavenly mark, nor hurt those whom the sign as
an impregnable wall protects, which is very like Ode 4. 7, 8.
Perhaps Lactantius has here a reminiscence of the Ode\

As to the Eucharist, I can find no allusion whatever : there
are no references to the religious use of bread and wine ; the
writers of the Odes seem to prefer milk and honey ; but these
are not spoken of sacramentally, but mystically and alle-
gorically.

The allegorical use of the terms ' milk and honey ' is natural
enough in view of the Old Testament descriptions of the Land
of Promise : but it should be remembered that there are traces
of a milk-and-honey sacrament in the early Church. For
example in the Epistle of Barnabas'', we have a question
raised as to the meaning of the milk and honey in the Old
Testament. And after some preliminary allegorising to show
that the believers in Jesus are themselves the good land, he
asks, 'Why milk and honey?' And the answer is that 'the
young child is first quickened with honey and then with milk.'

Probably this refers in the first instance to a folk-lore custom
in connexion with newly-born children, but it seems to have very
early developed into a Christian sacrament for new converts, who
had been born again into the Kingdom of God^.

It does not, however, seem that the milk-and-honey passages
in the Odes will bear the sacramental interpretation. The nine-
teenth Ode, for example, has no suggestion of a recent conversion
about it. The only one where it seems possible to make
connexion with the new-birth is Ode 8, where the Lord says,
' My own breasts I prepared for them that they might drink my
holy milk and live thereby ' ; this might perhaps, in view of the
previous reference to the ' seal upon the faces,' be interpreted
sacramentally, but it does not seem likely. The baptismal
sacrament, as we have shown, is not milk but milk and honey.

1 'Sed quoniam neque accedere ad eos possunt, in quibus coelestem notam
vidennt, nee 11s nocere, quos signum immortale munierit, tanquam inexpugnabilis
murus.'

2 c. 6.

» Besides Barnabas, we may refer to TertnUian, De corona, u. 3 (inde suscepti
lactis et mellis concordiam praegustamus) ; Adv. Marc. i. 14: Clem. Alex. Paed. i i
p. 128: Coptic Canons, ii. 46, &c. ■ ■ • >

THE LOST SECOND ODE 8 1

The only allusion to wine is in the account of the Seducer
in Ode 38, who lays plots for the elect and wishes, by an
intoxicating cup, to rob them of their reason. So far as the
enquiry has gone, the Odes are hardly to be quoted in the
history of the Sacraments ; they ought, therefore, to belong
to an early period of evolution in the organic life of the Church.

There is still something to be said with regard to the
The lost missing portions of our MS. The closing portions

Second Ode. of jj^e 1 8 Psalms of Solomon are preserved for us
adequately in the Greek, but the lacuna at the beginning of the
Odes is serious, and involves the whole of the second Ode, and
the beginning of the third Ode.

It has occurred to me that perhaps a sentence from
this second Ode may be preserved in Clement of Alexandria.
For in his Protrepticus (p. 5) we have the following sentence:
06 eK Aa^iS, Kal irpb aiirov, 6 tov @eov Xoyoii, Xvpav jxev Kal
KiOdpav, TO. dyjrv')^a opyava, virepiBmv, Kocrfiov Be rovBe, Kal Stj Kal
TOV ajXiKpov KO(Tp.ov TOV dvdpwTTOV, yjrvxv'^ Te Kal crMfia avTOv,
ayio) TTvevfiaTi dpp.oadjjievo';, ^jrdXXei tw ©ew hia tov TroXvffxovov
opyavov Kal irpoaahei TovT(p tw opydv<p, tm dvOpunrcp,

"2,1) ydp el KiOdpa Kal avXo<; Kal vao^ e/to?.

Thus according to Clement the Word of God made music of
its own, earlier than David and upon a loftier instrument than
his harp and lyre ; for its music was produced from the
macrocosm of creation and the microcosm of the body and
soul of man : to this instrument of many strings^ it sings and
addresses the instrument itself, saying to it :

' 'Tis thou my harp, and flute and temple art.'

Now this is a quotation from some poetical composition, and
we may infer that it is a fragment of an early Psalm or hymn.
Accordingly Potter notes on it as follows :

'Christi verba, ut videtur, a sacro hymno citata.'

But if it is a hymn, there are two considerations which
suggest that it came from the Odes of Solomon : first, it is one
of the features of these Odes (often causing no little perplexity)
that the singer makes his Psalm, either wholly or in part, in the

'■ [More exactly noUs : and cf. next page.]
O. S. II

82 INTRODUCTION

name of Christ : second, the reference to the harp or flute in
describing Christ's music, and the representation of the mind of
man as an opyavnv iroXvjxovov is thoroughly in the manner of
the Odes. Thus in Ode 7 believers go forth to meet the Lord
with a harp of many strings [literally, voices : = KiOdpa Trokv^mvot;
exactly, as we have it involved in the passage quoted from
Clement]. In Ode 14 the writer says :

' Open to me the harp of thy Holy Spirit,
That with all its notes I may praise Thee,'

and the same spiritual music is in the opening of Ode 6,

'As the hand moves over the harp...
So speaks in my members the Spirit of the Lord.'

Here it is the Spirit that plays upon the human instrument.

So it is quite possible that Clement's little quotation may be
part of the missing matter of our Odes. To which of them
shall we refer it ? The first Ode is already identified, the third
is almost complete, and it is unlikely that Christ should be the
speaker in the opening of the third Ode, when he is not so in
the closing portion. So the suggestion arises that the sentence
comes from the second Ode.

This is a speculation, and must not be taken too seriously, in
view of the insufficiency of the evidence. But it can do no harm
to record it, with the necessary Valeat quantum. [The obser-
vation made above as to the coincidence in language between
Clement and the Odes, makes it no longer necessary to speak so
diffidently. Harnack passes the matter by too lightly with ' im
besten Falle eine blosse Moglichkeit.']

It will, perhaps, be enquired whether the use of the Odes of
Solomon by early writers can be detected in cases

^ lie ^QcS ^

known to where there are no mtroductorv formulae or definite

Irenaeus. ii • ttt i •

allusions. We have just suggested that a frag-
ment of the second Ode may be preserved in an anonymous
quotation by Clement of Alexandria. Are there any similar
traces to be identified in the early Patristic literature? The
difficulty of making such identifications is well known. We had
a case in the use of 'talking water' by Ignatius and by the
writer of the Odes. Such an expression to us in the present
day seems very striking; but a draught from a magical or

IRENAEUS AND THE ODES 83

medical spring is probably a common folk-lore way of obtaining
inspiration, and need not imply any dependence of one of the
coincident writers upon the other.

Here is a somewhat similar case from Irenaeus, in which
the evidence is rather in the direction of recognising a quota-
tion on the part of that writer from the Odes. Irenaeus
discusses' the question why God made man and why He chose
the fathers and why He called the saints. He begins by the
doctrine that God, for His part, had no need of man : ' non quasi
indigens hominis, plasmavit Adam.' This sentiment of the
Divine independence of His works is in our fourth Ode. It is,
however, so common an expression in Greek philosophy and
theology, that we should pay no attention to its occurrence in
Irenaeus, if it were not that it is the key-note of the section and
that he returns to it with an added amplification, which is also
found in the fourth Ode. For he says that the less God needs
man, the more man needs God and His fellowship :

' in quantum enim Deus nullius indiget, in tantum
homo indiget Dei communione.'

Here we have the thought of fellowship with God, as the
expression of man's need, which we have in Ode 4 :

' Thoii hast given tis thy fellowship :
It was not that thou wast in need of us,
but that we were in need of thee.'

A little lower down Irenaeus returns to the same thought :
God distributed His prophets over the earth to habituate men to
the reception of His Spirit and to fellowship with Himself: ' He
Himself was in need of no man : diet on those that needed Him,
He bestowed His fellowship.'

Here we have the same thought, in closely coincident terms ;
and since it is the fundamental thought of the chapter, we
suggest that Irenaeus may be working from a text, and the text
is a verse from the Odes of Solomon. The same sentiments
recur in Bk V. c. ii. in the following form : ' Nihil enim illi ante
dedimus, neque desiderat aliquid a nobis, quasi indigens: nos
autem indigemus eius quae est ad eum comrminionis : et propterea
benigne effudit semetipsum ' ; where the last clause may be

^ Lib. IV. u. XXV. (p. ^43, Mass.).

84 INTRODUCTION

compared with what follows in the Ode : ' Distil thy dews
upon us and open the rich fountains that pour forth milk and
honey.'

There is still, however, something abrupt in the transition
from the discussing of the Holy Place and the Holy People to
the general question of whether God has any need of man
corresponding to the need which man has of God. We may
detect the motion of the writer's thought in passing from one
subject to the other in the following manner.

From Irenaeus we see that while God has no need of man,
man has need of communion with God. The language is, as we
have shown, so closely parallel to that of our Ode as almost to
amount to a quotation. But at an earlier time than that of
Irenaeus the thought of communion with God was not detached
from the thought of communion by means of a Holy Place, and
by sacrifice offered there.

We get this thought brought out clearly in the prayer of the
priests in 2 Mace. xiv. 15 :

' Thou, O Lord of the universe, ivho in thyself hast

■ need of nothing, wast well pleased that a sanctuary of thy

habitation shoidd be set amongst us: .so now, O Holy

Lord of all hallowing, keep undefiled for ever this house

that hath been lately cleansed.'

Here the ' sanctuary of the Divine habitation ' is an earlier
form of the Christian 'communion with God' which we find in
Irenaeus. When, therefore, the writer of the Ode, who began
by chanting the inalienable sanctity of the Temple, says that God,
who did not need us, has given us His fellowship, he is still
thinking of the fellowship that is associated with one special
holy place. He cannot think that this form of communion is
abandoned or made void. The opening verses of the Ode make
it clear that this is his key-note. The parallel in the New
Testament is in Paul's speech before the Areopagus (Acts xvii.
24, 25), 'God dwelleth not in temples made with hands, neither
is worshipped of men's hands, as though He needed anything!
Our writer would say, ' He dwells in a Temple, because we need
Him.' And as we have pointed out, the situation is for our
writer Judaeo-Christian.

ANTI-JUDAIC TRACES 85

At the same time we see clearly that the writer is not really
a Jew, though he is in a Jiidaeo-Christian environ-
do« not''"'' ment. We see this in a number of ways, both direct
tSltomsf'"'^'' and indirect. First we had his definite statement
as to his being of a different race, which must
surely mean that he is a proselyte, in the Christian sense, from
among the Gentiles to a community of Judaean origin. Then
we had his peculiar apologetics, in the person of Christ, for
love to the Gentiles. But even more striking is his indirect
argument against the necessity of the maintenance of the
Sabbath. I have drawn attention to this under Ode 16, by
pointing out that the sequence of thought in the words

'He rested from His works:
And created things run in their courses and do their works :
And they know not how to stand and be idle:
And His '"heavenly"' Hosts are subject to His word'

contain the argument of Justin with Trypho for the non-validity
of the Sabbath, on the ground that

' the elements, crrot^eta {or more exactly, the heavenly
bodies'), do not idle or keep Sabbath.'

And Justin tells Trypho that he learnt this from the very
old man to whom he owed his conversion, who taught him, in
reference to the Sabbath and Circumcision, that he should
remain as he was born. This is very early teaching on the
subject of the leading Jewish practices. It does not necessarily
mean the abandonment of the Sabbath by Jews. Our author
stands where Justin stood, and both of them employ an argument
of the more liberal-minded in the primitive Chutch. He is no
more a Jew than Justin is.

It will be asked whether he argues against circumcision as
well as against the Sabbath. This is more difficult to answer.
It depends upon the interpretation of the opening sentences
of Ode II. If our alternative translation is correct, the writer
refers to the work of Divine Grace which he has experienced as
a circumcision of the heart, a figure of speech which is justified
by the Old Testament references to Israel as ' uncircumcised in
heart and ears^' and by the Pauline affirmation that 'we are

1 Gal. iv. 9.

^ Cf. Deut. A. 16, 'Circumcise your hearts and be not any more stiffnecked.'

86 INTRODUCTION

the true circumcision,' and that 'he is not a Jew who is one
outwardly, nor is circumcision in the letter, but in the spirit.'
In this sense our writer may be held to aiifirm that, although not
an Israelite by birth, he is one of the spiritual Israel. And this
would agree exactly with the other statements to which we have
alluded.

We found no allusions by which we could identify the
Gospels used by the Odists.

But if there are no references of a direct character to the
Gospels, and only scanty allusions to the historical

Trace of an

uncanonicai incidents which make the framework of the Gospels,

Gospel.

there is one indirect reference to an early Apocry-
phal Gospel, which is of the first importance. We have discussed
under the twenty-fourth Ode the question whether the reference
of the Ode is to the Baptism of Jesus or to some other un-
known incident connected with His crucifixion, and have decided
that the allusion to the fluttering of the Dove over the head of
the Messiah must mean the events at the Baptism, although there
was in the context matter which seemed to suggest the descent
into Hades rather than the Baptism. The reason for this con-
clusion lies in the coincidence of the expression of the Odist
with the language employed by Justin Martyr in his dialogue
with Trypho (c. 88). The Syriac of the opening verse is
literally

' The Dove flew upon [or over] the Messiah ' ;

and this curious phrase answers exactly to the word which
Justin twice uses in his account of the Baptism. The repetition
of the word has long since provoked a suggestion on the part of
the critics that we had here a fragment of Justin's actual gospel,
and that it was not one of the canonical Gospels, though Justin
himself refers his account to the Apostles of the Lord. And
when it was observed that the same peculiar verb turned up
elsewhere in Greek Patristic accounts of the Baptism, a very
strong case was made out for the use of an actual document
of an apocryphal, or, at all events, of a non-canonical character.
When, therefore, we detect the same expression in the Syriac
text of the Odes, the coincidence is so striking that we are
justified in removing the allusions to the Baptism of Jesus from
the matter credited to the canonical Evangelists, and assigning

USE OF AN APOCRYPHAL GOSPEL 87

it instead to a lost Gospel of a very early date. It will be
convenient to collect' under one view the cases in which it may
reasonably be held that the Greek word eirmTrivai is used of the
Descent of the Dove (Justin Martyr : Dial. 88) :

dva^vvTO'i avTov d-rro tov vSoto?, m? irepiaTspav to
ayiov TTvevfia i-Tri-n-Trjvai, etr avrop eypa-\]rav 01 d-rroaroXoi
avTov TovTov TOV X.picrTov rifji,wv.

Ibid. :

TO TTvevfia ovv to ayiov koo Bid roii? dv6panrov<;, 0)9
•Trpoe^rjv, ev elfSet irepicrTepd'i eireiTTr] avTtp.
Celsus (v. Origen contra Celsum i. 41):

Xovofievm, (prjcri,, croi irapd tS 'Itodvvri [v. 1. 'lopBdvTj]
(^aa/jLa 6pvido<; e^ dipo<i \eyei<s e-KiTrTrivat,.

Origen {c. Celsum i. 40) :

£^■^9 he. TOVTOi^ aTTO TOV KaTa M.aTOalov, Td')(a he Kal
Twv XoiTTwv evayyeXicov, Xa^cov rd irepl T'rj<i eTTtTTTacrij?
TO) aoJTTjpi, jSaTrTi^ofievai irapd tov 'Iwdvvov TreptaTepd^
hia^dWeiv ^ovXeTat.

Origen {in Joan. torn. ii. 11):

ore To5 crwfiaTiKai elhei axrel TrepiaTepd etpLTrraTai
fieTCL TO XovTpov avrw.

Orac. Sib. vii. 64 — 70 :

'A, "^vpirj KolXr], ^oiviKWV viraTOV dvhpwv,

Ot? eTrepevyofievr] KeiTaL Rr/pvTid'i dXfj,rj^

TXrjficov, ovK eyvcoif top aov ®eov, 09 ttot eXovcrev

'lopBdvov ev vhaTeac7i, kol eiTTaTo irvev/ia eir avTw.

AapK evBvcrdfievo';, Taj^yi; eiTTaTo Ti.aTpo'i €9 olkov;.
To the foregoing coincidences from Greek sources, Resch
adds a number of suspicious coincidences in Latin :
Tert. adv. Valent. c. 27 :

' Super hunc itaque Christum devolasse tunc in baptis-
matis Sacramento Jesum per eiifigiem columbae.'
Hilarius in Ps. liv. 7 :

' Nam et in columbae specie Spiritus in eum volando
requievit. . .ut volando requiescat.'

' See Resch, Aussercanonische Paralleltexte zu Luc. p. 15.

88 INTRODUCTION

Hilarius in Matt. ii. 6 :

' post aquae lavacrum et de caelestibus portis sanctum
in nos spiritum involare.'
Severi de ritibus baptismi, p. 24, ed. Boderianus (Resch,
Agrapha, p. 363):

' Et Spiritus sanctitatis in similitudinem columbae
volans descendit mansitque super caput filii.'

These references are not of equal value in the determination
of the language of a primitive account, but taken together, they
certainly make a very strong impression in favour of the belief
in an uncanonical account of the Baptism, and it is to that
account that the first line of Ode 24 must be referred.

But what are we to say of the Spirit singing over the
Messiah ? Is this also from the uncanonical source ?

We may sum up the investigation as far as it has gone as
follows :

There can be no reasonable doubt of the antiquity of the
recovered Book of Odes. That which seems to be the latest
composition amongst them is attested already by Lactantius in
the beginning of the fourth century as having the place in the
collection which it occupies in our Manuscript. The portions
of the Odes which have been transcribed by the author of
the Pistis Sophia towards the end of the third century, are
evidently taken from a book which was either canonical
in the writer's judgment, or not very far removed from
canonicity ; so that it is quite easy to carry the Odes back into
the second century, and those who have studied the extant
fragments of them before the recovery of our Manuscript have,
in fact, referred them to the earlier part of the second century.
Our own investigations have shown that the Odes agree in the
extent of their composition with the statistical data for their
measurement, preserved in the early Stichometries. We have
also shown that they agree in sentiment with the beliefs and
practices of the earliest ages of the Church. It came out
clearly in the investigation that the writer, while not a Jew, was
a member of a community of Christians, who were for the most
part of Jewish extraction and beliefs, and the apologetic tone
which is displayed, in the Odes, towards the Gentiles, as a
part of the Christian Church, is only consistent with the very

"CONCLUDING REMARKS 89

earliest ages, and with communities like the Palestinian
Churches where Judaism was still in evidence and in control.
We think, therefore, that it will be admitted on all hands, that
the discovery of this collection of Odes and Psalms is not only
valuable for the fact that it presents us, for the first time, with
the Syriac version of the extant Psalms of Solomon, but that
the Syriac text of the Odes of Solomon is in itself a memorial
of the first importance for rightly understanding the beliefs and
experiences of the Primitive Church.

We have expressed our belief that in part, at least, the
collection belongs to the last quarter of the first century ; but if
it should be objected that this is too early a date, it cannot be
very many years in excess. Even if the writings do not fall
within the actual time of the composition of the books of the
New Testament, they scarcely fall outside the limits of the
same, and we may, therefore, be sure that the Christian Church
of to-day has been enriched by the discovery of a literary
monument of the highest value. Apart, also, from all critical
questions concerned with the little less or little more of a
determined date, or with the ' Lo ! here ' or ' Lo ! there ' of an
assigned locality, we have in our Odes the language of Christian
experience upon the highest levels of the Spiritual Life, and we
should have to go far afield to find such expressions of the
Joy of the Lord as recur in almost every one of these Spiritual
Songs.

We have no means of knowing who it was that in the first
instance ascribed them to Solomon, nor have we any clue at
present to their actual authorship, but we may be sure that
whatever Solomon did, or did not, in the composing of Odes,
with which he has been credited to the number of one thousand
and five, according to the insistent accuracy of the Jewish
Chronicler, we may say of these new-found compositions, that
not even Solomon at his very best could have been spiritually
arrayed like one of these.

o. s.

ODE I. {Pistis Sophia ii6.)

■"The Lord is on my head like a crown, and I shall not be
without Him^- ^They wove for me a crown of truth, and it
caused thy branches to bud in me. ^¥oy it is not like a withered
crown which buddeth not : but thou livest upon my head, and
thou hast blossomed upon my head. ''■Thy fruits are full-grown
and perfect, they are full of thy salvation.

Ode I. This Ode is not in our Syriac text, but in the Coptic version
of the Pistis Sophia, where it is said to be the 19th Ode. I have identified
it with the missing first Ode of our collection, on the supposition that
in the collection of Solomonic Psalms known to the author of the Pistis
Sophia, the eighteen Psalms of Solomon stood first, and not, as in the
Syriac collection, in the last place. The question is discussed, more at
length, under Ode 5. The argument of the Psalm is that God is the
crown of the soul, whose supreme experience is the knowledge of His
truth. This crown is of the amarant variety ; it fadeth not away. On
the contrary, it buds and blossoms and is full of immortal fruit. The
similitude is not uncommon in the book of Odes to which we have
placed this Psalm as an introduction. [Diettrich and Bernard think the
reference is to a crown put on the head of newly-baptized persons I We
may also compare the crown offered to the worshipper of Mithra on his
admission to the rank of miles. He sets it aside declaring Mithra to be
his only crown^]

ODE 2. {Deest.)

ODE 3. {Priora destittt.)
I put on : 2And his members are with him. And

on them do I hang, and He loves me: 3for I should not have
known how to love the Lord, if He had not loved me. *For
who is able to distinguish love, except the one that is loved?
5 1 love the Beloved, and my soul loves Him : ^and where His rest is
there also am I ; ''and I shall be no stranger, for with the Lord Most
High and Merciful there is no g^idging. «! have been united

1 Or it.

2 Bernard -./.T.S for Oct. 1910, p. 7. Diettrich : Die Reformation for May 1910,
p- 3°7 "• ^ Cumont: Momiments, i. 318.

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 9 1

•"to Him"'S for the Lover has found the Beloved, ^and because
I shall love Him that is the Son, I shall become a son^; ^°for
he that is joined to Him that is immortal, will also himself
become immortal ; '■''and he who has pleasure in the Living One'^>)'^^i^
will become living^ ''^This is the Spirit of the Lord, which
doth not lie, which teacheth the sons of men to know His Ways.
''^Be wise and understanding and vigilant. Hallelujah.

Ode 3. This Psalm, of which the first verses have disappeared
along with the leaves that contained the first two Psalms, is evidently a
Christian product; the author is a mystic with a doctrine, or rather an
experience, of union with the Son. With Him his whole nature has
become mingled, as water is mixed with wine. In Pauline language,
he has been joined to the Lord, and has become one spirit with Him".
In Johannine language, because the Beloved lives, he himself lives also".
He has, at least in hope and faith, attained immortality through union
with the Living One. The name here given to Christ is very ancient,
it has been detected by the Revisers of the English New Testament in
the Apocalypse ('I am the Living One')', and it is found in the
opening sentences of the Sayings of Jesus, recovered in recent years

from Egypt: ('these are the words which Jesus the Living One

spake'). [Cf also Ode 24. 14 where 'Him that liveth' is Christ.]

Other Johannine touches are the doctrine that ' we love Him
because He first loved us".' For the Psalmist tells us that 'he should
not have known how to love the Lord if the Lord had not loved him.'

It would be a mistake to suppose that we have here any direct
(quotations or that the language necessarily involves acquaintance with
the text of the New Testament. In translating the Syriac, I have not
tried to distinguish the two words for love which are used : even if it
could be inferred that the Greek had used dyaTr(G and cj>i\u), as in the
2ist chapter of John's Gospel, it would be a mistake to indicate this in
the translation by a subtlety which is now exploded. For the Syriac
makes no such distinction, nor need we imagine it in the original
Aramaic spoken by Jesus. When the Syriac translators turn back our
Lord's words in John xiv. 21, 'He it is that loveth me, and he that
loveth me shall be loved of my Father,' although the Greek word is
consistently dyaTru), they use both the available Syriac words, without
distinction, and where they do not distinguish we have no call to
over-refinement.

1 Mingled with (as water with wine) ; cf. i C or, vi. 17. " Or the Son.

3 The MS. has 'in life.' Cf._ Apoc. i. 1 7^ * Or the living One.

^ I Cor. vi. 17. ^ John xiv. 19. ' Apoc. i. 17. * i John iv. 19.

.v.l

92 THE ODES OF SOLOMOlsr

-^ '';?P^ ^ ODE 4.

^' - ^ 1N0 man, O my God, changeth thy holy place ; ^and it is not •

[possible] that he should change it and put it in another place :

because he hath no power over it : ^for thy sanctuary thou hast

designed before thou didst make [other] places: *that which is

the elder shall not be altered by those that are younger than

itself. ^Thou hast given thy heart, O Lord, to thy believers :

never wilt thou fail, nor be without fruits: ^for one hour of thy

Ps. Ixxxiv. Faith is more precious than all days and years. ''For who is

"■ there that shall put on thy grace, and be hurt? ^For thy seal

,^^.-,_ I is known : and thy creatures know it : and thy [heavenly] hosts

possess it: and the elect archangels are clad with it. ^Thou hast

given us thy fellowship ; it was not that thou wast in need of us:

but that we are in need of thee: ■'°distil thy dews upon us and

open thy rich fountains that pour forth to us milk and honey:

■ ■'■'for there is no repentance with thee that thou shouldest repent

\of anything that thou hast promised : ■'^and the end was revealed

before thee : for what thou gavest, thou gavest freely : ■'^so that

thou mayest not draw them back and take them again : ■''*for

all was revealed before thee as God, and ordered from the

beginning before thee : and thou, O God, hast made all things.

Hallelujah.

Ode 4. This Psalm is one of the most important in the whole
collection, on account of the historical allusion with which it commences.
The reference to an unsuccessful attempt to alter the site of the
Sanctuary of the Lord can only be explained by some unknown
movement to carry on the Jewish worship outside the desolated and
proscribed sanctuary, or by the closing of the Jewish temple at
Leontopolis in Egypt, which was, perhaps, itself in the first instance
built under the pressure of the situation which resulted in the
desecration of the temple at Jerusalem by Andochus Epiphanes. As
the latter explanation leans on fact, rather than on hypothesis, we may
accept it provisionally as the real interpretation of our Psalm, which is
thus dated soon after a.d. 73 when the temple of Onias was closed and
dismantled by the Romans. The writer of the Psalm, if not of Jewish
origin is, at least, Jewish in sympathy: he holds the Jewish belief
that the Sanctuary at Jerusalem was older than the wodd in which it
stood ; it was, according to Rabbinic teaching, prior to all other created
things : thus we find in Bereshith Rabbah that ' seven things were
created before the wodd, Thorah, Gehenna, the Garden of Eden, the
Throne of Glory, the Sanctuary, Repentance and the name of Messiah.'

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 93

The proofs of these pre-existent creations can easily be made from the
Scriptures : e.g. ' the Lord God had planted a garden in Eden from
afore-time' (Gen. ii. 8)\ and so on. The matter is discussed with some
detail in Pirqe Aboth vi. lo 'Five possessions possessed the Holy
One, blessed is He, in His world : and these are they : Thorah, one
possession ; Heaven and Earth, one possession ; Abraham, one posses-
sion : Israel, one possession ; the Sanctuary, one possession :

...The Sanctuary: whence [is it proved]? Because it is written. The
place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, the Sanctuary,
O Lord, which thy hands have established (Exod. xv. 17) : and it saith.
And He brought them to the border of His sanctuary, even to this
mountain, which His right hand had possessed (Ps. Ixxviii. 54).' This
Rabbinical belief has affected the mind of our Psalmist, who comments
upon the fall of the Egyptian temple unsympathetically, and evidently
has his heart set amongst the ruins of the Sanctuary at Jerusalem. He
does not think the covenant between God and the people of Israel is
disannulled ; all God's promises are irrevocable ; His gifts and callings
are without repentance on His part. But there are no lamentations on
the part of the writer over the ruins of Jerusalem ; the temple which is
in his thoughts has not developed a wailing-place. God has sealed His
own people with the marks of His ownership. All creation, and both
worlds, recognise this seal. And He is able to pour out blessings on His
chosen, comparable to the dew of heaven, and the milk and honey 01
the earth. If we please, we may definitely call it a Judaeo-Christian
Psalm : and it might very well have been composed by one of the
refugees at Pella. It is not easy to see how it could have been written
outside Palestine, nor by a purely Jewish hand.

There are no Scripture references ; perhaps the nearest parallels are
Rom. xi. 29 ('the gifts and calling of God are without repentance,'
a/iera/ncXrjTa), and the adaptation of Ps. Ixxxiv. 11 in w. 6, where again
the temple is in the mind of the writer.

The 'thought that God does not need us, but we need God, is a
common religious expression in this period, and is found constantly in
Greek literature. We may compare the Apology of Aristides, c. i, and
Irenaeus (ed. Mass. 244) ' ipse quidem nullius indigens : his vero qui
indigent eius, suam praebens communionem,' which is very near
indeed to the language of our Ode, and may almost be taken as a
quotation. The opposite sentiment can be illustrated from Schiller :

' Freudios war der grosse Weltenmeister,
Fuhlte Mangel, darum schuf er Geister,
Sel'ge Spiegel seiner Seligkeit.'

Clement of Rome, Ep. i. ad Cor., c. 52, takes an intermediate position:
'The Lord needs nothing... except our praise.'

^ So Jerome: aprincipio.

94 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

ODE 5.

U will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, because I love thee;
20 most High, thou wilt not forsake me\ for thou art my hope:
^freely I have received thy grace, I shall live thereby: ^my
persecutors will come''' and not see me: ^a cloud of darkness
shall fall ^on"' their eyes ; and an air of thick gloom shall darken
them : ^and they shall have no light to see : that they may not
take hold upon me. '^Let their counsel become thick darkness^,
and what they have cunningly devised, let it return upon their
own heads: ^for they have devised a counsel, and it did not
succeed^: they have prepared themselves for eviP, and were
found to be empty. ^For my hope is upon the Lord, and I will
not fear, and because the Lord is m y_s alvatio n ^ I will not fear:

J°and He is as a fflrland on my head and I shall not be moved ;
even if everything should be shaken, I stand firm; ^''and if

. all things visible should perish, I shall not die : because the
Lord is with me and I am with Him. Hallelujah.

Ode 5. The interest of this Psalm lies in the fact that at this point
we begin to strike the region of coincidences with the Gnostic book,
known as the PisHs Sophia. The Ode has been used, apparently,
in the composition of two Odes or Prophecies of Solomon, quoted
respectively by Salome and the Virgin.

Salome recites nearly the whole of the Ode, with some slight
variations and expansions : and it is possible that*one or two clauses
may be missing in the Syriac and may be capable of restoration from
the Coptic.

The remaining portion of the Ode before us appears, at first sight,
from the parallelism of the first sentence, to be the same as what is
given in the Pistis Sophia as the recitation of the Virgin from the 19th
Ode of Solomon. And this ascription and numbering led Ryle and
James astray, to identify the matter in question with the sentences about

' Or, as in the Coptic, do not thou forsake me.

^ Or, as in the Coptic, let my persecutors come.

5 Copt, weakness. * lit. and it became not to them.

'' lit. evilly, as in the Coptic, which expands as follows : Et vicerunt eos potentes et
quae paraverant malitiose, descenderunt in eos. Cf. the German of Schmidt : ' Und
sie sind besiegt, obwohl sie mdchtig sind, und was sie boswillig (icaicus) bereitet haben,
ist auf sie herabgefallen.'

" Copt, quia tu es deus meus, salvator meus.

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 95

the Virgin quoted by Lactantius\ as from the 19th Ode of Solomon.
We have, however, shown elsewhere that Lactantius' quotation is really
in our 19th Ode, so that Lactantius does not appear in the discussion,
having been found in another quarter. And we have suggested that
the supposed 19th Ode of the Coptic writer is the first of our collection,
and that it followed on the eighteen Psalms of Solomon. The mistake
can be traced, by comparing, in the Pistis Sophia, the text and the
Gnostic comment upon it ; it will be found that a wrong Ode has been
copied out for the text of the Gnostic comment, in consequence of two
Odes, the first and the fifth, having some similar sentences. The
difference can be exhibited thus :

Coptic Ode 19 Syriac Ode 5.

[=our Ode i]
' The Lord is on my head ' He is like a crown on my

like a crown, and I shall not be head and I shall not be moved,
separated from Him : a crown of Even if everything should be
truth has been woven for me : my shaken, I stand firm : and if all
branches were planted in me : for things visible should perish, I
they did not bear a crown that shall not die : because the Lord
was dried up, and without a shoot: is with me and I am with Him.'
but thou livest upon my head :
and thou growest upon me : thy
fruits are full and perfect : they
are filled with thy salvation.'

The comment upon the foregoing Coptic Ode follows the text of
the Syriac Ode, by an unconscious error of the writer who mistook one
hymn for the other.

It is clear, then, that the Coptic nineteenth Ode and the Syriac fifth
Ode are two different Odes, as we have explained above. We thus
recover the missing first Ode of our collection.

Whether this fifth Ode is Christian or not, does not appear decisively
at the first reading. It opens in a rather Jewish strain of praise,
accompanied by prayer for the discomfiture of enemies. If there is a
definite Christian feature, perhaps it is the garland upon the singer's
head, which appears in several other Odes. In the 17th Ode, for
example, we get the same figure, and here the theme is the praise of
the Messiah for His triumph over Hades. This must, of course, be
Christian.

The crown is a crown of life, that is a living crown or garland : and
this meaning is carefully brought out in the Coptic Ode, which explains

' Psalms of Solomon, p. 160. ' Ode ii. [of the Coptic Odes] should be another
fragment of that quoted by Lactantius, the tglh Ode. Here alone is a number
given. The Virgin, be it noted, is the reciter here, and the Virgin is the subject of
Lactantius' quotation.'

g6 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

that the crown does not wither, but (like Aaron's rod), it buds and
bears fruit. We have similar allusions and explanations to the crown
of life in the New Testament, as in i Pet. v. 4 ' a crown of glory, or
glorious crown, which does not fade away.' The close of the Ode is a
noble expression of trust in the Lord, amidst adverse circumstances,
which one instinctively compares with the close of the eighth chapter
of the Epistle to the Romans. It may be regarded as a Christian
composition, on account of its affinity with other Odes that are certainly
Christian, as well as on account of its intrinsic spiritual value.

ODE 6.

^As the hand' moves over the harp, and the strings speak,
2so speaks in my members the Spirit of the Lord, and I speak
by His love. ^For it destroys what is foreign, and every-
thing that is bitter^: "^for thus it was from the beginning and
will be to the end, that nothing should be His adversary, and
nothing should stand up against Him. ^The Lord has multi-
plied the knowledge of Himself, and is zealous Hhat these things
should be known, which by His grace have been given to us^.
6And the praise of His name He gave us*: our spirits praise
HisJialy_Spirit^ ^ por there went forth a stream and became
a river great and broad ; ^for it flooded and broke up every-
thing and it brought [water] to the Temple'' : ^and the restrainers
of the children of men were not able to restrain it, nor the arts
of those whose business it is to restrain waters ; ^°for it spread
over the face of the whole earth, and filled everything : "and all
the thirsty upon earth were given to drink of it"; ''^and thirst
was relieved and quenched : for from the Most High the draught
was given. ''^Blessed then are the ministers of that draught
who are entrusted with that water of His : ^^they have assuaged
the dry lips, 'and the will that had fainted they have raised up ;
■'^and souls that were near departing they have caught back
from death': ''^and limbs that had fallen they straightened and

' Or perhaps plectrum.

^ Cod. and everything is of the Lord. ^""'' i Cor. ii. 12.

* lit. His praise He gave us to His name.

° i.e. the temple at Jerusalem. Schmidt : ' wandte sich gegeii den Tempel.'
'"■' Schmidt : es tranken, die sich auf dem trockenen Sande befinden. Cf. Is. xxxv. i .-
'"' Schmidt: ' Herzensfreude haben empfangen die Entkrafteten. Sie haben
Seelen erfasst, indem sie den Hauch hineinstiessen, dass sie nicht stiirben.'

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 97

set up : ^^they gave strength for their feebleness^ and hght to

their eyes : ''^for everyone knew them in the Lord, and they A^^^^

Hved by the water of Hfe" for ever. Hallelujah.

Ode 6. In this Psalm again we are fortunate in having a large part
of the Coptic text preserved to us : and, as is common in Coptic texts,
some Greek words have been also preserved by it. But this very
circumstance has led Ryle and James to a wrong supposition as to die
existence of Gnostic elements in the Psalm. They recognize that it is
a Christian Psalm but suggest, hesitatingly, that the use of the word
amppoia may stamp it as Gnostic. It is quite unnecessary to pay this
little tribute to Gnosticism. Neither here nor anywhere else is there
anything definitely Gnostic in the book. And Ryle and James are
right in saying, 'we cannot see that there is anything unmistakeably
Gnostic in the doctrine^' They are also clearly right in saying that
what is described in the Psalm is ' the preaching of the Gospel which
no human effort can avail to hinder.' We must also recognize a
reference to the waters in Ezekiel which go forth from the temple. But
there is a suggestive difference in our Psalm from the parable in
Ezekiel : in the Syriac text the stream appears to rise elsewhere than in
the temple, and part of its function is to water the temple. It is a river
deep and broad before it reaches the temple. If this be what is
intended, then the restrainers who build dykes to keep waters out or
cisterns to keep thein in are very likely the Temple officials themselves,
who were often hard put to it to hinder the propaganda of the new
rehgion within the limits of the Holy Place.

The writer is exultant in his universahsm ; the stream of living
water has gone out into all the earth . thirsty souls everywhere have
been refreshed by it : dying souls have been revived.

The writer is as universal as St Paul. But he is not so detached
from Judaism as not to know that the living water was connected with
the temple. Perhaps, then, he is a Judaeo-Christian of an enlightened
type. Ryle and James suggest for him a date not later than the
second century, and intimate the presence of Johannine phraseology
and ideas. We think the date is too late ; the Johannine features do
not appear to us to be directly due to the Gospel : if such a long
composition had been under Johannine influence, it would have
betrayed its ancestry more definitely. Neither here nor elsewhere does
it seem possible definitely to convict the Psalms of having borrowed
from St John. On the other hand there is one expression which

1 Cod. ex errore 'for their coming.' ^ lit. by living water.

' Harnack, who has missed the meaning of this liymn, called it a Gnostic baptismal
hymn (Hist, of Dogma, i. 207 note). He admits now that it is not Gnostic, and it is
doubtful if it has anything to do with baptism.

o. s. 13

98 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

recalls a sentence in i Cor., where the writer says that God is zealous
' that those things should be known, which have been given us by His
grace': this is very hke i Cor. ii. 12, 'that we may know the things
that have been freely given us of God.' Whether the coincidence
should be pressed will depend to some extent upon the existence of
further and similar echoes of New Testament speech.

Near the close of the Psalm the Greek word wapp-qa-ia occurs in the
Coptic ; but the Syriac ' coming ' suggests irapovo-i'a. Ilappijcria, as the
Fistis Sophia shows, is one of the words which the Coptic transliterates :
so we must retain it, or else find a Greek word which may be misread
either as irapprjcria or irapovaCa. We have suggested that TrapaXi/o-is is
the right word. This is confirmed by the preceding clause, ' Members
that had fallen they straightened and set up.' Here the Coptic has
erexere for the two Syriac words which we render by ' straightened and
set up.' The Syriac has been translating a compound verb by two
simple verbs ; and the original was evidently avtipOuxrav. AVe may now
compare Is. xxxv. 3 and Heb. xii. 1 2 ; especially note ra irapaXtXvfi.iva
ywara avopduiaraTe. We now see the meaning of the words which
follow, 'they gave strength to their paralysis'; it is a reflexion from
laxuVaTc, yovara napaXeXvfji.eva. The correctness of the reference
to Isaiah may be further seen from the following words ' and light to
their eyes,' which are a reflexion from ' then shall the eyes of the blind
be opened.' It is clear then that the writer is working from Isaiah
and not from Hebrews : and in that case the airoppoia of which the
Fistis Sophia makes so much is the stream of water which, in the
prophecy, makes glad the wilderness and the solitary place. We can now
explain the variation between the Syriac and Coptic in v. 10. The 'dry
sand' is the eprjfto^ Suj/wa-a of Is. xxxv. i, and the Syriac should be 'all
upon the thirsty land drank of it.'

[The Ode is translated into English by Barnes in £xposiior(J\ily igio).
He suggests that we read 'wind' for 'hand ' in y. i as if the harp were
an Aeolian harp ! Perhaps ' hand ' is wrong, as there is the trace of a
connecting line before the actually visible Olaph. If it is not 'hand,'
I suspect it is 'plectrum.']

ODE 7.

^As the impulse of anger against evil, so is the impulse of
joy over what is lovely, and brings in of its fruits without re-
straint : ^my joy is the Lord and my impulse is toward Himi; this
path of mine is excellent^: ^for I have a helper, the Lord^. *He
hath caused me to know Himself, without grudging, by His

1 a. my running : cf. Cant. i. 3. ^ go Schulthess.

' B.-L. remove ■»<i.T.sa^ to the end of previous verse.

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 99

simplicity: His kindness has 'humbled His greatness^ ^He\ gr'^^
became like me, in order that I might receive Him: ^He was 1
reckoned like myself" in order that I might put Him on ; ^and
I trembled not when I saw Him: because He was gracious to me:
^like my nature He became that I might learn Him and like my
form, that I might not turn back from Him : ^the Father of
knowledge is the word of knowledge : ''^He who created wisdom '^ '
is wiser than His works: "and He who created me when yet
I was not knew what I should do when I came into being:
'"^wherefore He pitied me in His abundant grace : and granted
me to ask from Him and to receive from His sacrifice' : ''^ because
He it is that is incorrupt, the fulness of the ages and the Father
of them ^

"■^He hath given Him to be seen of them that are His, ''^in
order that they may recognize Him that made them : and that
they might not suppose that they came of themselves^: ''^for
knowledge He hath appointed as its way. He hath widened it
and extended it ; and brought it to all perfection ; ''''and set
over it the traces of His light, and I walked '"therein^ from the
beginning even to the end. ''^For by Him it was wrought, and
He was resting in the Son, and for its salvation He will take
hold of everything : ''^and the Most High shall be known in His
Saints, to announce to those that have songs of the coming of the
Lord; 2°that they may go forth to meet Him, and may sing to
Him with joy and with the harp of many tones'*: ^''the seers
shall come before Him and they shall be seen before Him,
22and they shall praise the Lord for His love : because He is
near and beholdeth, ^Sand hatred shall be taken from the earth,
and along with jealousy it shall be drowned : '^'^for ignorance
hath been destroyed, because the knowledge of the Lord hath
arrived, ^sj^gy who make songs shall sing the grace of the
Lord Most High ; ^Sand they shall bring their songs, and their
heart shall be like the day: and like the excellent beauty' of

i~i So Flemming: seine Grosse klein erscheinen lassen.

^ lit. in likeness as myself.

= Gk. eva-las : Nestle conjectures oia-ias : cf. Clem. £p. ii. aJ Cor. i. ■^ei\ri<T€v ex
ToO fi.rj 6vTos eii-ai inias : and the verse of the Ode that precedes, ' when I came into
being.' Also Ode 8. 16. For an opposite error see Cod. k in Mk. ix. 49.

* For th? expression ' Father of the Ages,' cf. i Clem, ad Cor. xxxv. 2, Iv. 6, Ixi. •.:,
and Is. xi. 6 (Heb.).

' Ps. c. 3. ^ at- voices.

' Gk. lieyaXowpiireia as in Ps. Ixvii. (Ixviii.) 34.

lOO

THE ODES OF SOLOMON

the Lord their pleasant song: "and there shall neither be any
thing that breathes without knowledge, nor any that is dumb:
28 for He hath given a mouth to His creation, to open the voice
of the mouth towards Him, to praise Him : ^^confess ye His
power, and show forth His grace. Hallelujah.

Ode 7. In this Psalm the writer dilates joyfully^ on the theme of
the Incarnation ; and the combination of lowliness and wisdom that are
involved therein. The condescension of Christ to human form is not
only a sympathetic approach to human conditions, it is a divine
welcome. He says 'Come unto me' by coming unto us. 'Like
my nature He became that I might learn of Him.'

But the incarnate Messiah is still the maker and sustainer of all
things, in whom all things consist. The knowledge of this revelation
produces praise and expectation, praise for those who sing His advent,
expectarion for those who look for His triumphant rule among men.
All evil is to pass away, and all hate. The saints who sing are already
exulting in the new life which He has bestowed upon them^.

For the argument with which the Ode opens we may compare
Lactantius, de Div. Inst. iv. 26: 'is, qui humilis advenerat, ut humilibus
et infimis opem ferret, et omnibus spem salutis ostenderet, eo genere
afficiendus fuit, quo humiles et infimi solent, ne quis esset omnino, qui
eum non posset imitari.'

[The difficulty in translating v. 3 has been variously met : Flemming
translates ' ein Heifer zum Herrn,' Zahn, (in Verhaltnis) zum Herrn :
Batiifol and Labourt, as intimated, remove the words ' to the Lord ' to
the end of the previous verse.]

ODE 8.
1 Open ye, open ye your hearts to the exultation of the Lord :
2and let your love be multiplied from the heart and even to the
lips, 3to bring forth fruit to the Lord, living '"fruif, holy '"fruit"'^
and to talk with watchfulness in His light. *Rise up, and
stand erect, ye who sometime were brought low : ^tell forth ye
who were in silence, that your mouth hath been opened. ^Ye,
therefore, that were despised, be henceforth lifted up, because
your righteousness hath been exalted. ''For the right hand of

' The opening sentence about the ' impulse against evil' may be illustrated from
Clem. Alex. Paed. i. 8, p. 140 iiriTo-i t(JJ aya8<f, xi ^i^fff' aya66s iarw, i] fuaoirovripla.

^ The combination of 'seers' and 'singers' is peculiar, and belongs to a very
early period in Church History ; it would be best illustrated by the saints in the begin-
ning of Luke's Gospel, who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem, if we could
imagine that peculiar religious society of prophets and singers continued and extended.

' Ungnad-Stark, a holy life.

^U^,-/-v^

THE ODES OF SOLOMON lOI

the Lord is with you : and He is your helper : ^and peace was
prepared for you, before ever your war was. 9 Hear the word
of truth, and receive the knowledge of the Most High. ''OYour
flesh has not known what I am saying to you : neither have Cf. Is.
your hearts' known what I am showing to you. iiKeep my '"'''■ "*"
seGret^ ye who are kept by it : i2keep my faith, ye who are
kept by it. ^^^^j understand my knowledge, ye who know me
in truth. ^'^Love me with affection, ye who love : ''^for I do not
turn away my face from them that are mine ; ^^ for I know them,
and before they came into being I took knowledge of them, and
on their faces I set my seal: "i fashioned their members : my
own breasts I prepared for them that they might drink my holy
milk and live thereby, i^j ^ook pleasure in them and am not
ashamed of them: ^^for my workmanship are they and the
strength of my thoughts : ^°who then shall rise up against my
handiwork, or who is there that is not subject to them?
^H willed and fashioned mind and heart: and they are mine,
and by my own right hand I set my elect ones : ^z^nd my
righteousness goeth before them and they shall not be deprived
of my name, for it is with them. 23^3]^^ j^^d abouncfiknd abide ''-^^-^
in the love of the Lord, ^^''and"' ye beloved ones in the Beloved :
those who are kept, in Him that liveth : ^Sand they that are
saved in Him^^that wassaved ; ^^and ye shall be found incorrupt
in all ages to the name of your Father. Hallelujah.

Ode 8. This Psalm again is Johannine in many of its ideas and
expressions. But, even when this is conceded, it is difficult to prove a
direct dependence on the Fourth Gospel.

The Psalm is, like a number of others, marked by a sudden transi-
tion of personahty from the Psalmist or Prophet to the Lord Himself:
after the writer has addressed those who have been lifted up out of
affliction and have found peace after war, he suddenly in prophetic
manner, cries out, 'Hear the word of the Lord,' 'Receive the heavenly
knowledge,' and then proceeds to speak in the person of the Lord.
The same abrupt transitions are found in the canonical Psalter, and
they appear to have characterized the Montanist inspirations. It will
be remembered that Montanus describes his own spiritual exaltation in
the words : ' Behold ! the man is as a lyre, and I sweep over him as the
plectrum. The man sleeps and I wake. Behold ! it is the Lord, who

' The MS. by an error of transcription reads, 'your raiment.' But perlmps the
aiment means the human body ?

2 C/em. Horn. xix. 20; and Clem. Alex. Strom, v. 10, apparently from a lost Gospel.
' Fl. . Bittet ohne Unterlass.

I02 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

estranges the souls of men from themselves, and gives men souls.'
The same address by the Lord in the first person is in the utterance of
Maximilla, the Montanist prophetess, who said, 'I am chased as a
wolf from the midst of the flock. I am no wolf ; I am word, and spirit,
and power.'

The language of Montanus finds a close parallel in the opening of the
sixth Psalm, where the writer says, 'As the hand \or perhaps plectrum]
moves over the harp, and the strings speak, so speaks in my members the
Spirit of the Lord.' This might easily be claimed as a Montanist utterance,
and I can imagine that on account of these and similar sayings, the whole
Psalter might be claimed as a Montanist product. But the sentiments
are simply Christian, on a high experimental plane; and we must not
forget that one of the chief characteristics of Montanism is its attempt
to perpetuate the life of the primitive Church. Towards the end of the
Psalm the prophet returns abruptly to speech in his own name. There
seems to be some breach of continuity in the discourse, as well
as a change of personality.

I do not know whether the allusion to an actual war, from which the
saints have emerged or escaped, is to be taken literally. If it be a
literal, and not a spiritual reference, the choice will he between the
Jewish war under Titus or that under Hadrian ; in either case we
should be in Judaeo-Christian circles. It is, however, quite possible
that the ' war ' and the ' peace ' refer only to spiritual experiences.

The injunction in v. 1 1 to keep the Lord's secret (/u.vo-Ti/pioi' kfx,ov)
is frequently quoted in the Fathers. A striking instance will be found
in Lactantius, Div. Instit. vii. 26: ' nos defendere hanc [doctrinam]
publice atque asserere non solemus, Deo jubente, ut quieti ac silentes
arcanum ejus in abdito atque intra nostram conscientiam teneamus...
abscondi enim tegique mysterium quam fidelissime oportet, inaxime a nobis,
qui nomen fidei gerimus.' The last sentence is very like the language
of the Ode, ' Keep my secret ye who are kept by it ; keep my faith ye
who are kept by it.' These Patristic quotations may be traced ultimately
to a variant translation of Isaiah xxiv. 16, which has crept into some
texts of the LXX from the Hexapla of Origen. But there are a number
of cases where the citation is not directly from Isaiah, but from a saying
of our Lord in an uncanonical Gospel. Thus in Clem. Alex. Strom.
V. 10 we have ov yap (j>6ovwv, <j>r]cri, TraprjyyuXfv 6 Kvpios ev rivt €vayye\tw
f).v(TTr]piov ifiov ijxoi nai tois uiots toC oikou /xov. Again in Clem. Horn.
xix. 20 we have, (jLeixv-rj/xeda Tov Kvplov r]ij,<5v Koi StSao-KaXov, (us cvTcXA.ojuei'Os
elirev tj/iaiv to. ix.v(rTrjpia i/xoX xai tois viols f).ov (^vXa^art. It seems that
the Odist has been working from the same source as Clement of
Alexandria and the Clementine Homilist : and if this be the case, the
uncanonical Gospel of which he makes use is very likely the same which
we shall find quoted in the 24th Ode. [Bernard thinks the reference is
to the disdplina arcanii\

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 103

ODE 9.

^Open your ears and I will speak to you. Give me your
souls that I may also give you my soul, ^the word of the Lord
and His good pleasures, the holy thought which He has devised
concerning His Messiah . ^For in the will of the Lord is your
salvation', and His thought is everlasting life ; and your end
is immortality''. *Be enriched in God the Father, and
receive the thought of the Most High. ^Be strong and_be Is. lii. 7. '^
rede gmed by His grace^ ®For I announce to you peace, to you Cf. Ps. ^
His saints ; ''that none of those who hear may fall in war, and ^'""'^' ^'
those again who have known Him may not perish, and that
those who receive may not be ashamed. ^An everlasting crown
for ever is Truth. Blessed are they who set it on their heads :
^a stone of great price is it; and there have _been_wars_on_
ac count of the crown_. ''°And righteousness hath taken it and
hath given it to you. " Put on the crown in the true covenant
of the Lord. ''^And all those who have conquered shall be \
written in His book. ''^For their book is victory which is yours.
And she (Victory) sees you before her and wills that you shall
be saved. Hallelujah.

Ode 9. This Psalm is, from a historical point of view, somewhat
colourless. The only definite points are the allusions to the Lord's
Messiah, or Christ : and a promise of peace and deliverance from war,
which is made to the saints. Of the first of these allusions, we may say
that while it makes the Psalm a Messianic one, this does not mean that
it is not Christian. The promise of everlasting Hfe which follows must
be the holy thought of God concerning the Christ. And this seems to
definitely mark out the Psalm as Christian.

What then are we to say of the wars and victory to which the Psalm
refers ; are they spiritual or are they outward, or a mixture of both ?
We shall have the same problem before us in other Psalms. From the
fact that Victory is personified and writes a book, with which we may
compare Apoc. iii. 5 (' He that overcometh shall be clothed in white
raiment, and I will not blot out his name from the book of life '), we
may perhaps conclude that the Victory spoken of is a spiritual one.
This is in harmony with the references to redemption by grace and to
the will of Victory that the saints should be saved. These are Christian
expressions. On the other hand the promise that none of those who

' Hi. life. ^ Or, and without corruption is your perfection.

104 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

obey the Lord's word shall fall in war might have been very strikingly
illustrated in the case of the Christians who escaped to Pella. But
even then the Psalm is a Christian one, and it remains an open question
-whether outward allusions may not have been coupled with inward
victories;

The alternative rendering for the third verse suggests that the Syriac
words answer to a Greek sentence, koI ev at^Oapcria to tc'Xos v[x.u}v.

ODE lo.

^The Lord hath directed my mouth by His word : and He
hath opened my heart by His light : and He hath caused to
dwell in me His deathless life; ^and gave me that I might
speak the fruit of His peace : ^to convert the souls of them who
are willing to come to Him : and to lead captive a good captivity
for freedom. *I was strengthened and made mighty and took
the world captive ; ^and it became to me for the praise of the
Most High, and of God my Father. ®And the Gentiles^ were
gathered together who were scattered abroad. '^And I was
unpollutedf by my love ''for them^^ because they confessed me in
high places : and the traces of the light were set upon their
heart : ^and they walked in my life and were saved and became
my people for ever and ever. Hallelujah.

Ode 10. In this vigorous little Psalm Christ must Himself be
accounted the speaker- through the mouth of His prophet; unless we
should prefer to say that any of the opening sentences are spoken in
the Psalmist's own name, and that after them there is an abrupt
alteration of personality, such as we have already referred to. It is
certain, however, that the one who gathers the peoples together by his
love must be the Messiah: ('unto him shall the gathering of the
peoples be^ '). And it can be no psalmist or prophet who declares
that the Gentiles became his people for ever and ever. The one who
goes forth to lead captivity captive is again the Christ : we have in the
New Testament (Eph. iv. 8) the Messianic interpretation of Ps. Ixviii. i8,
'He ascended up on high, he led captivity captive'; and the same
explanation underlies the Ode before us. The Ode is, therefore, a
Christian one : and its soteriology is universal in character. But we are
still in the region where apologetic is necessary for the reception of the

^ Christ has accepted the Gentiles.

^ i.e. erasing the plural points, so as not to read 'by my sins.' Barnes suggests
the emendation 'by their sins.' Wellhausen: ist naturlich /lauiai z\i s^iiechen, nicht
hudii.

' Gen. xlix. lo.

THE ODES OF SOLOMON I05

Gentiles, and where it does not suffice to quote a verse of the Old
Testament and say that such reception was foretold. In our Ode
Christ explains that the reception of the Gentiles has not polluted Him.
Such language does not belong to the Hellenic world, nor, we think,
to the second century. But it is quite natural in a Judaeo-Christian
community in Palestine in the first century.

The fact that prophets spoke in the person of God or of Christ was
a common observation with the early fathers : a good illustration may
be seen in Justin's Apology^, where Justin explains that the opening
sentences of Isaiah ('The ox knoweth his owner... but my people doth
not consider') are a case of the kind; and then goes on to explain that
the words 'all day long I have stretched out my hands' are to be
understood of the prophet speaking in the person of Christ. In the
canonical Psalms also the same feature was easily traced, and those
who composed the early books of Testimonies against the Jews con-
stantly point out that the real speaker is not the prophet, but One
whom he impersonates. It is inevitable that this impersonation should
cause difficulties of interpretation, due to the obscurity of personality
involved in the different parts of the prophecy or psalm. And we must
not be surprised if we sometimes find it hard to tell in the text of our
Odes who is to be regarded as the speaker.

ODE II.

■■My heart was cloven'' and its flovifer appeared ; and grace
sprang up in it : and it brought forth fruit to the Lord, ^for the
Most High clave ''my heart"" by His Holy Spirit and searched
my affection'' towards Him: and filled me with His love. ^And
His opening" of me became my salvation ; and I ran in His
way in His peace, even in the way of truth : ''■from the be-
ginning and even to the end I acquired His knowledge : ^and
I was established upon the rock of truth, where He had set me
up: ^and speaking waters^ touched my lips from the fountain
of the Lord plenteously : ^and I drank and was inebriated
with the living water that doth not die ; ^and my inebriation
was not one without knowledge, but I forsook vanity and turned
to the Most High my God, ^and I was enriched by His bounty,

' I Ap. 37, 38. ^ Or, circumcised.

' lit. clave me or circumcised me. Cf. Rom. ii. 29.

* lit. revealed my reins : cf. Sap. Sol. i. 6: Ps. vii. 9: Ps. Ixii. (Ixi.) 1 : Apoc. ii. 23.
' Or, circumcision.

^ Cf. Ignatius ad Rom. 7 iiSwp ^Siv ko.\ 'KaXauv. Wellhausen : das redende Wasser
flndet sich bei den Mandaern. <- » V.^

O. S. 14

I06 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

and I forsook the folly which is diffused' over the earth; and
I stripped it off and cast it from me: '"'and the Lord renewed
me in His raiment^ and possessed me by His light, and from
above He gave me rest in incorruption ; ''■'and I became like the
land which blossoms and rejoices in its fruits : ''^and the Lord
was like the sun shining on the face of the land ; ''^He lightened
my eyes, and my face received the dew ; and my nostrils"
enjoyed the pleasant odour of the Lord ; ^* and He carried me
to His Paradise; where is the abundance of the pleasure of the
Lord; ''^and I worshipped the Lord on account of His glory;
and I said, Blessed, O Lord, are they who are planted in thy
land ! and those who have a place in thy Paradise ; ''^and they
grow by the fruits of thy trees^. And they have changed from
darkness to light. ''^Behold ! all thy servants are fair, who do
good works, and turn away from wickedness to the pleasantness
that is thine : ''^and they have turned back the bitterness of the
trees from them, when they were planted in thy land ; ''^and
everything became like a relic of thyself, and a memorial for
ever of thy faithful works. 2° For there is abundant room in thy
Paradise, and nothing is useless* therein ; ^^but everything is
filled with fruit ; glory be to thee, O God, the delight of
Paradise for ever. Hallelujah.

Ode 1 1. This lovely Psalm is altogether personal and experimental ;
the writer describes the visitations of Divine Grace, which he calls the
cutting open" of his heart, and his establishment upon the rock of
eternal truth. He is renewed by these visitations, as if he had been
newly clad in light and had already reached the eternal rest. He
becomes like a land that drinks in the dew of heaven, and brings forth
fruit to God. He finds himself at last in the Paradise of God and
amongst the fragrant trees of a new creation. He breaks out into
exultant praise of the good things which God has prepared for them
that love Him.

There are no Scriptural references in the Psalm that can be claimed
as quotations, however closely the language approximates to that of the
ancient Scriptures. Perhaps the nearest parallel would be the promise
m Apoc. ii. 7, that the one who overcomes, shall eat of the tree of life
which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. '

' lit. cast. U.-S. . die auf Erden lagert.

2 Cp. Ps. civ. 2. 3 lit. my breathing.

^ Better with Fl. -. they grow according to the growth of thy trees.

° Or, idle = 0/1765. Cf. 2 Pet. i. 8: om dpyois om aKdpTrovs.

" perhaps the circumcising.

THE ODES OF SOLOMON lO^

ODE 12.

^ He hath filled me with words of truth ; that I may speak
the same ; ^and like the flow of waters flows truth from my
mouth, and my lips show forth His fruit. ^And He has caused Ps. H. 17.
His knowledge to abound in me, because the mouth of the
Lord is the true Word, and the door of His light ; '*and the
Most High hath given it to His worlds, [worlds] which are
the interpreters of His own beauty, and the repeaters of His
praise, and the confessors of His counsel, and the heralds of
His thought, and the chasteners of His servants^ ^For the
swiftness of the Word' is inexpressible, and like its expression
is its swiftness and force ; ^and its course knows no limit.
Never doth it fail, but it stands sure, and it knows not descent'
nor the way of it^ '''For as its work is, so is its end : for it is
light and the dawning of thought ; ^and by it the worlds^ talk
one to the other ; and in the Word there were those that were
silent ; ^and from it came love and concord ; and they spake,
one to the other whatever was theirs ; and they were penetrated
by the Word ; ''"and they knew Him who made them, because
they were in concord ; for the mouth of the Most High spake
to them; and His explanation ran by means of it: ''■'for the
dwelling-place of the Word is man : and its truth is ' love.
^'^ Blessed are they who by means thereof have understood
everything, and have known the Lord in His truth. Hallelujah.

Ode 12. This Psalm rises to a high level of spiritual thought, but
for that very reason its language is occasionally obscure. The writer
describes his own inspiration and how his heart knd lips become- iilled
with the words of God. Here, as elsewhere, God's fruit is found in the
lips of the faithful, and we are often reminded in these Psalms of the
expression which is borrowed in Heb. xiii. 15, from the prophet Hosea,
about offering to God the ' fruit of Hps that confess to His name.'
From the general thought of the words of God, the writer rises to the
abstract idea of the Word of God, or Logos, which is the totality of
God's revelation and which interpenetrates all things, so that even
things that are .silent iind their speech in it. But especially this Word,
which is both truth and love, finds its dwelling-place in man. Happy

^ Or, works.

^ Cf. Sap. Sol. vii. 34. Philo, De Mut. Nom. 42 Kovijiov yap 6 \6yos /cat yrTqvhv
(j>'inxei, ^^\ovs ScLttov 0ep6)«eyos Kal TavTrj dig.TTUji'.

^ Or by slight emendations, no man knoweth its length or breadth.
* Or possibly, the aeons.

I08 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

are they that have come to know Him. Here, perhaps, we are nearer
to Gnostic ideas, such as the doctrine of the Word and the Silence,
than in any other part of the Psalter: yet there is nothing that can
fairly be called Gnostic. We are also very close to the doctrine of the
Logos as we have it in John, where the Logos becomes flesh and dwells
amongst us: but it is not the Johannine thought of the Incarnation
that is imitated or reproduced. The dwelling of the Logos with man is
personal and not collective; and we cannot infer from this Psalm a
direct statement of the doctrine of Incarnation, for the writer does not
go beyond Inspiration; but his thought is noble, even if, as we have
said, it is sometimes obscure, at least in a translation.

ODE 13.

■'Behold! the Lord is our mirror^: open the eyes and see
them in Him : and learn the manner of your face : ^and tell forth
praise to His spirit : and wipe off the filth from your face : and
love His holiness, and clothe yourselves therewith : ^and be
without stain at all times before Him. Hallelujah.

S Ode 1 3. This strange little Psalm is an exhortation to holiness :
we are to behold the Lord in the beauty of His holiness, but we are
also to see ourselves reflected in God as in a mirror ; then we shall
behold our natural face in an unexpected glass and know what manner
of men we are : and in that glass we shall cleanse the dirt from off our
faces, and attain to purity. We are reminded of St Paul's statement
that we behold, as in a mirror, the glory of our Lord and are transfigured
into the same image; though here the thought is not as high as in
Corinthians, where holiness is found by the Vision of God rather than
by the scrutiny of ourselves.

We may also in this connexion refer to a remarkable passage which
is found in a tract falsely ascribed to Cyprian, and known as De
Montihus Sina et Sioti. We are reminded in this passage first that
Christ is the Unspotted Mirror of the Father, as is said of Wisdom in
the book called the Wisdom of Solomon^. Hence the Father and
the Son see one another by reflexion. The writer then continues as
follows :

'And even we who believe in Him see Christ in us as in a mirror,
as He Himself instructs and advises us in the Epistle of His disciple

' Cf Clem. Alex. Paed. i. 9, p. 172 T6 iaoirTfav ry aiaxpv ou KaitAv, Sn SeiKfiei
oiiTW oUs ianv. Cf. Jac. i. 24. Clem. Horn. xiii. 16 KoKi^ ia^drTpij! opf [ij ffii<l>p<m>

^ Saf. Sol. vii. 26.

THE ODES OF SOLOMON IO9

John to the people: "See me in yourselves, in the same way as any one
of you sees himself in water or in a mirror" ; and so he confirmed the
saying of Solomon about Himself, that "He is the unspotted mirror of
the Father.'"

Here we have the doctrine of dual vision in a mirror, as though the
mirror saw the observer as well as the observer the mirror ; in this way
the Father sees Himself in the Son and the Son sees Himself in the
Father: and then we are told of something said by John, speaking in
the person of Christ, in a lost epistle, that we are to see Christ in
ourselves as in a glass. This is something like the doctrine of our
Psalm that we are to see ourselves in Christ. If we could really be
sure of the correctness of the reference of the supposed Cyprianic tract
to St John, we should have more confidence in saying that here also
we are in the region of Johannine ideas: but, even in that case, there
would seem to be no question of direct quotation from canonical
Johannine writings\

ODE 14.

^As the eyes 2 of a son to his father, so are my eyes, O Lord,
at all times towards thee. ^For with thee are my consolations
(lit. breasts) and my delight. ^Turn not away thy mercies
from me, O Lord : and take not thy kindness from me.
* Stretch out to me, O Lord, at all times thy right hand : and
be my guide' even unto the end, according to thy good pleasure.
^Let me be well-pleasing'' before thee, because of thy glory and
because of thy name: ^let me be preserved from evil, and let
thy meekness, O Lord, abide with me, and the fruits of thy love.
''Teach me the Psalms of thy truth, that I may bring forth fruit
in thee : ^and open to me the harp of thy Holy Spirit, that
with all its notes I may praise thee, O Lord. ^And according
to the multitude of thy tender mercies, so thou shalt give to me ;
and hasten to grant our petitions ; and thou art able for all our
needs. Hallelujah.

' The passage in Ps. -Cyprian is so curious, that for convenience I transcribe the
Latin: De Mont. Sina et Sion 13 : 'Ita inuenimus ipsum Saluatorem per Salomonem
speculum inmaculatum patris esse dictum, eo quod sanctus spiritus Dei filius
geminatum se uideat, pater in filio et filius in patre, utrosque se in se uident : ideo
speculus inmaculatus. Nam et nos qui illi credimus Christum in nobis tanquam in
speculo uidemus, ipso nos instruente et monente in epistula lohannis discipuli Sui ad
populum: "ita me in uobis uidete, quomodo quis uestrum se uidet in aquam aut in
speculum," et confinnauit Salomonicum dictum de se dicentem, "quis est speculus
inmaculatus patris."'

^ Ps. cxxiii. L. ^ Ps. xlviii. 14.

* =(iia.fii<jTuv, walk before God, as Enoch, Gen. v. 24 etc.; cf. Peshitta.

no THE ODES OF SOLOMON

Ode 14. In this Psalm the canonical Psalter is somewhat more
closely imitated than is generally the case with our collection. The
opening sentences recall Ps. exxiii. 2, 'As the eyes of servants to the
hands of their masters, and as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her
mistress, so are our eyes to the Lord our God.' The prayer that the
Lord will be 'my guide even to the end,' recalls Ps. xlviii. 14, 'This
God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even unto
death.' But the Psalm is by no means a cento from the canonical
Psalter, even though it does not contain anything that could, at the first
reading, be definitely labelled as Christian.

ODE 15.

■•As the sun is the joy to them that seek for its daybreak 1,
so is my joy the Lord ; '^because He is my Sun and His rays
have lifted me up^; and His light hath dispelled all darkness
from my face. ^In Him I have acquired eyes and have seen
His holy day: '*ears have become mine and I have heard His
truth. ^The thought of knowledge hath been mine, and I have
been delighted through Him. ^The way of error I have left,
and have walked towards Him and have received salvation from
Him, without grudging. '^And according to His bounty He
hath given to me, and according to His excellent beauty^ He
hath made me. ^I have put on incorruption through His name :
and have put off corruption by His grace. ^ Death hath been
destroyed before my face : and Sheol hath been abolished by my
word : ■'°and there hath gone up deathless life in the Lord's land,
"and it hath been made known to His faithful ones, and hath
been given without stint to all those that trust in Him.
Hallelujah.

Ode 15. This beautiful Psalm, like so many others in the collection,
opens with a similitude : these openings are characteristic of the book,
and betray a single writer. This does not mean that they do not
sometimes imitate the opening of the canonical Psalms. In the present
case the 130th Psalm seems to have furnished the key-note, viz. the
watchers for the morning. It is an experimental Psalm of the first order:
the Sun has risen upon the soul of the writer. Eyes, ears and heart
have all been opened. Salvation has been realized: the comeliness of
the Lord has been put upon Jiim: death has lost its terrors, the grave
its power.

Cf. Ps. cxxx. 6. 2 Q^^ made me rise up.

^ =Gk. fieyaXoirp^ireia,

THE ODES OF SOLOMON III

There is one passage which is either obscure, incorrect or extravagant
where the writer says that 'Sheol has been abolished by my word.'
Unless there has been a transition of personality, this seems extravagant,
and invites the correction 'has been abolished at His word.' In any
case, I think the Psalm is a Christian one, though the positive or
dogmatic identifications are not forthcoming, apart from the victory
over death and the grave.

ODE i6.

^As the work of the husbandman is the ploughshare: and
the work of the steersman is the guidance' of the ship: '^so also
my work is the Psalm of the Lord : my craft and my occupation
are in His praises^ : ^because His love hath nourished my heart,
and even to my lips His fruits He poured out. ^For my love is
the Lord, and therefore I will sing unto Him : ^for I am made
strong ill His praise, and I have faith in Him. ^I will open my
mouth and His spirit will utter in me ^the glory of the Lord
and His beauty ; the work of His hands and the operation of
His fingers : ^the multitude of His mercies and the strength of
His word. ^For the word of the Lord searches out" all things,
both the invisible and that which reveals His thought ; '"'for the
eye sees His works, and the ear hears His thought. "He spread
out the earth and He settled the waters in the sea: '^He
measured the heavens and fixed the stars : and He established
the creation and set it up : ''^and He rested from His works :
■■^and created things run in their courses, and do their works :
^^and they know not how to stand and be idle' ; and His
'"heavenly"' hosts are subject to His word. ''^The treasure-
chamber of the light is the sun, and the treasury of the dark-
ness is the night : ''^and He made the sun for the day that it "
may be bright, but night brings darkness over the face of the
land ; ^^and their alternations one to the other speak^ the beauty
of God : ^^and there is nothing that is without the Lord ; for He
was before any thing came into being: ^°and the worlds were cf. Heb.
made by His word, and by the thought of His heart. Glory '• ^'
and honour to His name. Hallelujah.

^ lit. traction. Schulthess suggests 'the mast.' (1. TO^Ti*.).

2 lit. in His praises is my craft and in His praises my occupation.

2 Or, searches out ; everything, the invisible and the revealed, (is) his thought.

* Justin, Dial. 12. " Cod. complete; dui rearf^AX^iSn.

112 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

Ode i6. This Psalm is, in its closing sentences, specifically Christian,
and it is clearly from the same author as those that have immediately
preceded. The theme is the beauty of God's creation; especially the
writer considers the heavens which are the works of God's fingers, he
contemplates the 'spacious firmament on high' (Ps. xviii.). We frequently
catch refrains from the story of Creation. But curiously the writer
appears to avoid the mention of the moon: instead of saying that God
appointed the sun to rule the day and the moon to rule the night, he
says that 'the treasure of the light is the sun, and the treasure of the
darkness is — the night': and he tries to work out this broken parallel
by a further statement about the offices of the sun and the darkness. It
would be, perhaps, too much to assume that he had some reason for
neglecting the moon: but the omission is curious: (there is a similar
omission in Sap. Sol. vii. i8). The Psalm is certainly a beautiful one,
especially in its opening verses. These find an appropriate parallel in
Clement of Alexandria, who tells us^: 'We do not force the horse to
plough nor the bull to hunt, but we allure each species of animal to the
craft that suits it. So we also invite man to the vision of the open
heaven, and to the knowledge of God, because he is of celestial

birth Plough, indeed, if ploughman thou be, but know God while

thou ploughest: sail, if thou love to voyage the seas, but make thy
appeal to the steersman on high.'

The opening verses of this Ode find also a close parallel to Stoic
thought in one of its loftiest expressions; for, according to Epictetus,
the praise of God is the greatest of occupations: 'Seeing that most of
you are Winded, should there not be some one to fill this place, and sing
the hymn to God on behalf of all men?. ..Were I a nightingale, I should
do after the manner of a nightingale. Were I a swan, I should do after
the manner of a swan. But now, since I am a reasonable being, / must
sing to God; that is my proper work : I do it, nor will I desert this my
post, as long as it is granted to me to hold it: and unto you I call to
join in this self-same hymn' (Epictetus, Discourses, i. i6). I am almost
tempted to believe that our Odist knew this saying of Epictetus, and
had Christianised it. It may well have been a popular religious
quotation in the latter part of the first century. Stoicism and Christi-
anity were, as is well known, very near neighbours; and this passage is
one of the finest of Epictetus' sayings^.

On examining the Ode more closely we detect an unmistakeable
case of anti-Judaic polemic. The writer after describing the beauty of

1 Clem. Alex. Protrepl. p. 80.

2 T. R. Glover [Conflict of Religions, p. 165) refers to this saying of Epictetus and
remarks that ' Stoicism was never essentially musical. Epictetus announces a hymn
to Zeus, but he never stavLs the tune.' Certainly the language of the Ode is much
loftier and more musical than that of Epictetus.

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 113

creation and the Lord's rest from His works, goes on to say something
which shows that he does not mean to deduce the Jewish Sabbath from
the statements in Genesis. 'Created things run in their courses, and
do their works and know not how to stand or be idle.' Suppose we turn
to Justin's Dialogue with Trypho, c. 22, where Justin is arguing with
Trypho for the non-necessity of circumcision and the Sabbath : ' I will
declare to you and to those who may wish to become proselytes,' says
Justin, ' a divine word which I heard from the old man to whom I owe
my conversion. He said, "you observe that the heavenly bodies do
not idle nor keep sabbath^. Remain, therefore, as you were born, do
not keep sabbath nor practise circumcision."'

It is clear, then, that the i6th Ode means to say that the Sabbath is
not kept by the Heavenly bodies; and as it goes on to say 'and the
[Heavenly] hosts are subject to His word,' it follows that God is
regulating the motions of the worlds on the Sabbath days as well as on
the week-days: a point which Justin expressly makes in c. 29, 'God
undertakes the regulation of the world on this day, exactly as on other
days^.'.

The writer then is a Christian of the type of Justin Martyr, who
accepts the Gospel without the obligation of the Law, and makes a
quiet intimation of the position which he takes towards the stricter
Judaism. But we notice, further, that the argument which underlies
his verse is older than Justin Martyr; it is contained in the reply of the
ancient Christian whom Justin consulted on the question of sabbath
and circumcision; he calls it a Divine Word or Oracle (Qfiov Xoyov).
It may, then, have come from some early Christian handbook; but,
whether this be the case or not, it is a dictum of the first century ; for
the very old man who talked with Justin was not inventing a solution
for immediate perplexities, but giving him a rule which prevailed in the
Church to which he belonged.

So it seems clear that the Ode is really Christian, and that its
Christianity is of a very early type, to judge from the arguments
involved in it.

ODE 17.

U was crov\ai£d_J3y_jiij^_Godjjnycrow^^ living: ^and I
was justified in my Lord : my incorruptible salvation is He.
^I was loosed from vanity, and I was not condemned: ''■the
choking bonds were cut off by her' hands : I received the face

' I.e. TO. a-TOLx^ta oiiK ipyet oidi aap^an^ei.

^ 6 ffeos TTjii aiTTjv SiolKijaw rod k6(t/wv o/iolus Kal iv t«i5ti; rp ijtiipq. ireTroiriTa
KaOdirep iv rats aXXais aTdaats.
' Query his?

O.S. ,g

114 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

and the fashion of a new person : and I walked in it and was
saved ; ^and the thought of truth led me on. And I walked
after it and did not wander: ^and all that have seen me were
amazed : and I was regarded by them as a strange person :
''and He who knew and brought me up is the Most High in all
His perfection. And He glorified me by His kindness, and
raised my thought to the height of ''His"' truth. ^And from
thence He gave me the way of His precepts' and I opened the
doors that were closed, ^and brake in pieces the bars of iron ;
but my iron melted and dissolved before me; i° nothing ap-
peared closed to me: because X_WM-Jhe__doo^_of_everything.
"And I went over all[m^ bondmen to loose them ; that I might
not leave any man bound or binding: ^^and I imparted my
knowledge without grudging: and my prayer was in my love:
13 and I sowed my fruits in hearts, and transformed them into
myself: and they received my blessing and lived; ''*and they
were gathered to me and were saved ; because they were to me
as my own members and I was their head. Glory to thee our
head, the Lord Messiah. Hallelujah.

Ode 17. This Psalm is one that we alluded to above in connexion
with ' the crown of life ' that has been put upon the writer's head.
That it is a Christian Psalm is evident : the Messiah or Christ is
definitely referred to, and he is spoken of as being to believers in the
relation of the head to the members. But we have again in this Psalm
the peculiar change of personality: this time it comes so imperceptibly
that we might be tempted to doubt the reality of the transition, if it
were not for the. abruptness of the return from it at the close of the
Psalm. The breaking of the bars of iron must surely refer to the
Messiah" : it need not be an allusion to the descent into Hades^ ; for the
problem of liberation of souls is stated in general terms : all men are to
be free; there is to be no more one that binds and one that is bound.
The transformation of believers into Christ's nature is also referred
to; 'I transformed them into myself they became my own members.'

ODE 18.

1 My heart was lifted up in the love of the Most High and
was enlarged : that I might praise Him for His^ name's sake.'

' lit. steps.

^ So Zahn : Wer anders soUte das sein als Jesus der Messias?
^ Batififol: Avec M. Harris, avec M. Harnack aussi, et contre M. Gunkel, je
crois que ces vv. ne parlent pas de la descente du Christ aux enfers,
* Cod. my.

members were strengthened that they might not fall from
trength. ^ Sicknesses removed from my body, and it stood
I Lord by His will. For His Kingdom is true. ■*© Lord,
le sake of them that are deficient do not remove thy word
me ! 5 Neither for the sake of their works do thou restrain
me thy perfection 1 ^Let not the luminary be conquered cf.joh.
tie darkness ; nor let truth flee away from falsehood,
u wilt appoint me to victory ; our Salvation is thy

hand'. And thou wilt receive men from all quarters,

thou wilt preserve whosoever is held in evils : ^Thou art
jod. falsehood and death* are not in thy mouth: '"'for
/ill is perfection ; and vanity thou knowest not, "nor does
ow thee. '^And error thou knowest not, ^^ neither does it
■thee. '*And ignorance appeared like a blind man'; and
:he foam of the sea, ''^and they supposed of that vain thing
it was something great ; ''^and they too came in likeness

and became vain ; and those have understood who have
m and meditated ; '"''and they have not been corrupt in

imagination ; for such were in the mind of the Lord ;
1 they mocked at them that were walking in error ; ''^and

spake truth from the inspiration which the Most High
:hed into them ; Praise and great comeliness^ to His name,
elujah.

DE 1 8. The writer of this Psalm speaks as a prophet, who has
n the Divine visitation, and has felt its effect both on mind and
in the dispelling of error and the healing of disease. He prays
continuance of the heavenly gift for the sake of the needy people
lom he gives his message. He has evidently been regarded by
as a light and foolish person, whose talk is like the foam on the
of the sea. But there are others who are inspired like himself,
?ho mock at the unbelievers for their stupidity and ignorance. We
the echo of some serious controversy upon religious matters, but
ubject of the dispute is unknown. There are no definitely
tian features in the Psalm.

V, To Victory may thy right hand bring our Salvation.
Perhaps Falsehood and the like.

Ir by a slight change. And I appeared like a blind man without knowledge.
'er, like chaff, reading y^^cc^ (so Schulthess). Cf. Ode 29. 10.
rk. fieyaXoTrpitreta.

Il6 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

" \"
ODE T9.

■"A cup of milk was offered to me: and I drank it in the
sweetness of the delight of the Lord. ^The Son is the cup, and
He who was milked is the Father: ^and.the Holy Spirit milked
Him: because His breasts were full, and it was necessary for
Him that His milk should be sufficiently released ; ^and the^
Holy Spirit opened His' bosom and mingled the milk from the
two breasts of the Father ; and gave the mixture to the world
without th eir knowing: ^and they who receive in its fulness are the

/ones on the right hand. ^[The Spirit]^ opened the womb of the
Virgin and she received conception and brought forth ; and the

.Virgin became a Mother with many mercies ; ^and she travailed
and brought forth a Son, without incurring pain ; ^and because
she was not sufficiently prepared^ and she had not sought a
midwife, (for He brought her to bear), she brought forth, as if
she were a man^ of her own will' ; ^and she brought Him forth
openly, and acquired Him with great dignity, ''"and loved Him
in His swaddling clothes", and guarded Him kindly, and showed
Him in Majesty. Hallelujah.

Ode 19. Fantastic as this Psalm is, it might at first sight have been
discarded as being out of harmony with the lofty spiritual tone of the
rest of the collection. But it happens to be attested by Lactantius, and
in the MSS. of his Divine Institutes we have not only a quotation from
the Psalm in regard to the painless delivery of the Blessed Virgin, but
we have also the number of the Psalm given, either as 19 or 20. So it
was found in the collection known to Lactantius.

The harshness of the opening figure with regard to the bosom of
the Father does not necessarily detach it from the rest of the collection ;
for we have had already allusion to the breasts of God. Thus in
Psalm 8, the Lord is represented as saying : ' My own breasts I
prepared for them that they might drink my holy milk and live thereby.'
The eighth and the nineteenth of our Psalms appear therefore to be
connected together by a common authorship. For the figure of the
breasts of God in the literature of the early Church we may refer to
Clement of Alexandria who, in the Paedagogtis (lib. i. c. 6, p. 124), has

' MS. her bosom.

^ Lact. Div. Iiislit. iv. 12; Epit. Div. Iiistit. i;. 44. The original Greek was
perhaps ^j-eKoXTriVS); ( = Aram. f]B3). FJemming: er umarmte .(?)
•' Perhaps: and because there was not (pain) she was sufficient.
^ Batiffol : as it were a man : 7'eading ws dvBptiiiTov for ws avdpuvos.
'' Batiffol : by the will [of God] : cf. Joh. i. 13 ^fc 6e\ri/i,aTos.
" Reading »ir^\~kia2i for rilnScv^.^

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 117

a long discussion of the milk with which Christ's babes are nourished;
Our nourishment, he says, is the Divine Word, it is ' the milk vf the
Father, by which only the babes are fed.' Through the Word 'we
have believed in God, to whose care-allaying breast we have fled.' And
again (p. 125) 'to the babes, who seek for the Word, the breasts of the
Father's kindness supply the milk' (toTs ^rjroCcrt vrjirtois toi' Aoyov ai

TraTpiKal T^s <jii\.av6puiTriai OrjXai )(Oprjyov(Ti to yaXd). So Clement

comes very near to the figurative language of the Ode, without its
crudity of expression. The harshness of the figures employed and the
tritheistic character of the theology may be paralleled in writers of the
middle ages, whose repute in the Church is very wide. For Ls it not
St Bernard who expounds the Evangelic statement that the' beloved
disciple leaned on Jesus' breast in the words ' hausit de sinu Uriigeniff
quod de paterno hauserat ille ' ? but if John imbibed from the breast of
the Only-begotten what He had imbibed in like manner from the
Father, we can only say that a very lofty theology is presented in a very
harsh metaphor; but we cannot dismiss St Bernard as unworthy of
further notice. And if it comes to tritheisrh, with which all the
Christian Ages are more or less discoloured, where shall we find it
more pronounced than in John Tauler's great sermon on fhe coming of
the Bridegroom, where God the Father presides over the nuptials of
Christ and the Church, and where the Holy Spirit acts as cup-bearer at
the feast : a representation which is not so very remote from what we
have in our Psalm, when wine has been substituted for milk. But I am
afraid the matter is past apologetic. Further than this, we must admit
that it is in many ways perplexing : the doctrine seems too highly
evolved to allow us to reckon the Psalm to the same period of
production as the rest of the book. When the writer speaks of milk
from the two breasts of God, he evidently means the two covenants, or
testaments. But that exegesis implies that the writer is no Marcionite
rejecting an old covenant in the interests of a new, or else he wishes
us to understand that he is no Jew, clinging to an old covenant to
the neglect of the new covenant. And he seems to imply that the
Christians whom he represents are distinguished from some other body
of believers by being on the right hand of Christ. Is it the Jews from
whom he wishes to be distinguished or is it the Marcionites? The
Ode must be, at the earliest, a product of the second century. It is
conceivable that the allusion to the Cup of Milk may cover an early
Milk-Eucharist. Wine is nowhere mentioned in the religious language
of our Psalter.

Turn in the next place to the account of the Virgin Birth, which
follows the parable of the cup of milk, and can almost be detached
as a separate composition. It certainly presents the miraculous
conception and birth in a form which has already undergone
considerable development : that • the birth was painless was a very

ii8 The odes of solomon

early corollary to the statement that it was supernatural; in the
commentary of Ephrem on the Gospel there was a statement that ' it
was indecent that she who had been a habitation of the Spirit should
bring forth with pains and curses"; and this must have been a very
early reflection upon the statement of the Virgin Birth. But our writer
goes much further than that : he dispenses with the usual aids to
child-birth, and introduces details for which we find parallels in the
Apocryphal Gospels of the Infancy. And it is frankly impossible that
the doctrine of the Miraculous Birth should have become so highly
evolved in the first century. So that the doubts raised by the first part
of the Psalm are reinforced by a study of its latter half. As far then
as this Psalm is concerned, it seems as if we must refer it to a later date
than the majority of those which we have been discussing. We detected
something like polemical tendency in the first half of the composition,
as if the writer turned aside to rebuke either Jews or Marcionites : if
we might assume tendency in the latter half, it must be directed against
persons who did not believe in the Virgin Birth. Palestine and
especially trans-Jordanic Palestine would furnish opponents of all the
classes mentioned ; so that, if we should be obliged to depress the date
to the second century, we have no reason to remove the composition
to another locality than that which has already been suggested.

ODE 20.

^ I am a priest of the Lord, and to Him I do priestly service :
and to Him I offer the sacrifice of His thought. ^For His
thought is not like '"the thought of the world nor '"the thought oP
the flesh, nor like them that serve carnally. ^The sacrifice of
the Lord is righteousness, and purity of heart and lips. ''■Present
your reins before Him blamelessly : and let not thy heart do
violence to heart, nor thy soul to soul. ^Thou shalt not acquire
a stranger by '"the price of thy silver"'^ neither shalt thou seek
to devour thy neighbour', ^neither shalt thou deprive him of the
covering of his nakedness ^ '^But put on the grace of the Lord
/ without stint ; and come into His Paradise and make thee a
Vgarland from its tree, ^and put it on thy head and be glad ; and
recline on His rest, and glory shall go before thee, ^and thou shalt
receive of His kindness and of His grace ; and thou shalt be
flourishing" in truth in the praise of His holiness. Praise and
honour be to His name. Hallelujah.

■■ J. R. Harris, Ephrem on the Gospel, p. 31.

^ Literally, by the blood of thy soul. I correct the Syriac, which is faulty, and'
has repeated ' thy soul ' from the previous verse. i

' Cf. Exod. xxii. 24. ^ Exod. xxii. 26. ^ m^ f^t.

THE ODES OF SOLOMON II9

Ode 20; This Psalm is a mixture of ethics and of mysticism, of
the golden rule and of the tree of life. The writer, whether Jew or
Christian, is wholly detached from external ritual ; he calls himself a
priest of God, but explains that this means the thinking of God's
thought, and that the sacrifice he offers is the pure heart and life. He
might be an Essene, one of that strange company who did not frequent
the temple because they had purer sacrifices of their own. He drops a
few ethical maxims, such as we find in the Pentateuch, protests against
the owning, of slaves (another Essene tenet) and against taking the
neighbour's garment in pledge. Then he leaves morals and is away in
search of the honey-dew and milk of Paradise. There glory waits the
soul that enters into the Divine rest.

It is a beautiful Psalm, but one could not say of it, taken by itself,
that it was necessarily Christian ; though its affinities are with Psalms
that are definitely Christian. For the sacrifices which the good man
offers to God we may compare Lactantius, Div. histU. vi. 25 ' Donum
est integritas animi ; sacrificium, laus et hymnus : si enim Deus non
videtur, ergo iis rebus coli debet, quae non videntur. Nulla igitur
alia religio est vera, nisi quae virtute et justitia constat.'

In Clem. Alex. Strom, v. 11 the sacrifice is an ascetic life.

ODE 21.

^My arms I lifted up to the Most High, even to the grace of
the Lord : because He had cast off my bonds from me : and my
Helper had lifted me up to His grace and to His salvation : ^and
I put ofT darkness and clothed myself with light, ^and my soul
acquired a body' free from sorrow or affliction or pains. "^And
increasingly helpful to me was the thought of the Lord, and His
fellowship in incorruption : ^and I was lifted up in His light; and
I served before Him, ^and I became near to Him, praising and
confessing Him; ^my heart ran over and was found in my mouth:
and it arose upon my lips ; and the exultation of the Lord in-
creased on my face, and His praise likewise. Hallelujah.

Ode 21. This Psalm is short, and somewhat obscure. The reason
for this lies in the fact that the writer is assuming a mystical explanation
of the ' coats of skin ' in the third chapter of Genesis, which are held to
represent the ordinary human body which has replaced a body originally
clad in light. See Ode 25 where the same idea of the acquisition
of a Light-Body, and of its freedom from pain is more definitely ex-
pressed- It is impossible to decide definitely from the reading of the

1 lit. theie became members to my soul, etc.

120 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

Psalm whether it is Christian or Jewish : if the writer was a Christian,
he was a very joyous Christian ; if he was a Jew, he knew the salvation
of Israel that comes out of Zion, and had the dew of Heaven upon his
vineyard.

ODE 22.

■■He who brought me down from on high, also brought me
up from the regions below ; ^and He who gathers together the
things that are betwixt is He also who cast me down : ^He who
scattered my enemies and my adversaries: *He who gave me
authority over bonds that I might loose them ; ^He that over-
threw by my hands the dragon with seven heads^ : and thou
hast set me over his roots that I might destroy his seed. ^Thou
wast there and didst help me, and in every place thy name was
a rampart to mel '^Thy right hand destroyed his wicked poison'*;
and thy hand levelled the way for those who believe in thee :
^and thou didst choose them from the graves and didst separate
them from the dead. ^Thou didst take dead bones and didst
cover them with bodies ; ^°they were motionless, and thou didst
give '"them"' energy for life. "Thy way was without corruption,
and thy face ; thou didst bring* thy world to corruption : that
everything might be dissolved^ and then renewed, ''^and that the
foundation for everything might be thy rock" : and on it thou
didst build thy Kingdom ; and it became the dwelling-place of
the saints. Hallelujah.

Ode 2 2. In this Psalm we seem to be nearer to the known Psalter
of Solomon than elsewhere. There is a pointed reference to a dragon
with seven heads whose seed is to be destroyed, and whose wicked
poison has found its antidote in the Divine power. We think at once
of the description of Pompey as the great dragon in the second of the
published Psalms of Solomon. But dragons generally are difiScult to
identify. Who, for instance, is the dragon in Ps. Ixxiii. (Ixxiv.) 14 whose
heads are broken ? Is it Tiamat the Babylonian cosmic monster or the
Leviathan whom the faithful are to eat in the last day, or is it a real
person ? In Ezekiel xxix. 3 it is Pharaoh of Egypt that is called the
great dragon in the midst of the waters, but it might not be so easy to
say which Pharaoh : any political monster may be a beast or a dragon :

1 Cf. Apoc. xii. 3: and Pistis Sophia: see Introd. pp. 61 — 63.

^ Rea3ing~i^'\Si with the Coptic, so Diettrich and others.

' Copt, the poison of the slanderer.

* Following a correction of Flemming.

° Cf. 2 Pet. iii. II. e Cf. Matt. xvi. 18.

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 121

so in the present case we have to hunt around among the fallen gods to
find him. There has evidently been a great slaughter of Jews for the
writer uses the imagery of the Valley of Dry Bones in Ezekiel, in order to
show that God can raise up His people from the gates of death : the ruin
of all things becomes the occasion for a new Kingdom founded upon
the rock.

The Psalm is one of those which are transferred to the pages of the
Pistis Sophia where it is recited by Matthew from an Ode of Solomon.
It is suggested by Ryle and James that the opening sentences are of a
Gnostic character, from the allusion to things above and things below
and things between. But the whole tenor of our Psalms is foreign to
Gnosticism, and I do not see any reason to introduce it as a factor in
the interpretation. If the Psalm is really the expression of some person
triumphing over a fallen tyrant, or of Israel personified in such a
situation, we have to search the political crises for such a time of trial
and recovery. It is not easy to find the solution. The Hadrianic
wars are too late, and they were followed by no recovery on the part of
the Jews in Palestine. Antiochus Epiphanes is too early, in every
respect. The next cases to examine are those of Pompey and Titus.
Pompey is already known as the dragon, and the destruction of the
dragon is historical. Titus on the other hand is a triumphant dragon
without a subsequent collapse : nor does there seem to be in his case a
sufficient recovery of Judaism to justify the triumphant language of the
Odist. The statement that God levelled the way for those who believe
in Him seems to imply a return from exile, in greater or less degree ;
but this also is not easy to justify from a historical point of view.
[Bernard thinks the dragon is to be explained by Patristic gnosis of
the defeat of the devil in the waters of Baptism, as in Cyril Cat. iii. 1 1
and the Baptismal rituals. I add to Dr Bernard's references one from
a MS. of Moses Bar Kepha on Baptism, in my own collection: 'Our
Lord was baptized that he might trample on the head of the spiritual
dragon that lurked in the water etc' The passage has been borrowed
by Bar Salibi, Comni. in Matt. p. 98. See Preface to this edition.]

ODE 23.

''Joy is of the saints ! and who shall put it on, but they
alone .-" ^ Grace is of the elect! and who shall receive it
except those who trust in it from the beginning.' ^Love is of
the elect ! And who shall put it on except those who have
possessed it from the beginning .'' *Walk ye in the knowledge
of the Most High without grudging : to His exultation and to the
perfection of His knowledge. ^And His thought was like a

o. s. 16

122 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

.letter; His will descended from on high, and it was sent like an

*" arrow which is violently shot from the bow : ^and many hands
rushed to the letter to seize it and to take and read it : ^and it
escaped their fingers and they were affrighted at it and at the
seal that was upon it. ^ Because it was not permitted to them to
loose its seal : for the power that was over the seal was greater

" than they. ^But those who saw it went after the letter that they
might know where it would alight, and who should read it and
who should hear it. ■'°But a wheel received it and came over it :
11 and there was with it a sign of the Kingdom and of the Govern--
ment : ^^and everything which tried to move the wheel it mowed

- and cut down : i^and it gathered the multitude of adversaries,
andbfidge,^' the rivers and crossed over and rooted up many

~ foFestsand^made a broad path. i^The head went down to the
feet, for down to the feet ran the wheel, and (that which was a
sign upon it. ■'s-phe letter was one of command, for there were
included^ in 'it all districts ; ^^and there was seen at its [?] head,
the head which was revealed, even the Son of Truth from the
Most High Father, "and He inherited and took possession of
everything. And the thought of the many was brought to nought,
■■Sand all the apostates hasited and fled away. And those who
persecuted and"Vere enragefi became extinct.

■"9 And the letter was a great volume^ which was wholly
written by the finger of God : ^^and the name of the Father was
on it, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, to rule for ever and
ever. Hallelujah.

Ode 23. This is the most difficult of all the Psalms in the collection,
and I have almost despaired of being able to explain it. It describes
the descent from heaven of a sealed document, with a message from
God in it. The description is something like that of the little sealed
book in the Apocalypse, which no one can open, except the triumphant
Lamb^. If the allusion in the Apocalypse is to some previous document
which the author has incorporated, perhaps the same thing may be true
here. Some book may have been published, claiming Divine Authority.
What can it have been ? A Gospel ? An Apocalypse ? It appeared
suddenly, unexpectedly, and met with opposition rather than with
universal acceptance. It came from the head and it went down to the
feet. If we may use the language of a later Psalm in which the saints

1 lit. covered. ^ lit. gathered. ^ Or tablet.

^ Another parallel would be the letter sent from the home-land in Bardesanes'
Hymn of the Soul in the Acts of Thomas.

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 1 23

in Hades are called the feet of Christ, we should say that the mysterious
little book conveyed a message to those below from one above, and that
it interpreted the region below to include the invisible world. Was the
little book then a 'Descensus ad Inferos'? It is impossible to decide
with certainty. It contained some pronounced statement concerning
the Trinity, for we are expressly told that it had the name of Father,
Son and Holy Ghost upon it. When any one writes in cipher, about a
document which itself appears to have been written in cipher, for that is
the natural meaning of a sealed book, we ought not to be surprised if it
is not quite obvious, two thousand years later, what the writer meant or
to what he was referring.

ODE 24.

■■The Dove fluttered over the Messiah, because He was her
head ; and she sang over Him and her voice was heard : ^and
the inhabitants were afraid and the sojourners were moved :
^the birds dropped their wings, and all creepingthings died in
their holes : and the abysses were opened 'which ha3^ -been,
hidden; and they cried to "the Lord like „women in , travail):
*and^o|food was given to themp^because(k did_not belong to
them]; ^^and they sealed up) the abysses\_with the seal of)the
Lord^- ^And they perished, in the thought, those that had
existed from ancient times^; ^for they were corrupt from the
beginning ; and the end of their corruption was life* : ''and
every one of them that was imperfect perished : for it was not
possible to give '"them"' a word that they might remain : ^and
the Lord destroyed the imaginations of all them that had not
the truth with them. ^For they who in their hearts were lifted
up were deficient in wisdom, and so they were rejected, because
the truth was not with them. ■'°For the Lord disclosed His way,
and spread abroad His grace : and those who understood if^,
know His holiness. Hallelujah.

'"' Or perhaps, because that which was non-existent belonged to them.

2-2 U.-S. ; unci es versanken die Abgriinde in der Versenkung des Herrn.

'■"^ Fl. : und es gingen zugrunde durch diesen Gedanken sie, die vorher existiert
hatten.

U.-S. : und es gingen durch jenen Gedanken die zugrunde, die vor alters gewesen
waren.

*■ Or, was the life of all; and whatever of them, etc. ^ sc. the way.

124 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

Ode 24. The Psalm opens with a reference to the Baptism of the
Lord, when the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a Dove on the
head of the Messiah. The occasion was one of great dread to all
created things, man and beast and creeping things shared the terror.
The abysses, personified as living creatures, cried out in pain. They
were sealed up and ended, as belonging to the order of non-existent
things. Men also whose hearts were proud were rejected, when the way
of the Lord was revealed and His holiness known.

Li this Psalm with its reference to the abysses, and the things which '
are not and are brought to nought, we seem to be nearer to the world of
Gnostic ideas : but it would be difficult to say that any of the catch-
words or peculiar terms of Gnosticism are here. If we are right in
referring the Psalm to the Baptism of the Lord, we are only furnishing
one more proof of the extraordinary prominence given to that event in
the early Church, for which it was the beginning of the Gospel : and
we need not be surprised that the event should be treated in many ways,
both theological and hymnological.

If it is not the Baptism that is alluded to, it must be the Crucifixion,
and in that case we must assume an unknown incident connected with
the Crucifixion, comparable with the appearance of the Dove at the
Baptism. In that case the plaint of the abysses is another allusion to
the descent into Hades.

But there is a special reason why I feel sure that the Baptism must
be the incident to which reference is made : I think we can say that a
written Gospel has here been employed, but not a Canonical Gospel.
It will be remembered that Justin Martyr in his Dialogue with Trypho,
c. 88, takes his account of the Baptism from a source which is either
uncanonical : or, if canonical, is interpolated. When Jesus went down
into the water, a fire was kindled in the Jordan, and when He came up
from the water, the Holy Spirit, like a dove, fluttered upon Him (eirt-
TTTrjvac ETT avTov (US ■Trepiarrepav to ayiov Trvtvfia) : and Justin says expressly
that this was recorded by the Apostles of our Christ (eypaij/av ol
diroa-ToXoL avTov tovtov tov XpcaTOv ijixuiv). This ' fluttering down ' of
the dove is very near indeed to the language of our Ode. Its ultimate
origin is probably to be found in the language of Gen. i. 3.

It is well known that the account of the Baptism by Justin has been
the centre of serious controversy, on account of the apocryphal
expansions of the narrative, especially the reference to the Fire which
appeared at the Jordan : and it has been argued, reasonably enough,
that Justin cannot have used our Canonical Gospels, or at least must
have used an uncanonical Gospel with them. The same difficulty turns
up in the descent of the Dove, for the word iimrT-^vai, which recurs in
Justin, must come from the written source which the author is using.
A reference to Resch, Aussercanonische Parallele zu Luc. p. 15, will show

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 1 25

the wide diffusion of the account from which Justin is working'- The
word iirnrT-^vai can be traced in Celsus and in Origen and in the seventh
book of Sibylhnes, as well as in a number of Latin authors. The
inference, therefore, is that a very early written Gospel is responsible for
the detail : and it is this early Gospel that has been employed by the
writer of the Ode. We conclude, then, that the reference is to the
Baptism and that it is taken from a lost primitive Gospel. [If the
Dove sang the words ' Thou art my beloved Son,' the Holy Spirit must
be regarded as the mother of Jesus as in the Gospel according to the
Hebrews. The same belief is involved in Ode 36.]

There is, however, a possible suggestion that the Psalm may refer to
the Descent into Hades, and to the Baptism, as events happening in
close connexion. I mean that it is not out of the region of reasonable
criticism to suggest that in the earliest times the Baptism of Christ was
the occasion of His triumph over Hades. We find suspicious hints of
this in the Descensus ad Inferos. Thus in c. xx^ we have a statement
made by Seth concerning his father Adam that he will receive the oil of
healing from Paradise in the last days : ' veniet enim amantissimus dei
filius de caelis in munduni, et baptizabitur a Johanne in Jordane
flumine, et tunc recipiet pater tuus Adam de hoc oleo misericordiae et
omnes credentes in eum.'

And in c. xxi we find Jesus talking to John the Baptist concerning
his Descent into Hades: 'Ego Johannes vocem patris de caelo super
eum intonantem audivi et proclamantem. Hie est filius meus dilectus, in
quo mihi bene complacuit. Ego ab eo responsum accept quia ipse
descensurus esset ad inferos J

Here are two curious references connecting the Baptism and the
Descent into Hades. And the question arises whether this 24th Ode
may not look in the same direction. The evidence is, of course,
inadequate, but the statement of the case may perhaps lead to the
discovery of fresh evidence in the same direction.

ODE 25.

U was rescued from my bonds and unto thee, my God,
I fled : 2 for thou art the right hand of my Salvation and my
helper. ^Thou hast restrained those that rise up against me,
*and I shall see him' no more : because thy face was with me,
which saved me by thy grace. ^But I was despised and
rejected in the eyes of many : and I was in their eyes like lead*,

1 See Introd. pp. 84, 85..

" Tischendorf, Ev. Apoc. p. 425. ' /. them.

■* Cf. Sap. Sol. ii. 16 tli Kip5t\Kav i^oylaBrnn.en aiiTif.

126 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

^and strength was mine from thyself and help. '^Thou didst
set me a lamp^ at my right hand and at my left : and in me
there shall be nothing that is not bright^: ^and I was clothed
with the covering of thy Spirit, and thou didst remove from me
my raiment of skin^; ^for thy right hand lifted me up and
removed sickness from me: ''°and I became mighty in the truth,
and holy by thy righteousness ; and all my adversaries were
afraid of me; ''^and I became admirable by the name of the
Lord, and was justified by His gentleness, and His rest is for
ever and ever. Hallelujah.

Ode 25. In this Psalm we are back again in the region of personal
experience, and there is no allusion to any definite historical event.
The writer, whether Christian or Jew, has been brought out of spiritual
bondage into liberty : he has had to face contempt and scorn, but the
Lord has filled him with brightness and covered him with beauty, and
given him health of mind and body : his enemies have turned back,
and his portion is with the justified saints of the Most High. It is
possible that this Psalm may be meant to express the experience of the
Messiah, emerging from His conflicts into victory : in that case it need
not be the Christian conception of the Messiah, but it might con-
ceivably be such a human representation as we find in the Psalms of
the Pharisees {e.g. Ps. 17, which is our Ps. 60). But our collection, as
to its first block of Psalms, is certainly of a later period than the
Pharisee Psalms, so we ought to hesitate before ascribing the same
Messianic ideas to the two parts of the hymnal. For the allusion to
the 'coat of skin,' see Introd. pp. 66 — 70, and cf. Ode 21.

ODE 26.

T poured out praise to the Lord, for I am His : ^and I will
speak His holy song, for my heart is with Him. ^For His harp
is in my hands, and the Odes of His rest shall not be silent.
*I will cry unto Him from my whole heart : I will praise and
exalt Him with all my members. ^For from the east and even
to the west is His praise : ^and from the south and even to the
north is the confession of Him : ^and from the top of the hills
to their utmost bound is His perfection. ^Who can write the
Psalms of the Lord, or who read them? ^or who can train his

' Ps. cxxxii. 17. 2 [{/_ ];gj,j_

" Cp. Clem, Alex. Paed. i. 6, p. ri? rrji ra/clas iKSvirifi^voi. t6i> x'tmi/o and Gen.
iii. 21.

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 12/

soul for life, that his soul may be saved, ''°or who can rest on
the Most High, so that with His mouth he may speak ? "Who
is able to interpret the wonders of the Lord? '"^For he(who
could interpret "woufclj be dissolved and (would become^ that
which is interpretec^. "'^Fofll suffices to know and to rest= :
for in rest the singers stand, ^*like a river which has an
abundant fountain, and flows to the help of them that seek it'.
Hallelujah.

Ode 26. This beautiful song of praise recounts the goodness and
greatness of the Lord. All within the writer magnifies the great Name,
but all within is insufficient to tell out what waits to be told. His
praise is widespread to the utmost bound of earth and beyond the
bound of the everlasting hills. The creature cannot express God's
praise perfectly ; if he could, he would be no longer a creature : he
would be the Word, and not the interpreter of the Word. So it suffices
to know and to rest, while at our feet the river of grace rolls on, an
unchanging flood :

Labitur et labetur in omne volubilis aevum.

It is impossible to say whether the Psalm, as detached from the
rest of the collection, is Jewish or Christian.

ODE 27.

■■I stretched out my hands and sanctified my Lord*: ^for the
extension of my hands is His sign : ^and my expansion is the
upright tree {or cross).

Ode 27. This tiny Psalm is Christian, and is based upon the early
Christian fondness for finding the Cross everywhere in the outward
world : in the handle of the labourer's plough, in the mast and yards of
the seaman's ship ; and in the human body, when the man stands erect
in the act of prayer with outstretched arms. There can, therefore, be
no doubt that this is a Christian Psalm, and the figurative language
which it employs is characteristic of the second century and not
unknown in the first century. Justin Martyr, for example, sees the

' Cf. Lactantius, Div. Inst, praef. : 'there would be no difference between God
and man, if human thought could reach to the counsels and arrangements of that
eternal Majesty.'

^ Cf. Clem. Alex. Paed, i. 6 (p. 115) wan t] /ih yvSxn^ iv t$ (paricrfiaTi.- to Si
ir^pas Tijs yvLiiaeus, i} dvAiravai^.

' Cf. Lactantius, Dip. Inst. iv. 30 'Si quis aquam vitae cupiat haurire, non ad
detritos lacus deferatur, qui non habent venam, sed uberrimum Dei noverit fontem, quo
irrigatus perenni luce potiatur.'

* U.-S. : und heiligte [sie] meinem Herrn.

128 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

Cross, in the outspread arms of Moses in the battle against Amalek ;
but so does Barnabas also : and the same thought is involved in the
conclusion of the Teaching of the Apostles, where an outspread cross
in the sky is one of the signs of the Advent and answers to the Sign of
the Son of Man in Matthew. So it is very likely that the figure in our
Psalm is one of the oldest forms of Christian symbolic teaching. We
shall find it used again in the 42nd Psalm which may, therefore, be by
the same hand as the present one : otherwise it would be an imitation
of it.

Those who care to have a Gnostic example of the use of this wide-
spread Christian figure, will find one in Schmidt, Unhekamtes
altgnostisches Werk (I.e. p. 336): 'Die Haare seines Gesichtes sind
die Zahl der ausseren Welten, und die Ausbreitung seiner Hande 1st
die Offenbarung des Krauzes.'

ODE 28.

^ As the wrings of doves over their nestlings ; and the mouth
of their nestlings towards their mouths, ^so also are the wings of
the Spirit over my heart: ^my heart is delighted and exults:
like the babe who exults^ in the womb of his mother^: ■*!
believed ; therefore I was at rest ; for faithful is He in whom
I have believed : ^He has richly blessed me and my head is with
Him : and the sword shall not divide me from Him, nor the
scimitar; ^for I am ready before destruction comes: and I have
been set on His immortal' pinions : ^and immortal life has(come
forth and given me to drink\ and from that life is the spirit
within me, and it cannot die, for it lives. ^They who saw me
marvelled at me, because I was persecuted, and they supposed
that I was swallowed up : for I seemed to them as one of the lost ;
^and my oppression became my salvation ; and I was their
reprobation because there was no zeal in me*; ''° because I did
good to every man I was hated, ''^and they came round me like
mad dogs", who ignorantly attack their masters, ''^for their
thought is corrupt and their understanding perverted. ''^But I
was carrying water in my right hand', and their bitterness^ I

1 Or, leaps. '- Cf. Luke i. 41.

' lit. pinions without corruption.

■• Reading , 'n"" t^. F1. : has kissed me. So U.-S.

^ Perhaps because I was not a Zealot. ^ Ps. xxii. 16.

' Query '"that I might put out their flame.''

8 As water is plural, Fl. would refer the bitterness to it; but Zahn says: 'das
pluralische Suffix an dem Worte Bitterkeit ist selbstverstandlich nicht mit Fl. auf das
Wasser zu beziehen.'

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 1 29

endured by my sweetness; ^*anfd"I did not perish, for I was not
their brother nor was my birth like theirs, ^^and they sought for
my death and did not find it : for I was older than the memorial
of them ; ^^and vainly did they make attack upon me^ and those
who, without reward, came after me" : ''^they sought to destroy
the memorial of him who was before them : ''^for the thought of
the Most High cannot be anticipated ; and His heart is superior
to all wisdom. Hallelujah.

Ode 28. This exquisite Psalm has the music in it of the ' Quis
separabit?' of Romans viii. Nor sword nor scimitar divide the believer
from the Lord. In some respects the Psalm appears to be Messianic
in a Christian sense, for the writer concludes his exulting strain over
enemies who had come round him like. mad dogs and had left him for
dead, with the remark that it was not possible for them tO blot out the
memory of one who existed before them, and who was of a different
birth from theirs. He also speaks of their attacks as having been
directed against his followers as well as himself Perhaps, then, the
writer is speaking, in these verses, as if in the person of Christ.

ODE 29.

■•The Lord is my hope : in Him I shall not be confounded.
2 For according to His praise He made me, and according to
His goodness even so He gave unto me: ^and according to His
mercies He exalted me : and according to His excellent beauty
He set me on high : *and brought me up out of the depths of
Sheol : and from the mouth of death He drew me: ^and thou
didst lay my enemies low, and He justifiedjri.e by His grace.
^For I believed in the Lord's Messiah' : and it appeared to me
that He is the Lord ; ^and He showed him'' His sign : and He
led me by His light, and gave me the rod of His power; ^that
I might subdue the imaginations of the peoples ; and the power
of the men of might to bring them low : ^to make war by His
word, and to take victory by His power. '■"And the Lord over-
threw my enemy by His word ; and he became like the stubble
which the wind carries away; "and I gave praise to the Most
High because He exalted ^me'^ His servant and the son of His
handmaid. Hallelujah.

1 The margin suggests, slaughtering me ; i.e. reading ■.^v^^^^ for the marginal
.1^X1^} (cast lots).

* Or, who came after me. To no purpose they sought, etc.
^ Or, Christ. * Query me ?

o. s. 17

130 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

Ode 29. Some one wrote this Psalm, who was a follower of the
Christ and had recognised Him to be the Lord. Out of great conflicts
he had been brought into the place of victory: his enemies had become
like the straw before the wind : he has passed through deep distresses,
which he speaks of figuratively as the pains of Sheol and the gates of
death. But for the reference to the Lordship of the Messiah and to
faith in Him, we might have imagined this Psalm to belong to the
ancient Psalter: we shall be justified in regarding it as a Judaeo-
Christjan composition.

ODE 30.

^Fill ye waters for yourselves from the living fountain of the
Lord, for it is opened to you : ^and come all ye thirsty, and
take the draught; and rest by the fountain of the Lord. ^For
fair it is and pure and gives rest to the soul. Much more
pleasant are its waters than honey ; *and the honeycomb of
bees is not to be compared with it. ^ For it flows forth from the
lips of the Lord and from the heart of the Lord is its name.
^And it came infinitely and invisibly: and until it was set^
in the midst they did not know it : '^ blessed are they who have
drunk therefrom and have found rest thereby. Hallelujah.

Ode 30. The Psalm is an invitation to the thirsty, somewhat in
the manner of Isaiah Iv. The water of life, which here is explained to
be the teaching of the Lord, is flowing from an open fountain, whose
waters, to use the language of the 19th Psalm in the canonical Psalter, are
'sweeter than honey and the honeycomb.' The Ode is not so far removed
from Old Testament thought and expression that we can positively call
it a Christian composition. The writer is fond of the similitude of
honey and the honeycomb : we find it, for instance, again in our fortieth
Ode, where we have it for the opening similitude :

'Like the honey that drops from the comb of the bees so is my

hope on thee, O God.'

But this Psalm, also, appears, at first sight, to be destitute of
specific Christian colouring.

The fountain, however, whose waters come without limit, and
invisibly, corresponds to the unexpected appearance of Christ and
Christ's teaching in the world, when there stood in the midst One
whom they knew not.

1 lit. given.

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 131

ODE 31.

''The abysses were dissolved before the Lord : and darkness
was destroyed by His appearance : '^error went astray and
perished at His hand : ^and folly found no path to walk in\ and
was submerged by the truth of the Lord. ^He opened His mouth
and spake grace and joy : and He spake a new song of praise to
His name : *and He lifted up His voice to the Most High, and
offered to Him the sons that were with Him^. ^And His face
was justified, for thus His holy Father had given to Him. ^Come
forth, ye that have been afflicted and receive joy, a-nd possess
your souls by His grace ; and take to you immortal life. '^And
they made me a debtor when I rose up, me who had not been a
debtor^ : and they divided my spoil, though nothing was due to
them. ^But I endured and held my peace and was silent*, as if
not moved by them. ^But I stood unshaken like a firm rock
which is beaten by the waves and endures. '"'And I bore their
bitterness for humility's sake: ''''in order that I might redeem
my people, and inherit it, and that I might not make void my
promises to the fathers', to whom I promised the salvation of
their seed. Hallelujah.

Ode 31. The Psalm is Messianic, and records how the Christ
fulfilled the promises which, in a pre-existent state, He had made to the
fathers. He has closed the abysses and banished error and vanity.
'With a new song in His mouth. He appears before God with the children
whom God has given Him. His similitude is the rock against which the
waves had beaten in vain. It stands firm, whether the waves advance
or retire. Here Christian speech comes near to the language of the
Stoics. One thinks of Marcus Aurelius, and his advice to ' be like the
promontory against which the waves continually break, but it stands
firm and tames the fury of the water around it".' One thinks also of
Ignatius, and his advice 'to stand steady like the beaten anvil'.' For
the opening sentences about the destroying of the abysses, we must
compare the language of the 24th Psalm of our collection, where the
abysses cry out in pain at the time of the Baptism of the Lord. These
Psalms are by the same Christian hand.

'~^ lit. and folly, there was given her no path,

* lit. in His hands. Cf. Is. viii. 18; Heb. ii. 13.

^ 2 Cor. V. 21. Perhaps we should translate 'a criminal.'

■* I Pet. ii. 23. ^ Rom. XV. 8; Luke i. 55.

6 Medit. iv. 49. ' ad Polyc. 3.

132 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

ODE 32.

^To the blessed there is joy from their hearts, and light from
Him that dv/ells in them : ^and words from the Truth, who was
self-originate' : for He is strengthened by the holy power of
the Most High : and He is unperturbed for ever and ever.
Hallelujah.

Ode 32. Joy, Light, Inspiration, Strength and Calmness belong to
the believer through Him that dwells within.

ODE 33.

■'Again Grace ran and forsook corruption, and came down in
Him to bring it to nought ; '^and He destroyed perdition from
before Him, and devastated all its order ; ^and He stood on
a lofty summit^ and uttered His voice from one end of the
earth to the other : *and drew to Him all those who obeyed
Him ; and there did not appear as it were an evil person, ^but
there stood a perfect virgin' who was proclaiming and calling
and saying, ^O ye sons of men^ return ye, and ye daughters of
men, come ye : ''and forsake the ways of that corruption and
draw near unto me, and I will enter into you, and will bring
you forth from perdition, ^and make you wise in the ways of
truth : that you be not destroyed nor perish : ^hear ye me and
be redeemed. For the grace of God I am telling among you :
and by my means you shall be redeemed and become blessed.
^°I am your judge; and they who have put me on shall not be
'^^injured : but they shall possess the new world that is incorrupt :
"my chosen ones walk in me, and my ways I will make known
to them that seek me, and I will make them trust in my name.
Hallelujah.

Ode 33. Apparently this Psalm is Messianic, though Christ is not
named. He must be the one that rises from the dead and sends forth
his triumphant voice to the ends of the earth. A virgin also stands and
proclaims, who must be either the Divine Wisdom (the language is

' Gk. aiToipvrii, as in the oracular reply to the enquiry as to the Divine Nature,
avTo<t>vTjs, ASldaKTOs, A|in)Ta)p, d.(TTV<p4\iKTos. See Lact. De Div. Inst. i. 7.
^ Prov. viii. i. ■*. PrOv. viii. 1. * Prov. viii. 4,

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 133

very like that of the eighth chapter of Proverbs) or the Church^ She
promises salvation by Divine Grace and immortality in a new world to
those that walk in her ways.

ODE 34.

^No way is hard where there is a simple heart. '^Nor is
there any wound where the thoughts are upright : ^nor is there
any storm in the depth of the illuminated thought : *where one
is surrounded on every side by beauty, there is nothing that is
divided. ^The likeness of what is below is that which is above ;
for everything is above : what is below is nothing but the
imagination of those that are without knowledge. ^ Grace has
been revealed for your salvation. Believe and live and be saved.
Hallelujah.

Ode 34. All the hard things are easy, where the soul itself is right :
no storms invade the hidden place of communion with God. Evil itself
becomes unreal, and that which is beneath exists not before that which
is above.

ODE 35.

^The dew of the Lord in quietness He distilled upon me:
^and the cloud of peace He caused to rise over my head, which
guarded me continually; ^it was to me for salvation: every-
thing was shaken and they were affrighted ; *and there came
forth from them a smoke and a judgment; and I was keeping quiet
in the order of the Lord : ^more than shelter was He to me,
and more than foundation. ^And I was carried like a child by
his mother : ^and He gave me milk, the dew of the Lord^ : ^and
I grew great by His bounty, and rested in His perfection, ^and
I spread out my hands in the lifting up of my soul : and I was
made right with the Most High, and I was redeemed with Him.
Hallelujah.

Ode 35. The dew lies on the branch of the man that sings this
Psalm : Divine Peace guards him like a sheltering cloud. The Lord is
his sure defence in the day of evil. Mother's arms are his place and
mother's milk his portion. ' No cradled child more softly lies than I :
Come soon, eternity.'

' Or Prov. i. 20. Cf. Clem. Alex. Paed. i. 6 (p. 123) tiXa. Sk n6vri ylverai /i'^rrip
JlapOhof 'EKK\ri<riap i/ioi ipl\oi> aiiTrjv xaXeTv. See also Introd. p. 77.
2~^ Or, and the dew of the Lord gave me milk. U.-S.

134 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

ODE 36.

1 1 rested on the Spirit of the Lord : and f'the Spirif raised
me on high : ^and made me stand on my feet in the height of
the Lord, before His perfection and His glory, while I was
praising '"Him'i by the composition of His songs, ^rj^g Spirif
brought me forth before the face of the Lord : and, although
a son of man, Ijwas _ named Jhe Illuminate, the Son of jjod;
"^whiie I praised amongst the praising ones, and great was
I amongst the mighty ones. ^For according to the greatness
of the Most High, so He made me: and like His own newness
He renewed me ; and He anointed me from His own perfection:
^and I became one of His neighbours ; and my mouth was
opened, like a cloud of dew; ''and my heart poured out as it
were a gushing stream of righteousness, ^and 'my access ^to
Him"'' was in peace ; and I was established by the spirit of His
government. Hallelujah.

Ode 36. This is a perplexing Psalm, from a theological point of
view. It is almost impossible to determine whether the Psalmist is
speaking in his own name, or in that of the Messiah ; or whether it is
an alternation of one with the other. It seems almost a necessity, when
the Holy Spirit is spoken of as a Mother, that the offspring should be
the Son of God : and that such was the theology of certain early
behevers we know from the fragment of the Ebionite Gospel, in which
Christ speaks of being taken by the hair of His head by His mother, the
Holy Spirit, and carried to Mount Tabor. If this be the right
interpretation, then the Illuminated Son of God is Christ. But the
latter part of the Psalm seems to be in too low a strain for this
interpretadon : to be one of those who are near to God is certainly not
orthodox theology, though it may conceivably be Adoptionist : and the
heart that pours out righteousness and makes its offering in peace
seems rather to be the language that describes one of the pious in
Israel.

ODE 37.

■■ I stretched out my hands to my Lord : and to the Most High
I raised my voice : ^and I spake with the lips of my heart; and
He heard me, when my voice reached Him^ : ^His answer came
to me, and gave me the fruits of my labours ; "^and it gave me
rest by the grace of the Lord. Hallelujah. .

'-' Or perhaps, my offering. 2 /;/. fell to Him.

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 1 35

Ode 37. A colourless Psalm, something like one of the shorter
and more elementary Psalms of the Hebrew Psalter. The writer has
cried to God : his prayer has been heard : his heart has appealed,
and an answer has come. His work has been followed by Divine
blessing.

ODE 38.

■■I went up to the light of truth as if into a chariot: '^and the
Truth took me and led me: and carried me across pits and guileys;
and from the rocks and the waves it preserved me: ^and it became
to me a haven of Salvation : and set me on the arms of immortal
life : ^and it went with me and made me rest, and suffered me
not to wander, because it was the Truth; ^and I ran no risk,
because I walked with Him ; ®and I did not make an error in
anything because I obeyed the Truth. '^For Error flees away
from it, and meets it not : but the Truth proceeds in the right
path, and ^whatever I did not know, it made clear to me, all the
poisons of error, and the plagues of death which they think to
be sweetness: ^and I saw the destroyer of destruction, when the
bride who is corrupted is adorned; and the bridegrQojTi who %^'''- ■''''' '^
corrupts and is corrupted ; ''"and I asked the Truth, ' Who are
these ?'; and He said to me. This is the deceiver and the error: ijoh. 7
"and theyvare alike in ):he beloved and(iri)his bride : and they
lead astray and corrupt the '"whole"' world : '"^and they invite
many to the banquet, ''^and give them to drink^o.f the wine of
their intoxication, and remove^ their wisdom and knowledge,
and '"so they ' make them without intelligence ; ^^and then they
leave them; and then these go about like madmen corrupting :
seeing that they are without heart, nor do they seek for it.
'^And I was made wise so as not to fall into the hands of the
deceiver; and I congratulated myself because the Truth went
with me, ''^and I was established and lived and was redeemed,
^^and my foundations were laid on the hand of the Lord :
because He established me. ^^For He set the root and watered
it and fixed it and blessed it; and its fruits are for ever. ''^It
struck deep and sprung up and spread out, and was full and
enlarged; 2°and the Lord alone was glorified in His planting
and in His husbandry: by His care and by the blessing of His
Jips, '^^by the beautiful planting of His right hand^ : and by the

1 /zA they vomit up. '' Is. Ix. 2j,

136 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

discovery^ of His planting, and by the thought of His mind.
Hallelujah.

Ode 38. The Psalm opens with a beautiful description of the
power of the truth over those that surrender to it. Truth becomes to
them guidance in all difificult and rough and dangerous places. But
the Psalm is not merely a Psalm of the Truth, it is a Psalm concerning
Truth and Error. They appear to stand like Christ and Antichrist.
We are tempted to believe that the writer had at one time been brought
face to face with some special outbreak of erroneous teaching, one of
the many Antichrists of the first century. There are some things which
suggest Simon Magus and his Helena, who went about to mislead the
faithful. It is, however, useless to try and define the situation more
closely. Whatever form the attractions of Truth and Error took to the
Psalmist, he tells us that he escaped the Circean blandishments, and
sailed past the Sirens. His foundations were in the holy mountain ;
his growth was in God and of God. God planted, God watered, God
gave the increase. The Father was the husbandman.

ODE 39.
^ Great rivers are the power of the Lord^: ^and they carry
headlong those who despise Him : and entangle their paths :
''and they sweep away their fords, and catch their bodies and
destroy their lives. ^For they are more swift than lightning
and more rapid, and those who cross them in faith are not
moved; ^and those who walk on them without blemish shall
not be afraid. ^For the sign in them is the Lord ; and the sign
is the way of those who cross in the name of the Lord ; ^put on,
therefore, the name of the Most High, and know Him : and you
shall cross without danger, for the rivers will be subject to you.
^The Lord has bridged them by His word ; and He walked
and crossed them on foot^: ^and His footsteps stand '"firm'^ on
the water, and are not injured ; they are as firm as a tree that is
truly set up. ''°And the waves were lifted up on this side and
on that, but the footsteps of our Lord Messiah stand firm and
are not obliterated and are not defaced. "And a way has been
appointed for those who cross after Him and for those who
adhere to' the course of faith in Him and worship His name\
Hallelujah.

1 Or perhaps, reading T^d\om— it, with Schulthess, 'by the splendour of His
planting.'

2 Is. xliii. 1. ^ Matt. xiv. 25.

^ 1 follow the correction of Flemming. * Cf. Matt. xiv. 38.-

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 137

Ode 39. When I first read this Psahin I thoUght that we had
another historical landmark, in the allusion to some great accident
connected with the sudden rise of one of the great Oriental rivers. But
upon reflection, I have come to the conclusion , that the writer is
speaking of disasters generally, under the natural figure of a rising and
rushing river. In such times of flood the unbeHevers find no footing
and are swept away : believers on the other hand walk the waters like
their Lord and with their Lord. Perhaps there is a reference to
Isaiah xliii. 2, 'When thou passest through the waters I will be with
thee.' The same promise appears to be quoted in Psalms of Solomon
vi. 5, 'When he passeth through rivers, yea, through the surge of the
sea, he is not affrighted.' Their feet stand firm where His feet had
stood unmoved. Here the background of the teaching is the account
of our Lord's walking on the sea of Galilee. The reference is valuable S
for we have hardly any other allusion to events recorded in the Gospel,
beyond the Birth, Baptism and Crucifixion, to which we have already
referred. The paucity of parallels to the New Testament in the new
Psalter should be one of the strongest reasons for believing that, as
regards the major part of the collection, we are dealing with very
early material.

ODE 40.

^As the honey distils from the comb of the bees, ^and the
milk flows from the w^oman that loves her children^; ^so also is
my hope on Thee, my God. *As the fountain gushes out its
w^ater, ^so my heart gushes out the praise of the Lord and my
lips utter praise to Him, and my tongue His psalms. ®And my
face exults with His gladness, and my spirit exults in His love,
and my soul shines in Him : ^and reverence confides in Him ;
and redemption in Him stands assured : ^and His inheritance"
is immortal life, and those who participate in it are incorrupt.
Hallelujah.

Ode 40. One may say of the writer in the language of St Bernard:
' Inebriabuntur ab ubertate domus tuae et torrente voluptatis tuae
potabis eos (Ps. xxxv. 9). O quanta amoris vis ! quanta in spiritu
libertatis fiducia.' Praise flows out of his life and from his lips as
honey drops from the comb or milk from the breast. God's gladness

' Moreover, if Peter's walking on the sea is involved in tlie reference of the Odist,
it is not Mark's gospel that is being quoted, nor any of the canonical four except
Matthew.

" Cf. Clem. Alex. Paed. i. 6 (p. 119) ^iXoffT-ipyois Triydt^ovja /ioffrois.

^ Following the emendation of Charles.

O. S. 18

138 THE ODES OF SOLOMON

makes his face without to shine, and his soul within to be radiant. If
mortality is not quite swallowed up of life, it is irradiated by it. There
is assurance of faith and the confident hope of immortality.

ODE 41.

^All the Lord's children will praise Him, and will collect the
truth of His faith. ^And His children shall be known to Him.
Therefore we will sing in His love : ^we live in the Lord by His
grace : and life we receive in His Messiah : *for a great.day has
shined upon us: and marvellous is He who has given us of
His glory. ^Let us, therefore, all of us unite together in the
name of the Lord, and let us honour Him in His goodness,
^and let our faces shine in His light : and let our hearts
meditate in His love by night and by day. ''Let us exult with
the joy of the Lord. ^All those will be astonished that see me.
For from another race am I : ^for the Father of truth remembered
me: He who possessed me from the beginning : ^°for His bounty
begat me, and the thought of His heart : ''^and His Word is with
us in all our way ; ''^the Saviour who makes alive and does not
reject our souls : ^^the man who was humbled, and exalted by
His own righteousness, ''^the Son of the Most High appeared in
the perfection of His Father ; ''^and light dawned from the Word
that was beforetime in Him ; ''^the Messiah is truly one' ; and
He was known before the foundation of the world, ''^that He
might save souls for ever by the truth of His name : a new song
'"arises"' from those who love Him. Hallelujah.

Ode 41. This Psalm, again, is Messianic, but certainly not in the
prophetic sense. The writer knows that the Son of God is come.
The glorious day of which prophets spoke has dawned : the dayspring
from on high has become the noontide glory. Christ who was
humbled is now exalted ; the Word, who existed before the foundation
of the world, has appeared. The language finds its nearest parallel in
the Johannine theology.

It is not, at first sight, quite clear what the writer means by being
sprung from another race'. Is it that he is of Gentile origin and
persuaded to dwell in the tents of Shem ? That would agree well with
the general Palestinian origin of the Psalms. In that case he has become

' Cf. Ign . ad Magn. 7 eIs iariv 'IijiroOs 'S.piaris.
' But see Inti'od. p. 66.

THE ODES OF SOLOMON 1 39

sufficiently Hebraized to sing Zion's songs in a Zionite manner : and to
praise God night and day, where a Gentile would naturally have done
it by day and night.

ODE 42.

^ I stretched out my hands and approached my Lord : '^for the
stretching of my hands is His sign: ^my expansion is the
outspread tree which was set up on the way of the Righteous
One^ ^And P became of no account to those who did not
take hold of me; and I shall be with those who love me. ^All
my persecutors are dead ; and they sought after me who
hoped in me, because I was alive : ^and I rose up and am with
them; and I will speak by their mouths. '^For they have
despised those who persecuted them ; ^and I lifted up over themi
the yoke of my love ; ^like the arm of the bridegroom over the
bride, i°so was my yoke' over those that know me : ^^and as the^
couch that is spread in the house of the ^'"bridegroom and bride"'^
■•^so is my love over those that believe in me. ^^ And I was not
rejected though I was reckoned to be so. ''^I did not perish,
though they devised '"if against me. ''^Sheol saw me and was
made miserable : ''^death cast me up and many along with me.
■■^P had gall and bitterness", and I went down with him to the
utmost of his'' depth : ^^and the feet and the head he let go, for
they were not able to endure my face : ^^and I made a con-
gregation of living men amongst his dead men, and I spake
with them by living lips : ^"because my word shall not be void :
*and those who had died ran towards me : and they cried and
said. Son of God, have pity on us, and do with us according to
thy kindness, ^'^and bring us out from the bonds of darkness:
and open to us the door by which we shall come out to
thee. ^^Pqi- ^g ggg that our death has not touched thee.
^* Let us also be redeemed with thee : for thou art our

^ Zahn thinks the text of this verse has been altered, and suggests ^\*dl\ri:(
ii^^uu^ -Tf ^"^ 'on which the Beloved was hanged.'

" Christ speaks.

' Matt. xi. 29. *"■* lit. bridegrooms. ° Cod. He.

" Cf. Descensus ad Inferos 4 'They crucified him, and gave him gall and
vinegar to drink. Be ready, therefore, to hold him firmly when he cometh. ' Flem-
ming objects to the correction which I have made in the text, and says we should render
'I was gall and bitterness to him.' So U.-S. Probably this is the right sense of the
passage: but I am not quite satisfied. ' or its : sc. Sheol's.

140 THE ODES OE SOLOMON

Redeemer. 25 And I heard their voice ; and my name I sealed
upon their heads : ^sfor they are free men and they are mine.
Hallelujah.

Ode 42. This Psalm concludes the collection of Odes ascribed to
Solomon : what follows is the extant book of Solomonic Psalms. The
collection up to the present point is marked in each case with a final
Hallelujah. The remaining Psalms, with one accidental exception, are
not marked this way. So we may add the editorial remark at the
end of this Psalm, that ' the Odes of Solomon, the Son of David, are
ended.'

The concluding Psalm is Christian and Messianic : its main theme
is the descent of Christ into Hades in order to liberate the imprisoned
souls of the fathers : and it should be read along with the extant
apocryphal books that deal with this subject.

Almost the whole of the Psalm is ex ore Christi : the writer begins,
as in the short 29th Ode, with the statement that his hfted hands make
the figure of the Cross of the Righteous One. But he soon diverges
into the harrowing of hell. The imprisoned souls cry out for release to
Him over whom death, which binds them, has no power. A congregation
of saints is gathered in the place of the dead. They become Christ's
free men. Incidentally an expression is used of their relation to the
Lord which appears to be employed elsewhere : they are called, not
the members, but the feet of the Lord. Hades disgorges both the
head and the feet : the head is, of course, Christ ; and the feet are the
saints of old time'- [For z;. 18 we may compare Acta Thomae c. 156
ov Tqv Oeav oiiK ■^veyKav oi tov Oavdrov ap;^ovT£S.]

The Psalm is too highly evolved, in its imaginary treatment of the
Descent into Hell, to be reckoned as belonging to the same period as
the main body of the collection. Still it cannot be very much later, for
its mystical language is in close agreement with many of the most
beautiful of the Psalms before us : and the union of Christ with the
Church, under the figure of the Bridegroom and the Bride, is expressed
with great beauty. Incidentally the textual critic will find something
suggestive for his New Testament apparatus. The writer speaks of 'the
couch that is spread in the house of the bridegrooms,' marking the
plural by dots in the usual Syriac manner : it is evident that he means
'in the house of the bridegroom and the bride.' Perhaps, then, the
curious Western reading of Matt. xxv. i, ' went out to meet the
bridegroom and the bride,' may be due to a more accurate interpretarion
of an Aramaic original than what we find in the received and edited
texts.

1 Cf. Ode 23.

PSALM 43 = Psalms of Solomon i.

^ I cried unto the Lord, when I was in affliction at my end ;
and to God when sinners set upon me : ^for suddenly there was
heard before me the sound of war : for He will hear me, because
I am filled with righteousness : ^and I reckoned in my heart that
I was filled with righteousness : in the day that I became rich
and was with the multitude of my children. *Their wealth,
however, has been given to the whole earth : and their glory as
far as the ends of the earth. ^They were lifted up as high as the
stars: and they said, ^speaking without knowledge.... '^ For their
sins were in secret, and I knew them not : ^and their wickedness
exceeded that of the nations that had been before them : and
they defiled the sanctuary of the Lord with pollution.

PSALM 44 = Psalms of Solomon 2.

^In the insolence of the sinful man, he cast down with
battering rams' the strong walls and thou didst not restrain him.
^And the Gentile foreigners went up on thy altar, and were
trampling on it with their shoes in their insolence. ^For the
children of Jerusalem had polluted the Holy House of the Lord :
and they were profaning the offerings *to God'' with wickedness.
^Wherefore He said. Remove them, cast them away from me.
And He did not establish with them the beauty of His glory: ^it
was rejected before the Lord : and they were utterly torn in pieces.
^Her sons and her daughters were in bitter captivity: and on
their neck was put the sealed yoke of the Gentiles : ^according
to their sins, so He dealt with them : for He suffered them to
pass into the hand of him that was stronger than they : ^for He
turned away His face from His mercy : young men and old men

' Hi. great beams. '■'''■' lit- of God.

142 THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON

and their children together : ^because they also had worked evil
together, that they might not hearken unto me : ^°and the heaven
was mightily angered, and the earth rejected them : "because
none in the earth had done therein like their doings : ^^and that
the earth may know all thy righteous judgments, O God. ^^They
set up the sons of Jerusalem for mockery within her, in the place of
harlots ; and every one that transgressed^ was transgressing as if
before the sun : while they made sport in their villainies, as they
were used to do. ''^In the face of the sun they made a show
of their villainies. And the daughters of Jerusalem were
polluted according to thy judgments; ''^for they had polluted
themselves in lustful intercourse. My belly and my bowels are
pained over these things. ''^But I will justify thee, O Lord, in
the uprightness of my heart ; because in thy judgments is thy
righteousness, O God. ^^ For thou dost reward sinful men accord-
ing to their deeds : and according to their wicked and bitter sins.
^^Thou didst disclose their sins, in order that thy judgment
might be known : ''^and Thou didst blot out their remembrance
from the earth. God is a judge and righteous, and accepteth no
man's person. ^°For the Gentiles reproached Jerusalem, in their
wickedness, and her beauty was cut off from the throne of His^
glory. ^'And she was covered with sackcloth instead of
beauteous raiment : and there was a rope on her head instead
of a crown. ^^She cast off from her the dazzling' glory which
God had put upon her : ^^and in contempt her beauty was cast
away on the ground. ^^And I beheld and I besought the face
of the Lord, and I said : Enough ! Thou hast made thy hand
heavy, O Lord, upon Israel, by the bringing in of the Gentiles :
25 for they have mocked and not pitied, in anger ; ^^and in
reproach they are consumed, unless thou, O Lord, shalt restrain
them in thy wrath. "pQ^jt ^^s not in zeal that they did '"this"',
but in the lust of the soul : ^sthat they might pour out their
wrath upon us in plundering us. But thou, O Lord, delay not to
recompense them upon their own heads : ^^to cast down the pride
of the dragon to contempt, ^o^^i^j j delayed not until the Lord
showed me his insolence smitten on the mountains of Egypt : and
despised more than him that is least on land and on sea : ^land his
body coming on the waves in much contempt, and none to bury

1 Or, passed by. ^ Gk. her. ^ q^. her diadem of glorv.

THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON I43

'"him"' 32gg(,ause He had rejected him with scorn, for he did
not consider that he is a man. And the end he did not regard.
^^For he said ; I will be lord of land and sea : and he knew not
that the Lord is God, great and mighty and powerful, ^*and He
is King over Heaven and over Earth : and He judges kingdoms
and princes, ^^He who raiseth me up in glory and layeth low'
the proud in contempt, not temporal but eternal ; because they
knew Him ^nof.

^^ And now, behold, ye great ones of the earth, the judgment
of the Lord, for He is a righteous King, and judges what is under
the whole heaven. ^^ Bless ye the Lord, ye who fear the Lord
reverently : for the mercies of the Lord are on them that fear
Him with judgment, ^^to separate between the righteous and the
sinful, and to reward the sinful for ever according to their deeds:
3^ and to be gracious to the righteous after their oppression
by sinners : and to reward the sinful for what he has done that
is right : ^"because the Lord is kind to those that call upon Him
in patience, to do according to His mercy to His saints : so as
to stand before Him at all times in strength. *^ Blessed is the
Lord for ever by His servants.

PSALM 4S = Psalms ok Solomon 3.

■' Why sleepest thou, my soul, and dost not bless the Lord ?
^Sing a new song to God and keep vigil in His watch. For a
psalm is good ""to sing"' to God out of a good heart. ^The
righteous will ever make mention of the Lord : in confession and
in righteousness are the judgments of the Lord. ^The righteous
will never neglect^ when he is chastened by the Lord : because
his will is always before the Lord. ^The righteous stumbles and
justifies God : he falls and I wait' what the Lord will do to him.
^And he looks to see from whence his salvation comes. ''The
stability of the righteous is from God their Saviour : for in the
house of the righteous there does not lodge sin upon sin :
^because He always visits the house of the righteous to remove
the sins of his transgressions. ^And He delivers his soul, in
whatever he has sinned without knowledge, by fasting and by
humiliation : '■"and the Lord purifies everyholy man and his house.

' Gk. Koi-iil^uv and so Syr.

^ =Gk. &\fyapri(Tu: cf. Prov. iii. ii; Heb. xii. 5. ' Read, 'and he waits.'

144 THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON

"But the sinner stumbleth and cUrseth his own life, and the day
in which he was born : and the birth-pangs of his mqther ; '"^ and
he adds sin upon sin to his life : ^^he falls, and because his fall is
grievous, he rises not again : for the destruction of the sinner is
for ever : ^*and He will not remember him when He visits the
righteous : ''^this is the portion of sinners for ever. '"^But those
who fear the Lord shall rise to eternal life : and their life shall
be in the light of the Lord, and he will not fail any more.
[Hallelujah^]

PSALM 46 (47) = Psalms of Solomon 4.

^ Why sittest thou, O wicked man, in the congregation of the
righteous : and thy heart is far removed from God ; and by thy
wickedness thou provokest to anger the God of Israel, ^exceed-
ingly by thy words, and exceedingly by thy '"outward"' signs,
more than all men ? He who is severe in his words in his con-
demnation of sinners in judgment, ^and his hand is the first to
be on him, as though '"he acted"" in zeal : and he is guilty himself
of all kinds of sinful crimes : *his eyes are upon every woman
immodestly : and his tongue lies when he answers with oaths.
^Li the night and in the darkness, as if he were not seen ; by
his eyes he talketh with every woman in the cunning of
wickedness : ^and he is quick to go into every house with joy,
as if he had no wickedness. '^God shall remove those who
judge with respect of persons : but He lives with the upright, in
the corruption of his body and in the poverty of his life. ^God
will disclose the deeds of those who are men-pleasers : in scorn
and derision are his works: ^and let the saints justify the judgment
of their God, when the wicked shall be removed from before the
righteous : i^the accepter of persons who talks law with guile,
^^and his eyes are on a house, quietly like a serpent, to dispel
the wisdom of each one by words of villainy : ^^his words are
with an evil intent, with a view to the working of the lust of the
wicked : i^and he does not remove until he has scattered in
bereavement, and has desolated the house because of his sinful
lust. '"^And he supposes in his words that there is none that
sees and judges : ^^and he is filled with this sinfulness ; and his

' This is an addition by the scribe, under the influence of the Odes of Solomon
which he has been copying. '

THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON I45

eyes are on another house to devastate it with words of prodi-
gality : and his soul is, like Sheol, never satisfied, ^^por all
these things, let ^his portion"!', O Lord, be before thee in
dishonour ; let his going out be with groans and his coming in
with curses: "in pains, and in poverty and in destitution, O
Lord, let his life be : let his sleep be in anguish and his waking
in vexation : ^^Jet sleep be removed from his eyelids by night :
let him fall from every work of his hands in dishonour ; ''^and
let him enter his house empty-handed : and let his house be
destitute of everything that can satisfy his soul : 2°and from
his offspring let not one draw near unto him: 21 let the flesh of
the hypocrites be scattered by wild beasts ; and the bones of
the wicked be before the sun in dishonour : ^^let the ravens pick
out the eyes of those who are men-pleasers : ^^ because they
have laid waste many houses of men in dishonour : and have
scattered them in lust : ^^and they remembered not God ; nor
feared God in all these things ; ^s^nd they provoked God,
and He was angered to destroy them from the earth ; because
with crafty intent they had played the hypocrite with innocent
souls. 26 Blessed are they that fear the Lord in their innocency :
"and the Lord will save them from all the cunning and wicked
men ; and He will redeem us from every stumbling-block of the
wicked. ^^May God destroy all them that work fraud with
pride^ : for a strong judge is the Lord our God in righteousness ;
2^ let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon all them that love thee.

PSALM 47 (48) = Psalms of Solomon 5.

■■O Lord my God, I will praise thy name with exultation,
amongst those that know thy righteous judgments. ^ For thou
art gracious and merciful, and the place of refuge of the poor.
3 When I cry unto thee, be not thou silent unto me. *For one
does not take spoil from the strong man : ^or who shall take
aught from what thou hast made, unless thou give it him ?
6 Because he is man, and his portion is before thee in the
balance : and he shall not add aught to better it apart from thy
judgment, O God. ''In our afflictions we. call thee to our help :
and thou hast not turned away our petition : for thou art our
God. ^Delay not thou thy hand from us : lest we be strengthened

' Syr. let him. ' lit. excess.

0. S. 19

146 THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON

to sin: ^and turn not away thy face from us, lest we remove
away from thee : but to thee we will come : '"'for if I should
be hungry, O Lord, unto thee will I cry, O God : and thou
wilt bestow. ''^For the fowl and the fish thou dost feed.
When thou givest rain in the desert to cause the grass to
spring up, ''^to prepare food in the wilderness for every living
thing, and if they shall be hungry, unto thee will they lift
up their faces : '•^kings and rulers and peoples thou dost
provide for, O God : and the hope of the poor and the
miserable, who is it except thyself, O Lord ? ^*and thou wilt
answer him, because thou art kind and gentle : and his soul shall
be satisfied when thou openest thy hand in mercy. ''^For the
kindness of a man is with parsimony ; to-day and to-morrow ;
and if it should be that he repeats his gift and does not grumble,
' well P that is a wonder! ''^But thy bounty is plenteous in
kindness and in wealth ; and there is no expectation towards
thee that He will be sparing in gifts V "For over all the earth is
thy mercy, O Lord, in kindness. ''^Blessed is the man whom the
Lord shall remember in poverty : for that a man should exceed
his measure means that he will sin. ''^Sufficient is a low estate
with righteousness^: ^°for those that fear the Lord are pleased
with good things : and thy grace is on Israel in thy Kingdom:
'^^blessed be the glory of the Lord, for He is our King.

PSALM 48 (49) = Psalms of Solomon 6.

^Blessed is the man whose heart is prepared to call upon the
name of the Lord : ^and when he shall' remember the name of
the Lord, he will be saved, ^f^jg ways are directed from before
the Lord : and the works of his hands are preserved by his God :
^and^in"! the evil vision of the night his soul shall not be moved,
because he is His : ^and his soul shall not be affrighted in the
passing through the rivers, and in the tumult of the seas, spp^
he rose from his sleep and praised the name of the Lord, ^and
in the quiet of his heart he sang psalms to the name of the
Lord : and he made request from the face of the Lord con-
cerning all his house: ^and the Lord hears the prayer of every

^ The Gk. ov icrnv eiri ae has been misread oOk earip re.

^ The Syriac has omitted a sentence of the Greek by a common transcriptional
error. Add ^and lierein ig (he blessing of the Lord that a man be satisfied in
righteousness"'.

THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON I47

one that is in His fear, and every petition of the soul that trusts
in Him ; and the Lord fulfils it. ^Blessed is he who doeth mercy
upon them that love Him in truth.

PSALM 49 (50) = Psalms of Solomon 7.

^Remove not thy tabernacle from us, Lord, lest those
rise up against us who hate us without a cause : ^for thou hast
put them away, O God, that their foot may not tread the
inheritance of thy sanctuary. ^Thou in thy good pleasure
chasten me and deliver us not over to the Gentiles. *For if
thou shouldest send death, it is thou who givest it command
against us ; ^for thou art the Merciful One, and wilt not be
angry so as to consume us utterly. ^For because of thy Name
that encamps amongst us, mercies shall be upon us : and the
Gentiles shall not be able to prevail against us, ^for thou art our
strength : and we will call upon thee and thou wilt answer us :
^for thou wilt be gracious to the seed of Israel, for ever, and
thou wilt not forget him': ^thou wilt establish us in the time of
thy help, to show favour to the house of Jacob, in the day that is
prepared for them.

PSALM 50 (51) = Psalms of Solomon 8.

■"Distress and the sound of war mine ears have heard, the
sound of the trumpet, and the noise of slaughter and destruction :
^the sound of much people like a mighty and frequent wind :
like the tempest of fire which comes over the wilderness. ^And
I said to my heart : Where will he judge him ? *I heard a sound
in Jerusalem, the Holy City ; ^the bonds of my loins were
loosed at the report^ : and my knees trembled, ^and my bones
were moved like flax. '^And I said. They will make straight
their paths in righteousness and I remembered the judgments
of the Lord, from the creation of the heaven and the earth : and
I justified God in all His judgments from the beginning^ ^But
God laid bare their sins before the sun : and to all the earth
was made known the righteous judgments of the Lord. ^For in

' The Syriac has dropped the sentence : ' and we are under thy yoke for ever, and
under the scourge of thy chastening. '

2 Gk. adds; and my heart, was afraid. ■* lit. from eternity.

T4^ THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON

secret places of the earth were they doing evil ; ■'°the son had
connexion with the mother and the father with the daughter:
■•^and all of them committed adultery with their neighbours'
wives : and they made solemn covenants amongst themselves
concerning these things: ^^they were plundering the House of
God's Holiness, as if there was none to inherit and to deliver.
■■3 And they were treading His sanctuary in all their pollutions,
and in the time' of their separation they polluted the sacrifices,
as common meat : ''^and they left no sins which they did not
commit, and even worse than the Gentiles. ^^For this cause
God mingled for them a spirit of error, and caused them to
drink a living cup for drunkenness : ^^He brought him from the
other side of the world, the one that afflicts grievously : '"^and he
decrees war against Jerusalem and against her land : ^^and the
judges of the land met him with joy : and they said to him : Thy
path shall be ordered, come, enter in peace. ''^They levelled
the lofty paths^ for his entering : they opened the doors against
Jerusalem i and they crowned the walls. '^"And he entered like
a father into the house of his children, in peace : and he set his
feet '"there"' in great firmness : ^'' and they took possession of the
towers and the walls of Jerusalem. ^'^For God brought him
in assurance against their error: ^^and they destroyed their
princes because he was cunning in counsel : and they poured
out the blood of the dwellers in Jerusalem like the water of
uncleanness : ^^and he carried off their sons and daughters, who
had been '"born"' in pollution, ^^and had wrought their pollution
even as also their fathers had done. ^^And Jerusalem defiled
even those things that were consecrated to the name of God:
"and God was justified in His judgments upon the nations of
the earth, ^^and the saints of God were as innocent lambs
in their midst. ^^God is to be praised who judges all the
earth in His righteousness. 3° Behold, O God, thou hast shown
us '"thy judgments"" in thy righteousness, ^land our eyes have
seen thy judgments, O God : and we have justified thy name
that is honoured for ever.

s^For thou art a God of righteousness: who judgest Israel
with chastening. ^si-urn thy mercy towards us and be
gracious to us : 34and gather the dispersion of Israel, in mercy

1. lii. blood. " lit. paths of elevation. s Hnrl nm

THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON I49

and in kindness : ^^for thy faithfulness is with us : and we are
stiiif-necked, and thou art our chastener : ^^do not desert us,
O our God ! lest the Gentiles should swallow us up, as though
there were none to deliver : ^^and thou art our God from the
beginning, and upon thee is our hope, O Lord : ^^and we will
not depart from thee, for thy judgments are good ; ^^upon us
and upon our children is thy good will for ever, O Lord God,
our Saviour, and we shall not be shaken again, for ever. ■*°The
Lord is to be praised for His judgments by the mouth of His
saints : *^and blessed is Israel from the Lord for evermore.

PSALM 51 (52) = Psalms of Solomon 9.

■"When Israel went forth into captivity to a strange land,
because they departed from the Lord their Saviour : ^then were
they cast out from the inheritance that God gave them :
amongst all the Gentiles was the dispersion of Israel, according
to the word of God, ^that thou mightest be justified, O God, in
thy righteousness over our wickedness : *for thou art a just
Judge over all the peoples of the earth. ^For there will not
be hidden from thy knowledge any one who doeth wicked-
ness : ^and the righteousness of thy upright ones, O Lord, is
before thee. And where shall a man be hidden from thy
knowledge, O God } '^For we work by free-will and the choice
of our own souls to do either good or evil by the work of our
hands : ^and in thy righteousness thou dost visit the children
of men. ^For he who does righteousness lays up a treasure of
life with the Lord : and he who does wickedness incurs judgment
upon his soul in perdition.

^°For His judgments are in righteousness upon every man and
his house. "For with whom wilt thou deal graciously, O God,
unless with them that call upon the Lord? ^^For he purifies
the sins of the soul by confession, ''^because shame is on us and
our faces because of all these things. ''^For to whom will He
remit sins except to those that have sinned ? ^^For the
righteous thou dost bless, and dost not reprove them for any of
their sins; for thy grace is on those that have sinned when they
have repented. ''^And, now, thou art our God : and we are
thy people whom thou hast loved': behold and have mercy, O
God of Israel ; for thine are we : remove not thy compassions

19—3

I50 THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON

from us, lest the Gentiles should set upon us ; ^^for thou hast
chosen the seed of Abraham rather than all the Gentiles, '■^and
thou hast put on us thy Name, O Lord : and thou wilt not
remove for ever. ''^Thou didst surely covenant with our fathers
concerning us : and we hope in thee, in the repentance of our
souls. ^°The mercies over the house of Israel are of the Lord,
now and evermore.

PSALM 52 (53) = Psalms of Solomon 10.

■"Blessed is the man whom God remembers with reproof:
and He has restrained him from the way of evil by stripes: so as
to be purified from his sin, that he may not abound '"therein"'.
^For he who prepares his loins for beating shall also be purified :
for He is good to those that receive His chastening. ^For the
way of the righteous is straight, and His chastisement does not
turn it aside. ^For the face' of the Lord is upon them that
love Him in truth, and the Lord will remember His servants in
mercy. ^For the testimony is in the law of the everlasting
covenant : the testimony of the Lord is in the ways of the
children of men, by ^His"^ visitations. ^Righteous and upright
is our God in all His judgments : and Israel will praise the name
of the Lord with joy. '^And the saints shall give thanks in
the congregation of the people : and on the poor the Lord will
have mercy, in the gladness of Israel. ^For God is kind and
merciful for ever : and the congregations of Israel shall praise
the name of the Lord : ^for of the Lord is the salvation upon the
house of Israel, unto the everlasting kingdom ^

PSALM S3 (54) = PsALMs of Solomon n.

■"Blow ye '"the trumpef in Zion, the certain trumpet of the
saints : ^proclaim in Jerusalem the voice of the heralds, because
God is merciful to Israel in His visitation. ^Stand up on high^,
Jerusalem, and behold thy children, who are all being gathered
from the East and the West by the Lord : *and from the North
they come to the joy of their God : and from the far-away
islands God gathereth them. ^ Lofty mountains has He humbled
and made plain before them ; and the hills fled away before their

1 Gk. mercy (fXeos). ^ Gk. gladness, eiippoaivTjv.

'■' Baruch v. 5-;8.

THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON 15I

entrance: ^the cedar' gave shelter to them as they passed by :
and every tree of sweet odour God made to breathe^ upon them :
■^in order that Israel might pass by in the visitation of the glory
of their God. ^O Jerusalem, put on the garments of thy glory ;
and make ready thy robe of holiness. For God speaks good
things to Israel, now and ever. ^May the Lord do what He
hath spoken concerning Israel : and concerning Jerusalem : may
the Lord raise up Israel in the name of His glory. May the
mercies of the Lord be upon Israel, now and evermore.

PSALM 54 (ss) = Psalms of Solomon 12.

^ O Lord, save my soul from the perverse and wicked man
and from the whispering and transgressing tongue, that speaks
lies and deceit. ^For in the response of his words is the
tongue of the transgressor^ : for he shows like one whose deeds
are fair, and kindles fire among the people. ^For his sojourning
is to fill* (set fire to) houses by his lying talk : for the trees of
his delight he will cut down with the flame '^of his tongue^^ that
does lawlessly. *He has destroyed the houses of the trans-
gressors by war : and the slandering'' lips God has removed
from the innocent, the lips of transgressors : and the bones of
the slanderer shall be scattered far from those who fear the
Lord. ^By flaming fire He will destroy the slanderous tongue
from among the upright, and their houses. ^And the Lord
shall preserve' the soul of the righteous who hateth them that are
evil : and the Lord shall establish the man that makes peace in
the house of the Lord. '^Of the Lord is salvation upon Israel
His servant for ever : ^and the sinners shall perish together from
before the face of the Lord : and the saints of the Lord shall
inherit the promises of the Lord.

PSALM 55 (56) = Psalms of Solojion 13.

^ The right hand of the Lord has covered us : the right hand
of the Lord has spared us : ^and the arm of the Lord has saved

^ Gk. oi Spv/j-oi, the groves.

' Gk. dv4Tei.\ev, caused to rise. Corr. the Syriac to ^■:[y<C (Schulthess).

' The Greek of this passage is obscure.

' The translator read e/iTXijffat for e/iirpijcyai.

'-* Cod. om. ° ii(. whispering.

' Better : ' and may the Lord preserve ' as in Gk. : and so in following clauses.

152 THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON

me from the spear that goes through and from famine and the
pestilence of sinners. ^Evil beasts ran upon them: and with
their teeth were tearing their flesh; and with their jaw- teeth ^ were
breaking their bones. But us the Lord has delivered from all these
things. ^But the wicked man was troubled on account of his
transgression : lest he should be broken along with the evil men.
5 Because dread is the fall of the wicked : but the righteous not
one of these things shall touch. ^For one cannot compare the
chastening of the righteous who have '"sinned^ ignorantly with
the overthrow of evil men who sin knowingly. '^For the righteous
is chastened'' so that the sinner will not exult over him. ^For
the righteous He will admonish as His beloved son' ; and his
chastening is like that of the first-born : ^for the Righteous One
will spare His saints, and their transgressions He will blot out by
His chastisement. For the life of the righteous is for ever.
''°But sinners shall be cast into perdition: and their memorial
shall no more be found. '''"But upon the saints shall be the
mercy of the Lord. He will cherish all them that fear Him.

PSALM 56 (S7) = P.SALMS OF Solomon 14.

^The Lord is faithful to them that love Him in truth : even to
them that abide His chastening: to them who walk in righteous-
ness in His commandments : He has given us the Law for our
life : ^and the saints of the Lord shall live thereby for ever.
The Paradise of the Lord, the trees of life, are His saints : ^and
the planting of them is sure for ever ; nor shall they be rooted
up all the days of the heaven. For the portion of the Lord and
His inheritance is Israel. *Not so are the sinners and evil men,
those who have loved a day in the participation of sin : for in
the brevity of wickedness is their lust ; ^and they did not
remember God ; that the ways of the children of men are open
before Him continually : and the secrets" of the heart He knoweth
before they come to pass : ^therefore their inheritance is Sheol,
and Perdition and Darkness : and in the day of mercy upon the
righteous they shall not be found. ''For the saints of the Lord
shall inherit life in delight.

^ Or molars : rendering the Greek jiiXai literally, as Wellliausen has observed :
it should have been - ^^ '■i^

^"'^ Or perhaps : For the righteous is chastened secretly. (See Ryle and James,
ad loc. )

* Corr. 'He will cause the righteous to inherit Him.' * lit. secret places.

THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON 1 53

PSALM 57 (58) = Psalms of Solomon 15.

■•In my affliction I called on the name of the Lord, and for
my help I called on the God of Jacob : and I was delivered,
^because thou, O God, art the hope and the refuge of the poor.
^F"or who that is strong will, praise thee in truth? *and what is
the strength of a man, except that he should praise thy name?
^A new song with the voice in the delight of the heart: the
fruit of the lips with the instrument attuned to the tongue : the
firstfruit of the lips from a heart that is holy and just. ^He
that doeth these things shall never be moved by evil : the flame
of fire and the anger of sinners shall not touch them, '^when it
goeth forth against the sinners from before the Most High to
root up all the roots of sinners : ^because the sign of the Lord
is upon the righteous for their salvation : death and the
spear and famine shall remove from the righteous ; ^for they
shall flee from them, as death flees from life : but they shall
pursue after the wicked and catch them : and those who do evil
shall not escape from the judgment of the Lord : for they will
get before them like skilled warriors : ''°for the sign of destruction
is upon their faces. "And the inheritance of sinners is Perdition
and Darkness : and their iniquity shall pursue them down to the
lower hell. ''^And their inheritance shall not be found by their
children : ^^for their sins shall lay waste the houses of sinners:
and sinners shall perish for ever in the day of the Lord's
judgment: ''^when God visits the earth with His judgment. ''^And
upon those who fear the Lord there shall be mercy therein ; and
they shall live in the compassion of our God : and sinners shall
perish unto eternity^

PSALM 58 (59) = Psalms of Solomon 16.

■•When my soul declined a little from the Lord, I had almost
been in the lapses of the sleep of destruction ; and when I -was
far away from the Lord, ^my soul had almost been poured out
to death, hard by the gates of Sheol along with the sinners :
^and when my soul declined from the God of Israel, unless the
Lord had helped me by His mercy which is for ever— l ^ He

' lit. the time of eternity.

154 THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON

pricked me, like the spur of the horse, according to His
watchfulness : my Saviour and Helper at all times is He : He
saved me: ^I will praise thee, O God, because thou hast helped
me with thy salvation : and hast not reckoned me with sinners
for destruction. ^Withdraw not thy mercy from me, O God:
and let not the remembrance of thee remove from my heart until
I die : ^save me, O Lord, from the wicked sinful woman, and from
every wicked woman who sets traps for the simple : ^and let not
the beauty of a wicked woman lead me astray, nor any sin that
is, ^and establish the work of my hands before thee : and
preserve my walk in the remembrance of thee. ^°My tongue
and my lips in words of truth do thou establish : anger and
unreasonable passion do thou remove from me : ''''grumbling and
little-mindedness in affliction do thou remove from me : for if I
shall sin when thou hast chastened me, it is for repentance :
^'^but by thy good-will establish my soul : and when thou shalt
strengthen my soul, whatever has been given shall be sufficient
for me : ''^for if thou strengthenest nie not, who can endure thy
chastening in poverty ? ^*for a soul shall be reproved' in his flesh
and by the affliction of poverty ; ^^and when a righteous man
shall endure these things, mercy shall be upon him from the Lord.

PSALM 59 (60) = Psalms of Solomon 17.

^O Lord, thou art our King, now and for ever: for in thee,
O God, our soul shall glory, ^^^d what is the life of man
upon the earth ? for according to his time, so also is his hope.
3 But we hope on God our Saviour: for the stronghold of our
God is for ever according to mercy: *and the Kingdom of our
God is over the Gentiles for ever with judgment. ^Thou, O
Lord, didst choose David for king over Israel : and thou didst
swear to him concerning his seed,±hat their kingdom should not
be removed from before thee. ^But for our sins sinners rose up
against us : and they set upon us, and removed me far away :
they to whom thou gavest no command have taken by violence,
■^and have not glorified thy honourable name with praises : and
they have set up a kingdom instead of that which was their pride.
^They laid waste the throne of David in exultation of their
changed But thou wilt overthrow them, and wilt remove their

' Or {see note to text) : thou wilt reprove.
^ Reading d-WiyiiaTOi.

THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON

155

seed from the earth : ^even when there shall rise up against them
a man that was a stranger to our race. ■'° According to their
sins, thou wilt reward them, O God : and it shall befall them
according to their works. ''^ And thou wilt not have mercy upon
them, O God. Command their seed, and do not leave a single
one of them. '"^The Lord is faithful in all His judgments which
He has done upon the earth. ''^The wicked man^ has devastated
our land, so that there is none to dwell therein. They have
destroyed both young and old and their children together. ''^In
the splendour of his wrath he sent them away to the West, and
the princes of the land to mockery without sparing. ''^In his
foreign way the enemy exults, and his heart is alien from our
God. ^^And Jerusalem did all things^ according as the Gentiles
did in their cities to their gods. ''^And the children of the
covenant took hold of them in the midst of the mingled Gentiles :
and there was none amongst them that did mercy and truth in
Jerusalem. ^^They that love the assemblies of the saints fled
away from them : and they flew like sparrows who fly from
their nests : ''^and they were wandering in the wilderness, in
order to save their soul from evil : and precious in their
eyes was the sojourning with them of any soul that was saved
from them. 2° Over all the earth they were scattered by the
wicked. Therefore were the heavens restrained that they should
not send down rain upon the earth, ^^and the everlasting
fountains were restrained, both the abysses, and from the lofty
mountains : because there was none among them who did
righteousness and judgment; from their ruler to the lowest of
them they were sinning in everything. ^'^The king was in trans-
gression, and the judge in wrath, and the people in sin.
23 Behold, O Lord, and raise up to them their king, the Son of
David, according to the time which thou seest, O God : and let
Him reign over Israel thy servant, 24a,nd strengthen Him with
power that He may humble the sinful rulers : ^^^and may purify
Jerusalem from the Gentiles who trample her down to destruc-
tion, 2^so as to destroy the wicked from my inheritance : and to
break their pride like a potter's vessel : to break with a rod of
iron all their firmness : "to destroy the sinful Gentiles with the
word of His mouth : at His rebuke the Gentiles shall flee from
before His face : and to confute sinners by the word of their

^ Gk. avoiMot, not &ve/j.os. ^ Gk. = 6'(ra iirolria-ev 'lepovtraXi^ii.

1 56 THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON

heart: ^^that He may gather together a holy people that shall
exult in righteousness : and may judge the tribes of the people
whom the Lord His God sanctified : ^^and He shall not any more
suffer sin to lodge amongst them ; and no more shall dwell
amongst them the man that knoweth evil. 3° For He knoweth
them that they are all the children of God, and He shall divide
them according to their tribes upon the earth : ^^and the sojourner
and the foreigner shall not dwell with them : for He will judge
the Gentiles and the peoples in the wisdom of His righteousness :
^^and He shall possess a people from among the Gentiles : and
they shall serve Him under His yoke : and they shall praise the
Lord openly over all the earth : ^Sand He shall purify Jerusalem
in holiness, as it was of old time : ^^that the Gentiles may come
from the ends of the earth to behold His glory : bringing her sons
with them as an honourable gift ; those who were scattered from
her, 35and to see the glory of the Lord wherewith He hath glorified
her: and Hetherighteousking.taught of God, isoverthem: 36and
there is no wicked person in His days amongst them, because they
are all righteous, and their king is the Lord Messiah : ^^for He
will not trust on horse nor on his rider ; nor on the bow : nor
shall He multiply to himself gold and silver for war: nor shall
He rely on a multitude in the day of war : ^^for the Lord .

(Caetera desunt.)

col PSALMS OF SOLOMON 1^7

A\pa i*^ .^^OJK' .i-:i.^3° .rrf^xis ^s-1 rsTiaX, *.^«>*a*=3
..^oeoi^'Wn _a.lK' ^ajo .K'crArS'.l .^^CUK' reliJa _OcrAA.a

r«lliiio32 .co4<0.xi*.i\."1 rS'AvSO^jJua r^hxoshr^a rtshsas^ .^j^M

.mxis.^ t<'Tfl.*r«' ^^ujss .11^^ .eoA\Maiix.A» rC'v** ^ ?!^ .rdJk.ire'.i
.en rdi'i-sa.T on^jjAiu.^ K'v*»s>alo3S .^cin-w oiosA^K'.i ».^cn
i<'crAr<' ^Jsa .^Ajss reLii^.it rC-^Lso oooo .k'oqAk' c nu-iT .i

i*.\^ reA.t A!\p2a37 .ptiavso r<ljjLxx.tn .__ocnaJJS30 ..iT.t.i-a

Aj>. vxfioj rsllo .rilaixA ri'-SOrcJjJoa rilacn.l oral (<l\tta.»l rfA
.r«lAix..1o -tA^^ ri'-^i.siiSS .nil=iB.T rtlSOftiS rc'rf.i.^Jto

Caetera desimt.
" The translator read en as on.

y Gk. Xaovs i6v(Sv.

^~^ The Gk. is (fyipovre's Swpa tovs e^rjo-^evr/KOTas vioiis avT^s. The Syriac

seems to render a Gk. e|o)o-6ieVTas, which is a better reading, though perhaps
it may be a conjecture.

17] PSALMS OF SOLOMON ,-U

^i^-"' rC'-ia^ vyr^ CUii&o .re^JisaM.! r^^o.l& aocn ^ASiMii

»._aeoi.t<X=s r<'oeo rt^iK' toV^b^" i._oeai2»3 dftoqa r^oi&^'M.i

.r^^CLXL>.l\ .Ta.^.1 ,_j>0Q3 rS'ooo AvAi A!^ .ptLsa'-i pS'iaJ^ ^»30

.r^A»CUV^isa=)P p«li*.io ,cna^r^ retio^a rdai-sa^ .^«ti^ liLts
,_oca^5a\ ..^ocnl yixar^a rsl^iia ,v«^3 . rg'Axi^ML-i rdsa.^o
A^. vrO^soJ.! .r<'c»Ar<' A\jp<' pS'vm.iI r^ll-ava ..T»0.ia cniai

v^K" pi'icaaojt- AM-z.sa.\ .>^o^i* ^^ rtlAcUk. o.iaosa,!^
i^^jacniiajc* cniA r^lias rS'JV^a.xra ji>iT*a,A .r^iu.&.i reL^^
..^^iii:^ on^r^Sks .cn=ao^ Au^aa «Ao.^ Klsisi^ o.iacoai^^
re'AA.saa p^.'A^jjA cua&saAo'^ ocno.&rc' ;jo.iii ^ pCsa.sa.^

.so^ KlAa^^ .cnofii(<' rtL.i.:fl .z.Tn.-sa.i rtlsa^.i K'AiaHi- ,_Mio
i*wi s 1 .ac\^ i<l\o ^^^ocndvixa rc'^V^M t^oa^.-f J1A.3..JC-I

" The translator has referred iirXaviavTo to the sparrows.
° For TrapotKt'as "/'tjx'7 *^hs translator read irapotKw. i/'i'X7s. Cf. note ' on
previous page.

P Gk. ev aireiBiia.

1 Gk. etSes (JL). Gebhardt conjectures eiAou. '" = Gk. KaOapia-ai.

^ Gk. adds ev (ro<^ta, €v Siicaiotruvj; ; probably by an eye-error to z/. 31.

' Gk. vTToa-Tacnv. Cf. Ps. xv. 7. " vid. sup. Ps. xvi. 14.

^ Gk. ov a<j>rjyrj(T€Tai.

.\l PSALMS OF SOj.wi.iwj.> . .

k'4\OA,L=a txsafloo .rfAvikntixsa rS'Txix.ta vn^axA cu^ax.^ rdia
t^icnao T, -) .T.0.1.T caxso^OA. o.s\»tT^^ i — ocnioai -^ '. "
.,_ocn:wi\ >-iAxo .^.__CUri' ACUmlOoA* * ^S AxiK'a .L^oai^i-O.*.."!"
^ rd^-i^cu r<'i.a-\_ i_^»eaAsi. >cui.l .tSko' .Kls^ir^ (-=«
.ri'otArS' i^^r^ .^oi.a>^ .^_^oni'ca\^ v^*r<"° .^V..T r«'Avr>TJt.

.S» Kilo »_CkcmiJ3 jQ-iT.Ax rcllo »^^ea2i.i\ SCto-Si'^ .K'caArc'

T<.'t\ \^ Aia-M .aai\^ d^l As ^ ^\r^ (<l\o^. .sTur^^^
i.-U- cnv-^^i.l' t<'vaft.xa''* .rC'.ijjL^rC ^__ooriJLl_ao KliLflso
relAO r«lw\Cl=A r<l^ij<'.i oaZai.\o .rdsVaJM,! p^iW.lSw «_aJK'
oqa ,Ti\O.S cnsAQ .r^ -ii.tia>.a icosii.zjsa rc'^^i&O.ia'^ .004;

^__ocnl oocn ^*.T-M3r<'a'^ i^_ooQj«frAKLi^ ^.__ocp Avij'.i "W-i o.ta^.
^_ocn&vixa rc'ocn ^\o .r^\.i\»'» rclsooiit. ^Ias Kn.>^*.l.l caiils
^^K' »_c»cQ.iJS3 cini^'^ .>,li.iop«l=™ pc'ii.r.a r^lM.M'i T"^ i

"^ Gk. dAXay/ittTos but the Copenhagen MS. aXaXay/iaros.

f Gk. + o ^Eos.

g Gk. iXetjaeii; Or eXcT/crai.

■" The Gk. is iirjpevvr]o-e...Kal ovk ai/)i7Kc>'... which the Syr. has turned into
imperatives. The meaning of ■ncm^ is obscure.

' The Gk. is iv opyrj KaXXous avTov, for which the Syr. has read ev KaWa
opy-^l avTOV.

^ The translator read i-n-oirjcrtv [— iv] 'Icpovo-aXi^yic and omits oaa.

' Reading toIs Oeois or roiis ^eow with JLH for which Gebhardt con-
jectured Tov aOlvovs.

™ This agrees with Gebhardt's reading ovk r/v iv auVoi? o ttokov iv 'lepov.
a-aXrjft. IXeos Koi dKi^Oeiav. The Gk. MSS. vary between d iroiajv iv aia-to iv
avToh if and 6 -Troidv iy avVots iv jxia-u). May it not, however, be thecase that
the Syr. .^ojauisa stands for iv fx,icr(a iv avrois? For ▼^■Stje. the MS', has
^n-Mt. (?).

17] PSALMS OF SOLOMON .a.1

i»^ •--I^ .>.l-»> j3.M'if<' r^Ll^ioKlss ^rtlat-aL.! Axoia^to^ Kllii^-i''

.^•scQ^^K'.T )ai.2>9 >.A no>nfi^ .t.z.^il A.xw^ ^.1 x^o . ».z.^J

ritj^^ar^-rjo cnifiass '^rd.x.^i^ ^^__aA.i\^ l^'4 .^rs'iia.ia.oaia.ss
>cna\^. ..^^cvocai .^xicna (^laj.it irLxSa.! a^^o'^ .cn^OJ^fioJsa.i

'■"'■ A literal rendering of dXiyoij/vxia.

^ Cod. c Jtvi,^ T.i::(T t Cod. c adds A

, " Cod. c adds ^t<:

"" The translator has omitted the difficult line [iit ™ ikey^ea-Oai] \pv)(r]v iv
^€(pt (Ta.Trpia.% avTov ■ rj SoKi/xacria trov ; but perhaps iv to iXiy^^ccrdai is latent in
_^^o\a\, for in Ps. xvii. 27 he renders koI IXiy^at by wcvi^irAo. I liave
tidded the word i<jt_aj to make the text clear. Wellhausen suggests „_n=ia>
(cf. Gk. 7] SoKi/xao-La crov) which makes the addition of riacaj unnecessary.
Cod. c ends here.

PSALM 17 (= Ps. 60).
K'cn^p*' vv=>."i A.\^ .^>\.v\o r<ls.a3^ .^^l.=a acp AuK* t<^\sn^
A.:^ r<'.jt.ir«'i=ja »encu»»^ »__OJr<' rtlA.'sao^ .^z^J >ica=i^UL.^
^.1 ^Am^ .eniajjo" Ape* relx^en 'i-«^ ea.l.3\ vyri* .rSliwirc'
i_^cQ\r<'.i co.i.tMOK'M A..^^ .^xioi^ r<'cnit<' Ai^ ^i.>va,jaa:M

.AjPC'TQi* A.^ r<'_^li?3 .T'O.Tl iviSL^ rtf'-ii.SJ AvlK'^ .rf-li.T=i
vv'~='3.Ti3 »7 r^l^ik.^^ rd.A.-i .ca^.11 A.i>. cnl ^ij:n.> ^iK'o

cvajaaJ rc'i.»Aj.£i..= i^ootai ^is.& r^lAi ^__OJeT3 . >.iAn.uir<'o

''-^ Gk. €ts Tov aiwva Kal £Ti = Heb. IJ)! d'pv'?. For the Syriac rendering
V. supra, Ps. ix. 20 etc.

>' Gk. o ;)(pdi'05 ^u)i5«- "^ Cod. oj^loa=

'i Gk. jSatrt'Aeiov aijTov and so in v. "}■

f<J PSALMS OF SOLUMUJN L'"

PSALM i6 (= Ps. 59)a
^aOcd K'aeb ,\i\n .iSb. .r^*\.'sn ^rw AiVn >jc&i ivisoeot^ .1^^

.AjpS'iai..l ooerApS'° ^» ►*^ AviJ^iAxrs' s^o^ .t^-i^m >i. Ao.iX.n

.003 *=s\ A.^i3 >.li.V>-990 »Jloia .cn^QTi.i>A r^-kS3oajlOA rC^CU3\

K'AxiviK' Aa ^»J0 .rS'AvxjTJ^ K'^j.^^M (JS3 r^isa^ vlxjaoia^

,a*re' .13.5^ ^.dA^K'oS [.JAuK".-!"^ r«'cn\u Aa r«lA ApC* .j<'Av\a^
rtlSisrirs ,^o.&floo >.ix\'° .v\.ii^o.T=> iA^ ,AxA\a)0 .'vyiJWSxi'^
.<i,j,S3 jijj'irtf'P "K'AxV.'sa r<A.i° K'Avsauo p«'\.\o'i .^s^K* K'iii.a

» This Psalm is quoted in part in the Cambridge MS. Add. 2012 where it
is introduced as follows :

and is rightly numbered as Ps. 58. We may call the fragment Cod. c.

'' The translation of the difficult opening verses is somewhat paraphrastic,
but the Greek can be seen through the Syriac.

<: Gk. Kvplov deov. "^ Cod. ^u.v>•»^ = Cod. bis "7ii>.

f Inc. Cod. c. s-g Cod. c transposes. ^ Gk. d 6cos.

'-' Cod. c om. ^ Gk. afjipova. ' Gk. d.ivaT-i)iTa.Tij> fte.

" A paraphrase for koI iravTOs VTroKUjxivov dwo a/u.aprias d.vu}<f>e\.ov^.

" = kviL-Kiov (Tov for Gk. iv TOTTO) aov.

°-° A literal rendering of aXoyov.

V Cod. c T.=i-'rti

1 Cod. c adds T^il^euu *V'^ t^os* auA'a y^omy^ r^o

15] PSALMS OF SOLOMON (J

PSALM IS (=Ps. 58).

r<'-i\ofisa.i Kljua^ ^1.30 rtf'i^flo.i A\ *«'^ ^i&^K'o ..3CUUk.*.-i
.'"t^iitis vvl K'.ia.i'' ^xx:^.! T.*.^ a.i:sa3 .rs'cQ^K' acp Auk"
r<'A»'iiSa\S .vraaJtA K'.IOJ.T rellp^ .re'.xJrS'irj.l cn\jM oxsao'^

».__ocnJLX.ix.° ^__oon,\^ ins'rql KL'sa^ijaa'^ 71.T0 (^ r^jA^u A^.

kAo^. ^.>:Ta:^-i ^^r^o i^_ojp<' ^^o-^riio r<'Aas». ■iA\=» ^*s
rtilaiii i-x-^ »^.!ii vyr^ .r<l»iio.T aii*.i ,-S3 .^^aais^J ptA
i^^ftea'^r^ Aj». rdirusrCi K'AiK'i Al!^'° ^ 0,1 K* ..^ass.iai

,_ocaiA»'ioja" .r<'Av.A\MA\ Aoj.z.\ r<l»3s.2>. »._aip<' .&o.ii.i

^AmI.1 ^Lp** A:^o'S .eoij.ta pel^ir^ r^ca\r^ V>.flc>.1 ,A\»r<"4
fH^Oi^'-^fi*^-' ._aMr<llo .ma r^.5aui . oociU r^Laisa ^

^—^ Gk. £1 fjiri eiofjioXoyijiTaa-OaL crol iv dXyjOcia.

^ Gk. Kvpiov. "= Gk. vTToa-Taa-iv, cf. Ps. xvii. 26. <* Gk. 0eo{!.

« Perhaps i<J^asn, i.e. Gk. Xot/tos. The MSS. have [aVo] \t;u,oi) which
Gebhardt emended to aVo iroXe/tou.

f Probably an error for r»Jiom> . ^ Gk. toC 6iov avrmv.

\'Sa PSALMS OF SOLOMON [14

vy*i<' cn^0.iT-Mo .(^'.'SXijj'i cnia.A.T vyre* .r<'_n.-».T\ i-*-^
...^ocnAv^'ia.x.o ,ma.Bau A.^ re'ja.^.Tt^ ooc\.*ki.T A.\^S3^ .K'i^o.rj.i

.r^-*i.».i >cDCv:=nMi »^^^cni ^.i.i K'-x.ca.M A^.'' ^ ooaiv^o.i

'^ Gk. O KVpiOi.

PSALM 14 (= Ps. 57).

.r^_ji.»»l re'.ll.i'K' r^-iiifl.l cafia^.iT-^ . ^Ls»_i ca.rs ».__0^r^_l
r<Ao .)aVsk.\ pc'ivxio'' »__acnA\3^ia3 .,coa.ifln*j »^oa.Av*r<'.T
rtfji-sn.T coAxi.'ss.i A\^^Q .(<LL.sax..i re'^ttwa^ ^^^oraia. »._^\in.SwAvi
^^^Oim .r<Ac\.s..O rf-xA^M rf-i^cn rcAo* .A^K'TJaa^ cn^o^T^o
i_»..\^ cf3^c\ia!>.Va .K'caAj.M.T r^lA-aAaa r^ltno,^ oa-MP**.!
,_oooivMior<'.T .r<'oQir^A oiSk.iAxrC' p^Ao^ i^^acniv\i rs'AvsEi.rj.t
rtlaX.i pfLlOO&fO .^Vj-^=> >coa»).tJ3 ^x^r^ t*^^ p>i'_T.lr<' via.l
Aa.AjL .^_ocQi4\ifti pclico AAq.sq^ i._c>ocfti.T ^q.tij ^^sa .^.tI
r<A (<'-D..L>'.-1\.l rC'-UL^.l rilSSCUi-rJO .r<L&O.JLMQ r<lj.T.= r<'a

^ Gk. ippi^(afj.evrj, which seems to stand for y^3e-T.T-Tj.

O. S. G

13] PSALMS OF SOLOMON J*»>

^o^o .r<l^cv<>A r<'-iH».i .rtf'n.'.'.iM^ r^T «M \ ri'-.vso i^ua^
ocn r€»\:s3^'^ .r^\:sa^ A\i-i-i r^'JSaix. .i2l:L rS'ia.^A r^xsn
pe'-i.^M «^__a^:».=>r<llo^ .^iaL>^\ cn.-i:3.2k. A-.ri'inaj Aj^. r^Linia.^
r^T.:=a.t ,caa.oa.a»Ci .r<L.Ti»3.T tcnix^r^ ^o^ja ^S3 .nC.T-Mk^ri'

'^""'^ Gk. €V 0Xoyi irapavd/iov ? ^ Gk. (Tuyxeai. *^ Cod. T^a\c\&ioo

e Gk. adds iv diropia. ^ Gk. omits. ' Gk. ija-vxiov. ^ Gk. omits.

PSALM i3(=Ps. 56).
ca2k.i.io^ .^Ast. h\.Dai» rtLtisn.i cnusa.* ^^_^v>jaa& r^.<T^=n.i cniisa..*^

^cnxix-so .rS'^JLiS r^^Axu «^_oeaA^ J^cn'ir<'3 .rtfjlA^^l

rtCik.xx.i^ ^^.l .^^i^^K"^ .r^xsn ^cT^ ^*crA& ^cn ^ ^.1 ^
\ \y~«S .rt^AcUk- >~^ vaA^ifui" rtfisaA.i.T .cnAu»-icut. A-\^:s9
^cn ^^ K'.tm ^'.1 r<^ni:ivl .KLAOSk..! r<'^\a,^?n I CD ri'r i-).i
rdi.l.T rdoi'.-H.T t<'A«O.Ti.S3 rdSljjLa. r^Al A.^=0^ .,.3inA\Ax<^ r^A

.cnaiAxir^.T^ A.^»i^ .r^Aci^ cn\ K'.tmJ r<A.i vyK" r<l£L>ni

^ Cod. 0003

•> i.e. Gk. d(rej3-iji as in Codd. and not evcrel3rj's as Wellhausen conjectured-

*= Perhaps for ■i='aau (= Gk. a-viJ,TrapaXrj/x(ji6fj). '' Cod. jTisan**

" = Gk. iv irepia-ToXfi ? ^ Syr. begins verse here, I Gk, vovdeTija-n.,

\sa PSALMS OF SOLOMON L'^

.^^oiK* T^ K'Aui*»-i K-A^ivi^ ^sao „^^co OAK'S coAio»*A
>nii- rS'Alsa-io^ i_oc»A lax-o vviisa relsoi K-'ia^^ .rCcnXnS'
ia.o .ooeo ^iai. .ta. ._o«i*\^ 1\\ rCtiK-c^ .^^oeaiKta ^=?a
A\»J .re'oiW .^_ocnl .*iL*if<"i rdsaxflaj K"-**^!! i<lafl.*B
i_ococaAri'.-t coAvmCLsii-Ax.i rdii^aJaaJD .A_.r<'iJaj Vi^.l
rell\a>rC >.aj.\o .>^iujCC=ix.A».i Klipelsa ^ii.ioK' *Jt^4»p<'^

li.a .A^K'iau Is^ ALso.-i ^.-wss re:*iJS3 .ins^i^ .e^\_s.\o

.cnAvMCknjL.^.1 ca-suc^ ■A^pc'i w A pdavso ^tni .^oii.iore'

.^)aiiAo f<lx-eo* A^r^viOA A^i- rtfLiVsas toocisau'i

^ Gk. ciVdira^ (= Heb. mns). "^ Gk. ot Spvfi.oi.

^ Gk. ai/£T£i\€v (= Syr. .u^ir^ ?).

e-« Gk. ets Tov aliova Koi €ti. = Heb. lyi D^Jj'? ut supra,
f— f Gk. as in note '=~'=.

PSALM i2(=Ps. 55).
^99 o .rtL^A^o r«l^*aen K'ia.^ ^^ >_3e.^j.A cn^& re'-.i.sa'

.r«lji0COU i2L2w pi'iai^^ calzA ,cno^K' .rd.iL.si3.T ix^rdAaocoa^
."T^ras") K'icu .tMOsact .1.3^ ix^x..! om vyrC.i ix\^ r^a.M:=a

^\"° .re.l\."l rS'.lisa.Soa rs'Avi rcr-Ls>!i.»A ^ ix^

om*si v:b3^

=» The Syriac translator has had difficulty, as every one else, with this
passage : but it seems clear that he had a text very near to the Gk. wcnrep iv
Xa<3 TTvp dvaiTTov KaWovrjv avrov. It secms natural to correct this to wcrirep iv
a\a) TTvp dvdiTTov xaXa/tiji' with the Copenhagen MS. But the Syr. is clear for
\a<3, and it suggests KaWovijv airov by the clause which it prefixes (■\»soc.a).

^ i.e. ifXTT-Xrjaai (H) for ifJiTrpijaai (RJLC). f Gk. iKKOif/ai.

lO, II] PSALMS OF SOLOMON OSa

PSALM lo (= Ps. 53).
r^M cnA\j!\^M ^ cuAiicol . rS'.'ti^llrj .rS'Avti.a.i r^itt^e\r^ ^

r<'.floa..sa.i.=3 v«..^ r<'Aio.ieafloS .rtlsawH-a ,cDO.tri ^\ r^.t\^n

...^ o.icu r<txSauo7 .r<'^o.i.MLa r^Ux.'sa^ oosq t\ .m-ix-1 A«r<'v)a>o

oajsafloaaia r£.»\:s3^ Trwi-l rC.i.ii.fla.sq A.2b.o .rtf'.iii^M p<'A<.i^^

ii^ocn f<i*i.S3.i^ .rsl.i.sa.1 cnsozA ^unTi A^r«'ifia<.l rC'ivx.cilAo

^ Cod. ^A>o ^*^m-o— I . Gk. ef cXey/tu).

•^ 1. eKwXvdi] as suggested by Fritzsche, for ckukXio^ij of the MSS.

•^ Gk. adds o Kvptos. ^ Gk. to cXeos (= mnu, cf 14").

^ Gk. Kvpws rjfiwv.

f Gk. Iv Kpi/xacriv avTov and adds eh tov aiiava. S Gk. o ^eos.

•> Perhaps we should read ^mcv^cAin answering to the Gk. a-oitfipoavvqv.

PSALM II (=Ps. 54).

^\t iftt^Ti cwi^t^"^ .r<lzl':ui.l f<'i\ai.*.i*'^ r^Civia ^^*a3^ aia^
.caii^-cuaas A^r^'ifiou A.^ K'caAr^ ^aui.-i AA^ .K^'-jicin'w.i r^\n
^o reLuJ.'Wsa ^.1 i^jii.a.\ iV>mo rtlsaova ^nLx.iorc' >»3aj33

^ Gk, o-ij/Aao-tas.

Cnsa PSALMS OF SOLOMON , [9

Av.ir*' i.ii..no vvA\a.Ji.*.tv.30^ .^-.."T.Vf<'.T r<'.T..a..^_3 ■K'^jc^so
^r<ij» r<^.l K'AvtaAno .r^h\An^^\ .va-^.l i*\^ ocn^ .i^Ti'i'i-i
cnzSil.l rf-l».T .nrsLw oqa r<lAO.i^ .Ta.i>..1 Ocnc\ .r<L.iiO A<CU cni
.cn^ASO T.Jf<'i=> A-Sk A^. K'^Ojo.i.lvs ^\^ '^>cnoJL».T^° .rill .1=3 rel=

A\-S3^3 .''r«^Aio.i*:tcy»a3 r^lx^i.T cn^cn^M i*^ r^.^.1.=»3^^ .r<l*ijsa,i
ii^ aisa^'* .^Acn .^_ocni^ Ai^. ^x^r^lio A ,co r<'A\A<cf»r3.i

T»X. relnil.lA'^ . a!^*j.T ^AoA » T< r^ArC* .re'crii^M ^asjcl

VvAxaa-A^*' -cx^u.-i ^M-SO As.. ^__ocTa\ Aur*' oa^ss*^ rcAo vvvasa
AmK* rCttcno^^ .taaiAxip^" o.a^.1 rtlsn O.Vjj.i ^.aL.k' Asw T*^
cncnlptf' Tiwicv ,v*> .Axajjr^.T ocn vvsa^ ^mo i.^OTAr*' ocn
p<A.l • ^^2" vyJSa*»"i jiui^ rtA .J.*> vOu.l.l A^^*a .AjK'ifla.."!
co^-ivA Av-i-a.^ iv.iri'.T AJ^^a'^ . ptiaoia.^* ^•\»^ »__as3Vi

Ai.sij-nK' rilsaina'^ .>i^^ K'.sa.i^ rtfAi.A>S pcAo .r<'_.i.r>3
■ ^x^i.i cnA\aaL.i\=i v\=> ^XjinCQ.^a ^uo .^^V^ »^A\ca=ptA
rf.x.cn'^ A_.r<'iiJa.*.T rs'Avia Aj^ t<'JSl.»»S ..^^ajK* t<*'V5>3.t2°

^ Gk. adds Kvpiov. = Gk. adds kv i^a.yopiai's.

'^ Gk. ei^Di/cts. •= Gk. -xpiqa-TOTrj^.

' Gk. ora. s i.e. ou KaraTraiJo-cts, as in Cod. R.

^ Gk. il<s Tov alSiva koI 4'ti = Heb. ^J)1 Dpy?.

9] PSALMS OF SOLOMON SJSO

.r^-:^ip«'.1 rAsn .•» vi >onai.>-i.a r^oolrt' jj.i.'Hre'o^ .K'oalrC'.i
i_^enAvj_i.^ r^isaJiin^ r^xsar^ vy^" t<'ciAr<'.i tcnOfiOMO^

oqp Auk's A^^32 .^j,2)a\jA rC'TuaJW \f\^ax. ^o.ito .r<'cnur<'
.rtfA\ O.I Tiara A-»r<'T Oi i \ AoK" »^_j^.l.T .K'^CUK.lt.l re'colr*'
.•i-»pc'ifiii..i cni.-ia=3 TJAo3'^ .^UCUjo vrySiMl ^^ vrAcnrc'^s
^iXo ^imo .^2^ vfv^CLi^aacn.i A^^'sa^^ .K'^oa.j^^ao r<ltaMH=3
i^_oo\f<' ^i.=o r<'.:=ncn^ p^36 .AvJK" ^o.i-i AoKo .^-•A.Tia
«,.^_cn\r«' AurS'o^'^ .jai^.i ^x\.i vyrc* rdsasa^ ^gs-Vil r^JSol.ts
r^A ^va3^ ril*i.33 ^_J£sjjo acp vyA^.o .A^ j.ya ^ Aup*"
,^»X3 A.^o ^a\^.3^ vy.i'.i .,_oJr<' ^^X-"! ^^^ •KfsA'sn autj
.2k.<\AxAu r<\ .aaAfo .^doi^ K'oqIk' r<l>i.M 7i\s\ v^^-l=3^
.tcnoiaw.i KlMA^a icnoju.ia r<*i.»> oqa jjL:ixi>34° .>\^

" Gk. ifi.Mvav, (not as in Cod. R ift-iavev).
° Cod. om. TO Kpi/J-a crov.

PSALM 9 (= Ps. 52).
Oxutir^ .T2k .rCAui&CM rtl^lrtll r<^ i-iT-> A^K'ifliLi a%S .t^'
.scna.i ,eb r^A»oA<T» ^.» cuaAxx-r**^ i^_^cnaoia r<l.i.S3 ^
.AjK'ifla^.'l eoisars t^oqs Klsatsa^ »__ocqJass .rS'eair*'^ ...ocai
.vvAtOA<.lV=3 r^crAr^ j>:i.i\Ax.l \\*a3 .re'otAr<'.i cnAuso vyK"
.__ocn\A A-i. .r<lix«.i\ rtflli.i oqa Auk's Ai^4 .^,, ^ioAJ^

^ Gk. Kvpios.

.^O PSALMS OF SOLOMON [8

K'crAr^ ,-..1 r<li.^^ .)a.\.j>. ^JS9M >cnor>.l «^oealA=> i<'cnAreli

.oocn ^A&!\g4*S9 r<'ca\(<'."i crucion Avts'^ .^Aon jLs>. * rtfJsaJLn
cnA.aL3 cnl^acn^ oocn ^&.z..>.io'3 .jitAo i\T>.t ivA.-i ocn v^(<'
pe'iai= vyr^ pc'.jjl-j.-i or^'.sa!^ rS'Auiflo^^.l pfjss.tso ^^_ocnh\ar<sa^
. rtSo-Siik. ^ T>^«0 O.ia.::^ rc'A.i rCaa^^M anay- ptlio'^ ■rtf'r^'gB^
>jix.r<'o .K'Axaxik^.l re'-uoi r^cniK' ..^^ocni .^iso KlJcn A!^=a'5

A.^O Tiii.ioK' A.^ Klaia i.^K'.lo^^ hy^rdxxja ^rV.T rf-ii.'tpC'.i

.crA ovsartfo .r^h\aXM.s KlSk.irS'.i oxiiu.i ,ena^ir<'o^^ .cQV.ir^

rc'iv»»'ior<' cuo.x.o^5 .p«1»Ajl=j Acu^. r^^ .vy»ior<' ».xa^^'

oll^o ^nlx.ior^' A^ rel^'i^ cim^& .cnA<Qi \ s*bi\ kI'sqt:^.!

.r«lsa.lx-=j icncuLs.i T^h\±.s^ KlarC' vpv.r*' .Nvo^ .m.<iax.

aix\.t.^^ oriMK'o^' .rtf'r^lx.^.fls rs'iijt.ss jcnal^i ^oxaK'o

As. rC^AnoA^a ca^hvtr^^ ri'ooAK'.i AV^w^ .paljLiori'.i Qa>iciz.O

^i-^-^.i A_^.5>3^ ,^^cni 1 T I'i o.i.30r<'o^3 ^^_oroi\a,iiS^\_S3

rClLss vy"^ )aix-'iorc'fl crx>'icvsa^.-l r«l:S3.i o.'Ut.re'o .^rSlALsija

oocn.i «.__OJcn ,^_oen^i.ao .^__oeaAi.ri ArjoK'o^'* .r<'A\cU'ij».T

....ocoaotisK' .^r^.l vyK* ^..oenAxorfJsaj^ o.t-i.Si q™^^ rCA^ortlaaAp

'^ Cod. ex errore .^oi. n'^^ . «^ Gk. adds ev irapopy ut^l^.

f Gk. adds /xcTa opKOv. g Gk. 70 OvmacrTijpiov Kvpiov.

^ Gk. o'ivov oLKpoLTOv. ' Gk. iTrevKTi]. ^ Cod. ^(73oaUT^

'~' Gk. KOI TTOiVTa (Totjiov Iv jSovXrj. This requires that we correct \\ -n
to .^cv=>o.

m Cod. a=aiwo

7, 8] PSALMS OF SOLOMON .aSO

PSALM 7 (= Ps. so).

rtlA.T .K'ca\r<' ^__ajr<' ^iiu.i.i .\\--g3^ •^^'^ »_op^_ijao."l ^ ^xL.rS'
iiU.ii v^Lis^a AuK'3 .\^\x.:^a.a^ k'^o^t* ».__oeai\j >jl.o.1^

vyr^ V\i^ ruo rt^J-Sauijsi ocn ^K'.i A2^.99 .^t\ v oral

.^Ai:^^ ^rfo vv^cA ri'ixLi ^iA»o7 .^x.ft:^'' aca Aup^'.t A!^'M
.'^tcnOx^X^^ rdio ^qA.!)^! A^K'-iQa*.! ca2k.ivl »_a»»i\ h\ir^^ A.\^^
r<'..»a.A .aOAik^.i cn^xzil ^>jl=q\ vroi.ici2k..-i r d lDya ^xlo^r«"^^

* Cod. ^OOT-ilDOTl

'' Cod. ex errore jaa^n, cf. Gk. crii ivjiKvi oir<3 :r€pi rjjxwv.

■^ Gk. vff£pa<rincrT)7S.

■* The Syriac has dropped the following sentence : koX j?/i€i5 v-n-o fvyoV crov

[ets] TOV aiMi/a Kat //.aoTfya 7rai8€ia9 crou. ^ Cod. ^ma\^

PSALM 8 (=Ps. SI).
r<Ljt.^io rOius" r<lla .>i."|r<' >.^.sax. r^sifl.l r<liaO rO— \or<"
(^UfO-t vyp** pi'r^Lx.^Jto r^JSask..! relLa^ .rtlj.vare'.ta p^V^d.i

r^lin* .ciA .^^r^'.T »..ak r^LSL»r^^ ■ > 1 \ \ ixiiOK'o^ .p^vrj^ia
,^ >'i:=aaw >''i^ucr<'o^ .(<'&\x>.ts r^iu.>.v99 ToiLiorCl:! A\*>'aiiT.

^i^.i^i<'o .p^A^CLa^.iVs ..^cnAujiop^ » o^i^j A\vsaK'o7

a Cod. T^raiafl l' Syr. om. i4>op7j6r] i/ KapSia fiov. <= Gk. ^€ou.

r<l»3 PSALMS OF SuLAjMyJly " l-

reLxJV=> iA\*AvJ i-^is. ooAv-aiiOs'? .r«'A>caa.JaaJSa=a' rtl-iso^
asaXtt=Axr<'2' .VA»CUi*.TV=> rS'A^CUAfla.sa^ r ;^» » n°> ^° .col r«i\j*i."»
Ir^ijai.* 1^ vvAiOJii^O PC'Avii!^ rci_.T.»>.l ,eno\ii.l i*^
cuooo.-i A\»i i<L*v»i.i ctiAvmOJJlA^ ,03 ri'-^-i=>^ .vvA\a^laa=J

h Gk. Oeo^.

' Gk. (TvixiJiiTpia. auTapK€ias. "^ Gk. to fj-erpwy.

' Syr. omits by o/AotoreXcuTov the words Kal iv tovtw 17 cvXoyia To5 Kvpiov
£ts irX.rjO'iJ.ovrjv iv StKaioo'ui'g.

PSALM 6 (= Ps. 49).
.r«'_.iia.i cnsajt^ p^insA cozvA .i^!>.;».-i reLxji-a.^ ,ona.ao!\^'
^ ._^^HAvs3 en^*»"iot<'a3 .jai^^i pcL.'iss.t casax. i^.i^ .t^a^
cn^t-MO^'^ .cncnlrt'^ tcno.'wK'.i K'.viuk. ^i^^lSQO . r<L*i=Q ^i.vi
^cn T a >o .000 caL.i.i A^^^n .>^&^t^^ r<L\ rtLjJiVa.i rC'^z^^
^n^ ^eoiA\4» p<ll r<lSQ,n<.1 r<lxx.0^c=iO .rc'A^oicaia re'iai^^S
i.2>i\ cQa!\.i rc'iujkAiso^ .r<ii:s3.l ca^ojcA .M.a.x.0 cniiiz. ^ ^*\^

vyv=>^ .rCliiia ptf ' Asaaesao .ca= re'inaa.ss.T r<:xaj.i rS'AAre'.i,^

"^-^ The text is in confusion : we should read *ii\ui= , and add owaj
after fiw.ii\^. The words ora osLtv^ -^V^" ^''^ missing in the Greek.
•> Cod. T^tv=iiw=3 <: Gk. Tof) Oeov awToC.

"1 Gk. adds Oeov.
■= Cod. ^x errore ^^mriAjc

f Cod. ex erw;'e repeats ojX in passing from one page to the next,
o. s. F

S] PSALMS OF SOLOMON "p

A!i^'^ .oral AA<^ Aviri* ^^^^r** r<\r^ .^.1=i,!^.l )o."V=>3 Aa ^ .aflai

.^i.lAiA vo^io ^^\or«Ls7 .re'cniK' .vyi'.'l ^ijs ial oi^^AxsaA

vvaeoA\<= KlAa9 .''r^JV^.i ^jjojjAvi «<A.i^ .^isa vv:».in^ %iwaAvi,4»
•^_^'° .p^A\r<li vv^oA rSlAr*' . vyl^a jujii rtiA.T . ^iss vy^rS"
.A^^ ^r^O rS'coAr*' rC'ijjn:' vyA\a_\ r<L.i_'S3 ^°v.^r^ '*-'-^
AAxAa :va .Axjk" rCLaiia A\ik' r<tJCu\o V-l-^ r<'Au»i^"
rS'AvloArcisa cta-x^^SaA .r^-a.fla«i..1 K'^u^OsaA K'ia.'vrs r<''0^io
»-_os'a*'iJ vvAxal .^_cua.^i •^j<'o'^ .r«'Aia.*A» AaI rc'irs.ia

r<:itoiAv=>s oco ionc' r<lSisa2k\o rd.i3"ioilo r<ljk.\sial'3 ^^ ocniapc'

AupS" fc^rc* rClAK' . Aisq .'^K'-Xasj.IO pt'iMM^.i cn'Ufloo .K'cnArS'
. r<L»jL.^Q rtf'.'gitna.B even ^3r<'.-i A^'sa ,cncULi^^o'4 .r^LtVSn

ocn .. r^a -iML-^ao J^a* .,co r^.isoCL»xa .rt'-jtJK' iai i*^

"^^ i.e. /uv; /3pa8vvys, the Greek is /w.^ ySapwjjs (= TJaom "'^).

''"'' A paraphrase for iva jj-rj 8i' avayjo/i/ djua/DTOj/xev.

<= The Syriac here varies from the Greek {kol idv fi-rj eirto-Tpc'i/fjjs ij/^as, ovk
a.<f>e^6iJi.Sa), whether by conjecture or by the tradition of a better text. It
stands for koX jxrj OTrotrTpei/'iys a<^' -qfiiav, iva. fjLTj a^e^to/xc^a aTro aov.

d Gk. irivrp-o';. Cf. Matt. v. 45.

^-'^ A passage of some difficulty. The Syriac supports Ryle and James in
their emendation [(rqn^pov xat] avpiov. And it certainly reads <j>€i8(S. But
the emendation is unnecessary : Gebhardt's text is right or nearly so : iv
(f)ei8oT KOL 77 avpiov : omit ?/, and translate : ' Human kindness is scant and of
to-morrow : and if a man repeats a kindness without grumbhng, why ! 'tis a
marvel.' f Sic cod, Lege ^t«o^.=30 (=Gk. ■s-Xovo-iov).

^ Misreading Gk. ov as ov.

.\i PSALMS OF SGZZr^^TZTT, — ^^

cnivxa ixfliM K'ooruo .cnAiiaX Ao.^J ,cnoxir^ ^n^'ioo'^ .l&o'^

[reUi^"^] rtfla-iftii. ,.__o^jjl1^ .rc'Vi.^ss rdxjsax. ^nsn rfAa^.l

OV^.lA^K' rsl^o^ .r<'A\.\i.3 ,cnoi.vso .t<'T.^^.a rds-iK'.i
ov\jp^0^5 .^oaJL& ^\cn=3 re'enir^ ^.sa ciLm.i r^Ao .r<'cn\reA

.^cn 'i'°^t<L3 a.a.aaJ r<'Au^.A.&cn K'Av.s.JC-MuSa.s r<'AvSaJL=nA«
i__oenA»a5aj-snAi3 reltiss ,sa ^u.i.i .iVjptf'A ^^^caxsao^^

^.la^.l Aa r<'cn\r«' saoK'^^ .rdAci^.l r<l\cv.z.&»3 Aa ^ ^i^o

oeb peL.'i.'SS r<'ij.T v reli».is A\^ .K'^^oi^AvAxa rtU-saciW^

^_^cniA A^. v<^LsaA>i r<L»TS3 ».__ooeni^ K'AfCUn.ita i._CT»\r^

. vA ^jja.jjL'M.I ^aL> r^

^ Cod. «;«; errore ^ni°>fif).

' Cod. om. ^>i\. The translation is a free paraphrase of kv ^uovwo-ci
oTtKi'tas TO yrjpa's avTOV €19 d.vaX-q\^iv.

■" Accidentally omitted in passing from one page to the next.

PSALM S (= Ps. 48).

^*^n-.."l ^K* iu^=> .K^.vsD v^ai, .4jLiT.rC ,cnAi<' i<*"i.sa^
caiao'U. ^A=jo .pa»»V330 >»jaa3 Aur^.i A^Lja^ .rcLoa.lt vv*li'-T
r:i.\.T A\s34 .^133 j3aiM.4, pell vvA\cA rdi^rs' .1^3 rcliajjolsas

4] PSALMS OF SOLOMON -uA

co.VaK'o^ .KLii.T^ rc^.'i'VwX ftiiwaX >cna\sa=3 t^t na ocn
rC'rd^^fla.a ■iiiji'a ocno .r^ II ^3.1 vy>r<' ,ooaL^ ^i.Tool
rdl.-v K'^^r<' A.& A^^ >C0Q.'l' . s.^ .r<*'i'^-M.l K'^O-ajL^TJCl

ocn vyrti* .r^^o.i4*.r> rc'^xa Ada As>.'».\ AAao^ r^A\ ti-i .i
rdAr<l=j .artilfiajsaa.i ^Air<lA K'caiptf' ^ir^'' .rc'^vxta can Aul.l

.relziAJL^ ■ .i»T ^ ^^K'.t ^^^cQj.iT.'fc. r^'cnXrC f^A^^ *^tcnaJL>i.i
caL>.l KliflftM^ ..^^aii.iuo^ .,cnc\aii:^ r<lMio.rL=30 r<t.a^a.\^

^rc'^v^a A^i. tcncilJi^o" .rdV^ls rclAoOSaJ A\:a:a.l rd^r^Ls
rusoa Au :tM.i r^hca^M T<''ix.sa\ .r^ctu vyr^ r<'Ata i\T-i

i.i^s^ re'jso.T.i-'^ jiiA rdAa .relia-^.i rfAu^i.i r<li«iAa.^

.rcllo.^ KLlcna >Asai<r^o'5 .»^^.ia r<'v*»a a.i.i»3 ^vA.i rfAsosi
r^^cxui^.i r<l\sas cn^asiM::a\ r^.i\»tr< r<hus A^ ,cncua.2>.o
r^Cimh\ ^crA^ ^coa'^ .AajJL vyr^* cojc&j r^uL^^ss reAo
cai!U:930 rC'AxjilAva otaixi^M .vU^a.Of) rc'"Uw— a rd*v») ^coiusa^'
r^XM ,cno.&w K'Jiooa.ixao rCAxcviaJsasaao reCaril^a''' .r<'^>!\^ala

rtf'iux. >J»*"tA>4»o'^ .rd^oAwa cn^oix^o rCAxii srn cniuz. i^__oocal

"= Gk. 6V VTroKpiaeL ^wras ^£Ta oo-iwv.
d Sic cod. but read f£i:\aiS,sica>o

« The Gk. which has omitted Kptvovrai carried back the next words to the
previous sentence and left the sentence ec irevia ktI. without a head,
f Cod. ■I'iifiQo s Gk. adds ai'S/ao's.

•> Gk. ivUrjcrev a-Kop-rriaai. ' Cod. om.

b

\1 PSALMS OF SOLOMON L4

\<v-« e»ii*3^.i A\ *^ .rSL.i,so ^ pi'.iiAvss.i t<liuH rtlsacoJ r^'^

rc<^*re'^.l ii^sao^ .reC^iss^ col .lat^ rilisa.i '^rcT-iK' rci^flasio
i^^OcnuOTa r<'cnXr<' 73.1x3 ^.'sa K'jai'.IXS K'i'ix-^ .oalfliaa r^i^rfJ
A^sa^ .K'^vi^ Asi. re'AxiVjM rcLn.'.'.i\.i K'Avtaa K'Aui iiiy_ rill

r^^^.V* rC'V-i ri'\ I'l.i )a».5a.ri .ca.x.^J j3'vao9 . eoA\.^"iax..l
.rtfUfiui ia-^ Aa rtl2k.n5>3 rCl.ii>3a'° . rtLa.SkCVSa30 r^-saa^s

Aj^ K'm^^ AflooK*©'^ .cQJSiK'.T ru-S-M-Ao .ea= .•vA-»A\r<'.T
.ylCiu^ riL\a cn^Acv&sa r^Lx±s^ Ai^sao Aai'3 .jenaJLuA r^cn^
i^jto.i >Aosf<' i^.i^ pilAa"* .oqs >3LaA r^Aoj^.! i*^ r<li."t=3r<'

^~^ aTTOySXcTTtt) for airo/SXcTrei. "^ Kvpw; for ^605.

•^ An addition by the transcriber, due to reminiscence from the Odes.

PSALM 4 (= Ps. 47^).

.Ar^ifiOa.! cncnArdA AuK" v^VO vAavao .r<'caAt<'^ jXMTSia^

. yJrC' A^ ^ V^ vy^O^rt^ ^*r<'T>^0 .vOLAsas ^.>r<'T>^«^

" Either the numeration has gone wrong, or a Psalm 46 has been dropped.
The Greek shows that the former must be the correct explanation.
^ A marginal note says that one copy reads jaiuS

3] PSALMS OF SOLOMON o\

.SencXi^T. "^rcil.i^s ^^^^ .K'ii^a >Vs^ rfdrS" rdj.'u^'^ rill
r^isai aAi=s37 .rdiSax. mi^ ,.sa ^^^.tI .^^ni'.io .r<Ljx>i\ ocn

K'.&'j.'.lvX ^*jlJSo\o39 ^^_ocQ*."iiiiw vyre' re'-sall^i rCL\ci2k.\ .:k.i&saX
.f^'ji.n" .va.^.! aIj* p«'Aa.i.\ .2>.i&S)iio .rdicuw.i rt'.&^cvsa ^ss
.K'^aii.iLi.isa.saa oral ^*ia.l ^<(<1a rsijijsa oqp )axfia=>.-i A^sa^o
^t Aj^=3 ,cncv,2)9.iJ3 pacL'sal .,cnoQeLijA tcnasaAti vyK" .i as "ail
■:■ icno.TiL^ ^ >iLk,\ r«L>i99 oca vyia'^' .rdojco^a

1 The Syriac corresponds exactly to the Greek Koi/xt^iov. In spite of
Ryle and James' advocacy of this difficult word, I think it must be a trans-
lator's blunder. The Syriac itself suggests the emendation vvaiaiaj'n (and
lowers the proud).

■■ This looks like a corruption of f^nrari^ (= cJs dirtoknav) : but with
the added i^^^ it makes good sense.

^— = Cod. ^mai-a.'a A'^^-n

' Gk. iv eTn(rTT]jji,rj (read as im, a^-^/jLari?).

" The translator has misunderstood or misread the Greek.

PSALM 3(=Ps. 45).

.\.\~.sa .cn^oi-i-^-a li.x.^ix^rC'o i\sa\ .rC'coArdl '^ r^^.tu

^ The translator or scribe has dropped the words ipaXari [tw Oew] nS

eiA PSALMS OF SOLOMON L^

.cnivMCV.i3JL.^.-i coOJo-iAi j^a ojT^OJt.'^ ja.ficta.^r^'o i._aoas»Jt.av3 ^
A^ r<lLii_uo .rt'i^aaptl*.'! r^Lx.CLal ^*» reLano AviflaAA\r<'o^'
ocn *T<'Av*»cv.a.jcA\.i rt'cux' otaisa "Ausi.ipi'^ .rdlAa. .ai*» car»i
1.^ .sAut.K' ebi-acut- pe'ij>.,lr>'^^3 .re'ciArS' cqAs^. vJoirCi
.A\iii3r<'o rtflji-ssa .cna^r*" Avis-io ^vm r<lif<'o^ .f<l:^if<'
r^A^QXtAi t'sis .A-.K'iQa^ Aa_ i<L.i_» v\X*r^ A^Voorc' n°>{ir>

.v\v\pi= i__ocarj K're'^A^ reL.VS9 AuK' wj<[^ rSllr^ .^ta^^^

,CUj.i Kliao^ A^iwoAvi.fX' f^Ao2° .re'Vk.^ r<lixiA>.i cnicnaciz.
^ i>Av>o .^i^sa.i T<''io!^P A^ i.M.'sa.ra :»^ cni:^^ rslaiia" >i

cfxAa>K'.t A.\^32 ia-as AvAo .^<'f<i.^^» r!''ii.-,3 rt^.Wj^ As^.
r£\ t<'A»'V4»a .ocb r<lJtJr<' i=j.i .ajtAiAir^ ^^ "^ .r^Vw^

B We should reslore _OTOaE.on=i which answers to the Greek KaTaTraTijo-ei.

^ Cod. oj-i^joo '-' Gk. jbtiTjoav So^ijs.

>= Cod. ut videtur -»ro^-i:^-=3. ' Syr. om. /aetci /xiji/iVtus Kai.

m 1. ,_oA3c.i<iiT\ (Well.) to agree with Greek iK^iai.

" This answers to the unintelligible Greek tov Akv.v, which Geiger
explained as a misunderstanding of imb in the sense of ISl'? (to destroy) ;
and which Wellhausen explained by taking idx"? as a late Hebrew form for
T'P^ = -|''pn^. Cf. Hos. iv. 7. ° Kv'pios for Qt6<i.

p The Syriac evidently had opiwv, and not as Hilgenfeld suggested opUv.

2] , PSALMS OF SOLOMON .ll

.ri'enXrt's tcncO-ama ooeo ^« nsls&^^JM o .p«L.i.S3.i ^crxjt.."».nJSa
.>A5>3 ^,_air«' o.Tx. axiMir^s" .iaipe' reUoo A^^W^ .r<'A»a\cv^s3

reLioi-x^ cn^iso «»xi=3^ .K'Axiiji^ rdsas^ a^^r^a" .KL.'vsa

K'iuua.i A\^5 .rS'.TMt^K' ^_^ca*l=>o rtflaioo rtlLi^^ .,cnosaMi

aa^. rtfA.i A\^" i.^^lK' AvAnori' r^'.Sw'tK'o .dvisioi rCliSai.
.^ocal^ rd:^ir<' >i..ii<.lo" .o:«a.^.l vyr<' mAsi. XJp^ Tj Aa
rel^MO,^) ;plz.iOr<'.l ooiJLaA OSai.AK' .r^cn\r^ re^a^.tt vyxxy.l
re'aen TJa.^ .K'ocn vsjL.i ^sa A^o'3 .re'ivln ^w .cisci^a

c\t aoJA r^-jcjsajc. A-inol .oocn ^.la^. ^.^cucn :^r^^ vyr^
.v<^iX>.i vy»r^ ^relSoA^^r^ ;ialz.ior<'.i cniu-ao i.^_oooA<oAa^
tJaoTli .K'^O.jjiA'iz.i reLiAg^O-MLS ^<cnz&J trtflso^ ^Alcn.i aVm'^
.pelii-sa vya."i\t<' ^.1 rtf.iK'^^ .^icn Av. ^.:i-l^ «.sxjj'io
A^^'7 .rtf'otArtf' vv^CUK.lt vvLld.Ts.l AAp»i .vnA.i cn^o^i^

<=">= A double translation to express d.iropitpaTc...ii.aKpd.v.

^ Here the division of the sentences follows the Greek MS. : ovk eioSiOKev
avrois TO kciWos rrjs So^tj's avToC " i^ovOivtoOrj ivwTnov tov 6iov. For the
emendation (Hilgenfeld's) of the passage (ovk cvSokiu iv auTots- ro KaAXos i-^s
8o|t;s auVov [so Syr., not av'r^s]) see Gebhardt in loc. The Syriac ^^f^
appears to be a rough translation of evo'Soj/cei'.

= ^^arf n -"t^o (Wellhausen) to agree with the Greek -qTifiuiO-q.

f The Syriac has twice ^auSii^ for daaira^, the Greek word which is
found in Daniel as the rendering of mna : eio-aTra^ must mean ' together,' and
the Syriac must have very nearly restored the original word employed by the
Psalmist.

.^ PSALMS OF SOLOMON [l, 3

PSALM I (=Psalm43 ofMS.).

Avajt»»A\r<'o3 .re'^OA>.i\ AvAssaAirS'i A^» i*^ ^lajsaij .rdaiu.i

.riL!>.ir<'oQial .acaiA^K" i*^ «._aeniA»C«.^'* .r<*'i'.\ 3 .i r«'pel\atti=
aJsaa'iAxAxrS'S .rtL;^ir<'.i oa^o.fiaA'^ r<l.=n.T^ i___ocoAujaaJt.Axo

■:»<'A\oi<'-2>a\^=> r^'-.iio.i coi^acn^ ore'-.sa^o i ocax-sa.TB.i r^Isasiik.

^ -^V" '^ superfluous, being repeated from the previous clause.

^ Reading iaxaTOiv for €<T\a.Tov.

<= Here the Syriac has dropped a sentence, corresponding to the Greek
ov /ii; TiiauxTiv, ^Koi i^v^piaav iv tois dya^ots auTwi'.

<• The Greek here has the difficult, if not unintelligible koI ovk ■^vijKav :
the Syriac appears to have read this as koI ovk eyvoj/cav. We should perhaps
correct cti>.n. fiXn to a^-n* t<^o

= Cod. ex errore „_oo>i»3ii.o

PSALM 2 (= Psalm 44).

oocn ^&x>.isqo r<l>-iaka.i rclsosa^ v^ms.tjm A^. aaii»o^ A^Ax

■> i.e. KartySaAf. For ■rs;:^rii^T^i.^ r^a(^ ■K^TiSi-^ , with great beams ; and
cf. .(4^5 (?/' Thomas, pp. n5.ja, ctjSld
''— •* Ttt ayia = the Sanctuary.

o. s. E

42] ODES OF SOLOMON j\

ODE 42.
Gau'ior<' Ail. |.\^^re'.i rC-^^A rC-fiaxn ,^(\^xz&3 .,cn enif>K'
jAci.Ti .^jnoQiA c\ivx:=Q^ .|.\ ^i-\wS3.i ,__aico h\o\ rCoenrC'o .>!

vy'<'^ .>3ftM.T cni-x.! ^._^>oni\s AvxjajiK'o^ .»^^k»A ^x&.ii.t

-Lsk. t-aOM KllAcn'^ .reLlAvij Av^a .m^Aosi r^-iOA.^ vv.rc'o''
rtlAo'4 .AxiaAxQore' ^r^ AvA'Avflopi' r<A^3 ^^ ^jjj2a»cn=i3.T ^AaK"
r<'A\aj=aa'^ .Ax^o.iAtrC'o «jA\vm AciiX-'^ .».W. aii ^AK" A^.aaK'
AtAvijJo .cn\ Auocn rtf'ii.^ao (<11m'7 . >.2i12^ <<'r<lJL^fiaA o •J.n^Atr^'
KlTiio r<A_^io^^ .Kt^-^nciit. cars K'acn AuK'.i r<Lsa^ casa^
A\.idL^o'^ .».&o^i.& oi -iiMSaA cu*.^x.r«' rdl.i A\p±a .,Ai(<'
K'Axa&tts «^_omsa2b. AvA.i.=nQ .,cnoA\.A:sa^ reiJLu.i K^Avz-cu^
,Ata\ cA^eoio^' .>.'sa^Ava A\^=j re'ocai kA.i A^^^ .r<'A\lM
.'va-^b.et .k'ctAk'.i cists »x1cvm ov^aK'o a.ii.ao .oAxx^a.i ^.^ojos
.><lAft.g.M.i r<'iafloK' ^ ^Aj3.&T<'o^^ . vvAtOSOxfios vyr<' ^^so^
p«Ai Tx^ J.*v*»^^ .vvA\aA jia^j cn.=3.i f<l2b.iA\ ^ ojAvAo
Auk's A\^ .v^osk. ^j.jj Are* jj"iaA\i^ ...^^ass vA ^inAxsa
^^ocQ*.i A *-, Avsox-io^ i^ocrAo Au>.^z. ^.i rtf^p*"^^ .^oi& oqp
re'^cAXcn i__ooa*Av.r<' >.L.io .^^aJK" r^'irtlij Aa.i A\^^ .»=az.
'^ Cod.; ut videtur, ^^thti, probably under the inHuence of the preceding

reli ODES OF SOLOMON [40, 4 1

ODE 40.
>a.\ rf.aa^ rili^oo^ .tosev'n (^^a^=>9 r<'oa\i vyr*** .,«»-»'<'
.ii^J con rell-oio^O .A.^A»Au cq=i rClLjj.io^ .cnrj r^ieoi

^ Cod. cTii'imeuo : the emendation is by Charles.
ODE 41.

i-Mvi r^Liea *\ -^ .>cnciia cn^ol « cv^.l'^io^ .cn^ai:=a>en.i

.3oa>.i acp ai*snh\Q .A icosrc' rf-si '^'^^ r^j930..>4 .cnjjLjjcsaa
cnsix. A:^ rc'.TM.&K' ^V& Ax&cn rc'o^x.i^ .cnAuioax.^ ^^ ^
.cnicncvis ^ji^rtf' »^_jcnua^ .onito,a,\p3 >cna.<iai.io .rcl.iio.i

^o:vi^ .r«i.sa.'sa*»<lao rtflAls ca=>o.M=> »^ ^AoA i^^^^ooAuo

A\^ .A ^Vu.l ^x\.*rc'«^_oea\A »_^iin.iAu^ .reiiisa."! cn^.i ^

>jiA>4\rc'a .vyAJsaAxrC^.i r<'iua..^'3 ,;^^t «S i p<iA_ito.»j rtfAo
rdxAjSSCLXs ,V*»A<r<' r<'.:M_>i.99.l oot.3^4 .cg.V.ji re'AxCViia.'lts
.A\ocn ca=j y»^:^Il.i.:x^ >cn r^Ausa ^ .jjj.t p^iencoo'S ,,cna=it<'.i

^ r^A«.TM r^Au*aax.Af .cnSaJL.i r^ivjtB ^qAa^^ pCAvx^J rtfUiJ.I^^

.«<->ajAcn .orA yi,3.ijL.aq.i ^\^r^

39] ODES OF SOLOMON A

.co&vao cnio^K'o ca±nx.r^Q .r^\tx^ )aa> i*^ oco'^ .>A=>^
«<lL»o o^^o ji-fiore'o jisa.^'^ .^ocn >A-^ ,cao-ir^^o

r^^a^ls^' .on^a^flo.-l K'^^'icLaso os^O^^^xa .cnijjAaaso
r<l^:i:sa30 .cn^a«^.l rC^a.m i.% x ao "^ < • *nTi r«'iv->r<l<

ODE 39.
>cno.\^. ^ifionsa.i ^A*r<l\o^ rf_.v=»3."i caL^ rtf'-ii.x^ r<'A»0"icQ3'

ca9ax.=] ^TTS.! ,_aJen."i r^-»j'iar<' Kl^ooo r<'A\T<'o^ .000 r<^\sn
,_^oj-<v ^o . ,caUA!k..io r<lsa>V93.i oosax. Ax&oa axal^ .r<l>i.=a.l

^._0^ .■«v-'^\ A»«»i r<'i\0'ical ..^ oocol .vw .Oocuo.tIaii rtflA.i

^_S3 »^_ajr^ i.-a.^o vAcno .cnAi\'=a-B KL>i.93 »^_ajf<' ^x.\^

rd&sao r<l^£no'° .r<''iijc.=> ^^sa.i t<Lfltt.*..n vyK' ^oa>^<r^
rO*AZ.99 ^^i-^n.-i ^.1 cnAvaia^.0 . r<\ V \^ oocn ^aJ±aai^A\.:a
h\Siixa»h\h\r^a" .JJiit^vsi r^\ '\t^ . iV'^ A\sq r<lAo .^xiK' ^sajis
(^i\AAcrA ^i.SliL.1 ^_OJca\o .cniAvs ^i is .1 ^A<f<ll KluioK'

•\^ ODES OF SOLOMON [38

ODE 38.
rS'lTX. ,J"»r».ia^ .K'AvaA'isoX.i vry^K' r<''i'vi,.i K'lcncuA iuAfis'

>A K'ooD re'AaS ,oen rc'oen >cnaA\*r<' pc'ivr.."» A!\^ pdiJ^r^.i
;pxsi.s ^j.L2l rdlo^ .^ocn vpAoaJSQ cn-^sas-i ooaJO.TAm

.K'Ai— iiA* rcUiior^Ls ps'oen AtrV ^1 K'iii.^ .eni ^ocn t^:^ir<'
.^^oal^i >.\ rc'ocn r^A.tx.'sa .cnl ^ocn .^:i^ rdA.i ;p.i:sal^o^
,m rc'A\aii.»j.i'^ ^T^db.i .^^aios r^.vii^o K'A^cu^^.T rtlisasaflo

i>Ar<lx.a'° .AsLu^MO Aa.Mi.si.1 r<lJ&VMO rdiajjiusa.l K'^A^
.K'Axa tsy^ o r<lAi*^\'w cudo A i-sarc*© ^Acn ^^.^aJK* ^.i K'iixA
^l3. > «, r ao r«:=al^ ^x^\,.»>o .cn^V&^o r^Cita^a ^j.sa.iAvS3o"
.^_ocq1 ^i=)CTi*a'3 .r<'A<oAuLSaA r^reLl.^QtA ^•vbo'^ .coA
^___ocno\i*ri *k ij ^i.a^di.S'ao »^_oenA\A*ai.i r<'i.'sa*» ^^ o^.xJ.i

Av5>iik*»Avp<'o^5 „^ ^j^a ^^^ p^_^ o^^ .^-i\ ._^ca=) AvA
Airs'.! Al^ss ^x^A h\^Xi,a .r<Li*L\,5>3 ,.Tit<:.=3 AvVai red.t rsiire'

^ Sic cod.

1= An obscure passage : the MS. appears to have ■,<:^evA^T> which might
be resolved into ■rt^^£\iAu:\ (fear: so Fl.) or into ■rtiA\cuiuT> (sweetness-
so U.-S.).

<= Cod. ^naSi (the emendation is Nestle's).

35—37] ODES OF SOLOMON jjA

ODE 35-
yi^ar^ re'-sal!..! rciox^a^ . Jli. Aii^K' K'AvjjLJirs rC-.iss.t caAua>i'
A<oq3 rdiuicxaisS .^3t las >\ K'i^^in ^ocp.i .>.x*i ^sa Aik.\

'^"^^ tr^ i»Av.oS .Kli-vsi.T coia^Axa ^ocn rtflli. rtLirfo
ca.5i3r<' ^ r<ijJj^ vyrS"©^ . rC'ivflar^iuc. ^S3 i.>^o >.\ r^ocp
0Vi3id\t<'o7 .rtL.i.in.1 cnU^ rtfl^a* >1 ^co^o .^ocn ^^\^i\=a
conlofiaa ,xir^ Avy^T°>o^ .caAA:93<\x.a ^Muvi^^rt'o en Ava en ccsia
.r^-^aiAcn .endi^ai ^ai&^K'o .r^Lsn^xsi h\o\ ^^i^^K'o ■>y<>>a.i
" Gunkel suggests t^uiTo

ODE 36.

ca-iA-Saox. )o."WJ .r^L^-i-ia.-t crusaoia >-i.^ Jlj^. >jAvsaii3rS'o^
>J^.li*3 .en^T>.M\.l rdiaoAxa r^Lir^ .jjiaxJa .1^ cnAu>cuix.^O
dncasaivx.K' o^r^ r<lxjp<' in .ViO .rel*i.S3."! »TOCt^r<' po.Tn ^sa
^10 . reXMiiizjsaa r<li(<' .«jkaz:=n .i^'^ .K'cqAk'.i cnis r<'T>cai
ri'x SkCa .Klsa^ijsa.i i_*_^ en^oai vyrc'^ .p«'_i='io'i= r^liK*
.en^aA.taz.:a ^ >.ijjLg.'sqo .>j^.tm en^.iAM vyrc'o .>j^.t=i^

.rel^CkVlen .enAxcaisj.vsa.l rd-Moia A»iiA\x.r:'cv rt:sAx^ >sicu>

ODE 37.

.♦.Li i\Ja-.in:' rdsa^vso ^ciAo . ,tjso ^oA tx^r^ ^ \r " ^.^

.cnixcA ».Li A^l .T^ ,j.2wSU.o .>.:iA.-i cn^cL&fia^ ^ \V •a ao^

.scoaO^ .>.ij3a^.l r^irtia >\ .acn^.l .i^ol r<'A^r<' cttsa.\A\a3

.i<L.a.i\en .r^i-sa.l en^cuix\^3 r<l«ibjJ A

V^ ODES OF SOLOMON [33- 34

ODE 33.
cos ^iujklo .Kli"! w\ ^nnT.O rc'^oau.j^ .so^ ^A ox^qai'

ooi^Aflo ^ caLo fini.o r^-sai p<'_se*i j.:^ ;»jio3 .cnloom cnl^

iiisaa rtlirC'S .r^ri-i vyK* ,v*»A<K' r<\a .orA fti-Swiut.r<'.i
rdxiK' >JL=^ .K'i.'wre'o Kliioo r^'xi^'SSM .r<'A>i*5a^ rfAAoAxs

ii\^ mhxCLS^ .o.niaA^re'o »~scu>f>3ax.^ ..^o.-iarS'A^ rill Are*

K'A >»icvz.a\.1 ._a.ienQ ..Aunc' reliK" »^_a.:Mj.i" .rdJLacA^
.r^.!LaM r«Li^ rC^.TM pCL'sa.Li-.i «^_cu.nJ r^'ArS' ,L__asaA^Au

.r^LicAlcr) .>:ajcs »._aif<' A^Axpc'o

^ Sic cod.: as Fl. suspected.

^ Fl. suggests iei\Ti. I follow the MS.

ODE 34-
kA AK'^ .rtii^-z.^ rdaXM rel^K' Pt'Ax . t-c rtiUjiortf' ivA^

ocb cuoco^ .^u^\.i oeb.T cn^o.:a.l . •^^iat.i ^o.vss cna A\A
rcAri' >i.t.»i AuA ^M^\ .oqs AsA i-i-^ ^O-SxAa \^V ^
Au.l^AxK' r<'A»aa.j.\^^ i^^oQ= ivA re'A\^.T..i ^A^reA i -.A «fv.>m

31,32] ODES OF SOLOMON

Clti

ODE 31.
^ r^&oxM Aajj^K'o .r<l;Mocn^ t<L*'t.w to.tii »»3 oir^Air*"

A»A\a caiao.a3 .r<L*i.5>3.T eniix- ^Jsp du^^l^o rC^aAcn rdA
.cnsazl r<'^:u> pe'i\*»a.a.i.A\ Altno .r^^o.iMO K'A^ciaj^ Al^no
,_ajen relLla coA ^iao re'Jsa^'vsa i^aA caA_o )Q.*i»<'a4
.aca< T^li&cn.i Aa^'m .ca&o^i^ jj.THrc'aS .0000 ,cno:urcL=3.i
oIaoO o^iK'A^ri'.i ..^^Aioa 0.00.^^ .relz_>To ,cnA=>r<' coA

.^At^^K* rfA.l Vfv>(<' .^Az.c\ ^ii^z.c\ ifia.Aiio ^.<1 r^iir^^
i^_oeni\oi.i:sa AvLa.floo'° .p^ia,*5aa.a30 rd-Vlii;^ ^^ re'.i^ivra.i

f<L«oA.lcD ^_oca^i\.i r^laioaa

=» Sic cod.

ODE 32.
am Kl^v^ot rtfAn oeoo .re'-Sa.i.sa.i r!ix.sJ3 oAxms ^xjw4>re'.i

eo^ ODES OF SOLOMON [29, 30

ODE 29.

jixLfioK'a^ .>i?ni:Mi cn^o^re:!* ^oai vyrs*© .,.isa*it<' ,eoa2a*ji
.>.-l:w\;^ r<'^a.S9.i ca.93Cl^ ^^c^ .Acu>-x..i oi m^qg.:^ ^^

cti\^ ,0.wQ^ .r<L*T2a cuooi.t A jVmA^k'o .r<'-»V5>3.T a xitt.x.'sas
.cah\a.ih\i.iM^ pC'va^Am >A .scrl>o .or>icno.is >.iir>.io '^coii\r^
.a&^'»si\ rc'isj.^i rtliz.o.^k.o .r^^sasni^^ pg'AvaT.wsa lasT.K'.i^

rcl\ja.i..l r^msw vyr*" ri'oeno .cniuLsaa riL.T.50 »3J.i<^>.n\
enaiorCT A.\,?a .r<l5a*iiaA K'^vmO.s.x.^ Av=«ir.a" .r<U»oi eni

^-=' We should perhaps read y£a\-r^ A

ODE 30.

.r^i^^JtJSi AzxBoCi KLi'eo-, »^^^iA oA^o^ . »_aa.\ J4^^^(<'.1
.Tnjo am iiAx.1 A!^S33 .reL.i.sas cn2i.ctas»3 A^ cuxxi^^K'o

^S33 Ai^S otiA r<:siUM^Av.=a r«rA rtf'^io.a.i.i K'Av^v^^o*
.T^ r^AspS'o^ .cnsaz. f<L»i.S3i cnsA ,^o - n«\< rd^i.M.i mA»/ >e^<v.
'<'^^^-^»=' ^oa.A»rC.-| t<'J33.v>-0 .rCVM^OS rido vyAxttiJss irii

0. S. D

28] ODES OF SOLOMON .1^

ODE 28.
^iOfiA^-iaa (rT-saciaa .''^^caxi^^aia l^'' (<'_Jo.*.i p^i^^ vyri"
;anaa^sa3 . ^a\ A.:»- rt'.uoi.i >A^Ar<' r<'_l^cn^ .,jcaiJS>3Qa i\cA
.Ausa^cn'^ .oosaK'.i reLasi^a -ri'.i.t rcl.\o.^ vyri" .-ri'.io ^aA
Au-auen.T aeo ocp ^2)x»ca.m A.\^ .AujLxi^ixK' r^co A.\^^q
>l.^L&^ r<'.A rdaiuo .ocn cn^o\ >.z<io .».1&T.=3 ci&Ta.99S .cna

«^_a^nAlo^ ■ Kll. J. jj r^A.t >cna.^i^3 A\:2aAi»^A\r^O .r<ll.T=rs'

^^rC oi:S9.-i^r«'^ .>cn r<LxM.i A^-sq . ^Sasai t-^Lnl^jcss r^c\

f<ti5oa.\.\_o9 .rc'.ixaK' ,.» .T4* vyr«' »_oorA ^aVu^X^.I Aj^

^<ocn .la.^ r '^^^1 A\^'° .>A K'ocD ^A reLi-iA^.i A}^!33
»^_aia3 .rc'"'in.a ir^ni^ vyre* >Joi.T»jO^^ .AvxiAvsbrf r^^SL^
,0D rcVajjLSa.i A^^^^ . i^ocix. 'iia Aj^ ^AiK" pC'Av^.i* p«iA.t=.1
.Tuirc' rdi-sa ^.t rdiri'^^ i_^cfilAS..-t ,°>\ wT.sqo ^^_acnAu^.iAx
r<Ao'4 ,A^<\,\ ^f-i iviiAj »__oeoA<OT»'T.2aAo .^ iirai -) h\*aaa
,^o.T*L ii\^ r«A Artf i^^oooo.MK' Axaocn rslii AV^^m A>.T=n:'

) \ ^ cvocn ■ •**'l\5 Av.ptlii*V»o'^ ^__ooaii^o.i ^Jsa h\.^ach

^^.1 ocn.i ptliv^a.i .^.^^ 0000 tiA\.=3 ^^.1 ^-j-L.r^o^''

cnAvL^iAt ptfia.vjAvsa relA.T AJ^=a'^ .o.aaASal o.^-=j .^och^so.to

.p^_.a\Aot3 .r^ssn^M Aa ^sjo oqp iiuss cti3.io . (<:sL>Tsa.i

a Sic cod. : as Flemming suspected.

t>— b = iTrl jyj iavTuiv voa-a-ia ■ cf. Luke XUI. 34.

<= Schulthess suggests tiinL^^:> _ '^ Marg. ^»oq2j

A^ ODES OF SOLOMON [26, 27

ensajta re'-u-sos"^ Auoeoo" . ►\iinftii .^ooAa >!-»> olw.-io

^ Cod. ■^<i.•tem^

ODE 26.
AlajK-O^ .rdire" coL.i.i A\s3 r<L.val K-AuiCinx-Ax Au.irS"' ^
coiAvijaS .ocp cnA\ol ►ai.l A\50 .cnLi K'Aut*V> K'A^'UMt
cnA»cA re'.s^r^* .otujlU.i rc'A^'iiiOl ^Viu r^O ..si'rds i»iv^
.>sa.ia3 ._pofA^ ^ ,cneu.»JVS9ir«'a 4».ajt.r<' .».aA cni& ^^
.,03 coL.i rc'AujcuajLA^ pe:^Vk.2o,\ reL5o:iik.o i*^ pdjjj.-tso ^»^
^o7 .r^^i.io^ ,cp caLi.i r^lisi^A r^jso.o^o r^j-sajo* ^iao
.ooD cnX>.i oni\ "tafti. »^_oenA\ijjA r<l:S9.T:^o i^.5aO"i.i i^Lx^i
.^crA re'io.T cuA-sa ops' .rsL.iia.T cn^'iA^sat .=i^v^.i a..iJsa^
0.1.513 or«''° .eoT^i tjai&^^.l .reliijA cnz&l ri'-ii.-l OXSa or<'9
tf*-.*-" (\i.=>3" .cnsscxa ^ Aisu.-t .rfL'M^^.ss A.2k. .ULxl^^ca.l
^\iA\A«,.so.-i oco i*^ A.\p»)^^ .r^j'VW.i en ^1093.1^ ^oX^^'"*
.2^:^:50.1 i-x.\^ ji^i»'3 ,^^Ji4»Avia.T even ri'ocrua .K'iAxjtJ

.r<l*Cc\Acn .coA

^ Charles suggests ~ ^— 1 1^ (I will pour), which is an improvement.

ODE 27.

Ode 25, V. 10. Copt, 'remoti sunt.' 1. cmo^^
V. II. Copt. om.

2S] ODES OF SOLOMON

•"^^^^^^ AAuSoI rCocn A\A."i A \^»^ .rs'oen iiflQjj.i A ^. d
w^oeoAAs ..itdopS' k'^slZmsq reL.i:s3a^ .i_oc\,iij.i vy*K'

■^ Cod. A^:\

ODE 25 [=Pistis Sophia, pp. 148 — 153].

A^S3^ .,ea-W ^uai^ vvi»<vAo iia^aorC ^.sa A\_i^A_aA\K"
^olardA iiA&3 .^., r^^.^s^aso rellnitxa..! rdjj-sx. Av*ocn.i
v>^o^i&.i A^^ .,cno..>V3jn:' Kll ^o^o^ .,.ia.aa.\ ^j-saici
AJ^AX.^^r<'^ .\f\h\o.a^^ >_i r<'ocn jji^.i ocn K'oen t.si^

^MJ^a >=> K'ocai rcAo . >.LsaJ3o r^o >ix:=a.> ^so ,A ^.mj»
^ia.^K'o .>j&ea>ir<' vo„a:sa>.i A!^^^ .r^iijcsn iJccLal ,0.93

Ode 25, V. 7. B.-L. read tC^^ for *^a

V. 8. Copt. ' et texisti me sub umbra gratiae tuae et superavi vestimenta
pellicea.'

r<i^ Ot)ES OP SOLOMON [24

msa^ K'oas h\^r< re'ifiK'o'' .oxA^ ^ocn rcL.Axpi'a .cn^la^

r^jjLaCtn.ao.1 ^\;^u K'rtL^CUKo'3 .col r<!afiix^SQO ca\ if»ocn rc'l^u
.r<'p^-ju^j» r^Lii.^. ^iny ^u^o rs'Axaicoi dixTJ^j^o .oocn
A^^ .pelL^-i A<a\ K'jtii Aujj^* .k'^*^^ f<L*»ior<' ^n.-in^k-o
ri'oen K'if»f<'.T ^.vsao .r«t.i^j~^ drt^op^ rcli^i-A r^-so.v^s

^^^vcniA ^jS cuji.ssK'^^ .ri'Kli^jje.l r^h\-\rtt.-a ^^ ^\1^3^f<'c\
r<'crAr<'.T cri^^^a rtt^^^^.l .rS'Avai K'^vua.i^ r<'A>i.^^ ^.T

.r<L>cuicn . ^ I • 7 i\ s^'aiL.A a,.%\.?gi.S3l .r^x..iai3.i

" Barnes suggests y^i\'r^, as if y<^'\ were repeated from the previous word.

ODE 24.
drfV93\0 .ctA K'ocn re'jt.i.T A!^^ . r<LM.AZ.S)9 Aa. AvmT^^ r^JO.*'

(.i.s>~xj oocncv .cufla^A\r<'.T'^ (\w^&^r^ r^LMOcn^o .cooicuxa
.^OonA ^co.Axre' rfAo'^ .^^jA-i'.i ^ - x-icw vyK' rC-aVSiA
Q.S -i\o ^ .re'oeri »__ooriL.T rc'oqa rfA.i'^ AN-rp .rc'AAoArtfsa
r<'^a.ZM.tn ,CQ= o.vpps'o .VeLiVsas 00^30.^=1 f<=nocn^ f»^

» = iwitTTri, c{. Gen. i. 3 (i'is>a-=v:D) b Cod. o.nn-\^T^o

■= Cod. 1^:^ ut videtur.

23] ODES OF SOLOMON A

• vyjiore' i>ocn r<Lia.M r^A.i" .r^Li»t\ K'Axo.li.iri.aa ^oa>o

;p.vsa.\.^ K'iAi.x.is .rc'.Va.ijL^ w^saA-Sk-l hy^^r^ v>^Q^i.&o

oixL^o .vyar<lA )oi?7i\aa ri'Avaorfivx. pC'oenAxo^^ .^.im^o
■ r^ all en .Ktzl'.ta.i pc'ijsai^ia Av*3 ^ocno .vv^o,^y.:n h\.xXs

ODE 23.

..^K* r<'_\i<' .cdxsjiai 0.1.330 .,m r^.xa.^ K'Aio.a.iX-^ ..Ta*iLV=
.ocD t^JLa..^l T^^cu*^ .AviXiia ^ ooxl^ ^Li.^^.-t .^_ajcn

^^ >CnOrdXJ3.1 »__0_iCO •^.J^ rtfliK' ,mn . V -1 \ 1 Oil_SJO

.r<'a\i.^j^ v^,*^<' otocn cnoxaxMSao^ .cn^:^.V-i r^-Awaxio
^» rS'lpiL^ vyK* iaAut-rCo .rtlsooi-so ^S9 Avjjj caii.= _k
re'_..-t*r<' p^A^i.^^ Aj^ ►^en"io^ . r^ii^na re'.iAvx.sa.i r^h\xa
^Jsa Ikayj^Ci'' .ca*\ajsi^a .a.iia.'salo °>^w ^ai .r<'^T<U.^j]o
A^sa^ . on I \ ^1 r^JSJ^Kst (^c\ m.i.33 oJiu.io ^_^on^:^^
Ti^ r^-iiM .cri.^a^M re'ix.sol »._ocnl p^ood ■\^^i\i r<A.T

o,i\r<'5 i ocaJLSn K'ooo i^^jsa r<l=aA\M .is. r^aca Aurs*.!

r^-X.K' ^^_fti^."U.i .cboor^vu.i »._^co K'Axi^re'.i coiA\= ^.i
^«.l rtfli^^J" .oil ■s'aiT. AlJSa.io .oA K'iii oj-sa.io .r<l>iz.

Ode 22, V. 12. Here the Coptic texts have gone astray, under the influence
of the Gnosticism in the mind of the writer, who brings in the ' light ' from the
story of Pistis Sophia. The text of Schwartze is ' et uti lumen sit duplicatum
iis omnibus'; and the Gnostic Targum is 'ut tuum himen sit in iis omnibus.'
But Petermann notes that for 'duplicatum' we should read ' fundamentum.'
This brings the text nearer to the Syriac, which may be taken as correct
in these concluding sentences. The Coptic ' opulentiam ' for the Syriac
' kingdom ' is an error which Schmidt has corrected in his German translation.

\* ODES OF SOLOMON [2 1, 22

ODE 21.
."icutopc'.T A^Q^Q r^xsn^ cniiu\ .rC.sso'iJsal Aaaiir^ >^-"i.T'

, ,T<\< A\aA rfJsn.TcD |A ooeno^ .K'icncu ^znlo rd^cutw
rilLapc' Pt'.J^oK' pe'\.AK' .rclarilA «^__Ocnj Av^^ .-T-^
. re'^vss.l on^a.ZMSa >A ^ocn r^^jji.i^iJM ^r<'T>^*o'^ .r<CzM

pCliK' jASJc^n :»^ cai rOK* .a^ia Av»ocoa^ . ><T)cL^r<' ^.m

.r<l«aucn

" Cod. ^^

ODE 22 [=/'w/z'j Sophia, pp. 154 — 160].

vyri" K'ianoK'.T r<li^o.x. ,.A ^crL>.-i ocb* .>J.'.1 tA.sLao
Pci.^.ai..T re'.VxiAA ,s.Vr<'.=> .&4Jjao.i ocn^ .,_^cur^ r^vLr^.i

K'ooD vyva v^x. i^rc* A^ao .>.j^i:i.^o ^.=a^ ^ocn

vvSire* Av.cut.r^cv .'^r<'A«A= enA<i2al^ v\,ix^a^ ixVaw^ .^A

^S3 ,__Aip^ ifu3\a°* ""^ ^-sa*oaiM.i ^^r<lA rf-M'iorc'

ni'.sa'i-^ A\aiaaj9 .rih(Lsn ^_aj »._cup<' Au.i-^o .re''"i.a_n

^ 1. T^'ano. Cf. Copt, et docuit me.

•=— '' Copt, verunum hujus qui dicit [malum]. '^ Copt, liberasti.

Ode 22. In V. 6 the Coptic 'in omni loco circumdedit me nomen tuum '
requires, as Schulthess points out, that we should emend wwt.=3 to »/wT>a.
So too Diettrich.

20] ODES OF SOLOMON .*».*

• >\'W (<'ovuj j\;bi.s KLiO .^OCD Avjr^ni °>.co t<'oen r^l^.l

h\y^c\ .K'iv^'iaAa'^ i\^Mr<'a'° .K'nili..^ re'.j.TMOrtf'_=3 duao

<= Cod. i^mno^-i

ODE 20.

onio .r^K* »._^«Ai5a oqs cnAo .,Av_.r^ r^L.i.ia.T r^_ictiA^
vyK* T»^ h\am rtl\^ .cn^a.ZM;».i rC'-iaicui Klip*' .3Tn.=a
»._aicn vyr*" rtlAarc' .cnAvaTusa r^TAoa vyr<' re'AarC .KlsoV^
.iCT3 r<'^aja^.l\ r<L<TJ:a.t cn.i.sio..i3^ .^^r^j'Vfla.a ■ ■ w, ^ "ii

KIIak'o .^vy^saa^.t r«di.sa.\=>'^ r<Ui^0.l peUjaAx rfA^ . KlxJ^i
.rCjaofiou r<lA.i r<L>V=>3.l cnAxftTLi^ ^.1 T^^A^ .coxflsio^.l

^^O coAia.'saiM -n ^^ A.^x^i\a^ . r^^UMClja-x.^ vyjsa.va
. cnAxcci ni W.I (<'&vjjaaju^3 r<'ivz.=i ._^.i^o .cn^oaiA^

»— ^ The MS. has vyeaj'a ri=n:\, which is clearly corrupt: but «^xsa is
repeated by an eye-error from the previous line, and the correction of *i=n:\
to y^issnrt is obvious and easy.

U ODES OF SOLOMON [l9

.Ax.JK' .^..T>' rSLi rC'^O.xi^'Vioo .v0.a3<- r^ilsflCUt. jcnoox^K'

vyK* Av*i.»»4<r<'a''* .vA t<l:»-.T* .»cn riA Are'.i A\s3 i<Ak'^3
cnA^. ov'^floo'^ .r^J2a»s cn^cuios vy^o .r<'A\.^."»* r<A rC'io^.

o,^i\i\r<' «<Aa^7 aaxuA^K'o ^2b..-T'.i ^xUK* cx^.TfO .ojsiAx.floK'o
Aaj*.^^'^ .K'.sojiJM.i enAv«A.iA\3 Qctco.i A\^:a i__oooAiax»».'sa3
cAVss f^.t ..^ aieno'^ .K'A^o.isA^s aooo ^A^cn^a.i ^A<r<' A^

ODE 19.
r^b\A J. \..ijL-3 en^-t^-z.K'o . >A .a'i.ii^re' rtlsA-u.l r<Ll3a-& '
.a\.i»A\r(f.i 0CT30 ,cnoi\*r<' rC-fla^ p^ia^ .Kl*i.=a.i aa^asausa.ss.i

AiwAv&'^ .crxnlM rC'.iAvz.i A\.<rcla.x&flo.i rt'oon r^.:^.:] Av.'sa crAo^
>cno.iAx ^iA<i relrtAu Av.^v.=QO rt^LicVnO.! r<^Moi oiao.^
.^_aJcnoS .^ji>^:i> i<A .i^ r^-MlSt-A rt'-AAou AxsooaO .r<'.ar<'.i
K'AxioAva.i oifloi^ A\^^^^ .(<LlA.»L>.1 ^^^Olr^ otxi.\soa.x.rj ..-if" n
r^'.^sauHa p<'AAoA\=) r«'_5ar<' A\acno . A\.A'C\ reli^.s Avaxajo
l^'saci^ .ai\ ^r^A r^A.i r^xja A\.iLo AAriMCv^ .rc'r^'.I.^a

^ Cod. 1^0. Diettrich and Flemming retain the MS. reading.

*> Barnes suggests iiva^, which might answer to the 'infirmatus est' of
Lactantius : but query, as the passage would still be uninteUigible. Batiffol-
Labourt suggest an original eTreVriy. Cf. Gen. i. 2 : in which case we should
have to add .^ before msa\^.

O.S. c

cu

6

'^] ODES OF SOLOMON

viMa.x.0 .cnx\.ajo.i. cnia^ rCjaa^ijai a=io ^ n^ocn .i^.v.i oeno^

.ooen ^.^irxMri-.T rcr-A-HAx ^u^^o cnAvi\en.i reU.iorC ^^ .sea*
TTSkA^r^-o .bA,A>i A*.1^ ^*.T n!d\T2l .re'A\i2k.T rsdicirn A«Ja\o9

»_^otAa. Ai_ Av^Dco Atrc-o" .Axaoos .Ai^K' K'Jre' )o.t.5>i\.A.t
iiflor*' .OA T-ini-A jaaajt.re' relVl i^^aipf ri'ij.ai\ txl.itr^'^

Aa^ .aiaiaAxn^a ,A^cA cxx.iaA^re'o'* . axuo A*.t nj'^a.io.rs
^.r*i vA ri'AvuCiax.Ai'5 i^_^cTaT*i Klarfa nttarj.Tcn A oocn.i

.r<l' Allan .r<LijLxz.=q r<l»i.S>

" B.-L. suggest that A should be added.

^~^ Something wrong here : perhaps oj^to ji^'n

'- Marg. -.HiCOT*; . - i.e. one copy reads -.Tjiioi^ instead of -.niu'rti

ODP: 18.
>gjQ.xw3.i.r<'.i .i^^K'o r<l:a.<'i.=a.i ca=ia.jji.s >.a\ ^a^i^^rC*'
.ckAam -SO »^__al^i p^A.i vyrc" >sa.icn aixsi-A<r<'^ . t-sox. .ixa

^^ixittjj.-i ^aLk" A\^ r^lsal.T rC-.i-sa'* . cn^<\&\:99 .eia r<'i.ii..T

rCl.\ Are" . Kl^OJtjj ^sa K'iical p^-ASU rtli^ . vfy.\.=WCUt. >AS>3
.vvL>:a> ^ifiia& .^'sa.t.oohy k'^o.^v^^ .r^ixcii^i ^ rC'iix. xioi^J*^

..lx4»r<' i<'A«t»a.3.T ^^so A^*^ -iVjlAxo^ .iA»r«' A^ ^ Ana^o

a Cod. jaoniiJ b-b Cod. .^^ (S3

*a. ODES OF SOLOMON [l7

rdire' AxMSq^ .col xsn\r^ rclaca\.\^ .ocn p^-vsa ii^^ ►sO.m^
>±aa^ jj^v^K*^ .cos >\ ^r<' rc'^ajsa^cno .cwAxwiT.Ava ^'^

tcnosaMTl r<'r<l\^Ojaai ^ .ooAv.^^— .T rdijjAo^o >eoo."»J.'f<'.T

rt'iiN i-i-^ r«L.v*»'° . cnA\-iTt» -a rtflL^so r^v*»iv.=n '<^-"'
r«^ir<lA >^&(<' ocn" . ooA\-iTM*Ba\ rel2>.9ax. rdJ.ir^O .,cn0.iii^
.r^Lza^OA. ^^r^a r^-i^ixx. jjAiso'^ . (^Isoin trlJLsa .3A\or<'o
.>cno.tn%. ^ ocn jjLU^^rc'o'^ .msoxuK'o rx'^ia.X ^^K'o

.cn^laoX ^.Ta^-^vie^a cn^oiikuo . .\\-i.:ga\o y\n'x\ ^j^Xn>
r«i*.U rtL&ojCM.i i<'A>saAj» .ocn r<^T twt., rCienais rc'Avsaxfls '^
^.1 r<'A\4SO .T>oai K'ooQi.i r<lS30,A >^.T*giT. ^.i .ins '^ . oda
.Tm.1 »._^caJL3CUio'^ .relik.irc'.i cisx'kre' A.^ t^iW r«l&OJuA
^ iaX.i -yaxsa A\Ao'9 .^Jbaso r<'nA»<'.i cn^CL>r<L> .•»« ^
.K'oeoi aA.i ^."ui ^ r^ocn ,cnQ^r<' ooo.t '\ -^ . r<l*T=a
K'l&uja^JL^ .caa,l.i K^AxiTM-wno .oocn cD&\\±)ia t^'^\v q^

.i<lAOjAcn .cnsax\ i<'ijx>(<'o

ODE 17.

r<'Av&>TiiB ^ >1 4\*iAvi.p<'3 .003 r<lLajj f<l\.i ^3 ,.iaia&
rdS.K' .OKiwrcla cuafia&^K' >jaJU»4 . rf!,-! ujl.S3 .Auk* rd^o
.^i^^r^o cos h\sAeaa .Auajool K'Ax.i** rtfAo-.i^."» K'A^oss.io
.A\ is\ r<l(\ m^h^S3 hC^\t^<\ .,.i^V3.i K'iix.a re'AtaxuiJMO^

15. 1 6] ODES OF SOLOMON

:«*

\n

vyK'o^ .pC_,i.S3 WM^T-r^ ^*a Aas.i .iA a>^& r^tz*:

ODE IS.
.cajsacu ^ ,. 1 «w 3?i ^ 1 \ . f^LJ ocn rC'^O.t.M r<!z.sajc.i r^v-^r«"
lOoonAVo ).x.sax. cuocnn AA^^ .am r<»\jsn ,^o.iu rdi&cn
iuixi^ .t^r^ ^^ r^l^OZM Aa rS'ijt. cnioscuo .>jasaxiir<'
r<lJ'.ir<' t-1 icicn^ .rtlz.^.a.1] crusao-aA ^UaV-ua '■^V , s cti.3
iuii^^K'o . K'^v^.T'.i r^h\jsxMsn tA ^ocn^ . cnivd Aui^xuLO
^=30030 cn^oA A\\\r<'o . A<nnT. rt'^cu^^.l rCUiiorc'^ .cn.-ureta

K'\-i , M rilSA Avxii^ .tJ.Ta.^ '^eoh\a^r^ Aiarsi*"^ vyre'o . »A
Aiuj^r<' K'^cu.^a'^^ .cn^QTi\-i r^li^MA iuxVz.o .casox. .-us
cn^iret-a jiifloo'° .,^3aa ^\^^r^ Aaxx.o .>^o^T^ )d.vs ^
.>cno.i:»i*ca:=a\ oj^rt^^re'o" .''rc'^aso rtlA.i rtflikM^ rc'^TJSi.i

.r«l*o\Acn

^~^ = /xeyaXoTrpeTreia. "^ = to Ovtjtov. '^~^ = ^(017 d^avaTos.

ODE 16.
r<lA^iT=3 0.11.1 cn.iJ.'b.o . .cb r<liJ3.£i rC'i^re'.T cn.tiL!k..i i^JtAt<"
rSl.'ijso.i ocn rfiosswso ,.12^ ArS" rtfliACD^ .r^Alrc'.i cbii^^
AAgSa^ .^r^ aaAvjj."n.Av=3 ii»*\o.a.o f^aisnot<' .qoAvmit A\a
.,cno'-ir<lSi r<'ocn (<fla^ ,^cx^jaiA rtf'.ra.Vk.o i.ajA tJtfi^ cnaOM.i
» Schulthess emends to cwia^

Ae ODES OF SOLOMON [13, 1 4

oAviinK'o'^ ^. ocQi rVoeo AuK'.T ^i.T-so .!*» A^ai .TA» allsao

ooen .1-= ^^^Jre* .t.;!.:^.! ocnA Q,.^s.*a" . nilSi.^Aua ^^
Aj^cpio .r<lsaji.»j.i cn.'sscv.a ._^octi\ AJcq.i A.^:a . r<'A>cua.T->

r<llCO .1x3.1 ^*rClA ..^ OCQx=3a!^'^ .OOT r<l=>C\.u ODTTX-O -OCO

.rdiaiion .cniii-a r«'_.'iio,\ c\^..t<o .>d.i.S3 Aa 0.2k..l0^ucrc'

'^ Cod. add. in marg.

ODE 13.
.00= ^K" ovuo rtfliu^ aM^& .am riCji-sa «__^yv*».=a K'eo^

K'^ixa.x.^ oia.000^ i^ o.^A&K' ^cn.i^^K' rill.^-.K' ci.a..V_.a

cno\o.z.>.<tD asouio i^__o.a,iLa k* ^ r<'A\jj^ ocv.z.o .caMoiA
.coAxQi ^.= v.l.^^ ^r^js30..'sa (rii.i^ .^ocnAio^ .(Tia..x,aj=jaAo

'*■ ^ ~ afJLdifXOl.

ODE 14.

.axoA\ r«rAo .r«r-*i.=fl ►ijsj v\j=a.MT i-sI^Aa r«rA3 ,n<rL%o

vy.j..»3.-»o •iSkX.nc'S .vryixa^ As^ r<'A»i»».\ rC^sa.v^ .»,A ,oeD
.r<r.x.x.= ^..w jii.aAxre'6 .v>^-a-i. A\^:s3o vvAu,aiix.A> A^ss
vlx^K"^ .v^aou.i .ODOirilSiQ . ,A^a,\ rCcusA* r<;..'V»J vvA»CVj*iic\
v>5*.orT ri'iiuao^ .r<^r<^ v^ .tsii.rV.T .vyiix..! T<it(\i=n\

12] ODES OF SOLOMON .a^

.nc'ioncaX irl^azu ^si o.xu.c\ . vyJ.L're'.i rc'^*,:s_ asan .,■< I a'^
^x&Acno .reliii^ K'.iii^ ^la^.T . ^\x^jl. vyAiL^ »_ootA^ r<'cn'7
r^iiynJ'.T ri'i'VSS O.^aoori'o'^ .vdaM r<'A\asa*a»al K'Axa.Xirj ^5J3

T<:x.SoO.:3 ns'onXre' vA rei*=ax. .K'iKla rd-Vs] >i.t.Si\a r«'Ar<'''2i

^ Sic cod.
ODE 12.

.>cna::aiiLi r^'jsa.i.sa cnacojc^ .coicncu.i r<l2».iiio .r<''v»'i.x.
.cniuacvajc^.'i r<LiJL.i^.S30 .caL>.-i k'Axcuk;*.! rdJJ2a.^iAv.s>3
r<lv«\^i:s>30 .cn^x!>.i^.-i r<'-j'i-nvi.^?30 . cn&vaxuk^n.i r^.i*.TQ.s3a

r^lX-io^ .cn^cv.&.>iMO cn^a.Li.i£i .^K" r<li&cn oiuo^ vv*r^o
^njxJSS r<Ar<' A.^ 'no^'SQ r<l\o .onix^cn ax>^r<' rd^^Aiio

rCA\a3e>ji*73.i oQjjJ.to i-*A<_ K'icncu .coa^cuid'^ r^-i^co vi-^

^ Apparently the Ode has two different renderings of Xoyos,

^ Sic cod. but read jnuottn

"= It would be better to read aia^oop

•^-* ODES OF SOLOMON [ll

^ Read r^eui=3
ODE II.

.p<'-X..Tn cnwoin >l'il^ Vi-^ n£sa^xsa^ .ni'_»'i.Sai pi'lr^-A
>.A ^ocno^ .cnncui ^J=a »„i \.sao .,^v>\o^ on^oX r<ll\cv

.>jj.o^r<' ooa.T rtl^-.pc' .r<'iijt..i r«l^a.t. A_i- AxiiAxx.K'a^

.>.<^u^ rell.i r^jLu r^CiiJSa ^sa ^oio ^.•^^r<'o'' . yxsiOM

.cn&xamosaa A<iiu».o^ .,co\r«' r<i50_.vso ^oA Axii^Air^o

^.sno .cnicnOOa ».llao^ ait.a-i\ -i >J^.iu r«L>a:=Qo'° .>J.M
r<UsAz..1 rtl^lK* vyrC ^ocno'' ■ A 3 » i^A.t k^LuLklr^ A^

.cafla^.-li°A vilrioK'ct'4 .f<^i.=a.-i retsoxflos orujL<i=> ,ivS)aJU
r^liVSa^ i^.T^goo'S .K'.iTJSo.T cn=afl0<x=>.i r<'iA>aj».s rf-a-p*'
(j.L.re'A t^l^i-^a «._^ocaiSCv\j.-i A«viar<'a .coh\MCLnx.h\ AXps
.v/yarr..li&=> f<''iAxr< ^.^ocrA Aure*.! »._aJeno . vr<^i(<Lr> ..-^. -<^

^ We should probably read ,Mn^o

9. lO] ODES OF SOLOMON ,

ODE 9.

ix^ o Q\i , -) ^3 .cn.}XAx:=Q A^. .3.zu^t<'i K'dvxa.is K'A\a.Tjj,*ja

.r<l=ir<' r^ca\r^L=3 oiAvjw'^ ^.^^%„i \.'ncut. >enoA\*r<' rd-Lajj
■ cnA\Q-iiy^3 a.xii&^K'o o.l^.u^rc'^ .rtlsa*i.=a.i cn^^i^ oln^io

w*\j.iA^ i^_aA»cnaj rtli ,,^_a.a.jaa3.i ^.^aicnaa ^^^o.t^kIi r<\

asoxBo^^ .cn^vscrx> .^Oi^Xo rC^Oo.it cn^iifiaio'° .oocn re'ViiA
CVAl.l ^AirS* «__ocn\Aa'^ .Kl.i.5>9.T K'i.ix.'^ cnSOAXia r<lL.la.

.r<L>ai\cn i^_^toiaA\4i.i p^-ia— o .aixjsa.io ^^^OAA r<l^vuo

^~^ = eiayycXi'^u) yap Vfuv elprjvriv' cf. Is. lii. 7. *> Sic COd.

ODE 10.
i:9a^.t<'o .cn'icno.is ^aA jj^v&o .cn^lsas r^\:sa >2ao^ ^i^'
.Gosaiz..! rS'irf-A AAsap<'.T A .=300*0^ .rc'Axosa rdA.i .cncXM) »rs
r«'_ajt^\o .cnAicA re'Axrelsa^ f'^r*'' ^A.rc'.T rc'^ui&i Oxi^saX^
X ^.-it n Au2tJwA\r«'o AAx*»A»r!'* .r<'A«oireL»*.l nt'Avai^ ri'AvxaJt.

r<A T<Lir<'o'' .aoco ^i.-uiss.-i rtlsaso^k. .T-uu&ri' a-XJ-^AxK"©^

^ ODES OF SOLOMON [8

rerA'° .rci2a.vs3.i cnAv^.t* aVajjo .rc'iir-.i nil»ais<.A\a ausajc^
o,i>.:io^3 .c»i=3 ^^-i^ivsia.i ,_^a^a3 ,h\<x.y:si.»ca oi^'^ .ca.=

^ oocaJ re'A.T yaXJi ^"sia i___oca.A p<lir<' .^.-i->.1 A.}^2a^^

,._a^,xj.T i^__ocni AvaiV >.L».t r^Li'.iA^o i^_o ctx»..2o .t oo Au.i3i<K'

.^ oca= ^a,a.J__.r<'''-'^ .cn.=i .^ CV.urtll.1 >Aj.t r<lSL>.TJa r<Lnlu

.^^OOQiAx.iK' ri'.va-2>- i*^^ »-J.*."» '^ ^^ oofira rf-lp^ ^co-s rCtio

<\x.'s>3 or^* o-TS.^ As.oc\\ 73CXXU A.t.&cr> <\x:s3^ .,^iiz4j£q.i rcAxuCv

. r<l.ijSa.T cn^vsaMia qojio o.^oorc'o'^ o.i^3^^ .am ^__oensi:»..T
.^^OOfii^a ....^Ui^ducif r<*\ ,•! M r^lA.IO^^ .jii^^rC'.i aoa.3

^ Cod. ex errore _a=ii.a=A; unless 'clothing' should mean the human
body, the ' coat of skin.'

•j = eiSoKijo-a as in Matt. iii. 17.

<= Sic cod. d Cod_ Qi^icori:

0. s.

8] ODES OF SOLOMON JJ

i*^ einso^^ .K'ixiM.i K'jsa.v^ ^xx<i=> ^ h\A^ma .coicncu.i
.icuir^U cniaiaSk A.^^'sao .rC'^aa r^ocn jjlISQo .r^ocn ,«j.i\°k
^xiar^A oi3.fla.=a.\ .,cnojt^:ins r£^)i^\:sa .^.la^o'^ .^irwsi •!&

cn^\^.l' oA A\if\rC'.T A.^s>9 .rS'AvSk.Xi K'A i»-^ «Jn\ AxlauAxK'^

r^.*i.S>3.1 CnA<Q.-ai\ ^*'i.5»3V.=3.T ^J-LirS* .^^OJVSOU^^ .r<l*i.50.1

r<'ocnp rtlsocu vyK"© .,^_^oti*m'=ov-=a ^^^ainio^^ .r«l5a*ii>3

.ri'.x.i.M.T riAo r«'A\.^:»- rfA.l niAo .rdJt.a,J.i >ii.») ri'ocrxJ
r^-saa&.-i r<An M^v^JSaA .cn^ial ^ca* tj-^ rd.»io„a^
.(n^cxa.!.^ ocxmo r<'A\OjA\VAA» oioptf"^ .mh\o.M^xM. .mh\ol.

h— h = KiOdpa iroXiJ^covos. '~' = /xeyaAoTrpeVeia.

ODE 8.

K'lre'.a cuAviSa.\3 .K'Aio.^JiA r^'JKinJ'-a rilaX ^sa »__a^=o.*j
. CO i en 0.1= K'Aioix^s cUsaiaAo . Klx-isja rSl*.** r<l*ii»a.i
ooco.T __aJenS .©aasoAik' ^vrs.i ,^_cuco ccsa*cA>rc'o asjaxj*
0, \ .YA ^rei'.f .^ aico^ i__A:iS»3aa A^^A^^<'.^ cii-SS ni'.As.ra

2

\ ODES OF SOLOMON [7

ODE 7.

i.nAv-asK' K'Axa.^a.T.sj^ .,<Tia.j~a.a)r^.i J-\-S3 jA^a^K* p^'aen^
A^'ga .cn^*VM :t^ Auw\ reiio^ . >enaxiaAr<'.i Aj^sa .,a>«,^r^
vyp^o .jcocu^pc'.l A'^»i r^aoi >.1aA vyK*^ .>.ll4J cv.oeo.1
pc'iv.^Xj.'i ebcv_=>t<'9 .cqj..S3 vva.acopi' r^i.i A!5^.=a >A>'io^
oqa >j.^M .ptf'ilsa^M rS'in.i oco'° .r<'A\^T».T oeb ptflsa^iv^
^.T-sa -^M* .t<'oenr<' Kll .i.^ >Ji^M 0000^' .,cno.Tiu^ ^^
.rtf'rtU^a) caii4JLr> >Um r<lJcn A.\y'=n^^ .K'aenre' sjk ^ocn .-ia.^.1
A3ls3'3 .cn^ML=3.-i^ ^:S3 Ann pc'o 00.1:93 relSk-ar^.T »A .scn^a
i^onassKto pt'.sai^.i Kuisacix. .*(<lia4» K'A.i* ,<tioAup«' cu*cvcn.i

AJ^io'5 S^ AJK" ca.\_*l.lS ^iA_*rS'A p^V-mAvJ.1 mA ^c«u,^4

^.T ..__oia.fla.i r<A.io i^ ftip<' .t=l^i ootA »^ a2k..ioiucJ.i

orx»A\^r<' .m.ta.£o ca«a^or<' T».^ K'Av^.lA^^ .ooco .___ocnsa.i

^—2 = a.KwXvTvi';-

^^^ Apparently an attempt to translate jio-qBov yap t^'^ ■'"o" Kvptov.

•:-<= = d</>6d>'(os. "^ Sic cod.

^ Ova-ia, for which Nestle proposes to read oiuia.

f-f=a06apTos and cf. Rom. i. 23 .l=ujav=n ■«<iAr\

?-g = Tots iStots avTov as in Joh. i. 1 1.

Ode 6, V. 17. The Syriac 'lived by,' answers to the Coptic 'were saved
by' : the Greek being ecroD^rjcrav or tcrio^ovTO 8ia tov vSaros T17S ^(D^s.

6] ODES OF SOLOMON O

re'J.'cn^'^ «^_oca\A a*d\x.r<'o .)o.V3aA.5k rdl'soo .r<l;^ir<' tiA^

rt'^cv^oo a-jAxlrS'^3 .jcnciio cusoacn^K'.-i ^^ aicn .ret>iue.=o

(•=•■» Hct pS'Auc^lo'4 .osiijari' K'ocn >'ix:S3.T r«:ii=-o .K'Axxla.*
oo«n ^AiSkJ.i r<l'sa.icno'S .^rtf" o.T*»r«' t<'A«as3 ^w ji&saX ,000

'^~^ Read t^oj- r^s^ii^ ^^^'n (ctti f-prjiiM Sifwa-y Is. XXXV. i) and cf.
Copt, infra.

"^~= Double translation of di/up^oxrai/ (cf. Heb. xii. 12).
f"*^ = la-xva-av (Is. xxxv. 3).

Ode 6, V. 8. I should suggest an emendation to the Syriac, ■^a^x.'r^ for
-•ovjt^, but it is not borne out by the Coptic, which has in the Targum ' et
duxit eos super templum,' and in the text 'et conversa est super templum.'
'Duxit' would answer to the Syriac ^au^, but an object to the verb is
wanting. Probably the missing word is fd=n.

V. 9. The Coptic text suggests that a line has dropped in the Syriac : the
comment has 'haud potuerunt capere earn [loca] clausa neque loca aedificata,'
and the text has ' non potuerunt eum capere in locis munitis et aedificatis.'

V. 10. There seems to be a slight displacement in the Syriac; for the
Coptic Targum has 'biberunt versantes in arena arida,' and the text has
'biberunt qui habitabant in arena arida.'

v. 13. The Coptic shows some variation : the comment has 'acceperunt
vigorem in me hi qui sunt soluti,' and the text has 'accipiebant gaudium
cordis, qui soluti erant.'

v. 16. The Syriac has Trapovcria where the Coptic has irapprjaia. Neither
Greek word makes very easy reading. Perhaps the Greek was Trapea-et airriav
or Trapakva-ei avTui/, in which case we translate 'they received strength for
their paralysed state and light for their [darkened] eyes.' Cf. Is. xxxv. 3, 5.

o

en ODES OF SOLOMON [6

• tAlCVVJjJ ni'Aa i.&0.1-i ..^A\r«'-j4 .ari-lia rcf-MK* v\A\Q..3i.i \

r^Ai ,^_jcyv.MJT ri'icno.l i._oco.l K'ocfal refAo^ ^.__air^ v>x*»-i

Ail^sa'^ .A\a»Jr<' rcA rs'.iri' .ri'vwioa.l 7ia.»J :».= r«li .^k"©"
•:• r^LtcAlcn . crisis ri'.iK'o ocp >:=a^. rcl»i.=>3.i

ODE 6 [=/'w^2J Sophia, pp. 131 — 135].
rtLi^co^ Jiisa^a ptla-SJO .K'iAxxiia r<':T*r<' r^^ionio.T vyrs*'

r<li.i .r<'Av.T*»)<A nil=a."t^O ^r>i=3 ^20 K'oen i*.^ rtli^co^
. cn.\ -)a,.ri.\ )aa.fij ^i.t-SO t<Ao . pCA.aa.ji.flo.i pCc\co,J 7i.T.»3
OjA<ATijy-i.1 .^Acn ^.V'^l-l (\jCv .rf_.i.=>3 or3^2>..i4 ^^oor^^

K'icQi re'oeno relaA> i*-^ .a^i7 . ^,ji i ir. ^ w r<'.r..Tja oq.jjov\

a — a

Perhaps -.t^<m:i (Schulthess) but I follow the MS.
"^ Cod. r^-toj^ ■: Cod. -=(71.^^

Ode 5, V. 8. The Coptic expands the second clause thus : ' et vicerunt
eos potentes, et quae paraverant raalitiose, descenderunt in eos.'

4. S] ODES OF SOLOMON .1

ODE 4.
,coQ. i°>\wT i.i pfAo^ ..orArC rCxaau vviA^K* .aVjjJtW T-ln!' kA'

'<'-***«'* .r^^oiA\r^ .•»sii.A\.-t ^0:113^ i\x^^h\r^ ii^ voc.icui^
r«l.i.sa '^V*-^ A\=jcrx.S .cni=n ^ii^s .^^jcn ^ .&i>i^uu r«A

.>ij^Avio .v\A\o,aj!\^ Tt.a..\„i '**^ ai-sa^ ,r<lixx.o K'Avsncu
vyoxa.L.uQ .vrvAu'va caA ^^.ti'o'^ .a en .^<.t> vr^A\*».i Ai^sa^
A\=j0Qi9 .aj\ '"oacn^ ^Agx3\ r^^^ rd^rsilw ^=ito .crA ^.-UMr^"
^l^ixAiu ^iM pi'Arc' .^U^i ^ir^ ixfiaM.i rs'oeo »<!.\ .v\ii\Ci^h\ax. A
r<'T*AiSk. vy^2^a.a:99 jj^x^o .vy.~fia.^i .As oooi'° .vyJ-^a
.v\A\cv.\ ri'AxoAi i-L-i^^ A\.iA" .rfjt^.10 rc^-zA.** ,A ^.I'iss.i
.vA ^ocn rdii.^ K'A^iijCv^^ . A\i.loAut.rtf' .i ^i.vsa A^ KVsA^Ai.t
'^.fViiD^o AoA\A\^ AiN'sq p^li.i^^ .AvrjoQi h^^ A\=icti».i ii^poi.2ao
.vrA rS'ocn rcLi.^ ri'oQiK' vyri" Tj..^ yaxsn Aa^* .^-i.Jrc'
a\:ia.:^ r<L>T-^M oxJr^o .vy-xJSq.io ouJL.T-a ^sa r<'oci3 iAOXSno

^ Perhaps ^^Aiuein jj *\T-n i> Cod. ^i>j;n.o

"= Charles suggests ^^^w, ' thy hosts rejoice therein ' ; but the MS. is torn at
the edge, and there was certainly another letter-
''"'' Probably a double translation (? vTroa-TciXri^).

ODE S [=Ftsiis Sophia, pp.. 113 — 117].
r<sa.isa^ .vA rdJK' tim-i.t A)i^^ .ri^\sn vA ^rS'JrS' K'.tasa^^
''Avajta.l ^i!^^^3 oep AvJr^ ,i -1 W.t . A^ss > Vn -it. At rtA

a— a = 6^o/AoA.oy7;o-o/xat. ''"'' = Swpcai/ i\aj3ov cf. Matt. X. 9.

Ode 5, V. I. The Coptic has 'for thou art my God,' instead of last clause.

ODE I.

[ = Pistis Sophia ii6 (tr. Schmidt): Texte u. Untersuch. Bd. vil. pp. 37, 38.]
[Dominus super caput meum sicut corona, neque ero absque
eo. Plexerunt mihi coronam veritatis, et ramos tuos in me germinare
fecit. Nam non similis est coronae aridae quae non germinat ; sed
vivis super caput meum. Et germinasti super caput meum : fructus
tui pleni et perfecti sunt, pleni salute tua.]

ODE 2.
Deest.

ODE 3.
Priora desunt.

*•* * * * * # #

.reLi-vsai >MrSQ.\ ^«ocn .i-s* -ui^ rt'A^ .»X .•a.m.rao relir^
.r^Ai'SOjji JLi^^ .jjbAX.99 o.i=o4 .>X rfoen >iiji kA oqp o^ri
ctA rdSOMiQ rclSaxMiA t<'_ir«' jajjcsa^ .^oui^^.l ocn pcAk'
re'ocop^ i<Ao7 .yh\^ri p<!Lip^ Ap^ camliJ.i rt^^^K'o'^ .>JtJ^.i

i»\^ oen'° .rs'i= rs'ocnpe'.i •re'irs ocq^ >A»ir<'.T A^-ga^ .niLsixwi

• rc'ocni T<h\osn relA.i oeo Arf . ^r^lsb r<li."i ciorA .:^ai&vs91

coMoi >cb (V.icn^^ .r<'ocai reli,** . rCai^ ^~J3 <= rdxjjcs.i^ oeno"

__^UwiJ3 r<lx.lJLl.=3 nSl^Ajsa.! . rS'A^CvJAO rfA.T nil* i_5J3.T

.rti^culcn .oixik.^^re'o 0.^.10 (Xsa^M^re"3 .mix^'-ioK'

^ Cod. prima manu -oiai^flTOo, sed ipse correxit. ^ Cod. ■«<ixu=:i

■^ = euSoKTjcrei/ (cf. Matt. iii. 17).

o. s.

I >',

itfw*»4ttt'a«iw,