THE AGRAPHA 2

Papyrus Egerton 2

English Translation

Fragment 1 Verso

And Jesus said to the lawyers: "Punish every wrongdoer and transgressor, and not me. Judge the deeds, how he does, what he does."

And turning to the rulers of the people he said this word: "Search the scriptures, in which you think you have life. These are they, which testify about me. Do not suppose that I have come to accuse you to my father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, in whom you have hoped."

And they said: "We know that God spoke to Moses,but as for you, we do not know, where you are from."

Jesus answered and said to them: "Now is accused your disbelief in those who have been commended by him. For had you believed Moses, you would have believed me. For about me he wrote to your fathers."

Fragment 1 Recto

And taking up stones together to stone him. And the rulers laid their hands upon him to seize him and hand him over to the crowd. And they could not take him because the hour of his arrest had not yet come. But the Lord himself, escaping from their hands, withdrew from them.

And behold, a leper coming to him, says: "You look for the lepers and were eating with publicans. Have mercy, I am like them. If therefore you will, I am clean."

And the Lord said to him: "I will, be clean."

And immediately the leprosy left him. And Jesus said to him: "Go show yourself to the priests and offer concerning the cleansing as Moses commanded and sin no more."

Fragment 2 Recto

Coming to him, they tested him in an exacting way, saying: "Teacher Jesus, we know that you have come from God, for what you do testifies beyond all the prophets. Therefore tell us, is it lawful to pay to kings the things which benefit their rule? Shall we pay them or not?"

But Jesus, perceiving their purpose and becoming indignant said to them: "Why do you call me teacher with your mouth, not doing what I say? Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you, saying: 'This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. And in vain they worship me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men...'"

Fragment 2 Verso

Unfortunately this fragment is in such a bad state, that it cannot be sufficiently reconstructed. What follows is first the text which can be reconstructed pretty sure and then some more speculative restorations.

"(...) shut up (...) has been subjected uncertainly (...) its weight unweighted?"

And when they where perplexed at the strange question, Jesus, as he walked, stood on the lip of the Jordan river, stretching out his right hand, filled it with (...) and sowed upon the (...). And the (...) water (...) the (...). And (...) before them, he brought forth fruit (...) much (...) for joy (...)



(Dodd:) "When a husbandman has enclosed a small seed in a secret place, so that it is invisibly buried, how does its abundance become immeasurable?"

And when they where perplexed at the strange question, Jesus, as he walked, stood still upon the verge of the River Jordan, and stretching out his right hand, he filled it with water and sprinkled it upon the shore. And thereupon the sprinkled water made the ground moist, and it was watered before them and brought forth fruit...

(Schmidt:) "Why is the seed enclosed in the ground, the abundance buried? Hidden for a short time, it will be immeasurable."

And when they where perplexed at the strange question, Jesus, as he walked, stood on the banks of the River Jordan, and stretching out his right hand, he filled it with seed and sowed it upon the ground. And thereupon he poured sufficient water over it. And looking at the ground before them, the fruit appeared...

(Cerfaux:) "(...) enclosed like me, buried, uncertain, and making possible immeasurable abundance?"

And when they where perplexed at the strange question, Jesus, as he walked, stood on the banks of the River Jordan, and stretching out his right hand, he took a fig-tree and planted it in the river. And on the water, the roots spread out and fruit appeared...

(Lietzmann:) And when they where perplexed at the strange question, Jesus, as he walked, stood on the banks of the River Jordan, and stretching out his right hand, he filled it with water and sowed on the ground. And the sprinkled water purified(?) the ground. (...) and coming out before them, the fruit appeared.

(Lagrange:) And when they where perplexed at the strange question, Jesus walked at the banks of the River Jordan, and stretching out his right hand, he filled it with sand and sowed seed on the sand. And then he poured running water over it. And it run to seed and coming out before them, the fruit appeared.

Though the fragment cannot be reconstructed sufficiently, the meaning can be found:
A small seed in the ground is hidden and invisible. How does its abundance become immeasurable?
(By growing and bringing fruit.)
To clarify this, Jesus performs a miracle: He walks up to the river Jordan and with the water he gives rise to a spontaneous ripening of fruit. (much, for joy!)

Possible parallel from Ezekiel 17:5-8:
17:5 Then he took a seed from the land, placed it in fertile soil; a plant by abundant waters, he set it like a willow twig. 6 It sprouted and became a vine spreading out, but low; its branches turned toward him, its roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine; it brought forth branches, put forth foliage...8 it was transplanted to good soil by abundant waters, so that it might produce branches and bear fruit and become a noble vine.

Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 840

The following translation is based on the reconstructed Greek text printed in Henry Sweet Barclay's "Two New Gospel Fragments" from Hans Lietzmann's Kleine Texte für Vorlesungen und Übungen. Information about the manuscript was gathered from Bernard P. Grenfell and Arthur S. Hunt's Fragment of an Uncanonical Gospel.



". . . earlier, before doing wrong, he slyly reasons everything out. Be careful that you do not end up suffering the same fate as them. For the evil-doers of humanity receive retribution not only among the living, but they will also undergo punishment and much torture later."

Taking them along, he went into the place of purification itself and wandered around in the temple. Then a certain high priest of the Pharisees named Levi came toward them and said to the savior, "Who permitted you to wander in this place of purification and to see these holy vessels, even though you have not bathed and the feet of your disciples have not been washed? And now that you have defiled it, you walk around in this pure area of the temple where only a person who has bathed and changed his clothes can walk, and even such a person does not dare to look upon these holy vessels."

Standing nearby with his disciples, the savior replied, "Since you are here in the temple too, are you clean?"

The Pharisee said to him, "I am clean. For I bathed in the pool of David. I went down into the pool by one set of stairs and came back out by another. Then I put on white clothes and they were clean. And then I came and looked at these holy vessels."

Replying to him, the savior said, "Woe to blind people who do not see! You have washed in the gushing waters that dogs and pigs are thrown into day and night. And when you washed yourself, you scrubbed the outer layer of skin, the layer of skin that prostitutes and flute-girls anoint and wash and scrub when they put on make up to become the desire of the men. But inside they are filled with scorpions and all unrighteousness. But my disciples and I, whom you say have not washed, we have washed in waters of eternal life that come from the God of heaven. But woe to those . . . "

Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 3035

An arrest warrant for a Christian, issued on the 28th of February in 256 A.D., by the authorities of the Roman Empire.

From the governor to village rulers and officers of peace of the village of Mermerthon. At once send up Petosarapin of Horus a Christian, or you yourselves come up. During the third year of Valerian and Gallienus the August [pl.] Phamenoth 3

Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 5072

before … but he tore apart as much as … he cried out, saying, "Son of God have you come before the time to punish us?" But he rebuked him, saying, "I command you to go out from the man now!" And going, he sat down … of them … Jesus … someone to him … a teacher, but I myself will deny you … of my disciple and you will be shamefully … last things. Yes, I say to you, friend … of him more than me, he is not … disciple. If then scribes … Jerusalem and if … and Kingdom … before you … intelligent he kept hidden … disciples …

Reconstruction of this text is near to impossible but the story obviously concerns Christ expelling a demon from a man. The word in italics are only guesses.

Papyrus Oxyrhnchus 1224

It weighed me down. Then Jesus approached in a vision and said, "Why are you discouraged? For not . . . you, but the . . . "

. . . "you said, although you are not answering. What then did you renounce? What is the new doctrine that they say you teach, or what is the new baptism that you proclaim? Answer and . . . "


When the scribes and Pharisees and priests saw him, they were angry that he was reclining in the midst of sinners. But when Jesus heard, he said, "Those who are healthy have no need of a physician . . . "


" . . . and pray for your enemies. For the one who is not against you is for you. The one who is far away today, tomorrow will be near you and in . . . the adversary . . .

Dura Parchment 24

Zebedee and Salome and the wives of those who had followed him from Galilee to see the crucified. And the day was Preparation: the Sabbath was dawning. And when it was evening, on the Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, there came up a man, being a member of the council, from Arimathea, a city of Judea, by name Joseph, good and righteous, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews. And he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man had not consented to their purpose.

Fayyum Fragment

As he led them out, he said, "You will all fall away tonight according to the scripture: 'I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.'"

Then Peter said, "Even if everyone else denies you, I won't."

Jesus said, "Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times today."

 

Gospel of Matthias

*

We must combat our flesh, set no value upon it, and concede to it nothing that can flatter it, but rather increase the growth of our soul by faith and knowledge.

Marvel at what is present.

So Zaccheus whom they call Matthias, the chief tax collector, when he had heard that the Lord had esteemed him highly enough to be with him, said, "Behold, half of my present possessions I give as alms, and Lord, if I ever extorted money from anyone in any way, I return it fourfold." At this the Savior said, "When the Son of Man came today, he found that which was lost."

If the neighbor of an elect person sins, the elect person sins. For if he had led himself as the word dictates, the neighbor would have been in awe of his life so that he did not sin.


*NOTE: Known only from quotations from Clement of Alexandria, Stromata