Showing posts with label Assumption of Mary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Assumption of Mary. Show all posts

Thursday, January 02, 2025

The Woman of Revelation 12 cannot possibly be Mary

 People sometimes notice that the woman of Revelation 12 has a child who will rule the nation with a rod of iron, and from that they assume that the woman is Mary, since ruling the nations with a rod of iron is something ascribed to Christ.

However, the woman of Revelation 12 cannot possibly be Mary.  Revelation 12 is part of an extended vision that begins in Revelation 4.

Revelation 4:1-5 

1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door [was] opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. 2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and [one] sat on the throne. 3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and [there was] a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. 4 And round about the throne [were] four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. 5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and [there were] seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

The things which must be hereafter means things that are still future to John when John was prophesying these things.  Whether or not that is still future is outside the scope of this post.  

This vision contains a number of units, such as: 

  • the book with the seven seals (Revelation 5:1-8:1)
    • the sealing of the 144,000 (Revelation 7)
  • the seven trumpets (Revelation 8:2-Revelation 11:15)
    • the little book (Revelation 10)
    • the two witnesses (Revelation 11:1-13)
    • the three woes (Revelation 8:13-Revelation 12)
      • the battle with the red dragon (Revelation 12) 
  • the beast from the sea (Revelation 13:1-8)
  • the beast from the earth (Revelation 13:11-18)
  • the seven angels and their judgment (Revelation 14-18)
    • the seven bowls of wrath (Revelation 15:1-Revelation 16)
  • etc. (there are more, but hopefully you get the idea)

The woman is introduced at Revelation 12:1 at the beginning of the (sub-)vision of the battle with the red dragon, which itself is part of the third of the three woes.

 Revelation 8:13 introduces the three woes:

Revelation 8:13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

Notice the connection between the three woes, and the three remaining trumpets of the three angels (out of the seven angels with seven trumpets), namely the fifth angel, the sixth angel, and the seventh angel.  

The Fifth angel sounds in Revelation 9:1.  Revelation 9:12 then says "One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter."  The Sixth angel sounds in Revelation 9:13. Revelation 11:14 then says "The second woe is past; and, behold the third woe cometh quickly."  That's when (in verse 15) the seventh angel sounds, and third woe begins.  In case you have any doubt that this is part of the same overall vision that began in Revelation 4, note the consistent imagery:

Revelation 11:15-16 

15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,

Notice that the twenty-four elders around the throne are still there, although now they are no longer sitting, but have fallen on their faces to worship God. 

Revelation 11 ends at verse 19.  Revelation 12:1, thus, comes only six verses after Revelation 11:14 and the woe that was described as coming quickly.  Within the midst of the vision of the battle with the dragon is the explicit mention of "woe":

Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, [ye] heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

The scene changes at Revelation 13:1, where John is no longer in heaven, but now by the sea.  So, we can only conclude that Revelation 12 is part of the account of the third woe associated with the seventh trumpet of the seventh angel.

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Theophilos of Landra | Theophile of Landra | Theofil of Landra or of Libado (aka Theoteknos of Livias?) on the Assumption of Mary

Some thoughts and comparison between the Arabic homily attributed to "Theophilos of Landra," seemingly a Coptic author, and the Greek homily attributed to "Theoteknos of Livias."

Title/Citation: 

HOMILY FOR THE 16TH OF MESORÉ, THEOPHILOS OF LANDRA

Ms. Vatican Arabic 698; ff 41v-48v.

For the contents of the manuscript (which also includes two other assumption-related works), see the link (link to contents)(direct link to manuscript).  I'm extremely indebted to the work of Pilar González Casado, who in 2013, provided the edited Arabic and a Spanish translation (link to thesis, of relevance are pp. 316-325 for the Arabic, pp. 529-536 for the Spanish). 

By contrast, the Greek is found in Sinait. gr. 491, 4. 238r-246r, and includes the Protoevangelium of James and the Legend of Galbius and Candidus, see the link (link to contents)(direct link to manuscript).  The Greek (with a French translation) is also published by A. Wenger (L'assomption De La T.s. Vierge Dans La Tradition Byzantine Du Vie Au Xe Siecle: Etudes Et Documents Broché (1955), on whom Daley's translation in On the Dormition of Mary (1998) seems to be fully dependent.  It is Wenger's Greek (and French) and Daley's English that I refer to whenever referencing the Greek version.  The Greek version lists the author as Theoteknos of Livias.  I'm referring to both the Greek and the Arabic as "versions," although perhaps Greek was the original and the Greek manuscript should therefore be thought of as a copy, not a version.   

Prologue:

0. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God. Let us begin with the help of the Most High God and with his best assistance to write a homily that was delivered by the holy Theophilos, bishop of Landra, about the assumption into heaven of the pure body of the Virgin, holy Mary, Mother of God, our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, Son of God. May her intercession be with us, amen. It is read on the 16th of Mesoré [...] the peace of God, amen.

This prologue is not found in the Greek version.  

Text:

1. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! Because of the Resurrection of the Lord, Jesus, the Messiah, our Savior, everyone rejoiced. Let us rejoice now, let us glorify him with eternal spiritual glory, and praise the One who fulfilled his plan for our salvation.

There is a very similar sentence in the Greek, although the working out of the plan is here placed in the past, rather than as an ongoing thing in the Greek.

[He who], after his pure incarnation taken from the holy Virgin Mary, after his Resurrection from the dead, his ascension to heaven, and sitting at the right hand of his Father, from whom he had never been separated, after the passing of time, sent all his holy apostles along with the Most Pure, so that they would be informed of the promise destined for her on high.

A reference to Mary never having known marital union is present in the Greek, though not shown here.  Also the first sentence of the next paragraph is part of the end the sentence above in the Greek.

She who is higher than the heavens and more exalted than the seraphim was raised to heaven. If He granted and prepared the Kingdom of Heaven for his saints and also opened paradise to the thief on the right, by a single word, how much more [would he do for] her who was worthy to be his dwelling, since He chose to incarnate from her.

Wider is used rather than "higher" in the Greek, and consistently the reference seems to be to cherubim in the Greek, rather than seraphim.  Interestingly, the supplied material bracketed material is matched in the French/English, although Daley waxes poetic inserting a sense of eagerness that seems unnecessary.  

Against the Devil, prince of evil, who caused Eve to transgress, He unleashed all his power. Through Mary, by her, all the women upon whom he had cast the curse, have attained freedom; for as the apostle Paul said, they have been saved by the motherhood of this holy, this holy virgin, praised, pure, and worthy of all joy.

Seemingly minor differences here, with the "worthy of joy" and "praise" being pushed forward relative to the Arabic.

She became a mother and pure virgin, without stain. She nursed with milk the one who made water spring from a rock and who needs no food. She embraced in her arms her Creator, who was her son without having known a man [and who] deserved this for us. She became a seraphim created from pure and spotless clay.

The Spanish and apparently also the Arabic here have an interesting characteristic that they present Mary as becoming a seraphim, rather than beginning as one.  


The Greek also has Γίνεται (Ginetai), which is most naturally translated as "become."  Daley seems to follow Wenger's French, naît, although adopting the Arabic "clay" reading that Wenger notes in an addendum.

6 She is born [pure and immaculate, like the cherubim]. Indeed, while she was still in the hips of her father Joachim, her mother Anne received the announcement from a holy angel in these terms: “Your posterity will be celebrated throughout the universe”. Therefore Hannah presented her to the temple of the Lord. And during the entire time of her stay, the Virgin stood near the King Christ, at his right, in a garment woven with gold, like a shimmering apparition (of grace), according to the words of the prophet: “Listen, my daughter, look and give ear; forget your people and your father's house and the king will be enamored of your beauty. Since he is your Lord, bow down to him”.

I suspect that Wenger's reason for "born" and Daley's reason for "begotten" is because of the context appearing to relate to the beginning of Mary's life.  Between the two, "begotten," has the advantage polemically of sounding a bit like conception, and the advantage contextually of linking more specifically to Joachim's role.  That said, the "born" or "begotten" is a slender reed for the Immaculists, because it breaks if they put too much weight on it, as both the Greek and Arabic suggest a change from a previous state.  

When she was under the care of Joachim, her father, and Anna, her mother, an angel announced to them: "Your offspring will be spoken of throughout the world. For this reason, offer her to the temple of God forever."

This version replaces being "in the loins" of Joachim with being under the care of both parents.  This is an odd change, as the angel's announcement in the Protoevangelium of James is definitely in the former case, not the latter case.  Moreover, the seeming quotation has likewise been altered relative to PoJ.  In substance, though, the sentence corresponds.

It happened to the Virgin as it had been said, for the Virgin stands at the right hand of God, the King, dressed in gold; as the prophet David said: "Listen, daughter, and see; incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house. The king longed for your beauty, for he is your lord, before him you shall bow."

Rather than "Christ the King," this version has "God, the King," a change that makes more sense in the supposed historic context.

She deserves ineffable joy, therefore the prophets predicted: "Sorrow and joy will pass through her heart [when she] sees that a man has been born without the involvement of a man and with divine intervention."

This version replaces the sword with sorrow.

According to the explanation of the prophet, He who is unseen, was seen. The immeasurable one was in the house of our poverty with the tax collectors, stood like a slave before Pilate, was hung on the cross and was in a sealed tomb, and despite all this, He was not separated from the Father by reason of His conception. Therefore, the Virgin came to be in great tribulation and truly the spear of doubt entered her soul.

This version seems to improve on the comparison to the publicans, enhancing the contrast.  This version also adds the part about "and despite all this, He was not separated from the Father by reason of His conception."

This version is also more explicit in saying that the spear (presumably for "sword") of doubt entered Mary's soul.

But she also rejoiced at the Resurrection, for behold, she saw the Resurrection and the Ascension to heaven of Him who was born from her womb, incarnated in a body without the involvement of a man. He is seated next to the Father. Therefore, joy and gladness came to her.

Seems very similar to the Greek, except that a reference to "the blameless one" is omitted.

This deserved the holy one who gave birth to this Son: she saw Him ascend on high upon a lofty throne; before Him every knee bends in heaven and on earth, every tongue praises Him, and He will come to judge the living and the dead; she also deserved to be carried [to the tomb] by the holy apostles, for she is the mother of all; as the only Son of God called the disciples "brothers," because they are His brothers in terms of the holy body, not in terms of divinity. May the pure, holy, and chaste dwelling of God be glorified, from which the blessed divine Light shines!

The Greek omits the explanation for why the disciples are called "brothers."

After the apostles and angels placed the body on the earth, with glory and praise, it was raised to heaven with the soul [...] to God.

Similar in the Greek.

If the Lord, seeing the disciples sad at the time of His passion, told them, "I am going to prepare a place for you," how could He not prepare a place for His Mother, who is greater than all, [who] means more to Him than all creatures [and] who is pure, without stain!

Daley seems to have inserted a "right of access" into the English,, but otherwise the content seems similar, although the Arabic seems to add the gloss that his mother means more to him.

The holy soul and body were raised together to heaven by the angels with praise and with honor. If as a girl she accepted food from the angels in the temple of God, how could she not deserve to be served by the celestial powers, since she was the dwelling of the Lord!

Similar to the Greek.

The holy Virgin pleased God the Father, the holy Virgin pleased the Son, the eternal Word, begotten by the Father before all ages, the Virgin pleased the Holy Spirit, the life-giving Lord, who makes all things pleasing, maker of everything and of the heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven. If Enoch, as he pleased God, was taken up so that he would not see death, how could the soul with the body of her who served the divine grace not reach the bliss of paradise, where the divine light always shines!

Similar to the Greek.  However, at this point in the text, it seems that the Arabic pages may have been slightly shuffled, as the next few paragraphs (on Arabic sheets 44r-44v) should be (assuming the Greek to be correct) after the material at Arabic sheets 45r-45v.  The Greek order makes more sense than the Arabic order, and the Arabic order is "fixed" by simply swapping the position of a single folio of the Arabic.  

Indeed, the holy apostles were present, and the apostle Paul carried the body with them from Mount Zion to a village called Gethsemane, where the Savior was betrayed. There too will be the place of judgment, where the books will be opened, the Ancient of Days will sit, and the river of fire will cause the weeping of sinners. Every day we await the judgment there to give account to the Son of God, because the Ancient of Days gave him the judgment, and because the Lord promised his disciples that they would sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

Transposed material starts here.  This is the same as the Greek although it specifically calls out that the sinners will be weeping.

They carried the body of the holy one with all honor and with angelic glory to the honored place. The Jews, those who oppose God, the Lord, approached when they saw in that hidden place the venerable body laid upon the bier. They went with the people cunningly to insult that body honored by God in the temple, where the seven lamps that do not go out are, in which pure oil lights the altar of burnt offerings to show us the Holy of Holies.

Similar to the Greek.

The Virgin was snatched away and disappeared from the sight of all of them.

There is a difference from the Greek here, in that this proposes that Mary was removed, whereas the Greek merely proposes that the attackers were struck blind.  The Arabic sense does not seem to fit well contextually, as the remainder of the context suggests she was still on the bier.

Any hand of the Jews that touched the bier was cut off and torn. Therefore, the exalted body became praised. All of them believed and prostrated themselves before the Mother of God, even those who denigrated her, began to glorify her as the Mother of God. Their intentions fell apart upon contemplating the wonders, that is, the marvels of God that were manifested because of the Mother of the Lord. An immeasurable miracle occurred when those two hands were cut off and all believed in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, born of her, and in her.

Similar to the Greek.  Daley (with Wenger) inserts the healing of the hands as somehow implied by the text (and presumably based on the accounts on which this account is based).

There the one who is of David according to the flesh was manifested, so that they would not be unbelieving like those who now hesitate. Just as that holy body performed the miracle, in the body of the Mother of God continues the incorrupt virginity, as now deserves this indescribable Ark in which is the jar of manna and Aaron's rod from which the fruit sprouted.

The "those who now hesitate" is couched more as an answer to an objection that this is impossible in the Greek, but the overall point seems about the same.  This ends the sheet that was out of order.

If the prophet Elijah, in a chariot of fire, was raised to heaven by the command of the Lord, how could she not be raised [to heaven], the one extolled by the prophets?

Now we return to the flow of the text having talked about Enoch.  This is similar to the Greek.

These prophesied her gift of beatitude, for just as the moon shines among the stars, so she shines among the prophets, as she deserved, and all the angels of heaven rush to serve her.

Similar to the Greek.

Although she tasted death, the body did not decompose nor was it reached by corruption or transformation, and it was preserved. With the pure soul, she was raised to heaven by the holy angels and the powers. She was more exalted than Enoch, than Elijah, than all the prophets, than the apostles, and than the heavens; for in her only is God who chose her.

While the Greek affirms that Mary is below God, the Arabic seems to justify her being above everything else because God was in her.

All this God arranged for our salvation. Divinity is not located in any place, it is not encompassed by knowledge and its dignity is indescribable. The Lord, the Word, chose to incarnate in her, as the prophet had said: "The Lord said you are my Son, today I have begotten you." He is with us today, [and] makes known to us that he assumed our flesh from the holy and was conceived without the involvement of a man.

The portion beginning "The Lord, the Word ..." begins a gap in the Greek, which Daley has filled in using the Arabic.  Thus, the differences here are merely translation differences.

He also said: "In the womb before the morning star I have begotten you." It means that He was begotten by the Father before all time, was blessed by the Holy Spirit, existed from the beginning, and will exist.

The final portion of the "existed from the beginning and will exist" (as found in the Spanish) differs somewhat from Wenger's French and (consequently, one presumes) Daley's English.  


The text in question comes from 45v of the Arabic manuscript, which reads (including the next line to be safe):

According to my translation, this should be:

(45) Before the morning star I gave birth to you, meaning his birth from the Father before all ages, and he prayed with the Holy Spirit for what was from the beginning and what was destined to happen. The ascension of the body of the saint and its ascension to heaven took place on fifteen days of Augustus, which is the sixteenth of the month of Misra, and it was joy...

This suggests that the Wenger/Daley version is a bit closer to the Arabic sense.

The assumption of the body of the holy one and her ascent to heaven was on August 15, which is the 16th of the month of Mesoré. 

This portion, taken from the Arabic by Daley, is naturally the same.  However, it should be noted that the "month of Mesoré" refers to a Coptic month.  The wording of the Arabic translation seems to suggest that originally the work was written by a someone not Coptic, and hence the August 15 date needed to be converted to the Coptic calendar.

The heavens and the earth rejoiced, the angels sang psalms, and men praised the mother of the heavenly King who gave the Messiah to mankind. Glory to the pure Mother of God, to the Ark full of glory, to the unsplit Rock, to the Fountain of Life who is the Messiah who says: "Whoever is thirsty, let him come to me and drink"! May He be praised as He deserves! I can say that this most Pure and entirely holy woman, if she was rejected in the world when she was with the body on the earth, in heaven she came to resemble the cherubim.

With the angelic songs, we return to a comparison between the Greek and Arabic.  The "Ark full of Glory" is "the three-storied ark" in the Greek.  The Greek has just that she conversed with the angels, not that she came to resemble them.  However, such coming to resemble them would explain the previous comment about her becoming like the cherubim.

She ascended with the angels, and she is the intercessor for men before the pure King, who has forgiven the sentence decreed against us.

Daley's English has "ambassador" rather than "intercessor," though one wonders which is closer to the author's intended sense.

Her body is honored and praised by the Psalms and by the voices of the prophets. Her teachings are found in the Law [from where] they were taken, as happened to the prophet Moses in relation to those who, rejecting grace, opposed God, doubting or being hypocritical.

Once again, at this point, we encounter a re-ordering of the pages, which seems to be resolved if what is now Arabic folio 46 should have been before Arabic folio 45.  The phrase "doubting or being hypocritical" replaces "enemies of God" in the Greek. 

Now Moses tells them: "The Lord our God will raise up a prophet like me," that is, God and man at the same time, since Moses was considered God by Pharaoh. Then he said to them: "Listen to him in everything he speaks to you, for anyone who does not listen will perish."

A reference to the "O unbelieving ones" is omitted by the Arabic, but otherwise this seems similar.

Mary was not glorified by her people, being her brother. She has said who [that] Moses was and even that he was God and man, for the Lord was born from Mary. God became man and they did not accept [his] manifestation. However, they will see it. It will happen to you that you will see what you have not seen: God coming gloriously on the clouds of heaven. Then they will accept [her who is] of the lineage of David and will glorify her saying: "You are of our race and of our flesh, now we know that you are more exalted than the exalted beings of heaven, and that you have become the spouse of the heavenly King."

The phrase "God became man and they did not accept [his] manifestation" seems to be omitted in the Greek. On the other hand, the Arabic omits: "Then they will be converted, and will beat their breasts and call her blessed, along with Anna, the bosom that nursed her."

Now we know what the prophets preached about you and among them there was one who said of you: "He descends upon you like the dew on the fleece." Another called you the moon of your sky saying: "The sun rose and the moon remained with its form." It means that the Messiah was born from her and her virginity remained as it was.

The Arabic omits several Scriptural quotations found in the Greek here, specifically Isaiah 7:14 (a virgin shall conceive), Ezekiel 44:10 (a gate looks to the East), and Daniel 2:34 (holy stone cut from a mountain) before the moon reference.  

Truly, the fools have gone astray, they have been ignorant and have ruined their lives! It happened that they were extinguished because they slandered and did not accept the Sun of the earth that has this gift. It also refers to her the smoke that the prophet Isaiah saw when he beheld the Lord sitting on the throne of his glory, and [the beings] with six wings resonated saying: "Holy, holy, holy!" and they glorified him; when he saw that house filled with smoke. That house was an example, and now we understand what the prophets wrote for us.

The Greek contains a reference to the Protoevangelium's "fruit of righteousness," which is not found in the Arabic.  The Arabic, meanwhile, has "It happened that they were extinguished because they slandered and did not accept the Sun of the earth that has this gift."

But what now happens, in our opinion, is this: he who does not confess the Messiah before men, the Messiah will not recognize him before his Father. All of us, however, confess the Messiah, praise his Father, glorify the Holy Spirit, and sing to the Mother of God. We come with the angels praising her to celebrate the feast of the tribes, let us invoke her!

I did not find this invocation of Mary in the Greek, although frankly the jumping back and forth between places may have created some confusion.  We now jump back (in the Greek) to the earlier section, where there seems to be mention of invoking the name of God.  

How much better is now this immeasurable ark, which from the beginning had the favor of God! This now is the ark, the vessel, the throne, and the heaven! This is the one the Holy Scriptures have deemed worthy; of her spoke the prophet Daniel; in her all these things have been revealed and also the veiled face, which we have clearly seen, praised be God!, and for her sake the prophet Moses covered himself with the veil.

The text is a somewhat similar to the Greek here, although some of the phrasing is more different than in other places.  For example, "immeasurable" is not a characteristic of the ark in the Greek and the reference to "from the beginning" having "the favor of God" is not something I could pin down from the Greek.

Her body was guarded by the holy disciples and kept by God through them, so that they were favored on the way, namely Peter and Paul who, although they had offended the Lord's name, gave testimony with their deeds, found themselves amid a great noise and within a great earthquake, saw the body of the holy and Virgin ascending to heaven with the Messiah, so that a prominent place might be prepared for the intercessor next to her Son, so that she might live there with the archangels, with the multitude of prophets and with the apostles, gathered next to the teacher and prophetess who is the joy of all virgins, who sought her Son's house and found it, as it is written in the Song, and [sought him also] in the walls there are by the mountains, like Aaron, in the likeness of the allusion to the gazelles, in the likeness of the first glance and in the likeness of the camels, which longed for the springs of water and did not find them in the pastures. She found Eve, the strayed. She found Adam who had lost himself through his disobedience. You said: "Live and come," so that the Word of God might enter into him, so that he might live in him and open paradise.

While this is somewhat the same as the Greek, the description of her as "intercessor" seems to have been added, and a Scriptural citation of Song of Solomon 4:10 "Breath on my garden," is omitted.  The Greek "Advocate" is replaced by "Word of God." 

The comforting Paraclete offered his mercy to receive the thief saying: "Amen, amen, I tell you truly, you will be with me today in paradise." Woe to you, who marvel at this event, that a thief goes to paradise and that the priests are excluded from it! They do not even dare to look at it, because the spear of fire guards the way back to Life, while the good thief approaches it. Meanwhile, those who knew the Law and studied it were deprived of grace and cast out, so that they would not be praised by their races.

"Spear" for "sword" of course.  The explicit references to the Paraclete is perhaps a better alignment for the "Advocate" (as the meaning is related) mentioned in the previous section.  This also ends the out-of-order material. 

The feasts of the assumption to heaven of the glorious body of the Virgin [are because] He shone on earth thanks to the good and teacher Virgin.

This definitely refers to an assumption of the body, not merely the spirit, in a way that the Greek does not.  

In heaven, she has become the intercessor for all, she has become distinguished with God, has received an excellent spiritual gift, has given the word of grace and the knowledge of wisdom, because she comes from Wisdom, which is found on the paths and speaks publicly in the alleys and in the assemblies, saying [Wisdom]: "He is our Lord and our God, Jesus, the Messiah, the incomprehensible Wisdom and the unending source." He took the body of the Virgin, was the fruit of her womb, without her losing virginity.

This seems similar to the Greek.

This is the Mother of the Messiah who says: "He who believes, as the Scripture says, from his inner being shall flow rivers of living water." It alludes to that water which the prophet asked for in his thirst; just like the camels long for the springs of water, so Lord! my soul longs for you.

It is interesting that "deer" have become "camels" in the process (presumably) of translation.

"And He speaks publicly in the alleys," he travels the world, heads towards the mystery, and brings peace to the world.

Similar to the Greek.

The Messiah, who is our peace, says to his disciples: "My peace I leave to you so that you may give it to each other." This signifies the love for one another, for He died because of them and for them.

Although it discusses similar themes, here the Arabic seems to provide a different explanation of the peace of Christ.

This is the peace of which the prophet said: "He loves peace and truth": referring to the Messiah. This land of which he speaks is the Mother of God, from whom has shone and has manifested our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, who says: "I am the Truth and the Life"

"He loves peace and truth" is not cited in the Greek version and Psalm 84:11 and John 14:6 are presented in the Arabic, but not the Greek. "This land" picks back up to the same aligned message as the Greek.

The prophet also says: "Our land shall also yield its fruit." Now the womb of our Lady has given its fruit in its time, which is the bread that never consumes nor is exhausted, the Messiah, who says: "I am the bread of Life, he who eats of it will live and he who drinks my blood will have eternal life. For my flesh is true food." This fruit that our land has given us is the virgin Mother, who is ours and of the entire world, the Lady of all, who knows the thoughts of all and comforts everyone.

After "This fruit that our land has given us is the virgin Mother" the Arabic again parts ways with the Greek.  The Greek suggests Mary is some kind of "universal providence" and "an unassailable fortification" but does not mention her being "the Lady of all" or knowing everyone's thoughts nor yet comforting everyone.

Concluding Thoughts:

Apparently, there is a second Arabic manuscript of this sermon in the collection of the Coptic Monastery of Saint Macarius (Dayr Qiddīs Anbā Maqqār) in Wadi Natrun, Egypt, namely "Saint Macaire 381 (Hag. 15)," (see the discussion here and also here, which mentions that the same author may also be known as Theophile de Landra or de Labidu) which does not appears to be digitized yet (see this news announcement).  I have not in any way reviewed that manuscript, though I would - of course - be very interested in any light it might shed on the text of this sermon.

Simon Claude Mimouni (link) agrees with my reordering of the folios of the Arabic manuscript.  Unfortunately, Pilar González Casado seems not to have noticed or been aware of this issue, perhaps because Mimouni is in French.  Zanetti's inventory of the monastery's manuscripts likewise does not seem to have been consulted by the otherwise helpful Pilar González Casado.

Appendix I: Greek of Wenger (sections 1-6 only) with new English Translation

Θεοτέκνου ἐπισκόπου Λιβιάδος ἐγκώμιον εἰς τὴν ἀνάλημψιν τῆς ἁγίας Θεοτόκου. 

1 «῎Αισατε τῷ Κυρίῳ ἄσμα καινὸν ὅτι θαυμαστὰ ἐποίησεν». Ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἀναστάσει τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ πάντες ἀγαλλιάσει ἠγαλλιασάμεθα ᾄσμασιν πνευματικοῖς, δοξολογοῦντες τὸν πάντα οἰκονομήσαντα διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν. 

2 Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν καὶ τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἄνοδον καὶ τὴν ἐκ δεξιῶν καθέδ [ραν] , ὁ ἀχώριστος τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς κολποῖς, μετὰ τ[ῆς] ἀχράντου σαρκὸς ἣν ἔλαβεν ἐκ Μαρίας τῆς ἁγίας [θεοτόκου] , || διὰ νεφελῶν πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους αὐτοῦ μαθητὰς καὶ ἀποστόλους ἐπισυνήγαγεν πρὸς τὴν ἄχραντον καὶ ἀπειρόγαμον καὶ ἁγνήν, ἐπισυνάξας πρὸς αὐτὴν λαβεῖν τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως καὶ ἀναληφθῆναι ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς τὴν πλατυτέραν τῶν οὐρανῶν γενομένην καὶ ἀνωτέραν τῶν χερουβίν. 

3 [Εἰ ] γὰρ τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ πᾶσαν τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν έχαρίσατο καὶ λῃστῇ διὰ μιᾶς φωνῆς παράδει[σ]ον ἠνέωξεν, πόσῳ μᾶλ[λ]ον τὴν δανείσασαν αὐτῷ [τ]ὸ οἰκητήριον τῆς νηδύ[ος], ἣν αὐτὸς ἐδημιούργη[σεν], ἣν αὐτὸς ἔπλασεν, [ἐξ ἧς] ἐσαρκώθη, ὡς ... || 

4 ἵνα δι ̓ ἧς ἠπάτησεν ὁ ἀρχέκακος, δι ̓ αὐτῆς καταλύσῃ τὸ κράτος αὐτοῦ καὶ δι ̓ αὐτῆς πᾶσαι αἱ γυναῖκες ἧς εἶχον κατάρας ἐλευθερίας τύχωσιν · «Σωθήσεται γάρ, φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος, διὰ τῆς τεκνογονίας». 

5 Ταύτην τὴν ἁγίαν καὶ πάγκοσμον, τήν σεμνὴν καὶ πάσης χαρᾶς ἠξιωμένην, τὴν μητέρα καί παρθένον, τὴν ἁγνὴν καὶ ἀμίαντον, τὴν γαλακτοτροφήσασαν τὸν πηγάσα[ν]τα μέλι ἐκ πέτρας, τὸν ἀπροσδεῆ τροφῆς ἀγκ[ά]λαις ἐπετιθηνήσατο καὶ τὸν αὐτῆς δημιουρ[γὸν] υἱὸν ἀσπόρως ἐξ αὐτῆς [ἠ]ξιώθη προσενεγκεῖν. 

6 Γίνεται χερουβικῶς ἡ ἐκ π ..... || καθαροῦ καὶ ἀσπίλου. Ετι γὰρ ἐν τῇ ὀσφύει τοῦ πατρὸς ὑπάρχουσα τοῦ Ἰωακείμ, Ἄννα ἡ μήτηρ αὐτῆς ἐξ ἀγγέλου ἁγίου εὐηγγελίσθη λέγοντος πρὸς αὐτήν · «Καὶ λαληθήσεται τὸ σπέρμα σου ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ » . Διό προσήνεγκεν αὐτὴν τῷ ναῷ Κυρίου . Καὶ πάντα τὸν χρόνον αὐτῆς παρισταμένη παρίστατο ἡ παρθένος τῷ βασιλεῖ Χριστῷ ἐκ δεξιῶν ἐν ἱματισμῷ διαχρύσῳ περβεβλημένη πεποικιλμένη , κα[θ]ώς λέγει ὁ προφήτης [« Α]κουσον , θύγατερ , καὶ ἰδὲ καὶ [κλ]ῖνον τὸ οὖς σου καὶ ἐπι[λά]θου τοῦ λαοῦ σου καὶ τοῦ [οἴκ]ου τοῦ πατρός σου καὶ ἐπι[θυμή]σει ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ [κάλλους σου ὅτι αὐτό]ς ἐστιν ὁ || κύριός σου καὶ προσκυνήσεις αὐτῷ » .

Title: Encomium to the Ascension of the Holy Theotokos by Bishop Theoteknos of Livias.

1 "Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things." Indeed, in the resurrection of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, we all rejoiced and celebrated with spiritual songs, praising Him who has arranged everything for our salvation.

2 After His resurrection from the dead and His ascension to the heavens and His sitting at the right hand [of God], He, who is inseparable from the bosom of God the Father, with the unblemished flesh He took from Mary the Holy Theotokos, gathered all His holy disciples and apostles through clouds to the unblemished, unwed, and pure one, gathering them to her to receive the prize of the higher calling and to be taken up in the heavens, having become broader than the heavens and higher than the cherubim.

3 For if He granted His saints the entire kingdom of heaven and opened paradise to a thief with a single phrase, how much more so the one who lent Him the dwelling of her womb, which He Himself created, which He Himself formed, out of which He was incarnated, as ...

4 so that through her whom the arch-evil one deceived, by her he might dissolve his power, and through her all women who had borne curses might gain freedom; "for she shall be saved through childbearing," says the apostle.

5 This holy and universal, venerable and filled with all joy, the mother and virgin, the pure and unblemished, who nourished the one who brought forth honey from the rock, and who, needing no nourishment, was held in her arms, and her son the creator, who was worthily brought forth from her without seed.

6 She has become cherubic from [clay?/father?] pure and spotless. For while still in the loins of her father Joachim, Anna her mother was evangelized by a holy angel saying to her: "And your seed shall be spoken of throughout the whole world." Therefore, she presented her to the temple of the Lord. And all the while, the virgin stood clothed in gold-spun garments, richly adorned, as the prophet says, "Listen, daughter, and see, and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father's house, and the king shall desire your beauty because he is your lord, and you shall worship him."

Thursday, August 31, 2023

Autpurt Ambrose (d. 784) on the Ark of Revelation 11:19 and the Woman of Revelation 12:1 and On the Bodily Assumption

Ambrosius Autpertus, in Corpus Christianorum, Continuatio Mediavalis (CCCM) vol. XXVII (Ambrosius Autpertus, part 1), Expositions in Apocalypse, Books I-V

From the preface:

Again, John tells of having seen a woman clothed with the sun in the sky, and there she gave birth. But the dragon stood before her, to devour her child; however, the child was snatched to God and to his throne. After this, the woman fled into the wilderness, and immediately there was a great battle in heaven; and the dragon was thrown down from heaven to earth and pursued the woman. For what could be found more mad or more foolish than to say that in that heavenly dwelling there are childbirths of women? Moreover, if the dragon was thrown from heaven to earth, how did he pursue the woman, who is not said to have fallen from heaven to earth? If, I say, the dragon was thrown to the earth, what necessity drove the woman to flee from heaven into the wilderness? Or perhaps when the devil fell from that heavenly dwelling, was the woman, still bearing a child in heaven, already crying out, though she had not yet been established on earth? Or truly, was the son of the woman certainly born in heaven and not thrown from heaven, to escape the dragon's bite, taken from somewhere else in heaven to find God and his throne? Thus, in all things such confrontations confuse the literal surface: to the extent that they teach us to avoid the exterior letter in figurative expressions, and to follow the inner spirit in understanding the mysteries. Rursum idem Iohannes narrat mulierem se amictam sole in caelo uidisse, ibique peperisse. Draconem autem ante eam, ut filium eius deuoraret, stetisse ; sed ad Deum et ad thronum eius, eundem filium raptum fuisse. Mulierem uero post haec in solitudinem fugisse, statimque proelium magnum in caelo factum fuisse ; et draconem de caelo in terram proiectum, mulierem insectasse. Quid enim dementius, quid stultius repperiri potest, quam ut in superna illa caelestique habitatione, partus mulierum esse dicantur ? Sed et si draco deiectus est de caelo in terram, quomodo persecutus est mulierem, quae non dicitur de caelo ruisse in terram ? Si, inquam, draco proiectus est in terram, quae necessitas conpulit mulierem de caelo in solitudinem fugere ? An forte quando diabolus de illa superna habitatione ruit, iam mulier in caelo parturiens clamabat, quae necdum in terra condita fuerat ? An uero filius mulieris in caelo utique natus, nec de caelo deiectus, ut morsum draconis euaderet, alibi de caelo fuit raptus, quo Deum et thronum eius inueniret ? Sic itaque in omnibus superficiem litterae confundunt tales obluctationes : quatenus cauere nos doceant in figuratis locutionibus litteram exterius, et ad mystica intellegenda spiritum interius sequi.

For Ambrose Autpurt, taking Revelation 12 literally is an example of obvious folly. 

Book V, at Revelation 11:19a to 12:2

AND THE TEMPLE OF GOD WAS OPENED IN HEAVEN, AND THE ARK OF HIS COVENANT WAS SEEN IN HIS TEMPLE.

This expression returns to the beginning of faith, and intertwined with the corporeal birth of the Redeemer, the actions of His body which is the Church, and the conflicts it undergoes against the ancient enemy, it interweaves with other diverse figures. For what else in this place do we understand by the temple of God, if not the Lord Jesus Christ? The temple is rightly seen as opened and not closed, because indeed the Son of God was manifestly born in the flesh, truly suffered in the flesh, wonderfully raised in the flesh, and powerfully said to be lifted in the flesh to the heavens. Although all the saints are truly called the temple of God, that body which was assumed for human salvation is uniquely and chiefly called the temple of God, in which the fullness of divinity dwells bodily. About this very temple, the same [Jesus] spoke to the Jews, saying: 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' Which temple he meant, the Evangelist subsequently explained, saying: 'He spoke of the temple of His body.' However, this temple is opened in heaven because our Redeemer is proclaimed and retained to have accomplished the dispensation of human salvation in the Church.

Where it is properly added: 'And the ark of his covenant was seen in his temple.' It is designated by the ark of the covenant, which is seen in the temple, and by the sky in which the temple opens, that is, the Church of the elect. It is called the ark of the covenant because the power of the two Testaments is inscribed in it by the finger of God, that is, by the Holy Spirit, no longer on stone tablets, but on the fleshy tablets of the heart. According to the account in Exodus, it is also said to have four golden rings, in which it is carried by four poles, because it is armed with the four Gospels, by which it is guided by holy preachers; in it is also said to be a golden urn containing manna, that is, the wisdom of the divine Word, providing sustenance for life, as well as Aaron's rod that budded, that is, the validation of the royal priesthood, to whose members the Apostle Peter says: 'You are a royal race, a royal priesthood.'

With the temple therefore opened, the ark of the covenant appears, because, once the dispensation of our salvation is completed, the Church is gathered in Christ. Moreover, the opened temple can be understood as that by which we read that our Mediator [Christ] was pierced on the cross with a lance, and 'the ark of the covenant was seen in his temple,' by which we understand the sacraments of blood and water, by which the Church is built. Just as the woman [Eve] was formed from the side of the sleeping Adam, so from the side of Christ hanging on the cross was the Church fashioned. Hence, not without reason, when his side was opened by the lance and blood and water came out, John is known to have said: 'And he who saw it has borne witness.' As if he was saying in other words: 'He who saw the ark of God in the opened temple, because what he saw was true, bore witness.' But to say 'in heaven', he meant to be understood as 'in his sight'. For he was among those of whom it had been written: 'The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands.' What follows is:

AND THERE WERE LIGHTNINGS, AND VOICES, AND THUNDERS, AND AN EARTHQUAKE, AND GREAT HAIL.

What are meant by lightnings if not, as we have often said, the signs of miracles? For lightning indeed strikes terror, and by its sudden flash weakens human strength. This aligns well with miracles, by which the minds of the unbelievers, struck down and soon breaking the force of their pride, submitted to humility. Hence, it is said to the Lord by the Psalmist: "You will multiply lightnings and confuse them." He multiplied the lightnings, indeed, because He displayed countless signs of miracles through the Apostles and apostolic men around the world. And He confused them, meaning, He brought down His resisting adversaries from their strength. Hence, another Psalm says: "Your lightning illuminated the world, the earth saw and was moved." But what else is meant by voices if not the preachings of the Church? Hence, rightly, it is remembered that seven thunders spoke their voices. It is fitting that lightnings occur first and then voices follow, because the holy preachers, in order to lead the hearts of the unbelievers to new beliefs through speech, first showed new miracles. Hence, Peter, in order to shape the minds of the Jews to faith through words, first healed the paralytic at the temple gate. Hence, Paul, to convert the people of Malta through preaching, healed the father of Publius from dysentery. After the voices, thunders occur, so that those who perhaps despise miracles and scorn words may be shaken by the terror of judgment. After the thunders, there are earthquakes, meaning the great persecution of the pagans. Rightly also those who stir up persecution are symbolized by hail. For hail, although it shatters crops on the ground, also shatters itself in the process, so that the hail disappears entirely and the earth bears fruit again. Thus, the raging crowd of gentiles, while trying to completely erase the name of Christ from the earth, was reduced to nothing, either in strength or certainly by a change for the better. Many of those who persecuted the Church of God returned to the faith of the Mediator, and began to suffer what they had previously inflicted on others. What follows is:

AND A GREAT SIGN APPEARED IN HEAVEN: A WOMAN CLOTHED WITH THE SUN, AND THE MOON UNDER HER FEET

In order to seek this sign, we know Achaz was admonished by the Lord, saying: "Ask for a sign from your Lord God in the depth of hell or in the height above." When that faithless king responded, "I will not ask, and I will not test the Lord," the word was immediately directed to the house of David, saying, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel." This sign is certainly seen in heaven, that is, in the Church of the saints, even now. Let's speak more plainly about this sign. It is then added: "A woman clothed with the sun." As if it were said: the blessed and ever-virgin Mary, overshadowed by the power of the Most High, to whom, as we know, the Angel said: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you" – that very power, about which Paul says: "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." And because often the general is found in the specific, the blessed and devout Virgin here represents the Church, which gives birth daily to new peoples from whom the general body of the Mediator is formed. It is not surprising if she prefigures the Church, in whose blessed womb the Church was worthy to be united with its head. For in the following reading, some things are recounted that cannot specifically fit the Blessed Virgin according to the literal sense, but generally fit the Church of the elect according to the mystical narration. Therefore, we should follow the general in the specific throughout, and understand that everything we see as fitting to one is said of all. Therefore, the woman is said to be clothed with the sun, which is very fitting for the souls of the faithful. Are they not clothed with the robe of the sun, to whom it is said through Paul: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ"? For Christ is the sun of righteousness and the brightness of eternal light. Of this sun, the wicked will certainly say in hell: "The sun did not rise for us." In contrast, the elect hear: "For you who fear the Lord, the sun of righteousness will rise.

But what is signified in this place by the moon, if not the changeability of temporal things? For just as the moon wanes with the progression of time, it rightly signifies the decline of mutability through it. Therefore, whoever despises all fleeting corporeal things, as if he suppresses the moon under his feet. However, by the moon, which is under the feet of the woman, heretics might be designated. Not because, during their manifestation, the Church has always been superior to them in worldly power, especially when it has often been oppressed by them, but because they, obscured and diminished by the truth of light in which the whole body is clothed, so deservedly fell from the state of the same body by the merit of their rejection, that they were deemed unworthy even to pertain to its utmost members, which are symbolized by the feet. Instead, they delight in those things and with full mental effort dwell in those matters which the saints wholeheartedly seek to crush, that is, false teachings and the vain honors of this world. They are thus under the feet of the elect because they seek lowly things and yearn for earthly ones. But it's no surprise if from where some find stability's progress, others incur the decline of changeability, and where some shine like the sun, others wane like the moon. For Simeon says to the Lord: "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel." Solomon aptly indicates their changeability and decline, saying, "A fool changes like the moon." For what is more foolish and more contradictory to oneself than what heretics believe about Christ? Valentinus thinks differently about Him than does Bardesanes, differently than Apollinaris, differently than Arius, differently than Sabellius, differently than Photinus, and seldom are found those who seem to agree in their opinions. And what do we understand in these but foolishness, what but the waning of the moon and changeability? The integrity of Christ is certainly persecuted by these, who, enduring the decline of changeability and faith, seem to lie at the very feet. What we have understood about heretics can also be applied to false Christians, who yearn for earthly desires and torment the life of the elect with corrupt morals. Those who seem to manage the cares of ecclesiastical matters in such a way that spiritual men need not deal with external things can also aptly be expressed by the term "moon", resulting in the Church not touching the earth in spiritual men. What follows is:

AND ON HER HEAD, A CROWN OF TWELVE STARS

As we have often said, and all true faith commentators have mentioned, the Lord and the Church are one entity, the head and the body are one whole. Therefore, the Church is crowned in its head, that is, in Christ Jesus, of whom Paul says: "He is the head of all Churches." But by the twelve stars with which the king's crown is adorned, what else should we understand but the Apostles, who were the first to cling to our head, and who were the first to become an adornment of that head? And rightly they are designated by stars because they have been proven to illuminate the darkness of ignorance with the rays of truth. Hence the Angel generally speaks about all true faith preachers to Daniel, saying: "Those who are wise will shine like the stars of the heavens: and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for everlasting eternities." Hence Paul says: "Among a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life." Although all preachers of faith can be seen as a kind in the species in the number of Apostles, they specifically and primarily became the crown of the head because the head first achieved victory over the whole world through them. It follows:

AND IN HER WOMB SHE CRIES, LABORING IN PAIN, AND ANGUISHED TO GIVE BIRTH

These words cannot be applied to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the literal sense, for she could not have pain in childbirth, who contracted no sin of lust in conception. But in a mystical sense, it undoubtedly refers to the Church, of which the Blessed Virgin is known to be the most excellent member. The Church of the elect is called a woman, not because she is weak in faith or action, but because she gives birth daily to the body of her Redeemer in the believing people. For unless the Church gave birth to Christ, her Son would not say to her: "Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother." Nor would the Psalmist say: "Of Zion it will be said, 'This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.'" Does not Paul generate Christ in believers when he said: "For even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel?" But as long as the Church gives birth, she cries in labor, and is tormented to give birth, because unless the time comes when she perfectly gives birth to her son, when nothing of the body remains, she suffers some difficulty of childbirth here, especially when she gives birth again to some whom she had already delivered. To such, Paul said, lamenting like a mother in labor: "My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you." Until then, as the same Apostle says, "we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." The Mother Church, laboring, cries out and is tormented to give birth, but when the time or hour comes when the last members of the body proceed to the light of faith by being born, then the torment and cry of childbirth will cease, then the sigh of hardships will be forgotten, and the indescribable joy of future goods will follow. Hence, the Lord in the Gospel says: "A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world." But what he meant, he himself explained, saying: "So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy." What follows is:

ET APERTUM EST TEMPLUM DEI IN CAELO, ET VISA EST ARCA TESTAMENTI EIUS IN TEMPLO EIUS

Haec locutio ad initium fidei recurrit, et recapitulata Redemptoris corporea natiuitate, actus corporis eius quod est Ecclesia, conflictusque quos aduersus antiquum hostem agit, aliis diuersisque figuris intexit. Quid enim hoc loco aliud per Dei templum, nisi Dominum intellegimus Iesum Christum ? Bene apertum, et non clausum, cernitur templum, quia uidelicet Dei Filius manifeste in carne natus, ueraciter in carne passus, mirabiliter in carne suscitatus, potenter in carne ad caelos eleuatus perhibetur. Quamquam enim omnes sancti templum Dei ueraciter appellentur, illud tamen corpus pro humana salute susceptum, singulariter ac principaliter templum Dei uocatur, in quo omnis plenitudo diuinitatis inhabitat corporaliter. De quo nimirum templo idem ad Iudaeos loquitur, dicens : Soluite templum hoc, et in tribus diebus excitabo illud. Quod uero esset templum de quo diceret, Euangelista subsecutus exposuit, dicens : Hoc autem dicebat de templo corporis sui. In caelo autem hoc templum aperitur, quia uidelicet Redemptor noster dispensationem humanae salutis peregisse in Ecclesia praedicatur ac retinetur.

Vbi adhuc recte subiungitur : Et uisa est arca testamenti eius in templo eius. Ipsa designatur per arcam testamenti, quae uidetur in templo, ipsa et per caelum in quo aperitur templum, id est, electorum Ecclesia. Quae propterea arca testamenti uocatur, quia duorum in ea Testamentorum uirtus digito Dei, hoc est. Spiritu Sancto inscribitur, non iam in tabulis lapideis, sed in tabulis cordis carnalibus. Quae etiam iuxta fidem Exodi quattuor circulos aureos habere perhibetur, in quibus quattuor uectibus portetur, quia uidelicet quattuor Euangeliis armatur, per quae a sanctis praedicatoribus gubernatur ; in qua urna quoque aurea, manna continens, inesse dicitur, id est, diuini Verbi sapientia, pabulum continens uitae, necnon et uirga Aaron quae fronduerat, hoc est, ad probatio regalis sacerdotii, ad cuius membra Petrus Apostolus dicit : Vos genus regium, regale sacerdotium.

Aperto itaque templo, arca testamenti apparet, quia peracta nostrae salutis dispensatione, in Christo adgregatur Ecclesia. Potest autem in eo templum intellegi apertum, quo Mediatorem nostrum legimus in cruce lancea perforatum, et uisa in templo arca testamenti, subaudis, sanguinis et aquae sacramenta, quibus aedificatur Ecclesia. Sicut enim ex costa Adae dormientis formata est mulier, sic ex latere Christi pendentis in cruce fabricata est Ecclesia. Vnde nec inmerito aperto lancea latere, cum exisset sanguis et aqua, Iohannes dixisse cognoscitur : Et qui uidit, testimonium perhibuit. Ac si aliis uerbis diceret : Qui arcam Dei in templo aperto uidit, quod uerum esset quia uideret, testimonium perhibuit. In caelo autem ut diceret, in conspectu suo intellegi uoluit. De illorum enim numero erat, de quibus scriptum meminerat : Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei, et opera manuum eius adnuntiat firmamentum. Sequitur:

ET FACTA SUNT FULGORA, ET VOCES, ET TONITRUA ET TERRAMOTUS, ET GRANDO MAGNA.

Quid per fulgora, nisi, ut saepe iam diximus, miraculorum signa figurantur ? Fulgur quippe terrorem incutit, ac subita coruscatione humanam uirtutem debilitat. Quod omnino recte miraculis congruit, quibus incredulorum mentes perculsae, fractis mox superbiae uiribus, humilitati se subdiderunt. Hinc per Psalmistam Domino dicitur : Fulgora multiplicabis, et conturbabis eos. Fulgora etenim multiplicauit, quia uidelicet innumera miraculorum signa per Apostolos atque apostolicos uiros per orbem ostendit. Conturbauit uero eos, subaudis resistentes sibi aduersarios, a propria fortitudine deiecit. Hinc rursum alius Psalmus dicit : Inluxerunt coruscationes tuae orbi terrae, uidit et commota est terra. Quid autem aliud uocibus, quam praedicationes Ecclesiae designantur ? Vnde et merito septem tonitrua uoces suas locuta fuisse memorantur. Bene autem prius fiunt fulgora ac deinde subsequuntur uoces, quia nimirum praedicatores sancti ut corda infidelium ad noua credenda loquendo perducerent, prius noua miracula exhibuerunt. Hinc est quod Petrus, ut Iudaeorum mentes ad fidem uerbis informaret, prius ad portam templi paralyticum curauit. Hinc Paulus, ut populum Militenen praedicando conuertat, a dysenteria patrem Publii sanat. Post noces uero tonitrua fiunt, ut hi qui forte miracula contemnunt, uerba despiciunt, terrore iudicii quatiantur. Post tonitrua quoque fiunt terraemotus, id est, persecutio ingens paganorum. Recte etiam hi qui persecutionem commouent, per grandinem designantur. Grando quippe, etsi fruges terrae inlisa comminuit, comminuendo tamen et ipsa comminuitur, fitque ut et grando funditus deficiat, et terra denuo fructificet. Sic nimirum, sic certe furens gentilium turba, dum nomen Christi funditus de terra auferre conata est, ipsa ad nihilum redacta est, aut uiribus scilicet, aut certe commutatione in melius. Plures etenim de his qui Ecclesiam Dei persecuti sunt, ad fidem Mediatoris redierunt, et coeperunt pati quod ipsi prius aliis inferebant. Sequitur :

ET SIGNUM MAGNUM PARUIT IN CAELO: MULIER AMICTA SOLE, ET LUNA SUB PEDIBUS EIUS

Vt hoc signum peteret, Achaz a Domino admonitum nouimus, dicentis : Pete tibi signum a Domino Deo tuo in profundum inferni, siue in excelsum supra. Vbi cum idem perfidus rex responderet : Non petam, et non temptabo Dominum, protinus ad domum Dauid sermo dirigitur, quo dicatur : Propter hoc dabit Dominus ipse uobis signum. Ecce uirgo concipiet et pariet filium, et uocabunt nomen eius Emmanuhel. Hoc certe signum nunc usque uidetur in caelo, id est, in Ecclesia sanctorum. Dicatur itaque apertius quod sit hoc signum. Denique subditur : Mulier amicta sole. Ac si diceretur, beata semperque uirgo Maria, obumbrata Altissimi uirtute, cui uidelicet dictum ab Angelo scimus : Spiritus Sanctus superueniet in te, et uirtus Altissimi obumbrabit tibi, illa scilicet uirtus, de qua Paulus dicit : Christum Dei uirtutem et Dei sapientiam. Et quia plerumque genus inuenitur in specie, ipsa beata ac pia Virgo hoc in loco personam gerit Ecclesiae, quae nouos cotidie populos parit, ex quibus generale Mediatoris corpus formatur. Non autem mirum, si illa typum Ecclesiae praetendat, in cuius beato utero capiti suo eadem Ecclesia uniri meruit. Nam et in sequenti lectione aliqua narrantur, quae iuxta litteram beatae Virgini specialiter congruere non possunt, sed electorum Ecclesiae secundum mysticam narrationem generaliter conueniunt. Sequamur ergo per omnia genus in specie, et totum etiam quod uni aptari posse uidemus, de omnibus dictum intellegamus. Dicatur igitur mulier amicta sole, quod omnino aptissime fidelium animabus conuenit. An non solis amictu uestiuntur, quibus per Paulum dicitur : Quotquot baptizati estis, Christum industis ? Christus enim sol iustitiae et candor lucis aeternae. De hoc nimirum sole impii in inferno dicturi sunt : Sol non ortus est nobis. Quo contra electi audiunt : Vobis qui timetis Dominum orietur sol iustitiae.

Quid autem hoc loco designatur per lunam, nisi mutabilitas rerum temporalium, Quia enim per incrementa temporum luna deficit, recte per eam defectus mutabilitis signatur. Qui igitur corporalium rerum cuncta labentia despicit, quasi lunam sub pedibus premit. Possunt autem per lunam, quae sub pedibus mulieris consistit, heretici designari, non quo semper tempore manifestationis eorum, superior illis saeculari potentia extiterit Ecclesia, praesertim cum saepius ab illis fuerit obpressa, sed quo ueritate luminis qua totum corpus uestitur, obtenebrati atque defecti, ita ab statu eiusdem corporis merito reprobationis ceciderunt, ut saltem ne ad ultima eius membra, quae designantur in pedibus, pertinere meruerint, sed in his potius delectari, in his toto mentis adnisu uersari, quae sancti totis uiribus appetunt conculcare, id est, prauis dogmatibus ac mundi istius uanis honoribus. Sub pedibus ergo electorum sunt, quia ima quaerunt, quia terrenis inhiant. Non autem mirum, si unde alii prouectum stabilitatis, inde alii defectum incurrant mutabilitatis, et unde alii tamquam sol lucent, inde alii tamquam luna deficiant, cum Symeon Domino dicat : Ecce positus est hic in ruinam et in resurrectionem multorum in Israhel. Quorum mutabilitatis defectum bene Salomon indicat, dicens : Stultus ut luna mutabitur. Quid enim stultius, sibique magis contrarium, quam quod heretici de Christo opinantur ? Aliter itaque de illo sentit Valentinus, aliter Bardesanes, aliter Apollenarius, aliter Arrius, aliter Sabellius, aliter Fotinus, et paene rari inueniuntur, qui sibi in suis sententiis concordari uideantur. Et quid in his nisi stultitiam, quid in his nisi defectum lunae ac mutabilitatem intellegimus ? Et ab his pro certo integritas Christi persequitur, qui mutabilitatis ac fidei defectum patientes, in imis sub pedibus iacere uidentur. Haec autem quae de hereticis intelleximus, falsis possunt Christianis aptari, qui et terrenis cupiditatibus inhiant, et prauis moribus electorum uitam excruciant. Possunt etiam uocabulo lunae illi non inconuenienter exprimi, qui ita rerum curas ecclesiasticarum agere uidentur, ut nil de exterioribus spiritales uiri tractare cogantur, fit que ut dum hi terrenis inherent, Ecclesia in spiritalibus uiris terram minime tangat. Sequitur :

ET IN CAPITE EIUS CORONA STELLARUM DUODECIM

Sicut saepe iam diximus, et omnes uerae fidei tractatores dixerunt, Dominus et Ecclesia una persona est, caput et membra unum sunt corpus. In capite ergo suo coronatur Ecclesia, id est, in Christo Iesu, de quo per Paulum dicitur : Ipse est caput omnium Ecclesiarum. In duodecim autem stellis, quibus aptatur regis corona, quid aliud quam Apostolos intellegere debemus, qui primi capiti nostro inheserunt, qui primi ornamentum eiusdem capitis extiterunt ? Et recte per stellas designantur, quia tenebras ignorantiae radio ueritatis inlustrare probantur. Vnde et Angelus generaliter de cunctis uerae fidei praedicatoribus Daniheli loquitur, dicens : Qui docti fuerint, fulgebunt quasi stellae firmamenti : et qui ad iustitiam erudiunt multos, quasi stellae in perpetuas aeternitates. Hinc Paulus dicit : In medio nationis prauae et peruersae, inter quos lucetis sicut luminaria in mundo, uerbum uitae continentes. Quamquam autem in Apostolorum numero omnes fidei praedicatores tamquam genus in specie possint uideri, ideo tamen illi specialiter ac principaliter corona capitis extiterunt, quia primum per eos ipsum caput de toto mundo uictoriam reportauit. Sequitur :

ET IN UTERO HABENS, CLAMAT PARTURIENS, ET CRUCIATUR UT PARIAT

Haec beatae Virgini Mariae secundum litteram aptari nequeunt, quia cruciatum in partu habere non potuit, quae nullum peccatum libidinis in conceptu contraxit. Sed iuxta mysticum intellectum ad Ecclesiam certissime refertur, cuius excellentissimum membrum ipsa beata Virgo esse cognoscitur. Idcirco autem electorum Ecclesia mulier uocatur, non quo mollis in fide uel actu, sed quo Redemptoris sui corpus in credentibus populis cotidie pariat. Nisi enim Ecclesia Christum pareret, nequaquam eidem eius Filius diceret : Quicumque fecerit uoluntatem Patris mei qui in caelis est, hic meus frater et soror et mater est. Nequaquam et Psalmista diceret : Mater Sion dicet homo, et factus est in ea, et ipse fundauit eam Altissimus. An non in credentibus Christum Paulus generat, qui dicebat : Etsi multa milia pedagogorum habeatis in Christo Iesu, sed non multos patres. Nam in Christo per Euangelium ego uos genui ? Sed usquequo Ecclesia pariat, parturiens clamat, et cruciatur ut pariat, quia nisi ad tempus ultimum peruenerit, quo perfecte filium enixat, quando iam nil de corpore supersit, quandam partus difficultatem hic patitur, dum in quibusdam quos iam pepererat, denuo parturit. Talibus namque quasi mater parturiens et gemens dicebat Paulus : Filioli mei, quos iterum parturio, donec formetur Christus in uobis. Vsquequo ergo, sicut idem Apostolus dicit, occurramus omnes in unitatem fidei et agnitionis Filii Dei, in uirum perfectum, in mensuram aetatis plenitudinis Christi. Mater Ecclesia parturiens clamat, et cruciatur ut pariat, sed cum ad tempus uel horam illam peruenerit, qua ultima corporis membra ad lucem fidei nascendo procedant, tunc cessabit cruciatus ac parturitionis clamor, tunc in obliuionem ueniet gemitus pressurarum, et succedet inenarrabilis laetitia futurorum bonorum. Vnde et Dominus in Euangelio dicit : Mulier cum parit, tristitiam habet, quia uenit hora eius ; cum autem pepererit masculum, iam non meminit pressurae propter gaudium, quia natus est homo in mundo. Quid autem esset quod dicebat, ipse exposuit, dicens : Ita et uos nunc quidem tristitiam habetis, ueniam autem ad uos iterum et gaudebit cor uestrum, et gaudium uestrum nemo tollet a uobis. Sequitur :

In vol. XXVII B, Ambrosius Autpertus, Part 3, there is a “Sermo de Adsumptione Sanctae Mariae”, of which the following are the first three sections (pp. 1027-8):

1. Behold, beloved brothers, the day is greatly revered, the day surpassing the solemnities of all saints. Here, I say, is the glorious day, the illustrious day on which the Virgin Mary is believed to have departed from this world. And so with utmost exultation, the whole earth, illuminated by such a Virgin's departure, raises its praises. For it is truly unworthy that the solemnity of her memory among us should be without great honor, through whom we merited to receive the Author of life. And it is deemed quite preposterous that while we celebrate the victories of the saints and martyrs, we do not prefer her solemnity above theirs, oh she who brought forth the Prince of Martyrs to this world. On this day, fittingly, the Virgin Mary proclaims to her heavenly bridegroom: "You have taken hold of my right hand, and in your will, you have led me, and with glory, you have taken me up." Today, I say, she also fittingly hears from the bridegroom and the Lord: "Behold, winter has passed, the rain has gone and departed, rise my closest one, my bride, my dove, and come."

2. We say this, brothers, because as the Church in the custom of Christ has already accepted, the Virgin Mary is traditionally said to have been taken to the heavens on this day. But in what order she moved from here to the heavenly realms, no catholic history tells. Not only does the Church of God say to reject the apocryphal but also to be ignorant of them. Indeed, some things have been written about her assumption without the author's name, which, as I said, are treated so cautiously that they are hardly allowed to be read to confirm the truth of the matter. Some are indeed perplexed because her body is not found on earth, nor is her assumption with flesh, as read in the apocryphal, found in catholic history. To them, it must be said that if the body of Moses is not found on earth, with whom God spoke face to face, it is foolish to seek that of her through whom God of majesty was incarnated on earth. For it is not fitting for anyone to be anxious about knowledge of her body, whom they do not doubt reigns with Christ, elevated above the angels. It should suffice human knowledge to truly confess her as the queen of heaven, for she bore the king of angels.

3. Nor is there found among the Latins any writer who has spoken openly about her death. For when Ambrose of blessed memory was interpreting that verse from the Gospel in which Simeon says to the Mother of the Lord: "And a sword will pierce your own soul too", he says: "Neither history nor scripture teaches that Mary ended her life with a sword." Hence also Isidore says: "It is uncertain," he says, "whether by this word he meant the sword of the spirit or the sword of persecution." But what should I say about these things of which I speak when even John the Evangelist, who took her into his own before the Lord's cross, has not left anything in writing for posterity about this? For no one could narrate this more faithfully, if God had wished it to be revealed, than he who took her in to care for her and, against custom, did not leave his mother. It remains then, that man should not falsely fabricate openly what God wished to remain hidden. However, the true sentiment about her assumption is proven to be this, that according to the Apostle, whether in body or out of the body, not knowing, we believe she was taken up above the angels.

1. Adest, dilectissimi fratres, dies ualde uenerabilis, dies omnium sanctorum sollemnitates praecellens. Adest, inquam, dies praeclara, dies inclita, dies in qua e mundo migrasse creditur Virgo Maria. Et ideo cum summa exultatione laudes intonet uniuersa terra tantae Virginis inlustrata excessu, quia et indignum ualde est, ut illius recordationis sollemnitas sit apud nos sine maximo honore, per quam meruimus suscipere uitae auctorem, satisque praeposterum iudicandum est, ut cum sanctorum celebremus uictorias Martyrum, illius sollemnitatem illis non praeferamus, o quae huic mundo edidit Principem Martyrum. In hac siquidem die conpetenter sponso illi caelesti proclamat Virgo Maria: Tenuisti manum dexteram meam, et in uoluntate tua deduxisti me, et cum gloria adsumpsisti me. Hodie, inquam, et ipsa ab sponso et Domino congrue audit : Iam hiemps transiit, imber abiit et recessit, surge proxima mea, sponsa mea, columba mea et ueni.

2. Hoc idcirco dicimus, fratres, quia sicut iam in consuetudinem Christi suscepit Ecclesia, hodierna die ad caelos adsumpta fuisse traditur Virgo Maria. Sed quo ordine hinc ad superna transierit regna, nulla catholica narrat historia. Non solum autem respuere apocryfa, uerum etiam ignorare dicitur haec eadem Dei Ecclesia. Et quidem sunt nonnulla sine auctoris nomine de eius adsumptione conscripta, quae, ut dixi, ita cauentur, ut ad confirmandam rei ueritatem legi minime permittantur. Hinc sane pulsantur nonnulli, quia nec corpus eius in terra inuenitur, nec adsumptio eius cum carne, ut in apocrypha legitur, in catholica historia reperitur. Quibus dicendum est, quia si Moysi corpus ab homine non inuenitur in terris, cum quo locutus est Deus facie ad faciem, illius quaerere dementiae est, per quam idem maiestatis Deus incarnatus effulsit in terris. Neque enim dignum est de corporis eius notitia sollicitum quempiam esse, quam non dubitat super angelos eleuatam cum Christo regnare. Sufficere debet tantum notitiae humanae hanc uere fateri reginam caelorum, pro eo quod regem peperit angelorum.

3. Sed nec inuenitur apud Latinos aliquis tractatorum de eius morte quippiam aperte dixisse. Nam cum illud Euangelii uersiculum quo Symeon dicit ad Domini Matrem : Et tuam ipsius animam pertransibit gladius, beatae recordationis tractaret Ambrosius, ait : Nec historia nec littera docet, Mariam gladio uitam finisse. Hinc et Isidorus : Incertum est, inquit , per hoc dictum, utrum gladium spiritus an gladium, dixerit persecutionis. Sed quid de his de quibus loquor dicam, cum nec ipse qui hanc ante crucem Domini accepit in sua, id est Iohannes euangelista, de hoc posteris aliquid retinendum scriptis mandauit ? Nullus enim hoc fidelius narrare potuit, si illud Deus manifestari uoluisset, quam ille utique qui hanc nutriendam suscepit, nec contra morem filius matrem reliquit. Restat ergo, ut homo mendaciter non fingat apertum, quod Deus uoluit manere occultum. Vera autem de eius adsumptione sententia haec esse probatur, ut secundum Apostolum, siue in corpore, siue extra corpus ignorantes, adsumptam super angelos credamus.

You will note that in his discussion of Revelation 12, he makes no reference to Mary's Bodily Assumption. Moreover, when actually preaching on the occasion of the Feast of the Assumption, he declines to adopt a Bodily Assumption view.

Thursday, August 24, 2023

Epiphanius didn't Fall for the Collyridian Teaching of the Bodily Assumption

Assumptionist argument: Epiphanius claims May was bodily assumed, because he compares her to Elijah, based on Panarion 79. This, they assert, shows that Epiphanius changed his mind between Panarion 78 and Panarion 79, even though the two are chapters of the same tome of the same book.

We respond (as explained in the video linked here):

First, in the immediately preceding chapter, Epiphanius had said no one knows the end of Mary.  Normal rules of hermeneutics dictate against interpreting Panarion 79 in such a way as to contradict Panarion 78.  Instead, the clear statement should drive our understanding, and the less clear statement should be interpreted accordingly.  The Assumptionist argument is based on what is viewed as an implication in Panarion 79, whereas the direct statement in Panarion 78 contradicts that alleged implication. 

Second, just because Epiphanius compares Mary to Elijah, we should not jump to conclusions, because there is an important reason as to why Epiphanius is comparing to Elijah rather than to, for example, Enoch:

In “Against Valesians” (38, but 58 of the series), at 4,8 Epiphanus cites Elijah in the Old Testament, alongside Paul in the New Testament as examples of holy virginity. Notably, this is right after similarly citing John and James, the sons of Zebedee at 4,6 (source, p. 103):

4,5 “And there be eunuchs,” says the Savior, “which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake.”6 Who can these be but the noble apostles, and the virgins and monks after them? (6) John and James, the sons of Zebedee, who remained virgin, surely did not cut their members off with their own hands, and did not contract marriage either; they engaged in the struggle in their own hearts, and admirably won the fame of the crown of this contest. (7) And all the millions after them who lived in the world without spouses and won the fame of this contest in monasteries and convents. They had no relations with women, but competed in the most perfect of contests.

4,8 So it is with Elijah in the Old Testament, and with Paul, who says, “To the unmarried I say that it is good for them if they remain even as I am; but if they cannot contain, let them marry.”7 (9) Now in what state did he “remain?” For if he had been a eunuch, and his imitators had remained like him in obedience to his “Remain as I”—how could a eunuch marry if he could no longer contain himself, in accordance with “Let them marry and not burn?”8 You see that he is speaking of continence, not of the mutilation of one’s members.

Similarly, in “Against the first type of Origenists, who are shameful as well” (43, but 63 of the series) he again cites Elijah and John:

4,4 Nor did those of them who practiced chastity and virginity debase the contest and make something else of it, as though to evade by trickery the virtuous mode of competing. (5) Elijah too never lightly entered towns or associated with women, but lived in deserts. Elisha, John, and all who [ exhibited ] this great mark of the imitation of the angels, made themselves eunuchs in the right way for the kingdom of heaven’s sake, in accordance with the Lord’s ordinance in the Gospel.

In “Against Origen also called Adamantius” (44, but 64 of the series), Epiphanius encounters the perfect place to cite Mary as an example of someone who was assumed into heaven like Enoch or Elijah, or who bodily ascended into heaven after resurrection, like Jesus.  Nevertheless, she does not come up: 

63,14 [ Anyone with a sound mind can see* ] that, [ just] because there is a spiritual body and an ensouled body, the spiritual body is not one thing and the ensouled body something else; the ensouled and the spiritual body are the same. (15) We have ensouled bodies while we are in the world and doing the corruptible deeds of the flesh; for in the world we are enslaved to the soul in its wicked deeds, as you too have said up to a point. (16) When we are raised, however, there is no more enslavement to the soul but there is a following of the Spirit, for from that time on they have the Earnest as scripture says, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit; and if we walk by the Spirit, by mortifying the deeds of the body we shall live.” (17) There will be no more marriages, no more lusts, no more struggles for those who profess continence. There will be no more of the transgressions which run counter to purity, and no more of the sorts of deeds that are done here; as the Lord says, “They that are accounted worthy of that resurrection neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels.”

64,1 And thus Enoch was translated so as not to see death, and was not found. But at his translation he didn’t leave his body, or part of his body, behind. If he had left his body he would have seen death, but being translated with his body, he did not see death. For he is in a living body, and because of his translation his state is spiritual, not ensouled, though, to be sure, he is in a spiritual body.

64,2 The same [ has been said* ] of Elijah, moreover, because he was taken up in a chariot of fire and is still in the flesh—but in a spiritual flesh which will never again need, [ as ] it did when it was in this world to be fed by ravens, drink from the brook of Kerith, and wear a fleece. It is fed by another, spiritual nourishment the supplier of which is God, who knows secrets and has created things unseen; and it has food which is immortal and pure.

64,3 And you see that the ensouled body is the same as the spiritual body, just as our Lord arose from the dead, not by raising a different body, but his own body and not different from his own. But he had changed his own actual body to spiritual fineness and united a spiritual whole, and he entered where doors were barred, (4) as our bodies here cannot because they are gross, and not yet united with spiritual fineness.

64,8 Why, then, did he enter where doors were barred? Why but to prove that the thing they saw was a body, not a spirit—but a spiritual body, not a material one, even though it was accompanied by its soul, Godhead, and entire incarnate humanity. (9) It was the same body, but spiritual; the same body, once gross, now fine; the same body, once crucified, now [ brought to life* ]; the same body, once conquered, now unconquerable. It was united and commingled with his divine nature and never again to be destroyed, but forever abiding, never again to die. (10) For “Christ is risen from the dead, the firstfruits of them that slept.” [ But once risen ] “He dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.” 65,1 But also, to show you why Christ is called “the firstfruits of them that slept” even though he was not the first to rise—Lazarus and the widow’s son arose before him by his aid, and others by the aid of Elijah and Elisha. (2) But since they all died again after rising, Christ is the firstfruits of them that slept. For after his resurrection “He dieth no more,” since, through his life and lovingkindness, he is to be our resurrection.

65,3 Now if he is the firstfruits of them that slept, and if his body arose in its entirety together with his Godhead, his human nature [ must appear in its entirety ] after its resurrection with none of it left behind,neither its body nor anything else. “For thou shalt not leave my soul in hades, neither shalt thou give thine holy one to see corruption.” (4) And what is said about the soul in hades means that nothing has been left behind; but “holy one” is said to show that the holy body has not seen corruption, but has risen uncorrupted after the three days, forever united with incorruption.

So, when he says in “Against the Collyridians, who make offerings to Mary” (59, but 79 of the series) that he is comparing Mary to Elijah, John, and Thecla (each of whose lives ended differently, according to Epiphanius), considering the common thread and the contextual evidence: 

4,6 Yes, of course Mary’s body was holy, but she was not God. Yes, the Virgin was indeed a virgin and honored as such, but she was not given us to worship; she worships Him who, though born of her flesh, has come from heaven, from the bosom of his Father. (7) And the Gospel therefore protects us by telling us so on the occasion when the Lord himself said, “Woman, what is between me and thee? Mine hour is not yet come.” [ For ] to make sure that no one would suppose, because of the words, “What is between me and thee?” that the holy Virgin is anything more [than a woman], he called her “Woman” as if by prophecy, because of the schisms and sects that were to appear on earth. Otherwise some might stumble into the nonsense of the sect from excessive awe of the saint.

5,1 For what this sect has to say is complete nonsense and, as it were, an old wives’ tale. Which scripture has spoken of it? Which prophet permitted the worship of a man, let alone a woman? (2) The vessel is choice but a woman, and by nature no different [from others]. Like the bodies of the saints, however, she has been held in honor for her character and understanding. And if I should say anything more in her praise, [she is] like Elijah, who was virgin from his mother’s womb, always remained so, and was taken up and has not seen death. She is like John who leaned on the Lord’s breast, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” She is like St. Thecla; and Mary is still more honored than she, because of the providence vouchsafed her. (3) But Elijah is not to be worshiped, even though he is alive. And John is not to be worshiped, even though by his own prayer— or rather, by receiving the grace from God—he made an awesome thing of his falling asleep. But neither is Thecla worshiped, nor any of the Saints.

For the age-old error of forgetting the living God and worshiping his creatures will not get the better of me. (4) They served and worshiped the creature more than the creator,” and “were made fools.” If it is not his will that angels be worshiped, how much more the woman born of Ann, who was given to Ann by Joachim and granted to her father and mother by promise, after prayer and all diligence? She was surely not born other than normally, but of a man’s seed and a woman’s womb like everyone else. (5) For even though the story and traditions of Mary say that her father Joachim was told in the wilderness, “Your wife has conceived,” it was not because this had come about without conjugal intercourse or a man’s seed. The angel who was sent to him predicted the coming event, so that there would be no doubt. The thing had truly happened, had already been decreed by God, and had been promised to the righteous.

For those unfamiliar with the legend of John's Repose, and though I (not Epiphanius, clearly) think the story is complete nonsense, you can find the orignal? Coptic account at this link (original? Coptic version).  Notice that the story asserts that John maintained his virginity from youth to old age.  He prayed to God and then jumped down into the deep hole the brethren had dug at his command.  When the brethren returned they found his sandal and fresh dirt. (compare the sanitized versions promoted today, which try to suggest that John too was translated: OCA  Antiochian )

Similarly, you can read about Thecla in "The Acts of Paul and Thecla" (fiction, though Epiphanius seems to have believed it or perhaps some less fanciful version of it).  In that story, Thecla decides to break her engagement in order remain a virgin and follow the teachings of Paul.  Thecla gets condemned to be burned to death, but God puts out the fire with rain and hail.  She then accompanies Paul on his journey, where she is condemned to face the wild beasts in the arena, but the lioness just licks her feet.  Then she is again condemned to face the wild beasts.  This time the lioness not only comes to her feet, but fights off a bear and a lion for her, but the lioness is killed by the lion while killing the lion.  She then baptizes herself in a ditch of water and gets enveloped by a cloud of fire, which protects her modesty and wards off the wild animals. Another time, to allow her to escape persecution the rocks opened up and then closed behind her to protect her.  The account calls her "the first martyr of God" although, oddly enough, it only seems to include accounts of her avoiding martyrdom.  The account does acknowledge her eventual death, however.  Moreover, as far as I can tell, there is no tradition of Thecla being assumed, either in the East or the West.

With this background, we can see that Epiphanius is citing Elijah, John, and Thecla (each of whose lives ended differently) because of their holy character exemplified by virginity.

Moreover, while Epiphanius seems to adopt the legends of John and of Thecla, he does not buy the Collyridian Transitus Literature, which he refers to as "complete nonsense" and "as it were, an old wives' tale":


Furthermore, note that the verb for "worship" used by Epiphanius is the more general προσκυνέω.  Epiphanius' position is in direct contradiction to the later position of John of Damascus and the rest of the iconophiles.

Returning to the clear statement of Epiphanius, in “Against Antidicomarians” (58, but 78 of the series), Epiphanius reproduces his “letter to Arabia,” in which he states:

11,3 For I dare not say—though I have my suspicions, I keep silent. Perhaps, just as her death is not to be found, so I may have found some traces of the holy and blessed Virgin. (4) In one passage Simeon says of her, “And a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” And elsewhere the Revelation of John says, “And the dragon hastened after the woman who had born the man child, and she was given the wings of an eagle and was taken to the wilderness, that the dragon might not seize her.”  Perhaps this can be applied to her; I cannot decide for certain, and am not saying that she remained immortal. But neither am I affirming that she died.

11,5 For scripture went beyond man’s understanding and left it in suspense with regard to the precious and choice vessel, so that no one would suspect carnal behavior of her. Whether she died, I don’t know; and [even] if she was buried, she never had carnal relations, perish the thought! (6) Who will choose, from self-inflicted insanity, to cast a blasphemous suspicion [on her], raise his voice, give free rein to his tongue, flap his mouth with evil intent, invent insults instead of hymns and glory, hurl abuse at the holy Virgin, and deny honor to the precious Vessel?

Thus, Epiphanius' position is unmistakable.  There is no reason to set aside this statement for wishful thinking.  

Third, poetic or incomplete comparisons to Elijah are not foreign to the writers of the patristic era:

Gregory Nazianzen, Oration 21, on Athanasius, section 7

7. … nor can I say whether he received the priesthood as the reward of virtue, or to be the fountain and life of the Church. For she, like Ishmael, Genesis 21:19 fainting from her thirst for the truth, needed to be given to drink, or, like Elijah, 1 Kings 17:4 to be refreshed from the brook, when the land was parched by drought; and, when but faintly breathing, to be restored to life and left as a seed to Israel, Isaiah 1:9 that we might not become like Sodom and Gomorrah, Genesis 19:24 whose destruction by the rain of fire and brimstone is only more notorious than their wickedness. …

Jerome’s letter To Eustochium, section 3, he states:

When the hosts of the enemy distress you, when your frame is fevered and your passions roused, when you say in your heart, What shall I do? Elisha's words shall give you your answer, Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 2 Kings 6:16 He shall pray, Lord, open the eyes of your handmaid that she may see. And then when your eyes have been opened you shall see a fiery chariot like Elijah's waiting to carry you to heaven, and shall joyfully sing: Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken and we are escaped.

Aphrahat, Demonstration 6,

Whosoever is invited to the Bridegroom, let him prepare himself. Whosoever has lighted his lamp, let him not suffer it to go out. Whosoever is expectant of the marriage-cry, let him take oil in his vessel. Matthew 25:6 Whosoever is keeper of the door, let him be on the watch for his Master. Whosoever loves virginity, let him become like Elijah. Whosoever takes up the yoke of the Saints, let him sit and be silent. Whosoever loves peace, let him look for his Master as the hope of life.

Chrysostom, Homily 68 on Matthew, section 3:

So that if it seem good, let us leave Adam, and inquire what is the difference between the angels and this company of them who on earth sing and say, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men.

And their dress is suitable to their manliness. For not indeed, like those with trailing garments, the enervated and mincing, are they dressed, but like those blessed angels, Elijah, Elisha, John, like the apostles; their garments being made for them, for some of goat's hair, for some of camel's hair, and there are some for whom skins suffice alone, and these long worn.

Pseudo-Clement (before Jerome but not 2nd century), Two Epistles on Virginity, 1st Epistle, Chapter 6

The womb of a holy virgin carried our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and the body which our Lord wore, and in which He carried on the conflict in this world, He put on from a holy virgin. From this, therefore, understand the greatness and dignity of virginity. Do you wish to be a Christian? Imitate Christ in everything. John, the ambassador, he who came before our Lord, he than whom there was not a greater among those born of women, Matthew 11:11 the holy messenger of our Lord, was a virgin. Imitate, therefore, the ambassador of our Lord, and be his follower in every thing. That John, again, who reclined on the bosom of our Lord, and whom He greatly loved, John 21:20 — he, too, was a holy person. For it was not without reason that our Lord loved him. Paul, also, and Barnabas, and Timothy, with all the others, whose names are written in the book of life, Philippians 4:3 — these, I say, all cherished and loved sanctity, and ran in the contest, and finished their course without blemish, as imitators of Christ, and as sons of the living God. Moreover, also, Elijah and Elisha, and many other holy men, we find to have lived a holy and spotless life. If, therefore, you desire to be like these, imitate them with all your power. For the Scripture has said, The elders who are among you, honour; and, seeing their manner of life and conduct, imitate their faith. Hebrews 13:7 And again it says, Imitate me, my brethren, as I imitate Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1

The point of all this should be clear.  Epiphanius was in no way withdrawing his previous comments, he was reinforcing them.  References to Elijah are because of his holy character and repute.