The second Greek fragment introduces Mary. The apostles are in a place called Cheltura, when Bartholomew proposes to Peter, Andrew, and John that they ask Mary about the virgin-birth. None of them cares to put the question ; Bartholo- mew reminds Peter that he is their leader, but Peter turns to John, as the beloved apostle and as the ' virgin ' (irapdivos). Eventually Bartholomew himself approaches Mary. The text becomes broken at this point, but Mary evidently utters an elaborate prayer, at the close of which she invites the apostles to sit down beside her, Peter at her right with his left hand under her arm, and Andrew similarly supporting her on the left ; John is to support her bosom, and Bartholomew to kneel at her back, in case she collapses under the strain of the revelation. She then tells them : ' When I was in the sanctuary of God, receiving food from the hand of an angel, J one day there appeared to me the shape of an angel, though his features could not be fixed (? r6 5^ irpSa-UTrof avroO fjv dxi^pv'o'') ; he had not bread or a cup in his hand like the angel who formerly came to me. And suddenly the veil of the sanctuary was torn, and a great earthquake took place, and I fell on my face, unable to bear the sight of him. But he put out his hand and raised me, and I looked up to heaven ; and a cloud of dew came . . . sprink- ling me from head to foot. But he wiped me with his robe and said to me, " Hail, O highly favoured one, thou chosen vessel." And he put out his right hand, and there was a huge loaf ; and he laid it on the altar of incense in the sanctuary ; he ate of it first, and gave to me. Again, he put out his left
* The Slavonic version, which differs considerahly from the Greek text at this point, paraphrases Ps 247f.
t One of the themes which led to the composition of the so- called Gospel of Nicodemus. This Harrowing of Hell became a favourite theme of mediseval religious romance.
J As in the Gospel of pseudo-Matthew (see above, p. 488). The first annunciation takes place earlier in the Gospel of Bartholo- mew than in the other Gospels of this class.
hand, and there was an enormous cup, full of wine ; he drank of it first, and gave to me. And I beheld and saw the cup full and the loaf. And he said to me, " Three years more, and I will send thee my word, and thou shalt conceive a son, and by him all creation shall be saved ; and thou shalt be for the saving of the world. Peace to thee, my beloved ; yea, peace shall be with thee evermore." And he vanished from me, and the sanctuary be- came as it had been before.' At this, tire issued from her mouth, and threatened to put an end to the world ; whereupon the Lord bids her keep silence on the mystery. The apostles are terrified, in case the Lord is angiy with them for their pre- sumption in questioning her.
The third fragment is extremely brief and broken. Evidently, the apostles (through Bar- tholomeAV ?) had asked for a revelation of the under world. ' Jesus said, " It is good for you not to see the abyss. But if you desire it, follow and look." So he brought them to a place called Chairoudek, the place of truth, and nodded to the western (dvriKoii) angels ; and the earth was rolled up like a scroll, and the abyss was revealed, and the apostles saw it and fell on their face. But the Lord raised them, saying, "Did I not tell you, it is not good for you to see the abyss?" '
The long fourth fragment corresponds to the second and third Latin fragments. Jesus takes them to the Mount of Olives, accompanied by Mary. He is at first stern, when Bartholomew asks Him for a sight of the devil and his ways, but eventually leads them down and orders the angels over Tartarus to make Michael sound his trumpet ; Avhereupon the fearful figure of Beliar appears, to the terror of the apostles. Bartholomew, as in the Latin fragment, is encouraged by Jesus to put his foot on the giant's neck and to question him about his names. The reply is, ' First I was called Satanael, which means angel of God ; but when in ignorance I rebelled against God, my name was called Satan, which means angel over Tartarus.' He proceeds, against his will, to make further disclosures. ' When God made heaven and earth, he took a flame of fire, and fashioned me first, then INIicliael, thirdly Gabriel, fourthly Raphael, fifthly Uriel, sixthly Xathanael, and the other six thou- sand angels, whose names I cannot utter, for they are the bearers of God's rod {pa^dovxoi toD deov), and they beat me every day and seven times every night, and never let me alone, and waste my strength ; the two angels of vengeance, these are they who stand close by the throne of God, these are they who were fashioned first. After them the multitude of angels were fashioned. In the first heaven there are a million, in the second heaven a million, in the third heaven a million, in the fourth heaven a million, in the fifth heaven a million, in the sixth heaven a million, in the seventh heaven a million. Outside the seven heavens. . . . ' After a few more details on the angels, the fragment then breaks off, in the MS (lOth-llth cent.) from the library of the Orthodox Patriarch at Jerusalem. The Vienna MS shows the devil continuing the list of the angels of the elements.