Page:The Apocryphal Acts of Paul, Peter, John, Andrew and Thomas.djvu/22

 of the VI. cent.) the order is Barnabas, Apocalypse, Acts of the Apostles, Hernias, Acts of Paul, Apocalypse of Peter. In the stichometry of Nicephorus, besides the journeys of Peter, John, Thomas, also "the journeys of Paul" are mentioned. They contained 3600 stichoi. That the Acts of Paul are meant thereby there can be no doubt, for the number of stichoi is almost identical with the 3560 stichoi, ascribed to the Acts of Paul in the Codex Claromontanus.

The Muratorian Fragment and the Decretum Gelasianum (proclaimed 496) do not mention the Acts of Paul. The latter mentions instead the Actus Pauli et Theclce, which shows that long before the promulgation of the Gelasian decree the Acts of Paul and Thecla must have been detached from the main body of the " Acts." This accounts for the fact that till recently we knew considerably little of the Acts of Paul which were so highly esteemed in the Eastern Church.

The discovery of fragments of a Coptic translation of the Acts of Paul made by Prof. Carl Schmidt, has supplied us with enough material to enable us to reconstruct the original Acts. Aside from the three known portions : the Thecla narrative, the correspondence of Paul with the Corinthians, and the Martyrdom of Paul, the Coptic fragments, as far as they could be deciphered, supply enough material to show at least the connection of the narrative.

From the Acta Pauli published by Schmidt, we learn the following: The story opens with a deed of Paul at Antioch in Pisidia, where he raised from the dead the son of Anchares and Phila, who were evidently Jews. Being invited by Anchares to stay with him, Paul spends eight days in the house of Anchares. The Jews insist that Anchares should drive Paul from the city. But it seems that the apostle had anticipated them. Anchares openly professes Jesus as the Son of God. Now the Jews bring the apostle back to the city, abuse him, stone him and finally drive him away from the city. Anchares, who will not recompense evil with evil, retires with his wife to his house, where he fasts and prays. In the evening Paul returns again to Anchares, bids him farewell and betakes himself to Iconium.