P.Amh. Gr. 1 2

Trismegistos: 64476

Transcription and translation from Grenfell, Bernard P., and Arthur S. Hunt. “II. Christian Hymn.” Pages 23–28 in The Amherst Papyri Part I. London: Henry Frowde, 1900. The translation has been modernized and lightly edited. Also see Ernst Preuschen, “Ein altchristlicher Hymnus,” ZNTW 2 (1901): 73–80; C. Wessely, “28. Vieil Hymne Chrétien,” in Les plus anciens Monuments du christianisme, écrits sur papyrus, Patrologia Orientalis 4.2 (Paris: Firmin-Didot, 1908), 111–115, http://archive.org/details/patrologiaorien04grafplgo; Thielko Wolbergs, Griechische religiöse Gedichte der ersten nachchristlichen Jahrhunderte. Band 1: Psalmen und Hymnen der Gnosis und des frühen Christentums, Bieträge zum klassischen Philologie 40 (Meisenheim am Glan: Anton Hain, 1971), 16–20; Ferguson, Everett, Early Christians Speak: Faith and Life in the First Three Centuries, 3rd ed. (Abilene, TX: Abilene Christian University Press, 1999), 150–152.

Fragment 1

recto

  1. [Α...]..υν θ(εὸ)ν ...Ἀθάντ[...Ἀθά]νατον ζωὴν ἵνα λάβῃς.*
  2. Βαρὺν θεσμὸν ἔφυγες ἀνόμου Βα ... Β ... αὐτὸν πρὸς ἀγάπην.*
  3. Γάμον ἤλυθες βασιλῆος, Γάμον κ... Γ... ἵνα μή σʼ ἀφανίσης.*
  4. Δυσὶ ῥήμασι μηκέτι λάλει, Δίχα τῶν ἐπισ... Δ... ολας.
  5. Ἐρχονταί τινες προβατίνοις Ἐν σχήμασιν ἔσωθεν λ[ύκοι Ε...]τε μακρόθεν.*
  6. Ζήτει ζῆσαι μεθʼ ἁγίων, Ζ[ή]τει ζωὴν ἵνα λάβῃς, Ζή[τει τὸ πῦρ ἵνα] φύγης.
  7. Ἣν ἔμαθες ἐλπίδα κράτει, Ἣν ὥρισε σοι ὁ δεσπότη[ς Η...] λον.
  8. Θ(εό)ς ἤλυθε πολλὰ κομίσας, Θανάτο[υ] τριτόπημα τελέσα[ς...]...ους.
  9. Ἰ(ησοῦ)ς ὁ παθὼν ἐπὶ τούτοις, ἐΙπων ὅτι νῶτα παρέχω Ἵνα μὴ θαν[άτ]ῳ περιπέσης.*
  10. Κάλʼ εἰσὶ τὰ θεσμὰ τοῦ θ(εο)ῦ· Κατὰ πάντα τύποις ὑπομέν[ει] Καλὴν ζωὴν ἵνα λάβης.*
  11. Λουσάμενος ἐν Ἰορδάνη, Λουσάμενος ἐνὶ τύποις, Λουτρὸν [τ]ο καθάρσιον ἔχει.*
  12. Μείνας ἐπειράζετʼ ἐν ὄρει, Μεγάλως δʼ ὑπὸ... Μ... αὐτὸς εἴης.*
  13. Νῦν ἔργασαι κληρονομίας, Νῦν καιρὸν ἔχεις ὅτι [δίδως] Νῦν τοῖς πεινῶσι μεγάλως.
  14. Ξένους εἶπε θ(εὸ)ς διατρέφειν, Ξένους καὶ μὴ δυναμένους· [Ξένιζ]ε τὸ πῦρ ἵνα φύγῃς.*
  15. Ὃν ἔπεμψε πατὴρ ἵνα πάθη. Ὁ λαβὼν ζωὴν αἰ[ω]νί[αν, Ὁ λαβὼν κ]ράτος ἀθανασίας.
  16. Παισὶν δʼ [ε]ὐηγγέλιζε λέγων, Πτωχοὶ βασιλείαν ... εἶναι κληρονομίας.*
  17. Ῥαπισ[μένος] ἐνὶ τύποις Ῥοπὴν ἵνα παντὶ παρέχη [Ῥ ... θ]άνατον ἵνʼ ὀλέση.*
  18. Σὺ θα[νὼν ἵ]νʼ ἀνάστασιν ἴδῃς, Σὺ τὸ φῶς ἵνʼ αἰώνι[ο]ν ἴ[δῃς, Σὺ θ(εὸ)ν] φώτων ἵνα λάβῃς.*
  19. Τὰ [δ]ʼ ἀ[νάπ]αυλα λυπουμένων, Τὰ δὲ σκιρτήματα [..., Τὸ δὲ πῦ]ρ φοβερὸν παρανόμοις.
  20. Ὑπὸ τὴ[ν] χάριν ἦλθες ἀκόπως· Ὑπάκουε πένησιν [αἰτοῦσιν, Ὑπερηφά]νως μηκέτι λάλει.*
  21. [Φοβερὸν ... ἐσ]τι τὸ πῦρ, Φοβερὸν εἰς ἀεὶ χρόν[ον, Φοβερόν γε τ]ὸ πῦρ παρανόμοις.
  22. [Χ...] Χριστὸς καὶ στέμμαθʼ ἁγίω[ν Χ...] πῦρ παρανόμοις.
  23. [Ψ... Ψάλλ]ων ψαλμοὺς μεθʼ ἁγίων. Ψυχὴν .. πάντοτε τρέφειν.*
  24. [Ω...] Ὧν ἔμαθες μηκέτι λάθη, Ὧν εἶπεν σοι ἵνα λάβῃς.
  25. [... θ]άνατον οὐκέτι δύνῃ.
  1. [Α] ... that you may receive immortal life.*
  2. [Β] You have escaped the heavy ordinance of a lawless ... to love.*
  3. [Γ] You have come to the marriage of the king, the marriage ... that you may not be destroyed.*
  4. [Δ] Speak no more in double words, without ...
  5. [Ε] Some come in sheep's clothing who are inwardly wolves ... from afar.*
  6. [Ζ] Seek to live with the saints, seek to receive life, seek to escape the fire.
  7. [Η] Hold fast to the hope which you have learned, which the Master determined for you ...
  8. [Θ] God came bringing many blessings, he wrought a triple victory over death ...
  9. [Ι] Jesus who suffered for these, saying, “I give my back, that you may not experience death.”*
  10. [Κ] Glorious are the ordinances of God; in all things he suffers as an example, that you may have glorious life.*
  11. [Λ] He washed in the Jordan, He washed as an example, His is the stream that cleanses.*
  12. [Μ] Remaining on the mount he was tempted, and greatly ... *
  13. [Ν] Now work out your inheritance, now is the time for you to give, even now, to them that hunger greatly.
  14. [Ξ] God said, “Feed the stranger, the stranger and the helpless, that you may escape the fire.”*
  15. [Ο] The Father sent him to suffer, Who has received eternal life, Who has received power over immortality.
  16. [Π] He preached the gospel to his servants, saying, “The poor (shall possess) a kingdom, theirs is the inheritance.”*
  17. [Ρ] He was scourged as an example, in order to give an impulse to all ... in order to destroy death.*
  18. [Σ] In order that after death you may see resurrection, that you may see the light to eternity, that you may receive the God of lights.*
  19. [Τ] O the rest of the sorrowful, O the dancing of the ... O the fire, fearful for the wicked.
  20. [Υ] Freely you have come under grace, listen to the prayer of the poor, speak arrogantly no more.*
  21. [Φ] Fearful ... is the fire, fearful for evermore, yea, fearful is the fire for the wicked.
  22. [Χ] ... Christ (shall give ...) and the crowns of the saints, but for the wicked ... the fire.
  23. [Ψ] ... singing psalms with the saints ... feed the soul evermore.*
  24. [Ω] Never forget what you have learned, that you may receive what he told you.
  25. ... death no longer possible.

Notes