Encomium on the Four Bodiless Creatures by Pseudo-John Chrysostom

In quattuor animalia

Standard abbreviation: Encom. 4 Creat.

Other titles: On the Four Bodiless Creatures

Clavis numbers: ECCA 685; CPC 0177; CPG 5150.11

Category: Pseudo-Apostolic Memoirs

Compiled by: Tony Burke, York University

Citing this resource (using Chicago Manual of Style): Burke, Tony. “Encomium on the Four Bodiless Creatures by Pseudo-John Chrysostom.” e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha. Accessed DAY MONTH YEAR. https://www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-christian-apocrypha/encomium-on-the-four-bodiless-creatures-by-pseudo-john-chrysostom/.

Created December 2019. Current as of January 2024.

1. SUMMARY

Encom. 4 Creatures is a homily attributed to John Chrysostom delivered on 8 Hathor, the date in the Coptic-Ethiopic calendar for the feast of the Four Creatures. These creatures, depicted in Ezekiel 1, Isaiah 6, and Revelation 4, are intercessors before God for all creation. They all have four faces: human one to pray on behalf of humans, calf-faced for cattle, eagle for the birds of heaven, and lion for wild beasts (4; Jesus says same in 22). The homily begins with Chrysostom calling upon various angels (Michael, Gabriel, Raphael), patriarchs (Adam, Enoch, David), and prophets (Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John of Patmos) to tell about their interactions with the creatures. He four gospel writers also appear, each identifying with one of the four faces. After this praise of the creatures, John tells of his stay in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. While studying, he came across a book written by the apostles. As in other texts of the “pseudo-apostolic memoirs” genre, the homilist then presents the contents of the book.

It begins on the Mount of Olives, after the resurrection. Jesus comes to his apostles mounted on the cherubs, along with Michael and Gabriel and millions of angels. Thomas asks Jesus to reveal to them the names of the creatures and the day of their establishment so that the apostles can preach about them to the entire world. Jesus tells them that the four creatures, two seraphs and two cherubs, were established on 8 Hathor, before the creation of the world, before even the creation of the angels. They each give their names—Kheroubiēl, Zaraphiēl, Baroukhaēl, and Dōthiēl—and describe their roles in the casting out of the devil (here called Saklataboth) from heaven and in adorning Michael in the robes and weapons of his office.

The role of the creatures is to intercede with God, who is frequently referred to as the Craftsman (Demiurge). It is said that when God becomes angry and wants to wipe out the world, the creatures pray and his anger is cooled. They also pray for mercy on behalf of individual sinners who do acts of charity in the names of the creatures, or other acts of piety, such as building them a sanctuary or copying out the book. The book finishes with Jesus urging the apostles to preach about the creatures and then flying off into the heavens.

The homiletic framework resumes and Chrysostom once again calls upon Isaiah, Ezekiel, John, and the gospel writers to speak about the creatures. back and he calls on Isaiah to speak about them (gives quotes from Isaiah). He closes the homily by again exhorting his readers to memorialize the creatures.

Named Historical Figures and Characters: Abraham (patriarch), Adam (patriarch), Adonijah, Baroukhaēl (bodiless creature), Cornelius the Centurion, David (king), Demiurge, Dōthiēl (bodiless creature), Elijah (prophet), Enoch (patriarch), Ezekiel (prophet), Gabriel (angel), “Holy Members” (the Apostles), Holy Spirit, Isaiah (prophet), Jeremiah (prophet), Jesus Christ, Job, John (son of Zebedee), Kheroubiēl (bodiless creature), Lazarus (poor man), Luke (evangelist), Mark (evangelist), Mary (Virgin), Mary (mother of John Mark), Matthew (apostle), Mefriel (angel), Michael (angel), Moses, Nineveh, Paul (apostle), Rachel (matriarch), Raphael (angel), Saklataboth, Sarah (daughter of Rachel), Thomas (apostle), Tobias, Tobit, Zaraphiēl (bodiless creature).

Geographical Locations: Antioch, Bethlehem, House of Mary, Jerusalem, Jordan River, Judea, Zion.

2. RESOURCES

3. BIBLIOGRAPHY

3.1 Manuscripts and Editions

3.1.1 Arabic

Cairo, Coptic Museum, 24, fols. 89^v–98^r (1360) (CMB 11-2)

Cairo, Coptic Museum, 187 (Graf 23), fols. 3^r–15^v (17th cent.)

Cairo, Coptic Patriarchate, 632 (Graf 445), fols. 267^r–272^v (1693)

Cairo, Coptic Patriarchate, 615 (Graf 447), n. 10

Cairo, Coptic Museum, 465(BB), fol. 97 (17th cent.) ~ single page fragment

Cairo, Coptic Patriarchate, 443 (Graf 454), fols. 256^v–270^r (18th cent.)

Cairo, Coptic Patriarchate, 617 (Graf 463), fols. 160^r–169^r (18/19th cent.)

Cairo, Coptic Patriarchate, 646 (Graf 467), fols. 1^r–8^v (18th cent.)

Cairo, Coptic Patriarchate, 663 (Graf 493), fols. 142^v–160^r (14th cent.) ~ fragmentary

Cairo, Coptic Patriarchate, 660 (Graf 498), fols. 140^r–149^r (17th cent.)

Cairo, Coptic Museum, 98 (Graf 719), fols. 119^v–121^v, 123^r–128^v (undated)

Maryut, Mar Mina Monastery (digital copy catalogued as Los Angeles, St. Shenouda the Archimandrite Coptic Society, Ms.Mar.Mena.2), fols. 57^r–62^r (1766/1777)

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 145, fols. 161^v–179^r (1641)

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 148, fols. 81^r–108^r (1654–1655)

Zaß 388 (Hag. 22)

Zaß 403 (Hag. 37)

Zaß 413 (Hag. 347; 13/14th cent.)

Zaß 414 (Hag. 48)

Girgis, Murqus. Kitāb at-ta‘hazā ar-rūhīyā. Cairo, 1926 (from unidentified manuscript, pp. 67–81).

Graf, Georg. Geschichte der christlichen arabischen Literatur. 5 vols. Studi e testi 118, 133, 146–147, 172. Rome: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, 1944–1953 (survey of Arabic manuscripts, vol. 1, p. 545).

Proverbio, Delio Vania. La recensione etiopica dell’omelia pseudocrisostomica de ficu exarata ed il suo tréfonds oriental. Aethiopostische Forschungen 50. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1998 (updated list of Arabic sources, p. 76).

3.1.2 Coptic (Sahidic) (PAThs entry)

MICH.AT (892/893)

MONB.PA (PAThs entry)

London, British Library, Or. 3581A.122

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Copt. c. 60 (PAThs entry ~ assigned to MONB.PA by Alin Suciu)

Paris, Musée du Louvre, E. 10089

Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek – Papyrussamlung, K 9770–9771

SIUD.AA (formerly MONB.NO) (PAThs entry)

9–14: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Copte 129.18.116–118

25: London, British Library, Or. 6954.50

29–30: Napoli, Biblioteca Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III, IB, 11.061

31: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Copte 131.7.20

31: Berlin, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz, MS. or. fol., BS.FOL1614bis.cat03

35–44: Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Borg. copt. 109 cass 28.157.1–5

45–46: Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Borg. copt. 109 cass 28.157.6

55–58: Cairo, Coptic Museum, C8018.1–2

61–62: Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Borg. copt. 109 cass 25.123.1

63–64: Cairo, Coptic Museum, C9234.1

65–66: Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Borg. copt. 109 cass 25.123.2

65–66: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Copte 129.18.120

95–96: Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek – Papyrussamlung, K 9492

99–100: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Copte 131.5.43

100–110: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Copte 131.5.81–85

129–144: Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. copt. 111.1.1–8

163–164: Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek – Papyrussamlung, K 9493

— : London, British Library, Or. 3581B.86

— : Cairo, Coptic Museum, 9234.2

Cairo, Coptic Museum, JdE 48085 (PAThs entry)

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Clarend. B25.1–2.INF (PAThs entry)

Cambridge, Cambridge University Library, registration no. 64/33 (DBMNT 1483) (two leaves numbered 1, 2, 7, and 8 found in Qasr Ibrim; PAThs entry) (8th–10th cent.)

Wansink, Craig S., ed. “Encomium on the Four Bodiless Living Creatures.” Pages 27–46 in Homiletica From the Pierpont Morgan Library. Edited by Leo Depuydt. CSCO 524. Louvain: Peeters, 1993 (edition based on MICH.AT).

3.1.3 Ethiopic

Recension A

Ambāssal (Wallo), Monastery of Hayq Estifānos, EMML 1833, fols. 73^r–84^v (14th cent.)

London, British Library, Or. 619, fols. 106^r–126^v (18th cent.)

London, British Library, Or. 691, fols. 91^v–106^r (1293)

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Ethiopien d’Abbadie 54, fols. 66^r–80^r (15th cent.)

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Ethiopien d’Abbadie 92, fols. 67^r–76^v (15th cent.)

EMML 6892, fols. 20^r–47^v

EMML 7636, fols. 180^r–189^r

EMML 7840, fols. 11^v–33^r

Recension B

Ambāssal (Wallo), Monastery of Hayq Estifānos, EMML 1763, fols. 48^v–56^v (1336–1340)

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Ethiopien d’Abbadie 123, fols. 140^r–152^v (18/19th cent.)

Unassigned:

Royal Library, Windsor Castle, Eth. Windsor III, 2^r–10^v

Dasē (Wallo), Church of Dasē Madhānē ‘Ālam, EMML 4800, fols. 98^v–107^v (18th cent.) ~ CATALOG

Lusini, Gianfrancesco. “Appunti sulla patristica greca di tradizione etiopica.” Studi classici e orientali 38 (1988): 469–93 (discussion of sources, pp. 487–88).

3.1.5 Garšūnī

Edgbaston, University of Birmingham, Mingana Syr. 232, fols. 109^v–120^v (16th cent.)

3.1.6 Old Nubian

Khartoum, National Museum of Sudan, 20345 (DBMNT 1390) (11th/12th cent.)

Browne, Gerald M. “An Old Nubian Version of Ps.-Chrysostom, In quattuor animalia.” Altorientalische Forschungen 15 (1988): 215–19 (text and translation of fragment, pp. 217–18).

Browne, Gerald M. Literary Texts in Old Nubian. Beiträge zur Sudanforschung 5. Vienna: Verein der Förderer der Sudanforschung, 1989 (text and translation, pp. 78-79, 93–94).

3.2 Modern Translations

3.2.1 English

Wansink, Craig S., trans. “Encomium on the Four Bodiless Living Creatures.” Pages 27–47 in Homiletica From the Pierpont Morgan Library. Edited by Leo Depuydt. CSCO 525. Louvain: Peeters, 1993 (based on Wansink’s edition of MICH.AT).

3.3 General Works

Hagen, Joost L. “The Diaries of the Apostles: ‘Manuscript Find’ and ‘Manuscript Fiction’ in Coptic Homilies and Other Literary Texts.” Pages 349–67 in vol. 1 of Coptic Studies on the Threshold of a New Millennium: Proceedings of the Seventh International Congress of Coptic Studies, Leiden, 27 August–2 September 2000. Edited by Mat Immerzeel and Jacques van der Vliet. 2 vols. OLA 133. Leuven: Peeters, 2004.

__________. “‘The Great Cherub’ and His Brothers. Adam, Enoch and Michael and the Names, Deeds and Faces of the Creatures in Ps.-Chrysostom, On the Four Creatures.” Pages 467–80 in volume 2 of Actes du huitème Congrés International d’études coptes. Paris, 28 juin – juillet 2004. Edited by N. Boson and A. Boud’hors. 2 vols. OLA 162–63; Louvain: Peeters, 2007.

__________. “‘Mens en dier verlost Gij. HERE’ De lofrede voor de feestdag van de Vier Wezens, toegeschreven aan Johannes Chrysostomos.” MA thesis, University of Leiden 2003.

Lucchesi, Enzo. “Fausses attributions en hagiographie copte.” Mus 113 (2006): 233–54 (esp. 243–47).

Müller, Caspar Detlef Gustav. Die Engellehre der koptischen Kirche: Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der christlichen Frömmigkeit in Ägypten. Wiesbaden: Otto Harawotiz, 1959 (pp. 270–72).

Suciu, Alin. The Berlin-Strasbourg Apocryphon: A Coptic Apostolic Memoir. WUNT 370. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2017 (esp. pp. 80–81).