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Unknown, The Teaching of the Recently Baptized Jacob 5.16

   https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/379

Context

The unusual prose narrative The Teaching of the Recently Baptized Jacob offers valuable insight into Christian, Jewish, and Muslim relations during a momentous period of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean history, the second quarter of the 7th century. It purportedly records the scene at Carthage during spring to summer of 634 C.E., when one merchant named Jacob met at a secret location with former Jews, who had been compelled to baptism by decree of the emperor Heraclius and the eparch. As an enthusiastic convert, Jacob professed that Jesus Christ was the messiah and awaited his glorious return at the end of the world. In this passage, during his long dialog with one unbaptized Jew named Justus, Jacob shares the testimony of his brother Abraham written from Sycamina (Haifa) concerning the fall of Caesarea to the Arabs and the emergence of Mohammed.

Text

Ἀποκρίνεται ὁ Ἰοῦστος καὶ λέγει· Ὄντως ἀλήθειαν λέγεις, καὶ οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ σωτηρία ἡ μεγάλη, τὸ πιστεύειν εἰς τὸν Χριστόν. Ὁμολογῶ γάρ σοι, κύρι Ἰάκωβε, τὴν πᾶσαν ἀλήθειαν. Ἔγραψε γάρ μοι Ἀβραάμης ὁ ἀδελφός μου <...> ὅτι πλάνος ἐφάνη προφήτης <...>. “Ὅτε γὰρ ἐσφάγη ὁ <Σέργιος> Κανδιδάτος ὑπὸ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν, εἰς Καισάρειαν ἤμην—λέγει Ἀβραάμης—, καὶ ἀπερχόμην ἐν Συκαμίνοις πλωῇ· καὶ λέγουσιν· Ὁ Κανδιδάτος ἐσφάγη. Καὶ ἔσχαμεν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι χαρὰν μεγάλην. Καὶ λέγουσιν ὅτι ὁ προφήτης ἀνεφάνη ἐρχόμενος μετὰ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν καὶ κηρύσσει τὴν ἔλευσιν τοῦ ἐρχομένου Ἠλειμμένου καὶ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ ἀπελθόντος μου εἰς Συκάμινα ἀνεθέμην τινὶ γέροντι γραφικῷ πάνυ καὶ λέγω αὐτῷ· “Τί μοι λέγεις, <...>, περὶ τοῦ προφήτου τοῦ ἀναφανέντος μετὰ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν;” Καὶ λέγει μοι ἀναστενάξας μέγα ὅτι· “Πλάνος ἐστίν. Μὴ γὰρ οἱ προφῆται μετὰ ξίφους καὶ ἄρματος ἔρχονται; Ὄντως ἀκαταστασίας ἔργα εἰσὶ τὰ σήμερον κινούμενα, καὶ φοβοῦμαι μήπως ὁ πρῶτος ἐλθὼν Χριστός, ὃν προσκυνοῦσιν οἱ Χριστιανοί, αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ πεμφθεὶς καὶ ἀντὶ αὐτοῦ δεξόμεθα τὸν Ἑρμόλαον. Εἶπεν γὰρ ὁ Ἠσαΐας ὅτι πεπλανημένην ἔχομεν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ πεπωρωμένην τὴν καρδίαν, ἕως οὗ ἐρημωθῇ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ. Πλὴν ἄπελθε, κύρι Ἀβραάμη, καὶ μάθε περὶ τοῦ προφήτου τοῦ ἀναφανέντος.” Καὶ περιεργασάμενος ἐγὼ Ἀβραάμης ἤκουσα ἀπὸ τῶν συντυχόντων αὐτῷ ὅτι οὐδὲν ἀληθινὸν εὑρίσκεις ἐν τῷ λεγομένῳ προφήτῃ, εἰ μὴ αἱματεκχυσίας ἀνθρώπων· λέγει γὰρ ὅτι καὶ τὰς κλεῖς τοῦ παραδείσου ἔχει, ὅ ἐστιν ἄπιστον.” Ταῦτά μοι ἔγραψεν ὁ ἀδελφός μου Ἀβραάμης ἀπὸ Ἀνατολῆς. Καὶ πιστεύω ἐγὼ Ἰοῦστος εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν τὸν γεννηθέντα ἀπὸ τῆς ἁγίας Μαρίας <...>, ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν <...> ὁ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου πεμφθεὶς εἰς τὴν γῆν <...>, ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ βασιλεὺς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ.Καὶ λέγει Ἰάκωβος· Βλέπε, κύρι Ἰοῦστε, μὴ ἄλλα λαλεῖ τὸ στόμα σου καὶ ἄλλα ἔχει ἡ καρδία σου ἐναντία τοῦ Χριστοῦ.Ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰοῦστος καὶ λέγει· Μὰ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ παντοκράτορος <...>, τοῦ εἰδότος τὰ κρυπτὰ τῶν καρδιῶν, ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς μου πιστεύω εἰς τὸν Χριστόν, ὃν προσκυνοῦσιν οἱ Χριστιανοί, ἀπὸ σήμερον, τὸν γεννηθέντα ἐν Βηθλεὲμ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁγίας Μαρίας, πληροφορηθεὶς ἀπὸ τῆς διδαχῆς σου καὶ δι’ ἀποκαλύψεως ὁραμάτων φανέντων μοι.1

Textual Note

Ed. Déroche 1991

Textual Note

The name Sergius does not appear in the Greek text but it does in the Arabic, Ethiopic, and Slavic; see Déroche 1991, pp. 47-60.

Translation

Justus answers and says, “You are really telling the truth, and thus the salvation is great, to believe in Christ. For I confess to you, Jacob sir, the whole truth. For my brother Abraham wrote to me that a deceptive prophet has appeared. ‘When (Sergius) the Candidatus was slaughtered by the Saracens, I was in Caesarea,’ Abraham said, ‘and I departed by boat to Sykamina. And they said: The Candidatus has been slaughtered! And we Jews rejoiced greatly. And they said that a prophet had appeared coming with the Saracens, and that he proclaims the arrival of the coming Anointed One and the Christ. And when I went out into Sykamina, I put the question to an old man who was very familiar with the Scriptures and said to him, ‘What do you say to me about the prophet who appeared with the Saracens?’ And groaning loudly he says to me, ‘He is deceptive. Surely prophets do not come with swords and a chariot? Really these are works of disorder set in motion today, and I fear that the first Christ who came, the one the Christians worship, he is the one sent by God, and in his place we shall receive Hermolaos. Isaiah said that the Jews would have a wayward and hardened heart until the whole land had become a desert. But depart, Abraham sir, and learn about this prophet who has appeared.’ And I, Abraham, investigated carefully and heard from those who had met him that you will find nothing true in this so-called prophet except spilling of blood of humanity. For he says he holds the keys to Paradise, which is incredible.’ These things my brother Abraham wrote me from the East. And I, Justus, believe in Christ who was born of the holy Mary, that he is the one sent by God the highest to earth, the savior and king of Israel.”Jacob said, “Take care, Justus sir, that your mouth does not say anything else and your heart does not keep anything else against Christ.”Justus answers and says, “In the name of God Almighty, who knows the secrets of hearts, from my whole soul I believe in Christ, whom the Christians worship, from today, the one who was born in Bethlehem to the holy Mary; I have been assured by your teaching and through the revelation of visions I have seen.”2

Translation Note

Revised from Jacobs n.d. with ref. to Déroche 1991

Discussion Note

The Late Roman title candidatus as here designates a military commander by Imperial appointment. “Isaiah said that… ” refers to Isaiah 6:10-11.

Works Cited

  • 1 Albert of Aachen, Albert of Aachen, Historia Ierosolimitana: History of the Journey to Jerusalem, ed. Susan B. Edgington, Oxford Medieval Texts (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2007), bk: 5, ch: 16.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
  • 2 Unknown, Teaching of Jacob Newly Baptized, trans. Andrew S. Jacobs, n.d, bk: 5, ch: 16.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
About This Text

 

How to Cite This Entry

Joseph L. Rife, “Unknown, The Teaching of the Recently Baptized Jacob 5.16,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/379.

Bibliography:

Joseph L. Rife, “Unknown, The Teaching of the Recently Baptized Jacob 5.16.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/379.

About this Entry

Entry Title: Unknown, The Teaching of the Recently Baptized Jacob 5.16

Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:

  • Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
  • Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
  • David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Unknown, The Teaching of the Recently Baptized Jacob 5.16”
  • Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Unknown, The Teaching of the Recently Baptized Jacob 5.16”

Additional Credit:

  • Testimonium edited by Joseph L. Rife
  • TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife
  • Editorial review by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium edited by Joseph L. Rife
  • TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife
  • Editorial review by Joseph L. Rife
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