Fragments of Papias 4

1Papias, bishop of Hierapolis, who was a disciple of John the Divine [and] a companion of Polycarp, wrote five books of Oracles of the Lord, [and] when giving a list of the apostles, after Peter and John, Philip and Thoma, and Matthew, he included among the disciples of the Lord Aristion [and] a second John, whom also he called “the Elder.” [He says] that some [think] that this John is the author of the two short and catholic epistles, [which] are published in the name of John; and he gives as the reason that the primitive (fathers) only accept the first epistle. Some too have wrong[ly] considered the Apocalypse also to be his—that is, the Elder John’s—[work]. Papias too is in error about the Millennium, and from him Iren[aeus] also [erred].

2Papias in his second book says that John the Divine and James his broth[er] were killed by the Jews. The aforesaid Papias stated on the authority of the daughters of Philip that Barsabas, who is also called Justus, when challenged by the unbelievers drank serpent’s poison in the name of the Lord, and was shielded from all harm. He makes also other marvellous statements, and particularly about the mother of Manaim who was raised from the dead. As for those who were raised from the dead by Christ, [he states] that they survived till the time of Hadrian.

3PHILIPPUS OF SIDE (?) Afist. Christ.

4VI.

5After Domitian Nerva reigned one year, who recalled John from the sland (i.e. Patmos), and allowed him to dwell in Ephesus. He was at that time the sole survivor of the twelve apostles, and after writing his Gospel received the honour of martyrdom. For Papias, bishop of Hierapolis, who was an eye-witness of him, in the second book of the Oracles of the Lord says that he was killed by the Jews, and thereby evidently fulfilled, together with his brother, Christ’s prophecy concerning them, and their own confession and undertaking on His behalf. For when the Lord said to them, “Are ye able to drink of the cup that I drink of?” and they readily assented and agreed, He said, “My cup shall ye drink, and with the baptism that I am [ba]ptized [with] shall ye be baptized.” And reasonably so, for it is impossible for God to lie. So too the learned Origen affirms in his interpretation of S. Matthew’s Gospel that John was martyred, declaring that he had learnt the fact from the successors of the apostles. And indeed the well-informed Eusebius also in his Ecclesiastical History says: “Thomas received by lot Parthia, but John [received] Asia, where also he made his residence and died at phesus[?].”

6GEORGIUS HAMARTOLUS, Chronicon.