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Apocalypse of John the Little

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146: 381:, p. 147 – "It describes the people of the South as hideous people, womenlike in appearance, who sin against God's creation. They are a defiled people who plunder and enslave all corners of the earth, who hate the Lord's name, and under whose reign the Christians suffer great oppression, especially through the constant demands for tribute." 200:
and plunder, cause drastic taxation, and enslavement. God would eventually be angered by it and send an angel of wrath to cause discord amongst the populace which would then lead to a high-casualty civil war. The king of the North rises against the southern kingdom, but God causes the defeat of the
650:"A collection of short works including a "Gospel of the Twelve Apostles" (ff. 47r-51v), apocalypses of Simon Kepha, James, John the little (51v-57v), a fragment of the Doctrina Addai (57v), and various responsa and canons (1r-46v, 59r ff.) including replies of Jacob of Edessa." 101:, a variety of apostolic canons, discussions of individuals who recant their heresy, and an investigation of heavenly entities. After a written series of questions, it is followed up with an eleven-folio collection called the 361:
does not defeat the people of the South nor pursue them beyond Christian territory. Instead, the text concludes with God sending the people of the South back to their place of origin and not the initiation of the eschaton.
237:. The reference of Ishmael being the father of twelve princes J. Rendel Harris considers to be an allusion to twelve caliphs, and the civil war of the southern kingdom mentioned in the narrative was in reference to the 192:, and Persia which would be decimated by God because of their sins. The fourth kingdom which the entire narrative will mainly focus on is referred to as the kingdom of the South, and its inhabitants descendants of 637: 89:, J. Rendel Harris dates it to the middle of the eighth-century AD. The codex is from Harris's private collection which Harris numbered as eighty-five (Cod. Syr. Harris 85) and is written in 321:
differentiates greatly from that of early Syriac apocalypses concerning Islam. Many previous Syriac authors held onto the traditional Christian interpretation of the schema in the
93:. The leaves are damaged, and Harris had to reconstruct the codex as he had received it with the leaves disorganized. The codex contains a variety of documents such as letters by 255:
more accurately correlates to the reign of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan who died in 705 which most modern scholars conclude the text was composed in the early eighth century.
405:, p. 147 — "The phrase I translate as "act like brides and bridegrooms" others have translated as "converted like brides and bridegrooms." The verb in question (' 201:
southern kingdom and sends them back to where they came from. When battle is ceased, God destroys the people of the South to the point where they'll never rise again.
329:), would oust the Arabs before they could establish a legitimate kingdom. That schema created a primary focus on the Byzantine king in works such as the 663: 279:. The text is most likely of Edessene origin as J. W. Drijvers and J. Rendel Harris suggest because of the content focusing on Edessa in codex 668: 213:
is pseudonymous because of the historical events referenced in the text occurred centuries after the first-century AD such as the death of
61:
and provides some of the cruelest surviving Syriac representations of Islamic dominance. It is also one of the earliest text alluding to
608: 335:, the world's last Byzantine king, the eschatological figure who'd defeat the Arabs in spectacular fashion and make way for the 600: 331: 107: 119: 251:
was more valued by the author for its symbolic importance rather than its historical accuracy, and the details in the
180:, and a heavenly voice elaborating in detail the eschaton to John. The text also presents its own modified version of 624: 585: 113: 673: 157: 197: 230: 226: 242: 26: 218: 245:. Recent scholarship argues the number twelve referenced to Ishmael fathering twelve princes in the 349: 294: 241:
rising. With that, Harris dates the text to the late 740s and considers the text to be an original
98: 51: 275:, and works by Jacob of Edessa who is also a Miaphysite indicate a Miaphysite authorship of the 271:
and its polemic against the Church of the East, a tractate by Severus against the followers of
604: 285: 238: 129: 326: 189: 149: 30: 645: 247: 222: 94: 46: 626:
Revelation of John the Little the brother of James, and they two are the sons of Zabdai.
596:
When Christians First Met Muslims: A Sourcebook of the Earliest Syriac Writings on Islam
185: 57: 657: 233:. It is unknown though the number of years passed from 692 to the composition of the 631:
The Gospel of the Twelve Apostles Together with the Apocalypses of Each One of Them.
581:
The Gospel of the Twelve Apostles Together with the Apocalypses of Each One of Them
347:
to be the Persians, Romans, the Medes, and the people of the South. And unlike the
298: 264: 176:
when an angel presents a scroll to John concerning the suffrage of humanity at the
86: 66: 594: 579: 409:) can have either meaning, and in neither case is the simile particularly clear." 336: 314: 177: 153: 214: 145: 90: 34: 69:
and possibly one of the earliest accounts of Christians converting to Islam.
272: 325:
that the final kingdom of the world which was considered to be the Romans (
181: 62: 193: 152:
icon of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, 18th century (
290: 133:. J. Rendel Harris published an edition of these texts in 1900. The 37:. It is dated to the eighth-century AD and pertains to the rise of 638:"Apocryphal and canonical texts : manuscript, [7--?]" 161: 103:
Gospel of the Twelve Apostles with the Revelations of Each of Them
38: 184:
with the rise and fall of its own version of successive kingdoms
393:, p. 147 — "a worrier, one whom they will call a prophet" 196:. The fourth kingdom will conquer entire lands as alluded in 297:
used. Christ's birth is erroneously dated that year in the
45:
which is in reference to John being the younger brother of
289:. Edessene authors also commonly use the birth year of 546: 544: 459: 457: 444: 442: 429: 427: 425: 629:English translation from James Rendel Harris's 343:though reinterprets the four kingdoms from the 283:such as the works of Jacob of Edessa and the 221:, the Islamic conquest, the beginning of the 8: 137:begins at folio 54r and ends at folio 58r. 49:. The text models itself from that of the 144: 421: 371: 511: 487: 7: 562: 550: 535: 523: 499: 475: 463: 448: 433: 402: 390: 378: 16:8th-century Christian text on Islam 305:, an error pointed out by Harris. 14: 81:survives in the incomplete codex 357:, the king of the North in the 120:Apocalypse of James the Apostle 664:Christian apocalyptic writings 601:University of California Press 355:Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius 332:Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius 172:begins similar to that of the 1: 593:Penn, Michael Philip (2015). 578:Harris, James Rendel (1900). 359:Apocalypse of John the Little 341:Apocalypse of John the Little 319:Apocalypse of John the Little 303:Gospel of the Twelve Apostles 277:Apocalypse of John the Little 253:Apocalypse of John the Little 235:Apocalypse of John the Little 211:Apocalypse of John the Little 170:Apocalypse of John the Little 135:Apocalypse of John the Little 125:Apocalypse of John the Little 108:Gospel of the Twelve Apostles 79:Apocalypse of John the Little 22:Apocalypse of John the Little 263:The author of the text is a 105:with an introduction to the 669:8th-century Christian texts 225:, and the defeat in 692 of 690: 586:Cambridge University Press 127:, and an extract from the 114:Apocalypse of Simeon Kepha 565:, pp. 147 & 148. 538:, pp. 149 & 150. 526:, pp. 146 & 147. 502:, pp. 148 & 149. 269:Apocalypse of Simon Peter 293:309, a year that early 231:Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan 227:Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr 156:from the Church of the 73:Codex Harvard Syriac 93 642:Harvard Library HOLLIS 165: 219:Constantine the Great 148: 41:. The title includes 29:supposedly given to 350:Edessene Apocalypse 174:Book of Revelation 166: 141:Narrative overview 99:Severus of Antioch 52:Book of Revelation 633:(Cambridge, 1900) 299:Seleucid calendar 295:Syriac Christians 286:Doctrine of Addai 281:Harvard Syriac 93 239:Abbasid Caliphate 130:Doctrine of Addai 83:Harvard Syriac 93 681: 649: 614: 589: 566: 560: 554: 548: 539: 533: 527: 521: 515: 509: 503: 497: 491: 485: 479: 473: 467: 461: 452: 446: 437: 431: 410: 400: 394: 388: 382: 376: 327:Byzantine Empire 150:Russian Orthodox 111:followed by the 97:, an excerpt by 31:John the Apostle 27:apocalyptic text 689: 688: 684: 683: 682: 680: 679: 678: 674:Texts in Syriac 654: 653: 646:Harvard Library 636: 621: 611: 592: 577: 574: 569: 561: 557: 549: 542: 534: 530: 522: 518: 510: 506: 498: 494: 486: 482: 474: 470: 462: 455: 447: 440: 432: 423: 419: 414: 413: 401: 397: 389: 385: 377: 373: 368: 311: 261: 248:Book of Genesis 223:Umayyad dynasty 207: 158:Transfiguration 143: 95:Jacob of Edessa 75: 47:James the Great 17: 12: 11: 5: 687: 685: 677: 676: 671: 666: 656: 655: 652: 651: 634: 620: 619:External links 617: 616: 615: 609: 590: 573: 570: 568: 567: 555: 553:, p. 150. 540: 528: 516: 504: 492: 480: 478:, p. 148. 468: 466:, p. 147. 453: 451:, p. 149. 438: 436:, p. 146. 420: 418: 415: 412: 411: 395: 383: 370: 369: 367: 364: 345:Book of Daniel 323:Book of Daniel 310: 307: 260: 257: 206: 203: 142: 139: 74: 71: 58:Book of Daniel 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 686: 675: 672: 670: 667: 665: 662: 661: 659: 647: 643: 639: 635: 632: 628: 627: 623: 622: 618: 612: 610:9780520960572 606: 602: 598: 597: 591: 587: 583: 582: 576: 575: 571: 564: 559: 556: 552: 547: 545: 541: 537: 532: 529: 525: 520: 517: 513: 508: 505: 501: 496: 493: 489: 484: 481: 477: 472: 469: 465: 460: 458: 454: 450: 445: 443: 439: 435: 430: 428: 426: 422: 416: 408: 404: 399: 396: 392: 387: 384: 380: 375: 372: 365: 363: 360: 356: 352: 351: 346: 342: 338: 334: 333: 328: 324: 320: 316: 308: 306: 304: 300: 296: 292: 288: 287: 282: 278: 274: 270: 267:as the texts 266: 258: 256: 254: 250: 249: 244: 240: 236: 232: 228: 224: 220: 216: 212: 204: 202: 199: 195: 191: 187: 183: 179: 175: 171: 163: 159: 155: 151: 147: 140: 138: 136: 132: 131: 126: 122: 121: 116: 115: 110: 109: 104: 100: 96: 92: 88: 84: 80: 72: 70: 68: 64: 60: 59: 54: 53: 48: 44: 40: 36: 32: 28: 24: 23: 641: 630: 625: 595: 580: 572:Bibliography 558: 531: 519: 514:, p. 9. 507: 495: 490:, p. 7. 483: 471: 406: 398: 386: 374: 358: 354: 348: 344: 340: 330: 322: 318: 312: 302: 284: 280: 276: 268: 262: 252: 246: 234: 210: 208: 173: 169: 167: 134: 128: 124: 118: 112: 106: 102: 87:palaeography 82: 78: 76: 56: 50: 43:"the Little" 42: 21: 20: 18: 512:Harris 1900 488:Harris 1900 315:eschatology 309:Eschatology 198:Daniel 11:5 154:Iconostasis 658:Categories 265:Miaphysite 259:Authorship 215:Khosrau II 91:Estrangelo 67:Christians 35:revelation 563:Penn 2015 551:Penn 2015 536:Penn 2015 524:Penn 2015 500:Penn 2015 476:Penn 2015 464:Penn 2015 449:Penn 2015 434:Penn 2015 417:Citations 403:Penn 2015 391:Penn 2015 379:Penn 2015 273:Nestorius 243:holograph 164:Monastery 85:, and by 353:and the 337:eschaton 182:Daniel 7 178:eschaton 63:Muhammad 55:and the 317:of the 301:of the 194:Ishmael 607:  339:. The 291:Christ 123:, the 117:, the 25:is an 366:Notes 186:Media 162:Kizhi 39:Islam 605:ISBN 407:thpk 313:The 209:The 205:Date 190:Rome 168:The 77:The 19:The 229:by 65:by 33:by 660:: 644:. 640:. 603:. 599:. 584:. 543:^ 456:^ 441:^ 424:^ 217:, 188:, 160:, 648:. 613:. 588:.

Index

apocalyptic text
John the Apostle
revelation
Islam
James the Great
Book of Revelation
Book of Daniel
Muhammad
Christians
palaeography
Estrangelo
Jacob of Edessa
Severus of Antioch
Gospel of the Twelve Apostles
Apocalypse of Simeon Kepha
Apocalypse of James the Apostle
Doctrine of Addai

Russian Orthodox
Iconostasis
Transfiguration
Kizhi
eschaton
Daniel 7
Media
Rome
Ishmael
Daniel 11:5
Khosrau II
Constantine the Great

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