The Lantern

Fragments · English translation9

CCEL

"them" Bringel.

The mss. give several different variants for this name.

Lit., "I rejoice with you."

Lit., "rejoice with."

ANF translates a variant reading: "How was she able...?"

Urania means "heavenly / celestial." The re-naming seems to play on perceived etymological connections between Hera and "earth" or "aër" (i.e., the cloudy, thick lower atmosphere, as opposed to the higher, more rarefied "ether").

Pege means "spring," "source," or "stream."

Cf. the Tübingen Theosophy , pp. 26-27 Beatrice.

Bringel, choosing a variant reading: "You have well said, 'She espoused a carpenter'; for she has a carpenter..."

Perhaps the quotation of the "females" continues on to the end of the sentence. In any case, this does not quite reflect what they were reported as saying earlier—"she espoused a carpenter"—unless the variant chosen by Bringel is correct. Bringel translates the last part of the sentence, "mais il ne vient pas de son lit, le charpentier qu'elle met au monde."

Bringel, choosing a slightly different variant: "framed...the triple-constructed sky as a roof."

I.e., land, sea, and sky (ANF). Bringel translates, "ce firmament à trois habitations."

Bringel excludes this last sentence from her text.

Or, "statue." Gk. στήλη .

Gk. Ἥλιος .

Bringel points out the parallel shining gem-stone described by Lucian, De dea Syria 32.

Bringel, following a different variant: "The king, having watched this, gave orders..."

The name Karia is obscure; one textual variant at the next occurrence is "Makaria" (blessed), which might make more sense.

Variant reading: "kings."

I.e. (as Bringel points out by citing the parallel of Pilate's words at Jn. 19.22), he is saying that their time of producing apparitions and of ruling is over.

Gk. μὴ θροβάδει . This is Bringel's text and interpretation . Bratke's text, Μιθροβάδῃ , would introduce quite inexplicably a Mithrobades—the preceding verb then could be interpreted either as "they said" or "I said" or "Say" [to Mithrobades], with the following words possibly still part of Dionysus' speech.

As Bringel points out here, the last few phrases allude to Gen. 1.26, and Christ's work in restoring the "image" of God in human beings, and leading them to the "likeness" of God.

I.e., the Son of God ("heaven's boast") is now to be born on earth.

Bringel has a slightly different text, and further imagines a supplement so that the first part of this sentence refers to the birth of Christ, not (as I have read it) to the prior birth of Pege (i.e., Mary). She translates as follows: "Karia a le bonheur de voir Source mettre un enfant au monde à Bethléem. Source a la grâce d'être désirée par le ciel et de concevoir le bienfait de la grâce"—I have underlined the supplement she adds.

Bringel's reading, quite possibly correct, omits τὰ ἡμέτερα ("our affairs") and leaves the verb "is / are withering" to be connected to Judaea.