The bishops: "As you command us, O pure and distinguished man, so shall we do."
69. Aphroditianus: "It is permitted to you, Simon and Barnaes and Scillas, to speak, if you have any speech of justification to make regarding your own Law. For subsequently, after this it will remain to ask also about your accusation of your teachers."
70. Simon and his party: "Your august and celestial will knows, as does that of the God-beloved priests here, that we all worship one single God and that God is the father of countless glories. Thus, each one worships him in accordance with his view of God's glory."
71. Aphroditianus said: "God neither had nor will have his glories divided . For since he is one, he also has a single, firm-standing glory, which everyone ought to know. For if he is the father of countless glories / opinions, which of them should one cling to, or how could one judge which of them one should grasp? If the glories are divided, then the one who is glorified is also divided."
72. Simon's party, again: "We implore your gentle and calm kindness not to inveigh against us [p. 40] in this way. For you have trained yourself with great diligence, and we have no great resources for speaking to you. But speak to us rather in a way that we can understand."
73. Jacob and Pharas: "Our dispute, surely, is not about the glory of God, but about Christ the Nazoraean, whom your ancestors —for [they are not] our [ancestors any more] —killed out of envy. For since you cannot bear the shame of this envy, you reject the whole thing, so that you are not condemned. This is the one about whom David said, 'The Lord said to me: You are my son; today I have begotten you,' and so on; and 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,' down to the words, 'For this reason, God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions'; and 'The stone which the builders rejected, this has become the head of the corner'; and 'Behold! a stone was cut without hands from a mountain, and the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole world'; and 'Behold! I place in Zion a corner-foundation-stone, choice and precious; and the one who believes in it shall be saved'; and 'Behold! the young woman shall conceive and bear a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel'; and 'He was led like a lamb to slaughter' and the rest; and 'Behold! there was coming with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man, and he proceeded as far as the Ancient of Days, and honor and kingship were presented to him, and all the peoples shall serve him. His kingdom is perpetual and his authority is for generations and further.' All these things, and the others, were said about Christ, whom your self-condemned ancestors crucified—and he rose again and is sitting with his holy Father in the unsullied heavens."
74. Simon and his party: "And why did you not say these things earlier, [p. 41] but instead you began to put forward such teachings by virtue of your antipathy ."
75. Jacob and Pharas said: " Antipathy is able to procure good and profitable resources. And as our ancestral God knows, we kept all these things in mind and we condemned those who killed him—and we concealed the truth because of the dignity we possessed. And yet, we began to be Christians in our heart. Therefore, behold! we have come to the stage of completion with a good pretext. For indeed, even then, while because of our fear we preserved our outward appearance, we were different in our minds."
76. Aphroditianus: "The human being is unsettled, by virtue of both its own cogitations and those that come in from outside, and it inclines to many different things; one will not attain the truth in its entirety through falsehood, nor will one find uprightness through its opposite. And even if someone comes across piety, how will he remain in it? Hence, both parties here should accomplish what is pleasing to them by their own examination."
77. Jacob's party said: "We know that Christ has come from heaven and we belong to his faith, no longer wishing to have a Jewish mindset."
78. Simon and the others: "The nation will not accept you even if you want them to. For how could they keep with them those who are against them?"
Aphroditianus: "Do you then cast aside your teachers, if they choose to speak the truth?"
Simon: "Neither shall they be at peace any longer with us, nor we with them; for we are at variance with each other and have become each other's enemies."
79. Aphroditianus: "Enough! (For this was his oath.) Your affairs are still at the stage of words, and you are bereft of all action. For I know that those people, who are agitated over action , are a chosen people, being in touch with heavenly things in a heavenly manner, and not boasting in a word only but strengthened by an eternal subject for boasting. [p. 42]
80. "I shall, however, present to you an example equal to the first. I once learned of a woman, a shepherdess, in the settlement of the Arigbanes. One Coatus, son of Coatus, fell in love with her and sent her gifts, so that she would come to an agreement with him. But she, seeing the gifts, laughed and said to the messenger, pointing to her sheep: 'Behold my gifts and my children, from which I am nourished by divine grace.' And he came away to her and with splendid promises he urged her to accept him. She said to him: 'Shall I defile the undefiled cloak which grace has given to me?' Coatus said: 'Miserable girl, this law has been established from above for the propagation of the race.' The shepherdess: 'A law has been established for me not to acquire more than I have.' After much pleading to no effect, he ordered that she be starved to death. And so, on the third day, when she was about to expire, she uttered cheerful words as follows: 'O heavenly Father of your genuine children, O unsullied bridegroom of those who are in the bloom of beauty, I come to you, thrice-desired Lord, giving back to you without complaint that which you gave to me—virginity, forgiveness of sins, an existence without property, a truthful tongue, a heart unacquainted with wickedness—ever intent on the hope that is to come, which I have honored and whose joys I am now by all means going to meet.' And thus she expired. [p. 43] His father, learning this, ordered that he be hung head-downwards on a tall post in the middle of the city, so as to be eaten by birds.
81. "And now, I speak to everyone regarding Christ. That which has happened already has happened. And as regards Philip the history-writer: I met him in Amida and in Ostra. And as regards all the pagans and Christians and Jews: We boast in a name only. And so, brothers, whether you live as Christians or live as Jews, do not destroy the common bond of peace. Let us honor each other with love, and strive after the uninterrupted good things of heaven; and let us hate the division of opposites. Embrace each other, everyone, with a view to being brought to unity by divine grace."
82. And the man received grace to persuade both parties to be reconciled with each other, as the party of Simon and the others cast itself at the feet of the party of Jacob, asking them not to abandon their ancient friendship. But worship [of God should proceed] as any individual wished, with sincere love remaining [between all]. And after bidding each other farewell, as they ought, and kissing the bishops' feet, giving thanks to God, praising the king at length, and saying the Alleluia in Hebrew together, they departed from each other. And Jacob, Pharas, and 60 [other] souls were baptized. But the others remained in the section [p. 44] of Simon, and they were called "Christianomerites." Aphroditianus urged both to honor Providence, because "this [i.e., Providence] has greatly honored us."
83. Nakenátare. Rophóes. Meroréktaloi sisinnérôtoi. Medidókalla. Auxontêtora — which means, "The absolute authority orders this to be stored away on the tablets for their own witnesses and for those who wish to make exact copies." Arrhenatus, Baukogegédras ; Pasargarus, Lexribonátus ; Diocles, Bazeas ; Aphroditianus, Meïmathlos ; command, decision, success, judgment. The authoritative power of the four approved with knowledge the matters so judged. Naburicês, Mithrobadês, Tertulus, members of the gubernatorial class and the corresponding [military] command and satrapal [rank]—whose orders were published and made known to the farthest reaches of the Babylarchy. Let the agreements be published in both forms, as approved mutually. [p. 45]
84. This Philip was a presbyter and synkellos of John, the bishop of Constantinople; he divided the whole [of history] into stages—magnificently, such that not one of the wise writers of history of all time is comparable to him. And the same presbyter recounted that the day on which the star appeared in the temple—that same day, every year, until the Lord was taken up [into heaven], all the statues would produce their characteristic utterance, and so that entire city there was transfixed, beholding the great marvels and the yearly appearance of the star.
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85. And it is amazing how Aphroditianus, who was nominally a pagan but in fact behaved as a Christian, surpassed the presbyter Philip in saying great things about Christ .
And Dorus the Jew, the advocate of his own slanderous nation, said that the king conducted a competition in the temple, which had never taken place—and the statues have under their feet invisible "reed-nuts," and the craftsmen who operate these lie down secretly in them, and artfully contrive the particular voice of each form. And opposite these there stand women whom they call Th*****ae , singing, and by virtue of the technicians, the blocks of stone by their clever artifices defeat the living women. But this same thing [is true] in the case of [them] all. For he says that the reputation [of these marvels] advances in this way through these. And to those who read this it should be clear to see, whether that [interpretation] seems true.
This translation was commissioned by Roger Pearse and made public domain 19 March 2011.
E. Bratke, Das sogenannte Religionsgespräch am Hof der Sasaniden , TU 19 (n. F. 4) 3a. Leipzig, 1899.
Pauline Bringel, Une polémique religieuse à la cour perse: le De gestis in Perside . Histoire du texte, édition critique et traduction (diss. Sorbonne, 2007).