Book of Vision of Theophilus of Alexandria: Part 1 or 1.1: Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria has a vision of the Virgin Mary telling him about the Holy Family's flight to Egypt
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CONTENT INFORMATION
Story Type: Life of Mary
Story Theme(s): Mary's Life; Visions, Dreams, & Apparitions; Early Christian writing
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Earliest Attested Instance of the Story: 1450 - 1508
Earliest Manuscripts in which Story Appears: C-Veroli (BGV) 1; EMML (HMML) 6938; B-Mc (McCarthy) 1574; EMML (HMML) 8920; BOr (BL) 644
Total Manuscripts in which Story Appears: 98
Total Incipits in the ITool: 36
Incipit(s): በእንተ፡ ዘከመ፡ አስተርአየቶ፡ ለቴዎፍሎስ፡ ሊቀ፡ ጳጳሳት። ወዘከመ፡ ተናገረቶ፡ ወአጽነዓቶ፡ እምደካመ፡ ፍኖት። ይቤ፡ ቴዎፍሎስ፡ ሊቀ፡ ጳጳሳት፡ ስምዑ፡ አበውየ፡ ወአኃውየ፡ ዘእነግረክሙ፡ በፍርሃት፡ወበሃይማኖት፡ ርትዕት፡, from EMML (HMML) 6938, f. 9r
ID Numbers: PEMM Theme ID 700.01; PEMM ID 1-A; Beta maṣāḥǝft ID LIT5092Miracle; Clavis ID CAe 5092
Translations & editions of this story
Amharic: Täsfa Gäbrä Śəllase. 1971. From TGS (EOTC) 1983-1990, p. 664-690.
Amharic: Täsfa Gäbrä Śəllase. 1996. From TGS (EOTC) 1988-1996, p. 664.
Amharic: Täsfa Gäbrä Śəllase. 2014. From TGS (EOTC) 2004-2011, p. 603-626.
English: Wallis Budge. 1922. From BOr (BL) 604, f. 5r.
Manuscripts in which story appears:
1500s: B-Mc (McCarthy) 1574, f. 90v; EMML (HMML) 8920, s. 90a; C-Veroli (BGV) 1, f. 9r; EMML (HMML) 6938, f...
1600s: BOr (BL) 636, f. 164r; BOr (BL) 644, f. 11r; EMDA (HMML) 153, s. 6b; VOHD (UH) 102, s. 6b; EMML (HMM...
1700s: EMML (HMML) 2058, f. 16r; BOr (BL) 640, f. 9r; EMML (HMML) 6914, f. 8v; EMIP (EMIP) 832, f. 5r; EMDA...
1800s: BOr (BL) 655, f. 12r; EMIP (EMIP) 763, f. 12r; EMML (HMML) 76, s. 518; EMML (HMML) 1978, f. 59v; EMM...
1900s: EMDA (HMML) 415, s. 55b; EMIP (EMIP) 1153, f. 143v; EMIP (EMIP) 2638, f. 105v; EMIP (EMIP) 982, f. 1...
2000s: TGS (EOTC) 2004-2011, s. 76b
This story, with the short title "The Holy Family’s Flight," is old: the earliest PEMM manuscript* in which this story appears is from around 1500.
It appears in 98 out of 709 PEMM manuscripts (14%).
This story is sometimes illustrated, with a total of 1 painting(s).
It is a life miracle: it takes place during Our Lady Mary's lifetime, not after it.
This story was originally composed in Egypt, Africa (confirmed).
It is available in the following languages: Amharic, Geʿez, Arabic, English.
If you think any of the information on this page is incorrect (e.g., the date, manuscripts, translation), please use our PEMM Feedback Form to let us know. We depend on users like you to improve the site.
* A "PEMM manuscript" is defined as any Geʿez Marian manuscript or book that PEMM has catalogued. For more information, see Using the Site.
Summary
Addressing the members of his church, Patriarch Theophilus recounts events that occurred on the evening of the past Sabbath. After the bishops had gone to sleep, Theophilus went to the upper level and prayed to Jesus. Mary appeared to him as he prayed. She sat upon a bright light and was surrounded by thousands of angels. She greeted Theophilus on her son’s behalf, then instructed him to listen to her words and write them down to commemorate her. She told Theophilus the story of Christ’s birth, and of the angels and shepherds who came to bestow blessings in the days that followed. After Christ’s circumcision, King Herod dispatched the three Magi to find the child. Unbeknownst to them, he wished to kill the boy. When the Magi found Mary and her son, they worshiped them and offered gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The next morning, the Angel of God instructed them to go home rather than return to Herod. Mary then explained how she brought Christ to the Temple, where the blind priest Simeon blessed him and prophesied his salvation of the world.
Translation
Translated by Wallis Budge from BOr (BL) 604, f. 5r, in 1922.
Here begins the story of how Our Lady Mary appeared to the Archbishop Theophilus, and how she spoke with him and strengthened him after the weariness of the way.
[Theophilus speaks the following words.]
My dear fathers and brethren, listen to what I shall say to you with fear, and with true faith, how Our Lady Mary, Holy Twofold Virgin, the Mother of God, appeared to me. On the Sunday which has just passed by, we had ended our prayers for the night, and the fathers who were bishops had departed to sleep by themselves. I went up on the raised platform where abides Our Lady Mary, Holy Twofold Virgin, the Mother of God.
I stood up, stretched out my hands, and made supplication to God, saying, “Listen to me, my lord and savior, Jesus Christ, who did listen to those who were gathered at Nicaea until at length they established the Law [i.e., Creed] of God. Hear me, you who listened to Abba Athanasius the Apostle, and who helped him out of his tribulation. I am prepared to serve you. I know that you will always hear me, and that you are always close to those who love your name, my dear lord and God.
“Have compassion for me, and don’t turn me away from you, for I have yoked myself to you from my youth onward, even to this hour. I beseech you to show me how you came into this world, and how you took up your abode in this house in the wilderness. Help me build this house in such a way that it may become a great church where men shall exalt and glorify your holy name. Power and forgiveness belong to you, and you are the good one, together with your Father and the Holy Spirit, now, henceforth, and forever. Amen.”
It came to pass that when I had prayed in this way, a mighty light appeared to me, and I thought that the sun had risen. I saw a marvelously great light where there sat the queen of women, Our Lady Mary, Holy Twofold Virgin, the Mother of God.
Her face shone like the sun because of the light that was upon her. She was dressed in such a brilliant light that at length I said, “No one in this world can bear to look upon such glory.”
Michael, Gabriel, and thousands of angels were around her. It came to pass that when I saw them, I fell to the ground and became like a dead man. But Michael raised me up and removed my fear and dread.
Then Our Holy Lady herself spoke to me, saying, “I am the Holy Lady, the Twofold Virgin, the Mother of God. Rise, and be not afraid. Salutations to you, my dear horseman and warrior who battles for the faith. Salutations to you, you strong cornerstone in the Church of God. Rise up, be strong, and know that I am the Mother of the king of the heavens and the earth. He whom the heavens and the earth cannot contain did I bear in my womb for nine months, and by his will I suckled with the milk of my breasts him that gives food to all flesh.
“I am Mary, the daughter of Joachim and Anna, of the tribe of Judah and of the seed of David. I have appeared to you by the desire of my beloved Son. I will show you that which you have asked and sought from me concerning this house and concerning my coming into the country of Egypt from Jerusalem.
“Now as concerning this house, [my Son] wants to leave it in this state, so that it may be a testimony to all the generations that shall come into the world concerning the lowly estate which came upon us. For my blessed son did not desire to be exalted upon the earth. He rode upon the clouds, and not upon horses on which men ride, which is a sign of the earth. I carried him in my arms from Jerusalem to this house.
“We dwelled in humble state in those days, but I remembered the word of Elisabeth, who said, ‘Who am I that the mother of my Lord Jesus Christ should come to me?’ [Luke 1: 43]. You have honored me more than my station [merits].”
Our Holy Lady said to me, “Theophilus, uncover the ear of your heart, and understand what I shall say to you in this hour. Write it down on paper and bring it to all the cities and regions to commemorate me until the end of the world.
“Now, concerning the way I brought forth Jesus Christ. A star from out of the East appeared [to me], and in its great light was hidden the light of [all the other] stars.
“I was living in my house, and I was afraid of everything. There was no one to minister to me. I was a virgin. I knew nothing whatsoever, and I was the first born of my mother. I had never at any time dwelled with women who had given birth to children except Elisabeth, the barren woman, who, when nearing birth, had all the necessities made ready for her by her neighbors.
“As for me, I had no clothing. Though I looked, I found nothing but swaths of sackcloth, in which I wrapped his holy body. There was a stable nearby, where they fed the oxen. My bed was in there, and I laid the child to sleep upon it. There were there an ass and an ox, which bowed down in homage to him, and they kept him warm with their breath. At that season of the year the days were cold, for it was the twenty-ninth day of the month of Tahsas [December 25].
“Straightaway I looked, and behold: the angels, archangels, seraphim, and cherubim came in their companies, and they bowed down in adoration before him. They praised him, each according to his tongue, and said, ‘This is the day that God has made and blessed.’
“Then they came to me and paid honor to me, for honor had been given to me by the Father. They said, ‘Blessed are you above women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, which has come forth to benefit the nation that sin has destroyed. You are the Spotless Bride, and in you there is no guile. You are the Blessed Dove, the Mother of God, the Queen, the Mother of the Living King, who has appeared from you, and who shall become the life of the world. Blessed, moreover, are we, for we have seen our lord born in the flesh.’
“Then Saint Gabriel drew close to me with his shining and joyful countenance. He bowed down before me and said, ‘He is the one I told you about, and concerning whom I brought you glad tidings in the times that are past, saying that he would appear through you, and that he would give mercy and strength to all the peoples who believe in his name and serve his glory.’
“Then came Joseph, and with him were Salome and the midwife. When they had seen what had happened, they rejoiced with a great joy. When the midwife saw the child in the stable, she bowed down to him, lifted him in her arms, and said, ‘Blessed am I whose eyes have seen your joy this day, you who have come into the world to forgive the sins of sinners like me.’ She turned toward me and said, ‘Blessed are you, Mother of God, concerning whom the prophets have cried, saying, “Our God shall appear from a virgin.” As for me, I am your handmaiden. I will never leave you, and I will minister to you until I die.’
“Then came the shepherds to whom he had appeared in the light. They bowed down in adoration before him in the stable, and they said, ‘You are the savior of the world, just as they have told us. You are indeed the Son of God. Blessed are we who have seen the glory of your Godhead; we came as soon as we heard [of you].’
“[The shepherds then] came close to me, bowed low, and said, ‘Blessed are you above all the women that are upon the earth. Blessed is your womb, which bore him, and blessed are your breasts, which suckled him. For our sakes, you have given birth to him who is the life of the world.’
“All the companies of the angels that were there declared what they had seen and heard, saying, ‘Glory to God in the heavens. Let there be peace on the earth among the children of men, with whom he is pleased.’
“Everyone who heard marveled, and I said, ‘What shall I become?’
“After these things, on the eighth day, he came that they might circumcise him according to the Law of the Jews. They called him Jesus, according to what the angel had said to me before I had conceived him.
“In those days, there came certain men who were Magi from the country of the East. They were making enquiries in the nearby cities and districts, asking, ‘Where was Christ born? For we have seen his star in the East, and we have come to worship him.’
“When Herod heard this, he was greatly moved, together with [the people] of all the borders of Jerusalem. Then Herod gathered all the nobles, priests, and scribes, as well as the elders of the people, and he asked them, ‘Where was Christ born? And when was his appointed time?’
“They said to [Herod], ‘He was born in these [last] days, in Bethlehem of Judea, even as the prophet Micah said: “You, Bethlehem of the country of Ephrathah, are not the least of the provinces of Judah, for from you shall go forth the king who shall rule my people, Israel” [Micah 5:2].’
“Then Herod said to the Magi, ‘Go seek out the child, and when you have found him, come and tell me so that I may worship him.’ Not that he wanted to worship him; he wanted to kill him, for [Herod] thought that the child was an earthly being, and that his kingdom was earthly.
“When the Magi had heard those things from the king, they went forth to find the child. Now, that star that had guided them from their own country to the place where my beloved son was, left them and was no more seen.
“When they entered [the stable], they saw the child in my arms and worshipped him. With joy and gladness they brought forth gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and they cried out, ‘Blessed be the great king, who shall destroy the kingdoms of the earth. You shall descend into the earth and bind Satan in chains, according to what we have found in the Book of the Prophets and wise Fathers.’
“That night they slept [there], thinking that the next day they would go to Herod and tell him they had found the child and his mother. But the angel of the Lord appeared and said to them, ‘Return to your own country in peace,’ and they went there, just as the Angel of the Lord had told them to do.
“When forty days were ended, we brought him up to the Temple that they might do to him [according to] the Law of Moses, and according as they are wont to do to the children of Israel.
“When we brought him into the sanctuary, [we found] there a priest whose name was Simeon, who was waiting to see the Savior before he died. I gave him the child. He took him in his arms, blessed him, and bore him around the Temple.
“Now [Simeon] was a blind man, and my beloved son opened his eyes when he saw him. And Simeon opened his mouth and said, ‘Now straightaway let your servant depart in peace, O Lord, according as you have commanded. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before all your people. [To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be] the glory of your people Israel.’
“When he had finished speaking, he gave me the child, and we returned in peace with joy and gladness. The old priest Simeon died on that same day.”
Note: This English translation was composed by Wallis Budge in the early 1900s but updated by the PEMM team for modern readers. We have replaced old-fashioned terms (e.g., thee, thou), stripped old-fashioned word endings (e.g., striketh), and corrected offensive language (e.g., lame, barren). However, Budge made some of these translations from a peculiar manuscript, which often had missing words and sentences, so the translations don't always do justice to the story in its original, earliest form. We hope to retranslate the story from better manuscripts in future. His translations are from what he calls MS A, which is PEMM MS B-Oslo (SCOL) 248; MS B, which is PEMM MS B-Dublin (CBL) 914; and Brit. Mus. Orient. No. 652, which is PEMM MS BOr (BL) 652.
TO CITE THIS TRANSLATION
Wallis Budge. 1922. "ID 1-A: Vision of Theophilus of Alexandria." Legends of Our Lady Mary the Perpetual Virgin and Her Mother Hanna, edited by Wallis Budge, page 61–67. Updated by PEMM Copyeditor Taylor Eggan. From BOr (BL) 604, f. 5r. https://pemm.princeton.edu/stories/1-A.
This story, with the short title "The Holy Family’s Flight," is old: the earliest PEMM manuscript* in which this story appears is from around 1500.
It appears in 98 out of 709 PEMM manuscripts (14%).
This story is sometimes illustrated, with a total of 1 painting(s).
It is a life miracle: it takes place during Our Lady Mary's lifetime, not after it.
This story was originally composed in Egypt, Africa (confirmed).
It is available in the following languages: Amharic, Geʿez, Arabic, English.
If you think any of the information on this page is incorrect (e.g., the date, manuscripts, translation), please use our PEMM Feedback Form to let us know. We depend on users like you to improve the site.
* A "PEMM manuscript" is defined as any Geʿez Marian manuscript or book that PEMM has catalogued. For more information, see Using the Site.