The Apocalypse of Paul is an ancient Christian text dating to the 4th century AD that purports to record the apostle Paul’s visionary journey through heaven and hell. It is an example of apocalyptic literature, a genre of revelatory writing popular in ancient Judaism and early Christianity. Though attributed to Paul, the Apocalypse was not authored by him but rather by an unknown Christian writer seeking to expand on Paul’s brief reference in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 to being “caught up to the third heaven.”
The Apocalypse of Paul depicts the apostle being guided by an angel on a visionary tour through the upper heavens, where he witnesses the bliss of the righteous, as well as a tour through the lower regions of hell, where he sees the punishments for various sins. The text emphasizes the transcendent nature of the afterlife and the absolute justice of divine judgment. It aims to encourage virtuous living through dramatic visions of the stark contrast between eternal bliss in heaven and gruesome torments in hell.
The Apocalypse of Paul exerted significant influence in medieval Christianity, providing source material for Dante’s famous depiction of the afterlife in The Divine Comedy. However, it was regarded as apocryphal and excluded from the biblical canon due to doubts about Pauline authorship and its origins outside the apostolic age. The text survives today in multiple versions in various ancient languages, indicating its broad diffusion and impact in early Christian communities. Though not regarded as scripture today, the Apocalypse of Paul offers a fascinating window into ancient Christian beliefs about the afterlife and traditions of apocalyptic writing.
Overview of the Text
The Apocalypse of Paul is a visionary tour through the heavens and hells. It unfolds as a narrative in which Paul is guided by an angel. The text can be outlined as follows:
Prologue (1-2)
The prologue states that Paul received these visions 14 years after his conversion, placing the narrative prior to his missionary journeys in Acts. Paul is said to be carried up into the third heaven.
Ascent through the Heavens (3-22)
Paul’s angelic guide leads him on an ascent through the heavens:
– Third Heaven: Paul sees a peaceful paradise.
– Fourth Heaven: Paul encounters Enoch and Elijah, symbolic of the raptured saints.
– Fifth Heaven: Paul sees many angels worshipping the Lord.
– Sixth Heaven: Paul beholds archangels singing praises.
– Seventh Heaven: Paul arrives before the throne of God.
Throughout his tour, Paul repeatedly falls to the ground in reverence and praise. The heavens are depicted as realms of unimaginable splendor and glory.
Descent into Hell (23-44)
The angel next leads Paul on a descent through the hells:
– Outer Darkness: Home of Azazel and other fallen angels.
– Pit of Serpents, Beasts and Men: Punishment for murderers, liars, and apostates.
– Fiery Pit: Punishment for blasphemers, sorcerers, and idolators.
– Pit of Men Consumed by Fire: Punishment for adulterers and those who dishonor parents.
– Freezing Cold Hail and Snow: Punishment for traitors and informers.
– River of Fire: Punishment for the greedy and merciless rich.
– Worms that Never Die: Punishment for the morally impure.
– Lake of Fire: Punishment for the prideful and arrogant.
Paul repeatedly expresses horror at the gruesome torments of hell. The text aims to warn readers against sin.
Epilogue (45-56)
The vision concludes with Paul being returned to earth to continue his ministry. He is told to share his visionary testimony with the churches. The text ends stating that Paul recorded this Apocalypse to instruct and warn future generations.
Origins and Authorship
The Apocalypse of Paul claims to record Paul’s visionary experience briefly mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4. However, the text was not actually authored by Paul himself but rather pseudepigraphically attributed to him by a later Christian writer. There are several pieces of evidence indicating the text’s later origins:
– The elaborate and detailed visions far exceed Paul’s brief comments about the third heaven.
– The text shows similarities to other late apocalyptic works like the Apocalypse of Peter.
– The text refers to practices like monasticism that post-date Paul.
– The text was unknown to early Christian writers who were familiar with authentic Pauline writings.
Scholars debate the dating of the text but generally place it in the 4th century AD or possibly the late 3rd century. The author remains unknown, though the fluent Greek and the text’s popularity in the Eastern church suggest it originated somewhere in the Greek-speaking eastern Mediterranean. Pseudepigraphic attribution to an apostle like Paul lent the apocalyptic visions greater authority.
Manuscript Tradition
The Apocalypse of Paul circulated widely in ancient Christianity, as evidenced by manuscripts surviving in several ancient languages:
– 6 Greek manuscripts from the 9th to 12th centuries.
– 5 Latin manuscripts from the 6th to 15th centuries.
– 8 Syriac manuscripts from the 6th to 9th centuries.
– Fragments survive in Coptic, Arabic, Slavonic, and Middle Irish.
There are notable differences between the texts, indicating multiple recensions and loose scribal transmission. For example, the Ethiopic version is much shorter, likely an abridgment. The Latin texts also contain appended material not found in the earliest Greek versions. Overall, the multitude of manuscripts in so many languages points to the widespread popularity of this apocalyptic work in ancient Christianity.
Genre and Themes
The Apocalypse of Paul belongs to the literary genre of apocalyptic writing popular in Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity. Apocalyptic works use visionary journeys, symbolism, and supernatural revelations to unveil heavenly mysteries about the end times, life after death, and the spiritual world. Key themes include:
– Cosmic journeys through the heavens and underworld. The otherworldly setting authenticates the mystical revelations.
– Visions of the afterlife. The text elaborates on the binary afterlife destinies of heaven or hell based on one’s earthly behavior.
– Divine judgment and justice. Heaven rewards the righteous after death while hell punishes sinners, emphasizing God’s ultimate justice.
– Exhortation to virtuous living. The dramatic visions of afterlife destinies aim to frighten readers away from vice and sinful living by showing the eternal consequences.
By using Paul as the visionary, the Apocalypse gains authority and resonance for early Christian audiences eager for revelations about the afterlife.
Relationship to the Biblical Canon
The Apocalypse of Paul was widely read and influential within some sectors of ancient Christianity. But it was ultimately excluded from the biblical canon once the canon was formally delineated. Reasons for its exclusion include:
– Doubtful apostolic authorship. Ancient critics recognized the apostle Paul did not actually write it.
– Gnostic and encratite themes. Some passages reflect theological perspectives divergent from orthodoxy.
– Graphic nature. The gruesome torments of hell were controversial and required caution.
– Post-apostolic origins. The apocalyptic visionary genre developed later than apostolic times.
Despite some localized canonicity, the Apocalypse of Paul was generally relegated to the status of useful but non-canonical apocryphal literature in mainstream Christianity. The churches ruled it ultimately lacked the authority and authenticity to warrant inclusion in the formal biblical canon.
Major Themes and Content
The Apocalypse of Paul contains vivid descriptions of the heavenly realms and hellish torments which communicate key theological messages:
Afterlife Realms
The text elaborates complex geography of the soul’s possible destinations after death:
– Seven tiered heavens with angels, departed saints, and God’s throne.
– Outer darkness and abyss where fallen angels are imprisoned.
– Fiery pits, freezing ice, and burning worms tailored to punish specific sins.
This reflects speculative extrapolation of scattered biblical teachings about heaven, hell, and spiritual beings.
Divine Justice
The specific punishments in hell are suited to particular sins, communicating divine justice:
– Liars and murderers thrown to beasts and serpents.
– Blasphemers and sorcerers burned in fiery pits.
– Adulterers and disobedient children tormented by flames.
The graphic torments emphasize moral accountability after death.
Exhortation against Sin
The shocking sights of punishment encourage moral uprightness:
– Warnings against sexual vice, deceit, greed, pride, murder, apostasy, etc.
– Paul repeatedly expresses terror, shock, and sadness at the torments.
– Visions aimed to frighten readers into righteous living through fear of hell.
Overall, the text uses dramatic visions of afterlife judgment to motivate virtuous living.
Universalism and Inclusiveness
– Worthy Jewish patriarchs and prophets included in the third heaven.
– The text lacks overt anti-Semitism prevalent in some medieval visions.
– Heroes from Greek cultural tradition like Hercules and Linus condemned.
This reflects inclusive outlook extending divine judgment across cultures.
Significance and Impact
The Apocalypse of Paul proved highly influential in medieval Christianity:
– Introduced elaborate geography of the afterlife that inspired later writers.
– Images of its hell influenced medieval art and literature, including Dante.
– Fueled fascination with afterlife and cosmic journeys reflected in texts like Divine Comedy and Pilgrim’s Progress.
– Promoted moral living by dramatically linking behavior to eternal consequences.
– Democratized access to visions of heaven once limited to prophets and apostles.
– Popularized and normalized apocalyptic literature among Christian readers.
Though not canonical, the Apocalypse of Paul significantly shaped medieval Christian expectations about the afterlife and contributed to the flourishing of visionary and apocalyptic writing.
Selected Passages
A few notable excerpts illustrate the content and style of the Apocalypse of Paul:
Beatific Vision of Heaven
“And he took me up into the seventh heaven. And I saw there a wonderful light and angels without number. And I saw there all the righteous from the time of Adam onwards. And there I saw the holy Abel and all the righteous. And there I saw Enoch and all who were with him, stript of the garments of the flesh, and I saw them in their garments of the upper world. And they were like the angels who stand there in great glory.” (Apocalypse of Paul 20-21)
Punishment of Liars
“And I saw another multitude of pits in the same place, and in the midst of it a river full with a multitude of men and women, and worms consumed them. But I lamented and sighing asked the angel and said, ‘Sir, who are these?’ And he said to me, ‘These are those who exacted interest on interest and trusted in their riches and did not hope in God that He was their helper.” (Apocalypse of Paul 36)
Lake of Fire
“And he took me lower down into the river of fire and there I saw Archbishop Eutyches and many others among the heretics and Kaiserios and other falsifiers of the doctrine of Christ, and I saw tied there Etius and Arius and other men of the church lacking in faith. And I sighed and wept and said: Woe to such punishments! Woe to such torments!” (Apocalypse of Paul 52).
Conclusion
The Apocalypse of Paul provides a fascinating window into ancient Christian beliefs about the afterlife, divine justice, and the spiritual realms. Though not an authentic Pauline writing, its elaborate visions proved widely compelling in medieval Christianity and inspired countless writers and artists. The text creatively blends biblical teachings, speculative elaborations, and moral exhortation into a powerful statement on eternal consequences of earthly living. While not canonical scripture, the Apocalypse of Paul influenced generations of Christians through its imaginative depiction of the stark contrasts between heaven’s glory and hell’s gruesome torments.