Syrian Dormition of Mary story

Three years ago I wrote about the oldest known Dormition story titled “The Book of Mary’s Repose” and had did a review of the Ge’ez version (see post #1 here). Recently I found an old book published by my favorite early 20th century translator, E.A. Wallis Budge, titled “History of the Blessed Virgin Mary“, which is an English translated version of multiple Syrian manuscripts compiled together to create a full narrative of Mary’s life. Various infancy gospels and other non canonical texts were used to put together the story, including a version of the Dormition (falling asleep) story. Now this isn’t exactly like the Ge’ez version (notice that some of the more “weirder” aspects are no longer there, hence a later version of the story), but since this translation is in public domain, I decided to reprint it in full. As always, I will modernize words here and there. I still highly recommend getting the Stephen Shoemaker book I reference in my previous post, as it’s an EXCELLENT resource on the dormition tradition. And just a side note, those who are not aware, August 15 is the feast day of Mary’s dormition.

And it came to pass that the Apostles had gone into the four quarters of the world, but Mary remained in Jerusalem, mourning because of her separation from our Lord, and because of the remoteness of the Apostles from her and from the place where she was. And she prayed unto God, and she put incense on the fire, and she lifted up her eyes, and she spread out her hands towards heaven, and said, “O Christ, the Son of the Living God, hearken unto the prayer of Thine handmaiden, and send unto me John the Less, and the Apostles his companions, so that I may see them and may be consoled by the sight of them before the day of my departure; and I will give thanks and worship Thy goodness.” And straightway it was revealed unto the Apostles by the holy Spirit, even unto each one of them in the place wherein he was, that the mother of our Lord was about to depart from this world to the life which never ended. And the Holy Spirit made known to them all in a revelation that on the morning of the morrow they should all be gathered together unto Mary.

And it came to pass that in the morning the blessed woman Mary laid incense upon the fire, and she prayed and said, “O my Lord, behold the people of the Jews wish to burn the body of Thine handmaiden, but fulfil not for them their desire; but my desire for the coming of John the Less and of the Apostles, his companions, do Thou fulfil.” And as soon as her prayer was ended, the Holy Spirit revealed her wish unto John the Less while he was preaching in Ephesus; now many people were gathered together round about him. And straightway the Spirit urged him, and said unto him, “Today is the last day of the mother of thy Lord upon earth, and she is now about to depart from this world unto everlasting rest, and she desires earnestly to see you; arise, then, and go speedily, and see her before she goes out of the world.” And it came to pass that while the Spirit was speaking unto him, he was seized bodily by the power of Christ, and with exceedingly great quickness and in the twinkling of an eye he found himself in the presence of the blessed woman. And when he saw her lying upon her death-bed he was sorrowful, and he saluted her, and he did homage before her in faith. And the blessed woman rejoiced exceedingly at his coming, and she said unto him, “O John, the hour hasten, and there is no opportunity for talking. Rise up, make ready the censer, and put incense therein, for I am desiring to see all thy companions at the same time as I see thee.” Then the blessed woman straightened herself in her bed, and sat up, and she and John prayed together. And it came to pass as they were praying, that immediately the sweet smell of their censers had ascended, in that same moment the Holy Spirit made known concerning the departure of Mary unto all the Apostles, unto each one in the country wherein he was, the living in the places where they were, and the dead in their graves. And the Spirit made known unto each one of them in his country, saying, “The mother of thy Lord departs this day from this world. Arise, go, salute her, and see her, and be blessed by her holiness.” And as soon as the Spirit had revealed the matter unto each one of them, immediately he appeared in the presence of the holy woman.

Simon Peter, the chief of the Apostles, was teaching in Rome, where many people had been turned to the faith of God by his hand. And on the day when he was ending his discourse (now it was the time when he was about to break the Eucharist, when much people were gathered together to be blessed by him, and when he himself was offering the Offering, and at the time of the offering of the Offering, whilst he was kneeling before the altar,) the Holy Spirit revealed the matter unto him and said, “Leave thy Offering in the hands of those who shall complete it, and arise, go, and salute the mother of thy Lord, for this day she departs from this world.” And whilst the words were in the mouth of the Spirit, Simon Peter found himself in the presence of the blessed woman.

And Paul, the Apostle, the teacher of the Gentiles, after he had taught in various cities, and had turned many people unto Christ, went down to the city of Tiberias ; and he preached unto and taught all the people that were therein. And on that day he was oppressed in his speech, and whilst he was among the congregation his mind was perturbed, and it was revealed unto him in a revelation, saying, “The mother of thy Lord is about to depart this day from this earthly life unto the life and happiness which are everlasting.” And when as yet the words of the Spirit were not ended, he found himself seized by the might of the Spirit, and carried away to the upper chamber where the blessed woman was lying.

And the apostle Thomas, after he had taught the Indians, and the Chinese, and the Cushites, and the people of all the islands near and far, having crossed the sea in his journeys to preach, was one day preaching in India, when the Spirit revealed Himself in his heart, saying, “O Thomas, rise up, and go unto Jerusalem, and see the Virgin before she departs from the world; and tarry not overmuch, for the distance is great”. And while he was thinking upon this thing, straightway he found himself standing before the holy woman.

And Matthew, one of the Evangelists, after having preached the Gospel of the glad tidings of Jesus in Judea, and in all the country of Palestine, was minded to go and preach unto the other islands. And it came to pass that while he was travelling on the sea in a ship, and was among the waves of the sea, the Holy Spirit made known unto him concerning the approaching death of the lady of peace; and from the midst of the ship the Spirit seized him and brought him unto the Virgin.

And while Bartholomew was teaching in the city of Thebes, the Spirit told him concerning the departure of the excellent woman; and he rose up quickly, and by the power of the Holy Spirit he was transported into Jerusalem unto the holy woman.

And James the blessed Apostle, who was surnamed the brother of our Lord, was in Jerusalem. And while he was standing at his ministrations, the Spirit said unto him, “Go forth, and get thee gone to Bethlehem, for the mother of our Redeemer shall this day depart from the world; go thou, and be blessed by her.” And he went forth and departed, without having finished his ministrations, unto Bethlehem, and he saw the blessed woman.

O my brethren, that the Apostles who were alive, and who were gathered together by the might of our Lord, and who came, each one from the country wherein he was, in a moment, is indeed a most wonderful and marvellous thing, and one which the tongue cannot possibly tell. But it is a much more marvellous thing how the Apostles who had departed this life, and were dead and buried in their graves were brought to life in one moment; and how they were turned into living beings again; and how their bodies were renewed; and how they cast off the dust into which they had turned; and how they were changed from beings of corruption into beings of incorruption; and how they rose up, and went forth from their graves without thinking in their minds and saying, “What can this thing be?” For they did not meditate in their minds, saying, “What is this matter? And for what reason are we removed from our graves?” Now, according to my opinion, they considered this removal to be the Resurrection, and they imagined that it was the quickening of the dead. But the Power which quickened them made them to understand that they must not delay, and that they must not imagine that the movement was the quickening of the dead, and that they must not think that it was the Resurrection. For it said unto them, “Ye have come to life that ye may hear this message, ‘The mother of your Lord is about to go forth from the world this day; rise up, and go forth out of your graves’.” And as soon as they heard the word, the Spirit of the Lord seized them and bore them to the blessed Woman, and they were blessed by her.

First of all unto Philip was it said in the grave, “O Philip, rise up from among the dead, for the mother of thy Lord looks for thee;” and the Spirit like a bird took him, and bore him away unto the blessed woman, and set him down by her side.

And Simon the Canaanite was dead also, but unto him likewise in the grave did the Spirit say, “The mother of thy Lord expects thee; rise up, depart and be blessed by her.” And straightway he found himself by the side of the blessed woman.

And Luke, the Apostle, one of the Evangelists, who had taught in Alexandria had been slain there because of his preaching, and therein had his body been buried. And as he was lying in the grave, the Divine Power quickened him , and said unto him, “This day will the mother of thy Lord depart this life;” and while he was marveling within himself, the nod of his Lord seized him, and carried him away and set him by the side of the couch of his Lady.

Andrew, the brother of the blessed Peter, died in Byzantium, and being in the grave the Spirit quickened him, and took him to the holy woman.

Mark, the son of Simon Peter, had built a church in the city of Anzianzu, and having died his body was laid in it. And, though dead, he felt the motion of life, and the Spirit quickened him, and took him with power, and made him to come unto the place where the blessed and holy woman was.

Thus the living went forth from the places wherein they were, and the dead arose from out of their graves, and in one moment they were all gathered together ; then straightway a chariot of light was yoked beneath them all, and by the might of the Spirit it bore them from afar off to the Virgin without labor and without weariness. And a cloud of light yoked itself unto the chariot beneath them, and they all sat thereon; and a pillar of light went before them. And the Archangel Gabriel ran before them, and Michael leaped before them and made smooth their way; and David the king went before the Apostles of the blessed One, holding his harp and singing psalms, until they arrived at the upper chamber in which the Lady Mary was reclining.

And it came to pass that when the Apostles arrived at the upper chamber, they did homage before her, the mother of their Lord. And they saluted their Lady, and they embraced her, and they kissed her, and they showed love unto the blessed woman because they saw her still alive. And the blessed woman Mary straightened herself, and sat up on her couch, and rejoiced with an exceedingly great joy by reason of the coming of the Apostles. And she said unto them, “Come in peace, O ye Apostles of Christ, come in peace, O ye servants of the Highest; our heart is to you, O ye chosen ones of the Blessed One! How have ye fared in the world? How have ye taught? How have ye preached? How have ye made disciples? Have ye brought the Gentiles nigh unto your Lord? Have ye turned all the people of the world into members of the household of Christ?” And the Apostles said unto the blessed woman, “By the help of thy Son and by the might of thy prayer we have fared well. And we have made disciples and baptized many; and we have brought the world to the belief of our Lord, and we have preached His Name in the four quarters of the earth. There remain neither kings nor governors whom we have not brought under the yoke of Christ; behold. His Name is preached and praised from one end of the earth even unto the other.” And when the blessed woman heard these things she gave thanks unto the Lord, and blessed the Apostles.

Then the Lady Mary commanded John, and said unto him, “Put incense on the fire, for, behold, all creation is about to arrive.” And it came to pass that when John had put incense on the fire, and while the Apostles were standing up, behold the mother of the holy woman Mary entered, and bowed the knee, and did homage unto her, and saluted her. And after a little while Elizabeth also entered, and saluted her and sat down; and afterwards Anna the prophetess entered also. And then there arrived at the door of the upper chamber the chariot of the Patriarchs, and our father Adam alighted therefrom, and entered in and did homage to the holy woman Mary. And after him there came Seth, and he knelt upon his knees before her; and then Noah and Shem did homage unto her.

And next there came the chariot of the true believers, with Abraham the righteous man, and Isaac his son, and Jacob the true believer. And then there entered in the Heart of God, the prophet David, the good king, with his harp in his hand ; and he did homage before the blessed woman, and he sat down to sing psalms in her honour and to celebrate her glory. And they all said unto her, “Peace be unto thee, O blessed woman;” and they did homage before her with reverence, and they bowed their heads before her, and were blessed by her.

And next there came a chariot which travelled along in a mass of fire, and the wheels thereof were of fire, and in it were seated all the prophets who had prophesied concerning the coming of Christ; and they, too, went into the chamber and saluted Mary.

And next there came a chariot which was one blaze of light, and in it there sat the martyrs who had been slain for the hope of the kingdom; and they entered into the chamber, and did homage before the glorious Virgin.

And next there came the chariot of the Cherubim and of the Seraphim, and they did homage before her; there remained upon earth not a single righteous man, living or dead, who did not come to do honor to her departure; and there was not a spirit in heaven that tarried in coming to accompany her with honor.

And after a little time the holy woman said unto John and unto all the Apostles, “Burn incense, and go forth to meet your Lord, for, behold, He comes”. Then straightway were the heavens shaken, and the doors of the firmament were opened wide, and the earth reeled by reason of its quaking, and the hosts of heaven went forth through the gate of the firmament, glorifying the name of their King; and they were carrying trumpets, and they were singing psalms sweetly, and were praising His glory. And they were drawn up in companies, and the various squadrons of angels were ready to accompany their Lord as He went forth. Then suddenly thousands and tens of thousands of spiritual beings ran and took up their positions like pillars round about the upper chamber, and there came down from above an ark of fire and flame which overshadowed the blessed woman. And next there appeared the glorious chariot which bore within it Enoch, and Elijah, and Moses; and they came in and did homage unto the holy woman, and then they went forth to await their Lord. And next there appeared twelve legions of angels holding trumpets in their hands, and they blew blasts upon the horns, and they sounded , their trumpets loudly. And it came to pass that at the blast of the horns and trumpets our Lord Christ revealed Himself, and He was arrayed in a garment of glory, and He bore in His hands the emblem of the Cross. And all creation shone by reason of His splendour, and all created things ran to salute Him; and they all did homage before His chariot which was brilliant with fire and with flame. And they all surrounded the chariot with shouts and with acclamations; and the chariot descended and alighted by the side of the place where the blessed woman was. And when the holy woman saw Him, she recovered her strength, and stood up, and blessed Him, and did homage unto Him. And our Lord cried unto His mother in that hour, and said unto her, “Mary!” And she made answer unto Him, saying, “This is too great for me, O my Lord and Teacher. But I have greatly longed to see Thee.” And He said unto her, “Behold Me.” And when she had looked and had seen Him, her soul rejoiced, for she saw upon Him glory and goodness which the mouth and tongue of man cannot describe. Then our Lord spoke unto her in a sweet and gentle voice, saying, “O My mother, I am about to make thee to depart unto Paradise, until I come at the last day, wherein I shall dissolve the heavens, and shall make the earth to pass away, and wherein I shall bestow good things upon My chosen ones, and inflict punishment upon the wicked. On that day will I make thee to ascend unto Me in My kingdom.”

And it came to pass that when Mary heard these things from her Son, she said unto him, “O my beloved Lord, stretch out Thine hand and lay it upon my eyes”; and He stretched out His right hand and laid it upon her eyes. And she began to make entreaty and to say unto Him, “O my Son, make Thou the memorial of Thine handmaiden to be remembered even unto the end of the world. Receive, O my Lord, the prayers and supplications of all who call upon me in faith, and put Thou away from them times of stress, and calamities, and punishments, and famines, and afflictions, and plagues of every kind. And upon all such as shall celebrate the commemoration of me, or who set apart for me an offering, let not the punishment of pestilence fall, and let not sickness have dominion over their bodies. And whenever those who believe in me shall have desire for the house which shall be built in my name, and shall make mention of me in their prayers, put Thou away from them evil hap, and trials, and severe sufferings. And upon the possessions of him that shall set apart and shall give unto me an abundant gift of that which belongs unto him, let a blessing rest, and let not the locust, and the insect which laid waste, appear in his fields at any time, and let not cold injure his vineyard and his crops. And unto every one who, being in affliction, shall call upon my name, O Lord Christ, do Thou be unto him a helper. And whosoever, having been seized with sickness, shall make mention of my name, and shall take refuge in me, heal Thou him, O my Lord, in Thy mercy. And increase Thou the substance of the rich men who shall honor me with their riches, and bless Thou everything which they shall have. And of the poor who shall take refuge in my prayers fill Thou to overflowing the barns with grain, and do Thou satisfy their hunger, and make Thou their stores of food to be abundant. And let those who set out on their journeys to travel by land, and who call upon my name, be delivered from thieves; and let those who travel on the sea in ships be saved from storms. And unto the women who have been long barren, and who wish to become the mothers of children, and who call upon my name, O my Lord and my Son, grant unto them the power to bring forth children and to rear sons and daughters. And visit Thou the earth with blessings, with fertile vineyards, and with abundant crops, and with good things; and let peace reign in all the inhabited world for ever and for ever!”

And our Lord answered and said unto her, “O My mother, whatsoever thou has asked of Me I will do, and I will also fulfill the petitions of any one who shall call upon thee and shall take refuge in, thee, henceforth and for ever.” And it came to pass that when my Lady Mary heard these things she laid her hands upon her breast, and delivered her soul unto her Son; and straightway He took it up with Him to the mansions of light. And the chariots were lifted up, and there was a great quietness, and the odor of sweet scents breathed from the upper chamber in which Mary was lying.

And it came to pass when the Jews saw that many mighty deeds were wrought on the day of the departure of Mary from the world (now at the very moment in which the blessed woman died all those who were in affliction had relief, and those who were sick were eased from their pains and were healed straightway), and that they could do no harm unto the body of the holy woman, and that works of helpfulness were flowing from the Cross and from the nails of our Lord out of the place wherein they were, they desired to hide them from the children of men so that they might not be benefited by them. Then the believing men who were in Jerusalem, and who were about fifty in number, went in to the judge of the city, and they related unto him concerning the truth of Jesus and the wicked acts of the Jews. And the judge sent by night for the chiefs of the Jews, and he smote them severely with blows, and admonished them that no man should do harm unto the Christians. Now the judge had an only son who was sick, and the physicians of Jerusalem were not able to heal him; and the judge said unto the believers, “I entreat you to pray for my sick son.” And they said unto him, “Carry him to Bethlehem to Mary and the Apostles, that they may lay their hands upon him, and he shall be healed.” Then the judge and his son rose up and they went to Bethlehem to Mary. And the judge said unto her, “Peace be unto thee, O thou who art full of grace! And peace be unto the Fruit of thy womb! The tongue and the mouth of flesh are too weak to describe the glories of thy beloved Son.” Then the governor turned round and saw the Apostles sitting before the blessed woman, and he said unto them, “Peace be unto you, O ye Apostles of the Blessed One, and peace be unto your Master Who has chosen you for His preaching!” And the Apostles said unto the governor, “And peace be unto thee, and our Lord be with thee! We have heard of all that thou has done unto the Jews. And behold, for five years have we been preaching the Gospel of Jesus among all nations, and they have turned from their error; but the nation of unbelieving Jews have not turned from their wickedness. And this day we are gathered together, as thou sees, unto this blessed Mother by the might of the Holy Spirit. And there is here one whose country is distant a journey of one year, and there is another whose country is distant a journey of five months, and yet in one night we have been gathered together to the Mother of our Redeemer, that we might see her and be blessed by her. And behold, she is about to depart from the world, and it is meet for us to follow in her train and to honor her with psalms of the Holy Spirit. It is meet that her holy body should be praised both by the children of men and by angels, for in it dwells the Holy Spirit.”

And it came to pass that when the Apostles had said these things unto the governor, he did homage unto them, and he entreated from them the healing of his son; and the Apostles brought his son nigh unto the blessed woman Mary, and she stretched out as it were the similitude of her right hand, and stroked him, and he became as if he had never been ill at any time. And the governor marveled, and glorified God by reason of all the things which his eyes had seen; and he went back to Jerusalem and narrated unto his companions every thing which he had seen. And a few days later he went up to Rome to Caesar the Emperor, and he related to the Emperor and to his nobles concerning the wickedness of the Jews, and concerning the mighty deeds which the blessed Lady Mary, the Mother of Christ, had wrought, and concerning the coming of the Apostles unto her. And the believers who were in Rome wrote down these triumphs and sent them into the four quarters of the world.

Now our Lady Mary departed from this temporary life in the three hundred and forty-second year of Alexander. She was fourteen years old when she was frightened by the appearance of the angel, and she was with Christ for thirty and three years, and she lived five years after the crucifixion; which years are in all fifty-two.

And it came to pass that the Apostles came through the Holy Spirit (now they, had been made wise by the Spirit), and they said unto one another, “Come, let us make a distinction between the burial of those who believe, and of those who do not believe, and between those who have received the sign of baptism and the heathen and the Magians and the Jews, and let us establish canons of distinction; and let us make a beginning with this holy body of Mary, the fountain of life.” Then they wrapped in linen the body of Mary for burial, and laid her upon a bier, and they began to sing the service of hymns of the Holy Spirit, even as the Spirit taught them; and the sound of their voices was like unto the voices of the angels, who were teaching them. And they took Mary to carry her and to bury her in the cave of the Mount of Olives, and a multitude of women from Bethlehem and from Jerusalem were following in her train, and were wishing to see where they were going to lay her, so that they might go and pray there.

Now when the Jews saw the service, and the great procession, the like of which had never before been seen, they were ashamed, and they became mad with envy. And they went unto the governor of the city, and said unto him, “My Lord, we know that these Christian people have gone after error, but today their mother who bore for them the Error has died, and behold, they are accompanying her to the grave with great honor; but now, take thou whatever is convenient, and rid us of them.” Then the governor, having taken the bribe, took no further concern for the Christians. And the governor had a certain soldier of huge size and strength, and the Jews gave him a bribe to go with them, so that when the Christians saw him they might say that they had come from the governor, and that no man might say a word against them. Now the shameful Jews had made a crafty and secret plot concerning the body of Mary, which they wished to burn with fire, and they wished to make an attack upon the bier of Mary. And they said unto Yophana, the soldier whom they had brought with them from the governor, “Do thou lay hold upon the bier of Mary, while we carry off her body.”

And it came to pass that, when the Apostles saw that Yophana had come with them, they perceived the craft of the Jews. And the Jews said unto Yophana, “Draw nigh, and breathe only upon Mary, and she shall fall from her bier, for, behold, the disciples of that Deceiver think that they have conquered Jerusalem.” Then Yophana drew nigh, and threw out his two arms upon the two poles of the bier, and he hung his weight upon them, so that the bier might be broken, and the body of Mary might fall there from, and the Jews might seize it and carry it away and burn it with fire. Then John the Less turned, and he made the sign of the cross over Yophana, and the angel of the Lord smote him, and his limbs became weak and powerless. And he shrieked with pain, and cried out and said, “O Christ, the Son of God, have mercy upon me! For the Jews who crucified Thee have made me to err, and so I came to make an attack upon her who bore Thee. But give Thou me strength in my members, so that I may slay the Jews.” Then Simon Peter turned, and made over him the sign of the cross, and his strength returned unto him. And he leaped up, and stood upon his feet, and drew his sword upon the Jews, and they were not able to stand against the power of his might, and they fled before him. And they entered into the city, and came unto the governor, and said unto him, “My Lord, Yophana has gone over to the Christians, for he has left us, and has helped the Christians against us.” Then the governor called Yophana, and said unto him, “Yophana, what is this that thou has done?” And Yophana related unto the governor the cause of what had happened, and he revealed unto him concerning the affair. And it came to pass that when the governor heard these things he laughed at the Jews, for on account of the great strength of Yophana he was afraid of him. Thus were the Jews put to shame.

And the Apostles bore along the body of Mary with great pomp, and the multitude of people who had come with them from Jerusalem accompanied it, and paid great honor unto it. And they went down to the valley which there is on this side of the Mount of Olives, where there are three very large caves; now one of them was double. And the innermost division of the double cave was new, and up to that time no one had been laid therein; and a stone had been placed against the mouth of it. In this place did they lay the body of Mary, and they placed a stone against the door of the cave. And Simon Peter stood up and spoke unto the multitude that was there, and entreated the believers to set watchmen over the grave of Mary, so that the Jews might not come and carry off the body and treat it with insults and contempt, and burn it with fire. Now the Apostles had received a revelation from God concerning what Christ was about to do with the body of Mary. And Simon stood up and said unto the believing men, ”Know ye not what Christ is about to do with the body of His Church? For Christ knows what will benefit His Church more than anything for which we can ask. For as the body of the Son of Mary is divided among all the churches in which the Apostles have preached, and is given for the propitiation of those who receive it in faith, even so is it granted that churches shall be built in her name throughout the whole world, in remembrance of the blessed woman, His mother, and the people there shall be made happy by the memorial of her. And the place here in which her body has been laid will our Lord hide from all the children of men, just as the body of our Lord was hidden when it had been laid in the grave with watchmen to watch it. For He rose and went forth from among the dead, and put to shame those who crucified Him, and made His disciples to rejoice. Even so He will not allow the body of her who gave Him birth to fall into the hands of the Jews. Depart ye then in peace to your homes, and pray ye each for the other.” These things did Simon say unto the assembly of believers who were gathered together there.

And it came to pass that after these things the Jews, who were sorcerers, meditated on the matter, and gave counsel to the people how to do harm unto the body of the holy woman, and how, in time, they might prevent men and women from going to her grave, and from being helped by the benefits which flowed from that spot; now they could not cut off the believers from going there. Then the Jews took counsel together, and they dragged the bodies of the dead to the tomb of Mary, and filled the outer cave therewith, so that the people might not be able to draw nigh unto the place by reason of the foetid smell of corruption which was there; but the power of Christ was not restrained even by this. And the Jews said among themselves, “Let us burn her body with fire, and then we shall have rest from it,” Then they collected and piled up together round about the cave pieces of wood, and they filled even the cave with wood, and they drew nigh to set light to the fire, but before they could fan the wood into a blaze, the wood of its own accord burst into a blazing, fiery flame, and the fire enveloped them all, and the heads of their chief men were set on fire, and the flames burnt the edges of all their beards.

And it came to pass that, when the Apostles saw that these things were being done by the Jews, Simon Peter said, “Come, O my brethren, let us pray before our Lord that He will do what is good for the body of His mother;” so they prayed and put incense on the fire. And suddenly mighty chariots, and chariots of fire and of the Spirit drew up in order round about the cave, and straightway the chariots of the Prophets, and the assemblies of the Patriarchs, and the companies of the Watchers, and myriads of angels, gathered themselves together, and they were all ready to do honor unto the holy body. And the Apostles having been informed thereof entered into the cave, and brought out the honorable body of our Lady Mary; and they laid it upon a bier, and carried it along. And behold, in a moment, a garment of light was woven, and the Apostles wrapped the body in a cloak of light, and they fastened the side thereof with that which resembled the lightning. And behold, above them all, and above the bier of Mary, there was spread out a white garment of light, and the chariots of the men and of the women who were virgins, and innumerable thousands and tens of thousands of angels appeared, and the horns of the spiritual beings sounded, and the earth was moved, and a mighty earthquake took place. Then the Apostles ran, and carried away the bier of the mother of their Lord, and straightway a chariot of light was prepared, and in it they laid the blessed woman. And at that moment a cloud shining with splendor appeared, and it took up the chariots, and the Prophets, and the Apostles, and the Patriarchs, and the venerable women, and they began to move along. And, behold, before the chariot of our Lady Mary went the chariot of the Patriarchs Adam, and Seth, and Enos, and Noah, and Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and of all the men who were just and righteous. And then came the chariot of the Prophets Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and Daniel, and David, and all the other Prophets. And then came the chariot of the priests, Aaron, and Eleazar, and Samuel, and all the priests; and all these were paying glory and honor unto the body of the holy woman. And after these there came thousands and tens of thousands of angels who surrounded the chariot in which they were carrying the bier whereon was laid the holy woman. And some of them were carrying the chariot, and some of them were sounding horns, and some of them were blowing trumpets, and some of them were crying out with their voices; but all of them were ascribing praise unto the holy woman with their words and speech. And amid all this pomp and glory the holy woman went forward in a chariot of light. And after the chariot of Mary there came the chariot of the Apostles, Simon Peter, and John, and Paul, and of all the Apostles in a body.

And after the chariot of the Apostles there came the chariot of the venerable women Anna, the mother of our Lady Mary, and Elizabeth, and Hannah, the prophetess, and all the just and righteous women. And her Son carried her, by the might of His Spirit, to Paradise, and He set her in a glorious place therein.

And it came to pass that when the Apostles saw what had happened they bowed the knee and did homage before the body of the holy woman, and then a cloud carried the Apostles from Paradise and set them in the upper chamber in Jerusalem. And they wrote down the triumphs of the Virgin in books among themselves, and sent them into the four quarters of the earth, and they ordered that the believers should celebrate the commemoration of the blessed woman three times in the year. The first was to take place in the month Khanun, on the eve of the Sabbath which came after the Nativity, for the day of her departure from this world was the day of the birth of our Lord; on the day on which she gave Him birth did she depart from this world. And the doctors of the Church have ordered that the first commemoration of the Virgin should take place after the festival of the birth of our Lord. And this commemoration is celebrated for the sake of the first-fruits of the crops, so that rain may come upon the early and the later crops, and that they may increase at the will of their owners. And the second commemoration they were to celebrate in the month of tyar, in the middle of the month, on the fifteenth day, and this commemoration was placed at this time for the sake of the fining out of the ears of corn, so that they might come to perfection and might be reaped in peace. And the third commemoration they were to celebrate in the month of Ab, and this also was to take place in the middle of the month, on the fifteenth day thereof; and this commemoration was arranged on behalf of the vines and the vineyards, and all the lands which had to be irrigated.

And it came to pass that when the Apostles had received this book, they said among themselves, “Come, let us pray that we may see what our Lord will do with us.” And when they had prayed, and had given the salutation of peace unto each other, immediately a cloud seized upon them and carried each one of them into his own country, and into his own city, and into his own district, and into the place wherefrom He had brought him. Those who were alive did the Holy Spirit take back into their places, and they preached and taught with all their might; and those who were dead did the Spirit take back unto their own places, and they returned again into their own graves. And just as they were changed on the day whereon they went forth from their graves from the state of death into one of life, even so on the day whereon they returned to enter into their graves were they changed from a state of life into one of death; and they rested quietly and in peace until the day of vivification.

This is pretty much the end of the dormition narrative in the book. As you can see, it pretty much follows the Orthodox tradition that is still taught to this day. Budge has some notes in his preface and he believes it to be from the late 4th to early 5th century, and from my research, I would agree with that. Speaking of the Dormition, I still plan on doing a synopsis / commentary on the Six Books dormition text. That translation I have is not public domain, so I’ll do the same with it like I did on my posts on the Book of Mary’s repose. I hope you enjoyed the post and if you celebrate the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, I hope this enlightens you in some way.

Iconography in this posts are taken from various instances of the dormition tradition, from various sources / years.

bP