Acts of Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca

Introduction

There is a particular kind of silence that settles over forgotten things. Not the silence of emptiness, but the silence of burial — the quiet that accumulates over centuries when stories are deemed too marginal, too feminine, too strange, or simply too inconvenient to preserve with the same care afforded to the texts we now call canonical. This book is an attempt to break that silence, to brush away the sediment of neglect and indifference, and to restore to the light a remarkable piece of early Christian literature that has spent far too long in the shadows of scholarly obscurity.

The text at the heart of this volume — a narrative following the spiritual journeys of three women named Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca — belongs to a sprawling, diverse, and endlessly fascinating category of ancient writing known as the Christian Apocrypha. These are texts that circulated widely in the early centuries of the Common Era, that were read aloud in communities, copied by devoted hands, translated across languages, and treasured by believers who found in them something essential about their faith. They were not fringe documents produced by isolated eccentrics. They were living literature, breathing and evolving, carrying within them the anxieties, hopes, theological debates, and spiritual longings of real people navigating the extraordinary challenge of building a new religion in a world that was, more often than not, openly hostile to them.

And yet, for reasons we will explore, texts like this one were gradually pushed to the margins. The consolidation of the Christian canon, the increasing institutionalization of the church, and the eventual triumph of orthodoxy over the bewildering variety of early Christian expression all contributed to a process of forgetting that was sometimes deliberate and sometimes simply the result of indifference. Manuscripts stopped being copied. Libraries were lost. Languages died. And the stories of women like Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca — women who in their own time were held up as models of faith, courage, and spiritual transformation — faded from the collective memory of a tradition that had, in many ways, moved on without them.

What makes the recovery of such texts so important is not merely the satisfaction of historical completeness, though that satisfaction is real and significant. It is something deeper than that. When we read these forgotten narratives, we are not simply filling in gaps in a timeline. We are recovering voices. We are hearing, across a distance of nearly two millennia, the testimony of communities that understood their faith differently — not wrongly, not heretically in any meaningful sense, but differently — and that expressed their understanding through stories of remarkable women who traveled, suffered, witnessed miracles, debated with philosophers, resisted violence, and ultimately arrived at a place of profound spiritual conviction. These are not passive figures waiting to be saved. They are active agents in their own salvation and in the salvation of those around them.

The narrative of Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca is preserved in a single Greek manuscript, a fact that alone speaks to the precariousness of its survival. It is a text that combines elements familiar from the canonical Acts of the Apostles with narrative patterns drawn from the ancient Greek novel, all filtered through a distinctly Christian theological vision that placed women at the absolute center of the story. For a long time it remained largely a curiosity — interesting to specialists in early Christian literature, but rarely discussed in the broader conversations about Christian origins, women in the early church, or the development of Christian narrative.

Part of the reason for this continued neglect is structural. The study of early Christianity has historically been organized around texts that achieved canonical status, and the enormous prestige of the New Testament has cast a long shadow over everything that did not make it into that collection. Even within the field of apocryphal studies, certain texts have attracted far more attention than others. The Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, the Acts of Paul and Thecla — these have become well known beyond specialist circles, discussed in popular books and documentaries, integrated into broader cultural conversations about gender, power, and religious authority in the ancient world. The story of Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca has not enjoyed the same fortune, and this volume is, among other things, an argument that it deserves to.

What you will find in these pages is, first and foremost, the text itself — presented in a new translation that aims to capture both the literary qualities of the original Greek and the accessibility that modern readers deserve. Translation is always interpretation, and the choices made in rendering an ancient text into contemporary English inevitably reflect assumptions about what matters, what is beautiful, what is strange, and what requires explanation. The translation offered here has been made with the conviction that this is a work of literature as well as a document of religious history, and that it deserves to be read as such — with the same attention to narrative rhythm, character, and emotional texture that we would bring to any serious work of storytelling.

Alongside the translation, this volume provides the historical and literary context necessary to read the text with full appreciation. This means exploring the world of early Christian apocryphal literature more broadly, understanding the specific genre of the apocryphal Acts, and situating this particular narrative within the debates about women's roles, sexual renunciation, and spiritual authority that animated early Christian communities across the Mediterranean world. It means asking hard questions about who wrote this text, when, where, and for whom — questions to which we cannot always give definitive answers, but which are worth asking seriously nonetheless. And it means engaging with the text's remarkable literary qualities: its debts to the ancient novel, its sophisticated use of travel and adventure as spiritual metaphor, its complex emotional landscape, and its quietly radical insistence that women's experiences of faith are not supplementary to the Christian story but central to it.

Chapter 1

When the blessed Paul was at Rome through the word of the Lord, it happened that a certain servant of a ruler of Spain came to Rome carrying letters from his master, and heard the word of God from Paul — that truly golden and beautiful nightingale. This servant was deeply moved, but because the urgency of his letters forced him to hurry, he could not stay and drink his fill of the divine word. He returned to Spain in great grief, and being unable to share his longing with anyone, since his master was an idolater, he lived with a constant ache in his heart and a heavy sigh always on his lips. Now this servant was held in honor and was faithful to his masters, but as time passed he fell sick and grew thin, and his master, noticing this, said to him, "What has happened to you that your face has fallen so?" The servant said, "There is a great pain in my heart, and I can find no rest by any means." His master said, "And what is this pain that my chief physician cannot heal?" The servant said, "This pain and its recurring trouble first made itself known to me while I was still in Rome." His master said, "Do you not know of anyone who has fallen into this same sickness and been healed?" The servant said, "Yes, but I do not know where that physician is, for I left him in Rome. All who have been attended by that physician and have passed through the water at his hands have received healing at once." His master said, "I should not begrudge sending you back to Rome, if by chance you might obtain healing there."

While they were speaking in this way, his mistress, whose name was Xanthippe, happened to overhear their words, and learning of the teaching of Paul, she said, "What is the name of that physician, and what is the treatment that wards off such a disease?" The servant said to her, "The calling upon a new name, and anointing with oil, and washing with water. By this treatment I have seen many who had incurable pains receive healing." As he said this, the idol images that stood in the house began to shake and fall down. His mistress beckoned to him and said, "Do you see, brother, how the idol images are shaking? They cannot endure the power of the word." And his master, whose name was Probus, rose from his midday sleep with a very troubled face, for the Devil had greatly disturbed him because the knowledge of God had entered his house. He questioned the servant about everything in order, and the servant, having been seized by sickness through the foreknowledge of God, disclosed to him the way of life for mankind. And Xanthippe was consumed in her soul with longing for this teaching, so that Probus too grew troubled on her account, for from that time she was wearing herself away with sleeplessness, fasting, and other austerities.

Xanthippe went away to her couch and lay there groaning. "Woe is me," she said, "wretched creature lying in darkness, that I have not even learned the name of this new teacher, so that I might call upon his prayer to help me. I do not know what to say. Shall I call upon him by the name of his God? Yet I cannot say, 'The God who is preached by such a one.' Nevertheless I will speak thus, by conjecture: O God, who gives light in Hades and guides those in darkness, Lord of free men and kings, proclaimed by worthy servants throughout all the world, called upon as a brother by sinful men and swift to hear, to whom not even archangels can offer worthy songs of praise — you who have shown to me, humble and unworthy, the ever-living and abiding seed, though my ignorance does not permit me to receive it: hasten also the things that concern me, Lord. Since by your will you have made yourself heard by me, show me in your compassion the proclamation of your herald, that I may learn from him what is pleasing to you. Yes, I beg you, look upon my ignorance, O God, and enlighten me with the light of your face — you who never overlook any of those who call upon you in truth." Probus, her husband, said to her, "Why do you trouble yourself so greatly, my lady, and do not turn to sleep at all?" Xanthippe said, "I cannot sleep, for there is an incurable pain within me." Probus said, "And what is your pain or grief, my lady, that I am not enough to comfort you? Everything you have wished for up to this day I have provided, and now what is it that you have and will not tell me?" Xanthippe said to him, "I ask only this one thing of you, my lord: allow me, just for a little while, just for this one day, to sleep apart from you." And Probus said, "Let it be as you wish, my lady; only stop your groaning."

Then she went into her bedchamber alone and spoke through her tears: "I do not know, my God, how I am to act or what course to take. Shall I declare the thought that has come upon me? I fear the madness and disorder of the city. Shall I flee from this godless city? I fear the devil's cunning in seizing the sheep. Shall I wait upon the mercy and swiftness of the Lord? Again I fear the untimely snatching away of life, for the death of sinners comes without warning. Shall I set out and flee to Rome? I fear the length of the journey, being unable to travel on foot. But while I say all these things by conjecture, driven by my desire — for I cannot speak with certainty — may I find pardon with you, my God. Fulfill my desire with an abundance of right words, and count me worthy at least to hear your preacher; for if I say 'to see his face,' I ask too great a thing. Blessed is the one who is found in the company of your preachers and is satisfied by the sight of their precious faces. Blessed are those who are yoked under the preaching of your commandments. Blessed are those who keep your commandments. But where now, Lord, are your mercies to our fathers, that we too may be their successors in love toward you and heirs of faith? Behold, Lord, I cannot find a single soul who has love for you, with whom I might commune and refresh my spirit even a little. Hasten therefore, Lord, to yoke me in desire for you, and keep me under the shadow of your wings, for you alone are God, glorified to all eternity. Amen."

V.

After saying these things and more like them, Xanthippe groaned throughout the night without stopping. Probus heard her and was deeply distressed. When morning came he rose from his bed, went in to her, and seeing her eyes swollen with weeping he said, "Why, my lady, do you torment me like this and refuse to tell me what is wrong? Tell me, and I will do whatever pleases you. Do not wear me out with your grief." Xanthippe said to him, "Take heart, my lord, and do not be troubled, for my pain will do you no harm. But if I have found any favor with you, go now to receive your morning callers, and leave me to bear this as I must, for no man can take from me this insatiable anguish." He listened to her and went out at once to receive the greetings of the men of the city, for he was the foremost man among them and was known to the Emperor Nero as well. When he sat down, deep grief showed plainly on his face, and when the leading men of the city asked him the reason for it, he told them that he had been beset by many unfounded accusations.

VI.

Xanthippe went out into the garden to wait there and watch closely for any news of her husband. She looked at the beauty of the trees and listened to the varied singing of the birds, and said with a groan, "O beauty of the world! What we until now thought came about of itself, we know at last was all fashioned beautifully by the Beautiful One. O power and invention of wisdom! For he has placed within men a thousand capacities, and in birds too he has distinguished voice from voice, as though calling forth sweet and heart-stirring hymns from his own creation, like anthems and responses. O loveliness of the air, proclaiming the inimitable Creator! Who will turn my sorrow into joy?" And again she said, "O God, to whom all things sing praise, give me peace and comfort." While she was saying these things, Probus came up from the street to break his fast, and when he saw her face changed by weeping he began to tear the hair from his head, yet he did not dare speak to her, not wishing to add his own trouble to hers. So he went and threw himself on his bed and said with a groan, "Alas, that I have not even the consolation of a child by her, but only grief upon grief. Not two full years have passed since I married her, and already she is thinking of divorce."

VII.

But Xanthippe kept constant watch through the doors and out into the streets of the city. The blessed Paul, preacher and teacher and illuminator of the world, had left Rome and come even into Spain by the foreknowledge of God. Coming up to the gates of the city he stood and prayed, and making the sign of the cross he entered. When Xanthippe saw the blessed Paul walking with a calm and steady step, adorned with every virtue and understanding, she was filled with delight and her heart leaped continually, and seized by an unexpected joy she said to herself, "Why does my heart beat so strongly at the sight of this man? Why is his walk so quiet and even, like one who expects to take into his arms someone who is being pursued? Why is his face so kind, like one who tends the sick? Why does he look about him with such love, like one who longs to help those who are trying to flee from the mouths of dragons? Who will tell me whether this man is one from the company of preachers? If it were possible, I would wish to touch the hem of his garment, that I might experience his kindness and his readiness to receive and his sweet fragrance" — for the servant had also told her that the hems of his garments carried the scent of precious perfumes.

VIII.

Now Probus heard her words and immediately ran out alone into the street, and taking Paul by the hand said to him, "I do not know who you are, but please come into my house; perhaps you may be the means of my salvation." Paul said to him, "All will be well with you, son, after what you have asked." And they went in together to Xanthippe. When Xanthippe saw the great Paul, the eyes of her heart were opened, and she read upon his forehead, as though in golden letters, the words: Paul, Preacher of God. Then, exulting and rejoicing, she threw herself at his feet, and gathering her hair together she wiped his feet with it, saying, "Welcome, O man of God, to us humble ones who live as shadows among shadows. For you have looked upon those who were running into Hades as though it were something beautiful, who addressed the crooked serpent and destroyer as their provider and protector, who were rushing into dark Hades as to their father — those who were made with a rational nature but had become like creatures without reason. You have sought me out, lowly as I am, though I carry the sun of righteousness in my heart. Now the poison is checked, now that I have seen your precious face. Now the one who troubled me has fled, now that your most beautiful counsel has appeared to me. Now I shall be counted worthy of repentance, now that I have received the seal of the Lord's preacher. Until now I have thought many people blessed who met with you, but I say boldly that from this time forward I myself shall be called blessed by others, because I have touched your hem, because I have received your prayers, because I have enjoyed your sweet and honeyed teaching. You did not hesitate to come to us — you who fish the dry land as you travel and gather the fish that fall in your path into the net of the kingdom of heaven."

IX.

The great Paul said to her, "Rise, daughter, and do not think that you were sought out of your ignorance by my own foresight. It is Christ, the provider of the world, the seeker of sinners and the lost — who has not only remembered those upon the earth but by his own presence has redeemed those in Hades — it is he himself who has had pity on you and sent me here, that he might visit and show mercy to many others along with you. This mercy and this visitation are not of our doing; they are his command and injunction, even as we ourselves have received mercy and been saved by him." Probus, hearing this, was astonished at their words, for he was entirely ignorant of these things. Paul then lifted Xanthippe by force from his feet, and she ran and set out a new gilded chair for Paul to sit on. The great Paul said to her, "My daughter Xanthippe, do not do this, for you have not yet been received into the faith of Christ. Wait a little, until the Lord has set in order what is needed." Xanthippe said to Paul, "Do you say this to test me, O preacher of God, or do you have some foreknowledge?" Paul said, "No, daughter, but the devil, who hates the servants of God, sows wickedness in the hearts of his own servants to oppose those who labor for Christ in preaching. His malice has extended even to the apostles and to the Lord himself. It is therefore right to approach unbelievers gently and with kindness." Xanthippe said to Paul, "I beg you, if you love your servants, pray for Probus, and let me see whether the one who is your enemy can work against your prayer. Let me see whether he can even stand against it." Paul rejoiced greatly at the words of her faith and said to her, "Believe me, daughter, that by his suggestion and working there has not been a single hour in which I have been free from chains and blows." Xanthippe said to him, "But you endure these things of your own free will, since you have not abandoned your preaching even under the lash. And this too I tell you: your bonds shall be the defeat of the one who urges them on, and your humiliation shall be their overthrow."

Now the report of his presence spread through the whole city and the surrounding countryside, for some people of that city had been to Rome and had seen the signs and wonders performed by the blessed Paul, and they came to see whether this was indeed he. Many therefore came into the house of Probus, and he began to grow annoyed and to say, I will not have my house turned into an inn. Xanthippe, seeing that Probus had begun to look at her coldly and to speak in this way, was greatly distressed, and said, Alas, wretched me, that we are not thought fully worthy to keep this man in our house; for if Paul leaves here, the church will be held somewhere else as well. Then Xanthippe, turning these things over in her mind, placed her hand on the foot of Paul, and taking up some dust she called Probus to her, and laying her hand on his breast said, O Lord, my God, who sought out me, lowly and ignorant of thee, send what is fitting into this heart. And Paul perceived her prayer, and made the sign of the cross, and for several days the people entered unhindered, and all who had sick or those tormented by unclean spirits brought them, and all were healed.

And Xanthippe said to Paul, Teacher, my heart is greatly troubled because I have not yet received baptism. After this, Probus was again stirred by the devil and cast Paul out of the house and shut Xanthippe in her chamber. Then one of the chief men, Philotheus by name, begged the great Paul to come into his house, but the great Paul was unwilling, saying, Lest Probus trouble your house on my account. Philotheus said to him, No, father, I am not at all subject to him, for in no other thing is he greater than me except in rank, and that only because the parents of Xanthippe are above me. But if Probus comes against me, I am above him in riches and in war. Then Paul, the great apostle of the Lord, was persuaded, and went into the house of Philotheus the ex-prefect. All this was brought about by the Evil One so that Xanthippe might receive holy baptism only through tribulation, and grow faint-hearted concerning the commandments of Christ.

Xanthippe therefore said to her servants with tears, Have you found out where Paul has gone? They said, Yes, to the house of Philotheus the ex-prefect, and Xanthippe rejoiced greatly that Philotheus also had believed, thinking, as she said, that he might be able to persuade Probus as well. Then Probus called Xanthippe to supper, and when she refused, Probus said, Do not think that in bed either you will keep away from me. But when he lay down to supper, Xanthippe bent her knees and prayed to the Lord, saying, Eternal and immortal God, who didst take dust from the ground and didst not value it according to the nature of its creation, but didst call it the son of immortality; thou who didst come from the heart of the Father to the heart of the earth for our sake, upon whom the cherubim dare not fix their gaze, and for us wast hidden in the womb, that by taking up thy abode in a mother thou mightest make good the offence of Eve. Thou that didst drink gall and vinegar, and wast pierced in the side by a spear, that thou mightest heal the wound given by the rib to Adam. For Eve, being his rib, wrought a blow against Adam, and through him against all the world. Thou that gavest a sleep without perception to the serpent, so that he might not know thy Incarnation, remember also my groaning and tears, and grant fulfilment to my prayer, and bring sleep upon Probus until I shall be counted worthy of the gift of holy baptism, for I vehemently desire to obtain this, to the glory and praise of thy holy name.

But Probus, while still at supper, commanded the doors of their house to be secured by cruel and wicked soldiers, and having given these orders he straightway fell asleep upon the couch. Then the servants came and announced this to Xanthippe, thinking he should be awakened, but she said, Put out the lights, my children, and leave him as he is. And in the first watch of the night, taking three hundred pieces of gold, she went to the doors, saying to herself, Perhaps the porter will be won over by so large a sum of money. But he, being evil and stubborn, would not be persuaded to open for her, and so she also loosened her girdle, which was set with precious stones and worth two hundred pieces of gold, gave it to him, and went out saying, Lord, I win over my own slaves with money, so that thy preacher Paul may not be oppressed by Probus. And Xanthippe went on toward the house of Philotheus the ex-prefect, as though setting out on some great and extraordinary undertaking, running and praising God. As she passed through a certain place, the demons pursued her with fiery torches and lightning, and she, turning, saw this terrible sight behind her, and seized with great fear said, What has happened to you now, wretched soul? You have been robbed of your desire. You were running toward salvation, you were running toward baptism, and you have fallen into the hands of the serpent and his ministers, and your sins have brought this upon you. Speaking thus she was even fainting at heart from great despair, but the great Paul, forewarned by God of the assault of the demons, immediately stood beside her, preceded by a beautiful youth. And straightway the vision of the demons disappeared, and Paul said to her, Arise, daughter Xanthippe, and behold the Lord you have longed for, by whose flame the heavens are shaken and the deep is dried up, coming to you in pity and to save you. Behold him who accepts your prayers and gives ear to them at once. See him coming in the form of a man, and take courage against the demons. Then she rose from the ground and said to him, Master, why have you left me alone? Make haste even now to seal me, so that if death come upon me I may depart to him who is full of compassion and has no arrogance.

Therefore the great Paul straightway took her hand and went into the house of Philotheus, and baptised her in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Ghost. Then taking bread also he gave her the eucharist, saying, Let this be to you for the remission of sins and for the renewal of your soul. Then the blessed Xanthippe, having received the divine grace of holy baptism, returned to her own house rejoicing and praising the Lord. The porter, seeing her, complained loudly in violent words, so that her going out might appear to have happened without his knowledge if Probus should notice it; but he who had given her light together with Paul kept the whole house, and Probus with it, in a deep sleep, and they did not hear his words at all. Then she went running into her bedchamber, saying, What shall I say of thee, searcher out of sinners, who art most present with us in tribulations? Thy goodness does these things, for for the sake of man whom thou didst make thou didst go down even to death; and however many times man stirs thee to anger, yet thou, Lord, pourest out thy mercies upon him. O depth of compassion and wealth of mercy; O immeasurable goodness and incomparable kindness; O treasure of good things, and giver of mercy, and enricher of all who believe in thee! If one who loves thee says, Be near me, Lord, thou hast already anticipated him. If he says, I give thee thanks, thou understandest his words before they are spoken. And to those who ask of thee, thou givest to each according to his asking. Thy goodness seeks out those who do not know thee, and thou runnest to sinners. O cheerful countenance, filling the ways of sinners with mercy; O excellent watching over and exhortation of the ignorant! Who shall tell my lord Paul of the salvation that has now come to me, that he might come and offer words of thanksgiving for me to this protector of sinners? Come, many of you, and behold and know the Lord, who hates sin but has mercy on sinners. Come now, O Paul, preacher of God, for with thee even now I sit under instruction; offer words of thanksgiving for me, for I desire to keep silence, since human reason makes me afraid that I may not have the grace of eloquence. I desire to keep silence, and yet I am compelled to speak, for something inflames and sweetens me within. If I say I will shut my mouth, there is something that stirs within me. Shall I say a great thing? Is it not that teacher who is in Paul, without arrogance, filling the heavens, speaking within and waiting without, sitting on the throne with the Father and stretched upon the cross by man? What therefore I shall do I do not know. My unworthy mind delights me, and yet cannot be fully unfolded. Thou whose hands were fixed with nails and whose side was pierced with the spear, thou star out of Jacob and lion's whelp out of Judah, thou rod out of Jesse, and man and God out of Mary, thou invisible God in the bosom of the Father, whom the cherubim cannot look upon, and who wast mocked in Israel, glory be to thee, who didst appear on the earth and wast taken by the people, hung upon the tree and falsely said by the report of the wicked to have been stolen, and who hast redeemed us all together.

While she was still speaking, a cross appeared on the eastern wall, and through it there entered a beautiful youth surrounded by trembling rays of light, with a broad radiance spread beneath his feet on which he walked. As he came in, all the foundations of the house shook and rumbled with a great trembling. Xanthippe cried out at the sight of him and fell to the ground as if dead. But he was compassionate and kind, and changing at once into the likeness of Paul, he raised her up, saying, Rise, Xanthippe, and do not be afraid, for this is how the servants of God are glorified. Xanthippe rose and looked at him, and thinking it was Paul she said, How did you get in here, preacher of God? I gave five hundred pieces of gold to the porter — and he is my own slave — while you have no money at all. The Lord said to her, My servant Paul is richer than all the wealth in the world, for whatever treasure he acquires here he sends on ahead of him into the kingdom of heaven, so that when he departs there he may rest in endless and eternal rest. You and those like you are the treasure of Paul. Then Xanthippe gazed at him, wanting to speak, and saw that his face was shining like light. Overwhelmed with wonder, she covered her face with both hands, threw herself to the ground, and said, Hide yourself, Lord, from my bodily eyes and enlighten my understanding, for I know now who you are. You are he whose forerunner was the cross, the only-begotten Son of the Father alone above, and the only Son of the Virgin alone below. You are he who was pierced through the hands and who split the rocks. You are he whom none other can contain except the bosom of the Father.

As she spoke, the Lord was hidden from her again. Xanthippe came to herself and said, Woe is me, wretched as I am, that no one has ever told me what gratitude slaves owe their master. If Paul the preacher of the Lord were here, how would he give praise? But perhaps in the face of such grace and gifts even he would be silent, held only by tears, for it is not possible to praise anyone worthily in proportion to the favor shown. Saying this, she was seized with a great faintness from lack of food, for she had been so wholly consumed with longing for Christ that she had forgotten to eat. Utterly exhausted by fasting, by the vision, by sleeplessness, and by other austerities, she was unable to rise from the ground.

Probus arose from his bed with a very troubled face, for he had seen a dream in his sleep and was greatly disturbed by it. The porter, seeing him about to go out to the marketplace with such a troubled expression, was very frightened. He is going to find out what has happened, he said to himself, and will destroy me miserably. Probus, however, went out, gave those in the marketplace whatever instructions were fitting for the day and the occasion, and quickly returned home. He said to his servants, Summon the wise men Barandus and Gnosteas at once. When they arrived he said to them, I have seen a very terrible vision, and what appeared in it is beyond our power to interpret. You are the most learned men in all the world, so disclose its meaning to me when I tell it to you. Barandus said to him, If the vision can be interpreted by our wisdom, we will explain it to you; but if it belongs to the faith that is now being proclaimed, we cannot expound it, for that belongs to another wisdom and understanding altogether. Let our lord and master tell the dream, and we will see whether there is any explanation for it. Probus said to Gnosteas, Why do you say nothing? Gnosteas said, I have not yet heard the dream. What can I say except that whatever it may be, it is likely to have something to do with Paul? Tell me, and you will find it is so. Probus said, I thought I was standing in some unknown and strange country, and there sat an Ethiopian king who ruled over all the earth and seemed as though he would never have a successor. Multitudes of servants stood beside him, and all of them rushed headlong toward destruction and held dominion far and wide. And when that Ethiopian seemed to have achieved his purpose, a raven arose and stood above him and croaked with a pitiful voice. Immediately an eagle rose from the eastern parts and seized his kingdom; his power was made nothing, and those who had stood beside him fled to the eagle. Then that king strove against those who fled to the eagle, but the eagle carried them up into heaven. And behold, a helper came to those who had fled to the eagle and left his staff with them. Those who took hold of it were not overcome by the violence of that king. As many as ran to those who held the staff, he washed in pure water, and those who were washed had power over the king's kingdom. By that staff the king's enemies were put to flight, and so capable men who took hold of the staff drew great multitudes to themselves. That king strove against them and had no power at all, yet he hindered many from believing in the one who had sent those men into the world to bear witness, and for that reason many were grieved. Nevertheless, this one did not compel anyone as the other had done, for he himself was ruler of all light. That was the end of it.

Then the wise Barandus said, By the grace of God I will tell you the meaning of the things sent into the world by the Lord. The king you saw is the Devil, and the multitudes of his servants are the demons, and the throngs around him are those who worship idols. His belief that he would have no successor shows that he did not foresee the coming of Christ. The raven signified the weakness of his kingdom, for the raven did not keep faith with the righteous Noah but was drawn to pitiful things. The eagle that arose and took away his kingdom and carried it up into heaven, and the protector who came to those who fled to the eagle and brought a staff — that is the Lord Jesus Christ, who left his staff to them, that is, his precious cross. His washing of those who fled to him signifies the invulnerable armor of baptism, and that is why they were not overcome. The capable men sent into the world with the cross are the preachers of God, such as Paul who is now among us, against whom that king has no power. This was revealed to you because God has compassion even on those who are slow to believe. Consider, then, whether you will be able to harm Paul even if you wish to, for the mighty power that shields him has been shown to you by the Lord. Understand what I have said to you, and do not serve that king of darkness, for just as you saw his kingdom vanish away, so shall all his servants perish with him. Come now, my lord, let us go to Paul and receive baptism from him, lest Satan gain mastery over us as well. Probus said, Let us first go to Xanthippe and see whether she still lives, for it is now twenty-nine days since she has tasted anything. I saw her face last evening, and it was like the face of one who is ready to depart.

And as they went into the chamber, they heard her singing.

Praise the Lord, you sinners also, for he accepts your prayers as well. Alleluia.

Praise the Lord, you who have despaired as I have, for his mercies are many. Alleluia.

Praise him, you ungodly, for it was for you that he was crucified. Alleluia.

Praise him, you who strive for the salvation of sinners, for God loves you. Alleluia.

Praise him, you who rejoice at the calling of sinners, for you are fellow citizens with the saints. Alleluia.

As she spoke these words and many more besides, weeping all the while, the wise men Barandus and Gnosteas opened the door, entered, and fell at her feet, saying, "Pray for us, lowly as we are, O servant of Christ, that he may bring us also into your company." But she said to them, "Brothers, I am not Paul, who remits sins — yet neither is he far from you. Do not fall before my knees, therefore, but go to him, who is far more able to help you." Then they ran to the house of Philotheus, where Paul was, and found him teaching a great multitude. Probus also came to hear Paul, and Xanthippe entered with him to greet him. Coming near to Paul, she bent her knees and did him reverence. Probus saw this and marveled that her once proud spirit had been changed to such great humility, for she sat beside Paul's feet on the ground, humbly, as one of no account. And Probus was greatly troubled, not yet giving his attention to the word being taught, but gazing continually and fixing his eyes on Xanthippe.

The great Paul was teaching in this manner: "Let those who burn in the flesh observe lawful marriage, avoiding fornication, and especially adultery with another man's wife; and let those who are joined together remain faithful to one another." Probus heard this teaching with delight and said, "O Paul, how excellently and wisely you set forth this teaching. Why then has Xanthippe withdrawn from me?" And Paul said, "My son Probus, those who foresee that the works of men shall be tried with fire, and who keep always in mind the inexorableness of death, cast out all desire that clings to the flesh. But woe to the man when his own desire shall stand in judgment against him — then he will gnash his teeth to no effect and in vain, for the time for repentance and amendment will be past." Hearing this, Probus went up to his house in a troubled state of mind and tasted nothing that day, but went and lay down on his bed. About the third hour of the night he arose and said, "Alas, how wretched was the day on which I was wedded to Xanthippe. Would that I had died and never seen her." Then, rising, he said, "I will pray to the God of Paul. Perhaps he will do for me also what is fitting, so that I may not become a reproach in the world, being rejected by her." And immediately falling upon the ground he said, "O God of Paul, if, as I have heard from Xanthippe, you seek out the ignorant and turn back those who have gone astray, do for me also what is fitting; for you are the king of life and death, as I have heard, and you have dominion over things in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and over all the thoughts and desires of men, and to you alone belongs glory to all eternity. Amen."

Then Probus rose from the ground and lay down again on the couch, and rising early in the morning he came to Paul. Finding him baptizing many in the name of the life-giving Trinity, he said, "My lord Paul, if only I were worthy to receive baptism — behold, the hour is here." Paul said to him, "Son, behold, the water is ready for the cleansing of all who come to Christ." And so immediately Probus stripped off his garments, and Paul took hold of him, and he leapt into the water, saying, "Jesus Christ, Son of God and everlasting God, let all my sins be washed away by this water." And Paul said, "We baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." After this he caused him to receive the Eucharist of Christ. Then Xanthippe, filled with great joy, began toward evening in the house to make a feast for all those of the household together with her husband, and to prepare a splendid supper. When the guests arrived, having given orders for the supper to be magnificent, she herself went up to the chamber. And behold, on the stairs a demon had come in the likeness of one of the actors, and standing in a dark corner was trying to frighten and terrify Xanthippe. But she, thinking it was the actor she was accustomed to seeing, said in anger, "Many a time have I told him that I no longer care for such amusements, and he despises me for being a woman." And immediately seizing an iron lamp-stand, she hurled it at his face and crushed all his features. Then the demon cried out, saying, "What violence is this — even women have received power from this destroyer to strike us!" But Xanthippe was greatly afraid.

After supper Probus went out to hear the word, while Xanthippe sat in her bedchamber reading the prophets, with her sister Polyxena lying on the couch. Xanthippe loved Polyxena exceedingly, because she was younger than herself and beautiful in appearance, and Probus also loved her greatly. As Polyxena lay on the couch she had this dream: a dragon, hideous in appearance, came and beckoned to her to come to him, and when she would not obey and go to him, he came running and swallowed her. In terror at this the girl leapt up trembling, and Xanthippe ran to her and said, "What has happened to you, dearest, that you have started up so suddenly?" For a long time she was unable to speak; then, coming to herself, she said, "Alas, my sister Xanthippe, what danger or tribulation awaits me I do not know, for I saw in my dream that a hideous dragon came and beckoned me to go to him, and when I would not go he came running and swallowed me, beginning at my feet. While I was seized with terror at this, there suddenly spoke out of the air, in the light of the sun, a beautiful youth whom I took to be the brother of Paul, saying, 'You have no power over her at all.' He took me by the hand and drew me out of the dragon at once, and the dragon immediately vanished. And behold, his hand was full of sweet fragrance, like balsam or some other perfume." Xanthippe said to her, "Truly you must be greatly troubled, my sister Polyxena, but God holds you dear, seeing that he has shown you such strange and marvelous things. Therefore rise early in the morning and receive holy baptism, and ask in your baptism to be delivered from the snares of the dragon."

Xanthippe said these things to Polyxena, made a cross of wood, and went to Paul, while Polyxena remained alone in the bedchamber, her nurse having gone with Xanthippe. Around the middle of the night, a man of great wealth and power, finding the doors open and using magical arts, came inside with the intention of carrying Polyxena away. She discovered him and fled into the mill, but the magicians, guided by demons, found her there. Finding no door by which to escape, she cried out, "Alas, I am given over to this destroyer!" — for she had heard that this man was an enemy of her suitor, and had done this to attack and torment him, being a robber and exceedingly cruel. So they seized her and left the city, dragging her toward the sea. She looked around in every direction, but there was no one to deliver her, and groaning she said, "Alas, my sister Xanthippe — you sent seven hundred pieces of gold to Rome and bought books so that through them you might prophesy concerning me. For this very evening you read aloud: I looked to my right hand and saw, but there was no one who knew me; flight had perished from me, and there was no one who sought out my soul."

While she was saying these words, those who were dragging her away walked in haste, and coming to the shore they hired a ship and sailed for Babylonia, for the man who had taken her had a brother there who was the ruler of a district. But the wind blew against them so that they could not make headway, and as they were rowing across the sea, the great apostle of the Lord, Peter, was sailing past in a ship, driven by a dream to go to Rome. For when Paul had departed for Spain, a certain deceiver and magician named Simon had entered Rome and broken up the church that Paul had established. As Peter journeyed, he heard a voice from heaven saying to him, "Peter, tomorrow a ship coming from Spain will meet you. Rise, therefore, and pray for the soul that is troubled within it." As soon as Peter saw the ship, remembering the dream, he said, "O Jesus, who cares for the troubled, who is moved to compassion by the suffering of those in a foreign land, who was brought down to earth by the weeping of those in captivity, who gives us at all times whatever we ask and never turns away from our request — show now your pity and help to the soul that is tossed about in that ship, for you, O Lord, have pity at all times on those who are in pain." The demons, perceiving his prayer, said to the magicians, "Steer clear of that ship's course, for if we come near it we cannot move."

But the loving God was watching over Polyxena, and the vessel arrived in Greece, where the blessed Philip had come down to the shore in response to a vision, accompanied by great crowds of those who were being taught by him. The vessel in which Polyxena was sailing appeared, terribly tossed about. The blessed Philip said, "There is the vessel on account of which we came down here, and in it there is a soul in distress." When the vessel arrived and everyone had come ashore onto dry land, they lay as though half dead, so greatly had they been battered by the sea. The apostle Philip ordered Polyxena to be lifted and carried to the place where he was lodging, and the rest to be looked after. But the man who had abducted Polyxena, recovering from the sickness of the sea, was eager to take her again. Philip, having entrusted Polyxena to one of his disciples, had gone on his way rejoicing. The man to whom she had been entrusted said, "She was committed to me by a holy man, and I cannot give her up to you." The abductor, paying no attention to this, found a kinsman of his nearby, a nobleman, and prepared for war, gathering eight thousand men. Polyxena, learning of this, slipped away in the night and departed. The man who had charge of her said, "I will take Philip's tunic and go out alone to meet them." But even as he said this, word came to him that the girl was gone. He abandoned all thought of the war, ran to the bedchamber, and finding the girl nowhere, threw himself on the ground and cried, "Woe to me, wretched man, who have made myself an enemy of Philip! What shall I say to him when he asks me for the maiden?" His servants came and said, "Rise from the ground, my lord, for the enemy forces have surrounded your house, and the girl cannot be found." He said, "Leave me here to die on her account. Perhaps even by this Philip, the servant of Christ, will be fully satisfied, since I shall be found to have despised his command." The servants, seeing that he paid them no heed, resolved to flee from the enemy, but then, moved a little while later by the foreknowledge of God, they said, "It is not right for our master to die. Come, let us go out to meet them, raising the sign of the cross." So they raised the precious cross and went out, about thirty men, against the enemy, and slew five thousand, and the rest fled. They returned victorious to their master, praising God and saying, "What god is as great as our God, who has not allowed his servant to be slain by the wicked?" Coming to their lord, who was still weeping, they said to him, "Rise, my lord, and weep not, for it is right that things should be not as we will, but as the Lord wills."

Polyxena, however, having left the city without knowing which way to go, found herself in the desolate places of the hills, and sitting down she wept and said, "Woe to me, outcast and captive, who cannot find even a wild beast's den to rest in. Woe to me, left desolate, that not even Hades, from which no one escapes, has swallowed me up. Woe to me, who once would not show myself even to my own servants, and now expose myself to demons. Woe to me, who am now made visible to all those by whom I disdained to be seen. Alas for me, who was once devoted to idols — for this reason even the mercy of God has passed over me in silence. Whom, then, shall I call upon to help me? The God of Paul, whom I have constantly offended? But who will help me now? No one sees me, or heeds me, or hears my groaning. Truly I will beseech him who sees what is hidden, for who is more pitiful and compassionate than he who always watches over the oppressed? Yet because my mouth is unclean and defiled, I dare not ask help from him. Would that I were one of the wild beasts, so that I might not know what captivity is. Would that I had been drowned in the sea — perhaps, having received holy baptism, I would have gone to a place where no one is made captive. What then shall I do? Death delays, night has come on, and there is no help anywhere." Having said this, she rose and began to walk on, and passing through a narrow defile she came into a wood, very thick and large. There she found a hollow in a tree, which was the den of a lioness — the lioness had gone out in search of food — and she sat down inside it. Sitting there she said, "O wretched birth, O grievous hour in which I, unhappy one, came into this world. O mother who bore me, why, foreseeing my troubles and wanderings, did you name me Polyxena? Has anyone else ever fallen into such tribulations and misfortunes? Truly, my sister Xanthippe, you read of me, unhappy one, saying: I have suffered affliction and been utterly bowed down. Those words you spoke with grief while I lay on my couch, thinking nothing at all of my sorrows. And so now I have come into the depths of evil and spend the night in the wilderness like a wild beast. But the beasts live among others of their own kind, while I am left utterly alone, as though I were not of the same race as humankind."

And as she was saying these words, and more besides, the morning dawned, and the lioness came back from her hunting. Polyxena, seeing the wild beast, trembled and said, By the God of Paul, O wild beast, have compassion on me and do not tear me until I have received baptism. And the beast, fearing the adjuration, immediately withdrew and stood at a distance, gazing at her. And she said, See, the beast has obeyed me; I will leave its dwelling as well. And immediately she began to journey toward the east, and the beast went before her until she had come out of the wood. Then Polyxena said, What shall I give you in return, O beast? The God of Paul will repay you this kindness. And the wild beast, hearing her prayer, immediately returned to its place. Then she, descending, found a public road, and standing on it wept, not knowing where she should go. Though many people passed by, she turned to none of them, but said, Perhaps the God of Paul will remember me, and whoever takes pity on me, to that person I will go.

As she said this, Andrew, the apostle of the Lord, came journeying to that same place, and as he drew near to Polyxena he felt a stirring rise within his heart. He stopped to pray, therefore, and folding his arms in the shape of the cross, he said, Lord Jesus Christ, sharer of light and knower of hidden things, from whom nothing on earth is concealed, show me kindness and mercy, make clear to me this stirring of my heart, and calm my mind, you who always make peace with those who love peace. Then Polyxena ran toward him, and Andrew, the apostle of the Lord, said to her, Do not come near me, daughter, but tell me who you are and where you are from. Polyxena said, My lord, I am a stranger here, but I see that your face is gracious and your words are like the words of Paul, and I take you to be of the same God. Andrew understood that she was speaking of the apostle Paul, and said to her, And how do you come to know Paul? She said, From my own country, for I left him in Spain. Andrew said to her, And how do you come to be here, when that country is so far away? She said, Because it was so appointed for me, and so it came to pass. But I beg you and fall at your feet: seal me, as Paul seals, with the baptism of regeneration, so that even I, lowly as I am, may be known by our God. For the gracious God, seeing my tribulation and distress, has sent you to take pity on me. Andrew, the great apostle of the Lord, said to her, Come, daughter, let us go where there is water.

And when they had gone no great distance, they came to a well of the clearest and purest water. As the blessed Andrew stood to pray beside the well, a certain maiden named Rebecca, of the tribe of Israel, who had been brought as a captive to that country, came to draw water at the well. Seeing the blessed Andrew, she recognized him by his appearance, for Rebecca said to herself, This is the bearing of a prophet; this man is one of the apostles. And bowing down before him she said, Have mercy on me, servant of the true God. I am a captive who has been sold three times, once honored by prophets and now insulted by idolaters. Call me back, lowly as I am, you who were sent to call back many sinners. Andrew, the apostle of Christ, said, God will care for you also, daughter, just as he cares for this stranger. Receive baptism now, both of you, and be as one people, glorifying God always.

Then the apostle stood and prayed, and behold, the lioness came running and stood gazing upon him. And Andrew, the apostle of the Lord, said, What does this beast want? The lioness opened her mouth and spoke with a human voice: Andrew, apostle of Christ, the prayer of her who stands at your right hand has reached me. Therefore confirm and instruct and admonish them in the right and true faith of Christ, for they greatly desire the name of the Lord. And behold the wonderful condescension of God, that even upon irrational and untamable beasts he has poured out his mercy. The blessed Andrew wept and said, What shall I say, or what shall I speak, concerning your mercy, O God, that you at all times cleave to the lowly and take care of those who are ignorant, being without arrogance and full of mercy? And having completed the prayer, he baptized the maidens in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Then the lioness immediately set off toward the mountain, and the apostle Andrew said to the maidens, Be zealous, daughters, to be of good repute before God by living well in a foreign land. Do not separate from each other, and may God, who is always present to those who call upon him, keep you in holiness and drive the Evil One away from you. And pray for me also. Polyxena said, We will follow you wherever you go. The apostle Andrew said, This was not made known to me by the Lord, daughters; therefore remain in peace, hoping in the Lord, and he will preserve you to the end.

And Andrew went on his way rejoicing and glorifying God. Then Polyxena said, Where shall we go, sister? Rebecca said, Let us depart wherever you wish, before my mistress sends someone to separate us. Polyxena said, Come, let us go into the mountain to the lioness. Rebecca said, It is indeed better for us to live with wild beasts and perish of hunger than to be compelled by Greeks and idolaters to fall into the filth of marriage. So they began to journey, and by the providence of God they met a man driving donkeys. Seeing them, he said, You are not from this country, and as I can see, you are not wearing its dress. Allow your servant to offer you bread, and accept one piece of silver, so that you may remember your servant when you buy bread. He made haste and took the sacks from his donkeys and spread them on the ground and made the maidens sit upon them, and said to them, Since the wine I am carrying was gathered by Greeks, tell me what faith you are of, so that we may taste it together. Polyxena said, We, brother, drink no wine, and we belong to the God of Paul. The donkey-driver said, Is this God upon earth? Polyxena said to him, God is everywhere, both in heaven and on earth. The donkey-driver, being eager to learn more clearly, said, Does this Paul then have the same God who is preached by Philip? Polyxena, realizing that he was a Christian, said, Yes, brother, this is the God of all, whom both Paul and Philip preach.

The ass-driver, hearing this, wept without stopping. Polyxena said, "Has the providence of God overtaken you, that you weep like this?" The ass-driver said, "If you wish to know why I weep, hear the truth, for one ought not to be reluctant to speak of the things of Christ. I was a disciple of Philip, the apostle of Christ, and seeing how all his thought was for the poor, I took everything I had and sold it. With the money I bought bread and wine and distributed them throughout the cities to those in need. After I had been doing this for some time in a neighboring city, a certain crippled man cried out — though it was not he himself who spoke, but Satan through his mouth — saying, 'I want nothing, I will take nothing from you, because you are a Christian.' Then the whole city rose up against me and tried to seize me, but some ran one way and some another, while I passed through their midst and no one saw me. Coming out of the city I gave praise and glory to God that I had been delivered in this way, and I prayed to my God that I might meet someone who knew his all-holy name, so that by telling these things I might find relief. For the people of this country will not hear anything about Christ; they are full of impiety and steeped in wickedness. I urge you, therefore — take one coin from me, and if you are willing, rest also upon the asses." Polyxena said, "May you obtain mercy from God, brother. But if you wish to receive a full reward, bring us safely as far as the sea, so that, if God wills, we may sail for Spain."