Of Papias there are in circulation five writings in number, which are also entitled 'Expositions of the Oracles of the Lord.' Of these Irenaeus too makes mention, as being the only ones written by him, saying somewhat thus: 'These things Papias also, a hearer of John and a companion of Polycarp, an ancient man, attests in writing in the fourth of his books. For there are five books composed by him.' And so much Irenaeus says.
Papias himself, however, in the preface to his discourses, by no means declares himself to have been a hearer and eyewitness of the holy apostles, but teaches that he received the things of the faith from those who had been acquainted with them, in the words which he uses:
'But I will not hesitate to set down for you also, along with my interpretations, all that I once learned well from the presbyters and remembered well, confirming the truth on their behalf. For I did not take pleasure, as the many do, in those who say much, but in those who teach the truth; nor in those who recount the commandments of others, but in those who recount the commandments given by the Lord to the faith and coming forth from the truth itself.'
'And if anywhere anyone came who had followed the presbyters, I would inquire into the words of the presbyters—what Andrew or what Peter had said, or what Philip, or what Thomas or James, or what John or Matthew, or any other of the disciples of the Lord, and the things which Aristion and the presbyter John, disciples of the Lord, say. For I did not suppose that what came from the books would profit me as much as that which came from a living and abiding voice.'
Here it is worth noting that he twice reckons up the name of John: the former of these he ranks together with Peter and James and Matthew and the rest of the apostles, plainly indicating the evangelist; but the other John, separating the statement, he places among others outside the number of the apostles, putting Aristion before him, and plainly names him a presbyter.
So that by these very things is demonstrated the truth of the account of those who have said that there were two in Asia who bore the same name, and that there came to be two tombs at Ephesus, each of which is even now said to be John's. To these things it is necessary to give heed; for it is likely that the second—unless one prefer the first—saw the Revelation that is in circulation under the name of John.
And the Papias now indicated by us confesses that he received the words of the apostles from those who had followed them, but says that he himself was a hearer of Aristion and the presbyter John. At any rate, having often mentioned them by name in his own writings, he sets down their traditions also.
And let these things not have been said by us to no purpose. But it is worth while to append to the words of Papias already given other sayings of his, in which he recounts certain marvellous things and others as having come to him by way of tradition.
Now that Philip the apostle, together with his daughters, sojourned at Hierapolis has been shown through the things above; but it must now be noted that Papias, having lived in the same times, makes mention of a marvellous narrative which he had received from the daughters of Philip. For he relates that in his day there took place a resurrection of a dead man; and again another marvel concerning Justus who was surnamed Barsabas, how he drank a deadly poison and, through the grace of the Lord, suffered nothing unpleasant.
And it is this Justus whom the sacred apostles, after the ascension of the Saviour, set up together with Matthias and prayed over, in place of the traitor Judas, for the lot of filling up their number, as the writing of the Acts records somewhat thus: 'And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias; and they prayed and said.'
And the same man has set forth other things also, as having come to him by way of unwritten tradition: certain strange parables of the Saviour and teachings of his, and some other matters of a rather mythical character.
Among which he says that there will be a certain thousand years after the resurrection from the dead, the kingdom of Christ being set up in bodily form upon this very earth. These things I suppose he got by misunderstanding the apostolic accounts, not perceiving the things said by them mystically in figures.
For he appears to have been very small in understanding, as one might say judging from his own words; yet he became responsible for very many of the ecclesiastical men after him holding an opinion like his own, putting forward the antiquity of the man—as, for instance, Irenaeus, and whoever else has appeared to hold similar views.
And he hands down in his own writing other accounts as well, of the words of the Lord, from Aristion mentioned before, and traditions of the presbyter John; to which, having referred those who love learning, we must now of necessity add to his sayings already set forth a tradition which he has expounded concerning Mark who wrote the Gospel, by these words:
'And this the presbyter used to say: Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately, yet not in order, as many things as he remembered of the things either said or done by Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor followed him, but later, as I said, followed Peter, who used to give his teachings according to the needs of the moment, but not as though making an orderly arrangement of the Lord's oracles; so that Mark did nothing wrong in thus writing down some things as he remembered them. For he took forethought for one thing: to leave out nothing of the things he had heard, and to falsify nothing in them.' These things, then, have been recorded by Papias concerning Mark.
But concerning Matthew the following was said: "Matthew composed the oracles in the Hebrew language, and each one interpreted them as best he was able."
He himself made use of testimonies from the former epistle of John, and likewise from that of Peter. He has also set forth another account about a woman who was accused before the Lord of many sins, which the Gospel according to the Hebrews contains. Let these things too be carefully noted by us, in addition to what has been set forth.