Twelfth Scroll
THE LAST SUPPER
28 1As evening fell, Jesus was with the Twelve, reclining around the table with them. 2And knowing that the hour had now come for him to leave this world and go to the Father, and having loved his own who were in the world, Jesus loved them to the end.
3And he said to them, “The hour has come. 4Eagerly have I desired to eat this final meal with you before I must suffer.”
5Then, as they dined, Jesus took bread, and having blessed it, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take; eat.” 6Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all. 7I tell you, I will not yet again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you beyond the horizon.”
8From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he was about to suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests, and the clergy, and that he would be killed.
9But Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you! 10O Lord, take my advice and flee. 11But decide—or rather, be decided already, for the time for deliberation is over, and there is only one thing to be done, which must be done, if at all, this very night, and which any delay will render all but impossible. I implore you, then, listen to me and do what I say!”
12And he said to them: “Indeed, it would be wrong for me not to be distressed by dying—if I did not think I would be going to God. 13This is why I am not as sad as I might be but, in fact, am hopeful there is something there for those who have died; that, as has been said across the ages, it is far kinder to those who are good than to those who are evil.
14Do not then let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God. You know the way to the place where I am going. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
15Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
16If so,” said Jesus, “if these things are true, my friend, then there is great hope that, going where I go, I shall be satisfied there by what has been of ultimate concern to all of us throughout our lives. 17And now that the hour of departure is appointed to me, this is the good hope with which I depart—and not I alone, but every man who believes that he has purified his mind.
18And yet, if life, however much it may be mixed with bad, is ultimately good, must not death be a bad thing?
19Ah, but bad for whom? For there must be a person to experience the bad. If the person longer exists, there is no more bad to be experienced than there is for a stone. 20If, however, life and soul do continue after death, then death is indeed a good: for soul, disembodied, is then the freer to explore its own energies. 21And if it becomes then part of the Whole, what bad could death do to it there?
22Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. 23For it is just as on a stage, when one of the actors who has been killed changes his costume for a new one and enters again as a different character.
24Amen amen, I say to you: In my Father’s house are many mansions. But no one can see the fullness of God’s kingdom unless they are born again.
25In all this changing, surely there is no change by accident: there is no taking of new forms but to good ends, and in ways worthy of Divine forces. 26For the last shall be first, and the first shall be last, and that which you once caused so now you must experience.
27If this is so, then those who rightly love wisdom are always practicing dying, and to them, death is the least terrible thing in the world.”
THE LAST SUPPER
28 1Ὀψίας δὲ γενομένης ἀνέκειτο μετὰ τῶν δώδεκα. 2εἰδὼς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι ἦλθεν αὐτοῦ ἡ ὥρα ἵνα μεταβῇ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ἀγαπήσας τοὺς ἰδίους τοὺς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ εἰς τέλος ἠγάπησεν αὐτούς.
3Καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἐλήλυθεν ἡ ὥρα. 4ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπεθύμησα τοῦτο τὸ δεῖπνον ἔσχατον φαγεῖν μεθ’ ὑμῶν πρὸ τοῦ με παθεῖν·
5Ἐσθιόντων δὲ αὐτῶν λαβὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἄρτον καὶ εὐλογήσας ἔκλασεν καὶ δοὺς τοῖς μαθηταῖς εἶπεν· Λάβετε, φάγετε. 6καὶ λαβὼν ποτήριον καὶ εὐχαριστήσας ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς λέγων· Πίετε ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντες. 7λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν, οὐ μὴ πίω ἀπ’ ἄρτι ἐκ τούτου τοῦ γενήματος τῆς ἀμπέλου ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ὅταν αὐτὸ πίνω μεθ’ ὑμῶν καινὸν μεθ’ ὁρίζοντα.
8ἀπὸ τότε ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς δεικνύειν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ ὅτι δεῖ αὐτὸν πολλὰ παθεῖν ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ ἀρχιερέων καὶ γραμματέων, καὶ ἀποκτανθῆναι.
9ἀλλ’ προσλαβόμενος αὐτὸν ὁ Πέτρος ἤρξατο ἐπιτιμᾶν αὐτῷ λέγων· Ἵλεώς σοι, κύριε· οὐ μὴ ἔσται σοι τοῦτο. 10ὦ κύριε, ἐμοὶ πιθοῦ καὶ σώθητι. 11ἀλλὰ βουλεύου—μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ βουλεύεσθαι ἔτι ὥρα ἀλλὰ βεβουλεῦσθαι—μία δὲ βουλή· τῆς γὰρ ἐπιούσης νυκτὸς πάντα ταῦτα δεῖ πεπρᾶχθαι, εἰ δ’ ἔτι περιμενοῦμεν, ἀδύνατον καὶ οὐκέτι οἷόν τε. ἀλλὰ παντὶ τρόπῳ, πείθου μοι καὶ μηδαμῶς ἄλλως ποίει.
12Καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἐγὼ εἰ μὲν μὴ ᾤμην ἥξειν μὲν παρὰ τὸν θεόν, 13ὥστε διὰ ταῦτα οὐχ ὁμοίως ἀγανακτῶ, ἀλλ’ εὔελπίς εἰμι εἶναί τι τοῖς τετελευτηκόσι καί, ὥσπερ γε καὶ πάλαι λέγεται, πολὺ ἄμεινον τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἢ τοῖς κακοῖς.
14Μὴ ταρασσέσθω ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία· πιστεύετε εἰς τὸν θεὸν. καὶ ὅπου ἐγὼ ὑπάγω οἴδατε τὴν ὁδόν. ἔτι μικρὸν καὶ ὁ κόσμος με οὐκέτι θεωρεῖ, ὑμεῖς δὲ θεωρεῖτέ με, ὅτι ἐγὼ ζῶ καὶ ὑμεῖς ζήσετε.
15εἰρήνην ἀφίημι ὑμῖν, εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν· μὴ ταρασσέσθω ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία μηδὲ δειλιάτω. εἰ ἠγαπᾶτέ με ἐχάρητε ἂν ὅτι πορεύομαι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ὅτι ὁ πατὴρ μείζων μού ἐστιν.
16οὐκοῦν, ἔφη ὁ Ἰησοῦς, εἰ ταῦτα ἀληθῆ, ὦ ἑταῖρε, πολλὴ ἐλπὶς ἀφικομένῳ οἷ ἐγὼ πορεύομαι, ἐκεῖ ἱκανῶς, εἴπερ που ἄλλοθι, κτήσασθαι τοῦτο οὗ ἕνεκα ἡ πολλὴ πραγματεία ἡμῖν ἐν τῷ παρελθόντι βίῳ γέγονεν, 17ὥστε ἥ γε ἀποδημία ἡ νῦν μοι προστεταγμένη μετὰ ἀγαθῆς ἐλπίδος γίγνεται καὶ ἄλλῳ ἀνδρὶ ὃς ἡγεῖταί οἱ παρεσκευάσθαι τὴν διάνοιαν ὥσπερ κεκαθαρμένην.
18εἰ δὴ ἡ ζωὴ ἡμῖν, ᾗ μέμικται κακόν, ἀγαθόν, πῶς οὐχ ὁ θάνατος κακόν. 19ἢ τίνι; τὸ γὰρ κακὸν συμβεβηκέναι δεῖ τῳ· ὃ δ’ οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι ὄν—οὐδ’ οὕτω κακὸν τῷ λίθῳ.
20εἰ δ’ ἔστι ζωὴ καὶ ψυχὴ μετὰ θάνατον, ἤδη ἂν εἴη ἀγαθόν, ὅσῳ μᾶλλον ἐνεργεῖ τὰ αὑτῆς ἄνευ σώματος. 21εἰ δὲ τῆς ὅλης γίνεται, τί ἂν ἐκεῖ οὔσῃ εἴη κακόν;
22Ἰδοὺ μυστήριον ὑμῖν λέγω· πάντες οὐ κοιμηθησόμεθα, πάντες δὲ ἀλλαγησόμεθα. 23οἷον εἰ ἐπὶ σκηνῆς τῶν ὑποκριτῶν ὁ πεφονευμένος ἀλλαξάμενος τὸ σχῆμα ἀνα-λαβὼν πάλιν εἰσίοι ἄλλου πρόσωπον.
24Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ πατρός μου μοναὶ πολλαί εἰσιν· ἀλλ’ ἐὰν μή τις γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν, οὐ δύναται ἰδεῖν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ θεοῦ.
25Μετατίθεται τοίνυν τὰ μετατιθέμενα οὐκ εἰκῇ μετατιθέμενα οὐδ’ ἄλλα σχήματα λαμβάνοντα, ἀλλ’ ὡς καλόν, καὶ ὡς πρέποι ἂν δυνάμεσι θείαις ποιεῖν. 26οὕτως ἔσονται οἱ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι καὶ οἱ πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι, καὶ ἦν ποτε ταῦτα ποιήσας, ἃ νῦν ἐστι πάσχων·
27Τῷ ὄντι ἄρα, οἱ ὀρθῶς φιλοσοφοῦντες ἀποθνῄσκειν μελετῶσι, καὶ τὸ τεθνάναι ἥκιστα αὐτοῖς ἀνθρώπων φοβερόν.