In Michaelem
Standard abbreviation: On Mich.
Other titles: On Michael, On Michael C
Clavis numbers: ECCA 553
Category: Pseudo-Apostolic Memoirs
Related Literature: Investiture of the Archangel Gabriel; Investiture of the Archangel Michael; Investiture of Abbaton, the Angel of Death; Encomium on the Four Bodiless Creatures by Ps.-John Chrysostom; Encomium on the Archangel Michael, by Pseudo-Timothy Aelurus; Homily on the Archangel Michael by Pseudo-Theodosius of Alexandria; Life of Adam and Eve (regarding the Fall of the Devil and the Fall of Man); Homily on the Archangel Michael II by Pseudo-Basil of Caesarea; Fragmentary Homily on the Archangel Michael (regarding the assumption of Moses).
Compiled by Florian Graz (University of Oslo).
Citing this resource (using Chicago Manual of Style): Graz, Florian. “On the Honor of the Archangel Michael, by Ps.-John Chrysostom.” e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha. Accessed DAY MONTH YEAR. https://www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-christian-apocrypha/on-the-honor-of-the-archangel-michael-by-pseudo-john-chrysostom/.
Created December 2024.
1. SUMMARY
Ps.-Chrysostom’s On Mich. is attested only in a single, fragmentary manuscript, the following summary is thus not complete.
The work is a panegyric sermon attributed pseudepigraphically to John Chrysostom, who quotes an apocryphal book by John Mark as part of his homily. The general topic of the sermon is a praise of the Archangel Michael, who is throughout the work presented as the heavenly commander-in-chief—always protecting humanity and fighting against evil. The introduction of the sermon tries to interpret several Bible passages in this understanding of Michael. Since there are only so many passages that mention Michael (discussed in the text: Rev 12:7–10), the sermon suggests that certain other passages mentioning otherwise unidentified angels could be related to Michael (Ex 23:20, 33:2). The lack of biblical evidence serves to justify the introduction of the apostolic book.
Ps.-Chrysostom claims to have come into possession of a book written by John Mark, which was part of a collection of old works (suntagma) written by the apostles, found in the house of Mary, mother of John Mark (cf. Acts 12:12). The same or a very similar trope appears in many other pseudo-apostolic memoirs. After this, Ps.-Chrysostom begins the quotation of the apostolic book.
The apostolic book is, essentially, an extensive narrative of the eternal fight between Michael and the Devil. We are missing a substantial number of pages for this part, which limits what can be said about the general outline of the apostolic book. After Chrysostom’s introduction, it begins with the story of the Devil’s Fall, based on Rev 12:7–10. A short summary of the creation story, with the added element of the angels’ creation, introduces the section. After the creation of man, the angels recognize the image of God in Adam and begin to worship him. The Devil refuses to do so, since Adam is “virgin earth” while the angels are from “fiery fire.” Michael pleads with God and is sent to expel the Devil from heaven. The following fight between Michael and the Devil is described with reference to Rev 12. After achieving victory, Michael breaks the Devil’s wings, and the latter falls from heaven to earth. Defeated and humiliated, the Devil swears vengeance to humanity. Hearing of this, Michael pleads with God once more. However, the text breaks off here for the first time, before we learn what God commands Michael to do now.
When the narrative resumes, the Devil is already hatching a plan. Having seen Eve and heard God’s commands for the two humans not to eat from the tree of knowledge, he decides to tempt Eve —to have her make Adam fall, as Adam made him fall. The account is essentially the Fall of Man episode (Gen 3), though expanded with an extensive dialog between a cunning Devil and a fairly naïve Eve. The text breaks off once more, just as God finds Adam and Eve, who are hiding because they realized their nakedness. There is then a longer lacuna of several pages. When the text resumes once more, we are thrown into the story of Moses’ assumption, as known from Jude 9. This story is significantly expanded here. After Moses was shown his place of death by God, and as his soul is leaving his body, the Devil appears to intercept his ascension into heaven. The Devil accuses Moses of murder—having killed the nameless Egyptian (Ex 2:12). The archangel Michael appears and rebukes the Devil, upon which the latter becomes invisible.
This marks the end of the quotation of the apostolic book, and the narrative returns to Ps.-Chrysostom’s sermon. He asks the audience whether they have understood the role of the archangel now. To further their understanding, he delivers another praise of Michael, which conjures a drastic image: the entire creation is under constant threat by demonic forces, and our only protector is the Archangel Michael, who thus deserves our outmost respect. Ps.-Chrysostom then adds exhortations urging the congregations to be morally upright, so as to ensure Michael’s continued goodwill. This is escalated into a catalog of sins, each of which the believers should avoid at all costs. Thereafter, the text breaks off once more; the end is missing. No further fragments have been identified yet.
Named historical figures and characters: Abraham (patriarch), Adam, Aelia Eudoxia (unnamed), Arcadius, David (king), devil, Isaac (patriarch), Jacob (patriarch), John (son of Zebedee), John Chrysostom, John Mark, Mary (mother of John Mark), Mastema, Michael (angel), Moses (pariarch), Satanael, serpent.
Geographical locations: Araboth of Moab, Eden, House of Mary.
2. RESOURCES
2.1 Art and Iconography
3. BIBLIOGRAPHY
3.1 Manuscripts and Editions
3.1.1 Coptic (Sahidic; CC 0471)
MONB.BU, pp. 517–544 (10th/11th cent.)
Graz, Florian. “Ps.-Chrysostomos, In Michaelem C. Eine Predigt zum Fall des Teufels und zur Ehre des Erzengels Michael.” JCoptS 24 (2022): 101–80 (edition pp. 140–57, reconstruction of the manuscript, pp. 125–33).
Giron, Noël. Légendes coptes, fragments inédits, publiés, traduits, annotés. Paris: 1907 (edition of Paris, BNF, Copte 12917 fol. 1, but without identification of the text, pp. 23–25).
3.2 Modern Translations
3.2.1 German
Graz, Florian. “Ps.-Chrysostomos, In Michaelem C. Eine Predigt zum Fall des Teufels und zur Ehre des Erzengels Michael.” JCoptS 24 (2022): 101–80 (see pp. 158–72).
3.2.2 French
Giron, Noël. Légendes coptes, fragments inédits, publiés, traduits, annotés. Paris: 1907 (translation of Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Copte 12917 fol. 1, pp. 23–25).
3.3 General Works
Crum, Walter E. “Texts Attributed to Peter of Alexandria.” JTS 4 (1903): 387–97 (peripheral discussion, with English translation of a short passage regarding the Fall of the Devil, pp. 396–97, n. 3).
Graz, Florian. “Ps.-Chrysostomos, In Michaelem C. Eine Predigt zum Fall des Teufels und zur Ehre des Erzengels Michael.” JCoptS 24 (2022): 101–80 (discussion of contents and structure pp. 103–17, literary context as an apostolic memoir, 117–24).
Lundhaug, Hugo. “Fictional Books in Coptic Apocrypha.” JSP 32 (2023): 323–41 (see p. 331, n. 43).
Suciu, Alin. The Berlin-Strasbourg Apocryphon: A Coptic Apostolic Memoir. WUNT 370. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2017 (see particularly, p. 71, n. 3).