Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume VIII/Pseudo-Clementine Literature/The Clementine Homilies/Homily XIV/Chapter 9

by Anonymous

Chapter IX.—Faustus Himself Appears.

When Peter said this, our mother could no longer endure it, but cried out, “Alas! my husband! loving us, you died by your own decision,^[1] while we are still alive, see the light, and have just partaken of food.”  This one scream had not yet ceased, when, lo! the old man came in, and at the same time wishing to inquire into the cause of the cry, he looked on the woman and said, “What does this mean?  Whom do I see?”  And going up to her, and looking at her, and being looked at more carefully, he embraced her.  But they were like to die through the sudden joy, and wishing to speak to each other, they could not get the power in consequence of their unsatisfied joy, for they were seized with speechlessness.  But not long after, our mother said to him:  “I now have you, Faustus, in every way the dearest being to me.  How then are you alive, when we heard a short time ago that you were dead?  But these are our sons, Faustinus, Faustinianus, and Clement.”  And when she said this, we all three fell on him, and kissed him, and in rather an indistinct way we recalled his form to our memory.^[2]

Footnotes

1. Lit., “you died by a judgment;” but it is thought that κρίσει is corrupt.
2. [In the Recognitions the old man is not recognised until long discussions have been held; see book ix. 35, 37.  Hints of the relationship are, however, given in advance.—R.]