AGRAPHA. A name given to certain sayings which are supposed to have been uttered by Jesus, but have not been incorporated in the canonical Gospels. Ac cording to Papias, for instance, Jesus delivered a dis course on the Kingdom of God, in the course of which he sald: " The days will come in which every vine shall produce ten thousand stems, and every stem shall give ten thousand branches, and every branch shall have ten thousand twigs, and on every twig shall be ten thousand grapes, and every grape when pressed shall yield twenty five measures. And when a saint shall take a grape, another shall cry, Lo, I am a better grape, take me, and through me bless the Lord!' And in like manner a grain of wheat shall produce ten thousand ears, and each grain shall yield five double pounds ' of pure white flour; and so on, with all the other fruits and seeds and vegetables in like manner. And all the creatures that eat of the things which are thus brought forth by the earth shall become gentle and peaceful one towards another, and be obedient unto man in every respect " (cp. the Apocalypse of Baruch, ch. xxviii.). Another supposed saying of Jesus about the Kingdom of God seems to have been current among the Encratites (q.v.) in the second century. One, Salome, asked the Lord how long death would continue to hold sway. The Lord answered, saying, " As long as ye women bear children; for I came to abolish the functions of woman." Salome
said unto him, " Then have I done well in that I have not borne children." The Lord answered and said, " Eat of every plant save those which are bitter! " Salome then inquired when that which she asked should be revealed. The Lord said, " When ye tread down the garment of shame, when the two become one, the male with the female, neither male nor female." The same utterance, though in a rather different version, occurs in the Second Epistle of Clement (xii., 2-6). The Second Epistle of Clement (v. 2-4) gives another supposed saying of Jesus. " For the Lord said, Ye shall be like lambs in the midst of wolves.' But Peter answered and said, But what if the wolves should tear the sheep? ' Jesus said to Peter, ' Let not the lambs, after they are dead, fear the wolves. And ye, in like manner, fear not ye those that kill you, and can do you no further hurt; fear rather him who after death has power over soul and body to cast them into the Gehenna of fire." Another short saying which is frequently quoted (Clem. Alex., Strom., i., 2S, 177, etc.) is: " Be ye skilful money changers." Another saying given by Clement of Alexan dria is : " Ask for great things, and at the same time small things shall also be given unto you; ask for heavenly things, and earthly things shall also be given unto you." See Oscar Boltzmann, The Life of Jesus, 1904.