Apocryphicity

I have just added this text to the More Christian Apocrypha page on my main site (www.tonyburke.ca). It's a curious text, as it reports some events of John's life and death differently from other Baptist-related texts and traditions. Here Herod's wife is named Polias (Paula?) and Elizabeth does not die in John's youth, but remains alive to bury her son along with Zechariah, whose body, which went missing after his death according to the Protoevangelium of James, reappears late in the narrative.

It is appropriate to be adding this text to the page after the news reports of the last few days about the discovery of relics of John the Baptist in Bulgaria (see HERE). Of course, likely these are just as authentic as the numerous other relics of John known throughout Christian history (including several heads and arms).

Looking again at traditions of John the Baptist, I came across two versions of the Prayer of John the Baptist in a few Syriac manuscripts. Does anyone know anything about this? (oh, I will look into it further, but I thought I'd post on it regardless). Here it is:

Longer version:

Now, the first prayer of John to his disciples: “Father, show me your son. Son, show me your spirit. Holy Spirit grant me wisdom through your strength.” And some say it is this: “Holy Father, consecrate me through your strength and make known the glory of your excellence and show me your son and fill me with your spirit which has received light through your knowledge."

Shorter version: 

The first prayer of St. John the Baptist to his disciples: "Holy Father, guard your strength and show us your glory and make your son known to us and fill us, my Lord, with your spirit which gives light through your knowledge."

I have started some work on apocryphal traditions of John the Baptist. One of the texts I am consulting is the Life of John the Baptist ascribed to Serapion (read the text HERE). The text was published almost a century ago and tends to be overlooked in CA scholarship. But it has some interesting, and bizarre, traditions within it. Just to whet your appetite, here is a scene about the amazing abilities of the head of John the Baptist:

But immediately after the head of the blessed John let the locks of its hair rise from the dish, and it flew to the middle of the convivial room before the king and his high officials. In that very moment the roof of the house was opened and the head of John flew in the air…As to his head, it flew over Jerusalem, and cried for three years to the town, saying: "It is not lawful for you, O Herod, to marry the wife of your brother while he is still alive." After it had cried for three years, it went to all the world shouting and proclaiming the horrible crime of Herod, and repeating the words: "It is not lawful for you, O Herod, to marry the wife of your brother while he is still alive." Fifteen years after it had been cut off it ceased proclaiming, and rested on the town of Horns. The faithful who were in that town took it and buried it with great pomp. A long time after, a church was built on it, which is still standing in our time.