Gamlkan Jóndr 3^VII

Systrungr hefr nú alt, þats æstir
ýta hilmis giptu flýti,
sólar vangs með sjǫlfum deili
synðalauss í fullu ynði.
Dróttinn valði drengja sætti
dyggra líf, an menn of hyggi,
— alla hlaut af engla stilli
Jón postoli dýrð — ok kosti.

{Systrungr {hilmis ýta}} hefr nú alt, þats æstir {flýti giptu}, synðalauss í fullu ynði með {deili {vangs sólar}} sjǫlfum; dróttinn valði {sætti drengja} dyggra líf ok kosti, an menn of hyggi; Jón postoli hlaut alla dýrð af {engla stilli}.

{The cousin {of the protector of men}} [RULER = God (= Christ) > = John] has now all that he asks {of the conveyor of grace} [= God (= Christ)], sinless in perfect joy with {the ruler {of the meadow of the sun}} [SKY/HEAVEN > = God] himself; the Lord chose {for the reconciler of valiant men} [HOLY MAN = John] a more virtuous life and circumstances than men can imagine; John the Apostle was allotted all glory by {the ruler of the angels} [= God].

Mss: 649a(46v) (Jón⁴)

Readings: [1] þats: þat 649a

Editions: Skj AI, 561, Skj BI, 548, Skald I, 266; Jón⁴ 1874, 511, Bugge 1874, 934, Lange 1958a, 82.

Context: This st. is prefaced with the remark: Af náveru hifneskrar Jerusalem í sælu Johannis segir hann svá ‘About the presence of John in the bliss of the heavenly Jerusalem [lit. the presence of the heavenly Jerusalem in the bliss of John] he says as follows’ (Jón⁴ 1874, 510).

Notes: [1] þats ‘that’: Since the rel. particle es/er is required at the beginning of the subordinate cl. æstir ýta hilmis giptu flýti, all eds follow Bugge in emending þat to þats (= þat es; 1874, 934 n. 2). — [5] sætti drengja ‘reconciler of valiant men’: Paasche (1914a, 109) interprets the designation of John as sættir drengia ‘reconciler of valiant men’ as an allusion to an admonition ascribed to the aged John by S. Jerome: filioli, diligite alterutrum ‘little children, love one another’. Lange (1958a, 83) regards it an example of the application to John of a term ordinarily used of God or Christ.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
3. AÍ = Kålund, Kristian and Natanael Beckman. 1908-18. Alfræði íslenzk: Islandsk encyklopædisk litteratur. 3 vols. SUGNL 37, 41 and 45. Copenhagen: Møller.
4. HómÍsl 1993 = de Leeuw van Weenen, Andrea, ed. 1993. The Icelandic Homily Book: Perg. 15 4° in the Royal Library, Stockholm. Íslensk handrit/Icelandic Manuscripts Series in quarto 3. Reykjavík: Stofnun Árna Magnússonar á Íslandi.
5. Bugge, Sophus, ed. 1874. ‘Anmærkingar ved de til Jons saga IV henhørende viser’. In Unger 1874, 932-6.
6. Jón⁴ 1874 = Jóns saga postula. In Unger 1874, 466-9³⁴, 470³³-513²².
7. Lange, Wolfgang. 1958a. Studien zur christlichen Dichtung der Nordgermanen 1000-1200. Palaestra 222. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
8. Paasche, Fredrik. 1914. Kristendom og kvad: En studie i norrøn middelalder. Christiania (Oslo): Aschehoug. Rpt. in Paasche 1948, 29-212.