Epistle
of Barnabas, 15:7
Greek |
Kirsopp Lake Translation |
ἴδε ὅτι ἄρα τότε καλῶς καταπαυόμενοι ἁγιάσομεν αὐτήν, ὅτε δυνησόμεθα
αὐτοὶ δικαιωθέντες καὶ ἀπολαβόντες τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν, μηκέτι οὔσης τῆς ἀνομίας,
καινῶν δὲ γεγονότων πάντων ὑπὸ κυρίου· τότε δυνησόμεθα αὐτὴν ἁγιάσαι, αὐτοὶ ἁγιασθέντες
πρῶτον. |
See that we shall indeed keep it holy at that time, when we
enjoy true rest, when we shall be able to do so because we have been made
righteous ourselves and have received the promise, when there is no more sin,
but all things have been made new by the Lord: then we shall be able to keep
it holy because we ourselves have first been made holy. |
Shepherd
of Hermas 17:1 (alt. Vision 3 9:1)
Greek |
Kirsopp Lake Translation |
Ἀκούσατέ μου, τέκνα· ἐγὼ ὑμᾶς ἐξέθρεψα ἐν πολλῇ ἁπλότητι καὶ ἀκακίᾳ
καὶ σεμνότητι διὰ τὸ ἔλεος τοῦ κυρίου τοῦ ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς στάξαντος τὴν δικαιοσύνην,
ἵνα δικαιωθῆτε καὶ ἁγιασθῆτε ἀπὸ πάσης πονηρίας καὶ ἀπὸ πάσης σκολιότητος·
ὑμεῖς δέ οὐ θέλετε παῆναι ἀπὸ τῆς πονηρίας ὑμῶν. |
"Listen to me, children; I brought you up in great
simplicity and innocence and reverence by the mercy of God, who instilled
righteousness into you that you should be justified and sanctified from
all wickedness and all crookedness. But you do not wish to cease from your
wickedness. |
Justin
Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 23
Greek |
English (ANF 1:206) |
Ἐὰν δὲ ταῦτα οὕτως μὴ ὁμολογήσωμεν, συμβήσεταιἡμῖν εἰς ἄτοπα ἐμπίπτειν
νοήματα, ὡς τοῦ αὐτοῦ Θεοῦ μὴ ὄντος τοῦ κατὰ τὸν Ἐνὼχ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους πάντας,
οἳ μήτε περιτομὴν τὴν κατὰ σάρκα ἔχοντες μήτε σάββατα ἐφύλαξαν μήτε δὲ τὰ ἄλλα,
Μωσέως ἐντειλαμένου ταῦτα ποιεῖν, ἢ τὰ αὐτὰ αὐτὸν δίκαια μὴ ἀεὶ πᾶν γένος ἀνθρώπων
βεβουλῆσθαι πράσσειν, ἅπερ γελοῖα καὶ ἀνόητα ὁμολογεῖν φαίνεται. Διʼ αἰτίαν δὲ
τὴν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸν αὐτὸν ὄντα ἀεὶ ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐντετάλθαι
ὁμολογεῖν, καὶ φιλάνθρωπον καὶ προγνώστην καὶ ἀνενδεῆ καὶ δίκαιον καὶ ἀγαθὸν ἀποφαίνειν
ἐστίν. Ἐπεὶ εἰ μὴ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει, ἀποκρίνασθέ μοι, ὦ ἄνδρες, περὶ τῶν
ζητουμένων τούτων ὅ τι φρονεῖτε. Καὶ μηδὲν μηδενὸς ἀποκριναμένου, — Διὰ ταῦτά
σοι, ὦ Τρύφων, καὶ τοῖς βουλομένοις προσηλύτοις γενέσθαι, κηρύξω ἐγὼ θεῖον
λόγον, ὃν παρʼ ἐκείνου ἤκουσα τοῦ ἀνδρός. Ὁρᾶτε ὅτι τὰ στοιχεῖα οὐκ ἀργεῖ, οὐδὲ
σαββατίζει. Μείνατε ὡς γεγένησθε. Εἰ γὰρ πρὸ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ οὐκ ἦν χρεία περιτομῆς,
οὐδὲ πρὸ Μωϋσέως σαββατισμοῦ καὶ ἑορτῶν καὶπροσφορῶν, οὐδὲ νῦν, μετὰ τὸν κατὰ
τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δίχα ἁμαρτίας διὰ τῆς ἀπὸ γένους τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ παρθένου
γεννηθέντα υἱὸν Θεοῦ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, ὁμοίως ἐστὶ χρεία. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ Ἀβραὰμ
ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ ὢν διὰ τὴν πίστιν, ἣν ἐπίστευσε τῷ Θεῷ, ἐδικαιώθη καὶ εὐλογήθη,
ὡς ἡ γραφὴ σημαίνει· τὴν δὲ περιτομὴν εἰς σημεῖον, ἀλλʼ οὐκ εἰς δικαιοσύνην ἔλαβεν,
ὡς καὶ αἱ γραφαὶ καὶ τὰ πράγματα ἀναγκάζει ἡμᾶς ὁμολογεῖν, Ὥστε δικαίως εἴρητο
περὶ ἐκείνον τοῦ λαοῦ, ὅτι ἐξολοθρευθήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη ἐκ τοῦ γένους αὐτῆς,
ἣ οὐ περιτμηθήσεται τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ. Καὶ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι δὲ τὸ θῆλυ γένος
τήν σαρκικὴν περιτομήν λαμβάνειν, δείκνυσιν ὅτι εἰς σημεῖον ἡ περιτομὴ αὕτη
δέδοται, ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὡς ἔργον δικαιοσύνης· τὰ γὰρ δίκαια καὶ ἐνάρετα ἅπαντα ὁμοίως
καὶ τὰς θηλείας δύνασθαι φυλάσσειν ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν. Ἀλλὰ σχῆμα μὲν τὸ τῆς
σαρκὸς ἕτερον καὶ ἕτερον ὁρῶμεν γεγενημένον ἄῤῥενος καὶ θηλείας, διὰ δὲ τοῦτο
οὐδέ δίκαιον οὐδὲ ἄδικον οὐδέτερον αὐτῶν ἐπιστάμεθα, ἀλλὰ διʼ εὐσέβειαν καὶ
δικαιοσύνην. |
"But if we do not admit this, we shall be liable to fall
into foolish opinions, as if it were not the same God who existed in the
times of Enoch and all the rest, who neither were circumcised after the
flesh, nor observed Sabbaths, nor any other rites, seeing that Moses enjoined
such observances; or that God has not wished each race of mankind continually
to perform the same righteous actions: to admit which, seems to be ridiculous
and absurd. Therefore we must confess that He, who is ever the same, has
commanded these and such like institutions on account of sinful men, and we
must declare Him to be benevolent, foreknowing, needing nothing, righteous
and good. But if this be not so, tell me, sir, what you think of those
matters which we are investigating." And when no one responded:
"Wherefore, Trypho, I will proclaim to you, and to those who wish to
become proselytes, the divine message which I heard from that man. Do you see
that the elements are not idle, and keep no Sabbaths? Remain as you were
born. For if there was no need of circumcision before Abraham, or of the
observance of Sabbaths, of feasts and sacrifices, before Moses; no more need
is there of them now, after that, according to the will of God, Jesus Christ
the Son of God has been born without sin, of a virgin sprung from the stock
of Abraham. For when Abraham himself was in uncircumcision, he was justified
and blessed by reason of the faith which he reposed in God, as the Scripture
tells. Moreover, the Scriptures and the facts themselves compel us to admit
that He received circumcision for a sign, and not for righteousness. So that
it was justly recorded concerning the people, that the soul which shall not
be circumcised on the eighth day shall be cut off from his family. And,
furthermore, the inability of the female sex to receive fleshly circumcision,
proves that this circumcision has been given for a sign, and not for a work
of righteousness. For God has given likewise to women the ability to observe
all things which are righteous and virtuous; but we see that the bodily form
of the male has been made different from the bodily form of the female; yet
we know that neither of them is righteous or unrighteous merely for this
cause, but [is considered righteous] by reason of piety and righteousness. |
Justin
Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 92
Greek |
English (ANF 1:245-46) |
"Unless,
therefore, a man by God's great grace receives the power to understand what
has been said and done by the prophets, the appearance of being able to
repeat the words or the deeds will not profit him, if he cannot explain the
argument of them. And will they not assuredly appear contemptible to many,
since they are related by those who understood them not? For if one should
wish to ask you why, since Enoch, Noah with his sons, and all others in
similar circumstances, who neither were circumcised nor kept the Sabbath,
pleased God, God demanded by other leaders, and by the giving of the law
after the lapse of so many generations, that those who lived between the
times of Abraham and of Moses be justified by circumcision, and that those
who lived after Moses be justified by circumcision and the other
ordinances--to wit, the Sabbath, and sacrifices, and libations, and
offerings; [God will be slandered] unless you show, as I have already said,
that God who foreknew was aware that your nation would deserve expulsion from
Jerusalem, and that none would be permitted to enter into it. (For you are
not distinguished in any other way than by the fleshly circumcision, as I
remarked previously. For Abraham was declared by God to be righteous, not on
account of circumcision, but on account of faith. For before he was
circumcised the following statement was made regarding him: ‘Abraham believed
God, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness.' And we, therefore, in
the uncircumcision of our flesh, believing God through Christ, and having
that circumcision which is of advantage to us who have acquired it --namely,
that of the heart--we hope to appear righteous before and well-pleasing to
God: since already we have received His testimony through the words of the
prophets.) [And, further, God will be slandered unless you show] that you
were commanded to observe the Sabbath, and to present offerings, and that the
Lord submitted to have a place called by the name of God, in order that, as
has been said, you might not become impious and godless by worshipping idols
and forgetting God, as indeed you do always appear to have been. (Now, that
God enjoined the ordinances of Sabbaths and offerings for these reasons, I
have proved in what I previously remarked; but for the sake of those who came
to-day, I wish to repeat nearly the whole.) For if this is not the case, God
will be slandered, as having no foreknowledge, and as not teaching all men to
know and to do the same acts of righteousness (for many generations of men
appear to have existed before Moses); and the Scripture is not true which
affirms that ‘God is true and righteous, and all His ways are judgments, and
there is no unrighteousness in him.' But since the Scripture is true, God is
always willing that such even as you be neither foolish nor lovers of yourselves,
in order that you may obtain the salvation of Christ, who pleased God, and
received testimony from Him, as I have already said, by alleging proof from
the holy words of prophecy. |