Part 6
Son to the Father, until the Son hands over his work to the Father; whereas according to Justin (Dialogue
with Trypho the Jew 45) the Son and the Spirit descend from God.
In this autonomous "household" of God, the oneness of God in himself has distinct threefold being:
the Creator steps out from himself through the Logos or through the Spirit, for the sake of creation; the
new revelation of God is accomplished, the origin of a new humankind is won in the Word-become-
man, in Christ; the Holy Spirit, God's third revelation, is present in the church; finally, the return of the
Christ and the coming kingdom consummates this work for the earth, so that ultimately Logos and Spirit
are completely one again in God – all of which gives the central place to Jesus Christ.
The first man, called to likeness with God, is recognized to have fallen into the hands of the spirit of
this world under the dominion of death and sin. At this point the second Adam, Christ, steps into the
breach: in death and resurrection he breaks the power of death and brings new life, even to the under-
world. God now reveals himself to the world in his Son, crucified in the flesh and risen from the dead,
and in his Spirit, who administers everything. He reveals himself for the new creation of the new man.
The "economy" therefore is two things in one: it is the "houshold" of God's threeness in oneness
administered within God; at the same time it is his plan of salvation for the renewal of creation and true
human destiny. Hence the coming of the kingdom on earth must have a place in this "economy," as
proven by the "Traditions of the Elders" of Asia Minor reported by Irenaeus, pp. 123-126 above.
The word "Trinity" emerges for the first time in Tertullian (Against Praxeas 2). Before him, about A.D.
180, Theophilus of Antioch, who already considered Paul's Letters as God's Word, speaks similarly of a
"threeness" in To Autolycus II.15. Compare also Athenagoras, pp. 110-111 above. For the Latin-African
Tertullian, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are a regulating, dispensing threeness – not according to
position and essential nature, but according to degree and function.
Tertullian is often quoted in this book because of the way he stood up for the original Christian view
of life and faith with such clarity, decisiveness, and faithfulness. The son of an army officer, and a jurist by
profession, he became a Christian as late as A.D. 195. Later, in A.D. 202 or 207, he became a Montanist
and as such represented a distinctly new direction in Christian thinking during the last period of his life,
until his death about A.D. 220.
4 Irenaeus, born between A.D. 115 and 140 in Asia Minor, was a pupil of Polycarp and of other
disciples of John. He was an elder in Gaul and became an overseer in Lyons. Apart from Tertullian and
Hippolytus it was Irenaeus who, at the turn of the second century, represented perhaps most purely the
earliest Christian life and faith, with its emphasis on the rule of faith, the Old Testament, and a basic form
of the New Testament. He stresses in this confession that the church, spread out over the whole earth, is
based on the faith of the apostles and their pupils. Hence the twofold coming of the Lord, and with it the
restoration of the earth and the flesh, stands out clearly in his writings.
5 This earliest Roman form of the apostolic confession of faith is the basis of the "Apostolic
Creed" still used in churches today. It is the apex of the movement leading from the baptismal formula
1 4 1
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - C R E E D , C O N F E S S I O N A N D S C R I P T U R E
to the confession, which is evident in our texts pp. 107-110 above. The sources of this version can be
found in Marcellus of Ancyra (see A. and L. Hahn, Bibliothek der Symbole, § 17) and in the Psalter of
Aethelstan (Hahn, § 18), as well as in three versions by Rufinus.
6 This excerpt confirms oral (as opposed to written) transmission of the confessional formula.
See p. 22 above, and p. 174 above.
7,8 Though less formal than some others, these presentations of the Creed contain the earliest
Christian confession to Christ as the crucified one and to the Holy Spirit as a ray of light emitted by God.
The confession to the Logos as a thought or power that shapes and creates, to the oneness of God, and
to the divine "economy" is explained on pp. 104-105 and 140-141 above.
9 This passage demonstrates again the early Christian belief that pagan gods were demons and
that the persecution of the Christians by the State was demonic in character.
Justin Martyr was born in Samaria and became an itinerant teacher-philosopher after his conversion;
he finally settled in Rome, where he suffered martyrdom in A.D. 165.
9-18 The fact that Christians were accused of atheism in spite of their confessions of faith can be
explained only as a result of their total rejection of every representation of God in human form – their
absolute refusal to deify man even in religious rites and symbols. As we see here, the early Christian's
God was so totally "other," so totally different, so far removed from the transitoriness of matter and of
human culture and religion, that faith in him seemed "godless" to the more concretely religious of the
pagans.
15-16 These testimonies are most likely directed against Gnostic doctrines.
21 Starting from the virgin birth and from the piercing, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the apos-
tolic mission makes the Christian a descendant of Jesus Christ through the spiritual procreation of the
Word.
22-23 Concerning the Logos, see p. 104-105 above.
25 In this text the oldest presbyters quoted by Irenaeus are described as men who lived with John,
the disciple of Jesus, and who saw and heard other apostles as well. Hence we are concerned with those
who were elders and teachers of the church already during the first century. The age of Jesus alleged here
contradicts the age given in the New Testament.
36 Papias was overseer or bishop of the church at Hierapolis in Phrygia about the year 140. He
possessed a collection of the Lord's "sayings," and about the year 142 composed his five books of Say-
ings of the Lord Explained, which are reminiscences about the first elders and followers of the disciples
of Jesus based on oral information.
1 4 2
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - C R E E D , C O N F E S S I O N A N D S C R I P T U R E
A hearer of John and a friend of Polycarp, Papias belonged to the influential Johannine circle of
Phrygia and Asia Minor, which emphasized with particular vigor a belief in what is often called the
millennium –the conviction that the kingdom will come on the earth.
Papias reports that the apostle John gave his Gospel to the churches during his lifetime and that in
addition to Stephen, Peter, and Paul there were only two martyrs among the apostles, namely James and
John. John's martyrdom is corroborated by the inclusion of the words "John and James, the apostles in
Jerusalem" in the Syriac and Armenian martyrologies of A.D. 411. See E. Hennecke, New Testament Apo-
crypha (hereafter referred to as Hennecke ET [English Translation]) vol. 2, p. 53.
37 Justin declares that those who do not believe in the resurrection but maintain that the souls of
the deceased are received into heaven, thereby rejecting the renewal of the body, are not truly Christians.
39-42 In his On the Resurrection of the Dead the apologist Athenagoras explains in terms of reason
and logic the early Christian certainty that resurrection of the body is the final goal of man's destiny.
45 Here Moses, as the first prophet, is seen to have predicted the first and second advent of Christ.
This is a remarkable example of the bold way in which the early Christians used the Old Testament. See
also the next note.
46 Concerning elders who had still seen and known the apostles, see p. 142 above. The last sen-
tences are presumably directed against Gnostic teaching.
48 The reference to prophetic books such as Hystaspes, the Sibyl, and the Old Testament refers to
the prohibition of the Roman authorities against reading them, and the threat of capital punishment for
those who disobeyed. The last paragraph confirms the belief that Christians of this period used the
Septuagint as their Bible, i.e. a Greek translation of the Old Testament which originated in Egypt.
51 This testimony illustrates the "ecstasy" in which the prophetic Word lifted the prophet above
his own thoughts. The idea that the Holy Spirit inspires him in what he says and uses him as a flute player
uses his flute corresponds to the Montanist concept of the prophetic Spirit.
52 Justin emphasizes that it is not the Spirit-filled man who speaks through the prophets, but the
Spirit and Logos of God himself, who moves and speaks. Therefore he can sometimes speak in the first
person as God or Christ. Justin does not maintain, however, that human thinking is actually replaced by
ecstasy when this happens. See also the next note.
53-54 These passages give examples of the Father and the Christ speaking in the first person through
the prophets.
55 This is yet another example of the proclamation of the future through the prophetic Spirit
found in the Old Testament.
1 4 3
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - C R E E D , C O N F E S S I O N A N D S C R I P T U R E
57-67 Here we see how Justin (and others) presented their belief that the scripture of the Old Testa-
ment is the basis for the proclamation of Christ in the first church; that Christians are the true Israel, both
by their faith of Abraham and the patriarchs, and by their trust in the law and the prophets.
58 The old Jewish writings, Justin argues, are in fact "Christian" because they are Messianic, and
are understood and observed in their true significance only by Christians.
60 Justin's assertion that the various passages of the Scriptures do not teach human concepts but
reveal the thoughts of God shows that faith in the unique inspiration of the Bible and the prophets is
very old.
64 See 36 in this chapter
65-66 The understanding of the scriptures which point to Christ is given through grace, says Justin;
no contradictions in the scriptures are recognized. Justin testifies here also that he came to faith through
the prophets of the Old Testament and through witnesses to the crucifixion.
70-72 Justin argues here that the varied gifts of grace and divine powers which Solomon, Daniel,
Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, David, and other prophets received "had to cease" among the Jews after
Christ's coming so that they might arise once more among new believers who had received the Spirit.
73 Papias testifies that he listened to the first elders and thus investigated the words of the
apostles practically at their very source; he learned the truth not through books but from the "living
Word" of living witnesses.
73-81 These passages show how the Gospel of Christ and the "memoirs" of the apostles were
emerging as the authority for the New Testament.
74-75 The gospel, giving bodily substance to the Word; the apostles, constituting the body of elders
in the church; and the prophets of old, foretelling the Good News – all belong together because they are
bearers of the same Spirit and the same Christ.
76 The crucial testimony to the truth, "it is written," refers not only to the ancient records of the
Old Testament, but as much (if not even more) to the Gospel of Jesus and to the records of his death and
resurrection.
77-79 The "memoirs" of the apostles (the four Gospels) constitute the basis of the New Testament
and the faith of earliest Christendom. It should be noted that the "memoirs" center on the person of
Jesus and the initiation of the Meal of Remembrance. Meetings of the first two centuries seem to have
consisted chiefly of long, animated readings from the "memoirs" and from the writings of the prophets.
1 4 4
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - C R E E D , C O N F E S S I O N A N D S C R I P T U R E
80 The sources are Papias, quoted by Eusebius III.39; Argumentum in Patr. Apost. opera, and
Zahn, Forschungen 6; the ninth century Codex Vaticanus Alexandrinus 14; and Andrew of Caesarea,
Preface to the Revelation 34.12.
80-81 These passages concern the emergence of the New Testament at the end of our period. In this
earliest extant catalog of the New Testament writings, the conclusion is remarkable: whereas the forged
Letters to the Laodiceans and Alexandrians attributed to Paul are thrown out, the Letter of Jude, two (not
three) Letters of John and his Revelation, together with the Revelation of Peter and even the Wisdom of
Solomon, are included in the New Testament canon. However, express mention is made that some Chris-
tians do not want the Revelation of Peter to be read in the churches.
Here The Shepherd is dated A.D. 140–155 and is banished from the New Testament – not to be read
aloud in the assemblies along with the writings of the prophets and apostles, though acceptable for
reading privately. Despite this, Hermas' piece was acknowledged by the following ancient authorities as
indeed belonging to the Bible, and in the eyes of some teachers and church leaders it remained a part of
the New Testament canon: Irenaeus (Against Heresies IV.20.2) quotes a passage from The Shepherd, First
Command, as "Scripture." Compare Eusebius V.8.7. Tertullian (On Prayer 16) recognizes the authority of
The Shepherd as Scripture, too, though later, after becoming a Montanist, he claims that the Letter of
Barnabas carries greater authority than The Shepherd (On Modesty 20). Clement of Alexandria too
quotes Hermas as Scripture (Misc. II.9.12; IV.8; VI.15), and so do Origen (First Principles I.3.3 and IV.1.11)
and Pseudo-Cyprian (Against Dice-Throwers 2–4). In the Codex Sinaiticus, The Shepherd is included
among the New Testament writings. In the Muratorian Canon, the birth, suffering, and resurrection of
Jesus, his life with the disciples, and his twofold coming – his birth in Bethlehem, and his second, future
coming in kingly power – are strong in evidence. About the apostle Paul there is the highly important
statement that for him, Christ is the crux of everything. Also significant is the assertion that there is only
one church spread over the whole earth.
Written about A.D. 180, The Muratorian Canon is of crucial importance because it contains the first
definite (though preliminary) catalog of New Testament writings and because it clearly demonstrates the
emerging authority of the New Testament as Scripture, which gradually became pre-eminent.
1 4 5
SAYINGS OF JESUS
AND THE APOSTLES
rior to the formation of what we call the New Testament, there existed many scattered sayings attributed to Jesus, many of them so closely resembling those familiar to us today that there is no need to differentiate between them. These sayings constitute a basic source for the formation of the four Gospels. The following section contains sayings marked by their uniqueness and difference from those included in the New Testament. Though extra-biblical, their credibility is attested to by the number of sources in which they are found, and by our notes to them, which demonstrate the authority they commanded in early Christian congregations. Even the reader who cautiously adheres to the biblical canon will not deny that the same truth is evident in these texts, too.
The chrismon or Christ monogram was the most widely-used symbol among the early Christians and is thus the most familiar to us today; it appears here with a superimposed T (tau) symbolizing the cross, and with the letters I and N (Iesus Nazareth). The chrismon itself is formed by a cross and by the letter P (ro), and is thought to stand for the old blessing in pace ("in peace") or the salutation Pax Christi ("the peace of Christ").
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
1 He who is near me is near the fire. But whoever is far from me is far from the Kingdom.
Origen, Homily XX.3 on Jeremiah; Didymus, Commentary on Psalm 88:8.
2 Where there is one alone, I say: I am with him. Lift up the stone, and there you will find me; split the wood, and I am there.
Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 1, 1897; see also Gospel according to Thomas 77.
3 I am the door of life. He who enters through me enters into life. Clementine Homilies III. 52 quoting the Jewish-Christian Gospel of the Ebionites.
4 Be saved, you and your soul!
Clement of Alexandria, Excerpts from Theodotus 2.2.
5 Thy Holy Spirit come upon us and cleanse us!
Minuscule MS 700; Gregory of Nyssa, Maximus; Ropes No. 56;
quoting the Lord's Prayer according to Marcion.
6 Unless you make what is right left, and what is left right, what is above into what is below, and what is behind into what is in front, you will not learn to know the Kingdom.
Acts of Peter 38; Acts of Philip 34.
7 If you lean on my breast but do not do the will of my Father in heaven, I will push you from my breast.
Jewish gospel; Second Letter of Clement 4.5.
8 Why do you say Lord, Lord to me, and yet not do what I say?
Clementine Homilies VIII. 7.4; Recognitions IV.5; quoting Jewish Christian Gospel of the
Ebionites; Syriac Didascalia XXVI (see also Connolly, p. 256).
9 You go wrong because you do not know the truth of the Scriptures. Therefore you do not know the power of God… Why do you not know that the Scriptures are based on good reason?
Clem. Hom. III.50; II.51; XVIII.20; quoting Gospel of the Ebionites.
1 4 7
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
10 You hear with your one ear, but the other you have closed.
Oxyr. Papyr. I, 1897.
11 He who has grieved the spirit of his brother is guilty of a most serious offense.
And you should never be joyful unless you look at your brother in love. Jerome, commentaries On Ezekiel 18.7; On Ephesians 5.3–4;
quoting the Nazaraean Gospel of the Hebrews and the Gospel of the Ebionites.
12 Woe to those who live in wealth and luxury and give nothing to the poor! They shall have to render an account, for they ought to love their neighbors as themselves. They did not have compassion for them when they were destitute. Clem. Recog. II.29.
13 How can you say, I have fulfilled the law and prophets, since it is written in the law: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself ? Look, many of your brothers, sons of Abraham, are covered with filth and dying of hunger while your house is filled with many goods and not a thing goes out of it to them.
Origen, Comm. XV.14 on Matthew (Latin) quoting the Gospel of the Hebrews.
14 Woe to those who have and like hypocrites take more, or who can help themselves and yet receive. For everyone who receives something shall render an account to God the Lord on the day of judgment why he received…He who simply gives to everybody gives well and is blameless. He who accepts when destitute…accepts well and shall be exalted by God in eternal life.
Didascalia XVII (see also Connolly, pp. 154–157); cf. Apostolic Constitutions IV.3.
15 I took my stand in the midst of the world and appeared to them in the flesh, and I found them all glutted, and not one among them did I find thirsting, and my soul labors for the sons of men because they are blind in their hearts.
Oxyr. Papyr. I, 1897. (See also Gospel according to Thomas 28.)
1 4 8
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
16 The seeker shall not rest until he has found, and he who has found shall marvel. He who has marveled shall rule like a king, and he who rules shall find rest.
Clem. Alex., Misc. V.14.96; cf. II.9.45; Oxyr. Papyr. 654, 1904;
from the Gospel of the Hebrews.
17 A city that is built on the top of a high mountain and is fortified can neither fall nor be hidden.
Oxyr. Papyr. I, 1897. (See also Gospel according to Thomas 32.)
18 Ask for what is great, and what is small will be given to you as well. Clem. Alex., Misc. I.24.158; Origen, On Prayer 2.2; 14.1.
19 Seek to grow from smallness, and from the higher place move down to the lowest!
Codex Bezae (D) and others, after Mt. 20:28. See Ropes No. 153.
20 The weak shall be saved through the strong.
Apostolic Church Order 26 (Ethiopic text).
21 Everything that does not lie open before your eyes and is hidden from you shall be revealed to you, for there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed and nothing buried that shall not be raised up.
Oxyr. Papyr. 654, 1904. (See also Gospel according to Thomas 5, 6.)
22 How can they who seize us say that the Kingdom remains in heaven? The very birds of heaven shall convince them, and every beast under the earth or upon the earth and the fishes of the sea, they all shall convince you. And the Kingdom – heaven – is within you. Whoever knows himself shall find; but when you know yourselves you will know that you are sons of the Father, the perfect one. You shall know yourselves. Oxyr. Papyr. 654, 1904; from the Gospel of the Hebrews.
23 He saw a man working on the Sabbath, and he said to him: Man, if you know what you do, you are blessed, but if you do not know, you are cursed and a transgressor of the law.
Codex Bezae (D) after Luke 6:4.
1 4 9
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
24 My mystery for me and for the sons of my house!
Clem. Alex., Misc. V.10.63; Clem. Hom. XIX.20; quoting Gospel of the Ebionites. Cf. Symmachus at Isaiah 24:16.
25 Become trusty money changers who reject the false coins and accept only the good ones.
Clem. Hom. II.51; III.50; XVIII.20; Didascalia IX (see also Connolly, p.101);
Apostolic Constitutions II.36; Clem. Alex., Misc. I.28.177.
26 I choose for myself the right men; the right men are those whom my Father in heaven has given me.
Eusebius, On the Theophany 4.12, on Mt. 10: 34–36 (Syriac).
27 If you do not abstain from the world, you will not find the kingdom of God. Oxyr. Papyr. I, 1897; Clem. Alex., Misc. III.15.99.
28 Jesus says, "Take no thought…from morning until evening and from evening until morning either for the food you shall eat or for the clothes you shall wear. If you own one garment, what more do you need? Who would add to your stature? He himself will give you your clothes." His disciples say to him, "When will you be revealed to us, and when shall we see you?" He says, "When you shall be undressed and shall not be put to shame."
Oxyr. Papyr. 655, 1904. (See also Gospel according to Thomas 36 –37.)
29 This world is only a bridge. Cross over it, but do not build your house on it!
On an archway in northern India. "The Secret of the Presence."
30 "This age of lawlessness and unbelief stands under the dominion of Satan, who, through the influence of impure spirits, hinders people from grasping the genuine power of God. Therefore reveal your justice and righteousness now!" Thus they asked Christ.
Christ answered them: "For Satan's power the measure of the years is fulfilled. But new horrors are drawing near. They will also come upon
1 5 0
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
those for whom I was delivered to death because they have sinned. They should turn back to truth and sin no more in order to inherit the glory of righteousness, which is in heaven because it belongs to the cause of the Spirit and to incorruption."
Freer Gospel Manuscript, H.A. Sanders, 1908; Jerome,
Dialogue Against Pelagius 2.15; cf. Acts of John 41.
31 The days shall come when vines will grow, each with ten thousand runners, and on each runner ten thousand branches, and on each branch ten thousand shoots, and on every shoot ten thousand sprouts, and on every sprout ten thousand bunches, each bunch with ten thousand grapes, and every grape pressed will yield twenty-five quarts of wine. Should one of the saints lay hold of a bunch, another bunch will cry out, "I am better, take me. Glorify the Lord through me!" Accordingly, a grain of wheat will produce ten thousand ears, every ear will have ten thousand grains and every grain will yield five double pounds of pure, clear wheat flour. And with all other fruits, seeds, and plants it will be the same. And all animals will feed only on what the earth offers them. They will become peaceful and live in mutual harmony, subject to men in all obedience. They who enter there [in the kingdom of God] shall see these things.
Papias, quoted by Irenaeus, Against Heresies V.33.3,4.
32 Behold, I make the first things last and the last things first.
Didascalia XXVI (see also Connolly, pp. 234, 235); Letter of Barnabas 6.13.)
33 That man is counted rich in God who has recognized that the old things of the past are new and that the new things are old.
Clem. Hom. VIII.7; cf. Recog. IV.5.
34 If you keep my word, you shall know the eternal Kingdom beforehand. Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 116.2.
1 5 1
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
35 I give you a great inheritance such as the whole world does not have. Macarius of Egypt, Homily 12.17.
36 I will judge you in those things in which I encounter you.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 47.6.
37 God will come to those who have faith in me, to those who hunger and thirst, and to those who test their souls in this life; and he will judge the sons of lawlessness. Apocalypse of Peter 14, Akhmim Fragment.
38 There is a confusion that leads to death and there is a confusion that leads to life. Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel 16.52.
39 There is something greater than raising the dead and feeding the multitudes: Blessed are they who have believed with their whole heart. Gospel fragment in Coptic Acts of Paul.
40 My disciples are bathed in living waters pouring down from above. Oxyr. Papyr. 840, 1907.
41 If the neighbor of one of the chosen sins, the chosen one sins. For if he had kept himself as the Word demands, his neighbor would have been so ashamed on seeing the other one's life that he would not have sinned. The Traditions of Matthias in Clem. Alex., Misc. VII.13.82.
42 The Son of Man is come today and has found the lost.
Clem. Alex., Misc. IV.6.35.
43 Whoever seeks me shall find me in children, for there will I be made manifest.
Hippolytus, Philosophumena V.7.20 quoting Jewish Christian Gospel of the Nassenes.
1 5 2
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
44 How many go around the well, and nobody draws from it? Why do you not risk anything when going this way? It is not manifest to you that with me there is courage and a sword.
Celsus in Origen, Against Celsus VIII.15, from a lost Christian writing,
The Heavenly Dialogue.
45 Seek and find, and realize that the truth does not lie openly on the surface. Clem. Hom. III.52.
46 You are whitewashed tombs, full of dead men's bones inside, for the living man is not in you. Hippolytus, Philosophumena V.3.
47 The Word that was freely given must not be sold.
Clem. Hom. III.71.3.
48 Blessed is the man whom his Lord shall appoint to the service of his fellow laborers. Clem. Hom. III.64.1.
49 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit that is in you, and do not quench the light that shines in you. Pseudo-Cyprian, Against Dice-Throwers 3.
50 My Mother, the Holy Spirit, seized me. Sources: Origen, Jerome.
51 I myself am here, the one who speaks, the one who speaks in the prophets.
Pseudo-Cyprian, On the Unbelief of the Jews 4; Epiphanius, Panarion 23.5; 41.3; 66.42.
52 Give me now thy power, O Father, that with me they may endure the world. Amen. I have received the diadem [scepter] of the Kingdom. In their lowliness they were despised, for they were not recognized. Through thee, Father, I am become king. Thou wilt subject all things to me.
I reveal my full glory to you and show you all your power and the secret of your apostleship.
Gospel fragment from the Strasbourg Coptic Papyrus, 1900.
1 5 3
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
53 I chose you twelve to be disciples, esteeming you worthy of me, sending you into the world to proclaim the joyful news to all people throughout the earth so that they know there is one God. Reveal the future events through faith in me so that those who hear and believe shall be rescued.
Clem. Alex., Misc. VI.6.48; Proclamation of Peter 4 (see also E. Hennecke,
New Testament Apocrypha, vol. 2, p. 101).
54 The Didache
The Lord's teaching by the twelve apostles to the heathen: There are two ways: the one is that of life and the other is that of death. There is a great difference between the two ways. The way of life is this: first, you shall love the God who made you; second, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Everything that you do not wish to be done to you, do not do to another!
Now the teaching of these words is this: Bless those who curse you, and pray for your enemies. Fast for those who persecute you, for what grace would it be if you love those who love you? Do not even the heathen peoples do that? But love those who hate you, and you will have no enemy. Abstain from the cravings of the flesh and of the body. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also, and you will be perfect. If someone presses you to go with him one mile, get
ready for two. If anyone takes away your coat, give him your jacket as well. If any man seizes what is yours, do not demand it back, for you cannot anyway. Give to everyone who asks of you and never demand a return, for it is the Father's will that all should share the gifts we have received.
Blessed is he who gives according to the commandment, for he is not guilty. Woe to him who receives. Certainly, if any man is in need and receives help, he is not guilty, but he who is not in need will have to render account why he received and for what purpose. He will be put in prison, his action will be thoroughly examined, and he will not be released until
1 5 4
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
he has handed over the last penny. However, in this case it has also been said: let the gift from your heart sweat in your hands until you find one to give it to.
The second commandment of the teaching is this: You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not corrupt boys. You shall not practice sexual promiscuity. You shall not steal. You shall not practice magic. You shall not mix poison. You shall not procure an abortion or kill the newborn child. You shall not covet the share that falls to your neighbor. You shall not commit perjury. You shall not bear false witness. You shall not speak evil about others. You shall not be resentful. You shall not be double-minded or double-tongued, for to be double-tongued is a deadly snare. Let your speech be neither dishonest nor empty, but let it be full of significance through action. You shall not be rapacious and always want to have more, or be deceitful, or malicious, or imagine yourself to be great. You shall not plot evil schemes against your neighbor. You shall not hate any man. You shall admonish people, you shall pray for people, and you shall love them more than your own life.
My child, flee from all evil and from everything resembling it. Do not get angry, for anger leads to murder. Do not get into passionate tempers or be quarrelsome or boil with rage, for all these things breed murder. My child, do not be lustful, for lust leads to promiscuity. Do not use foul language or cast lewd eyes, for all these things lead to adulterous acts. My child, do not foretell the future from natural signs, for this leads to idolatry. Do not use magic formulas, or astrology, or purification charms; you should not even wish to watch such things, for they all breed idolatry. My child, do not be a liar, for lying leads to stealing. Do not love money, and do not fall a prey to vain ambition, for all these things lead to theft. My child, do not grumble, for this leads to blasphemy; do not be self-willed or evil-minded, for all these things breed blasphemy. Be gentle-minded, for those of a gentle mind shall possess the earth. Be patient and have a loving heart. Be guileless. Be quiet and good, trembling in all things at the words you have heard. You shall not exalt yourself or allow your heart to be bold and presumptuous. Your heart shall
1 5 5
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
not cling to the high and mighty, but turn to the good and humble folk. Accept as good whatever happens to you or affects you, knowing that nothing happens without God.
My child, night and day remember him who speaks God's word to you. Honor him as the Lord, for the Lord himself is in the place where the lordship of the Lord is proclaimed. Seek daily the presence of the people dedicated to God so that you are refreshed with their words. Do not be divisive, but reconcile quarrelers. Be just in your judgments, and do not show partiality in reproving transgressions. Do not be in doubt whether or not this should be done.
Do not be one who stretches out his hands to receive but closes them when it comes to giving. If you have earned something by the work of your hands, pass it on as a ransom for your sins. Do not hesitate to give, and do not grumble when giving, for you will know who is the glorious giver of your reward. Do not turn away from those who are in need, but share all things in common with your brother. Do not claim anything as your own, for if you have fellowship in the immortal, how much more in perishable things!
Do not withdraw your hand from your son or your daughter, but from their youth teach them the fear of God. Do not give orders in anger or bitterness to your man or woman slaves who hope in the same God, lest they lose the fear of God who is ruler over you both, for he does not come with his call showing partiality; instead he comes to those whom he has prepared by his Spirit. And you slaves, be subject to your masters as to God's image, in shame and fear. Hate all shamming and everything that is not pleasing to the Lord. Never depart from the commandments of the Lord. Guard what you have received. Add nothing to it and take nothing away. Confess your trespasses in the church and do not go to prayer with a guilty conscience. This is the way of life.
But the way of death consists in this: First of all, and above all, it is accursed and full of evil: murders, adulteries, covetous passions, promiscuous sex acts, thefts, idolatries, witchcrafts, magic poisonings, robberies, false testimonies, hypocrisies, deception, doubleness of heart, arro-
1 5 6
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
gance, malice, conceit, greed, filthy talk, jealousy, impudence, haughtiness, and boastfulness. It is the way of those who persecute the good and hate the truth, who love lying and do not know the reward of righteousness, who do not cleave to the good and to just judgment, who never tire of following evil instead of good, from whom gentleness and patience are remote, who love vanity and are out for reward, who have no heart for the poor and do not stand up for the oppressed, who do not know him who made them, who kill their children and destroy God's creatures, who turn their backs on the poor and oppress the afflicted, who are advocates of the rich and judge the workers unjustly. They are sinners in all things! Save yourselves, children, from all these!
Be careful that nobody leads you astray from the way of this teaching lest with his teachings he leads you away from God, for if you can carry the whole yoke of the Lord you will be perfect; but if you cannot, do what you can. In matters of eating take upon yourself what you can, but keep away completely from meat offered to idols, for it represents the worship of dead gods.
Now concerning baptism, baptize in this way: after you have said all these things, baptize in running water, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. If you have no running water close by, however, dip in other water. If you cannot do it in cold water, do it in warm water. If you have neither close by, pour water on the head three times, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Before baptism the baptizer and the one who is to be baptized shall fast, and a few others as well if they can. Challenge the one who is to be baptized to fast one or two days. Your fasts shall not take place with those of the hypocrites, for they fast on the second and the fifth day after the Sabbath. Fast instead on the fourth day and on the day before the Sabbath. And do not pray as the hypocrites do but as the Lord commanded in his Gospel. Pray thus:
Our Father, thou who art in the heavens, Thy name be honored; Thy Kingdom come,
1 5 7
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
Thy will be done As in heaven so on earth; Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts As we also forgive our debtors, And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For to thee belong the power and the glory into the ages.
Pray thus three times a day.
Concerning the Meal of Thanksgiving, give thanks in this way, first with the cup:
We give thanks to thee, our Father, for the holy vine of David, thy servant. This vine thou didst make known to us through Jesus, thy child. Glory be to thee into the ages!
Then with the broken bread:
We give thanks to thee, our Father, for the life and knowledge which thou hast made known to us through Jesus, thy child. Glory be to thee into the ages! Just as this broken bread was scattered over the hills and became one when it had been brought together, so shall thy church be brought together from the ends of the earth into thy kingdom. For to thee belong the glory and the power through Jesus Christ into the ages.
Do not allow anybody to eat and drink of your Meal of Thanksgiving except those who have been baptized in the name of the Lord, for concerning this, too, the Lord said, "Do not give that which is holy to dogs." After you are satisfied give thanks in this way:
We give thanks to thee, holy Father, for thy holy name for which thou hast made a dwelling in our hearts, and for the knowledge, faith, and immortality which thou hast made known to us through Jesus, thy child. To thee be glory into the ages! Thou, all-powerful ruler, hast established the universe for thy name's sake, and thou hast given men food and drink to enjoy, that they may give thanks to thee. But to us thou hast given the food of the Holy Spirit and the drink of the Holy Spirit and eternal life through thy child. Above all, we give thee thanks because thou art power. To thee belongs the glory into the ages! Remember, O Lord, thy church, to deliver her from all evil and to make her perfect in thy love. Gather her, the consecrated church, from the four winds into thy Kingdom which thou hast prepared for her. For thine is the power and the glory into the ages.
May grace come, and may the world pass away! May the help of the God of David triumph!
1 5 8
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
If anyone is holy, let him come; if anyone is not, let him change from the root up! Our Lord comes! So it is.
Trust the prophets to give thanks as much as they wish.
Should anyone come and teach you all these things said above, receive him. However, if he himself is a false teacher and teaches a different teaching leading to dissolution, do not listen to him; but if his teaching increases justice and knowledge of the Lord, receive him as the Lord.
Regarding apostles and prophets, act in accordance with the directions of the Gospel. Every apostle visiting you shall be received as the Lord. He should stay only one day and if it is necessary a second day also. If he stays for three days, he is a false prophet. When the apostle leaves he shall not accept anything except bread for the time until he reaches his next night's lodging. But if he asks for money he is a false prophet.
As to any prophet who speaks in the Spirit, this holds good: Do not inquire or censure! For every sin shall be forgiven, but this sin shall not be forgiven. However, not every man who speaks in the Spirit is a prophet, but only if he has the manner of the Lord. Thus the false and the true prophet shall be known by their manner of life. No prophet speaking in the Spirit who orders the table spread will eat from it unless he is a false prophet. Further, every prophet who teaches the truth is a false prophet if he does not do what he teaches. However, every tested, true prophet who does something related to the universal mystery of the church, yet does not teach others to do so great a thing as he himself does, shall not be judged among you. His judgment rests with God, for the prophets of old also acted in the same way. But if anyone says in the Spirit, "Give me money" or anything else, do not listen to him. However, if he asks you to give something to others in need, nobody shall judge him.
Anyone who comes in the name of the Lord shall be received. You will then test him and you will know him, for you will have the understanding to decide between right and left. If the one coming to you is only a traveler, help him as much as you can, but he shall stay with you only for
1 5 9
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
two days, if necessary three. If someone wants to settle among you, let him work in his trade for a living. In case he has no trade or craft, use your discretion and see to it that no idle Christian lives in your midst. But if he will not act accordingly, he wants to make a business proposition of his Christianity. Beware of such men.
Every true prophet who wishes to settle among you is worthy of his food. Likewise, a true teacher is just as worthy of his food as a laborer. Therefore always take the first fruits of the produce of wine press and threshing floor, of cattle and sheep, and give these first fruits to the prophets, for they are your highest priests. If however you have no prophet, give them to the poor. When you bake something take the first fruits and give them according to these directions. Likewise, when you open a fresh jar of wine or oil, take the first fruits and give them to the prophets. Also of money and clothing and of any other valuables, take the first fruits as you think right, and give them according to these directions.
On the Lord's own day come together, break bread and give thanks, but first confess your transgressions so that your offering may be pure. No one, however, who has a quarrel with his friend shall join you until they are reconciled so that your offering is not defiled. For this is what was said by the Lord: "In every place and at all times you shall offer me a pure sacrifice, for I am a great king, says the Lord, and my name is wonderful among the nations."
Elect for yourselves overseers and servants worthy of the Lord, men of gentle disposition who are free of the love of money, honest and tried, for they are those who, in serving you, render you the service of the prophets and teachers. Therefore do not ignore them, for they are the men honored among you along with the prophets and teachers. Admonish one another, not in anger but peaceably, as you see it in the Gospel. Moreover, if anyone has wronged another, let no one speak with him, and do not let him hear a word from you until he repents. Your prayers and the gifts you give from your heart and all that you do shall be as you find it in the Gospel of our Lord.
1 6 0
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
Watch over your life! Do not let your lamps go out, and do not loosen the belt around your loins; be ready, for you do not know the hour when our Lord is coming. Come together often and seek that which concerns your souls since the whole time of your faith will be of no use to you unless you are made perfect at the last hour. For in the last days great numbers of false prophets and corruptors will appear. The sheep will turn into wolves, and love will turn into hate. As lawlessness increases, people will hate, persecute, and betray one another. And then the worlddeceiver will appear in the likeness of the son of God. He will do signs and wonders; the earth will be given into his hands; and he will commit abominable deeds such as have never been done since eternity. Then the human race will come into the fire of testing, and many will be thrown down by this impact and will perish. But those who remain steadfast in their faith will only just in time be snatched away from the worlddeceiver, the cursed one. Then the signs of the truth will appear: first the sign of the outstretched hands in the sky; then the sign of the sound of the trumpet; and third the resurrection of the dead, yet not of all, but as it was said, "The Lord will come, and all the holy ones with him." Then the world will see the Lord coming on the clouds of the sky.
The Didache.
55 The church of God that lives as an alien in Rome to the church of God that lives as an alien in Corinth – to those who are called and made holy by the will of God through our Lord Jesus Christ: may grace and peace from the almighty God come to you abundantly through Jesus Christ.
Because calamities and misfortunes broke in upon us suddenly and in quick succession, we have been rather tardy, it seems to us, in concerning ourselves with the disputes that have arisen among you, dearly beloved. The vile and godless rebellion, so utterly inappropriate and foreign to the chosen of God, provoked a few rash and bold people to such a high degree of folly that your honorable and widely renowned name, cherished by all men, has been defamed.
1 6 1
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
For who among your guests did not experience your glorious and steadfast faith?…make honorable mention of the splendid character of your hospitality? Call your perfect and secure knowledge a happy thing? You did everything without considering rank or station in life; you lived in accordance with God's commandments; you were obedient to your overseers and paid your elders the respect due to them; and your younger people you urged to a modest and reverent attitude. You practiced obedience rather than demanding it, you were more joyful in giving than in receiving; you were content with and mindful of what Christ gave you for your way through life; you carefully locked up his words in your hearts; and his sufferings were before your eyes. Thus a deep and radiant peace had been given to all of you and an insatiable longing to do good awakened in you. The Holy Spirit was poured out abundantly upon you all. Day and night you labored on behalf of the entire brotherhood. You were sincere and guileless and bore no grudge against one another.
Fame and abundance were bestowed upon you in full measure, and then it happened as it is written: "The beloved ate and drank…and then he kicked out." From this sprang jealousy and envy, strife and dissension, persecution, and disorder, war and captivity. Thus those who were not honored rose up against the honored, those who were not esteemed against the esteemed, the unwise against the wise, the young against the elders. As a result, justice and peace are far removed…Everyone follows the cravings of his evil heart; he is filled with that unjust and godless jealousy through which indeed death came into the world.
We are writing this, beloved, not only for your admonition but also as a challenge to ourselves, for we are in the same arena and the same struggle faces us…Let us fix our eyes on the blood of Christ and recognize how precious it is to his Father. Poured out for the sake of our salvation, it brought the gift of complete change to the whole world. Let us survey all generations of men. Let us recognize that from generation to generation the Lord has given to those who are willing to turn to him an opportunity to change their lives. Noah called to repentance; those who
1 6 2
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
heeded him were saved. Jonah prophesied destruction to the Ninevites; they turned away from their sins. By their supplications they moved God's heart and were spared by him although they were not of God's people. The servants of God's grace called people to a complete change of heart and mind through the Holy Spirit. Yes, he himself, the ruler of the universe, spoke of this change of heart with an oath, "As truly as I live, says the Lord, I do not desire that the sinner dies but that he turns around."
Christ belongs to those who want to be small, not to those who exalt themselves above his flock. The Scepter of God's majesty, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, came in lowliness, just as the Holy Spirit proclaimed him in saying:
He is like a small child, like a weak root in poor soil. He has no comeliness or glory. We saw him. He had neither comeliness nor beauty. His form was despised. It was uglier than the human form usually is…He was despised; he was disregarded. He bears our sins. For our sakes he is afflicted. We regarded him as one afflicted and bruised and martyred. But it is for our sins that he was wounded, it is for our iniquities that he was bruised. He was under punishment that we might have peace. By his stripes we were healed. He did not open his mouth while he was abused. Like a sheep he was led to slaughter, and as a lamb is dumb under the hand of his shearer, he did not open his mouth…Because of the sins of my people did he come to his death…he took upon himself the sins of many, and he was delivered up because of their sins.
And again Christ himself says:
But I am a worm and not a man, mocked and despised by the people. All who saw me scorned me, they muttered with their lips and shook their heads, "He hoped in the Lord, let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he has delight in him."
You see, beloved ones, what example is given to us, for if the Lord was so small, what should we do then, who by him have been led under the yoke of his grace? Let us also imitate those who were clad only in goatskins and sheepskins and who proclaimed the coming of the Messiah.
Let this text of the Scriptures never apply to us where it says:
Wretched are those who doubt, who are divided in their souls and say, "We heard these things already in the days of our fathers. But see, we have become old, and
1 6 3
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
none of all these things has happened." Oh, you foolish people! Compare yourselves to a tree. Think of a vine: first it sheds its leaves; then a fresh shoot grows, then a leaf, then a flower; after this the unripe fruit develops; and finally there is the ripe bunch of grapes.
You see, the fruit of the tree has ripened in a very short time. Truly God's will shall be accomplished quickly and suddenly. The Scripture also bears witness to this when it says, "He will come quickly. He will not delay. Suddenly the Lord will come to his temple – he, the holy one for whom you are waiting!"
Let us consider, beloved, how the Lord continually proclaims to us the future resurrection, of which he made the Lord Jesus Christ the first fruits when he raised him from the dead. Let us contemplate the resurrection that recurs in a regular fashion. Day and night show us the resurrection: night goes to rest, day breaks in; day departs, night comes on. Let us consider the crops. How and in what manner does sowing take place? The farmer goes out and casts all the seeds on the soil: they are dry and bare; they fall on the soil; they decay. After they have decayed, the Lord's sublime providence raises them up, and from each single seed many grow and bear fruit.
Let us consider the strange sign which is seen in the Orient in the region of Arabia. There is a bird called the phoenix there. It is the only one of its kind, and it lives five hundred years. When its end draws near and it must die, it builds itself a coffin of frankincense, myrrh, and other fine herbs. When its time of life is fulfilled, it settles down in the coffin and dies. As its flesh decays, a worm is engendered that feeds on the putrid juices of the dead animal and grows wings. Then, when it has grown strong, it takes up the coffin containing the bones of the former bird and carries it from Arabia to Egypt, to the city called the City of the Sun. In broad daylight, before everybody's eyes, it alights upon the altar of the god of the sun, puts down its burden there, and flies back home again. Then the priests look up their calendar records and discover that its return comes after a lapse of five hundred years. Shall we then consider it something great and marvelous that the creator of the universe will raise up those who have served him in holiness and in the trust of a
1 6 4
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
good faith since he uses even a bird to show us his mighty promise?
No one was ever honored and made great through himself or his own efforts or through the good works he has done, but only through His will. Therefore we too, who have been called through His will in Jesus Christ, will never become righteous of ourselves or through our own wisdom, understanding, and devotion, or through the actions we have done in purity of heart, but through that faith by which the almighty God has made all people good from the very beginning. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Let us therefore endeavor to belong to those who wait for him so that we may share in the promised gifts. Yet how will this come about, dearly beloved? If our heart is turned toward God in steadfast faith, if we strive toward what gives joy to him and is dear to him, if we carry out what is in harmony with his unassailable will and follow in the way of truth, throwing off from ourselves all injustice and evil, covetousness, quarrelsomeness, malice and falseness, all slander and calumny, all hatred of God, all pride and arrogance, all empty boasting and thirst for fame. All who do such things are hateful to God and not only those who do such things but also those who approve of them.
This is the way, dearly beloved, in which we found our salvation, Jesus Christ, the high priest of our sacrifice, the guardian and helper of our weakness. Through him we look into the heights of heaven. Through him we recognize God's unblemished and exalted countenance, as in a mirror. Through him the eyes of our hearts were opened. Through him our unwise and darkened mind springs up into the light. Through him the Lord allowed us to taste immortal knowledge.
Particular duties are prescribed for the high priest; a particular place is assigned to the priests; and again, particular tasks are laid upon the Levites. The laymen are bound by the rules that apply to them. Each one of us brothers shall please God in his own station and keep a good conscience. Let each one of us with all dignity keep to the boundary assigned to his service without overstepping the limits. The sacrifice is made in the court of the altar only, in front of the sanctuary, and, what is
1 6 5
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
more, by the high priest and his helpers. Further, those who act in opposition to the ordinance of his will suffer death as the fate they deserve. Look, brothers: the greater the knowledge that has been entrusted to us, the greater the danger we have to face.
The joyful news was proclaimed by the Lord to the apostles for our sake. Jesus Christ was sent from God. Hence, Christ came from God, and the apostles came from Christ. Both these things happened in proper order in accordance with God's will. Thus the apostles received their commission, filled with certainty through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and strengthened in God's word; thus they went forth full of the joy of the Holy Spirit, proclaiming the joyful news that the kingdom of God is at hand. They spoke in villages and cities, and they appointed the first fruits of their labor to be the bishops and deacons of the future believers, after testing them through the Spirit. Blessed are the elders who completed their course and came to a fruitful and perfect end. They need not fear any more that someone will dislodge them from the place given to them.
We see, however, that elders who were leading a good life were removed by you from the service they fulfilled blamelessly and honorably. Why are there quarrels, anger, dissension, divisions, and war in your midst? Do we not have one God and one Christ and one Spirit of grace poured out upon us – one calling in Christ? Why do we rend and tear to pieces the members of Christ? Why do we separate ourselves from our own body and push our folly to such an extreme as to forget that we are members one of another? Remember the words of the Lord Jesus!
Your division has brought confusion to many, it has discouraged many, and it has brought many to have doubts. It has plunged us all into anguish.
Who can describe the bond of the love of God? Who can put into words the majesty of its beauty? The height to which love leads is ineffable. Love unites us with God…Love knows nothing of division, love causes no quarrel, love does everything in harmony. All the chosen ones of God are made perfect in love. Without love there is nothing that
1 6 6
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
pleases God. In love the Lord accepted us. Because of the love he felt for us, our Lord Jesus Christ by the will of God gave his blood for us, gave his flesh for our flesh and his soul for our souls.
We know of many among our number who have given themselves up freewillingly to imprisonment so that they might bring freedom to others. Many have sold themselves into slavery to feed others with the money they received.
Therefore, you who started this contention submit to the elders, accept discipline in repentance, and bend the knees of your heart. Learn obedience, and rid yourselves of the boastful and arrogant impudence of your tongues! It is better for you to be found small in Christ's flock yet chosen, than to be exceedingly important yet excluded from the hope he gives.
First Letter of Clement to the Corinthians; ca. A.D. 94.
56 Ignatius, also called Theophorus…wishes the church at Ephesus in Asia all joy in Jesus Christ.
As imitators of God, you have been given new life by the blood of God to complete the task that corresponds to your character. You hastened to see me when you heard that for the sake of our common name and expectation I was led away in chains from Syria and that I hope through your prayer to obtain the favor of fighting with the wild beasts in Rome so that I may attain to discipleship.
It is fitting, therefore, that in every way you glorify Jesus Christ who has glorified you. Be firmly joined together in unanimous obedience, obeying the overseer and the body of elders, and be made holy in all things. Your deserving body of elders, worthy of God, is attuned to the overseer as the strings are to a lyre! Therefore the song of Jesus Christ resounds in your unity and in your harmonious love. Yes, all of you should become one choir so that in perfect harmony, taking your keynote from God in unity, you may with one voice sing praises to the Father through Jesus Christ so that he may hear you and recognize you by your good deeds as members of his son.
1 6 7
T H E E A R L Y C H R I S T I A N S - S A Y I N G S O F J E S U S A N D T H E A P O S T L E S
Certain people with wicked thoughts at the back of their minds are in the habit of flaunting the Name while they practice other things unworthy of God. These you must shun like wild beasts. Mad dogs they are, biting treacherously. You must be on your guard against them, for they are hard to cure. There is only one physician: he who in flesh and in spirit alike, begotten and unbegotten, is God come into the flesh, he who in death is true life, who sprang from Mary and from God, who first suffered and then did not suffer pain any more, Jesus Christ our Lord!
You are stones for the Father's temple, prepared for the house-building of God the Father. You are raised high up by the hoist of Jesus Christ, which is the cross, while the Holy Spirit is your rope. Your faith is your windlass. Love is the path that leads up to God. You are all traveling companions, God-bearers, temple-bearers, Christ-bearers, bearers of holy things, in everything adorned with the words of Jesus Christ.
Let us be eager to become imitators of the Lord. Who could have suffered more than he? Who could have been so robbed, who so despised?
The last times are here. Let us feel shame at last! Let us fear God's patience lest it become judgment upon us! Either let us fear the future wrath or let us love the grace that is given now, one or the other. Let us be found only in Christ Jesus so that we live the true life!
Be eager, then, in coming together as often as possible for God's Meal of Thanksgiving and for his praises, for if you meet frequently, Satan's powers are broken; what threatens you from him is dashed to pieces on the unity of your faith. There is nothing better than the peace by which all warfare waged by heavenly and earthly powers is abolished.