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ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:i.i-p1 | This
volume, containing the equivalent of three volumes of the Edinburgh
series of the Ante-Nicene
Fathers, will be found a library somewhat complete in itself. The
Apostolic Fathers and those associated with them in the third generation,
are here placed together in a handbook, which, with the inestimable
Scriptures, supplies a succinct autobiography of the Spouse of Christ for
the first two centuries. No Christian scholar has ever before possessed,
in faithful versions of such compact form, a supplement so essential to
the right understanding of the New Testament itself. It is a volume
indispensable to all scholars, and to every library, private or public,
in this country. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:i.i-p2 | The American Editor has performed the humble task of
ushering these works into American use, with scanty contributions of his
own. Such was the understanding with the public: they were to be
presented with the Edinburgh series, free from appreciable colour or
alloy. His duty was (1) to give historic arrangement to the confused mass
of the original series; (2) to supply, in continuity, such brief
introductory notices as might slightly popularize what was apparently
meant for scholars only, in the introductions of the translators; (3) to
supply a few deficiencies by short notes and references; (4) to add such
references to Scripture, or to authors of general repute, as might lend
additional aid to students, without clogging or overlaying the comments
of the translators; and (5) to note such corruptions or distortions of
Patristic testimony as have been circulated, in the spirit of the forged
Decretals, by those who carry on the old imposture by means essentially
equivalent. Too long have they been allowed to speak to the popular mind
as if the Fathers were their own; while, to every candid reader, it must
be evident that, alike, the testimony, the arguments, and the silence of
the Ante-Nicene writers confound all attempts to identify the
ecclesiastical establishment of “the Holy Roman Empire,” with
“the Holy Catholic Church” of the ancient creeds. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:i.i-p3 | In performing this task, under the pressure of a
virtual obligation to issue the first volume in the first month of the
new year, the Editor has relied upon the kindly aid of an able friend, as
typographical corrector of the Edinburgh sheets. It is only necessary to
add, that he has bracketed all his own notes, so as to assume the
responsibility for them; but his introductions are so separated from
those of the translators, that, after the first instance, he has not
thought it requisite to suffix his initials to these brief contributions.
He regrets that the most important volume of the series is necessarily
the experimental one, and comes out under disadvantages from which it may
be expected that succeeding issues will be free. May the Lord God of our
Fathers bless the undertaking to all my fellow-Christians, and make good
to them the promise which was once felicitously chosen for the motto of a
similar series of publications: “Yet shall not thy teachers be
removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy
teachers.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:i.i-p7 | The Ante-Nicene
Christian Library is meant to comprise translations into English
of all the extant works of the Fathers down to the date of the first
General Council held at Nice in a.d. 325. The sole provisional
exception is that of the more bulky writings of Origen. It is intended at
present only to embrace in the scheme the Contra Celsum and the
De Principiis of that voluminous author; but the whole of his
works will be included should the undertaking prove successful. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:i.i-p8 | The present volume has been translated by the
Editors. Their object
has been to place the English reader as nearly as possible on a footing
of equality with those who are able to read the original. With this view
they have for the most part leaned towards literal exactness; and
wherever any considerable departure from this has been made, a
verbatim rendering has been given at the foot of the page. Brief
introductory notices have been prefixed, and short notes inserted, to
indicate varieties of reading, specify references, or elucidate any
obscurity which seemed to exist in the text. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:i.ii-p1 | [a.d.
100–200.] The Apostolic
Fathers are here understood as filling up the second century of
our era. Irenæus, it is true, is rather of the sub-apostolic period;
but, as the disciple of Polycarp, he ought not to be dissociated from
that Father’s company. We thus find ourselves conducted, by this
goodly fellowship of witnesses, from the times of the apostles to those
of Tertullian, from the martyrs of the second persecution to those of the
sixth. Those were times of heroism, not of words; an age, not of writers,
but of soldiers; not of talkers, but of sufferers. Curiosity is baffled,
but faith and love are fed by these scanty relics of primitive antiquity.
Yet may we well be grateful for what we have. These writings come down to
us as the earliest response of converted nations to the testimony of
Jesus. They are primary evidences of the Canon and the credibility of the
New Testament. Disappointment may be the first emotion of the student who
comes down from the mount where he has dwelt in the tabernacles of
evangelists and apostles: for these disciples are confessedly inferior to
the masters; they speak with the voices of infirm and fallible men, and
not like the New Testament writers, with the fiery tongues of the Holy
Ghost. Yet the thoughtful and loving spirit soon learns their exceeding
value. For who does not close the records of St. Luke with longing; to
get at least a glimpse of the further history of the progress of the
Gospel? What of the Church when its founders were fallen asleep? Was the
Good Shepherd “always” with His little flock, according to
His promise? Was the Blessed Comforter felt in His presence amid the
fires of persecution? Was the Spirit of Truth really able to guide the
faithful into all truth, and to keep them in the truth? | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:i.ii-p2 | And what had become of the disciples who were the
first-fruits of the apostolic ministry? St. Paul had said, “The
same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others
also.” How was this injunction realized? St. Peter’s
touching words come to mind, “I will endeavour that ye may be able
after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.” Was
this endeavour successfully carried out? To these natural and pious
inquiries, the Apostolic Fathers, though we have a few specimens only of
their fidelity, give an emphatic reply. If the cold-hearted and critical
find no charm in the simple, childlike faith which they exhibit, ennobled
though it be by heroic devotion to the Master, we need not marvel. Such
would probably object: “They teach me nothing; I do not relish
their multiplied citations from Scripture.” The answer is,
“If you are familiar with Scripture, you owe it largely to these
primitive witnesses to its Canon and its spirit. By their testimony we
detect what is spurious, and we identify what is real. Is it nothing to
find that your Bible is their Bible, your faith their faith, your Saviour
their Saviour, your God their God?” Let us reflect also, that, when
copies of the entire Scriptures were rare and costly, these citations
were “words fitly spoken,—apples of gold in pictures of
silver.” We are taught by them also that they obeyed the apostle’s
precept, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;
teaching and admonishing,” etc. Thus they reflect the apostolic
care that men should be raised up able to teach others also. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:i.ii-p3 | Their very mistakes enable us to attach a higher value
to the superiority of inspired writers. They were not wiser than the
naturalists of their day who taught them the history of the Phœnix and
other fables; but nothing of this sort is found in Scripture. The Fathers
are inferior in kind as well as in degree; yet their words are lingering
echoes of those whose words were spoken “as the Spirit gave them
utterance.” They are monuments of the power of the Gospel. They
were made out of such material as St. Paul describes when he says,
“Such were some of you.” But for Christ, they would have been
worshippers of personified Lust and Hate, and of every crime. They would
have lived for “bread and circus-shows.” Yet to the
contemporaries of a Juvenal they taught the Decalogue and the Sermon on
the Mount. Among such beasts in human form they reared the sacred home;
they created the Christian family; they gave new and holy meanings to the
names of wife and mother; they imparted ideas unknown before of the
dignity of man as man; they infused an atmosphere of benevolence and
love; they bestowed the elements of liberty chastened by law; they
sanctified human society by proclaiming the universal brotherhood of
redeemed man. As we read the Apostolic Fathers, we comprehend, in short,
the meaning of St. Paul when he said prophetically, what men were slow to
believe, “The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the
weakness of God is stronger than men … But God hath chosen the
foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the
weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and
base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen,
yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that
are.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.i-p1 | [a.d. 30–100.] Clement was probably a Gentile
and a Roman. He seems to have been at Philippi with St. Paul (a.d. 57) when that first-born of
the Western churches was passing through great trials of faith. There,
with holy women and others, he ministered to the apostle and to the
saints. As this city was a Roman colony, we need not inquire how a Roman
happened to be there. He was possibly in some public service, and it is
not improbable that he had visited Corinth in those days. From the
apostle, and his companion, St. Luke, he had no doubt learned the use of
the Septuagint, in which his knowledge of the Greek tongue soon rendered
him an adept. His copy of that version, however, does not always agree
with the Received Text, as the reader will perceive. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.i-p2 | A co-presbyter with Linus and Cletus, he succeeded them
in the government of the Roman Church. I have reluctantly adopted the
opinion that his Epistle was written near the close of his life, and not
just after the persecution of Nero. It is not improbable that Linus and
Cletus both perished in that fiery trial, and that Clement’s
immediate succession to their work and place occasions the chronological
difficulties of the period. After the death of the apostles, for the
Roman imprisonment and martyrdom of St. Peter seem historical, Clement
was the natural representative of St. Paul, and even of his companion,
the “apostle of the circumcision;” and naturally he wrote the
Epistle in the name of the local church, when brethren looked to them for
advice. St. John, no doubt, was still surviving at Patmos or in Ephesus;
but the Philippians, whose intercourse with Rome is attested by the visit
of Epaphroditus, looked naturally to the surviving friends of their great
founder; nor was the aged apostle in the East equally accessible. All
roads pointed towards the Imperial City, and started from its
Milliarium Aureum. But, though Clement doubtless wrote the letter,
he conceals his own name, and puts forth the brethren, who seem to have
met in council, and sent a brotherly delegation (Chap. lix.). The entire
absence of the spirit of Diotrephes (3 John 9), and
the close accordance of the Epistle, in humility and meekness, with that
of St. Peter (1 Pet. v. 1–5), are noteworthy
features. The whole will be found animated with the loving and faithful
spirit of St. Paul’s dear Philippians, among whom the writer had
learned the Gospel. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.i-p3 | Clement fell asleep, probably soon after he despatched
his letter. It is the legacy of one who reflects the apostolic age in all
the beauty and evangelical truth which were the first-fruits of the
Spirit’s presence with the Church. He shares with others the
aureole of glory attributed by St. Paul (Phil. iv.
3), “His name is in the Book of Life.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.i-p4 | The plan of this publication does not permit the
restoration, in this volume, of the recently discovered portions of his
work. It is the purpose of the editor to present this, however, with
other recently discovered relics of primitive antiquity, in a
supplementary volume, should the
undertaking meet with
sufficient encouragement. The so-called second Epistle of Clement is now
known to be the work of another, and has been relegated to another place
in this series. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.i-p6 | The first
Epistle, bearing the name of Clement, has been preserved to us in a
single manuscript only. Though very frequently referred to by ancient
Christian writers, it remained unknown to the scholars of Western Europe
until happily discovered in the Alexandrian manuscript. This ms. of the Sacred Scriptures
(known and generally referred to as Codex A) was presented in 1628 by
Cyril, Patriarch of Constantinople, to Charles I., and is now preserved
in the British Museum. Subjoined to the books of the New Testament
contained in it, there are two writings described as the Epistles of one
Clement. Of these, that now before us is the first. It is tolerably
perfect, but there are many slight lacunæ, or gaps, in the ms., and one whole leaf is
supposed to have been lost towards the close. These lacunæ,
however, so numerous in some chapters, do not generally extend beyond a
word or syllable, and can for the most part be easily supplied. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.i-p7 | Who the Clement was to whom these writings are
ascribed, cannot with absolute certainty be determined. The general
opinion is, that he is the same as the person of that name referred to by
St. Paul (Phil. iv. 3). The writings themselves
contain no statement as to their author. The first, and by far the longer
of them, simply purports to have been written in the name of the Church
at Rome to the Church at Corinth. But in the catalogue of contents
prefixed to the ms. they
are both plainly attributed to one Clement; and the judgment of most
scholars is, that, in regard to the first Epistle at least, this
statement is correct, and that it is to be regarded as an authentic
production of the friend and fellow-worker of St. Paul. This belief may
be traced to an early period in the history of the Church. It is found in
the writings of Eusebius (Hist. Eccl., iii. 15), of Origen
(Comm. in Joan., i. 29), and others. The internal evidence also
tends to support this opinion. The doctrine, style, and manner of thought
are all in accordance with it; so that, although, as has been said,
positive certainty cannot be reached on the subject, we may with great
probability conclude that we have in this Epistle a composition of that
Clement who is known to us from Scripture as having been an associate of
the great apostle. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.i-p8 | The date of this Epistle has been the subject of
considerable controversy. It is clear from the writing itself that it was
composed soon after some persecution (chap. i.) which the Roman Church
had endured; and the only question is, whether we are to fix upon the
persecution under Nero or Domitian. If the former, the date will be about
the year 68; if the latter, we must place it towards the close of the
first century or the beginning of the second. We possess no external aid
to the settlement of this question. The lists of early Roman bishops are
in hopeless confusion, some making Clement the immediate successor of St.
Peter, others placing Linus, and others still Linus and Anacletus,
between him and the apostle. The internal evidence, again, leaves the
matter doubtful, though it has been strongly pressed on both sides. The
probability seems, on the whole, to be in favour of the Domitian period,
so that the Epistle may be dated about a.d. 97. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.i-p9 | This Epistle was held in very great esteem by the early
Church. The account given of it by Eusebius (Hist. Eccl., iii. 16)
is as follows: “There is one acknowledged Epistle of this Clement
(whom he has just identified with the friend of St. Paul), great and
admirable, which he wrote in the name of the Church of Rome to the Church
at Corinth, sedition having then arisen in the latter Church. We are
aware that this Epistle has been publicly read in very many churches both
in old times, and also in our own day.” The Epistle before us thus
appears to have been read in numerous churches, as being almost on a
level with the canonical writings. And its place in the Alexandrian ms., immediately after the
inspired books, is in harmony with the position thus assigned it in the
primitive Church. There does indeed appear a great difference between it
and
the inspired writings in many respects, such as the
fanciful use sometimes made of Old-Testament statements, the fabulous
stories which are accepted by its author, and the general diffuseness and
feebleness of style by which it is distinguished. But the high tone of
evangelical truth which pervades it, the simple and earnest appeals which
it makes to the heart and conscience, and the anxiety which its writer so
constantly shows to promote the best interests of the Church of Christ,
still impart an undying charm to this precious relic of later apostolic
times. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.i-p10 | [N.B.—A sufficient guide to the recent
literature of the Clementine mss. and discoveries may be found
in The Princeton Review, 1877, p. 325, also in Bishop
Wordsworth’s succinct but learned Church History to the Council
of Nicæa, p. 84. The invaluable edition of the Patres
Apostolici, by Jacobson (Oxford, 1840), with a critical text and rich
prolegomena and annotations, cannot be dispensed with by any
Patristic inquirer. A. C. C.] | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.i-p1 | The Church of God which sojourns
at Rome, to the Church of God sojourning at Corinth, to them that are
called and sanctified by the will of God, through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace unto you, and peace, from Almighty God through Jesus Christ, be
multiplied. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.i-p2 | Owing, dear brethren, to the sudden and successive
calamitous events which have happened to ourselves, we feel that we have
been somewhat tardy in turning our attention to the points respecting
which you consulted us; and especially to that
shameful and detestable sedition, utterly abhorrent to the elect of God,
which a few rash and self-confident persons have kindled to such a pitch
of frenzy, that your venerable and illustrious name, worthy to be
universally loved, has suffered grievous injury. For who ever dwelt even for a short time
among you, and did not find your faith to be as fruitful of virtue as it
was firmly established? Who did not admire the sobriety and moderation
of your godliness in Christ? Who did not proclaim the magnificence of
your habitual hospitality? And who did not rejoice over your perfect and
well-grounded knowledge? For ye did all things without respect of
persons, and walked in the commandments of God, being obedient to those
who had the rule over you, and giving all fitting honour to the
presbyters among you. Ye enjoined young men to be of a sober and serious
mind; ye instructed your wives to do all things with a blameless,
becoming, and pure conscience, loving their husbands as in duty bound;
and ye taught them that, living in the rule of obedience, they should
manage their household affairs becomingly, and be in every respect marked
by discretion. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.i-p3 |
[Note the fact that the Corinthians asked this of their brethren,
the personal friends of their apostle St. Paul. Clement’s own name
does not appear in this Epistle.] | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.ii-p1 | Moreover, ye were all distinguished by humility, and
were in no respect puffed up with pride, but yielded obedience rather
than extorted it, and were more willing to give than to receive. Content with the provision which God had made for you, and
carefully attending to His words, ye were inwardly filled with His doctrine, and His
sufferings were before your eyes. Thus a
profound and abundant peace was given to you all, and ye had an
insatiable desire for doing good, while a full outpouring of the Holy
Spirit was upon you all. Full of holy designs, ye did, with true
earnestness of mind and a godly confidence, stretch forth your hands to
God Almighty, beseeching Him to be merciful unto you, if ye had been
guilty of any involuntary transgression. Day and night ye were anxious
for the whole brotherhood, that the number of
God’s elect might be saved with mercy and a good conscience. Ye were sincere and uncorrupted,
and forgetful of injuries between one another. Every kind of faction and
schism was abominable in your sight. Ye mourned over the transgressions
of your neighbours: their deficiencies you deemed your own. Ye never
grudged any act of kindness, being “ready to every good
work.” Adorned by a thoroughly
virtuous and religious life, ye did all things in the fear of God. The
commandments and ordinances of the Lord were written upon the tablets of
your hearts. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.ii-p4 | Literally, “ye embraced
it in your bowels.” [Concerning the complaints of Photius (ninth
century) against Clement, see Bull’s Defensio Fidei Nicænæ,
Works, vol. v. p. 132.] | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.ii-p6 | So, in the ms., but many have suspected that
the text is here corrupt. Perhaps the best emendation is that which
substitutes συναισθήσεως,
“compassion,” for συνειδήσεως,
“conscience.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.iii-p1 | Every kind of honour and
happiness was bestowed upon you, and then was
fulfilled that which is written, “My beloved did eat and drink, and
was enlarged and became fat, and kicked.” Hence flowed emulation and envy, strife and sedition, persecution
and disorder, war and captivity. So the worthless rose up against the
honoured, those of no reputation
against such as were
renowned, the foolish against the wise, the young against those advanced
in years. For this reason righteousness and peace
are now far departed from you, inasmuch as every one abandons the fear of
God, and is become blind in His faith, neither walks in the ordinances of His appointment,
nor acts a part becoming a Christian, but walks
after his own wicked lusts, resuming the practice of an unrighteous and
ungodly envy, by which death itself entered into the world. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.iv-p1 | For
thus it is written: “And it came to pass after certain days, that
Cain brought of the fruits of the earth a sacrifice unto God; and Abel
also brought of the firstlings of his sheep, and of the fat thereof. And
God had respect to Abel and to his offerings, but Cain and his sacrifices
He did not regard. And Cain was deeply grieved, and his countenance fell.
And God said to Cain, Why art thou grieved, and why is thy countenance
fallen? If thou offerest rightly, but dost not divide rightly, hast thou
not sinned? Be at peace: thine offering returns to thyself, and thou
shalt again possess it. And Cain said to Abel his brother, Let us go into
the field. And it came to pass, while they were in the field, that Cain
rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” Ye see,
brethren, how envy and jealousy led to the murder of a brother. Through
envy, also, our father Jacob fled from the face of Esau his brother. Envy made Joseph be persecuted unto
death, and to come into bondage. Envy compelled Moses to flee from the face of Pharaoh
king of Egypt, when he heard these words from his fellow-countryman,
“Who made thee a judge or a ruler over us? wilt thou kill me, as
thou didst kill the Egyptian yesterday?” On account of envy, Aaron and Miriam had to make their abode
without the camp. Envy brought down Dathan and
Abiram alive to Hades, through the sedition which they excited against
God’s servant Moses. Through
envy, David underwent the hatred not only of foreigners, but was also
persecuted by Saul king of Israel. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.iv-p2 | Gen. iv. 3–8.
The writer here, as always, follows the reading of the Septuagint, which
in this passage both alters and adds to the Hebrew text. We have given
the rendering approved by the best critics; but some prefer to translate,
as in our English version, “unto thee shall be his desire, and thou
shalt rule over him.” See, for an ancient explanation of the
passage, Irenæus, Adv. Hær., iv. 18, 3. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.v-p1 | But
not to dwell upon ancient examples, let us come to the most recent
spiritual heroes. Let us
take the noble examples furnished in our own generation. Through envy and
jealousy, the greatest and most righteous pillars [of the Church] have
been persecuted and put to death. Let us set before our eyes
the illustrious apostles. Peter, through
unrighteous envy, endured not one or two, but numerous labours and when
he had at length suffered martyrdom, departed to the place of glory due
to him. Owing to envy, Paul also obtained the reward of patient
endurance, after being seven times thrown into captivity, compelled to
flee, and stoned. After preaching both in the east and west, he gained
the illustrious reputation due to his faith, having taught righteousness
to the whole world, and come to the extreme limit of the west, and suffered martyrdom under the
prefects. Thus was he removed from the world,
and went into the holy place, having proved himself a striking example of
patience. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.v-p4 |
Literally, “good.” [The martyrdom of St. Peter is all that is
thus connected with his arrival in Rome. His numerous labours were
restricted to the Circumcision.] | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.v-p8 | That is, under
Tigellinus and Sabinus, in the last year of the Emperor Nero; but some
think Helius and Polycletus are referred to; and others, both here and in the
preceding sentence, regard the words as denoting simply the
witness borne by Peter and Paul to the truth of the gospel before
the rulers of the earth. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.vi-p1 | To these men who spent their
lives in the practice of holiness, there is to be added a great multitude
of the elect, who, having through envy endured many indignities and
tortures, furnished us with a most excellent example. Through envy, those women, the
Danaids and Dircæ, being persecuted,
after they had suffered terrible and unspeakable torments, finished the
course of their faith with stedfastness, and though weak in body, received a noble
reward. Envy has alienated wives from their husbands, and changed that
saying of our father Adam, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh
of my flesh.” Envy and strife have
overthrown great cities and rooted up mighty nations. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.vi-p2 | Some suppose
these to have been the names of two eminent female martyrs under Nero;
others regard the clause as an interpolation. [Many ingenious conjectures
might be cited; but see Jacobson’s valuable note, Patres
Apostol., vol. i. p. 30.] | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.vii-p1 | These things, beloved, we write
unto you, not merely to admonish you of your duty, but also to remind
ourselves. For we are struggling on the same arena, and the same conflict
is assigned to both of us. Wherefore let us give up vain and fruitless
cares, and approach to the glorious and venerable rule of our holy
calling. Let us attend to what is good, pleasing, and acceptable in the
sight of Him who formed us. Let us look stedfastly to the blood of
Christ, and see how precious that blood is to God, which, having been shed for our salvation, has set the grace of
repentance before the whole world. Let us turn to every age that has
passed, and learn that, from generation to generation, the Lord has
granted a place of repentance to all such as would be converted unto Him.
Noah preached repentance, and as many as listened
to him were saved. Jonah proclaimed destruction to the Ninevites; but they, repenting of their sins,
propitiated God by prayer, and obtained salvation, although they were
aliens [to the covenant] of God. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.viii-p1 | The
ministers of the grace of God have, by the Holy Spirit, spoken of
repentance; and the Lord of all things has himself declared with an oath
regarding it, “As I live, saith the Lord, I desire not the death of
the sinner, but rather his repentance;” adding, moreover, this gracious declaration, “Repent, O
house of Israel, of your iniquity. Say to
the children of My people, Though your sins reach from earth to heaven,
and though they be redder than scarlet, and
blacker than sackcloth, yet if ye turn to Me with your whole heart, and
say, Father! I will listen to you, as to a holy people.” And in another place He speaks
thus: “Wash you, and become clean; put away the wickedness of your
souls from before mine eyes; cease from your evil ways, and learn to do
well; seek out judgment, deliver the oppressed, judge the fatherless, and
see that justice is done to the widow; and come, and let us reason
together. He declares, Though your sins be like crimson, I will make them
white as snow; though they be like scarlet, I will whiten them like wool.
And if ye be willing and obey Me, ye shall eat the good of the land; but
if ye refuse, and will not hearken unto Me, the sword shall devour you,
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken these things.” Desiring, therefore, that all His
beloved should be partakers of repentance, He has, by His almighty will,
established [these declarations]. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.ix-p1 | Wherefore, let us yield obedience to His
excellent and glorious will; and imploring His mercy and loving-kindness,
while we forsake all fruitless labours, and strife, and envy, which leads to
death, let us turn and have recourse to His compassions. Let us
stedfastly contemplate those who have perfectly ministered to His
excellent glory. Let us take (for instance)
Enoch, who, being found righteous in obedience, was translated, and death
was never known to happen to him. Noah, being found faithful, preached regeneration to the world
through his ministry; and the Lord saved by him the animals which, with
one accord, entered into the ark. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.x-p1 | Abraham, styled “the
friend,” was found faithful, inasmuch as he rendered
obedience to the words of God. He, in the exercise of obedience, went out
from his own country, and from his kindred, and from his father’s
house, in order that, by forsaking a small territory, and a weak family,
and an insignificant house, he might inherit the promises of God. For God
said to him, “Get thee out from thy country, and from thy kindred,
and from thy father’s house, into the land which I shall show thee.
And I will make thee a great nation, and will bless thee, and make thy
name great, and thou shall be blessed. And I will bless them that bless
thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee shall all the families
of the earth be blessed.”
And again, on his departing from Lot, God said to him. “Lift up
thine eyes, and look from the place where thou now art, northward, and
southward, and eastward, and westward; for all the land which thou seest,
to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy
seed as the dust of the earth, [so that] if a man can number the dust of
the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.” And again [the Scripture] saith,
“God brought forth Abram, and spake unto him, Look up now to
heaven, and count the stars if thou be able to number them; so shall thy
seed be. And Abram believed God, and it was counted to him for
righteousness.” On account of his faith and hospitality, a son
was
given him in his old age; and in the exercise of obedience, he offered
him as a sacrifice to God on one of the mountains which He showed
him. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xi-p1 | On account of his
hospitality and godliness, Lot was saved out of Sodom when all the
country round was punished by means of fire and brimstone, the Lord thus
making it manifest that He does not forsake those that hope in Him, but
gives up such as depart from Him to punishment and torture. For Lot’s wife, who went forth with him, being of a
different mind from himself and not continuing in agreement with him [as
to the command which had been given them], was made an example of, so as
to be a pillar of salt unto this day. This was done that all might know that
those who are of a double mind, and who distrust the power of God, bring
down judgment on themselves and become a sign to all succeeding generations. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xii-p1 | On account of her faith and hospitality, Rahab the
harlot was saved. For when spies were sent by Joshua, the son of Nun, to
Jericho, the king of the country ascertained that they were come to spy
out their land, and sent men to seize them, in order that, when taken,
they might be put to death. But the hospitable Rahab receiving them,
concealed them on the roof of her house under some stalks of flax. And
when the men sent by the king arrived and said “There came men unto
thee who are to spy out our land; bring them forth, for so the king
commands,” she answered them, “The two men whom ye seek came
unto me, but quickly departed again and are gone,” thus not
discovering the spies to them. Then she said to the men, “I know
assuredly that the Lord your God hath given you this city, for the fear
and dread of you have fallen on its inhabitants. When therefore ye shall
have taken it, keep ye me and the house of my father in safety.”
And they said to her, “It shall be as thou hast spoken to us. As
soon, therefore, as thou knowest that we are at hand, thou shalt gather
all thy family under thy roof, and they shall be preserved, but all that
are found outside of thy dwelling shall perish.” Moreover, they gave her a
sign to this effect, that she should hang forth from her house a scarlet
thread. And thus they made it manifest that redemption should flow
through the blood of the Lord to all them that believe and hope in
God. Ye see, beloved, that there
was not only faith, but prophecy, in this woman. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xii-p3 | Others of the
Fathers adopt the same allegorical interpretation, e.g., Justin Mar.,
Dial. c. Tryph., n. 111; Irenæus, Adv. Hær., iv. 20. [The
whole matter of symbolism under the law must be more thoroughly studied
if we would account for such strong language as is here applied to a
poetical or rhetorical figure.] | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xiii-p1 | Let us therefore, brethren, be of humble mind,
laying aside all haughtiness, and pride, and foolishness, and angry
feelings; and let us act according to that which is written (for the Holy
Spirit saith, “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither
let the mighty man glory in his might, neither let the rich man glory in
his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in the Lord, in diligently
seeking Him, and doing judgment and righteousness”), being especially mindful of the words of the Lord Jesus which
He spake, teaching us meekness and long-suffering. For thus He spoke:
“Be ye merciful, that ye may obtain mercy; forgive, that it may be
forgiven to you; as ye do, so shall it be done unto you; as ye judge, so
shall ye be judged; as ye are kind, so shall kindness be shown to you;
with what measure ye mete, with the same it shall be measured to
you.” By
this precept and by these rules let us establish ourselves, that we walk
with all humility in obedience to His holy words. For the holy word
saith, “On whom shall I look, but on him that is meek and
peaceable, and that trembleth at My words?” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xiv-p1 | It is right and
holy therefore, men and brethren, rather to obey God than to follow those
who, through pride and sedition, have become the leaders of a detestable
emulation. For we shall incur no slight injury, but rather great danger,
if we rashly yield ourselves to the inclinations of men who aim at
exciting strife and tumults, so as to draw us away from what is good. Let
us be kind one to another after the pattern of the tender mercy and
benignity of our Creator. For it is written, “The kind-hearted
shall inhabit the land, and the guiltless shall be left upon it, but
transgressors shall be destroyed from off the face of it.” And again [the Scripture] saith, “I saw
the ungodly highly exalted, and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon: I
passed by, and, behold, he was not; and I diligently sought his place,
and could not find it. Preserve innocence, and look on equity: for there
shall be a remnant to the peaceful man.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xv-p1 | Let us
cleave, therefore, to those who cultivate peace with godliness, and not
to those who hypocritically profess to desire it. For [the Scripture]
saith in a certain place, “This people honoureth Me with their
lips, but their heart is far from Me.” And again: “They bless with their mouth, but curse with
their heart.” And again it saith,
“They loved Him with their mouth, and lied to Him with their
tongue; but their heart was not right with Him, neither were they
faithful in His covenant.”
“Let the deceitful lips become silent,” [and “let the Lord destroy all the lying lips,]
and the boastful tongue of those who have said, Let us magnify our
tongue; our lips are our own; who is lord over us? For the oppression of
the poor, and for the sighing of the needy, will I now arise, saith the
Lord: I will place him in safety; I will deal confidently with
him.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xvi-p1 | For Christ is
of those who are humble-minded, and not of those who exalt themselves
over His flock. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sceptre of the majesty of God,
did not come in the pomp of pride or arrogance, although He might have
done so, but in a lowly condition, as the Holy Spirit had declared
regarding Him. For He says, “Lord, who hath believed our report,
and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? We have declared [our
message] in His presence: He is, as it were, a child, and like a root in
thirsty ground; He has no form nor glory, yea, we saw Him, and He had no
form nor comeliness; but His form was without eminence, yea, deficient in
comparison with the [ordinary] form of men. He is a man exposed to
stripes and suffering, and acquainted with the endurance of grief: for
His countenance was turned away; He was despised, and not esteemed. He
bears our iniquities, and is in sorrow for our sakes; yet we supposed
that [on His own account] He was exposed to labour, and stripes, and
affliction. But He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for
our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His
stripes we were healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; [every] man
has wandered in his own way; and the Lord has delivered Him up for our
sins, while He in the midst of His sufferings openeth not His mouth. He
was brought as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before her shearer
is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was
taken away; who shall declare His generation? for His life is taken from
the earth. For the transgressions of my people was He brought down to
death. And I will give the wicked for His sepulchre, and the rich for His
death, because He did
no iniquity, neither was guile found in His mouth. And the Lord is
pleased to purify Him by stripes. If ye make an
offering for sin, your soul shall see a long-lived seed. And the Lord is
pleased to relieve Him of the affliction of His soul, to show Him light,
and to form Him with understanding, to justify the Just One who ministereth well to
many; and He Himself shall carry their sins. On this account He shall
inherit many, and shall divide the spoil of the strong; because His soul
was delivered to death, and He was reckoned among the transgressors, and
He bare the sins of many, and for their sins was He
delivered.” And again He
saith, “I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of
the people. All that see Me have derided Me; they have spoken with their
lips; they have wagged their head, [saying] He hoped in God, let Him
deliver Him, let Him save Him, since He delighteth in Him.” Ye see, beloved, what is the example
which has been given us; for if the Lord thus humbled Himself, what shall
we do who have through Him come under the yoke of His grace? | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xvi-p2 | The Latin of
Cotelerius, adopted by Hefele and Dressel, translates this clause as
follows: “I will set free the wicked on account of His sepulchre,
and the rich on account of His death.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xvii-p1 | Let us be imitators also of those who in
goat-skins and sheep-skins went about
proclaiming the coming of Christ; I mean Elijah, Elisha, and Ezekiel
among the prophets, with those others to whom a like testimony is borne
[in Scripture]. Abraham was specially
honoured, and was called the friend of God; yet he, earnestly regarding
the glory of God, humbly declared, “I am but dust and
ashes.” Moreover, it is thus
written of Job, “Job was a righteous man, and blameless, truthful,
God-fearing, and one that kept himself from all evil.” But bringing an accusation
against himself, he
said, “No man is free from defilement, even if his life be but of
one day.” Moses was called faithful in all God’s
house; and
through his instrumentality, God punished Egypt with plagues and tortures. Yet he,
though thus greatly honoured, did not adopt lofty language, but said,
when the divine oracle came to him out of the bush, “Who am I, that
Thou sendest me? I am a man of a feeble voice and a slow
tongue.” And again he said, “I am but as the smoke of a
pot.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xviii-p1 | But what shall we say concerning David, to whom
such testimony was borne, and of whom
God said, “I have found a man after Mine own heart, David the son
of Jesse; and in everlasting mercy have I anointed him?” Yet this very man saith to God, “Have
mercy on me, O Lord, according to Thy great mercy; and according to the
multitude of Thy compassions, blot out my transgression. Wash me still
more from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my
iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee only have I sinned,
and done that which was evil in Thy sight; that Thou mayest be justified
in Thy sayings, and mayest overcome when Thou art judged. For, behold, I was conceived in transgressions, and
in my sins did my mother conceive me. For, behold, Thou hast loved truth;
the secret and hidden things of wisdom hast Thou shown me. Thou shalt
sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed; Thou shalt wash me, and
I shall be whiter than snow. Thou shalt make me to hear joy and gladness;
my bones, which have been humbled, shall exult. Turn away Thy face from
my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O
God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast
me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, and establish me by Thy governing
Spirit. I will teach transgressors Thy ways, and the ungodly shall be
converted unto Thee. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation: my tongue shall exult in Thy
righteousness. O Lord, Thou shalt open my mouth, and my lips shall show
forth Thy praise. For if Thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would have given
it; Thou wilt not delight in burnt-offerings. The sacrifice [acceptable]
to God is a bruised spirit; a broken and a contrite heart God will not
despise.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xix-p1 | Thus the humility and godly submission of so
great and illustrious men have rendered not only us, but also all the
generations before us, better; even as many as have received His oracles
in fear and truth. Wherefore, having so many
great and glorious examples set before us, let us turn again to the
practice of that peace which from the beginning was the mark set before
us; and let us look stedfastly
to the Father and Creator of the universe, and cleave to His mighty and
surpassingly great gifts and benefactions of peace. Let us contemplate
Him with our understanding, and look with the eyes of our soul to His
long-suffering will. Let us reflect how free from wrath He is towards all
His creation. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xx-p1 | The heavens, revolving under His government,
are subject to Him in peace. Day and night run the course appointed by
Him, in no wise hindering each other. The sun and moon, with the
companies of the stars, roll on in harmony according to His command,
within their prescribed limits, and without any deviation. The fruitful
earth, according to His will, brings forth food in abundance, at the
proper seasons, for man and beast and all the living beings upon it,
never hesitating, nor changing any of the ordinances which He has fixed.
The unsearchable places of abysses, and the indescribable arrangements of
the lower world, are restrained by the same laws. The vast unmeasurable
sea, gathered together by His working into various basins, never passes beyond the bounds
placed around it, but does as He has commanded. For He said, “Thus
far shalt thou come, and thy waves shall be broken within
thee.” The ocean, impassable
to man, and the worlds beyond it, are regulated by the same enactments of
the Lord. The seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, peacefully
give place to one another. The winds in their several quarters fulfill, at the proper time, their service without hindrance.
The ever-flowing fountains, formed both for enjoyment and health, furnish
without fail their breasts for the life of men. The very smallest
of living beings meet together in peace and concord. All these
the great Creator and Lord of all has appointed to exist in peace and
harmony; while He does good to all, but most abundantly to us who have
fled for refuge to His compassions through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom
be glory and majesty for ever and ever. Amen. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxi-p1 | Take heed, beloved, lest
His many kindnesses lead to the condemnation of us all. [For thus it must
be] unless we walk worthy of Him, and with one mind do those things which
are good and well-pleasing in His sight. For [the Scripture] saith in a certain place,
“The Spirit of the Lord is a candle searching the secret parts of
the belly.” Let us reflect how near He
is, and that none of the thoughts or reasonings in which we engage are
hid from Him. It is right, therefore, that we should not leave the post
which His will has assigned us. Let us rather
offend those men who are foolish, and inconsiderate, and lifted up, and
who glory in the pride of their speech, than [offend] God. Let us
reverence the Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood was given for us; let us
esteem those who have the rule over us; let us honour the aged among us; let us train up the young men in
the fear of God; let us direct our wives to that which is good. Let them
exhibit the lovely habit of purity [in all their conduct]; let them show
forth the sincere disposition of meekness; let them make manifest the
command which they have of their tongue, by their manner of speaking; let them display their love, not
by preferring one to another, but by
showing equal affection to all that piously fear God. Let your children
be partakers of true Christian training; let them learn of how great
avail humility is with God—how much the spirit of pure affection
can prevail with Him—how excellent and great His fear is, and how
it saves all those who walk in it with a pure mind. For He is a Searcher of the thoughts and
desires [of the heart]: His breath is in us; and when He pleases, He will
take it away. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxii-p1 | Now the faith which is in Christ
confirms all these [admonitions]. For He Himself by the Holy Ghost thus
addresses us: “Come, ye children, hearken unto Me; I will teach you
the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and loveth to
see good days? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking
guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes
of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are [open] unto their
prayers. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off
the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cried, and the Lord
heard him, and delivered him out of all his troubles.” “Many are the stripes
[appointed for] the wicked; but mercy shall compass those about who hope
in the Lord.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxiii-p1 | The
all-merciful and beneficent Father has bowels [of compassion] towards
those that fear Him, and kindly and lovingly bestows His favours upon
those who come to Him with a simple mind. Wherefore let us not be
double-minded; neither let our soul be lifted up on account of His exceedingly
great and glorious gifts. Far from us be that which is written,
“Wretched are they who are of a double mind, and of a doubting
heart; who say, These things we have heard even in the times of our
fathers; but, behold, we have grown old, and none of them has happened
unto us.” Ye foolish ones! compare yourselves to a
tree: take [for instance] the vine. First of all, it sheds its leaves,
then it buds, next it puts forth leaves, and then it flowers; after that
comes the sour grape, and then follows the ripened fruit. Ye perceive how
in a little time the fruit of a tree comes to maturity. Of a truth, soon and
suddenly shall His will be accomplished, as the Scripture also bears
witness, saying, “Speedily will He come, and will not
tarry;” and, “The Lord shall suddenly come to His temple, even the
Holy One, for whom ye look.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxiv-p1 | Let
us consider, beloved, how the Lord continually proves to us that there
shall be a future resurrection, of which He has rendered the Lord Jesus
Christ the first-fruits by raising Him from the dead. Let us
contemplate, beloved, the resurrection which is at all times taking
place. Day and night declare to us a resurrection. The night sinks to
sleep, and the day arises; the day [again] departs, and the night comes
on.
Let us behold the fruits [of the earth], how the sowing
of grain takes place. The sower
goes forth, and casts it into the ground; and the seed being thus
scattered, though dry and naked when it fell upon the earth, is gradually
dissolved. Then out of its dissolution the mighty power of the providence
of the Lord raises it up again, and from one seed many arise and bring
forth fruit. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxv-p1 | Let us consider that
wonderful sign [of the resurrection] which takes place in Eastern lands,
that is, in Arabia and the countries round about. There is a certain bird
which is called a phœnix. This is the only one of its kind, and lives
five hundred years. And when the time of its dissolution draws near that
it must die, it builds itself a nest of frankincense, and myrrh, and
other spices, into which, when the time is fulfilled, it enters and dies.
But as the flesh decays a certain kind of worm is produced, which, being
nourished by the juices of the dead bird, brings forth feathers. Then,
when it has acquired strength, it takes up that nest in which are the
bones of its parent, and bearing these it passes from the land of Arabia
into Egypt, to the city called Heliopolis. And, in open day, flying in
the sight of all men, it places them on the altar of the sun, and having
done this, hastens back to its former abode. The priests then inspect the
registers of the dates, and find that it has returned exactly as the five
hundredth year was completed. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxv-p2 | This fable respecting the phœnix is mentioned by
Herodotus (ii. 73) and by Pliny (Nat. Hist., x. 2) and is used as
above by Tertullian (De Resurr., §13) and by others of the
Fathers. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxvi-p1 | Do we
then deem it any great and wonderful thing for the Maker of all things to
raise up again those that have piously served Him in the assurance of a
good faith, when even by a bird He shows us the mightiness of His power
to fulfil His promise? For
[the Scripture] saith in a certain place, “Thou shalt raise me up,
and I shall confess unto Thee;” and again, “I laid me down, and slept; I awaked,
because Thou art with me;” and
again, Job says, “Thou shalt raise up this flesh of mine, which has
suffered all these things.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxvii-p1 | Having
then this hope, let our souls be bound to Him who is faithful in His
promises, and just in His judgments. He who has commanded us not to lie,
shall much more Himself not lie; for nothing is impossible with God,
except to lie. Let His faith therefore be stirred up again within us, and let us
consider that all things are nigh unto Him. By the word of His might He established all things, and by His
word He can overthrow them. “Who shall say unto Him, What hast thou
done? or, Who shall resist the power of His strength?” When and
as He pleases He will do all things, and none of the things determined by
Him shall pass away. All things are
open before Him, and nothing can be hidden from His counsel. “The
heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament showeth His handy-work. Day unto day uttereth speech,
and night unto night showeth knowledge. And there are no words or
speeches of which the voices are not heard.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxviii-p1 | Since then all things are seen
and heard [by God], let us fear Him, and forsake those wicked works which
proceed from evil desires; so that, through His mercy, we may be protected
from the judgments to come. For whither can any of us flee from His
mighty hand? Or what world will receive any of those who run away from
Him? For the Scripture saith in a certain place, “Whither shall I
go, and where shall I be hid from Thy presence? If I ascend into heaven,
Thou art there; if I go away even to the uttermost parts of the earth,
there is Thy right hand; if I make my bed in the abyss, there is Thy
Spirit.” Whither, then,
shall any one go, or where shall he escape from Him who comprehends all
things? | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxix-p1 | Let us then draw near to Him with holiness of
spirit, lifting up pure and undefiled hands unto Him, loving our gracious
and merciful Father, who has made us partakers in the blessings of His
elect. For
thus it is written, “When the Most High divided the nations, when
He scattered the sons of Adam, He fixed the
bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God.
His people Jacob became the portion of the Lord,
and Israel the lot of His
inheritance.” And in another place [the Scripture] saith,
“Behold, the Lord taketh unto Himself a nation out of the midst of
the nations, as a man takes the first-fruits of his threshing-floor; and
from that nation shall come forth the Most Holy.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxx-p1 | Seeing, therefore, that we are the portion of
the Holy One, let us do all those things which pertain to holiness,
avoiding all evil-speaking, all abominable and impure embraces, together
with all drunkenness, seeking after change, all abominable lusts, detestable adultery, and
execrable pride. “For God,” saith [the Scripture],
“resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.” Let us cleave, then, to those to whom grace has
been given by God. Let us clothe ourselves with concord and humility,
ever exercising self-control, standing far off from all whispering and
evil-speaking, being justified by our works, and not our words. For [the
Scripture] saith, “He that speaketh much, shall also hear much in
answer. And does he that is ready in speech deem himself righteous?
Blessed is he that is born of woman, who liveth but a short time: be not
given to much speaking.” Let our praise be in God, and
not of ourselves; for God hateth those that commend themselves. Let
testimony to our good deeds be borne by others, as it was in the case of
our righteous forefathers. Boldness, and arrogance, and audacity belong
to those that are accursed of God; but moderation, humility, and meekness
to such as are blessed by Him. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxxi-p1 | Let us cleave then to His blessing, and consider
what are the means
of possessing it. Let us think over the
things which have taken place from the beginning. For what reason was our father Abraham blessed? was
it not because he wrought righteousness and truth through faith? Isaac, with perfect
confidence, as if knowing what was to happen, cheerfully yielded himself as a
sacrifice. Jacob, through reason of his brother, went forth with humility from
his own land, and came to Laban and served him; and there was given to
him the sceptre of the twelve tribes of Israel. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxxii-p1 | Whosoever will candidly consider each
particular, will recognise the greatness of the gifts which were given by
him. For from him have sprung the priests and all the Levites who minister at the
altar of God. From him also [was descended] our Lord Jesus Christ
according to the flesh. From him [arose]
kings, princes, and rulers of the race of Judah. Nor are his other tribes
in small glory, inasmuch as God had promised, “Thy seed shall be as
the stars of heaven.” All these, therefore, were highly
honoured, and made great, not for their own sake, or for their own works,
or for the righteousness which they wrought, but through the operation of
His will. And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not
justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or
godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by
that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified
all men; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxxiii-p1 | What
shall we do, then, brethren? Shall we become slothful in well-doing, and
cease from the practice of love? God forbid that any such course should
be followed by us! But rather let us hasten with all energy and readiness
of mind to perform every good work. For the Creator and Lord of all
Himself rejoices in His works. For by His infinitely great power He
established the heavens, and by His incomprehensible wisdom He adorned
them. He also divided the earth from the water which surrounds it, and
fixed it upon the immoveable foundation of His own will. The animals also
which are upon it He commanded by His own word into existence. So likewise, when He had formed the sea, and the
living creatures which are in it, He enclosed them [within their proper
bounds] by His own power. Above all, with
His holy and undefiled hands He formed man, the most excellent [of His
creatures], and truly great through the understanding given him—
the express likeness of His own image. For
thus says God:
“Let us make man in Our image, and after Our likeness. So God made
man; male and female He created them.” Having thus finished all these things, He approved them, and
blessed them, and said, “Increase and multiply.” We see, then, how
all righteous men have been adorned with good works, and how the Lord
Himself, adorning Himself with His works, rejoiced. Having therefore such
an example, let us without delay accede to His will, and let us work the
work of righteousness with our whole strength. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxxiv-p1 | The good servant receives the
bread of his labour with confidence; the lazy and slothful cannot look
his employer in the face. It is requisite, therefore, that we be prompt
in the practice of well-doing; for of Him are all things. And thus He
forewarns us: “Behold, the Lord [cometh], and His reward is before
His face, to render to every man according to his work.” He exhorts us, therefore, with our whole heart
to attend to this, that we be not
lazy or slothful in any good work. Let our boasting and our confidence be
in Him. Let us submit ourselves to His will. Let us consider the whole
multitude of His angels, how they stand ever ready to minister to His
will. For the Scripture saith, “Ten thousand times ten thousand
stood around Him, and thousands of thousands ministered unto Him, and cried, Holy, holy, holy, [is] the Lord of
Sabaoth; the whole creation is full of His glory.” And let us therefore, conscientiously gathering together in
harmony, cry to Him earnestly, as with one mouth, that we may be made
partakers of His great and glorious promises. For [the Scripture] saith,
“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man, the things which He hath prepared for them that wait for
Him.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxxv-p1 | How blessed and wonderful, beloved, are the gifts
of God! Life in immortality, splendour in righteousness, truth in perfect
confidence, faith in assurance,
self-control in holiness! And all these fall under the cognizance of our
understandings [now]; what then shall those things be which are prepared
for such as wait for Him? The Creator and Father of all worlds, the Most Holy, alone knows their amount and
their beauty. Let us therefore earnestly strive to be found in the number
of those that wait for Him, in order that we may share in His promised
gifts. But how, beloved, shall this
be done? If our understanding be fixed by faith towards God; if we
earnestly seek the things which are pleasing and acceptable to Him; if we
do the things which are in harmony with His blameless will; and if we
follow the way of truth, casting away from us all unrighteousness and
iniquity, along with all covetousness, strife, evil practices, deceit,
whispering, and evil-speaking, all hatred of God, pride and haughtiness,
vainglory and ambition. For
they that do such things are hateful to God; and not only they that do
them, but also those that take pleasure in them that do them. For the Scripture saith, “But to the
sinner God said, Wherefore dost thou declare my statutes, and take my
covenant into thy mouth, seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my
words behind thee? When thou sawest a thief, thou consentedst with him, and didst make thy portion with adulterers.
Thy mouth has abounded with wickedness, and thy tongue contrived deceit. Thou sittest, and speakest against thy
brother; thou slanderest thine own
mother’s son. These things thou hast done, and I kept silence; thou
thoughtest, wicked one, that I should be like to thyself. But I will
reprove thee, and set thyself before thee. Consider now these things, ye
that forget God, lest He tear you in pieces, like a lion, and there be
none to deliver. The sacrifice of praise will glorify Me, and a way is
there by which I will show him the salvation of God.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxxvi-p1 | This is the way, beloved, in which we find our
Saviour, even Jesus Christ, the
High Priest of all our offerings, the defender and helper of our
infirmity. By Him we look up to the heights of heaven. By Him we behold,
as in a glass, His immaculate and most excellent visage. By Him are the
eyes of our hearts opened. By Him our foolish and darkened understanding
blossoms up anew towards His
marvellous light. By Him the Lord has willed that we should taste of
immortal
knowledge,
“who, being the brightness of His majesty, is by so much greater
than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name
than they.” For it is thus written,
“Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of
fire.” But concerning His Son the
Lord spoke thus: “Thou art my Son, to-day have I begotten Thee. Ask
of Me, and I will give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the
uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession.” And again He saith to Him,
“Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy
footstool.” But who are His enemies? All the wicked, and those who set
themselves to oppose the will of God. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxxvii-p1 | Let us then, men and brethren, with all energy act
the part of soldiers, in accordance with His holy commandments. Let us
consider those who serve under our generals, with what order, obedience,
and submissiveness they perform the things which are commanded them. All
are not prefects, nor commanders of a thousand, nor of a hundred, nor of
fifty, nor the like, but each one in his own rank performs the things
commanded by the king and the generals. The great cannot subsist without
the small, nor the small without the great. There is a kind of mixture in
all things, and thence arises mutual advantage. Let us take our body for an example. The head is nothing without the feet, and
the feet are nothing without the head; yea, the very smallest members of
our body are necessary and useful to the whole body. But all work harmoniously together, and are under one
common rule for the preservation of the
whole body. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxxviii-p1 | Let our whole body, then, be preserved in Christ
Jesus; and let every one be subject to his neighbour, according to the
special gift
bestowed upon him. Let the strong not despise the weak, and let the weak
show respect unto the strong. Let the rich man provide for the wants of
the poor; and let the poor man bless God, because He hath given him one
by whom his need may be supplied. Let the wise man display his wisdom,
not by [mere] words, but through good deeds. Let the humble not bear
testimony to himself, but leave witness to be borne to him by
another. Let him that is pure in
the flesh not grow proud of it, and boast,
knowing that it was another who bestowed on him the gift of continence.
Let us consider, then, brethren, of what matter we were made,—who
and what manner of beings we came into the world, as it were out of a
sepulchre, and from utter darkness.
He who made us and fashioned us, having prepared His bountiful gifts for
us before we were born, introduced us into His world. Since, therefore, we receive all these
things from Him, we ought for everything to give Him thanks; to whom be
glory for ever and ever. Amen. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xxxix-p1 | Foolish and inconsiderate men, who have neither
wisdom nor instruction,
mock and deride us, being eager to exalt themselves in their own
conceits. For what can a mortal man do? or what strength is there in one
made out of the dust? For it is written, “There was no shape before
mine eyes, only I heard a sound, and a
voice [saying], What then? Shall a man be pure before the Lord? or shall
such an one be [counted] blameless in his deeds, seeing He does not
confide in His servants, and has charged even His
angels with perversity? The heaven is not clean in His sight: how much
less they that dwell in houses of clay, of which also we ourselves were
made! He smote them as a moth; and from morning even until evening they
endure not. Because they could furnish no assistance to themselves, they
perished. He breathed upon them, and they died, because they had no
wisdom. But call now, if any one will answer thee, or if thou wilt look
to any of the holy angels; for wrath destroys the foolish man, and envy
killeth him that is in error. I have seen the foolish taking root, but
their habitation was presently consumed. Let their sons be far from
safety; let them be despised before the gates of those less than themselves,
and there shall be none to deliver. For what was prepared for them, the
righteous shall eat; and they shall not be delivered from
evil.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xl-p1 | These
things therefore being manifest to us, and since we look into the depths
of the divine knowledge, it behoves us to do all things in [their proper]
order, which the Lord has commanded us to perform at stated times. He has enjoined offerings [to be presented] and
service to be performed [to Him], and that not thoughtlessly or
irregularly, but at the appointed times and hours. Where and by whom He desires these things to be
done, He Himself has fixed by His own supreme will, in order that all
things being piously done according to His good pleasure, may be
acceptable unto Him. Those, therefore, who present their
offerings at the appointed times, are accepted and blessed; for inasmuch
as they follow the laws of the Lord, they sin not. For his own peculiar
services are assigned to the high priest, and their own proper place is
prescribed to the priests, and their own special ministrations devolve on
the Levites. The layman is bound by the laws that pertain to laymen. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xli-p1 | Let every
one of you, brethren, give thanks to God in his own order, living in all
good conscience, with becoming gravity, and not going beyond the rule of
the ministry prescribed to him. Not in every place, brethren, are the
daily sacrifices offered, or the peace-offerings, or the sin-offerings
and the trespass-offerings, but in Jerusalem only. And even there they
are not offered in any place, but only at the altar before the temple,
that which is offered being first carefully examined by the high priest
and the ministers already mentioned. Those, therefore, who do anything
beyond that which is agreeable to His will, are punished with death. Ye
see, brethren, that the greater the knowledge that has
been vouchsafed to us, the greater also is the danger to which we are
exposed. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xlii-p1 | The apostles have preached the
Gospel to us from the Lord Jesus Christ; Jesus
Christ [has done so] from God.
Christ therefore was sent forth by God, and the apostles by Christ. Both
these appointments, then, were
made in an orderly way, according to the will of God. Having therefore
received their orders, and being fully assured by the resurrection of our
Lord Jesus Christ, and established in the word
of God, with full assurance of the Holy Ghost, they went forth
proclaiming that the kingdom of God was at hand. And thus preaching
through countries and cities, they appointed the first-fruits [of their
labours], having first proved them by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons of those who should
afterwards believe. Nor was this any new thing, since indeed many ages
before it was written concerning bishops and deacons. For thus saith the
Scripture in a certain place, “I will appoint their bishops in righteousness, and their
deacons in faith.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xliii-p1 | And what wonder is it if those in Christ who
were entrusted with such a duty by God, appointed those [ministers]
before mentioned, when the blessed Moses also, “a faithful servant
in all his house,” noted down in the sacred books all the injunctions which were
given him, and when the other prophets also followed him, bearing witness
with one consent to the ordinances which he had appointed? For, when rivalry arose
concerning the priesthood, and the tribes were contending among
themselves as to which of them should be adorned with that glorious
title, he commanded the twelve princes of the tribes to bring him their
rods, each one being inscribed with the name of the tribe. And he
took them and bound them [together], and sealed them with the rings of
the princes of the tribes, and laid them up in the tabernacle of witness
on the table of God. And having shut the doors of the tabernacle, he
sealed the keys, as he had done the rods, and said to them, Men and
brethren, the tribe whose rod shall blossom has God chosen to fulfil the
office of the priesthood, and to minister unto Him. And when the morning
was come, he assembled all Israel, six hundred thousand men, and showed
the seals to the princes of the tribes, and opened the tabernacle of
witness, and brought forth the rods. And the rod of Aaron was found not
only to have blossomed, but to bear fruit upon it. What think ye, beloved? Did not Moses know beforehand that this
would happen? Undoubtedly he knew; but he acted thus, that there might be
no sedition in Israel, and that
the name of the true and only
God might be glorified; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xliv-p1 | Our apostles also
knew, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and there would be strife on account
of the office
of the episcopate. For this reason, therefore, inasmuch as they had
obtained a perfect fore-knowledge of this, they appointed those
[ministers] already mentioned, and afterwards gave instructions, that when these should fall asleep,
other approved men should succeed them in their ministry. We are of opinion,
therefore, that those appointed by them, or afterwards by other
eminent men, with the consent of the whole Church, and who have
blamelessly served the flock of Christ in a humble, peaceable, and
disinterested spirit, and have for a long time possessed the good opinion
of all, cannot be justly dismissed from the ministry. For our
sin will not be small, if we eject from the episcopate
those who have blamelessly and holily fulfilled its duties. Blessed are those presbyters who,
having finished their course before now, have obtained a fruitful and
perfect departure [from this world]; for they have no fear lest any one
deprive them of the place now appointed them. But we see that ye have
removed some men of excellent behaviour from the ministry, which they
fulfilled blamelessly and with honour. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xliv-p2 | Literally,
“on account of the title of the oversight.” Some understand
this to mean, “in regard to the dignity of the episcopate;”
and others simply, “on account of the oversight.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xliv-p3 | The meaning of this passage
is much controverted. Some render, “left a list of other approved
persons;” while others translate the unusual word ἐπινομή, which causes the difficulty, by “testamentary direction,” and many
others deem the text corrupt. We have given what seems the simplest
version of the text as it stands. [Comp. the versions of Wake,
Chevallier, and others.] | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xlv-p1 | Ye are fond of
contention, brethren, and full of zeal about things which do not pertain
to salvation. Look carefully into the Scriptures, which are the
true utterances of the Holy Spirit. Observe that nothing of an unjust or counterfeit character is written in
them. There you will not find that the righteous were
cast off by men who themselves were holy. The righteous were indeed
persecuted, but only by the wicked. They were cast into prison, but only
by the unholy; they were stoned, but only by transgressors; they were
slain, but only by the accursed, and such as had conceived an unrighteous
envy against them. Exposed to such sufferings, they endured them
gloriously. For what shall we say, brethren? Was Daniel cast into the den of lions by such as feared God? Were Ananias,
and Azarias, and Mishael shut up in a furnace of fire by those who observed the
great and glorious worship of the Most High? Far from us be such a
thought! Who, then, were they that did such things? The hateful, and
those full of all wickedness, were roused to such a pitch of fury, that
they inflicted torture on those who served God with a holy and blameless
purpose [of heart], not knowing that the Most High is the Defender and
Protector of all such as with a pure conscience venerate His all-excellent name; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
But they who with confidence endured [these things] are now heirs of
glory and honour, and have been exalted and made illustrious by God in their memorial for ever and ever.
Amen. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xlvi-p1 | Such examples, therefore, brethren, it is right that we
should follow; since it is written, “Cleave to the
holy, for those that cleave to them shall [themselves] be made
holy.” And again, in another place, [the Scripture]
saith, “With a harmless man thou shalt prove
thyself harmless, and with an elect man thou shalt be elect, and with a
perverse man thou shalt show
thyself perverse.” Let us cleave,
therefore, to the innocent and righteous, since these are the elect of
God. Why are there strifes, and tumults, and
divisions, and schisms, and wars among you? Have we not [all] one God and one
Christ? Is there not one Spirit of grace poured out upon us? And have we
not one calling in Christ? Why do we divide and tear to pieces the members of Christ, and
raise up strife against our own body, and have reached such a height of
madness as to forget that “we are members one of
another?” Remember the words of our
Lord Jesus Christ, how He said, “Woe to
that man [by whom offences come]! It were
better for him that he had never been born, than that he should cast a
stumbling-block before one of my elect. Yea, it were better for him that
a millstone should be
hung about [his neck], and he should be
sunk in the depths of the sea, than that he should cast a stumbling-block
before one of my little ones.” Your schism has subverted
[the faith of] many, has discouraged many, has given rise to doubt in
many, and has caused grief to us all. And still your sedition
continueth. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xlvii-p1 | Take up the epistle
of the blessed Apostle Paul. What did he write to you at the time when
the Gospel first began to be preached? Truly, under the
inspiration of the Spirit, he wrote to you
concerning himself, and Cephas, and Apollos, because even then parties had been formed among you. But that
inclination for one above another entailed less guilt upon you, inasmuch
as your partialities were then shown towards apostles, already of high
reputation, and towards a man whom they had approved. But now reflect who
those are that have perverted you, and lessened the renown of your
far-famed brotherly love. It is disgraceful,
beloved, yea, highly disgraceful, and unworthy of your Christian
profession, that such a thing should
be heard of as that the most stedfast and ancient Church of the
Corinthians should, on account of one or two persons, engage in sedition
against its presbyters. And this rumour has reached not only us, but
those also who are unconnected with us; so that, through your infatuation, the
name of the Lord is blasphemed, while danger is also brought upon
yourselves. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xlviii-p1 | Let us therefore, with all haste, put
an end to this [state of things]; and let us
fall down before the Lord, and beseech Him with tears, that He would
mercifully be reconciled to us, and
restore us to our former seemly and holy practice of brotherly love. For
[such conduct] is the gate of righteousness, which is set open for the
attainment of life, as it is written, “Open to me the gates of
righteousness; I will go in by them, and will praise the Lord: this is
the gate of the Lord: the righteous shall enter in by it.” Although, therefore, many gates have been set
open, yet this gate of righteousness is that gate in Christ by which
blessed are all they that have entered in and have directed their way in
holiness and righteousness, doing all things without disorder. Let a man
be faithful: let him be powerful in the utterance of knowledge; let him
be wise in judging of words; let him be pure in all his deeds; yet the
more he seems to be superior to others [in these respects], the more
humble-minded ought he to be, and to seek the common good of all, and not
merely his own advantage. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.xlix-p1 | Let him who
has love in Christ keep the commandments of Christ. Who can describe the
[blessed] bond of the love of God? What man is able to tell the
excellence of its beauty, as it ought to be told? The height to which
love exalts is unspeakable. Love unites us to God. Love covers a
multitude of sins. Love beareth all things, is long-suffering in all things. There is nothing base, nothing arrogant in
love. Love admits of no schisms: love gives rise to no seditions: love
does all things in harmony. By love have all the elect of God been made
perfect; without love nothing is well-pleasing to God. In love has the
Lord taken us to Himself. On account of the Love he bore us, Jesus Christ
our Lord gave His blood for us by the will of God; His flesh for our
flesh, and His soul for our souls. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.l-p1 | Ye see, beloved, how great and wonderful a thing is
love, and that there is no declaring its perfection. Who is fit to be
found in it, except such as God has vouchsafed to render so? Let us pray,
therefore, and implore of His mercy, that we may live blameless in love,
free from all human partialities for one above another. All the
generations from Adam even unto this day have passed away; but those who,
through the grace of God, have been made perfect in love, now possess a
place among the godly, and shall be made manifest at the revelation of the kingdom of Christ. For it is
written, “Enter into thy secret chambers for a little time, until
my wrath and fury pass away; and I will remember a propitious day, and will raise you up out of your graves.” Blessed are we, beloved, if we keep the
commandments of God in the harmony of love; that so through love our sins
may be forgiven us. For it is written, “Blessed are they whose
transgressions are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the
man whose sin
the Lord will not impute to him, and in whose
mouth there is no guile.” This
blessedness cometh upon those who have been chosen by God through Jesus
Christ our Lord; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.li-p1 | Let us therefore implore forgiveness for all
those transgressions which through any [suggestion] of the adversary we
have committed. And those who have been the leaders of sedition and
disagreement ought to have respect to the common
hope. For such as live in fear and love would rather that they themselves
than their neighbours should be involved in suffering. And they prefer to
bear blame themselves, rather than that the concord which has been well
and piously handed down to us should suffer.
For it is better that a man should acknowledge his transgressions than
that he should harden his heart, as the hearts of those were hardened who
stirred up sedition against Moses the servant of God, and whose
condemnation was made manifest [unto all]. For they went down alive into
Hades, and death swallowed them up. Pharaoh with
his army and all the princes of Egypt, and the chariots with their
riders, were sunk in the depths of the Red Sea, and perished, for no other reason than that their foolish
hearts were hardened, after so many signs and wonders had been wrought in
the land of Egypt by Moses the servant of God. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.lii-p1 | The Lord, brethren, stands in need of nothing; and He
desires nothing of any one, except that confession be made to Him. For,
says the elect David, “I will confess unto the Lord; and that will
please Him more than a young bullock that hath horns and hoofs. Let the
poor see it, and be glad.” And
again he saith, “Offer unto God the
sacrifice of praise, and pay thy vows unto the Most High. And call upon
Me in the day of thy trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify
Me.” For “the sacrifice of God is a
broken spirit.” | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.liii-p1 | Ye understand, beloved, ye understand
well the Sacred Scriptures, and ye have looked very earnestly into the
oracles of God. Call then these things to your remembrance. When Moses
went up into the mount, and abode there, with fasting and humiliation,
forty days and forty nights, the Lord said unto him, “Moses, Moses,
get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people whom thou didst bring
out of the land of Egypt have committed iniquity. They have speedily
departed from the way in which I commanded them to walk, and have made to
themselves molten images.” And the Lord said unto him, “I
have spoken to thee once and again, saying, I have seen this people, and,
behold, it is a stiff-necked people: let Me destroy them, and blot out
their name from under heaven; and I will make thee a great and wonderful
nation, and one much more numerous than this.” But Moses said, “Far be it from Thee, Lord: pardon
the sin of this people; else blot me also out of the book of the
living.” O marvellous love! O insuperable perfection! The servant speaks freely to his
Lord, and asks forgiveness for the people, or begs that he himself might
perish along with them. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.liv-p1 | Who then among you is
noble-minded? who compassionate? who full of love? Let him declare,
“If on my account sedition and disagreement and schisms have
arisen, I will depart, I will go away whithersoever ye desire, and I will
do whatever the majority commands; only let the flock
of Christ live on terms of peace with the presbyters set over it.”
He that acts thus shall procure to himself great glory in the Lord; and
every place will welcome him. For “the earth is the
Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.” These things they who
live a godly life, that is never to be repented of, both have done and
always will do. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.liv-p2 |
Literally, “the multitude.” [Clement here puts words into the
mouth of the Corinthian presbyters. It has been strangely quoted to
strengthen a conjecture that he had humbly preferred Linus and Cletus
when first called to preside.] | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.lv-p1 | To bring forward some
examples from among the heathen: Many kings and princes, in times of
pestilence, when they had been instructed by an oracle, have given
themselves up to death, in order that by their own blood they might
deliver their fellow-citizens [from destruction]. Many have gone forth
from their own cities, that so sedition might be brought to an end within
them. We know many among ourselves who have given themselves
up to bonds, in order that they might ransom others. Many, too, have
surrendered themselves to slavery, that with the price which
they received for themselves, they might provide food for others. Many
women also, being strengthened by the grace of God, have performed
numerous manly exploits. The blessed Judith,
when her city was besieged, asked of the elders permission to go forth
into the camp of the strangers; and, exposing herself to danger, she went
out for the love which she bare to her country and people then besieged;
and the Lord delivered Holofernes into the hands of a woman. Esther
also, being perfect in faith, exposed herself to no less danger, in order
to deliver the twelve tribes of Israel from impending destruction. For
with fasting and humiliation she entreated the everlasting God, who seeth
all things; and He, perceiving the humility of her spirit, delivered the
people for whose sake she had encountered peril.. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.lvi-p1 | Let us then also pray for
those who have fallen into any sin, that meekness and humility may be
given to them, so that they may submit, not unto us, but to the will of
God. For in this way they shall secure a fruitful and perfect remembrance
from us, with sympathy for them, both in our prayers to God, and our
mention of them to the saints. Let us receive correction, beloved, on account
of which no one should feel displeased. Those exhortations by which we
admonish one another are both good [in themselves] and highly profitable,
for they tend to unite us to the will of God. For thus
saith the holy Word: “The Lord hath severely chastened me, yet hath
not given me over to death.”
“For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son
whom He receiveth.” “The righteous,” saith it,
“shall chasten me in mercy, and reprove me; but let not the oil of
sinners make fat my head.” And again
he saith, “Blessed is the man whom the Lord reproveth, and reject
not thou the warning of the Almighty.
For He causes
sorrow, and again restores [to gladness]; He woundeth, and His hands make
whole. He shall deliver thee in six troubles, yea, in the seventh no evil
shall touch thee. In famine He shall rescue thee from death, and in war
He shall free thee from the power of the sword.
From the scourge of the tongue will He hide thee, and thou shalt not fear
when evil cometh. Thou shalt laugh at the unrighteous and the wicked, and
shalt not be afraid of the beasts of the field. For the wild beasts shall
be at peace with thee: then shalt thou know that thy house shall be in
peace, and the habitation of thy tabernacle shall not fail. Thou shall know also that thy seed
shall be great, and thy children like the grass of the field. And thou
shall come to the grave like ripened corn which is reaped in its season,
or like a heap of the threshing-floor which is gathered together at the
proper time.” Ye see, beloved,
that protection is afforded to those that are chastened of the Lord; for
since God is good, He corrects us, that we may be admonished by His holy
chastisement. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.lvii-p1 | Ye therefore, who laid the
foundation of this sedition, submit yourselves to the presbyters, and
receive correction so as to repent, bending the knees of your hearts.
Learn to be subject, laying aside the proud and arrogant self-confidence
of your tongue. For it is better for you that ye should occupy a humble but honourable place in
the flock of Christ, than that, being highly exalted, ye should be cast
out from the hope of His people. For thus speaketh all-virtuous Wisdom: “Behold, I will bring forth to you the words
of My Spirit, and I will teach you My speech. Since I called, and ye did
not hear; I held forth My words, and ye regarded not, but set at naught
My counsels, and yielded not at My reproofs; therefore I too will laugh
at your destruction; yea, I will rejoice when ruin cometh upon you, and
when sudden confusion overtakes you, when overturning presents itself
like a tempest, or when tribulation and oppression fall upon you. For it
shall come to pass, that when ye call upon Me, I will not hear you; the
wicked shall seek Me, and they shall not find Me. For they hated wisdom,
and did not choose the fear of the Lord; nor would they listen to My
counsels, but despised My reproofs. Wherefore they shall eat the fruits
of their own way, and they shall be filled with their own
ungodliness.” … | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.lvii-p5 | Junius (Pat. Young), who examined the ms. before it was bound into its
present form, stated that a whole leaf was here lost. The next letters
that occur are ιπον, which have been
supposed to indicate εἶπον or ἔλιπον. Doubtless
some passages quoted by the ancients from the Epistle of Clement, and not
now found in it, occurred in the portion which has thus been lost. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.lviii-p1 | May God, who seeth all things, and who is the
Ruler of all spirits and the Lord of all flesh—who chose our Lord
Jesus Christ and us through Him to be a peculiar people—grant to every soul that
calleth upon His glorious and holy Name, faith, fear, peace, patience,
long-suffering, self-control, purity, and sobriety, to the well-pleasing
of His Name, through our High Priest and Protector, Jesus Christ, by whom
be to Him glory, and majesty, and power, and honour, both now and for
evermore. Amen. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.lix-p1 | Send back speedily to us in peace and with joy these
our messengers to you: Claudius Ephebus and Valerius Bito, with
Fortunatus: that they may the sooner announce to us the peace and harmony
we so earnestly desire and long for [among you], and that we may the more
quickly rejoice over the good order re-established among you. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with you, and with all everywhere that are the called of God through Him,
by whom be to Him glory, honour, power, majesty, and eternal
dominion, from everlasting to
everlasting. Amen. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:ii.ii.lix-p4 | [Note St. Clement’s
frequent doxologies.] [N.B.—The language of Clement concerning
the Western progress of St. Paul (cap. v.) is our earliest postscript to
his Scripture biography. It is sufficient to refer the reader to the
great works of Conybeare and Howson, and of Mr. Lewin, on the Life and
Epistles of St. Paul. See more especially the valuable note of Lewin
(vol. ii. p. 294) which takes notice of the opinion of some learned men,
that the great Apostle of the Gentiles preached the Gospel in Britain.
The whole subject of St. Paul’s relations with British Christians
is treated by Williams, in his Antiquities of the Cymry, with
learning and in an attractive manner. But the reader will find more ready
to his hand, perhaps, the interesting note of Mr. Lewin, on Claudia and
Pudens (2 Tim. iv. 21), in his Life and Epistles
of St. Paul, vol. ii. p. 392. See also Paley’s Horæ
Paulinæ, p. 40. London, 1820.] | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:iii.i-p1 | [a.d. 130.] The anonymous author of this
Epistle gives himself the title (Mathetes) “a disciple of the Apostles,” and I venture to adopt it as his name. It
is about all we know of him, and it serves a useful end. I place his
letter here, as a sequel to the Clementine Epistle, for several reasons,
which I think scholars will approve: (1) It is full of the Pauline
spirit, and exhales the same pure and primitive fragrance which is
characteristic of Clement. (2) No theory as to its date very much
conflicts with that which I adopt, and it is sustained by good
authorities. (3) But, as a specimen of the persuasives against Gentilism
which early Christians employed in their intercourse with friends who
adhered to heathenism, it admirably illustrates the temper prescribed by
St. Paul (2 Tim. ii. 24), and not less the peculiar
social relations of converts to the Gospel with the more amiable and
candid of their personal friends at this early period. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:iii.i-p3 | Mathetes was possibly a catechumen of St. Paul or of
one of the apostle’s associates. I assume that his correspondent
was the tutor of M. Aurelius. Placed just here, it fills a lacuna
in the series, and takes the place of the pseudo (second) Epistle of
Clement, which is now relegated to its proper place with the works
falsely ascribed to St. Clement. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:iii.i-p4 | Altogether, the Epistle is a gem of purest ray; and,
while suggesting some difficulties as to interpretation and exposition,
it is practically clear as to argument and intent. Mathetes is, perhaps,
the first of the apologists. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:iii.i-p6 | The
following interesting and eloquent Epistle is anonymous, and we have no
clue whatever as to its author. For a considerable period after its
publication in 1592, it was generally ascribed to Justin Martyr. In
recent times Otto has inserted it among the works of that writer, but
Semisch and others contend that it cannot possibly be his. In dealing
with this question, we depend entirely upon the internal evidence, no
statement as to the authorship of the Epistle having descended to us from
antiquity. And it can scarcely be denied that the whole tone of the
Epistle, as well as special passages which it contains, points to some
other writer than Justin. Accordingly, critics are now for the most part
agreed that it is not his, and that it must be ascribed to one who lived
at a still earlier date in the history of the Church. Several internal
arguments have been brought forward in favour of this opinion. Supposing
chap. xi. to be genuine, it has been supported by the fact that the
writer there styles himself “a disciple of the apostles.” But
there is great suspicion that the two concluding chapters are spurious;
and even though
admitted to be genuine, the expression quoted
evidently admits of a different explanation from that which implies the
writer’s personal acquaintance with the apostles: it might, indeed,
be adopted by one even at the present day. More weight is to be attached
to those passages in which the writer speaks of Christianity as still
being a new thing in the world. Expressions to this effect occur in
several places (chap. i., ii., ix.), and seem to imply that the author
lived very little, if at all, after the apostolic age. There is certainly
nothing in the Epistle which is inconsistent with this opinion; and we
may therefore believe, that in this beautiful composition we possess a
genuine production of some apostolic man who lived not later than the
beginning of the second century. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:iii.i-p7 | The names of Clement of Rome and of Apollos have both
been suggested as those of the probable author. Such opinions, however,
are pure fancies, which it is perhaps impossible to refute, but which
rest on nothing more than conjecture. Nor can a single word be said as to
the person named Diognetus, to whom the letter is addressed. We must be
content to leave both points in hopeless obscurity, and simply accept the
Epistle as written by an earnest and intelligent Christian to a sincere
inquirer among the Gentiles, towards the close of the apostolic age. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:iii.i-p8 | It is much to be regretted that the text is often so
very doubtful. Only three mss. of the Epistle, all probably
exhibiting the same original text, are known to exist; and in not a few
passages the readings are, in consequence, very defective and obscure.
But notwithstanding this drawback, and the difficulty of representing the
full force and elegance of the original, this Epistle, as now presented
to the English reader, can hardly fail to excite both his deepest
interest and admiration. | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:iii.i-p9 | [N.B.—Interesting speculations concerning this
precious work may be seen in Bunsen’s Hippolytus and his
Age, vol. i. p. 188. The learned do not seem convinced by this
author, but I have adopted his suggestion as to Diognetus the tutor of M.
Aurelius.] | null |
ccel/s/schaff/anf01.xml:iii.ii.i-p1 | Since I see thee, most excellent
Diognetus, exceedingly desirous to learn the mode of worshipping God
prevalent among the Christians, and inquiring very carefully and
earnestly concerning them, what God they trust in, and what form of
religion they observe, so as all to look down upon the world itself, and despise death,
while they neither esteem those to be gods that are reckoned such by the
Greeks, nor hold to the superstition of the Jews; and what is the
affection which they cherish among themselves; and why, in fine, this new
kind or practice [of piety] has only now entered into the world, and not long ago; I cordially welcome this thy desire, and I
implore God, who enables us both to speak and to hear, to grant to me so
to speak, that, above all, I may hear you have been edified, and to you so to hear, that I
who speak may have no cause of regret for having done so. | null |
Subsets and Splits