My LORD’s BibleEpistle of Barnabas 5
1For to this end the Lord endured to deliver up His flesh to corruption, that we might be sanctified through the remission of sins, which is effected by His blood of sprinkling. For it is written concerning Him, partly with reference to Israel, and partly to us; and [the Scripture] saith thus: “He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities: with His stripes we are healed. He was brought as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb which is dumb before its shearer.” Therefore we ought to be deeply grateful to the Lord, because He has both made known to us things that are past, and hath given us wisdom concerning things present, and hath not left us without understanding in regard to things which are to come. Now, the Scripture saith, “Not unjustly are nets spread out for birds.” This means that the man perishes justly, who, having a knowledge of the way of righteousness, rushes off into the way of darkness. And further, my brethren: if the Lord endured to suffer for our soul, He being Lord of all the world, to whom God said at the foundation of the world, “Let us make man after our image, and after our likeness,” understand how it was that He endured to suffer at the hand of men. The prophets, having obtained grace from Him, prophesied concerning Him. And He (since it behoved Him to appear in flesh), that He might abolish death, and reveal the resurrection from the dead, endured [what and as He did], in order that He might fulfil the promise made unto the fathers, and by preparing a new people for Himself, might show, while He dwelt on earth, that He, when He has raised mankind, will also judge them. Moreover, teaching Israel, and doing so great miracles and signs, He preached [the truth] to him, and greatly loved him. But when He chose His own apostles who were to preach His gospel, [He did so from among those] who were sinners above all sin, that He might show He came “not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Then He manifested Himself to be the Son of God. For if He had not come in the flesh, how could men have been saved by beholding Him? Since looking upon the sun which is to cease to exist, and is the work of His hands, their eyes are not able to bear his rays. The Son of God therefore came in the flesh with this view, that He might bring to a head the sum of their sins who had persecuted His prophets to the death. For this purpose, then, He endured. For God saith, “The stroke of his flesh is from them;” and “when I shall smite the Shepherd, then the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.” He himself willed thus to suffer, for it was necessary that He should suffer on the tree. For says he who prophesies regarding Him, “Spare my soul from the sword, fasten my flesh with nails; for the assemblies of the wicked have risen up against me.” And again he says, “Behold, I have given my back to scourges, and my cheeks to strokes, and I have set my countenance as a firm rock.”
Εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ ὑπέμεινεν ὁ Κύριος παραδοῦναι τὴν σάρκα εἰς καταφθοράν, ἵνα τῇ ἀφέσει τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἁγνισθῶ- μεν, & ἐστιν ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ ῥαντίσματος αὐτοῦ. γέγραπ- ται γὰρ περὶ αὐτοῦ ἃ μὲν πρὸς τὸν ᾿Ισραήλ, ἃ δὲ πρὸς ἡμᾶς. λέγει δὲ οὕτως" ᾿Ετρδλγμδτίςθη Aid τὰς ὀνομίδς ἡμῶν , KAI MEMAAAKICTAI διὰ τὰς AMAPTIAC ἡμῶν, τῷ μώλωπι δύτοῦ ἡμεῖς 7: ἰάθημεν. ὡς πρόβδτον ἐπὶ Ἴφάγην ἤχθη Kal ὡς ἀμνὸς ἄφωνος €NANTION TOY KEIPANTOC aYTON. οὐκοῦν ὑπερευχαριστεῖν ὀφείλομεν τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὅτι καὶ τὰ παρεληλυθότα ἡμῖν ἐγνώ- ρισεν, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐνεστῶσιν ἡμᾶς ἐσόφισεν, καὶ εἰς τὰ μέλλοντα οὐκ ἐσμὲν ἀσύνετοι. λέγει δὲ ἡ γραφή Οὐκ Prov.i. ἀλίκως ἐκτείνετδι δίκτγὰ πτερωτοῖς. τοῦτο λέγει ὅτε δικαίως ἀπολεῖται ἄνθρωπος, ὃς ἔχων ὁδοῦ δικαιοσύνης γνώσιν, ἑαυτὸν εἰς ὁδὸν σκότους ἀποσυνέχει. §. “Ere δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ἀδελφοί μου" εἰ ὁ Κύριος ὑπέμεινεν παθεῖν περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν, ὧν παντὸς τοῦ κόσμου Κύριος, ᾧ εἶπεν 6 Θεὸς ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμουν᾽ Ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον KAT εἰκόνὰ κδὶ κδθ᾽ ὁμοίωειν ἡμετέραν" πῶς οὖν ὑπέμεινεν ὑπὸ χειρὸς ἀνθρώπων παθεῖν; μάθετε. οἱ προφῆται, ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἔχοντες τὴν χάριν, εἰς αὐτὸν ἐπροφήτευσαν. αὐτὸς δὲ ἵνα καταργήσῃ τὸν θάνατον καὶ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν δείξῃ, ὅτε ἐν σαρκὶ ἔδει αὐτὸν φανερωθῆναι, ὑπέμεινεν, ἵνα καὶ τοῖς πατράσιν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ἀποδῷ καὶ αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ τὸν λαὸν τὸν καινὸν ὁτοιμάζων ἐπιδείξῃ, ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὧν, ὅτι τὴν ἀνάστασιν αὐτὸς ποιήσας κρινεῖ. πέρας γέ τοι διδάσκων τὸν ᾿Ισραὴλ καὶ τηλικαῦτα τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα ποιῶν ἐκήρυσ- σεν, καὶ ὑπερηγάπησεν αὐτόν. ὅτε δὲ τοὺς ἰδίους ἀποστό- λους τοὺς μέλλοντας κηρύσσειν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον αὐτοῦ ἐξελέξατο, ὄντας ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν ἁμαρτίαν ἀνομωτέρους, ἵνα δείξῃ ὅτι οὐκ εἶλθεν κδλέζδι δικδίογς ἀλλὰ ἁμδρτωλούς, τότε ἐφανέρωσεν ἑαυτὸν εἶναι υἱὸν Θεοῦ. Ei γὰρ μὴ ἦλθεν ἐν σαρκί, οὐδ᾽ ἄν πως οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐσώθησαν βλέποντες αὐτόν ὅτε τὸν μέλλοντα μὴ εἶναι ἥλιον, ἔργον τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ὑπάρχοντα, ἐμβλόποντες οὐκ ἰσχύουσιν εἰς τὰς ἀκτῖνας αὐτοῦ ἀντοφθαλ.- μῆσαι. οὐκοῦν ὁ νἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς τοῦτο ἐν σαρκὶ ἦλθεν, ἵνα τὸ τέλειον τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἀνακεφαλαιώσῃ τοῖς διώξασιν ἐν θανάτῳ τοὺς προφήτας αὐτοῦ. οὐκοῦν εἰς τοῦτο ὑπέμεινεν. λέγει γὰρ 6 Θεὸς τὴν πληγὴν τῆς σαρκὸς τότε ἀπολεῖτδι τὰ πρόβατὰ τῆς ποίμνης. Αὐτὸς δὲ ἠθέλησεν οὕτω παθεῖν. ἔδει γὰρ ἵνα ἐπὶ ξύλον πάθῃ. λέγει γὰρ 6 τροφητεύων ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ Φεῖολί moy τῆς ψγχῆς ἀπὸ pomdaiac’ καί" ΚὝαθήλωοόν ΜΟΥ τὰς cdpkac, ὅτι πονηρεγομένων Ἴγνδγωγδὶ ἐπδλνέςτηοάν μοι. καὶ πάλιν λέγει" ᾿Ιλοὺ τέθεικά ΜΟΥ τὸν ᾿ νῶτον εἰς mACTITAC, τὰς δὲ clardNac MOY εἰς ῥαπίομιδτα, τὸ δὲ πρόςωπόν ΜΟΥ ἔθηκδ ὡς cTEpedn πέτρδν.