My LORD’s BibleEpistle of Barnabas 6
1When, therefore, He has fulfilled the commandment, what saith He? “Who is he that will contend with me? let him oppose me: or who is he that will enter into judgment with me? let him draw near to the servant of the Lord.” “Woe unto you, for ye shall all wax old, like a garment, and the moth shall eat you up.” And again the prophet says, “Since as a mighty stone He is laid for crushing, behold I cast down for the foundations of Zion a stone, precious, elect, a corner-stone, honourable.” Next, what says He? “And he who shall trust in it shall live for ever.” Is our hope, then, upon a stone? Far from it. But [the language is used] inasmuch as He laid his flesh [as a foundation] with power; for He says, “And He placed me as a firm rock.” And the prophet says again, “The stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the head of the corner.” And again he says, “This is the great and wonderful day which the Lord hath made.” I write the more simply unto you, that ye may understand. I am the offscouring of your love. What, then, again says the prophet? “The assembly of the wicked surrounded me; they encompassed me as bees do a honeycomb,” and “upon my garment they cast lots.” Since, therefore, He was about to be manifested and to suffer in the flesh, His suffering was foreshown. For the prophet speaks against Israel, “Woe to their soul, because they have counselled an evil counsel against themselves, saying, Let us bind the just one, because he is displeasing to us.” And Moses also says to them, “Behold these things, saith the Lord God: Enter into the good land which the Lord sware [to give] to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and inherit ye it, a land flowing with milk and honey.” What, then, says Knowledge? Learn: “Trust,” she says, “in Him who is to be manifested to you in the flesh—that is, Jesus.” For man is earth in a suffering state, for the formation of Adam was from the face of the earth. What, then, meaneth this: “into the good land, a land flowing with milk and honey?” Blessed be our Lord, who has placed in us wisdom and understanding of secret things. For the prophet says, “Who shall understand the parable of the Lord, except him who is wise and prudent, and who loves his Lord?” Since, therefore, having renewed us by the remission of our sins, He hath made us after another pattern, [it is His purpose] that we should possess the soul of children, inasmuch as He has created us anew by His Spirit. For the Scripture says concerning us, while He speaks to the Son, “Let us make man after our image, and after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the beasts of the earth, and the fowls of heaven, and the fishes of the sea.” And the Lord said, on beholding the fair creature man, “Increase, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” These things [were spoken] to the Son. Again, I will show thee how, in respect to us, He has accomplished a second fashioning in these last days. The Lord says, “Behold, I will make the last like the first.” In reference to this, then, the prophet proclaimed, “Enter ye into the land flowing with milk and honey, and have dominion over it.” Behold, therefore, we have been refashioned, as again He says in another prophet, “Behold, saith the Lord, I will take away from these, that is, from those whom the Spirit of the Lord foresaw, their stony hearts, and I will put hearts of flesh within them,” because He was to be manifested in flesh, and to sojourn among us. For, my brethren, the habitation of our heart is a holy temple to the Lord. For again saith the Lord, “And wherewith shall I appear before the Lord my God, and be glorified?” He says, “I will confess to thee in the church in the midst of my brethren; and I will praise thee in the midst of the assembly of the saints.” We, then, are they whom He has led into the good land. What, then, mean the milk and honey? This, that as the infant is kept alive first by honey, and then by milk, so also we, being quickened and kept alive by the faith of the promise and by the word, shall live ruling over the earth. But He said above, “Let them increase, and rule over the fishes.” Who then is able to govern the beasts, or the fishes, or the fowls of heaven? For we ought to perceive that to govern implies authority, so that one should command and rule. If, therefore, this does not exist at present, yet still He has promised it to us. When? When we ourselves also have been made perfect [so as] to become heirs of the covenant of the Lord.
Ὅτε οὖν ἐποίησεν τὴν ἐντολήν, τί λέγει; Tic ὁ κρι- νόμενός μοι; ἀντιοτήτω MOI H TIC ὁ δικδιοΐμενός μοι; ἐγγιοάτω τῷ παιδὶ Κγρίογ. oyal ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἡμεῖς πάντες ὡς ἱμάτιον παλδιωθήςεςθε, Kal οἧς κἀταφάγετδι ὑμᾶς. καὶ πάλεν λέγει ὁ προφήτης, ἐπεὶ ὡς λίθος ἰσχυρὸς ἐτέθη εἰς συντριβήν" ‘lacy EMBAAW εἰς TA θεμέλια Σιὼν λίθον TIOAYTEAA, EKAEKTUN, ἀκρογω- NIION, ἔντμμιον. οἶτα τί λέγει; Kai ὃς ἐλπίςει ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν Ζήςετδι εἰς τὸν ἀἰίῶνδς ἐπὶ λέθον οὖν ἡμῶν ἡ ἐλπίς ; μὴ γέ- ψοιτο. ἀλλ᾽ ἐπεὶ ἐν ἰσχύι τέθεικεν τὴν σάρκα αὐτοῦ Κύριος. λέγει γάρ- Kai ἔθηκέν me ὡς crepedn πέτραν. λέγει δὲ Is. πάλιν ὁ προφήτης" Λίθον ὄν ἀπελοκίμιδοδν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες, οὗτος ἐγενήθη εἰς κεφδλῆν fwNiac. καὶ πάλιν λέγει" ΑΥ̓́ΤΗ éctin ti ἡμέρδ εἰ μεγάλη kal OaymactH, HN ἐποίηςεν ὁ Κύριος. ** ᾿Απλούστερον ὑμῖν γράφω, ἵνα cuvinre, ἐγὼ περίψημα τῆς ἀγάπης ὑμῶν. τί οὖν λέγει πάλιν ὁ προφήτης ; Περι- Ps.xxii.17, écyen me ουνδγωγὴ πονηρεγομένων, EXYKAWCAN ME ὡςεὶ μέλις- τ 5 cai κηρίον" καί" "Ἐπὶ τὸν ἱμάτιομόν Moy ἔβαλον κλῆρον. ἐν το: σαρκὶ οὖν αὐτοῦ μέλλοντος φανεροῦσθαι καὶ πάσχειν, mpoe- φανερώθη τὸ πάθος. λέγει γὰρ 6 προφήτης ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ" ΟΥ̓δὶ Hi ψγχῇ δὐτῶν, ὅτι Βεδοΐλεγντδι BoyAHN πονηρὰν Kad’ ἐδγ- , τῶν, εἰπόντες: Avicwmen τὸν δίκδιον, ὅτι δήεχρηςτος ἡμῖν ἐστίν. ἣὉ τί λέγει ὁ ἄλλος προφήτης Μωῦσῆς αὐτοῖς ; ᾿ΙΔοΥ τάλε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεός: Εἰςέλθατε εἰς τὴν γῆν THN ἀγαθήν, εἶν > ὦμοςεν Κύριος τῷ ᾿Αδβρδᾶμ Kat ᾿Ισδὰκ kai ᾿Ιδκώβ, Kal κατάκληρο- nomHcate ayTHN, γῆν ῥέογοδν γάλδ καὶ μέλι. τί δὲ λέγει ἡ γνῶσις; μάθετε. ἐλπίσατε ἐπὶ τὸν ἐν σαρκὶ μέλλοντα φανε- ροῦσθαι ὑμῖν ᾿Ιησοῦν. ἄνθρωπος γὰρ γῆ ἐστὶν πάσχουσα" ἀπὸ προσώπου γὰρ τῆς γῆς ἡ πλάσις τοῦ ᾿Αδὰμ ἐγένετο. τί οὖν λέγει" Εἰς τὴν Γῆν τὴν ἀγδθήν, γῆν ῥέογοδν γάλδ nal μέλι; εὐλογητὸς ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν, ἀδελφοί, ὁ σοφίαν καὶ ἢ νοῦν θέμενος ἐν ἡμῖν τῶν κρυφίων αὐτοῦ. λέγει γὰρ ὁ προφήτης παραβολὴν Κυρίον" τίς νοήσει, εἰ μὴ σοφὸς καὶ ἐπιστήμων καὶ ἀγαπῶν τὸν Κύριον αὐτοῦ; ᾿Επεὶ οὖν ᾿ ἐκαίνισεν ἡμᾶς ἐν τῇ ἀφέσει τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν, ἐποίησεν ἡμᾶς ἄλλον τύπον, ὡς παιδίων ὄχειν τὴν ψυχήν, ὡς ἂν δὴ ἀνα- πλάσσοντος αὐτοῦ ἡμᾶς. λέγεις γὰρ ἡ γραφὴ περὶ ἡμῶν, ὡς λέγεε τῷ υἱῷ" Ποιήσωμεν Kat’ εἰκόνὰ Kal κδθ᾽ ὁμοίωςιν ἡμῶν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, Kal ἀρχέτωοδν τῶν θηρίων τῆς γῆς Kal τῶν πετεινῶν TOY OYPANOY Kal τῶν ἰχθύων τῆς @addccHc. καὶ 250 THE EPISTLE OF BARNABAS. [νι εἶπεν Κύριος ἰδὼν τὸ καλὸν πλάσμα ἡμών Αὐξάνεςθε Kai πληθήνεςθε καὶ πληρώοράτε THN γῆν. ταῦτα πρὸς τὸν υἱόν. πάλιν σοι ἐπιδείξω πῶς πρὸς ἡμᾶς λέγει [Κύριος]. δευ- . τέραν πλάσιν ἐπ᾽ ἐσχάτων ἐποίησεν. λέγει δὲ Κύριος" "ἸΔΟΥ͂ ποιῶ τὰ ἔσχατα ὡς τὰ πρῶτά. εἰς τοῦτο οὖν ἐκήρυξεν ὁ προ- φήτης ἘΕἰςέλθατε εἰς γῆν péoycan réAa Kal μέλι, Kal κδτδκγριεύ- cate ἀγτῆς. ἴδε οὖν ἡμεῖς ἀναπεπλάσμεθα, καθὼς πάλιν ἐν ἑτέρῳ προφήτῃ λέγει" “lacy, λέγει Κγριος, ἐξελῶ τούτων, ᾿ Tovréotw ὧν προέβλεπεν τὸ πνεῦμα Κυρίου, τὰς λιθίνας KapAiac Kai ἐμβαλῶ capKinac. ὅτι αὐτὸς ἐν σαρκὶ ἔμελλεν φανεροῦσθαι καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν κατοικεῖν. ναὸς γὰρ ἅγιος, ἀδελφοί μου, τῷ Κυρίῳ τὸ κατοικητήριον ἡμῶν τῆς καρδίας. λέγει γὰρ Κύριος πάλιν Kai ἐν τίνι ὀφθήςομδι τῷ Κγρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ μου Kai δοξαςθήοομδι ; ᾿Εξομολογήςομδί cot ἐν ἐκκληςίδ ἀλελφῶν MOY KAI ψαλῶ CO! ANAMECON ἐκκληοίδς ὁγίων. οὐκοῦν ἡμεῖς ἐσμὲν οὗς εἰσήγαγεν εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν ἀγαθήν. τί οὖν τὸ γάλα καὶ τὸ μέλε; ὅτι πρῶτον τὸ παιδίον μέλετι, εἶτα γάλακτι ζξωοποιεῖται. οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς τῇ πίστει τῆς ἐπαγγελίας καὶ τῷ λόγῳ ζωοποιούμενοι ζήσομεν κατακυριεύ- οντες τῆς γῆς. προειρήκαμεν δὲ ἐπάνω" Kai ayzanécOw- CAN κἀὶ πληθγνέςθωςδν καὶ APYET@CAN τῶν ἰχθύων. τίς οὖν ὁ δυνάμενος [νῦν] ἄρχειν θηρίων ἣ ἰχθύων ἣ πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ; αἰσθάνεσθαι γὰρ ὀφείλομεν ὅτι τὸ ἄρχειν ἐξουσίας ἐστίν, ἵνα τις ἐπιτάξας κυριεύσῃ. εἰ οὖν οὐ γίνεται τοῦτο νῦν, ἄρα ἡμῖν εἴρηκεν wore ὅταν καὶ αὐτοὶ τελειωθῶ- μεν κληρονόμοι τῆς διαθήκης Κυρίου γενέσθαι.