My LORD’s BibleIgnatius to the Smyrnaeans 2
1NOW these things, beloved, put you in mind of, not questioning but that you yourselves also believe that they are so.
ΙΝ. Ταῦτα δὲ παραινῶ ὑμῖν, ἀγαπητοί, εἰδὼς ὅτι καὶ ὑμεῖς οὕτως ἔχετε: προφυλάσσω δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἀνθρωπομόρφων, ois οὐ μόνον δεῖ ὑμᾶς μὴ παραδέχεσθα:, ἀλλ᾽, εἰ δυνατόν, μηδὲ συναντᾶν [αὐτοῖς] μόνον δὲ προσεύ- χεσθε ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, ἐάν πως μετανοήσωσιν, ὅπερ δύσκολον" τούτου δὲ ἔχει ἐξουσίαν ᾿Ιησοῦς Χριστός, τὸ ἀληθινὸν ἡμῶν ζῆν.
2But I arm you before-hand against certain beasts in the shape of men whom you must not only not receive, but if it be possible must not meet with.
3Only you must pray for them, that if it be the will of God they may repent; which yet will be very hard. But of this our Lord Jesus Christ has the power, who is our true life.
εἶ γὰρ τὸ δοκεῖν ταῦτα ἐπράχθη ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν, κἀγὼ τὸ δοκεῖν δέδεμαι. τί δὲ καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἔκδοτον δέδωκα τῷ θανάτῳ, πρὸς πῦρ, πρὸς μάχαιραν, πρὸς θηρία; ἀλλ᾽ ὁ ἐγγὺς μαχαίρας, ἐγγὺς Θεοῦ: μεταξὺ θηρίων, μεταξὺ Θεοῦ: μόνον ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς τὸ συμπαθεῖν αὐτῷ. πάντα ὑπομένω, αὐτοῦ με ἐνδυναμοῦντος τοῦ τελείου ἀνθρώπου.
4For if all these things were done only in shew by our Lord, then do I also seem only to be bound.
5And why have I given up myself to death, to the fire, to the sword, to wild beasts!
“Ον τινες ἀγνοοῦντες ἀρνοῦνται, μᾶλλον δὲ ἠρνήθη- σαν ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ, ὄντες συνήγοροι τοῦ θανάτον μᾶλλον ἡ τῆς ἀληθείας" obs οὐκ ἔπεισαν ai προφητεῖαι οὐδὲ ὁ νόμος Mo- σέως, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ μέχρι νῦν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, οὐδὲ τὰ ἡμέτερα τῶν κατ᾽ ἄνδρα παθήματα"
6But now the nearer I am to the sword, the nearer I am to God: when I shall come among the wild beasts, I shall come to God.
7Only in the name of Jesus Christ, I undergo all, to suffer together with him; he who was made a perfect man strengthening me.
καὶ γὰρ περὶ ἡμῶν τὸ αὐτὸ φρο- γοῦσιν. τί γάρ [με] ὠφελεῖ, εἰ ἐμὲ ἐπαινεῖ τις, τὸν δὲ Κύριόν μου βλασφημεῖ, μὴ ὁμολογῶν αὐτὸν capxopopoy; ὁ δὲ τοῦτο μὴ λέγων τελείως αὐτὸν ἀπήρνηται, ὧν νεκροφόρος.
8Whom some not knowing, do deny; or rather have been denied by him, being the advocates of death, rather than of the truth. Whom neither the prophecies, nor the law of Moses have persuaded; nor the Gospel itself even to this day, nor the sufferings of every one of us.
9For they think also the same things of us. For what does a man profit me, if he shall praise me, and blaspheme my Lord; not confessing that he was truly made man?
τὰ δὲ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν, ὄντα ἄπιστα, οὐκ ἔδοξέν μοι ἐγγράψαι" ἀλλὰ μηδὲ γένοιτό μοι αὐτῶν μνημονεύειν, μέχρις οὗ μετανοήσωσιν εἰς τὸ πάθος, 0 ἐστιν ἡμῶν ἀνάστασις.
10Now he that doth not say this, does in effect deny him, and is in death. But for the names of such as do this, they being unbelievers, I thought it not fitting to write them unto you.
11Yea, God forbid that I should make any mention of them, till they shall repent to a true belief of Christ's passion, which is our resurrection.
12Let no man deceive himself; both the things which are in heaven and the glorious angels, and princes, whether visible or invisible, if they believe not in the blood of Christ, it shall be to them to condemnation.
Μηδεὶς πλανάσθω. καὶ τὰ ἐπουράνια καὶ ἡ δόξα τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες ὁρατοί τε καὶ ἀόρατοι, ἐὰν μὴ πιστεύσωσιν εἰς τὸ αἷμα Χριστοῦ [τοῦ Θεοῦ], κἀκείνοις κρί- σις ἐστίν. ὁ χωρῶν χωρείτω. τόπος μηδένα φυσιούτω" τὸ
13He that is able to receive this, let him receive it. Let no man's place or state in the world puff him up: that which is worth all his faith and charity, to which nothing is to be preferred.
14But consider those who are of a different opinion from us, as to what concerns the grace of Jesus Christ which is come unto us, how contrary they are to the design of God.
Matt. γὰρ ὅλον ἐστὶν πίστις καὶ ἀγάπη, ὧν οὐδὲν προκέκριται. δ ἢ
15They have no regard to charity, no care of the widow, the fatherless, and the oppressed; of the bond or free, of the hungry or thirsty.
16They abstain from the eucharist, and from the public offices; because they confess not the eucharist to be the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ; which suffered for our sins, and which the Father of his goodness, raised again from the dead.
καταμάθετε δὲ τοὺς ἑτεροδοξοῦντας εἰς τὴν χάριν ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐλθοῦσαν, πῶς ἐναντίοι εἰσὶν τῇ γνώμῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ. περὶ ἀγάπης οὐ μέλει αὐτοῖς, οὐ περὶ χήρας, οὐ περὶ ὀρφανοῦ, οὐ περὶ θλεβομένου, οὐ περὶ δεδεμένου [ἣ λελυμένου), οὐ περὶ πεινῶντος ἢ δειψῶντος" εὐχαριστίας καὶ προσευχῆς ἀπέχονται διὰ τὸ μὴ ὁμολογεῖν τὴν εὐχαριστίαν σάρκα εἶναι τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν παθοῦσαν, ἣν τῇ χρηστότητι ὁ πατὴρ ἤγειρεν.
17And for this cause contradicting the gift of God, they die in their disputes: but much better would it be for them to receive it, that they might one day rise through it.
18It will therefore become you to abstain from such persons; and not to speak with them neither in private nor in public.
Οἱ οὖν ἀντιλέγοντες τῇ δωρεᾷ τοῦ Θεοῦ συξζητοῦν- τες ἀποθνήσκουσιν. συνέφερεν δὲ αὐτοῖς ἀγαπᾶν, ἵνα καὶ ἀναστῶσιν.
19But to hearken to the prophets, and especially to the Gospel, in which both Christ's passion is manifested unto us, and his resurrection perfectly declared.
20But flee all divisions, as the beginning of evils.
πρέπον [οὖν] ἐστὶν ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν τοιούτων, καὶ μήτε κατ᾽ ἰδίαν περὶ αὐτῶν λαλεῖν μήτε κοινῇ" προσέχειν δὲ τοῖς προφήταις, ἐξαιρέτως δὲ τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ, ἐν ᾧ τὸ πάθος ἡμῖν δεδήλωται καὶ ἡ ἀνάστασις τετελείωται.