9.27
104 “And from the tenth mountain, where trees were sheltering some sheep, are believers such as these: 2 bishops and hospitable people who were always glad to welcome God’s servants into their homes without hypocrisy. And the bishops always sheltered those in need and the widows by their ministry without ceasing, and conducted themselves in purity always. 3 All these, therefore, will be sheltered by the Lord forever; the ones who have done these things are glorious in God’s sight, and their place is already with the angels, if they continue serving the Lord to the end.”
9.28
105 “And from the eleventh mountain, where trees were full of fruit, each adorned with various kinds of fruit, are believers such as these: 2 those who suffered for the name of the Son of God, who suffered willingly with all their heart, and gave up their lives.” 3 “Why then, sir,” I said, “do all the trees have fruit, but the fruit of some is more beautiful than others?” “Hear,” he said. “All who have ever suffered for the name are glorious in God’s sight, and the sins of all of these have been taken away, because they suffered for the name of the Son of God. But hear why their fruits are varied, and some superior to others. 4 As many,” he said, “as were questioned with torture when brought before the authorities and did not deny, but suffered willingly, these are the more glorious in the Lord’s sight; theirs is the superior fruit. But as many as were cowardly and hesitated, and debated in their hearts whether they should deny or confess, and yet suffered, their fruit is of lesser excellence, because this thought arose in their heart; for this thought—that a servant should deny his own lord—is evil. 5 Take care, therefore, you who entertain these ideas, lest this thought persist in your hearts and you die to God. But you who suffer for the sake of the name ought to glorify God, because God has considered you worthy that you should bear this name and that all your sins be healed. 6 So consider yourselves blessed; indeed, realize that you have done a great work if any of you suffers for God’s sake. The Lord is granting you life, but you do not comprehend it, for your sins weighed you down, and if you had not suffered for the sake of the Lord’s name, you would have died to God because of your sins. 7 I say these things to you who are hesitating about denial or confession. Confess that you have the Lord, lest by denying you get thrown in prison. 8 For if the outsiders punish their slaves for denying their own lord, what do you think the Lord who has authority over everything will do to you? Rid your hearts of these thoughts, so that you may live to God forever.”
9.29
106 “And from the twelfth mountain, the white one, are believers such as these: they are as veritable infants, into whose heart nothing evil enters, nor do they even know what wickedness is, but they have remained in childlike innocence always. 2 People such as these, therefore, undoubtedly dwell in the kingdom of God, because they in no way defiled God’s commandments, but have continued in childlike innocence all the days of their lives in the same state of mind. 3 All of you, therefore, who continue,” he said, “and will be as infants, with no wickedness, will be more glorious than all those who have been mentioned previously, for all infants are glorious in God’s sight and stand foremost with him. Blessed are you, therefore, who have cast aside evil from yourselves and clothed yourselves in innocence; you will live to God first of all.”
4 After he finished the parables of the mountains, I said to him: “Sir, now explain to me about the stones that were taken from the plain and put into the building in place of the stones that were removed from the tower, and about the round stones that were placed in the building, and about those that are still round.”
106.2 dwell One ancient authority reads will dwell.
Explanation of the Round Stones
9.30
107 “Hear also,” he said, “about all these things. The stones that were taken from the plain and put into the structure of the tower in place of the ones that were rejected are the roots of this white mountain. 2 So since those who believed from the white mountain were all found innocent, the Lord of the tower ordered these from the roots of this mountain to be put into the structure of the tower. For he knew that if these stones went into the structure of the tower, they would remain bright and not one of them would turn black. 3 But if he had put in stones from the other mountains, he would have had to visit the tower again and cleanse it. But all those who have believed and who will believe have been found to be white, for they are of the same kind. Blessed is this kind, for it is innocent. 4 Hear now also about the stones that are round and bright. All these are also from this white mountain. Now hear why they were found round. Their riches have obscured them a little from the truth and darkened them, yet they never departed from God, nor did any evil word come out of their mouth, but only all justice and true virtue. 5 So when the Lord discerned that their minds could favor the truth and remain good, he ordered their wealth to be cut away, yet not to be taken away completely, so that they might be able to do some good with what was left to them, and they will live to God, because they are of the good kind. Therefore they were cut down a little, and placed in the structure of this tower.”
9.31
108 “But the others, which still remained round and had not been fitted into the structure, because they had not yet received the seal, were returned to their place, for they were found very round. 2 For this world and the vanities of their possessions must be cut away from them, and then they will be fit for the kingdom of God. For it is necessary for them to enter the kingdom of God, because the Lord has blessed this innocent kind. So not one of this kind will perish. Indeed, even though one of them, being tempted by the most wicked devil, does something wrong, that person will quickly return to the Lord. 3 I, the angel of repentance, pronounce all of you who are as innocent as infants blessed, because your part is good and honorable in God’s sight. 4 So I say to all of you who have received this seal: maintain your sincerity and bear no grudge, and do not persist in your wickedness or the memory of bitter offenses, but become of one spirit and heal these evil divisions and get rid of them from among you, so that the lord of the flocks may rejoice in them. 5 For he will rejoice, if all are found safe and none of them are scattered. But if any of them are found scattered, woe to the shepherds. 6 But if the shepherds themselves are found scattered, what will they say to the lord of the flock? That they were scattered by the sheep? They will not be believed, for it is an unbelievable thing for the shepherd to be injured by the sheep; instead they will be punished for their lie. And I, too, am a shepherd, and most certainly have to give an account for you.”
107.2 from the roots . . . structure Or to be taken from the roots of this mountain for the construction.
Final Exhortations
9.32
109 “Mend your ways, therefore, while the tower is still being built. 2 The Lord lives among people who love peace, for peace is truly dear to him, but he keeps his distance from the quarrelsome and those destroyed by wickedness. So return your spirit to him whole, just as you received it. 3 Suppose you gave a new undamaged garment to a cleaner, wanting to receive it back undamaged, but the cleaner returned it to you torn; would you accept it? Would you not immediately flare up and attack him with insults, saying, ‘The garment I gave you was undamaged; why did you tear it and make it useless? Because of the rip you made in it, it cannot be used!’ Would you not say all this to a cleaner just for a rip he made in your garment? 4 If, therefore, you become so upset about your garment and complain because you did not get it back undamaged, what do you think the Lord, who gave you the spirit undamaged, will do to you when you return it completely useless, so that it cannot be of any use at all to its Lord? For its usefulness began to be impaired when it was corrupted by you. Will not the Lord of this spirit punish you with death because of this deed of yours?” 5 “Certainly,” I said, “he will punish all those whom he finds continuing to bear malice.” “Do not trample on his mercy,” he said, “but rather honor him, because he is so patient with your sins, and is not like you. Repent,
therefore, in a way that is beneficial to you.”
108.5 and none . . . scattered One ancient authority omits. 108.6 what will . . . the sheep One ancient authority reads how will they answer for their flocks? Will they say they were harassed by the sheep?
9.33
110 “All these things that are written above I, the shepherd, the angel of repentance, have declared and spoken to God’s servants. If you believe them and hear my words, and walk in them and mend your ways, you will be able to live. But if you persist in wickedness and bearing malice—no one of this kind will live to God. Everything that I was to say I have now said to you.” 2 The shepherd said to me, “Have you asked me everything?” “Yes, sir,” I said. “Then why,” he said, “did you not ask about the marks on the stones that were put into the building, the marks that we filled in?” “I forgot, sir,” I said. 3 “Hear now,” he said, “about them. They are those who have now heard my commandments and repented with all their heart. And when the Lord saw that their repentance was good and pure, and that they could continue in their repentance, he ordered their former sins to be wiped out. For these marks were their sins; they were smoothed over, therefore, so that they would no longer be visible.”
Parable 10
Conclusion
10.1
111 After I had written this book, the angel who had turned me over to the shepherd came to the house where I was and sat on the couch, and the shepherd stood at his right hand. Then he called me and spoke to me. 2 “I have turned you and your household,” he said, “over to this shepherd, so that you may be protected by him.” “Yes, sir,” I said. “So if,” he said, “you want to be protected from all trouble and cruelty, to be successful in every good deed and word, and to have every virtue of righteousness, walk in his commandments, which I have given you, and you will be able to overcome all wickedness. 3 For if you keep his commandments, every evil desire and delight of this world will be subject to you, and success will accompany you in every good undertaking. Embrace his maturity and self-restraint, and tell all people that he is held in great honor and esteem with the Lord and is a ruler of great power and authority in his office. To him alone in the whole world has authority over repentance been given. Does he not seem powerful to you? Yet you despise his maturity and moderation, which he demonstrates toward you.”
10.2
112 I said to him, “Ask him, sir, whether I have done anything contrary to his command that has offended him since he has been in my house.” 2 “I know,” he said, “that you have done nothing out of order, and are not about to do so. And so I am saying these things to you so that you may persevere. For he has given me a good report about you. You, therefore, must tell these things to others, so that those who have repented or are going to repent may share your attitude, so that he can give a good report about them to me, and I to the Lord.” 3 “I myself, sir,” I said, “proclaim to everyone the mighty acts of the Lord, for I hope that all who have sinned in the past will gladly repent and regain life if they hear these things.” 4 “Then continue in this service and complete it. All who fulfill his commandments will have life, and the one who does so will have great honor with the Lord. But all who do not keep his commandments are running away from their own life and oppose him. But such people have their own honor before God. So those who oppose him and do not follow his commandments hand themselves over to death, and every one of them is guilty of his or her own blood. But I am telling you to obey these commandments, and you will have a cure for your sins.”
10.3
113 “Moreover, I have sent these virgins to you to live with you, for I saw that they were friendly to you. You have them, therefore, as helpers, so that you may be better able to keep his commandments, for it is impossible for these commandments to be kept without the help of these virgins. I also see that they are glad to be with you; nevertheless I will instruct them not to leave your house at all. 2 Only you must keep your house clean, for they will gladly live in a clean house, for they are clean and chaste and industrious, and all have favor with the Lord. If, therefore, they find your house pure, they will remain with you. But if the slightest impurity turns up, they will leave your house at once, for these virgins do not love impurity in any form.” 3 I said to him, “I hope, sir, that I will please them, so that they will gladly live in my house always. And just as he to whom you turned me over finds no fault in me, neither will they find any fault in me.” 4 He said to the shepherd, “I know that the servant of God wants to live, and will keep these commandments, and will support these virgins in purity.” 5 Having said these things he again turned me over to the shepherd, and calling the virgins he said to them, “Since I see that you are glad to live in this man’s house, I entrust him and his house to you; do not leave his house at all.” And they were glad to hear these words.
112.4 But such . . . oppose him A restoration based on a Latin translation. The text is corrupt. 113.3–5 And just as he to whom . . . to them So reads a fragmentary Greek text; the Latin reads somewhat differently. 114.1 courageously Or manfully. 114.3 commit suicide Lit. bring death upon themselves.
10.4
114 Then he said to me, “Carry out your ministry courageously; declare the Lord’s mighty acts to every person, and you will find favor in this ministry. Whoever, therefore, walks in these commandments will live and will have a happy life; but whoever neglects them will not live and will have an unhappy life. 2 Tell all who are able to do right not to stop; to work at good works is beneficial to them. Moreover, I say that every person ought to be rescued from distress, for one who is in need and suffers distress in daily life is in great anguish and hardship. 3 So whoever rescues such a person from misery wins great joy for himself. For the one who is troubled by distress of this sort is afflicted with the same anguish as one who is in chains. For many people, because of afflictions of this kind, commit suicide when they can no longer endure them. Therefore, whoever knows about the misery of someone like this and does not rescue that person commits a great sin and becomes guilty of that person’s blood. 4 Do good works, therefore, you who have received from the Lord, lest while you put off doing them the building of the tower is completed. For it is on your account that the work of building has been suspended. So unless you act quickly to do right, the tower will be completed, and you will be excluded.”
Now when he had finished speaking to me, he rose from the couch and departed, taking the shepherd and the virgins with him, telling me, however, that he would send the shepherd and the virgins back to my house.
The Epistle to Diognetus
Introduction
The Epistle to Diognetus, which Lightfoot, echoing widely shared sentiments, called “the noblest of early Christian writings,” is unique among the Apostolic Fathers in that it is addressed not to insiders, or fellow believers, as are the rest of the documents in the collection, but to outsiders. The inclusion of this “epistle” (really more a tract or apology in epistolary form) among the Apostolic Fathers is more a matter of tradition than logic; in terms of both purpose and genre, it may more fittingly be placed among the Christian apologists.
The Christian Apologists
For most of the first century AD, Christianity was, in the larger world of the Roman Empire, scarcely noticed or noticeable. But in the second century, as Christianity continued to expand rapidly, the Roman state and pagan culture became increasingly aware of what the Roman historian Tacitus called a “pernicious superstition.” Because Christian beliefs and practices often ran counter to Greco-Roman values and customs, the church found itself in the midst of an increasingly hostile environment. Rumors that Christians practiced incest, cannibalism, and infant sacrifice were widespread among the general population; the state regarded these “atheists” (for Christians did not believe in the traditional Greek or Roman gods) as a threat to its own well-being and guilty of a capital crime; and educated intellectuals like the satirist Lucian of Samosata, Fronto (the tutor of Marcus Aurelius), and especially Celsus attack
ed Christian doctrines as a recent and perverse corruption of sound ancient traditions.
In the face of such attacks, the early Christian apologists (ca. 130–200) sought to defend the faith to which they had committed themselves. They attempted, for example, to dispel the rumors arising out of half-truths and ignorance by describing in general terms Christian beliefs and rituals, to win for the faith a fair hearing from the authorities by asserting their loyalty and value to the government, and to counter the charge of newness by asserting that Christianity was, by virtue of its Jewish heritage, more ancient than Greek philosophy. Writers whose works have survived are Justin Martyr (d. 165), Athenagoras (ca. 170–180), Aristides (ca. 145), Theophilus of Antioch (ca. 180–185), and Tatian (d. 180?). Only fragments have been preserved of the works of Quadratus (ca. 125–130), Melito of Sardis (ca. 170–180?), and Apollinaris of Hierapolis (ca. 170–180), while those of Aristo of Pella (ca. 140?) and Miltiades (ca. 160–180?) have been lost. These, together with The Epistle to Diognetus, comprise the Greek Christian apologists of the second century.
Authorship and Date
The author of The Epistle to Diognetus writes with skill and perception and is as concerned with style as content. The purpose and plan of the work are fairly clear: the author seeks to answer three specific inquiries regarding the nature and significance of the Christian faith (sec. 1). The answers given betray the author’s deep indebtedness to both Hellenism and Judaism, but everything that has been borrowed has been put to use within a distinctly Christian perspective and for a clear missionary purpose. In many respects the author anticipates later Alexandrian writers.
The Apostolic Fathers in English Page 36