τις τυχὸν μὴ εἰδὼς τὰς παραδόσεις, ναρκᾷ πρὸς τὰς τῶν Προφητῶν πολυσήμας φωνάς *' ἕνεκεν ἐδενὶ διδάσκειν ἐπιτρέπεσιν, ἐὰν μὴ πρότερον μάθοι, πῶς δεῖ ταῖς γραφαῖς χρῆσθαι. Διὰ τᾶτο παρ' αὐτοῖς εἷς Θεὸς, εἷς νόμῳ, μία ἐλπίς. ΙΙ. Ἵνα γᾶν τὸ ὅμοιον καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν γένηται τοῖς ἑβδο μήκοντα ἡμῶν ἀδελφοῖς, τὰς βίβλες με τῶν κηρυγμάτων δὸς μετὰ τὰ ὁμοία τῆς ἀγωγῆς μυσηρία, καὶ τὰς βελομένες τὸ τῆς διδασκαλίας αναδέξασθαι μέρος, ἐφοδιάζωσιν. Ἐπεὶ ἐὰν μὴ ἔτως γένηται, εἰς πολλὰς γνώμας ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας ἡμῶν διαιρεθήσεται λόγω. Τῖτο δὲ ἐχ ὡς ὁ προφήτης ὢν ἐπίσαμαι αλλ' ἤδη αὐτὰ τὰ κακᾶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ὁρῶν. Τινὲς γὰρ τῶν ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν, τὸ δι ̓ ἐμὲ νόμιμον απεδοκίμασαν κήρυγμα, τῇ ἐχπρᾶ ἀνθρώπε ἄνομόν τινα καὶ φλυαρώδη προσηκάμενοι δια δασκαλίαν. αυτό Καὶ ταῦτα ἔτι με περιόντῳ ἐπεχείρησαν τις νες, ποικίλαις τισὶν ἑρμηνείαις but if any one happen to be ignorant of the traditions, he is to fay nothing of the oracles of the Prophets, which have various fignifications. Wherefore they permit no one to teach, unlets he have before learned how the Scriptures ought to be handled. So that among them there is one God, one law, and one hope. II. In order therefore that the like may be among us as the Seventy Men, and our brethren, deliver the books of my Preaching with the fame artifice of fecrecy, that they may ferve to inftru&t thofe who have a mind to undertake the office of teachers : otherwife my true do&rines will be divided into many difdo not pretend to foreknow as ferent opinions. But this I a Prophet, but as already feeing the beginnings of this mifchief. For fome of the Gentiles have already) rejeded my Preaching, which is according to the Law, adhering to the trifing dotirines of a perfon who is an enemy, and fuch doctrines as are against the Law. And these things fome have attempted, even while I am alive, perverting the intent of my words να αυτό τὲς ἐμὲς λόγες μετασχημα τίζειν, εἰς τὴν τῇ νόμε κατάλυσιν· ὡς καὶ ἐμὲ αὐτῷ ἔτω μὲν φρονέντΘ', μὴ ἐκ παρῥησίας δὲ κηρύσσοντος ὅπερ ἀπείη. Τὸ γὰρ τοιέτο, αντιπράσσειν ἐςὶ τῷ τῷ Θεῖ νόμῳ, τῷ διὰ Μωϋσέως ῥηθέντι καὶ ὑπὸ τὰ Κυρίε ἡμῶν μαρτυρηθέντι, περὶ τῆς αἰδία αὐτῇ διαμονῆς. Ἐπεὶ ὕτως εἶπεν, Ὁ ἐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσονται, ἰῶτα ἓν ἢ μία κεραία ὲ μὴ παρέλθῃ ἀπὸ τε νόμε, Τῦτο δὲ εἴρηκεν, ἵνα τὰ πάντα γίνηται. Οἱ δὲ ἐκ οἶδα πῶς τὸν ἐμὸν νᾶν ἐπαγ[ελλόμενοι, ὃς ἔκασαν ἐξ ἐμὲ λόγας, ἐμὲ τῇ εἰπόντῳ αὐτὲς, φρονιμώτερον ἐπιχειρᾶσιν, λέγοντες τοῖς ὑπ ̓ αὐτῶν κατηχαμένοις, τᾶτο εἶναι τὸ ἐμὸν φρόνημα, ὃ ἐγὼ ἐδὲν ἐνεθυμήθην. Εἰ δὲ ἐμᾶ ἔτι περίονο τοιαῦτα τολμῶσιν καταψεύδεσθαι πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον μετ' ἐμὲ ποιεῖν, οἱ μετ' ἐμὲ πολὺ μήσεσιν ; ΙΙΙ. Ἵνα ἂν μὴ τοῦτόν τι γένηται, τότε ἕνεκα ηξίωσα καὶ ἐδεήθην, τῶν ἐμῶν κηρυγ words by various interpretations, to (fupport the doctrine of) the abrogation of the Law, as though I myself had been of that opinion, but had not courage enough plainly to de clare it; which God forbid. But to do that would be to ad contrary to the Law of God, which was given by Mofes, and received a teftimony of its everlafting obligahe faid, Heaven and earth ball tion by our Lord himself, when pas away, but one jot, or one tittle, hall by no means pas from the Law. This he faid, that all things might be accomplifhed. But on the other hand they, engaging, by I know not what means, to declare my meaning, pretend (to explain) my words more wifely than I who spake them, telling their catechumens, that is my meaning, of which I never fo much as thought. But if while I am alive they be fo impudent in lying, how much more will they venture to do the fame after my death? III. That therefore none of there things may happen, I have earnestly desired and in a Mat. v. 18. ΖΑ treated 1 μάτων ἃς ἔπεμψά σοι βίβλες, μηδενὶ μεταδῆναι, μήτε όμοφύλῳ, μήτε ἀλλοφύλω, πρὸ πείρας· ἀλλ ̓ ἐάν τις δοκι μασθεὶς ἄξιος εὑρεθῆ, τότε αὐτῷ κατὰ τὴν Μωϋσέως αγωγὴν παραδέναι, καθ ̓ ἣν τοῖς ἑβδομήκοντα παρέδωκεν, τοῖς τὴν καθέδραν αὐτοῦ παραληφύσιν. Ἵνα ἔτως τὰς πίσεις φυλάξωσιν, καὶ πανταχῆ τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας κανόνα παραδῶσιν· ἑρμηνεύοντες τὰ πάντα πρὸς τὴν παράδοσιν ἡμῶν· καὶ μὴ αὐτοὶ ὑπὸ ἀμαθείας κατασπώμενοι, ὑπὸ τῶν κατὰ τὴν ψυχὴν τοχασμῶν εἰς πλάτην ἑλκόμενοι, ἄλλως εἰς τὸν ὅμοιον τῆς ἀπωλείας ἐνέγκωσιν βόθυνον. Καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐμοὶ δίξαντα καλῶς ἐσήμανα σοι· τὸ δέ σοι δοκᾶν, κύριέ με, πρεπόντως ἐπιτέλει. Έρρωσο. treated you (in the beginning of my letter) not to deliver the books of my Preaching, which I have fent you, either to any one of our own country (a Jew) or Gentile, till you have frit proved him (or are acquainted with him ) ; and then, if after trial he be found worthy, to deliver them to him after the fame manner as Mofes delivered his doctrine to his fucceflors; that fo they the Seventy Men who were may keep the faith, and every where deliver the rule of truth, interpreting all things according to our tradition; and left, being themfelves perverted through ignorance, or drawn afide by the conjec tures of the mind into errors, they fhould be the means of leading others into the fame pit of deftruction. And thus I have honeftly given you my fentiments; but you, Ο my Lord, do whatfoever you fhall think moft convenient. Fare wel. 2. By Heracleon. He was an early heretick of the second century, and lived (as I fhall fhew hereafter) about the year of Chrift 130. That he made ufe of this book, we are informed by Origen in the following words (tom 14. in Joan. p. 211.) Φέρειν αὐτὸν, ὡς Πέτρα διδάξαντῷ, μὴ δεῖν καθ ̓ Ἕλληνας He (viz. Heracleon) urged that Peter taught, that we ought τα προσκυνεῖν τὰ τῆς ὕλης πράτματα, ἀποδεχομένας καὶ λατρεύοντας ξύλοις καὶ λίθοις, μήτε κατὰ Ἰεδαιες σέβειν τὸ θεῖον· ἐπείπερ καὶ αὐτοὶ μόνοι οἰόμενοι ἐπίςασθαι Θεόν, αγνοῦσιν αὐτὸν, λατρεύοντες αγγέλοις, καὶ μηνί, και σε λήνῃ. ought not to worfhip as the Gentiles, paying refpect to material things, and adoring wood and ftones; nor as the Jews worshipped the Deity; for they, pretending to be the only perfons who know God, are ignorant of him, feeing they worfhip angels, and months, and the moon. That this paffage was in the Preaching of Peter, is evident from that of Clemens Alexandrinus in this Chapter, Numb. III. 3. By Clemens Alexandrinus. He so often cites this book, that I fhall have frequent occafion to refer to his citations; and therefore, for the ease of the reader, shall number them distinctly. ο T8 Θεός ἐςιν, ὃς ἀρχὴν πάντων ἐποίησεν, καὶ τέλος ἐξεσίαν ἔχων, καὶ ὁ ἀόρατς, ὃς τὰ πάντα ὁρᾷ ἀχώρητο, ὃς τὰ πάντα χωρεῖ, ἀνεπιδεὴς, * τὰ πάντα ἐπιδέεται, καὶ δι' ὅν ἐσιν· ἀκατάληπτο, αέ να', ἄφθαρτο, ἀποίητο, ὃς τὰ πάντα ἐποίησεν λόγῳ δυνάμεως αὐτῆς, τῆς γνωςικῆς γραφῆς, τετέςι τα υἱδ. Τέ τον τὸν θεὸν σέβεσθε, μὴ και τὰ τὰς Ἕλληνας, ὡς δηλονότι τὸν αὐτὸν ἡμῖν σεβόντων Θεὸν, καὶ τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι δοκί μων, ἀλλ' ἐ κατ ̓ ἐπίγνωσιν παντελῆ τὴν δι' υἱδ παράδο σιν μεμαθηκότων. Μὴ τοίουν, φησί, σέβεσθε, ἐκ εἶπεν, Θεὸν ἂν οἱ Ἕλληνες, ἀλλὰ μὴ κατὰ τοὺς Ἕλληνας, τὸν τράπου τὸν τῆς σεβήσεως ἐναλάτο των τῇ Θεῖ, ἐχὶ δὲ ἄλλον κατἀγέλλων· τί ἔν ἐςι τὸ, Μὴ κατὰ τὰς Ἕλληνας, αὐτὸς δι ασαφήσει Πέτρα ἐπιφέρων, Ὅτι αγνοίᾳ φερόμενοι καὶ μὴ ἐπιςάμενοι τὸν Θεὸν, ὡς ἡμεῖς, κατὰ τὴν γνῶσιν τὴν τελείαν, ἣν ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξεσίας εἰς μη even those who were the "most understanding among "the Gentiles, who worship « the fame God as we do, "but not with a perfect "knowledge, as having re"ceived inftruction from his « Son.” He does not fay, Do not worfhip the fame God whom the Gentiles do, but after the fame manner which the Gentiles do, changing the manner of worfhipping God, but not declaring any other God (to be worthipped). But what this means, Do not worthip as the Greeks, Peter himself will explain in what he fubjoins, viz. « Being carried away in their ignorance, and « not knowing God as we know him, with that perfect "knowledge, which he gave them the power of using, σε but |
