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Demonstration
XXII.—Of
Death and the Latter Times.
1. The upright and righteous and good and wise fear not nor tremble at death, because of the great hope that is
before them. And they at every time are mindful of death, their
exodus, and of the last day in which the children of Adam shall be
judged. They know that by the sentence of judgment death has held
sway, because Adam transgressed the commandment; as the Apostle
said:—Death ruled from Adam unto Moses even over those who
sinned not, so that also upon all the children of Adam it
passed,1165
even as it passed upon Adam. And how did death rule from Adam unto Moses?
Clearly, when God laid down the commandment for Adam, He warned him,
and said:—On the day that thou shalt eat of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt die the death.1166
So when he transgressed the
commandment and ate of the tree, death ruled over him and over all his
progeny. Even over those who had not sinned, even over them did
death rule through Adam’s transgression of the
commandment.
2. And why did he say:—From Adam
unto Moses did Death rule? And who is so ill-furnished with
knowledge as to imagine that only from Adam to Moses has death had
dominion? Yet let him understand from this that he
said:—Upon all men it passed. Thus, upon all men it
passed from Moses until the world shall end. Yet Moses preached
that its kingdom is made void. For when Adam transgressed the
commandment whereby the sentence of death was passed upon his progeny,
Death hoped that he would bind fast all the sons of man and would be
king over them for ever. But when Moses came, he proclaimed the
resurrection, and Death knew that his kingdom is to be made void.
For Moses said:—Reuben shall live and not die, and shall be in
number.1167
And when
the Holy One called Moses from the bush he said thus to him:—I
am the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.1168
When Death heard this utterance,
he trembled and feared and was terrified and was perturbed, and knew
that he had not become king for ever over the children of Adam.
From the hour that he heard God saying to Moses:—I am the God
of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, Death smote his hands together,
for he learned that God is King of the dead and of the living, and that
it is appointed to the children of Adam to come forth from his
darkness, and arise with their bodies. And observe that our
Redeemer Jesus also, when He repeated this utterance to the Sadducees,
when they were disputing with Him about the Resurrection of the dead,
thus said:—God is not (God) of the dead, for all are alive
unto Him.1169
3. And that God might make known to Death that his authority is not for ever over all the progeny of the world,
He translated Enoch to Himself, because he was well-pleasing, and made
him deathless. And again He took up Elijah to heaven, and Death
had no dominion over him. And Hannah said:—The Lord
maketh to die and causeth to live; He bringeth down to Sheol and
raiseth up.1170
Furthermore
Moses said as from the mouth of God:—I make to die and I cause
to live.1171
Again the
Prophet Isaiah also said:—Thy dead shall live, and their dead
bodies shall rise again; and the sleepers of the dust shall be
awakened, and shall glorify Thee.1172
When Death heard all these things,
amazement seized him, and he
sat him down in mourning.
4. And when Jesus, the slayer of Death, came, and
clothed Himself in a Body from the seed of Adam, and was crucified in
His Body, and tasted death; and when (Death) perceived thereby that He
had come down unto him, he was shaken from his place and was agitated
when he saw Jesus; and he closed his gates and was not willing to
receive Him. Then He burst his gates, and entered into him, and
began to despoil all his possessions. But when the dead saw light
in the darkness, they lifted up their heads from the bondage of death,
and looked forth, and saw the splendour of the King Messiah. Then
the powers of the darkness of Death sat in mourning, for he was
degraded from his authority. Death tasted the medicine that was
deadly to him, and his hands dropped down, and he learned that the dead
shall live and escape from his sway. And when He had afflicted
Death by the despoiling of his possessions, he wailed and cried aloud
in bitterness and said, “Go forth from my realm and enter it
not. Who then is this that comes in alive into my
realm?” And while Death was crying out in terror (for he
saw that his darkness was beginning to be done away, and some of the
righteous who were sleeping arose to ascend with Him), then He made
known to him that when He shall come in the fulness of time, He will
bring forth all the prisoners from his power, and they shall go forth
to see the light. Then when Jesus had fulfilled His ministry
amongst the dead, Death sent Him forth from his realm, and suffered Him
not to remain there. And to devour Him like all the dead, he
counted it not pleasure. He had no power over the Holy One, nor
was He given over to corruption.
5. And when he had eagerly sent Him forth and He had come forth from his realm, He left with him, as a poison,
the promise of life; that by little and little his power should be done
away. Even as when a man has taken a poison in the food which is
given for (the support of) life, when he perceives in himself that he
has received poison in the food, then he casts up again from his belly
the food in which poison was mingled; but the drug leaves its power in
his limbs, so that by little and little the structure of his body is
dissolved and corrupted. So Jesus dead was the bringer to nought
of Death; for through Him life is made to reign, and through Him Death
is abolished, to whom it is said:—O Death, where is thy
victory?1173
6. Therefore, ye children of Adam, all ye over
whom Death has ruled, be mindful of Death and remember life; and
transgress not the commandment as your first father did. O Kings,
crowned with the diadem, remember Death, which will take away the
diadems that are set upon your heads, and he shall be king over you
till the time, when ye shall rise again for the judgment. O ye
haughty and uplifted and proud, remember Death, which shall destroy
your haughtiness, and dissolve the limbs, and separate the joints, and
the body and its forms shall be given over to corruption. The
lofty ones shall be brought low by Death, and the fierce and stern ones
shall be buried away in his darkness. He shall take away all the
pride, and they shall corrupt away and become dust, until the
judgment. O ye rich, remember Death; for when the time shall come
and ye shall draw nigh to him there, ye shall not use your wealth and
possessions. He will not place dainty viands before you, nor will
he prepare for you a rich banquet. There the body of the gluttons
who used to live delicately shall be corrupted. They shall cease
from their luxury and shall not remember it. There the worm shall
consume their bodies, and they shall clothe themselves in darkness over
their fair apparel. They remember not the ending of this world,
that Death shall confound them when they descend to him. So they
shall sit in oppression and in the shadow of death, and shall not
remember this world, until the end shall be and they shall rise again
for the judgment. O ye rapacious and extortioners and plunderers of your fellows, remember Death,
and multiply not your sins; for in that place sinners repent not; and
he who has plundered his fellows’ goods shall not possess his
own, but shall go to the place where man shall make no use of
wealth. And he shall come to nought and pass away from his
honour, but his sins shall be laid up against the day of judgment.
7. O ye that trust in this world, let this world be despised in your eyes; for ye are sojourners and aliens in the
midst of it, and ye know not the day that ye shall be taken out of
it. For suddenly shall Death come, and separate and lead away the
loved children from their parents, and the parents from their darling
children. He leads away for himself the precious only-begotten
children, and their parents shall be deprived of them and shall come
into contempt. He separates precious friends unto himself, and
their beloved weep for them lamentably. He leads away and takes
prisoners unto himself them that are desired for their beauty, that he
may put to shame their forms and corrupt them. And those that are
glorious in aspect he leads away to himself, and they become dust until
the judgment. He leads away betrothed maidens from their spouses,
and binds them captive in his bridal-chamber, in his place of
gloom. He leads away and separates betrothed husbands from the
virgins who were designed for them and betrothed in their name; and
these shall sit in bitter mourning over them. He leads away and
separates unto himself all the beautiful youths who supposed that even
unto old age they would not see death. He leads away and gathers
unto himself the loved infants of days, with whom their parents were
not satiated. He leads away to himself the wealthy, the sons of
luxury; And they leave their possessions as the waves of the
sea.1174
He leads
away to himself the skilful artificers, who were raising up the world
by their wonderful works. He leads away to himself the subtle and
the wise, and they become simple, not distinguishing good from
evil. He leads away to himself the richly endowed of this world,
and their endowments are destroyed and shall not be established for
ever. He leads away to himself the mighty and the great ones, and
their might is brought low and weakened, and comes to an end.
Them that were confident that their might would not be brought lower,
in the day of death, men that are of lower degree than theirs gather
together their bodies. They that trust that in their death they
shall be buried with honour, it befalls them that the dogs devour
them. And they that trust that they shall be buried in the place
wherein they were born, know not but that in the land of their
captivity they shall even be gathered (to the grave) with insult.
They that trusted in their possessions, that they should give them in
inheritance to their children, from them it is hidden that they shall
be plundered by their enemies. Death leads away to himself the
brave and the warriors. who thought to lay waste the great world.
Death leads away them that adorn themselves with all pleasant things,
and the burial of an ass befalls them when they are buried. Death
rules over the unborn, and takes them captive to himself before they
are born. Death leads away to himself them that are honoured with
pomps, and they come into contempt when they descend to him, to the
realm of darkness, where there is no light. He is not ashamed
before Kings (that are) crowned with the diadem. He is not
abashed before the lofty and the fierce ones who lay waste the
lands. Death respects not the persons of the honourable, nor does
he receive a bribe from the rich. Death despises not the poor,
nor does his soul scorn him that has nothing. Death honours not
them that live in magnificence, nor with him are the good distinguished
from the bad. He takes no account of the aged, rather than of
children in respect of honour. The lords of prudence he makes
without understanding, and them that used to make haste and vex
themselves, in acquiring possessions there with him, these are stripped of their gains. He leads away to himself slaves and their masters;
and there the masters are not honoured more than their servants.
Small and great are there, and they hear not the voice of the
oppressor. The slave who is freed from his master1175
there pays no regard to him who used to oppress him. Death binds and makes captive to himself the keepers
of prisoners, and the prisoners who were shut up. By means of
Death the prisoners are released, and fear not again because of their
oppressors.
8. They that live daintily fear death; but the
afflicted look forward with hope that they shall be speedily taken
away. All the rich tremble because of death; but the poor desire
it, that they may rest from their labour. Death terrifies the
mighty when they remember him; but the sick look forward with hope to
him that through him they may forget their pains. Again the young
children are afraid of death, for when it comes upon them they shall
leave their pleasures; but the old men advanced in years pray for it,
they that are in need of daily bread.
9. The sons of peace remember death; and they
forsake and remove from them wrath and enmity. As sojourners they
dwell in this world, and prepare for themselves a provision for the
journey before them. On that which is above they set their
thoughts, on that which is above they meditate; and those things which
are beneath their eyes they despise. They send away their
treasures to the place where there is no peril, the place where there
is no moth, nor are there thieves. They abide in the world as
aliens, sons of a far land; and look forward to be sent out of this
world and to come to the city, the place of the righteous. They
afflict themselves in the place of their sojourning; and they are not
entangled or occupied in the house of their exile. Ever day by
day their faces are set upwards, to go to the repose of their
fathers. As prisoners are they in this world, and as hostages of
the King are they kept. To the end they have no rest in this
world, nor is (their) hope in it, that it will continue for ever.
They that acquire possessions, rejoice not in them, and they that beget
children, death fills them with sorrow. They that build cities,
shall not be left in them; and those that hasten and toil for anything,
are in no wise to be distinguished from fools. O man without
sense, whosoever he be whose trust is in this world!
10. Remember, my beloved, and compare and consider in thy mind, who is there of former generations who has been
left in this world so as to continue for ever? Death has led away
the former generations, the great ones and the mighty and the
subtle. Who is there that acquired great possessions, and at the
time when he departed took them with him? That which was gathered
together from the earth returns back into its bosom; and naked does a
man depart from his possessions. The wise, when they acquire
goods, send some of them before them, as Job said:—My
witnesses are heaven; and again:—My brethren and my lovers
are with God.1176
| 1176 Job
xvi. 19; ib. xvi. 20. | And our
Lord commanded them that acquire possessions to make for themselves
friends in heaven, and also to lay up treasures
there.1177
11. Do thou also remember death, O wise scribe,
that thy heart be not lifted up, so that thou shouldest forget the
sentence of judgment. Death leaves not aside the wise, nor
respects the persons of the subtle. Death leads away to himself
the wise scribes, so that they forget that which they have learned,
until the time comes in which all the righteous shall rise again.
12. In that place they shall forget this
world. There they have no want; and they shall love one another
with an abundant love. In their bodies there shall be no
heaviness, and lightly shall they fly as doves to their windows.1178
In their thoughts they shall not
there remember wickedness at all, nor shall anything of uncleanness
arise in their heart. In that place there shall be no natural
desire, for there they shall be weaned from all appetites. There
shall not arise in their heart anger or lasciviousness; also they shall
remove from them all things that gender sins. Fervent in their
heart will be the love of each other; and hatred will not be fixed
within them at all. They shall have no need there to build
houses, for they shall abide in light, in the mansions of the
saints. They shall have no need of woven raiment, for they shall
be clothed in eternal light. They shall have no need of food, for
they shall recline at His table and be nurtured for ever. The air
of that region is pleasant and glorious, and its light shines out, and
is goodly and gladsome. Planted there are beautiful trees, whose
fruits fail not, and whose leaves fall not. Their boughs are
glorious, their perfume delightful, and of their taste no soul shall
grow weary for ever. Spacious is the region, nor is it limited;
yet its inhabitants shall see its distance even as that which is
near. There the inheritance shall not be divided, and no man
shall say to his fellow:—“This is mine and that is
thine.” They shall not be bound there in the desire of
covetousness, nor shall they go astray there concerning
remembrance. There a man shall not love his neighbour with
especial reverence, but abundantly shall they all love one another
after one fashion. They shall not marry wives there, nor shall
they beget children; nor shall there the male be distinguished from the
female; but all shall be sons of their Father Who is in heaven; as the
Prophet said:—Is there not one Father of us all; is there not
one God Who created us?1179
13. And as regards that which I said; that there they shall not take wives, nor is male distinguished from female,
our Lord and His Apostles have taught us. For our Lord
said:—They that are worthy of that world, and of that
resurrection from the abode of the dead, shall not take wives, nor
shall (women) become wives to men; for they cannot die; but they are as
the angels in heaven, and are the children of God.1180
And the apostle said:—There
is neither male nor female, neither bond nor free; but ye are all one
in Jesus Christ.1181
For, as
for Eve, to spread abroad generation, God took her out from Adam, that
she might become the mother of all living; but yet in that world there
is no female; even as in heaven also there is no female, nor
generation, nor use of concupiscence. In that place there is no
deficiency, but fulness and perfection. The aged shall not die
and the young shall not grow old. And it is in expectation of
growing old and dying that young men take wives and beget children,
that when the fathers shall have died the children may rise up in their
stead. Now all these things have their use only in this world,
for in that place there is no want, nor any deficiency, nor
concupiscence, nor generation, nor ending, nor failure, nor death, nor
termination, nor old age. There is neither hatred, nor wrath, nor
envy, nor weariness, nor toil, nor darkness, nor night, nor
falsehood. There is not in that place any want at all; but it is
full of light, and life, and grace, and fulness, and satisfaction and
renewal, and love, and all the good promises that are written but not
yet sealed. For there is there that which eye hath not
seen and ear hath not heard, and which hath not come up into the heart
of man,1182
that which is unspeakable and which a man cannot utter. And the Apostle
said:—That which God hath prepared for them that love
Him.1183
Though
men shall say much, they shall not be able to express it. That
which eye hath not seen, they are unable to relate; and that which ear
hath not heard, it is not right to speak of in such wise as to compare
it with anything that the ear has heard and the eye has seen. And
that which has not come up unto the heart, who is there dares to
speak of it, as though it
was like anything that has come up into the heart? But this is
right for a speaker, to liken and call that place the abode of God, and
the place of life, the perfect place, the place of light, the place of
glory, the Sabbath of God, the day of rest, the repose of the
righteous, the joy of the just, the abode and dwelling-place of the
righteous and the holy, the place of our hope, the sure abode of our
trust, the place of our treasure, the place that shall assuage our
weariness and remove our afflictions, and soothe our sighs. To
these things it is right for us to liken, and thus to call, that
place.
14. Again, Death leads away to himself kings, the
founders of cities, who strengthen themselves in splendour. And
he does not leave aside the Lords of the countries. Death leads
away and takes captive to himself the avaricious who are not satisfied
nor say “Enough”; and he is greedy for them with a greater
greed than theirs. Death leads away to himself the despoilers who
were not by their grace restrained from despoiling their fellows.
Death leads away to himself the oppressors, and through death are they
restrained from iniquity. Death leads away to himself the
persecutors, and the persecuted have rest till they go to him.
Death leads away to himself them that swallow up their fellows, and the
down-trodden and oppressed have rest for a little until they themselves
also are led away and go thither. Death leads away them that
abound in meditations, and all they have thought upon is dissolved and
brought to nought. Men meditate upon many matters, and death
comes upon them suddenly, and they are led away; and thereafter they
remember nothing that they have thought upon. There is one that
makes plans for many years, and (the knowledge) is withheld from him
that he shall not survive to-morrow. Some son of Adam is uplifted
and vaunts himself over his fellow; and death comes upon him and brings
to nought his vaunting. The rich man plans to add to his
possessions, and he knows not that he shall not continue to possess
even that which he has acquired. Death leads away to himself all
the children of men, and binds them fast in his abode until the
judgment. Also over those that have not sinned is he king,
because of the sentence of judgment that Adam received for his
sins.
15. And the Life-giver shall come, the Destroyer of Death, and shall bring to nought his power, from over the
just and from over the wicked. And the dead shall arise with a
mighty shout, and Death shall be emptied and stripped of all the
captivity. And for judgment shall all the children of Adam be
gathered together, and each shall go to the place prepared for
him. The risen of the righteous shall go unto life, and the risen
of the sinners shall be delivered unto death. The righteous who
kept the commandment shall go, and shall not come nigh unto judgment in
the day that they shall rise; as David asked, And bring not thy
servant into judgment;1184
nor will their Lord terrify them in that day.
16. Remember that the Apostle also said, We shall judge angels.1185
And our
Lord said to His disciples, Ye shall sit on twelve thrones, and
judge twelve tribes of the house of Israel.1186
And Ezekiel said concerning
righteous men,1187
that they shall judge Ahola and Aholibah. Since, then, the righteous are to
judge the wicked, He has made clear concerning them that they shall not
come into judgment. And as to what the apostles say, that We
shall judge angels, hear, and I will instruct thee. The
angels who shall be judged by the apostles are the priests who have
violated the law; as the Prophet said, The lips of the priest shall
guard knowledge, and the law shall they inquire of his mouth; because
he is the angel of the Lord, the most mighty.1188
The angels who are the
priests, of whose mouth the law is inquired, when they transgress
the law, shall be judged at the last by the apostles, and the priests who
observe the law.
17. And the wicked shall not arise in the
judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous.1189
And even
as the righteous who are perfected in good works shall not come into
the judgment to be judged, so of the wicked also whose sins are many,
and the measure of whose offences is overflowing, it shall not be
required that they should draw nigh unto the judgment, but when they
have risen again they shall turn back to Sheol, as David said, The
wicked shall turn back to Sheol, and all the nations that forget
God.1190
And Isaiah
said, All the nations are as a drop from the bucket, and as the
turning of the balance. And the isles as a grain of sand shall be
cast away, and all the nations are esteemed as nothingness by
Him. For destruction and the sword are they esteemed by
Him.1191
Therefore
learn and be persuaded, that all the nations that know not God their
Maker, are esteemed by God as nothingness, and shall not come nigh to
judgment, but as soon as they have risen shall turn back to
Sheol.
18. But all the rest of the world who are called
sinners shall stand in the judgment and be rebuked. Those in whom
there is a little shortcoming will the judge rebuke, and make known to
them that they have offended. And He will give them the
inheritance of life after the judgment. And understand that our
Lord has made known to us in His Gospel, that every man according to
his work shall receive his reward. He that received money, showed
the increase on it. He whose pound or talent produced tenfold,
received life, perfect, in nothing lacking. He whose pound or
talent produced fivefold, received the half of ten. One was given
a tenfold authority and one a fivefold. Now consider and see,
that the increase of five is less than that of ten; and the labourers
who demand the reward excel them that received it in silence.
They who toiled all the day, with bold face receive the reward and
demand it, in confidence that He will add more to them. While
they who worked one hour receive it in silence, and know that through
grace they receive mercy and life. The sinners whose sins are
many shall be condemned by the place of judgment, and shall go into
torments. And from that time and onwards, judgment shall rule
over them.
19. Furthermore, hearken unto the Apostle who said, Every man according his work shall receive his
reward.1192
He that
toiled little, shall receive according to his remissness; and he that
made much speed, shall be rewarded according to his speed. And
Job also said, Far be it from God to do iniquity; and far be it from
Him to do sin. For according to a man’s works will He
reward him, and a man shall receive according his ways.1193
And also the Apostle said, Star
excels star in brightness. So also is the resurrection of the
dead.1194
Therefore
know that, even when men shall enter into life, yet reward shall excel
reward, and glory shall excel glory, and recompense shall excel
recompense. Degree is higher than degree; and light is more
goodly than light in aspect. The sun excels the moon, and the
moon is greater than the stars that are with her. And observe
that the moon and the stars are also under the power of the sun, and
their light is swallowed up in the splendour of the sun. And the
sun has power along with the moon and the stars, that he may not
abolish the night which has been separated from the day. And when
the sun was created, he was called a luminary. And observe that
the sun and the moon and the stars are all called luminaries; but
luminary excels luminary. The sun obscures the light of the moon,
and the moon likewise darkens the light of the stars; and star excels
star in its light.
20. And understand (this) also, from that which is
of this world, those who labour with toil, and from the hired men
who work with their fellows.
There are some who hire their fellow-men by day-wages, and (these)
receive the wage of their toil; and there are some who are hired for
the month, and compute and receive the wage for the time, at the time
agreed. And the day-wage is distinguished from the monthly wage;
and yearly exceeds monthly wage.
21. And also again, understand it from the
authority that is in this world. There are some who please the
king by their activity, and receive honour from those in
authority. One receives a crown from the king, to become governor
in one of the countries. And under the authority of another, the
king places towns; and also he excels his inferiors in his
attire. Some receive presents and gifts, and one honour is
distinguished from another. There is one to whom the king gives
the honour of being steward over all the treasury. Another,
according to his lower condition, serves the king, and his authority is
only to provide the daily food.
22. Also in respect of penalty, I say that all men are not equal. He that has done great wickedness is
greatly tormented. And he that has offended not so much is less
tormented. Some shall go into outer darkness, where there is
weeping and gnashing of teeth.1195
Others
shall be cast into the fire, according as they deserve; for it is not
written that they shall gnash their teeth, nor that there is darkness
there. Some shall be cast into another place, a place where
their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched, and
they shall became an astonishment to all flesh.1196
In the faces of others the door
shall be closed and the Judge will say to them:—I know you
not.1197
And
consider that, as the reward for good deeds is not equal for all men,
so it is also for evil deeds. Not in one fashion shall men be
judged, but every man according to his works shall receive his
requital, because the Judge is clothed in righteousness and regards not
the persons of men.
23. And even as I have showed thee concerning the world, how one honour excels another, of those that
kings and rulers of this world give to those beneath them; also
concerning this I have showed thee, that even as kings have good gifts
to give to those honoured by them, so also they have prisons and chains
and fetters, which are various kinds of bonds. One man offends
the king with a grievous offence, and without inquiry he is delivered
over to death. Another offends, yet is not deserving of death; he
is put in bonds until he is judged; and is chastised, and the king
remits his offence. There is another whom the king has held in
regard; and outside the prison house he is kept in freedom, without
chains and without bonds. He that is put to death is
distinguished from him that is bound; and the punishment of one exceeds
that of another, according to the desert of his offence. But come
thou to our Redeemer, Who said:—Many are the mansions in My
Father’s house.1198
24. My beloved, men who are inferior in understanding, dispute about this that I write to thee, and
say:—“What is the place in which the righteous shall
receive a good reward; and what is the place in which are torments, in
which the wicked shall receive the punishments of their
works?” O man that thinkest thus, I will ask thee, and tell
thou me, why is death called death, and why is Sheol called
Sheol? For it is written that when Korah and his companions made
a schism against Moses, the earth opened her mouth and swallowed
them up, and they went down alive into Sheol.1199
Therefore that was the mouth of
Sheol that was opened in the wilderness. David also said, The
wicked shall turn back to Sheol.1200
We say
that to Sheol, in which Korah and his companions were swallowed up,
thither shall the wicked be turned back. For God has power, if He
chooses, to give inheritance of life in heaven, and if it please Him, in the earth. Jesus our Lord said, Blessed are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.1201
And to one of those who were crucified
with Him, who believed on him He swore:—Thou shalt be with Me
to-day in the garden Eden.1202
And the
Apostle said, When the righteous shall rise again, they shall fly
upwards to meet our Redeemer.1203
But,
however, we say thus: That which our Redeemer said to us is
true:—Heaven and earth shall pass away.1204
And the Apostle said, Hope which
is seen is not hope.1205
And the
Prophet said, The heavens shall pass away as smoke, and the earth as
a garment shall wear away; and its inhabitants shall become like
it.1206
And Job said
concerning those that sleep, Till the heavens wear out, they shall
not be aroused, nor shall they wake out of their sleep.1207
From these things be thou persuaded
that this earth, in which the children of Adam are sown, and the
firmament that is over men, (even) that firmament which is set to
divide the upper heavens from the earth and this life, shall pass away,
and wear out, and be destroyed. And God will make a new thing for
the children of Adam, and they shall inherit inheritances in the
Kingdom of Heaven. If He shall give them inheritance in the
earth, it shall be called the kingdom of heaven. And if in
Heaven, it is easy for Him to do. For with the kings of the earth
also, although each one of them abides in his own place, yet every
place to which their authority extends, is called their kingdom.
So the sun is a luminary set in the heaven, yet for every place to
which its rays extend, its authority suffices, whether on sea or on
land. And observe that the princes of the world also have
banquetings and delights, and in every place or state into which they
go, their banquetings are with them; and in whatever place pleases
them, they make a prison-house. For the sun in twelve hours
circles round, from the east unto the west; and when he has
accomplished his course, his light is hidden in the night-time, and the
night is not disturbed by his power. And in the hours of the
night the sun turns round in his rapid course, and turning round begins
to run in his accustomed path. As for the sun that is with thee,
thou wise man, from thy childhood till the completion of thy old age,
thou knowest not where he runs in the night-time, so as to circle round
to the place of its course. Is it necessary for thee to inquire
into those things that are hidden from thee?
25. These memorials I have written for our
brethren and beloved, the children of the Church of God, that when
these come into their hands in various places, and when they read in
them, they may also remember my insignificance in their prayers, and
may know that I am a sinner also, and fall short; but that this is my
faith, that I have set forth from the beginning and written, in these
chapters written (by me). Faith is the foundation, and
upon faith (rest) the works that become it. And after Faith (I
wrote) that there are two commandments of Love. And after
Love, I have written of Fasting, in its demonstration also along
with its works. And after Fasting, I wrote of Prayer in
its fruit and in its works. And after Prayer, have written about
War and about whatever Daniel wrote concerning the
kingdoms. And after War, I have written of the exhortation for
Monks. And after the Monks, I have written about
Repentance. And after Repentance, I have written about the
Resurrection of the dead. And after the Resurrection of
the dead, I have written about Humility. And after
Humility, I have written of the Pastors, the teachers. And
after the Pastors, I have written about the Circumcision in
which the people of the Jews pride themselves. And after the
Circumcision, I have written about the Passover, and about the
fourteenth day. And after the Passover, I have written about the
Sabbath, in which the Jews are puffed up. And after the
Sabbath, I have written an Exhortation, on account of the dissension which happened in our days. And after the Exhortation,
I have written about Meats, those that the Jews deem
unclean. And after the Meats, I have written about the
Gentiles, that they have entered in and become heirs instead of
the original people. And after the Gentiles, I have written and
proved that God has a Son. And after the Son of
God, I have written against the Jews, who speak injuriously about
Virginity. And after the apology about Virginity, I have
written again Against the Jews, who say:—“It is
appointed for us to be gathered together.” And after that
defence, I have written about Almsgiving to the Poor. And
after the Poor, I have written a demonstration about The
Persecuted. And after the Persecuted, I have written at the
end about Death and the Last Times. These twenty-two
discourses have I written according to the twenty-two letters of the
alphabet. The first ten I wrote in the six hundred and
forty-eighth year of the kingdom of Alexander the son of Philip the
Macedonian, as is written in the end of them. And these twelve
last I wrote in the six hundred and fifty-fifth year of the kingdom of
the Greeks and of the Romans, which is the kingdom of Alexander, and in
the thirty-fifth year of the Persian King.1208
| 1208 Sc., in the years 337 and 344, a.d. |
26. These things I have written according to what I have attained to. But if anyone shall read these
discourses, and find words that do not agree with his thought, he ought
not to scorn them; because whatsoever is written in these chapters was
not written according to the thought of one man, nor for the persuasion
of one reader; but according to the thought of all the Church, and for
the persuasion of all faith. If he shall read and hear with
persuasion, it is well; and if not, it is meet for me to say that I
wrote for those open to persuasion and not for mockers. And if
again any reader should find words that are spoken by us in one
fashion, and by another sage in another fashion, let him not be
disturbed at this; for every man speaks to his hearers according to
what he can attain to. So I, who have written these things, even
if some of the words do not agree with what other speakers have said,
yet say this; that those sages have spoken well, yet it seemed good to
me to speak thus. And if any man shall speak and demonstrate to
me about any matter, I will receive instruction from him without
contention. Everyone who reads the sacred scriptures, both former
and latter, in both covenants, and reads with persuasion, will learn
and teach. But if he strives about anything that he does not
understand, his mind does not receive teaching. But if he finds
words that are too difficult for him, and he does not understand their
force, let him say thus, “Whatsoever is written is written well,
but I have not attained to the understanding of it.” And if
he shall ask about the matters that are too hard for him of wise and
discerning men who inquire into doctrine, then, when ten wise men shall
speak to him in ten different ways about one matter, let him accept
that which pleases him; and if any please not him, let him not scorn
the sages; for the word of God is like a pearl, that has a beautiful
appearance on whatever side you turn it. And remember, O
disciple, what David said, From all my teachers have I
learned.1209
And the
Apostle said:—Thou readest every Scripture that is in the
Spirit of God. And prove everything; hold fast that which is
good; and flee from every evil thing.1210
| 1210 1 Thess. v. 21, 22; 2 Tim. iii. 16. | For if the days of a man should be
many as all the days of the world from Adam to the end of the ages, and
he should sit and meditate upon the Holy Scriptures, he would not
comprehend all the force of the depth of the words. And man
cannot rise up to the wisdom of God; as I have written in the tenth
discourse. But, however, the words of all speakers who do not
take from the great treasure, are accursed and to be despised.
For the image of the king (on his coin) is received
wherever it goes; but (the coin) in which there is base metal, is rejected and is not
received. And if any one should say, “These discourses were
spoken by such an one;” let him carefully learn that to be
careful to inquire about the speaker is not commanded him. I also
according to my insignificance have written these things, a man sprung
from Adam, and fashioned by the hands of God, a disciple of the Holy
Scriptures. For our Lord said:—Every one that asketh
receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and for him that knocketh it
shall be opened.1211
And the
prophet said:—I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh in the
last days, and they shall prophesy.1212
Therefore whoever shall read
anything that I have written above, let him read with persuasion, and
pray for the author as a brother of the Body; that through the petition
of all the Church of God; his sins may be forgiven. And let
whoever reads understand what is written:—Let him that hears
the word, communicate to him that causes him to hear, in all good
things.1213
And again
it is written, The sower and the reaper shall rejoice
together.1214
And
Every man according to his labours shall receive his
reward.1215
And There
is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed to every man.1216
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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