Traduction
Masquer
The Epistle of Barnabas
Chapter I.--After the salutation, the writer declares that he would communicate to his brethren something of that which he had himself received.
All hail, ye sons and daughters, in the name of our Lord 1 Jesus Christ, who loved us in peace.
Seeing that the divine fruits 2 of righteousness abound among you, I rejoice exceedingly and above measure in your happy and honoured spirits, because ye have with such effect received the engrafted 3 spiritual gift. Wherefore also I inwardly rejoice the more, hoping to be saved, because I truly perceive in you the Spirit poured forth from the rich Lord 4 of love. Your greatly desired appearance has thus filled me with astonishment over you. 5 I am therefore persuaded of this, and fully convinced in my own mind, that since I began to speak among you I understand many things, because the Lord hath accompanied me in the way of righteousness. I am also on this account bound 6 by the strictest obligation to love you above my own soul, because great are the faith and love dwelling in you, while you hope for the life which He has promised. 7 Considering this, therefore, that if I should take the trouble to communicate to you some portion of what I have myself received, it will prove to me a sufficient reward that I minister to such spirits, I have hastened briefly to write unto you, in order that, along with your faith, ye might have perfect knowledge. The doctrines of the Lord, then, are three: 8 the hope of life, the beginning and the completion of it. For the Lord hath made known to us by the prophets both the things which are past and present, giving us also the first-fruits of the knowledge 9 of things to come, which things as we see accomplished, one by one, we ought with the greater richness of faith 10 and elevation of spirit to draw near to Him with reverence. 11 I then, not as your teacher, but as one of yourselves, will set forth a few things by which in present circumstances ye may be rendered the more joyful.
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The Cod. Sin. has simply, "the Lord." ↩
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Literally, "the judgments of God being great and rich towards you;" but, as Hefele remarks, dikaioma seems here to have the meaning of righteousness, as in Rom. v. 18. ↩
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This appears to be the meaning of the Greek, and is confirmed by the ancient Latin version. Hilgenfeld, however, following Cod. Sin., reads "thus," instead of "because," and separates the clauses. ↩
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The Latin reads, "spirit infused into you from the honourable fountain of God." ↩
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This sentence is entirely omitted in the Latin. ↩
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The Latin text is here quite different, and seems evidently corrupt. We have followed the Cod. Sin., as does Hilgenfeld. ↩
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Literally, "in the hope of His life." ↩
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The Greek is here totally unintelligible: it seems impossible either to punctuate or construe it. We may attempt to represent it as follows: "The doctrines of the Lord, then, are three: Life, Faith, and Hope, our beginning and end; and Righteousness, the beginning and the end of judgment; Love and Joy and the Testimony of gladness for works of righteousness." We have followed the ancient Latin text, which Hilgenfeld also adopts, though Weitzäcker and others prefer the Greek. ↩
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Instead of "knowledge" (gnoseos), Cod. Sin. has "taste" (geuseos). ↩
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Literally, "we ought more richly and loftily to approach His fear." ↩
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Instead of, "to Him with fear," the reading of Cod. Sin., the Latin has, "to His altar," which Hilgenfeld adopts. ↩
Traduction
Masquer
Barnabasbrief (BKV)
1. Kap. Gruß und Freude über die Berufung. S. 76
1. Seid gegrüßt, Söhne und Töchter, im Namen des Herrn, der uns geliebt hat, in Frieden!
2. Da groß und reich sind die Anordnungen Gottes an euch, erfreuen mich gar sehr, ja über die Massen eure glücklichen und lobenswerten Erweisungen des Geistes; so sehr habt ihr empfangen die eingepflanzte Gnade des Geistesgeschenkes. 3. Deshalb beglückwünsche ich mich selbst in der Hoffnung, gerettet zu werden, weil ich wahrhaft unter euch ausgegossen sehe den Geist vom Herrn, aus der reichen Quelle an euch (gespendet); so sehr hat mich bei euch ergriffen euer mir so ersehntes Wiedersehen. 4. In dieser Überzeugung und im Bewusstsein, vieles zu verstehen, wenn ich unter euch rede, weil der Herr auf dem Wege der Gerechtigkeit mein Begleiter war, sehe ich mich erst recht gezwungen, auch meinerseits euch mehr als meine Seele zu lieben, daraufhin, weil großer Glaube und Liebe in euch wohnt wegen der „Hoffnung seines Lebens“1. 5. Indem ich nun dies bedachte, dass, wenn ich es mir euch zulieb angelegen sein lasse, ein Stück von dem, was ich empfangen, euch mitzuteilen, dass ich solchen Geistern mir selbst zum Lohne förderlich bin, habe ich mich angestrengt, einiges Wenige an euch zu senden, damit ihr (in Verbindung) mit eurem Glauben vollkommene Erkenntnis habet. 6. Dreifach nun sind die Anordnungen des Herrn: „Hoffnung des Lebens“2ist Anfang und Ende unseres Glaubens, und Gerechtigkeit ist Anfang und Ende des Gerichtes, frohe und über die Werke erfreute Liebe ist das Zeugnis der Gerechtigkeit 7. Denn kundgetan hat uns der Herr durch die Propheten das Vergangene und das Gegenwärtige, auch von der Zukunft gab er uns den Anfang zu kosten. Sehen wir nun davon Punkt für Punkt sich S. 77 verwirklichen gemäß seinem Worte, so muss unsere Furcht vor ihm immer reicher und tiefer werden. 8. Ich werde euch aber nicht wie ein Lehrer, sondern wie einer aus euch, auf einiges Wenige hinweisen, wodurch ihr in den gegenwärtigen Verhältnissen erfreut werden sollet.
