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Barnabas (Lightfoot)

11.

1. Ζητήσωμεν δέ, εἰ ἐμέλησεν τῷ κυρίῳ προφανερῶσαιπερὶ τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ περὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ.περὶ μὲν τοῦ ὕδατος γέγραπται ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ,πῶς τὸ βάπτισμα τὸ φέρον ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν οὐμὴ προσδέξονται, ἀλλ̓ ἑαυτοῖς οἰκοδομήσουσιν.¹ 2. λέγει γὰρ ὁ προφήτης· Ἔκστηθι οὐρανέ, καὶἐπὶ τούτῳ πλεῖον φριξάτω ἡ γῆ, ὅτι δύο καὶπονηρὰ ἐποίησεν ὁ λαὸς οὗτος· ἐμὲ ἐγκατέλιπον,[P. 380]()πηγὴν ζωῆς, καὶ ἑαυτοῖς ὤρυξαν βόθρον θανάτου.² 3. Μὴ πέτρα ἔρημός ἐστιν τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἅγιόν μουΣινᾶ; ἔσεσθε γὰρ ὡς πετεινοῦ νοσσοὶ ἀνιπτάμενοινοσσιᾶς ἀφῃρημένοι. 4. καὶ πάλιν λέγει ὁ προφήτης·³ Ἐγὼ πορεύσομαι ἔμπροσθέν σου καὶ ὄρηὁμαλιῶ καὶ πύλας χαλκᾶς συντρίψω καὶ μοχλοὺςσιδηροῦς συγκλάσω, καὶ δώσω σοι θησαυροὺςσκοτεινούς, ἀποκρύφους, ἀοράτους, ἵνα γνῶσιν⁴ ὅτι ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεός. 5. καί· Κατοικήσεις ἐνὑψηλῷ σπηλαίῳ πέτρας ἰσχυρᾶς. καί· τὸ ὕδωραὐτοῦ πιστόν· βασιλέα μετὰ δόξης ὄψεσθε, καὶ ἡψυχὴ ὑμῶν μελετήσει φόβον κυρίου 6. καὶ⁵ πάλιν ἐν ἄλλῳ προφήτῃ λέγει· Καὶ ἔσται ὁταῦτα ποιῶν ὡς τὸ ξύλον τὸ πεφυτευμένον παρὰτὰς διεξόδους τῶν ὑδάτων, ὃ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦδώσει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ φύλλον αὐτοῦ οὐκἀπορυήσεται, καὶ πάντα, ὅσα ἂν ποιῇ, κατευοδωθήσεται. 7. οὐχ οὕτως οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ̓ἢ ὡς ὁ χνοῦς, ὃν ἐκρίπτει ὁ ἄνεμος ἀπὸ προσώπουτῆς γῆς. διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀναστήσονται ἀσεβεῖς ἐνκρίσει οὐδὲ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐν βουλῇ δικαίων, ὅτιγινώσκει κύριος ὁδὸν δικαίων, καὶ ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶνἀπολεῖται. 8. αἰσθάνεσθε, πῶς τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸνσταυρὸν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ὥρισεν. τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει·μακάριοι, οἲ ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ἐλπίσαντες κατέβησανεἰς τὸ ὕδωρ, ὅτι τὸν μὲν μισθὸν λέγει ἐνκαιρῷ αὐτοῦ· τότε, φησίν, ἀποδώσω. νῦν δὲ ὅλέγει· τὰ φύλλα οὐκ ἀπορυήσεται, τοῦτο λέγει·ὅτι πᾶν ῥῆμα, ὃ ἐὰν ἐξελεύσεται ἐξ ὑμῶν διὰ τοῦ⁶ στόματος ὑμῶν ἐν πίστει καὶ ἀγάπῃ, ἔσται εἰςἐπιστροφὴν καὶ ἐλπίδα πολλοῖς. 9. καὶ πάλινἕτερος προφήτης λέγει. Καὶ ἦν ἡ γῆ τοῦ ἸακὼβP. 382 ἐπαινουμένη παρὰ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν. τοῦτο λέγει·⁷ τὸ σκεῦος τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ δοξάζει. 10. εἶτα⁸ τί λέγει; Καὶ ἦν ποταμὸς ἕλκων ἐκ δεξιῶν, καὶἀνέβαινεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ δένδρα ὡραῖα· καὶ ὃς ἂν φάγῃἐξ αὐτῶν, ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. 11. τοῦτο λέγειὅτι ἡμεῖς μὲν καταβαίνομεν εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ γέμοντεςἁμαρτιῶν καὶ ῥύπου, καὶ ἀναβαίνομεν καρποφοροῦντεςἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τὸν φόβον καὶ τὴν ἐλπίδα⁹ εἰς τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐν τῷ πνεύματι ἔχοντες. Καὶ ὃςἂν φάγῃ ἀπὸ τούτων, ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα,τοῦτο λέγει· ὃς ἄν, φησίν, ἀκούσῃ τούτων λαλουμένωνκαὶ πιστεύσῃ, ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

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The Epistle of Barnabas

Chapter XI.--Baptism and the cross prefigured in the Old Testament.

Let us further inquire whether the Lord took any care to foreshadow the water [of baptism] and the cross. Concerning the water, indeed, it is written, in reference to the Israelites, that they should not receive that baptism which leads to the remission of sins, but should procure ¹ another for themselves. The prophet therefore declares, "Be astonished, O heaven, and let the earth tremble ² at this, because this people hath committed two great evils: they have forsaken Me, a living fountain, and have hewn out for themselves broken cisterns. ³ Is my holy hill Zion a desolate rock? For ye shall be as the fledglings of a bird, which fly away when the nest is removed." ⁴

And again saith the prophet, "I will go before thee and make level the mountains, and will break the brazen gates, and bruise in pieces the iron bars; and I will give thee the secret, ⁵ hidden, invisible treasures, that they may know that I am the Lord God." ⁶ And "He shall dwell in a lofty cave of the strong rock." ⁷ Furthermore, what saith He in reference to the Son? "His water is sure; ⁸ ye shall see the King in His glory, and your soul shall meditate on the fear of the Lord." ⁹ And again He saith in another prophet, "The man who doeth these things shall be like a tree planted by the courses of waters, which shall yield its fruit in due season; and his leaf shall not fade, and all that he doeth shall prosper. Not so are the ungodly, not so, but even as chaff, which the wind sweeps away from the face of the earth. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in judgment, nor sinners in the counsel of the just; for the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish." ¹⁰ Mark how He has described at once both the water and the cross. For these words imply, Blessed are they who, placing their trust in the cross, have gone down into the water; for, says He, they shall receive their reward in due time: then He declares, I will recompense them. But now He saith, ¹¹ "Their leaves shall not fade." This meaneth, that every word which proceedeth out of your mouth in faith and love shall tend to bring conversion and hope to many. Again, another prophet saith, "And the land of Jacob shall be extolled above every land." ¹² This meaneth the vessel of His Spirit, which He shall glorify. Further, what says He? "And there was a river flowing on the right, and from it arose beautiful trees; and whosoever shall eat of them shall live for ever." ¹³ This meaneth, ¹⁴ that we indeed descend into the water full of sins and defilement, but come up, bearing fruit in our heart, having the fear [of God] and trust in Jesus in our spirit. "And whosoever shall eat of these shall live for ever," This meaneth: Whosoever, He declares, shall hear thee speaking, and believe, shall live for ever.