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Barnabas (Lightfoot)

4.

1. Δεῖ οὖν ἡμᾶς περὶ τῶν ἐνεστώτων ἐπιπολὺἐραυνῶντας¹ ἐκζητεῖν τὰ δυνάμενα ἡμᾶς σώζειν.φύγωμεν οὑν τελείως ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἔργων τῆςἀνομίας, μήποτε καταλάβῃ ἡμᾶς τὰ ἔργα τῆςἀνομίας· καὶ μισήσωμεν τὴν πλάνην τοῦ νῦνκαιροῦ, ἵνα εἰς τὸν μέλλοντα ἀγαπηθῶμεν. 2. μὴδῶμεν τῇ ἑαυτῶν ψυχῇ ἄνεσιν, ὥστε ἔχειν αὐτὴνἐξουσίαν μετὰ ἁμαρτωλῶν καὶ πονηρῶν συντρέχειν,μήποτε ὁμοιωθῶμεν αὐτοῖς. 3. τὸ τέλειονσκάνδαλον ἤγγικεν, περὶ οὖ γέγραπται, ὡς Ἐνὼχ² λέγει. Εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ δεσπότης συντέτμηκεντοὺς καιροὺς καὶ τὰς ἡμέρας, ἵνα ταχύνῃ ὁἠγαπημένος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν κληρονομίαν ἥξῃ,³ 4. λέγει δὲ οὕτως καὶ ὁ προφήτης· Βασιλεῖαιδέκα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς βασιλεύσουσιν, καὶ ἐξαναστήσεταιὄπισθεν⁴ μικρὸς βασιλεύς, ὃς ταπεινώσειτρεῖς ὑφ̓ ἓν τῶν βασιλέων. 5. ὁμοίως περὶ τοῦ[P. 350]() ⁵ αὐτοῦ λέγει Δανιήλ· Καὶ εἶδον τὸ τέταρτον θηρίοντὸ πονηρὸν καὶ ἰσχυρὸν καὶ χαλεπώτερον παρὰπάντα τὰ θηρία τῆς θαλάσσης,⁶ καὶ ὡς ἐξ αὐτοῦἀνέτειλεν δέκα κέρατα, καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν μικρὸν κέραςπαραφυάδιον, καὶ ὡς ἐταπείνωσεν ὑφ̓ ἓν τρία τῶνμεγάλων κεράτων. 6. συνιέναι οὖν ὀφείλετε.ἔτι δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἐρωτῶ ὑμᾶς ὡς εἶς ἐξ ὑμῶν ὤν,⁷ ἰδίως δὲ καὶ πάντας ἀγαπῶν ὑπὲρ τὴν ψυχήν μου,προσέχειν νῦν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ μὴ ὁμοιοῦσθαί τισινἐπισωρεύοντας ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν λέγοντας, ὅτιἡ διαθήκη ἐκείνων καὶ ἡμῶν. 7. ἡμῶν μέν· ἀλλ̓ἐκεῖνοι οὕτως εἰς τέλος ἀπώλεσαν αὐτὴν λαβόντος⁸ ἤδη τοῦ Μωϋσέως. λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή· Καὶ ἦνΜωϋσῆς ἐν τῷ ὄρει νηστεύων ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντακαὶ νύκτας τεσσαράκοντα, καὶ ἔλαβεν τὴν⁹ διαθήκην ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου, πλάκας λιθίνας γεγραμμέναςτῷ δακτύλῳ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ κυρίου. 8. ἀλλὰἐπιστραφέντες ἐπὶ τὰ εἴδωλα ἀπώλεσαν αὐτήν.¹⁰ λέγει γὰρ οὕτως κύριος. Μωϋσῆ Μωϋσῆ, κατάβηθιτὸ τάχος, ὅτι ἠνόμησεν ὁ λαός σου, οὓςἐξήγαγες ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ συνῆκεν Μωϋσῆςκαὶ ἔριψεν τὰς δύο πλάκας ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ·καὶ συνετρίβη αὐτῶν ἡ διαθήκη, ἵνα ἡ τοῦἠγαπημένου Ἰησοῦ ἐγκατασφραγισθῇ εἰς τὴνκαρδίαν ἡμῶν ἐν ἐλπίδι τῆς πίστεως αὐτοῦ. 9. πολλὰ δὲ θέλων γράφειν, οὐχ ὡς διδάσκαλος,ἀλλ̓ ὡς πρέπει ἀγαπῶντι ἀφ̓ ὧν ἔχομεν μὴἐλλείπειν, γράφειν ἐσπούδασα, περίψημα ὑμῶν.διὸ προσέχωμεν ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις· οὐδὲν[P. 352]() ¹¹ γὰρ ὠφελήσει ἡμᾶς ὁ πᾶς χρόνος τῆς πίστεωςἡμῶν,¹² ἐὰν μὴ νῦν ἐν τῷ ἀνόμῳ καιρῷ καὶ τοῖςμέλλουσιν σκανδάλοις, ὡς πρέπει υἱοῖς θεοῦ,ἀντιστῶμεν, ἵνα¹³ μὴ σχῇ παρείσδυσιν ὁ μέλας. 10. φύγωμεν ἀπὸ πάσης ματαιότητος, μισήσωμεντελείως τὰ ἔργα τῆς πονηρᾶς ὁδοῦ. μὴ καθ̓ἑαυτοὺς ἐνδύνοντες μονάζετε ὡς ἤδη δεδικαιωμένοι,ἀλλ̓ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ συνερχόμενοι συνζητεῖτεπερὶ τοῦ κοινῇ συμφέροντος. 11. λέγει γὰρ ἡ¹⁴ γραφή· Οὐαὶ οἱ συνετοὶ ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐνώπιανἑαυτῶν ἐπιστήμονες. γενώμεθα πνευματικοί,γενώμεθα ναὸς τέλειος τῷ θεῷ. ἐφ̓ ὅσον ἐστὶν ἐν¹⁵ ἡμῖν, μελετῶμεν τὸν φόβον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ φυλάσσεινἀγωνιζώμεθα τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ἐν τοῖςδικαιώμασιν αὐτοῦ εὐφρανθῶμεν. 12. ὁ κύριος¹⁶ ἀπροσωπολήμπτως κρινεῖ τὸν κόσμον. ἕκαστοςκαθὼς ἐποίησεν κομιεῖται. ἐὰν ᾖ ἀγαθός, ἡ¹⁷ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ προηγήσεται αὐτοῦ· ἐὰν ᾖ¹⁸ πονηρός, ὁ μισθὸς τῆς πονηρίας ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ· 13. ἵνα μήποτε ἐπαναπαύομενοι ὡς κλητοὶ ἐπικαθυπνώσωμενταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν, καὶ ὁ πονηρὸςἄρχων λαβὼν τὴν καθ̓ ἡμῶν ἐξουσίαν ἀπώσηταιἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ κυρίου. 14. ἔτι δὲκἀκεῖνο, ἀδελφοί μου, νοεῖτε· ὅταν βλέπετε μετὰτηλικαῦτα σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα γεγονότα ἐν τῷἸσραήλ, καὶ οὕτως ἐγκαταλελεῖφθαι αὐτούς·¹⁹ προσέχωμεν, μήποτε, ὡς γέγραπται, πολλοὶκλητοί, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοὶ εὑρεθῶμεν.P. 354

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The Epistle of Barnabas

Chapter IV.--Antichrist is at hand: let us therefore avoid Jewish errors.

It therefore behoves us, who inquire much concerning events at hand, ¹ to search diligently into those things which are able to save us. Let us then utterly flee from all the works of iniquity, lest these should take hold of us; and let us hate the error of the present time, that we may set our love on the world to come: let us not give loose reins to our soul, that it should have power to run with sinners and the wicked, lest we become like them. The final stumbling-block (or source of danger) approaches, concerning which it is written, as Enoch ² says, "For for this end the Lord has cut short the times and the days, that His Beloved may hasten; and He will come to the inheritance." And the prophet also speaks thus: "Ten kingdoms shall reign upon the earth, and a little king shall rise up after them, who shall subdue under one three of the kings." ³ In like manner Daniel says concerning the same, "And I beheld the fourth beast, wicked and powerful, and more savage than all the beasts of the earth, and how from it sprang up ten horns, and out of them a little budding horn, and how it subdued under one three of the great horns." ⁴ Ye ought therefore to understand. And this also I further beg of you, as being one of you, and loving you both individually and collectively more than my own soul, to take heed now to yourselves, and not to be like some, adding largely to your sins, and saying, "The covenant is both theirs and ours." ⁵ But they thus finally lost it, after Moses had already received it. For the Scripture saith, "And Moses was fasting in the mount forty days and forty nights, and received the covenant from the Lord, tables of stone written with the finger of the hand of the Lord;" ⁶ but turning away to idols, they lost it. For the Lord speaks thus to Moses: "Moses go down quickly; for the people whom thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt have transgressed." ⁷ And Moses understood [the meaning of God], and cast the two tables out of his hands; and their covenant was broken, in order that the covenant of the beloved Jesus might be sealed upon our heart, in the hope which flows from believing in Him. ⁸ Now, being desirous to write many things to you, not as your teacher, but as becometh one who loves you, I have taken care not to fail to write to you from what I myself possess, with a view to your purification. ⁹ We take earnest ¹⁰ heed in these last days; for the whole [past] time of your faith will profit you nothing, unless now in this wicked time we also withstand coming sources of danger, as becometh the sons of God. That the Black One ¹¹ may find no means of entrance, let us flee from every vanity, let us utterly hate the works of the way of wickedness. Do not, by retiring apart, live a solitary life, as if you were already [fully] justified; but coming together in one place, make common inquiry concerning what tends to your general welfare. For the Scripture saith, "Woe to them who are wise to themselves, and prudent in their own sight!" ¹² Let us be spiritually-minded: let us be a perfect temple to God. As much as in us lies, let us meditate upon the fear of God, and let us keep His commandments, that we may rejoice in His ordinances. The Lord will judge the world without respect of persons. Each will receive as he has done: if he is righteous, his righteousness will precede him; if he is wicked, the reward of wickedness is before him. Take heed, lest resting at our ease, as those who are the called [of God], we should fall asleep in our sins, and the wicked prince, acquiring power over us, should thrust us away from the kingdom of the Lord. And all the more attend to this, my brethren, when ye reflect and behold, that after so great signs and wonders were wrought in Israel, they were thus [at length] abandoned. Let us beware lest we be found [fulfilling that saying], as it is written, "Many are called, but few are chosen." ¹³