Übersetzung
ausblenden
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.
-
The Cod. Sin. has simply, "the Lord." ↩
-
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. ↩
-
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. ↩
-
The Latin reads, "spirit infused into you from the honourable fountain of God." ↩
-
This sentence is entirely omitted in the Latin. ↩
-
The Latin text is here quite different, and seems evidently corrupt. We have followed the Cod. Sin., as does Hilgenfeld. ↩
-
Literally, "in the hope of His life." ↩
-
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. ↩
-
Instead of "knowledge" (gnoseos), Cod. Sin. has "taste" (geuseos). ↩
-
Literally, "we ought more richly and loftily to approach His fear." ↩
-
Instead of, "to Him with fear," the reading of Cod. Sin., the Latin has, "to His altar," which Hilgenfeld adopts. ↩
Übersetzung
ausblenden
Épître de Barnabé
I.
[1] Salut dans la paix, à vous fils et filles, au nom du Seigneur qui nous a aimés.
[2] Grandes et splendides sont les volontés du Seigneur à votre égard. Aussi je me réjouis plus que de toute autre chose et au delà de toute mesure de votre vie spirituelle, bienheureuse et illustre, tant est bien implantée la grâce du don spirituel que vous avez reçu. [3] Et je me félicite encore davantage dans l'espoir d'être sauvé, quand je vois en vérité chez vous l'esprit qui s'est déversé sur vous de l'abondance de la source du Seigneur, frappé que je suis d'admiration à votre vue si ardemment souhaitée. [4] Bien qu'ayant déjà conversé parmi vous, j'ai la persuasion, l'intime conscience de savoir encore beaucoup de choses, car le Seigneur m'a tenu compagnie dans le chemin de la justice; et je me sens donc moi aussi tout à fait contraint de vous aimer plus que ma vie, parce qu'une grande foi et une grande charité demeurent en vous fondées sur l'espérance de sa vie. [5] Aussi j'ai réfléchi à la récompense que j'aurai d'avoir assisté des âmes telles que les vôtres, si je prends soin de vous faire part de ce que j'ai reçu, et j'entreprends de vous écrire brièvement afin qu'avec la foi vous ayez une connaissance parfaite.
[6] Les maximes du Seigneur sont au nombre de trois :
L'espérance de la vie, commencement et fin de notre foi; La justice, commencement et fin du jugement ; L'amour agissant dans la joie et dans l'allégresse, attestation de la justice. [7] Le Maître, en effet, par les prophètes, nous a révélé les choses passées et présentes et nous a donné un avant-goût des choses futures. Voyant donc celles-ci s'accomplir successivement, selon qu'il les a prédites, nous avons le devoir de nous avancer par une vie plus généreuse et plus élevée dans la crainte de Dieu. [8] Pour moi, ce n'est pas comme docteur, c'est comme l'un d'entre vous que je vous offrirai quelques menus enseignements capables de vous réjouir dans les circonstances présentes.