Hi, I'm David Bercot, and tonight I'm going to read to you. That's because I want you to have the opportunity to hear the early Christians speak for themselves. Over the last 10 or 15 years, I've explained a lot about primitive Christianity, yet there's nothing quite like hearing them tell their own story. So tonight, I'm going to read to you from several early Christian writings that were written within, say, 20 or 50 years of the date 150 AD.
Now, I have handpicked these selections because they give a lot of insight into the nature of Christianity around the year 150, that is about 50 years after the last apostle dying. Now, I've condensed most of these works to give you the real meat, omitting sections that are maybe repetitious or that are not as timely. That enables me to share with you more works. Now, to make this recording easy to listen to in your car, I'm going to be dividing tonight's readings into segments of about five to ten minutes long.
And each segment will be recorded as a new track, so you can easily find your place and start on, say, the next selection. Now I do want to explain to you that when I refer to, say, chapter 2 when I'm reading a work, I'm merely referring to divisions that I have made for tonight's reading. As you probably can guess, the early Christian writers did not divide their works into chapters.
On the other hand, various patristic scholars have divided the early Christian writings into chapters, such as what you'll find in the Ante-Nicene Fathers, and these are very helpful. However, as I said, my chapter references tonight have been personally made by me in order to divide tonight's reading into, let's say, bite-sized pieces. So again, they're my own unique designations. You're not going to find them in any other work. That is the chapter designations.
The first work I want to read to you is the Letter to Diognetus. This was probably written sometime between the year 125 and 150 by a Christian who decided to leave his name anonymous, but it's addressed to a Roman official named Diognetus. And in the letter, the writer explains what Christians believe, how they live, that sort of thing. And so it gives us a lot of insight into the nature of Christianity, how they presented the Christianity of their day to an unbeliever.
It begins: I have noticed, my Lord Diognetus, the deep interest you have been showing in Christianity, and the close and careful inquiries you have been making about it. You would like to know what God Christians believe in, and what sort of worship they practice, which enables them to set so little store by this world, and even to make light of death itself, since they reject the deities revered by the Greeks, no less than they disclaim the superstitions professed by the Jews.
You are curious, too, about the warm, fraternal affection they all feel for one another. Also, your puzzle as to why this new breed of men, or at least this novel manner of life, has only come into our lives recently, instead of much earlier.
I salute this eagerness for knowledge on your part, and I pray God, the author of both our speech and hearing, to grant me such use of my tongue that you may derive the fullest benefit from listening to me and to use such use of your ears that I may have no cause to regret having spoken. Begin then by clearing your mind of the prejudices it harbors.
Shake off the hide-bound notions which can only lead to error and put yourself in the position of a brand new man on the point of hearing what you yourself admit to be a brand new language. Now, at this point, the writer went on to point out the follies, the inadequacies of pagan religion, and also of the Jews. He picks up saying, " I imagine you have heard enough now to see how right the Christians are in repudiating the folly and delusion common to these two cults, " that is, to paganism and Judaism.
I should explain cult in that time just meant a form of worship and religion, as well as the fussy practices of which the Jews are so proud. At the same time, however, you must never expect to learn the inward mystery of our own religion from merely human lips. The difference between Christians and the rest of mankind is not a matter of nationality or language or customs. Christians do not live apart in separate cities of their own, speak any special dialect, nor practice any special way of life.
The doctrine they profess is not the invention of busy human minds and brains, nor are they, like some, adherence of this or that school of human thought. They pass their lives in whatever township, Greek or foreign each man's law has determined. And they conform to ordinary local usage in their clothing, diet, and other habits. Nevertheless, the organization of their community does exhibit some features that are remarkable and even surprising.
For instance, though they are residents at home in their own countries, their behavior there is more like that of foreigners. They take their full part as citizens, but they also submit to anything and everything as if they were aliens. For them, any foreign country is a motherland, and any motherland is a foreign country. Like other men, they marry and beget children, though they do not expose their infants. That means they didn't abandon them along the roadside to die.
Any Christian is free to share his neighbor's table, but never his marriage bed. Though God has placed them here in the flesh, they do not live after the flesh. Their days are passed on the earth, but their citizenship is above in the heavens. They obey the prescribed laws, but in their own private lives, they transcend the laws. They show love to all men, and yet all men persecute them. They are misunderstood and condemned. Yet by suffering death, they are quickened into life.
They are poor, yet making many rich, lacking all things, yet having all things in abundance. They are dishonored, yet they are made glorious in their very dishonor. They are slandered and yet vindicated. They repay calumny with blessings and abuse with courtesy. For the good they do, they suffer stripes as evildoers. And under the strokes, they rejoice like men given new life. Jews assault them as heretics, and Greeks harass them with persecutions.
And yet of all their ill wishers, there is not one who can produce good grounds for His hostility. Chapter 2 of the Letter to Diognetus. To put it briefly, the relation of Christians to the world is that of a soul to the body. As the soul is diffused throughout every part of the body, so are Christians throughout all the cities of the world. The soul too inhabits the body while at the same time forming no part of it. And Christians inhabit the world, but they are not part of the world.
The flesh hates the soul and wars against her without any provocation, because she is an obstacle to its own self-indulgence. And the world similarly hates the Christians without provocation, because they are opposed to the world's pleasures. All the same, the soul loves the flesh and all its members, despite their hatred for her. And Christians too love those who hate them. The soul shut up inside the body nevertheless holds the body together.
And though they are confined within the world as in a dungeon, it is Christians who hold the world together. The soul, which is immortal, must dwell in a mortal tabernacle. And Christians, as they sojourn for a while in the midst of corruptibility here, look for incorruptibility in the heavens. Finally, just as to be stinted of food and drink makes for the soul's improvement.
So when Christians are everyday subjected to ill-treatment, they increase the more in numbers, such as the high post of duty in which God has placed them. And it is their moral duty not to shrink from it. For, as I said before, it is not an earthly discovery that has been entrusted to them. The thing they guard so jealously is no product of mortal thinking. And what has been committed to them is the stewardship of no human mysteries.
The Almighty himself, the creator of the universe, the God whom no eye can discern, has sent down his very own truth for the capital T from heaven, his own holy and incomprehensible word to plant it among men and ground it in their hearts. To this end, he is not, as one might imagine, sent to mankind some servant of his, some angel or prince. It is none of the great ones of the earth, nor even one of the vicegerents of heaven. It is no other than the universal artificer and constructor himself.
By whose agency, God made the heavens and set the seas their bounds, whose mystic word the elements of creation submissively obey, by whom the sun is assigned the limits of his course by day, and at whose command by night, the obedient moon unveils her beams, and each compliant star follow circling in her train.
Ordainer, disposer, and ruler of all things is he of heaven and all that heaven holds, of earth and all that is in earth, of sea and every creature therein, of fires, air, and the abyss, of things above and things below, and things in the midst. Such was the messenger or one God sent to men. And was his coming, as a man might suppose, in power, in terror, and in dread? Not so. It was in gentleness and humility.
As a king sending his royal son, so sent he that is God, him, as God he sent him, as man to man, he sent him. And that because he was fain to save us by persuasion and not by compulsion. For there is no compulsion found with God. His mission was no pursuit or hounding of us. It was an invitation to us. It was in love and not in judgment that he sent him. Though one day he will indeed send him to judge us. And then who shall abide the day of his coming?
Have you not seen Christians flung to the wild beasts to make them deny their Lord and yet remaining undefeated? Do you not see how the more of them suffer such punishments, the larger grows the number of the rest? These things do not look like the work of man. They are the power of God and the evident tokens of His presence. Chapter 3 of the Letter to Diognetus. Now here the writer goes on to explain God's creation of the earth and of mankind and the way that man turned out rebelling against their Creator.
We pick up now. Next, after making these dispositions in His mind with the Son, He left us to live for the meanwhile as we pleased, giving free reign in our unruly instincts and being at the mercy of sensuality and lust. This was not because he took any pleasure in those sins of ours. All he was doing was to put up with them.
It was not that he was sanctioning that former era of lawlessness, rather he was preparing this present era of righteousness to the intent that we, who in those days had been proved by our own works unworthy to achieve life, might in these days be made worthy of it by the goodness of God. And that, after clearly showing our inability to enter into the kingdom of God by our own power. We might now, by God's power, be made able.
Accordingly, when our iniquity had come to its full height and it was clear beyond all mistaking that retribution in the form of punishment and death must be looked for, the hour arrived in which God had determined to make known from then onwards His loving-kindness and His power. How surpassing is the love and tenderness of God? In that hour, instead of hating us and rejecting us and remembering our wickednesses against us, He showed how long-suffering He is. He bore with us.
And in pity, He took our sins upon Himself and gave His own Son as a ransom for us. The holy for the wicked, the sinless for the sinners, the just for the unjust, the incorrupt for the corrupt, the immortal for the mortal. For was there indeed anything except His righteousness that could have availed to cover our sins? In whom could we, in our lawlessness and ungodliness, have been made holy, but in the Son of God alone?
Oh sweet exchange, oh unsearchable working, oh benefits, unhoped for, that the wickedness of multitudes should thus be hidden in the one holy. And the holiness of one should sanctify the countless wicked. In times past, he convinced us that our human nature by itself lacked the power of attaining to life. Today, He reveals to us a Savior who has power to save even the powerless.
The purpose behind both of these acts is that we should believe in His goodness and should look upon Him as our nourisher, father, teacher, counselor, healer, wisdom, light, honor, glory, power, and life, and have no anxiety about our clothing or our food. Now, if you too desire to have this faith, knowledge of the Father must be your first lesson. God loved the race of men. It was for their sakes that He made the world. It was to them that He gave dominion over everything in it.
On them, He bestowed reason and understanding. And they alone received permission to lift up their eyes to Him. He formed them in His own image. He sent His only begotten Son to them. He promised them the kingdom of heaven. And to those who have loved Him, He will surely give it. Once you have grasped these truths, think how your joy will overflow and what love you will feel for Him who loved you so. And if you love Him, you will become an imitator of His goodness.
Do you not be surprised that a man should be an imitator of God? He can, since God has willed it so. But happiness is not to be found in dominating one's fellows or in wanting to have more than his weaker brethren or in possessing riches and riding roughshod over his inferiors. No one can become an imitator of God like that. For such things are wholly alien to his greatness.
But if a man will shoulder his neighbor's burden, if he is ready to supply another's need from his own abundance, if by sharing the blessings he has received from God with those who are in want, he himself becomes like a God to those who receive his bounty. Such a man is indeed an imitator of God. And then you will see as you walk the earth that there is a God who is operative in heaven. Then you will begin to dilate on His mysteries.
And you will know love and admiration for those who incur persecution by their refusal to deny him. That is the end of the letter to Diognetus. I was reading a condensed version from the translation that's contained in the work entitled Early Christian Writings, published by Penguin Classics. It's a book that Scroll Publishing makes available through its catalog. Now I'd like to read to you the Letter of Ignatius to Polycarp.
It was written about the year 110 by Ignatius, who was a bishop who had been a personal disciple of the apostle John. He was a bishop of the Church of Antioch at that time. Now, in that area of the Mediterranean world, in what's called sometimes Asia Minor and be the northern part of what we would think of as Palestine, this area of Syria. The form of church government that had been developed or that perhaps John himself had instituted was a pastor who was generally known as Bishop.
Now, bishop was an ordinary word back then. It didn't have the exalted meaning that it later developed through the centuries, particularly in medieval times. In the year 100, it simply meant an overseer. And so when we think of Ignatius and Polycarp, they were both bishops. They're simply overseers pastors of the churches. But the church in that day always had a plural ministry. It was never a one-man show.
And so you had an overseer or bishop or pastor who ministered together with a body or council of elders or presbyters. And then you also had deacons who were serving. Now when he wrote this letter, Ignatius was in chains. He had been arrested for being a Christian and was being taken by Roman soldiers all the way from Antioch in Syria to Rome to be put to death. On the way, though, and the journey took a number of months, he wrote letters to various congregations to encourage them to remain strong.
Ignatius was quite ready and quite joyful about laying down his life for Christ. Now, at the time, Polycarp, who was also a personal disciple of the apostle John, but Polycarp was a younger man than Ignatius. He lived to a ripe old age well into his mid-80s or even longer. And then Polycarp too was put to death for being a Christian. So they had much in common. And in this letter, Ignatius gives him encouragement, much of which echoes things that we've all read in the New Testament. So let me begin.
From Ignatius, my most cordial greeting to Polycarp, who is bishop over the Smyrnaean Church, or rather who has God the Father for bishop over him together with the Lord Jesus Christ. Since I had been impressed by the godly qualities of your mind, anchored as it seemed to an unshakable rock, it gave me much pleasure to set eyes on your holy countenance. May God give me joy of it.
But let me charge you to press on even more strenuously in your course, in all the grace with which you are clothed, and to call all your people to salvation. You must do justice to your position by showing the greatest diligence both in its temporal and spiritual duties. Give thought especially to unity, for there is nothing more important than this. Make yourself the support of all and sundry, as the Lord is to you, and continue to bear lovingly with them all as you are doing at present.
Spend your time in constant prayer and beg for ever larger gifts of wisdom. Be watchful and unsleeping in spirit. Address yourself to people personally, as is the way of God Himself, and carry the infirmities of them all on your own shoulders as a good champion of Christ ought to do. The heavier the labor, the richer the reward. There is no credit in spending all your affection on the cream of your pupils. Try rather to bring the more troublesome ones to order by using gentleness.
Nobody can heal every wound with the same unguent. Where there are acute spasms of pain, we have to apply soothing poultices. So in all circumstances, be wise as the serpent, though always harmless as the dove. The very reason you are given a body as well as a soul is to help you to gain the favor of this outward invisible world. Though at the same time, you must also pray for insight into the invisible world as well, so that you may come short of nothing, and the whole treasury of the Spirit may be yours.
Critical times like these need you as a ship needs a helmsman or the storm-tossed mariner, a haven, if men are ever to find their way to God. So be strict with yourself like a good athlete of God. The prize, as you well know, is immortality and eternal life. I am offering myself in these chains you cherish so affectionately as a humble sacrifice on your behalf. Chapter 2 of the Letter from Ignatius to Polycarp. You mustn't let yourself be upset by those who put forward their perverse teachings so plausibly.
Stand your ground with firmness, like an anvil under the hammer. The mark of a true champion is to stand up to punishment and still come off victorious. It is our duty, particularly when it is in God's cause, to accept trials of all kinds if we ourselves are to be accepted by Him.
So redouble your efforts and watch out for every opportunity, but also keep your eyes on Him, it's a capital H who has no need of opportunities, being outside all time, whom no senses can reveal was for us made manifest, who no ache or pain can feel, was for us by pain oppressed, willing all things to endure, our salvation to procure. Be wary of the devices of sinful men. Go further and preach publicly against them.
Tell the sisters to love the Lord and to content themselves physically and spiritually with their own husbands. Similarly, charge the brothers in the name of Jesus Christ to love their wives as the Lord loves the church. If somebody is capable of passing all his days in chastity in honor of the Lord's body, let him do so without any boasting. For if he boasts of it, he is lost. And if the news gets beyond the bishop's ears, it is all over with his chastity.
When men and women marry, it is desirable to have the bishops consent to their union so that the wedding may be a tribute to the Lord and not to their own carnal desire. The honor of God should be the aim in everything. As I have to leave Troas by sea for Neapolis at any moment, so the Divine Will has ordered it, it is impossible for me to write to all the churches myself, so will you, as one who possesses the mind of God, write ahead to the churches along the route and ask them to follow the same procedure?
Those who are able can send emissaries of their own, and the others could forward their letters by your messengers. And thus the action will confer lasting honor on all of you. You are the fitting person for this task. Farewell always in our God, Jesus Christ, rest in Him in the unity and under the oversight of God. Remember me to Alce, that very dear person, farewell in the Lord.
I was reading from the translation of the Letter of Ignatius to Polycarp that's included in the work entitled Early Christian Writings, published by Penguin Classics that Scroll Publishing offers. Now I'd like to introduce you to the Didache, which in Greek simply means the teaching. The translation we'll be reading from is one that was done by Tim Sauder that Scroll Publishing used to publish. Right now it's out of print.
Now the Didache is extremely important work because it's probably the oldest writing that we have outside of the New Testament, that is the oldest Christian writing. In fact, some scholars think that maybe it dates as early as the year 70, which would put it older than some of the New Testament writings we have, although this is not an inspired writing, doesn't claim to be.
One reason why scholars feel it's such an extremely early work is that it represents the church at a time when you still had prophets who traveled from town to town and teachers who like apostles moved from one town to another and spent time there. And yet the Didache goes on to talk about ordaining presbyters or elders and deacons. So it's sort of in a transition period as churches were getting established.
Now I won't be reading the full text of the Didache, but we'll be getting about two-thirds of it, the parts I feel have most application for today. So let's begin. There are two ways: one of life and one of death. And the difference between the two ways is great. The way of life is this: First, you should love God who made you. Secondly, love your neighbor as yourself. And whatever things you do not desire to be done to you, do not do them to someone else.
Now the words of this teaching are this: " Bless those who curse you and pray for your enemies and fast for those who are persecuting you. For what credit is it if you love those who love you? Do not the Gentiles do the same thing? But love those hating you and you will not have an enemy. Keep yourself from fleshly and bodily cravings. If anyone hits you on the right cheek, turn the other one to him also. And you will be acting maturely. If someone should force you to go one mile, go with him two.
If someone takes your coat, give him your shirt also. If anyone should take from you, what is yours? Do not demand that he give it back, for you cannot. Give to everyone asking you and do not refuse. For the Father desires to give to everyone from His own gifts. Blessed is the one who gives according to the commandment, for he is innocent. Woe to the one receiving. If anyone receives under pressure of need, he is innocent. But the one who receives without need shall have to account for his receiving.
Furthermore, being held, he shall be examined concerning what he has done, and he shall not be released until he has given back the last cent. It has been said concerning this, " Let your money sweat in your hands until you know to whom to give it. " And this is the second commandment of the teaching: " You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not corrupt children nor practice sexual deviation. You shall not steal nor practice spiritism nor use sorcery.
You shall not procure an abortion nor practice infanticide. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods. You shall not commit perjury nor accuse someone falsely. You shall not speak evil nor hold a grudge. You shall not be double-minded nor double-tongued. For the double tongue is the snare of death. Your word shall not be false nor empty, but do what you say. You shall not be covetous, nor extortionate, nor hypocritical, nor malicious, nor proud. You shall not plan evil against your neighbor.
You should not hate anyone, but you should reprove some, and you should pray for some, and you should love some more than your own life. My child, flee from evil and from every appearance of evil. Do not be ruled by your passions. For this leads to murder. Neither be jealous, quarrelsome, or quick-tempered. For murders are born out of such things. Do not let yourself develop lust, for this leads to sexual immorality. Do not be foul-mouthed, nor raise your eyes, for this leads to adultery.
My child, do not regard omens, for this leads to idolatry. Do not be a sorcerer or be involved in astrology or magic purifications. Do not desire to see these things. For that is how idolatry comes about. My child, do not be a liar. For lying leads to thievery. Do not be fond of money, and do not try to build up your own image, for that also leads to thievery. My child, do not be a grumbler, for it leads to blasphemy. Do not be self-willed nor entertain evil thoughts. For that is how blasphemy starts.
Be meek for the meek shall inherit the earth. Be patient in long-suffering, devoid of evil, gentle and good, and trembling continually at the words that you have heard. Do not exalt yourself nor act presumptuously. Do not join yourself with the proud, but walk with the righteous and humble men. Chapter 2 of the Didache. Accept everything that happens to you as good, knowing that nothing happens apart from God.
My child, you should remember night and day, the one who speaks to you the Word of God, and honor Him as you would the Lord. For where the delegated authority speaks, there is the Lord. And you should seek every day the presence of the saints in order that you may be supported by their words. You should not desire division, but make peace between those who are quarreling. Judge righteously. Do not favor anyone in reproving transgressions. Do not be double-minded as to whether anything should or should not be.
Do not be one who stretches out his hand to receive but withdraws it in giving. Give a ransom for your sins if you have it to give. Do not hesitate to give nor give in a grumbling manner. For you know who is the good paymaster, who rewards. You should not turn away the needy, but share all things with your brother, not saying that anything is your own. For if we are sharers in the eternal things, much more should we be in the physical things?
Do not withhold your hand from your son or your daughter, but from their youth. Teach them the fear of God. Do not give orders to your slave or your handmaiden, those who hope in the same God when you are bitter, lest they stop fearing God who is over you both. For he does not come to call men according to their social status, but he calls those whom the Spirit has prepared. And you slaves submit in fear and reverence to your masters as God's delegated authority over you.
You should hate all hypocrisy and all that is not pleasing to the Lord. Do not forsake the commandments of the Lord and keep the teachings you have received, not adding or taking away. In church, you should confess your faults and do not go to prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life. But the way of death is this.
First of all, it is evil and full of curses, lusts, adulteries, murders, thefts, idolatries, witchcraft, sorceries, robberies, false witnesses, hypocrisies, double-mindedness, fraud, arrogance, boastfulness, jealousies, foul speech, pride, persecutors of the good, haters of the truth, lovers of a lie, not regarding the reward of righteousness, not holding to the good or to the righteous judgment. Spending sleepless nights not for good, but for wickedness.
Far from whom is gentleness and patience, loving useless things, seeking rewards, unmerciful to the poor, not helping the hardworking person, not regarding the one who made them, child murderers, destroyers of God's creation, turning away the needy, oppressing the distress, wrongfully assisting the rich, unjust judges of the poor, altogether sinful. May you be delivered, my children, from all these things. See that no one misleads you from the pathway of this teaching since it would be contrary to God.
For if you are able to bear the whole yoke of the Lord, you should be mature. If you're not able, do what you can. Concerning meat, do what you can, but keep from that which is offered to idols, for it is the worship of dead gods. Now concerning baptism, baptize in this manner. When you've gone over these things, baptize in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit in running water. If you do not have running water, baptize in other water. If you're not able to use cold water, use warm.
And if you have neither pour water on the head three times in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And before baptism, the one baptizing and the one to be baptized should fast, as well as any others who are able. And you should instruct the one being baptized to fast one or two days before. And let not your fast be with those of the hypocrites, for they fast on Mondays and Thursdays, but you fast Wednesdays and Fridays. Do not pray as the hypocrites, but as the Lord commanded in His gospel.
Pray like this: " Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us our daily bread for today and forgive our debts as we forgive those who owe us. Please do not lead us into a test, but deliver us from the evil one. For you have the power and the glory forever. " Pray like this three times a day.
Concerning the thanksgiving or Eucharist, give thanks like this: " First the cup, we give thanks to you, our Father, for your holy vine of David, your servant, which you made known to us through Jesus, your servant. Glory to you forever. And concerning the broken bread, pray we give thanks to you, our Father, for the life and knowledge that You have made known to us through Jesus, Your servant. Glory to You forever.
As this broken bread was scattered over the hills and was brought together, becoming one, so gather your church from the ends of the earth into your kingdom, for you have all power and glory forever through Jesus Christ. Now, do not let anyone eat or drink of your Eucharist meal except the ones who have been baptized into the name of the Lord. For the Lord said concerning this, do not give that which is holy to the dogs. After you are filled, give thanks like this.
We thank you, Holy Father, for your holy name, which you made to dwell in our hearts, and for knowledge and faith and immortality as you made known to us through Jesus, your servant. Glory to you forever. You, Lord Almighty, created all things to show forth your name. You give both food and drink to man to enjoy and everlasting life through your servant. Above all, we thank you because you are mighty, glory to you forever.
Remember, Lord, your church, to deliver her from all evil and bring her to maturity in your love, and gather her from the four winds separated into your kingdom, which you have made for her, because you have the power and the glory forever. Let grace come and this world pass away. Hosanna to the Son of David, if anyone is holy, let him come. If anyone is not, let him repent. Maranatha, amen. But allow the prophets to give thanks as they desire. And that concludes our reading of the Didache.
Now I want to read to you the oldest Christian sermon we have outside of the New Testament. We don't know who delivered this sermon. It's found in an ancient manuscript right after the letter of Clement of Rome. And so the medieval copyist who had taken note of this labeled it as Second Clement, thinking it was a second letter written by Clement of Rome. And so in some volumes, you'll find this listed as second Clement.
Even though now every scholar knows this was not a letter from Clement, it was actually a sermon that somebody delivered. I'm going to be reading to you a condensed version of this from the translation made by Holt, Graham, and Robert Grant, which can be found in a work entitled " The Apostolic Fathers " edited by Jack N. Sparks. We begin. Brethren, we ought to think of Jesus Christ just as we do of God as the judge of the living and the dead. Nor ought we to belittle our salvation.
For when we think little of Him, we also hope to receive but little. As those who listen as if to a trifling matter, sin, so do we, when we do not recognize from what and by whom and into what we were called, and how much suffering Jesus Christ endured for us? What repayment then can we make to Him? Or what result commensurate with what He has given us? How many are the blessings we owe to Him? For He has given us light. As a Father, He has called us sons. He rescued us when we were perishing.
What praise then shall we give Him? Or what payment as a return for what we have received? Our minds were blinded. We worshipped stone and wood and gold and silver and brass. The works of men. And our whole life was nothing else but death. And when we were thus enveloped in darkness and our eyes were so full of mist, our sight was restored by His will, and we laid aside the cloud that enshrouded us.
For He had mercy upon us and in His compassion saved us since He saw in us such great deception and destruction and knew we had no hope of salvation unless it came from Him. For He called us from nothingness and willed us into being from nothingness. Now quoting from Isaiah, he writes, " Rejoice O barren one, that thou does not bear. Break forth and shout, you who did not prevail, for the desolate has more children than she who has a husband.
" Now when he says, " Rejoice, O barren One that does not bear, " he refers to us. " For our church was barren before it was given children. " And when he says, " Shout, you who did not prevail, " he means this, " We must not be afraid like a woman in travail, but offer our prayers simply and openly before God. " And he says, " The desolate one has more children than she who has a husband.
" Since our people seem to be abandoned by God, but now that we have believed, we have become more numerous than those that is the Jews who seemed to have God. Thus, another passage in Scripture says, " I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. " This means that he must save the perishing. For that is the great and wondrous thing to strengthen not what is standing, but what is fallen.
Thus it was that Christ willed to save what was perishing, and He saved many when He came and called us who were already perishing. Since He has shown us such mercy to begin with and that we who are living do not sacrifice to dead gods nor worship them, but through Him have come to know the Father of truth. What is knowledge with reference to Him save refusing to deny Him through whom we came to know the Father? He Himself says, " He who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before My Father.
" This then is our reward if only we acknowledge Him through whom we were saved. But in what way do we acknowledge Him by doing what He says and not disobeying His commandments and by honoring Him not only with our lips but with all our heart and all our mind. For he also says in Isaiah, " This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. " Let us then not merely call Him, Lord, for this will not save us.
For he says, " Not everyone who says to me, ' Lord, Lord, will be saved, but he who does righteousness. ' " So then, brethren, let us acknowledge him in deeds by loving one another, by refraining from adultery and slander and jealousy, being instead self-controlled, merciful, kind. We ought also to share each other's lot and not be avaricious. In behavior of that kind and not its opposite, we acknowledge Him. Further, we must not fear man, but God. Chapter 2 of the ancient sermon known as Second Clement.
Wherefore, brethren, having given up in principle our stay in the strange land of this world, let us do the will of Him who has called us, nor fear to leave this world. For the Lord says, " You shall be as lambs among wolves. " But Peter answered and said to him, " What if the wolves tear the lamb to pieces? " Jesus said to Peter, " Let the lambs have no fear of the wolves after their death, nor are you to fear those who, when they have killed you, have no more power over you.
But fear Him who, after your death, has power over soul and body to cast you into Gehenna. You must realize, brethren, that our stay in this world of the flesh is slight and short. But the promise of Christ is great and wondrous, even rest in the kingdom to come and in life eternal. What then must we do to attain this except to lead a godly and righteous life and to regard the things of this world as alien to us and not set our hearts upon them?
For in setting our hearts and acquiring these things, we fall away from the right way. The Lord says, " No servant can serve two masters. If we desire to serve both God and mammon, it will do us no good. For what profit is it if a man gains the whole world but loses his life? This world and the one to come are two enemies. This one means adultery, corruption, greed, deceit. That one renounces these things. We cannot therefore be friends of both. We have to renounce the one to obtain the other.
We think it is better to hate what is here because it is meager and short-lived and perishable and to love what is there, the good and the imperishable. For if we do not, excuse me, for if we do the will of Christ, we shall find rest. But if not, if we disregard His commandments, nothing will deliver us from eternal punishment. So also the Scripture says in Ezekiel, even if Noah, Job, and Daniel were to rise, they could not deliver their descendants in the captivity.
If even such righteous men are unable by their righteousness to save their descendants, what assurance have we? If we fail to keep our baptism pure and undefiled, that we shall enter into the kingdom of God? Or who will be our advocate if we are not found to have holy and righteous deeds? So then, my brethren, let us become contestants, knowing that the contest is at hand and knowing also that though many enter the worldly competitions, not all are crowned, but only those who have worked hard and competed well.
Let us then so compete that we may all be crowned. So let us run a straight course, the heavenly contest, and let many of us enter and compete that we also may be crowned. And if we cannot all win the crown, let us at least come near it. We must bear in mind that if a contestant in a worldly contest is caught cheating, he gets a flogging and is thrown out of the stadium. What do you think? What will be done to the man who cheats in the contest for what is incorruptible?
For of those who have not kept the seal, it says, " Their worms shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be a spectacle for all flesh. " So, brothers and sisters, following the God of truth, I'm giving you an appeal to heed the Scriptures that you may save both yourselves and him who reads in your presence. For I ask as compensation that you repent with your whole heart, granting to yourselves salvation in life.
For when we have done so, we shall provide a goal for the young who wish to devote themselves to what concerns piety and goodness. And let us not be so foolish as to be displeased and indignant if anyone admonishes us and turns us from wickedness to righteousness. For sometimes because of double-mindedness and unbelief lodged in our hearts, we do what is wrong without knowing it. And our understanding is darkened by vain desires. Let us then do what is right, that we may finally be saved.
Blessed are they who obey these injunctions. And if for a little while they suffer in this world, they will gather the immortal harvest of the resurrection. So let not the pious man be grieved if at the present time he is miserable. A time of blessedness awaits him. When he has come to life again with the fathers above, he will rejoice in an eternity that knows no grief. But you must not be troubled in mind by the fact that we see the unrighteous prospering while the servants of God are in straits.
We must have faith, brothers and sisters. We are engaging in the contest of the living God. And we are being trained by the present life that we may be crowned by that life which is to come. None of the righteous has obtained a reward quickly, but each waits for it. For if God were to bestow the reward of the righteous immediately, we would forthwith be training ourselves in commerce and not in godliness. We would give the appearance of being righteous while pursuing, in fact, not piety, but profit.
And that is why the divine judgment punishes the Spirit when it is not righteous and loads it with chains. To the only invisible God, the Father of truth, who sent to us the Savior and prince of immortality, through whom also He disclosed to us the truth and heavenly life, to Him be glory forever and ever. Amen. For our final selection tonight, I want to read to you from the apology of Justin Martyr. Now, the word apology today generally means saying you're sorry for doing something that was wrong or inconsiderate.
But originally, the word meant a defense. And so when we talk about the apology of Justin Martyr, we mean the defense that he gave of Christianity to the pagan Romans. And his apology is the oldest apology that we have in existence in its entirety. We have fragments of some earlier works, but not the entire works themselves. I'm going to read to you some hand-picked selections from his apology.
I'll be reading from the translation that I made back in 1989 that's contained in the book, We Don't Speak Great Things, We Live Them. To the Emperor Antoninus Pius and to his adopted sons, Marcus Aurelius Verus and Lucius Verus, the philosophers. Also to the venerable Senate and to all the people of Rome, I, Justin, the son of Priscus, a native of Flavia, Neapolis in Palestine, present this address and petition on behalf of a certain group of persons of all nations who are unjustly hated and cruelly abused.
They are called Christians, and I myself am one of them. I haven't come to flatter you by this written petition nor to impress you by my words. I have come simply to beg that you do not pass judgment until you have made an accurate and thorough investigation. Your investigation must be free of prejudice, hearsay, and any desire to simply please the superstitious crowds. As for us, we are convinced that you can inflict no lasting evil on us. We can only do it to ourselves by proving to be wicked people.
You can kill us, but you cannot harm us. When you hear that we seek a kingdom, you suppose without making any inquiry that we speak of a human kingdom. But that is not so. We are speaking of a kingdom that is with God. That is why we so openly confess our faith when charged with being Christians, even though we know that death is a punishment for our confession. If we were looking for a human kingdom, we would simply deny our Christ in order to escape death.
We would do our utmost to conceal the fact that we are Christians so that we might live to attain such a human kingdom. But since our thoughts are not fixed on the present, we are not concerned when men kill us. We recognize that death is a debt that we must eventually pay anyway. Please understand that Christians are your allies. For one thing, we help to promote peace and order. For example, we teach that it is impossible for anyone, the wicked or virtuous, to escape God's notice.
We teach that every person will eventually receive everlasting punishment or everlasting salvation according to the merits of his actions. If everyone believed this, no one would choose wickedness, even for a short time, realizing that he would receive the punishment of everlasting fire. Everyone would restrain himself and clothe himself with righteousness, so he would obtain the good gifts of God and escape his punishments.
So you should be grateful for the message that Christians preach, unless it is you are afraid that all men will become righteous and you will no longer have anyone to punish. So that you can fully understand who we are, I'm going to briefly explain how we live and what our Master Jesus taught. Please understand that it is for your own sake that I'm explaining these things. Don't you realize that it's in our power when we are brought to trial to simply deny that we are Christians?
But we would rather die than to live by telling a lie. We earnestly seek the life that is eternal and pure. We yearn for a home with God, the Father and Creator of all. We confess our faith without shame because we are convinced that those who long to live with God in the place where there is no sin can obtain our hope. But we must prove to God by our works that we have followed Him. This is what Christ taught, what we believe, and what we teach. Chapter 2 of the Apology of Justin Martyr.
The teachings of Jesus have transformed our lives. We who previously delighted in immorality now embraced chastity exclusively. We who used to practice magical arts now devote our lives to the good and unbegotten God. We who valued the acquisition of wealth and possessions above all things. Now bring what we have into a common pool and share with everyone in need. Many of us used to hate and destroy one another. We would not live with people of a different race because of their different customs.
But now, since the coming of Christ, we live familiarly with such people and we pray for our enemies. We seek to persuade those who unjustly hate us to live by the wonderful teachings of Christ so that they can enjoy the wonderful hope of God's reward with us. The teachings of Christ were brief and concise. He was not skilled in devious argumentation, but rather his word was the power of God.
Concerning chastity, he taught us, whoever looks upon a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart before God. If your right eye offends, you cut it out, for it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of heaven with one eye than to be cast into everlasting fire with two eyes. Whoever marries a woman who is divorced from another husband commits adultery. There are some who have been made eunuchs by man and some who were born eunuchs.
There are also those who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake, but all cannot receive this saying. Those were his quotes from Jesus. And he continues then, Justin. In other words, anyone who is married twice by human law is a sinner in the eyes of our Master. And so is anyone who looks upon a woman with lust. For Christ not only rejects those who commit adultery indeed, but also those who desire to commit adultery. For not only are our works open before God, but also our very thoughts.
Many men and women who have been Christ's disciples since childhood are still chaste virgins at the age of 60 or 70. In fact, I can produce examples of such Christians from every race of mankind. Not only that, but there are countless multitudes of those who used to live in debauchery, but have now changed their lustful habits and accepted these teachings. For Christ did not call merely the just and chaste to repentance, but also the ungodly and immoral.
In fact, he said, " I came to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance. " The Heavenly Father does not wish to punish sinners. He would rather have them repent. Concerning the love that we are to have toward all people, Christ taught us this: " If you love only those who love you, what new thing have you done? Even the ungodly do this. But I say unto you, pray for your enemies and love those who hate you. Bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you.
" He also taught that we should share with the needy and do nothing for personal glory, saying, " Give to him who asks, and do not turn away the one who wishes to borrow. " If you only lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what new thing have you done? Even the tax collectors do this. Do not lay up for yourselves treasure upon earth or moth and rust consume? For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world if he loses his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Lay up treasure therefore in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumed. Be kind and merciful just as your father is kind and merciful. He makes his sun rise on the righteous and the wicked alike. Take no thought of what you will eat or what you will put on. Are you not worth more than the birds and the animals? Yet God feeds them. So do not worry about what you will eat or what you will put on. For your heavenly fathers know that you need all these things.
But seek first the kingdom of heaven, and all these things will be added unto you. For where a man's treasure is, there his mind is also. Finally, he taught us, " Do not do these things in order to be seen by men, otherwise you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. " Christ also taught us to suffer patiently, to be ready to serve all others, and to be free from anger.
He said, " If a man strikes you on one cheek, offer the other to him also, and do not hinder the one who would take away your cloak or coat. Whoever stays angry is in danger of the fire of punishment. If anyone compels you to go with him a mile, go two. And let your good work shine before men, that upon seeing them, they may glorify your Father in heaven. Christ also taught us not to struggle with others or to imitate wicked people.
Rather, He urged us to lead all people away from dishonor and wickedness by our patience and gentleness. The fact that we actually follow His teachings is demonstrated by the many Christians who once followed your way of thinking. Now they have changed their violent and oppressive dispositions. Some of them were won to Christianity by the righteousness they observed in the life of their Christian neighbors. Others were won by the extraordinary restraint Christian travelers displayed when they were cheated.
Still others were attracted by the honesty of the Christians with whom they transacted business. Christ also taught us not to swear at all, but rather to always speak the truth, commanding us, " Swear not at all, rather let your yes mean yes and your no, no. " For whatever you add beyond this comes from evil.
He also taught us to worship God alone, saying, " The greatest commandment is, you shall worship the Lord your God, and you should serve only the Lord God who created you with all your heart and with all your strength. " In fact, when a certain man came to him and addressed him as good master, he replied, " There is no one good but God alone who made all things.
" More so than the rest of your subjects, we Christians endeavor to always pay the taxes you demand, including the special assessments you occasionally make. For Christ taught us to do this. When certain men came to him and asked him if it was proper to pay taxes to Caesar, he replied, " Tell me whose image is on the coin. " They answered Caesar's. He then told them, " Therefore, give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, but give to God the things that are God's. " For that reason, we give worship to God alone.
In other things, however, we gladly serve you, acknowledging you as our kings and rulers. And we pray that you will exercise sound judgment with your kingly power. And now the third and final chapter of Justin Martyr's First Apology. So that you will fully understand everything there is to know about us, I want to describe the manner in which we dedicate ourselves to God when we have been made new through Christ.
First, those persons who are convinced that what we teach is true and who promise that they can live accordingly are instructed to implore God with prayer and fasting for the forgiveness of all past sins. We pray and fast with them. Then we take them to a place where there is water, and they are spiritually reborn in the same manner in which we ourselves were reborn. Then they are washed with water in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit.
For Christ said, " Unless you are born again, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. " Of course, it is obvious that it's impossible for a person who has already been born to reenter his mother's womb. Rather, the prophet Isaiah explained how those who have sinned but are repentant can escape their sins. He says, " Wash and be clean. Put all evil away from your souls. Learn to do what is right. Help the fatherless and plead for the widow. And come and let us reason together, " says the Lord.
" And though your sins may be as scarlet, I will make them white as wool. Though they may be crimson, I will make them white as snow. " The apostles taught us the reason for this ceremony as follows. We have no say in our original birth, it results from the union of our parents. And often we grow up ignorant of the truth, being raised in bad habits, and being taught wicked things. However, we do not have to remain the children of necessity and ignorance.
We can become the children of choice and knowledge through a second birth. In order for a person to obtain the forgiveness of his past sins in the water, there is pronounced over him, the one choosing to be born again and who has repented of his sins, the name of God the Father and Lord of the universe. The man who leads the candidate to the place of washing refers to God only by that designation. For no one can utter the name of the inexpressible God.
In fact, if anyone dares to say that there is such a name, he raves with a hopeless madness. This washing is called illumination because those who learn these things are illuminated in their understanding. And the person to be illuminated is washed also in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate and in the name of the Holy Spirit. After this description of the new birth, Justin goes on to talk about various prophecies from the Old Testament that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
We pick up, he says, " Because of those prophecies, you might suppose that we teach that all things happen by fate. " But that isn't so. We have learned from the prophets and we believe it to be true that punishments and rewards are rendered according to the merit of each man's actions. If this were not the case, and if all things happen by fate instead, then nothing would be in our own power.
If it were predestined that one person be good and another one be wicked, then the first person would not deserve praise, nor would the second one be worthy of blame. In short, unless humans have the power to choose good and avoid evil, they are not accountable for their actions. However, I will demonstrate that humans by their own free choice may either live uprightly or stumble in sin. For example, we observed that some persons changed their course of life.
If it had been predestined that those persons would be either good or bad, how would they be capable of doing both good and evil? How can they change from one extreme to the other? Does fate act in opposition to itself? Actually, if predestination were true, we couldn't say that some people are good and others are bad. Rather, unavoidable destiny would be the cause of evil, not man. In the end, we would have to say that there is neither good nor evil, but all things are only considered such by opinion.
But that is the greatest impiety and wickedness, as truth shows. I will concede that one thing has been predestined, that is that those who choose good will receive worthy rewards, and those who choose the opposite will receive worthy punishment. God did not create man in the same way He made the trees and the unreasoning animals. A person would not be worthy of reward or praise if he did not choose to do good on his own, but were merely created for that purpose.
Likewise, an evil person would not deserve punishment because he would not be evil of his own doing. He simply could do nothing other than what he was made for. Yet the Holy Spirit of prophecy has taught us that man has the freedom of choice. Through Moses, God told us, " Look, before your face are both good and evil, choose the good. " In conclusion, if these things seem to you to be reasonable and true, honor them. If they seem nonsensical to you, then treat them as nonsense.
But if that's the case, do not decree death against those who have done no wrong as though they were your enemies. We warn you that you will not escape the coming judgment of God if you continue on your path of injustice. Instead, we invite you to do what is pleasing to God. You should be aware that we could demand just treatment based on the letter of your father, the great and illustrious Emperor Hadrian, a copy of his letter on behalf of the Christians is attached to this plea.
However, we do not petition you primarily on the basis of Emperor Hadrian's decision. Rather, we humbly entreat you with this written explanation simply on the basis that what we ask is just. ...