Message to Diognitus (translated by A. Desnitsky)

The “Epistle to Diognetus” is not quoted or mentioned by any of the ancient Church Fathers or church writers, and modern patrolologists question the authorship of this work by the martyr. Justin the Philosopher. The question of the dating of the work remains controversial. According to most pathologists, it was written between 120 and 210 BC. The message consists of 12 chapters and is an answer to three questions from one high-ranking pagan Diognitus, whose attention to Christians was aroused by their courageous death for their faith. These questions concerned why Christians reject the worship of pagans and Jews, what their own worship and life consist of, and why Christianity came to the world so late. Answering the questions posed, St. Justin criticizes paganism and Judaism. Christians reject paganism because its objects of worship are material. To honor them is to contradict common sense. Why do Christians have different reverence for God than Jews? True, they honor the one God and recognize Him as the Ruler of the Universe, and as a monotheistic faith, Judaism is true, but the whole spirit of Jewish worship makes it unacceptable for Christians. Jews believe that God needs human offerings. The vain appearance of the Jews in observing the ritual law is meaningless and ridiculous. Consequently, Christians act justly, moving away from superstition and the deception of the pagans, and from Jewish vain care and vanity. Next martyr. Justin describes the holy life of Christians, proving the sublimity of their religion. This picture of the life of Christians is followed by a brief teaching about the Christian religion as given by God Himself. According to the author, Christianity came to the world so late not because God was amused by the sins of people, but because He waited for the measure of untruths to overflow and so that they themselves would realize that due to their deeds they were unworthy of life, and when the time was fulfilled, He sent His Son to atone for their untruths. The publication presents a translation made by A. Desnitsky. *The title of the work in Greek is Πρὸς Ϫιόϒνητον. *The title of the work in Latin is Epistula ad Diognetum. 1. Venerable Diognet! I see that you are eager to learn about the worship of Christians and are asking about it quite openly and very diligently: which god is obeyed and how is he revered by those who unanimously despise this world and disdain death; and the so-called Hellenic “gods” are not recognized, and Jewish superstition is not preserved; and what kind of love they have for each other, and why it is now, and not before, that this new kind of people or human custom has entered our lives. I commend this zeal of yours and pray to God, the Giver of both the ability to speak and the ability to listen, that I may be given words to say that would help you, the listener, to become the best you can be, and that you will be given to listen to them in such a way that I would not have to regret what I said. 2. So cleanse yourself of all the reasoning that previously dominated your mind, and leave the habit that seduces you, and become, as it were, an initially new person, 1 wanting, as you yourself admitted, to listen to a new word. Look, not only with your eyes, but also with your mind! - what are the essence and image of those whom you call and honor as gods. Isn’t this one the same stone as the one under our feet? 2 And isn’t that copper, no better than the copper used for household needs? And that one is not a tree, and already rotten? And isn’t that one silver that needs a human guard so that it doesn’t get stolen? And isn’t that one iron, corroded by rust? And isn’t that one a clay vessel, no more beautiful than a vessel for uncleanness? Isn't all this made of perishable matter? Is it not forged with iron and fire? And didn’t the stonemason create one of them, the coppersmith another, the jeweler a third, and the potter a fourth? And even before the art of these artisans gave these idols their appearance, did not the appearance of each of them depend on the corresponding artisan 3? Wouldn’t household utensils made from the same material become one of these “gods” if the craftsmen wanted it so? And conversely, could not what you now worship come out of the hands of man as an utensil like any other? Isn’t all this dumb, blind, soulless, insensitive, motionless? Doesn’t it all rot, doesn’t it all decay? This is what you call gods, this is what you slave, this is what you worship - and in the end, this is what you become like! That is why you hate Christians, because they do not recognize these products as gods. And you, by claiming and really thinking that you are praising them, don’t you thereby show your contempt for them much more? And rather, do you not mock them when you honor those of stone and clay without guards, and lock up those of silver and gold at night so that they are not stolen? And believing that you bring them honor, you rather punish them if they are able to feel, but if they are incapable, honor them with “blood and fat” 4 in reproof. Let at least one of you endure this, let him allow this to happen to you! Not a single person will voluntarily accept such a punishment, because he has feelings and reason, but the stone accepts it, because he is deprived of them. This is how you expose them to their inability to feel. However, I could say a lot more about why Christians do not slave to this kind of “gods,” but if someone thinks that what has already been said is not enough, then it would be unnecessary to continue. 3. Next, I suppose, you want to hear, first of all, why Christians do not worship God like the Jews. Although the Jews abstain from the above-mentioned idolatry and quite rightly consider it worthy to honor and call only the Lord of the entire universe 5, they are mistaken in the fact that they worship Him like the above-mentioned idolaters. After all, what the Hellenes, showing a sign of madness, present to the insensitive and dumb, the Jews consider it necessary to deliver to God, as if He needs it, and, of course, they create stupidity rather than worship of God. For He who created heaven and earth and all that is in them 6 and gives us what we need, does not Himself need anything that He provides to people who believe that they are giving Him something. And those who offer Him sacrifices of “blood and fat” and burnt offerings and think that they bestow Him with these honors, in my opinion, are no different from people who show the same signs of respect to insensitive idols: those present the appearance of honors to those who are not able to accept them, and these - to the One who needs nothing! 7 4. And as for their pickiness in food, and superstition about the Sabbath, and boasting about circumcision, and pretending with fasting and the new moon, things that are ridiculous and completely unworthy of mention, here, I believe, you do not need my explanations. Indeed, in the first case, from what God created for the benefit of people, they accept one as created for the good and reject the other as useless and unnecessary - what is this if not lawlessness? 8 In another case, they slander God, saying that He forbids doing anything good on the Sabbath day - what is this if not wickedness? 9 And in the third, they boast that the reduction of the flesh is evidence of chosenness, as if because of this they are especially loved by God - how is this not worthy of ridicule? 10 In the fourth case, they measure themselves against the stars and the moon in order to count the months and days, distributing according to their progress both the plan of God and the changes of times: which is for holidays, and which for sorrow - who will consider this a sign of piety, and not, to a much greater extent, madness? 11 So, I believe that you have sufficiently learned that Christians correctly abstain both from general recklessness and seduction, and from Jewish vanity and arrogance - and you do not hope to learn the secret of their own worship of God from a person 12. 5. After all, Christians do not differ from other people in their place of residence, language, or customs, since they do not live in separate cities, do not use a dialect that is different from others, and do not lead a special way of life. They do not have any teaching of this kind, which would have been invented by the plans and efforts of vain people, and they are not committed to human ideas, as some are. But Christians, inhabiting Hellenic and barbarian cities, as they happen to, and following the customs of their compatriots in clothing, food and the rest of their daily life, show at the same time an amazing and, by all accounts, inexplicable structure of their inner life: participate in everything as citizens, and they endure everything like strangers; 13 every foreign land is their homeland and every homeland is a foreign land; they get married like everyone else and have children, but they consider the sky to be their fatherland; 16 obey established laws 17 and by their own lives they surpass the laws; and are glorified in dishonor; and in slander their righteousness is revealed; The Jews fight with them as if they were foreigners, and the Greeks persecute them, but the haters cannot name the reason for the enmity. 6. In short, what is in the body is the soul of Christians in the world 19 . Just as the soul remains scattered throughout all members of the body, so Christians remain scattered throughout the cities of the world. The soul dwells in the body, but it is not from the body - so Christians dwell in the world, but they are not from the world 20 . The soul remains invisible in the visible body - so Christians, living in the world, are known to people, but their worship of God remains invisible. The flesh hates the soul and fights with it, the innocent one, 21 because the soul prevents it from indulging in pleasures; The world also hates innocent Christians 22 because they oppose its pleasures. The soul loves the flesh and members of the body that hate it - so Christians love those who hate them 23 . The soul is imprisoned in the body, but itself contains the body - so Christians are imprisoned in the world, as in a prison, but they themselves contain the world. The immortal soul dwells in a mortal dwelling - so Christians are among the corruptible world, awaiting heavenly incorruption 24. It is good for the soul if it is limited in food and drink 25 - so the number of executed Christians increases every day. God put them in this position, and they have no permission to refuse it. 7. After all, all this, as I have already said, was conveyed to them not as some kind of earthly invention; and it is not a mortal invention that they so diligently preserve; and the administration of human sacraments is not entrusted to them. But truly, the Almighty and All-Creator Himself and the invisible God established from heaven among people the Truth and the Word 26, holy and incomprehensible, and imprinted It on human hearts. He did not send (as man might have imagined) one of His assistants - be it an Angel or a ruler, one of the organizers of earthly affairs or one of those entrusted with the administration of heavenly ones - but He sent Himself the Creator and Creator of all things 27. By whom He enclosed the sea within its bounds; 28 Whose secrets are faithfully kept by all the elements; 29 from whom the sun received the measures of daily movement, in order to observe them; Whose order does the moon obey when it appears in the night? Whom do the stars obey when they follow the moon; Who arranged and distributed everything; all that is on high and all that is deep, This is Whom He sent to the people. But for what? To depress, terrify and awe, as anyone would think? Not at all - out of His kindness and meekness He sent Him as King - the Son-King, sent Him as God, sent Him as a man to men, sent Him for salvation and conviction, and not coercion, for coercion is not inherent in God. He sent to call people to Himself, and not to persecute them; He sent to love them, and not to judge 30. But in due time He will send Him to judge, and who then will be able to resist His coming? 31 ...Don't you see how they throw them to the beasts so that they renounce God, but they are irresistible? Don't you see that the more they are executed, the more their number increases? This is not like human works, this is the power of God, this is evidence of His presence 32. 8. Did any of the people know what God was before He came? Or do you accept on faith the empty and chatty speeches of “reliable philosophers” 33, of whom some called fire god (they call the fire into which they are about to go god!), others water, and still others any of the elements created by God? After all, if any of these points of view is acceptable, then every other creature can be declared a god in the same way. But this is all nonsense and deception of liars, and none of the people has seen or known God 34 - He revealed Himself, and showed Himself through faith, which alone is granted to see God. For the Lord and Creator of everything, who created the universe and arranged everything in it in order, became not only humane, but also generous. However, He has always been like this, and is, and will be - He is kind, good, gentle and true, and only He is good 35. He communicated His great and ineffable plan only to the Son. And He preserved and preserved His wise will in such a great secret that it seemed as if He were indifferent to us and did not care about us; when, through the beloved Child 36, He revealed and revealed what was prepared from the beginning, 37 He gave us everything at once: 38 the opportunity to be involved in His benefits, and to see and understand what none of us ever expected. 9 . Everything was already pre-arranged for Him and the Son, and until recently He allowed us to rush around as we want, in disorderly impulses, carried away by pleasures and lusts; 39 and did not gloat in the least about our errors, but endured them, not approving of the then unrighteousness, but building up the present righteousness 40 so that we, having previously convicted ourselves by our own actions that we are unworthy of life, would now be awarded it by the kindness of God and, having shown that we ourselves are unable to enter the Kingdom of God, could do so by the power of God 41 . When the measure of our unrighteousness was fulfilled and it finally became clear that punishment and death were to be expected as a reward for it, the time prepared by God 42 came to reveal His goodness and power from now on. Oh, all surpassing philanthropy and the love of God! He did not hate us, did not reject us and did not bear any grudge, but was generous, patient, had mercy, He Himself took our sins upon Himself 43, He Himself gave His own Son as an atonement for us 44 - not involved in evil for the evil, the righteous for the unjust 45, immortal for mortals. What else could cover our sins but His righteousness? In whom else could it be possible for us, the lawless and wicked, to be justified, if not in the only Son of God? O inscrutable creation, the iniquity of many is forgiven in the One righteous and the righteousness of the One justified many wicked! 46 In the past, He exposed the inability of our nature to achieve Life, and now he revealed the Savior’s ability to save and what is incapable of salvation, wishing that these two lessons would teach us faith in His goodness, so that we would honor Him as our breadwinner, father, teacher, adviser, physician, reason, light, honor, glory, strength, life, and not worry about clothing and food 47 . 10. If you also thirst for such faith, then first accept the instruction about the Father 48. God loved people, because it was for their sake that He created the world, subjugated everything on earth to them, gave them consciousness 49 and reason, only He turned their gaze upward to Himself, created them in His own image, sent His only begotten Son to them 50, promised them the Kingdom of Heaven - and will give It to those who loved Him. What joy you will be filled with when you know Him! And how you will love the One who loved you so much even before! And having loved, imitate His goodness 51 and do not doubt whether a person can imitate God: you can, if He wishes it. After all, happiness does not lie in ruling over one’s neighbors, or surpassing the weakest in power, or getting rich, or committing violence against people under one’s control - and in this no one can imitate God, since all this is alien to His greatness. But whoever takes on his neighbor's burden; 52 whoever wants to give to the weaker with what he himself is rich in, whoever gives to those in need what he has received from God, and thus becomes a god for the people he has blessed, will imitate God. Only then, while on earth, will you see that God lives in heaven; and then you will begin to proclaim the mysteries of God; then you will love those executed for their unwillingness to renounce God and admire them; then you will condemn the seduction and delusion of the world - when you know what it means to truly live in heaven; when you neglect imaginary earthly death; when you are afraid of real death, that guards those condemned to eternal fire, executing those cast into it until the end of time. Then you will admire those who endure the temporary fire, and you will call them blessed when you know that fire... 53 11....I do not speak strange things and do not reason unreasonably, but, as a disciple of the apostles, I become a teacher of the pagans and I worthily hand over what was handed down to me to those who become disciples of the truth. Who among those who have acquired correct teaching and love for the Word 54 will not try to clearly recognize what was revealed to the disciples through the Word? The secrets of the Father were known by those to whom, as the faithful, they were revealed by the revealed Word, which spoke openly, not understood by the infidels and accepted by the disciples. This is why God sent the Word, so that It would appear to the world and so that the pagans would believe in Him Whom the people rejected 55 and Whom the apostles preached. He was from the beginning 56 , He appeared as something new, and in Him the former things were revealed, and He is ever renewed in the hearts of the saints 57 . He is eternal, but now He is recognized as the Son 58, through whom the Church is enriched and grace increases, spreading to the saints, rejoicing to the faithful and given to those who seek, for whom oaths of 59 fidelity are inviolable and the limits of the fathers are insurmountable. And so the fear of the law is sung, and prophetic grace is known, and the faith of the gospel is confirmed, and the apostolic tradition is preserved, and the grace of the Church rejoices. Without offending this grace, you will know what the Word communicates through whomever it wants and when it wants. After all, out of love for what is revealed to us, in our works, according to the will and command of the Word, we share it with you. 12. If you listen carefully and comprehend all this, you will see how much God gives to those who truly love Him 60. You will become a garden of bliss, an all-fruitful, prosperous tree, 61 growing in yourself and adorned with various fruits. In this garden the tree of knowledge and the tree of life were planted; but it is not the tree of knowledge that destroys, it is disobedience that destroys. And it is not for nothing that Scripture says that God planted the tree of knowledge and the tree of life in the middle of paradise, 62 pointing to life through knowledge. But the primitive people, deceived by the serpent, abused the tree of knowledge and lost everything. After all, there is neither life without knowledge, nor solid knowledge without true life, which is why the trees were planted one next to the other. The Apostle, penetrating the meaning of this narrative and condemning artificial knowledge 63, which does not stem from what truth prescribes for life, 64 says: “knowledge puffs up, but love edifies” 65. After all, anyone who is deprived of true and life-tested knowledge, but at the same time believes that he knows something, has not known anything: not loving life, he succumbs to the seduction of the serpent. And the one who accepted knowledge with fear and seeks life grows in hope, expecting fruit. May knowledge be your heart, and your life be the true Word you receive, whose tree bears fruit; and you, eating the fruit, will always enjoy what we long for from God, where even a snake can’t get close, And here it is no longer Eve who is corrupted, but the Virgin who is clothed with faith; 66 and the apostles' understanding is fulfilled, and the Passover of the Lord is celebrated, and the mountain worlds combine, and the Word that teaches the saints triumphs, and the Father is glorified through Him, The originality of the “Epistle to Diognetus” and its place in early apologetics. A. S. Desnitsky * The Epistle to Diognetus occupies a special place in early apologetics, and in early Christian literature in general, not so much because of its content or the ideas expressed in it, but because of the perfection of its form and some mystery of its origin. Today we have the opportunity to read this text only because, around 1436, the young Latin cleric Thomas d'Arezzo found a monastic codex of the 12th or 14th century in a rubbish dump in Constantinople, containing many different works, including the "Epistle". The find extended the life of the manuscript for four and a half centuries: having changed several owners, it settled at the end of the 18th century in the Strasbourg Library, where it burned in August 1870 when the city was shelled by Prussian artillery. Fortunately, several copies had been made of the codex long before, the text was published many times and well researched, and therefore has been completely preserved. However, no other manuscripts of the “Message” have reached us. This circumstance greatly complicates textual work, and unless new documents are found, we will never be able to restore the original text, which has obviously undergone considerable changes over the centuries. We know nothing about either the author or the addressee - “the venerable Diognet.” The manuscript mentioned above includes the “Epistle” among the works of St. Justin the Philosopher, the most famous apologist of the 2nd century. Doubts about Justin's authorship arose in the 18th century, when the French scholar Taillemon pointed out the obvious dissimilarity of the style of the "Epistle" with the style of Justin and its absence in the most ancient copies of Justin's works. Since then, attempts have been made to attribute the “Epistle” to other prominent figures of early Christianity: the contemporary of the apostles and preacher Apollos, the Roman Pope St. Clement, apologists Aristides or Quadratus, Marcion or his follower Apelles, Melito of Sardis, Hippolytus of Rome or Methodius of Olympus. Subsequently, it was even attributed to the Byzantine writer Nikephoros Callistus or the first publisher of the text, Henri Etienne (16th century). None of these theories can be considered completely proven. The author of the “Epistle” unambiguously defines the time of its writing as a time of persecution, but does not give us any opportunity to determine which ones. In addition, he reports that Christianity was still considered something new (Chapter 1), but had already completely separated from Judaism and spread “throughout Hellenic and barbarian cities” (Chapter 5). Consequently, it would be most logical to attribute it to the second half of the 2nd - the first half of the 3rd century, although the opinion was also expressed that this author of the 4th or 5th century (F. Oferbeck), or even the 13th-14th centuries (Cotterill), imitated the style of the era of persecution; or even - which is completely implausible - that it was written by Renaissance humanists as a rhetorical exercise (J. Donaldson). The point of view of Henri Marroux is quite convincing, who, having examined various aspects of the “Message” and the history of the issue, came to the conclusion that, most likely, it was written around the year 200 and that, in any case, the time of its writing fits into the time period between 120 and 310 years. The author, a Christian, turns to the influential (as indicated by the title “venerable”, in Greek κράτιστε), sufficiently educated and familiar with philosophy pagan Diognitus in order to debunk paganism and Judaism in his eyes and justify Christianity, and, if possible, convert his reader. Who exactly Diognitus was is not known for certain. At that time, both the governor of a province and a centurion could be called “venerable.” D. Andriessen boldly identified the addressee of the “Message” with the Emperor Hadrian, but the very form of the address rather refutes than confirms such a theory. One can imagine that Diognitus was a local commander of a fairly high rank, who had the power to weaken or intensify the persecution of Christians, or an influential private individual who became interested in the Christian faith for personal reasons. The author pursues two goals at once: he simultaneously convinces his addressee to accept Christianity and unambiguously calls for an end to persecution (although he does not say this directly). A. Marru believes that the addressee could be the procurator of Egypt Claudius Diognetus, and the author could be one of the senior contemporaries and teachers of Clement of Alexandria, Panten. Accordingly, the epistle could have been written in Alexandria in the last decade of the 2nd century. It is possible that the epistolary form is a pure convention, as often happened in antiquity (cf. Luke 1:1–4; Acts 1:1) and the author is actually addressing not an individual, but a wide audience. In any case, this letter was clearly intended to be not so much a private message as an open manifestation of the views of the author. The first chapter serves as a lengthy introduction. The second exposes the contemporary pagan religious practice of the author and the addressee. Apparently, the wickedness of the pagans is so obvious to the author that he does not bother himself with a detailed and comprehensive analysis, without separating common folk beliefs from the refined intellectual quests of philosophers, and with fierce sarcasm he defends only one position: idols are not gods. It is difficult for us to judge how ordinary people of antiquity would have perceived his words, but in relation to the intellectual elite, who had long since parted ways with the simple-minded faith of their ancestors, such criticism missed the mark: in the 8th satire from the 1st book of Horace’s satires, the same opportunity to make a bench or a god out of a block of wood serves as a subject of gentle irony, rather than revealing sarcasm. Whatever the gods were for Horace and his educated reader, they were clearly not identical to idols in their minds. The third and fourth chapters are devoted to criticism of Judaism, this time in more detail: Jews bring unnecessary honors to God, they are committed to empty superstitions. Comparing the “Message” with the lines of the Pentateuch that prescribe the performance of those same sacrifices and rituals, we immediately discover that the author of the “Message” is either not familiar with the essence of the Old Testament religion, or does not consider it necessary to talk about it. Perhaps he sought to expose not so much the very principle of Old Testament sacrifices and ritual rules as the legalistic attitude towards the external side of rituals, which too often obscured their original meaning in religious practice. It seems that the author was too zealous a supporter of “religion of the spirit” as opposed to “ceremonial religion” (cf. John 4:19-24). As we know today, Christianity nevertheless adopted many of the ritual traditions of the Old Testament religion. The accusations against Judaism are discussed in more detail in the comments to chapters 3 and 4. The fifth and sixth chapters, this masterpiece of apologetics, open the main part of the Epistle devoted to Christians. Skillful antitheses and comparisons create an unusually capacious and poetic image of Christians living in this world. Further, the “Message” sets out the main theological provisions: Chapter Seven – Truth and Word (Christology); The eighth chapter is the knowledge of God and His plan (epistemology); The ninth chapter is salvation (soteriology); The tenth chapter is imitation of God (ethics). The tenth chapter breaks off in the middle of a sentence, and in the manuscript it is continued by a passage (chapters 11 and 12) of clearly different origin, addressed to an audience familiar with the Holy Scriptures and Christian doctrine, which cannot be said about Diognitus. Apparently, this is a homily (sermon) addressed to members of the Church and directed against the Gnostic heresy (see note 63 to chapter 12). It has been suggested that this passage is the true end of the “Message,” and Archimandrite Em. Carpaphius even suggested inserting two unnamed passages preserved in another manuscript in Arabic as the missing middle part. This assumption looks unconvincing, but it is likely that this passage was added to the “Message” for a reason. It is similar to it in its style, related to it in content and, as it seems, may well belong to the same author. Particularly worth mentioning is the language of the “Message”. This is rhythmic prose, built on semantic parallelism, consonance of words and some orderliness in the alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables - not yet poetry at all, but not quite prose. Thus, in its form, the “Epistle” turns out to be similar to some passages from Paul’s Epistles (like the “hymn of love,” the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians), with early Christian liturgical hymns (like “Quiet Light ...”) and homilies (like the “Catechetical Sermon” of St. John Chrysostom, which is still read at Easter services). In the Russian translation, this beauty inevitably fades, but what has been preserved can give some idea of ​​the beauty of the “Message”. In some places the text is typed like poetic lines, as is done in some editions of the Bible, in order to better show the structure of the work. The thoughts expressed in the “Epistle to Diognitus” have not lost their modernity over the past centuries, and the beauty of its style is capable - as the translator hopes! – to please the reader in the Russian translation. I would like to believe that the “Epistle to Diognetus” will take its rightful place not only in scientific libraries, but also on the bookshelves of ordinary Christians. The Early Church Fathers: An Anthology. – Brussels, 1964. – p. 244–255. Estienne N. Justini Philosophi et Martyris Epistula ad Diognetum et Oratio ad Graecos. – Paris, 1592. Gebhardt 0., Harnack A., Zahn Th. Patrum apostolicorum opera: Editio minor. – Leipzig, 1920. Βιβλιοθήκη Ελλήνων κατέρων καί έκκλεσιατικ˜ων συγγραφέων. – τ. 2. –'Αθ˜ηναι, 1955. – p. 247–257. Marou H. I. A Diognete // Sources Chretiennes. – Paris, 1965. – N° 33. Harnack A. Geschichte der altkristlischen Literatur. – Bd 1. – S. 513–517. Meecham H. G. The Epistle to Diognetus. – Manchester, 1949. Μπαλανος Δ.Σ. Πατρολογια. – 'Αθ˜ηναι, 1930. – p. 83 ff. Kihn H. Der Uhrsprung des Briefes an Diognet. – Freiburg, 1882. Here and further - cf. Isa.44:9-20; Jeremiah 10:3–5. Similar arguments against idolatry are made in the letter of Jeremiah. The text of this sentence is obviously somewhat corrupted. There are disagreements about individual words, but its basic meaning is quite clear. The pagan Greeks most often sacrificed the blood and fat (“fat”) of animals to the gods; therefore, in ancient literature, these two words often serve as a metaphor for sacrifice. A flawed place where there are also many readings, but the meaning is generally clear. In the Old Testament, sacrifices were prescribed directly by God, primarily as a means to restore and maintain the relationship between God and man broken by sin (cf. Gen. 4:3–5). Christianity abandoned sacrifices not because they were meaningless from the very beginning, but because the atoning sacrifice of Christ accomplished once and for all what was accomplished only partially and temporarily in the Old Testament sacrifices. Apparently, the author is polemicizing not so much with the Old Testament law, but with such an understanding of it, in which the external side of rituals obscures their internal meaning, and they themselves become, as it were, the fulfillment of certain duties in relation to God. The Old Testament prophets also spoke about this - for example, Is.1:10-18. Unfortunately, not only Jews, but also Christians have succumbed and are succumbing to the temptation to see spiritual life as just an obligatory “worship.” The food restrictions that the Jews adhere to are based precisely on the law - Deut. 14:3-21, etc. The New Testament proclaimed the primacy of internal purity over ritual purity and opened up unprecedented freedom. It is characteristic that in the vision that came to Peter (Acts 10:9–16), this was shown precisely by the example of “unclean” animals. The fourth commandment requires keeping the Sabbath (Ex. 20:8). In Judaism, this very general command to “shine the Sabbath day” has turned into a system of rules reaching the point of absurdity. Of course, they did not directly prohibit “doing something good,” but in practice this was often the case. Disagreement over the Sabbath is one of the main contradictions between Jesus Christ and the leaders of Judaism indicated in the Gospel. In the Book of Genesis (Gen. 17:11–14,23–27), circumcision is indeed called “the sign of the Covenant,” but the author’s irony is not directed against circumcision as such, but against those who considered their belonging to the chosen people through circumcision to be self-sufficient - and in this he echoes the Old Testament prophets (for example: Jer. 4: 4, 6: 10, 9: 23–26 ) and New Testament writers (eg Rom. 4:9–13). The Jewish religious calendar is determined by the Old Testament (eg Deut. 16:1–17) and is directly related to the Christian religious calendar. In polemical fervor, the author rejects any possibility for a believer to distinguish between mournful and joyful days. Apparently, Paul in his Epistle to the Romans (Rom. 14:5-6) calls for moderation on the part of supporters of this extreme point of view, as well as their opponents, linking the issue of the calendar with the issue of dietary restrictions. Wed. Hebrews 11:13. In ancient society, citizenship of a particular city imposed special responsibilities on its owner and opened up wide opportunities for him. Literally, “they have a meal in common, but not in common” - the same word κοινήν is used twice. The translation is based on the conjecture κοίτην (“they have a common meal, but not a bed”) - opponents of Christians often accused them of committing unbridled orgies. Speaking of the common meal, the author clearly alludes to the Eucharist, which early apologists usually described in very general terms, seeing in it a mystery that should not be fully revealed to “outsiders.” Wed. 1 Peter 2:13; Rom.13:1; Titus 3:1. Wed. similar antitheses in 1 Cor. 4:10–13 and 2 Cor. 6:9–10. Here and further, the author sets out a very important antinomy for the early Church: Christianity is opposite to the world and at the same time necessary for it; The duty of Christians is to save the world, while at the same time remaining “in the world, but not of the world.” Wed. John 15:18–19; 1 John 3:13. Here the Christian idea (2 Pet. 1:13; 1 Cor. 15:20) is clothed in a form close to Platonic philosophy - cf. Phaedrus 82b. Such a statement sounds strange to a modern person, but it was a “common place” of ancient culture: abstinence and simplicity in food and drink are an undoubted virtue, this is one of the qualities of an exemplary person. There is already a fairly developed Christology here. The author not only calls Jesus Christ God, Creator and King, but seeks to describe in poetic language His role in the universe from the creation of the world to the present day, considering this one of the most important provisions of the Christian faith. The word στοιζεία can also be translated in this context as “zodiac signs,” but most likely it is used here to designate all the constituent elements of the universe. Here the manuscript contains an omission, which the copyist even notes in the margins. Apparently the missing passage was talking about how the hope of the Second Coming gives Christians strength to endure persecution and execution. The word παρουσια can denote the coming second coming and at the same time the constant presence of God, which is already taking place in the lives of Christians. Further, in a somewhat vulgarized form, the ideas of the first Greek philosophers are presented, who sought to explain the material structure of the world and often proclaimed one of its constituent elements to be the main element in the universe (Heraclitus considered fire to be such, Thales considered water to be such, Anaximenes considered air to be such, etc.). Of course, they were far from deifying these elements of the universe, but it is possible that their teaching was subjected to such distortion among the common people. “The present righteousness” is a conjecture; the manuscript contains the obscure “mind of righteousness.” Wed. Matthew 6:25. The mention of clothing and food is somewhat out of context and may be a later insertion, a kind of comment by a pious editor. Damaged place; There are several reconstructions, but the general meaning is clear. The Russian word “consciousness” here translates the Greek λόγος, which has many other meanings, including “God the Word.” The scribe notes that the manuscript contains an omission here. This is where the text of the “Message” ends; Chapters 11 – 12 comprise a passage of unknown origin (see introductory article). With another reading of the handwritten text, a translation is possible: “of those who have found the right teaching and are born of the Word...” This refers to the people of Israel. Here, as in many other works of early Christian literature, all faithful members of the Christian community are called saints, and not just those who have succeeded in personal piety. “Oaths” (όρκια) – conjecture; in the manuscript there is “limits” (όρια), which appears later in the text and is repeated, obviously by mistake. Wed. Isa.52:15; 64:4; Sir.1:10; 1 Corinthians 2:9. The tree is an unusually complex image in chapter 12. Using the example of two trees of paradise, the author discusses the relationship between knowledge and life; Those who truly love God should become an “all-fruitful tree,” thereby becoming like Jesus Christ - a tree that brings people the desired fruits. Knowledge is γνωσις. The author turns this sermon against the Gnostic heresy that existed at the dawn of Christianity, placing above all else the mystical knowledge of hidden spiritual secrets, accessible only to initiates. It is worth remembering that supporters of one of the directions of Gnosticism - the “ophites” - revered the serpent from the 3rd chapter of the book of Genesis. A place with a rather confusing syntax, where other reading options are possible. Literally: “... without truth, knowledge is prepared for life.” This expression can be understood in different ways: “A virgin is trusted,” “A virgin is entrusted with something,” etc. It is also possible that the word “virgin” refers to Eve: “Eve is not corrupted, but remains, as we believe, a virgin.” In any case, there is a contrast here between Eve, through whom sin and death entered the world, and the Virgin Mary, through whom Salvation and Life entered the world - one of the constant motifs of Christian literature. Damaged place; In addition to the conjecture “dates” (καιροί) accepted here, there are others: “dances” (χοροι), “lots” (κληροί), etc. Extract from the book: Early Christian apologists of the 2nd-4th centuries. Translations and Research.