Didascalia Apostolorum

tr. Connolly, 1929

V. A teaching on judgement

It behoves¹ thee therefore, O bishop, when thou preachest, to testify and affirm concerning the judgement according as it is (found) in the Gospel. For to thee also has the Lord said: And thee, son of man,² I have set as a watchman to the house of Israel; that thou mayest hear a word from my mouth, and give warning and preach it as from me. And when I say to the ungodly: The ungodly shall surely die, and thou preach not and say that the ungodly should depart from his iniquity: the ungodly shall die in his iniquity, and at thy hands will I require his blood. But if thou warn the ungodly from his way, and he take not warning: the ungodly shall die in his iniquity, and thou shalt deliver thy soul.³ Wherefore you also, since to your account is laid the blame of them that sin in ignorance, do you preach and testify; and those who behave themselves without discipline admonish and rebuke openly.

Now whereas we speak and repeat these things often, we are not blameworthy; for through much teaching and hearing it happens that a man is put to shame, and does good and avoids evil. For the Lord also said in the Law: Hear, O Israel;⁴ and unto this day they have not heard. And in the Gospel likewise He often proclaims⁵ and says: Every one that hath ears to hear, let him hear.⁶ But not even they have heard who thought that they heard; for they cast themselves swiftly into the dire destruction of heresy: †upon whom the word of sentence is about to go forth.†⁷ For we believe not, brethren, that when a man has (once) gone down into the water he will do again the abominable and filthy works of the ungodly heathen. For this is manifest and known to all, that whosoever does evil after baptism, the same is already condemned to the Gehenna of fire.

And we think indeed that the heathen also will blaspheme⁸ on this account,⁹ that we do not mix with them nor hold communication with them. But through the falsehood of the heathen our brethren have the rather attained to the truth; for in the Gospel He saith thus: Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak against you every evil word for my sake, falsely. But do ye rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven: for so did their fathers persecute the prophets.¹⁰¹¹ If therefore they shall blaspheme against any man falsely, blessed is he, even because that he is tempted; for the Scripture has said: A man that is not tempted, neither is he approved.¹²¹³ But if a man be convicted of doing the works of iniquity, he is no Christian but a liar, and he holds the fear of the Lord in hypocrisy. Wherefore these persons, when they have been¹⁴ exposed and convicted by the truth openly, let the bishop who is without offence and without hypocrisy avoid.

But if the bishop himself is not of a clean conscience, and accepts persons for the sake of filthy lucre, or for the sake of the presents which he receives, and spares one who impiously sins, and suffers him to remain in the Church: such a bishop has polluted his congregation with God; yea, and with men also, and with many of the receivers who are young in their minds,¹⁵ or with the hearers;¹⁶ and youths and maidens beside he destroys with him.¹⁷ For by reason of the lewdness of an ungodly man,¹⁸ when they have seen such a one in their midst they too will doubt in their soul, and will imitate him, and themselves also will stumble and be taken with the same malady, and will perish with him. But if he who sins sees that the bishop and the deacons are clear of reproach, and the whole flock pure: first of all he will not dare to enter the congregation, because he is reproved by his conscience; but if it should happen that he is bold, and comes to the Church in his arrogance, and he is reproved and rebuked by the bishop, and looking upon all (present) finds no offence in any of them, neither in the bishop nor in those who are with him: he will then be put to confusion, and will go forth quietly, in great shame, weeping and in remorse of soul; and shall the flock remain pure. Moreover, when he is gone out he will repent of his sin and weep and sigh before God, and there shall be hope for him. And the whole flock itself also, when it sees the weeping and tears of that man, will fear, knowing and understanding that every one who sins perishes.

Wherefore, O bishop, strive to be pure in thy works. And know thy place, that thou art set in the likeness of God Almighty, and holdest the place of God Almighty; and so sit in the Church and teach as having authority to judge them that sin in the room of God Almighty. For to you bishops it is said in the Gospel: That which ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven.¹⁹

Notes

It behoves, etc.] In AC this forms part of the sentence begun in ch. iv: (σκοπὸς δὲ ὁ κατασταθεὶς τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐπίσκοπος,) ὃν δεῖ κηρύσσοντα διαμαρτύρεσθαι καὶ διαβεβαιοῦσθαι περὶ τῆς κρίσεως. The division into chapters is later than the Syriac translation, for we shall find that in one instance a Syriac sentence has been cut in two (see p. 167).
And thee, son of man, etc.] These verses are given in full in AC, and in a text which differs notably from LXX. In his extensive quotations from Ezekiel our author used a text, other than LXX, which frequently agrees with hexaplaric readings quoted by Field.
Ez. xxxiii 7-9.
Deut. vi 4.
often proclaims] πολλάκις μιμνήσκεται AC. The Syriac verb also means ‘to commemorate’ or ‘mention’.
Mt. xi 15, xiii 9, etc.
upon whom . . . go forth] περὶ ὧν αὖθις ἐροῦμεν AC (see Lat.): a strange mistranslation in Syr.
Cf. 1 Pet. iv 4.
on this account] lit. ‘on account of these things’: so H and S marg.: ‘on account of these’ (masc.) CS.
Mt. v 11 f., Lk. vi 23.
Cf. 1 Pet. iii 14.
? (cf. Ja. i. 12, Ecclus. xxxiv 10).
A man . . . approved] ἀνὴρ ἀδόκιμος ἀπείραστος παρὰ τῷ θεῷ AC. Cf. Tertull. de Bapt. 20 ‘nam et praecesserat dictum: Neminem intentatum regna caelestia consecuturum’. See Resch p. 130, Ropes 124.
when they have been, etc.] ἐλεγχθέντας ἀληθῶς παραιτήσεται μετὰ παρρησίας ὁ ἐπίσκοπος AC. The above is the natural way of taking the Syriac, but it admits absolutely of being translated ‘convicted in truth, openly let the bishop . . . avoid’ (as AC).
receivers . . . minds] νεοφωτίστοις AC, but ‘neofitos’ Lat. ‘Receivers’ means, according to Syriac usage, communicants, and the whole expression denotes those who have recently been baptized.
hearers] i. e. catechumens.
him] Or ‘himself’: but cf. Lat.
For . . . ungodly man] διὰ γὰρ τὴν τῆς ἀκρισίας ἀνομίαν AC, which may be the true reading: Lat. and Syr. imply ἀκρασίας: with a different vocalization ‘ungodly man’ would become ‘ungodliness’ or ‘iniquity’.
Mt. xviii 18.