Testament of Our Lord

tr. Cooper and Maclean, 1902

2. Book II, Chapter 2

If a fornicatress, or brothel keeper,¹ or a drunkard, or a maker of idols,² or a painter, or one engaged in shows,³ or a charioteer,⁴ or a wrestler,⁵ or one who goeth to the contest,⁶ or a combatant [in the games],⁷ or one who teacheth wrestling, or a public huntsman,⁸ or a priest of idols, or a keeper of them, be [among those that come], let him not be received.

If any such desire to become faithful, let him cease⁹ from these [things]; and being in deed faithful, and being baptized,¹⁰ let him be received and let him partake. And if he do not cease,⁹ let him be rejected.

If any one be a teacher of boys in worldly wisdom, it is well if he cease.⁹ But if he have no other craft¹¹ by which to live, let him be excused.¹²

If any one be a soldier or in authority, let him be taught not to oppress or to kill or to rob, or to be angry or to rage and afflict any one. But let those rations¹³ suffice him which are given to him. But if they wish to be baptized in the Lord, let them cease¹⁴ from military service or from the [post of] authority, and if not let them not be received.

Let a catechumen or a believer of the people, if he desire to be a soldier, either cease from his intention,¹⁵ or if not let him be rejected. For he hath despised God by his thought, and leaving the things of the Spirit, he hath perfected himself in the flesh,¹⁶ and hath treated the faith with contempt.

If a fornicatress or a dissolute man or a drunkard do not¹⁷ [these things], and desire, believing, to become catechumens,¹⁸ they may [be admitted]. And if they make progress, let them be baptized; but if not let them be rejected.

If a concubine of a man¹⁹ be a servant, and desire to be faithful,²⁰ if she educate those who are born [of her] and she separate from her master, or be joined²¹ to him alone in marriage, let her hear; and being baptized let her partake in the Offering, but if not let her be rejected.

He who doeth things which may not be spoken of,²² or a diviner or a magician²³ or a necromancer,²⁴ these are defiled and do not come to judgment. Let a charmer,²⁵ or an astrologer,²⁶ or an interpreter of dreams, or a sorcerer, or one who gathereth together the people, or a star-gazer, or a diviner by idols, either cease,¹⁴ and when he ceaseth let him be exorcised and baptized; or if not let him be rejected.

If a man¹⁹ have a concubine, let him divorce her and marry in the law and hear the word of instruction.

Notes

πορνοβοσκός (translated), as in the parallels. The Syriac phrase might be translated, “one (masc.) delighting in fornication.” It occurs again in the Pshitta of Prov. xxix. 3, where the LXX has ὅς ποιμαίνει πόρνας.
εἰδωλοποιός translated.
=A.C.: τῶν ἐπὶ σκηνῆς τις ἀνὴρ ἢ γυνή.
ἡνίοχος transliterated.
μονομάχος as A.C.?
σταδιοδρόμος as A.C.?
ὀλυμπικός as A.C.?
Lit.: a huntsman of the public treasury (or of the State; δημόσιον transliterated).
Lit.: remain.
Or: when he in very deed believeth and is baptized; or: when he is by labour faithful, etc. (Lagarde, μόγις). For “being baptized” B. reads “doing” (error of one letter).
Or: profession.
Lit.: have forgiveness.
Allusion to St. Luke iii. 14; but the word is not the same as in the Pshitta.
Lit.: remain.
Lit.: reasoning.
Syriac BSRA; S. reads: he hath despised (Syr. BSR), sc. the faith.
I.e. have ceased to do.
Or: to be instructed.
Homo.
Lit.: to believe.
Lit.: partake with.
ἀρρητοποιός translated, as in the parallels.
Or: magian.
νεκρόμαντις translated.
Or: snake-charmer.
Lit.: a speaker by the stars (ἀστρολόγος translated).