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and you as each of the prophets. See, therefore, who Moses was and to whom he was sent, and what sort of trophy was raised by him and set upright; the lawgiver was naked and was sent to those who show partiality, but the rod of the naked one subdues and overcomes the armies of the hoplites; but you, instead of a full suit of armor, arm yourselves with the following commandment: "Therefore, be wise as serpents and innocent as doves"; for wisdom is good, and innocence is likewise admirable, but when joined to each other it possesses what is beneficial and useful; and neither naked wisdom nor bare innocence is able to justify and save a man, and for this reason it is necessary to possess the wisdom of serpents and the innocence of doves together. For the serpent is wise, but it is not innocent, and you rightly regard the beast as a venomous, rejected thing; the dove is only innocent and for this reason is an easy target for all who plot against it. You, therefore, mix innocence with wisdom and be innocent in the things of this life, wise in spiritual things. If you are buying or selling a field, or making some other transaction of this life, pursue innocence; for to be wronged is more splendid than to do wrong, to be cheated is more profitable than to cheat for those who wish to gain heavenly things rather than earthly things. But if you study the law, then pour forth wisdom and seek the purpose of what is written, how this is, and why that is, what the letter of the law means, what the spirit of prophecy has commanded, whether the word is simple, whether the pen of teaching sets forth in parables. And pay attention to what other watchwords you receive with these for the army and generalship on behalf of the one who sends you.
9 "They will deliver you up to councils," but take courage, the Father is not separated, the Son does not go far away, the Spirit does not depart, angels attend as a bodyguard. "And in their synagogues they will scourge you." But you, rejoice greatly; for the wars for piety and the welts from the scourges are more beautiful than the rays of the sun. "And you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles." Do not grow numb at this; for my sake you stand before governors, for my glory you are brought before kings. With you, therefore, is the one who anointed kings, in you is the one who appointed boundaries for governors, the one who measured out the tribunal for these and bestowed the scepter upon those. And consider this also, that you are brought before kings and governors not so much to be judged, but as a testimony to them, plain to the children of the Jews, but indeed also to the Gentiles, that they may know the power of the one who is testified to by you, that the poor restrain rulers, rustics put to shame the consular council and spit upon the much-famed senate, unlearned men disgrace tyrants and put kings to shame. "But when they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how or what you are to speak"; for you are tongues of the Word and flutes of Wisdom and heralds of Life and orators of the one who does not need orators, and for this reason the following accompanies you: "For it will be given to you in that hour what you are to speak." Before the hour, the word of grace is not supplied to you, lest you should think that the words brought forth by you are your own; "For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking in you"; for the contest is on His behalf, the prize is through Him; for the stadium is for His sake. It is necessary, therefore, to await the grace from Him, to expect the word, to receive the grace of confession, to hope for the full armor, against which the enemy has no power, because it is forged by God.
10 "Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death." Nature is divided and grace is gathered together; the clay makes war against itself, but the potter does not endure to give up the clay. The earthenware vessels clash with one another, so that in need of the wheel
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καὶ ὑμᾶς ὡς τῶν προφη τῶν ἕκαστον. Ὁρᾶτε τοίνυν τίς μὲν ὁ Μωυσῆς καὶ πρὸς τίνας ἐπέμπετο, οἷον δὲ τὸ ὑψωθὲν παρ' ἐκείνου καὶ κατορθωθὲν τρό παιον· γυμνὸς ὁ νομοθέτης ἦν καὶ πρὸς προσωπολήπτας ἐπέμ πετο, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ γυμνοῦ ῥάβδος τὰ τῶν ὁπλιτῶν ὑποτάττει καὶ χειροῦται στρατόπεδα· ὑμεῖς δὲ ἀντὶ πανοπλίας τὴν ἑξῆς ἐντολὴν θωρακίσασθε· «Γίνεσθε οὖν φρόνιμοι ὡς οἱ ὄφεις καὶ ἀκέραιοι ὡς αἱ περιστεραί»· καλὸν μὲν τὸ φρόνιμον, θαυμαστὸν δὲ ὡσαύ τως τὸ ἀκέραιον, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἑκατέρῳ συναπτόμενον τὸ ἐπωφελὲς καὶ τὸ χρήσιμον κέκτηται· καὶ οὔτε ἡ φρόνησις γυμνὴ οὔτε ἡ ἀκεραιότης ψιλὴ δικαιῶσαι δύναται καὶ διασῶσαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ τούτου χάριν δεῖ τὸ τῶν ὄφεων φρόνιμον καὶ τῶν περιστερῶν ὁμοῦ τὸ ἀκέραιον κτήσασθαι. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ὄφις φρόνιμος, οὐκ ἔστι δὲ ἀκέραιος, καὶ τὸ θηρίον εἰκότως θεωρεῖς ὡς ἰοβόλον ἀπό βλητον· ἡ περιστερὰ μόνον ἐστὶν ἀκέραιος καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πᾶσιν εἰς ἐπιβουλὴν εὔκολος. Ὑμεῖς τοίνυν τὸ ἀκέραιον τῷ φρονίμῳ κεράσατε καὶ γίνεσθε ἀκέραιοι τὰ βιωτικά, τὰ πνευματικὰ φρό νιμοι. Ἐὰν ἀγρὸν ἀγοράζῃς ἢ πωλῇς ἤ τι συναλλάττῃς τῶν βιω τικῶν ἕτερον, τὸ ἀκέραιον μέτελθε· τὰ γὰρ ἀδικεῖσθαι τοῦ ἀδικεῖν λαμπρότερον, τὸ περιγράφεσθαι τοῦ περιγράφειν ἐπικερδέστερον τοῖς τὰ οὐράνια κερδαίνειν ἢ τὰ γήϊνα θέλουσιν. Ἐὰν δὲ τὸν νόμον μελετᾷς, ἐρεύγου τότε τὴν φρόνησιν καὶ ζήτει τῶν γεγραμμένων τὸν σκοπόν, τοῦτο μὲν πῶς, ἐκεῖνο δὲ ἀνθ' ὅτου, τί τὸ γράμμα βούλεται τοῦ νόμου, τί τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς προφητείας ἐντέταλται, πότερον ὁ λόγος ἁπλοῦς, πότερον ἐν παραβολαῖς ὁ τῆς διδασκαλίας ὑποτίθεται κάλαμος. Προσέχετε δὲ ποῖα μετὰ τούτων ἕτερα συνθήματα τῆς ὑπὲρ τοῦ πέμποντος στρατιᾶς τε καὶ στρατηγίας λαμβάνετε.
9 «Παραδώσουσι δὲ ὑμᾶς εἰς συνέδρια», ἀλλὰ θαρρεῖτε, ὁ Πατὴρ οὐ χωρίζεται, ὁ Υἱὸς οὐ μακρύνεται, τὸ Πνεῦμα οὐκ ἀφίσταται, δορυφοροῦσιν ἄγγελοι. «Καὶ ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν μαστιγώσουσιν ὑμᾶς.» Ὑμεῖς δὲ σφόδρα χαίρετε· οἱ γὰρ ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας πόλεμοι <καὶ οἱ> ἐκ τῶν μαστίγων μώλωπες τῶν ἡλιακῶν ἀκτίνων εἰσὶν εὐπρεπέστεροι. «Καὶ ἐπὶ ἡγεμόνας δὲ καὶ βασιλεῖς ἀχθήσεσθε ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν». Μηδὲ τούτῳ ναρκήσητε· ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ τοῖς ἡγεμόσι παρίστασθε, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐμῆς δόξης βασιλεῦσι προσάγεσθε. Μεθ' ὑμῶν τοίνυν ὁ τοὺς βασιλεῖς χρίσας, ἐν ὑμῖν ὁ τοῖς ἡγεμόσι διαταξάμενος ὅρια, ὁ τούτοις τὸ βῆμα μετρήσας κἀκείνοις τὸ σκῆπτρον χαρισάμενος. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ τοῦτο σκοπεῖτε, ὡς οὐ μᾶλλον ἀγώγιμοι πρὸς βασιλεῖς καὶ ἡγεμόνας γίνεσθε, ἀλλ' εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτοῖς, τοῖς παισὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων εὔδηλον, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ἵνα γνῶσιν τοῦ παρ' ὑμῖν μαρτυρουμένου τὴν δύναμιν, ὅτι πτωχοὶ χαλινοῦσι τοὺς ἄρχοντας, ἄγροικοι δυσωποῦσι τὴν ὑπατικὴν βουλὴν καὶ τὴν πολυθρύλητον καταπτύουσι σύγκλητον, ἰδιῶται τυράννους καταισχύνουσι καὶ βασιλεῖς ἐντρέπουσιν. «Ὅταν δὲ παραδῶσιν ὑμᾶς, μὴ μεριμνήσητε πῶς ἢ τί λαλήσητε»· γλῶτται γάρ ἐστε τοῦ λόγου καὶ τῆς σοφίας αὐλοὶ καὶ κήρυκες τῆς ζωῆς καὶ ῥήτορες τοῦ ῥητόρων μὴ χρῄζοντος, καὶ τούτου χάριν ὑμῖν ἀκολουθεῖ τὸ ἑπόμενον· «∆οθήσεται γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ τί λαλήσητε». Πρὸ τῆς ὥρας ὑμῖν ὁ λόγος οὐ χορηγεῖται τῆς χάριτος, μήποτε ὑμέτερα νομίσητε τὰ παρ' ὑμῶν φερόμενα ῥήματα· «Οὐ γὰρ ὑμεῖς ἐστε οἱ λαλοῦντες, ἀλλὰ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν τὸ λαλοῦν ἐν ὑμῖν»· ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ γὰρ ὁ ἀγών, ὁ ἆθλος δι' αὐτόν· αὐτοῦ γὰρ χάριν τὸ στάδιον. Χρὴ τοίνυν παρ' αὐτοῦ τὴν χάριν ἀναμένειν, τὸν λόγον προσδο κᾶν, τῆς ὁμολογίας τὴν χάριν ἐκδέχεσθαι, τὴν πανοπλίαν ἐλπίζειν, πρὸς ἣν ὁ ἐχθρὸς οὐ δύναται, ὅτι παρὰ θεοῦ χαλκεύεται.
10 «Παραδώσει ἀδελφὸς ἀδελφὸν εἰς θάνατον καὶ πατὴρ τέκνον καὶ ἐπαναστήσονται τέκνα ἐπὶ γονεῖς καὶ θανατώσουσιν αὐτούς.» Ἡ φύσις μερίζεται καὶ ἡ χάρις συνάγεται· ὁ πηλὸς καθ' ἑαυτοῦ στρατεύεται, ὁ ποιητὴς δὲ παραδοῦναι τὸν πηλὸν οὐκ ἀνέχεται. Ἀλλήλοις συγκρούεται τὰ ὀστράκινα, ὅπως ἐν χρείᾳ τοῦ τροχοῦ