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of God and entered into the kingdom of God; for before, he says, a man bears the name of the Son of God, he is dead; but when he receives the seal, he puts off death and takes up life. The seal, therefore, is the water; into the water, therefore, they descend dead and ascend living. And so to them this seal was preached, and they made use of it, so that they might enter into the kingdom of God. Why, I say, lord, did the forty stones also ascend with them from the deep, having already received the seal? Because, he says, these apostles and teachers who preached the name of the Son of God, having fallen asleep in the power and faith of the Son of God, preached also to those who had fallen asleep before them and themselves gave them the seal of the preaching. They descended therefore with them into the water and again ascended; but these descended living and ascended living; but those who had previously fallen asleep descended dead, but ascended living. Through these, therefore, they were made alive and came to know the name of the Son of God; for this reason they also ascended with them, and were fitted together into the building of the tower, and were built together without being hewn; for they fell asleep in righteousness and in great purity; only they did not have this seal. You have, therefore, the explanation of these things also. I have, I say, lord. Now therefore, lord, explain to me concerning the mountains; why are their forms different and varied? Listen, he says. These mountains are twelve tribes that inhabit the whole world. To these, therefore, the Son of God was preached through the apostles. But why are the mountains varied and of different form, explain to me, lord. Listen, he says. These twelve tribes that inhabit the whole world are twelve nations; and they are varied in their disposition and in their mind; as, therefore, you saw the mountains were varied, so also are the varieties of the mind of the nations and their disposition. And I will explain to you the practice of each one. First, I say, lord, explain this, why, the mountains being so varied, when their stones were placed into the building, they became bright with one color, just like the stones that had come up from the deep? Because, he says, all the nations that dwell under heaven, having heard and believed, were called by the name of the Son of God. Having received the seal, therefore, they had one disposition and one mind, and their faith became one and their love one, and they bore the spirits of the virgins with the name; for this reason the building of the tower became bright with one color like the sun. But after they had entered into the same place and become one body, some of them defiled themselves and were cast out from the company of the righteous, and again became as they were before, or rather, even worse. How, I say, lord, did they become worse, having known God? He who does not know God, he says, and does evil has a certain punishment for his wickedness, but he who has known God ought no longer to do evil, but to do good. If, therefore, he who ought to do good does evil, does he not seem to do more wickedness than he who does not know God? For this reason, those who have not known God and do evil are judged for death, but those who have known God and have seen His great works and do evil will be punished twofold and will die for ever. Thus, therefore, the church of God will be purified, as you saw the stones taken from the tower and delivered to the evil spirits and cast out from there; and there will be one body of those who have been purified.
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τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ· πρὶν γάρ, φησί, φορέσαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, νεκρός ἐστιν· ὅταν δὲ λάβῃ τὴν σφραγῖδα, ἀποτίθεται τὴν νέκρωσιν καὶ ἀναλαμβάνει τὴν ζωήν. ἡ σφραγὶς οὖν τὸ ὕδωρ ἐστίν· εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ οὖν καταβαίνουσι νεκροὶ καὶ ἀναβαίνουσι ζῶντες. κἀκείνοις οὖν ἐκηρύχθη ἡ σφραγὶς αὕτη καὶ ἐχρήσαντο αὐτῇ, ἵνα εἰσέλθωσιν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ. ∆ιατί, φημί, κύριε, καὶ οἱ μ λίθοι μετ' αὐτῶν ἀνέβησαν ἐκ τοῦ βυθοῦ, ἤδη ἐσχηκότες τὴν σφραγῖδα; Ὅτι, φησίν, οὗτοι οἱ ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ διδάσκαλοι οἱ κηρύξαντες τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, κοιμηθέντες ἐν δυνάμει καὶ πίστει τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκήρυξαν καὶ τοῖς προκεκοιμημένοις καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔδωκαν αὐτοῖς τὴν σφραγῖδα τοῦ κηρύγματος. κατέβησαν οὖν μετ' αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ πάλιν ἀνέβησαν· ἀλλ' οὗτοι μὲν ζῶντες κατέβησαν καὶ ζῶντες ἀνέβησαν· ἐκεῖνοι δὲ οἱ προκε κοιμημένοι νεκροὶ κατέβησαν, ζῶντες δὲ ἀνέβησαν. διὰ τούτων οὖν ἐζωο ποιήθησαν καὶ ἐπέγνωσαν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ συναν έβησαν μετ' αὐτῶν, καὶ συνηρμόσθησαν εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ πύργου, καὶ ἀλατόμητοι συνῳκοδομήθησαν· ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ γὰρ ἐκοιμήθησαν καὶ ἐν με γάλῃ ἁγνείᾳ· μόνον δὲ τὴν σφραγῖδα ταύτην οὐκ εἶχον. ἔχεις οὖν καὶ τὴν τούτων ἐπίλυσιν. Ἔχω, φημί, κύριε. Νῦν οὖν, κύριε, περὶ τῶν ὀρέων μοι δήλωσον· διατί ἄλλαι καὶ ἄλλαι εἰσὶν αἱ ἰδέαι καὶ ποικίλαι; Ἄκουε, φησί. τὰ ὄρη ταῦτα δώδεκά εἰσι φυλαὶ αἱ κατοικοῦσαι ὅλον τὸν κόσμον. ἐκηρύχθη οὖν εἰς ταύτας ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων. ∆ιατί δὲ ποικίλα καὶ ἄλλη καὶ ἄλλη ἰδέα ἐστὶ τὰ ὄρη, δήλω σόν μοι, κύριε. Ἄκουε, φησίν. αἱ δώδεκα φυλαὶ αὗται αἱ κατοικοῦσαι ὅλον τὸν κόσμον δώδεκα ἔθνη εἰσί· ποικίλα δέ εἰσι τῇ φρονήσει καὶ τῷ νο· οἷα οὖν εἶδες τὰ ὄρη ποικίλα, τοιαῦταί εἰσι καὶ τούτων αἱ ποικιλίαι τοῦ νοὸς τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ ἡ φρόνησις. δηλώσω δέ σοι καὶ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου τὴν πρᾶξιν. Πρῶ τον, φημί, κύριε, τοῦτο δήλωσον, διατί οὕτω ποικίλα ὄντα τὰ ὄρη, εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν ὅταν ἐτέθησαν οἱ λίθοι αὐτῶν, μιᾷ χρόᾳ ἐγένοντο λαμπροί, ὡς καὶ οἱ ἐκ τοῦ βυθοῦ ἀναβεβηκότες λίθοι; Ὅτι, φησί, πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τὰ ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν κατοικοῦντα, ἀκούσαντα καὶ πιστεύσαντα ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνό ματι ἐκλήθησαν τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ. λαβόντες οὖν τὴν σφραγῖδα μίαν φρό νησιν ἔσχον καὶ ἕνα νοῦν, καὶ μία πίστις αὐτῶν ἐγένετο καὶ μία ἀγάπη, καὶ τὰ πνεύματα τῶν παρθένων μετὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος ἐφόρεσαν· διὰ τοῦτο ἡ οἰκοδομὴ τοῦ πύργου μιᾷ χρόᾳ ἐγένετο λαμπρὰ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος. μετὰ δὲ τὸ εἰσελθεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ γενέσθαι ἓν σῶμα, τινὲς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐμίαναν ἑαυτοὺς καὶ ἐξεβλήθησαν ἐκ τοῦ γένους τῶν δικαίων, καὶ πάλιν ἐγένοντο, οἷοι πρότεροι ἦσαν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ χείρονες. Πῶς, φημί, κύριε, ἐγένοντο χείρονες, θεὸν ἐπεγνωκότες; Ὁ μὴ γινώσ κων, φησί, θεὸν καὶ πονηρευόμενος ἔχει κόλασίν τινα τῆς πονηρίας αὐτοῦ, ὁ δὲ θεὸν ἐπιγνοὺς οὐκέτι ὀφείλει πονηρεύεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀγαθοποιεῖν. ἐὰν οὖν ὁ ὀφείλων ἀγαθοποιεῖν πονηρεύηται, οὐ δοκεῖ πλείονα πονηρίαν ποιεῖν παρὰ τὸν μὴ γινώσκοντα τὸν θεόν; διὰ τοῦτο οἱ μὴ ἐγνωκότες θεὸν καὶ πονηρευό μενοι κεκριμένοι εἰσὶν εἰς θάνατον, οἱ δὲ τὸν θεὸν ἐγνωκότες καὶ τὰ μεγαλεῖα αὐτοῦ ἑωρακότες καὶ πονηρευόμενοι δισσῶς κολασθήσονται καὶ ἀποθανοῦνται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. οὕτως οὖν καθαρισθήσεται ἡ ἐκκλησία τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς εἶδες ἐκ τοῦ πύργου τοὺς λίθους ἠρμένους καὶ παραδεδομένους τοῖς πνεύμασι τοῖς πονηροῖς καὶ ἐκεῖθεν ἐκβληθέντας· καὶ ἔσται ἓν σῶμα τῶν κεκαθαρμένων.