147

of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from 95.928 every brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that they received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. And this he advises them, to avoid the idle. For these are also gossips, and busybodies. And if he himself, while preaching the Gospel, works, how much more ought the others to work? Not that we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. For the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. But as for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. Or he is speaking to them secretly about almsgiving, or he is saying this, Do not grow weary admonishing those who are unwilling to work. For this is doing good, when they cast out a wicked habit by their exhortations. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. Now may the Lord of peace himself. The punishment for those who do not obey seems to be moderate; but it is among the very severe. For what is more severe than to live in a desert, even if one happens to be in the middle of a city? And this he does, not out of hatred, but out of love for the one being punished. Therefore he added, and do not regard him as an enemy. give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all. The greeting of Paul, with my own hand. Since he advised to separate from the disorderly, he shows that he has not done this willingly, but yielding to necessity. Immediately, therefore, he prays that the punishment against them may be ineffective, that is, the separation, and the division at all times, and in every way, praying for peace for them. And it will be ineffective, clearly, when the idle change into diligent and active men. which is a sign in every letter; this is how I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Since at the beginning of the letter he said, Do not believe those who now announce the second coming of the Lord, even if they should say that we declare this by letter 95.929; for this reason he also teaches them the sign of his letter, fearing lest they might forge something, as if sent from the Apostle. To the Thessalonians II was written from Athens. 100 lines.

TO THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. CHAPTER ONE. In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the

prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son. See how, saying nothing in the introduction, as is his custom, from the very beginning he rushes at once to the depths of the mysteries, showing that the distance between the evangelical way of life and the legal one is great. and how does he do this? Of old, he says, God spoke through prophets, and this obscurely; for this is what is meant by, "in many and various ways"; but now through the Son himself; so that the distance is shown to be as great as that between a master and slaves. And he has rightly done this from the beginning, since the Jews did not need, as the other nations did, a spiritual introduction, which was arranged in the prologues of every epistle, wherefore as to those knowledgeable of the law from the very depth of the mysteries

147

ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, στέλλεσθαι ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ 95.928 παντὸς ἀδελφοῦ ἀτάκτως περιπατοῦντος, καὶ μὴ κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν ἣν παρέλαβον παρ' ἡμῶν. Αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἴδατε πῶς δεῖ μιμεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς, ὅτι οὐκ ἠτακτήσαμεν ἐν ὑμῖν, οὐδὲ δωρεὰν ἄρτον ἐλάβομεν παρά τινος, ἀλλ' ἐν κόπῳ καὶ μόχθῳ νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν ἐργαζόμενοι, πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἐπιβαρῆσαί τινα ὑμῶν. Καὶ τοῦτο αὐτοῖς παραινεῖ, τὸ παραιτεῖσθαι τοὺς ἀργούς. Οὗτοι γάρ εἰσιν καὶ φλύαροι, καὶ περίεργοι. Καὶ εἰ αὐτὸς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον κηρύττων ἐργάζεται, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τοὺς ἄλλους ἐργάζεσθαι δεῖ; Οὐχ ὅτι οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἑαυτοὺς τύπον δῶμεν ὑμῖν, εἰς τὸ μιμεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς. Καὶ γὰρ ὅτε ἦμεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, τοῦτο παρηγγέλλομεν ὑμῖν, ὅτι εἴ τις οὐ θέλει ἐργάζεσθαι, μηδὲ ἐσθιέτω. Ἀκούομεν γάρ τινας περιπατοῦντας ἐν ὑμῖν ἀτάκτως, μηδὲν ἐργαζομένους, ἀλλὰ καὶ περιεργαζομένους. Τοῖς δὲ τοιούτοις παραγγέλλομεν, καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα μετὰ ἡσυχίας ἐργαζόμενοι τὸν ἑαυτῶν ἄρτον ἐσθίωσι. Ὁ γὰρ Κύριος διέταξεν τοῖς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον κηρύττουσιν, ἐκ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ζῇν. Ὑμεῖς δὲ, ἀδελφοὶ, μὴ ἐκκακήσητε καλοποιοῦντες. Ἢ περὶ ἐλεημοσύνης αὐτοῖς λεληθότως διαλέγεται, ἢ τοῦτο λέγει, Νουθετοῦντες τοὺς μὴ βουλομένους ἐργάζεσθαι μὴ ἀποκάμνετε. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι καλοποιεῖν, ὅταν πονηρὸν ἔθος ἐκβάλωσιν ταῖς παραινέσεσιν. Εἰ δέ τις οὐχ ὑπακούει τῷ λόγῳ ἡμῶν διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, τοῦτον σημειοῦσθε, καὶ μὴ συναναμίγνυσθε αὐτῷ, ἵνα ἐντραπῇ· καὶ μὴ ὡς ἐχθρὸν ἡγεῖσθε, ἀλλὰ νουθετεῖτε ὡς ἀδελφόν. Αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Κύριος τῆς εἰρήνης. ∆οκεῖ μετρία εἶναι ἡ τιμωρία τοῖς μὴ ὑπακούουσιν· ἔστι δὲ τῶν σφόδρα βαρέων. Τοῦ γὰρ ἐν ἐρημίᾳ διάγειν, κἂν μέσῃ τῇ πόλει τυγχάνῃ, τί βαρύτερον; Καὶ ταύτην δὲ, οὐ μίσει, ἀλλὰ ἀγάπῃ τῇ πρὸς τὸν τιμωρούμενον, ποιεῖ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε, καὶ μὴ ὡς ἐχθρὸν ἡγεῖσθε. ∆ῴη ὑμῖν τὴν εἰρήνην διὰ παντὸς ἐν παντὶ τρόπῳ. Ὁ Κύριος μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν. Ὁ ἀσπασμὸς τῇ ἐμῇ χειρὶ Παύλου. Ἐπειδὴ χωρίζεσθαι τῶν ἀτάκτων παρῄνεσε, δείκνυσιν, ὡς οὐχ ἑκὼν τοῦτο πεποίηκεν, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἀνάγκῃ ἐνδιδούς. Αὐτίκα οὖν εὔχεται ἀργῆσαι τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν τιμωρίαν, τουτέστι τὴν διάστασιν, καὶ τὸν χωρισμὸν διὰ παντὸς, καὶ ἐπὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ, τὴν εἰρήνην αὐτοῖς ἐπευχόμενος. Ἀργήσει δὲ, μεταβαλλομένων δηλονότι τῶν ἀργῶν εἰς ἄνδρας σπουδαίους καὶ ἐνεργούς. Ὅς ἐστι σημεῖον ἐν πάσῃ ἐπιστολῇ· οὕτως γράφω. Ἡ χάρις τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν. Ἀμήν. Ἐπειδὴ ἀρχόμενος τῆς ἐπιστολῆς εἶπεν, Μὴ πιστεύετε τοῖς καταγγέλλουσι νῦν τὴν δευτέραν παρουσίαν τοῦ Κυρίου, κἂν εἰ λέγοιεν ὡς ἡμεῖς δι' ἐπιστο 95.929 λῆς τοῦτο δηλοῦμεν· τούτου χάριν διδάσκει αὐτοὺς καὶ τὸ σημεῖον τῆς αὐτοῦ ἐπιστολῆς, φοβούμενος μὴ πλάσωνταί τι, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου πεμφθέν. Πρὸς Θεσσαλονικεῖς βʹ ἐγράφη ἀπὸ Ἀθηνῶν. στίχων ρʹ.

ΕΙΣ ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗΝ ΠΡΟΣ ΕΒΡΑΙΟΥΣ. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΠΡΩΤΟΝ. Πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως πάλαι ὁ Θεὸς λαλήσας τοῖς πατράσιν ἐν τοῖς

προφήταις, ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν τούτων ἐλάλησεν ἐν Υἱῷ. Ὅρα πῶς οὐδὲν ἐν προοιμίοις, ὥσπερ εἴωθεν, εἰπὼν, ἐξ ἀρχῆς εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τὰ βάθη τῶν μυστηρίων ὁρμᾷ, δεικνὺς τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς πολιτείας πρὸς τὴν νομικὴν πολὺ τὸ μέσον τυγχάνον. καὶ πῶς τοῦτο ποιεῖ; Πάλαι, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς διὰ προφητῶν ἐλάλει, καὶ ταῦτα συνεσκιασμένως· τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει τὸ, πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως· νυνὶ δὲ δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Υἱοῦ· ὥστε τοσοῦτον δείκνυται τὸ μέσον, ὅσον δεσπότου καὶ δούλων. Εἰκότως δὲ τοῦτο πεποίηκεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς, ἅτε μὴ χρῃζόντων τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ὥσπερ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν, εἰσαγωγῆς πνευματικῆς, ἥτις ἐν προοιμίοις ᾠκονόμητο πάσης ἐπιστολῆς, διὸ ὡς ἐπιστήμοσι τοῦ νόμου ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ βάθους τῶν μυστηρίων