Chapter I.—After the salutation, the writer declares that he would communicate
to his brethren something of that which he had himself received.
All hail, ye sons and daughters, in the name of our Lord8 Jesus Christ, who loved us in
peace.
Seeing that the divine fruits9 of righteousness abound among you, I rejoice exceedingly
and above measure in your happy and honoured spirits, because ye have with such effect
received the engrafted10 spiritual gift. Wherefore also I inwardly rejoice the more, hoping
to be saved, because I truly perceive in you the Spirit poured forth from the rich Lord11 of
love. Your greatly desired appearance has thus filled me with astonishment over you.12 I
am therefore persuaded of this, and fully convinced in my own mind, that since I began to
speak among you I understand many things, because the Lord hath accompanied me in the
way of righteousness. I am also on this account bound13 by the strictest obligation to love
you above my own soul, because great are the faith and love dwelling in you, while you hope
for the life which He has promised.14 Considering this, therefore, that if I should take the
trouble to communicate to you some portion of what I have myself received, it will prove
to me a sufficient reward that I minister to such spirits, I have hastened briefly to write unto
you, in order that, along with your faith, ye might have perfect knowledge. The doctrines
of the Lord, then, are three:15 the hope of life, the beginning and the completion of it. For
the Lord hath made known to us by the prophets both the things which are past and present,
giving us also the first-fruits of the knowledge16 of things to come, which things as we see
accomplished, one by one, we ought with the greater richness of faith17 and elevation of
8 The Cod. Sin. has simply, “the Lord.”
9 Literally, “the judgments of God being great and rich towards you;” but, as Hefele remarks, δικαίωμα seems
here to have the meaning of righteousness, as in Rom. v. 18.
10 This appears to be the meaning of the Greek, and is confirmed by the ancient Latin version. Hilgenfeld,
however, following Cod. Sin., reads “thus,” instead of “because,” and separates the clauses.
11 The Latin reads, “spirit infused into you from the honourable fountain of God.”
12 This sentence is entirely omitted in the Latin.
13 The Latin text is here quite different, and seems evidently corrupt. We have followed the Cod. Sin., as does
Hilgenfeld.
14 Literally, “in the hope of His life.”
15 The Greek is here totally unintelligible: it seems impossible either to punctuate or construe it. We may at-
tempt to represent it as follows: “The doctrines of the Lord, then, are three: Life, Faith, and Hope, our beginning
and end; and Righteousness, the beginning and the end of judgment; Love and Joy and the Testimony of gladness
for works of righteousness.” We have followed the ancient Latin text, which Hilgenfeld also adopts, though
Weitzäcker and others prefer the Greek.
16 Instead of “knowledge” (γνώσεως), Cod. Sin. has “taste” (γεύσεως).
17 Literally, “we ought more richly and loftily to approach His fear.”
Chapter I.—After the salutation, the writer declares that he would communicate to his brethren something of that which he had himself received.
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Chapter I.—After the salutation, the writer declares that he would communicate…