41. On receiving this
epistle, Archelaus was astonished at the man’s boldness.
But in the meantime, as the case called for the transmission of a
speedy reply, he immediately sent off a letter with reference to the
statements made by Diodorus. That epistle ran in the following
terms:
1892
—
Archelaus sends greeting to the presbyter Diodorus, his
honourable son.
The receipt of your letter has rejoiced me
exceedingly, my dearly beloved friend. I have been given to
understand, moreover, that this man, who made his way to me before
these days, and sought to introduce a novel kind of knowledge here,
different from what is apostolic and ecclesiastical, has also come to
you. To that person, indeed, I gave no place: for
presently, when we held a disputation together, he was confuted.
And I could wish now to transcribe for your behoof all the arguments of
which I made use on that occasion, so that by means of these you might
get an idea of what that man’s faith is. But as that could
be done only with leisure at my disposal, I have deemed it requisite,
in view of the immediate exigency, to write a short reply to you with
reference to what you have written me on the subject of the statements
advanced by him. I understand, then, that his chief
1893
effort was
directed to prove that the law of Moses is not consonant with the law
of Christ; and this position he attempted to found on the authority of
our Scriptures. Well, on the other hand, not only did we
establish the law of Moses, and all things which are written in it, by
the same Scripture; but we also proved that the whole Old Testament
agrees with the New Testament, and is in perfect harmony with the same,
and that they form really one texture, just as a person may see one and
the same robe made up of weft and warp together.
1894
For the truth is simply this,
that just as we trace the purple in a robe, so, if we may thus express
it, we can discern the New Testament in the texture of the Old
Testament; for we see the glory of the Lord mirrored in the
same.
1895
We are
not therefore to cast aside the mirror,
1896
seeing that it shows us the genuine
image of the things themselves, faithfully and truly; but, on the
contrary, we ought to honour it all the more. Think you, indeed,
that the boy who is brought by his pædagogue to the teachers of
learning
1897
when he is
yet a very little fellow, ought to hold that pædagogue in no
honour
1898
after he has
grown up to manhood, simply because he needs his services
1899
no longer, but
can make his course without any assistance from that attendant to the
schools, and quickly find his way to the lecture-rooms? Or, to
take another instance, would it be right for the child who has been
nourished on milk at first, after he has grown to be capable of
receiving stronger meats, then injuriously to spurn the breasts of his
nurse, and conceive a horror of them? Nay, rather he should
honour and cherish them, and confess himself a debtor to their good
services. We may also make use, if it please you, of another
illustration. A certain man on one occasion having noticed an
infant
exposed on the
ground and already suffering excessively, picked it up, and undertook
to rear it in his own house until it should reach the age of youth, and
sustained all the toils and anxieties which are wont to fall to the lot
of those who have to bring up children. After a time, however, it
happened that he who was the child’s natural father came seeking
the boy, and found him with this person who had brought him
up.
1900
What ought
this boy to do on learning that this is his real father? For I
speak, of course, of a boy of the right type. Would he not see to
it, that he who had brought him up should be recompensed with liberal
gifts; and would he not then follow his natural father, having his
proper inheritance in view
1901
Even so, then, I think we must suppose
that that distinguished servant of God, Moses, in a manner something
like this, found
1902
a people
afflicted by the Egyptians; and he took this people to himself, and
nurtured them in the desert like a father, and instructed them like a
teacher, and ruled them as a magistrate. This people he also
preserved against the coming of him whose people they were. And
after a considerable period the father
1903
did come, and did receive, his
sheep. Now will not that guardian be honoured in all things by
him to whom he delivered that flock; and will he not be glorified by
those who have been preserved by him? Who, then, can be so
senseless, my dearly beloved Diodorus, as to say that those are aliens
to each other who have been allied with each other, who have prophesied
in turn for each other, and who have shown signs and wonders which are
equal and similar, the one to the other, and of like nature with each
other;
1904
or rather, to
speak in truth, which belong wholly to the same stock the one with the
other? For, indeed, Moses first said to the people:
“A Prophet will the Lord our God raise up unto you, like unto
me.”
1905
And Jesus
afterwards said: “For Moses spake of me.”
1906
You
see
1907
how these twain
give the right hand to each other, although
1908
the one was the prophet and the other was
the beloved Son,
1909
and although in
the one we are to recognise the faithful servant, but in the other the
Lord Himself. Now, on the other hand, I might refer to the fact,
that one who of old was minded to make his way to the schools without
the pædagogue was not taken in by the master. For the master
said: “I will not receive him unless he accepts the
pædagogue.” And who the person is, who is spoken of
under that figure, I shall briefly explain. There was a certain
rich man,
1910
who lived after the
manner of the Gentiles, and passed his time in great luxury every day;
and there was also another man, a poor man, who was his neighbour, and
who was unable to procure even his daily bread. It happened that
both these men departed this life, that they both descended into the
grave,
1911
and that the poor
man was conveyed into the place of rest, and so forth, as is known to
you. But, furthermore, that rich man had also five brothers,
living as he too had lived, and disturbed by no doubt as to lessons
which they had learned at home from such a master. The rich man
then entreated that these should be instructed in the superior doctrine
together and at once.
1912
But Abraham, knowing that they still
stood in need of the pædagogue, said to him: “They
have Moses and the prophets.” For if they received not
these, so as to have their course directed by him, i.e.,
Moses
,
as by a pædagogue, they would not be capable of accepting the
doctrine of the superior master.
1892
This epistle is edited not only from the Codex Casinensis, but also by
Valesius from the Codex Bobiensis. The most important varieties
of reading shall therefore be noted.
1893
Summum studium. But the Codex Bobiensis reads
suum
studium.
1894
Reading “ex subtegmine atque stamine,” etc., with the Codex
Bobiensis, instead of “subtemine et, quæ stamine,”
etc., as it is given in the Codex Casinensis. [A beautiful
anticipation of Augustine’s
dictum
, “The New
is
veiled
in the Old, the Old
unveiled
in the
New.”]
1895
We
read here “gloriam enim Domini in eodem speculamur.”
The Codex Bobiensis is vitiated here, giving
gloriam um Domini
,
which was changed by Valesius into
gloriam Jesu
, etc.
1896
Reading, with the Codex Bobiensis, “speculum, cum nobis ipsam
imaginem,” etc., instead of “speculum nobis per ipsam
imaginem,” etc.
1897
[Here is the literal use of the word “pædagogue,” with
which Clement took liberties. Vol. ii. p. 209, note 3, this
series.] Adopting “qui ad doctores a pædagogo,”
instead of “qui a doctore iis a pædagogo.”
1898
“Dehonorare,” or, as in the Codex Bobiensis,
“dehonestare.”
1899
Reading “opera ejus non indiget.” But the Codex
Casinensis gives “
ore
ejus,” etc.
1900
The Codex
Bobiensis reads here, “accidit vero post tempus ut is
qui…requireret,” etc. The other codex has,
“accedit vero post tempus is qui…requirere.”
1901
Reading
pro respectu
with Codex Bobiensis. The other codex gives
prospectu.
1902
Reading
invenisse.
The Codex Casinensis gives
venisse.
1903
Routh
suggests
pastor
, the shepherd, for
pater.
1904
Reading
cognata
, with Codex Bobiensis, instead of
cognita.
1905
Deut. xviii. 18
.
1906
John v. 46
.
1907
We
adopt the reading
vides
, instead of the faulty
unde
of
the Codex Casinensis.
1908
Reading
quamvis
for
quum.
1909
See
Heb. iii. 5, 6
.
1910
Luke xvi. 19
, etc.
1911
Infernum.
[
Sheol
, rather, or
Hades.
]
1912
The
reading of the Codex Casinensis is, “rogavit dives simul uno
tempore ut edisceret majorem doctrinam.” But the other
codex gives, “uno tempore discere majorem doctrinam ab
Abraham” = entreated that he might learn the superior doctrine of
Abraham. For
edisceret
we may read with Routh
ediscerent.