Banal na tradisyon patungkol sa pananalangin sa mga yumao (patay) naimbento nga lang ba makalipas ang tatlong daang taon pagkatapos mamatay ni Cristo?

Tanong:

“OF ALL THE HUMAN TRADITIONS taught and practiced by the Roman Catholic Church, which are contrary to the Bible, the most ancient are the prayers for the dead. […] began 300 years after Christ”

Ang pagbibigay dalangin sa mga pumanaw (o yumao) ay matagal na pong ginagawa o kinagisnan na ng mga sinaunang Hudyo. Ang ilang halimbawa ay makikita mismo sa kanilang mga sinaunang literatura (Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Sotah 34b) at maging sa deuterocanonical books (Tb 12:12, 2 Mc 12:39–45ff; cf. 1 Cor. 15:29; tignan din ang Harrington 1999: 150; Schadé 2006). Kung susumahin ang bilang ng taon kung kailan ito sinimulan ay walang nakakaalam, bagkus, tanging ang tungkol kay Judas Maccabees (יהודה המכבי, Y'hudhah HamMakabi) sa 2 Maccabees ang masasabing pinakasinaunang tala (para sa Judeo-Christian religion) na naestima sa panahong ng ikalawang siglo {BC} (Schwartz 2008; Geisler, Howe 2009; Petrisko 2009: 11) ngunit may mga suwestiyon din na iba dito, tulad ng ito daw ay nabuo noong kalagitnaan sa naunang banggit.[1]

Maging sa kalaunan ay napanatili parin ng mga Hudyo ang paniniwala nila ng pagbibigay panalangin sa mga namatay na tuwirang ipinakita sa Talmud

"Why do they go to the cemetery? — With regard to this there is a difference of opinion between R. Levi b. Hama and R. Hanina. One says: [To signify thereby], We are as the dead before Thee; and the other says: In order that the dead should intercede for mercy on our behalf" - Seder Mo‘ed, Tracate Ta'anit 16a

At pati po ang pagyukod sa libingan sa isang huwarang guro (just rabbi) ay kanila rin pong napreserba sa kanilang tradisyon

Rabbi Haviva said, "Rabbi Haviva son of Surmaki told me: "I saw one of the rabbis whom Elijah used to frequent. In the morning his eyes were lovely, but in the evening they looked as if they had been burnt by fire. I asked him, ‘What is it?’ He told me that he has asked Elijah, ‘Show me the [departed] rabbis as they ascend to the Heavenly Academy.’ He [Elijah] replied: ‘You can gaze at all of them except for the carriage of Rabbi Hiyya, at which you cannot gaze.’ ‘What is their sign? [How can I distinguish between them?[‘ ‘All are accompanied by angels as they ascend and descend, except for the Rabbi Hiyya’s carriage, which ascends and descends on its own.’ ‘Unable to restrain myself, I gazed at it. Two sparks of fire shot forth and struck that man [i.e. me], blinding him. The next day I went and prostrated myself upon his [Rabbi Hiyya’s] grave, crying, "Your mishnah is my mishnah," and I was healed."" (Mula sa Zohar, Hadqamat Sefer ha-Zohar p.21)

Gaya po ng nababasa mo, matagal na pong pinanghahawakan ng mga Hudyo ang nasabing paniniwala o kaugalian ng pagbibigay pugay at paghingin ng panalangin sa mga yumao; at bahagi na ito ng kanilang Kaddish (קדיש, Qaddish, Mourner's), at partikular na sa El male rachamim, na isang uri panalangin ng mga Hudyo sa mga namatay.

Ngayon po, marahil ang nasa isip mo po ay hindi naman ito mababasa sa bibliya, kung meron man saan ito makikita, dahil bahagi lamang ang mga ibinigay ko ng paniniwalang Hudaismo (tignan din ang paliwanag ni Rabbi Tzvi Freeman patungkol sa paghingi ng panalangin mula sa צדיק (Tzadik) para sa mga Hudyo dito sa lupa). Sa totoo lamang po, merong teksto sa N.T. na maaring nagpapakita ng isang uri ng panalangin sa namatay (o yumao), ito’y sa matatagpuan sa 2 Tm 1:16-18; 4:19*

May the Lord grant mercy to the household (οἶκος, oikōs) of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain; when he arrived in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me—may the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! And you know very well how much service he rendered in Ephesus.

Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household (οἶκος, oikōs) of Onesiphorus.

*Mula sa salin ng The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.


Ang tungkol po sa kung patay na si Onesiphorus o hindi ay isang paksa na pinagdedebatehan padin po; gayunpaman, halos maraming mga scholars (Hanson 1966: 81; Guthrie 1990: 148), mapa-Protestante o Katoliko man, ang nagkakaisa pagdating sa pagbibigay pahayag na siya'y patay na nang nakiusap si Paul ng awa sa Panginoon para sa buong sambahayan nito at kay Onesiphorus sa hinaharap, sa (huling) araw ng paghuhukom (Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, 186) Ang paggamit ng salitang sambahayan (oikōs) bago ang pangalan ng taong kinikilalang padre de pamilya dito o hindi pagbanggit dito, bago ang huli, ayon kay Michael Moss sa kanyang komentaryo sa librong 1, 2 Timothy & Titus (p. 200) ay nagpapahiwatig na patay o yumao na ang nasabing tao. (Freedman 1996: 22) Narito pa po ang ilang pahayag na batay sa mga komentaryo ng mga Protestante mula sa A Biblical Defense of Catholicism (pp. 141-143) ni Dave Armstrong na sumasang-ayon na si Onesiphorus ay patay na ng gawin ni Paul ang maikling dalangin (v. 18)

1) Alfred Plummer (1841-1926) (Anglican): The Expositor's Bible (edited by W. Robertson Nicoll), The Pastoral Epistles, London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1891, pp. 324-326:

Certainly the balance of probability is decidedly in favour of the view that Onesiphorus was already dead when St. Paul wrote these words. . . . he here speaks of "the house of Onesiphorus" in connexion with the present, and of Onesiphorus himself only in connexion with the past. . . . it is not easy to explain this reference in two places to the household of Onesiphorus, if he himself was still alive. In all the other cases the individual and not the household is mentioned. . . . There is also the character of the Apostle's prayer. Why does he confine his desires respecting the requital of Onesiphorus' kindness to the day of judgment? . . . This again is thoroughly intelligible, if Onesiphorus is already dead.

. . . there seems to be equal absence of serious reason for doubting that the words in question constitute a prayer. . . .

Having thus concluded that, according to the more probable and reasonable view, the passage before us contains a prayer offered up by the Apostle on behalf of one who is dead, we seem to have obtained his sanction, and therefore the sanction of Scripture, for using similar prayers ourselves. . . .

This passage may be quoted as reasonable evidence that the death of a person does not extinguish our right or our duty to pray for him: but it ought not be quoted as authority for such prayers on behalf of the dead as are very different in kind from the one of which we have an example here. Many other kinds of intercession for the dead may be reasonable and allowable; but this passage proves no more than that some kinds of intercession for the dead are allowable; viz., those in which we pray that God will have mercy at the day of judgment on those who have done good to us and others, during their life upon earth.

2) James Maurice Wilson (1836-1931) (Anglican): Truths New and Old, Westminster: Archibald Constable & Co., 1900, p. 141:

We have, therefore, the sanction of St. Paul for remembering inn our prayers, and interceding for, those who have now passed into the other world . . .

3) Sydney Charles Gayford (Anglican): The Future State, New York: Edwin S. Gorham, second edition, 1905, pp. 56-57:

. . . the most satisfactory explanation is that Onesiphorus was dead. . . .

And so we may hold with some confidence that we have in this passage the authority of an Apostle in praying for the welfare of the departed.

4) John Henry Bernard (1860-1927) (Anglican), The Pastoral Epistles, Cambridge University Press, 1899, p. 114:

On the whole then it seems probable that Onesiphorus was dead when St. Paul prayed on his behalf . . .

5) Donald Guthrie (1915-1992) (Anglican): The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, The Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Eerdmans Pub. Co., 2nd edition, 1990, p. 148:

Since it is assumed by many scholars that Onesiphorus was by now dead, the question has been raised whether this sanctions prayer for the dead. Roman catholic theologians claim that it does. Spicq, for instance, sees here an example of prayer for the dead unique in the New Testament. Some Protestants agree with this judgment and cite the Jewish precedent of 2 Macc 12:43-45 . . .

(…)

At ilan pa po sa aking mga nabasa

18. The Lord grant unto him to find mercy of the Lord. It seems likely that Onesiphorus was dead when the Apostle wrote. In chapter iv. 19 his household is saluted, but there is no mention of him. In the passage before us St. Paul prays for mercy to his household (? in their sorrow at his death). When he prays for the man himself he adds 'in the day' (cp. 2 Thess. i.10). There is nothing in itself improbable in St. Paul's using a prayer for his dead friend. Such prayers were allowed, and are still practiced, among the Jews (2 Macc. xii. 44.45). Prayers for the dead are found in Christian inscriptions as early as the 2nd century, and prayers for the faithful departed occur in the early Liturgies. (H. W. Fulford, Epistles to Thessalonians, Timothy and Titus, pp. 110-11)


16-17. Here and in 4:19 Paul speaks of the “house of Onesiphorus.” This expression and the prayer in v. 18 seem to indicate that Onesiphorus had died before this letter was written. (Brown, R. E., Fitzmyer, J. A., & Murphy, R. E., The Jerome Biblical commentary, p. 358)


"For the sake of Onesiphorus, who by now may be dead, Paul wishes the Lord to give mercy to Onesiphorus's household." (R. H. Gundry, Commentary on the New Testament, Baker Books, 2010)


Was Onesiphorus dead? "[...] The balance of probability is decidedly in favour of the view that Onesiphorus was already dead when St. Paul wrote these words. There is not only in connection with the present and of Onesiphorus himself only in connection with the past; there is also the still more marked fact that in the final salutations, while greeting are sent to Prisca and Aquila, and from Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, and Claudia, yet it is once more "the house of Onesiphorus," and not, Onesiphorus himself, who is saluted. This language is thoroughly intelligible if Onesiphorus was no longer alive but had a wife and children who were still living in Ephesus; but it is not easy to explain this reference in two places to the household of Onesiphorus, if he himself was still alive. In all the other cases the individual, and not the household, is mentioned. Nor is this twofold reference to his family, rather than to himself, the only fact which points in this direction. (Joseph Exell, The Biblical Illustrator: 2 Timothy, Primedia E-launch LLC)


"16 unto = to. house = household. Onesiphorus must have recently died." (E. W. Bullinger, The Companion Bible: The Authorized Version of 1611 with the Structures and Critical, Explanatory, and Suggestive Notes, p. 1810)


"The household of Onesiphorus.] See chap. i. 16. Onesiphorus was probably dead: his family still remained at Ephesus." (Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible: containing the Old and New Testaments, B. Waugh and T. Mason, 1833, p. 609)


Saint Paul himself evidently prayed for the dead, as we can see in 2 Timothy 1:18: "May the Lord grant him [Onesiphorus] to find mercy from the Lord on that Day." This prayer might be unexpectional, except that in verse 16, Paul wrote, "May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus", suggesting that the man in question had passed away and that his family was in need of comfort. (Carl Sommer, We Look for a Kingdom: The Everyday Lives of the Early Christians, Ignatius Press, 2007, p. 149)


Onesiphorus is not mentioned elsewhere in the NT, although the phrase "household of Onesiphorus" occurs again in the Pastorals at 2 Tim. 4:19. The wording in the Epistles strongly implies that Onesiphorus had died - perhaps even before Paul - possibly in the course of his stay in Rome during which he sought out and visited the apostle. (H. W. Tajra, The martyrdom of St. Paul: historical and judicial context, traditions, and legends, pp. 92-3)


Paul expressed his gratitude toward Onesiphorus by wishing that he would experience God's mercy on the last day (v. 18) and by wishing God's mercy on his household (v.16). Both wishes may indicate that Onesiphorus was dead when Paul wrote 2 Timothy. (J. B. Pohill, Paul & His Letters, B&H Publishing Group, 1999, p. 431)

Maliban po sa mga nabanggit sa itaas narito pa po ang ilang reperensya na nagsasabing patay na si Onesiphorus ng isinulat ni Paul ang nasabing epistle (2 Timothy): Watson E. Mills, Richard F. Wilson, Mercer Commentary on the Bible: Acts and Pauline Writings, p. 281; I. Howard Marshal, The Pastoral Epistles, p. 720; Matthew S. Collins, Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, p. 988; George W. Knight, The Pastoral Epistles: a commentary on the Greek text, p. 386; Michael Ferrebee Sadler, The Epistles of St. Paul to the Colossians, Thessalonians, and Timothy, G. Bell, 1896, p. 271; Robert James Edmund Boggis, Praying for the dead: an historical review of the practice, Longmans, Green, 1913, pp. 34-7.

Makakakita rin po tayo ng ilan pang uri ng katibayan mula po sa mga sinaunang Kristyanong ama ng simbahan at sa mga nadiskubre narin pong sinaunang nitso sa ilalim ng lupa na pinag-lagakan ng mga namayapang Kristyano na nagbibigay liwanag na tinanggap po ang naturang paniniwala tungkol sa pagbibigay o paghingi ng panalangin mula po sa mga namatay ng Kristyano. (Lowrie 2003: 72) Sa mga himlayang pong ito, masasariwa ang mga kinagisnan ng kagawian o batayan ng pananampalataya ng mga Kristyano noon - na hindi mang-tuwirang pong ipinakita sa banal na kasulatan - ay pinanatili naman po sa pamamagitan ng apostolikong doktrina o tradisyon, na nag-aalis sa anino ng pagdududa o kawalan ng katiyakan sa nasabing pong paksa.

 

English translation:

"I implore you, brothers to pray whenever you come here and invoke the Father and Son in
all your prayers so that they might save Agape (the person in the tomb) forever"

(The Catacomb of Priscilla on the Via Salaria in Rome, Italy; Christian burials from the late 2nd century through the 4th century)

The Catacomb(s) of Callixtus (also known as the Cemetery of Callixtus) was one of the Catacombs of Rome
on the Appian Way; built after AD 150.



Catacombe di Domitilla (Catacombs of Domitilla)



Catacombs of S. Sebastiano (b. 258)
(Ang mga nakaukit ay mga sulat na nanghihingi ng panalangin mula kay Peter at Paul)
(pinagmulan)

Ayon naman sa pahayag ng mga Ama ng Simbahan (Church Fathers) bago po ang ikatlong siglo patungkol sa paghingi ng panalanging sa mga patay (o namatay) na mga Kristyanong banal

"[Appealing to the three companions of Daniel] Think of me, I beseech you, so that I may achieve with you the same fate of martyrdom"
- St. Hippolytus of Rome, On Daniel, 11:30 (A.D. 204), in OTT, 319

"In this way is he [the true Christian] always pure for prayer. He also prays in the society of angels, as being already of angelic rank, and he is never out of their holy keeping; and though he pray alone, he has the choir of the saints standing with him [in prayer]."
- St. Clement of Alexandria, Miscellanies 7:12 (A.D. 208)

"But not the high priest [Christ] alone prays for those who pray sincerely, but also the angels . . . as also the souls of the saints who have already fallen asleep."
- Origen, Prayer 11 (A.D. 233)

"Let us remember one another in concord and unanimity. Let us on both sides [of death] always pray for one another. Let us relieve burdens and afflictions by mutual love, that if one of us, by the swiftness of divine condescension, shall go hence the first, our love may continue in the presence of the Lord, and our prayers for our brethren and sisters not cease in the presence of the Father's mercy"
- St. Cyprian of Carthage, Letters 56[60]:5 (A.D. 253)

____________________

1 VanderKam, Introduction to Early Judaism, pp. 65-69; John J. Collins, Between Athens and Jerusalem: Jewish in the Hellenistic Diaspora (2nd ed.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999); Harrington, Invitation to the Apocrypha, pp. 137-51; Jan W. van Henten, The Maccabean Martyrs as Saviors of the Jewish People: A Study of 2 and 4 Maccabees (Leiden: Brill, 1997); Robert Doran, "The Second Book of Maccabees," in The New Interpreter's Bible (vol. 2; Nashville: Abingdon, 1996); Daniel j. Harrington, The Maccabean Revolt: Anatomy of a Biblical Revolution (Michael Glazier: Wilmington, DE, 1988); Jonathan Goldtstein, II Maccabees (AB 41A; Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1983); Robert Doran, Temple Propaganda: The Purpose and Character of 2 Maccabees (Washington, DC: Catholic Biblical Association, 1981); Nickelsburg, Jewish Literature Between the Bible and the Mishnah, pp. 118-21.

Paulit-ulit na pagbigkas ng panalangin sa tuwing nagrorosaryo mali nga ba? (Unang bahagi)

Tanong:

Anong masasabi mo sa ibang relihiyon na nag-aakusa na walang kwenta ang paulit-ulit na panalangin sa tuwing magrorosaryo?

Depende po ito sa pagkakaintindi ng salitang Greek na βατταλογήσητε (battalogēsēte); base po ito sa Mt 6:7 na bahagi ng 'Sermon on the Mount'. Ang salita po kasing ito ay isinalin po sa bersyo ng bibliya ng Protestante, partikular na po sa KJV, bilang vain repetitions, at isinalin naman po ito sa Douay-Rheims bilang speak not much. Sa pagitan po ng dalawang salin, ang sa Douay-Rheims po ang mas tama o mas tugma. Ang kabuoang pahayag po sa salitang Greek ay mababasa ng ganito

"Proseuchomenoi de mē battalogēsēte ōsper oi ethnikoi, dokousin gar oti tē polylogia autōn eisakousthēsontai"

Ang salitang pong may guhit ay mahalagang mga salita para maunawaan ang nasabing teksto. Ang unang salita po ay battalogēsēte at ang ikalawa po ay polu(y)logia. Ang ugat po ng salitang battalogēsēte ay battalogeo(a verbal at nominal form) na nanggaling sa salitang batta na ang ibig sabihin po ay much at logeo (mula sa salitang logia, word) na ang katumbas po sa salitang Ingles ay to speak. Habang ang salita pong polulogia (a corresponding noun) ay nanggaling naman po sa salitang polu (kung saan nakuha po natin ang salitang 'poly' = 'many' o 'much'; hal. polytheism, much married, polygamy, many colored) at logia. Kung mapapansin mo po ang salitang batta at poly ay may iisang pakahulugan, at ito po’y tumutukoy sa salitang 'much' o 'marami', bagay na sinanang-ayunan po ng salin ng Douay-Rheims (mē battalogēsēte) at maging ng mga Protestante po tulad nila John Calvin[1], (Lange) Philip Schaff[2] at August Meyer[3].

Meron pong salitang ikinakabit sa batta ito po ay ang salitang ridzein na ang ibig po sabihin ay "to stammer" na pinaniniwalaan kasing kahulugan din daw po ng battalogein, pero ito po ay sinalungat po ni Joseph Sheahan; ayon po sa kanya ang salitang "to speak much" ay ang wasto daw pong salin ng battalogein habang ang battaridzein ay ang s'yang katumbas ng to stammer much. Ngayon po, sa literaturang Griyego, wala pong bakas na hiwalay na ginamit ang salitang batta na makikita; palagi po itong may kasamang salita o isang kumbinasyon. Sa librong isinulat ni Edwin A. Abbott na The Fourfold Gospel[4], wala raw pong bakas[5] na ito'y ginamit bago pa ang panahon ni Simplicius; ito'y sa pagitan ng ikalima o ika-anim na siglo (in Comm. Epict. Ench. 37, Schweig. p. 340). Samakatuwid po, tanging sa Mt 6:7 at sa panahon ni Simplicius[6] ito unang ginamit.

Bagamat meron na pong naunang paliwanag, meron parin pong mga ikinakabit sa salitang batta o pinaniniwalaang pinaghangoan ng salita. Una, ito daw po ay base sa pangalan ni King Battus I[7] (630-600 B.C) at ikalawa, sa manunulang si Battus. Ang una pong nakaisip na ito'y ikabit sa/bilang pinagmulan ng salita ay Suidas (a late 10th century, author of, perhaps, the most important Greek lexicon or encyclopedia). Isa sa posibilidad na pinagkunan niya ay si Hesychius, pero ayon po kay Rev. Sheahan,

"… Hesychius gives no etymology for the noun battalogia and does not mention battalogeo at all. But although some of those who lived before the Protestant Reformation made a guess that Batta was derived from some Libyan king who-stammered, none of them thought that the word batta in St. Matthew meant to stammer, or, to use vain repetitions."[8]

Iba rin po ang naging pakahulugan ni Suidas kahit ikinabit po nya ang pangalan ng dalawa, hindi po vain repetition kundi πολυλογια, much speaking[9] na akma po sa Douay-Rheims. Wala rin pong sinabi si Suidas na Ovid daw po ang nagsabi na ito'y mula sa dalawang taong ito, dahil ang binanggit po ni Ovid na Battus ay "a rustic not a poet"[10] at ito'y malaking pagkakamali na ikrenedito kay Erasmus.

Sa kabuoan po wala pong patunay na ang salita sa Mt 6:7 na βατταλογήσητε ay tumutukoy sa vain repetitions. Ayon narin po kay Alexander, J. A, isang prominenteng Protestant scholar, ang vain repetitions ay "is a paraphrase and gloss but not a version, giving probably the sense but not the form of the original". (The Gospel According to Matthew Explained, p. 170). Sa Latin Vulgate ni St. Jerome isinalin ang Greek battalogia bilang Nolite multum loqui, na halos kaparehas ng sa Arabic, ay may kahulugan na do not speak much. Sinang-ayunan ito ng liguist na si J. D. Michaelis na batay sa kanyang pagsasaliksik, ang sinaunang salin Greek ng Greek mē battalogēsēte ay kasang-ayon rin nito.[11] (Tignan ang Essay of Battology)

Ngayon po, marahil maitatatanong mo po kung meron bang katibayan na ang salitang battalogia at polylogia ay magkaparehas? Opo, meron po, batay po mismo ito sa naunang salin ng teksto mula sa saling Protestante

"But in preiynge nyle ze speke moche as hethen men don, for thei gessen that thei be herd in her moche speche." (Wycliffe, A.D. 1380)

Meron rin po tayong patunay mula sa mga Ama ng Simbahan (Church Fathers) na nagbigay komento na kaiba sa pinaniniwala na ang teksto sa Mt 6:7 ay vain repetitions

"But when praying do not speak much, as the pagans do.” If a pagan speaks much in prayer, (Verbosity in prayer was a commonplace in pagan worship. Cf. Seneca, Ep. 31. 5; Martial 7.60.3) then the one who is Christian ought to say little. For “God is a hearer not of words but of the heart." (Wis 1.6.)

- St. Jerome, The Fathers of the Church: Commentary on Matthew (trans. by Thomas P. Scheck, The Catholic University of America Press), p. 87.

"We should indeed pray often, but in short form, lest if we be long in our prayers, the enemy that lies in wait for might suggest for our thought."
- Cassian, Collat. Ix. 36.

"True prayer consists rather in the bitter groans of repentance, than in the resounding periods of an oration."
- St. Gregory, Catena Aurea. 1. c.

"As the hypocrites use to set themselves so as to be seen in their prayers, whose reward is to be acceptable to men; so the Ethnici (that is, the Gentiles) use to think that they shall be heard for their much speaking; therefore He adds, “When ye pray, do not ye use many words."
- St. Augustine, mula sa The Catena Aurea of St. Thomas Aquinas, Matthew 6:1 (Tignan din ang On the Sermon on the Mount, Book II, translated by William Findlay from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, vol. 6, edited by Philip Schaff, Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1888.)

"A multitude of words was necessary for the Gentiles, on account of the demons, who did not know what -was wanted until they were informed by their words; hence it is added: ‘For they think that they will be heard on account of their much speaking.'"
Gloss. ord. Catena Aurea. 1. c.

"He orders us therefore, not to make long prayers. Long, not by reason of the time spent in prayer, but on account of the multitude of things that are said in it. For those who pray ought to persevere in it. ‘Continue steadfast in prayer,’ says the Apostle (Rm 12:12). He does not, however tell us to compose a prayer of ten thousand verses and to recite it all, which He insinuates when He says: ‘Do not speak much.’"
- St. Chrysostom (Vain Repetition or The Protestant meaning of BATTA, p. 25)

Bilang pangwakas pong komento, hindi po ito tumutukoy sa pag-ulit-ulit ng mga salita, dahil iba po ang nais tukuyin ng naturang teksto. Kaya para masabi po na dahil inuulit-ulit ang dasal sa tuwing magrorosaryo ay mali na agad ay hindi po tama. Kung tutuosin, kung pag-aaralan po ang ilang paliwanang na mula sa mga Protestante, partikular na po duon sa mga nagsasabing ito'y tumutukoy sa repetitions ay malilito ka po, dahil sa sila sila po ay may kanya kanya ring paliwanag dito, hal. pagikinumpara mo ang sinabi ni Rosen Muller kay Cook ay iba rin ang lalabas, maging kay Grotius, Beza, Gualperious, sa Geneva Study Bible, at marami pangpaliwanag ng Protestante ay may pagkakaiba. Kaya't masasabi po nating wala po itong basehan.


_________________________

1"(Christ) uses two words (Batta-logia and Poly-logia) but they have the same meaning" (Calvin, mula sa Vain Repetition or The Protestant meaning of BATTA, p. 13)
2 Lange, J. P., D.D, Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal and Homilectical, (edited by Schaff, P.), p. 128.
3 Meyer, H. A. W, Th. D., Critical and Exegetical Handbook of the Gospel of Matthew.
4 The Fourfold Gospel: the Founding of the New Kingdom Or Life Reached Through Death, Cambridge: University Press, 1917, p. 233.
5 May ibinigay namang pong suwestiyon ang Greek scholar na si Prof. Edward Hussey (ng Oxford) kung bakit wala ito sa mga sinaunang literatura ng Gresya (liban nalang kay Simplicius): "... the absence of the word from Greek literature may indicate either that it had already become archaic by the period of the earliest surviving literature, or that it was felt to be an undignified or slang word." (Wollock, J. L., The Noblest Animate Motion: speech, physiology and medicine in pre-Cartesian linguistic thought, p. 156)
6 Para kay Simplicius, ang battalogia ay katumbas ng salitang πολυλογια (much speaking). (Tholuck, A., Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount (trans. by Lundin Brown), T. & T. Clark Publishing, p. 308)
7 Sa ginawa ko pong pagresearch, ang pangalang pong Battus ay nangangahulugang 'King' sa salitang Libyan at hindi po dahil sa tinawag siya ng Orakulo ng Delphi na Battus ay nangangahulugan na po na 'stammerer'. Bago po ito maikunsidera kailangan po muna natin pag-aralan ang mga ss: una, ang sinabi po ni Herodotus, na ang salitang Battus ay katumbas ng salitang King. (Herod. IV. ch. 155. ); ikalawa, ang estado ni Pythia at ang kahulugan ng salitang orakulo. Ang kahulugan ng orakulo ayon sa Wikipedia ay: "a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods." Ang trabaho po ng isang orakulo ay maybigay ng prediksyon, tumayong kinatawan ng mga diyos/a at magbigay payo hinggil sa mga sumusunod "political impact, war, duty, crime, laws—even personal issues" - sa ibaba mababasa kung ano po ang ipinunta (o isinangguni) ni Battus sa orakulo.; ikatlo, ang pangalan po niya ay Aristotle at hindi Battus (Callimachus, Hymn. ad Apoll. 75; Heraclides Pontius, Fr. iv; Eusebius, Chron. Can. ii, p. 320); at panghuli po, ang mga katawagan ng mga naging Hari ng Libya pagkatapos ni Battus I - Battus II, Battus III, Battus IV …

Kahalitulad din po ng aking ipinunto ang opinyon ng scholar na si Rawlinsonsa kanyang librong The History of Herodotus (p. 106)

“At Thera, Polymnestus, one of the chief citizens of the place, took Phronima to be his concubine. The fruit of this union was a son, who stammered and had a lisp in his speech. According to Cyrenaens and Thereans the name given to the boy was Battus: in my opinion, however, he was called at the first something else, and only got the name Battus after arrival in Libya, assuming it either in consequence of the words addressed to him by the Delphian oracle, or on account of the office when held. For, in the Libyan tounge, the word “Battus” means “a king.” And this, I think, was the reason the Pythoness addressed him as she did: she he was to be king in Libya, and so she used the Libyan word in speaking to him. For after he had grown to man's estate, he made journey to Delphi, to consult the oracle about his voice; when upon his putting his question, the Pythoness thus replied to him: -

Battus, thou cames to ask of thy voice; but Phoebus Apollo
Bids thee establish a city in Libya, abounding in fleeces;

which was as if she had said in her own tounge, “King, thou camest to ask of thy voice.” Then he replied, “Mighty lord, I did indeed come hither to consult thee about my voice, but thou speakest to me of quite other matters, bidding me colonise Libya - an impossible thing! What power have I? What followers?” Thus he spake, but he did not persuade the Pythoness to give him any other response; so when he found that she persisted in former answer, he left her speaking, and set out on his return to Thera.”
8 Vain Repetition or The Protestant meaning of BATTA, p. 72-3
9 "(…) can be classed as 'much speaking'" (Orr, James, M.A, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
10 A shepherd of Neleus, who saw Hermes driving away the cattle he had stolen from Apollo. The god promised to reward him if he would not betray what he had seen. Battus promised on oath to keep the secret; but as Hermes mistrusted him nevertheless, he assumed a different appearance, returned to Battus, and promised him a handsome present, if he would tell him who had stolen the cattle of Apollo. The shepherd was tempted, and related all he knew, whereupon Hermes touched him with his staff, and changed him into a stone. (Ovid, Met. ii. 688, &c.; Anton. Lib. 22.); A countryman changed by Mercury into a flint (touchstone, the ‘informer’). (Bk II:676-701, Mercury, Battus and the stolen cattle)
11 "… the large majority of the translations take battalogia in the sense of πολυλογια….. Almost all the commentators also restrict the meaning to much speaking in prayer." (Tholuck, p. 310)

Ano ba ang kahulugan ng Worship?

Tanong: 

siguro define natin ang worship para malaman natin kung paano ito ginagawa. But yung definition that the Bible is saying. (pinagmulan)

Ang salita pong worship ay mula sa salitang Hebreo na שָׁחָה (shachah, verb; Jewish-Aramaic שְׁחִי (rare); akin to שׁוח, שׁחח; cf. Brown-Driver-Briggs). Ang salitang ito po'y ginamit sa banal na kasulatan hindi lamang para sa Diyos kundi maging sa tao; at minsan nama'y sa bagay. Pagsatao at bagay ito po'y tumutukoy sa paggalang, pagrespeto, pag-alala o pamimitagan, dahil ang salita pong שָׁחָה ay maari ring bigyan ng ganitong kahulugan (Vine 1996; Strong's 2010; Botterweck, Ringgren 1981: 249; Zodhiates 1985: 1644), maliban sa malimit na pong ginagamit na pakahulugan dito bilang pagsamba. Sa Bibliya po, ang שָׁחָה ay ginawa po sa ilang kaparaan tulad nalamang ng pagyukod, pagluhod o pagpapatirapa, pero hindi po nangangahulugan na kapag ito po ay ginawa ay pumapatungkol na agad sa pagsamba partikular na sa Diyos, maaring ito'y ginawa sa isang tao rin. Halimbawa sa 1 Ch 29:20,

"Then David said to the whole assembly, ‘Bless the Lord your God.’ And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and bowed their heads (וַיִּקְּד֧וּ / vaiyikkedu) and prostrated (וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲו֛וּ / vaiyishtachavu) themselves before the Lord and the king"

Sa pahayag po na ito mababasa na ang mga tao ay nagsiyukod at nagpatirapa (paggalang) sa Diyos at kay Haring David. Ang salitang Hebreo na וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲו֛וּ ay mula sa ugat na שָׁחָה, kaya lumalabas po dito na maliban sa Diyos, maging si Haring David po ay sinamba ng lupon ng tao (Bromiley, p. 912; Parkhurst 1799: 355) May ilan pa pong pagkakataon na ang salitang שָׁחָה ay ginamit sa tao sa banal na aklat tulad ng sa Gn 23:7 "to bow" (וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ), Gn 33:3-4 "prostrated" (וַיִּשְׁתַּ֤חוּ), Is 49:23 "they shall worship" (וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ), at sa marami pang-teksto sa bibliya. Samakatuwid ang salitang worship ay maaring gamitin sa tao at Diyos. Ngayon po, dahil alam na po natin na maaring gamitin ito sa tao at Diyos, kailangan pong ito'y mabigyan ng dibisyon dahil tandaan po natin na iisa lamang ito sa Hebreo bilang ugat, ang שָׁחָה. Kaya ang ginawa po ng simbahan dito ay hinati po ito sa dalawang kategorya: una'y "latria" (Gk. λατρεία) at ikalawa'y "douleia" (Gk. δουλεία). (St. Augustine, City of God x. 2; tignan ang Seventh Ecumenical Council) Ang pagkakahati pong ito’y sinang-ayunan po ng protestanteng si Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz (b. 1646), na ayon po sa kanya:

"discrimen infinitum atque immensum between the honour which is due to God and that which is shown to the saints, the one being called by theologians, after Augustine's example, latria, the other dulia"; "not only be inculcated in the minds of hearers and learners, but should also be manifested as far as possible by outward signs" (Systematic theology, p. 184).

Ano po ba ang kahulugan ng douleia? Ganito po ito binigyang paliwanag ng Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church

(Latinized form of Greek douleia, 'service'). The reverence which, according to Orthodox and RC theology, may be paid to the saints, as contrasted with hyperdulia, which may be paid only to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and latria (Gk., latreia), which is reserved for God alone. In classical as contrasted with ecclesiastical usage douleia is a stronger term than latreia.[1]

Habang ang latria po ay

"[...] latria, which is the service pertaining to the worship of God."(St. Augustine, City of God x. 2)[2]

Sumatutal po, meron itong iba't-ibang pakahulugan kung pagbabatayan kung paano ito ginamit. Hindi pa po dito kasamang naipaliwanag yung sa Modern at Old English period kung saan ang worship ay may iba ring kahulugan, ngunit iisang salita lamang ang ginagamit.

_______________________

1 "Dulia" mula sa Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2nd ed., edited by F.L. Cross & E.A. Livingstone, Oxford Univ. Press, 1983, p. 430; McFarland, Ian A., The Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology (edited by: Ian A. McFarland, David S. Fergusson, Karen Kilby, Ianin R. Torrance), Cambridge University Press, 2011, pp. 149-50; Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (eds. Gerard Kittel & Gerhard Friedrich; abridged edition by Geoffrey Bromiley, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1985), p. 183; Allied Chambers, The Chambers Dictionary, Allied Publishers, 1998, p. 500.

2 Flinn, Frank K., "adoration," mula sa Encyclopedia of Catholicism (Encyclopedia of World Religions), ed. J. Gordon Melton, Facts On File, Inc., 2007, p. 7. 

Maxims and Counsels: "Maxims of Love"

MAXIMS AND COUNSELS

(Taken from the Minor Works of St. John of the Cross)

Maxims of Love

1. Bridle your tongue and your thoughts very much, direct your affection habitually toward God, and your spirit will be divinely enkindled.

2. Feed not your spirit on anything but God. Cast off concern about things, and bear peace and recollection in your heart.

3. Keep spiritually tranquil in a loving attentiveness to God, and when it is necessary to speak, let it be with the same calm and peace.

4. Preserve a habitual remembrance of eternal life, recalling that those who hold themselves the lowest and poorest and least of all will enjoy the highest dominion and glory in God.

5. Rejoice habitually in God, Who is your salvation, and reflect that it is good to suffer in any way for Him Who is good.

6. Let them reflect how necessary it is to be enemies of self and to walk to perfection by the path of holy rigor, and let them understand that every word spoken without the order of obedience is laid to their account by God.

7. Have an intimate desire that His Majesty grant you what He knows you lack for His honor.

8. Crucified inwardly and outwardly with Christ, you will live in this life with fullness and satisfaction of soul, and possess your soul in patience.

9. Preserve a loving attentiveness to God with no desire to feel or understand any particular thing concerning Him.

10. Habitual confidence in God, esteeming in yourself and in your sisters those things which God most values, which are spiritual goods.

11. Enter within yourself and work in the presence of your Spouse, Who is ever present loving you.

12. Be hostile to admitting into your soul things that of themselves have no spiritual substance, lest they make you lose your liking for devotion and recollection.

13. Let Christ crucified be enough for you, and with Him suffer and take your rest, and hence annihilate yourself in all inward and outward things.

14. Endeavor always that things be not for you, nor you for them, but forgetful of all, abide in recollection with your Spouse.

15. Have great love for trials and think of them as but a small way of pleasing your Spouse, Who did not hesitate to die for you.

16. Bear fortitude in your heart against all things that move you to that which is not God, and be a friend of the passion of Christ.

17. Be interiorly detached from all things that move you to that which is not God, and be a friend of the passion of Christ.

18. The soul that walks in love neither rests nor grows tired.

19. The poor man who is naked will be clothed, and the soul that is naked of desires and whims will be clothed by God with His purity, satisfaction, and will.

20. There are souls that wallow in the mire like animals, and there are others that soar like birds, which purify and cleanse themselves in the air.

21. The Father spoke one Word, which was His Son, and this Word He always speaks in eternal silence, and in silence must It be heard by the soul.

22. We must adjust our trials to ourselves, and not ourselves to our trials.

23. He who seeks not the cross of Christ seeks not the glory of Christ.

24. To be taken with love for a soul, God does not look upon its greatness, but upon the greatness of its humility.

25. "He who is ashamed to confess Me before men, I shall be ashamed to confess before My Father," says the Lord. [Mt. 10:32; Lk. 9:26]

26. Frequent combing gives the hair more luster and makes it easier to comb; a soul that frequently examines its thoughts, words, and deeds, which are its hair, doing all things for the love of God, will have lustrous hair. Then the Spouse will look upon the neck of the bride and thereby be captivated, and will be wounded by one of her eyes, that is, by the purity of intention she has in all she does. If in combing hair one wants it to have luster, one begins from the crown. All our works must begin from the crown (the love of God) if we wish them to be pure and lustrous.

27. Heaven is stable and is not subject to generation, and souls of a heavenly nature are stable and not subject to the engendering of desires or of anything else, for in their way they resemble God Who does not move forever.

28. Eat not in forbidden pastures (those of this life), because blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice sake, for they shall be filled. [Mt. 5:6] What God seeks, he being Himself God by nature, is to make us gods through participation, just as fire converts all things into fire.

29. All the goodness we possess is lent to us, and God considers it His own work. God and His work is God.

30. Wisdom enters through love, silence, and mortification. It is great wisdom to know how to be silent and to look at neither the remarks, nor the deeds, nor the lives of others.

31. All for me and nothing for You.

32. All for You and nothing for me.

33. Allow yourself to be taught, allow yourself to receive orders, allow yourself to be subjected and despised, and you will be perfect.

34. Any appetite cause five kinds of harm in the soul: first, disquiet; second, turbidity; third, defilement; fourth, weakness; fifth, obscurity.

35. Perfection does not lie in the virtues which the soul knows it has, but in the virtues which our Lord sees in it. This is a closed book, and hence one has no reason for presumption, but must remain prostrate on the ground with respect to self.

36. Love consists not in feeling great things but in having great detachment and in suffering for the Beloved.

37. The entire world is not worthy of a man's thought, for this belongs to God alone; any thought, therefore, not centered on God is stolen from Him.

38. Not all the faculties and senses have to be employed in things, but only those which are required; as for the others leave them unoccupied for God.

39. Not observing the imperfections of others, preserving silence and a continual communion with God will eradicate great imperfections from the soul and make it the possessor of great virtues.

40. There are three signs of inner recollection: first, a lack of satisfaction in passing things; second, a liking for solitude and silence and an attentiveness to all that is more perfect; third, the considerations, meditations, and acts which formerly helped the soul now hinder it, and it brings to prayer no other support than faith, hope, and love.

41. If a person has more patience in suffering and more forbearance in going without satisfaction, it is a sign that he is more proficient in virtue.

42. The traits of the solitary bird are five: first, it seeks the highest place; second, it withstands no company; third, it holds its beak in the air; fourth, it has no definite color; fifth, it sings sweetly. These traits must be possessed by the contemplative soul. It must rise above passing things, paying no more heed to them than if they did not exist. It must likewise be so fond of silence and solitude that it does not tolerate the company of another creature. It must hold its beak in the air of the Holy Spirit, responding to His inspirations, that by so doing it may become worthy of His company. It must have no definite color, desiring to do nothing definite other than the will of God. It must sing sweetly in the contemplation and love of its Spouse.

43. Habitual voluntary imperfections which are never completely overcome not only hinder the divine union, but also the attainment of perfection. Such imperfections are: the habit of much talking; some small unconquered attachment, such as to a person, an article of clothing, a cell, a book, or some kind of food, or other conversations and little satisfactions in tasting things, and knowing, and hearing, and the like.

44. If you wish to glory in yourself, but do not wish to appear ignorant and foolish, discard the things that are not yours and you will have glory in what remains. But certainly if you discard all that is not yours, nothing will be left, since you must not glory in anything if you do not want to fall into vanity. But let us descend now especially to those graces, the gifts of which make men pleasing in God's sight. It is certain that you must not glory in these gifts, for you do not even know if you possess them.

45. Oh, how sweet Your presence will be to me, You Who are the supreme good! I must draw near You in silence and uncover my feet before You that You may be pleased to unite me to You in marriage [Ru. 3:7], and I will not rest until I rejoice in Your arms. Now I ask You, Lord, not to abandon me at any time in my recollection, for I am a squanderer of my soul.

46. Detached from the exterior, dispossessed of the interior, disappropriated of the things of God-neither will prosperity detain you nor adversity hinder you.

47. The devil fears a soul united to God as he does God Himself.

48. The purest suffering produces the purest understanding.

49. The soul that desires God to surrender Himself to it entirely must surrender itself entirely to Him without keeping anything for itself.

50. The soul that has reached the union of love does not even experience the first motions of sin.

51. Old friends of God scarcely ever fail Him, for they stand above all that can make them fail.

52. My beloved, all that is rugged and toilsome I desire for myself, and all that is sweet and delightful I desire for You.

53. What we need most in order to make progress is to be silent before this great God with our appetites and our tongue, for the language He best hears is silent love.

54. Simple faith is necessary in seeking God. In outward things, light helps to prevent one from falling; but in the things of God just the opposite is true: it is better for the soul not to see if it is to be more secure.

55. More is gained in one hour from God's good things than in a whole lifetime from our own.

56. Love to be unknown both by yourself and by others. Never look at the good or evil of others.

57. Walk in solitude with God; act according to the just measure; hide the blessings of God.

58. To lose always and let everyone else win is a trait of valiant souls, generous spirits, and unselfish hearts; it is their manner to give rather than receive even to the extent of giving themselves. They consider it a heavy burden to possess themselves and it pleases them more to be possessed by others and withdrawn from themselves, since we belong more to that infinite Good than we do to ourselves.

59. It is a serious evil to have more regard for God's blessings than for God Himself: prayer and detachment.

60. Look at that infinite knowledge and that hidden secret. What peace, what love, what silence is in that divine bosom! How lofty the science God teaches there, which is what we call the anagogical acts that so enkindle the heart.

61. Secrecy of conscience is considerably harmed and damaged as often as a person manifests its fruit to men, for then he receives as his reward the fruit of fleeting fame.

62. Speak little and do not meddle in matters about which you are not asked.

63. Strive always to keep God present and to preserve within yourself the purity He teaches you.

64. Do not excuse yourself or refuse to be corrected by all; listen to every reproof with a serene countenance; think that God utters it.

65. Live as though only God and yourself were in this world so that your heart may not be detained by anything human.

66. Consider it the mercy of God that someone occasionally speak a good word to you, for you deserve none.

67. Never allow yourself to pour out your heart, even though it be but for the space of a creed.

68. Never listen to talk about the faults of others, and if someone complains of another, you can tell him humbly to say nothing of it to you.

69. Do not complain about anyone, or ask for anything; and if it is necessary for you to ask, let it be with few words.

70. Do not refuse work even though it seems that you cannot do it. Let all find compassion in you.

71. Do not contradict; in no manner speak words that are not pure.

72. Let your speech be such that no one may be offended, and let it concern things which would not cause you regret were all to know of them.

73. Do not refuse anything you possess, even though you may need it.

74. Be silent concerning what God may have given you and recall that saying of the bride: My secret for myself. [Is. 24:16]

75. Strive to preserve your heart in peace and let no event of this world disturb it. Reflect that all must come to an end.

76. Take neither great nor little notice of who is with you or against you and try always to please God. Ask Him that His will be done in you. Love Him intensely, as He deserves to be loved.

77. Twelve stars for reaching the highest perfection: love of God, love of neighbor, obedience, chastity, poverty, attendance at choir, penance, humility, mortification, prayer, silence, peace.

78. Never take a man for your example in the tasks you have to perform, however holy he may be, for the devil will set his imperfection before you. But imitate Christ, who is supremely perfect and supremely holy, and you will never err.

79. Seek in reading and you will find in meditation; knock in prayer and it will be opened to you in contemplation.

80. Once being asked how one becomes enraptured, the Venerable Father Fray John of the Cross, replied: by denying one's own will and doing the will of God; for an ecstasy is nothing else than going out of self and being caught up in God; and this is what he who obeys does; he leave himself and his desire, and thus unburdened plunges himself in God.

The Didache

The Didache

TEACHING of the TWELVE APOSTLES

The Teaching of the Lord by the Twelve Apostles to the Gentiles.

The title of the Didache in the manuscript discovered in 1873

    Chap. I.

        1.  There are two Ways, one of Life and one of Death; but there is a great difference between the two Ways.

        2.  Now the Way of Life is this: First, Thou shalt love God who made thee; secondly, thy neighbor as thyself; and all things whatsoever thou wouldst not have done to thee, neither do thou to another.

        3.  Now the teaching of these [two] words [of the Lord] is this: Bless those who curse you, and pray for your enemies, and fast for those who persecute you; for what thank is there if ye love those who love you? Do not even Gentiles the same? But love ye those who hate you, and ye shall not have an enemy.

        4.  Abstain from fleshly and bodily [worldly] lusts. If any one give thee a blow on the right cheek turn to him the other also, and thou shalt be perfect. If any one press thee to go with him one mile, go with him two; if any one take away thy cloak, give him also thy tunic; if any one take from thee what is thine, ask it not back, as indeed thou canst not.

        5.  Give to every one that asketh thee, and ask not back, for the Father wills that from our own blessings we should give to all. Blessed is he that gives according to the commandment, for he is guiltless. Woe to him that receives; for if any one receives, having need, he shall be guiltless, but he that has not need shall give account, why he received and for what purpose, and coming into distress he shall be strictly examined concerning his deeds, and he shall not come out thence till he have paid the last farthing.

        6.  But concerning this also it hath been said, "Let thine alms sweat (drop like sweat) into thy hands till thou know to whom thou shouldst give."

    Chap. II.

        1.  And the second commandment of the Teaching is:

        2.  Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not corrupt boys; thou shalt not commit fornication. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not use witchcraft; thou shalt not practice sorcery. Thou shalt not procure abortion, nor shalt thou kill the new-born child. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods.

        3.  Thou shalt not forswear thyself (swear falsely). Thou shalt not bear false witness. Thou shalt not speak evil; thou shalt not bear malice.

        4.  Thou shalt not be double-minded nor double-tongued; for duplicity of tongue is a snare of death.

        5.  Thy speech shall not be false, nor vain, but fulfilled by deed.

        6.  Thou shalt not be covetous, nor rapacious, nor a hypocrite, nor malignant, nor haughty. Thou shalt not take evil counsel against thy neighbor.

        7.  Thou shalt not hate any one, but some thou shalt rebuke and for some thou shalt pray, and some thou shalt love above thine own soul (or, life).

    Chap. III.

        1.  My child, flee from every evil, and from every thing that is like unto it.

        2.  Be not prone to anger, for anger leadeth to murder; nor given to party spirit, nor contentious, nor quick-tempered (or, passionate); for from all these things murders are generated.

        3.  My child, be not lustful, for lust leadeth to fornication; neither be a filthy talker, nor an eager gazer, for from all these are generated adulteries.

        4.  My child, be not an observer of birds [for divination] for it leads to idolatry; nor a charmer (enchanter), nor an astrologer, nor a purifier (a user of purifications or expiations), nor be thou willing to look on those things; for from all these is generated idolatry.

        5.  My child, be not a liar, for lying leads to theft; nor avaricious, nor vainglorious, for from all these things are generated thefts.

        6.  My child, be not a murmurer, for it leads to blasphemy; neither self-willed (presumptuous), nor evil-minded, for from all these things are generated blasphemies.

        7.  But be thou meek, for the meek shall inherit the earth.

        8.  Be thou long-suffering, and merciful, and harmless, and quiet, and good, and trembling continually at the words which thou hast heard.

        9.  Thou shalt not exalt thyself, nor shalt thou give audacity (presumption) to thy soul. Thy soul shall not be joined to the lofty, but with the just and lowly shalt thou converse.

        10.  The events that befall thee thou shalt accept as good, knowing that nothing happens without God.

    Chap. IV.

        1.  My child, thou shalt remember night and day him that speaks to thee the word of God, and thou shalt honor him as the Lord, for where the Lordship is spoken of, there is the Lord.

        2.  And thou shalt seek out day by day the faces of the saints, that thou mayest rest upon their words.

        3.  Thou shalt not desire (make) division, but shalt make peace between those at strife. Thou shalt judge justly; thou shalt not respect a person (or, show partiality) in rebuking for transgressions.

        4.  Thou shalt not be double-minded (doubtful in thy mind) whether it shall be or not.

        5.  Be not one that stretches out his hands for receiving, but draws them in for giving.

        6.  If thou hast [anything], thou shalt give with thy hands a ransom for thy sins.

        7.  Thou shalt not hesitate to give, nor in giving shalt thou murmur, for thou shalt know who is the good recompenser of the reward.

        8.  Thou shalt not turn away him that needeth, but shalt share all things with thy brother, and shalt not say that they are thine own; for if you are fellow-sharers in that which is imperishable (immortal), how much more in perishable (mortal) things?

        9.  Thou shalt not take away thy hand from thy son or from thy daughter, but from [their] youth up thou shalt teach [them] the fear of God.

        10.  Thou shalt not in thy bitterness lay commands on thy man-servant (bondman), or thy maid-servant (bondwoman), who hope in the same God, lest they should not fear Him who is God over [you] both; for He comes not to call [men] according to the outward appearance (condition), but [he comes] on those whom the Spirit has prepared.

        11.  But ye, bondmen, shall be subject to our (your) masters as to the image of God in reverence (modesty) and fear.

        12.  Thou shalt hate all hypocrisy, and everything that is not pleasing to the Lord.

        13.  Thou shalt not forsake the commandments of the Lord, but thou shalt keep what thou hast received, neither adding [thereto] nor taking away [therefrom].

        14.  In the congregation (in church) thou shalt confess thy transgressions, and thou shalt not come to thy prayer (or, place of prayer) with an evil conscience.

        This is the way of life.

    Chap. V.

        1.  But the way of death is this. First of all it is evil and full of curse; murders, adulteries, lusts, fornications, thefts, idolatries, witchcrafts, sorceries, robberies, false-witnessings, hypocrisies, double-heartedness, deceit, pride, wickedness, self-will, covetousness, filthy-talking, jealousy, presumption, haughtiness, boastfulness.

        2.  Persecutors of the good, hating truth, loving a lie, not knowing the reward of righteousness, not cleaving to that which is good nor to righteous judgment, watchful not for that which is good but for that which is evil; far from whom is meekness and endurance, loving vanity, seeking after reward, not pitying the poor, not toiling with him who is vexed with toil, not knowing Him that made them, murderers of children, destroyers of the handiwork of God, turning away from the needy, vexing the afflicted, advocates of the rich, lawless judges of the poor, wholly sinful.

        May ye, children, be delivered from all these.

    Chap. VI.

        1.  Take heed that no one lead thee astray from this way of teaching, since he teacheth thee apart from God.

        2.  For if indeed thou art able to bear the whole yoke of the Lord thou shalt be perfect; but if thou art not able, do what thou canst.

        3.  And as regards food, bear what thou canst, but against idol-offerings be exceedingly on thy guard, for it is a service of dead gods.

    Chap. VII.

        1.  Now concerning baptism, baptize thus: Having first taught all these things, baptize ye into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in living water.

        2.  And if thou hast not living water, baptize into other water; and if thou canst not in cold, then in warm (water).

        3.  But if thou hast neither, pour [water] thrice upon the head in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

        4.  But before Baptism let the baptizer and the baptized fast, and any others who can; but thou shalt command the baptized to fast for one or two days before.

    Chap. VIII.

        1.  Let not your fasts be with the hypocrites, for they fast on the second and fifth day of the week; but ye shall fast on the fourth day, and the preparation day (Friday).

        2.  Neither pray ye as the hypocrites, but as the Lord commanded in His Gospel, so pray ye: "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us this day our daily (needful) bread. And forgive us our debt as we also forgive our debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (or, from evil). For Thine is the power and the glory for ever."

       3.  Pray thus thrice a day.

    Chap. IX.

        1.  Now as regards the Eucharist (the Thank-offering), give thanks after this manner:

        2.  First for the cup: "We give thanks to Thee, our Father, for the holy vine of David Thy servant, which thou hast made known to us through Jesus, Thy servant: to Thee be the glory for ever."

        3.  And for the broken bread: "We give thanks to Thee, our Father, for the life and knowledge which Thou hast made known to us through Jesus, Thy servant: to Thee be the glory for ever.

        4.  "As this broken bread was scattered upon the mountains and gathered together became one, so let Thy church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into Thy kingdom, for Thine is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ for ever."

        5.  But let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist, except those baptized into the name of the Lord; for as regards this also the Lord has said: "Give not that which is holy to the dogs."

    Chap. X.

        1.  Now after being filled, give thanks after this manner:

        2.  "We thank Thee, Holy Father, for Thy Holy Name, which Thou hast caused to dwell (tabernacle) in our hearts, and for the knowledge and faith and immortality which Thou hast made known to us through Jesus Thy Servant, to Thee be the glory for ever.

        3.  "Thou, O, Almighty Sovereign, didst make all things for Thy Name's sake; Thou gavest food and drink to men for enjoyment that they might give thanks to Thee; but to us Thou didst freely give spiritual food and drink and eternal life through Thy Servant.

        4.  "Before all things we give thanks to Thee that Thou art mighty; to Thee be the glory for ever.

        5.  "Remember, O Lord, Thy Church to deliver her from all evil and to perfect her in Thy love; and gather her together from the four winds, sanctified for Thy kingdom which Thou didst prepare for her; for Thine is the power and the glory for ever.

        6.  "Let grace come, and let this world pass away. Hosanna to the God of David. If any one is holy let him come, if any one is not holy let him repent. Maranatha. Amen."

        7.  But permit the Prophets to give thanks as much as [in what words] they wish.

    Chap. XI.

        1.  Whosoever then comes and teaches you all the things aforesaid, receive him.

        2.  But if the teacher himself being perverted teaches another teaching to the destruction [of this], hear him not, but if [he teach] to the increase of righteousness and the knowledge of the Lord, receive him as the Lord.

        3.  Now with regard to the Apostles and Prophets, according to the decree (command) of the gospel, so do ye.

        4.  Let every Apostle that cometh to you be received as the Lord.

        5.  But he shall not remain [longer than] one day; and, if need be, another [day] also; but if he remain three [days] he is a false prophet.

        6.  And when the Apostle departeth, let him take nothing except bread [enough] till he reach his lodging (night-quarters). But if he ask for money, he is a false prophet.

        7.  And every prophet who speaks in the spirit ye shall not try or prove; for every sin shall be forgiven, but this sin shall not be forgiven.

        8.  Not every one that speaks in the spirit is a Prophet, but only if he has the behavior (the ways) of the Lord. By their behavior then shall the false prophet and the [true] Prophet be known.

        9.  And no Prophet that orders a table in the spirit eats of it [himself], unless he is a false prophet.

        10.  And every Prophet who teaches the truth if he does not practice what he teaches, is a false prophet.

        11.  And every approved, genuine Prophet, who makes assemblies for a worldly mystery, but does not teach [others] to do what he himself does, shall not be judged by you; for he has his judgment with God (or, his judgment is in the hands of God); for so did also the ancient Prophets.

        12.  But whosoever says in the spirit: Give me money or any other thing, ye shall not listen to him; but if he bid you to give for others that lack, let no one judge him.

    Chap. XII.

        1.  Let every one that comes in the name of the Lord be received, and then proving him ye shall know him; for ye shall have understanding right and left.

        2.  If indeed he who comes is a wayfarer, help him as much as ye can; but he shall not remain with you longer than two or three days, unless there be necessity.

        3.  If he wishes to settle among you, being a craftsman (artisan), let him work and eat (earn his living by work).

        4.  But if he has not handicraft (trade), provide according to your understanding that no Christian shall live idle among you.

        5.  And if he will not act thus he is a Christ-trafficker. Beware of such.

    Chap. XIII.

        1.  But every true Prophet who wishes to settle among you is worthy of his food (or, support).

        2.  Likewise a true Teacher is himself worthy, like the workman, of his food.

        3.  Therefore thou shalt take and give all the first-fruit of the produce of the wine-press and threshing-floor, of oxen and sheep, to the Prophets; for they are your chief-priests.

        4.  But if ye have no Prophet, give to the poor.

        5.  If thou preparest bread, take the first fruit and give according to the commandment.

        6.  Likewise when thou openest a jar of wine or of oil, take the first-fruit and give to the Prophets.

        7.  And of silver, and raiment, and every possession, take the first-fruit, as may seem good to thee, and give according to the commandment.

    Chap. XIV.

        1.  And on the Lord's Day of the Lord come together, and break bread, and give thanks, having before confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure.

        2.  Let no one who has a dispute with his fellow come together with you until they are reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be defiled.

        3.  For this is that which was spoken by the Lord: "In every place and time offer me a pure sacrifice, for I am a great King, saith the Lord, and my name is wonderful among the Gentiles."

    Chap. XV.

        1.  Elect therefore for yourselves Bishops and Deacons worthy of the Lord, men meek, and not lovers of money, and truthful, and approved; for they too minister to you the ministry of the Prophets and Teachers.

        2.  Therefore despise them not, for they are those that are the honored [men] among you with the Prophets and Teachers.

        3.  And reprove one another not in wrath, but in peace, as ye have [it] in the gospel; and with every one that transgresses against another let no one speak, nor let him hear [a word] from you until he repents.

        4.  But so do your prayers and alms and all your actions as ye have [it] in the gospel of our Lord.

    Chap. XVI.

        1.  Watch over your life; let not your lamps be quenched and let not your loins be unloosed, but be ye ready; for ye know not the hour in which our Lord comes.

        2.  But be ye frequently gathered together, seeking the things that are profitable for your souls; for the whole time of your faith shall not profit you except in the last season ye be found perfect.

        3.  For in the last days the false prophets and destroyers shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate.

        4.  For when lawlessness increases, they shall hate and persecute, and deliver up one another; and then shall appear the world-deceiver as Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands, and he shall commit iniquities which have never yet come to pass from the beginning of the world.

        5.  And then shall the race of men come into the fire of trial, and many shall be offended and shall perish; but they who endure in their faith shall be saved from under the curse itself.

        6.  And then shall appear the signs of the truth: first the sign of opening in heaven; then the sign of the voice of the trumpet; and the third, the resurrection of the dead.

        7.  Not, however, of all, but as was said, "The Lord shall come, and all the saints with him."

        8.  Then shall the world see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven.