Early Church Writings — historically valuable Christian documents, presented as noncanonical writings rather than Scripture.

Epistle of Barnabas

Pseudo-Barnabas

Chapter XXI.—Conclusion

It is well, therefore, 1717 that he who has learned the judgments of the Lord, as many as have been written, should walk in them. For he who keepeth these shall be glorified in the kingdom of God; but he who chooseth other things 1718 shall be destroyed with his works. On this account there will be a resurrection, 1719 on this account a retribution. I beseech you who are superiors, if you will receive any counsel of my good-will, have among yourselves those to whom you may show kindness: do not forsake them. For the day is at hand on which all things shall perish with the evil [one]. The Lord is near, and His reward. Again, and yet again, I beseech you: be good lawgivers 1720 to one another; continue faithful counsellors of one another; take away from among you all hypocrisy. And may God, who ruleth over all the world, give to you wisdom, intelligence, understanding, knowledge of His judgments, 1721 with patience. And be ye 1722 taught of God, inquiring diligently what the Lord asks from you; and do it that ye maybe safe in the day of judgment. 1723 And if you have any remembrance of what is good, be mindful of me, meditating on these things, in order that both my desire and watchfulness may result in some good. I beseech you, entreating this as a favour. While yet you are in this fair vessel, 1724 do not fail in any one of those things, 1725 but unceasingly seek after them, and fulfil every commandment; for these things are worthy. 1726 Wherefore I have been the more earnest to write to you, as my ability served, 1727 that I might cheer you. Farewell, ye children of love and peace. The Lord of glory and of all grace be with your spirit. Amen. 1728

Papias

Introductory Note to the Fragments of Papias

[a.d. 70-155.] It seems unjust to the holy man of whose comparatively large contributions to early Christian literature such mere relics have been preserved, to set them forth in these versions, unaccompanied by the copious annotations of Dr. Routh. If even such crumbs from his table are not by any means without a practical value, with reference to the Canon and other matters, we may well credit the testimony (though disputed) of Eusebius, that he was a learned man, and well versed in the Holy Scripture. 1729 All who name poor Papias are sure to do so with the apologetic qualification of that historian, that he was of slender capacity. Nobody who attributes to him the millenarian fancies, of which he was but a narrator, as if these were the characteristics rather than the blemishes of his works, can fail to accept this estimate of our author. But more may be said when we come to the great name of Irenæus, who seems to make himself responsible for them. 1730

Papias has the credit of association with Polycarp, in the friendship of St. John himself, and of "others who had seen the Lord." He is said to have been bishop of Hierapolis, in Phrygia, and to have died about the same time that Polycarp suffered; but even this is questioned. So little do we know of one whose lost books, could they be recovered, might reverse the received judgment, and establish his claim to the disputed tribute which makes him, like Apollos, "an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures."

The following is the original Introductory Notice:--

The principal information in regard to Papias is given in the extracts made among the fragments from the works of Irenæus and Eusebius. He was bishop of the Church in Hierapolis, a city of Phrygia, in the first half of the second century. Later writers affirm that he suffered martyrdom about a.d. 163; some saying that Rome, others that Pergamus, was the scene of his death. He was a hearer of the Apostle John, and was on terms of intimate intercourse with many who had known the Lord and His apostles. From these he gathered the floating traditions in regard to the sayings of our Lord, and wove them into a production divided into five books. This work does not seem to have been confined to an exposition of the sayings of Christ, but to have contained much historical information.

Eusebius 1731 speaks of Papias as a man most learned in all things, and well acquainted with the Scriptures. In another passage 1732 he describes him as of small capacity. The fragments of Papias are translated from the text given in Routh's Reliquiæ Sacræ, vol. i. 1733

Notes

  1. Cod. Sin. omits "therefore." ↩
  2. The things condemned in the previous chapter. ↩
  3. Cod. Sin. has "resurrections," but is corrected as above. ↩
  4. Cod. Sin. has, "lawgivers of good things." ↩
  5. Cod. Sin. omits the preposition. ↩
  6. Cod. Sin. omits this. ↩
  7. Cod. Sin. reads, "that ye may be found in the day of judgment," which Hilgenfeld adopts. ↩
  8. Literally, "While yet the good vessel is with you," i.e., as long as you are in the body. ↩
  9. Cod. Sin. reads, "fail not in any one of yourselves," which is adopted by Hilgenfeld. ↩
  10. Corrected in Cod. Sin. to, "it is worthy." ↩
  11. Cod. Sin. omits this clause, but it is inserted by the corrector. ↩
  12. Cod. Sin. omits "Amen," and adds at the close, "Epistle of Barnabas." ↩
  13. See Lardner, ii. p. 119. ↩
  14. Against Heresies, book v. chap. xxxiii. See the prudent note of Canon Robertson (History of the Christ. Church, vol. i. p. 116). ↩
  15. Hist. Eccl., iii. 39. ↩
  16. Ibid. ↩
  17. [Where the fragments with learned annotations and elucidations fill forty-four pages.] ↩

Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume I, edited by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson; revised by A. Cleveland Coxe. Public domain. Electronic text courtesy of CCEL.