Ethiopic Sinodos

Ethiopic Sinodos — Horner 1904 English translation of the Statutes — sourcepage 232

TRANSLATION OF THE ETHIOPIC TEXT 18$ first built up (their faith) ; and ye shall not go astray or be lost while ye always remember Christ And always be careful to seal thy forehead, for this sign then of the Passion is manifest against Satan, and signifies that thou makest it in faith. Not for 5 men alone is it made manifest, but know thou that thou puttest on a breastplate of righteousness, and the adversary sees what is in the heart, the rational strength of the inner man, for he was sealed inwardly and outwardly with the seal of the Word. He trembles 10 and flees away in haste (chased) by the Holy Spirit, who indeed is in the man that makes within him an abiding place. This is that which Muse before taught us of the lamb of the Pascha (Fasika) which was slain, and he commanded to smear the blood on the 15 lintel of the door and the door-posts. And the smear- ing declared therefore the faith which now we have, which dwells in us, which He gave us in the pure and perfect Lamb. And for this cause, if we have our foreheads thus sealed with the hand, then we shall 30 be safe from those who wish to kill us. And this if ye learn with thanksgiving and with right faith ye will be indeed strengthened, and He will give you eternal life. This is the ordinance for you that ye may keep it, ye who have sense, if ye heard and kept 35 all, He ^ who keeps the teaching of the Apostles will not be hindered by any heretics. Those are the perverse who went astray and corrupted the teaching of the Apostles. And if men come to them they teach ^ Reading the variant of ^, etc.