Didascalia Apostolorum

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DIDASCALIA. 109 descended to the earth, and in it were all four-footed beasts and creeping things of the earth and fowls of the heaven ; and there came to me a voice saying, Simon, rise, slay and eat. And I said, Be it far from me, Lord, to eat anything that is impure, (S. + for I have never eaten anything that is impure and polluted). And another voice came to me the second time, saying, What God hath cleansed, call not thou common. But this was done three times, and it was lifted up from me into heaven. Then I considered and knew the word of the Lord, that as He said, Be glad1, ye Gentiles, Deut. with the people, (S. 4- and that in every place He hath spoken about the xxxli' *3 calling of the Gentiles). And I rose and went ; and when I entered his house, I began to speak the Word of the Lord ; the Holy Ghost Cf. Acts x. 44 rested upon him and upon all the Gentiles who were present there. God therefore gave them the Holy Spirit, even as unto us, and made no Cf.Actsxv. 8 9 difference in faith between them and us, and purified their hearts. Now IQ therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon their necks, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear ? But by the goodness of our Lord 11 Jesus the Christ, we believe that we shall be saved even as they ; for the Lord hath come to us, and hath loosed us from these bonds, and hath said f. 70 b to us, Come unto Me, all ye who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and Matt.xi.28 I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am 29 quiet and humble in My heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls, for 30 My yoke is pleasant and My burden is light. If therefore our Lord loosed us. and lightened from us, why do ye wish to put a halter on yourselves?" Then all the people kept silence, and I James answered and Acts xv. is said, " Men and our brethren, hearken unto me. Simon hath declared how 1* God at first did say that He would choose from among the Gentiles a people for His name ; and to this agree the words of the Prophets, as it is written, is After this I will raise and build the tabernacle of David which is fallen ; 16 and its ruins I will build and raise ; that the residue (S. + of men) may 17 seek the Lord, (S. + and all the Gentiles, upon whom My name is called, 18 sic saith the Lord, who knoweth these things from everlasting. Therefore I say, 19 let no man dispute with those who from among the Gentiles are turned to God), but let us send to them thus : Remove from idols and from sacrifices 20 and from blood and from strangled things." Then it pleased us the Apostles 22 (S. + and the Bishops and the Elders) with all the Church, to choose from among them men and to send them with those of Barnabas and Paul, who came from thence; and we chose Judah who was called Barnaba, and Shela, men distinguished among the brethren, and we wrote these with our hands : 23 1 Or " Make merry."