Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp & others · a new plain-English translation from the original language
"Tell me, sir," I said, "what names the virgins bear, and the women dressed in black." "Listen," he replied, "to the titles of the mightier virgins, the ones stationed at the corners: first comes Faith, next Self-Control, third Power, fourth Patience. The others, ranged between these, carry these titles: Simplicity, Innocence, Purity, Cheerfulness, Truth, Understanding, Harmony, Love. Anyone clothed in these titles, together with the name of God's Son, will be able to pass into God's kingdom. Now hear also the titles borne by the women in black garments. Four of them are the mightiest: first Unbelief, next Self-Indulgence, third Disobedience, fourth Deceit. Behind them come Grief, Wickedness, Licentiousness, Quick Temper, Falsehood, Foolishness, Slander, and Hatred. Whoever bears these titles may still be God's servant, yet he will only glimpse God's kingdom from outside — he will not pass into it." "And the stones, sir," I said, "the ones fitted and drawn up from the deep for the building — who are they?" "The earliest ten," he answered, "laid down in the foundations, belong to the first age; the next twenty-five, righteous men of a later age; then thirty-five more, God's own prophets and ministers; and finally forty, apostles together with those who taught what the Son of God proclaimed." "Then why, sir," I said, "did the virgins also carry these particular stones to the tower, bringing them in through the gate?" "Because," he said, "these were the very first to put on these spirits, and the bond was never once broken on either side — the spirits stayed true to the men, and the men stayed true to the spirits — remaining together right up to the hour these men fell asleep. Had the spirits not stayed with them the whole while, they could never have served any purpose in building this tower."
"Explain still more to me, sir," I said. "What are you asking after?" he said. "Why, sir," I said, "did the stones rise up out of the deep and take their place in the tower's building, when they already wore these spirits?" "They had no choice," he said, "but to rise through the water, so that life might be given to them; there was no other way into God's kingdom unless they first shed the deadness of their earlier life. So these too, who had already fallen asleep, took on the seal of God's Son and passed into God's kingdom. Before a man carries the name of God's Son," he went on, "he remains dead; once he receives the seal, though, he sheds that deadness and takes hold of life instead. This seal, then, is nothing other than the water itself: a man goes down into it dead, and rises from it alive. That same seal was proclaimed to those men too, and they made it their own, so as to gain entry into God's kingdom." "Why, sir," I said, "did the forty stones rise up together with the rest out of the deep, since they had the seal already?" "Because," he said, "these are the apostles and instructors who made known the Son of God's name; once dead, resting in the strength and trust that come from God's Son, they proclaimed it further to those who had gone to their rest ahead of them, giving the seal of that proclamation to them in turn. So they descended alongside those men into the water and rose again — only this group descended and rose again alive throughout, while the earlier sleepers descended dead and rose alive. Through these instructors, then, the earlier ones were brought to life and learned the Son of God's name; that is why they rose up jointly, were joined into the tower's fabric, and were built in unhewn, since they had gone to their rest in an upright and deeply pure life — the one thing lacking was this seal. So now you have the meaning of these stones as well." "I understand, sir," I said.
"Now, sir," I said, "tell me about the mountains — why do they look so unlike each other?" "Listen," he said. "Those twelve mountains stand for the twelve tribes settled across the whole earth; it was to them that the apostles carried the preaching of God's Son." "But why does each mountain differ in shape from the next? Explain this to me, sir." "Listen," he said. "Those same twelve tribes settled across the whole earth are twelve peoples, unlike one another in outlook and mind. The variety you noticed among the mountains mirrors the variety among these peoples' minds and outlooks. I will go on to explain to you the way each one behaves." "First, sir," I said, "tell me this: given how unlike the mountains are, why did their stones turn one uniform bright color once set into the building, matching the stones drawn up earlier out of the depths?" "Because," he said, "every nation living beneath the sky, on hearing and believing, was given the name of God's Son to bear. Having taken the seal, they came to share a single outlook and a single mind; their trust became one, their love became one, and they took on the virgins' spirits along with that name. That is why the tower's structure turned one bright color, like the sun. Yet once they had come in together and formed a single body, a portion of them stained themselves and were thrown out from among the righteous, reverting to their former state — worse, in fact, than before."
"How, sir," I said, "could they turn worse after coming to know God?" "Someone ignorant of God," he said, "who does wrong, pays some penalty for that wrong; but a person who has come to know God is bound, from then on, to do good rather than evil. So when someone bound to do good does evil instead, is that not a greater wrong than what the one ignorant of God commits? For this reason those ignorant of God who do wrong stand condemned to death, while those who have known God — who have seen his majesty — and still do wrong will suffer a double penalty and perish forever. This is how God's church will be made clean. Recall the stones you saw removed from the tower, handed over to the wicked spirits, and thrown out from that place: it will happen this way, and the purified will form a single body — much as the tower itself, once purified, ended up looking as though cut from one single stone. God's church, likewise, once cleansed and rid of the wicked, the pretenders, the blasphemers, the divided-minded, and every other shade of wrongdoer, will, once these are removed, stand as a single body — one outlook, one mind, one trust, one love. Then God's Son will take joy and delight in them, his people restored to him clean." "Sir," I said, "how magnificent and glorious this whole thing is." "Still, sir," I said, "lay out for me the strength and behavior belonging to each of the mountains, so that every soul relying on the Lord may listen and give glory to his name — great, wonderful, and glorious." "Listen," he said, "then, to how the mountains differ, and the twelve peoples with them."
"Those who came to believe out of the first mountain, the black one, are people like these: renegades, men who curse the Lord, men who hand over God's servants to their enemies. No turning back is left open to them, only death — and blackness marks them for this reason, since their whole kind stands outside the law. Out of the second mountain, the barren one, believers of this sort turn out to be pretenders and instructors in wrongdoing. These match the first group in one respect: neither produces righteousness as fruit. Just as their mountain yields nothing, such people carry the name yet stand hollow where trust should be, with no trace whatsoever of truth's fruit in them. For this group, though, turning back remains possible, provided they act without delay; if they put it off, death will overtake them exactly as it does the first group." "Why, sir," I asked, "can these turn back, when the first group cannot? Their conduct hardly differs." "The reason," he replied, "turning back stays open to this group is that they never cursed their Lord, nor handed God's servants over to ruin; instead, driven by greed, they put on a false face, each teaching to suit what sinners wanted to hear. They will still answer for it with some penalty; but turning back remains theirs, since blasphemy and betrayal were never among their crimes."
"And out of the third mountain, the one having thorns and briars, those who believed are such as these. Among them, some are rich, others entangled in many affairs. The briars are the rich; the thorns are those entangled in various affairs. These, then, entangled in many and various affairs, do not cling to the servants of God, but wander astray, choked by their own dealings; and the rich cling to the servants of God only with difficulty, fearing that something might be asked of them by them — such people, then, will enter the kingdom of God only with difficulty. For just as it is hard to walk barefoot among briars, so also it is hard for such people to enter the kingdom of God. But for all these there is repentance, and it must come quickly, so that whatever went undone in earlier times they might still now, in the time remaining, accomplish something worthwhile. Should they turn back and accomplish something worthwhile, they will live for God; but if they persist in their conduct, they will be handed over to those women, who will bring about their death."
"And out of the fourth mountain, the one full of many plants, some of them green on top but dry near the roots, and some also withered by the sun, those who believed are such as these: some double-minded, others who have the Lord on their lips but not in their heart. This is why their foundations are dry and without strength, and their words alone are alive, while their deeds are dead. Such people neither live nor are dead. They are like the double-minded; for the double-minded, too, are neither green nor dry — they neither live nor are dead. For just as these plants, once they saw the sun, withered, so too the double-minded, at the mere mention of hardship, slide into idol-worship out of sheer cowardice, and shrink back from owning their Lord's name. Such people, then, neither live nor are dead. But if even these repent quickly, they will be able to live; and if they do not repent, they have already been handed over to the women who carry off their life."
"And out of the fifth mountain, the one having green plants but rugged terrain, those who believed are such as these: faithful, yet slow to learn, and stubborn, and pleased with themselves, wanting to know everything, though they know nothing at all. Because of this stubbornness of theirs, understanding has departed from them, and foolish senselessness has entered into them. They praise themselves as though they had understanding, and want to be self-appointed teachers, though they are without sense. Because of this arrogance, then, many have been emptied out, exalting themselves; for stubbornness and empty self-confidence are a great demon. Many, then, were rejected from this group, though a number changed course, came to trust, and placed themselves under those who possessed understanding, owning up to their own foolishness. For the remainder of this kind, too, a way back remains open, since wickedness was never their fault — only folly and lack of sense. Should they change course, they will live for God; failing that, they will end up among the women whose work brings ruin upon them."
"And those who believed out of the sixth mountain, the one having great and small cracks, with withered plants in the cracks, are such as these. Those who have the small cracks are those who hold something against one another, and are withered in their faith because of their own slanders against each other; but many of these have repented. And the rest, too, will repent, once they hear my commandments; for their slanders are small, and they will repent quickly. But those who have the great cracks — these persist in their slanders and become resentful, nursing grudges against one another; such people, then, have been ejected from the tower and refused a place in its structure. Life will come hard for people like these. Consider: if God — our Lord, ruler over everything, holding power over the whole of what he made — holds no grudge against those confessing their wrongs, choosing mercy instead, should a mere man, himself corruptible and steeped in wrongdoing, hold a grudge against his fellow man, as if he could destroy him or rescue him at will? I say to you, I, the angel of repentance: as many of you as hold to this way of thinking, put it away and repent, and the Lord will heal your former sins, if you cleanse yourselves from this demon; but if not, you will be handed over to it, unto death."
"And out of the seventh mountain, on which the plants were green and cheerful, and the whole mountain was flourishing, and every kind of cattle and the birds of the sky grazed on the plants from that mountain, and the plants they grazed on grew even more luxuriant, those who believed are such as these. They were always simple and innocent and blessed, holding nothing against one another, but always rejoicing over the servants of God and clothed with the holy spirit of these virgins, and always having compassion for every person, and from their labors they supplied every person, without reproach and without hesitation. The Lord, then, seeing their simplicity and all their childlike innocence, multiplied them in the labors of their hands and showed them favor in all their undertakings. I say to you who are such as these — I, the angel of repentance — remain as you are, and your seed will not be blotted out forever; for the Lord has tested you and has enrolled you in our number, and your whole seed will dwell with the Son of God, for you have received of his spirit."
"And out of the eighth mountain, where there were many springs, and all of the Lord's creation was watered from these springs, those who believed are such as these: apostles and teachers whose preaching reached every corner of the world, instructing people in the Lord's message with reverence and purity, holding nothing back for base desire, but journeying always in righteousness and truth, exactly as they had received the holy spirit. Such people, then, take their passage in the company of angels."
"And out of the ninth mountain, the barren one holding within it snakes and beasts that destroy people, those who came to believe are such as these. Those marked with stains are deacons who carried out their duty badly, stripping widows and orphans of their means of living and lining their own pockets from the ministry entrusted to them; should they keep clinging to that same craving, they are as good as dead already, with no prospect of life left to them; but if they change direction and carry out their ministry cleanly, life remains within their reach. Those covered in scabs are the ones who renounced their faith and never turned back to their own Lord; instead they turned barren and empty, refusing to hold fast to God's servants, and by living apart they bring ruin on their own souls. A vine left to itself inside some hedge, uncared for, gets choked with weeds and over time runs wild, no longer worth anything to its owner — in just this way, such people have abandoned themselves and, gone wild, become worthless to their own Lord. For this group, a path back exists, provided the denial did not come from the heart; but should someone be found to have denied from deep within, I cannot say whether life is still possible for him. And I do not mean, by this, that anyone denying the Lord in these present days could still receive a path back — no one who is about to deny his own Lord now can be saved — rather, it is those who denied long ago for whom a path back still appears open. So whoever intends to turn back had better move quickly, before the tower reaches completion; otherwise those women will bring him down to his death. The stunted figures are people given to lying and gossip; the beasts you saw on that mountain stand for these same people. Just as beasts poison and destroy a man, the speech of such people poisons and destroys a man too. These, then, are stunted in their faith by the very conduct they carry within — yet some among them have turned back and been saved. As for the rest of this kind, saving them remains possible if they turn back; but without turning back, they will perish under the power of those same women."
"And out of the tenth mountain, where there were trees sheltering certain sheep, those who believed are such as these: bishops and hospitable people, who gladly and without hypocrisy always welcomed the servants of God into their own homes; and the bishops always sheltered, without fail, those in need and the widows through their ministry, and always conducted themselves purely. All these, then, will be sheltered by the Lord forever. Those, then, who have done these things are glorious before God, and their place is already with the angels, if they persevere to the end in serving the Lord."
← All of Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp & others: The Apostolic Fathers