Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp & others · a new plain-English translation from the original language
And from the eleventh mountain, on which stood trees full of fruit, adorned with one kind of fruit after another, are those of this sort: those who believed and, because of God's Son and the name he bears, suffered — eagerly, with whole heart, surrendering their very lives. "Why then, lord," I said, "do all the trees bear fruit, yet some of the fruits from them are more beautiful than others?" "Listen," he said. "All who at any time suffered on account of the name are glorious before God, and the sins of all of them have been taken away, since their suffering came because of God's Son and the name he bears. But why their fruits differ, and some surpass the rest, listen. Those who were brought before the authorities and put to the test and did not deny, but suffered eagerly — these are the more glorious before the Lord; theirs is the fruit that surpasses the rest. But those who were cowardly and fell into hesitation, and reasoned in their hearts whether they would deny or confess, and yet suffered — theirs are the lesser fruits, because that deliberation rose up in their heart; for it is a wicked deliberation, that a slave should deny his own master. Watch yourselves, then, you who entertain such thoughts, lest this deliberation remain fixed in your hearts and you die to God. But you who suffer for the sake of the name ought to glorify God, because God has judged you worthy to bear this name, and all your sins are healed. So do not count yourselves blessed for this — rather you think you have done some great deed, if any of you suffers for God's sake. The Lord is granting you life as a gift, and you do not perceive it; for your sins weighed you down, and had you not suffered for the sake of the name of the Lord, you would have died to God on account of your sins. I say these things to you who hesitate over denial or confession: confess that you have a Lord, lest by denying him you be handed over to prison. If the nations punish their own slaves, should any of them deny his own master, what do you suppose the Lord will do to you — he who holds authority over all things? Cast these deliberations out of your hearts, that you may live forever to God."
And from the twelfth mountain, the white one, those who believed are of this kind: they are like infant children, into whose hearts no malice rises, nor have they known what wickedness is, but they have remained always in that childlike innocence. Such as these, then, will dwell without hesitation in the kingdom of God, because in no matter have they defiled the commandments of God, but have remained in that childlike simplicity all the days of their life, holding to the same understanding. "Whoever, then, remains," he said, "and becomes like these infants, having no malice, will be more glorious than all those spoken of before; for all infants are glorious before God, and are first in his sight. Blessed, then, are you, whoever lifts wickedness away from yourselves and clothes yourselves instead with innocence: you will be first of all to live to God." When he had brought the mountain-parables to an end, I said to him: "Lord, now explain to me about the stones that were taken up from the plain and set into the building in place of the stones taken from the tower, and about the round stones that were placed into the building, and those that still remain round."
"Listen," he said, "about all these too. The stones from the plain that were taken up and set into the building of the tower in place of those cast out are the roots of the white mountain. Since those who believed from the white mountain were all found blameless, the lord of the tower ordered them taken up from that mountain's roots and set into the tower's fabric; he knew that were these stones to join the structure, they would remain luminous, with none of them darkening. [LATIN] But if he had added stones from the other mountains, he would again have had to inspect and cleanse that tower. All of these, however, were found white — those who have believed and those who are yet to believe; for they are of the same stock. Blessed is this stock, for it is innocent. [LATIN] Listen now also about the round and shining stones. These too are all from the white mountain. But listen to why they were found round. Their riches obscured them a little from the truth and darkened them, yet even so they never withdrew from God, nor did any evil word come from their mouth, but only every fairness and the virtue of truth. [LATIN] When, therefore, the lord saw their mind, that they could still hold to the truth and remain good, he ordered their wealth to be trimmed back — not removed from them entirely — so they could still accomplish something worthwhile with what remained to them, and might live to God, since they are of good stock. So they were trimmed back a little and set into the structure of this tower.
[LATIN] But the rest, who still remained round and were not fitted into that structure, because they had not yet received the seal, were put back in their own place; for they were found to be very round indeed. [LATIN] This age must be trimmed away from them, and the vanities of their riches, and then they shall be gathered into God's kingdom; entering God's kingdom is required of them, for the Lord has blessed this innocent stock. Of this stock, then, not one will perish. For even if one of them, tempted by the wicked devil, should commit some fault, he will quickly run back to his own Lord. [LATIN] I count all of you blessed — I, the messenger of repentance — all of you who are innocent as infants, for your portion is good and honored before God. [LATIN] But to every one of you who bear this seal, I say: keep to simplicity, hold no memory of grievances, do not persist in your malice or in the bitter memory of offenses, but become of one spirit each of you, and mend and remove from among you these evil rifts, so that the Lord of the flock may rejoice over them. And he will rejoice if all are found sound and none of them has fallen away. But if some of them are found to have fallen away, woe to the shepherds. And if the shepherds themselves are found to have fallen away, what will they say to the master of the flock? That they fell away because of the sheep? They will not be believed; for it is an unbelievable thing that a shepherd should suffer harm at the hands of his sheep — rather, they will be punished all the more for their lie. [LATIN] And I am the shepherd, and I must render account of you with the utmost strictness.
[LATIN] Set yourselves right, then, while the tower is still being built. [LATIN] The Lord dwells among men who love peace; for peace is truly dear to him. But from the quarrelsome, and from those ruined by malice, he keeps far away. Give back to him, then, a whole spirit, just as you received it. [LATIN] For if you gave a fuller a new, whole garment, and wanted to get that same whole garment back again, but the fuller returned it to you torn, would you accept it? Would you not at once flare up and pursue him with reproaches, saying: 'I gave you a whole garment — why have you torn it and rendered it useless? Because of the tear you made in it, it can no longer be used.' Would you not say all these things to the fuller, about the tear he made in your garment? [LATIN] If, then, you would grieve so over your garment, and complain that you did not get it back whole, what do you suppose the Lord will do to you, who gave you a whole spirit, and you rendered it entirely useless, so that it can be of no use at all to its own Lord? For its usefulness has begun to fail, since it has been ruined by you. Will not the Lord of that spirit, then, put you to death on account of this deed of yours? [LATIN] "Certainly," I said, "he will do this to all whom he finds persisting in the memory of grievances." "Do not trample his gentleness underfoot," he said, "but rather honor him — that he is so patient toward your offenses, and is not as you are. Do, then, a repentance that is of use to you."
[LATIN] All these things, written above, I, the shepherd, the messenger of repentance, have set forth and declared to God's servants. Now if you put faith in this and give heed to my words, walking by them, and straighten your paths, you will be able to live. But if you remain in malice and in the memory of grievances, none of such people will live to God. All these things that were to be said by me have now been said to you. [LATIN] The shepherd himself said to me: "Have you asked me everything?" And I said, "Yes, lord." "Why then did you not ask me about the shape of the stones set back into the structure, that we filled up their spaces?" And I said, "I forgot, lord." [LATIN] "Listen now," he said, "about them. These are those who have now heard my commandments and have repented with their whole heart. And seeing that their turning was genuine and unmixed with pretense, and that they could hold fast to it, he commanded their past sins to be wiped away. For these shapes were their sins, and they were leveled smooth, so that they would no longer appear.
[LATIN] After I had finished writing this book, that messenger who had handed me over to this shepherd came into the house where I was, and sat down upon the couch, and this shepherd stood at his right. Then he called me and said this to me: [LATIN] "I handed you over," he said, "you and your household, to this shepherd, so that you might be protected by him." "Yes, lord," I said. "If, then, you wish to be protected from all harassment and from all cruelty, and to prosper in every good deed and word, and in every excellence of uprightness, walk in the commandments he has given you, and you will be able to master all wickedness. [LATIN] For if you keep his commandments, every desire and sweetness of this present age will be subject to you, and success in every good undertaking will follow you. Receive his maturity and his modesty into yourself, and tell everyone that before the Lord he is greatly honored and esteemed, and that he is a ruler of great power, and mighty in his office. To him alone, throughout the whole world, has authority over repentance been given. Does he not seem powerful to you? Yet you despise his maturity and the reverence he shows toward you."
[LATIN] I said to him: "Ask him yourself, lord, whether from the time he has been in my house I have done anything out of order, by which I might have offended him." [LATIN] "I too know," he said, "that you have done nothing out of order, nor will you. And I say these things to you for this reason, that you may persevere. For he has thought well of you before me. But you are to speak these same words to the rest, so that those who have repented, or are about to repent, may hold the same conviction as you do, and that he may continue to report well of them to me, and I to the Lord." [LATIN] "And I, lord," I said, "declare to every man the great works of the Lord; and I hope that all who have sinned before, should they hear of this, will turn back with gladness and reclaim their life." [LATIN] "Continue, then," he said, "in this ministry and bring it to completion. Whoever carries out his commandments will have life, and great honor before the Lord. But whoever does not keep his commandments flees from his own life and turns against him; such do not follow his commandments, but hand themselves over to death, and each of them becomes guilty of his own blood. But I say to you: serve these commandments, and you will have a remedy for sins.
[LATIN] I have sent you these virgins to dwell with you; for I have seen that they are gracious toward you. You have them, then, as helpers, so that you may the more readily keep his commandments; for it is not possible for these commandments to be kept without these virgins. I see that they are glad to be with you; but I will instruct them not to leave your house at all. [LATIN] Only keep your house clean; for they will gladly dwell in a clean house. They are clean and chaste and diligent, and all of them have favor before the Lord. If, then, they find your house pure, they will remain with you. But if even a small measure of defilement should occur, they will withdraw from your house at once; for these virgins love no defilement whatsoever." [LATIN] I said to him: "I hope, lord, that I will please them, so that they will always gladly dwell in my house." "And just as this one, to whom you were handed over, has no complaint against me, neither will these have any complaint against me." He said to the shepherd: "I know that this servant of God wishes to live, and will keep these commandments, and will establish the virgins in purity." Having said this to the shepherd, he handed me back to him again, and calling the virgins... he said to them: [LATIN] "Since I see that you gladly dwell in this man's house, I entrust him and his household to you, that you may not leave his house at all." And they gladly heard these words.
[LATIN] Then he said to me: "Bear yourself bravely in carrying out this ministry; make known to everyone the mighty deeds of the Lord, and you will find favor in this ministry. Whoever, then, walks in these commandments will live and will be happy in his life; but whoever neglects them will not live and will be unhappy in his life. [LATIN] Tell everyone who is able to do right not to stop doing it; it is profitable for them to practice good works. And I say that anyone burdened by hardship deserves to be pulled free of it. For the one who lacks and struggles through hardship day after day suffers deep anguish and distress. [LATIN] Whoever, then, rescues such a soul from distress wins for himself no small joy. For he who is afflicted by such hardship is tormented with a suffering equal to that of one who is bound in chains; and many, on account of such calamities, being unable to bear them, bring death upon themselves. Whoever, then, knows of such a person's calamity and does not rescue him commits a great sin, and becomes guilty of his blood. [LATIN] Do good works, then, all of you who have received from the Lord, lest, while you delay in doing them, the tower's construction reaches completion. Because of you its building has stood unfinished. Unless, then, you hurry to do what is right, the tower will be completed, and you will be shut out." [LATIN] Once he had finished speaking with me, he got up from the couch, and taking the shepherd and the virgins, went away, telling me that he would send back that shepherd and the virgins to my house.
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