Old and New Continuity

Barnabas, Epistle of Barnabas 14

Barnabas · fl. c. 100 AD

Yes, but let us see whether the covenant God swore to give the people was actually given. It was given, but the people themselves were not worthy to receive it because of their sins. The prophet says that Moses fasted on Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights to receive the Lord's covenant for the people. Moses received the two tablets, written by the finger of the Lord's own hand in the Spirit, and brought them down to give to the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, "Moses, Moses, come down quickly, because your people, whom you led out of Egypt, have acted lawlessly" (Exod 32:7). Moses understood they had made molten idols for themselves again, so he threw the tablets from his hands and they shattered. Moses received the covenant, but the people proved unworthy.

So how did we receive it? Learn this: Moses received it as a servant, but the Lord Himself gave it to us as a people of inheritance, having endured suffering for our sake. He was revealed so that they might be completed in their sins, and so that we, through the heir of the Lord's covenant, Jesus, might receive it. He was prepared for this very purpose: that by appearing He might redeem our hearts—hearts already spent on death and handed over to the lawlessness of error—from darkness, and might establish a covenant with us in word. Scripture says this is how the Father commands Him: having redeemed us from darkness, He is to prepare a holy people for Himself (Isaiah 42:6-7). The prophet declares, "I am the Lord your God; I called you in righteousness, I will hold your hand and strengthen you. I gave you as a covenant to the nation, a light to the nations, to open blind eyes and bring out those bound in chains from prison, those sitting in darkness."

We know, then, from what we were redeemed. Again the prophet says: "Behold, I have set you as a light to the nations, to be salvation to the end of the earth," says the Lord who redeemed you, God (Isaiah 49:6). And again the prophet says: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He anointed me to preach good news to the poor; He sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to captives and sight to the blind, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of recompense, to comfort all who mourn" (Isaiah 61:1-2).

Greek

Ναί. ἀλλὰ ἴδωμεν, εἰ ἡ διαθήκη, ἣν ὤμοσεν τοῖς πατράσιν δοῦναι τῷ λαῷ, εἰ δέδωκεν. δέδωκεν: αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐγένοντο ἄξιοι λαβεῖν διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. λέγει γὰρ ὁ προφήτης: Καὶ ἦν Μωϋσῆς νηστεύων ἐν ὄρει Σινᾶ, τοῦ λαβεῖν τὴν διαθήκην κυρίου πρὸς τὸν λαόν, ἡμέρας τεσσεράκοντα καὶ νύκτας τεσσεράκοντα. καὶ ἔλαβεν Μωϋσῆς παρὰ κυρίου τὰς δύο πλάκας τὰς γεγραμμένας τῷ δακτύλῳ τῆς χειρὸς κυρίου ἐν πνεύματι: καὶ λαβὼν Μωϋσῆς κατέφερεν πρὸς τὸν λαὸν δοῦναι. καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς Μωϋσῆν. Μωϋσῆ Μωϋσῆ, κατάβηθι τὸ τάχος, ὅτι ὁ λαός σου, ὃν ἐξήγαγες ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου. ἠνόμησεν. καὶ συνῆκεν Μωϋσῆς, ὅτι ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῖς πάλιν χωνεύματα, καὶ ἔρριψεν ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν, καὶ συνετρίβησαν αἱ πλάκες τῆς διαθήκης κυρίου. Μωϋσῆς μὲν ἔλαβεν, αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐγένοντο ἄξιοι. πῶς δὲ ἡμεῖς ἐλάβομεν, μάθετε. Μωϋσῆς θεράπων ὢν ἔλαβεν, αὐτὸς δὲ κύριος ἡμῖν ἔδωκεν εἰς λαὸν κληρονομίας, δἰ ἡμᾶς ὑπομείνας. ἐφανερώθη δέ. ἵνα κἀκεῖνοι τελειωθῶσιν τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν, καὶ ἡμεῖς διὰ τοῦ κληρονομοῦντος διαθήκην κυρίου Ἰησοῦ λάβωμεν, ὃς εἰς τοῦτο ἡτοιμάσθη, ἵνα αὐτὸς φανείς, τὰς ἤδη δεδαπανημένας ἡμῶν καρδίας τῷ θανάτῳ καὶ παραδεδομένας τῇ τῆς πλάνης ἀνομίᾳ λυτρωσάμενος ἐκ τοῦ σκότους, διάθηται ἐν ἡμῖν διαθήκην λόγῳ. γέγραπται γάρ, πῶς αὐτῷ ὁ πατὴρ ἐντέλλεται, λυτρωσάμενον ἡμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ σκότους ἑτοιμάσαι ἑαυτῷ λαὸν ἅγιον. λέγει οὖν ὁ προφήτης: Ἐγὼ κύριος, ὁ θεός σου, ἐκάλεσά σε ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ κρατήσω τῆς χειρός σου καὶ ἐνισχύσω σε, καὶ ἔδωκά σε εἰς διαθήκην γένους, εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν ἀνοῖξαι ὀφθαλμοὺς τυφλῶν καὶ ἐξαγαγεῖν ἐκ δεσμῶν πεπεδημένους καὶ ἐξ οἴκου φυλακῆς καθημένους ἐν σκότει. γινώσκομεν οὖν, πόθεν ἐλυτρώθημεν. πάλιν ὁ προφήτης λέγει: Ἰδού, τέθεικά σε εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν, τοῦ εἶναί σε εἰς σωτηρίαν ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς, οὕτως λέγει κύριος ὁ λυτρωσάμενός σε θεός. καὶ πάλιν ὁ προφήτης λέγει: Πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπ’ ἐμέ, οὖ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέν με εὐαγγελίσασθαι ταπεινοῖς χάριν, ἀπέσταλκέν με ἰάσασθαι τοὺς συντετριμμένους τὴν καρδίαν, κηρῦξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν, καλέσαι ἐνιαυτὸν κυρίου δεκτὸν καὶ ἡμέραν ἀνταποδόσεως, παρακαλέσαι πάντας τοὺς πενθοῦντας.

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