Page:Ante-Nicene Fathers volume 1.djvu/130

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116
THE EPISTLE OF BARNABAS.

him hear the voice of my servant."[1] And again He saith, "Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for God[2] hath spoken."[3] These are in proof.[4] And again He saith, "Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of this people."[5] And again He saith, "Hear, ye children, the voice of one crying in the wilderness."[6] Therefore He hath circumcised our ears, that we might hear His word and believe, for the circumcision in which they trusted is abolished.[7] For He declared that circumcision was not of the flesh, but they transgressed because an evil angel deluded them.[8] He saith to them, "These things saith the Lord your God"—(here[9] I find a new[10] commandment)—"Sow not among thorns, but circumcise yourselves to the Lord."[11] And why speaks He thus: "Circumcise the stubbornness of your heart, and harden not your neck?"[12] And again: "Behold, saith the Lord, all the nations are uncircumcised[13] in the flesh, but this people are uncircumcised in heart,"[14] But thou wilt say, "Yea, verily the people are circumcised for a seal." But so also is every Syrian and Arab, and all the priests of idols: are these then also within the bond of His covenant?[15] Yea, the Egyptians also practise circumcision. Learn then, my children, con-

  1. Ps. xxxiv. 11–13. The first clause of this sentence is wanting in Cod. Sin.
  2. Cod. Sin. has "Lord."
  3. Isa. i. 2.
  4. In proof of the spiritual meaning of circumcision; but Hilgenfeld joins the words to the preceding sentence.
  5. Isa. i. 10.
  6. Cod. Sin. reads, "it is the voice," corrected, however, as above.
  7. Cod. Sin. has, "that we might hear the word, and not only believe," plainly a corrupt text.
  8. Cod. Sin., at first hand, has "slew them," but is corrected as above.
  9. The meaning is here very obscure, but the above rendering and punctuation seem preferable to any other.
  10. Cod. Sin., with several other mss., leaves out "new."
  11. Jer. iv. 3.Cod. Sin. has "God" instead of "Lord."
  12. Deut. x. 16.
  13. This contrast seems to be marked in the original. Cod. Sin. has, "Behold, receive again."
  14. Jer. ix. 25, 26.
  15. Dressel and Hilgenfeld read, "their covenant," as does Cod. Sin.; we have followed Hefele.