Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament (49 page)

it; but if he has already put it in the kiln,

commandments.

he can no longer fix it. So too with us.

8
And the Scripture also says in Eze

While we are still in the world, we should

kiel, “Even if Noah, Job, and Daniel

repent from our whole heart of the evil

should arise, they will not deliver their

we have done in the flesh, so the Lord

children from captivity.”14

will save us—while there is still time for

9
But if even such upright men as these

repentance.

cannot deliver their children through acts

3
For after we leave the world we will

of righteousness, with what confidence

no longer be able to make confession or

can we enter into the kingdom of God if

repent in that place.

we do not keep our baptism pure and

4
So then, brothers, if we do the will

undefiled? Or who will serve as our adof the Father and keep our flesh pure and vocate, if we are not found doing what is

guard the commandments of the Lord we

holy and upright?

will receive eternal life.

5
For the Lord says in the Gospel, “If

7 So then, my brothers, we should you do not keep what is small, who will compete in the games, knowing

give you what is great? For I say to you

that the competition is at hand. Many set

that the one who is faithful in very little

sail for earthly competitions but not all

is faithful also in much.”16

receive the crown—only those who labor

6
This then is what he means: you

hard and compete well.

should keep the flesh pure and the seal

2
We should therefore compete that we

of baptism stainless, so that we may reall may be crowned.

ceive eternal life.

3
And so we should run the straight

course, the eternal competition. Many of

9

us should sail to it and compete, that we

And none of you should say that

this flesh is neither judged nor

may receive the crown. And if all of us

raised.

cannot receive the crown, we should at

2
Think about it! In what state were

least come close to it.

you saved? In what state did you regain

4
We must realize that if someone is

your sight? Was it not while you were in

caught cheating while competing in an

this flesh?

earthly contest, he is flogged and thrown

3
And so we must guard the flesh like

out of the stadium.

the temple of God.

5
What do you suppose? What will

4
For just as you were called in the

happen to the one who cheats in the eterflesh, so also you will come in the flesh.

nal competition?

5
Since Jesus Christ—the Lord who

6
As for those who do not keep the

saved us—was first a spirit and then beseal of their baptism, he says: “Their worm will not die nor their fire be extinguished; and they will be a spectacle for 14Ezek 14:14ff. 15Isa 66:24; cf. Mark 9:44, 46, 48.

all to see.”15

16Luke 16:10–12.

THE LETTER OF 2 CLEMENT

189

came flesh, and in this way called us, so

heart, and then we will be upright. But if

also we will receive the reward in this

we choose not to be enslaved to God, not

flesh.

believing in his promise, we will be

6
And so we should love one another,

miserable.

that we may all enter the Kingdom of

2
For the prophetic word also says,

God.

“How miserable are those of two minds,

7
While we have time to be healed, let

who doubt in their hearts, who say, ‘We

us give ourselves over to the God who

heard these things long ago, in the time

brings healing, paying him what is due.

of our parents, but though we have waited

8
And what is that? Repentance from

day after day, we have seen none of

a sincere heart.

them.’

9
For he knows all things in advance

3
Fools! Compare yourselves to a tree.

and recognizes what is in our hearts.

Take a vine: first it sheds its leaves, then

10
And so we should give him praise,

a bud appears, and after these things an

not from our mouth alone but also from

unripe grape, and then an entire bunch

our heart, that he may welcome us as

fully grown.

children.

4
So too my people is now disorderly

11
For the Lord also said, “My brothand afflicted; but then it will receive what ers are these who do the will of my

is good.”18

Father.”17

5
So my brothers, we should not be of

two minds but should remain hopeful,

10 So my brothers, let us do the that we may receive the reward.

will of the Father who called

6
For the one who has promised to

us, that we may live; even more, let us

reward each according to his deeds is

pursue virtue. But we should abandon

faithful.19

evil as a forerunner of our sins; and we

7
If, therefore, we do what is righteous

should flee from impiety, lest evil overbefore God, we will enter into his kingtake us.

dom and receive his promises, which no

2
For if we are eager to do good, peace

ear has heard nor eye seen, nor has it

will pursue us.

entered into the human heart.20

3
For this reason no one can find peace

when they bring forward human fears

For this reason, we should await

12

and prefer the pleasure of the present to

the kingdom of God with love

the promise that is yet to come.

and righteousness every hour, since we do

4
For they do not realize the kind of

not know the day when God will appear.

torment brought by present pleasure or

2
For when the Lord himself was asked

the kind of delight coming with the future

by someone when his kingdom would

promise.

come, he said, “When the two are one,

5
It would be tolerable if they alone

and the outside like the inside, and the

were doing these things; but now they

male with the female is neither male nor

persist in teaching such evil notions to

female.”21

innocent people, not knowing that they

will bear a double penalty—both they

and those who listen to them.

17Matt 12:50; Mark 3:35; Luke 8:21. 18Source unknown. Cf. 1 Clem 23:3–4. 19Heb 10:23. 201 Cor 2: 11 For this reason we should be 9. 21Cf.
Gosp.
Thom.
22; also quoted in Clement of Alexandria,
Stromateis
3:13, where it is attributed to enslaved to God with a pure

the lost
Gospel
of
the
Egyptians.

190

NON-CANONICAL EPISTLES AND RELATED WRITINGS

3
Now “the two are one” when we

2
For the Lord says, “My name is conspeak truth to one another and when one stantly blasphemed among all the outsi-soul exists in two bodies with no

dersd.”22 And again he says, “Woe to the

posturing.b

one who causes my name to be blas-

4
And “the outside like the inside”

phemed.”23 How is it blasphemed? When

means this: the “inside” refers to the soul

you fail to do what I wish.

and the “outside” to the body. Just as

3
For when outsiderse hear the sayings

your body is visible, so too your soul

of God from our mouths, they are astonshould be clearly seen in your good ished at their beauty and greatness. Then

deeds.

when they discover that our actions do

5
And the words “the male with the

not match our words, they turn from

female is neither male nor female” mean

astonishment to blasphemy, saying that

this, that a brother who sees a sister

our faith is some kind of myth and error.

should think nothing about her being fe

4
For, on the one hand, they hear from

male and shec should think nothing about

us that God has said, “It is no great achis being male.

complishment for you to love those who

6
When you do these things, he says,

love you; it is great if you love your

“the kingdom of my Father will come.”

enemies and those who hate you.”24 And

when they hear these things, they are

And so brothers, now at last we

13

astonished by their extraordinary goodshould repent and be alert for ness. But then when they see that we fail

the good. For we are filled with great

to love not only those who hate us, but

foolishness and evil. We should wipe our

even those who love us, they ridicule us

former sins away from ourselves; and if

and the name is blasphemed. . . .

we repent from deep within we will be

saved. We should not be crowd-pleasers

nor wish to please only ourselves, but

through our righteous activity we should

bOr:
with
no
hypocrisy
cOr:
he
dLiterally:
Gentiles,
be pleasing as well to those outside the

or
nations
eLiterally:
Gentiles,
or
nations
fold, that the name not be blasphemed

because of us.

22Isa 52:5. 23Source unknown. 24Luke 6:32, 35.

The “Letter of Peter to James”

and its “Reception”

The “Letter of Peter to James” is one of a number of early Christian writings pseudonymously written in the name of Jesus’ disciple, Simon Peter (cf. the Gospel of Peter and the Apocalypse of Peter, both included in this collection). It does not survive as an independently transmitted letter, but only as the preface to the “Homilies of Clement” a collection of legendary stories and sermons of Clement of Rome (see below).1 The account of its “Reception” by James, the brother of Jesus and leader of the church in Jerusalem, is also part of this preface.

The Letter of Peter urges James to pass along the accompanying sermons carefully to those who are worthy to receive them, and to no one else. The clear concern is that Peter’s teachings not be corrupted by those who have a different understanding of the truth. Both the Letter and the Reception are Jewish-Christian in their orientation, as seen in their emphasis on emulating the actions of Moses, on keeping the Law, and on opposing the person Peter calls “the man who is my enemy.”2 Peter’s opponent here is commonly understood to be none other than the apostle Paul (cf. Gal 2: 11–14), who taught that salvation comes to all people, Jew and Gentile, apart from following the Law of Moses, and who urged Gentiles not to be circumcised (Gal. 5:2–12). This Pauline notion stood in sharp contrast to the views of Jewish Christians like the Ebionites, as seen here, for example, in the insistence by James (the brother of Jesus himself) that only “one who has been circumcised is a believing Christian.”

It is difficult to determine the date of the composition of these works, but they are probably to be situated in the early third century.

1For more information on the “Pseudo-Clementine” literature, see Ehrman,
Lost
Christianities
, 182–85. 2On Jewish Christianity, see Ehrman,
Lost
Christianities
, 95–103.

Translation by Johannes Irmscher and George Strecker, in Wilhelm Schneemelcher,
New
Testament
Apocrypha
, vol. 2 (rev. ed.: Cambridge/ Louisville: Lutterworth/Westminister/

John Knox, 1991) 493–94; used with permission.

191

192

NON-CANONICAL EPISTLES AND RELATED WRITINGS

Peter to James, the lord and bishop

1

but I have already the beginning of the

of the holy church: Peace be with

evil before me.

you always from the Father of all through

3
For some from among the Gentiles

Jesus Christ.

have rejected my lawful preaching and

2
Knowing well that you, my brother,

have preferred a lawless and absurd doceagerly take pains about what is for the trine of the man who is my enemy.

mutual benefit of us all, I earnestly be

4
And indeed some have attempted,

seech you not to pass on to any one of

whilst I am still alive, to distort my words

the Gentiles the books of my preachings

by interpretations of many sorts, as if I

which I (here) forward to you, nor to any

taught the dissolution of the law and,

one of our own tribe before probation.

although I was of this opinion, did not

But if some one of them has been exexpress it openly. But that may God amined and found to be worthy, then you