Didascalia Apostolorum 20

1[v. 7] God Almighty will raise us up through God our Saviour, as He has promised. And He will raise us up from the dead even as we are -- in this form in which we now are, but in the great glory of everlasting life, with nothing wanting to us. For though we be cast into the depths of the sea, or be scattered by the winds like chaff, we are still within the world; and the whole world itself is inclosed beneath the hand of God. From within His hand therefore will He raise us up: as the Lord our Saviour has said: A hair of your head shall not perish; but in your patience ye shall possess your souls [Lk 21.18-19]. Now concerning the resurrection, and concerning the glory of the martyrs, the Lord spoke in Daniel thus: Many that sleep in the breadth of the earth shall rise up in that day: some unto life everlasting, and some unto reproach and shame and dispersion. But they that understand shall shine as the luminaries which are in the heaven; and they that have been strengthened by the word, as the stars of heaven [Dan 12.2-3 LXX]. As (of) the sun, then, and the moon, (p. 82) the luminaries of heaven, [] (such) glorious light has He promised to give to them that understand [Dan 12.3], and confess His holy name, and bear witness. But not to the martyrs alone has He promised the resurrection, but to all men; for He speaks thus in Ezekiel:? 1The hand of the Lord came upon me: and the Lord brought me forth in the spirit, and set me in the midst of a valley:? and it was full of bones.?? 2And he caused me to pass over against them: and they were many, and they were exceeding dry.? 3And he said unto me: Son of man, shall these bones live? And I said: Thou knowest, Lord Adonai.? 4And the Lord said unto me: Prophesy unto these bones, and say to them: Ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.? 5Thus saith the Lord Adonai unto these bones: Behold, I will cause the spirit to enter into you, and ye shall live;? 6and I will put sinews upon you, and will build up flesh upon you, and will clothe you with skin; and I will give the spirit in you, and ye shall live: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.? 7And I prophesied as he spake unto me. And as I prophesied, there was made a sound and a movement; and the bones drew nigh, bone unto bone.? 8And I saw that there came upon them sinews and flesh, and skin was stretched over them above:? but there was no spirit in them.? 9And the Lord said unto me: Prophesy unto the spirit, and say: Thus saith the Lord Adonai: Come, spirit, from the four winds, and enter into these dead, and they shalt live.? 10And I prophesied, as he spake unto me: and the spirit entered into them, and they lived: and they stood upon their feet in a great army.? 11And the Lord said unto me: Son of man, these bones are the house of Israel; for they say: Our bones are dried up, and our hope is perished, and we are not.? 12Thus saith the Lord Adonai: Behold, I open your graves, and I will bring you forth from thence, O my people, and wilt bring you in to the land of Israel; 13and ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall open your graves, to bring up my people [] from the graves.? 14And I will give my spirit in you, and ye shall live. And I will cause you to dwell in your land: and ye shall know that I am the Lord, that have spoken and have performed it [Ezek 37.1-14]. ?[] And all the inhabitants of the earth shall be silent, saith the Lord [Isa 26.18]. And again by Isaiah He said: All they that sleep and are dead shall rise; and all they that are in the graves shall awake: for thy dew is a dew of healing unto them. But the land of the wicked shalt perish [Isa 26.19]. And many other things also He said by Isaiah and by all the prophets concerning the resurrection and the life everlasting, and concerning the glory of the righteous; and as touching the wicked also, concerning their dishonour and exposure and downfall, and concerning their undoing (p. 83) and overthrow and condemnation. For that which He said, the land of the wicked shall fall, He speaks concerning their body; because it is of the earth, and shall be reckoned unto the earth in dishonour. Because they served not God, they shall fall into fire and torment. And in the Twelve Prophets again He speaks thus: Behold, ye wicked, and see, and understand marvels: and return to corruption. For I do a work in your days, the which if a man recount it unto you, ye will not believe [Hab 1.5 (Acts 13.41)]. Now these things, and many more than these, are spoken concerning those who believe not in the resurrection, and concerning those who deny God, and those who serve not God, and concerning transgressors of the law and the heathen; and when they shall see the glory of the faithful, they will be turned back to be destroyed in fire, because they believed not. But we have learned and have believed; and by our Lord's resurrection from the dead is made sure to us the resurrection which God, who lies not, has promised us. For our Saviour, by rising Himself first, was made an earnest also of our resurrection. And those also who are called from the Gentiles, and even the heathen, read and hear concerning the [] resurrection that which is spoken and proclaimed to them by the Sibyl thus: When all things have been made dust and ashes, God Most High will allay the fire, even he that kindled it. And then again will God himself raise up the bones and the ashes of men, and will clothe them with their form. For he will raise up men as they were before: and then shall be the judgement, wherein God will judge in the world to come. And the wicked and the ungodly the earth will cover again; (but) the just and the righteous shall live in the living world.? And God will give them spirit and grace and life: and then shall they all see one another [Orac. Sibyll. 4.179-185, 187, 189-190 (ed. Geffcken)].? And not only by the Sibyl, brethren, was the resurrection preached to the Gentiles, but by the holy Scriptures also our Lord proclaimed beforehand, to the Jews and the heathen and Christians at once, and announced the resurrection of the dead which is to be for men; and even by a dumb bird, we mean the Phoenix. which is but one alone, by means whereof God gives us again abundant demonstration of the resurrection. For if he had a mate, many would be seen by men; but now one only is seen, once in five hundred years. which enters Egypt (p. 84) and comes to the altar which is called 'of the Sun' bringing cinnamon. And as he prays toward the East, a fire is kindled of itself and burns him up, and he is reduced to ashes. And from the ashes again there is formed a worm; and it grows in his form and becomes a perfect Phoenix. And then he departs and goes away whence he came.? If then by means of a dumb animal God shows us concerning the resurrection, we who believe in the resurrection and in the promise of God ought much more, as men deemed worthy [] of so great glory that we should receive an incorruptible crown in the life everlasting, to rejoice, if martyrdom come to us, in the great grace and in the honour and glory of martyrdom for God, and to accept of it joyfully with all our soul, and to believe in the Lord God who will raise us up in glorious light.? As in the beginning God commanded by a word, and the world was made, and said: Let there be light [Gen 1.3], and night and day, and heaven and earth and sea, and birds and living creatures of the sea, and creeping things of the earth and fourfooted beasts, and trees; and everything was made by His word and established in its nature, as the Scripture has said: these works themselves, which came into being through the obedience which they rendered Him, bear witness to God who made them that by Him they were made from that which was not; and they also show a sign of the resurrection. As then He made every thing, so will He the more rather quicken and raise up man, who is of His own forming. For if from that which was not He fashioned and established the world, much easier is this, that from that which is He should quicken and raise up man, who is the formation of His hands: even as also, in the human seed, He clothes man in the womb with a form and causes him to grow. If then He raises up all men, -- as He said by Isaiah: All flesh shall see the salvation of God [Isa 40.5; 52.10], -- much more will He quicken and raise up the faithful; and (yet more) again will He quicken and raise up the faithful of the faithful, who are the martyrs, and establish them in great glory and make them His counsellors. For to mere disciples, those who believe in Him, He has promised a glory as of the stars [Dan 12.3]; but to the martyrs He has promised to give an everlasting glory, as of the luminaries which fail not, with more abundant light, that they may be shining for all time. [] As disciples (p. 85) of Christ, therefore, let us believe that we shall receive from Him all the good things which He has promised us in the life everlasting; and so let us imitate all His teaching and His patience. For as touching His birth from a virgin, and His coming, and the will of His passion, we have assurance through His holy Scriptures, even as the prophets foreannounced and foretold all things concerning His coming, and all have been accomplished and established in our hearts: for even the demons, trembling before His name [cf. Jas 2.19], lauded His advent. Concerning those, therefore, which have come to pass of the things we have already mentioned, you also have believed and have been fully assured; but we yet more, who were with Him and have seen Him with our eyes, and have eaten with Him, and have been made the associates and witnesses of His coming [cf. Acts 10.41; 1Jn 1.1]. As touching also His great and unspeakable gifts which He is yet to give us, according as He has promised, let us believe and hope that we shall receive them; for (by this) is all our faith put to the proof, if we believe in (those) His promises which are yet to be (fulfilled).? If then we are called to martyrdom for His name, and go forth from the world confessing (Him), we shall be pardoned all sins and offences, and shall be found pure. For He spoke in David concerning the martyrs thus: Blessed are they whose iniquity is forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute his sins [Ps 32.1-2a (31.1b-2a LXX)]. [v. 8] Blessed therefore are the martyrs, and clear of all offences; for they have been removed and taken away from all iniquity: as He said in Isaiah of Christ and of His martyrs: Behold, the righteous (man) is perished, and there is none that understandeth; and godly men are taken away, and no man layeth it to heart. For the righteous is gathered up from the presence of evil: and his burial shall be in peace [Isa 57.1-2a]. [v. 9] Now these things are said of those who bear witness for the name of Christ. [] But again, sins are forgiven by baptism also to those who from the Gentiles draw near and enter the holy Church of God. Let us inquire also, to whom sins are not imputed. To such as Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the patriarchs, as also to the martyrs. Let us hear then, brethren, for the Scripture saith: Who shall boast himself and say: I am clear of sins? Or who shall be confident and say: I am innocent? [Prov 20.9] And again: There is no man pure of defilement: not though his life be but one day [Job 14.4-5 LXX]. To everyone therefore who believes and is baptized his (p. 86) former sins have been forgiven; but after baptism also, provided that he has not sinned a deadly sin nor been an accomplice (thereto), but has heard only, or seen, or spoken, and is thus guilty of sin. But if a man go forth from the world by martyrdom for the name of the Lord, blessed is he; for brethren who by martyrdom have gone forth from this world, of these the sins are covered [Ps 32.1 (31.1 LXX)].