Didascalia Apostolorum inscription–2.1.2

English translation by R. H. Connolly (1929); the original is not shown

TRANSLATION OF THE SYRIAC WITH THE LATIN FRAGMENTS THE CATHOLIC-DIDASCALDIAX THAT IS TEACHING OF . THE. TIWELVE-SHOLY. “APOSTLES: AND DISCIPLES OF OUR SAVIOUR Gop’s planting and the holy vineyard of His Catholic Church, the elect, who rely on the simplicity of the fear of the Lord, who by their faith inherit His everlasting kingdom, who have received the power and fellowship of His Holy Spirit, and by Him are armed and made firm in the fear of Him, who are become partakers zz the sprinkling of the pure and precious blood of the Great God, Jesus Christ, who have received boldness to call the Almighty God Father, as joint heirs and partakers with His Son and His beloved : hear the Didascalia of God, you that hope and wait for His promises, which hath been written after the command of our Saviour and is in accord with His glorious words.

English translation by R. H. Connolly (1929); the original is not shown

Give heed, children of God, and do all things so that you be obedient to God ; and be you pleasing in all things to the Lord our God. For if any man run after iniquity and be contrary to the will of God, the same shall be accounted unto God as heathen and ungodly. Flee therefore and depart from all avarice and evil dealing. And you shall not desire that -

English translation by R. H. Connolly (1929); the original is not shown

Teaching every man that he should please his wife alone; and that he should not adorn himself and become a cause of stumbling to women; and that he should not love idleness ; and that he should occupy himself with the Scriptures of life, and avoid profane writings and the bonds of the Second Legislation ; and that he should not bathe in a bath with women; and that he should not give himself to the vice of harlots. Bear with one another, O servants and sons of God. Let not a man despise or contemn his wife, nor be lifted up against her ; but let him be merciful, and let his hand be open to give. And let him please his wife alone, and cherish her with honour ; and let him study to be loved by her alone, and by none other. Adorn not thyself that a strange woman may see and desire thee. And if indeed thou be constrained by her and sin with her, death in fire shall come upon thee of a surety from God, even that which abides for ever, which is in sore and bitter fire; and thou shalt know and understand when thou art grievously tormented. But if thou do not this uncleanness, but put her from thee and deny her: in this only hast thou sinned, that by thy adornment thou hast caused the woman to be taken with the desire of thee; for thou hast caused her, to whom it so happened by reason of thee, to com- mit adultery through her desire. But not so art thou under sin, because thou didst not desire her: but there shall be mercy upon thee from the Lord, because thou didst not deliver thyself to her nor consent to her when she sent unto thee, neither in thought didst thou turn thyself to that woman who was taken with the desire of thee: but she on a sudden encountered thee, and was stricken in her thought and sent unto thee ; but thou as a godfearing man didst deny her and avoid her, and didst not sin with her; but she was stricken in her heart, because thou art young and fair and comely, and didst adorn thyself and cause her to desire thee: and thou art found to be guilty of the sin of her to whom it so happened by reason of thy adornment. But entreat of the Lord God that sin be not ascribed to thee on this account. And if thou wouldst please God and not men, and lookest and hopest for the life and rest everlasting, adorn not thy natural beauty which is given thee from God, but with humility of neglect make it mean before men. In like manner also thou shalt not nourish the hair of thy head, but do thou shear it off; and thou shalt not comb and adorn it, nor anoint it, lest thou bring upon thee such women as ensnare, or are ensnared, by lust. Neither shalt thou put on fine raiment, nor be shod on thy feet with shoes which are fashioned according to the lust of folly; nor shalt thou put upon thy fingers rings of gold device: for all these things are the wiles of harlotry, and every thing that thou dost apart from nature. For to thee, a faithful man of God, it is not permitted to nourish the hair of thy head and to comb and smooth it, which is a wantonness of lust; neither shalt thou arrange and adorn it, nor adjust it so that it may be beautiful. And thou shalt not destroy the hairs of thy beard, nor alter the natural form of thy face and change it to other than God created it, because that thou desirest to please men, But if thou do these things, thy soul shall be deprived of life, and thou shalt be rejected before the Lord God. Asa man there- fore who would please God, take heed thou do no such things ; and avoid all those things which the Lord hateth.

English translation by R. H. Connolly (1929); the original is not shown

And thou shalt not stray and go about idly in the streets and see the vain spectacle of those who behave themselves evilly ; but be thou always attending to thy craft and thy work, and be willing to do those things that are pleasing to God; and thou shalt be meditating constantly upon the words of the Lord.

English translation by R. H. Connolly (1929); the original is not shown

But if thou art rich and hast no need of a craft whereby to live, thou shalt not stray and go about vacantly; but be ever constant in drawing near to the faithful and to them that are like-minded with thee, and be meditating and learning with them the living words. And if not, sit at home and read the Law, and the Book of Kings and the Prophets, and the Gospel the fulfilment of these.

English translation by R. H. Connolly (1929); the original is not shown

But avoid all books ofthe heathen. For what hast thou to do with strange sayings or laws or lying prophecies, which also turn away from the faith them that are young? For what is wanting to thee in the word of God, that thou shouldst cast thyself upon these fables of the heathen? If thou wouldst read historical narratives, thou hast the Book of Kings ; but if wise men and philosophers, thou hast the Prophets, wherein thou shalt find wisdom and understanding more than that of the wise men and philosophers; for they are the words of the one God, the only wise. And if thou wish for songs, thou hast the Psalms of David; but if (thou wouldst read of) the beginning of the world, thou hast the Genesis of the great Moses; and if laws and commandments, thou hast *the glorious Law* of the Lord God. All strange (writings) therefore, which are contrary (to these), wholly avoid. Yet when thou readest the Law, beware of the Second Legislation, that thou do but read it merely ; but the commands and warnings that are therein much avoid, lest thou lead thyself astray and bind thyself with the bonds which may not be loosed of heavy burdens. For this cause therefore, if thou read the Second Legislation, consider this alone, that thou know and glorify God who delivered us from all these bonds. And have this set before thine eyes, that thou discern and know what [in the Law] is the Law, and what are the bonds that are in the Second Legislation, which after the Law were given to those who, in the Law and in the Second Legislation,

English translation by R. H. Connolly (1929); the original is not shown

in thine old And that we prolong not and extend the admonition of our teaching with many (words), if we have left anything, do you as wise men choose for yourselves those things that are good from the holy Scriptures and from the Gospel of God, that you may be made firm, and may put away and cast from you all evil, and be found blameless in life everlasting with God.

English translation by R. H. Connolly (1929); the original is not shown

An instruction to women, that they should please and honour their husbands alone, caring diligently and wisely for the work of their houses with attention; and that they should not bathe with men; and that they should not adorn themselves and become a cause of stumbling to men and ensnare them; and that they should be chaste and quiet, and not quarrel with their husbands. And let a woman also be subject to her husband; because the head of the woman is the man, and the head of a man that walks in the way of justice zs Christ. After the Lord Almighty, our God and the Father of the worlds, of the present and of that which is to come, and the Lord of every breath and of all powers, and His living and Holy Spirit—to whom is glory and honour for evermore, Amen—woman, fear thy husband and reverence him, and please him alone, and be ready to minister to him ; and let thy hands be (put forth) to the wool, and thy mind be upon the spindle, as He saith in Wisdom: A valiant woman who shall find? For she is more worth than goodly stones of great price; and the heart of her husband relieth upon her, and provision is not wanting to her. For she is a helper to her husband in all things, and causeth that nothing be wanting to him in his living. She made wool and linen with her ready hands. She is become a good provider, as a merchant ship, and hath gathered all her riches from afar. She rose up in the night and gave victuals to her household, and work to her handmaids. ' She looked upon a field, and bought it; and of the fruits of her hands she planted a possession. " She girded her loins with strength, and made firm her arms, and tasted that it ts good to work: and her lamp was not put out all the night long. Her arms she stretched forth with diligence, and her hands to the spindle. Her hands she extended to the poor, and of her fruits she gave to the needy. And her husband hath no anxiety for the house ; for all his household have been clothed with a double raiment. 22 She made for her husband garments of fine linen and scarlet : ?3 her husband is notable in the gates, when he sitteth in the seat of the elders. ?* She made in her house linen cloths and girdles, and sold to the Canaanites. Strength and comeliness are her raiment: and she shall rejoice im the last day. She opened her mouth with wisdom and with prudence, and her tongue speaketh orderly. ” The ways of her house are strict: and bread she hath not eaten slothfully. She opened her mouth in wisdom, rightly: and the law of mercy is upon her tongue. Her sons rose up and were enriched, and praised her: and she shall rejoice in them in her last days. Her husband also congratulated her: 9 and her many daughters have gotten riches. And many great things she did, and she was exalted above all the women: for a woman that feareth God shall be blessed, and the fear of the Lord shall glorify her. *' Give unto her of her fruits, which are worthy of her lips, and let her be praised in the gates: and in every place let her husband be praised. And again: A valiant woman ts the crown of her husband. You have heard, then, how great praise a chaste woman and one that loves her husband receives of the Lord God, one that is found faithful and is minded to please God. Thou therefore, O woman, shalt not adorn thyself that thou mayest please other men; and thou shalt not be plaited with the tresses of harlotry, nor put on the dress of harlotry, nor be shod with shoes so that thou resemble them that are such; lest thou bring upon thee those who are ensnared by these things. And if thou sin not thyself in this work of uncleanness, yet in this thou wilt have sinned, that thou hast constrained and caused that (man) to desire thee. But if thou also sin, thou hast destroyed thy life from God, and art become guilty also of the soul of that (man). And moreover, when thou hast sinned with one, thou wilt grow reckless and go also to others ; as in Wisdom He said: When the wicked ts come to the depth of evil, he contemneth and groweth reckless: and there cometh upon him dishonour and reproach. For one who is such that she is wholly stricken in her soul and taken with desire, leads captive the souls of them that lack understanding. But let us learn concerning these also, how the holy word in Wisdom exposes them; for it saith thus: As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so ts beauty to a woman that doeth evil. And again: As a worm in wood, so doth an evil woman destroy aman. And again: A woman void of understanding and boastful cometh to want bread, and knoweth no shame. For she sitteth in the street, by the door of her house, upon a high chair, and calleth to them that pass by the way, and to them that walk in her paths, and saith: 6 Whoso among you is a simpleton, let him draw nigh to me; and to him that wanteth understanding I will say: Touch lovingly the hidden bread, and stolen waters that are sweet. ' And he knoweth not that valiant men perish with her, and come even to the depth of Sheol. But flee thou, and tarry not in that place ; and lift not up thine eyes to look upon her. And again: It zs better to sit upon a corner of the roof than to dwell with a prating and quarrelsome woman within the house.

English translation by R. H. Connolly (1929); the original is not shown

evil and wrong and iniquity; for He saith again: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.