First Christian Voices: Practices of the Apostolic Fathers

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First Christian Voices

who having a knowledge of the way of righteousness and rushes off into the way of darkness perishes justly. Furthermore, my friends, if the Lord endured suffering for our souls, He being Lord of all the world, to whom God said at the foundation of the world, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Gen 1:26), understands how it was that He endured suffering at the hands of people. The prophets, having obtained grace from Him, prophesied concerning Him. And He who appeared in flesh so that He might abolish death and reveal the resurrection from the dead, suffered in order that He might fulfill the promise made to the fathers. Namely, He prepared a new people for Himself and showed that while He dwelt on earth, He will also judge them when He has raised humankind. Moreover, teaching Israel and doing so many miracles and wonders, He preached to them and greatly loved them. But when He chose His own apostles who were to preach His gospel—those who were sinners above all sin—He showed that He came not “to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32; Matt 9:13; Mark 2:17 ). Then He revealed Himself to be the Son of God. For if He had not come in the flesh how could people have been saved by seeing Him? Since looking upon the sun which is to cease to exist, and is the work of His hands, their eyes are not able to bear his rays. The Son of God therefore came in the flesh with this view: that He might bring to a head the sum of the sins of those who had persecuted His prophets to the death. For this purpose, then, He suffered. For God says, “The