To the Philadelphians 6.1
Summary: Do not listen to those who teach Judaism instead of Christ.
Greek text · Lake, LCL 24:244
Ἐὰν δέ τις ἰουδαϊσμὸν ἑρμηνεύῃ ὑμῖν, μὴ ἀκούετε αὐτοῦ. ἄμεινον γάρ ἐστιν παρὰ ἀνδρὸς περιτομὴν ἔχοντος χριστιανισμὸν ἀκούειν, ἢ παρὰ ἀκροβύστου ἰουδαϊσμόν. ἐὰν δὲ ἀμφότεροι περὶ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μὴ λαλῶσιν, οὗτοι ἐμοὶ στῆλαί εἰσιν καὶ τάφοι νεκρῶν, ἐφʼ οἷς γέγραπται μόνον ὀνόματα ἀνθρώπων.
English · Claude translation
But if anyone expounds Judaism to you, do not listen to him. For it is better to hear Christianity from a man who is circumcised than Judaism from one who is uncircumcised. But if either of them does not speak about Jesus Christ, they are to me tombstones and graves of the dead, on which only the names of men are written.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- “Judaism … from one who is uncircumcised”: apparently Gentile Christians urging Jewish practices.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (digitization slip against Lake's printed text (missing diaeresis)): ἀκροβύστου ἰουδαῖσμόν → ἀκροβύστου ἰουδαϊσμόν.
Cite this passage
Ign. Phld. 6.1 (PG 5:701a–701b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-philadelphians/6/1/).
Plain text
Ign. Phld. 6.1 (PG 5:701a–701b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-philadelphians/6/1/).
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