The writings of the Apostolic FathersClement I, Pope
General
The writings of the Apostolic Fathers
Clement I, Pope
Apostolic Fathers; Christian literature, Early
“What have they borne?” said I. “Listen,” said she: “scourges, prisons,
great tribulations, crosses, wild beasts, for God’s name’s sake. On this
account is assigned to them the division of sanctification on the right
hand, and to every one who shall suffer for God’s name: to the rest is
assigned the division on the left. But both for those who sit on the
right, and those who sit on the left, there are the same gifts and
promises; only those sit on the right, and have some glory. You then are
eager to sit on the right with them, but your shortcomings are many. But
you will be cleansed from your shortcomings; and all who are not given
to doubts shall be cleansed from all their iniquities up till this day.”
Saying this, she wished to go away. But falling down at her feet, I
begged her by the Lord that she would show me the vision which she had
promised to show me. And then she again took hold of me by the hand, and
raised me, and made me sit on the seat to the left; and lifting up a
splendid rod, she said to me, “Do you see something great?” And I say,
“Lady, I see nothing.” She said to me, “Lo! do you not see opposite to
you a great tower, built upon the waters, of splendid square stones?”
For the tower was built square by those six young men who had come with
her. But myriads of men were carrying stones to it, some dragging them
from the depths, others removing them from the land, and they handed
them to these six young men. They were taking them and building; and
those of the stones that were dragged out of the depths, they placed in
the building just as they were: for they were polished and fitted
exactly into the other stones, and became so united one with another
that the lines of juncture could not be perceived. And in this way the
building of the tower looked as if it were made out of one stone. Those
stones, however, which were taken from the earth suffered a different
fate; for the young men rejected some of them, some they fitted into the
building, and some they cut down, and cast far away from the tower. Many
other stones, however, lay around the tower, and the young men did not
use them in building; for some of them were rough, others had cracks in
them, others had been made too short,[1589] and others were white and
round, but did not fit into the building of the tower. Moreover, I saw
other stones thrown far away from the tower, and falling into the public
road; yet they did not remain on the road, but were rolled into a
pathless place. And I saw others falling into the fire and burning,
others falling close to the water, and yet not capable of being rolled
into the water, though they wished to be rolled down, and to enter the
water.
CHAP. III.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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